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of the Church of Pergamos was reprehensible. Upon this reproof follows

III. The general admonition and promise to those who overcome. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it."

"The hidden manna has reference to "the golden pot that had manna," kept in "the Holy of Holies." It was therefore hidden. It was kept to show to after generations with what food God fed their fathers in the wilderness. This manna, typifying Christ, may probably be callen the hidden manna. Christ, through His bloodshed and death, became the true bread sent down from heaven for the life of man. He calls Himself (John vi. 35)" the bread of life." Christ, as the Son of God, dwells in His glorified human nature, similar to the Holy Spirit in the believer; and the true Christian, partaking of His body and blood by faith, is renewed into His image. This is typified by the outward elements in the Lord's Supper. And, however unintelligible this may appear to the unenlightened mind, our Lord solemnly declares, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye cat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you."

The externals of religion are accessible to all, while the hidden and spiritual enjoyments and exercises of religion are accessible to those only "who overcome," or who make religion "the one thing needful."

"The white stone" seems to be in allusion to the manner in which they formerly either acquitted or condemned criminals. The white stone was a sign of innocence, the black of guilt. Those, therefore, who considered a person innocent put into a bag a white stone, and those who thought the contrary a black one.

Our Lord, wishing to encourage his faithful confessors at Pergamos, promised them a white stone at the day of account, and to bear a good witness of them when the secrets of the heart shall be disclosed. Christ promises, further, a new name" with the white stone. It was customary in ancient times to give new names to great heroes. Our blessed Saviour, after His conquest, received a new name, which no man knoweth but Himself. Jacob received a new name after his conflict with the angel. And though we cannot say at present what this new name may imply, let us be satisfied that it will not be an empty sound, as our names now are. When the Lord bestows a title upon any one, He likewise gives with it the character and position indicated by the name. In the kingdom of God all is real and substantial. If believers in Christ have now such a glorious title, being called "children of God," what will this new name be, promised here by our Lord ?

THE STATE OF PERGAMOS AT PRESENT.

Pergamos is still a town of some note, though entirely stripped of its ancient splendour and royal magnificence, of which its ruins bear witness. The beautiful locality, its fertile plain, and fine river, formerly called Caicus, now Bakirchay, give it still an appearance of importance and wealth. But, what with Turkish oppression, and extortion of their archbishops and bishops, the Christians seem to be poor. The Greeks, about 1,500 in number, have one church, newly built, and the

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Armenians, about 200, have likewise a little church. There are also two schools attached to these churches, but these are but poorly supported. When the writer of these remarks visited Pergamos for the last time, the Greek school was kept in a ruin of a church, called that of St. John. It was erected by order of the Emperor Theodosius. This is a lofty and handsome structure, still roofed in, but otherwise in a state of dilapidation.

There is another old church, called St. Sophia, used for some time by the Turks as a mosque, but is now quite deserted. In this church, the Greeks say, was Antipas buried. "Judging from the size of the stones," says a modern traveller, "it appears to be of very remote antiquity; I should almost believe earlier than St. John." On one side it is altogether in the ground, so that one can mount the roof from the adjoining ground.

Whilst Pergamos can boast of many splendid ruins of its heathen opulence and greatness, it can show very few beyond the two churches alluded to of Christian antiquity. The angel or bishop of their church is one of ignorance and darkness instead of knowledge and light. There are no Antipases there now who protest against the sinful practices of their bishops and priests. The people are entirely under the rule of their ignorant priests, who, instead of feeding their flock, lord over them, and keep them in abject superstition.

Not un

There is no bishop residing at Pergamos. They are under the archbishop of Ephesus, who resides at Magnesia, by Sipylus, who has some suffragan bishops that execute his commands. These archbishops purchase their post from the patriarch at Constantinople, and then they make a visitation in their diocese, generally in great state. The object, however, of these visitations is not to inspect the state of religion of the people and the schools. No, this is not their object, but to levy money, to pay their outlay for their post, and for their own support. frequently there are great disputings and bargainings on these occasions. Thus, at Pergamos, just before the writer visited the town, the archbishop had two of the demogerontes (like our churchwardens) banished at his pleasure, because they would not accede to the heavy sum which he demanded. And then the community had to pay the sum demanded, and to maintain the two men in banishment, and their families during their absence.* Thus are these poor people handled. On the one hand, the Turkish governors fleece them, and on the other, their bishops and clergy.

The sword has indeed been applied to the oppressed Christians at Pergamos. May the healing balm of the blessed Gospel follow soon! "Let every one that hath an ear, hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."

At the command of the same archbishop, a number of Scriptures and schoolbooks were burnt before the church door, which had been given them for the use of the schools. And this was not only done at this place, but in other towns of his diocese.

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THE HEAVENLY CITY.

(Concluded.)

BY R. A. PURDON, TORQUAY.

IN concluding the subject of the heavenly city, we must not forget that the USEFUL and the ORNAMENTAL are never separated in the councils of God, whatever they may be in those of men. The inexpressible riches of the heavenly city are not meant only for display. They have a variety of uses distinct from their magniñcence. In the first place, the most obstinate unbeliever cannot deny that a very great change of climate will be required before millennial happiness can exist anywhere, even if confined to the land of Israel alone. (Isa. lxv.) But as no alteration of the earth's path would produce a suitable and salutary change, it will be necessary to introduce a new "element" into creation; a NEW SUN and MOON embodied in one divine work, a NEW LIGHT infused into the atmosphere, a new and celestial warmth, and a new principle of life. Without all these the new earth would be no better than the old one, for it is still to be the earth, a planet in its proper place, revolving round the sun. The light from the face of God is to effect this immense change; nor can we by any ingenuity get over the difficulty of the new climate, except by taking the word of God literally, and believing in the future existence of a heavenly city, suspended over Jerusalem, and lit up with the divine light of God's countenance. We must either believe this or give up all idea of millennial blessedness altogether. But if we believe, as we must, in this new celestial light, we must also remember that light is greatly augmented by reflection. Its power is increased and its sphere of action is enlarged when it is flashed back from some reflecting object. The heavenly city, one mass of gold and jewels, will be the grand REFLECTOR. The light within, enveloping the whole city first, and then reflected from the golden halls, will pour down in a stream of augmented glory upon the Jerusalem below. And in proportion to the purity of the gold and the crystalline hardness of the jewels, will be the reflecting power of the golden city, and the force of the light which it will send forth. The gold and the jewels will not only be ornamental but useful, and nothing will be thrown away even in this profuseness of magnificence. A NEW LIGHT there must be, or else there can be no millennial world; and as the Creator works by the use of means, He will provide a means for increasing and distributing that light. The golden city will be the grand reflector of the skies.

Another use of the golden city will be to display the power of God, and, above all, to bring His power into competition with the power of man. It is the leading sin of this age to deify the power of man; to point out the works of his hand in architecture, in mechanics, in all the arts of life. It will be the master sin of Antichrist to carry this man-worship to its utmost limit. All will be done that man can do, and all that Satan can do when co-operating with men. The prophets of Baal will have done their best, and Baal, no longer asleep, will hear them and help them. Miracles will be wrought in those last days, and

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Such

human and Satanic energy will be urged to the last gasp to dispute the empire with the King of kings. Then, when all has been done that man can do, and all has been wondered at till wonder is exhausted, the Lord will silently let down the golden city. The bright apparition will glide into the air with noiseless steps, and stand with speechless majesty in the blue vault of heaven. For a moment, like the fire that fell on Elijah's sacrifice, the meteor-like blaze of the New Jerusalem will flash upon the earth; and so will be the effect as in the trial at Mount Carmel: "And when all the people saw it they fell on their faces, and they said, The Lord He is the God; the Lord He is the God!" The world that wondered after the beast will wonder after the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and the boasted deity of man will ever be put to shame by one instantaneous act of Divine Omnipotence. will be a second use of the heavenly city. It will be the antitype of Elijah's fire, as an eternal protest that the Lord He is the God against the claims of all mankind. It will be the workmanship of God contrasted with the workmanship of man. The most spiritualizing interHe must admit, perforce, that men preter cannot say a word to this. in the present age are making idols of their owN WORKS, especially in architecture, and in railroads, and in telegraphs. Now, to meet this, it is absolutely necessary to oppose sensation to sensation, sight to sight, and work to work. A spiritual work, as an answer to the visible work of man, would be simply impossible. It would be inconceivable. There must be an outward and visible work of God to answer to the outward and visible works of men. And what more adapted to the purpose than the heavenly city? A matchless specimen of architectural skill; high in the heavens, visible to all; with its communicating link-Jacob's ladder-connecting it with the earth, and traversed in a moment by the glorified saints in their passage to and fro, between earth and heaven. Human power and skill, and invention, will be put to silence for ever in the presence of this masterpiece of divine art. It will no longer be necessary to preach humility before God, or to hold forth upon the nothingness of man. A single glance at the heavenly 66 thousand homilies." "The lofty looks of city will do more than a man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down; and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day." Such will be the inevitable effect of one glance at the heavenly city; and it will stand in the heavens as an everlasting and overwhelming PROTEST on A work the part of God against all competition on the part of man. of God equally striking could not be wrought out upon the present earth without interfering too much with the ordinary course of things. A work amidst the stars would be altogether out of sight; but the heavenly city suspended in the skies-not touching the earth-not interfering with the economy of the globe, except as to climate-not far off out of sight among the stars, such an object will answer every purpose; beneficent to man; magnifying the power of God; visible to all, interfering with none! Such will be the heavenly city during the millennial reign.

A third use of the heavenly city will be to teach us a lesson which Some persons never was more wanted-to teach us SPIRITUALITY. may be astonished at this, and reply that the idea of a golden city, with gates of pearl, is most shockingly carnal, and the very reverse

U

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of spiritual. This shows how much we require to be taught a lesson of real spirituality. "Spiritualizing" has long usurped the place of spirituality. The spurious grace, the mock virtue, has driven away the real grace and the real virtue. "Spiritualizing" is Ishmael mocking at Isaac-the son of the bondwoman mocking at the son of the free. "Spiritualizing" means turning the word of God into a heap of riddles and equivocations; making Scripture mean whatever suits our purpose, however false, far-fetched, or absurd. It has destroyed all the beauty of revelation, and all its force. "Spiritualizing" answers only for one purpose. It enables men to live for the world, and to serve the world, without one sting of conscience; to whine and prose about holy things, while they are living only for worldly things; for when all the reality of Scripture is explained away, the whole becomes an empty dream. It may mean whatever you please. You may explain it to suit your own purposes. You may make the word of God CONNIVE at all your worldliness; you make heaven and hell as powerless as the Olympus and Tartarus of the poets if once you begin to spiritualize Scripture. It means everything, and anything, and-NOTHING. But the heavenly city puts an end to these prevarications. The description given in Rev. xxi. " proves it to be literal," as we have already twice observed. Verse 22 establishes its reality. We cannot escape from the distressing conclusion that gold and precious stones will actually be found in heaven! When we have overcome our first paroxysm of grief and indignation, we begin to console ourselves by some such reasoning as follows:- "So there is gold in heaven! And pearls and precious stones! And trees, and fruits, and water! How like it will be to the earth! So much the worse! But stay-on second thoughts, so much the better! I am now able to realize it. I can bring it before my mind. How beautiful it is! How happy! What a union of boundless magnificence and innocent delight! The great city of the great King, that will reign over the universe; and yet the rivers, and the trees, and the fruits of more than Arcadian beauty. All that is best on earth culled out and brought together in heaven; and the presence of God and of the Lamb in the midst of the divine landscape. I now can realize heaven, which I was taught to look upon as an empty cloud in an empty sky. But now I find that heaven is a real thing. It is not heaven brought down to earth, but earth raised up to heaven. It is not heaven degraded, but the earth refined and purified. I could never realize the Lord sitting on a cloud and surrounded by the saints in an empty sky. It appeared to me like an unsubstantial dream. But I can realize the Lord enthroned in the heavenly city-the saints dwelling around Him in their 'many mansions,' and all assembled in their golden council-chamber, consulting for the welfare of the earth; or walking by the side of the King of Life, amidst the Paradise of God. I can understand all this, and compare it with earthly things, and I find in that comparison the superiority of heavenly things. The attractions of the earth are dangerous -first, because they are REAL, and, still more, because they are separate from God. The attractions of the heavenly city, I find, are equally real and bring me into immediate connection with the presence of God. Therefore, reason itself is sufficient to convince me that heaven is better than the earth. Gold and jewels on earth are overvalued,