drt.Jggle from its fartl,;e,r mle;' er. ver. 18, "The nations were -angry"-tbe apim,ol revolt against God rose to its height (Ps. ii.)-" and thy wrath came;" i.e--it1nnani-- festation., In the kingdoms of olden time, when the cup of iniquity was full, the judgmenta of God came and swept them away. Bo it will be again. We nowhere get any warrant from Soripture. for supposing that God will govern in a future age, on aDf different princ1ples from those on which he has governed in the past, or on whieh he govorna now. But those principles will be manifested more clearly than they have been. "And t~ time of the. dead, that they should be judged." This is spoken of ae belonging .to a bygone time. So that the passage brings us, by anticipation, t.o the other Ii.de of the judgment of the dead, actually past the dread scene in eh~ u.11--18. ,, HAind to give their reward to thy servants the prophets "-those who bore faithful testimeny,for God for the twelvo hundred and sixty yeal"ll, clad ln sackeloth-" and to the samts.":.- to .. the holy ones who were in covenant relation to God by saoriooe-" and them that fear thy Name," "in every nation under heaven " ( of. Acts L 85), " both amall, and great!' All life'&" poor distinctions" will vanish most utterly aw.ay in the light of the great white throne. "And to destroy them that destroy the earth." Those who destroy the earth by corrupting it with their sin, God will destroy by desolating with his judg- ments. This expression again.overleaps the scenes of eh. xii.-xxii., and inelud.$1\ all those wild and weird forms of ill which are referred to in the remaining eleven chapters of this book. These are: (1) The dragon (eh. xii. 3, 9). (2) The :first beast (oh. :xiii.1). (3) The aecond beast (oh. xiii.11). (4) Three unclean spirits (eh. Xvi 13).. (5) Babylon the Great (eh, xvii). (6) The ungodly ( oh. n.12-15). (7) Death and &des ( oh.·:u. 14-). (See the homilies under these several passage&.) When the decisive judgment on,all thtlse is over, then does Jehovah take to himself his great power, and: reign. · And th~;the four and twenty elders, seated on their.thrones, as if associated with their Lord in regal state, and llhareninhis triumphs,rejoiceoverthe grand issue, when every enemy is still as a stone. II. TBB PABAGBAJ!H. BEFOBB US INDIOAT:IS NOT ONLY WHAT TH& Il!BUB· WILL BB; BUT ALSO 'mE llAIN EVEN'l'S WHICH WILL PRECEDE rr. (Ver. 18.) ('.l'hese will be found to be dealt with in the homilies on the passages indicated above. !The order of those events will be found to be indicated in the homily on oh. xxii. 20.) ,These v,erses are, in fact, as stated above, an anticipatory summary ofthe whole. · · Ill. WHEN THE IUGHTEOUS SEE THE IS6UE OF THE GREA'T <JOE:ll'LIOT,-TIIB1: W1L1. U FILLED WITH JOY, AND WILL GIVE VENT THERETO IN ADORING PRAISE. The results of the resurrection, of the judgment, and of the l!entence, will perfectly satisfy all ,:jghteout 8G1lls (ver. 7). Let us note here that only righteous souls will be aatislied. No unrighteous man ever wiJI be satisfied with what God does. ·. Buch will be iJpeeoh. less, because they know that God does only what is right, and the fact that a righteous administration condemns them can never bring them rest. So that it is not• the fault of the administration if it brings torment to the ungodly, but of the ungodlin811B. . But as for the righteollll, even here they gave thanks at the remembrance of God._ holiness; how muoh more will they do this when it " . • : shall break thro' every o]oud That veils and darkens his designs " I Then, with the clearer vision with which they will be endowed in their glorided natures, with the views of the manifold wisdom of God which the nnfoldings of providence shall yield, with the glory of the Son of God unveiled before them without a. cloud, when redemption's work is completed, when all the chosen are gathered, when the righteous- ness and love -of God are perfectly vindicated; when all the ransomed ones are found as an .unbroken unity at the feet of him who died fur them,-then will the hallelujahs of the glorified rise up in holy song! All con:fliota will be past, believers will be 118hered into that rest which remaineth, and the "joy of their Lord" will be complete.· - · In· conclusion : 1. Let us not be astonished at any violent outbreaks of evil which may JJerplex and bewilder many.· The Holy Ghost:hath said, "JM!rilous. timQ&.·shall come." ,2. Let us not judge of the progres• of the work of God .ljy the aspect of the world at·any one moment. As reasonably might one think, when he watched 'the ebbing tide, that the sea wsa di8&ppe11ring I 3. Let us not forget, that however dark .tM avenuea through which the Church of God may have to pass, yet (1) this boolt hauketched $hem in all their'darkne1111, and (2) has shown III aJao ths ·bright.n8BS that ilea beyOlld a.u 1-1{1.J Tm: REVELATION OF ST. JOHN lllE DIVINJll. 199
them. 4. However fterce the conflicts of our age may be, never let us falter in tht witness which we bear for God a.nd -the right. Ours is a good fight. "In your patie.act possess ye your souls." 'l'helightwill brea.k a.tlast. 5. Fina.Uy, ifwe would be kep~ inpeF- fect pea.ce, let our minds ever be sta.y~ on him who " rides upon the storm." In his own time he will sa.y, "Peace, bestill,'~and the tossing billows shall subside to anetemalealm.