righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore," &c. (Rev. xix. 1, 2).

"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True; and in righteousness he doth judge and make war" (Rev. xix. 11).

This is what the soul must ever fall back upon. It is what God himself has put before us to that end, in foretelling by his prophets the judgments he would bring upon the earth. "Hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem: Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: Therefore, thus saith the Lord God..... Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding-place," &c. (Isaiah xxviii. 14–22). "The consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness," &c. (Isaiah x. 20-25).

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It is remarkable that the apostle, in quoting these latter words from the prophet Esaias, gives this rendering of them "He will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth" (Rom. ix. 27, 28). This is indeed soul-sustaining truth. Not only is all done "in righteousness," but in righteousness it is "cut short!" as it is written, "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt. xxiv. 22). Surely it is for this gracious reason that the Lord Jesus so constantly reiterates the assurance in the Book of Revelation, “I come quickly" (ch. ii. 5, 16; iii. 2; xi. 14; xxii. 7, 12, 20).

It cannot be denied, however, that under the commonly received interpretation of this book, this character of speedy fulfilment is really lost. For the sixth trumpet alone is made to occupy a period of 1260 years; two-thirds of the whole period that has elapsed since the first advent!

Setting aside, however, the question of this system of interpretation altogether, is it reasonable to assign 1260 years to one out of the seven trumpets, when the Millennium itself is to last but a thousand years? this would be to give a much longer period to the reign of the beast than to the reign of Jesus! Is it not rather the assurance that the days of tribulation shall be "short," that sustains the souls of them that are to be exercised thereby?

When the souls under the altar cried, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" it was said unto them, that "they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

Two things are distinctly implied here;-First, That ere the avenging of their blood could take place, others must be killed and suffer martyrdom as they had done; and, secondly, That so soon as their fellow-martyrs had been put to death, their blood should be avenged.

Where, then, in the book of the Apocalypse, do we read of the killing of their brethren? And where of the avenging of their blood?

The answer to these two questions will throw much light upon what follows in the remainder of the book, and will go strongly to prove also that it is in very deed "a short work" that the Lord will make upon the earth. For the killing of the saints is distinctly spoken of as occurring during the 1260 days of the sixth trumpet, and the avenging of the blood of the martyrs during the outpouring of the vials; whilst all this, it is implied, will occupy but "a little season.”

This view, however, necessarily involves the principle that the seals, trumpets, and vials, instead of running parallel one with another, follow one after another in regular chronological order; and for this some proof may be required. The following, out of many other reasons, are suggested as affording internal evidence that so it must be.*

1st, Concerning "the four winds of the earth," we read under the sixth seal that they are held back by four angels, "that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree," to hurt them, until the servants of God are sealed. But when the seventh seal has been opened, and when the seven trumpets begin to be sounded, the sea, the earth, and the trees are hurt (see ch. viii. 7-12 with ch. vii. 1-3). It is expressly stated in ch. vii. 2, that it was given to four angels to hurt the earth and sea when the 144,000 were sealed. Is it then possible to question whether these can be any other than the four angels who sound the four first trumpets, and by whom "the third part of trees was burnt up," "and the third part of the sea became blood," &c.? Then it follows that the seven trumpets are not sounded till the seventh seal has been opened.

*There are, however, some decided difficulties in the way of the consecutive system.-EDITOR.

2d, The sixth seal describes the sealing of 144,000 "of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (ch. vii. 4-8). When the fifth trumpet is sounded, it is given to the locusts from the bottomless pit to hurt those men, and those men only, "which have not the seal of God on their foreheads" (ch. ix. 1-4). Does not this, again, of necessity imply that the fifth trumpet is sounded subsequently to the opening of the sixth seal?

3d, With respect to the vials, is it not sufficiently clear that they must follow after the sounding of the trumpets, when it is observed that they are poured out " upon the men which had the mark of the beast," and "upon the seat of the beast," &c.? And the marking of the beast and his reign occur during the forty and two months in which it is given to him to overcome the saints. Comp. ch. xiii. and xvi. (the 42 months or 1260 days occurring during the sixth trumpet.)

4th, It is also after the sounding of the seventh trumpet that "the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament" (ch. xi. 15, 19). Yet this takes place before the seven vials are given to the seven angels who come out from the temple (ch. xv. 5-8). Compare also ch. xi. 19 with ch. xvi. 17, 18, 21.

Many more such proofs might be adduced, but these must suffice; and we return to the examination of the two suggested points for consideration

I. The killing of the fellow-servants and brethren of the souls under the altar.

II. The avenging of their blood on those on the earth.

Where, then, do we read of the putting to death of the saints and servants of God, in this book? No mention is made of it under the sixth or seventh seals, nor under the first five trumpets. Death, indeed, there is, but it is not the death of saints. What follows under the sixth trumpet?

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It is here we meet it. And, first, in the two witnesses. will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and three-score days, clothed in sackcloth. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them (Rev. xi. 3, 7).

Again: "When the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the manchild. And to the woman were given two wings of a great

eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. xii. 13, 14, 17). Concerning this period of "a thousand two hundred and three-score days,' or "a time, and times, and half a time," it is expressly stated that it is "but a short time" (ch. xii. 6, 12, 14).

Again: "There was given unto him," i, e., the ten-horned beast to whom the dragon gave his power, and his seat, and great authority, "a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them" (Rev. xiii. 5, 7).

Can anything more distinctly characterise this "short" period than the martyrdom of the saints? The 11th, 12th, and 13th chapters give the details in most striking language of the killing of the fellow-servants and brethren of the souls under the altar, that had been "slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held." And it is not clear that any others suffer martyrdom after this for the sake of Jesus. It is indeed written, "Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth" (ch. xiv. 13), but that does not necessarily imply that they are martyrs. At all events, this emphatically seems to be the "little season" during which the souls under the altar were bidden to rest, until their brethren "should be fulfilled."

The substance of what follows in the Book of Revelation is, unquestionably, the record of the avenging of their blood on them that dwell on the earth.

The sounding of the seventh trumpet is everywhere spoken of as the intimation that the climax is at hand.

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The angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, . . . that there should be time" (delay) "no longer: but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished" (Rev. x. 5-7).

"The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ. . . . And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest

give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy [margin, 'corrupt'] the earth” (Rev. xi. 14-18).

"And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven,

saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come," &c. (Rev. xiv. 6, 7).

"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city," &c. (Rev. xiv. 8).

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation," &c. (Rev. xiv. 9-11.)

This marking, it must be recollected, is carried on during the 1260 days of the reign of the beast. It seems to be his fearful mimicry of the sealing of the 144,000 faithful ones in chapter vii. under the sixth seal. Nor can we imagine a more striking or vivid contrast than that presented by the appearing of the Lamb on Mount Sion with the 144,000 who have "his Father's name written in their foreheads," whilst upon the earth, "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond," are caused by the false prophet to receive "the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name," in their right hand, or in their foreheads! (ch. xiii. 11-18, and xiv. 1).

That fearful mark! it reminds us of the rendering given by Horsley of Hos. viii. 2, " Inasmuch as Ephraim hath multiplied altars, altars are [counted] sin unto him. I will write upon him-sin's, i. e., he is the property of sin! To which Horsley adds," A similar allusion occurs in Isa. xliv. 5, "Another shall inscribe his hand-Jehovah's." The allusion

is to the custom of marking a slave with the owner's name. How terrific to be written upon-the Beast's! how precious to be "sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory!"-to be the property of Jesus, the sons of God, bearing our Father's name upon our foreheads! "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus."

But the reaping time is now come." I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple,