compatible with many of the facts of history. They fill us with perplexity, and John's weeping at the thought of the inability of men and angels to open the book is descriptive of the general state of the human mind in the face of many perplexing problems. But the solution of all our problems is found in Christ. He explains history. All history converges in Him. Even if it be insisted upon that the book is the Book of Redemption, the above argument is not seriously assailed. For the history of the world is little more than the unfolding of God's plan of redemption. Someone has said that history is "His story." Christ is the Key that unlocks all Divine mysteries. He has an answer for all our perplexities. He is the centre and source of the Universe; from Whom all things radiate. "For by Him were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible. . all things were created by Him and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." (Col. i: 16, 17.)

All this has been anticipatory. We are now prepared for the narration of the actual clash. This begins with the next chapter. It should be noticed here that all three series of judgments which form the core of the Book of Revelation, namely, the Seals (vi: 1), Trumpets (viii: 2) and Bowls (xv: 1), are sent from the Throne of God. (See iv: 5.) They imply three phases of the author's subject, which, for the want of better terms, we must name the Universal; the National, or Redemptive; and the Local, or Contemporary. Their striking similarity is one of the chief grounds on which we base our interpretation of the Revelation. These likenesses will be shown in turn as we meet them.

PART II.

UNIVERSAL ASPECT OF THE CONFLICT. VI-VII.

CHAPTER VII.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CONFLICT.

Revelation vi.

And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, Come. And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and he that sat thereon had a bow; and there was given unto him a crown: and he came forth conquering, and to conquer.

And when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, Come. And another horse came forth, a red horse: and to him that sat thereon it was given to take peace from the earth, and that they should slay one another and there was given unto him a great sword.

And when he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a black horse; and he that sat thereon had a balance in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and the oil and the wine hurt thou not.

And when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, Come. And I saw, and behold, a pale horse:

and he that sat upon him, his name was Death; and Hades followed with him. And there was given unto them authority over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with famine, and with death, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

And when he opened the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: and they cried with a great voice, saying, How long, O Master, the holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? there was given them to each one a white robe; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little time, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, which should be killed even as they were, should be fulfilled.

And

And I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the whole moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth, as a fig tree casteth her unripe figs, when she is shaken of a great wind. And the heaven was removed as a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the princes, and the chief captains, and the rich, and the strong, and every bondman and freeman, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains; and they say to the mountains and to the rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of their wrath is come; and who is able to stand?

With this chapter we begin the study of the central theme of the Book of Revelation, the universal struggle between righteousness and evil. John witnesses the opening of the Seals by the Lamb, and describes them in order, Chapter VI containing the first six. The seven are divided into groups of four (vi: 1-8), and three seals (vi:9, 12, and viii: 1)— the former group being distinguished from the latter by the agency of the Four Living Creatures. As each Seal of the first group is opened, each one of the “Living Creatures" cries with a loud voice, "Come." The words "and see" in the Authorized Version are an interpolation and are unwarranted. The cry is not made to John as the statement in that version implies, but rather to the horseman who appears in response to the cry.

First Four Seals:-The first rider appears on a white horse, provided with a bow; a crown is given. him and he goes forth to conquer. The imagery is somewhat similar to Zech. i:8-11. That "white" is the livery of Heaven we learn from Rev. i: 14 and ii: 17. With the Hebrews, the horse was the emblem of war. (See Job. xxxix: 25, Psa. lxxvi:6, Prov. xxi: 31, Jer. viii: 6, Ezek. xxvi: 10.) With the Romans the white horse was the emblem of victory. At the opening of the second seal, and in response to the "Come" of the second creature, appear a red horse and his rider, to whom is given a sword, and he is commissioned to take away peace from the earth by turning men against each other. It will be noticed that the color of each horse corresponds to the mission of its rider. Here in the second seal it is to shed blood.

The third creature cries "Come," and there appears a black horse with its rider, who holds a balance in his hand. "A voice in the midst of the four living

creatures" (i. e., different from theirs, the "as it were" leaving it indefinite in the mind of the seer) .commissions this third rider. We hazard the conjecture that this is the "Voice" of Him Who is directing the seer. "A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny." The mention of the "balance" refers to the weighing of the wheat and barley, instead of the usual measuring. Hence we have scarcity symbolized. When the fourth seal was opened and the fourth creature had cried, "Come," there appeared a pale horse, whose rider was named Death, and Hades followed with him. They have authority over a fourth of the earth, "to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." To the fourth rider alone is a name given.

We had better pause here to consider the significance of what has just been described. The opening of the seals is the pictorial unfolding of the struggle between the principles of Right and Wrong, all history being of Divine direction. But John sees the effect rather than the course of the conflict.

Principle of Interpretation:-The great detriment to a sane interpretation of the Revelation is the insistent way men have endeavored to fit the details of history into these symbolic features. In our study of the Revelation we have become convinced that the Book deals with principles rather than with literal facts, although the facts give basis to the principles enounced; that we do not so much have to deal with single historical events, per se, as with a general view of things. We are not to look for a literal fulfilment of them. Rather are we directed to the sources whence these trials spring and to the principles by which the victory is gained.