pleMes; he kills and he makes alive. Snch is the Being that presides over ov histories, our lives, and destinies. Our world is not left to chanee or fate, blind force or arbitrary despotism. There is an intelligent Being over it, all-glorious, yet hnn;um, royal and absolute. He presides over the ripening season. Months before the sickle is thrust in the ripening has been going on. There are two classes of principles, good and evil, which a.re seeds growing in all human souls. Both are implanted. Neither of them is inbred. The seed of evil is not constitutional; the seeds of good are almost exter- minated by the seeds of sin. " A man sowed good seed in bis field ; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat." The spirit of evil implants the one. "An enemy came and sowed tares." The Son of man implants the other. Both, in all souls, are constantly growing and advancing to ripeness: Although human nature is made for truth and right, it. can grow error and wrong. It can develop a false impression or an erroneous sentiment into a upas that shall spread its baneful branches over empires, and poison the heart of ages. II. THE HARVEST SEASON. "Thrust in ( send forth] thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come" (ver; 15). All life culminates in maturity. •• First the blade,, then the ear, then the full com in the ear." Growth is. but life running into ripeness, aa the river runs to the ocean. "The ·harvest of the earth is ripe, the ~pes are fully ripe." In connection with this it is suggested that the harvest is under the direction of a supreme intelligence. "And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud" (ver. 15). The angel had no power to 111atch the sickle from the Divine hand and employ it. The Divine permission is absolutely necessary ; life and death are with him. "There is an appointed time for man upon the earth." No creature or combination of creatures, however mighty, can abbreviate or prolong the appointed period. There are no premature deaths in human history. Ang<els, it may be, in countless numbers await his behest. They are ready to strike down when he permits. Death is ever on the wing; silently and stealthily he approaches every human being, and 'strikes the moment he has permission. HI. 'l'lIE VINTAGB BEASON. "Thrust in [send forth] thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe" (ver. 18). The vintage is a section of the harvest. 'l'he vine reaches its maturity and has its harvest as well as the ears of com, and the pressing of these grapes is the vintage. Three things are suggested in connection with this vintage. 1. Divine severity. " The great wine-press of the wrath of God.. And the wine-press was trod,li;n without the city, and blood came out of the wine-press" (vers. 19, 20). Grapes in the press were usually trodden by the feet of men (see Isa. lxiii. 2, 3; Lam. i. 15)•. The idea of severity could scarcely fail to be conveyed to the spectator whose feet trampled on the soft_ blooming, beautiful grape, so that the juice like its very blood streamed forth. "The wrath of God." There is no wrath in God but the wrath of love. Divine law is but love 'speaking in the imperative mood; Divine retribution is but Divine love chastising the child to bring him back to the right and the true. 2. GTeat abundance. " Blood came out of the wine~press, even unto the horse bridles" (ver. 20). That is, the juice flowing like a deep river, rising to the very bridles of the hor!>es. Who shall measure the final issues of the moral seasons of humanity? 3. Eztensive range. "A thousand and six hundred furlongs" (ver. 20)-a hundred and fifty miles. A definite nwnber of miles for an indefinite space. The final issue of souls will be as wiJe aa immensity. -D. 'l'.
EXPOSITION. course of the punishments inflicted on men OHAPTER XV. for their worship of the devil. Cb. xv. gives Ver. 1.-And I saw another sign 1n a short snmmary of this, which is expanded heaven. The last time we had this ex- in eh. xvi.; ·and it is introduced, as llilual, pression was in eh. xii• where the history by a vision of the saints in glory, in order of the war between Sa.tan and the Church to comfort and support the Christian in his was begun. Once more we have a new warfare (cf. eh. vi. 1, 2; vii. 3; xiv. 1-5, departure, the seer again, as it were, return- 13). The "sign" is what is described ia ing to the beginning, in order to trace the the following account. "In heaven" prob- 889 THE REVELATION 011' ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [en. xv. 1-8.