Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation | Page 9

pleading time for
Him. He pleads for the personal crowning of Himself in our lives, that

He may reign there and He alone. This is our great opportunity. We
shall never see its like again, nor anywhere else than on this earth.
In the reigning time that's coming this peculiar opportunity of crowning
Christ while He still is absent and despised, this will be gone. In the
upper world they have no such opportunity. There is no opposition
there. Now and here is the rarest opportunity to put this great waiting
patient Man on the throne of heart and life, with possessions and
ambitions and plans all in subjection under His feet.
Every woman knows the name of Brussels lace. The old capital of the
low countries of Europe has long been famous for its lace. It is of great
interest to note the conditions under which it is sometimes made. They
are conditions studiously prepared after long experience. In one of the
famous lace factories in Brussels there are a number of small rooms
devoted to the making of some of the most delicate patterns.
Each room is just large enough for a single worker, and is quite dark
except for one narrow window. The worker sits so that the stream of
light falls from above directly upon the threads, while he himself sits in
the darkness. The darkness aids the workman's eyes to see better, and to
work more skilfully in the narrow line of clear light centred on the
delicate task. He weaves in the upper light intensified by the
surrounding gloom, and does exquisite work.
There is a clear line of light from a throne shining down into the
darkness in which we sit and move. It shines from the face of a
crowned Man. In the light of that light we can see clearly to do a
difficult bit of crowning work,--to crown the Christ in our lives and to
keep Him crowned.
As our eyes follow that line of upper light we may catch glimpses of
His wondrous Face up there in the glory. So we shall be steadied and
cheered in the darkness as we stick to our glad crowning work. And so
we shall move forward on the calendar the day when that thin line of
light seen now only by watching eyes shall become a burst of glory
light seen by all eyes.

And this is the thing the crowned Christ is asking of us during this
waiting time, this "not-yet" interval. He is counting on each of us being
faithful to Him, our absent Lord, in this.
"He is counting on you. He has need of your life In the thick of the
strife: For that weak one may fall If you fail at His call. He is counting
on you, If you fail Him-- What then?
"He is counting on you. On your silver and gold, On that treasure you
hold; On that treasure still kept, Though the doubt o'er you swept 'Is
this gold not all mine? (Lord, I knew it was Thine.') He is counting on
you, If you fail Him-- What then?
"He is counting on you. On a love that will share In His burden of
prayer, For the souls He has bought With His life-blood; and sought
Through His sorrow and pain To win 'Home' yet again. He is counting
on you, If you fail Him-- What then?
"He is counting on you. On life, money, and prayer; And 'the day shall
declare' If you let Him have all In response to His call; Or if He in that
day To your sorrow must say, 'I had counted on you, But you failed
me'-- What then?
"He is counting on you. Oh! the wonder and grace, To look Christ in
the face And not be ashamed; For you gave what He claimed, And you
laid down your all For His sake--at His call. He had counted on you,
And you failed not. What then?"[33]
Ah! Please God, by His grace, we shall not fail in the ruling purpose of
our lives. We may crown Him Lord of all. We can. He asks it. We
surely will.
"With all my powers Him I greet, All subject to His call; And bowing
low at His pierced feet Now crown him Lord of all."

FOOTNOTES:

[1] Joseph Addison Richards.
[2] Mark xvi. 19.
[3] Matthew xxvi. 64.
[4] Acts ii. 33; iii. 13-16; v. 31-32; vii. 55, 56.
[5] Psalm lxviii. 18; Ephesians iv. 8; Acts ii. 33.
[6] Romans viii. 34; Ephesians i. 20-22; Philippians ii. 9-11; Colossians
iii. 1.
[7] I Peter iii. 22.
[8] Hebrews i. 3; ii. 8-9; viii. 1; x. 12; xii. 2.
[9] Revelation iii. 21.
[10] Acts ii. 36.
[11] Romans x.