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from even looking on it. They could not face the conditions of the redemption. They could not even look upon them. But when the true Redeemer appeared, and was weighed in this balance, he was not found wanting. But being found, in all respects, able to redeem, he received the book, and the heavenly host celebrated the mighty and glorious work which he had accomplished. The church sung Him Redeemer of the earth; the angels sung Him Possessor of the seven-fold powers of nature, and every creature brought him coequal worship with Him that sitteth upon the throne. Then begins the act of opening its contents. And being opened, it reveals no knowledge; but it reveals action; which action is, as we shall see, the act of delivering the inheritance from its usurpers, and obtaining possession of it for its rightful possessors. Now, the question is, Who are its rightful possessors? When man had forfeited his right to it-man, for whom it was made,—who shall possess it. If another being than man possesseth it, God's purpose in creation is frustrated, and his end is defeated, which may not for a moment be imagined. The answer to the question, Who shall possess it? is given in the xxiv th Psalm, where this very question, "Who shall ascend into the hill of God, or who shall stand in his holy place?" being proposed, the answer is (vers. 4, 5), " He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation." And in the next verse they become a generation," the generation that seek the face of Jacob;' which is the name of Christ in his humility, as Israel (Isai. xlix. 3) is the name for his glory. He was Jacob the Supplanter, who, during his flesh, did supplant the present possessor of the inheritance, which is Satan; and having by the eternal Spirit presented himself without spot in the sight of God, he received that righteousness from the God of his salvation, and bestows it upon a generation, the generation of those who seek his face, and are not ashamed of his flesh; according as it is written, "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John i. 12). This chosen race being completed, behold he comes (vers. 7—26) along with them as the Lord of hosts, and summons the temple of Mount Sion, which is the citadel of creation,

and the palace of the great King. Righteousness, therefore, perfect and complete, is the condition unto the obtaining of the inheritance, and God's purpose hath in nothing changed. Man, while he was holy, had the inheritance; when he sinned, he lost it, and became a bond-slave of the devil, had the mortification and misery to see his inheritance pass over to the devil; and he himself become a bondsman upon it, a hewer of wood and drawer of water on that inheritance, of which he was heretofore the only sovereign lord. But another man comes, the Son of man, who by perfect righteousness repossesseth himself of that inheritance which man did forfeit; and this vision is the trial of his claim, and the attestation of his right, in the face of all creation.

Now this explaineth the reason why the book of the inheritance should be in the right hand of Him that sitteth on the throne, because it is his by right of creation. Sin does not destroy any of his works, nor does it cancel any of his rights. The usurpation of the devil did not constitute a right. The right remained with God, till He should come whose right it is, the Seed of the woman who should bruise the serpent's head.-It is in his right hand, secondly, to denote that it is the great subject of the transaction of this vision. The rainbow, symbol of the indestructible earth, is round the throne, the sevensealed book, the title-deeds of the earth, is in his right hand, and the opening of the book is the subject of the proclamation; and when the Lamb possesses it, that they shall reign upon the earth is the burden of the song of the redeemed, and when the seals have been completely opened, the oppressors and destroyers of the earth, and Satan, the head of them all, are cast out, and the Lamb with his redeemed ones reign thereon. Who can doubt, then, that the redemption of the earth is the one great subject of the sealed book, even the restoration of the church to her inheritance.-A third reason for which it is in his right hand is, that no one who is not perfectly holy may go and take it. The place which it occupies, is the place, at once, of perfect holiness and of omnipotent power. It is within the region of the seven burning lamps, with whose purification every thing must be purged, before it can come into the presence of the great King; in whose presence the book being lodged, is token to me that

the book is a thing of perfect holiness, that it is the testament of a holy creation, and that no one but a perfectly holy person may dare to go near and take hold upon it. Now this is one thing, among others, wherefore the book of the Old Testament was laid up in the most holy place, in the right side of the ark, whereby it was signified, that this testament also was perfectly holy, that perfect holiness was its condition. Now, as we have said above, that book of the Old Testament was the titledeed of Canaan's land; which land of Canaan, with Jerusalem and its temple, is, throughout all Scripture, the type of the redeemed earth with the New Jerusalem which cometh down from heaven. And so the book of the law, on the right hand of the glory in the most holy place, is the type of this book sealed with seven seals, which is in the right hand of the same glory now dwelling in a glorified body. Inasmuch as the Lamb slain was a Jew, the Lion of Judah's tribe, he, by keeping the law, first and second table, becomes the rightful owner of Canaan's land. Inasmuch as he was Man, the Seed of the woman, who conquered the devil and death, he became rightful heir of the forfeited inheritance. And so much have I to say upon the subject of the sealed book, from which we now proceed to

THE PROCLAMATION.

Ver. 2: "And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?"-I know not how often the conviction comes across my mind, while meditating on the structure and interpretation of this book, that the forms of Christian society have a strong analogy with these visions; and I can also see therein the sources of almost all the superstitions peculiar to Christendom. The idea of bearers, or supporters, in heraldry, answereth to the four living creatures which upbear and support the throne of God, and the forms of chivalry also come in to illustrate the vision before us. The prize of battle is placed in the hands. of some one worthy for beauty and for virtue to hold it; then the herald proclaims aloud the challenge to the conflict, and whosoever dares to do battle comes forth into the lists. And with respect to the offices and customs of the kingdom, and the customs, yea even superstitions, connected with marriage, I can see in them all, a won

derful harmony with the language and machinery of this book. If I err not, there was some custom in the Jewish synagogue connected with the giving and receiving of the book of the law into the hands of the reader, which was parallel with the action we are now proceeding to interpret. The object and intention of which is, to signify that there was perfect liberty, at all times, for any one who could, to come forward and possess the book; that the redemption of the inheritance was, at all times, open to any one who could undertake it. Therefore the strong angel proclaimeth, with a loud voice, "Who is able to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" The Apostle John saw this action proceeding, anterior to the coming forth of the Lamb to undertake the onerous task. This priority in the vision doth signify that there was no foreclosure of the mortgage, so to speak, no cutting off of the right of redemption, until Christ should come; but that any son of man was at liberty, if he could satisfy the conditions, to gain back for mankind, that which for mankind was created, and which, by the act of one man, had been forfeited, and, by the act of one man, was to be won back again. If any man, of Adam's loins descended, could have fulfilled that righteousness which Adam failed in, could have given perfect obedience to God's commandment; if to this he could have added the victory over death, and the breaking up of the dungeon of the grave; that man, having vanquished the devil, would have been the Redeemer of the world, and of the race, from the devil's hand. These things no man could accomplish; no, not even to redeem his own life that he should not see corruption. Nevertheless it was necessary that the attempt should be left open for all, in order that all mankind might be taught, that their loss, and their inability to regain what they had lost, was not of the Creator's bringing on, but of the creature's own inbred wickedness: and thus the responsibility of man unto God for that holy image and likeness of himself in which God had created him, body and soul, as also for that inheritance over which he had constituted him lord, was kept up, while the weakness and wickedness into which human nature had come, was revealed. But while the thing signified by this proclamation of the strong angel, with the loud voice, was going on in the communications of God to mankind, and

in his dealings with this world, by laws of righteousness and judgments of wickedness, there was, at the same time, intwined therewith a promise and a hope that a man would one day come who should be able to accomplish the onerous work; to the end that, all other men having been proved null and void, this man might be proved to be more than man; yea, to the end that every creature (for the proclamation is not to men only but to every creature) being negatived, the man who accomplished perfect righteousness in fallen nature, and resurrection from the corruption. of the grave, might be known to be, not only greater than man, but greater than a creature, and consequently the Creator himself, in some way or other sustaining the creature, and acting in, and by, and with, the creature's powers. Moreover, such an interlineation of the righteous law with the hopeful promise was necessary, in order that the hope of redemption might not sink flat into the grave; and that dependence upon, and desire for, a Redeemer might take possession of the world's heart. Now this proclamation by the strong angel, with a voice which penetrated the upper, and the nether, and the middle regions of creation, did at least tell of redemption, and keep up the memory that Satan is but an usurper. Though no one was able to take up the dreadful challenge, the lists were kept open, and the good will and purpose of the Governor to bring the matter to arbitrement of fair conflict, was continually signified; whereby God's favour to mankind was continually expressed, yea, and his desire that they should be reinstated was declared, while his own undeviating justice and rectitude, his unchangeable laws in respect of mankind, and their inheritance were gloriously displayed. He said evermore,‹ Your father has lost for you, that which for you I designed: he lost it by violating his fealty to me, and yielding his homage to an enemy of mine, who hath laid over you the chains of his captivity, and you are bondsmen. But come one, come all, join hand in hand, levy war against the enemy, or find some champion who single handed will enter the lists against him, and cast him out again; and I will see the conflict and judge of the issue, and rejoice in that the usurper is cast out. This good will of God to our race, this pity of God, this desire, on his part, to see us righted, is the very basis of the work of redemption;

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