this happened in the Church? Under the last seal the martyrs and their relics were revered; miracles, it was pretended, took place in the localities honoured with their presence; here, however, superstition advances a step; reverence is turned into idolatry; the souls of the martyrs are connected with the altar; they are, as it were, the fire that consumes the sacrifice, or they take part with our Saviour in procuring forgiveness of sin. But Holy Scripture declares, that the sacrifice and altar typify the one efficient atonement of Christ. Here then is in all probability direct allusion to the superstition and idolatry of the early centuries, when the last words of martyrs and the requests of confessors were reckoned sacred, if not oracular, and the saints and angels in heaven were worshipped as capable either of pardoning sin, or of acting as mediThis seal then denotes the worship of saints, which began very early, which now prevails in popish countries, and which will continue, as we shall hereafter show, till 1260

ators.

years are expired, or rather it will only be destroyed by the vials of the seventh trumpet. This error is so strongly rooted in the Romish church, that thousands of its members are more intent on the help of saints and angels than on that of Jesus Christ and his purifying Spirit. As the going forth of the horses denoted the growth or increase as well as the rise of innovations, so the remaining three seals declare or imply their continuance at least for a limited period. They will be the prevailing errors of Christendom, till the two witnessing Churches and the residence of the woman in the wilderness are at an end. as these errors are as prevalent in the Roman churches now as ever, we conclude, that the "little season," or the slaughter of the brethren and fellow-servants of the souls of the martyrs, is not yet fulfilled.

But

Verses 12-17. "And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became

as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig-tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And 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: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

In prophetic language the seat of civil and ecclesiastical authority is termed heavena, because the powers that be are ordained of God, and are his vicegerents for the further

a Isaiah, xiii. 10—13 ; xxiv. 19–23. ; xxxiv. 4.; Ezek. xxxii. 7-9.; Joel, ii. 10.; Haggai, ii. 6, 7., explained by Heb. xii. 27, 28.

a

ance and execution of his providential will. On the same principle rulers and judges are in Holy Scripture called gods.

These words probably describe the overthrow of Paganism, which Constantine began, and every other emperor, except Julian down to Theodosius the Great, carried on. Events that spread themselves over the greater part of the world and a lengthened period of time are often said in Scripture to be accomplished in a moment: they are the shock of an earthquake, which is so sudden, that the mischief is done when it is felt; it cannot be anticipated, for it is not known till it is over. Such strong imagery, whilst it affects us with the greatness of the divine plans, and assures us of the certainty of their accomplishment, teaches us also, that a thou

sand

years are with the Lord as one day.

a John, x. 35.

b Mosheim, cent. 4. part i. ch. i. sect. 7.; Gibbon, ch. xxxviii. Paganism extirpated, A. D. 378-395, finally A. D. 390-420.

Christianity was at first a speck on the horizon, that was looked at narrowly before it was dimly seen; but it grew apace, spread itself over the whole heavens, and came down with such power and energy upon the pagan earth, that all its sacred institutions, one after another, were entirely swept away. The efficacy of the Gospel upon the pagan empire must be viewed from a commanding elevation, as the soaring eagle scans at a glance the country spread beneath it, if we would understand the graphic imagery of the Prophet.

This earthquake was so extensive that it shook the whole frame of nature; or it was an event that equally concerned every class and member of society. St. John describes it as it would appear to an inhabitant on earth when it took place, supposing it were literally an earthquake. The sun is shrouded in darkness, the moon assumes the colour of blood, as it often does, and the stars fall to the earth, like figs blown down by a furious