subject is a combat, appears, as has been stated, from the fact that Four Horsemen are described, one of whom is a victor. An exhibition of the contest under this aspect of the temporary depression of the final Conqueror, appears to be absolutely requisite to the real development of the subject, which is a contest.

It is certain, that in no other way can the combat, which is not described in the first four seals, be at all portrayed, either with a regard to consistency or harmony of design. In keeping with neither, can the prophet bring the Four Horsemen a second time on the scene of representation. This would have the effect of making the representation ushered in by the Four Living-creatures an imperfect one. But the contest is not developed in the First Four Seals; it is merely indicated. It has, therefore, still to be developed, for if not, then is the exhibition of the Four Horsemen, and the victory of the first, a mere idle pageant, which cannot be supposed. This development is made in the fifth seal, to the extent of showing one phase of the contest. The battle is described as going against the final conqueror, and he is oppressed for a season by his adversaries, who triumph over him, and trample him under foot. But though laboring under a defeat, he is assured of ultimate victory. Such is the force of the representation of the fifth seal.

But in the following seal a reversal takes place in the respective position of the belligerents, and the contest exhibits a very different phase. This seal opens with an exhibition of vengeance:

"The kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every freeman, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb."-Rev. vi. 15, 16.

What vengeance is this? Unquestionably that which was promised under the previous seal. But it is final vengeance, for the great day of his wrath is come, v. 17. Whose wrath? Undoubtedly that of the Conqueror, who is now going forth "conquering and to conquer." A regard to unity of design in the composition, which the interpreter is not permitted to violate, as well, it may be added, as a regard to design, connection, and sense in the composition at all, demands this conclusion.

The two seals taken together, then, as they ought to be, develop that combat and victory which is the subject really inherent, although not developed, in the exhibition of Four Horsemen, one of which is a Victor. The first four seals, which simply place a group of combatants on the canvas, are incomplete and unfinished representations, without the presence of the fifth and sixth seals; these last are equally incomplete and unfinished, without the presence of the first. The whole, taken together, alone form a complete composition.

But this victory of the Conqueror has a phase different from the avenging aspect it displays in

respect of his adversaries. This is represented in the remaining part of the seal.

We have thus far seen the Conqueror marshalled with his Four Antagonists in the First Four Seals. We have seen him pass through a temporary defeat in the Fifth Seal, and we have seen him taking vengeance on his adversaries and achieving his victory in the opening vision of the Sixth Seal. A tempest is the image employed to represent this consummation. Terrible is this victory to his adversaries, but it has another and a more gracious side, which is presented in the second vision of the same seal. A multitude, which is expressed by 12 multiplied into 12 in thousands-therefore a vast multitude-is sealed, that is, is unharmed, by the strokes delivered in the achievement of this victory, and is redeemed and saved by it. The great day of the wrath of the Lamb has come, as is said in v. 17 of the preceding chapter, but a mighty multitude is sealed, so that the fury of his avenging power passes over them unscathed. The representation here is similar in strain with that expressed in the following passage of Isaiah:

"Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain."-ch. xxvi. 20, 21.

"In that day the Lord, with his sore, and great,

In

and strong sword, shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. that day sing ye unto her, A vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it; I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together. Or let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me. He shall cause them that come of Jacob to take root: Israel shall blossom and bud, and fill the face of the world with fruit.”ch. xxvii. 1-6.

The third vision, ch. vii. 8-17, represents the peace, security, and felicity, described in the above glowing language of the figurative prophet, which prevail in the territories of the great Conqueror, after all his enemies are destroyed. The white robes of the multitude, and the palms, emblems of victory, in their hands, forcibly recall to the mind the victory represented under the First Seal, which is now to be regarded as won. Here the first allegory ends, and it displays, so far as its structure and composition is concerned, all that can be demanded in the first version of a symbolic prophecy; it displays unity of design and the quaternal structure.

It is here worthy of observation that it is a matter of no essential moment that the imagery is changed, that the temporary depression of the victor is depicted under the form of a sacrifice, and his vengeance taken

on his adversaries under the form of a tempest. Such a change of imagery is common in symbolical composition, and cannot be held as making any compromise whatever of its unity of idea or of design. This rapid transition from one to another and different image still representing the same idea, is a marked feature of the Revelation. It is a characteristic of the prophet to disregard the connection of imagery entirely. An equally abrupt and disconnected transition from one to another image, as is here displayed, occurs for example in the symbol, the False Prophet. The False Prophet is nowhere in the book described, and yet he is cast into the Lake of Fire which, if he is not elsewhere described, is absurd, and is evidence that he is described under some other symbol; on the other hand, the Harlot and the Two-horned Beast are fully described as enemies of the Conqueror, and yet they are not cast into the Lake of Fire, which, if they are not thrown into it in another form, is equally absurd. It is evident that the three symbols are perfectly synonymous. The prophet, however, passes rapidly from the one to the other without the slightest intimation of change. Hence the False Prophet is with perfect consistency represented as punished and destroyed by being cast into the Lake of Fire, but then he has been fully depicted and a full length portraiture of his character and doings has been rendered under the synonymous Whore and the Two-horned Beast. also, have justice executed upon them, for they are cast into the Lake of Fire under the form of the False

symbols of the These two latter,