THE SOUTH AMERICAN EARTHQUAKES. 151 



eternal conquest of licaven, — or rallier, earth and iK-avcn 

 do but form one kingdom of God. It is tlu* apocalyptic 

 city, descend in^ç from heaven and resting on the earth 

 and reconciling into one the interests of this life and of 

 the life to come, ^vhich becomes the centre of universal 

 history, the common dwelling-place of Cod and men. 

 '*!, John, saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending 

 out of heaven from God, like a bride adorned for her 

 husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven say- 

 ing, Behold tlie tabernacle of God is with men, and he 

 will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and 

 he shall be with them and be their God I''* 



This royal city descends from heaven ; and yet each 

 day the hand of man is building it njoon the earth. 

 The effort which it requires is so laborious, and so bit- 

 terly opposed, that there is need at once of workmen and 

 of soldiers. As in those troubled days when Xehemiah, 

 despite the hostility of the surrounding tribes, rebuilt 

 the walls of the old Jerusalem, so we must wear at once 

 tlie cuirass and the workman's apron, and handle the 

 trowel with which to build the wall, while we bear the 

 sword with which to repel the enemy.f 



We arc beset by a triple foe. A threefold barbarism 

 is making incessant attacks on that work of civilization 

 — both man's and God's — whicli is prosecuted in time, 

 to be completed in eternity : — the barbarism of infernal 

 spirits, the barbarism of men of error and mischief, the 

 l>arl)arism of nature in revolt against its Lord. 



Of infernal spirits I have no occasion to speak; — not 

 that I fear the sneers of incredulity, but because this 

 matter does not relate to my subject. AVe know Avell 

 enough, from another teacher, that our wrestling is 

 "not against flesh and blood" — against visible man; 



* Revelation, xxi. 2, 3. + Xehemiali, iv. 16, 17. 



