Finally: THAT THE WORSHIP AND SERVICE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION ARE UNENDING. "Thou shalt worship," &c. There are no limitations to that command in the Book; none in the human heart. The moral aspirations of the soul are enduring as itself. And how enduring is man? Are we to perish like beasts that "heedless roam"? Is the destiny of man no higher than his dog?

The grave is not a goal; it is a "gate," says the Book. A gate is to be passed through, not to be dwelt in. But what is on the other side of that gate? What you will. Christ has “opened the gate of heaven to all believers," but for them that disobey the truth there is a "fearful looking for of judgment," &c.

Through the gate of death there lie both night and morning, so that men may have either. For, some men "love darkness rather than light," and they will find the eternal night is perfect in its blackness; no star disturbs its vault of darkness, and hints of day. But some watchers wait for the morning, and it shall dawn upon them—a morning land where the glory neither wastes nor wanes. And "whatsoever a man soweth that," &c. Working-men, here toil and pain and care mar and cripple life. But "I go to prepare a place," said the Master; are you prepared for it? The place is heaven. God is its glory and its joy. Its employment worship. And the Christmas hymn of the angels must teach the spirit of our service: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will towards men!"

Holy Trinity Church, Liverpool.

NEVISON LORAINE.

SUBJECT: The Gospel illustrated by Genesis.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form," &c.-Gen. i. 1-18.

Analysis of Homily the Seven Hundred and Eighty-Second.

"The earth was without form." So is that piece of moral creation which has been significantly called "; a world within a world." Man was made in the image of God. This was his distinguishing glory. But "the glory is departed."

When we

think of the manifold purposes of degradation and mountebankism to which the dignity of human life is perverted, we may well ask the question, "Whose image and superscription is this?" The coin has fallen into bad hands. The image is obliterated, and the inscription effaced. Satan has been at work here; he has turned "the truth of God into a lie." Alas, for "the grey shadow of what was once a man!" The soul has lost its glory.. It is without its divine "form."

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It is also "void "-empty-" vanity." This is the cause of the departed glory. The house is without its furniture-thepalace without its king-the temple without its god. It is the soul that imparts to man his true greatness. What is the most perfectly formed body tenanted by a maniac? The bent figure and blank expression declare that the glory is gone. Sin is the strong man armed." It is a great "spoiler." Into whatever soul-house it comes, it enters to "spoil the goods; "—to take light from the understanding, love from the heart, peace from the conscience, loyalty from the will; and to make the body, that should be a temple of beauty and of praise, into an instrument of lust. The soul-house is "empty." The Creator looks upon it and draws near to see if He can find any traces of loveliness belonging to his late residence; but so long as sin holds possession, the divine verdict remains the same-" void." Sometimes the house is "swept and garnished"; but this does not alter the verdict with Him who sees the corruption beneath. the semblance of life and beauty.

The first thing the Spirit of God does is to give “light”— "Let there be light!" He ". . . who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." This light does two things

It reveals the moral chaos. The darkness that was upon the face thereof is dispersed. What startling disclosures are made to the eye of the sinner when the Spirit of God moves about his darkness and corruption! What hidden things of darkness are brought to light. The light makes manifest that he is not what He now sees that he could not see before because the darkness had blinded his eyes. Now that the light has entered, he exclaims, "I am vile !"

he thought himself to be.

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But this light reveals beauty as well as deformity—what is very good" as well as what is very bad. Human imperfection is seen in the light of the perfections of God. Christ takes possession of the empty house-brings his "form" of beauty to its unsightliness, and his "fulness" to its emptiness. With this divine occupant “ a new creation" is effected. "Old things pass away, and all things become new." This satisfies the heart of God. He sees that it is "good". 'very good." The peace of the soul is secured when the sinner rests in this verdict. Thus fellowship with God is restored; for where Christ is, God can ⚫come. So we have "fellowship with the Father, and with his Son."

''

"And God DIVIDED the light from the darkness; and God called the light day, and the darkness he called night." With all the natural darkness that lingers about us, as Christians, God has graciously divided light from darkness. In his sight we are light—“. . . Ye are light in the Lord." Practically, therefore, we should seek to illustrate the consistency of the names which are given to us. As children of the "day" and not of the "night," we should walk as children of the "light." "... Ye are all the children of the light, and the children of the day we are not of the night, not of darkness." (1 Thess. v. 5.)

This division constitutes a moral "firmament." It is analogous to the "Jordan" that separated Canaan and the wilderness. We are put in "heavenly places," ". "“... risen with Christ" -lifted to a spiritual sphere, to move around the great central Sun, and to reflect its light and beauty, "... to be for lights in the firmament of heaven, to give light upon the earth." Here we have symbolised

I. THE CHURCH'S RELATION TO CHRIST (ver. 16-18). The "greater light" is to "rule the day.” We shine in borrowed light, and should be in all things "ruled" by it. Were the planets to refuse to be "ruled" by the greater light, the sun, they would become wandering stars." This is what we sometimes do; for which reason we walk in darkness, and see no light." To have the light at all times, we must “... stay ourselves upon our God." We should resemble the

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THE WORLD

II. THE CHURCH'S RELATION TO the lesser lights ruling the night." The children of night should be made to feel the moral "rule" of the children of the day. Christians, where is your ruling power? Ruling power is superior power-not going down to the level of others, but bringing others up to our level, &c. When God sees us thus ruling in the world, He will apply the verdict to our work, as well as to the work of Christ-"it is good." We shal then be for signs and for seasons." The "heavens will "declare the glory of God." The light will exert its genial and fructifying influence; and every act of life will be precious fruit, "beautiful in its season."

G. HUNT JACKSON.

Misapplied Texts.

By Rev. WILLIAM WEBSTER, M.A., late Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge. Joint Editor of Webster and Wilkinson's

Greek Testament, &c., &c.

"The words of this prophecy."—Rev. i. 3.

I WILL not assume that this is one of the texts which are misapplied; but one thing is certain, if there be an error in its usual application, that error is universally acquiesced in; and though I shall venture to submit a different interpretation of this phrase, I hope my view will not be peremptorily discarded as new but not true.

The whole verse is, 66 .. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand.” (Rev. i. 3.)

This prophecy-what prophecy, I ask? The Church universal with one concurrent voice replies, This means the Apocalypse; the twenty-two chapters of that portion of the New Testament which is styled the Revelation of St. John the

Divine, though the more correct title might be, "The especial manifestation of Jesus Christ to his servant John.”

I wish, however, as a Protestant to exercise the right of private judgment, and with all humility I venture to submit that, "the words of this prophecy" do not refer exclusively to the twenty-two chapters of the Apocalypse.

In Rev. xxii. 18, 19, a solemn warning is addressed to every one who heareth the words of the prophecy of this book“... 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." Here, again, I would ask, what book? Do these different expressions refer to the Apocalypse exclusively? Commentators generally apply the words of the book of this prophecy to the whole of the Inspired Volume. Protestant divines freely adduce Rev. xxii. 18, 19, as a solemn warning to all who would add the writings of the Apocrypha to the Old Testament, or the epistles of the apostolical fathers to the New.

It seems to us that "the words of this prophecy" (Rev. i. 3), refer generally to the whole of the canon of inspiration, especially if we bear in mind that the Lord Jesus was revealing Himself to his servant John.

Are we to consider the words, "Blessed is he that readeth," &c., as the language of the Divine Author, or of the human penman? If we ascribe them to the mouth of the human agent, we may admit that John had in his mind the Apocalypse, primarily and exclusively. But if we forget the person of the Secretary of the King of kings, and fix our minds on the Holy Spirit as the utterer and propounder of this benediction, we must refer the language to the whole of the Inspired Volume.

I consider, then, that all who quote Rev. i. 3 as promising an especial blessing to the investigation of unfulfilled prediction, do so under a mistake. They appropriate to the study of the concluding book of the New Testament, a blessing which belongs to all who take heed to the whole word of prophecy delivered by holy men who spake as they were borne along by the Holy Ghost.

The Jews regarded Malachi as the seal of the prophets; the Apocalypse may well be regarded by us as the seal of the Bible, as the buckle and clasp of all which God has made known. by his servants the prophets. To this we may attribute the keynote, "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

We must remember, too, that many have "kept the things