students. They "inquired" in the house of the Lord. They regularly attended the teaching, as distinguished from all other teachings of men, and as designating, perhaps, the highest teaching of the apostles. What teaching was theirs? What a privilege to study in the apostolic college. (2) They were persevering in the fellowship. They appreciated the communion of saints. Meetings for mutual counsel, exhortations, and spiritual intercourse, they constantly attended. They regarded themselves as members of a brotherhood whose rules they were bound to obey, and whose interest they were bound to promote. In this fellowship, like the saints of old, they "spake often one to another." They considered one another "to provoke unto love and to good works." They exhorted "one another daily." They endeavored to "edify one another," and, perhaps, they confessed their "faults one to another." There is a blessed fellowship in the true Church. (3) They were persevering in the breaking of bread. "And in breaking of bread." Whether this refers to the eucharist (the Lord's Supper), or the agapa (love feasts), or their common social meal, is a question still in dispute amongst critics. The name, however, of this service, "the breaking of bread," inclines us to believe that the Lord's Supper is meant; for it is said, "Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it." And with His disciples whom He joined on their way to Emmaus, He was known to them by the "breaking of bread." "The bread of the Hebrew," says a modern expositor, "was made commonly into cakes, thin, hard, and brittle, so that it was broken instead of being cut. Hence, to denote intimacy or friendship, the phrase 'to break bread together,' would be very expressive in the same way as the Greeks denoted it, by 'drinking together' (ovμróσov)." It has been supposed that the Lord's Supper was observed once a week by the early Christians. (Matt. xxvi. 26; Luke xxiv. 30; Acts xx. 7; 1 Cor. xi. 23.) (4) They were persevering in the prayers. The prayers here, designate, we think, certain services for prayer which were recognized amongst them—prayer-meetings or prayer-services. They were a praying community. VOL. XIV. P Thus much for their services. "The whole," to use the language of another, "may be summed up as consisting in apostolical teaching, mutual communion, and common prayer." Observe : Fourthly The distinguishing spirit of this new society. The spirit that animated the converts who formed this new brotherhood of souls was distinguished (1) By reverence. "Fear came upon every soul." Whilst they were profoundly happy, there was no frivolous hilarity in their natures, a reverential awe had settled on their being. The cause of this reverence is expressed in the words, "many wonders and signs were done by the apostles." They felt that God was near, that His hand was on them. (póßos!) A deep feeling of solemnity and wondrous awe pervaded their minds; like the old patriarch, who, roused from his dream, felt "how awful is this place." The spirit was distinguished (2) By generosity. "And all that believed were together, and had all things common: and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." They were together; not, perhaps, locally, for no house could contain the multitude, but spiritually. They were one in spirit, they were together in soul. What one felt, all felt. They wept with those that wept; they rejoiced with those that rejoiced. Like Christ and His apostles, they had all things common; they put their property into a common stock," and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need." Here is generosity. Selfishness has no place in this new community. The new commandment is supreme. The benevolence which inspired them was a benevolence that made sacrifices. "They sold their possessions and goods." The love of property in them gives way to the love of man. The law of social Christianity enjoins the strong to bear the infirmities of the weak, the rich to help the poor, and all to bear each other's burden, and so fulfil the law of Christ. This benevolence adjusted itself to the occasion. The circumstances of the persons assembled on this occasion required such an effort as this. Many of them came from distant regions, and who had come unprepared to settle down in Jerusalem, and many of them, too, of the poorer classes of society, who had not themselves the means of subsistence. The benevolence of those who had property, therefore, was called out to meet the case. There is no reason to regard the community of goods here-a state of things rising up to meet a crisis-as a precedent binding on future times. The terms of the narrative authorize not such an universal application. The Gospel everywhere recognizes the distinction of the rich and the poor; and the diversity in the instincts and habits of mankind, would render a community of property, as a permanent and lasting institution, an impossibility. The spirit was distinguished (3) By gladness. "Did eat their meat with gladness." Their hearts exulted with joy. The rich were happy, for their benevolence was gratified in giving. The poor were happy, for their hearts glowed with gratitude in receiving. All were happy in themselves, happy with each other, because they were happy in God. The spirit was distinguished-(4) By simplicity of spirit. There was "singleness of heart." There was no pride, no ostentation, no self-seeking, no hypocrisy amongst them; but all were exquisitely child-like in spirit. All were transparent, they saw each other's souls, and in each other trusted. The spirit was distinguished-(5) By religiousness. "Praising God." This is not so much a particular in description as a pregnant summary of the whole. As if the historian had said, "in all they praised God; whether they ate or drank, whatsoever they did, they did all to His glory." Worship is not a particular service, but a spirit that inspires all services. Observe Fifthly: The blessed condition of this new society. (1) Their influence was great. "They had favor with all the people." Favor, not with a class-not with priests, Pharisees, Sadducees— but with (ròv Xaòr) all the people. Their spirit and conduct commanded the esteem of the people around them. (2) Their growth was constant. They were not a declining community, nor a stationary one. They were daily increasing. (4) Their accession was Divine. "The Lord added daily." He only can add true men to the Church. (4) Their existence was secure. "Such as should be saved." VOL. XIV. P 2 Germs of Thought. SUBJECT:-The World without a Night. "And there shall be no night there."-Rev. xxii. 5. FOR many months now, I have engaged your attention on alternate Sabbath evenings with the "Memorable Nights of the Bible." I shall close the series to-night by an endeavor to lift your thoughts to a world where there is no night. The last two chapters of this book is a grand symbolic description of such a world. The political earthquakes, the social convulsions, the religious persecutions, and all the storms of this world's tumultuous history recorded in the other parts of this book are now over, and the apostle takes us into the serene and sunny scenes of the heavenly state. The old heavens have departed. All the dead from ocean and from land have been raised; the sleep of centuries is broken; the judgment has passed; the long-dreaded day is a thing of history now; the separation of the wicked and the righteous has taken place; and the destinies of all are fixed, righteously and irrevocably, for ever. The apostle gives us the Eternal Heaven of the good under the figure of a city, and the city is glorious in every respect. Immensely large. First Glorious in its structure. (Chap. xxi. 16.) It was twelve thousand furlongs every way. According to the description of it, it would seem that the four sides of the city approaches to fifteen hundred miles in length; and that the length, and breadth, and height are equal. A representation of magnitude this, so transcending all our experience, in order to impress us with its wondrous amplitude. According to the measuring line of sects, heaven is a small place. I take the "golden reed" of the angel as the true guage. The Its materials are the most precious and costly. foundations of the walls of the city were adorned with every precious stone, "and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." Nothing on earth to be compared to this city in its size and in its materials. Secondly: Glorious in its situation. Where is it founded? From what site does it lift its majestic form? It is built on a site regarded as the Paradise or Eden of the universe. Through its golden streets rolls the pure river 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." The river that rolls through the city in this Paradise, unlike the old Paradise of Adam, comes from the throne of God and of the Lamb. The Tree of Life that grows in this Paradise is multiplied to two. It is not, as in the former Paradise, in the middle of the garden, but is on either side of the street along the river; "so fruitful, that it bears every month; so versatile, that its produce is of twelve sorts, applicable to every want and taste; and so accessible, that, instead of being protected by a flaming sword, it stands in the public streets." Thirdly Glorious in its circumstances. All evil is excluded from its precincts, and all good replete within its boundaries. Such is a bare outline of the symbolic description which is given of the heavenly world in the context. We must now confine our attention to a few thoughts which the text suggests in relation to it. "There shall be no night there." I. The negation suggests that it is a realm EVER CLEAR IN VISION. Night clouds our vision so that we see but little, and that little but indistinctly. Night draws her veil over nature, and hides from mortals the world in which they live. Darkness is, therefore, the symbol of ignorance. "Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision ; |