The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 486

tAe Wi'nM"N. "He that &YeroomeM!: shall inliiitit all !bi'ngs;" ,!T]ie ·iiiilliom';of 1men wh6. hve in· the universe• d& not inherit •iC f · it' inherits; posteslfes them, lu!ieif]Ji'l,,tia, plays with them, absorbs them. But the man who has conquered himself conies''U\iiiflit the oontrohf ~ympathy'witli'th-e great•Oed.:..:inlieri~•·an:_~hin~et.a lni, iidt'v~ilse. He-gets the whole of it; _he penetratea it8'meaning, appropriattis ~ta ttuthl!;lidm~·iij beauti8'8,: drinks in itii pootrjt;' l'Sv'el~; iJj,j~: sP!rit, exult&'ill its ~ ; and •:ts.. 11 '1'bij Lord is my Portion." He gets the-wao11rnf ittcHmjO,'fot ~t1!i'-.' 2;· ~ dj/i,liatfiJn.'iJj e'!ery indiJJidual '?'-11~ that does his duty. , "And he shall be my so~t" (~er. J). :pie llbni',tl.\~g' l'dlsittr'ILird ·~e r~erlng'\)f the ·e,-ternal univet-se in~.sil~~enee- of the hlgbei~t~ ,of\ J:i.i!! nature 'is· the ghlnd dnty· 9' every 'man;' ,nd, evert·.Yn~,'l:lialfi, does dlfil:Gdd wili"fflake'bis II/Jn•. Are Mt 0aH mtn'bis ehildren:'?, ~ tio~;s', Tliey 'in'e aD•hie erea.t~ hi!il ·offspring;•but not his m. _.,~'Dian ~'y Diva":" atizeti·'or'ntoi'e o~g,. but- ~t·-Olle sim, • Be• only is a son wM ,Jfail' the trne·fil\11.I1t~s£irmtifmvoh'fo.~ d-lil8'!, ;Jove,"obedience, acquiesemule, • · The 'great inisaion o(·Ghrl11!'lpf;Q'~fii-Wfitld 1Vp1'to 1•ner1te itJ.Jnimanity this true fllml·disposition,.enabling tbem' to &d\iress ihe 1lflfi:ijfte "· nou~ rather." ~'his_ is the t!ue adop~i~~·.. ~e, t~e~, ~~.?..~nq1;1e~..eyil, ~~ 11 s.on. ~)fui. ,, ·B!I &:ie11·110t 'rileert&'.,._tire''spmt of bdndage a_J!:_am to f.11ar.·;bµf. ~ ~! .·the t;pir:lt·~fadoption:''lllto. ,', ,:1 .,, · .. ' · ·:· · ·IT' ·· · i -.. -e.•1;,-u •!·:~,' ,>=<V~ lb ·m· ~AL'IJt:~~t:Jti~'l'~iJ. '..- But 'thet:f'or·f.lle] featrin: &fid 'rtv.be'litm~t an,l'the tootttinal:fte; and tnurdererslta:nd rdtnicators; 1Ll,lil sbrotifers[h~ t~la'Wnl;'.a~q •IHOOB!fshii.ll hli".8 their Jlli.rt [their pal't ll~all be]'-in, t~_ 1ake'tli'fuliJthaH1mri!iith :;rU!li.'Jlirs·and·'bPitnstone, which ls tie- ~bud dea~" {ter.c6').': All·tJmjie·]iidoone cliah.iter&·are but the creatures ohm. · Siu is cowardl<!e; 'sin' ls raithless;•mdii abhbr.;, rent, sin is_mu.rderous, sin ~sJasciviouf!, sin is deceptive and idolatrous. 'A1Hlijipe pro- 4Ullti~S't)fisin• ~ 1abh~~V'to the ·Divine, µatui:e,' ·••~piiJhe aborinnid>~'tlJlnl!i.~ !11hloh1 be 'batee,•and ,hti' o o ~ M1No frretnevabM d'estuetiox., Mid it iii' desilri..-!' to hateitspan-in'"i'he·Ilike:'Whroh't>Umeth'withfire.": •· . .,.,,.: ':J ,,, ., '''' -:;r>, ;,,:~cr.ust'ON. Such, then, iii"_ th_at, eyer-blessed Orte '!ho iii en~Aged :tn tbe iier.J 1~ mtilitlohc\f·• WO'l'l<f." 'l'he creative,work has begun j Its progress seems toua slow/b~ its coJU1nmmation is inevitable.-D. T.  ,Vers, 9-21._;_~ spiritual .c1Jfflm;11u1lffllth; of. the. goo4..,; ,~•.Ant,t~~•IAnW ~e one of the seven angels," etc. There is a spirit-world. This is. a r~,a.1;a:9U,~.,\u' conolusiva reasohlrig and. accordant. with the. qonourre.., beliefs ,of. ~jt1d •. 1"1is spirit,-world is,aCC1111-ffiOnweaZth. It has a social.order•. The exist.611~ of ~tl',ffil8Utut.a Qf .pegBrk>us iJll!tirn:ts and 8cioial affini$8 is conceivable, a.nd-tnaJ;be,JMll'hap!l,SQUI~ whei1e inexisteooe in the great spirit-world---the world of whiQh_ the ~ti&l u~iv~r/18 is hlle offspring, mirror, and servant. But of such non-sooia.l beiftgi! •• hau n<> ~ f or ,infotmation. The great ,spirit--world in whioa we,.believe,.and of which· w11 ,read, i&·a: community ,that has its laws of·intercourse, sympathy, and oo-operJ1tio"'1,,,llence in, Scripture it is ·icequently Jigurated as ,the Jel'Ul!alem 'frOlll ,alx!"fle, t~ hM,~ly Jerusalem, etc. Jerull8lem is its metropolis, the centre of its authority and infiu~ll- Now, the magnificent capital of this. ·greatl. aommonwealth of the good is the grand picture in this dream, for a dream or' vision•it manifestly is. Literally, a city like the one here represented has never existefl, and, ~ordi11g to· the laws of architecture, pro- portion, and grav~tati9n, perha~s :!lev~r, cou~~ e~st; and :he;nce prosaic interyreter~, however learned, mcaj>a.ble of dist1t1gmshmg betweeh ·f~ and figure, nave, m their a expositions of this and other visions, produced stibb 1 jumblement of incongruities which disgraces their QWn com:mon ,.sense and disoredits. the ScriptµrJIS.,·, ,'fa,'IGing .ti~~ vision before us as a parable, or a pictorial illustration, of the ,oc}(Jl ;6'q4e'Of". o,h,,tf taiigi;ad,,:wce,may·~t~h.t/;>,iUhe·fo~ing charaiiteruitics. , · -, ·- ,,,i, :,; .·11 .,L lli:AViUIT.JN~;; lleaven reveals it to mM,l; ,- "-And there Qallle -~D!O•lll8,9P.it of $1i,.,et,1e1u,ngels. wbioh .(!who]. had- the seven vials{bowl11-) follof tb,e"[w)lo-.;wer._~ wUJ.i] 111tVl!ll lut-plaguea. and l.$1ud-wu.h,,me _[b,q l{lll,M·~ ~-yl,g.~;'w,t~, I w.ill.tihow, theethebride~the La.mo'sv;ife[the wife !lftheJ~aml>-]" ,(ver.,9). J•Uw~IJI Q:l!Jll a;.11 celestial; WOl'ld arft represented not .i)l):}y. , - t,alkin,g ~- thl) l\"\lthpr a:b(mt,, it,,ri\ffl tMl)lDYiting bun to l«>ki.atdt. ,All thei~1,1f me{l,QOl,IOOr11i1;1g a,petfect ~,iqat, ~vo cowe-to us, not RS the.ded\\ctions of our own r e ~ , b11-t. as coµiU1llffl!18W~• fi:(IJiihel\'filA,-• Reaten mablllAI mao to:see it,.. "And he carried me a.~Y \µ.§}l~~rit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city; -~~ he~ ~J!:!JJl- [!!bow~ _:m~. theholt tity Jer~.salem], d~cen4ini {eoming ;dtiwn.} uq~.o.J,lict4Jm_ Aom_ Goil" (ver .. 10). · Jt.,is. »Qt \Ultil. f l a.re elew-iated into ;the higher: wo'1.~ 1Jf t;}w~ ~ f1leling tbat,we-hai~-~ed,e, $t1mdPQint from whtch,w11,C$1 ~mwiwdia vi~w ~-l~ su,perna,l s~te. Down illiihi,:valley: of wotldlin~s_,,,µnder. the shadow of t;he. h:illil,1t11\d &lllid,the-exbalations and fugMf 11eus~Hies,,H, woiml beii!l,lp0ssible to patclt~Jg~Wffl or the King in his,.beai:ti,y, in·th~ Jtind that is .af1r.off. We mu1:1t Gliwb-~-mtDMI Pisgah, and reach the Mount of; Tran11figµrati~1;1.,, J:lea.v~n,brings,~ 4own .tQ ~ ; !' Desceudillg [coming, down] oat @f'.hQll.v8a-f.t~ God."·:.· 'l'bi«per(1rot,ll!Qllialt,!1~le IIIWI~ l)Ome doWJ):,W ua, fto:in h1.ia:ven, if rwe are: evet to-r®lize, ntiA,posses.s i~... ~n;-irffln.M$J offalse.:religio11Sc ~ing h1J.:ve,oome llO, regard hffl.Y81J.J.¥.jjoqwthi,ng°"t,a:'\~t!M IOJP,etbing,yonjl,er, no~ h,ell8; · something in a cert,a.in locality in. the;ull,i;ve•se,- neit.~~ tliiug ii;i. a,Qei;t,ain stat.eqf:."fflind:and c/uirade,:,,_ ~•noetMe{y, •.~~.fib1't:I-h,ad;:W~WI like,:a; ,dov~l,,foi :th@ft w,oold I flee &w11,y1 and.,]».at;,re~l'' · Su\ li1!:wl!:o.wo1lld,h&t11 hea•,en••iJi,, $lul;.J10u\,,it,s i}erfect,~t?,ie, JJlU&~ihi:ittg ,it ,d~n-1 Jt&: sywpa~ tllrilQWlll; down. i1_1to, :his ~ heark. Bis ,praye. sh01tlil. he.,,l''.C)ly kingdom c~.· tb,y iw.iUrbe ~ e .on-ea,i.-~h- a.11 it is fa heaven.'' •• Iti'~red iiilence-of lily mind; . My h!iaven, 11riil tliiire mr God, I :ijiicL" .. JJ .. :PJ:VW£11Y, ..."l:[a~ing.the gfory,QfJ}QA,: aDQ,-ller light W8,ll)ike 11nto a~~ r Pf.€~io~,' ei.:enJ.ilqi aa it vrerej a. jS!!per stone,,~ear IJ>B,'Cl"Y~W'';(v~ U.} ~-:Alt •t:be Shecbi,nah lit 11p thllh9ly of ru.>li~ in the .t.emple, G()l}'s,.pretJenc,, radia~ .t.p,r4wh. l!'l(ery part 9f thi$, spiritual communilim of the good •. He is .its$11se11(ll,a~dJtalnffir~. lie ill ~tf, ,,Li~t,, tl;lmsparent, a,s the cry\!ti» an\i bti.utiful ~ ~he, gµwning, ~ Jooa t,b.a, .precious ja.,sl)81'.. A ~t .luls ,spoken of ., looking ,tfill)qgh Wl~Ure \I.P ~ iJJMurN,'s G;9d." He, s'qpµl.4 l;ui,ve: 111id., IQPk, doua, on 1catrmi fh1·0:11rfh. GQ(l. · G~ ,iii ,in, 1~ .~41; ~ial SIi!~ ~J>• .wha~ j;he c;loudle&s midday JIJlU is ~.Pur.gw~ --ii.\l-0$iir,lights are buried in· the brightness of its ray,, and f!:om U. -all life, and beauty,. ~d:JJ10t.ion, and order proceed. Human systems of government, what are they? Black, battling. l>Qtm<lJ,113- "CP/l9f• -~q~ th~ perfec~ s®i3l OfQ.et ill Di~ity i~f, all fUied with -Oud, 540 ':l'HE RE\7'ELATION Olf ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. (oH. riI. 1-27.