The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 249

correspondence. But it by no means follows that any one apparent correapondeuce is the'tulnlmetit of the prophecy:. although it may be partially so. Besides, our text tells us that ·the great proclamation of the angel who set his feet on sea and land was that in the days of the seventh angel the mystery of God should be finished. Now, 'nothing is moi:e certain than that, at the time of the Reformation and by its agents, there was rio such proclamation made as this. Besides, even now the mystery of God is not :finished, nor anything like it; consequently, it is not possible for us to 1181lign the proclamation of this angel to anything that happened three hundred years ago. Repeated studies of the entire Apocalypse do but confirm the conviction of twenty years' standing, that we mmt give up date-fo»ing entirely ; that:while the book fol'8Ca8ts the future, it so does it as to confirm the word that "it is not for us to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power; " that we may expect, at divers•times and places, and in divers manners, oft-recurring fulfilment.a.of the Apoca- . lyptic word; and that the book contains, for our guidance and help, an indication of · Di.vine principles and methods rather than incideut in detail. We shall have a fnlah illi111tration of this if we now study this paragraph, letting · the seventh verse be the ,eentre around which our thought.a may turn. · I: HERE IS A STRIKING NAllE GIVl!lN TO THE SOHEME 01' PROVIDENOL "The mystery of God." A "mystery" is (1) that which is altogether and necessarily a secret in the mind of God; (2) that which, though revealed as a fact, is beyond our understanding as to mode; (3) that which, even when revealed, we know 9nly in part, (4) that which, disclosed in symbol, will be interpreted by the explanatfon of the word or the event; (5) that which, though complete in the Di vine mind, is only unrolled, piece by piece, befo,re us; (6) that which, fron}:its nature, can only be disclosed to those who · 1're in a fit state of mind to receive it,.and. which, to others, must remain shrouded in concea.lment. In one or other of these senses Scripture speaks of the mystery of the seven' stars (eh. i. 20),of the kingdom of heaven (Mark iv.11), of the resurrection (1 Cor. :n, 51), of the gospel (1 Cot. ii. 7), of the proclamation of the .gospel to the Gentiles (Eph. iii. 3), of the union of Christ and his people {Eph. v. 32), of the .final comple- , tion of the Church (Ep~ i. 9), of the Person of Christ (1 'l'im. iii. 16), of the Chrwian faith (1 Tim. iii. 9), of the intricacies of sin (2 Thess. ii. 7; eh. xvii. 6), of the purposes of God (eh. x. 7). This last is the one referred to in the text. It is something of · which there is a complete and perfect plan in the mind of God, but of which we see only a part before our eyes. The future depends on the will of God. And who can discern, that ? "What man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God laioweth no man, but the Spirit of God." .And our :6.nite minds· could not take' in the entire plans of au infinite mind. A large part must needs be concealed; not merely because the book does not disclose all, but because we could not apprehend all. !I. TBB PHRASE 'WHICH AT FIRST SUGGESTS PAINFUL PERPLEXITY HAil A DB80BIP- TIVE TERM ATTAC/HED TO IT, WHIO!l AT ONCE RELIEVES AND msPIRES. Befo1·e us is "mystery." But it is GorCs mystery I To him it stands' forth distinctly and clearly, without a. fringe of haze. From him the entire providential plan emanates. With his full knowledge of consequences, sin was permitted to intrude. The mtire control of all is ever in his· hands. The diadems of royalty never fall from his brow, nor does the sceptre of dominion• ever tremble in his hand. "The government is on his shoulder." And though the book speaks of it relatively to us, as his mystery, yet to him it is no mystery at all. . III. THE MAm FEATURE OF THIS MYSTERY 18 THAT IT IS ONE OF GOOD TIDING&; i.e. it is the gospel mystery (&is W1rrrl1'ur•)-' As we remarked before (homily on eh. v.), when the seven-1188.l.ed book is opened by the Lamb, it is clear that the unfoldings of providence become the unveilings of grace. Over and above the sc~eme of moral . government, there is set this plan of redeeming love ; and the wheels of time are rolling on and speeding forward to work out the great salvation, of which one sentence will sum up the outcome, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!" IV. THE MYSTERY WILL UNFOLD ITSELF ON THE LINES LAID DOWN BY TBE PBOPHJl'ft OF TllE OLD AND NEW TEIITAMENTS. " According to the good tidings which he declared to his servants the prophets." It has been thus hitherto. History has thm far developed acoording to the sayings of Moses and the prophets. MONS, in his worda 218 TIIB .REVELATION OP ST. JOHN TIJE DI\'INE. (9lf, :r.. 1-11,