The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 494

.:>llnd•nd pass i,on-'Come' I" So that it iaevident that the fint" Oome"i&e.ddrWslled t.o. th1dndividual who is here exhorted to pass on the S-Oubd. , Fot ,this. reason 1ft deem ourselvea abut up to the specific interpretation we ban here &liopled. Vitt, tl.refore, regard the verse as an invitation to every one to come and partake of those joys which are made over by Christ to all who will take them. L Tiuaui: ABE JOYI IN THE HOLY CITY WII[CH ARE INFINITELY "WORTHY 01' A ~ AlftlB, The wotd « Oome" naturally suggests the question, " To what?" or " To whom?., Arid if the clauae stood alone, the answer would uot unnaturally be, "To the Sa.viow," for he is the one Object to whom men are e.l[peeted to oome. But if we look at the. close of thi1 v•rse, we find it said, " Whosoever wUl, let him take the water of life freely;" and when we read, "Let him that is athirst eome," we find additional reaaon for mpposing that the meaning of the word is, " Com1 to the water of life." And, 1lO far, there is no reason for doubting the correctness of this. Bt,t, tl1en, the neltt query is, "Where is this water of life?" And if we turn w eh.· vii•. 17 ; xxi. 8, '1,; nii, 1, •we find that in beaTen the blessed are lltlen beside the fountains of ~he wa~ of.life; BO that, although it is true that even here. Christ gives u1 the living water1 that even here tbei-e is a river, the streams of which make glad the city of God1 yet no one oan study this book without seeing that there is in it a " tendency forward; " that there ia a finger beckc..,iog and a voice urging us onward to a holy city, "the New Jerusalem," of which. it i1 aaid "the throne of God" is there, .from which the living water is seen t.o flow, a pure, a crystal stream. All those who ree.ch that oity will drink thereof. And it ill unqueationably with all this in view that the invitation is given. Yonder, at the end of the pilgrimage of the saints, is a land no foe ca.n ent!l'; there is this refreshing atceam, Thousa11ds· have alrendy reached that land, and thousands more are en the way; and the Holy Ghost, having thus set the land Beulah betore our vision, will not let the apostolic seer elose the book until, in the ~ of the Lord of tlleland,hehas snmmoned our attention to it, and until, through him, "the Spirit and the 'bride" have said, "Cowe to that heavenly ·land, drink itl living 9'realn, and tbu.6 ahare its eternal joy." II. ']'JU IOYS OF THE llOLY orrr ABS J'OR TBOR WHO WILL COJIB TO TBBM. l!fo one will get to hc&ven by chance. Nor is it by mmily idiing life away that we shall find ourselves there. For although the act of coming is all that is required, there tnuat be that· This truth is one which, if analyzed into its 111venl part&, may be put thua: L The eye of the soul muU ~ foud on thia as the k'm goal of life. lt wiU not do to haye an. aimless life, Life without aim is life without power. But what aim can be compared to this,: of knowing God and enjoying him for ever? Z. We mtUI kanJ UN Niles by which life i• lo be nyula.ted, These are iwo: (1) Repentance towards God. (2) Faith toward ■ our Lord Je11111 Christ. These an to be, not oecasioual act.a, bm the habits of a life. It is not by a rush and a leap,•uncalculating and blind, that this heavenly home is to be attained, blll by humbly and lovingly accepting all that Jesus 1111ys, and in his strenµth setting the face t.owards: Zion. 3. This in.vulves, nidttitl;., ccming •to Jea!Jjj who is the Lord and Leader cif every pilgrim. 'l'his UI. imperatiY6. The lat:i step implies the ilrst, a:nd all that intervene. And whosoever comes to Jeaua will a\ that moment take hie first sip of the living water. " Riue1"1 of endle&1 joys ah<i•e, And riU. of comfort here below.• Ill. To TtTESJII ilEAV&NLY 10YB m GHRIST WE A.RE INVITED. The whole Terse II 1111 invitation. It is, indeed, a royal command. But whereas the command& of an euthly sovereign may be obeyed literally, yet with reluctance, here there are no unwilling responseB, "Whosoev~r will, let hi1fi 00111e." •The form of invitation, however, takes foi- granted two things. 1. That the object to be ensured is one that is sufficientlf a.ttractive to make an invitation app;opriate. And who ca.n call this in queatiori? Nq1 even the stoutest unbelievera deny the attraction of the h~avenly city and of the privileges of ita citizens. The Invitation assume&: 2. That, manifolJ &!! are the charma of the place, with its fountains of living water, God la willing to make over. t.o tht .invited ones all its blessedness, wealth, and glory ; prOllided alwaga that men will come penitently, believingly, and lovingly, and accept all as a free gift from the bean of Infinite Lo1•e, QUt of the st.orehoUBe of bis cx.ha.ustl- wealth. loO THE REVELATION 011' ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [cn. xm. 1-2L