The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 148

giYe,the IIODll8morucorrectly; rou11ch .it the to err In the lllllile way• the Jew■ did, b:, lui'llit of the words, .. ln tliy blood" ( b, T,; expecting to see the redeemed exerci■e at; 11fp,m). The words point to a particular aot any time visible authority over their fellow-- performed at a definite time, Tiz. the death inen. The redeemed reign, then, 11piritually. of Christ, by which he repnrohased men But it will ·be well to inqui,re more fnlly and from ain and Satan for the service of God : exaotly what we intend to siiroify by thill the price of the pur<mue being the shedding exp:reasion. The word " reign" is not ofte12 of his own blood. The words ehow, too, that used of Christiana in the New Te■tament. ·the fruits of the redemption are intended for In Rom. v. 17 we read, "Much more the:, the whole world: not limited to any chosen which receive abundance of grnce ·and of iMi.tion. though 10me are excluded by their the gift of righteousness shall reign in life on acl Ou of 11Yfff kili.dred, and tongue, by one, Jesus Christ." And in l Cor. iY. 8, -.,.d peoplo, and nation. This fourfold clasai- "And I would to God ye did reign." In flcation continually reenra in the Revelation. both these places 811. Paul seems to intend It includes all the basei! of clB111iflcation a reigning over self-an ability to subdue of mankind, all the · circm.natanOOB which personal pASSions; a power which comes ieparate men, the barrien which were from the "abnndance of grace and of th·e overthrown by \he redeeming work of gift of rigl1teoU1ness" which are mentioned, Obrist. and which are possessed only by the re- Ver. 10.-And hut made u unto 011r God 'deemed, through Jesus Christ. This ability .lmga and priests; fnd d{dst ma~ them to ·to subdue personal passions and ambitiona lf tmfo OVf' God a kingdom and prim,. Of is what the apostle wishes for the Corin- th086 whom thou didst redeem from every thians, and of which many of ·them had nation, thou didst make a kingdom and shown themselves to be. destitute, or only J)lieets. Wordsworth remarks that these posl!el!l!ing in an inadequate degree. It is honoun conferred upon the redeemed im- the truth which is expressed by Solomon 'in 'plT dntie11 as well as priYilegea. They m- the words, " Better 1s he that releth hfs «nve the princely honours conferred upon spirit than he that taketh a city" (Prov. them only on condition that they also be- xvi. 82) ; and in the words of the Collect for eome priesta, presenting themselves, tbdr Peace in the Morning Prayer of the Church 1nul1 and bodies, a living saerifice to God of· England, " Whose service i1 perfect free.. (Rom. xii. I, 2), and, being a holy priesthood, dom ; " or, as it should be rendered, "Whom off'cring up spiritua:1 sacrifices acceptable to serve is to reign." The representatives 'to God by Jesus Christ (l Pet. ii. 5). (On of the Church and of oreation, then, a<lore the person of "IDl," see on previous Yerae.) the Lamb, through whose redeeming act And we ■hall reign on the eanh ; or, and grace may be given to men of every kindI't.,>d t.hef t'ejfl?I 011 the earth (see on yer. 9). The and tongue, to enable them to overcome sin interpretation of this passage will necBllSBrily and Satan, and in the freedom of God's be inlluenced to some exlent by the view service to reign on earth as kinga and · .adopted of the millennium (see on eh. xx.). conquerors over all unworthy paBBions. ·In Those who eJ::pect a personal reign of Christ this way, too, we aooount for the present OI) the' earth for a thousand years naturally tense of the verb, which is most probably the eonaider that in this nrse reference is made correct reading. · to that period. .And if the thousand years Ver. 11.-And I beheld mark■ a new be 11Dderetood to denote the time which feature of the vision, viz. the introduction elapll88 between the first and second comings of the angelic host as taking part in the ot Chrillt, that is to say, the present time, adoration of the Lamb (see. on eh. iv. I). the two passages-that iri eh. i:x. 4 and And I heard the voice of many angela ; ii .the Qne before ns-may be connected, and mile. The angels who have "desired fo Intended to refer to the 118Ille time. We look into" the mystery of the redemption baYe, thererore, to inquire in what sense the of the worU (l Pet. i. 12) have now had ·woro "reign» is uaed, and how the redeemed declaretl to then1 " by the Church the mani- ean' be 1!8id to reign on the earth at the fold wisdom of God, IL6COrding to the etermii prei!ent time. In the firat place, nothing is purpose which he purpose,! in Chi.ist Jest111 'more plainly taught us than that Christ's our Lord" {Eph. iii. 10, ll): and are thus zei.gning, hit power, and ·his kingdom on enabled to join in the song of the l'e<leemed, :~~ ~ a spiritual reign, a spiritual power, Ronud about the throne and the beasts Bild a spmtu:al kingdom: though the Jews and the eldera. The inn.umerable company of our Lord'a disciples them1!€lves frequently angelll encircle the .throne and the beast.Ii erred b:r, supposing that his kingdom would and the 0lders. Thus the throne is in the be a viaible, worldly power. It seems natural, vision seen as occupying the centre, the four :therefore, that if such is the meaning of living creatures are placed rountl it in Christ's reigning, that of his aervarita should dift'erent directions : ihe elders fomi the be of the ee.me nature; and we ought nQt next cirole, and the angels enclose the wholl\, i& T,: 1-M,] TD· REVELATION' OJ!h-ST• .TOD T,HB DIVIN1t. 167