The figurations of the seal now claiming our attention furnish the first distinctive illustration.

"And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them, and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."

The symbolic horse has not only passed from view, but the general character of the vision is now changed, as well as the locality. The symbols and notifications, however, are sufficiently distinctive to indicate the intent of the figurations and the requirements from history to complete another link in its correspondence.

The altar is plainly denoted to be the altar of sacrifice, by the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held, being seen under it, and points out the altar-court of the symbolic temple, as being now the locality of representation; and as the altar-court of the literal temple was the scene of the public and visible worship of the Jewish people, so the figurations in the symbolic altar-court are notified thereby, to be of the public and visible worship of the Christian Church on earth; and as under the Jewish ritual, the blood of the several sin offerings only was poured at the bottom of the brazen altar of sacrifice, the blood of the peace and other offerings being poured round about the altar, "the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held," seen under the altar, are shown thereby, to represent the Christian worshippers on earth under severe persecution, and their blood being poured out in sacrifice as an offering for sin, for devotion to their Bibles, and for the testimony which they held in support of their faith. The slayers of the victims are pointed out to be the heathen Roman rulers and people by the cry, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not

judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth," the dwellers upon the earth being the Apocalyptic term to distinguish those who are of the earth, earthy, from those whose citizenship is in heaven.

The cry being from the slain, not from living worshippers, indicates that the blood of the martyrs, as of Abel's (Gen. iv. 10), would cry aloud from the ground for vengeance on their persecutors-the term "How long," together with the tone of impatience implied by "Dost thou not judge and avenge our blood," indicate that the persecution would be of long duration and severe; " And white robes "--the symbol of justification—" were given unto every one of them," signifies that the righteousness of the Christian cause would be publicly recognised on the earth; the locality of the altar-court, in which the white robes were given, determining the justification to be in the sight of man, just as, had the ceremony taken place in the sanctuary, justification in the sight of God would have been signified. From which follows, that all theories respecting the future state, based on the indications of this seal, are without foundation.

"And it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled," indicates that the justification signified by the presentation of white robes, would be partial only; that the persecution and martyrdom would not be wholly discontinued; that a termination, however, would shortly ensue, when, it is implied, the cry, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth," would receive its response by judgment and vengeance falling on their enemies.

The requirements from history in illustration of the fifth seal's figurations then are:

That a memorable era of Christian persecution be shown to have occurred shortly after the events already noticed, during which the blood of the Christians would be shed by the Roman rulers and people to an extent previously unknown, and martyrdom be their only visible worship; that they would be slain in the character of a sin offering; that

they would be found preferring death to parting with their Bibles or abjuring their faith; that the persecution would be remarkable for the length of its duration and its severity; and that during its continuance, remorse, at being the author of the shedding so much innocent blood, and fear of judgment and vengeance of the Lord in whom the Christians trusted and to whom they prayed, would seize on one or more of the most notable persecutors, by whom a public acknowledgment of injustice and error would be made, and the righteousness of the Christian cause be publicly recognised; that martyrs' blood, however, would continue to be shed in a less degree until the final close of the persecution, when it appears to be implied that their blood would be avenged and the Christians' justification in the sight of man completed.

These the requirements, and this the history in Gibbon's language extracted from his sixteenth chapter:—

"Amidst the frequent revolutions of the empire, the Christians flourished in peace and prosperity, and notwithstanding a celebrated era of martyrs has been deduced from the accession of Diocletian, the new system of policy, introduced and maintained by the wisdom of that prince, continued during more than eighteen years (A.D. 284 to A.D. 302) to breathe the mildest and most liberal spirit of religious

toleration.

"Although the policy of Diocletian and the humanity of Constantius inclined them to preserve inviolate the maxims of toleration, it was soon discovered that their two associates, Maximian and Galerius, entertained the most implacable aversion for the name and religion of the Christians.

"After the success of the Persian war had raised the hopes and the reputation of Galerius, he passed a winter with Diocletian in the palace of Nicomedia, and the fate of Christianity became the object of their secret consultations.

"The experienced emperor was still inclined to pursue measures of lenity, and though he readily consented to exclude the Christians from holding any employments in the household or the army, he urged in the strongest terms the

danger as well as cruelty of shedding the blood of those deluded fanatics.

"Galerius at length extorted from him permission of summoning a council, composed of a few persons the most distinguished in the civil and military departments of the state. The important question was agitated in their presence, and those ambitious courtiers easily discerned that it was incumbent to second by their eloquence the importunate violence of the Cæsar. It may be imagined that they insisted on every topic which might interest the pride, the piety or the fears of their sovereign, in the destruction of Christianity. Perhaps they represented that the glorious work of the deliverance of the empire was left imperfect, so long as an independent people was permitted to subsist and multiply in the heart of the Provinces.

"The pleasure of the Emperors was at last signified to the Christians, who, during the course of this melancholy winter, had expected with anxiety the result of so many secret consultations. The 23rd February, A.D. 303 was appointed to set bounds to the progress of Christianity. At the earliest dawn of day the Prætorian Prefect, accompanied by several generals, tribunes and officers of the revenue, repaired to the principal church of Nicomedia, which was situated on an eminence in the most populous and beautiful part of the city. The doors were instantly broken open; they rushed into the sanctuary, and as they searched in vain. for some visible objects of worship, they were obliged to content themselves with committing to the flames the volumes of Holy Scripture. The ministers of Diocletian were followed by a numerous body of guards and pioneers, who marched in order of battle, and were provided with all the instruments used in the destruction of fortified cities. By their incessant labour, a sacred edifice, which towered above the imperial palace, and had long excited the indignation and envy of the Gentiles, was in a few hours levelled with the ground. The next day the general edict of persecution was published, and though Diocletian, still averse to the effusion of blood, had moderated the fury of Galerius, who proposed that everyone refusing to offer sacrifice should im

mediately be burnt alive, the penalties inflicted on the obstinacy of the Christians might be deemed sufficiently rigorous and effectual. It was enacted, that their churches in all the provinces of the empire should be demolished to their foundations; and the punishment of death against all who should presume to hold any secret assemblies for the purpose of religious worship. It was ordered, that the bishops and presbyters should deliver all the sacred books into the hands of the magistrates, who were commanded under the severest penalties to burn them in a public and solemn manner. By the same edict, the property of the church was at once confiscated, and the several parts of which it might consist were either sold to the highest bidder, united to the imperial domain, bestowed on the cities or corporations, or granted to the solicitations of rapacious courtiers. Persons of a liberal birth were declared incapable of holding any honours or employment, slaves were for ever deprived of the hopes of freedom, and the whole body of the people were put out of the protection of the law.

"This edict was scarcely exhibited in the most conspicuous place of Nicomedia before it was torn down by the hands of a Christian, for which he was burnt, or rather roasted before a slow fire; and his executioners exhausted every refinement of cruelty without being able to subdue his patience, or alter the steady and insulting smile which, in his dying agonies, he still preserved in his countenance.

"Every mode of torture was put in practice, and the court as well as city was polluted with many bloody

executions.

"The governors in the provinces were authorised in punishing with death the refusal of the Christians to deliver up the sacred books.

"The governor of the province of Phrygia approached a town to execute the edict, the Christian citizens threw themselves into the church, to which the soldiers set fire and consumed them all with their wives and children.

"The resentment, or the fears of Diocletian, at length transported him beyond the bounds of moderation, which he had hitherto preserved, and he declared, in a series of