enough to confound our pride, and to give us a mistrust of whatever good we may deem ourselves to possess.

Opening of the Heavens.-Apoc. iv.

After this first vision had been exhibited upon the earth to St. John, he was in spirit wrapt up to Heaven. The Heavens opened to his view, and, as before, a Voice, like that of a trumpet, summoned him to come and see the things which were to happen in aftertimes.

Behold! a throne was set in Heaven, and upon the throne sat One, whose appearance was as the brilliant jasper and the sardine stone. A bright rainbow, like an emerald," extended over the throne, and edged it round with a variegated crown of the most brilliant colours. In a circle round the throne were four and twenty seats, on which there sat four and twenty Elders, robed in white, with crowns of gold upon their heads. From the throne there issued forth thunders and lightnings and voices: before the throne were seven burning lamps, which are the seven spirits of God; and far and wide, as if it were the floor of Heaven, was spread out a boundless plain, resembling the glassy surface of a calm and transparent sea.

Round about the throne stood four living creatures, full of eyes on every part of them. The first of these creatures had the resemblance of a lion; the second, that of a calf; the third, that of a man; and the fourth, that of an eagle upon the wing. Night and day, they ceased not to cry out: "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who is, and who is to come!" And whilst the four living creatures sang that canticle of praise to Him who sat upon the throne, the four and twenty Elders prostrated themselves before Him, and laid their crowns at His feet, saying: "Thou art worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory, and honour, and power, because Thou hast created all things, and for Thy will have they all been created."

In the right hand of Him who sat upon the throne, St. John saw a Book, written on every side, and sealed with seven Seals. An Angel then advanced, and making procla

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mation with a loud voice, demanded if anyone was there worthy to open the Book, and to loose the seven Seals thereof and no one was found. St. John thereupon poured out a flood of tears, and one of the Elders said to him: "Weep not, for behold the Lion of the Tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath conquered by His death, and hath merited the power of opening the Book, and of loosing the seven Seals thereof."

St. John then beheld, standing in the midst of the heavenly assembly, a Lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, resembling a victim that had been slain. The Lamb advanced, and taking the Book out of the hand of Him who sat upon the throne, opened it. At that moment, the four living creatures, and the four and twenty Elders fell down before Him; each one having in his hand a Harp, and a golden Vial full of fragrant odours, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new canticle of praise in honour of the Lamb, saying: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the Book and to open the Seals thereof: because Thou hast been slain, and by Thy blood Thou hast redeemed us unto God out of every tribe and nation upon the earth." At the same time thousands and thousands of Angels raised their voices in honour of the Lamb that was slain, and every creature which is in Heaven and on the earth and in the sea, joined in singing forth benediction, and glory, and power to Him who sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever. And the four living creatures said, Amen.

The Holy Fathers seem lost in admiration of the profound homage which the blessed citizens of Heaven pay to Jesus Christ, as St. John has described Him under the emblematical figure of the Lamb. To Him is given all power in Heaven and on earth; the power of disclosing those mysterious secrets which had been sealed up in the bosom of the Divinity, and which none but a God-man could penetrate. By His death and resurrection He has imparted to us a knowledge, of which the world was ignorant before: consequently, great is the obligation which binds us to pay Him our most grateful homage; wonderful are the secrets of His kingdom, which He has revealed unto us; and unremitting ought to be our endeavours to attain it. To join those

heavenly choirs, and to sing the praises of our Creator eternally with them, is the object of our hope, and the fulfilment of our purest desires.

The Seven Seals.-Apoc. vi.

The Lamb having received the Book, began to exercise His power in opening the Seven Seals which were set upon it. Upon His opening the First Seal, one of the living creatures cried out with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." St. John then looked, and beheld a white horse, the emblem of triumph. His rider was equipped with a bow, and had a crown upon his head, like some mighty conqueror going forth in quest of victory.

At the opening of the Second Seal, there appeared another horse that was red, the baneful token of war. To him who sat thereon was given a great sword, and power to kindle bloody strifes amongst men and to banish peace from the face of the earth.

When the Third Seal was opened, there went forth a black horse, the representative of famine; and the rider held a pair of scales in his hand. At his appearance a voice was heard: saying, "Two pounds of wheat for a penny, and thrice two pounds of barley for a penny; but the wine and oil hurt thou not."

At the opening of the Fourth Seal, appeared a pale horse, the ghastly symbol of pestilence. His rider was called Death, and Hell followed him. His power extended over the four parts of the earth, to destroy mankind by the sword, by famine, by pestilence, and by the beasts of the earth.

Then the Fifth Seal was opened, and St. John saw under the Altar the souls of them who had been slain for the word of God; and they cried with a loud voice to the Lord, Holy and True, to justify their cause on earth. To each one of these a white robe was given, and they were told to rest awhile, till the number of their brethren should be filled up, who were to fall a sacrifice like them, in testimony of the truth.

At the opening of the Sixth Seal, those deadly térrors ensued, which shall strike the wicked at the approach of God's

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avenging day. For there was a great earthquake, the sun became black as haircloth, the moon grew red as blood, and the stars from heaven fell upon the earth. The heavens themselves shrank back like a book, or like a sheet of parchment that is rolled together; the mountains and the islands were shaken from their places; the kings of the earth, the princes and mighty warriors, the rich and powerful, ran to hide themselves in dens and caverns of the earth. Overwhelmed with terror, they called upon the rocks and mountains to fall down, and screen them from the face of Him who sitteth upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

Such is the description of those alarming visions which were revealed to St. John. The dreadful display of the divine justice, and the terrors of the wicked at the expectation of evils that they fear, are shown forth in such striking colours, that we cannot but tremble at the imperfect glimpse we catch of them. The obscurity in which these truths are revealed at present, discloses enough to fix our faith, and at the same time excites our apprehension of something still more terrible than we can yet discover. "I am persuaded," says St. Denis of Alexandria, "that the revelations of St. John are as sublime in themselves, as they are unintelligible to men. Though I do not comprehend the words I read, yet I know they contain some sublime truths; the truth, though concealed in obscurity, is not, on that account, of less importance. Trusting more to divine faith than to human reason, I firmly believe those revealed points, though they are far above the reach of my weak understanding. My respect for divine revelation is not lessened by its being obscured; I respectfully receive the truth which is revealed, and silently adore the mysteries which I cannot comprehend."

The Seven Trumpets.-Apoc. viii.

When the Lamb had opened the Seventh Seal, there was silence in Heaven, as it were for half an hour. St. John then beheld seven Angels, each with a Trumpet in his hand, standing in the presence of God; another Angel came at the same time, having a golden censer, and stood before

the Altar. He was presented with incense, that he might offer the prayers of all the saints, upon the golden altar which was erected before the throne of God. For, the incense represented the prayers of the saints, and the smoking fragrance ascended up before God from the hand of the Angel. Then the Angel filled his censer with fire from the Altar, and when he cast it upon the earth, there ensued great earthquakes, and thunders, and the sound of many voices.

The Seven Angels then prepared, each to sound his Trumpet. At the sound of the first Trumpet, there fell upon the earth a storm of hail and fire, mingled with blood, which destroyed a third part of the earth and trees, and burned up all the green grass.

When the Second Angel sounded his Trumpet, St. John saw a huge burning mountain thrown into the sea, whereupon a third part of the sea was turned into blood, a third part of the living creatures of the sea died, and of the ships, a third part likewise perished.

At the blast of the Third Trumpet, there fell from Heaven a blazing star like a torch; and the name of that star was called Wormwood; it fell upon a third part of the springs and rivers, the waters of which were poisoned in their source, and became bitter, and many men died thereof.

The Fourth Angel then sounded his Trumpet; and behold, a third part of the sun, of the moon, and of the stars, was smitten with darkness; so that the day and the night were deprived of one third of their usual light. At that moment an Angel flew through the midst of Heaven, crying with a loud voice, "Wo, wo, wo to the inhabitants of the earth." This had reference to the evils which the three other Angels were ready to denounce.

From these awful scenes, as they were shown to St. John, we may learn how dreadful are the judgments which an offended God will pour out upon those who slight His justice and abuse His mercy. He warns sinners long beforehand of the severe punishment which awaits the impenitent in another world. He sends forth His Angels, the ministers of His holy word, to arouse mankind from the lethargy of sin, to awaken in them a respect for His sacred law, and a