vuUI of the gospel, to the. g-l'W:J6 ~f the gospel, .t9 U1B wor<t.of tlJ,gospel; .all ,t.h-.~ a.id to cleanse, to redeem,,to co11quer,,to:IJ)8,~e white.ete. Not;OJ1fydoea,i~1serYe,tp explain the essence of the. gospel,_ b,u.t, tpe fflS.ence 9f, .per.'s~Z .lwlinu,. .. ,'.l;'hati.. • ,p.·rini;iP,J,e of love which led Christ to sa.crifiqe hill .life must be &ppromiii,te!l by. .ut\, a& ;!l ,vjW ruling element if we would be holy. ,His sacri&!I upo~ th~ :crOSIJ will be, w ~ to Wt unlei;s we sa.cri!ii:eou~ljlelves. m love.; hence. we mustJie09me ponformable-~ his. death,. 2. &TtJeB. to corncl, the misch~ way in ,,jhicA tM ,1Jlood. (If <Jhriat. ff populArly. "6presenUit 'Mea ,talk of JJ~rjst's ,blood as if it_ was the c ~ fluiil., ~ .coursed through his. veins, that sayea, washes, clea~ses, et.o.; or. at-'ny.rate, that.;it ~ his blood which qualified him to lie a Saviour•. : J;t w~ not_ !!is ;blqoc\; the .~qod ._y~ nothing only as it expressed his self-sacrificing love. Supposing that the criminal law 11f Rome at the time in whicli Christ lived had required that ea.pita.I: o:ffonders should be put to death by hanging, or strangling, or s1:1ffocating. or by taking poison like Socrates. Had Christ been sacrificed in any of these ways, would the power of his self- iacriliotl to save humanity be one whit :the less? Not so. It was his self-sacrificing love, n.ot. the form of hi& mortal agonies, that made him the Saviour of t'hdworld.-D. 'l'. •. ' : : ' '. ·. 4..._ . "i . ,· .,· . I. ►\/... Vet11.11-l4.-'-fi.e wtirlhlness.oj. <Jhrisl to remvemcm's.neli& "And 1 beheld," etc. , We· learn here that 11U heave14 with itll "ten' thol.l88.Dd time1 ·ten thooaand, and thousands or thousands," agree in declaring thilll Chr1st1 who is• in .the .midsll ·Of t9' t~rone, ls '!ort~y to receive, not o!llY power, .":isdo~, strength;· ~on!lllrt and _glory, bd1 riches, all r1!lhes mental and matenil.l. Who w1U gallls.&y tpe ~tlillony of witl;i~II iM> enlig'l;\tened, so honest, and so riu,merous? We shall .regaM; the word·~- ~erring t6 ~•!eryiu .rlches, g~1l: G11l~ is pre.£iou iI>c more i,en~ 1he.»;._P:Ji(l; Wis ·a mo~l,W~~ tjal1~y, !1-nd heuc11 1t l8 ~ugh~ of m. h.ea.ven -~ .s.·µi;ig '"IQµ\ the·l'.8-•. •.. O~r subj~~ (lhr;;,., wvriA1.J to m:ewe man!, 'UXJ1l,J/J( u;~Ui. -l!qw ~ h@. receive.it. L ¥,a~; ,,5 lfm 'tHB REVEL.A TION 011' ST. JOHN THE DIVIN& [ou. TI, 1-17.
up the heights of the universe, beyond the vision and tbe'reach of man. How do the monarchs receive the tributes of their people? Not dim:tlg, but through, established agencies. Christ baa eitablished an agency on this earth for this purpose. and that agency ls bis Church. Whatever is done to.further t,he evangelizing views and well- lieng of his Church, he regards as being done to him, " Inasmuch u ye have done it unto the lead of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." Why is Christ worthy •:receive your wealth? ,I. BiwAUSlll BB 1B '1'B1I OBIGINAL P!IOPBIB"roB o:r rr. The gold that any man holda lb 'bis hand Is his in a very secondary sense. His property a few years ago was in the Jl0il888tdon of others, and a few yeaiB hence it will pa&& from him into other hands. AU material wealth belongs to Christ. "The beasts of the forest are mine, and the cattle ui,on a thousand hilla; " "The wild be8ll8 of the field are mine," etc. ( see also Job xlL 11; Dent. .x. 14; 1 Ohron. u. 19). Man is but the lnmu of his wealth ; Chriat'ia the Proprietor. · II. BEOAt10: DB JUS BNABLBD rou TO PROOtJRB IT. Why have you wealth tJl01"6 than ethers? Has it oome to you through heirdom, l,gacg, or your own induatry 1 In either eaae you have it through Obrist. Perhaps you asoribe it to your shrewdness, your tildultry, your ma.nagemeot: but whence came these? All business aptitudes and opportunUiea are the gift of Christ. All the conditi0ll8 by which your wealth has been attained are aecording to his arrangement. · Ill BJSOA118B HB GIVES YOU THB QtTALIFIOATI0:58 '1'0 ENJOY IT. Do you enjoy your wealth ?-joy all the conveniences, comforts, and powers which it imparts ? If so, ,rhy? All do not. The miser does not, the invalid does not, the idiot does not. Who gaVe you the unmiserly spirit, the bodily health, the mental capacity, by which you ~ your riches? All the qualifications that you have for enjoying your property are Jli1 gif't8. IV. B&CAllBB m WILL JIAU 'l'HB BBS'1' un OP rr. 1. 2le beat me of it for ynur- ~ There is no better investment. In truth it is for your sake that Christ wishes you to give it to him. He could have rtanted churches on every hill, schools in every valley, written his Bible on the broad heavens; but be knew right well that you would be lletter bleat by contributing of ypur property to the diffusion of his truth. Your con- 1rlbntion■ t.o him ~rve you in many ways. (1) Serve to test yo,w d&anJClw. Until ::,OU ean give freely that which you value most, what evidence have you of your love to him? None. (2) Serve to ikt~gou/rommakrialurm. Wealth tends to materialize the sottf. Every con.tribution to SJ!iritual objects. counter&~ the tendency. It is another :,tep up the lad4er whose foot is deep down m matenahsm, but whose top reaches to the holy heavens of spirit and love. (3) Serve to enrwble your cJ,araclw. It is a great thing'to be trusted, to be thro\Vil upon your honour. Chri1.1t trusts you. 2, The besl Wll8'o/ it for Uie tJJOTld. When you are gone, Christ's Church will l>e here working with the meaiJS you have entrusted to it, and working to spread truth virtue, and Aappin688 through the world. " Worthy is the Lamb to receive riches," &n•t shirk collections, ' don't regard them as trial& Hail them as blesaiogs, and remember that" it is mor41 ~ to give than: to receive."-D. T.
EXPOSITION. which OCC\ml in eh. x; 1-xi. H after the CBAPTER.VL sixth trumpet; and the vision is oompletetl Ver. ].-And I aaw. A new departure in by_the openiug of the seventh seal, dtecribed the aeries of visions il,.marked (see on ehi in eh. viii. I. The opening of the first seal iv. I). We have here the commencement of pictures the triumph of Christ and his the Bevela.tion prope,, to which .the 1lrat five 'Churoh, for the comfort and hopeful assur- ehaptera have forme,I an introduction .(of. ance of thoee to whom St. John Willi writiug, i'aoular aQ.~u.). Tbe 'rision of tbe aeale, and for the edification of strµggling Chria- which, altboa«h related fl,rst, exhibits evenia tiana of .all time. To this theme, touoherl ~ e ~ t ,nth th0!!8. ~ym'bolized by. the upon here proleptically, the apoatle retu_rns '"4M,.t. and "'4h. is contai:iiecl chid:1 in at Uie oonclusion of the tmmpd,; the first oh. Ti.. Oh• .n.·fs ~pied with• eeount sb; of which bear a general likenPIIB to·the of u ·e»iaoda,1 , character, 'aiiidfar to that lut six of the ,eale, Wheu the La111b opened ea. VL 1--17.] THB REVELATION Oli' ST. JOHN THE DIVIN& 183