The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 518

V. IT IS UNIVERSALLY HEALING. "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." Even the leaves of this tree are salutary to all. All the nations of the earth are morall_y diseased. Their disease is a leprosy-the leprosy of siu. Living C'hristianity in the soul is the antidote.-D. T. Vera. S-5.-Subjecti'!ffl <Jhristianity: 3. An empire. " There shall be no more CUTI!e: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him/' etc. Here is a state, not a mere lite, but a state in which that life is found-an empire.. "The kingdom of God is within you." The words lead us to look at this inner kingdom in three aspectr.. I.- A"s ENTIRB FREEDOM FRO¥ 1!1ALEDICTION, "There shall be no more curse." The soul that.comes under the living reign of Christianity is freed entirely from the curse-,- the curse of guilt, COl"1'Uj>tum, and bondage. . "Being justified by faith, .we have peace with God." · · 11. As CONSCIOUS REALIZATION· OJ' ·Tim DIVINE. In this blessed state God is all in all. It is all God. He is: 1. Their &ve:reign. "The throne. of God and of the Lamb/' His authority everywhere recognized and his servants rendering him homage. He filla the horizon of their befog. All is seen tlwough him, and all itJ done /01' him. 2, T;heir Image. "They 1hall-see hts face." Every.where he is mirrored •before their eyes. As to his Name, his character, it ie engraved on their foreheads •. "Beholding as in a_gl.$ the glory of God," etc.; "Changed into the same image,"etc. 8.-Their Light. "There sh~ll. be no· night there," etc. 'l'heir state is a bright one; no clouds roll over their sky; no secondary orbs convey to them the light. Neither the radiance of the 11un nor the beams of candle are there required; "for the Lord God giveth them light," ,. CoNOLUSION. Thus I have givt>n three phases of 11'1ibjective Christianity; a Chris- ti&nity which, being a matter of conaciousness and 11Wperience, is intelligible, and which gives to us a somewhat rational view of all these gorgeous symbols, of which some of our most distinguished expositors and pulpiteers make arrant nonsense, and sometimes impious blasphemy. Perhaps some may think I have spoken of objective Christianity as utterly worthle• and unnecessary ; but this I would not do. Christ himself is the pure Bread of life, and this must be eaten and rightly digested, in order to get. and austain this wbjective Christianity. .When, indeed, the loaf of objective Christianity is corrupted, as iii, alas I generally the case, the eating of it, and the digesting of it, if indeed it can be digested, only ge11era.tes a sttbJ'ective life, that i1 full of evil passions and wickednesa; it m11.kes men fiends rat.her than angels, and fits them more for Pande-- mol,liums than for Paradises.-D. T. Ver. 6.-Glimpses through the barrier: God', communication, to humanity. "And he said unto me, These words are faithful anrl true," etc. l Goo SPEAKS TO INl!IVIDUAJ, MAN. •• He said unto me [John)." Jehovah, the "God of the spirits of the prophets," is not a Being that sits mute in his universe. He speaks, and speaks to inrlividun.l men. He speaks in nature. His voice is gone out through all the earth, and he speaks to human soulB through nature and also through the w1·itten Word. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake ••• hy the prophets/'" etc. To every individual man he communicates his eternal ideas. II. Goo BPEAKB OF TH& ABSOLUTELY OBEDIBLE, "These words are fuithfnl and truo." His words 11gree with unalterable facts and unchangeable principles. 'l'hey. are t-he revelations of things that have been, things that .are, and thi!1 s that might be. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but not one "jot or tittle" of his W,,rd shall perish. Ill. Goo SPEAKS THE THINGS THAT UUST BE SHOllTLY REAUZRD. "The thmgs which must shortly come to pass." His ideas are practical, and musl ever take their actual embodiment and form in human life.-D. T. . · . Ver. 7,-Glimp~63 throogh the barrier: 11.e moral 1.1dvmt a1td mission qf (lhrid. "Behold, I come quickly," etc. I. THE MORAL ADVENT OF CHRIST, "I come quickly," ,,r, "I am coming quic'k:Jy." There are four adve,,ts of Christ. 1. His incarnation. GOil was DU1,11ifest in the ftes-h. 2. Hu dispensati0'1, fri human history. 'l'he destruction of ,J eru~alem, as·well as the death of individual m,111, ,~re SJJUken of U:s the coining or Ci1rist. In !act, every event in 618 TUE. REVELATION OF ST. JOUN THE DIYINE. [au. XXIL 1-21,