the. l'lrver~e. (4) We may anticJpate the da:r when death shall. be ~o,we4, up_AAJ victory.~D. _T. Vers.19, 20.-(J!irist tmfoining thifretard oJ hiil~lii&n'to man anit ¥tnu, its m~niTJg'. ." Write the thi~gs w1iich thou h~t seeu, and th1ft~Jigs wlrfcli ~'at,.~ the :thmgs which. shall b,e hetea.ftei:1" etc. _These words sug'g'est.tlfo general reriilttki !X)ncei'Ding Cl!rist. · .· . · · · · · ~ THAT RE REQUIRES lf8N TO ltEdORD Tlll"l Rl!lv,ELA"i:IONEI, "llE. MA~ES'. TO TllB)ll~ IIe is ,tµti ~~a~ :(½vea,lerof Go«r tb humanity; and his. retelatfons' ~ evM-reeun-mg apd co~iit. And ;here we are'taugl'lt. that they are _not"'.o'nly to 'b!l 't'aught._ ~4 studied, ~ut to be recorded.. Tb,e re..v«'ll,a'ti~D;~ here· 1:ferred ·:to,ii.re 'of th:r~ ·c\¥ses.; -1,~ 1.'hose wh~ch h(l,(], be~ ~~. "The tli1n$.s which thou hast seen!1· What things John ~aa already seen T · How manifold" wonderful, signific'alit'J ,Whiit •'fiill-rl'bf any reflection or cpn!!Oience has not seen t:jlihg_s from G9d'.? Z•. 'fh08e things whkh ~1#-11.ftO'W presmt. "The thi11gs which ai'.e.•• · Things that w~te a~ ~,nd,. tha.t dme wi£P,iri his observatioµ. a.n<l co"4~919usness. Thtire. are ·eteme.1 ptiJicij>les: that underlie and< shape all liu11;1a~ ~isto:ry,." : Th~e priµcipl~s are as ppi~~~t ,,3fl ~he ·aii-'we b!eathe, "alt,~ough. the maJoo.ty _or qi~ face, are uneon,ec1ous or them. 'fhJlre(itre ~111.e wltjch reveal'tliem7 selves in vivid coiiscio'usnes.<1...:..t11ese shall be recot'ded,'$e!r:.11I1~~s _shall' be pho~ graphed on the heart. 3. Those which WllTB approacMng. · " Tlie· t'hi'ngs which shali be hereafter.'• With that inspiration of him who sees the end from the beginning, the human soul may catch a glimpse, of all· fn~ure times. 'fhe divinely inspired genius becomes to some extent independent of all space and time, overleaps all 'boundaries; geographic'and ehronologic," It seems to have been:so:wiffi)John on this oooasion. In his visions the. future ages of the world llpreai;ed 4CIW.ll ~ th11r {innl trinnp of doom. John seems to have · · ' -- ··' ·· ·'""" .-rr • • Dipt _into the future, far as human eye could see;· S&w ~e visiOJl of the world, and all the won.den that would lle.- N ow', these' three elasses'of things John ha<l ~ write d,own~those that had unfolded them'Blllvei!, those that1.Vll1'6 unfoldingthemselv~,and thos'! that would be Jo. tl}e en_& of,\time. Whatever mi.nihas s«'len or' will see of the l)ivine;he is bound tQ record, •• Write." Literature, though .sadly corrupted awl. the source of enormous mischief; is a Divine lnt1titution. Rightly employed, it is one of the grandest forces.in hunian life. Truth crally communicated is inexpressibly important ' and Immeasurably inil_u_e_n,ti11-_l. ;He_ wlio .a.peaks j;ruth rationally, fa.ithfull1,, ~atnestly, devoutly,'tqneheli thedeepe!j_t spr,mgs, in the great world ofmin.d. What ·bloo@ess'ii.nd bril\iant tictotles the tiruth,has won in. all ages I Albeit $ruth•writlffl bas some advantages-0v8l' truttt fiPOken. for m!LII' seems to multiply himself by the book,be has written;· Hia·book is a kind of •~d incarnation-, in which he may live .and work,agesafter the firl~a tha~ held his pen are: mouldered into dust. Thank God for h®ks,_ QIU'; b.est; coro.pa.nions, always ready with their counsel and their oomforj;. . '.Pliey ~ 11,l'Jg; tqat hAv~Jborue dowµ to us; bver_ the floods of Qlln\uri~ the vita\ gerµis o_F,.qepar~d ages. · ljep,men. write,•~ .but let their. subject.a' be p.ot the trashf ~qi~ of tjp,ie 1;W.d llllllS~ ple$Si.n'e1 ,the vl,sions of a wild fancy or tlie speculations c;r:~·teok~iJ:as µi~(l.uf $he 'revelatwmf't'hat Christ has made, · ·· · · ' " · · ,,. ... ., ...r!t. IT.. · .,. . :~ TuAi'',ji(ic~s- ro lp!!N 'l'lJB )[EA.i!tmG efF. TBm. B'EVEilTioN n lliXEs 'l'd TnJ!,~ "Thft ~ntery of ,t)l.e ,seven Jt.ars wliich·thott sawest i:)i iny right hatid, aJ'.!d, t!:1-ii Ji6Ven g11lden ()81,!l;l.estioke.", · There are -two ~inds 'Of mystery, the lm.Cl'!JAlble ·imd uninowable. ..(1) ~ unknown of the lm.OtUl'.lble. It is conceivable that the whale created universe is knowable, even to the intellect of finite man. Yet what ,the, mosa enlightened•man·knows is but a fr~ion d.. what to-him is still unknown- mystery. Bence every step in the-advance ·ot an ear;ne11t inquirer is turning the myetery of ~&y"into an•lrilielligible fact of to-morrow. W~at ~ ~ystery ;to, one. lll~ .is J!.0t; M to ~ot~er p,nd wna.t· ~- mystery to a man to-day. is n~ ,my11tery,tq,,mol'1'.i>W, . 1.'h!! other ,ltµul .of mystery a (a) _the 1mk,wu,n qj' thf. Unmwab~ He _whom we c;al.l God'li the ,veat Mystery, the absolutely Unknowable-wbom· 'no mim "hii.tli seen'or ~ ieel! ~:Now, in tb.o fermer l!llnse the 111eaning of the word·" lllyitery" iii her,i I 68 THE REVELATION' OF BT. J'OHN THE DIVINE. [cu. u. 1-29;
titnplo:fed.1 In Christ's explanation here we have two <things worth· note. 1. Tl,e ideal Ohrilti.o.n paBtOf". "The aeven stars are the angels of the seven Churches." Who ~, ~els _w_ere is a mat~i;:.of ~peculation. Every .settled Ol;lr.istian community, 1Vh!it.her religious or not, bllB BOIDe leading person or persons amongst them. In these ~ian COllgrega.tiona In. Asia llinor there sooms to have been some leading man. _He ~ no doubt, like Timothy' in Ephesus-the pastor. Every true Christian minister or .angel is a "s1i3r." .His light is borrowed, but borrowed from the primal souroe-the ~ Bun "f Jlig}lteousness." His orbit is Divine. Faiihful teachera are stars Uiat s!iall lhine for ever (Dan., iit 3); (alse teachers are w1mdering ,eta;rs (Jude 13), ,!>r s~ whlch· fall froµi heav~ '(9h. viiL 10; vi; 13; xii. 4). 2. TJ#· idea<l Uhrldian OhulrcA; "The seve~ candlesticka which thou sawest. are the Si\'ven Churche11." .Observe : (1) Ohristian congr~tions are lights. "Candlesticks." (2) They <are precio'tts lights. '.]'hey are "golden." They throw th~ pest kibd or information uwn an ~norant'lv:orld. (3) They are imperfect lightL A lamp is a ·composite and requires 'constan~ care. No ~'nite power can make the sun brighter or larger. Not so witli. the lamp. Tile· lamp :µiay grow dim and go out-the "g,;ilden candlestick " may be there; but no liiht issues thereflofu. "It was thought by the "ncients that if ever the. fires which ~llrried on the altar of Vesta beciiliie extinct, they could not be rekindled unl811S by being brought in contact with the sun.•~~- T; · · · ·