book, which the author himself has prefixed to it, but from that primitive interpretation of the symbol, which confined it exclusively to the Old Testament. SECTION IV. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE FOURTH CHAPTER. In order to establish more firmly and illustrate more clearly this fundamental proposition, that the unsealing of the book was regarded by the ancient Church as the opening of the mysteries of the Old Testament by the introduction of Christianity, we shall in the present Section lay before the reader a concise statement of the interpretation, usually given by the Fathers, of the introductory vision contained in the fourth chapter. Their observations on this chapter, if read without reference to this notion of the sealed book, will appear strange and even puerile. But, if this connection be borne in mind, if we suppose the Fathers to have regarded the sealed book as the center, towards which all the rest of the visions must be supposed to point, the standard by which they must be interpreted,-and then consider the meaning, which they attached to this primary symbol;-the manner in which they accommodated all the details of this chapter to this one fundamental notion, and worked them up into one consistent and harmonious whole, so far from appearing ridiculous, will be found to display very extraordinary ingenuity. In a former part of this Essay we have seen that Victorinus, the earliest commentator extant, has explained this chapter with reference to the day of 2 See Part I. Chap. 11. §. 4. judgment. We may now observe, in the expositions of subsequent writers, how the persuasion that the sealed book had been opened by the first coming of Christ gradually withdrew the attention of mankind from the idea, which was originally entertained respecting the general subject of the Apocalyptic visions, and led them to search for their accomplishment in the early history of the Christian Church. The first thing seen by the Apostle is a door opened in heaven. Heaven is interpreted to mean the Christian Church, the kingdom of heaven, which our Lord Jesus Christ had established upon earth. The door is Christ himself: according to His own words: I am the door (John x. 9). For His birth and death and resurrection and ascension had opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. The throne set in heaven is the throne of God, who dwells in the midst of His faithful people. The four and twenty elders are the twelve Patriarchs and the twelve Apostles; who, since the distinction of Jew and Gentile has ceased, are the heads of one spiritual Church united under one Head, Christ Jesus. The lightnings and thunderings and voices, which proceed out of the throne, are an emblem of the first introduction of the gospel; which by the lightning of its miracles, the voice of its preaching, and the thunder of its threatenings, made known the truth to the world. The seven lamps of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, refer to the day of Pentecost, and also to the spiritual gifts communicated to all Christians at their admission into the Church by baptism. Hence the mention of this spiritual illumination is correctly followed by that of the sea of glass, the emblem of the sacrament of baptism. sacrament. For as this sea was before the throne, and therefore access to the throne was through the sea, so admission to the Christian Church is through that initiatory The four beasts, who are in the midst of the throne, [as its supporters], who lead the worship of the heavenly host, and in Chap. vi. call upon the Apostle to behold the several visions, are the four Evangelists, the pillars of the Christian Church, whose books have conveyed to mankind the knowledge of the mysteries of the gospel. The figures of the four beasts,—a lion, a calf, a man, an eagle,are allotted to the four Evangelists as follows: St Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Christ in His human nature, as the son of David, the son of Abraham: therefore He is represented under the symbol of a man. St Mark begins with the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight: He therefore is supposed to be intended by the lion. St Luke begins with the sacrifice of Zacharias: and therefore His emblem is the animal most usually offered in sacrifice, the ox, or calf. St John begins at once with the Divinity of our Lord; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God: His emblem therefore is a flying eagle. The worship begun by the four beasts, and continued by the four and twenty elders, is supposed to relate to the manifestation of God's glory through Jesus Christ, made to the world by the four gospels, and echoed by the praises of the Christian Church. The above is a very slight outline of the more general interpretation of the fourth chapter. It might easily be filled up to any degree of minuteness: for a volume equal in extent to the present Essay would scarcely contain the various and surprising explanations given of the several parts of this introductory vision. As these interpretations are very little known to the generality of readers, and will render important aid to the elucidation of our subject, it is hoped that a few instances of more detailed exposition will be thought not unworthy of a place among our extracts. The sea of glass like unto crystal gives rise to some very ingenious remarks. 6 6 6 RUPERTUS. For what purpose is this sea placed in front of the throne? To shew that whoever would ascend to that throne of God, and be 'admitted into that kingdom of God, must here enter ' and pass through the sea, and be illuminated by the bright light of the lamps just mentioned. For 'Christian baptism is called a sea, on account of its most obvious resemblance to the Red sea; through which the people of God, being delivered from Egyptian bondage, after the sacrifice of the lamb, 'passed in safety, while Pharaoh and his chariots and horses and horsemen were drowned.... Moreover, this sea was of glass, because baptism is pure and trans'parent, requiring a pure and undisguised confession of sins; demanding that he who comes to it should not believe one thing in his heart, and confess another with his mouth, but should be like glass, which 6 6 1 Ad quid mare in conspectu sedis? Ad hoc videlicet, ut qui vult ascendere in illam sedem Dei, introire in illud regnum Dei, ingrediatur licet transeat hîc mare, et illuminetur splendido praedictarum lampadarum lumine. Christi namque baptismus mare dicitur, videlicet pro similitudine notissimâ maris rubri; per quod populus Dei ab Aegyptiacâ servitute liberatus, immolato agno, transivit, submerso Pharaone cum curribus et equis vel equitibus suis..... Erat autem mare hoc vitreum, quia videlicet baptisma purum est ac lucidum, puram ac simplicem exigens confessionem peccatorum; et ut qui 6 'contains nothing within that is not visible without, ' and exhibits nothing without which it does not con'tain within....But further: glass is not only transparent but brittle also. 6 6 6 always remain brittle? Does then this sea of glass No, truly: for it is added: 'Like unto crystal. The sea, therefore, is here first transparent and brittle, afterwards transparent and 'solid. So, in a word, christians, being transparent in 'the water and born again of the Spirit, are now in' deed brittle, being in a mortal body: but hereafter in that glorious resurrection they will become solid, having a blissful soul and an incorruptible body.' 6 Again, the proper application of the figures of the four beasts to the four Evangelists, was a subject of profound investigation among the Fathers of the Church. The system above mentioned, which assigns to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, the respective symbols of the man, the lion, the calf and the eagle, was the one most generally received, being sanctioned by the authority of Jerome. It is frequently alluded accedit non aliud corde credat, et aliud confiteatur, sicut vitrum non aliud continet intus quàm quod foris perspicitur, non aliud foris simulat quàm quod continet intus. ... Porro vitrum sicut lucidum ita et fragile est. Nunquid hoc mare ut vitreum, ita et fragile semper erit? Non utique; sequitur enim : 2 Simile crystallo. Ergo mare hîc prius quidem ut lucidum ita est et fragile, sed post ut lucidum ita et solidum. Denique confessores lucidi aquâ et spiritu renati, nunc quidem fragiles sunt corpore mortali; sed post, in illâ resurrectionis gloriâ solidi erunt, animâ beatâ et corpore incorruptibili. 2 SEDULIUS, in a poem describing the principal events of the Old and New Testaments, introduces the following lines: Hoc Matthaeus agens, hominem generaliter implet: Jura sacerdotis Lucas tenet ore juvenci: |