THE WONDERFUL REVELATION.
Before us lies a modest book of nearly 400 pages with the romantic title, “The Mystery of the Golden Cloth.” The title page bears an additional suggestion, “The Riven Veil.” It is written and published by Jasper Seaston Hughes, of Chicago, Ill., a clergyman in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The title would indicate that the book was a romance or a novel; and in a way it deals with a wonderful romance in a novel way. It is not, however, a modern romance; but a commentary, a series of meditations, a study, on the book of “The Revelation.” The title was chosen to escape prejudice and cynicism “against all attempts to interpret the book,” held chiefly, we believe, by theologians. The author sets aside all other expositions of the book as failures, and thinks he found the vision “sealed, ‘dead as a stone ready to be struck into fire.’” But let us assure him that to many it has proved a living stone, upon which God has erected living pillars in His temple of glory. The author still further believes that “the vision will never again fall back upon its old plane, and that no interpretation will find currency that does not take into account the facts my work has set forth for the first time.” This edition contains an Introduction, suggestive in some ways, and yet after reading it one feels that it would have been better for the book if it had not been written. Who is he that will measure the work, the writings, the influence of God’s servants? What likeness is there in the Roman Church to Peter the apostle, not Peter the unconverted? Peter the apostle is taken as the type of Romanism, Paul of the Reformation, and John of the latter-day Christianity. To us the parallelism is not alone weak, but very unfortunate. It is a pity we can not hear the voice of Mr. Hughes’ antitype of Peter using the words of 2 Peter 3: 15, 16. Another illustration of this unfortunate comparison is in this sentence: “Paul saw faith the highest faculty in man, John saw love as the highest attribute of God.” As to Paul, see 1 Cor. 13; Gal. 5: 6; Rom. 8: 28-39; et al. Twelve pages of the book are used to relate the author’s personal experience in deep affliction, and how he came to study the Revelation as a relief from sorrow. Of the exposition, it is well written; a little too much, however, in the technical terms of the scholar, the logician, the theologian, to be readily comprehended by the common people. Even when you do not agree with the book, it is rich in suggestion. The correlations, the congregating, of facts and similar symbols, the noting of departure from ordinary forms and usages in the language of the Revelation, the suggestions concerning the symbolism of the various numerals used, are all stimulating to thought and research. One who has studied the Book, who has read its prophecies in the light of historic fulfilment, who has tasted of its wondrous stream of life-giving waters, feels, as he reads Mr. Hughes’ exposition, that the author would have given us much more truth, however, if he had not been so fearful of the suggestions offered by those whose explanations and historical parallels he pronounces failures. For instance, Mr. Hughes rightly concludes that the seven churches in Asia symbolize all churches then present, concerning things then present; but why should they not as fully represent the whole church for all time, the church from John’s day to the end of time, inasmuch as the letter comes as truly from the Omega, the Finisher, the One-Who-is-to-Come, as it does from the Alpha, the Author, the One-Who-Is? The sevenfold letter is of little interest to us if it pertains to those churches then, of things then present; but read in the light of all the churches in all the ages it is of infinite importance. With what seems to us a forced parallelism Mr. Hughes uses Peter, Paul, and John as symbols of the early church, the reformation church, and the latter-day church; with how much more reason are the seven churches a symbol of the whole church for the Christian era. The very characters of the past used in this sevenfold letter strengthen this application. His parallelism of the early giving of the Gospel, with the events of the seals and trumpets, and others to quite an extent, seems to us to be more far-fetched than those of any historical expositor. While it is true that the Book “can not be studied with a view to bolstering any theory and ever give forth its true oracle,” the same result will follow if it is studied for the purpose of finding a way to combat a theory against which the student may be prejudiced. But we are glad that Mr. Hughes has written his book; it will set some to thinking, studying, praying, longing for the hidden manna, the viands from the celestial table, the true riches, the divine anointing, the water of life; and it is to hungry hearts God will disclose His truth. is an epitome of the entire Word of God, of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is supplementary to all the other books, historical and prophetic, of the Bible. It fills all the void places. In its wonderful language is set forth in word and symbol the great plan of salvation more vividly, more strongly, than in any other book. In its historic-prophetic phase it sweeps the entire field from the “old serpent” in Eden to his destruction in the lake of fire; from Babylon, the typical great world-empire, to the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and His Christ. Yet, highly symbolic tho it is, there is no stronger, clearer homily ever given the church than the Apocalypse. It surpasses all other books in its eschatology, its wonderful revelation of final issues, the results of the seed-sowing of the ages, the harvest of eternity. In its wonderful disclosures of the future, the wicked is indeed warned, and the faithful comforted. How it lights up the Old Scriptures! Ezekiel’s and Daniel’s and Zechariah’s visions shine with new meaning in its incandescent glow. Old Testament characters of persons and empires and cities stand in clear outline as types of what shall come afterward, as warnings to every soul who would follow like principles, as helps and encouragement in the life struggle. Balaam and Jezebel, the tribes of Israel and the seven churches; Babylon, and Sodom, and Egypt, are all types of what should be afterward, all great object-lessons to men, to churches, to nations and rulers. With what wonderful sublimity and force and beauty does it reveal the phases of character and7work of the great central Figure—Jesus Christ. How tenderly, sweetly, and winningly are His love and watchcare revealed! How His individual tenderness and assurance touch the heart! How the glowing prospects of the future cheer the lonely pilgrim and light up his dark way! What a wonderful poem, with the series of dramas in it all ending with the glad home-coming to the city of God, the New Jerusalem; to the holy Mount Zion, which can not be moved; to the water of life from the throne; to the tree of life with its healing fruit and leaves, which will restore the children dwarfed by sin and sorrow to full-grown men of God; to the innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the first-born, where the good of all ages will meet and greet each other with glad song and praise; and more than all else to the warm, blest, loving presence of the great loving Father of all and His Son, our adorable Saviour Jesus Christ. Praise God for the Revelation. The Bible would not be complete without it, and no church will attain completion or perfect full growth that neglects or slights its life-giving mysteries.