'!Yen. think of. Go to _the cells of our prisonst to lunatic asyhJ~l.!l,'io cs>nv,ict ~l'W'r' ot wher:e .motlllti:pg; the steps of the gallows on whfoh- they arff to sn~r the 111.!t penal~y. of $he Jaw,-in all such place,;, and amjd all such scenea, and. br~ded as it were on •Jao brow-of all such transgressors you.may read the~ternal law;~:Whe~ver_,the carcaae is, there," etc. 'l'hat-~le St. John saw, and- . · . , . 11 IT JB GOOD _THAT IT SHOULD BE ~u. In the physical world, if there were no aeaven~_no agents whereby what is corrupt and corrupting could~ ~ndere<l harm- ] • life ooul.d· not go on. And so in the more.I world, fioqds and. sulphur .fires, and JQ!lhua-led·ar(Iliff,hosts from Babylw or from Rome, French Revolution~ and; the like, """'"4t.1i1.•wful, .terrible. bqt 11tUI .beneQCeut aqd $Sl!Olltial work that they do 11{)QQ"the mo!!al .and; spiritual co.rl,'Uptious.a_g~n11t wh91D they have been sei;it. :but blessed is. that'llinful oominunity and t.hat sin(ul man: who t!eeS- the ~le-~ _mid,._heaven,. an4 fears1lnd turll8 Crom ~is wickedness and so livQ!I. . " ,. . . · - ., ,.1JL KEN lil0¥ETI.1Jllf1 TH[NlE THEY s11:g IT WHKN THEY DO NIYI', Poc;ir ;oh'--hi11. ftmtda,·biit comforters, would have it Ula~ hi.ii dreadful sulferings were jurlg!Jlents Q(; God upon him. It was Jhe common and cruel, though bil1Jeless, belief of their day.: "--Lord, )Nlio did sin. .this man or his parent.II.,, that he was bQr11 l:lilll.d '? ", There we find tpe ,"3me notioo yet living on, even 5.n our Lord'aday. And it is not d884-, y,et.,;, ,Bnt, thauk God 1 !iliere are m;my ti0rrow8 •nd dist.resses wbich are ,not jqdg-, men.ta at ll!ll, imy more .tban the hru-d, leS!lim w~ich a·mll,&teM1j1ay set '1i!l-pupil. w l!l,IU"nJ i!I &,gjgn of- hilt di~pwa&\lie.- lt is not IIO, bu.t ,a.~s qf- disciJ ,lin<t and impro:vemen~: and honour to the pupil; therefore, and. for no other reason, is. it given. And so with; noUdewf,of; the ~tl.)ws God 111Hidi ti<> IUI, as he sel)t tiuoh,t,o .Job. , ;. . · i ,.'lV, r.AJ0>, :onEN FilL-. TO 8BJl> IT -W'HE11. THEY IIU.GHT AND -.&HOULD., Job, and Jllliny-. anot.her:sinca, failed: io-11ee it. He a.sseru- that the.re ~e villains-godlet;s,·cruel, all. that ill' bad---J1Dd yet they p!Ulper wonderfully._ ."They ~ not in troul\le as other, ~Hither are they ~agued like other men,, There .are no bands in. their death, abd their strength is firm:" so, said another Jllll'plexed o~ Tbere.:seema t,p be tlie- CQITllpt:and Q-JJTupting carcase. but no -niltu1'4desoenda upon it. Th!! body there. that ia ce,liam, but.not the bird. B¥$ let:awih perplexed ones remember: 1•. T1f liird f1111Y: be,inM1n.' It. may be,so f!U' ,upjn the.sky, BO far away, thst our limited eyesight ~ot. travel fid ,far, it is out of -Our r.ange. That maY be. Or L 2. Ie may be resh'ained. , Gtid., :is 1' longs11n.f:fering,,not. wiUing that ao.y should perish.,. O,r: 3. If may hare ~ , dur.ended, and be doing iu work, 1;1nd ~ . not. know ii- ()Qn,science may rEIIIA and .tl!ar~ like a vulture, and the ma~ may carry a very hell within _him-thousands do-that makes all outward prosperity·a·nfoeltery;:a.nd' pc;,werlesl! to; reneve. There is not one drop of water in it all wherewith. he ·eauc coql his tott'!!'.lie; ,sb·t~.rmented in this fire is he. Read 'Macb~th.' And: 4. 1/ it·e'q'iiie ',wt nalb it fl!iU ftifMn, on him the rrtoment /uJ reaches the next worl<fs shore. Ah, tes-;-c•it-a·tnan havemifile his soul carrion-like, the ~~f j ~ u t ~ nnd him sooner or later i11 trouble; from withousqr-w~o..-~~re, or yoo,der--there is no a.scape. Remember, ~n ! (1) They are fools who.~ake a ~, at.~'. (2) '!'urn from it, and pray for the, heart to: love and. ~ ' ij)e Lord, .and. to qiligantly live ~(ter his oomma.nd!nenti,.~. C.
V,e~ 1.,...,.13.--:-The. purpoae of rsveali1J1J Jwir,JMnt. The prooess,of .the cpnquest,oferil, if,,varie\1. .It ia ~ow by sereritf of judg1!1ent. now by the gentlenesa of nill4 ~buke or1 ip\X}era~ -ehasµseme:at. ~~ Jhe voice of the teacher arr~ _attention, an<l too appea,1, oo~_uth_ s_timi_1bte fo. righ_t. o~ess.__ H_~dden. behi-~ a)J (11; the grac_.i9n8! "Pl}rat__ ioii; Qt! itu~. IJQ].y S_pu1t oLt~- ~rd, wmk1ng alJ things a.cconhng to the ~~&cl pf his holy,, will. ,Hieb&ml.is up~q~, 11:D~ the revela~~~ is !l~eded. to sh.ow Sl)d 811SUOO men·th~ ~ i,s a. l)jvil18 powa afi ~-0r/.,: tpough at ~- -hiddel.i. . -T~e f'!J~- ot_ the Divine jndgments against evil .ha&, thus its• high, purPQae ~ from, the purp>se!I ·&11swei:ed lij' those judgi;nents themselves. ThX1Jughout the· ~hole· the, cry may well arise, "The Lorcheigneth I let the earth rejoice; let the multitude opsles,be gl13\l, tliereoL" The p ~ contemplated by the pict.orial 1'.epresenfations congregate mainly, if noi exclusi:vely, around the Church-the smitten, suJ!ering, enduring Church. The earthly flOWers, wagbig their warfare under_ the leadership of the prince of evil, .Apollyon the llestroyer, do not read the holy book$. They are truly sealed books· to them. And ihe imaglll'.y is only t.o be interpreted by the Church when aho is driven by tho oil. VI1L lJ...:..18.] TiIE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN•, TUE DIVINE. 255
persecuting oppressive power of the world to seek consola_tion; The purpose then conoems the Chun:h mainly, if not exclusi-,eiy; and we may conceive that purpose' SO·he achieved- · L br THE ENCOURAGEMENT OP THE CH'UltCil TO PA-TIENT ENDURANCE. For the Name of the great Lord the believing people suffered mnch. They ~ ere weak in pm,iencu of their eo great foes. Only the assurance of a final triumph could embolden, them to endure patiently. · IL 1N TH'E SUPPORT OJ' THE Cmraca IN rrs HOLY WARFARE AGAINST THE ·oPi>osnm EARTHLY SPIRIT. Fierce indeed was the conflict, and again and again it is so r but throughout the whole shines the Tevelation of the rigl,teous jurlgment of God. ·' His eye is open upon the sufferers, and his aid is pledged for their defence.· ·. · · . ·. · III. hr WARNING TJIE F.AIT11FUL AGAINST 'l'HE EVILS oil' APOSTASY, Gl't'li.t are the subtle poweni which. seek. to u11dermine and $lip the fidelity of the godly. Only bf many means, Qf ~hicl:t thfa is.one, can the obedient host be stimulated to faitbfuln8$!l. ". IV. The end 18 further reached IN THE DERP AND ABIDING COMFORT OF THB 8oRBOWFUL 'BELU\:v11:R11 in all their antagonism to· evil and to the worldly power 1thich is set ag_ainst them.-R. G;