time, his body, bis all, to slaughter bis fellow-men. Nor do· I feel acarcely a greater abhorrence for such a character than for those who, professing to be the ministers of Christ, rhetorically ext.ol such as heroes, and subscribe to monuments to perpetuate ,heir infamous history. I wonder greatly that the reports of the honors of that war lately going on in the Soudan, inaugurated and supported, alas! by what has been rightly denominated the shuffling, starving, slaughtering Parliament of the time, do not rouee all England to arms against the Governments and the Churches that can tolerate for an instant such stupendo11B crimes. 2. Those who ascribe their vidory to God, Observe: (1) Their postun. "'l'hey stand on the sea of gla.mi, having the harps of God" (ver. 2). It is suggested that their position is one of sqfety, The sea does not surge about. them ; it is beneath them, hard 8jl ice. It is a position of splendour. 'fhe crystal sea on which they stand is made brilliant by fire. '!'here is no posture of soul so sublime and safe as the true posture of worship, The Shechinah beams around them as t.heir glory and defence. (2) '!'heir anthem. "'fhey sing the song of Moself the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb" (ver. 3). (a) Their anthem breathea triumphant praiae. They recognize in their triumphs the " g1·eat and marvellous works" of God, and the truth and rectitude of his ways. God is righteous. "Just [righteous) and true are thy ways, thou King of saints [the ages]" (ver. 3). Notice: («) The demande of h~ Law attest the truth ef this testimony. The heavenly Teacher has reduced all the demands which the eternal Governor makes upon us to a twofold command. (i.) "'l'hou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," His demand is our 11upreme love. Is this demand just? This depends upon three things: ( a) Whether we have the power of loving any one supremely. (b) Whether God has attri- butes adapted to awaken this love within us. (c) Whether these attributes a.re revealed with sufficient clearness to our minds. The affirmative to these things must be admit1ed by all .All men do love some object supremely. The Eternal has attributes in every variety of aspect and attraction. The heavenly 'l'eacher has reduced the demands to another command. (ii.) "Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." N'ot "whatsoever men do unto you "-that might be sinful; but "whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you," Would you have them false, dishonest. unkind, tyrannic, towards you? Whatsoever ye would that they should be, be so to them. Can anything be more just? (/J) The intuition., of hi, moral creatures atted the truth of thia tutimony. In all moral intelligences there is: (i.) An intuitive aense of the right. All have an inbred sentiment of right and wrong, 'l'his sentiment implies a moral standard; and what is this standard but God? (ii.) An intuitive love of right. All moral souls love the right in the abstract; they are bound to do it. "I delight in the Law of God after the inward man." All constj_ences go with God. (iii.) 'An intuitive ,-emorse. Misery springs up in the soul from a conscious departure from the right. Cain, Belshazzar, Judas, are examples. (iv.) An intuitive appeal. to God under lhe wrong as the F'l"iend o/ the right. Oppressed humanity involuntarily looks to God as Judge of all the earth. Deep in the soul of the moral creation is the feeling that God's ways are just and right. No argument can destroy this consciousness. ('Y) The ftletlia.tion qf his Son attests the truth ef this testimony. Christ came to establish judgment-rectitude in the earth. " What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh." (i.) His life was the development of Divine righteousness. He was incarnate judgment, "IIe did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." (ii.) His death was the highest homage to Divine rectitude. He could have escaped death, It was the inner sen,e of right that urged him on. (iii.) His system is the promoter of Divine righteousness. His truth inculcates it. HiB Spirit promotes it. His Spirit comes to convince the world of sin, of righteo11Bness, etc. (3) The retr{butions of his government attest the truth of this testiwumy. Look at the expulsion of Adam, the Deluge, the bnrning of Sodom, the extermination of the Canaanites, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews. (b) Their anthem breathes phi"lanthropic devotion, "Who shall not fear thee, 0 Lord, and glorify thy Name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come 11cnd worship before thee; for thy judgments [righteous acts] are made manifest" (ver. 4). The words may be regarded as expressing a desire that all men, all the nations, should wprship God. Genuine piety is 11lways philanthropic. He who loves the Father wul Jove his children, and will desire all the brethren to worship the Father " in spirit. CH. xv.1-8.] THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVI:'IE. 391
and in trnth.'; Genui'.lle piety nnd genuhie philanthropy are convertible expreasioUB, modification■ of the same sovereign principle-love.-D. T.