Страница 109 из 120
[466]
the merits of the promised Saviour, and he died in the hope of a
resurrection. The Son of God redeemed man’s failure and fall, and
now, through the work of the atonement, Adam is re-instated in his
first dominion.
Transported with joy, he beholds the trees that were once his de-
light,—the very trees from which he plucked fruit when he rejoiced
in the perfection of i
his own hands have trained, the very flowers that he once loved to
care for. His mind grasps the reality of the scene; he comprehends
that this is indeed Eden restored, far more beautiful now than when
he was banished from it. The Saviour leads him to the tree of life,
and plucks the glorious fruit, and bids him eat. He looks about him,
and beholds a multitude of his family redeemed, standing in the Par-
adise of God. Then he casts his glittering crown at the feet of Jesus,
and, falling upon his breast, embraces the Redeemer. He touches
the golden harp, and the vaults of Heaven echo the triumphant song,
“Worthy, worthy, worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and lives again!”
The family of Adam take up the strain, and cast their crowns at the
Saviour’s feet as they bow before him in adoration.
This reunion is witnessed by the angels who wept at the fall of
Adam, and rejoiced when Jesus, after his resurrection, ascended to
Heaven, having opened the grave for all who should believe on his
name. Now they behold the work of redemption accomplished, and
they unite their voices in the song of praise.
The Saviour’s chosen have been educated and disciplined in the
[467]
school of trial. They walked in narrow paths on earth; they were
purified in the furnace of affliction. For Jesus’ sake they endured op-
position, hatred, calumny. They followed him through conflicts sore;
314
The Spirit of Prophecy, vol. 4
they endured self-denial and experienced bitter disappointments. By
their own painful experience they learned the evil of sin, its power,
its guilt, its woe; and they look upon it with abhorrence. A sense of
the infinite sacrifice made for its cure, humbles them in their own
sight, and fills their hearts with gratitude and praise which those
who have never fallen ca
they have been forgiven much. Having been partakers of Christ’s
sufferings, they are fitted to be partakers with him of his glory.
The heirs of God have come from garrets, from hovels, from
dungeons, from scaffolds, from mountains, from deserts, from the
caves of the earth, from the caverns of the sea. But they are no
longer feeble, afflicted, scattered, and oppressed. Henceforth they
are to be ever with the Lord. They stand before the throne clad
in richer robes than the most honored of the earth have ever worn.
They are crowned with diadems more glorious than were ever placed
upon the brow of earthly monarchs. The days of pain and weeping
are forever ended. The King of glory has wiped the tears from all
faces; every cause of grief has been removed. Amid the waving of
palm-branches they pour forth a song of praise, clear, sweet, and
harmonious; every voice takes up the strain, until the anthem swells
[468]
through the vaults of Heaven, “Salvation to our God which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.” And all the inhabitants of
Heaven respond in the ascription, “Amen; blessing, and glory, and
wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be
unto our God forever and ever.” [Revelation 7:10, 12.]
The theme of redemption has but just begun to be understood.
With our finite comprehension we may consider most earnestly the
shame and the glory, the life and the death, the justice and the mercy,
that meet in the cross; yet with the utmost stretch of our mental
powers we fail to grasp its full significance. The length and the
breadth, the depth and the height of redeeming love are but dimly
comprehended. The plan of redemption will not be fully understood,
even when the ransomed see as they are seen and know as they
are known; but through the eternal ages, new truth will continually
unfold to the wondering and delighted mind. Though the griefs and
pains and temptations of earth are ended, and the cause removed,
the people of God will ever have a distinct, intelligent knowledge of
what their salvation has cost.
God’s People Delivered
315
The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the re-
deemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold
Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He who could com-
mand all the powers of nature, who by a word could summon mighty
angels to do his will and execute vengeance upon his enemies,—the
beloved of God, the Majesty of Heaven,—submitted to insult, tor-
ture, and death, that si
all worlds, the Arbiter of all destinies, should lay aside his glory, and
[469]
humiliate himself from love to man, will ever excite the wonder and
admiration of the universe. As the nations of the saved look upon
their Redeemer, and behold the eternal glory of the Father shining in
his countenance; as they behold his throne, which is from everlasting
to everlasting, and know that his kingdom is to have no end, they
break forth in rapturous song, “Worthy, worthy is the Lamb that
was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by his own most precious
blood!”
The mystery of the cross explains all other mysteries. In the light
that streams from Calvary, the attributes of God which had filled us
with fear and awe appear beautiful and attractive. Mercy, tenderness,
and parental love are seen to blend with holiness, justice, and power.
While we behold the majesty of his throne, high and lifted up, we
see his character in its gracious manifestations, and comprehend, as
never before, the significance of that endearing title, our Father.
It will be seen that He who is infinite in wisdom could devise no
plan for our salvation except the sacrifice of his Son. The compensa-
tion for this sacrifice is the joy of peopling the earth with ransomed
beings, holy, happy, and immortal. The result of the Saviour’s con-
flict with the powers of darkness is joy to the redeemed, redounding
to the glory of God, throughout eternity. And such is the value of
the soul that the Father is satisfied with the price paid; and Christ
himself, beholding the fruits of his great sacrifice, is satisfied.
[470]
Chapter 36—Desolation of the Earth
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourn-
ing, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong
is the Lord God who judgeth her. And the kings of the earth, who