LECTURE XIX.

THE WORD OF GOD.

REV. XIX.

And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they said Alleluia. And the smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia : for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And He saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And He saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at His feet to worship Him. And He said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in

blood and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations; and He shall rule them with a rod of iron and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before Him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

"WE praise God for His mercies, we pray to avert His judgments." This is the doctrine which is commonly accepted even by religious men. It clashes strangely with the language of this book. The shouts of praise in heaven, which are echoed by saints on earth, are for God's judgments. So we have found it before; nowhere is the lesson more emphatically taught than in the opening of this chapter.

I. 'And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory,

and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: for true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great.'

Are the thoughts of heaven and earth, then, wholly opposed on this subject? Do the four and twenty elders and the four living creatures who are about the throne rejoice in that which makes mortals weep? Do they give thanks and praise that the prayers of mortals have not been answered? that God has executed His vengeance in spite of their efforts to arrest it?

Certain expressions in this passage may make us pause before we adopt this mournful conclusion. One occurs in the first verse; Salvation is ascribed unto the Lord our God. Now, salvation, in some sense or other, is certainly that for which all men everywhere are praying. If we ask that we may not be visited with a plague of rain and waters which might hinder us from receiving the fruits of the earth, we ask salva

tion from that plague; if we cry against battle and murder, and sudden death, against privy conspiracy or rebellion, we ask salvation from those dangers; if we pray against pride, malice, hypocrisy, and all uncharitableness, against fornication, against heresy, and schism, and contempt of God's word and commandment, we ask salvation from those evils. It would not seem as if the heavenly hosts were celebrating the defeat of some petitions which had ascended from the earth. If they praise God for His judgments, they connect those judgments with deliverance.

The second verse will explain the first. He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand.' The salvation is from something which has defiled the earth, and made it miserable, and filled it with blood. With all delight they behold the smoke of that fire which has consumed the earth's tormentors and destroyers, ascending for ever and ever. Not for one age, but for every age, has that fire been kindled; the smoke ascends from each as a pledge and promise for the next. Therefore, the fifth verse breaks down the barrier between those who are in the visible and those who are in the invisible world. All those who fear God, both small and great, are asked to join in beholding the judgment-all are called to praise for it,

Yet though the Apostle does not represent heaven and earth as at variance, but as most truly at one, we ought not to forget that there must be a variance somewhere. And since all our thoughts, wishes, and prayers, cannot but be affected by it, let us not shrink from pressing the inquiry, Where is it? How does it happen that we talk of praying against that which the wisest and holiest appear to pray for? How is it that we dread the result for which they long-in which, when they behold it, they exult?

Supposing I believe that I am in a system which I am to call generally or universally good, though I am conscious that there is much in it which I hate, which torments me, crushes me, devours the life that is in me—I, of course, do not pray, and cannot. The Author of that system-if it has an author-has, I presume, made it as He thinks fit. I have nothing to do with it, but to endure it as well as I can; and my endurance will be mixed with a number of curses which break forth from my inmost soul, since its misery can find no other vent. These curses will be directed against the system, suppose I regard it merely as such; they will be directed against him who set it in motion, if I think there is such a one. And no possible arguments to prove the folly or hopelessness of my rebellion against a state of things to which I am tied and bound, no amount