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THE 
 
 GLIMPSES WITHIN THE GATES. 
 
 Rev. JAMES D. BURNS, M. A. 
 
 HAMPSTEAD, LONDON. 
 
 MAY 12 
 
 <fi.uaiiy tiF 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE 
 
 AMERICAN TRACT SOCIETY, 
 28 CoRNHiLL, Boston. 
 
 OF THE 
 
 933 
 
RIVERSIDE, CAMBRIDGE: 
 STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY H. 0- HOUGHTON. 
 
THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 MAY 1 ^ 1933 
 
 umyLt^Mit Of 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 No Sorrow There, _ 5 
 
 No Night There, 9 
 
 No More Curse, 13 
 
 No More Death, 17 
 
 No Temple There, 21 
 
 The Open Gates, 25 
 
 The Holy Service, 29 
 
 The Unceasing Song, 33 
 
 The Beatific Vision, 37 
 
 The Shining Mark, 41 
 
 The Great Multitude, 45 
 
 The White Robes, 49 
 
 The Palms of Victory, 53 
 
 The City's Glory, 57 
 
 The City's Light, gl 
 
 The Twelve Foundations, 65 
 
 The Crystal Sea, 69 
 
 The Emerald Kainbow, 73 
 
 The Seven Lamps, 77 
 
 8349 f 3 
 
iv CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 
 The Tabernacle over them, 81 
 
 The Eoyal Banquet, 85 
 
 The River of Life, 89 
 
 The Tree of Life, 93 
 
 The Crown of Life, 97 
 
 The Hidden Manna, 101 
 
 The White Stone and the New Name, ...105 
 
 The Morning Star, 109 
 
 The Pillar in the Temple, 113 
 
 The Inscriptions on the Pillar, 117 
 
 The Seat on the Throne, 121 
 
 KiCHEs OF Glory, 125 
 
THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 ^0 Qoxvom ®l)£r€. 
 
 " Neither sorrow, nor crying, nor pain." — Rev. xxi. 4. 
 
 OD," says Augustine, " had one Son 
 
 without sin ; He has had no son with- 
 out sorrow." 
 
 ' Look back on the way by which God has 
 led thee, O traveler to Zion ! through the 
 wilderness. If sometimes thou hast walked 
 in sunshine, and with the free elastic step of 
 hope and joy, how often, how quickly, have 
 clouds gathered above thee, and left thee to 
 go onward in heaviness and gloom! Thou 
 hast had to cleave thy way through a great 
 fight of afflictions." The Man of Sorrows " 
 has marked thee with the sim of sufferinp;. 
 He has made thee feel the weight and sharp- 
 
THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 ness of the spiritual cross. And how often 
 has it been from the red letters of thy trial 
 that thou hast slowly deciphered the new 
 name, ''Son?" 
 
 Would a Christian be without that chas- 
 tisement whereof all the children " are par- 
 takers ? " Would that be gain which made 
 him an outcast and strano;er? Has he not 
 seen affliction sealed and bound up with the 
 blessings of the covenant? learned how 
 great a privilege it is to hear the Father's 
 graver voice, and feel his correcting hand ? 
 
 O blessed affliction, who deserves thee ! 
 Not every one attains to the great preferment 
 of trial. For the iron chain of suffering 
 links with the golden chain of glory. Not 
 only is it suffering, then glory ; — but suffer- 
 ing, therefore glory. '' This light affliction 
 worketh a weight of glory." These are the 
 rough steps by which faith climbs upward 
 to the throne. 
 
 Why then art thou filled with vexing 
 [ thoughts? Look forward to the end, when 
 
 i 
 
NO SORROW THERE. 
 
 patience shall have " its perfect work," and 
 witness-bearing, in this temptation, its bright 
 reward. 
 
 The toilsome stages of thy journey end 
 on the border of the better country. No 
 sorrow, no crying, no pain are there ! No 
 anguish of temptation, no shrinkings of fear, 
 no tears of penitence, no agony of prayer. 
 The cross is lifted off. The bitter cup is 
 taken from thee. The trenching and the 
 pruning are over, and on every branch of 
 the tree which felt the knife, cluster the 
 peaceable fruits of righteousness," the pleas- 
 ant grapes of the vineyard of God. There 
 we are past the preface and first pages of the 
 covenant, which teach us what the discipline 
 of sonship is. We are now in the heart and 
 core of its blessings, knowing how glorious 
 are the privileges of sonship, how unspeak- 
 able its joys. We shall cry out no more for 
 sore bereavement or besetting sin. We shall 
 watch no more against an enemy, * nor see 
 some evil shadow lurk in every pleasure. 
 
8 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 and feel it steal upon our sleep. Our 
 Father's hand has wiped away our tears. 
 The Saviour's voice says, Weep not, the 
 days of thy mourning are ended ! " And 
 the thought of past grief and trouble will 
 come to us only to sweeten every moment of 
 our rest. For sin, our deepest sorrow, comes 
 not there. There, O Christian ! " the evil 
 heart of unbelief" throbs no more, and the 
 poisoned garment of the flesh has fallen from 
 thee for ever. 
 
 It will be thy blessedness there to think 
 thou hast borne pain and trial for thy 
 Lord. For every wound of thy warfare, for 
 every talent of thy service, thy Lord will 
 say Well done ! " For there the martyr, 
 who had the baptism of blood, stands next 
 the Prince of Sufferers — Him, who thinks 
 the crown of thorns not the least among his 
 " many crowns." 
 
 Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 
 looking unto Jesus ; who, for the joy that was 
 Bet before him, endured the cross.'* 
 Heb. xii. 1, 2. 
 
3^0 Ntgljt (illjere. 
 
 " There shall be no night there." — Rev. xxii. 5. 
 
 'jnVENING and morning make up the 
 days of Earth — dark and bright stripes 
 woven alternate and unceasing in the swiftly 
 lengthening web of Time. Our changeful 
 lives are like intricate devices traced upon 
 that checkered Avoof. They run out and 
 grow to their completeness through days of 
 sunshine or of shadow. But no dusky veil 
 is drawn over the clear sky of Heaven — no 
 wandering film or vapor stains the long 
 bright day of Eternity. Here, amidst our 
 toil, our warfare, and weariness, we need 
 niglit with its soft and quiet slumber. The 
 waste of the day must be repaired by the 
 still repose of night, and the spirit bathed in 
 dews of forgetfulness, to be refreshed for the 
 morrow's work. So each day is shut up and 
 
10 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 shrouded in its little grave of darkness, as 
 our whole broad life of threescore years and 
 ten contracts at last into the narrow house. 
 
 But in the life of Heaven there are no 
 wasted powers, no flagging energies, no 
 weariness, and no slumber. Euch wor- 
 shiper keeps an everlasting vigil of adoration 
 before the throne. No bell rin2:s the hour 
 of prayer. No twilight star kindles its sweet 
 signal for Earth's evening hymn, but the 
 heart times its happy thoughts to the grand 
 movement of Heaven's unresting service. 
 There, in silent watchfulness, or genial com- 
 munion, or serene activity, it breathes the 
 free, pure, bracing element of a sinless being. 
 
 There is no interruption there, — no sor- 
 rowful partings — no reluctant severance of 
 pleasant fellowships — no shutting up of 
 sweet and holy chapters of life, with " Arise, 
 let us go hence." In the Father's house 
 friend has never said to friend, " farewell ! " 
 There it is no more expedient" that Christ 
 should be away. The Son is in the house 
 
NO NIGHT THERE. 11 
 
 for ever, and the Comforter also abides for 
 ever. 
 
 There are no dreams there — no blank 
 hours in which the spirit roves through a 
 land of shadows, and mocks itself with its 
 shapeless fancies, and gropes after that which 
 it cannot find. For that is the land of 
 purged vision, and of blest realities — all 
 that the mind can grasp, the heart rest in, 
 and the soul take to itself as an heritage for 
 ever. " In Thy light shall we see light." 
 
 Here, O Christian ! thou often walkest in 
 darkness and hast no light. Sin separates 
 between thee and God. Unbelief, like a 
 thick cloud, hides His face from thee. Thou 
 must go by a dark way into the dark valley. 
 But there Sin and Death have passed away, 
 and drawn their shadow — darkness — after 
 them. The briMit and mornino; Star " 
 now shinetli in its strength. Nor is there 
 one lonely place unillumined by its glances, 
 not one lowly heart uncheered by its smile. 
 Hast thou watched with the Saviour one 
 
12 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 hour of the night in Gethsemane? Or, 
 when tliou shouldst have watched, hast thou 
 slept for sorrow ? There thou shalt awake 
 and walk with him in sweet companionship 
 for ever. " The day breaks, and the shadows 
 flee away," and thou, my soul, art with thy 
 Saviour and thy God alone, as if in the uni- 
 verse there were none besides — yet in a 
 society where all are like him, and all love 
 him, and all are altogether lovely. 
 
 " The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and 
 the light of the sun seven-fold, as the light of seven 
 days, in the day that the Lord bindeth up the 
 breach of his people, and healeth the 
 stroke of their wound." — 
 Isaiah xxx. 26. 
 
5^0 Moxt (Huree. 
 
 " There shall be no more curse." — Rev. xxii. 3. 
 
 HAT makes the world a land of exile 
 
 to him who follows Christ ? What 
 gives him the heart of a stranger in passing 
 through it ? What but -the curse of sin that 
 overshadows it — the burden of sin he bears 
 — knowino; that he can not for ever lav it 
 down, till he has passed into the land of 
 holiness and rest. 
 
 How different was it once ! Then Earth 
 was the abode of purity — the home of all 
 that was blessed and lovely — a suburb of 
 the Celestial City — a gate of the Temple 
 tliat mio-ht be called " Beautiful," throuo-h 
 which gleams came from the great glory 
 Avithin, and breathings of angels' songs. 
 But Earth, O man ! was cursed " for thee. 
 Wherever thou goest, this curse has left its 
 
14 THE CELESTIAL CITY. - 
 
 black and bitter trace. Beneath thee — in 
 every worm that writhes, and thorn that 
 stings. Around thee — in every leaf that 
 falls, and flower that fades. About thee — 
 in every storm that darkens heaven, and 
 vapor that breathes pestilence and death. 
 Beside thee — in every form of suffering 
 and sorrow. Within thee — in the " body 
 of sin " which clings to thee and drags down 
 thy spirit, and lies like a weight upon the 
 springs of life. Listen, and thou wilt hear 
 the wail of creation " groaning and travail- 
 ing in pain " — the creature made subject " 
 to change and decay, and mourning in sack- 
 cloth, ever since man, its prince and ruler, 
 went into exile and slavery. Look, and thou 
 wilt see the " flying roll " of curses every- 
 where unfolded — filled, like the proph- 
 et's, with lamentations, and mourning, and 
 woe." But that curse will not follow thee 
 into the land whither thou goest. Thou 
 shalt dwell in a better paradise than Adam, 
 for the serpent crept into Eden — in a better 
 
NO MORE CURSE. 
 
 15 
 
 inheritance than the earthly Canaan, for sin 
 entered there. No evil mist will darken the 
 brightness of the sky of heaven. No ser- 
 pent-trail will sully one of its unwithering 
 flowers. No lingering vestige of corruption 
 will alarm thee* — no breath of temptation 
 ruffle the serenity of thy sinless rest. 
 
 How often here, on earth, has that loud 
 and bitter cry issued from the holiest lips, 
 " Oh, wretched man that I am ! who sliall 
 deliver me from the body of this death ? " But 
 there no groan shall be heard, no sorrowful 
 complaint — but the everlasting song, " Who 
 shall separate us from the love of Christ ? " 
 
 And, if lying under this ban of sin, this 
 earth still wears such loveliness — if the 
 desert can bloom and brighten under the 
 sunshine of the Christian's hope — what a 
 vision of beauty, what a mystery of holy 
 rapture will be his, when he is in the land 
 whence every dark disturbing element has 
 been withdrawn — in " the new heavens and 
 new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." 
 
16 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 Strive, then, against sin ; and while thou 
 strivest, let the painfulness of warfare endear 
 the thought of thy eternal home. 
 
 Follow holiness, and while thou followest 
 it, look forward to the blessed certainty that 
 awaits thee — for He is faithful that hath 
 promised." Think of the stainless vestment 
 that will be put on thee — emblem of the 
 sinless purity that dwells for ever in the 
 soul — the glory and the beauty that are 
 within. 
 
 " I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful 
 in my God; for he hath clothed me with the 
 garments of salvation, he hath covered 
 me with the robe of right- 
 eousness." — Is. Ixi. 10. 
 
No Moxt Hmtl). 
 
 " There shall be no more death." — Rev. xxi. 4. 
 
 TTOW often does the thought of the 
 mysterious change that awaits him, 
 cast gloom and heaviness over the Christian's 
 mind ! Who can watch the blight, and 
 withering, and defacement of that which 
 was once so fair, — who has seen the suf- 
 fering, the anguish, the unknown pang in 
 w^hich the spirit tears itself from its tene- 
 ment, and rends the earthly shroud, — and 
 not felt that it is a bitter tribute we must 
 pay ere we pass into endless life and free- 
 dom ? 
 
 How often have the mists, arising from the 
 gloomy valley through w^hich we must go, 
 hidden from our eyes the view of the better 
 land beyond! Nor, pass where we may, 
 can we escape the sense of this dread pres- 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 ence, this haunting mystery. Everywhere 
 we see Death reign. Since Abel's grave 
 was dio;o;ed under the wall of Eden, where 
 has the King of Terrors not left his foot- 
 prints ? On every rod of earth he has 
 reared some ghastly memorial, — in every 
 market-place proclaimed his title, — on every 
 wall set up his banners, — in every garden 
 hewn out a sepulcher. Earth still holds a 
 place where the Lord lay." Within each 
 of us those seeds are sown which must lay 
 these bodies in the dust. 
 
 And these are the bitter and poisonous 
 fruits of sin. Death came by Sin. Sin 
 mined the citadel, and Death stormed it. 
 And because Sin has struck its roots into 
 his nature, and coiled itself round every 
 fiber of his being, even the heir of spiritual 
 life must be through all his earthly days the 
 bearer of a body of death." 
 
 But "I know that my Redeemer liveth." 
 I have seen his empty grave, and the folded 
 shroud. I know that he was dead and is 
 
NO MORE DEATH. 19 
 
 alive ; that dying, he destroyed him that 
 had the power of death," and that living, 
 he will be " the Resurrection and Life " to 
 me ! At his girdle hang the keys of Hell 
 and Death." And when the believer falls 
 asleep, a voice from heaven speaks the words 
 heard of old among the tombs of Bethany, 
 " He that believeth in me, though he were 
 dead, yet shall he live ; and whosoever liveth 
 and believeth in me shall never die." 
 
 Blessed assurance ! hope full of immortal- 
 ity ! I shall see his face ; him and not 
 another, in the land where death comes no 
 more. There the fear, the foreboding, the 
 gloom, the mystery shall have passed away. 
 For sin can not enter there ; and with sin, 
 death has perished, and every evil thing that 
 was here a type and shadow of death. 
 
 And there the heritage of eternal life will 
 be mine. The crown of life will be mine. 
 Through endless ages stretching before me 
 in clear bright prospect, I shall know that 
 there will be no change, no parting, no de- 
 
20 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 cay, no death, because no sin. All through 
 that love, whose first step was from the 
 throne to Calvary ; and the next, from Cal- 
 vary to the grave. 
 
 The stone is rolled aw^ay from the sepul- 
 cher of all who beheve. My Saviour has 
 left the prints of his feet in the dark valley, 
 from end to end, and made it the highway 
 to the everlastino; kino;dom. Let me wait 
 prayerfully, and work dihgently " all the 
 days of my appointed time." And when 
 this frail tent of earth loosens, and shrinks, 
 and falls, may I pass forth from it, as Peter 
 from his prison, wakened by an angel, and 
 find myself standing in a trance of joy on 
 the street of the new Jerusalem! 
 
 " For we know, that, if our earthly house of this tabernacle 
 were dissolved, we have a building of God, an 
 house not made with hands, eternal 
 in the heavens." — 
 2 Cor. V. 1. 
 
><^<^^<^^<^<^<^<^ »»»»»»» 
 
 5^0 (li:^mpk ^\)tvt. 
 
 " I saw no temple therein.'* — Rev. xxi. 22. 
 
 TT was the new Jerusalem, coming down 
 out of heaven from God," with its girdle 
 of jasper walls, and its coronal of glittering 
 towers, that the apostle saw from the Mount 
 of Vision. He thought of his own Jeru- 
 salem, and of the streets where he had 
 walked with his Lord, and the temple where 
 he had heard his voice ; and the eye of the 
 confessor of Patmos, long separated from his 
 brethren, with his calendar of silent Sab- 
 baths notched week after week in an exile's 
 memory, would wander over the mass of ■ 
 stately buildings to mark the temple, up- 
 lifted in that element of purple clearness. 
 If so fair the city, how glorious must be the 
 shrine ! 
 
 He sees no temple therein " — no sacred 
 
22 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 and guarded spot — no visible center and 
 crowning point of glory. There is no place 
 in all that shining city of God " four square" 
 and compact together," of which it might 
 be said, Here stand and worship with un- 
 sandaled feet, for this is holy ground ! For 
 what he sees is a city, and a temple likewise 
 — a city wherein each citizen is a king — 
 a temple wherein each worshiper is an an- 
 ointed priest — a holy city, at once the 
 home and sanctuary of the royal priesthood 
 of Eternity. How must he, who had pray- 
 ed toward Jerusalem, have longed to pass 
 through urates each called " Beautiful," — 
 and take part in that high office of devotion ; 
 to have each day a Lord's Day with its one 
 chanoeless vision of the Son of Man. 
 
 How should it cheer the Christian's spirit, 
 when in sickness, or lonesomeness, at a dis- 
 tance from the sanctuary, or worshiping in 
 these lower courts with a cold wandering 
 heart, that yet a little while, and that temple 
 will be his dwelling-place, and all his being 
 
NO TEMPLE THERE. 
 
 23 
 
 consecrated to holy service and priestly min- 
 istration. If " one day in his courts is bet- 
 ter than a thousand," wliat will a thousand 
 be in the land where all time shrinks to a 
 twinkling point, and the lifetime of a w^orld 
 marks not a hair-breadth on the dial ? 
 
 Once there he dwells for ever in the 
 presence of God, and in the love of Christ, 
 and in the communion of the Holy Ghost, 
 and in the fellowship of the saints. " For 
 the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are 
 the temple of it." No more pilgrimage, for 
 " they are now before the throne of God." 
 No silent Sabbaths, for day and night they 
 praise him. No check and intermission to 
 holy worship, for they " dwell in the secret 
 place of the Most High." No ordinances, 
 no imagery, no sacraments, no hours of 
 prayer, no written word, for Christ standeth 
 no more " behind the lattice-work" of sym- 
 bolism, but " looketh forth clear as the sun " 
 and showeth himself " face to face." For 
 ordinances, they have perpetual communion ; 
 
24 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 for sacraments, open vision ; for hours of 
 prayer, an unceasing festival of praise ; for 
 a witnessing Spirit, a manifested Saviour ; 
 for tlie written oracles, the living voice. 
 
 The Lord's Prayer of Eternity is fulfilled, 
 as all are gathered into the temple of his 
 spiritual presence, to go out no more. 
 
 " That they all may be one ; as thou, Father, art in me, and 
 I in thee, that they also may be one in us. I in 
 them, and thou in me, that they may 
 be made perfect in one." — 
 John xvii. 21, 23. 
 
" The gates of it shall not be shut." — Rev. xxi. 25. 
 
 n^HINE eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet 
 habitation." Here the Christian dwells 
 as in a guarded fortress, a beleaguered city, 
 with enemies around him, exposed to con- 
 tinual alarms. Armed and vigilant, he must 
 stand upon his guard. He must watch against 
 foes without, who never slumber ; and watch 
 as sleeplessly against foes within. The " evil 
 heart of unbelief" is as a traitor within the 
 citadel. But there, in the better country, he 
 dwells in a " peaceable habitation, and in a 
 sure dwelling, and in a quiet resting-place." 
 
 There is neither adversary, nor evil occur- 
 rent." He has " finished his course ; he has 
 fought the fight ; he has kept the faith." 
 He has rendered up his armor, his watch- 
 word, his trust, unto God. He rests in God, 
 
26 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 and the everlasting arms " are around him, 
 to keep him from fear of evil. 
 
 The heavenly city has gates and walls for 
 beauty, not security. Violence shall no 
 more be heard in thy land ; wasting, nor de- 
 struction within thy borders ; but thou shalt 
 call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates. 
 Praise." The glory of the Lord is its de- 
 fense. It needs no battlement, and no bra- 
 zen gate. It is open, but guarded as the 
 camp of the chosen tribes in the desert, when 
 the fiery pillar shone upon the tents of Ja- 
 cob, — as the wide border of Canaan, along 
 which angels stood sentinels, during the keep- 
 ing of the solemn feasts. 
 
 Here, walking amidst thick-sown perils, 
 breathing a poisoned air, and tried by a 
 treacherous heart, how often does the be- 
 liever feel as if he walked in chains. He is 
 laden with a heavy burden, and his spirit is 
 often crushed in the dust by grievous bond- 
 age. Yet even now, looking unto Jesus," 
 with what gladness he feels the darkness, the 
 
THE OPEN GATES. 
 
 27 
 
 weight, the thralldom, at times removed; and 
 learns, that when he walks most " under law 
 to Christ," he walks most " at liberty." 
 
 But what a blessed sense of freedom, and 
 enlargement, and stirring energy, will be his 
 in the Jerusalem above! "The gates are 
 never sliut." There, like a trusted child, he 
 can roam through all the chambers of his 
 Father's dwelling, through the fair lands and 
 gardens of his heritage. Like tlie heir of a 
 royal line, he can visit at will all the cities 
 and provinces of the kingdom. No restraint 
 shackles the movements of his freeborn 
 spirit. No fear trammels his light step. No 
 doubt casts a fleeting stain on the clear mir- 
 ror of his soul, to dim the image of his lov- 
 ing Father. He is free to all the worlds of 
 his sovereignty, the starry mansions of his 
 Father's house ; free to all the realms of his 
 spiritual kingdom. The bright name on 
 his forehead" opens to him all its glories 
 and resources. The principalities of heaven 
 honor the blood-bought privilege of the heir 
 
28 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 of salvation. He shall ''go in and out," and 
 wherever he goes, find nurture for his fer- 
 vent powers, and glean materials for ador- 
 ing contemplation. For all that w^as pure, 
 and lovely, and excellent on earth, is gath- 
 ered there. " The kings of the earth 
 have brought their glory and honor to it." 
 Prophets are there. Martyrs are there. 
 Apostles are there. Angels are there. 
 Christ is there. God is there. 
 
 " Ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the 
 living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innu- 
 merable company of angels, to the general as- 
 sembly and church of the first-born, which 
 are written in heaven, and to God the 
 Judge of all, and to the spirits of 
 just men made perfect, and 
 to Jesus the mediator of 
 the new covenant." 
 Heb. xii. 22-24. 
 
" They serve Him day and night in His temple.'* — 
 Rev. vii. 15. 
 
 "DLESSED are they that dwell in Thy 
 house : they will be still praising Thee." 
 Day and night (as we speak on earth, for 
 " there is no night there through the 
 bright unbroken watches of eternity, they 
 serve God in his temple. They sit not now 
 by the gate ; they stand not in the porches ; 
 they minister in the outer court no more. 
 They are within the vail, in the presence of 
 the Most High, swinging the golden censer, 
 and striking the full-toned harp of their 
 praises. 
 
 If, here on earth, one day in His courts 
 was better than a thousand, what will it be 
 when God's waiting saints are called to the 
 great gathering and festival in the heavens ? 
 
30 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 "As the days of a tree, are the days of my 
 people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the 
 work of their hands." When He to whom 
 a thousand years are as one day — a thou- 
 sand cycles a fleeting second of eternity — 
 says " long," he sets the seal and consecra- 
 tion of his own infinite being upon their 
 blessedness. 
 
 Here we can not, if we would, be con- 
 stantly employed in the service of God. 
 Our bodies faint through weariness ; our 
 minds flag and fail in a prolonged concentra- 
 tion of their powers. And how many evil 
 influences are at work within our souls to 
 distract and overpower them ! How many 
 worldly thoughts and anxieties flutter over 
 our minds at the still hour of devotion, or in 
 the house of God, like the birds descending 
 on Abraham's sacrifice ! 
 
 But how far otherwise will it be when we 
 enter on the keeping of that Sabbath to 
 which this mortal life is but the " evening of 
 preparation " ! Then, there will be no Ian- 
 
THE HOLY SERVICE. 
 
 31 
 
 guishing nor faintness, — no inertness and no 
 cessation, — no heart wandering after vanity, 
 no soul cleaving to the dust; but a holy 
 service of God, in which the spirit will find 
 at once its exercise and its refreshment. 
 There the air it breathes, the pure element 
 of light in which it lives, will minister 
 strength and alacrity to its swift elastic 
 powers. It will soar to heights of holy con- 
 templation, balancing itself on calm ethereal 
 wings, and floating on in unutterable joy. 
 " In waiting on the Lord it will renew (or 
 transform^ its strength," passing by a swift 
 ascension into higher circles of service, as it 
 dilates from within to larger capacities of 
 blessedness. 
 
 What the nature of these employments 
 may be, we know not. We know they will 
 be worthy of spiritual bodies and sinless 
 minds. How gladly will they see the secret 
 course of Providence unveiled, the bright 
 devices of that plan which seemed here so 
 raveled and perplexing ! How intently will 
 
32 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 they watch the unfolding mystery of grace, 
 and tell to prmcipalities and powers what it 
 is to feel and return a Saviour's love ! With 
 what rapture gaze on the flashing rays of 
 the " many-colored wisdom of God," or the 
 softened splendor of his attributes in the 
 rainbow like an emerald round the throne ! 
 A ceaseless but ever-varied course of sacred 
 services, in which their being will glide on 
 from joy to joy, and their natures advance 
 from strength to strength, and the glorified 
 intelligence climb ever up from round to j 
 round of that shining ladder which rests its 
 foot on the marble pavement, and hides its 
 summit in light ineffable ! 
 
 " Go thou thy way till the end be : for thou shalt rest, and 
 stand in thy lot at the end of the days." — 
 Daniel xii. 13. 
 
 J 
 
Sllje Mnaasing Song. 
 
 " They sing the song of Moses, and of the Lamb." — 
 Rev. XV. 3. 
 
 ^HEY stand on that calm crj'-stal sea, a 
 white-robed company, gathered safe into 
 the Father's house. No enemy can vex 
 them now ; the rough winds of their trial 
 blow no more for ever. They stand with 
 peace in their hearts, with light upon their 
 faces, and thanksgiving on their lips. For 
 there is not one there who can not speak of a 
 great danger and a great deliverance, of a 
 hard warfare and a glorious victory. 
 
 Each one holds a golden harp. Each 
 voice sings to the music of these heavenly 
 instruments, Great and marvelous are 
 Thy works. Lord God Almighty ; just and 
 true are thy ways, thou King of saints." 
 And as he sings, he thinks of the " great 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 works " that have been done for him, of the 
 true ways " by which he has been led 
 through the wilderness to his home. 
 
 Let these sweet consenting voices — these 
 bursts and gushes of ethereal melody— reach 
 thy heart, O soldier of the cross, and 
 breathe a fresh spirit into thy holy warfare ! 
 What thou art, these heavenly singers once 
 were. What they are, thou, when these 
 troublous times are over, wilt be. As they 
 sing of trial and victory, so wilt thou, when 
 thou takest off thine armor and puttest on 
 thy festal garments. Thou too wilt strike 
 thy harp in symphony with their ringing 
 halleluiahs. Thy voice will blend with the 
 exulting song of praise to Him who loved 
 thee and washed thee from thy sin — the 
 song which angels can not sing, and to which 
 they listen as a strain of thanksgiving be- 
 yond their powers. 
 
 Think then, when thou art in the storm 
 of adversity, where deep calleth unto 
 deep," how gladly thou wilt sing the song 
 
THE UNCEASING SONG. 35 
 
 of Moses on the other side. Thy foes may 
 pursue thee, but the Lord fights for thee. 
 The pillar of cloud and fire is between thee 
 and them. The Saviour's voice whispers in 
 the darkness, When thou passest through 
 the waters, I will be with thee." Thou 
 must be baptized with his baptism of trial 
 " in the cloud and in the sea." He will 
 compass thee about," even here, " with 
 songs of deliverance;" and there, the mem- 
 ory of thy peril and thy terror will give 
 more fullness and fervor to thy psalm of 
 triumph. 
 
 And will not one Name be uppermost in 
 thy praises — his, who loved thee, and died 
 for thee, and lives for thee, and guides thee 
 with a gentle hand to thy home, and com- 
 forts thee with the sweet words of his pro- 
 mises by the way ? 
 
 Not in thine own might and power, but in 
 his, wilt thou be kept from falling, and up- 
 holden to the end. In his strength thou 
 art to strive ; in his love to obey ; in his 
 
36 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 faithfulness to trust that thou wilt be kept 
 "faithful unto death." 
 
 As thou goest through the wilderness, 
 " lean " on him. As thou runnest the race, 
 " look " to him. Think of the great cloud 
 of witnesses " that compass thee about, and 
 let their songs and thanksgivings tell thee 
 that they so looked and trusted and over- 
 came. By the blood of the Lamb, and the 
 word of their testimony," they stood fast in 
 the evil day, and have won the crown of 
 life. Therefore they sing — 
 
 " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and 
 riches and wisdom and strength and honor 
 and glory and blessing." — 
 Rev. V. 12. 
 
" The}^ shall see his face." — Rev. xxii. 4. 
 
 rpHE face of God! the brightness of that 
 uncreated glory whereon none can look 
 and live, before which worshiping angels 
 veil their feces with their wings." 
 
 It was only the shadow of that glory 
 which Moses saw, — the outer folds, the 
 wavino; skirts and fringes of the light in 
 which He dwells, — what the blue and 
 purple curtains of the tabernacle were to 
 the luminous Shekinah-cloud within. 
 
 What a mystery of blessedness will be 
 the heritage of the redeemed ! The least in 
 the kingdom of heaven is greater than the 
 mightiest of prophets. To each it will be 
 given to stand in the cleft of the rock," 
 and behold the light of that transforming 
 vision, — the clearness, the splendor and " self- 
 
38 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 infolding fire," pass before him. Each will 
 hear the voice that proclaims his goodness 
 along the ages of eternity. 
 
 How quickly do the brightest glimpses we 
 have here of the favor of God, and the love 
 of Christ, and things " eternal in the heav- 
 ens," pass away ! The bright vision grows 
 dim and fades from us ; or rather, our weak 
 sight and unstable hearts can not hold it long. 
 Like the great sheet filled with living forms 
 let down before Peter in his trance, it is 
 drawn up again into heaven. 
 
 At times we see in spiritual things a glory 
 and beauty which things around us do not 
 possess. We feel attracted and uphfted by 
 them. We could wish to build a tabernacle 
 on the calm bright summits from which we 
 have seen the land that is very far off." 
 But the elements of the world " bring us 
 again into bondage." The earthly over- 
 shadows and shuts out the heavenly. The 
 evil influences that set so strongly, like con- 
 trary currents in the soul, gather strength 
 
THE BEATIFIC VISION. 39 
 
 again, and draw away our tliouglits and 
 ]ono:ino:s into lower channels. 
 
 But there we shall " arise and walk in the 
 licrht of the Lord." We shall see his 
 face." In his glory we shall behold the 
 fullness and consummation of his grace. 
 We shall rest in the calm assurance of his 
 favor, and have clearer insight into the ex- 
 cellencies of his nature, and look into the 
 deep thoughts of the infinite mind. 
 
 We shall see the face of Jesus ; and 
 thouD-h nothinp; more were told us of heav- 
 en's glory, this would be enough. It was 
 enouo;h for him who saw the visions of God. 
 To John it was a dearer remembrance that 
 he leaned on the Saviour's bosom, than that 
 he looked through the door opened in heaven, 
 and heard those harpings and sevenfold hal- 
 lelujahs. " It doth not yet appear what we 
 shall be ; but we know that Avhen he shall 
 appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall 
 see him as he is." 
 
 To be with him, for ever, whom we love ; 
 
40 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 to see that face radiant with grace, which 
 was wet with Gethsemane's sweat of blood ; 
 that brow, on which are " mam^ crowns," 
 wearing the mark of the crown of thorns. 
 Oh ! if here the faint shining of his counte- 
 nance gives so much gladness, what will the 
 unclouded brightness of it be ? To see a 
 hight yet unsealed, a breadth yet unmeas- 
 ured, a depth yet unsounded in his love — 
 will be the beatific vision and endless joy of 
 the redeemed. The knowledge of a " love 
 that passeth knowledge " is the Apocalypse 
 of Eternity. 
 
 " Now we see through a glass, darkl}'; but then face to face: 
 now I know in part; but then shall I know 
 even as alsc I am known." — 
 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 
 
(Jilje Sljining Maxk. 
 
 " His name shall be in their foreheads." — Rev. xxii. 4. 
 
 T)ELOVED, now are we the sons of 
 God," Thus the apostle points the 
 behever's eye beyond the dark and troubled 
 scenes of life to his glorious heritage of hopes, 
 to the privileges of his heavenly birth. 
 
 Here there is no outward sign to strike 
 the world's eye, that such a name and line- 
 ao-e are his. No device blazoned on shield 
 or banner, no jeweled star upon the breast, 
 marks out the nobility of heaven. They 
 are princes in disguise, as was their Lord 
 before them. " Therefore the world knoweth 
 us not, because it knew him not." And 
 will they court smiles w^here he met with 
 frowns ? Will they think it strange or hard 
 that those hands will not weave a garland 
 for them which twisted the crown of thorns 
 
42 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 for him ? Their " citizenship is in heaven," 
 and no earthly parchment or royal seal 
 attests it. And as his enemies would not 
 see in the Christian apostle the citizen of 
 Rome, the world can not see in the simple 
 guise of the Christian, " walking humbly 
 with his God," one who is free to the 
 Jerusalem that is above," ''a citizen of no 
 mean city." 
 
 But the day is coming when there will be 
 a " manifestation " of the sons of God. The 
 mean disguise of their humiliation will be 
 stripped aside. The heirs of the kingdom 
 will take place and rank after their long 
 exile. They will be transfigured as beseems 
 their ancestry, with brightness on their faces, 
 and their Father's name in their foreheads. 
 Each will bear that superscription, and re- 
 flect that image, — he that is lowest in the 
 kingdom, as well as he who is highest. One 
 star may differ from another star in glory, 
 but the rays of each will hold that sacred 
 cipher. 
 
THE SHINING MARK. 
 
 43 
 
 The common vessels in the Lord's house 
 shall be like " the golden bowls before the 
 altar," each bearing the legend, Holiness 
 to the Lord." For in the brio-lit name on 
 their foreheads, there is the seal of their 
 spiritual purity, the token of their Father's 
 favor, the pledge of " glory and honor and 
 immortality." 
 
 Here they bear the marks of the Lord 
 Jesus," not in visible imprint, not in fleshly 
 wounds, as those bleeding marks which 
 have been fabled of visionaries of the cloister. 
 They bear them in chastened affections, in 
 lowly lives, in crucified tempers and desires, 
 in Christ-like meekness and gentleness." 
 It is such a life as his who said, The world 
 is crucified unto me, and I unto the world," 
 that has the mark of the spiritual cross. 
 
 But then, when they are with the Lord, 
 the bridit sio;n of their hio-h callino; will be 
 clearly seen. The outward glory will be in 
 measure as the inward holiness. The name 
 without will be a witnessing index to the 
 
44 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 deep and blessed experience within, of a 
 peace with God " which " passeth under- 
 standing." Nor will that symbol of royal 
 honor and priestly consecration ever grow 
 dim or fade away. "Be ye glad and rejoice 
 for ever in that which I create ; for behold 
 I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her 
 people a joy." 
 
 Each, in his own place in the heavenly 
 city, will be one of its perpetual ornaments, 
 " for glory and for beauty." Each, in tliat 
 shining seal upon his forehead, will show his 
 oneness with Christ, and all together the 
 completeness of the family of which he is 
 the head. For " on him shall they hang 
 all the glory of his Father's house," and he 
 shall bear it uninjured and untarnished for 
 ever. 
 
 " Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, 
 and a royal diadem in the hand of thy 
 God." — Isaiah Ixii. '3. 
 
#r£at JHuUitubc. 
 
 " A great multitude, which no man could number." — 
 Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 TTOW would it cheer the apostle, one of 
 the few standard-bearers of the faith, 
 and now severed from the communion of the 
 saints, to behold this great congregation of 
 worshipers, to hear their voices blending 
 round the throne " like the sound of many 
 waters J " 
 
 How often is the Christian's mind weighed 
 down with heaviness, when separated from 
 his brethren in sickness or solitude ; or when, 
 in the common intercourse of life, he finds 
 few to sympathize wath his sorrows and 
 hopes ! Let him not think concerning this 
 trial, that any " strange thing " has hap- 
 pened to him. His Master was alone ; and 
 
 as he was, so are we in this world." Yet 
 
46 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 as he said, not alone, because the Father 
 is with me ; " so where one disciple stands 
 weeping for the Lord, or two walk together 
 and speak of him, does he come to revive 
 their drooping hearts. 
 
 Each of these heavenly worshipers passed 
 through the same sorrowful experience on 
 earth. Each had to ''fill up " his own 
 measure of '' the afflictions of Christ," that 
 he might thus be made conformable unto 
 his death." What mysteries of spiritual 
 trouble did these hearts once shut up within 
 them ! By what dark and strange ways 
 were they led ; but this is the end, — "^There- 
 fore are they before the throne of God," 
 Each in his own time struggled through the 
 mists and glooms of his pilgrimage, to emerge 
 at last into the shadowless light of eternity. 
 
 '' These are they which came out of great 
 tribulation." The first human spirit that 
 ever ascended there left its body bleeding 
 upon earth. And one after another, those 
 who like " righteous Abel " have been 
 
THE GREAT MULTITUDE. 47 
 
 tried and found faithful, have followed him 
 to glory. Each, like his Lord, has been a 
 
 man of sorrows." Not an eye there that 
 has not wept, or looked up in tearless 
 anguish. Not a heart but has well-nigh 
 broken in an agony of prayer. Not a spirit 
 that has not been torn with deep and bitter 
 wounds. In all its forms of sickness or 
 grief, poverty or pain, reproach or slighting, 
 temptation or darkness, or deadly trouble, 
 affliction has pressed upon them. Each has 
 borne his solitary burden, and felt that his 
 were sorrows wherewith " a stranger doth 
 not intermeddle." 
 
 How different is it now ! Each, purified 
 by suffering, has "come to the heavenly 
 Jerusalem, and an innumerable company of 
 angels, and the general assembly and church 
 of the first-born, and to God, and to Jesus 
 Christ." How different their view of trial, 
 when they were " perplexed, though not 
 despairing, cast down, though not destroyed." 
 Each was bitter at the time, but it has left 
 
48 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 an enduring sweetness. Each prepared them 
 for their inheritance and rest. Each made 
 heaven more welcome when it came. And 
 now they are all assembled there, one family 
 in Christ. Called " from every nation and 
 kindred and people and tongue," — they are 
 one in name, one in speech, one in worship, 
 one in love. 
 
 And the same hand that upheld them, and 
 brought them out of tribulation, can sustain 
 thee, and deliver thee from thine. Thou 
 hast the same Saviour, the same word of 
 promise : — 
 
 " In the world ye shall have tribulation, but in me ye have 
 peace. Be of good cheer, I have overcome 
 the world." — John xvi. 33. 
 
m)t lllljite Hobcs. 
 
 " Clothed with white robes." — Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 TF it seem strange to connect the thought 
 of " great tribulation " with that con- 
 course of blessed worshipers, it may seem 
 even more strange to think that theirs, now 
 a state of saintly purity, was once a state of 
 sin. But the thought is not strange to their 
 minds. They have not forgotten, they have 
 no wish to forget, what they were. 
 
 They could not be ashamed of this re- 
 membrance without being ashamed of their 
 Saviour's love, and his dying anguish, and 
 the blood of atonement. If upon the throne 
 he is still the " Lamb as it had been slain," 
 they can not beliold him without the thought, 
 "Slain for us!" If he has not forgotten 
 Bethlehem and Galilee and Gethsemane 
 and Calvary, no more do they forget the 
 
50 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 days when, under the burden and guilt of 
 sm, they first looked to the cross, and felt 
 that his blood flowed there to atone and to 
 purify. Therefore they sing, " Glory unto 
 hiin that loved us and washed us from our 
 sins in liis own blood." 
 
 For if each of that white-robed company 
 has come out of " great tribulation," each 
 has been redeemed from grievous bondage. 
 Sin, indeed, was the secret root of their sor- 
 row. Wherever suffering is, sin has gone 
 before it, as the shadow follows the moving 
 cloud. And if the robes of their holy ser- 
 vice are white and glistening, they can not 
 look at them without thinkino; of their former 
 stains. They are " washed," — not one speck 
 now sulHes their immaculate purity ; but 
 their hands have not cleansed them. No 
 penitential tears could thus have washed 
 them ; no life-blood of willing martyrdom ; 
 no baptismal waters ; no sacramental grace. 
 They came as sinners, and washed in the 
 fountain which God has opened, and the 
 
THE WHITE ROBES. 51 
 
 blood of God's Son has filled, — that sacred 
 laver in the court of the temple, which 
 alone avails to the purifying of the con- 
 science and the spirit. 
 
 Difficult it is for us to think of them, 
 lifted now so high above our low- though ted 
 region of fears and sorrows, as once crushed 
 under the bondage of sin, and the tyranny of 
 a selfish will, and the " evil heart of un- 
 belief." But so it was. They have known 
 the strife with temptation, the strength of 
 the w^orld, the weakness of the flesh, " fight- 
 ings without and fears within." Sin vexed 
 and saddened them all their days. As they 
 became more holy in life, more spiritual in 
 mind, they were more quick of sight to 
 detect sin, more sensitive of conscience to 
 shrink from it. 
 
 The whiter the garment, the darker shows 
 the smallest stain on it. The higher they 
 climbed up their rugged and saintly path, 
 the lower did they lie before their God. 
 And when, to those toiling in the valley, 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 ILUNOIS LIBRARY 
 AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 
 
52 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 they seemed to stand on a serene eminence 
 of faith in clear sunlight, and were called 
 " chief of saints," they could only think 
 what grace had done, and call themselves 
 
 chief of sinners." For the highest point of 
 Christian attainment is that from which one 
 has the clearest view of Christ's worth aitd 
 his own un worthiness. But now they are 
 with pure hearts and white raiment before 
 the throne. 
 
 And as a " cloud of witnesses," they be- 
 hold us striving as once they strove, weeping 
 as once they wept, praying as once they 
 prayed. Let their example bid us be of 
 good cheer. Let the luminous track they 
 have left behind — that ''path of the just," 
 which is "as the shining light," be ours. 
 Like them, let us " look off" from the false 
 shows and images of time, which would be- 
 guile us of our reward, and look steadfastly 
 unto Jesus. 
 
 *' Not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and 
 patience inherit the promises.*' — Heb. vi. 12. 
 
(Jlje |)alm0 of iJictorg. 
 
 " With palms in their hands." — Rev. vii. 9. 
 
 TT was not merely a congregation of wor- 
 " shipers that the apostle saw in that white- 
 robed multitude, but an army of warriors 
 rejoicing when the fight is over, and the 
 victory won. Each had not only to endure 
 tribulation, but to resist subtle forces of evil 
 at work within him and without him. He 
 had to strive against that spiritual substance, 
 from which dark shadows of temptation 
 were thrown forward on his soul. Not 
 with flesh and blood do we wrestle, but with 
 principalities and powers." 
 
 For the white robes, each was once ar- 
 rayed in bruised and dinted armor. For 
 the palm of victory, he grasped the sword. 
 Through all the days of his earthly sojourn- 
 ing, the warfare lasted. Often was he ready 
 
54 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 to faint through weariness, often daunted 
 by the great company that was leagued 
 against him, — spiritualities of wickedness" 
 swarming about his path, ambushed in his 
 very thoughts. But through the grace of 
 Christ he persevered, and in his strength 
 he overcame. 
 
 Often did he look for the evening shadow 
 that was to call him from the tumult of the 
 fight, but it did not come till death came. 
 As long as life beat within him, that life was 
 a struggle, and a discipline^ of hardness. 
 Not till the golden bowl was broken, the 
 sword of his warfare lay shivered beside it, 
 and the weary soldier was borne home by 
 angels to his rest. 
 
 He has " fought the good fight ; he has 
 finished his course, and kept the faith," and 
 the everlasting gates are thrown open. An- 
 gels chant before him the psalm of victory. 
 Saints throng around him with words of 
 welcome. His Father smiles " Well done !" 
 His Lord, " the righteous Judge," gives 
 
THE PALMS OF VICTORY. 
 
 55 
 
 him the reward of faithful service, and he 
 stands 
 
 " With those just spirits that wear victorious palms, 
 Hymns devout and holy psalms 
 Singing everlastingly." 
 
 And now he looks back from his rest on 
 the rough and toilsome track through w^hich 
 he fought his way, and wonders that he was 
 often ready to faint and fail. How often did 
 he doubt the Saviour's love at the very 
 moment that love upheld him ; and distrust 
 the issue, when the Saviour's death and life 
 together assured him of the victory. He 
 has received the reward of victory now ; 
 but through Christ he was victorious, even 
 then. For once that sacred bond of faith 
 knits us to our unseen Lord, " what or who 
 shall separate us from the love of Christ?" 
 " Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, 
 or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword ? 
 Nay, in all these things we are more than 
 conquerors through him that loved us." 
 
 More than conquerors," for he says, Be 
 
 L 
 
56 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 of good cheer, I have overcome the world." 
 ''And this is the victory that overcometh the 
 world, even our faith," that He, the Captain 
 of salvation, has for all his followers over- 
 come. 
 
 The earthly conqueror knows that through 
 his own strength he must overcome, but the 
 Christian, " more than conqueror," knows 
 that Christ has already overcome. The 
 earthly conqueror can not gain a victory 
 without losses, but the Christian is " more 
 than conqueror," because all his losses turn 
 to gains. The earthly conqueror can not 
 carry the fruits of his victories to the grave, 
 but the Christian is " more than conqueror," 
 for they follow him up to glory. There first 
 he receives the crown, the robe, the un- 
 withering palm ; and all eternity is the feast 
 of his triumph. 
 
 " I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy 
 salvation." — Psalm xiii. 5. 
 
" Having the glory of God." — Rev. xxi. 11. 
 
 LORIOUS things are spoken of thee, O 
 city of God ! " but this is the sum and 
 fulfiUment of them all. Even in this cloudy 
 and glimmering time, — this season of twi- 
 light views and shadowy glimpses, — thou 
 shinest, O Zion ! as a light in this dark 
 world. 
 
 And better days are in reserve for thee 
 on earth than any thou hast seen as yet, 
 when it will be said, " Arise, shine ; for thy 
 light is come, and the glory of the Lord is 
 risen upon thee." Blessed hope, that re- 
 vives the believer's heart, when " iniquity 
 abounds," and love waxeth cold," and the 
 cause of God is depressed, and the light of 
 living godliness is weak and low, as if the 
 lamp were going out in the temple ! 
 
 And how often does thine own lamp burn 
 
58 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 dim, O Christian ! in this damp and heavy 
 atmosphere of earth ? How often, in the 
 honr of strong temptation, does a gloom, " a 
 horror of great darkness," seem to fall with 
 a deadly chill upon thy spirit ! Or insensi- 
 bly, through the insidious power of an evil 
 world, thou art beguiled to slumber. 
 
 Thy spirit falls short of the high reach of 
 earlier desire and aim, — the spring-tide full- 
 ness and overflow of feeling ebbs, — and, ere 
 thou art aware, thou hast left thy first 
 love," and " the things which remain are 
 ready to die." 
 
 And then, when gloom and sorrow and 
 self-reproach have followed the season of 
 declension, what joy is thine when " the 
 day-«pring from on high" revisits thy soul, 
 and " the Sun of Righteousness rises, with 
 healing in his wings." Then the prayer of 
 Moses is thine, " Lord, show me thy glory ;" 
 and the faint glimpses of it which are given 
 thee, how do they gladden the spirit and 
 disperse the mists that overhung it ! 
 
THE CITY'S GLORY. 59 
 
 But what will it be, when thou dwellest in 
 the noontide liglit and clearness of the glory 
 of God, — when thou art a priest and wor- 
 shiper in the heavenly temple ? There it is 
 no Shekinah, no luminous symbol, that 
 marks his presence ; but that Presence, in 
 unvailed splendor, is itself there, shining in 
 constant communications of love and favor, 
 — streaming forth in glorious sun-bursts of 
 life and blessedness and joy. 
 
 If to Moses it was a sufficient promise, 
 " My presence shall go with thee, and I will 
 give thee rest ; " what will it be when that 
 presence shall rest on thee, and overshadow 
 thee, and hold thee in, and fold thee about 
 for ever? 
 
 If David had more gladness put into his 
 heart by one gleam of light from God's 
 countenance than all earthly blessings could 
 impart, what will it be when that light flows 
 in upon tliee without check or dimness ? 
 when all the affections and capacities of a 
 holy being are filled with light and gladness 
 
60 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 to the brim? The Saviour's face will ever 
 shine on thee. The Father's glory will be 
 ever seen upon thee. All darkness will be 
 chased away from thy mind, — all fear and 
 heaviness from thy heart. There will be 
 " no part dark," but, to the innermost re- 
 gion of the spirit, a blessed and inspiring 
 sense of life and freedom and peacefulness. 
 There will be no presentiment nor foretaste 
 there, but perfect and full-orbed enjoyment. 
 No " appearance of the likeness of the glory 
 of the Lord;" but a vision which will be 
 a transformation into " the light of the 
 knowledge of the glory of God in the face 
 of Jesus Christ ! " 
 
 " Thy sun shall no more go down ; neither shall thy moon 
 withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine 
 everlasting light, and the days of thy 
 mourning shall be ended." 
 Isaiah Ix. 20. 
 
" The Lamb is the light thereof." — Rev. xxi. 23. 
 
 LL the light that shines on the pilgrim's 
 
 path, as he goes on his way to the far- 
 off city of his rest, is light from Him, " the 
 brightness of the Father's glorj^," — " Im- 
 mannel, God with us." 
 
 All light that in this dark world illumines 
 the mind, and cheers the heart, and brings 
 the realities of heaven more near and vivid 
 to the spirit, is light that dwells in him as 
 its center, and streams from him as its 
 source. Life, gladness, healing, and purity, 
 reach and fall upon the soul out of heaven, 
 in the clear shinino; of the brio;ht and 
 mornino; star." So sweet the o:race, so hio-h 
 the blessing, that " having not seen " him, 
 save in the spiritual revelation of faith, it 
 " loves him, and believing, rejoices with joy 
 unspeakable and full of glory." 
 
G2 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 But oh, what joy unspeakable will that be, 
 when the soul enters into light unspeakable, 
 and is possessed wholly of that light ! What 
 earthly gladness can shadow that which will 
 flow in upon it, when, caught up into 
 paradise," it sees the glory of heaven gather- 
 ed up and concentrated in the glorified 
 humanity of Christ. It is one like unto 
 the Son of man," who stands a great light 
 in the midst of heaven, and all his saints 
 like lesser lights move round him in their 
 courses, shining in the brightness they re- 
 ceive from him. 
 
 For it is as the Lamb that he is the light 
 of heaven. As the once suffering Redeemer, 
 now Prince and Head of God's unsuffering 
 kingdom, he is there " highly exalted " and 
 " crowned with glory and honor." To each 
 of his redeemed, the face that was bright on 
 Tabor is not more beautiful than that which 
 grew dark on Calvary. The visage once 
 marred more than any man," is all the fairer 
 now for their remembrance of its passion and 
 
THE CITY'S LIGHT. 
 
 63 
 
 pain. Heaven takes its glory from him, for 
 tliey can see nothing there but in the light 
 of him who is altogether lovely." Each 
 golden plate and jeweled corner-stone throws 
 back his image, gleams and sparkles in his 
 light ; and all precious things are cast into 
 the mold and fused together to make up an 
 image of that affluence of glory which his 
 presence showers over heaven. 
 
 It is because " the Lamb is the light 
 thereof," that the light of the city is like 
 unto a stone most precious, even like a 
 jasper-stone, clear as crystal." For what 
 constellation of material splendors would be 
 to the redeemed so glorious as the vision of 
 the Lord? — so fair as one glance of that 
 eye — one look of that countenance, which 
 chano:es them into the same imao;e? No 
 a, need to them of sun or moon. These are 
 but torches that burned dimly in the night- 
 watches, but go out on the breaking of the 
 day, — glimmering lamps at the outer gate of 
 God's house, that may be quenched when 
 
64 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 the guests are met and the high festival 
 begun. 
 
 Let the thought cheer thee, O believer! 
 amidst " the sufferings of this present time," 
 that such glory will yet be revealed, and re- 
 vealed in thee. Here thou often " walkest 
 in darkness and hast no light." Thy Lord 
 may be hidden from thy sight, or thou be- 
 holdest him, " but not nigh." But there 
 thou shalt walk all the day " in the light of 
 his countenance." " In thy Light shall we 
 see light," and shine " all glorious within," 
 knowing as we are known ; loving also, in 
 our measure, as we are loved. " As for 
 me, I will beliold thy face in peace ; I shall 
 be satisfied, when I awake with thy like- 
 ness." 
 
 "The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for 
 brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; 
 but the Lord shall be unto thee an ever- 
 lasting light, and th}^ God thy 
 glory." — Isaiah Ix. 19. 
 
"The wall of the city had twelve foundations." — 
 
 HE Seer beheld these foundations laid in 
 
 twelve massive tiers or courses, under- 
 girding the holy city beneath the jasper 
 wall, clasping it round and round in solid 
 and burnished coils, as of adamant. And 
 in these jeweled stones, cut in luminous 
 ciphers, so as to be plain to all who drew 
 near, were the names of the twelve apos- 
 tles of the Lamb." What a recompense for 
 life -long trial, when John saw his own 
 name, branded in the earthly Jerusalem, 
 thus blazoned on the wall of the Jerusalem 
 above ! 
 
 Not through eminent merit, or shining 
 graces, are these names there, but as ^' apos- 
 tles of the Lamb." These are they which 
 
 Kev. xxi. 14. 
 
 5 
 
66 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 " followed the Lamb " whithersoever he 
 went. They heard his voice, and loved his 
 ways, and learned of him who was " meek 
 and lowly;" and when he died, and rose 
 again, and went up to heaven, they went 
 forth in the power of his promise and spirit- 
 ual presence, and preached over the world 
 salvation through his blood. 
 
 These first received the baptism of fire. 
 These were the first heralds of the cross. 
 In the simple truths of the gospel which 
 they first uttered, they laid the foundations 
 of the City of God. " The church is built 
 on the foundation of apostles and prophets, 
 Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner- 
 stone." And it is meet that on the lowest 
 stone of the spiritual temple their names 
 should be preserved in everlasting remem- 
 brance. 
 
 Here, O Christian men ! behold the deep- 
 hewn foundations of your hope. Learn 
 how safe and inviolate is the charter of 
 your inheritance. That hope is based on 
 
THE TWELVE FOUNDATIONS. 
 
 67 
 
 the living rock of truth, the faitliful word 
 of him who is the Truth." Bk\ss God 
 for the glorious and unperplexing simplicities 
 of the gospel. Cling to its elemental say- 
 ings, its plain verities. Christ Jesus came 
 into the world to save sinners." Him that 
 Cometh unto me I will in nowise cast out." 
 " Come unto me all ye that labor, and are 
 heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 
 How rich that field of truth wherein no foot 
 can wander without striking on some such 
 golden vein of mercy ! 
 
 Yours is a " city which hath foundations," 
 a kingdom which can not be moved," " an 
 inheritance which fadeth not away," a 
 tabernacle which will not be taken down." 
 Amidst the false and wavering shadows of 
 Time, " you have in heaven a better and 
 more enduring substance." Cast not away 
 therefore your confidence, which hath such 
 recompense of reward." Be ye " steadfast 
 and unmovable" likewise. 
 
 These foundations were garnished with 
 
68 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 all manner of precious stones."" But what 
 is mingling radiance of sapphire and topaz, 
 of amethyst and chrysoprase, to the glory of 
 God, to the vision of the Saviour? Yet 
 these are there, all that earth holds excellent 
 and precious ; and the loveliness even of 
 earth should lead you to discern, in material 
 elements and forms, types and simiHtudes 
 of heaven. If such the embroidery of the 
 footstool, what must be the splendor of the 
 throne ! Surely the almond-knobs and lily- 
 work that wreathe the door-posts of the 
 temple, the fair adorning of God's outer 
 courts, should make you long to " see his 
 power and his glory," so as only they are 
 seen in the sanctuary above. 
 
 *' Oh, send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead 
 me, let them bring me unto thy holy hill, 
 and to thy tabernacles." — 
 Psalm xliii. 3. 
 
" They stand on the sea of glass." — Kev. xv. 2. 
 
 TT is "through much tribulation" that the 
 Christian must enter the kingdom of 
 God. Through " windy storm and tempest," 
 through rough and swelling waters, he must 
 keep his onward way. How often tossed 
 upon a sea of troubles, trembling for weak- 
 ness in the grasp of a strong temptation, or 
 dragging his slow steps from sorrow unto 
 sorrow, does he say, " I am come into deep 
 waters, where the floods overflow me. I 
 sink in deep ooze, where there is no stand- 
 ing." Deep calleth unto deep at the noise 
 of thy water-spouts ; all thy waves and thy 
 billows are gone over me." How often, like 
 the apostle's prison ship, struck by the storm- 
 wind Euroclydon, and " driven up and down 
 in Adria," is there no resource in the deep 
 
70 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 night and under starless skies, but to cast 
 forth his anchors and wait for the day. 
 
 And now that day is springing, and there 
 is a great calm. He has passed through the 
 rude waves of his tribulation. The days of 
 his fear and struggling and strong crying 
 are ended. From the perils of these worldly 
 seas he has escaped safe to land." What 
 an emblem of rest and quietness and security 
 has each of the redeemed before his eyes and 
 under his feet. He stands on "the sea of 
 glass," — the crystal pavement, that stretches 
 far away into shining distance before the 
 throne. As if the expanse of the shoreless 
 ocean, unruffled by a breath, had been so 
 fixed for ever, and charmed into everlasting 
 stillness. They stand on this " sea " with 
 " quietness and assurance," as their heritage 
 for ever. They are taken up into a great 
 tranquilhty, " perfect peace " around them, 
 and within them a harmonious calm. A 
 blessed trance, in which their eyes are open, 
 and the heart silently fills with joy, as a 
 
THE CRYSTAL SEA. 
 
 71 
 
 vessel at a fountain. Their life is now " the 
 keeping of a Sabbath." They have enter- 
 ed into rest/' and ceased from their own 
 works, as God did from his." They are 
 at rest from trial and temptation, from 
 watches and alarms, from evil spirits and 
 wicked men, from strife and violence and 
 clamor, from rough winds and swelling 
 waters and toilsome ways. In this sense, 
 there is ''no more sea" (xxi. 1). The 
 " noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, 
 and the tumult of the people," are stilled by 
 him who " sitteth King upon the flood." 
 
 No restless passion troubles the grave and 
 settled mind. Each soul possesses itself in 
 strength and confidence. Each is kept, 
 " like a city that is compact together," by a 
 " peace which passeth understanding." No 
 vexing thought hovers over the clear spirit, 
 to cast the smallest shadow from its wino; : 
 no breath of evil ruffles the serenity of the 
 holy heart. All passions and affections and 
 desires are still in the presence of God, as 
 
72 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 Solomon's brazen sea in the court of the 
 temple. 
 
 The apostle saw this sea of glass " mingled 
 with fire," as if the reflection of the seven 
 lamps, ever burning before the throne, was 
 visible in its crystal deeps, in dazzling veins 
 and streaks of brightness. A symbol, it 
 might be, of God's abiding presence in the 
 glorified soul. For each will in his place 
 reflect his glory — each will be a mirror of 
 the uncreated Excellence. Each, in his 
 deep peace, will have as deep a joy in the 
 vision of God. And the Spirit of God will 
 dwell and move in each as fire ; not now to 
 search and purify, but to keep their love and 
 fervor up to the fullest strain of their ethe- 
 real powers. 
 
 " The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed ; 
 but my kindness shall not depart from thee, 
 neither shall the covenant of my 
 peace be removed." — 
 Isaiah liv. 10. 
 
^\)t (ffmeralb HainbotD. 
 
 " A rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an 
 emerald." — Rev. iv. 3. 
 
 ITT HAT John now sees in Patmos re- 
 sembles what Ezekiel saw by Chebar ; 
 but there is one point of difference. The 
 Hebrew prophet saw the firmament of the 
 terrible crystal," and the sapphire-colored 
 throne, and the mystic Appearance, and the 
 beautiful arch of fire, " as the likeness of 
 the bow that is in the cloud in the day of 
 rain." But there it was an amber-tinted 
 halo that arched the throne, — an angry and 
 threatening brightness ; for God had pre- 
 pared his throne for judgment. 
 
 Here the brilliant coronal is wreathed of 
 a soft and tempered light, — "a rainbow, in 
 sight like unto an emerald ; for God is sit- 
 ting on the throne of grace. This blessed 
 
74 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 sign is bended round the throne by the hands 
 of God, in token of love and hope and rec- 
 onciliation, — the sweet symbol of the cove- 
 nant of everlasting peace. 
 
 It is God in Christ, O trembling heart of 
 faith ! who sits for tliee on the throne of 
 heaven. All his majesty now throws luster 
 on his mercy ; and in the light of his mercy, 
 in the face of Jesus, thou beholdest all his 
 bright perfections, and canst worship him 
 " in the beauty of holiness." Only because 
 the Mediator stands before the throne, and 
 the way through the vail is sprinkled with 
 his blood, hast thou freedom of access and 
 sureness of acceptance and sweetness of 
 communion. 
 
 How pleasant, when the thunder-cloud 
 drifts from the sky, and the clear blue light 
 is streaming cool through its rents, and the 
 green summer-fields sparkle with dewy fresh- 
 ness, and the rain -scented thickets of bloom 
 send pulses of fragrance through the air, to 
 see the rainbow fling its glittering loop round 
 
THE EMERALD RAINBOW. 75 
 
 the somber vault, and open its seven stripes 
 of color out of the storm, like some beauti- 
 ful flower of light ! You see in it the holy 
 emblem of God's covenant with man, — 
 Love's device blazoned on Heaven's ever- 
 lasting shield, — the signal-flag of hope and 
 peace flying high in the tempest. All the 
 secret hues of light are there, braided and 
 woven, to vivify the type to the eye and 
 heart of man. But in the " rainbow round 
 the throne," all colors seem to mingle and 
 flow into one, and that the softest and most 
 refreshing to the eye. It is Earth's chosen 
 color, — the household dress of our common 
 mother, — the emerald tint of spring, on 
 which we love to look, and can look longest. 
 
 Thus drawing near to the throne of God 
 in Christ, we see, in the bright display of 
 his mercy, the blended splendor of his holi- 
 ness and wisdom and truth and power. In 
 the grace " that bringeth salvation," we be- 
 hold all the attributes of glory meet and 
 mingle and harmonize. The Father's eye 
 
76 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 saw the brilliant halo that hung round the 
 Cross of Calvary, and with it he has arched 
 his throne ; and his mercy, thus glorified, is 
 " unto all and upon all them that believe." 
 How blessed now to see all his holy perfec- 
 tions in seeing his mercy, to look through 
 that mercy to the mild and chastened splen- 
 dor of his glorj', to think that in the inner- 
 most center of the sapphire light there is a 
 heart beating with love and tenderness to 
 man. For God is not in the earthquake and 
 whirlwind and fire, as he is in the still small 
 voice, interpreted by Christ, the living Word. 
 And there for ever, at the burning core and 
 heart of that great splendor, sitteth God in 
 Christ, the beatific Vision of the glorified. 
 
 " Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is 
 turned away, and thou comfortedst 
 me." — Isaiah xii. 1. 
 
©Ije Qtmn Camps. 
 
 "Seven lamps of fire, burning before the throne." — 
 Rev. iv. 5. 
 
 TT was no massive candlestick, as in the 
 Jewish temple, wrought by cunning 
 hand, in shaft and bowl, of beaten gold, and 
 embossed with delicate knop and flower. 
 Rather a constellation of living fires, burn- 
 ing up from ethereal springs, shedding mys- 
 tic radiance on the throne, and underneath 
 on the crystal sea. 
 
 For these are the seven Spirits of God," 
 the One Divine Spirit in sevenfold fullness 
 of gift, and sevenfold diversity of operation, 
 — One glorious Person repeating the image 
 of his infinite perfection in the seven muTors 
 of the type. There he shows forth his glory 
 before the throne, as worthy with the Father 
 and Son to be worshiped and glorified. 
 
78 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 There he is now, radiating light and grace 
 and vital energy to the hearts of men ; the 
 Spirit of truth glorifying Christ by revealing 
 to the soul his image, and assimilating the 
 soul, by his indwelling presence, to that 
 which he reveals. He is there, amidst the 
 
 lightnings and thunderings and voices " 
 that issue from the throne, shining a calm, a 
 clear, and silent fire. For serene Wisdom 
 touches the secret springs of Providence. 
 Peace is at the heart of all its agitations, and 
 light upon the inner edges of all its clouds. 
 These lights burn on, and tremble not for 
 earthly wind or air. 
 
 How often, brethren of the faith ! do 
 God's ways in the great world without, and 
 the little world within us, seem dark and 
 strange. " Clouds and darkness are round 
 about him." Our eyes can not pierce them, 
 and the lamp of faith bums dim, and the 
 mists come down and settle upon our unquiet 
 hearts. But still the " seven lamps " burn 
 before the throne. These mists and vapors 
 
THE SEVEN LAMPS. 
 
 79 
 
 are for iis, not for him. He speaks to us 
 from the cloudy pillar," and says, What 
 I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt 
 know hereafter." 
 
 And before the throne " these lamps will 
 ever burn. They shall never be quenched, 
 — never grow dim and die, — for witli the 
 Father and Son, the Holy Spirit lives and 
 reio;ns for ever and ever. These OTidino- 
 liglits of Time will shine, the great watch- 
 lamps of Eternity. Their holy splendor will 
 mingle with the beams of God's countenance, 
 and the rays of his glory streaming from the 
 face of Jesus Christ. 
 
 Nothing that is evil and earthly lives 
 within their range. All heat of passion, all 
 flame of discord, all turbulent desire, die 
 where that pure radiance falls, as sunlight 
 quenches firelight. There the Spirit of 
 light and holiness completes the baptism of 
 fire " which was here begun. With seven- 
 fold illumination and inspiring energy, he 
 will fill the spirits of the just to the measure 
 
80 THE CELESTIAL CITY. ' 
 
 of their powers. The golden vessels of the 
 sanctuary will by him be filled Avith the 
 wine of life. 
 
 He will be there replenishing all minds 
 with light, all hearts with love ; touching all 
 lips with altar-fire, and breathing fervor and 
 inspiration into the devotion of Eternity. 
 Here it is from grace to grace ; there from 
 glory to glory. 
 
 It is thine, O Blessed Spirit ! to lead us 
 these first steps in the way of life. Hold 
 up our goings through this evil world. Keep 
 our feet from falling. Where thou art, 
 there is liberty and pleasantness and safe 
 guidance. Lead us on, thou steadfast Light, 
 from stage to stage of life's journey, till we 
 stand before God in the light everlasting. 
 
 "Thy Spirit is good; lead me into the land of upright- 
 ness." — Psalm cxliii. 10. 
 
(tabernacle ovtv tijem. 
 
 " He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them," 
 (lit. "make a tabernacle over them.") — Rev. vii. 15. 
 
 n^HE image is drawn from the peculiar 
 favor enjoyed by the chosen people in 
 their wanderings, from the visible protection 
 of the Most High. He had made himself 
 an habitation with men, showed his glory in 
 the mystic fire, and spoken his oracles from 
 " the cloudy pillar." The shadow of his 
 presence lay upon the thousand tents of 
 Jacob. 
 
 In a far higher sense, in the state of the 
 
 glorified, " the tabernacle ^ of God is with 
 
 men, and he will dwell with them," and 
 
 they in him. The holy Jerusalem is the 
 
 royal pavihon of his majesty. Into it he 
 
 has gathered all the riches and honor of his 
 
 kingdom. In it he manifests his glory by 
 6 
 
82 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 immediate revelation, and gladdens with 
 ever-shining favor the hearts of the redeemed. 
 There, all their wants are supplied from his 
 infinite resources, — the " riches of his glory." 
 " Tliey shall hunger no more, neither shall 
 they thirst any more." They will feel no 
 craving passion, no unsatisfied desire, but be 
 ever drawing from the deep well-spring of 
 life and blessedness. 
 
 And his overshadowing presence will de- 
 fend them from all evil and hurt and malig- 
 nant influences. The sun shall not light 
 on them, nor any heat." The covering of 
 his tent screens the traveler from the fervor 
 and sultriness and blinding glare of an east- 
 ern noon. It shields him from the heavy 
 and chillino; dews of night. From all the 
 evils of this desert life, God is to his people 
 here a refuge and safeguai'd ; and hereafter 
 he will hide them " secretly in his pavilion," 
 where no evil can come near them. Upon 
 every dwelling-place of Mount Zion the 
 glory shall be a defense. And there shall 
 
THE TABERNACLE OVER TIIEM. 
 
 83 
 
 be a tabernacle in the daytime from the 
 heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a 
 covert from storm and from rain." The 
 tent of the desert must soon be struck and 
 folded, and the wayfarer again exposed to 
 heats and dews ; but the tabernacle which 
 God has pitched will not be taken . down. 
 He has been the dwelling-place of the faith- 
 ful in all generations. He will be their 
 everlasting home. 
 
 Here, O pilgrim of eternity ! thou farest 
 through barren wastes ; but thou art going 
 home. Thou dwellest in a tent which must 
 soon shrivel up and loosen into dust; but 
 this should only endear the thought of thy 
 quiet and secure dwelling-place in heaven. 
 In this " weary land " your heart sometimes 
 fails, and you cast yourself down in a dark 
 and troubled mood under Elijah's juniper, 
 instead of sitting in the " shadow of the 
 great Rock." But there thy dwelling will 
 be eternal, " the Rock of ages," and thou 
 shalt drink of the living water that gushes 
 
84 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 from its clefts. Therefore now abide in 
 him." Watch daily at his gates, wait at 
 the posts of his doors." Pray that you may 
 "^dwell," by the grace of a daily communion, 
 in the secret place of the Most High." 
 Resort thither, by Christ, ''the Way," the 
 living Way, by which mortal weakness joins 
 itself to everlasting strength. Dream not, 
 as others, of making God a refuge merely in 
 times of sorrow, — a porch by the way-side 
 in which you may take shelter from a pass- 
 ing storm. One thing desire of the Lord ; 
 and let that one thing concentrate and bind 
 up the multitude of thoughts within thee, 
 into a vehement longing and necessity of 
 the soul. 
 
 " That 1 may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days 
 of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, 
 and to inquire in his temple.'* 
 Psalm xxvii. 4. 
 
Sflje Hogal Banquet. 
 
 "The marriage-supper of the Lamb." — Rev. xix. 9. 
 
 ^^^HEN we shrink from bearing the re- 
 proach of Christ, let us remember 
 what he is now doing for us in heaven. 
 Tliere he stands, the loving Intercessor, pray- 
 ing that our faith fail not. There he prepares 
 a place for us, and looks forward to the time 
 when all his saints will be prepared to meet 
 him, and he will present them unto the 
 Father " a glorious church, not having spot, 
 or wrinkle, or any such thing." His joy, 
 his honor, his glory, will not be complete 
 till the great gathering of the saints, when 
 all things are ready, and he and those for 
 whom he died will be " one, as he and the 
 Father are one." " One," in a visible cov- 
 enant, and union of everlasting love. 
 
 The closest and holiest relationship of 
 
86 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 earth is chosen as its symbol. His by solemn 
 betrothal now, they will be his by manifest 
 choice and recognition then, — a high solem- 
 nity, a festival of gladness, — of which all 
 shows of earthly joy, however deep and 
 pure, are but the faintest images. Then will 
 he come forth in glorious apparel," and all 
 who, though they saw him not, yet loved 
 him, will stand arrayed in his own unsullied 
 righteousness, " as in fine linen, clean and 
 white." And between them will pass the 
 tender greeting, " My beloved is mine, and 
 I am his!" and the great rejoicing of eter- 
 nity will begin. None may enter the palace 
 gate of heaven clothed with sackcloth." 
 All have on the wedding garment, for " in 
 his presence is fullness of joy." 
 
 If that presence on earth blessed the mar- 
 riage feast of Cana, how blessed " will 
 those be w^ho are " called unto the marriage 
 supper of the Lamb." The highest joy the 
 heart has known on earth is but the shadow 
 of the common joy of heaven, as earth's 
 
THE ROYAL BANQUET. 
 
 87 
 
 clearest light is but the shadow of heaven's 
 glory. All the water there is turned into 
 wine , and the vessels are filled to the brim. 
 Mary, the mother of Jesus, is there, rejoicing 
 in God, her Saviour ; and all the disciples 
 are there, saying, ^' Thou hast kept the best 
 wine until now." And the servants there 
 are shining angels, gladly ministering unto 
 the heirs of salvation." 
 
 There abides pleasure without alloy, and 
 enjoyment without end. The King has 
 brought his guests into the banqueting 
 house, and " his banner over them is love," 
 to be furled never more. In the sure posses- 
 sion of that love which was " stronger than 
 death," in the serene consciousness of God's 
 favor, they have endless resources of blessed- 
 ness suited to the wants of an endless being. 
 " Blessed are they that " on earth hunger 
 and thirst after righteousness." Dost thou 
 mourn that thy desires for holiness and 
 heaven, and the vision of the Saviour and 
 the fruition of God, are so feeble? The 
 
88 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 faintest longing shows that immortal life 
 stirs within thee, and that spark will not be 
 quenched. Or, dost thou lament that as 
 yet thou hast no quiet and abiding sense of 
 satisfaction for thy spiritual wants? Pray 
 and wait, for the promise is, " There is no 
 want to them that fear him." " Bread shall 
 be given thee ; thy water shall be sure." 
 Here, at times, some little joy enters into 
 thy heart, as if it trickled, drop by drop. 
 There thou shalt " enter into joy " as the 
 wide and bottomless element of thy being. 
 And it will be as lasting as it is pure. The 
 joy of the redeemed flows from God as its 
 fountain, and after all its windings, returns 
 into God as its ocean. 
 
 "The joy of the Lord is your strength." — 
 Nehemiah viii. 10. 
 
Sllje lircr of £ik 
 
 " And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear 
 as crystal, proceeding* out of the throne of God and of 
 the Lamb." — Rev. xxii. 1. 
 
 A S thou goest on thy way, look not back 
 to a paradise that is lost. Look for- 
 ward, and long for a better paradise that is 
 promised. The second Adam, the Lord 
 from heaven," is the keeper of the garden, 
 and, to cheer thy fainting spirit, gives thee 
 glimpses of the beauty and pleasantness 
 within. A river went out of the region of 
 Eden, to water the garden which was man's 
 first heritage. But that garden is withered, 
 and its river is dry. Man is an outcast and 
 wanderer, and every well he digs in the 
 wilderness is bitter as Marah to his lips. 
 
 But what our sin has forfeited, God's 
 mercy has given back, and it will be lost 
 no more. There is a river, the streams 
 
90 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 whereof make glad the city of our God." 
 Even here, in this desert land, hast thou not 
 drunk of its refreshino; streams ? Passins: 
 through this " valley of Baca," hast thou 
 not come to springs fed by dews of heavjen, 
 and drawn water with joy out of wells of 
 " salvation ? " Yet how often hast thou 
 journeyed many days as " in a dry and 
 parched land where no water is ? " Or, 
 sitting by the well, hast felt thy heart so 
 cold, thy faith so feeble, that, as if thou 
 hadst nothing to draw with, thou hast gone 
 thy way athirst and unrefreslied? 
 
 But in the better country, the river of 
 life flows on in a deep, full, and brimming 
 tide. Through the midst of the new Jeru- 
 salem it runs, and nothing can hinder the 
 happy citizens from coming to its banks, and 
 drawing at will from its reviving waters. 
 
 It is " water of life," communicating ever- 
 fresb supplies of life and vigor and gladness 
 to those who drink of it. It is " a river of 
 water of life," gliding onward in a calm. 
 
THE RFV^ER OF LIFE. 
 
 1 
 
 91 
 
 stately, and unhindered current. It is "pure," 
 and " clear as crystal," holding nothing in 
 solution that can sully or ruffle its trans- 
 })arent purity, — ever keeping in its glassy 
 deeps the images of all that is beautiful and 
 serene and holy. And, unlike the river of 
 the former paradise, which flowed from 
 earthly springs, it " proceedeth out of the 
 throne of God and of the Lamb." Till that 
 throne shakes, its springs will never cease to 
 flow. It has its sources in the innermost 
 depth of heaven, — in the secret heart of God, 
 
 — and thus it ever replenishes itself from 
 fountains that are inexhaustible. Blessed em- 
 blem of all that can refresh and satisfy the 
 lonmno-s of the immortal mind, — limitless 
 supplies of spiritual life and joy, — of "peace 
 which passeth understanding," flowing from 
 the mystery of a " love which passeth knowl- 
 edge! " The Father showing forth his glory, 
 
 — the Son opening his heart of love, the 
 Spirit filling the mind with light and blessed- 
 ness ! 
 
92 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 How narrow and limited are our capacities 
 here ; how seldom, if ever, are they satisfied 
 as they might be ! But there they are ever 
 widening and enlarging; and as they expand, 
 life and gladness are ever flowing in and 
 keeping them at the full. By the wells of 
 the wilderness, think, O Christian ! of the 
 well of Bethlehem. Thirst for the water 
 which Jesus gives, and which springs up 
 into everlasting life." Let this be thy daily 
 prayer: ''Make me to drink of the river of 
 thy pleasures," that well of love which 
 gushes from thy heart, — pure, deep, abound- 
 ing, and perpetual ! And after being led by 
 his Spirit to the " nether springs " of grace, 
 the Lamb shall lead thee to the " upper 
 springs," — the " living fountains of waters " 
 which flow in the " goodly heritage " above. 
 
 "All my springs are in thee.'* — Psalm Ixxxvii. 7. 
 
®m of Cife. 
 
 " In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the 
 river, was there the tree of life." — Rev. xxii. 2. 
 
 TN the earthly paradise there was a " tree 
 of life" — but only one — " in the midst of 
 the garden." When man fell, the eating of 
 it would have entailed on him an immortality 
 of woe. But thine is an inheritance, O pil- 
 grim to Zion ! where life is not only given 
 back to thee, but " given more abundantly." 
 There, this tree of sovereign virtue grows in 
 its native soil. Every-where it blooms, the 
 emblem of happiness that will never end. 
 All along the banks of the river, its branches 
 overhang the peaceful current, and the 
 screening foliage casts a cool and delicious 
 freshness over the streets where the holy 
 citizens walk in white. 
 
 Here, now and then, at seasons and in 
 
94 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 scenes dear to thy memory, thou hast sat 
 under the shadow of thy Lord with great 
 delight," and found his " fruit sweet to the 
 taste." But how few and how transient 
 have been those seasons of hallowed enjoy- 
 ment ! Their very rareness marks them out 
 as green spots in the waste. They are 
 places like those where the patriarchs planted 
 groves and reared altars, because God had 
 there met with them, but divided from each 
 other by long and sultry marches. 
 
 But in the Paradise above, that shadow 
 neither moves nor turns. Thy Lord departs 
 not from thee, nor thou from him. This 
 " great delight " is the law and element of 
 thy being. But there will be more than 
 gladness. There will be nurture suited to 
 the needs and longings of a purified spirit. 
 All that can satisfy the desires and capacities 
 of a sinless nature will be supplied in abun- 
 dance and variety. To this tree every month 
 brings the ripeness and mellowness of sum- 
 mer, and its boughs are laden with twelve 
 
THE TREE OF LIFE. 
 
 95 
 
 kinds of clustering fruits. Its very leaves 
 have a sweet balsamic virtue. They are not 
 to be trodden under foot, but are for the 
 healing: of the nations." 
 
 With these leaves the Saviour bound up 
 and healed thy wounds, and thou hast learn- 
 ed to value them ; — to prize the shnplest 
 words of Christ, because they have life in 
 them, — the commonest mercies of God, be- 
 cause they have love in them. If the leaf 
 of heaven have health in it, wdiat fragrance 
 will be in its flowers, what sweetness in its 
 fruits ? 
 
 How vivid a type of the fresh and ever- 
 varied delights reserved for those to whom 
 the Saviour's death has opened the heavenly 
 Paradise ! What fullness of joy " is in 
 the Father's presence, — what richness of 
 provision in his house ! There are many 
 mansions " there. There is " bread enough 
 and to spare." Its wine-vessels are filled to 
 the brim. Its fruits never cloy. Its pleas- 
 ures never fade. There is no sameness, no 
 
96 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 satiety, no weariness, in the exquisite enjoy- 
 ments which fill up the bright and spacious 
 round of an immortal being. " Not as the 
 world giveth " does Christ give. 
 
 The life of heaven may appear dull and 
 blank and monotonous to the world ; but 
 not to thee, O Christian ! Thou hast the 
 key to it in the love of Christ. Were it 
 not eternity, it would be too short to give to 
 him all thou hast to give of thy love, and to 
 receive from him all thou hast to receive of 
 the ''joy which is unspeakable and full of 
 glory." The tokens and pledges of that 
 love, — thy sweet experiences of heaven, — will 
 be ever new. There are the pleasant fruits 
 which thou shalt gather. For Time's win- 
 ter is past, the rain is over and gone ; " and 
 the happy soul is " summering high in bliss 
 upon the hills of God." 
 
 "Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my 
 lips shall praise thee." — Psalm Ixiii. 3. 
 
"^^^ %^^§ %^^§ 
 
 
 
 ®lje €voim of Cifc. 
 
 ''Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a 
 
 HRIST warns his faithful saints at Smyr- 
 
 na, tried sore already, to prepare for a 
 fierce storm of tribulation gathering in the 
 distance. Still he says to them, Fear 
 not ! " A little while and it will burst upon 
 you, and again a little while, and it will 
 pass away, and you will be witli your Lord ! 
 There is a needs be " that you should be 
 tried even unto death ; but be ye " faithful 
 unto death, and I will give you a crown of 
 life." It is long since the aged Poly carp, 
 and many of these saints at Smyrna, walked 
 through the heated furnace to their crown. 
 But the words that spoke fervor and courage 
 and endurance to them speak to us. 
 
 In the warfare we wage, if we have taken 
 7 
 
 crown of life." — Rev. ii. 10. 
 
98 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 up the cross, what hope could we have if we 
 did not liear his voice in the thickest of the 
 fight, — if we did not see him wave the 
 banner and point to the prize ? It is only 
 in him, as " a very present help," that we 
 can overcome. And when all his saints are 
 at his feet, each wearing this bright diadem 
 on his forehead, how deep will be the Sav- 
 iour's joy. For every crown he sees, a drop 
 of Iiis blood was given ; and for every ran- 
 somed spirit that wears one, a jewel sparkles 
 in his own. 
 
 It is a ''crown of life," — the reward of 
 faithfulness unto death, and victory in death, 
 — the seal and emblem of life immortal. It 
 is a " crown of righteousness, — the reward 
 laid up for those who have walked with 
 the Lord their Righteousness in peace and 
 equity, and kept their steadfastness in an 
 evil time, — the memorial of their complete 
 and unsullied purity. It is a " crown of 
 glory," — symbol of favor and honor and 
 blessedness to be enjoyed in the presence of 
 
THE CROWN OF LIFE. 
 
 99 
 
 God, — a crown like that which Christ wears. 
 All heaven lies within that golden circlet. 
 
 It is an incorruptible crown," — a crown 
 of amaranth, ever fresh and green and un- 
 fading. No rust or dimness will gather on 
 that virgin gold. No sereness or blight will 
 stain the leaves of that un withering w^reath. 
 For the blessedness of which it is the em- 
 blem knows no change nor decay. He who 
 is over the house of God dispenses its honors 
 with a full hand and a willing heart. There 
 are no alternations, no vicissitudes, in that 
 " fullness of joy." No planet waxes and 
 wanes in the sky of heaven, — no tide ebbs 
 and flows in ^hat crystalline sea ; but all is 
 ever at the full. 
 
 For such a " recompense of reward," who 
 would not be faithful to his Master's ser- 
 vice? Who that knows the love of Christ 
 but would serve him unto death, were there 
 no white robe, no golden crown ! But he 
 sends us not " a warfare at our own charge," 
 nor does he leave us without hope of reward. 
 
100 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 Let US bear the cross as far as our Master 
 bore it, and then lay it down. It may press 
 heavily on us, at times, and we may not be 
 able to look up ; but when it presses most 
 heavily, he wdll stand by us and help us to 
 bear it. He will divide the load, or double 
 the strength. In looking unto him we shall 
 be lightened. In waiting on him our strength 
 will be renewed. And through that very 
 weight and pressure, borne with a meek and 
 chastened and trustful spirit, things invisible 
 will grow clearer by degrees. It is the 
 deepening twilight of earth which shows the 
 stars of heaven. And in the shadows of the 
 cross w^e begin to see the br^'^htness of the 
 crown of life. 
 
 " Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done 
 the will of God, ye might receive the 
 promise." — Heb. x. 36. 
 
^xbltn ilTanna. 
 
 " To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden 
 manna." — Rev. ii. 17. 
 
 ^PHEIR daily bread was given to Israel in 
 the wilderness by the immediate hand of 
 God. Every dawn, through all these years 
 of wandering, the silent miracle came like 
 the sunlight, and the sweet provision was 
 sprinkled round the tents in the early dew. 
 And, as a lasting memorial, this manna, 
 gathered into a golden urn, was preserved in 
 the sanctuary ages after the curtains of the 
 desert tabernacle had given place to the 
 cedar house of Solomon. This vessel of 
 manna, placed in the ark, stood in the holiest 
 of all, within the vail. It was hidden from 
 the eyes of man. The cherubim of glory 
 overshadowed it. The mystic Shekinah 
 gleamed above it. 
 
102 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 These things were for an allegory. In 
 the manna which he gathered from the 
 ground, the godly Israelite saw an emblem 
 of Him who said, in after time, " I am the 
 bread of life." Every dewdrop, in which a 
 seed of that heaven-sown provision lay, held 
 its image of the Saviour. He is the " true 
 bread," " the living bread which came down 
 from heaven, whereof if a man eat, he shall 
 live for ever." 
 
 AVherever the faintest pulses of spiritual 
 life are beating, that life has been implanted 
 by him, and by him it will be nourished and 
 maintained. He now, within the vail, min- 
 isters by his Spirit all needful supplies of 
 grace to his people. For the hidden life, he 
 provides " hidden manna." He gives meat 
 to eat which the world knoweth not of." 
 Nor, though hidden," is it the less abun- 
 dant, though unbelief often checks the free 
 supply. The hand may be secret, but the 
 gift is generous and godhke. The manna 
 laid up in heaven's golden urn is inexhaust- 
 
THE HIDDEN MANNA. 
 
 103 
 
 ible as his love. It is not " sliew-bread," 
 hallowed and forbidden to common use, — but 
 " daily bread," dispensed with divine pro- 
 fusion, and without which our souls must 
 starve and pine. We can not measure our 
 necessities. Let us not limit our demands. 
 Let us ask much, that we may receive much. 
 
 And this is meat which enduretli to 
 everlasting life." It is to him that over- 
 cometh" it will be given. It is himself that' 
 Christ will give in all his fullness of grace 
 and affluence of glory, for the endless frui- 
 tion of the redeemed. Every high and pure 
 desire will possess itself in him. In him 
 they will find an infinite resource for an in- 
 finite affection. 
 
 The manna, laid up in the golden vessel, 
 underwent no change. Nor will the "bread 
 of heaven " ever lose its sweetness to the 
 spiritual taste ; but Christ will be the only- 
 desired and all-sufficing portion of the saints. 
 If, in the days of his flesh, he spake of his 
 I greatest miracles as crumbs " from his 
 
104 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 table (as if they had dropped carelessly from 
 his hand), what will be the children's 
 bread"? If from the five loaves of the 
 fisher lad of Tiberias he fed the multitude in 
 the desert, what will it be, when he gathers 
 his saints in ranks around him to satisfy the 
 mighty longing of eternity? 
 
 Here on earth let us seek to be brought, 
 at every point of our weakness and want, 
 into contact with that grace which is bound- 
 less and all-available. And hereafter, through 
 every affection and energy of a purified 
 nature, we shall be drawn to the communion 
 of his love, and be filled with all the 
 fullness of God." 
 
 " I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness." 
 Psalm xvii. 15. 
 
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 Slje lD[)it€ Stolu anir tlje ^^id ^anu. 
 
 And I will give him a white stone, and in the stone a 
 new name written, which no man knoweth, saving he 
 that receiveth it." — Rev. ii. 17. 
 
 n^HE world in its wrath and pride had 
 risen up against the bearers of the cross. 
 It was not worthy of them, but it treated 
 them as if they were not worthy of it. The 
 hohest was the most shining mark for the 
 arraign of slander. The weakest was not 
 too low to be crushed by its iron heel of 
 power. The w^orld's law had no even scales 
 and bandaged eyes before the cross. And 
 when one, "not ashamed" of that cross, was 
 dragged before its tribunals, each judge 
 dropped the black stone into the urn. Each 
 would have written on that stone a name of 
 bitter hatred and falsehood and scorn, had 
 he spoken out what he believed a Christian 
 
106 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 man to be. Christ was scourged and cruci- 
 fied, — Barabbas went free. 
 
 The offense of the cross is not ceased." 
 There is open condemnation for the Christian 
 here ; but there is open absolution there. 
 The Master saith to every tried and faithful 
 servant, " I will give thee a white stone, and 
 in the stone a new name written, — my own 
 name ! " Antipas had been condemned to 
 die for Christ in the court of Pergamos ; but 
 the lictor's stroke releases him from the 
 world's wrong and pain, and he goes to re- 
 ceive the white stone " from the hand of 
 his Lord. 
 
 Even on earth, the white stone with the 
 new name is given. Have we chosen Christ 
 as our Master? Have we received him as 
 " the Lord our Righteousness " ? Have we 
 peace with God through the blood of his 
 cross " ? Does his Spirit dwell in us ? That 
 " white stone," token of forgiveness, emblem 
 of innocence and favor, is ours ; and though 
 worlds were in the one scale, this httle sym- 
 
THE WHITE STONE AND THE NEW NAME. 107 
 
 bol would outweigh them, if cast into the 
 other. When justified, we receive it, and 
 the "new name " which is in it the Spirit 
 writes upon our hearts. He erases the name 
 " child of wrath," and writes Christ's own 
 name, " Son of God." And when his clear 
 and holy light shines on the letters of that 
 name, and it brightens in the heart, like the 
 jeweled stones of the Urim and Tliummim 
 in the darkened sanctuary, the soul cries, 
 Abba, Father ! I, an heir of condemnation, 
 am become heir of God, and joint-heir with 
 Christ." 
 
 This is the seal of the Spirit, " which no 
 man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it." 
 
 The world seeth him not, neither knoweth 
 him," but we know him, for he dwelletli 
 with us, and is in us." The world can not 
 know the inward evidence ; be it ours to 
 show it the outward sign. That new name, 
 written in the fair letters of a saintly life, a 
 crucified spirit, a heavenly mind, should be 
 " known and read of all men." As we go 
 
108 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 on our way, let us silently preach Christ to 
 others. Let our life be a sweet attraction, 
 — our look a tender invitation. And some 
 Avho would not read a written epistle may 
 be constrained to read the luminous words 
 of a living one. 
 
 In the new Jerusalem, the " new name " 
 is bright on every brow. Yet the old name 
 of earth will not be forgotten there. For 
 though resting with his Lord, Christ's ser- 
 vant, slaughtered at Pergamos, is still An- 
 tipas, my faithful martyr." For him Glory 
 had no laurel. History no niche, Poetry no 
 song, and his ashes were scattered on the 
 winds, or gathered into a nameless urn. 
 But his name was spoken out of heaven by 
 the lips of Christ. 
 
 " I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine/* 
 Isaiah xliii. 1. 
 
iHorning-Star. 
 
 " I will give him the morning-star." — Rev. ii. 28. 
 
 TT is a desperate warfare which the soldier 
 of Christ wages with his invisible foes. 
 It often seems to last through long hours of 
 darkness. His only resource is to look up 
 and pray for light. Through the weary 
 watches, he cries, " Oh that the day would 
 break, and the shadows flee away ! " And 
 gleams of light fall through the clouds, and 
 he sees that there is One who fights for him, 
 — One who has fought and overcome, and 
 w^hose presence is the pledge of victory. As 
 Luther Sinai's in the battle- son o; of the Ref- 
 ormation : — 
 
 " No strength of ours checks Satan's pride; 
 To tempt it is perdition: 
 But the right Man fights on our side; 
 From God is his commission. 
 
110 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 Ask ye, who is the same ? 
 Christ Jesus is his name, — 
 The Lord of heaven's host; 
 No other Lord we boast, 
 And he the day must carry." 
 
 To him that fights the good fight of faith, 
 the heavenly Captain says, " I will give thee 
 the morning-star ! " As if that fair, white 
 orb, whose dewdrop of light trenr.bles on the 
 front of dawn, is to sparkle on the victor's 
 brow. The " spiritual body " may be crown- 
 ed with some such glorious symbol in heaven. 
 Some bright device of immortality may dis- 
 tinguish apostle or martyr among the sons 
 of God, so that around the Sun of Right- 
 eousness the saints, shining like morning- 
 stars, may move in glorious rings, — each to 
 each signaling his name, through the bound- 
 less deeps of eternity. 
 
 But Christ consecrates the symbol by 
 making it a type of himself: "I am the 
 bright and Morning-Star." In giving such 
 a token of favor, he gives himself to his re- 
 deemed, in a fullness of joy and light and 
 
THE MORNING-STAR. Ill 
 
 glory of which they can not conceive in this 
 twilight-time of earth. He will appear to 
 them as the sign of hope and gladness, — 
 the Star of the Resurrection Morn ; and 
 that sweet light will prelude the long, unset- 
 ting watches of the eternal day. 
 
 And in that light shall they be changed. 
 This " corruptible shall put on incorruption, 
 and this mortal immortality," and the body 
 of our vileness be made like to the body of 
 his glory," — shining like the hght, filled 
 with holy gladness and divine illumination. 
 Yet a few days of warfare and weariness, 
 and this glory shall be revealed in us. 
 
 Christ our Life shall appear," and " we 
 shall be like him." 
 
 Are we girding on our armor, like good 
 soldiers, and standing on our watch ? Are 
 we bindino; on our sandals and trimmino; our 
 lamps, like servants who would be found 
 faithful ? The long night will wear to an 
 end ; the hard struggle will end in victory. 
 And then will come the cloudless day and 
 
112 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 the spotless robe and sinless peace and end- 
 less rest. 
 
 " Light is sown for the righteous, and 
 gladness for the upright in heart." Here it 
 lies in the furrows, under the mold, in a rude 
 and ungenial clime. There it shall have 
 blossomed and ripened wdth hundred-fold in- 
 crease, and the rich fruitage will w^ave thick 
 and golden through the long summer-time 
 of eternity. One ray of heaven's sunshine 
 will be brighter than firmaments of earthly 
 suns and stars. The gleaning of the grapes 
 of that celestial growth will be better than 
 the richest vintages of earth. Our life- 
 gathered wisdom is but the alphabet of 
 heaven's full-toned speech ; our highest dis- 
 coveries, the crude rudiments of its learning. 
 The Ark of Eternity floats on waters that 
 drown the loftiest Ararats of Time. 
 
 *'He will beautify the meek with salvation." 
 Psalm cxlix. 4. 
 
©Ije |)tUar tn tlje S^mpU. 
 
 " Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple 
 of m}' God." — Rev. iii. 12. 
 
 ^HE foundations of a spiritual temple are 
 already laid in the world. Out of the 
 loud tumult and false appearances of Time, 
 God's great work calmly unfolds itself, and 
 rises without sound of axe or hammer." 
 Stone by stone, and course by course, it will 
 be built up and compacted, till " the head 
 stone is brought forth Avith slioutings." 
 
 Here, in the temple of the visible church, 
 those " who seem to be pillars " are often 
 shaken and removed ; and our hearts trem- 
 ble, and faith droops, as if God's cause would 
 fall with them. But no earthly hand sup- 
 ports that cause, — no more than the granite 
 battlements of a mountain -chain prop up 
 the crystal vault which in the distance seems 
 to rest upon them 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 The heavenly Master calls his servants to 
 himself when their earthly work is done, 
 and gives them the place prepared for them 
 in the " house not made witli hands, eternal 
 in the heavens." Blessed labor, — holy war- 
 fare, — to be assured of such a recompense. 
 To the weakest faith, to the faintest heart, 
 in which a spark of spiritual life glows and 
 trembles Godwards, it will be given in the 
 strength of Christ to overcome. And for 
 victory so gained, there is this exceeding 
 great reward. He shall have an abiding- 
 place and name in heaven, — be made ''a 
 pillar in the temple," — that which is essential 
 to its beauty and completeness. As a pillar, 
 to stand there for ever in the presence of his 
 Saviour, — to go no more out, — to feel that 
 no violence can assail him, no trouble reach 
 him, no evil breathe upon him any more. 
 There is nothing deep enough in all God's 
 universe to loosen the foundations of his 
 trust, — nothing strong enough to come in 
 and separate between him and the almighty 
 
THE PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE. 115 
 
 love in which he stands. His " hfe is hid 
 with Christ in God," and tlie hand that 
 would threaten this life must strike through 
 Christ's love and God's omnipotence before 
 it reach it. 
 
 Till all his saints are set in everlasting 
 station there, Christ waits as for the out- 
 shining of his glory and fulfilling of his 
 joy. Till the Father's house is filled with 
 all its guests, the heavenly temple is not 
 graced with all its pillars, nor garnished with 
 all its sacred ornaments. But it will be 
 filled at last. Not one pillar will be want- 
 ing, — not one of his redeemed left behind, 
 — not one jewel of eternity left forgotten in 
 the dust of earth. Every mansion w^ill have 
 its bright inhabitant, and every golden harp 
 its selected minstrel. 
 
 And for this " time of restitution " he 
 waits, while here we serve him with cold 
 hearts and languid endeavors. How do our 
 hands hang down, and our feet falter in the 
 way ! How do we sit desponding in the 
 
116 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 dust, or stand idle in the market-place, or 
 slumber on the watch with dying lamps in 
 our hand, when we should be looking for 
 and hasting unto " him, serving him with a 
 fervent spirit, suffering for him with a patient 
 and joyful mind ! -% 
 
 We are here as " reeds shaken with the 
 wind " and bruised by storms ; but " the 
 bruised reed he will not break ; " and, through 
 his all-sufficient grace, it will grow up into 
 the strength and steadfastness of a " cedar 
 in Lebanon." The progress of the divine 
 life within us may be slow, but " he will 
 bring forth judgment unto victory." Let us 
 abide in him who is " the Author and Fin- 
 isher of our faith." He will not " forsake 
 the work of his own hands." 
 
 "Thy gentleness hath made me great.'* 
 Psalm xviii. 35. 
 
^l)t Inscnpttona on tlje pillar. 
 
 " I will write upon him the name of my God." 
 Rev. iii. 12. 
 
 "FT ERE and there, in the desolate plains 
 and valleys of the Lesser Asia, some 
 moldering columns, amidst heaps of ruin, or 
 lettered marbles, shattered and defaced, point 
 out where a city has perished. These were 
 pillars of stately temples reared to the gods 
 of Olympus, — memorial tablets which Eph- 
 esus, or Sardis, or Philadelphia, had dedi- 
 cated to some prince or citizen. 
 
 The Christian men, to whom the apostle 
 wrote, passed these temples daily, where 
 the white marble dazzled in the sunshine, 
 and the golden letters of these inscriptions 
 flashed in the light. They had read the 
 name of the god or hero to whom each was 
 consecrated, the" name of the city in which 
 
118 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 it was reared, and the name of its founder. 
 These were the men, " in jeopardy every 
 hour," whom Christ encouraged to " fight 
 the good fight," by the promise that they 
 should be*" pillars" in the heavenly temple. 
 His own hand was to place them there, and 
 to grave on them the words of solemn con- 
 secration. 
 
 " I will write upon him the name of my 
 God ! " For it is by his grace they were 
 " called and chosen " and kept " faithful," 
 and to his glory are they standing there for 
 ever. The name of the city of my God 
 which is new Jerusalem," — for this is the 
 place of their spiritual birth and citizenship, 
 — the blessed community into which they 
 are gathered, — the mother-city, and abiding 
 habitation of their souls. They are in it 
 and of it; and " the city which hath founda- 
 tions " would not be complete and faultlessly 
 beautiful in the eyes of its builder, if one of 
 them were not there. 
 
 And lastly, — the name of Him who founds 
 
THE INSCRIPTIONS ON THE PILLAR. 119 
 
 and dedicates the sacred columns, — " I will 
 write upon him my new name." His name 
 was glorious as the everlasting Son of the 
 Father ; but when he stooped from his 
 throne, and wore our flesh, and suffered, and 
 died, the Father highly exalted him, and 
 gave him a name above every name." 
 
 This blessed name, which here they bear 
 and love, will be written visibly hereafter on 
 each of the redeemed. Thus he will claim 
 in them a perpetual possession, and give 
 them assurance of his everlasting love. " I 
 have graven thee on the palms of my hands," 
 he said, in suffering for them ; and now, 
 when they reign with him, it is his own 
 name which he engraves. The name of 
 Jesus is cut deep in each of these living 
 pillars, as in eternal adamant. " God is not 
 ashamed to be called their God." Christ 
 
 is not ashamed to call them brethren." 
 The new Jerusalem " rejoices to be the 
 mother of them all. 
 
 Shall we shrink from confessing that name. 
 
120 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 which is to be the endlessly-repeated sign 
 and cipher of heaven ? Shall we be " asham- 
 ed " of his cross? Here that name should 
 be written on the front of our profession, — 
 a golden title, running along every page of 
 life. Oh that it were not so often hidden 
 beneath the gathering dust and mold of the 
 world, — that its luster did not wax dim and 
 fade in this false and wildering glare ! That 
 we could ever bear it in the strength of 
 quietness and confidence and deep untroub- 
 led joy, — that our hearts could be, like the 
 Grecian mountain, so calm and windless 
 that the letters, traced by the priest in the 
 ashes of the yearly sacrifice, remained un- 
 effaced upon the altar. 
 
 What manner of persons ought we to 
 be," when we think of the rock whence we 
 were hewn, and of the temple wherein we 
 hope to stand? 
 
 They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that 
 day when I make up my jewels." 
 Malachi iii. 17. 
 
utije 0£at on tlje (iLl)roiu 
 
 " To him that overcometli will I grant to sit with me in my 
 
 ERE that glory culminates, which is 
 
 reserved for those who have followed 
 Christ in this temptation. This is the high- 
 est reach, — the fullest growth and flower 
 of their blessedness. Step hy step, he has 
 cheered them on with sweet words of prom- 
 ise ; and now he leads them to his throne, 
 and bids them mount its shinino; stairs, and 
 sit thereon in rest and glory everlasting. A 
 sudden transition of thouo:ht from the atti- 
 tude of standino; and knockini?; at the closed 
 door of the heart (v. 20). There the prom- 
 ise is, that, when we open the door," he 
 will come in " with the blessings of salva- 
 tion. Here it is that we, having thus re- 
 ceived him, and been accepted in the Be- 
 
 throne." — Rev. iii. 21. 
 
122 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 loved," will be led by him through the open 
 door of the Father's house, and presented 
 faultless " before him, and seated with our 
 Lord upon his throne. What appeal could 
 be made to the believino; heart so strong: and 
 tender as this, in which the Saviour stands 
 before us. One with his suffering. One with 
 his glorified people ? What can nerve us to 
 the holy obedience and strenuous warfare of 
 the Christian life, if not the thought of that 
 union whose livino; links Christ's own hand 
 clasps and rivets ? What, if not the assur- 
 ance of that intense sympathy and spiritual 
 communion, which, from the moment it 
 begins on earth, will not cease till it is per- 
 fected in heaven ? In this holy ground, the 
 Saviour has opened the deepest and fullest 
 springs of comfort to his people in this wait- 
 ing-time. We can trace in his last earthly 
 words the recurrence and expansion of this 
 thought, like the coming and going of a 
 sweeter understrain in a grand and solemn 
 melody. 
 
THE SEAT ON THE THRONE. 
 
 123 
 
 It Is, first, a promise of peace, — liis own 
 peace. Peace I leave with you, niy peace 
 I give unto you." Then it is a promise of 
 joy, — his own joy. Tiiat my joy mii^ht 
 remain in you, and that your joy might be 
 fulL" Then, in his dying prayer, his love 
 rises to its spring-tide, and it is a promise of 
 glory, — his own glory. ''The glory which 
 thou gavest me I have given them, that they 
 may be one, even as we are one." 
 
 From the throne on which he sits. Lord 
 of Glory and King of Saints, his eye com- 
 mands the checkered track of each, as it 
 winds through the wilderness, and goes 
 down into the shadow of the valley, and 
 issues bright and straight from death to the 
 gate of heaven, and thence to the throne. 
 He sees each, in his turn, overcoming 
 through grace which he supplies, — each 
 emerging victorious to receive the recom- 
 pense which his grace hath promised. For 
 on that throne he alone sits by right, they 
 by favor. He sits thereon, Head of the 
 
124 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 spiritual body which is exalted in him, — 
 first-born among many brethren," — whom 
 he uplifts to his own honor and blessedness. 
 And angels, those elder brethren of creation, 
 who never left the Father's house, see this 
 exaltation of the younger, who had fallen, 
 without a murmur. They will rejoice in 
 our joy ; and with us, though not like us, 
 adore that love which has closed up all its 
 mysterious passages in this grand result. 
 
 How far off do we stand from the bright- 
 ness of such hopes ! How do the shadows 
 and powers of this evil world darken our 
 spirit and chill our praises ! How do we 
 " see him as not now, and behold him as 
 not nigh ! " What a faint response do we 
 send up to that wondrous prayer that rises 
 within the vail ! There " he abideth faith- 
 ful," and prays that our faith fail not ! 
 
 "It is a faithful saying: If we be dead with him, we 
 shall also live with him ; if we suffer, we 
 shall also reign with him." — 
 2 Tim. ii. 11, 12. 
 
" Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered 
 into the heart of man, the things which God hath pre- 
 pared for them that love him." — 1 Cor. ii. 9. 
 
 ^HINGS which God hath prepared for 
 
 our minds strive to grasp them, and grope, 
 dazzled, through a mist of glory ! What 
 must be the delights and enjoyments, which, 
 slowly as it were, he has gathered into the 
 chambers of his house, — the heaped -up 
 " riches of his glory," — the un wasting re- 
 sources of eternity ! It is " an inheritance 
 reserved in heaven," an expression which 
 implies surpassing splendor and profound 
 concealment. How can we conceive of 
 blessedness so pure and ethereal as that 
 which God " hides in the secret of his pres- 
 ence " ? Our thoughts stumble and falter 
 among the elemental truths which form the 
 
 them that love him 
 
 how vainly do 
 
126 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 lowest step of his throne, — and how can 
 they chmb up to its radiant summits? 
 
 Therefore the hints and foreshadowings 
 given in the holy Word of tlie great happi- 
 ness of heaven, are so often conveyed in 
 negative form. They shall hunger no 
 more, neither thirst any more." " There 
 shall be no more curse." There shall be 
 no night there." There shall be no more 
 death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither 
 shall there be any more pain." " The for- 
 mer things are passed away." We can not 
 reach the positive reality of an infinite joy. 
 Our conceptions are cast into the mold of 
 things around us. We strive, how vainly, 
 to shape the perishing and evanescent forms 
 of Sense into types and similitudes of eter- 
 nal Truth. But far beyond the range of 
 thought, — the sphere of pure imagination, — 
 those thino;s are withdrawn into a remon and 
 element of their own, when it is said, " they 
 have not entered into the heart of man." 
 Yet God hath revealed them to us by 
 
RICHES OF GLORY. 
 
 127 
 
 his Spirit." He has even on earth endued 
 the regenerate nature with some power to 
 discern tlie character of that glory, which, 
 as of spiritual essence, must remain for ever 
 a mystery to the natural mind. And he has 
 inspired it with holy affections to love and 
 long for the enjoyment of that which it 
 dimly sees, with a passionate desire. Only 
 heaven's glory can satisfy these fervent 
 lono:inp:s throu2;h which the heart throbs as 
 if it would break in the utterance: — ''As 
 the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so 
 panteth my soul after thee, O God," — 
 '' Whom have I in heaven but thee, and 
 there is none upon earth that I desire beside 
 thee?" It is only the spiritual mind that 
 can thus ''see the kingdom of God," and be 
 satisfied to build up from such materials the 
 fabric of its eternal hopes. 
 
 Wonderful grace, that mortal eye should 
 ever have seen the faintest vision of this 
 glory afar off, — as the beloved disciple, 
 wdien the bright foundations and crystal 
 
128 
 
 THE CELESTIAL CITY. 
 
 battlements and golden streets of the heav- 
 enly city shut out the brown sea -beaten 
 rocks of Patmos from his view. But p:race 
 more wonderful, that hope should ever have 
 come to one who has felt the weisfht and 
 bitterness of sin, that he should go up into 
 it as the city of his habitation, and walk 
 amongst its happy citizens, and go out no 
 more ! 
 
 That Lord's-day " in Patmos was much 
 to be remembered. The Apocalypse is the 
 record of its holy hours. ' But how much 
 more glorious the open vision of that never- 
 ending Sabbath which remaineth for the 
 people of God." What an Apocalypse will 
 that be, in which the glorified sjjirit records 
 its experiences of eternity ! 
 
 " 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." 
 Rev. xxii. 14. 
 
 XX 
 XX 
 
 m LIBRARY OF THE 
 MAY 1 a 1933 
 
 UNlVtivSUY Of