tion through the imputed merits of Christ, for some fancied atonement of his own providing some imaginary means of propitiation peculiar to his earthly system. Such an error must be indeed a root of bitterness; and the teacher of such an error must prove a root of bitterness to the community, whose views of faith are defiled or made common by the influence of his doctrines. Esau is a symbol of those who lightly esteem the rock of their salvation— who, in going about to establish their own righteousness, become in a spiritual sense fornicators, (whoremongers,) or profane persons. Correspond ing with this, we suppose, apocalyptically, doctrines, or elements of doctrine, inconsistent with an entire dependence upon an identity with Christ, to be alluded to under the epithet of which we have been treating.

§ 478. 'Sorcerers,' (qaquaxós,)—preparers of drugs; opposites of the true Physician, ($ 225.) The harlot system was particularly chargeable with the crime of sorcery, (§ 418,) and, perhaps, the principles here represented are those emanating from that system-principles of doctrine, to which the prophet gives the appellation of sons of the sorceress, (Is. lvii. 3.) We have already enlarged sufficiently, perhaps, upon the term; the more so as, in the present day, there is hardly a hazard of its being construed here in an ordinary or literal sense. These sorcerers profess to furnish some other remedy for the diseases of the soul than that which Christ himself has provided, in his own vicarious sacrifice.

It is said of Asa, king of Judah, 2 Chron. xvi. 14, he sought not to the Lord in his disease, but to the physicians; and all they could do for him was to lay him, when dead, in the bed filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of drugs. They were all, as Job said of his comforters, forgers of lies, physicians of no value. Such are doctrines prompting the disciple to do some great thing for his own salvation, instead of seeking to the Lord, and relying upon the righteousness of Jehovah.

Idolaters,' (εidwholάrons,)—those doing service to idols; not merely worshipping by the mummery of outward acts of adoration, such as we suppose to be the practice of the most ignorant and superstitious of mankind, but an idolatry of the heart or mind, with which disciples of the most enlightened age and country may be chargeable. As we have before remarked, the design or motive of an action characterizes the service in which it is performed. If the motive of our conduct be to serve ourselves, to promote our own glory, self is the idol of our worship or service; our conduct being governed only by that covetousness which is declared to be idolatry, (Col. iii. 5.)

The priests of Baal were idolaters, not merely because they adored the idol in common with others, but because they devoted themselves to serve the idol; their employment was literally idol-service, and they finally fell a sacrifice to their own folly and madness, in endeavouring to exalt the glory

of their divinity over that of the true God. Teachers of false doctrine, representing man to be dependent for his eternal well-being upon some other power than that of his Redeemer, are like the priests of Baal engaged in idol-service; so, elements of doctrine, of a like character, may be strictly termed servers of idols, or idolaters.

We have supposed the image of the beast, fabricated at the instigation of the false prophet, to have been an idol of the kind in contemplation-an image of man's pretended righteousness. The false prophet, or false interpreter, was the high-priest of this idol. Analogous with this, the false construction of the language of divine revelation, prompting to the persuasion, that man is dependent upon his own merits, and is the source of his own eternal happiness, may be justly termed the high-priest of selfrighteousness; while every doctrine or principle emanating from this false construction, sustained by it or auxiliary to it, may be contemplated in the light of subordinate servants of the same idol: idolaters whose efforts are wholly directed to counteract the worship of the true God, and to deprive the Redeemer of the glory due unto his name, (Ps. xxix. 2.)

$479. And all liars," Kai não rois vevdiot;-an expression convertible with that of nav noιovv чeudos, every thing making a lie, occurring in the last verse of the chapter. Both passages have in view, as we apprehend, the same class of doctrines. We suppose any doctrinal element prompting the disciple to believe that he is not a sinner; or that whatever he may have once been, he has now no sin, (1 John i. 8,) to be of this description. So, any doctrine tending to deceive the disciple as to his true position in the sight of God, or as to the character and offices of Christ, (1 John ii. 21, 22,) is a thing which maketh a lie; or is figuratively a liar. This construction, rigidly carried out, must leave scarcely any doctrine of human imagination free from the charge of falsehood; still less, therefore, if applied to human beings themselves, could there be found any, whether teachers or disciples, not admitting some portion of error (something of the character of lies or liars) into their views of faith. The false doctrine itself, however, we suppose to be that here personified; the deluded disciple may find mercy, when every principle, element, or system, inconsistent with the truths of the gospel, or with God's plan of redemption, is destroyed; or has its part in the second death-the lake burning with fire and brimstone.

'Shall have their part,' &c.-We have already necessarily anticipated the consideration of this lake, or second death; serving, as it does, the purpose of a key to the interpretation of all connected with it, (§ 440.) The lake into which death and hell are cast, cannot be a place of punishment in the ordinary sense of the term, nor could the first death be said to be subjected to the second death, in any such sense. We cannot do otherwise,

therefore, than resort to our uniform analysis of these terms. Fire is the instrument of trial-the revealed word of God tries every work or doctrine, (Jer. xxiii. 29, 1 Cor. iii. 13–15;) sulphur is the element giving perpetuity to this trial, (§ 57;) a lake of fire and brimstone represents the perpetual action of the revealed word of God on the doctrines and systems of doctrines subjected to its power. Death and hell are systems, and the beast, the false prophet, and the accuser, are principles of this character; consequently, the fearful, and unbelieving, and abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, having their part in this lake or second death, must be doctrinal elements doomed to a perpetual trial of the revealed word of God, acting as a fire; especially where its proper spiritual sense is understood.

This construction corresponds with the general position, that the design of the Apocalypse is to unfold the true character and offices of Jesus Christ as the LAMB, as the WORD, and as the SOVEREIGN GOD; a development involving an exhibition of the character and fate of all doctrines, systems, or elements of an opposite tendency. For instruction upon the nature of a future state of rewards and punishments, we must look to other portions of the sacred writings. Here, in this revelation or unveiling of Jesus, we must suppose it to be taken for granted in the outset, that man is a sinner; that he is an accountable being; and that there is a state of future retribution. The whole book is addressed to churches, professing to be followers of Christ. They, of course, admit their need of a Saviour; and they profess to look unto Jesus as their Lord and their Redeemer. To show to these that there was to be a judgment to come, and a future state of punishment for the impenitently wicked, would be something uncalled for-not required by the circumstances of the case. But these churches were labouring under the influence of certain doctrinal errors, and what was called for was an exposition of the inconsistency of these errors with an implicit faith and trust in the merits of Christ, and a pure desire to promote the glory of God.

To afford the instruction required, an allegorical history is given of the rise and progress, and decline and fall, and final perdition of a system or systems opposed to a just understanding of the truth. The close of this history is just reached; the final perdition of all errors by their exposure to the lake of fire and brimstone constituting the termination of this extraordinary development.

This revelation, however, is not confined to a history of error alone; the illustration is duplex; the history of truth from the period of its partial suppression, to that of its triumphant manifestation, has been kept in view throughout the tissue of the narrative: as if the relation were that of a struggle between two opposite powers; the ascendency of one involving the downfall of the other. The manifestation of the new heaven and of the

new earth, and the exhibition of the new Jerusalem in her bridal character, with the making of all things new, may be regarded as the means or process by which the false doctrines contemplated in this eighth verse, are made to have their part in the second death.

RETROSPECT.

$480. The verse we have last examined should close the chapter, as the remaining verses, together with the principal part of the next chapter, constitute the description of a distinct vision,―a vision, however, which does not add to the thread of the narration, being rather an amplification of a single particular previously adverted to.

The New Jerusalem was seen coming down from heaven immediately upon the coming in of the new heaven and of the new earth; but as if to avoid distracting attention from the main course of events, a particular description of this new Jerusalem is postponed; and the apostle hastens to give us an account of the remaining portion of the vision, the various par ticulars of which are so intimately woven with each other.

In our remarks upon the last chapter, we noticed that the occupant of the great white throne was not specifically revealed, (§ 457.) We have now, however, reached that stage of the development when he is expressly declared to be both the Alpha and Omega, and the sovereign God. The end has now come, when the Son is manifested to have given up the king dom unto the Father, (1 Cor. xv. 24.) God himself is to be recognized in the Son, and God and the Lamb, as we shall find, are henceforth exhibited as identic constituting one and the same temple, (Rev. xxi. 22,) and occupying one and the same seat, or throne, (Rev. xxii. 1, 3.) Whatever is affirmed of the one, we now see may equally be affirmed of the other.

"He that cometh unto me," said Jesus," shall never thirst ;" and corresponding with this is the language of him who declares that he will be the GOD of him that overcometh. "To him that is athirst I will give of the water of life freely." "Come unto me," said Jesus, "all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ;" and corresponding with this, also, we have it here declared that God shall wipe away tears from all eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying. "If any man be in Christ," says the apostle Paul, "he is a new creature. have passed away, all things have become new ;" and here we find Him that sat upon the great white throne declaring, "Behold, I make all things new." We are thus brought to the conclusion that it is God, in Christ, who thus effects this great change. As it is said, God was in Christ recon

Old things

ciling the world unto himself, not imputing to men their trespasses. A reconciliation involving all that is here represented.

The Sovereign, Judge, and Ruler of the universe taking upon himself the burden of the sinner's guilt, and imputing to that sinner the merit of his own righteousness! A mystery indeed; and a mystery capable of being adapted to the comprehension of finite minds, perhaps in no other way than that by which it has been revealed. The cavilling objection to the gospel plan of redemption can no longer be made,-that it would be unjust in the Supreme Being to lay the guilt of a sinful world to the charge of an innocent being-for it is here manifested that he does not lay it upon a third being, but he himself assumes it. He interposes himself-his own merit-his own righteousness, in behalf of the disciple. God and the Lamb are thus identified; or, which is the same thing, Christ having given up the kingdom to the Father, God is manifested to be all in all, rà návrα év nãoir, in the work of redemption, as he is also in the works of creation and providence.