if every one is to be raised. up 11,t tht1 last <la:r.,•-if thl\t be the general rosurrection, why is there thi¥ ll1$.rk of distinotion for "him.u lf there be none? We conclude there is a ~tinctian. 4.nother and a ~ . glptjoua resurrection await, "him'' taan awaita . ~ n i . . 'l'hen (~ke xiv. 14) tht Loid speaks of "the resurrection of the juat." ·. W.lit does .lie not apea.k of the geneT~ ie11urrection if th11re be nothing special for '' the j11~ ·? Ji,i teacli81! us that there iii•. Again o;.uke u. 35), he speaks.of a Tellum. lion tor the children of God, who shall be equal to the angels, which is a resurrection "t;rom &n10I13, t.he !lead" (iK), and. for wbJllh t~y who shared.in it needed to be "co~t.ed worthJ!,~ But this is not the ea. with the general resurrection; therefore w13 gather. thal tp.is ilJ a special one, The)) 1 Cor, n. 22-24, where the order of the resurrection is given-" every man in his own order~ Christ , • • after-wnrd they that ru-e Christ's at his coming; " and tboo, after the great work of subjugating all things is aocomplished_;" then.cometh tho end." 8ut with .this we know 1a associated that rcllUl'- ;~iion of" the rest of the dead" of which we read:in this chapter (ver. 12). Bllei too, .in M:att. uiv. 34. 'l'he gathering togllthw of tlw elect is toid of, and then afterwards ,-we know not h01V long-the jttdgment of the bflathan, the nations, of which we are tpld at t~ cl0$ll of Matt. xxv. See, too, Phil. iii. 14. · Now, '' the resurrection from th,i_ ~ " which St. Paul there ~p~s of .as •• the pr~e of his high calling," and after wlilcp. he strove, if "by any Pleaas he might attain unto it "-for as yet he had not _a:,ttaine(l to it, and therefore he. still pressed, as an eager raoor, towards the goal-this r0$urrection could no~ be the general one, for he knew that he would rise again ; n()f eitber does it ~ n s1mplybeing· saved, for he knew that he was saved already. It must mean, ther11rore, a special fel:lurreotion-this of ~hioh our text tells; a prize-the prize, inqeed. And we read of " 11, better resurrectipn " after which the saints of ,old strovll, A.pd ChriiJtia.ns are. oalled "firstfruits," and r ,the Church of the Firstbom "- f!XPfClS!liona which denote priority and privilege such as the first re&urrection declarea. We hold it, therefore, to be no vain and una.uthori~ imagination. which oolieves that in these remarkable veraea St. Jph?J does teach what hia words ao evidently seem to affinµ. · , IlL WBAT IS . ~ INl'LUJl:NCB IT B!JOtJLD BA VE UPON us? BI. John', puryon. 01' rather the Roly ~irit', purpo,6 thr1>Ugh him, was by this glorious revelation to do in a0: especial manner that whioh Wll,S the great design. of the whole book-to comfort, strengthen, and ipspire with. holy courage the persecuted Church. And we can hardly illlaf!,ine that it failed to do this. T~ imagery is taken from facts within tµeir own experience-:.-tbe constitution of the empire, in which the varied kings who ruled over the provinces each contributed to the power ~nd glory of the whole ; 8JlQ the priestly service in the temple with which they had I,mg been familiar. The book la full of Jewish imagery thl'oughout. The vision, t\leretore, Msnred to them that the lot of their faithful brethren the martyrs, and all of like mind with them, should speedily and wondrously be changed. Poor, persecute.d, d9wn-trodden, the offscouring of all thing1 no~, they should be as khigs; their dunge9ns they should exchange for thrones; their dreadful death fur life~Iife eternal, life with Christ. Vast capacity for ministering to the glory of the reign of Christ ahou.l,;l he theirs, fo1: they should be. kings under him, their Lord. Com1tant ~ e to his presence 1u1d the ministry of intercession for their. brethren-the116, too, should~ their11.for they were also to be his.priests. 'Twaa worth 1ivi11g for, worth suffering for, worth dying for, le$ the death come in .what dread- ful f~rm it might. So would they feel and -speak and a.et, and this was what was intended.. " Strong consol~tiori" they needep., and •• strong consolation they had," all God's people e:ver have had and will have when placed in like ciroumsta.nces. And.for ourselves-for the vision is for all Cj:uist's fait4ful ones as well as for the martyi:s-.- what should be the infiueooe of this doctrine of the first resurrection upon us? Surely we should "have r1!5pect unto the recompense of the reward." If Christ have put this reward before us, we sbould have respect to. it. I.sit fitting, some may ask, that Christ's servant.a should serve him with their eyes on the reward? Was it fitting that any reward which Christ promisGd to bestqw should be without appreciation? Think what this promise is. It is not i:oorely bl~e.ss-it could not but be that--c-but it means kingship and priesthood. That is to say, droppil).g the metaphors, it means infinitely increaaed capacity for serving Christ and furthering bis glory ; it means, aa his priest, conlltant accoss t(I his pr63encc, and the duty and priviluge of interoosaion for his peopju. CH. n:. 1-15.] THE 'ii"EVELATION 'OF ST. JOHN THE. DiVINE.' 499
~ ~'.lld passion; and/bl~ De God, w:e ~y 866 othe~ ~- lieiven because fill~ 'with the peace of God. _Heaven or •hell is, in gr11&t .degree, in, a _man ere ever._ he ,eµters either t4e one or the olher. They are. in us before we are in them, and the ju<Jgment is but each. man's going to his OIVD,ph\ce. 'Wha.t solemq, oo.nfirma.tion, then, <lo such Scriptures as that before us receive from observed facts and experiences of meid,q.t)us life I What urgency, therefore, do they lend to the exhortat~, "Corµmit thy war 1qlto the Lord" I And how prompt should be our resolve .to entrust tpc k;eepi11g o( our si;,uls unto Clnist, so that in the great judgment after death they ma:r. go with Christ and his saints.into eternal life I "Jesus, by thy wounds we pray, help.npw that our na,me.s may be writte11,in the book of life" (Hengstenberg).-S. O. . _, ·, ,: ,