Cort.b a sweet- fragrance. It 1'111 aaked whence it had 11110h fragrance. It rer.lied that it had long lain by the aide of a sweet-smelling l'Ole, and so it. h""'1 become lilied with ita sweetness. So our clay like souls, if. wa be ln· communion with Christ, shall come to be u he. · Ah, then, "open the door," and let your Lord .in. (2):•He holds out to thoile who" overcome" the same reward as he had when .he o'tercame-"to lit with me in my throne, even as I," etc. (ver. 21). It telli of the highest, holiest joys, of the everlasting kingdom of God. So would he lure them to himself. ~l:he not.succeed? "Behold, he stands at the door and knocks. "-S. 0. •. ... . · ·
Ver. 20.-17ie Saw,ur, tie 1JOul, and ,aluatit»&. "Rebold, lstalld at the doqr," eto. These words, so well known and much. loved, however their prima,ry inten.tiion may have hail regard to a sinful community like the Church at Laodi~ nevertheless 1~ themselves so aptly to the setting forth of Christ's dealing with individu.al sinf~l t"Oula, and have been so often used in this way, that once more .we employ thei:n for the ~e purpose. · They 8Upply three vivid pictures. . . · l. OF OUR SAVIOUB, "Behold, 1 stand," etc.; and they reveal hill) to us in aU--his grace. He is represented: 1, A, in constant· tiearm&.! to th, soul. He stan.da. at tl1e door. He does not come for once and then depart, but there he continues. 2. .And 114 knocka at the door: not merely stands there. The soul is like a great palace ~t has :many doors. And Christ knocks sometimes at the one door and sometimes at ~other, There is: (1) The door of the intellect. To this he comes with the evidence of the reasonableness of his faith and claims. (2) Of. the eonscimce. To this he shows the goodness and righteouaness of that which he asks; how he ought to be obeyed. . (3)' Of low. · He wakes up, or seeks to wake up, the spirit of gratitude in respmse to all he is a!ld h~done for the soul, (4) Of/ear. 'l'he alarm of the awakened conscience, the (earful looking for of judgment, are the means be uses. (5) Of hope. The blessed prospeot of eternal peace anti purity and joy. 3. .And hs krwclwm many ways• . (1) Sometimes by his Word, As it is quietly read in the sacred Scriptures, some text will lllTBllt and arouse the soul. · Or, as it is faithfully, lovingly, and earnestly preached: how oftma he knocks in this way I And (2) sometimes byhis,providen«. Sickness; bereavem81lt; loss of wealth, or friends, or other earthly good; disaster; the approach .of pestilence,; nearness of death; trouble of mind, body, or estate ;-,all are the 'Lord's knockingR. And (3) sometimes by his Spirit. These more often than any. " The Spirit •• , says, Come." 4. .4rnl ws know that he tloea this. Have we not been conscious of his appeals again and again P li. like what all this· reveal,. of him. (1) His infinite patience. How long he has. waited for some of us, year i.fter year, and. is not wearilld yet I (l!) His gracious condescension. 'l'hat he, our Lord and Saviour, should. thtrs deal with wi. (3) And, above.all, what infinite lovel Behold, then, this portrait of OlV 11,U-g~ Saviour and Lord; and let it draw your .hearts to him as it should. . . , II. 01' THE sovL-the soul 1>f each one of us. Our text shows the soul : l, .A, t/w, objtct of Ohriaf, ana:ious concern. He would not else be thus standing and knocking at the door of our hearts. -And the reason is that he knows: (1) The soul's infinite value and preciousness. He knows its high capacities-that it ca.n love and worship,resemble. and rejoice in God. (2) Its terrible peril. Were it not so, there would not be need for such anxious concern. It is in peril of losing eternal. life and of incurring eternal death. It is nigh unto perishing-a lost sheep. a lost piece of silver, a lost child, 2. -'• ~ i n g its fearful power. Refusing Christ, keepin~ him outside the. soul Many other guests are admitted freely, but not Christ. (1) 'Ihe soul has this power of refusal, None other has. Not the stars of heaven, not the mighty sea, not the l'aging winds, not the devouring fire. All these obey. But the soul can refuse. (2) :And here it is exercising this power. That Chri• is kept outside the soul ia the testimony of: (a) Scripture. Texts innumerable tell of the estrangement of the human heart from God. (b) Conscience. Does .not the ungodly man know that Chris~ does not dwell within him, that he has no room for him-however it may be with othe1 guest.a-in his soul? And the ■I.range, sad reluctancy to speak: i>r Christ to others 1bowa how partial is his potseasion of even Chriatian souls. (c) Facts. See what men are and say and do; mark their conduct, their conversation, their character; examine the maxims, principles, and motivea which regulate them, and see if Christ be i.11 all W an7 of them. And this, not only in men brought up in un1odliness, but often in mr. ffL f....2'21.) THE 'liEVELATION OF ST•. JOBN '1'1:{E I>IVINE. 186