But. here, here we have a firm rock on which we stawl ; here we fix our hopes ; here we cast. anchor ; nor can our vessel ever be drifted from her mooring. "The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth ef the Lord nath apoken it." And however we may have been disiiearte,,ed by the tangled maze and troubled aspect of this world's affairs, when we ponder over such visions as these, our hope revives. In him who is the Word of God, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, we see an amplitude. of wisdom and a plenitude of power. In t.he blood-stained robes we see marks of a conflict already encountered, and pledges of a victory already secured. For such a Leader' no mazes of evil can be too complux, no massing of power too strong. • Alleluia I " 2. Th, 1'illwn BlwwB 111 the grandeur of the strife between good and evil. When ihe everlasting Son of the Father takes it up as his own cause, it assumes new dignity. In an ancient battle it inspired God's people when they were told, "'l'he battle is not yours, but God's;" and since that which was true in a material conflict cannot be less so in a spiritual one, we may well draw a holy inspiration for our contest with sin, in the thought that the King of kings, and Lord of lords, is the sole Leader in the fight. His honour is engaged. He bath it in trust from the Father to put down evil, and to gather home the redeemed. "In righteousness doth Ju, make war I" Never was there such a holy war, never one on which such stupendou1 issues hung, as that one with which we ·are asked to identify ourselve& 3. It wan act of ff'eat condesCfJnSioo that, in going forth with his armies, our Saviour deigns to make 1.18' qf human i,u;trumenlality. He would use us. He commands ns to enter bis army. (1) Some are engaged on his side. And they find it their noblest joy and their highest honour to co-operate with their redeeming Lord. Let them not forget the garb in which the Saviour's hosts go forth-" clothed in.fim linen, white and clean." (2) Some there are who have not yet openly espoused the Saviour's cause. Let such remember that there are only two sides. "He that is not against us is for us;" here is what Vinet called "the tolerance of the gospel." " He that is not with me is against me;" here is what the same writer called "the intolerance of the gospel." Christ allows no 11entralir.y. We are either siding with the armies of heaven or with the worshippen of the beast and his image. But let us remember that just in proportion to the sev~rity of the defeat which awaits us if we are on the wrong side, is the greatness of the joy which will attend us if, through the Holy Spirit's grace, we are won over to the side of Jesus. We go not a warfare at our own charges. We shall be well equipped for the most perilous expedition and the longest marches, and also furnished with wisdom and strength for the severest fight. And if we could but cause men to see the g-Iory of the conflict, instead of having to plead with them to side with Jesus, the pleading would be heard from their side that they might h&Te the privilege of fighting in the holy war!
HOMILIBS BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-10.-The triumph qf the redeeml:d. When Handel wrote the" Hallelujah Chorua" he endeavoured, so he said, to picture to himself what the great gladness of the glorified must be. lie rightly and reverently sought-and, it seems to us, sought not in vain-to imagine the whole scene as it is recorded here. .And it is good for us to muse much on a scene like this. It is a veritable sursmn corda for poor sin and 10rrow laden men such as we _are. It helps us to obey the word, "Be not wea,y nor faint in your minds." Let us, then, observe-- I. 'l'o WHOM THIS TRIU11PH LS ASCRIBED. The "Alleluia" and 1111 the resonant rejoicing praise is "unto the Lord our God." When we consider who join in this praise, we shall see amongst them many who were eminent in servioo, who did heroic work for Christ and his cau-propbets, apostles, martyrs, and ministers of God of all degrees. They had not stinted their toil, nor grudged aught they could do and be for their Lord; but not to them, not even to the greatest, is the praise of heaven ascribed, but •ll "unto the Lord our God." There and then will it be seen, as it is not now, how insignificant in comparison with his work was that of any of his aiervants, and how even tl,at was only in his stnngrh. This vision, therefore, endorses our Savicwr'■ word», * When 7e have done all; say, We are unprofitable servants.• OIL :sn. 1-21.] THE REVELATION OP' BT. JOHN THE DIVINE. 4111