mercy-seat or throne, above which, and between the cherubim, was the glory of God. "Before the throne" was the sea of glass, reminding us of the brazen sea which stood in the Court before the temple. Reference is also made to the altar of incense, and to the altar of burnt-offerings, under which were the souls or blood of them that were slain for the word of God, and the testimony which they held. But especially are we reminded of the seven-branched golden candlestick, by the seven lamps of fire which John saw burning before the throne. The twenty-four elders also-the representatives of the Church universal round about the throne, point to the twenty-four courses into which the priests were divided, who represented the children of Israel in the temple service. But these elders have crowns on their heads to signify that they have been made both kings and priests unto God.-Each one sits as "a priest upon his throne." Zech. vi. 13. Thus, then, was exhibited to St. John the court of heaven, the holy and the most holy place, where were assembled the germ of the General Assembly and Church of the first born, the spirits of the just made perfect, Jesus with the blood of sprinkling, and God the Judge of all. Its resemblance to the interior of the tabernacle is what we are taught to expect; for the tabernacle, says St. Paul, was the shadow of HEAVENLY things, and Moses was admonished of God to make all things according to the pattern shewed him in the mount, where doubtless he was favoured with a similar vision to this seen by St. John. And again, Paul says, the patterns of things in the heavens were purified with blood, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices. The holy places made with hands are figures of the true into which Christ hath entered, even into heaven itself, the immediate presence of God, with his own blood consecrating for us a new and living way to the mercy seat, through the veil, that is to say his flesh. Hence it is, that John saw no veil in heaven separating between the holy and the most holy place; neither was there any table with the shew-bread, between which and the candlestick the high priest passed with the blood of atonement into the inner sanctuary. That golden table with the shew bread was a striking symbol of the "Bread that came to us from heaven;" but there was no need for its representation in the heavenly court, for Jesus himself, the Bread of life, was there, sitting upon the throne as a "Lamb that had been slain." The seven lamps of fire (the seven-fold Spirit of God) burning before the throne, were typified by the golden candlestick before the veil in the holy place, which imparted light and comfort to all who drew near to worship. Such is the office of the Spirit of God still, and will be till the end of time. As the Jewish candlestick was one but with seven branches; so the Holy Spirit is one, but represented in his seven-fold perfect operations or gifts working in the Church. Hence he is represented not on the throne, but before it; shedding his influences on those without, as the Comforter sent from heaven to abide with the Church-as the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord; the Spirit promised to the Apostles to shew them things to come; and whom St. John, in his opening salutation to the seven churches, unites with the Father and the Son, saying, "Grace be unto you and peace, from him which is and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which are before his throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness." Much confusion has been produced by imperfect views of these seven lamps of fire, and of the four living creatures. Some commentators have argued at great length to prove that the four living creatures are emblematical of the Holy Spirit-apparently overlooking the positive declaration concerning the third person of the Trinity being identical with the seven spirits before the throne. Others have recognized this identity, and laboured to prove the four living creatures to be representatives of the Church triumphant, with the Holy Spirit joined to them, and animating their adoration; while others, acknowledging the angelic character of the cherubim, as identical with the four living creatures, have attempted to shew that they represent also the spirits of the just made perfect, who have now been made like unto the angels in dignity and in nature, and are united with them in one glorious and mysterious symbol. At the same time it is admitted that the twenty-four elders are also representatives of those who have been redeemed from the earth. These various commentators confess that the question is one of extreme difficulty; and the difficulty rests in the four living creatures joining in the new song to the Lamb, and saying, “Thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people;”—which we know cannot be said by any order of angelic beings, who not being partakers of human nature, and therefore having never sinned, need no redemption. Hence have arisen the many unsatisfactory attempts to explain this portion of the Apocalypse. I shall read the passage, and then attempt to solve the difficulty. "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (ch. v. 8—10.) Now, if we conceive the pronoun "they" in the 9th verse, to refer not to the four living creatures, but only to the four and twenty elders, the difficulty will be removed, and the distinctive harmony that subsists between the spirits of the just and the angelic choirs will remain undisturbed. Were there no other passage of similar construction in the Scriptures, I should not have ventured on such an explanation. But there are several, such as that in Genesis, where we read, "Thy seed shall be a stranger in the land that is not theirs, and shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years;" whereas we know that the four hundred years refers to the sojourning, not to the affliction. But there is a passage in the book of Jonah exactly parallel-parallel I mean in its construction, and in its evident application. (iii. 8.) The king of Nineveh proclaimed a fast, "Let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God; yea let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the violence that is in their hands." Here no one can fail to perceive, that these acts of repentance could only be performed by man, though the construction of the passage requires that both beast and man should cry mightily and turn from evil. So in the passage before us, every glance we have previously obtained in the scriptures of the nature of these exalted spiritual intelligences, justifies a similar mode of interpretation. The four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fall down before the Lamb; but the elders alone sing the new song of praise for their redemption: while the distinct and final “Amen” of the four living creatures closes the doxology of both angels and elders-and seems to corroborate the view I have taken of the subject. This instance is one among a thousand others where scripture is found to be the best interpreter of scripture; where light from the New Testament is thrown upon the Old, and again reflected back upon the New. While John stood in the midst of this glorious company, he says, "I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" (ch. v. 1, 2.) The book doubtless appeared as a parchment roll, the usual form of books in the days of the Apostle, and sealed at intervals with seven seals, the seals hanging outside, though attached to the parchment within; and as each seal was opened, successive portions of the parchment could be unrolled. It was written within and without; and scenes were depicted opposite to, and in connection with, the grand and continuous visions, explaining and carrying forward the symbolic history from age to age-as in the beautiful and well arranged paintings of an elaborate panorama. But " no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders said unto me, Weep not; behold the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne." (ch. v. 3-7.) The Lamb with seven horns, the symbol of Almighty power, and seven eyes, significant of omniscience-was seen "in the midst of the throne, as it had been slain." Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of God. He said to his servant John, "I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold I am alive for evermore." But he yet appears as the Lamb slain,‚—as bearing that nature in which he suffered. In our nature when on earth, Jesus was made like unto his brethren. They grow in knowledge and grace, which attain to perfection in heaven. So He increased in wisdom and in stature; he learned obedience by the things which he suffered. Regarding certain events, he told his disciples, that of the day and hour no man nor angel knew, neither the Son, but the Father. But may we not believe that the knowledge of those things he knew not then, was part of that exaltation he received from the Father, when, after suffering, "he entered into his glory"?—and that now, as seen by John in vision, to the innumerable company of angels, and to the representatives of the redeemed from the earth, he revealed things which had been kept secret from the foundation of the world. We believe also, that they were part of those things which St. Paul says the angels desired to look into, and which they now learned through the Church's Head. Jesus, in taking the sealed book "out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne," was now 'reconciling the things in heaven,' as we pray in our Church Litany, by exhibiting to the expectant and wondering hosts this proof of his power and omniscience, and shewing that in all things he had the pre-eminence; for it pleased the Father that in him |