Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chapters I to XIVMaclaren, Alexander
Religion
Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chapters I to XIV
Maclaren, Alexander
Bible. John -- Commentaries
I am not going to enter upon that question; I only ask you to think of
the contrast between His position, in this generation, to communities
and individuals, and the position of all other great names which lie in
the past. Why, it does not take more than a lifetime such as mine, for
instance, to remember how the great lights that shone seventy years ago
in English thinking and in English literature, have for the most part
gone out, and what we young men thought to be bright particular stars,
this new generation pooh-poohs as mere exhalations from the marsh or
twinkling and uncertain tapers, and you will find their books in the
twopenny-box at the bookseller's door. A cynical diplomatist, in one of
our modern dramas, sums it up, after seeing the death of a
revolutionary, 'I have known eight leaders of revolts.' And some of us
could say, 'We have known about as many guides of men who have been
forgotten and passed away.' 'His Name shall endure for ever. His name
shall continue as long as the sun, and men shall be blessed in Him; all
generations shall call Him blessed.' Even Shelley had the prophecy
forced from him—
'The moon of Mahomet
Arose and it shall set,
While blazoned as on heaven's eternal noon,
The Cross leads generations on.'
We may sum up the contrast between the undying Light and the lamps that
go out in the old words: 'They truly were many, because they were not
suffered to continue by reason of death, but this Man, because He
continueth ever… is able to save unto the uttermost them that come unto
God through Him.'
So, brethren, when lamps are quenched, let us look to the Light. When
our own lives are darkened because our household light is taken from
its candlestick, let us lift up our hearts and hopes to Him that
abideth for ever. Do not let us fall into the folly, and commit the
sin, of putting our heart's affections, our spirit's trust, upon any
that can pass and that must change. We need a Person whom we can clasp,
and who never will glide from our hold. We need a Light uncreated,
self-fed, eternal. 'Whilst ye have the Light, believe in the Light,
that ye may be the children of light.'
'THREE TABERNACLES'
'The Word … dwelt among us.'—JOHN i. 14.
'… He that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them.'—REV. vii. 15.
'… Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with
them.'—REV. xxi. 3.
The word rendered 'dwelt' in these three passages, is a peculiar one.
It is only found in the New Testament—in this Gospel and in the Book of
Revelation. That fact constitutes one of the many subtle threads of
connection between these two books, which at first sight seem so
extremely unlike each other; and it is a morsel of evidence in favour
of the common authorship of the Gospel and of the Apocalypse, which has
often, and very vehemently in these latter days of criticism, been
denied.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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