throne was like a jasper stone; now it shines forth clear as crystal in unsullied brightness, even when displayed in the redeemed assembly. It is in perfect security, figured here according to the image of a city, a wall great and high. There is the perfection of administrative order and power in the creation, twelve gates. As we saw of the idea of people (verse 3), it had been foreshadowed in Israel, and the names of the twelve tribes are found here. The foundations, however, were not the patriarchs, but the twelve apostles of the Lamb. They were the foundation of all Christian governmental and adminis trative power. We may remark here, that though, of course, the bride is the same, it is not in its Pauline character, the one body, but in its governmental, as founded in connection with, and an offspring of, the Jewish and earthly system, just as the child was born of the woman. It is a city, not a body. We now get its proper perfection. It is measured with its gates and its walls. It is finitely perfect. It is four square-the length as large as the breadth its platform was perfect. It was twelve thousand furlongs, the number twelve again marking the administrative perfection in man, only largely mul tiplied in fact; but it was as complete as its platform was perfect. It was a cube, not merely a square-a circle or sphere has neither beginning nor end-a square and cube are equal in every dimension, but each line ends. They are finite perfection-the square in principle-the cube in completeness also. The wall has its perfection, 12 × 12. It is not divine in its nature-it is the measure of a man, though God measures it by the angel. The wall, its security, is divine glory. The jasper, here, not spoken of as clear. It were out of place. The city is divine righteousness and fixed unalterable purity; as is said:"After the image of Him that created us in righteousness and true holiness." Next, the foundations of the wall are garnished with precious stones. Besides the general idea of every character of beauty, there is the special character, elsewhere remarked, of the stones-the variegated display of colours into which light transforms itself, when seen through a medium, when God is revealed in and by the creature, or in connection with

his state-in creation, intercessional representation, and here, in glory. The names of the apostles were in the foundation which God had laid for the security of the city, as they had displayed the truth on which that rests, but the varied display of the light of God was found therein. The beauty and comeliness which Christ delights in in the church, meet the eye at once when arriving at the city. The gates were each one pearl. Within, and where one walked, was righteousness and true holiness, as the very character and nature of the city itself. There was no temple seen. God displayed His glory-the place of His worship, unclouded, unhidden. God's Glory lit it up, and it was in the Lamb that glory centred and shone. This closes the direct description of the beauty and glory of the city itself. What follows is what belonged to it, in relation to others, and what was enjoyed in it.

Within the city, the Glory of God gives light, and the Lamb is its light-giver. The nations walk in the light of the city itself. That heavenly glory now enlightened the earth. They have it, not directly; but the sight of the church in glory is a yet more fitting, more instructive, sight to them. They learn what faithful ones have got, what the humiliation of Christ implies. They will know how the Father sent the Son, how those whom the world rejected were loved as Christ was loved. They will have Christ in His glory and joy in his reign, but they cannot learn the other truths in the millenial state, nor can they, therefore, learn them directly. It would not be suited. They learn them in the church, in glory. The kings bring their glory there to it (not "into it"). Its exalting is owned by them, and they honour it as the place of honour. Nothing defiled enters, no idolatry, no falsehood. It cannot be corrupted as the assembly on earth. It rests not on man's responsibility, but on God's power, and redemption, of which it is the heavenly fruit. We now come to descending blessings which are its blessings, but which flow down on earth. Note here, the Throne of God and the Lamb are now in it. throne, which was acting in judgment to bring about blessing, was now fixed in the heavenly city; but it is not

That

the seat of judgment now. The river of water of life flows out of it-divine life-giving blessing. The Lamb still holds its place in the scene, and it is the throne of the Lamb as well as of God. The reader will remark that now for the first time it is called the throne of the Lamb. We had the throne of God, and the Lamb in the midst of it, but the throne distinct from the Lamb. It was He that sits on the throne. In xxi., 1-8, God is all in all. But here we have the throne, the Lamb's throne as well as God's, and the time and the character of the time distinctly marked. Next we have the tree of life, the constant supply in the street, and on either side the river, ready for all to enjoy, ever fresh, the full ripe fruit of life as Christ has displayed it. The outward manifestation of this, its leaves, were to heal the nations. Evil was not absolutely gone below though its power was, but remedy was there. Curse there was none at all. That was wholly gone. The throne of God and the Lamb was there; there could not be a curse. But His servants should serve Him. Observe how God and the Lamb are thrown into unity here. His servants (God and the Lamb's) shall serve Him and shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads, i. e., they shall be evidently and avowedly His. These are the three characteristics of the waiting people in glory: they serve him directly and perfectly; they see His face directly and fully;-their connection with, and confession of, His name is complete and evident. Doubtless this is

God, but we cannot at all separate the Lamb, for when it is said "His name," it is God, so known as revealed in Him. This is deeply and blessedly characteristic, and, indeed, so it is of the whole book, save the mysterious angelic part; and then the Lamb opens and introduces it, so that the same truth shines out more fully. Thus what the Lamb is, the suffering and enthroned one, shines out. Night or obscurity there is none there, nor need of artificial or even created light. Jehovah-Elohim gives them light, and they reign for ever and ever. This is not I apprehend, their reign with Christ, but the statement of their glory and joy which will never cease.

"Ye have reigned as kings without us," says the apostle. That was false. This will be true and eternal.

This closes the book. There are, however, concluding observations, besides what is said to the church, from verse 16, which require some notice. The angel declares the truth of all this, and adds, the Lord God has sent His angel to declare to His servants things that must shortly come to pass. This last expression must be noticed. It is one of the difficulties of the book. The same expression is used in the first verse. But I do not think that the whole key to the expression is in the fact that it begins with Ephesus and is a whole. In God's mind the church had failed as a witness. The time was come for judgment to begin at the house of God. Hence whatever the patience of God, there was no more time recognized till judgment was executed, save 1260 days which belong, in fact, to a period marked out in Jewish chronology. Perhaps I should say, that the church which belongs to heaven having lost this character and left its first love, and Christ having hence taken a judicial character in view of its earthly testimony, the time of taking up computed time and judgment, was a question of divine patiencc-might be at any moment there. If it were not, it was grace, working as long as love could produce blessing, while all was in spite of mercy, ripening for judgment. But the Lord warns that He was coming quickly-"Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." Here again, we may apply all the book, provided we see the church in its responsibility, and not in its connection with Christ as its head. Christ is viewed as coming in reference to responsibility. To such, prophecy applies the hope of his coming to receive us up is another thing. It is hope, not responsibility and warning. His coming, in connection with responsibility, is always His appearing; and the church, though doubtless saved and coming with him, stands on the same ground as the world, that is, of the consequences of its conduct. Hence the difference is not made here, though from the fourth chapter, the book be more directly prophetic. This verse applies to those who

have the book. The testifying angel again rejects the proffered worship. Surely this has reference to the time the book treats of when the very position of the church as connected with the Head being out of view, holding the Head by Christians would tend to give place to excessive reverence for the higher instruments of God's government, in whom he used to reveal Himself, and above which the minds of Christians did not go. In both cases here, the worship was proffered when the witness has closed, saying-"These are the true sayings of God." But the angel does more than refuse the worship, he is a fellow servant, the prophet is to worship God. Now God has ceased thus to reveal Himself angelically. Not only has God alone the title to be worshipped, but it is in man he has revealed Himself. We know this by faith. The close of this book contemplates its public manifestation. The angels have their own known place for the Christian in service, as creatures of course, not objects of worship, not the beings or form in which God reveals Himself, never mediatorial intercessors and not for the Christian those in whom God is seen; and, once Christ is glorified as man, not even administrative authorities though ever willing servants. God I worship, Christ I worship, because He is God and Lord. In Him God is perfectly revealed. He with the saints, i. e., redeemer, ruler, will govern and inherit all things. All here, even the prophet, are servants. The sayings of this book were not to be sealed as Daniel's were. That was in place. The fulfilment was to come out in the last days. Between, all the wonderful church-heavenly system was to come in, and what was revealed was to be sealed till this, and the decay of this on earth, which let in these earthly ways of God again, had made it timely by the speedy taking up again of these ways. Now that is exactly what we have here. The professing church got into the place of judgment and the divine preparation made, the Lamb being seen in the throne and opening the book, for the fulfilling the things which had to be sealed in Daniel's time. Hence the book was not to be sealed, for the time is at hand. The time in view in it