would shrivel as foul things born In the darkness do in the light, and
be consumed in the fire. None but the pure can enter and see God.

'The nation which keepeth the truth'--that does not mean adherence to
any revelation, or true creed, or the like. The word which is employed
means, not truth of thought, but truth of character; and might, perhaps,
be better represented by the more familiar word in such a connection,
'faithfulness.' A man who is true to God, keeping up a faithful relation
to Him who is faithful to us, he, and only he, will pass into, and abide
in, the city.

Now, brethren, so far our text carries us, but no further; unless,
perhaps, there may be a hint of something yet deeper in the next clause
of this song. If any one asks, How does the nation become righteous? the
answer may lie in the immediately following exhortation--'Trust ye in
the Lord for ever.' But whether that be so or not, if we want an answer
to the questions, How can my stained feet be cleansed so as to be fit to
tread the crystal pavements? how can my foul garments be so purged as
not to be a blot and an eyesore, beside the white, lustrous robes that
sweep along them and gather no defilement there? the only answer that I
know of is to be found by turning to the final visions of the New
Testament, where the spirit of this whole section of our prophet is
reproduced. Again, Babylon falls amidst the songs of saints; and then,
down upon all the dust and confusion of the crash of ruin, the seer
beholds the Lamb's wife, the new Jerusalem, descending from above. To
his happy eyes its glories are unveiled, its golden streets, its open
gates, its walls of precious stones, its flashing river, its peaceful
inhabitants, its light streaming from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
And when that vision passes, his last message to us is, 'Blessed are
they that wash their robes that they may enter through the gates into