the Light of the world, that "His life is the light of man." Because she has borne that witness so imperfectly, because she has denied that God is light, and has intercepted His light, and has made herself the sun instead of Him, the nations of the earth which have been within the range of her influence, have been cold and dark when they might have been dwelling in the full blaze of truth and love. But the words are still true, and shall one day prove themselves true: And the nations of the earth which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into it.' And this because the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day; for there shall be no night there.' And this because there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.

LECTURE XXII.

THE BLESSING AND THE CURSE.

REV. XXII.

And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book : for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still and he which 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. And, behold, I come quickly and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the

end, the first and the last. 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. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the Churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly; Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

THE last chapter of the Apocalypse has often been compared with the second chapter of Genesis. There is ground for the comparison. But, as I endeavoured to show you in a former sermon, the ground is not this, that the last Revelation in the Bible is the Revelation of a return to the state of which it spoke in the beginning. The man formed out of the dust of the ground, who became a living soul, has eaten of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. All the members of his race have been eating of it ever since. And the evil has worked out its natural results-strife, degradation, death. And God, the true God, has been presenting Himself to the

knowledge of His creatures; and those creatures, so far as

they have known Him, have been able to rise above the evil, and to perceive that they were created for fellowship, for continual improvement, for eternal life. Following the tendencies of their separate, individual, Adam nature, they have realized the full meaning of the curse; they have sunk into themselves; in the midst of society they have been solitary. Claiming their rights as made in the image of God, they have found a second Adam, who is not a living soul, but a quickening spirit. They have left the garden with all its delights as a condition fit for babyhood, not for mature age. They have perceived that labour is better than enjoyment; the conquest of the thorn and the thistle than the eating of all things that are good for food, and pleasant to the sight. They have learned that the way to the tree of life is through death; that when it takes the form of the Cross, the flaming sword cannot keep any sinful mortal from approaching it. They see the river which watered the garden converted into a river of the water of life, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

All then is progress. There is no revulsion to that primitive condition which we in our weakness and godlessness dream over and regret. God has been educating His creatures from the beginning by material things, by signs and sacraments, by the experience of toil and sorrow, by the anguish of sin, by the horror of

death, to understand that they were born for an inheritance, incorruptible, and that fadeth not away-for a kingdom of righteousness, and peace, and truth. The son of Zebedee was one of the appointed instruments in carrying on this education. He was taught how all things were united by the Word, for in Him was life; how He came to baptize with the Holy Ghost; how those who would see His kingdom must be born of water and of the Spirit; how He would be lifted up as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, that those who believed in Him might not perish, but might have everlasting life; how He would give the living water, of which those who tasted should not thirst again; how it would be in them a well of water springing up into everlasting life; how they that thirsted might come to Him and drink; how, when He said this, He spake of the Spirit which they that believed on Him should receive after He was glorified.

I. Those who consider these passages in St. John's Gospel, those who connect them with all that is said of eternal life in his Epistles, will be prepared for the first words of this chapter. That which was shown to John before was not a garden, but a city, the city of God; that society of men and of angels, that union of heaven and earth, which has been presented to us under the name of the New Jerusalem. And now, when we