sent powers of salvation similar to those we have just noticed of the legal and literal ministrations. These, as compared with the spiritual economy, or ministration of the Spirit, have no glory, by reason of the glory that excelleth. But without this comparison, they have a certain glory, as Moses, who was obliged to veil his face before the children of Israel, (2 Cor. iii. 7,) which, however, is to be manifested to be subordinate to that of the new dispensation. This clause would appear to contain almost an unnecessary repetition, were it not for its connection, as we shall see, with the subsequent

verse.

§ 507. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth,' (maketh common,) &c.—The Greek conjunction xai, translated and here, may sometimes be rendered disjunctively but, and such would seem to be the proper reading in this passage. The gates of the city are to remain open continually, and the kings of the earth are to bring their honour and glory and the honour and glory of the nations into it; but there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth. The honour and glory of the nations are brought into the city, but not as merchandise; there is nothing of the commercial character about the new Jerusalem—no mercenary principle is admitted into it. The kings of the nations bring their tribute, as acknowledgments of the supremacy of the city. As the queen of Sheba, with a very great train, brought her gifts to king Solomon, (1 Kings x. 2, 10,) so it is said of the new Jerusalem prophetically, (Is. lx. 5,) " The abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee, and the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually: they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted." Thus all the elements of the earthly system, all the elements of the legal dispensation, and of the ministration of the letter of the New Testament, shall co-operate in bringing honour and glory into the exhibition (or vision) of God's plan of redemption; nevertheless, we may add, nothing shall be admitted, no element or principle, which defileth, or maketh a lie, or worketh abomination.

Пlav xowovv, any thing making common, or unclean, according to the Greek editions followed by our English version; or, nav xowòv, any thing common, according to other editions. We think the first probably the more correct, as it is connected with the verb notour, following immediately after it. The difference, however, is not material. Пlav, the neuter of nãs, translated any thing in this passage, is said to be sometimes put abstractly for the masculine, (Rob. Lex. 558;) but we do not think there is any occasion for supposing that to be the case here. The whole connection

shows that things, principles, or elements of doctrine are alluded to, and not human beings. Even if the masculine were used, we should take it as a personification, or as relating to oi λóro, sayings, or doctrines, understood.

To defile, in the Scripture sense, is to make common, as the opposite of setting apart, consecrating, or sanctifying. The utensils appropriated to the temple service were set apart; the same description of utensils employed for ordinary purposes were common. To apply the vessels of the temple service to an ordinary use was to defile them, or make them common and unclean. The disciple set apart in Christ in God's account is sanctified; out of Christ, he is common or unclean ;* and every doctrine tending to place him in such a position, (out of Christ,) is a doctrine that defileth, or that renders common. Corresponding with this, we suppose every element of doctrine peculiar to the economy of grace, or permitted to appear so, in the vision of that economy, must be set apart in God's account; and, as such, it must be something of which Christ constitutes the sanctifying element. Every principle of the economy of grace must be something comprehended in the idea that Christ is the only way of access to God; while, on the contrary, any doctrine tending to introduce principles of an opposite character, must be a doctrine defiling or making common; or if it be a principle or pretension to merit, coming in competition with the merits of Christ, it is an unclean or common principle, and for that reason cannot be admitted into an exhibition of the economy of grace.

508. Neither working abomination.'-The abominable are represented in the eighth verse of this chapter as destined to be cast into the lake of fire; but here it is not merely the abominable, or the abomination, but whatever causeth or maketh abomination. We have already had occasion to enlarge upon this term, (§ 385,) and have shown the probability of its applying particularly to mixed views of doctrine; an adulteration of Christian faith; a mixture of the hypocrisy, and lukewarmness, and selfrighteousness repeatedly spoken of in the Scriptures as peculiarly hateful to the Searcher of hearts. We suppose a thing working abomination, in the apocalyptic sense of the term, to be a doctrine or a principle of doctrine, tending to represent the salvation of the sinner partly as a work of God, and partly as the work of man. In this respect such principles differ from those belonging to the class of making common or defiling; as these last may be said to teach a way of salvation entirely independent of the merits

* Every doctrine representing man as being holy or sanctified, by virtue of some quality in himself, is an unclean or defiling doctrine. To such impurity, and purity of views in matters of faith, allusion appears to be made, Titus i. 15, "To the clean [pure] all things are clean, but to the defiled [spotted, μsμiaoμérois] and unbelieving there is nothing clean, but [both] their understandings and their consciences are deGled,” spotted,μεμίανται αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ νοῦς καὶ ἡ συνείδησις.

of Christ; while those working abomination profess to place the disciple in a position of dependence upon Christ, when, in effect, they inculcate his dependence upon a righteousness of his own. Doctrines of this character professedly ascribe the glory of redemption to God, while they really assume that glory for man-a species of robbery depriving God of the honour, and worship or service due to him, under pretence of great zeal for holiness, and probably for the law. Such robbery or sacrilege is apparently alluded to Rom. ii. 22: Thou that abominatest idols, dost thou rob temples? ó rà ὁ βδελυσσόμενος τὰ εἴδωλα ἱεροσυλεῖς. The inconsistency pointed out by the apostle being that of a professed jealousy for the worship of God, where there is virtually an effort to deprive him of that glory as a Redeemer which he has especially declared he will not give to another. Doctrines of this tendency are wholly inadmissible in an exhibition of the divine plan of redemption, and for that reason are not allowed to enter the gates of the heavenly city.

'Or maketh a lie.'-The word maketh is supplied by our translators; but if it were not, it is evidently understood in connection with the preceding expression. It is not merely the lie, but whatever has a tendency to make a lie, that is excluded; any principle tending to a false doctrine. We have thus three classes of prohibited objects; the last of a general character applying to all false doctrinal principles, or to any misinterpretation, or that which occasions any of these. The two first classes must necessarily be included in the third, but this last may comprehend varieties of error not peculiar to the other two.

The apostle Paul speaks expressly, Rom. i. 25, of those who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator-a perversion working abomination, as well as falsehood, as appears from the vices enumerated by the apostle, apparently by way of illustrating the errors in contemplation; that is, the errors of self-righteousness-the idolatry of self, by which the creature is, in the strict sense of the term, worshipped and served more than the Creator. But besides this, all doctrines tending virtually to the denial of Jesus as the Christ, or tending to reject his righteousness, or to deny the sinfulness of man, or to undermine the truths of the gospel, may be denominated things making a lie; as it is said, (1 John iii, 21,) " Ye know that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar, 1 John i. 6, 8: "If we but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?" say we have fellowship with him, (Christ,) and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, "He that saith I know him, and keepeth not and the truth is not in us." his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." So, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, "In the latter times, there shall be some giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy," or in the

hypocrisy of false speaking. These seducing spirits and doctrines (doctrinal principles) we suppose to be, apocalyptically, the things making a lie, none of which can be admitted into the heavenly vision of peace.

§ 509. But they which are written in the Lamb's book of life.'-This clause is to be taken in connection with the preceding portion of the verse: "There shall not enter into the city any thing that maketh common, any thing that worketh abomination, or any thing that maketh a lie; but only those things whice are written in the Lamb's book of life. Such, at least, is our construction of the passage-corresponding with our former remarks upon the contents of this book of life, (§ § 87, 305.) The pronoun, translated they which, is masculine, although the pronoun rendered any thing in the first clause of the sentence, is neuter; but as we have remarked in respect to rís, (§ 461.) the names of things in the Greek language may be masculine or feminine as well as those of rational beings. We have only to suppose the masculine plural of to relate to the plural noun 2óyo (words, sayings, &c.) and the latter part of the sentence is in conformity with the first part, notwithstanding the difference of gender.

Keeping the city in view as a representation of the divine arrangement of principles, constituting the economy of salvation, we learn from the passage, that although all principles and doctrines of all systems are to be rendered manifestly subservient to the heavenly system, bringing their honour and glory as a tribute into it, there is to be no admittance of any doctrine comprehended in the three prohibited classes; but, on the contrary, only the words, sayings, or doctrinal elements to be found in the Lamb's book of life; which book of life (written from the foundation of the world) we suppose to be the eternal purpose of God with respect to the whole work of man's salvation. That is, the Lamb's book of life is, in effect, identic with that dianan, or economy of redemption, of which the new Jerusalem is a representation. The true vision of peace exhibits no other elements than those to be found in the book; and the elements or principles in the book are exhibited in the new or heavenly vision of peace.

The apostle Paul, alluding to the change of dispensations depicted in this Apocalypse, quotes the words of the Spirit, Ps. xl. 7, as the declaration of Christ himself: "Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God," (Heb. x. 7-9.) When the Psalm referred to was composed, the only sacred books extant were those of Moses, Job, Joshua, and Samuel; we do not suppose either of these to be the volume spoken of. We suppose it to be the purpose of the divine mind figuratively designated as a book, or as the volume of the book—God's purpose or plan of salvation written, so to speak, before the creation of the world. This book must necessarily contain all the elements of doctrine, and all the principles pertaining to the life, and offices, and character, and

work of Christ, as the Saviour of the world. It may be denominated the book of the life of the Lamb, which corresponds precisely with the Greek expression rendered in our common version, "The Lamb's book of life;" as we have it here, οἱ γεγραμμένοι ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ ἀρνίου.

If the holy city comprehend all that is contained in the Lamb's book of life, and nothing else, and if the wife of the Lamb be identic with the Lamb; then the Lamb, the new Jerusalem, and the divine purpose of salvation, are identic-different appellations of the same means of salvation, and different modes of presenting the same means to our contemplation.

Christ, the Lamb of God,* is the word of God made flesh. The word of God is the eternal purpose of God, and the eternal purpose of God (in relation to the work of salvation) is the book of life—the Lamb's book of life. So, if the elements of the economy of salvation written in this book of life, and exhibited in the vision of peace, (the new Jerusalem,) be the same as the elements of salvation in Christ; to give disciples the assurance that the means of their eternal life are to be found either in the book of life, or in the economy (covenant) represented by the heavenly Jerusalem, is equivalent to the assurance of the apostle, (Col. iii. 3,) "Your life is hid with Christ in God." So, on the other hand, the declaration that nothing shall enter into the city except it be found in the book of life, is equivalent to the declaration that no element of doctrine can find admittance into a true exhibition of the economy of grace, except it be consistent with the whole tenor of the gospel, showing Christ (God manifest in the flesh) to be the only Saviour.†

* The Lamb of God, so styled, we apprehend, in contradistinction to the lamb of man,—the ritual lamb of the passover, and of the Levitical sacrifices; the last being a lamb of man's providing, while the first is that of God's providing a distinction apparently alluded to by John Baptist, in directing the attention of his countrymen to Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God." Uttered as this was to Jews, with whom the idea of the annual and daily sacrifices of a lamb was perfectly familiar, the distinction must have been as readily perceptible to the hearers as to the speaker. Thesa me association of ideas we think is to be carried in the mind throughout the reading of the New Testament, wherever this appellation is given to the Saviour.

We have already assigned a reason (§ 480) for proceeding immediately from the close of this chapter to the next, as we propose to do, without the intervention of any retrospective remarks in this place.