The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 192

· HOMILIES BY VARIOUS' AUTHORS. Yel'II. !, 3.-The sealed of God. This chapter tells of a time of suspended judgrmm t. AIL things were ready. The. awful ,calamities: told of when the sixth seal wati broken are on the point of descending·upon the earth. "But a whole chapter intervenes. Might it not be apprehended t~t ai:oidst convul~ions 8? terrific the ~hurch itself"migbt founder? Who shall secure Christ's servants agamst bemg involved m that cat1LBtrophe? · Such is the misgiving to,which the particular revelation now before us would mfoister." A season of snspense iB comina.hded; destruction is to be delayed until the S&tVants of God be sealed. ·. The oomniand'eomes ftorn that quarter whence Christ himself, the Day"Spring from on high, the Morning Star, came on his mission of mercy and ·or hQpe. The four winds are. 1the symbols of God's judgments (cf. 'Jer. xlix. '36, 37). The angelii who are about to let them loose are bidden 'Jl&USe: Like as, ere the last judgment, oame upon ]!:gypt, there was tim.e given to enable the people of Geld ·to sprinkle the lintel and door-posts of their houses with the blood of the Paschallamb; ,khich was God's seal of preservation for ,them. And . like, too, to that ~mark$blii pa'ra]Lel,. from -which, indeed, the imagery of our text is derived; which we lindi irt · Ezek. ~ 2-S, U. As was the. object of the sealing there, so it, is here.. , :li('()W, · whether we take the primary reference of the impending judgments, ~bich for a while were delayed in lheir excoution, to be thoee, as we think, which were tberi about to &ll upon Jetttsalem and the a.post.ate Church·of Israel; or those which at the time of'-0611'- &tantine,-tb\'ougb-the threatened overwhelming of'the empire, were imminent on her frontiers; or those'which corruption, venality, and hypocrisy, engendered by Const.an~ tine's having made Christianity the court religion, were about to bring upon the Church; or-which is probably the most correct way to understand St'. John-we include alltbese, and all other similar one11, not otnitting the last great judgment of all, which at any time may have hung or shall bang over nations, Churches, and 'OOin~ munities-bowever.we interpret this revelation, it is as true as the jndgments them- Hlvea that the merciful Lord does grant seasons of suspense, bis judgments are delayed until his servants-are.marked, proclaimed as his own, and secured from real evil··by his ,own sovereign and sacred, seal. For historical illustrations -0f this sealing we may wisely turn: to the pages of Josephus and of Gibbon, the historians of the Jewish war and of the fall' of ·Rome. -And so exact are oftentimes the correspondences between' authentic history and these 'Visions of St. John, that we can hardly be sutprised that· not a few have declared that what i11 called the historical interpretation of the boolt ii the only true; reasonable, and reliable one. It certainly is fascinating for its int.erest; but as for its reli&bleness,tbat may.be admitted when its advocates can show a.nytnmg· like Ileal' agree~ent amongst ,tbemselveti. It is better, therefore, to take the broader vklw, which. admits· all thelte' 'correspondences, and the ·applicability thereto ot th'611'6 , varibus visions, bu.t which,refuses to limit their meaning and application to anything less than all. like correspondences which have occurred since St. John wrot€,'and which sbaU 0ccur to the end; of time. ·Now; to a thoughtful observer, it'CS'n hardly lie a. guestion but what our OW'Jl · days are days of suspended judgment, ~d· :days:allio · in· wliich the sealing· of the servants of Goo is going on. For maiJls sin; iul" ever, clamours for j11dgn:ient from God, and righteousness wronged and slain• lipmthe•earih <,des, like the blood of Abel, ·unto God that he should avenge it. And the j'ndgment' will one day come. The history of nations ·and Churches is scattered over with thii' · records of such judgments, and will be so again, until men learn wisdom and turn uµ,t:9 the Lord; But our security, whenever they come, is in the seal of God, told of here; Let u think, then, of this seal, the sealed, and the sealing. And- · ', · c ·• ' · ·I. TBE SJ!IAL. L W?iiit is it 1 With the Scriptures in our hand, we can have no doubt that the Holy Spirit of God 1.s 'mell.nll (cf. 2 Cor. t 21, 32; E,:,h; iv. 30). , The work·• tltat·he doe!ifo and upon his people is the sure sign and liea.l th:at they arl! his.'. "The·· Holy' Spirit is God's 11011.t 'Wlk!re he is there is l!Bfety; Where be is God sees his'- mark; hls own :poesession, one who belol'lg& to him, one over•whom he watches, one· ~ he will keep in that I hour .of temptation whi~ shall come upon 'all the world; to try' them that dwell upon the• earth.•" 2. And thlB sea.lie the Mly character which tai Spirit of God creates in •nd impresses upon • m•u· · The Spirit d!ltlll otb.er and · 216 THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [en. vu. 1-,-17.