soldiers and servants to their lives' end;" for they are inheritors of joys such as eye hath not seen nor ear heard *; they communicate in the ineffable glory of Him Who is described, in a later vision, as the great Conqueror, leading His armies on white horses, clothed in fine linen, clean and white; and He has a Name written that no man knew but He Himself†. What the New Jerusalem is, is fully explained by St. John hereafter; and at the close of the Apocalypse, our Lord says, I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star §. Thus the earlier parts of the Revelation anticipate the latter, and the latter explain the former. The EPISTLES to the Seven Churches are followed by the opening of the SEVEN SEALS. In order to conceive this Vision, we must imagine a Roll of parchment wrapped round a cylindrical wand, and sealed with seven Seals. It could not be perceived that the Roll had seven Seals, till it was unfolded; and St. John calls it a Roll sealed with seven Seals, by anticipation. When one Seal is broken, a portion of the Roll is unwrapped, and its contents are disclosed; then a second Seal is broken; and so on, till the seven Seals are opened, and the whole Volume is unrolled. What, then, is the design of this Roll? It presents, I believe, the History of the conflicts * 1 Cor. ii. 9. || Rev. v. 1. Rev. xix. 11. 14. § Rev. xxii. 16. of the Church* from St. John's age to the day of doom. This Volume, be it observed, is represented as sealed; that is, its contents are concealed from human eye; and it is true, for it is impressed with the divine signet: it contains a perfect History, for it is sealed with seven Seals; it is in the hand of Him who sitteth on the throne †; and no one can open it but the Lamb. Hence we learn that all the fortunes of the Church are in God's hand; and that nothing can happen to her but by His providential dispensation; and that Christ alone is worthy to reveal the inscrutable counsels of God §; for He is the WORD of God ||. This mysterious Volume is not traced with alphabetical characters, but with hieroglyphical symbols. The first symbol is exhibited at the opening of the first Seal, and the second symbol at the second Seal; and each symbol pourtrays in order the state of the Church in that period to which it refers; and so on, in succession, till we are brought, with the opening of the seventh Seal, to the final condition of the Church on earth **. Here we pause, to remark, that, as was before noticed, the inspired Writer in the very beginning of Bede ad loc. "Conflictus et triumphos Ecclesiæ reserat futuros." + Chap. v. 1. § Cf. Isa. xxix. 11. ** Rev. viii. 1. Chap. v. 5. 9. || John i. 1. 18. N the Revelation hastens to the end: then he returns, as we have seen, and addresses spiritual admonition, in seven Epistles, to the Universal Church: then he reverts again, and reveals to the Church a rapid view of her own History in seven Pictures, displayed under the seven Seals. To speak now of these Seals. At the opening of the first Seal, a voice is heard from one of the four Living Creatures, Come and see. A similar voice from another of the Living Creatures in succession is heard at the opening of the three following Seals, Come and see. This was the invitation by which, as St. John informs us*, Philip invited Nathanael to Christ: Come and see. It indicates that the events revealed are great and wonderful: it consoles the Church with the assurance, that however she may suffer, the voice of the Gospels will survive; and that all her sufferings will be for her own good, and for Christ's glory; and that, therefore, they are spectacles which the true Christian may rejoice to come and see t. The first Seal is opened. Behold, a Warrior riding, crowned as a King, mounted on a White Horse, the Horse of Victory, armed with a Bow; and He goes forth conquering, and to conquer. In the Apocalypse, white is the colour of what appertains to Christ, and to Him alone ‡. Thus we * John i. 45, 46. + Veni, Vidi, Vici, may therefore be his reply. The word AEUKòs, white, occurs fifteen times in the Apoca read of His hair white as wool. He promises to His faithful followers a white stone: they will walk with Him in white. He rides on a white cloud: they follow Him on white horses. His spouse is attired in white. He sits on a great white throne. The Royal Rider, then, on the White Horse, is CHRIST. The Bow, in His hand, are* Apostles, Evangelists, and Teachers, who are Christ's instruments in advancing His kingdom. This is the interpretation of the Holy Spirit Himself by the Prophet Zechariah, I have bent Judah for Me, and filled the bow with Ephraim, where Judah and Ephraim represent the true servants of God. Christ bends His bow, when He ordains and sends His Ministers to the spiritual battle ‡, and fills their quiver with the arrows of His Word. Whatever, then, may be the sufferings of the Church in the following Seals, the Messiah, her Lord, is Invincible. He is most Mighty; as the Psalmist lypse, and in this book is always applied to what appertains to CHRIST; and never to any thing else. *See Arethas and Aquinas ad loc. AGNUS vincit cum Arcu Scripturæ. Haymo: Sagittæ sunt divina Eloquia. Per Equum album debemus intelligere Corpus Dominicum ab omni peccato mundum. See also Vitringa's note. + Zech. ix. 13. ἐνέτεινά σε, Ἰούδα, ἐμαυτῷ, εἰς τόξον ἔπλησα τὸν Ἐφραὶμ, against τὰ τέκνα τῶν Ἑλλήνων, i. e. against gentile foes. See also Habakkuk iii. 8, 9. says, He prospereth with His honour; He rides on, because of His Word; and His right hand shall teach Him terrible things. His arrows are very sharp; the people shall be subdued unto Him; His seat endureth for ever *. This Vision is further explained by what is displayed in a later part of the Apocalypse. I saw heaven opened, and behold a White Horse; and He that sate upon him was called Faithful and True †. The first Rider then is CHRIST. He it is Who rides conquering, and in order that He may conquer ‡. He Who says to His Church, In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world §. The colour White, in the Apocalypse, appertains, as we have said, to Christ. Whatever then is contrary to white is opposed to Christ. This leads us to the interpretation of the next Seals. The Second symbol is a Red horse, and his Rider bears a sword; not a barbarian falchion, but an imperial sword. This sword, as St. Paul teaches us, is the emblem of Civil Power: He beareth not the sword in vain **. This Seal then, with its red horse. and drawn sword, prefigures the persecutions in which the blood of Christians was shed by the sword Psalm xlv. 4—6. † ἵνα νικήσῃ are the words of the original. Rev. xix. 11. || μάχαιρα, not ῥομφαία. § John xvi. 33. |