The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 488

for, the Lord,God Almighty," etc. There are three ways of deecrjpjng_ to others .Jl®Jl'31 Mliu those w.~th which. they are acquainted. 1. A 11tatement of thO!leJ.hin~ w\ueh are not there, but whioh are founi elsewhere.within their sphere of ob~~,-tio_n.. 2, A statement; of those things which are found . in them in comm9n with ~ho~ BOenes with which they are familiar. 3. A statement of those things which are pt,cllli(Jr to thetn, and which are found in no' other scene within their knowledge. . These -.three methods are, employed by the sacred writers :in order to present .tc:i us- the li11&J:enly Jerusalem~the· eternal inheritance of the good.. The, verses before us are a. Jpecimen of the first method. Certain th:ings are here mentioned which beJong to Olll' inuthly sphere, but. which have no existence there,' and this very fttlga~i,ve desorjption. has a .power to make pn us a.deep il'.llpression that heaven is ,a; eoe~,;Pf .transcendEIJlt ~lessedness. Lo?khi.g a little closely into the negative record in the ,tex~ l'\'.e ,m.a.y infer-:- ,, . . . :. . . . .-. L THAT.:IN. [l'BAT ·8TAT&· THEBB IS NO·_Sl'EOIALI'l'Y ·IN THB FQRHl;I .QF .IIELIGIOUS woRSHll'. -.. •i And I saw no temple therein: .for the Lord iJ-Qd Almigh~:v,,nd th♦ Lamb are -the temple of it" (vet. 22). A city without a temple :would. atrike,the ,:<;a:i:mµon notions of men as atheistic. To the Jewish mind especWly it would give the idea of a city to be a.voided and denounced. The glory of the metl:op<ilis of t,heir co)Jntry was its. temple. When ·the l'rophet Ezekiel would cheer· and a.ni~te th.em ii.\ their Babylonian.bondage, he presents to them a graphic description of the t~mple tha~ was to be reared in their city, -with. its ornaments and ordinances, its ~ha.i:qJxirs. for the priests, its altars for the sacrifices. Still, whatever might be the popu~i: nQtions of men ahout temples, with their methods of wonihip': l, ,Their e.xistenoe impli~& spiritµal blindness and imperfection; they are remedies for evils. 2. Their histoey shows that men, in many instances, have turned them to a most injurious account.. They have nourished superstitio-n. Men have eonfined. the.idea of sacredness and wqrship and (},op to thesil .buildings. They have nourished sectarianism, the devilism of C~sten.d,om. Different classes have had their different temples and .modes of worship, and .o(ten r4!g$rd with .sectarian jealousy and loathing those who kneel. not at, tliair !l,ltar and. iwopt JI.Qt their theory. of doctrine and ritual of worship, When.it i!I said, therefore, that t\lere-iif ~• no temple in heav~n," it does not mean that there will be no worship,~n-hea-.,en, bµt that there will .be no temple .like:tha.t on earth, always iil]plying imperfectioqs and9ften llSOO to foster the supersti tioUB and sectarian. The reason .assigned for ~I} noi;i~tence ofa templ!l mheaven iii a very wonderful one; "The Lord God Almighty. anMihe,Laµib are the temple of. it." God and his holy Son are ,n.@t only .the Obj~te oL~v~y worship,: but the-very temple of devotiol). All there feel not only tha.~ they Pl'Ve to renderc:to God- and his Son worship, but they a.re fa them in the worship•. Ali there feel: that." in him •.they li-ve, and move, and have their beiqg;" that he is the very br,eath of their existence, Where he i&-,-&nd he is everywhere-.-the~ is tll~ir ~mple, there is their worship. The doctrine of worship propouwied by Christ to t,he- woma.n of Sa.maria. is there felt in all its intensity and developed in all its perfE'Ction. 0 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him mwit worship him in.spirit 1,md in.tzulh." The "no temple" in heaven really means "all ~mple "-wo~l:up 13ver3.w-h~ 1',n~iii:e all circumstances, and for ever. Brethren, are we learning a w;0rship here tq prepfre us for- ,the rworsltip -yonder? Is 1:1ur worship a thing of buil<l.illgs, liturgies, r;tualis~~ and sects?- Such w1;1rship will not do for heaven. Our conventional w,;i.ship, in U.C light oLthe worship of eternity, is as contemptible as a rushlight in. .the b~s of the noonday sun. . . U. THA.T ·:JN· THAT WORLD THERE -IB NO NEQEl;lil-ITY FOR 8ECONDBANl) KNOWLBDGB. "And the city had no need of the sun, neither. of th~ moon, to shine in it I for the glory of God did 'lighten it; and the Lamb is the light. thereof" (ver. 23). Moons and suns are but. secondary organs of light. The moon borrows from the sun; the sun, perhaps, fr<)pi another. orb; ~nd that from another. 'l'he Fountain of all light is God himself. He is." the Father of lighm." The grand cep,tral orb in the material universe catches his radiance, and flings it abroad on the million globes of space. When we are told, j;her•e, that the city will have no need of th~ moon imd the, sun, i~ fig1'l'a- tively expresses the idea that th11 holy tenants of that,.blessed state will have po D.6lld for .any secund.ary m0lllls of knowledge; .Here a secqndha.nd knowledge ia.indis~ able to ua. :M:oet of the knowledge we have is derived from other-pa.rents, waeh~ miuimltB, book&: <Knowledge· about our own being am· relations,, about ·Ohrilt •8lld God 1W wotship;' to'tne:~ WI, not. directly from God, th great Foontale of light,. bnt t'hrough1#i o\fariety•of• IHiedtl~ry hgeooiei!IJ' Even the hlghet light of the Bible :oomes to 1tidil0 tliis!wsyi · ...Holy ·men d God: spake' as they were moved." , It it tn00n and lltlJi,!il#M;. tb~ light •of secondm-y orbsrlffil' have :here, and we .cannot·,ai> without it. NoiiJi!tfin ilhe celelltial world.• That spnitual tntelligen~ in, that ble!llled state will be deri~N'rom communion with· spiri~· can 11earcely adm'it·a tloubt. ·. fa that sooiet.y0 as h~rt!l tbere will be ·the teacher and 'thellestner.' But th1ddea s,vmbolized by the,verse iiJ,~flC that seoondhirul''k:i101Vledge will not be needdd, will not be i,n;dispensable as ~1r·Here; },'ke··Job, we hear of. God by the hearing>of• the· ear; there we shaU see bini>'llil' he iii, 'Bnd be like him. He will be the Light, the clear, direct, unbounded rti!'ftillln, through· \vliiclt w~ shan:sea: dtttselve.•, and our fellow-,wcirshipper.s, ·a.nd the universe. "Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." This light vMl be· l!njoyed 'by all th:e Biived. · ; "And th1fnations of them which• arersaved shall :walk! in the• Hgbt • of· it; .&ud the kings ,of the ellirth. de bring theit glory and honllur itl.to it" (ver."Mi). ·o~tte:' 1. ,:he 88V€d wilt be·numllf"ous; J'Natiollt!.", "·'fhe'Gentiiu shall eoin!l to thy'ligb't, ilM kings to the ,brighme~s of, thy rising;,. etc. (1113. Ix. •3'""'-6). 2. The~sa'\'ed wm be progressive, • -,, They 'shall walk ill. th,r :Jight," e'Ver onward. , 3. Tb!! 'sa"'.ed are self-ie,Uf'f'endering. "The ,kmgs of the earth do bring thei, glery."· AU the honou~ d\>',eti' of klbgt, .shal1: be la:id in, ra'terenee at hit foet. •"Th0 king11-of Tarshiah and of1thei isles shall briag 'preeentg ~ the king'n>f Bheba and Selia sha,ll offer gift\!. · Ye~·.V.11 kingB·'s'hall fall do~n before him':' all nations shall serve him.!' · .• -III. T:n,1.ip '(jj ltHAi'-- wo'II-LD ;TllERl!l WILL BE NO ' APPREHENSION. OF DANGER FROM lwir P ~•. '~•·And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for ihere shall be M' rl.ighti ·$ere"'(ver. 25) Never shtit by de.y,• then never shut at li.ll, fur the day tMre· is'ejirnal.i Feat, which bath torment, and which ofWrl 'shakes our apirlt.s here, ail 1t:lte wind shll.kes the leaf in the. forest, wiU-6.tid no place in any breast in hea'lfen: Ali:mishaken consciousness ·of· safety will reign• universa.lly. No fear of kmptrttion; fi~'.we'. &Ii! bound to watch" and pra.y lest we fall. into tediptation; we are 'RUtrOUilded by'·'Wttrpt.ers' mi' evety ,band. No t1eductive serpent will e\ter find his'wajdnto that Pataru,u restqted: by Chrii!t: ·, Why shol1ld w& say so? Has there not ~ ·• ftllVin liei~ett 1/L ·Did' 'not a host of bright' angels le!iv1Hh:eir 'first estate? And .may not.'such a' rel>elii()ll;'igairi ,bi'ci\~ foo;tM Ne~'.! Whyi? • &cause• of the gri!ht a.mount of ~.Je:.,fJ!.alJ 1'DOW existlt in. bi:la.v-en to oiwt.,the virtuous to ·,;,irtue; the Cbri!tian' &,I Cblii!t/'t~tgodly t{)'Goti. 1. There •is &''lno.tive from a contrast' between the presel'lt iqidA,heiJ&st'.' 2. !rhrre ill the motive :from the appearance of the L~mb in .the ;midst of;thi;,ltltt<jnii. , ,11.'he'me~ory of. °';lvary is a golden:c~Rin, Hnldni au:~ th• eterna.l' throne 9f purity arid·fove. Ther_e IS no fear of affiictwn. Wea.rertotdm•tlefomtn veti/e that th'ere. sbal1''6e'1no-s0fi!o.w; nofl:rying, neitber·sMll,tbel't!bie any,'mor.e! paitl, The oo:untless ii.ls tii'Which'ffi!Sh is heir'wiU:never tind their:way thither, :·Tiiere'!s nd 0