ness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended." (Isai. lx. 19, 20.) From this, therefore, we see that so transcendant will be the visible glory that will surround the person and throne of Emmanuel, that the brightness of both the sun and moon, though greatly increased from what they are at present, shall yet be eclipsed by it. Centuries elapsed from the days of Isaiah before the book of Revelation was produced, but we turn to it and to its closing pages, which are occupied in bringing the glories of the New Jerusalem before us, and we find the same great fact revealed to us there also, though with that variety which marks all the disclosures of prophecy, what is now said being simply that the sun and the moon are "not needed:" "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and "the Lamb is the light thereof." (Rev. xxi. 23.) So again (ch. xxii. 5): "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light; and they shall Now.there are two observations that I would make on this subject before leaving it. 1. In the first place it must be remarked, that a light, exceeding that of the present sun (or of the sun in its present state) has been already witnessed; and farther, that it was caused by that very Presence, that, namely, of the Son of God, the glory of which will, we are told, hereafter obscure by comparison even the brightness of the future sun. In St. Paul's account of his conversion before Agrippa we find him saying, "At MID-DAY, O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven, ABOVE the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them that journeyed with me." (Acts xxvi. 13.) The slightest word of Scripture is important, and is designed by the Holy Spirit to be A single word in the present instance gives us so. 2 1 Without pretending to determine the exact meaning of the following passages with their contexts, or the time to which they primarily relate, we may yet see in them additional proofs or examples of the truth which has now been advanced, namely, that the Divine presence is accompanied by a visible glory, or brightness. Ezek. xliii. 1-2, and ch. x. 4. We cannot, I conceive, but see in the language used in these verses a conclusive proof that the Shekinah in the Temple of Solomon was an emb.em of the glory which will illumine the "city of God" hereafter. 2 The "light from heaven" was "above" the brightness of the sun, even at "mid-day"! Y all we need. It supplies us with a fact that bears upon the entire subject which has been occupying our attention, and the passage in which it occurs decides the question for us. We learn from it, that the presence of the Saviour is even now accompanied by a visible glory that transcends in splendour the greatest degree of brightness with which we are acquainted; and we can therefore readily conceive how, when He comes again in the full blaze and power of His glory, and sits in majesty on "the throne of His glory," how then, even the sevenfold light of the renewed sun shall be "confounded and ashamed." 2. In the next place, it must be remarked, that, wonderful as this may now appear to us, it is yet not more than may well be expected. For let us remember whose glory it is that will be so transcendant. It will be that of Him who, as a reward for His humiliation and sufferings while upon earth, is now placed at the right hand of glory in heaven! Can any honour which will be bestowed on Him hereafter exceed that which He now enjoys, seated as He is on "the Father's throne," the throne of the universe, "far above all principalities, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." (Ephes. i. 21.) On the contrary, we ought assuredly to expect that, when He leaves His present exalted state, He will take to one that will in some way correspond to it in honour and glory. For this purpose we can understand why, with regard to this earth and all associated with it, it should be said by "Him who sitteth upon the throne, Behold, I make all things new!" We should not marvel, if not only this earth, but the system of which it forms a part, should be greatly raised, or advanced in their condition, relatively to the other orbs of heaven; if, e. g. the Sun, the great centre of the system, should be made to shine far brighter than before, in order to distinguish it among the myriads of its kind; nor if even the brightness of the great centre of the system should be eclipsed by that globe on which the Son of God will have accomplished the mission on which He was sent forth of His Father. When we remember what will have taken place on, and in connection with this earth; when it is borne in mind that here the everlasting Son of God wrought out by His expiatory sufferings and active obedience the great work of man's redemption; that here, consequently, will be the locality of His throne for ever, that He |