The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 156

• CeNctUBION, If we beaaked-Why, if itbe so that the Spirit of God t.h111 goeaforth; why ia the world no .better? we can only reply: 1. The higher the life the longer ia development demands. What wonder, then, that "the end is not yet"? 2. The Spirit may be resisted; is so. The old fable of the sirens is of everyday fulfilment. The sweet, seductive song or the siren-like world ·lures soula in myriads to abandon the leading or the Spirit of God. Is it not so? 'l'he wonder is, not that so few escape, bat that any do. No wonder, therefore, that his work is slow. 3. But it is sure. The Spirit is likened to fire-to torches of fire (see ah. iv.), which will stand the rough blasts of the world and the tempests of sin, and yet burn on. And as fire tr&naform• and strives atrenuously till it gains its ends, so we believe the Spirit will, for we "believe in the Holy Ghost." 4. What reception has he from u.,? Doubt him not, resin him not, but seek his aid for yourselves, for others, and,. as you so do, you will increasingly .believe in, see, and rejoice in, the goings forth of the Spirit of God.-S. 0. Vera. 9, 12-14.-'17«, trip'le.doo,o1ogy. In these sublime ohapters theae doxologies stand out prominently. Not.e concerning them- . . . . · L WHA.T IS oonoN TO .TJIEH ALL. 'l'hey are all ascribed to the Lamb. Etclu~. sively in the fir~ two; united 'fith "him tha1 sitteth on the. throne," in the third; but .in all the Li1mb is prominent. From this we learn : 1. We cannot 'l'fJnder loo much }wnowr to Ghrist.. He is seen "in the mkist of the throne," and the Centre of all that heavenly circle, and the Object of their 1U1ited adoration. We therefore oannot exoeed in our worship of him. We .scarce know bow, we need not know how, to distinguish betw!l8n him that sitteth on the throne and between him that ill. in the midst of the throne. The worship of one is the ,worship of the other, and of the other of the one. Christ is everything to us-" all and in aU," as St. Paul affirms, and as tihia vision shows. The fact is, we cannot worship God without worshipping Christ. No man cometh or.can come to the Father but by him. The very thoughts and ideas tha, we have of God we gain through him. Those varied b)lman exprefsions concerning God which we find ip the Old, Testament are but anticipations of .the confirmation they were. to receive through him who, coming from the Fathei-, ~hould take our nature and. ao reveal th'1 Father to us. ~- Nor oo:n 'l!Je think tOQ ~ of the ~ . ef (Jhri,t, ·ll is to him as to. the Lamb, the Lamb .slain and who hath redeemed 1111 by,his blood. that thisadoration is given.. It is the cross of Christ that speaks })6ace to Che contrite heart, that assures of perfeot syUJpathy the sad and distrelised mind, that giv•. DOW strength and reSQlve to the tempted souL Well does Watts sing- " Oh, the sweet wonders of that cl'088 On which my Saviour groaned and died r Her noble1t life my spirit draws . Prom his dear wouooa and bleeding Bide." IL WHAT JS l'BOULIAB ro EACH. 1. The fed dorrology. · (1) Offered b11: (~) The four living · ones. Representative (see previous homily) of perfectly redeemed humanity-the condition in which man shall be when Christ has drawn all men unto him ; when he shall have put all enemies under his feet. 'l'hey are represented u "four," to signify the world-wide scope of Christ's redemption : "'!'hey shall come from the north and from the south, from the east and from the west." (b) The twenty- four elders. These represent the Church of God. They are twenty-four beeaUBe of the twenty-four courses of priests (1 Chron. xxiv. 3-19). They are the instrument.a by which mankind at laTge shall be won for God. The manifold· wisdom of God is to be made known thro~h the Church. (2) By means of: (a) The outward homage of the· body: " they fell down." The attitude of the body not merel7, symbolizes, 'but_ often assists, the worship of the mind. The posture of reverence· ia. helpful to the faeliug of reverence, and therefore is not to be regarded as unimportant. (b) Music and song. They had, "harps," and th!lY "sung a new song." Music alone of all the arts is to be perpetuated in heaven, We read not of painting or sculpture, but 'music and song are there. For music is the utterance of thoughts too deep for. words; Much is given to us besides language to express our thoughts-tones, look, tears, cries, and music also. Moreover, mtillio is symbolical of the life of heaven. Ju' irl m118ic so there, there is no self-will. Music is only poesible P.Y ablolote o ~ ne THB RBVBLA.TIOX OJ' ST. JOHN THB DIVINB. (oa. Y. 1-14.