The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 479

'Ver. 25.'--" No nig'kt tlwre!' I. Tlil: NIGHT A COMMON ,EXBLEX OP 'l'llmGs 1~t.. 'l'he Bible notices of it are, like this of oui-,t.ext, almost always' of a disparaginlfa'!fd ~precatory .tone. It is .r.epresented as undesirable, aBd as telling of.things th,;t'~re eTil..i, &rrow (Isa; xxi., rr Watchma.b, what of the night? "-speaking t>I' Ed.bi;t.tW ll.l.ffi~ iio11).; "Sooga in the night" mea.n ifongs in aotr<>Wful seasons. ''1gtu»•a~' "·DjLrk~s sha!Lcover the land, and gross darkness the people." · An.d concerning 1this fal'id' 'it Wrui 1!8id that "it sat in darkness," so dense was the ignorance ·of the people. ISmP ,,.:lflin love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil;" "We are not the childrev of the darkness, but of the light(" Death. "Wbrk ~ · •.• while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work." 'PM~ of ~n~ · ~'.This is your hour, and the power of darkness." And ~here ate rn~ny ipore ,o() like sort. And yet- H •. T.IIB NIGHT 18 ONE OF GOD'S doon dms'.. In plant-life it is essential to their groivth. Night-so naturalists tell-is the time that the root of the plant feeds. During the day the ,light act.I! as a force :upon the lining .of the bark of the plant or tree, by wh.ii,h the nutri~ent i&dra.wn up from the r00;t:. :tf<>w, 11ii night that actipn ce,ase11, and the ·foot ~ abl,e to thrust itself downward, deeper and dee,[>8r into the s<>4. ~~eteyer 'it e1an·~ tlre)1Q1lris1iineqt'it heeds, and "'.hidh: it 'wUl,hat~~·s~pp~Y: wheA pgai~"tl.1e light -cornesi aiiit yet, ·mote. when the spnng com~ .. Tli.13 n1gh,t 18 11,,l!Med lqr. ,tli.is. Atid it iii· tire till!e 'when ·tbe ~Lin.t ,rids i~lf of ihatwhich wou1lt. be 1:i.u~fllf, to·. itii life. -'I'h!f'Bitp'thiit •tlie Jfght and w~llll' of ~at l;a'I"~ d,raW1':l, \ipfro~ t~~ ~ts iet;ll:i'ns' thither 1it'll'igbt,1but changed' because qharged· with ell!m,entli' that the root will teject. 'It is 1heliii -.a.ons of 'tlie root· tlMt· re'ndet necessary the rotation of cropa. '''11ie 1 is ~ii; poµ,ioned for the same plant, l)ut is ready ,for o~.ers, N,pw, for. this, an(j. mµ-0h µlb~~ ih Yege~ble Jife, tl!e night fs',~~ · And.fQr anifiµil life•. '~s. civ. ,ilfn:gs,"".rho'u.P1i''li:-i!l:t darltne111t, and it lit night: wherem all the beasts ·ofthe fotest do creep t'otth, The yoUiig liomi·roat'after their prey, and seek their meat from 'God'.". 'Night is their 'feedins~time, the sl~iil~Jti1;0~ •of-moat of their vicl.ims. Thus much ~'Q.lferl11g is avoiqe<i~ an~ ;Y,,!lf~ t,iie )'(>ung'lione" are fed. .And.for .htmu:m life. .' 'J'h,e body 1s compelleq to rest if.its l><?*~rs an, ID contmne in -vigour; and the night-time' is' plainly gl9'~n for tlµL~ fa4,.,.., 1~~'1, Ther'. t1m.3 night into ~.pnd defraud ~e body of its due. ~t; frq~~ting t~~ .pw~/tor which nigh~ was given vlol11,t~if t:jie Qrea:tor'lr ~w~ .~d lDJ1.s/; pay ihe cer~ ~i1r~ ~a, penalty whicA suc1i. vi~tiot1. 1nvolves: . t,.nd tl,e .msnd owes much to tl,i!! nigll?~, 7