Seven voices speak, but not to me. One Voice speaks to me: "Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth." Yet do the seven thunders also speak to me without speech; inasmuch as they convince me of ignorance, and further prove that God wills that I should be aware of my own ignorance, and should regulate my conduct with reference to it.

We all might sit down contented and complacent in ignorance, if only ignorant of our ignorance. But our Creator wills otherwise. If the Tree of Knowledge had been planted anywhere except in Eden, Eve might contentedly have obeyed through ignorance; but what was demanded of her was to obey of set purpose. What was demanded of her is what still is demanded of us. Now as to these Seven Thunders we must perforce obey, because we cannot ascertain anything: true: but a thorough obedience excludes even the indulgence of idle curiosity, and as to this we have a choice. Long ago I took into my head that these thunders may have uttered the names of the saved: alas! in so far as with the childish thought I have not yet discarded the childish presumption.

"I was about to write. . . Write them not."-An illustration against depending on "any child of man," on highest, holiest, most Christ-like superiors, beyond their function as channels and mouthpieces of Divine teaching.

O Lord Jesus, Who didst vouchsafe to grow in wisdom, stature, favour; grant us in loving memory of Thee to be in love with our present lowliness. Let grace be our sunshine, grace our dew; that we too may patiently grow in loveliness until we behold Thee face to Face. Amen.

5. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea,

the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven,

and upon

"His hand," or as in the Revised Version "his right hand": still a blessing may be hoped for, whatever else may ensue. "God is the Judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another."

And surely (if from words which concern the servant we may reverently ascend to contemplation of the Master) this present day is still that day wherein Christ comes not to condemn the world, but to save the world. "Blessed be the Glory of the Lord from His place." Both sacred Hands are as yet Hands of blessing, even as when "He lifted up His Hands, and blessed" the Eleven. Or as the Psalm declares: "The Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand"; thus exhibiting the beloved one as at that period of safeguard placed upon the Left. Or

as we behold in type when Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim's head, and his left hand on Manasseh's, blessing both. And indeed (if I may dare say so) there seems a special inherent tenderness in that very Left Hand which condemns at last it is on the same side as the heart, it belongs to the arm in which mothers enfold and carry their "sucking child." Joy overflowed for the one stray sheep brought back: did Love not overflow for the sheep which refused to return?

O mine enemy,
Rejoice not over me!

Jesus waiteth to be gracious:
I will yet arise,

Mounting free and far

Past sun and star

To a house prepared and spacious

In the skies.

Lord, for Thine own sake
Kindle my heart and break;
Make mine anguish efficacious
Wedded to Thine own:
Be not Thy dear pain,

Thy love in vain,

Thou Who waitest to be gracious
On Thy Throne.

One hand uplifted to heaven, one foot on sea and one on earth, the Angel thus places himself in contact with the universe; and delivers his message, not as an alien standing aloof, but rather as a fellow-creature so far akin to all whom his words concern. We know that Angels minister to the heirs of salvation: who can doubt that they love them while caring for them?

If contact may be supposed to express sympathy between natures so diverse, much more should it breed sympathy between individuals of one race. In Angels towards men sympathy seems an extra and gratuitous grace: in men towards one another it is an essential grace. Let us not abandon sympathy to the Angels.

An unsympathetic angel would be a devil. pathetic man or woman would be—?

An unsym

6. And sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever, Who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer :

"And sware by Him that liveth for ever and ever . . . that there should be time no longer."-Delay has been proposed instead of time. As this alternative word would have to do with the interpretation of the sense, not with simple meditation, I leave it to my betters.

Studying the Authorized Version as it actually stands, a contrast is suggested between "for ever and ever" and "time."

He that liveth for ever and ever inhabiteth eternity; His works (enumerated by the angel) are creatures of time. Eternity is duration which neither begins nor ends; time is duration which both begins and ends: the mystery of eternity seems to be its having no beginning; the obscure point of time its having an end.

What is time? It is not subtracted from eternity, which if diminished would fall short of being eternal: neither is it substituted awhile for eternity, which thus would assume both end and beginning: neither is it simultaneous with eternity, because it is in Him Who inhabiteth eternity (not time) that we ourselves day by day live and move and have our being. Perhaps I shall not mislead my own thoughts by defining to myself time as that condition or aspect of eternity which consists with the possibility of probation.

If such indeed be time, then in part I understand how at length there shall be time no longer. The words, "Their time should have endured for ever" (Ps. lxxxi. 15), suggest that no break will occur between time and eternity.

Yea, time sole battleground of right and wrong;
Art thou a time for sport

And for a song?

The Wise Preacher has bequeathed to us a sermon on time, and I think other texts of Holy Scripture may furnish a running commentary on part of it :—

To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven :

A time to be born,-"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."

And a time to die;-"Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live.”

A time to plant,-"Neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase."

And a time to pluck up that which is planted;—" If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you."

A time to kill,-"Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made He man."

And a time to heal;-"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him." A time to break down,-" Take away her battlements; for they are not the Lord's."

And a time to build up ;-" They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of My people, and Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."

A time to weep,-" Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh."

And a time to laugh ;- "Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, till He fill thy mouth with laughing, and

thy lips with rejoicing."

A time to mourn,-" Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted."

And a time to dance ;-" Praise ye the Lord . . . Praise Him with the timbrel and dance . . . Praise ye the Lord."

A time to cast away stones,-"The priest shall command that they take away the stones in which the plague is, and they shall cast them into an unclean place without the city. . . . And they shall take other stones, and put them in the place of those stones."

And a time to gather stones together;-"They with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of the Lord"

A time to embrace,-" Behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held Him by the Feet, and worshipped Him."

And a time to refrain from embracing;-"Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father." A time to get,-"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom and with all thy getting get understanding."

:

And a time to lose ;-"There is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?"

A time to keep,-"The foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you" And a time to cast away ;-" The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away.'

A time to rend,-" Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God.”

And a time to sew;-"Coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.'

A time to keep silence,-"I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because Thou didst it."

And a time to speak ;-"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

A time to love,-" A friend loveth at all times."

And a time to hate ;-"If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple."

A time of war,-"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth I came not to send peace, but a sword."

And a time of peace.- "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you."

Grant, O Lord,

To the natural man regeneration,

To regenerate man fulness of Thy Spirit,

To man who must die an ordered house,

To planters and waterers hundredfold increase,

To the faithless faith,

To the faithful confirmation of faith,

To judges righteous judgment,

To criminals repentance unto salvation,

To sufferers a happy issue out of all their afflictions,

To rebels submission,

To saints every good and perfect gift,

To those who weep consolation,

To the elect joy and gladness,

To mourners comfort,

To the light-hearted Thy fear and love,

To spiritual persons discernment,

To the rich munificence and devotion,