up the chiefrlaco in our atu<ly, no matter from what Bide we contemplate the _,. and work& o God. We behold "him first., him midst, him lut, him without e11.d." So is it- . L IN TIDI UBIVERSl!l OP Goo. For~ 1. He is first,'" tim& " In the 'beginn.ing, wu the Word." Ere ever aught was he was. 2. /-,. poBitiO'M and rank._ .None so great as he. ." Let all the angels of God WOl'llhip him." 3. A8 bei'IJg tha Obfecl of all. Creation is to show forth his glory. Man, to eubserve hie will. E\•ents, to further his purpose. 4. And~ i, the Last alao. Omega as well as Alpha. -When man and the univerae. as we now know them, shall have pe.8ll8d awa.y, "his yea!'II shall have no end."- "-They shall perish, but thou remainest." . -_ - -- , l l IN TllB HoLY 8cBIPTURE& In their opening statement we read, "In the bedn- ning Elohim creat.ed," etc.-the plural form suggesting; if it doe11 not declare, the $lieu. existence of the Son of God. He is "the Seed of the-woman," the promise of ,waom lights up the first prophecy. The first sacrifice, the first death, speak of him. ,And from these earliest teachingseoncerning him right down to the last utterance -Of.,the Word of God, in what book, chapter, or page is he absent? Patriarchs saw his day; typee told of him; laws led. to him; psalmists sung of him; propheta prophesied of bi~; prince■ and rulers, and the events which the llacred history records, prepared the way for him; and the New Testament is all of him. He it is who gives unity to the Scriptures, which otherwise would be a mere collection of ancient writings, having no point., or aim; or plan. He is the Keystone of the arch. without which it would have neither symmetry nor strength. IH. IN THB LIFB OJ' THR BELIIGVER. He is "the Author and Perfecter of our faith." He be~ins the work, having made it possible by his death, his retinrrection, and ,the gift of his Spirit. "All things " thus being "ready," he gives r< gcnt'l'ating grace, whereby we are grafted into him as our second Adam; then cvn vertin>! grace, leading us to believe; then sanctifying grace; and, fina.lly, grace for the hour of death, grace to meeten us for the Divine presence; and at last glorifying grace. Think, then, all these things being so, what,: 1. Must he not be in himself? 2. Ought he not to be to ua? 3. Will he be to t11 if "we will not have him to reign over us "?-S. C.
Ver. 14.-Th, blessed ones. In the Revised Version and the Authorized Version there is. a notable differeuce of reading. In the former the t&xt reads, " Blossed are they that wash their robes;" in the latter it is, " Blessed are they that do his commandments!' But there is no real contradiction; for they that wash are they that will therefore obey, and they tha& obey are those. who by-their, obedience .ali1>w that. they "- wash fueir robe&" Ifor note- .,, , ; _ . ;J, WHAT 18 IT TO TBU&,~ WASH ll? What does the expreB!!ion mran? Some copiel lltid _.on what .is. found; in ch,.,vii., "in,the ,blood. of the-,Lamb," &nd no doubt such washing is meant. But what. does it all mean Y Let it be remembered that by « Christ's blood, is meant the spi1!it of his whole' life-his love poured •forth in llaCrifice fer men,-his self-devotion unt11 death for truth and,righteousness' sake, all concentrated; fulfilled, and brought-,oo the point when, on the cross, he bowed his head and died. Dri11k in .thatspirit,,and.you possess, not only hereafter, but now, eternal life •. It is life, and it alone. &.the ytiut heart and iatelligence, imagination and spirit, in the spirit of that life -and death, till ail it was and means. flows. through your whole nature and life as blood through your Yeins ; wash all your outward life, your habits, your mannei:e, your,1ioings at home ,and abroad, all the robes of your life, in 1he spirit which made Jesus·pour forth .his, blood upon the croes, and mak!l them white and pure thereby. ')}h81l- you will understand-no, not understand, but know-for ever, and live for ever by the truth that 'the blood -of Jesus Chris, cleanseth from aU sin.'" In-short, the prn;session of, and ytt· more the being possessed by, the mind and spirit of the Lord Je&11s Obrist when he she4l his blood for us. is to be washed in hi~ blood, and to have our -robes made white therein. This, surely, is the meaning of ibis much misunderstood but prcciou1 word. '!'hen note- , ,IL WHO THEY ARB THAT THUS WASH, 1. They werw 1uch as ueded clean.sing. ·. The bl6lll!ed were not alway1 holy, but. sin-defiled as are we &lL 2. They wught this cleanring. It does not come unsought. If we have no love for the cleansing it brings, we shall not have it. It cannut be hurried up in a moment &t the la:;t extremity of life, as lioo 868 THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN THE DIVINE. [elf. LTIJ. 1-21.