CHAPTER XVIII. THE TESTIMONY. THE apostle goes on to state, verse 18- And he saith unto me, seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book; for the time is at hand.' This injunction is in contrast to the command given to Daniel, who was ordered to seal up his prophecy, for the time was then far distant. On the other hand, the prophecy embodied in the vision of St. John was to commence being fulfilled immediately, and was to continue in course of fulfilment till the end of time. Its prevision extends even beyond that barrier into the interminable vista of eternity. The expression seal not' seems to import that the Apocalyptic prophecy, in its entireness, was to remain open to the researches of the minds having wisdom; so that they might compare its delineations with the religious history of the human race, from the earliest dawn of Christianity to its final consummation in the future life. The 11th verse is curious, as confirming some of the views previously propounded-He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.' This passage shows that the fate of man is fixed at the moment of death-that 'as the tree falleth, so must it lie.' In the state which intervenes between death and the resurrection the human mind is in absolute repose. It receives no justification; he that dies unjust remains unjust still. It undergoes no purification; he that dies filthy remains filthy still. It can make no progress in righteousness; he that dies unrighteous remains unrighteous still. No masses, no prayers for it, can be of the least avail. But neither, on the other hand, is it subject to any further temptation, nor can it become any worse; he that dies righteous remains righteous still; and he that dies holy remains holy still. : No words could more clearly indicate a state of total inactivity for the human mind is so constituted that it cannot be active without its actions having some moral quality. They must be either good or bad; so that an active mind must be continually becoming either better or worse. The fixedness of moral condition here described, therefore, of necessity implies a state of perfect mental repose. That these words do not apply to man in the present life is evident; for the voice of the gospel speaks in far other strains. It cries-Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out'-Turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die?'-Why wilfully rush headlong to your ruin? Neither can the description apply to the human mind in the future state-at least as respects the redeemed; for they shall then be making continual moral and intellectual progress. The passage before us can apply only to Hades, or the intermediate state, in which there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom,' but all are buried in profound slumber, throughout the whole of that long night, in which our Saviour assures us no man can work.' 6 In the 12th verse, the angel again speaking in the person of Christ his Prince, says, 'And behold! I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according as his work shall be.' The term 'quickly' is here again to be understood as meaning not immediately but at a rapid pace. Time flies and eternity hastens on. That the final coming of Christ to judge the world at the last day is here referred to, becomes evident from the sequel. His reward shall be with Him. He will come for the express purpose of rewarding every man according as his work shall be, at the judgment day. Observe, it is not according to his creed that every man is to be rewarded, but according to his work. The creed is merely the means to an end; but unless the end be attained, the creed, however sound, is worse than useless. It will only go to increase the condemnation. The good creed must produce good works, and according to the fruit, so shall be the reward. In the succeeding verse the angel continues to speak in the person of his Sovereign (verse 13), 'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.' This is a repetition of the announcement made at the commencement of the vision, and its phraseology has been already explained. In the 14th verse the angel speaks in his own person: 'Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the Tree of Life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.' The phrase 'His commandments,' shows that the ambassador is here speaking of his Sovereign in the third person; and prompted doubtless by the dictates of experience, he pronounces those who do His commandments blessed. He further points out that this doing of the Divine commandments is the way to obtain access to the Tree of Life, and entrance to the city through its gates. The expression used in the original means rather 'power' than 'right.' It is literally, 'blessed are they who do His commandments, that their power may be over the Tree of Life, and to enter by the gates into the city.' Here again it will be perceived that it is not a man's creed but his deed, that puts in his power the Tree of Life; and further, that entrance to the city is to be obtained only through the gates—those gates of righteousness which the Psalmist prays may be set open to him. No man can enter the city except by the way of God's appointment—that is, by an implicit submission both of the will and the understanding to the guidance of God's good Spirit. The expression here is nearly equivalent to that of our Saviour. If any man do His will, he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God'—that is, if any man act up to that measure of knowledge of the Divine will which is vouchsafed to him, he shall receive more and more light to enable him to discern the truth of God, and he may expect the fulfilment of that precious promise, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me, and to him that disposeth his way aright, will I show the salvation of God.” Such a man may therefore with confidence adopt the language of the Psalmist: Thou wilt show me the path of life in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.' Christ says of himself, I am the door;' but this metaphor is not to be confounded with the emblem of the gates of the city. These have already been shown to typify the knowledge of Divine truth, through which access is to be gained to the holy city. The metaphor, however, is not inconsistent with the symbol; for it is through Christ that we obtain this needful knowledge of Divine truth-and that in two ways; first, by His direct teaching; secondly, and in a still higher sense, by His having obtained gifts for men'-especially that precious gift of the Holy Spirit which guides us into all truth. It is in consequence of the atonement or reconciliation effected by Christ, that God sees fit to operate on every human mind, by the influence of His Spirit in such a 6 manner as to impart a knowledge of Divine truth sufficient to enable the willing receiver to enter into the city through the pearly gates. The next verse (the 15th) enumerates the characters that are excluded from the holy city-a catalogue so clear and precise that it may be left to make its own impression. In the 16th verse the angel again speaks in the person of his Sovereign. He says: 'I, Jesus, have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star.' Although some copies of the Greek do read in the churches,' and it so stands in Lachmann's edition, yet the received text, and the editions of Griesbach, Bloomfield, and Alford have, upon the churches,' that is, on the subject of the churches.' This, although an apparently trivial variation, is yet of great importance; for the reading 'upon,' or 'concerning' the churches, indicates that the whole subject of the Apocalyptic prophecy is the history of the churches—the true church the Bride, the Lamb's wife, and the corrupt church Babylon, that prostitutes herself to the uses of the kings of the earth. The reading in the churches' is awkward and without any clear definite meaning; whereas the phrase upon' or concerning the churches' conveys a perfectly intelligible idea. 6 Taking the received reading in its strictly classical meaning, it would signify against the churches;' but the apostles did not always write classical Greek. It must be borne in mind that St. John was not writing in his mother tongue, in which, in all probability, his conversation with the angel was conducted; consequently that he had to translate what he heard into Greek. It is accordingly no matter of surprise that there should be in his writings some peculiar idioms. Now, we K |