identical with the Messianic list; and the writer may have intended the other words to be the divine equivalents of the human qualities—counsel becoming power; understanding, riches; knowledge, honour; and the fear of God, glory and blessing. In any case the number is seven, and this helped to make men certain that the Spirit must give a sevenfold dower. The Apocalypse is indeed pervaded with the figure, which is not intended so much to have a numerical significance as to convey the idea of fullness and perfection, as in the seven golden lamp-stands (not candlesticks, by the way) of the first chapter, which are so described in contrast to the single lamp-stand of the Temple.[1]
We may conclude that the seventh gift, 'godliness' or pietas in the later sense, was meant rather as a Christian summary of the rest, inserted to guard against any possible omission, and to give the idea of completeness, rather than as an addition. Since it does not really add anything to the powers enumerated by Isaiah, we may content ourselves, if we will, with the consideration of the six definite gifts.
But when we have followed out this little study of the meaning of the gifts, we find that the instinct of Christendom has not only seized on this prophetic verse to describe the indwelling of Christ's human
- ↑ Ex. 25 31-37. It had six branches and seven lamps; and is referred to in Heb. 9 2.
