ror i~ .game ·ertlargem:elit 'li.'riff' instruction by :the' spectircle of tli,il starry' heavens ; .~ey, thenl •~Jani the gfoey of '11od.. ·'·And tile sl:>'Ul is uplt'fted 'by the conteiµi,:,W,tio;i;i;.~fthat !,': - o>, •• ; ·• • • • gby. Thtn1, nd for yet other reasons'. ls night to be Jegarded as one:or &d's .good gifts to men. Nevertheless, in the new h"e&VeJl.8 and the new earth it is st.id1 "-!lhere--ii nonighitheie.""· ··, ·. . · v: ,J ,.i 11 : · ,., · . ,/ .. ·· · •Ill. HowEVEa mmiRBTOOll; Tim ri:x.-.n: :&::11t-.ssm» PIIOl[tSll. 1. Suppose we Ulkl.l'-" stand it figuratively. 'l'heii. ·the- prom!M is •thM lrlHhose varied ills of the mind and the 11oul which night .has boon, the lfymbol Of""""""II&' in ,the -declaration that thet'41 shall be '' lio l'l'lore.:sea. ~-snnll be absent from the samts' etknal home. 2;• -Or:if1 we take the woms·M~d it is possible that this may be mesnt----then they,involve ~er glorious elements of the'future. whieh God's Word leads-us to·look :fer I' e.g.':a -liew phg:rical ~urs. For if there l>e no<nigbll; then no W!tld. of. ,re&!;. ·Indeed, w.e -&re' told "they cea.senot" in~their high illilploy-" cl&y »or night.'t . But fur.no}} unnitlting Pd yet untiring occupation &: body nM limited, frail, -and easily fai.tigued~ like our; preient bodytmu&t be gifen; a pby~ica.l nature a.l11ogether d~I'ent from.' Uie preseJJ.t. ,And that which. we, should h&v:e inferred is clearly: stateduin other. &iriptmee:, . "There is a, naturaH>ody," sueh as-w~ oow have, "and there ia,'8; spiritAlal.,,body ,'! :-whioh is what we shall ·hJWt!. But if.there-be- a: new and a: more glorious body,·that i11:thEi iooe.r. -of a new and more glorious spiritual' nahwe, The external ia 'the: .ti~ clothing -et" the internal. There is congruity between them, so that we argue, and for the most part rightly, from the Ojltwanl!to, the iu.wa.rd, and we gather much -,,a to the character of any creature from Us ·ell:ternal fonn; If, then, there shall be· a new and glorious body, what shall be the spirit within, which: iB furnish~ with so glorieus·'Ml.,in~rument for the .ca.r.rying out of its,purposea? 'But if ,a"iie-wi •pbysical1an4i- api.ritual ·nature; then there· must be~ MW 11H'nd t.warda God. · For. iii is -plain that the emba.i)go laid upon our present nature,- by which -it is· "•made subject tovaniiyf•. has-been taken --Thai oJf. limitaiion,!was because we were not to be trusted .with ·mrger-pow~ . "And now,'' said Goo,,~, lest be put forth his· ha.no and take also·of thee tr.e of,life, arid eat; Mid.live for' .,;,er:'! (Gen; iiL 22)-; · "oo he-drove out the mau." Man was, be-Oause of :sin, made as Jie isjibll'cause!if more had boon gi'l'e1n: him ·he, cOUld not -be. trusted to it arig,h4 use That i_s·thll tea0hlng of the verse in•Genesis, . But the •po11session·:ofjjthe inew phySM&l and Bpiritual natu,e provesi:that tba.t-,restrictloo. · has been 'removed:·• But that proves that,& new mind u in man:towarda God. , No longer 1..we~lioul,aii,o,l:Jill(lieot mind; but "the-mind of Obrist-," oP'a dear ·child." ·1 ·But.if this:, then th81'8JJnust be'. a new eocial ~ate; DO longer cl.isi:brd and liirife,, because there i• one mind ,1'.lnfard11 ~od. and hence all a:re one. . •But this· iB ,thie Paradise oo Goo,· the kingdom, ,of· hea"\1'6ll itself. That we ma:y hve ever-ii;rowing··surety thlLt we sb-a.ll· conielto. that, bll!Med1 ltome of. Goo's· saints; let us look within the region of our own hearts,-and seej,f,illere;beio,o nigh,,thers-no darknm of,sin -and· unbelief. If there be, .then 'at once·lehw tutti ,to httt1/1Who giveth to,:all who .seek, 'that''he ",may: ''ahiM· into 6lJr heaits;·to gw'.4!!i1ll thi!•,light. &f ·thll knowledge of the glory, of-G9d"in the , . !1 • : 1 /, ' : ' face •of-J811-'a-Oh:ci&t.".......S;C-.• ,. , ·. · :· -,,J':1· .. ~i ', ·· '., .-' f. ; : :,-, ,i ; f,-;._i ~ I ",- ; f Ver. 21..... The hk1a'Ue'll1g-i 0ktwch•book. , "The. Lftlll'l:>'s :book1df ·,Ufu.,>So hits one named this book. Some pastors a.re very familiar with:" Ohurtlh-bo6ket ooutalritrlg; u they do, the roll:of th&' .namea of 1tliose ut1der their }'11:StQJal eha:rge. :s ·,With,: whllt. glad- D'.el!f hl}ve·they enteQicl!·DfflD.88 1tlwirej'when those- WDO'' oore th8l!6 1lll"rlle& hav-a aTOwed. themselTIJB the ·serfants; of t.he •Lord'! With . whBfl; som)W ,·ha-n, they; removed n•mes from that ·.bMk, rwhen ·death.or,: far 'IVorse,,e;.ril cHduct; bas compelled':.im-eh removal I How of~n they 1.bave .prayed over that book, fememT:iering 1;1ne by one tbose whose names are there written, and supplicating God's grace-for.them! ·Aud: in;:-\hfed.e]!:t we read. of a lib3 l>iJtik.' . N ot1.1W. · · · .. ·; , . , : · :.: . · : .: . • I. THE WRITING-the book itself. " The Lamb's book of life." It is the heari of Christ., : " The niinre~ ohll his saints he bears\ ·· . 'Deep gravlin on bUJ hea-it." ' , :_ ', ' ; )I;' _ .
As the highipriest'.of,JsraeL bot-ei on his jewelled breastplate. the.names of thatirelve tribes, so the l'eCQrdi of Christ's people is. Christ's heart.· .He forgets no name and,no "work off&itb-a.nd,lai>ol11l:of, ~e,!'Jdobe.Jor. him:; not even the.'!-cup of ,cold.waAler" given .for :hie sake: , i hv:hi luu-cf to.ibllliern 2 l. Wh:,i do w.e net kDO'w llo,r he ia-Dilbemhr-+ ing us every day?-our wants,;oul:' weaknessea;.o\Jl\'BO~rows?. Alidhe eupplies.alol,Olll' MZ 'l!Hl!:. REVELATION 01' -ST. JOHN TBE DIVINl!l. [cm. xtL 1-21',
need. These f'acta of experience may well: make us truat this record more "tban:any book.~1be .hllllrl-of Christ, the true book oflife, . · . -· · · · . IL THE WRITER ol!' THIS BOOK, It is Christ himself, :Ministers cannot enter your nlldlle there, Sacraments and :sacred aenill!lllt. though often observed, have noli .this power, .Birth and pa.renta.ge..creed and profession, likewise fa.iJ .. · · . . • ,, UL. TlH!l _.WRITTEN TllJmEIN. W e,have spoken of the record and the Recorder ; we apeak:now of:the rll(l(}rded ones-those writtenju the hook. And :who are.these? We reply.-.AJ.l save those whose names have been ,blotted .out of that ooo~ - When ;fty child ohnan is :born into this wodd, at oooe hh1 name goes into this book; and because it is there, Chli~t•s :representative,. his Church, through her ministers, lays claim to the child at the .very beginning of its lif:e. Children are_ baptized in.the name of the Triune God, because,J.hey belong to him, are.his by creation, redemption, and the gift of his blessed Spirit.. So have we "learned Christ." But will tbe. name. stay in the book jl We .are. clearly taught that a prooess of erasure ia.s _well as en.uy goes on in ..·regard to that book. -.. '/·Lord, blot not qu t: my naml! l ". should be the prayer. of. each. of 'UB. :A.nd what will ensure Us permanence in the record? Faith, love, obedience,-:-these three. And where one.is,_the others are nev01"·far otr.-S. C, . . . ..