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him whom Isaiah foretels as "the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace;" but foretels likewise as a Galilean.

Joseph and Benjamin are reserved for the last place, though the legitimate children of Rachel ; Joseph, possibly on account of the apostasy of his son Ephraim; and Benjamin, the youngest born, as being the progenitor of Saul, the enemy of David, and a deserter from the faith.

Mede preserves, and I shall recapitulate, a memorable sentence, composed out of the order of the tribes as here enumerated, and out of the meaning of the names by which they are distinguished.

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The four first tribes imply a pure and truly Christian worship, the three next a contention with the disobedient, the five last the attainment of a heavenly reward.

Or, to translate the sentence thus formed, in a literal manner

The blessed assembly, (that of those who are sealed,) confess, or celebrate God by looking to His Son, (Christ the only Mediator.) They contend with those who are forgetful of their obedience, (that is, with antichrist.) Adherence to God will add to the Son of His right hand, (i. e. to him whom God highly values,) the reward of a habitation, (that is, an eternal one in the heavens; or otherwise, perhaps more correctly, the Son of His right hand will add, or give to those who adhere to God, the reward of a mansion (of eternal bliss.) To this state of the Judaical Christian Church, under the type of those who are sealed, succeeds a description of the innumerable converts of the Gentile world.

"After this," St. John "beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and with palms in their hands, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God, that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb." "And the angels, and the elders, and the four animated beings, fell down before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen, blessing and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God, for ever and ever. Amen."

"And one of the elders asked St. John if he knew who these were who were thus arrayed in white robes, and whence they came? And when he answers, Thou knowest; the elder said unto him"-" These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; and He that sitteth upon the throne shall dwell amongst them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, neither shall the sun. light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto the living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

Mede conceives that the latter part of the vision, relating to the innumerable multitude of believers, refers chiefly to the seventh trumpet; but I see no reason why it should not be applicable to the vast number of those who became converts to Christianity from among the heathen in the first ages, and who were cleansed from their sins by the blood of the Lamb, and having suffered in the cruel persecutions of the times, were admitted into the presence of God, and communion with him, were delivered from all the evils of this life, and were become the flock

of the true Shepherd, or, as he is here described, the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne.

We now come to the seventh seal, which is a most important one, comprehending the seven trumpets. During the first six seals the empire of Rome, closely connected with the progress of Christianity, was still standing, and in some degree flourishing; till after many vicissitudes the pagan idolatry was at length wholly overthrown. Under the seventh seal that empire begins to verge towards its decline and fall, and the seven trumpets proclaim so many stages of its ruin, by the seven-fold order of plagues, contributing gra dually to its destruction; the progress of which is displayed by suitable images, while the successive trumpets are sounding the alarm. Vengeance is mine, and I will repay, saith the Lord."

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The blood of so many martyrs, shed under Roman auspices, required an exemplary punishment to be inflicted on the inhabitants of the Roman empire. Even the piety of the Roman emperor could no more avert the dreadful justice of God than the piety of Josiah could avail to prevent the punishment of the blood shed by Manasseh. For this just vengeance the souls of the martyrs were represented, under the fifth seal, as appealing to God, and they received an admonition to

rest for a while, and when their fellow-servants and their brethren should also be slain by the Roman tyrant, the time should then be fulfilled. That time was now almost arrived. After a short period of tranquillity the hour of retribution was at hand.

"And when he had opened the seventh seal there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour, and seven trumpets were given to the seven angels which stood before God." This silence betokens a short space of tranquillity for the Church, after its establishment, and the demolition of idolatry. Eusebius and Lactantius both extol the serenity which prevailed during the reign of Constantine, and medals are in existence, after his conversion to Christianity, with CONSTANTINUS ANG. on one side, and BEATA TRANQUILLITAS on the reverse. This was the time when the angels in the four corners of the earth were restraining the winds from blowing upon it, and after, the converts both of Jews and Gentiles were sealed, for the purpose of pre

servation.

This temporary silence is also added as a period of calm, preparatory to a dreadful storm, during which, another angel is represented as coming and standing at the altar with a golden censer, in

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