souls under the altar is heard, judgment will not be delayed. Shallow thinkers are they who suppose that God is ever mild and gentle towards man, however base his conduct may be. There are many who find security in the thought that God as a Father will not punish His offspring whatever may be their offense. But it is a false security.

That God is love, the Scriptures repeatedly emphasize. It is this that awakens in our hearts a love for Him. But were God not as pronouncedly opposed to sin as He is in favor of righteousness, He could not be perfect. What man of all those who are offended at the thought of justice in God which attaches penalty to sin, would think it love to himself and others should the government of his country abrogate all laws, and virtually say to evil men, "Go forth and do your will-none shall dare to make you afraid"? Those who a moment before were loudest in their remonstrance against the thought of God being so harsh as to punish sin, would be among the first to protest against lifting all restraint from the criminally inclined and endangering society to that extent. The notion of a Righteous Governor of the world Who rewards men according to their works, is in harmony with that notion of earthly government which all the wise and good unite to approve. Did God not show hatred of sin, it would be difficult to understand why good men should manifest such antagonism toward it.

The "wrath of the Lamb" must be explained in the same way. Jesus Christ is the Revealer of God. But if He reveals only the love-nature of the Deity, then He is not as affirmed by Paul "the fulness of the Godhead" (Col. ii:9). But He was stern and denunciatory as well as gentle and tender in His attitude towards men. Hypocritical men. were

made to wince in His presence. He burned with indignation against sin, and showed wrath against all forms of evil-doing. The tenderness of Jesus is so patent that there is danger of overlooking this wrath-principle in Him. So the sixth Seal carries us on to that day which is to be distinguished as the "Day of Wrath."

CHAPTER VIII.

VISION OF THE REDEEMED.

Revelation vii.

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that no wind should blow on the earth, or on the sea, or upon any tree. And I saw another angel ascend from the sunrising, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a great voice to the four angels, to whom it was give to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we shall have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed, a hundred and forty and four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the children of Israel.

Of the tribe of Judah were sealed twelve thousand; of the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Gad twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Asher twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand:

Of the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand:
Of the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand:
Of the tribe of Levi twelve thousand:

Of the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand: Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation, and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed in white robes, and palms. in their hands; and they cry with a great voice, saying, Salvation unto our God which sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels were standing round about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be únto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, These which are arrayed in the white robes, who are they, and whence came they? And I say unto him, My lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God; and they serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne. shall spread his tabernacle over them. They shall hunger no more; neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun strike upon them, nor any

heat for the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd, and shall guide them unto fountains of waters of life: and God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Counterpart of Sixth Seal:-We should naturally expect here the opening of the seventh seal, but this does not occur until we reach the next chapter. What we have in this chapter is a vision, the description of which is greatly heightened by contrast with the closing scene of Chapter VI. The projection of the vision of the redeemed at this point does not break the continuity of the seer's thought. On the contrary, it establishes it. We shall see that this vision is a part of the contents of the sixth seal -the counterpart of that already described. It is an evidence that the Book of Revelation is not a series of disconnected, unrelated prophecies and visions, but a systematic and artistic whole.

In this chapter we have a two-fold vision of God's people. In the first part four angels stand at the four corners of the universe holding in leash the forces of nature, while another angel comes from the direction of the East to seal the "servants of God." The Apostle does not witness the process of sealing, but only hears the number of those that are sealed.

The Author's Plan:-That after so complete a catastrophe as that recorded at the close of the last chapter, any further reference to judgment of any kind should be made may appear strange. This seeming inconsistency may, however, be explained by calling attention to the various aspects in which the author has presented his subject. In chapters vi-vii we have the universal aspect, and in xiii-xx: 6 the local, the Book closing with the resumption of the universal fea

tures. The struggle, therefore, is still on, even though the seer has pictured the complete triumph of right

eousness.

He has an object in treating his theme in this manner. As already referred to, this is to encourage endurance on the part of his persecuted coreligionists by showing them the relation of their struggle to the general conflict, and by assuring them that in remaining steadfast they contribute toward the final victory. Lest they think the victory already won, after the recital of such an overwhelming catastrophe, he speaks of further conflicts and judgments.

"Ne'er think the victory won,

Nor lay thine armor down;

Thy arduous work will not be done
Till thou obtain the crown.'

The "four winds" indicate the universality of the judgment spoken of. In its main features this vision resembles that of Ezekiel ix, and the teaching of both refers to the preservation of God's people in the midst of His judgments on the wicked.

God's True People a Unit:-One's first impression on reading this seventh chapter is that the first part must certainly refer to the Old Testament saints. These "servants of our God" are gathered "out of every tribe of the sons of Israel." But we must again refer to the universal character of the Book's theme. Strictly speaking, there is no distinction drawn in the standing of God's people. The accident of time or racial distinction never enters into the conception. The phraseology may be disdistinctively Hebrew, but its interpretation involves wider principles.