remoies.the dross,'the·fan that wmnows those·gl'l!,inil and bears away the,chaff> Pain tried Abra.bam and/Moses; ·Pa.in tried Job. Lt came to him in its most torturing, character f but -his priaciples/stood. firm before it; mid he said, ." Though· be slay me;,ym, will I, trust: fa him." r;Pain · iiied Paul; Hear ·his, Jeseription of his· sntferingu. !Hif laoounJ 'more abundant, in dea'ths oft; of the Jews: five. time• received' I forty stiipeit saTI{ooof' .etc. (21:Cctr. xi; 26,). • Nnw, in heaven them will be :no need for sm:h & ·trying test of ·yinoipl~-; .the character will be, perfected; · The g&d~will be ·puriified from al¼ ailoy•. .,· , ..., -,,.,, .. , - '. ' .. ,.. ,,, .', :,, , , ;,, _.;.:,.,·; . > . •ii_,. i ;__, ",,.: ,. '( IIVPa.i.11,is•noi needed there j,n,pBQMOTE'.Tf.lE'Dl!VBiiOPM:ENT 011',(l]fARACTER. ':•P&in is l!l'eeiied-here. Firsi;,: in oorsalves, ,to:pomote patienc11, 'lr~gnatum;furgiveness.. , f'iOurl ligb.t1•11ffiiction/1,, Pain.· is .teediid' here, ·secdadly, in others,··in- order, to awaken:°""· diaritiits; ,Were• there no suffering about us; generous, virti,res, whloh are essential fo. im!:Gl\ristian ·chameter,, would have neither .scope non,,atim.uh1s. The .naked; the lntdgtyj tlie imptiiloned, ,the. 11ffliot81%..--these ,furnish a ,:fie]<). for the exercise'.. of, ou11 benevolences. In heaven the character being perfected, no such discipline will ,be reqmreq. : 'Ye shall be made lib C~rist~ ''. changed into his.image from glory to glory." /· .iv-,, Pain. is 'lltlt needed there to md .U!l-ilD A.PPREOl.p:um THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRJS'U, <ilhrist proved-'hii1 lov.e:,by sutfemng: ·1·H.e suffered·ponrt)l,'~ontwire1y, parsec.ut.ion,, ignominy, erooifixion,u Ha.J'maiie-h.imse,if of no tepu.la,liion/1, ,He .took on him .the, <j(orm ota; 88DVarit,'t becanie:"' obedient unto death, livoo tlie.d~th.cif•the ,cni11S." ·. N ow1 to,:elltj~ sllfi"~t!mg, we must know what imffl)ring :~:knowJt. expelfun,entally.i, Every' manamust 'bear: A- cross· in order ea know·wha~. the cross.of €Jh1ist. foall(yi was, ":In he&veh we,shl,.ll not riqnire this. , We,shli.11 have:learnt;,tWin.our. measure,;.atui,be,qJJalified,~ llihg,.•,.Worthyi&.th&Lambthatwas•,!lain!l'';.,., ;'' .,,;·1 ,'."'· ·,. ,.,,,, . . . ,·,,,,·.·, ,,:y'C'-,Pai1His not 'J!Beqed there to WPBESS• us-WITH Tlf.E'ENOBmY,-OF,lnN., !rhe firsC thing f<ll'. a;,sinnei- tofeeHn order' to,relioopce•sin iita· conviction of its terrible 0001\1&➔ quences. It is.the,cause,of'ailr .sorrow,' suffering, and· death, : ·But. in .hea.Ten, sin: ha vi,ng been; don& iiwa.y, the -consequences and efflicts. will beodone lP.'W&y also,;, ·sin .being ~onedJjt wiii, be unnecessary to impress mlo!.vith its, enormity.• , .. ; , • , .: ,. , " , re '(>Wh-at a;lilessed plade1i&·hea-ven.h iA world without pain of an37 SOl't,-physical; social, intlillecttlal,,moral,..-,.J>. :··, ,, ! , ,. ,, , . ,, . ,,. ,. ·. ,, · .. ,.. . ,. ,, t.l ,.l ·_ 1 J:~ ':.-· . ·Ji ' : - \ ;, yY •~. ,-.' • i : ! ; . ,. . _• • , \_) .< , ,, ,
Ver. 5.-The new creation. "And he that sat upon the throtle.illLid,Behold,J make all things new." Two facts suggested in these words are worthy ofilotice. 1. Ohrist tsl'i'nvesleil 'IIJit/a-the govtt'11tnen·hif owr world,:,," He that salt [ aitteth l upon the throne." !',:lie is:exalted,far above all prineipalities,'?..eto. G!Qriousfaet this.. ,It explains·thQ oontinuation 'of,..Binners,in such a,wo,rld as this, and eneouragil$ us to take-a de~ ~ in allcth.e '~tiooa of Provhlenca.·, , -2. Tb.e oth.et fact suggestecl ,ia, Qhri,e iil C1L xx1.,1-27,] THE REVELATION OFI-ST,, JOHN' Tl'IE DIVINE. 58'1
m tM .o:erciu <#,M11 authority - _,w,gaged, the work 'lfi mo,:cu ~ - - - •~ He that sitteth upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new:r, ,}Jllie 'll}liritua.l renovation of <1'11! "fQrld, Jg -here rep,esented .as a ~tion. · · N OW.Qe -two ·tb.l.nga; ~he .fi!B6'1M~ 'gnd th!l,'™8i'Dl!11arity between the apiritu1,;l refQN/1,at~ of IUQ,Jl• and the _natural i : t " ~ ., L •['p,}lJ',&BllBI.4NO& Th,ere un1~t \le a. resemblance; ()r else the figure ~ould uot :be ~plQfM u it is here and .elsewhere (see Isa. lxv, 17.-:J.9; --~ Oor. v., 17).. "W;hat imi-the-,pPl.nt.B Qt resemblance? - L In.both there is the pJV(iuotion ·of a ne,w,orw,q/ ~{ng11. Fwm. chaos. of old; God, by his creative fiat,.btought life,, belluty,-light, eto.; 8i¥l froi:n the corru,ptsoul of man, by. his. redemptive .power, lie evolves.high spiritual v~tuee.-- i. ln both_ there is the production of something '¥'W by the Di11'VM. apncy, Who. ~a~ tb.e hea".ens and. the ea.rth, etc.? God, and he orily. Who ere&t.es 4uouH TluiisametglorioU&, Being. 3. In both there is~ produotion of the new. acoording to 11uJlitM,t;:.pla#I,.· r ~l!ll'Y part<ifthe,universe is cr~ted on a p\an, - Science-di.!lcov81'8 .thi& In conversion it is so (Eph. ii. 10). 4. In both there is the prOl}uction Qf the ue,w.. ~r l,(,f f1DOi glury,;, 'fThe hea.vens declare•his_ glory/' ,The con181'sion of ·men re~• the g!qry pf Gpd•. didn both there is the production Qf the new. ~ a; .gradual, wdg. ~ogy and. the :Bible 11hQ'!V that the work of creation is a. very. gradual work. 1Ha,so wi~;1lie work of,spifi.tua.1 refOl'llll\tion-very,gradual. . - . - . , .,,Il. 'fBll J>ISliDfiLAJUTY; 1.. Tbeone wa11 prqduced out of ,wlMt1g; ,the.other from ~~g•m-atojals. In con\l"er&ion no new ,power is given to. the soul, but the old !}JWll,; are f911qva.ted and wrought. ~o right aeti0Jt. .2. The .one was-1effected without ~y.0911fr.u,cting/9Tce,; the -0thedii not. In creatioll God ha.d only t.o 8pe&k,:and it,was @ne.. , Not w with conversion. There is tbe priQciple of free ag11ncy and. depravity tr, colltf!,Dd with. a. \Che one w;as produced by mere fiat; the other requires the intervention of ~ 'lfl,eQ,nB, , ; Nothing 'in the ereation came between the work and the Divine wilt ~11p4ituaI_,reforma.ti.on i$ do48; hence God ha.d to bow the heavens and-.coaie.qown 11,pd: become_ fi(!Sh •...4. '.[he , one pla.ced man in .a position malflf;'ial and insecure ; the oth111; ph\c.ed lwl1- _.in• ,piritwl and wfe a"bode. -Adam ;was placed in a material paradise, a.~ _fr.qm '.bis ~rigj.na.l posjtion.he fell. ,Conversion .places• men in a spiritual paradise; fr~ which ,they.will fall no, more. -They a.re ."kept .by the power.of God." 5. The tjnllc .d!!v:el9.ps: and d~splays God· as t,he ql,svlute Spi,._I ; the ,other, as the .Di1Jfflll Man, In ~~ mauifostatiilll he is " Goo l)'.lllllifest in \he flesh,." fulL of condescension, tender- ~ }QI\~•• . >c. c • : •• C : C • , ••
_ . \X>J!IQ1',USION. _ The subj!!Ct pre~ent.s: 1. A solo,nn qfUStioo for_ us all. .A.re we '' new ~riiatuT1¥1i .in ,Ohpst -Jesus":?.-, ,Have we been. brought out of the moral ohaos? 2• ..4 ~right ~ e t Jar the 11JOrld. _,: Ohri~ is on his thron~ and the work -of moral. craati.on ~camed on, wid will one day be~mpl11~-D. T. - ._._ ·, • ,