The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 155

tp the seTen Churches, clt :ii. and iii.). At eh. xix. 10 we are told that "the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." The Holy Spirit confirms ihe "Toice from heaven~ (eh. xiv. 13), which declares. "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord. Yea,: saith the Spirit," etc. It was under the influence of the Spirit the book was lVI"itten: "~ w311 in the Spirit," St. John repeatedly affirms: .And at the end of the book the Spirit iB heard along with the bride and others, bidding all come and. take the water of life freely. Scripture, therefore, does plainly tell of a Spirit-the Spirit of God, "sent forth into all the earth." · . u. T:ii;B ~ OJ' ms OOJ'R'G J'OBTD'.. Thill seen: 1. In t1afun,. (1) CreAtion. He ill called " the Spirit of life." "Thou sendest forth tliy Spirit, they are cr~ted.." (2) At each returning spring. 2. Amongat men. Here it is that the Divine ~pint's work may be most manifestly seen. (1) .As afa.ct, there is much good amongst men who have not been and are not within the circle of the Church-much that is lovely and i,f good report nnd worthy of all praise. ·Seethe laws and literature.of ancient nations; "11,d the lives of their noblest men •. Who that is acquainted with ancient history will for a moment deny thie? And to-day there is much of good that yet is, formally, without the circle of the Church. No doubt a large part of this is owing to what Carlyle called "a great aft.Ar-shine" of Christianity. . The inspiration of many professedly non~ Christian. moralists is Christian after all. They have unconscioW1ly absorbed it; and then reproduced it as from some other source. (Z) Now, whence comes all this P Many say that" natural goodness" is snfficient to account· for it. And that there ia some good in. every man, we can hardly deny. And we are unable to accept the Augustinian theory that such ·goodness, being unconn!)cted with faith, "has the nature Qf sin." For is not thia doctrine perilously near that ~ which our ;Lord speaks in Matt. :xii. 24, where his enemies attributed his deeds to the prince of. devils? We know of no such thing as natural goodness. How can it coexist with the universal corruption which we confess? But we do know of God. as the Source of goodness, and of Sat:ui as the inspirer of evil, and to him we cannot ascribe the goodr\688 of which we arei ■peaking. We therefore look for its .source in that. going forth of the Spirit of God of whieh the text tells. Does not all light come from the central sun ? The flame that leaps forth from the coal, heated above a certain temperature, and with which we are "° familiar, is l)ut latent light liberated at length after having been imprisoned there 19!~ the days when it .first was radiated from the one central sun. And has not 11eienCl/l showed that life only can produce life? Dead matter cannot originate it; it 111ust CQme frpm life. Anq. ,this is true in the realm of moral and spiritual life alao. And does not Scripture assert this? St.· James sa:,s, "Do not err, my beloved brethren, Every good gift ••• cometh down from the Father of lights," etc. (Jas. i. 11). And f;lt. John (i.) tells . of •~ the light that lighteth every man that cometh mto the world." We therefore claim all goodness aB due to the going forth, etc. 3. In tM 0/aurcA. Here, of course, it is most of all to, be seen. Let the w.atera of a lake ~ agitated by a~y cause, the greatest movements will be seen nearest the point wh~ tJiat which stirred the waters came into contact with them, although the movements will not stay until the whole body of the .lake has ·been more or less affected thereby• .And so, because the Church is the point of contact, amid the wide extent of humanity ~t large, with the bleBSed power of the Spirit of God, therefore in the Church :will:hia power most of all be seen, though his power goes forth far beyond. In the Church it., iB seen in all ,toga of the spiritual life-in conviction, conversion, inward peace. bright hope, growing holiness. .And in all the manifeatatiom of that life-trust, fidelity, charity, zeal, self-denial, love,joy, p88C8f etc. It is more evidently seen in great spiritual i:dovements like that at Pentecost, in which vast numbers of human liearta: are touched, moved, and. saved thereby. Then everybody notes it, and asks, J< What strange thing is this?" But it may be seen, also, in, equally real operation in tAe case of individuals who, one by one, the Holy Spirit draws to God. And thia going forth shall be seen again : 4. .41 the r ~ . " The Spirit of him that raised !JP, Jeaua from the dead shall also qm.·cken your mortal. bodies," etc. (Rom. viii. 11). ;Each spring Be&IIOn iB God's perpetual parable of the resurrection. The whence, the l!'hither, &Dd the ca111e an all portrayed when · "The 1pring-tide hour Brings leaf and flower." aa. T. 1-U.) THE REVELATION OJ!' ST. JODN -rnR n ~ l-71;