The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 145

seventh ,eal eapecially . ie attended by a opening of the 88ala R.?e therefore a prop!~ rompound aeriea of event.a; but nowhere of the relations of the Church and-the world are we explicitly informed of the oontent.s to the en.<l of time. · Many opinions have pf the book. Alford well remarks," Not its been held as to the antitype of the book. eontenw. but the gmdual steps of access to Victorinua thinks it to be the Old Tllllta.• it, are represented by these visions." This ment, the meaning of whicli, Chriot w:ae the view seems to be held also by Schleiermacher. · first to unlock. And Bede and othl'n con• Diistcrdieck considers that the roll is never ■ider that the writing within ■ignified the rt.-ad, tb-Ough the incidents . attending the New Testament, and that on -the back, the epening oI each seal porlray •· portion of Old. Todd and De Burgh think the roll the oontellt& Wordsworth and Elliott denot.ee the office or our Lord; by virtue of understand that, ae each ~ is broken, a which he will judge the world. Sealed with part of the roll is unrolled and its contents 1eve11 Nall; ,eaJed down will • - le4la; rendered visible; and these contents are clo~ •ealea (lievised V81'11ion). Grotiaa 11ymbolieally BOt forlh by the events which connects IS,,r,.,.11,,,, " behind," with ....,.,.-•. then take p1aoe. Acoording to this view, tf,pa."f11Tµl110,,, "aeal~ down," thne, reading, tlie whole id a prophecy extending to the "w1itten within and aea.led dVWll OD the end of the world. The popular idea. is book." . . Uiv.t the roll was eea.led along the edge with Vqr. 2.-And I nw (see on T(lr. 1), A seven 11esls, all yisil.,le at the same time. ltrong angel; IITxup&v, rendered "mighty_" 11, as each seal was broken, a portion of the in oh. x. I. Possibly, 1111 De Welte. Bild roll could be unfolded, of course only one othem think, so called because of higher &e&l-the outerinost--oould be visible. This rank-De Lyra says Gabriel; but probably .ie not, however, inoonsutent with St. John's on account of the grrot wioe, whieh 110nnded assertion that there were ,even seals-a fact "as a lion roa.reth" (eh. L 3). ~!aiming which he might state from his knowledge with • loud voiee, Wh.o ia w11rthy to opeu gai.ued by witnessing the opening of the the book, and to loose the 10ala thereon 11even in succession. The truth seems to with, a great 11oice. "Werthy" i.a ~os, fit .lie mi<lway between these views. We must morally, as iu John i. 27. · umember that the Revelation was vouch- Ver. 3.-And no ,man in heaven, :aor in safed to the Churoh. as an encouragement earth, neither under the earth, waa able. to to her members to persevere un,ler mucl1 open the book, neither to look .thareon; suffering and tribulation, and as & support ~ one in the 1,ro~ or on tll6 earth, (Revi8811 to their faith, lest they s!:lould succumb t.o Version). That is, no. one in all e1t•ation- the temptatio:ii of despair, and, unable to in heaven, or on earth, or in the place of fathom the eternal purposes of God, should departed spirits. No one was able "to look doubt l1is truth or his ability to &id them. thereon" (that is, "to read therein") u a. But we are nowhere Led to believe that it con~uenoe of no _one being flt to open was the intention of God to reveal all things the book. to man, even under the cloak of symbolism · Ver. 4.-And 1 wept much (lrcA.,,,,,); I er allegory. There is much which mu11t .bum into teanr, and coRtinfled -.eping. .A. neeessarily be withheld until after the end strong expression in the imperftlllt tense. or all earthly thingg; and, just as no mortal Beoall8e no man waa found worthy to opa ean po88ibly know the "new name " ( eh. iii. and to read th& book, neither to look thereon. 12), IO no one on earth can· receive perfect The words," auJ to read," should be omitted. knowledge of the" mysteries or the kingdom They are found in few ma.nuseripta. 'l'he of heaven," which were symbolically con- eqo.i..l&nl phrase follow&," neither to look tained in the book, and whicll. through the thereon..'.' intervention of the Lsmb, may one day be Ver. 5.-And one of the el.den IILith umo. published.; though a portion-111lfficient for me, Weep not. One of the elilera, • re-- the Clme-was shadowed forth, at the open- · presenting the Church (see on eh. iv. i), mg of the seals; which portion, indeed, bids St. John to take hel!d to him who was eould never have been given to 118 except about io discl~ to IIOlll6 es:tent the Cuture through the Lamb. We understand, the:r1>- of that Churoh. There ill, of course, no fore., that the book is symbolical of the indication that any partioular individual ill ,oliok of the my1leries of God; that, 88 a signified, though some have atrivell to whole, the eontenta of the book are not, nor identiCy the eliler. Th11s De Lyra mentione. indeed can be, revealed to us while on St. Peier, who wa,s_ alrea,ly IDSl'tyred; otbelP earth ; but that. some miall but sufficient referred to by De Lyra, aa.y St. Matthew,. ponion of these mytt~ea are made known who, in his Gospel, deolarea ChrisL'11 power: to us by the power of Christ, who will (Matt. xxvili. 18). Behold, the Lio!:'- of eventually make all thiugg clear hereafw, the tribe of ,;Juda. The title is aooordeu ti> when we shall know even as we are known Christ, in illustration of the following act. (1 Col. xiii. 12). '1'8' ....,._ attA!uding the 'I'he Bepresent.atin d. the. royal and 'Ii_ . 164 THE REVELATION OJ' ST. JOHN THE. DIVINE. [mr. T. 1-H.