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النشر الإلكتروني

CHAPTER XXII.

VISION OF THE BRIDE, THE LAMB'S WIFE. — THE HOLY (CONTINUED.)

JERUSALEM.

Vs. 1, 2. And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, (was there) the tree of life, which bare twelve (manner of) fruits, (and) yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree (were) for the healing of the nations.

Καὶ ἔδειξέ μοι ποταμὸν ἴδατος ζωής λαμπρὸν ὡς κρύσταλλον, ἐκπορευόμενον ἐκ τοῦ θρόνου τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἀργίου. Ἐν μέσῳ τῆς πλατείας αὐτῆς καὶ τοῦ ποταμοῦ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ ἐκεῖθεν ξύλον ζωῆς, ποιοῖς καρποὺς δώδεκα, κατὰ μῆνα ἕκαστον ἀποδιδοῦν τὸν καρπὸν αὑτοῦ, καὶ τὰ φύλλα τοῦ ξύλου εἰς θεραπείαν τῶν ἐθνῶν.

$ 510. AND he showed me.'-Although this is the beginning of a chapter, the narrative should be regarded as an unbroken continuation of the description commenced in the preceding chapter. The apostle has been shown the walls of the city, with their foundations or bastions, its gates, its spiritual temple, its street: the materials of its various structures have been pointed out to him; the general resplendent appearance of the city has been noticed; even the manner in which it is lighted has been set forth, together with the rules of admission and exclusion at the gates. He is now shown the supply of water-a supply equally indispensable for purification and for sustenance; the surety and abundance of such supply being as necessary to a fortress or fortified city, as its walls and bulwarks.

'A pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal.'-The word translated pure (xaagór) is not met with in all editions of the Greek. Some transcribers may have considered it redundant, as the river could hardly be clear as crystal if the water were not pure. We should prefer, however, retaining it, as the word rendered clear (λaμngóv) refers rather to the shining or brilliant quality of the water than to its purity, while the term xa açòr directs our attention to the pure and white linen of the saints,—to the fine linen, clean and white, of the bride; affording the assurance that, as the robe is perfectly free from spot or stain, so the water of this stream is perfectly free from any foreign substance: the atonement of Christ, as well as his righteousness, possessing pre-eminently this peculiar quality of freedom from admixture.

The importance of water can be fully appreciated only by those who have suffered from the want of it. In countries in the neighborhood of Palestine, the figure of a full supply of the element strikes the mind with peculiar force. Lot was governed in his choice of the plain of Jordan by the consideration that the country was well watered. Babylon too had its river, which also ran through the midst of the city; but its source was out of the city, so that the supply might be cut off by an invading enemy, as eventually was the case. The holy city, on the contrary, has the source of the river within itself, for the stream proceeded out of the throne of God and of the Lamb; and we learn from the third verse of the chapter that this throne was in the city, and apparently is ever to remain there. It is not in the power of the adversary to intercept the supply of this life-giving streamthe water of life, so denominated because it is the indispensable means of eternal life,—the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness, (Zech. xiii. 1,) and the river the streams whereof, it is said, (Ps. xlvi. 4,) shall make glad the city of our God: the source of the river, from the throne in the midst the city, corresponding with the assurance of Jesus, "Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life," (John iv. 14.)

511. The source whence the stream proceeds affords a guarantee of its purity and power; at the same time it gives a certain character to the river, not otherwise to be possessed. The throne of God and the Lamb: not two thrones, but one throne; the same, no doubt, as the great white throne, ($455.) God and the Lamb are now manifested as the one Almighty Sovereign, both occupying the same seat; the one represented as occupying the seat of the other, according to the mode of manifestation.

The throne of a sovereign exhibits its occupant as a sovereign. The righteousness of God whereby he saves the objects of his mercy, manifests his sovereignty, more especially as the imputation of this righteousness is a free gift or grace; wherefore it is that the same throne or seat is also termed the throne of grace. It is therefore from this divine righteousness imputable to the disciple through free and sovereign grace, that the atoning means of eternal life (the fountain opened for the washing away of sin and uncleanness) proceeds. So heaven is said (Heb. iv. 16) to be the throne of God; and it is so in a spiritual sense, because the revelation, symbolically spoken of as heaven, sets forth the same free and sovereign exercise of divine power and mercy as that comprehended under the figure of a throne of grace. For this reason it is said of Jerusalem, "She shall be called the throne of God," exhibiting also as she does, in this Apocalypse, the same arrangement of sovereign grace. Corresponding with this, it was said, (Rev. vii. 17,) "The Lamb in the midst of the throne shall lead them unto

living fountains of waters," &c. The revelation had not then so far progressed as to show the Lamb to be an occupant of the throne. Now, we see that the throne is his; and that to be in the midst of the throne or seat, is to be on the seat; and that the way in which the Lamb leads his followers to living fountains of water, is by opening for them this supply of the pure water of life from the throne of grace. The element of ablution now exhibited is not something in addition to what has been before spoken of, it is only the same thing represented under a different figure.

The apostle alluded to this river of life, this atoning provision from the fountain of sovereign grace, at the opening of the book, (Rev. i. 5,) in ascribing glory and dominion "to him that has washed us from our sins in his own blood." Paul alluded to it in speaking of those that are "washed and sanctified, and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God," (1 Cor. vi. 11.) The Psalmist had it in view in speaking of the blessedness of those whose transgressions are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; and the prophet, in speaking of him who was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities; and Jehovah himself alluded to it in the declaration, "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions as a cloud, and as a thick cloud thy sins ;" and reference is made to the same propitiatory provision of grace alone, in the declaration of him who sat upon the throne, (Rev. xxi. 6,) "I will give to him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

It was in contemplation of the same sovereign mercy, that the Psalmist exclaimed, "How precious is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures; for with thee is the fountain of life in thy light shall they see light." Such is the river of the holy city; the atonement of Christ proceeding from the element of sovereign grace, pure and unmixed; for it admits of no amalgamation with a human merit, or with any earthly means of propitiation. Such, too, we may say, was the original purport of the revelation of divine mercy; but this revelation was perverted by misrepresentations, and this pervertion involved the loss of that peace which an understanding of the truth only is able to give. As it was said by the mouth of the prophet, "O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea," (Is. xlviii. 18.)

512. In the midst of the street of it; that is, the street of the city, the main subject of description, and the subject of the last verse of the preceding chapter. Contemplating the origin of all cities and towns as a single street, we may take the term street (ỷ nharɛĩa) to be put here for the whole area of the city—the whole city enjoyed the benefits afforded by the river.

And on either side of the river, the tree of life.'-On both sides of the river here and there, the tree of life was to be found-the tree in the singular being put for the genus. Trees of this single kind were to be seen in every part of the city. The river ran through every street; and wherever the river ran, the tree of life was to be met with the tree of life and the river of life being in fact two different figures of the same means of eternal life. Even as figures we may say the tree could not flourish without the river, (Ps. i. 3.)

This must be the tree of life spoken of Rev. ii. 7; "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." This tree is now spoken of as in the midst of the new Jerusalem; consequently the holy city and the paradise of God (the spiritual paradise) must be identic-different figures of the same economy of grace; this tree, or wood of life, representing the cross of Christ, ($ 47,) and the first paradise (§ 48) representing a position nearly equivalent with that afforded by the economy of grace. In the first, however, man was not permitted, after having tasted of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, to approach the tree of life, while, in the second, this tree is expressly provided for him. The difference illustrates the difference of the two positions, both as matters of fact and as matters of faith. Under the law, and dependent upon his own merits, it is impossible for man to participate in the vicarious sacrifice of Christ; so, as a matter of faith, while the disciple believes himself under the law, and dependent upon his own merits, he cannot place his trust in the atonement of Christ.

'Which bear twelve manner of fruits.'-Viewing the tree of life as the cross of Christ, we may judge, by what the cross bore, of the fruit of the tree. The blood of the cross is put for the atonement of Christ, or the means of reconciliation with God, (Col. i. 20.) Either the atonement itself, or the effect of it, (peace with God,) may be contemplated as the fruit of the tree of life. So (Col. ii. 14) the nailing of the hand-writing of ordinances to the cross is spoken of, figuratively, as the fulfilment of the requisitions of the law by Christ in behalf of the sinner-(see also Eph. ii. 15, 16.) We may consider the cross a symbol of the divine purpose, according to which Christ became the propitiation for sin, and the substitute for the sinner. This purpose may be therefore termed the tree or wood, (or,) and Christ himself (his merits) as the fruit. The tree receives its character from its fruit, and it is the offering upon the cross which makes that tree, or the divine purpose represented by it, a tree of life.

We have thus a general idea of the fruit of the tree, but we have still to understand how this fruit can be represented as of twelve different species; or, according to the Greek, twelve fruits. Here we call to mind that the apocalyptic paradise, or holy city, is not put for the economy of grace itself,

it is a picture or representation of it. The tree of life in the midst of the city is not put for the divine purpose itself, but for a representation of that purpose; and the various fruits of this tree are not put for various merits of Christ, (as the means of salvation,) but for various representations or modes of exhibiting the same merits; the fruits of the tree corresponding in character, as in number, with the garnishing of the foundations of the wall, and with the gates of pearl. As the four branches of one river, enumerated in the description of the first paradise, (Gen. ii. 10,) may be symbolical of four modes in which the same spiritual means of ablution, and of eternal life, are spoken of in Scripture, (water, wine, blood, and propitiation or atonement,) so we may suppose the twelve fruits of this tree to represent twelve modes of speaking of the same means of justification, or of those imputed merits through which the disciple obtains, besides the pardon of his sins and his escape from punishment, a title to eternal happiness.

513. The fruit of a tree, in scriptural language, is a general expression for food, solid food or meat, as distinguished from a mere article of drink; as in the garden of Eden, besides its abundant provision of water, there was to be found every tree good for food, and as, in a vision of Ezekiel, bearing a striking resemblance to this portion of the Apocalypse, after having described a stream issuing from under the threshold of the house of the Lord, which gradually became a great river, giving life and fertility wherever its waters approached, it is added, "And by the river, upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary; and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine," (Ezek. xlvii. 1-12.)

We have had a description of the provisions for the security and comfortable dwelling of the inhabitants of the new Jerusalem, but nothing has yet been said of the article of food. We have been informed respecting their drink, we now come to a description of their meat. It is under this head that we have, as suggested, an allusion to twelve different modes in which the merits of Christ are figuratively spoken of in Scripture as the requisite means of eternal life; for, although the atonement of Christ is sufficient to save the sinner from punishment, something more is requisite to entitle him to eternal happiness; and this something more, is to be found in the imputed merits or righteousness of Christ. As we may say of a human being, a supply of wholesome drink would be sufficient to preserve him from perishing, but he requires solid food to enable him to enjoy life. Corresponding with this, the benefits derived from the death of Christ are represented in the communion of the last supper, by an edible as well as a potable element

of sustenance.

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