constitution and circumlltanees, no one can even approximately guess the want.a of the Ell8t. But when we say, "Th& grace of the Lord Jesus be with. them "-that meeta every case. It is, indeed, a prayer sent up for them to heaven-a prayer which will be auswered, not according to our imperfect knowledge and thinking, but according" to the riches of hi& grace." 4. Hence it is an infinite privilege to be nnmbered among " the saints," ao u to have. a perpetual int.erest in their prayers. For let wi oonsider over what a vast extent the prayer of our text now doth spread. It goes up from millions on millions of h81ilts the wide world over; from private and family altars, from many a Ohorch and congregation. Surely it is a privilege of no mean order to have a ahare in petitions which span the globe, speed to heaven, and find their way to the heart of Jesua. 6. For, although it may' be and is impossible for us to say along what. lines such and BUCh an answer may come to such and such a prayer; yet we are per- fectly sure that he who has taught his own thus to pray for each other, has done ao in fulfilment of his own law and in the working out of his own plan; and that, however eagerly any believers may ,end·,ip the prayer, with far Di.ore eagerness does Jesus send down the answer. Certainly; believers owe much of their now advancing unity to the fulfilment of each other's prayel'II. Finally, this fen-ent wish with which the apostle closes the oanon of inspiration is surely not an unsuitable dne for believers at any moment. Nor-can the writ.er refrain, in writing hie last words.for this commentary, from saying, "Grace be with all the saints l" not forgetting those into WhOll!l hand this book may fall May his grace be with.those who shall study this book in privat.e: devotion, and with those who shall read: it to gain help in speaking to others! May his grace be with all the saints, of every name, of every land; under every eiroumstance of life, through every age, until we. all meet in the Father's house, having waahed our robes. and having entered in through the gates into· the city I "Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to pmsent 111 faultless before the,prtlllenee of his glory with exoeeding joy, to the only wise God-our .&viour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Ame11." i
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 2.-" The tru of life.'' There was, ,there iB, there-·ahall be, tbls life.giving tree. Consider- · I. 'l'm: PRIHEv..u, TREW. What was ft? 1. Not cs mere 81Jmbol, 'l'hit hu been: affirmed by many, from Origen downwards; It has been compared to the visions of the Apocalyps~ But those are said to be visiollil; the early chapters of .Genesis •IU'& not. '!'his tree, there/ore,, is as real ile· any other of the trees of the garden. 2. It pilr• petuated not bodily life, for the life of tbe body was sustained by other food. The body lived when access to this tree'was denied. Moreover, on such earth as ours bodily life could not be perpetuaL 3. -Nor BJJiriw.al life. For spiritual 1ife is far more than immortality ; it is life holy and like God, and had this tree been capable of imparting such life, aeceSB to it would not have been forbidden. 4. Bm for &Ofil-life. 'l'here i& a distinction between body, soul, and spirit. St. Paul prays that" the whole body, eoo.l, and spirit me.y be preserved blameless,"_ etc. In the Epistle to the Hebrews we read of the "Word of God ••• dividing asunder the JOul and spirit... Of. also l Cor. ii. 15; also 1 Oor; xv,, where the contrast between the nature which belongs to the IOUl and that which is-of the spirit is drawn out at length, "Sown a natural body,"1.& a body whose chiefprinciple is the so'lll; "raised a spiritual body,• i.e. a body whose chief principle is the spirit. We have no one English word which exactly answers to the Greek word, which is rendered sometimes "natural," some- times, as:jn St. James and St. Jude, "sensual." But it is in nearly all C8888 spoken of as in sharp contrast to the spirit. But ihough the Scripture draws so clear a distinction, we, in our common• speech, scarce make any. · Now, the soul seems to include the animal life. Gen. i. 80, "wherein there is life," is really, "wherein there is a lh-ing soul." So, again, Gen. i 24, "Let the earth bring forth the living sout.• So ln Lev. :a:viL 11, "The BOul of the fiesh is in the blood." And it is the basis both of the reason and conscience; for men who have not had spirit (ef. St. Jnde) have yet bad theS!', And it is "born of the flesh; " soula are said to be begotten by or born to 4M, :n:n. 1-21.] THE REV&ATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. 559