The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 497

fir&t homily in this !'lletion,) In ver. 16 we have the explicit statement, .. I Jena have tet mine angel," etc. In ver. 18 we have ihe emphatic M.,,....,,,.. ~ 1 beginning t,he vene. It. i.l not absolutely clear whether . the speaker in the aeoond case ia Jesus himself or bit, angel. If the latter, the angel testifies for Jesus, If the fonner, _JeHWI spea_ks for himself. Either way the testimony is: divinely authorized, and · therefore ru.UBt ever be too sacred for the trifler's . touch. 2; ~ book u a Divt'lte mattifato to tha <Jhvrchu ; therefore no others can have any right to touch it. It; w~ given at first to those who loved olir Lord, that they might keep and shield it. And any one professing to be an ambassador for God, who wilfully tampers with it, is f&lBe to his cop,.mi98ioD from tbe tbroue. What nation would bear with it., sovereign's legaj;e, if be. were known 1o add, alter, or delete a word i11Sued from the throne?' He would be visited, anrl rightly, with penalties of terrible Beverity, la God's.sanction to be less stern? 3. The boo.\ u a disclosure of the future; and no one can possibly be competent to alter a single word of hie who eees the end from the beginning.. To dilclose . in a succession of parabolic-or symbolic settings the future scenes which a.re to appear, and that in their order, is a t.ask to which none but God himself can possibly be equal. 1'h4!re{ore the visions must remain untouched. 4. TM book is a declaration qf dodrine- of doctrines on which souls live and grow and thrive; and ·therefore· it is a very serious thing to meddle therewith. By contr11,ry teaching, men may be led astray and ruined for time and for eternity. If there be a reservoir which suppli88 a town with water, or a well springing up in a barren land, the only one from whlch a traveller could drink, what curses would be-yea, ought to be-pronounced against him who should poison either the one or the other? ·Is it a leas 1erious thing to. poison the wells from whence the living water is drawn? 5. The booh abounda in words of con- solation ; of the supports of which men may not be deprived. Few books ih the Word of God are richer in consolatio11 than this closing one ; and who can estimate the guilt of depriving millions of souls of. ,the worda of sola.oo uttered from the eternal throne j) To strike a thous&nd men at once with paralysis would be nothing to snch a crime as this I 3. The attempt to 1ubsfinlk human worda for. tha DiviM·u -unspeakal,ly mah. For our part, we have ever felt that it would be a sheer impertinence if we were to take it upon ourselves to guide men through this life to the life t.o come, if we .had not a " Thus 811.ith the Lord" for every direction we gave. But if, when the Lord has spoken, any man deliberately. eubstitutes words of his own, this ii an action which no words of ours can adequately characterize. 7. Tlun u desperau wicladnus in lhat d.illoyalty and r.bellwn wkidt 1.1/0Uld play fast and 1-, with tha words of thi, boo.\, W.e ml\y not 14Jse sight of the faot that this censure ia here pronounced, not merely beClause of an evil act, but on account of the wickedness of heart which'can consent to an act so evil Any one who can deliberately handle the Word of God deceitfully commits a crime in 88Cl'ed thinga, which aooiety would absolutely refuse to tolerate in the common affairs of life. What. place could anch a one poeaibly find in the holy city? So fa.r, then, from thinking the sentence even seemingly severe, we deem it one of the clearest proofs of Divine kindness and care that he has thrown the guard of 10 solemn a sanction around words which are meant for our guidance through this life to that which is t.o come. For the fact is that God'e Beverity to the trifler is the outoome of his care· for us all. · IV. LET US SKll WHAT BliRIN(l THIS PASSAGE HAS Ol!I TRIii l'ORKATION OF THOUGHT AND ON TUB DIRECTION OF Ll.Fl!:. 1. It should lead us to admire the wonderful concern of God for .our guidance and safety in thus guarding for us his own message of love. We ·ought not for a moment to forget that for our sakes these words were written ; for our enkes they have been presorved till now through fire and flood, and all the vicisaitudes of earth. We can quite imagine a man under the influence of unbelief or hootility, ta.king fire at such a passage as this, deeming it. a flash of fiery Wrath directed against himself. But in so doing be would totally misapprehend the words. They are fraugM with tenor ouly to those who wilfully perv81't them. And we ban no hesitation in taying that menace to such is mercy to. the rest. Is it no safeguard to tho people to \e told that the enemy shall not be permitted with impunity t.o poi10n the wells of living water? Whoever robs a. people of their dearest treasure will have to smart Joi it.. God's goodness to us ensures that. 2. 'l'he words should lead us to admire 1 See the Beviie:a' mt, and that of We6tooU and Hen. Oil'. XXIL 1-tL] THE REVELATION :or ·ST,, JORN TElE'-DIVINE. 653