Earlier text: General ArticlesWHEN Christiana was in the house of the Interpreter, she saw in one of the rooms "a man that could look no way but downwards, with a muck-rake in his hand. There stood also One over his head with a celestial crown in his hand, and proffered him that crown for his muck-rake; but the man did neither look up nor regard, but raked to himself the straws, the small sticks, and the dust of the floor." When the meaning of this figure had been explained to her, "then said Christiana, 'Oh, deliver me from this muck-rake!' That prayer, said the Interpreter, has lain by till it is almost rusty. . . . Straws, and sticks, and dust, with most, are the great things now looked after." That rusty old prayer is worth taking out and oiling up for fresh use in these days,—Lord, deliver us from the muck-rake! This muck-rake using, in preference to crown-seeking, has its illustrations in the things exclusively of this life, quite as clearly as in the things of earth in contrast with those of Heaven. It is not alone the man who lives for money, or for pleasure, or for station, or for fame, forgetful of his spiritual needs and possibilities, who may be said to look downwards, instead of upwards, and to give more prominence to a muck-rake than to a shining crown. Many a man loses the best things of his immediate sphere of earthly endeavor by just such folly as this; and it is in matters of every-day duty and pursuit that all of us have reason to pray, Deliver us from this muck-rake! Even in money-getting itself, many a man misses the crown by too close attention to the rake. It is less than a half-truth to say, "Take care of the pence; and the pounds will take care of themselves." The absurdity of that adage was shown in one of the comic periodicals, by the picture of a banker sitting at his desk in a draught of air, intent on holding his loose pennies while the wind was blowing away all his bank-notes. Pennies must often be counted as straws or dust by him who is after the pounds. He who can "look no way but downwards," and who expects to gather his treasure from "the straws, the small sticks, and dust of the floor," will never gain the crown of pre-eminence as a man of wealth or of business capacity. The power of letting the muck-rake alone, of being above absorbed occupation with minor and unimportant details, is indispensable to successful crown-seeking in all extensive business operations. This truth is hardly less applicable to small spheres than to great ones. There may be such a thing as too much attention to scrubbing and sweeping in a household, in comparison with the higher welfare of the family. It may be the mother's duty to leave straws and sticks ungathered from the floor, instead of turning to this service from a sick child's bedside, with its crown of reward to a mother's faithfulness there. Many of the great missionary and philanthropic enterprises of the day fail of their best attainable results because of the muck-rake policy which prevails in all their management—from the employment of their representative agents to the scale of their outreaching undertakings. They are more intent on saving straws than on spending freely for the crown. "The liberal deviseth liberal things; and by liberal things shall he stand." And the eye of the liberal looks upwards at the crown, rather than downward at the muck-rake. It is not less true in the pursuit of pleasure than in that of gain, that the muck-rake is a common hindrance to crown-winning. There are summer tourists who so intent on the lesser aids to comfort, or taste, or convenience that they miss utterly the larger results of their journeying. The straws of a good seat, or of sufficient shade, or of dry walking, or of freedom from dust, or of the possibility of full dress, so absorb their attention, that they fail of getting fine views of the mountain, or of the ocean, or of the prairie, or of the forest; or of enjoying those views if they get them. And there is quite as much danger in-doors as out, in this direction. Trying to be always cool, or always warm, always free from flies, or always with just enough light; trying never to be off dignity in a romp with the children; and never to be too natural or familiar with visiting acquaintances,—will keep one's eyes downwards, and away from the crown. Whether we stay at home or go abroad, even if we have no desire above that of solid enjoyment for the hour, we have need to pray, Lord, deliver us from this muck-rake! Peculiarly is it true that in the seeking of reputation and honor, the muck-rake is a peril to any man. If we are looking downwards, and gathering the straws and small sticks and dust of contemporary criticism, we can never win the crown that awaits those who are looking upwards and moving forwards. If we would please those of our own day, those immediately about us, we must necessarily adapt our words and works to their standard; and by that very course shut ourselves off from reforming our fellows, or of improving their standards. But if we would have high repute in the future, as reformers, or discoverers, or advanced thinkers, it is inevitable that we now leave the straws of popular applause, or the sticks and dust of popular censure, for some one to gather who prefers the acquisitions of the muck-rake to the reward of the shining crown. Here is the difference between the time-serving politician and the large-minded statesman; between the man who writes or speaks to carry the crowd, and the writer or speaker of profound convictions and of ennobled purpose. Here is the difference between the artist who paints or who chisels for immortality, and the man who covers the canvas or cuts the marble to meet the market, and to win ephemeral praise. If a man had no thought of reward, or of honor, or of desired attainment, beyond the life that now is, and from his fellow-men, his cry ought to be, Lord, deliver me from this muck-rake! Even when we have recognized the superior worth of the shining crown, in comparison with the straws, and small sticks, and dust of the floor, and have set ourselves to strive for that crown, it requires courage and determination and grace, to let alone the muck-rake and its accumulations. We are tempted continually to turn from the crown that we may scratch with the rake. When we ought to be writing or teaching, or studying, or painting, or sewing, or visiting, in the line of our mission, and for the good of others, we find ourselves all absorbed in worrying over the fear that we blundered or bungled in our last interview with a friend; in thinking over some unkind word that was said of us, or to us; in analyzing the possible cause of the seeming coldness or estrangement of an acquaintance; in wondering how we came to make such a mistake as now stands out in our memory; in distorting and magnifying the difficulties of success in the work that is before us; and in other ways giving the first place in our thoughts to that which is unworthy of any place there. Meantime, the sermon is unfinished, the magazine article is unwritten, the lesson is unstudied, the child is neglected or poorly taught, the gift for a friend or the adornment of a room is incomplete, the money we might have earned is lost, the service we owed is unpaid, the sick or the needy, representative of Christ is unvisited, the impenitent sinner is unwarned,—all because of bending down over the floor, busy with the muck-rake, when our eyes ought to have been uplifted to the shining crown, and our whole soul absorbed in its winning, or absorbed in the work for which that crown is the reward. Ah! it is while we are avowedly crown-seeking, as well as before we had a sight or a thought of the crown, that our prayer needs to be, Lord, deliver us from the muck-rake! Lord, deliver us from the muck-rake! But, after all, it is chiefly in the light in which Bunyan looked at this figure, that the life of the man with the muck-rake ought to be an object of dread to us. "This is a figure of a man of this world," says the Dreamer, "and his muck-rake doth show his carnal mind. And whereas thou seest him rather give heed to rake up straws, and sticks, and the dust of the floor, than to do what He says that calls to him from above, with the celestial crown in his hand; it is to show that Heaven is but a fable to some, and that things here are counted the only things substantial. Now, whereas it was also showed thee that the man could know that earthly things, when they are with power upon men's minds, quite carry their hearts away from God." The crown and the muck-rake are in competition in this life. If we would devote ourselves to the one, we must pray against the other. Unless we determinedly look upwards, we shall look downwards. We must be absorbed in contemplation of that which is worth living for, and worth dying for, or we are likely to be absorbed in that which has no value to us whether we live or die. Paul recognized this truth long before Bunyan did. He gave up the muck-rake and all it had brought to him, in exchange for the proffered crown. "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things." And rejoicing in his exchange, at the end of his course, Paul said, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but to all them also that love his appearing." Which is it that has your chief attention—the crown or the muck-rake?—Sunday-School Times. "THE GREATEST MARRIAGE."
By D. A. Robinson
THESE words greeted my ears as a company entered a car in which I was recently riding: "The greatest marriage ever held in G—. I never saw so large a company to a wedding before; and then they were so gorgeously arrayed too. It was perfectly splendid, wasn't it? I am so glad that I was invited." The above words brought to my mind another scene—the marriage of which John in Apocalyptic vision speaks in these soul-inspiring words: "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." To this marriage were invited the rich; to that will be invited the poor of this world, but "rich in faith." To this were invited those in high positions among men; to that will be invited those who, like their Master, were "despised and rejected of men." It was thought to be a privilege to be invited to this, but the pleasure soon vanished. Let us turn our eyes to the other scene. "The bride hath made herself ready." "To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white." The guests are invited, not according to their rank or position in society, but according to their characters. Every one whose character is right will be there. The fine linen is the righteousness, or right doing, of the saints.377 Our works correspond to the condition of the heart. Then what will make our works right? "The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul." Ps. 19:7. This perfect law written in the heart, which is to be done under the new covenant, will develop a perfect character. The pleasure and enjoyment connected with this scene will not be transitory, but "forevermore." "Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb;" and "blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God." These blessings will be obtained by somebody. Will it be you, dear reader, that will fully overcome and help swell the notes in the triumphant song of victory at last? It is your privilege. It is mine. Then let us nerve ourselves for the conflict; for, through the name of the Conqueror, we can gain a place at the marriage supper. And think of the company that will be there. The patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, whom death has separated, will all then meet never to know again what separation is. We may be there. We must be there. Let us prepare for it. INFIDELITY VS. CHRISTIANITY.
By J. D. Rice
DEAR READER: Do you believe in the existence of a God? Have you ever examined the evidences in favor of the inspiration of the Scriptures? Have you ever thought that the Bible may be true, and if it is the revealed will of God unto us, to know and obey its teachings is certainly worth more than all things else? What does a man gain by opposing Christianity even in this present life? Is a man happier for being a murderer? Do you think a thief enjoys life any better than an honest man? See that drunkard, a slave to his appetite! Is his condition preferable to that of a temperate man? Is licentiousness better than chastity? or a lie preferable to the truth? Men often say, "We believe in morality, but not in Christianity." Now what is Christianity but morality? If you oppose the one, you do the other. Every good principle taught by infidels is so much borrowed from the Christian's code. One of the most common arguments used by unbelievers against those who believe, in justification of their own course, is the failure of professors to live up to the standard of their profession. Thus by condemning the man they confess the doctrine to be better than the practice. What unbeliever has not often pointed to the great sin of David, as though that would justify him in doing the same thing. There are many who counterfeit religion; that is, pretend to be Christians while they are not; but did you ever know a man to pretend to be an unbeliever and at the same time be a Christian? Of course not. Men do not counterfeit Infidelity for the same reason that they do not counterfeit copper coin. The genuine itself lacks in value. But does any one refuse good money because there may be a worthless imitation of it in circulation? So, do not refuse true Christianity because there is so much of the spurious in circulation. There is no reason why a man should refrain from business because so many have made failures in all branches of industry. And yet how many point to the failure of some professing Christian and say, "There is nothing in religion, see what this man has done." Dear reader, there is a reality in the religion of Jesus. The Bible is the word of God, and we will be held accountable for our course in life. J. D. RICE. ABOUT TALENTS.
By W. N. Glenn
How often we fail to grasp the import of plainly expressed language in the Scriptures. Simple expressions elsewhere are not so commonly misconstrued. Verily, spiritual things are spiritually discerned. Matthew records a parable of our Saviour in these words: "For the kingdom of Heaven is as a man traveling into a far country, who called his own servants and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to every man according to his ability; and straightway took his journey," etc. All through life I have heard Christians speak of these talents as natural qualifications or ability—particularly the ability to talk or write well. How common it is for those who have a good supply of worldly goods, or are placed amidst opportunities for doing good in many humble ways, to excuse themselves from active service on the ground that they have no talents. And many apparently deem it a mark of humility or modesty to claim for themselves only one talent, while it is a very general excuse for omission of duty. I confess that I have in the past fallen into this almost universal misconception of the idea conveyed by the plain language of the parable. Recently this matter has appeared to me in a different light, and I have noticed more particularly the exact words of the record. "He delivered unto them his goods"—not something they possessed of their own. Their natural or acquired ability or qualifications did not constitute the trust which they were to use and render an account of at his coming; but he "gave to every man according to his several ability." He gave them capital to work with. Now capital is not always money, or goods, or real estate, or tangible articles of any kind; but it is that which has value, out of which capital can be made or results produced. Opportunities or privileges have often great value, and agencies, contracts, or the right to engage in certain profitable enterprises, although involving no pecuniary outlay, often attain great monetary value, and consequently amount to so much capital. It seems to me that upon this principle the Lord gives talents to his servants according to their ability, and that we must not measure what he has intrusted to us by a modest reference to our conscious weakness or unworthiness, or backwardness or inexperience. The Lord is the best judge of our ability, and dispenses responsibilities accordingly. It is not for us to indolently bewail our incapacity to operate with the Lord's capital, but to look around and see how much he has left in our charge, and how much we will have to account for when he returns to the reckoning, and go to work. That which we choose to call inability, might often more properly be termed indisposition, or lack of reliance upon God. If he has given us money or other property, it is evidence that the ability with help from him is there to make it count for the benefit of his cause. If he has given us agencies to work in his cause in any particular sphere, where we can operate without money, it is evidence that he deemed us capable, and if there are failures the fault will be ours. If he has given us opportunities and privileges to voluntarily take up duties within our reach, and we carelessly let them pass unimproved, he will surely require it at our hands. It occurs to me that many talents have been buried in the past by a misconception of the parable of the talents, and the low estimates that have been placed upon the Lord's goods. THERE is a class of people in this world—by no means small—whose prominent peculiarity is whining. They whine because they are poor; or, if rich, because they have no health to enjoy their riches; they whine because it is too shiny; they whine because they have no luck, and others' prosperity exceeds theirs; they whine because some friends have died and they are living; they whine because they have aches and pains, and they whine no one can tell why. Now a word to these whining persons. First, stop whining; it's no use, this everlasting complaining, fretting, fault-finding, and whining. Why, you are the most deluded set of creatures that ever lived. Do you know that it is a well settled principle of physiology and common sense that these habits are more exhausting to nervous vitality than almost any other violation of physiological law? And do you know that life is pretty much as you make it? You can make it bright and sunshiny, or you can make it dark and shadowy. This life is only meant to discipline us—to fit us for a higher and purer state of being. Then stop whining and fretting, and go on your way rejoicing. A GOOD illustration of the manner in which many Americans recognize while pretending to ignore social conditions in religious matters, says a Springfield paper, is afforded by the story of one of our former church sextons. At a brilliant church wedding one of the ushers showed some very worthy, but socially obscure people, into good seats in the middle aisle. As soon as the pompous sexton discovered it he hastened to the usher and exclaimed, "Did you give the ——s that seat?" "Yes." "What on earth did you do that for? Did you not know that they were only side-aisle trash?" CHILDREN IN FAMILY WORSHIP.
We were all assembled for prayers in the evening. Even little Edith was there, although, during the reading of the chapter, she was busy nestling herself on the lounge for a nap. When the reading was concluded, her father, looking that way, and no doubt perceiving her intention, said:— "Edie, don't you want to sing 'There is a Happy Land?'" In an instant she sat upright, and the dear blue eyes were wide open as she answered:— "Well, then, you must sit up and help us." But without waiting for mamma to start it she began singing, her little childish voice leaping from word to word, until the whole of the beautiful hymn was sung. As those sweet words left her lips, Bright in that happy land
Beams every eye, it seemed as though her little eyes fairly danced and sparkled with delight. Mamma turned to look, thinking, no doubt, there must be an added luster. The round, rosy face turned itself up to her to meet the loving glance. But the brave, true voice never faltered. Oh, how the child loves to sing! And how pleased she is when papa selects something she knows, as "Happy Land," or "Little Travelers Zionward,"—something that she can understand, and feel they were written just for little folks like her. The little ones in the household are overlooked too much in this respect. If they could feel that these are indeed family prayers they would prepare their little hearts to enjoy them. Just as they do by looking forward with pleasure from week to week to their dear Sabbath-school, where the lesson, the pictures, the stories, and even the sweet, precious hymns, are all their own. I wonder, too, if the little ones could not always stay awake for prayers, if we that are older would remember to let them have some part in it. As for me, I feel so glad and happy to-night to think that in our song of praise there was fulfilled the prophecy which saith, "A little child shall lead them."—S. S. Times. ATTENTION is an act of the will. We can all be attentive, or at least more attentive than we are, if we wish to be so. The degree of attention we pay, therefore, depends on our own disposition to attend. This shows us that the matter, after all, is very largely one of discipline, and that, all other things being equal, that teacher will win most attention who has most personal influence, and who is looked up to with the greatest respect. Is there any one of you whom the children are accustomed to treat with disrespect? Do any of you find your commands disobeyed, and your look of reproof disregarded? Ask yourself whether your own behavior is uniform and dignified; whether you ever give commands without seeing that they are obeyed; whether you waste your words or your influence in an injudicious way; whether there is anything in your conduct that reveals to the children a want of punctuality, or of earnestness, or of steadiness on your part. There can be no thorough attention unless you accustom yourself to have perfect order, and therefore every step you can take to secure better discipline, and to gain more influence over the minds of the children, will indirectly tell upon the degree of attention you will obtain in teaching. Nor forget that attention is a habit, and subject to the same laws which regulate all other habits. Every time we listen languidly to an address, or read a book carelessly, the habit of inattention becomes strengthened, and it becomes less and less possible for us ever to become clear thinkers or steady reasoners. If a boy is allowed to be unpunctual, to miscall words without being compelled to go back and correct himself, to read how he likes, to answer when he likes, to sit down when he is told to stand, to repeat tasks inaccurately, and to give a half-hearted attention to the minor rules of the school, of course, he will give half-hearted attention to the teaching. It would be wonderful if he did not. Try to feel with the children, to understand their natures, and to discern what is going on in their minds. Do not half the faults of our teaching arise from a want of thorough acquaintance with the little ones, and a want of true insight into their mental and moral nature? Does not this lie at the root of much of the inattention of which we complain? The truth is, that a good teacher ought not only to possess that sympathy which makes him feel for a child, and love him, and try to do him good; but the sympathy which feels with him, which makes due allowance for his imperfectly developed nature, and which thoroughly comprehends his character and wants. He is always the wisest teacher who can combine the man's intellect and the child's heart; who contrives to keep fresh in his memory the knowledge of what he once was, and what a child's wants, and a child's likes and dislikes, and a child's infirmities really are. A really earnest and loving Christian teacher will be very careful not to set up a man's standard to measure a child by; he will always ask himself, when preparing or giving a lesson, not, "What will it seem proper for me to say?" but, "What is the thing best adapted for these children to hear?" He will cultivate an intimate acquaintance with childhood, and all its little whims and follies. He will ask God daily to enlarge his own heart, and to make him sympathize with every form of childish weakness, except sin; and he will lay to heart the secret meaning of the solemn warning which our Saviour addressed to his disciples: "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones." I think that such a teacher will not want any one to give him rules for sustaining the interest of his class, because he will have got hold of the principle which will enable him to devise rules for himself. Such a teacher will be sure to win attention, and when he has won it, will be likely to keep it.—S. S. Hand-Book. The more people do, the more they can do. He that does nothing, renders himself incapable of doing anything. Truth: for as it is written in the holy writings, "He that hath and adds to, shall have much, and he that hath and adds not to, shall have taken from him even that which he hath." These, or similar words, having the same meaning, are Jesus Christ's. CHRIST AT THE FALL OF JERICHO.
By James White
THE record states that Joshua was by Jericho, and that "he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand. And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." Josh. 5:13, 14. We must not understand by this declaration of the angel that he had come to supersede Joshua in the command of the armies of Israel. Joshua was commander, as is seen by Chap. 6:2: "And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the King thereof, and the mighty men of valor." But the angel had come to Joshua's aid, as captain of the heavenly host of loyal angels. The captain of the host of the Lord is the head over angels, or the Archangel of Jude 9, and the Lord himself of 1 Thess. 4:16. And while it was appointed to Joshua to lead the armies of Israel around Jericho, a portion of the priests bearing the ark of God containing the ten commandments, and seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of God, the Son of God was to lead on the invisible armies. As archbishop is the head over bishops, so Archangel means the head over angels. Christ stands at the head of all the holy angels, and thus he is the captain of the host of the Lord. Joshua had no battering rams by which to break down the walls of Jericho. At his command "the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets." In this simple display there was no manifestation of physical force. The work of casting down the massive walls of Jericho was left to the invisible hands of the heavenly host, led on by the Son of God. The day was gained. "So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it came to pass when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat so that the people went up into the city every man straight before him, and they took the city." Josh. 6:20. And it is an exceedingly interesting fact to those who keep "the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" under the third message, Rev. 14:12, that prominent among the united agencies employed to achieve that grand victory, away back in the days of Joshua, were the ten commandments in the ark, and the leadership of the Son of God. J. W. SYNOPSIS OF THE PRESENT TRUTH.
By Uriah Smith
NUMBER TWENTY-NINE. THE MARRIAGE OF THE LAMB. (CONTINUED.)
WE know of but two positions taken on the question, Who is the bride? One is that it is the church; the other, that it is Jerusalem above. As we seek for information concerning it, the mind naturally turns to the testimony of John in Rev. 21. “And there came to me,” says he, “one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” The angel made a positive declaration to John that he would show him the bride, the Lamb’s wife. The only thing he did show him was the great city, the holy Jerusalem. Now did the angel fulfill his promise? None will have the hardihood to contend that he did not. Then the city, whatever that may be, is called by the angel, the bride, the Lamb’s wife. There is therefore only one way in which those who hold the church to be the bride can make their position appear; and that is, to show us that the great city, the Jerusalem above, of which John speaks, is the church. But this cannot be shown conformably to that plain and literal mode of interpretation to which the Bible is entitled. And how can the language which John applies to the city, possibly be made applicable to the church? If the church and the city of Rev. 21, are the same thing, the former may be substituted for the latter. Verses 12-16, will then read as follows: And the church “had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east, three gates; on the north, three gates; on the south, three gates; and on the west, three gates. And the wall of the church had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. And he that talked with me, had a golden reed to measure the church, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the church lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth; and he measured the church with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length, and the breadth, and the hight of it are equal.” It will be sufficient to add that any view which would transform the language of scripture into such nonsense, is inadmissible. But it will be asked if Isaiah does not call the church the bride; if it is not in reference to the church that the Lord speaks by the prophet, “For thy Maker is thy husband, the Lord of hosts is his name.” Isa. 54:4. A reference to Paul’s commentary on this passage, is in our reply. It is found in Gal. 4, under his contrast of the two covenants. He says, “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.” Verse 26. He then proceeds to support his declaration by a direct appeal to the Scriptures: “For it is written,” says he, “Rejoice thou barren that bearest not,” etc. For it is written. Where is it written? In Isa. 54, and there only: the very chapter now in hand. Then Paul applies Isa. 54, not to the church, but to the Jerusalem above. We think we are as safe in taking his application, as we should be in adopting that of any modern and uninspired commentator. But does Paul mean the church when he says Jerusalem? No; for he speaks of the church in contradistinction, as the children. “But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all” (the church). Jer. 3:14; 31:32; Eze. 16:8; Hos. 2:18, 20; John 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23-33, may be supposed by some to teach an opposite doctrine. One fact kept steadily in view, will give us the true bearing of all these texts. We must remember that the marriage of the Lamb is a definite event to take place at the end, and nowhere else. That the union between Christ and his people is illustrated by the marriage covenant and the union between man and wife, we readily admit: But Christ has had a church in all ages; and we inquire in reference to the first four texts quoted, Has the marriage of the Lamb been going on for about six thousand years? And on John 3:29, we inquire again, Did the marriage of the Lamb take place, or had it taken place, when our Lord was upon earth? And further, in regard to 2 Cor. 11:2, Was the marriage of the Lamb consummated by Paul in Corinth? Such questioning as this, instituted in regard to these texts, or any of their kind, place them at once in their true light; for although in each of these instances the figure of marriage may be used to illustrate the union between Christ and his people, it shows us that they have no reference whatever to the marriage of the Lamb, and consequently have no bearing on the question as to who or what constitutes the bride, the Lamb’s wife, in that particular event. But there are further considerations on this point. If the church is the bride, who are the guests? “Blessed are they who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb,” is the testimony of the angel. Rev. 19:9. It would be singular indeed to represent the bride as an invited guest at her own marriage supper! Again, if the church is the bride, and is represented by the city in Rev. 21, who are the nations of the saved who are to walk in the light of it? for, says the angel, speaking of the city, which he calls the bride, the Lamb’s wife, “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.” Verse 24. Certainly, those who walk in the light of the city, must be distinct from the city itself. Again, Christ is represented as the Father of his people (Isa. 9:6); but if the church is the bride, who are the children? The bride, the mother, and the children, cannot be identical. From the testimony adduced, though it is by no means exhausted, we see that the church cannot be the bride. We must then look to the holy city, the New Jerusalem, which the angel plainly calls the bride, and which Paul says is the mother of us all. But here many are ready to meet us with ridicule. What! say they, the city the bride? and Christ married to a mass of inert matter, to the walls and buildings and foundations of a great city? Well, we know not how gross their ideas of the marriage of the Lamb may be. But if we are to particularize, how much better, or how much freer from absurdity, is the view that the bride is an innumerable number of subjects? Those who hold it thus, will be obliged to confess, that the marriage is only indicative of a special union that takes place between Christ and some other object. No one will attempt to carry it any further. We only ask an equal privilege. And the objects between which this union takes place, are Christ and his kingdom. When Christ ascended, he took his station on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Heb. 8:1); or, in other words, upon the throne of his Father, where he has been ruling conjointly with him. Rev. 3:21. But he is promised the throne of his Father David, or his own throne; and when he takes this throne and commences his reign thereon, of his kingdom there will be no end. Luke 1:32; Isa. 9:7. This reception of the kingdom is what is brought to view in Dan. 7:13, 14; and its chronology is shown by the place it occupies in the vision of that chapter. With his throne he will of course receive the metropolis of his kingdom, the holy city, the New Jerusalem. Here is the glorious beginning of his reign. How appropriate that it should be represented as the bride. The earth,379 the territory of the kingdom, has after this to be renewed from the curse, and purged from sinners. And that this is accomplished after he receives the kingdom, is evident from the fact that when he comes for the accomplishment of this work, he has on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords. Rev. 19:15. Then you believe, says one, that the marriage of the Lamb has taken place? No; but we believe that he went in to the marriage, on the change of his ministration from the holy to the most holy of the heavenly sanctuary, when he was brought by his angelic attendants near before the Ancient of Days, to receive a kingdom, glory and dominion. The marriage takes place, or he ascends his own throne, of course at the end of his ministration, when he lays off his priestly habit for a kingly robe. Truth is always harmonious. So in the subject before us; We have Christ, the everlasting Father of his people (Isa. 9:6), we have the New Jerusalem above, the bride, the Lamb’s wife, the mother of us all (Rev. 21; Gal. 4:26), and we have the church, the guests, those who are called to the marriage supper, the nations of the saved who will walk in the city’s light. Luke 12:37; 19:9; 21:24. Thus another momentous event is shown to be in process of consummation. Our Lord has gone in to the marriage. Matt. 25:10. The work is going forward. Are our loins girded about, and our lights burning? Are we like men in waiting for their Lord when he shall return from the wedding? Blessed are those servants whom their Lord when he cometh, shall find so doing. U. S.