many think it can, and so leave 11t1eking it till then. 3. .And haw obtained ii. For i1 iii ilaid "they wash," that is, they come to him whose it is to impart this cleansing, and they gain it. -i. And this they continue to do. It is not an act done once for all. It is not true that" there is life for a look at the Crucified One;" there 111 the beginning of life in such look if it be genuine and real, bnt if the life is to continue And grow and develop, and become eternal life, we mllllt bo ever "looking unto JesUi; " U ·must be the habitual posture of the soul, Such are the blessed. · UL WnEHEIN THEIR BLESSEDNESS OONBIBTS. 1. "They havt1 righl to the tne o/ life." (1) To its fruit, which in IIOIDe myst.erious way nurtures and preserves the life of the spuitual body as did the original tree of life, told of in Genesis, the life of the natural body. Mter man had sinned the perpetuation :for ever of that life would have been a fearful calamity, and therefore man was driven forth from the place where that tree: stood, for the express purpose, so we are told, " lest he shoul<l put forth his hand, and take ofthe fruit, and eat, and live for ever." Bat riow that m11ri, aa seen in our text, is restored, beeaUBe washed in the blood of Christ, perpetuated life ·may be giiren him,' and it is given him. All that ho lost by the first Adam is given back to him through the eecond. Paradioo is more than regained. How can he, then, be otherwise than: blesse<l? (2) And to the leaves; those leaves which are said to be" for the healing of the heathen." They aro without the city; for it is they who are told ofi ·by their- com- mon characteristics, in the next verse. Withnut the city ia not the same as the lake of fire, but within reach of the light that, radiates and streams forth from th11 eity.· They yet net•d healing, and to minister to that shall, it is probahlo, be part of the blessed employ of the blessed in the holy city. 2. Their entry" throtigh the gates into the ciij." As in triumpb,i,l procession, not in any conc~aled or forbidden way. But through the' gates of pearl-the new and living way, which is Christ. Theirs is the greater sa.lvatio~ salvation in fulnoss; an entrance '' administered abundantly" into the kingdom of the Lord. For others there may be, there beems to be, a le1!118r salvation, a place without the city; a walkin!J; in its light, though not admitted within as its citizens. 'l'hus is· the lhing God in Christ the "Saviour of all men, but especially of them that believe." In other parts of this book, and of this and the foregoing chapter, many of the dements of th.: joy that belongs to the citizens of the holy Jerusalem are set forth; the ills that are here, but are not there; the blessings that a.re not hero, but are there. Shall ,ni.-be of these blessed ones? Have we come to Christ, and do we keep coming? TI.at I.» to waah our robes, as is here said. God help us so to do 1-S. 0. ·
' Ver. 16.-The Root, th, Branch, tmd Ui, Smr, We are perpetually bidden in Goer. Word to look to Christ. All manner of means are employed to lead us so to do. Amongst otheni, the vast variety of names that are given to. our Lord serve this plifpoae. There a.re some two hundred of theae, and they cannot but arrest attention, ex<iite inquiry, and impress the mind, of any thoughtful reader. Here we have three of them, I. THE, RooT or D.um. So is Christ named hero, or rather so does he nQIIle himself. What is the meaning of this name? The reference is to 1118. xi., where we read, •• Behold, there shall come forth a shoot from the stock of Jesse, and a l!Oion shall spring forth from his roots; .•• and in that day there shall be a root of Jesse." Hence the meaning is: 1. Not that our l,ord wa, the Author, the &we. of the fa-mily of lJ1J1li<l, as well as its Offspl'ing. It does not mean that before David wss, Christ was, as he aid concerning Abraham. Many, however, have so understood these words as .if they were equivalent to what we mean when we r,a.11 our Lord "ihe second A.Jam:• as St. })Jul doe&• No doubt Christ is, in this sense, the Root of David, as be is of· ut1 all, Unless we belie,·e matter to be· eternal, man must ha.ve sprung from some spiritual NOt. We are told that God by Christ~ created the heavellS and the earth," and that "the things: which ue made were not mAde of things which do appear." We and aH men and thini,,a are ~he product of bis Divine essence. No doubt these words ar& 'beyond our comprehension. It i11 "by fa.ith" we. accept them. Therefore, in this 110nse, Christ was the Root of David. But it is not the truth taught here. .'l'hat truth ls:'"2 . .Ohriat o as a /Item ,pringing /r.om thi root of David. Oftontimes there may be 1188D springin~ up from the roots of a tree which has been cut down or broken off, and which has disappeared all but its roots, a vigorollll bnt Blender stem, which may grow up, w be itself a ~talwarL tree. Now it was when the house of David haJ fallen low, m;uIL 1,;_..21.] THE REVELATION OF ST. JOHN TIIE DlVlNE. 51)'7