ly
the two had been identical. It was reserved for the Council of Trent to
convert this truth into a heresy." Pages 67, 68. Chrysostom, Theodoret,
and others also admitted the same.
Many similar historical testimonies now lying before me to the humble
equality of the New Testament ministry could be added; but lest the
reader become weary, I will conclude with the following beautiful
description from D'Aubigne in his noted History of the Reformation: "The
church was in the beginning a community of brethren, guided by a few of
the _brethren_." Again, "All Christians were priests of the living God,
with _humble pastors_ as their guides." Vol. I, pp. 35, 50.
With this description of the early ministers of Christ, who went forth
under the symbol of the first horseman to disciple all nations, we have
the events pertaining to the early history of the church, laid before
us; until the opening of the second seal brings us to another important
phase of its history.
3. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second
beast say, Come and see.
4. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was
given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and
that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him
a great sword.
The symbol of this seal is that of a rider going forth on a red horse
armed with a great sword with which to take peace from the earth and to
kill. It is drawn from the same source as that of the preceding one, but
differing greatly in the character of the horseman and the object of his
mission. The symbol is one of great dignity--a living, intelligent
agent--drawn from civil and military life. For the same reason as given
before, we must go out of the department of civil life into the history
of religious affairs to find its fulfilment.
Notice, also, the peculiar characteristics of this horseman and wherein
he differs from that of the first seal. The color of the horse is red,
denoting something very different from the peace, purity, and benignity
of the white. Instead of gaining glorious spiritual conquests and
triumphs, like him of the first seal, he was to take peace from the
earth. In the place of a victor's crown, he possesses "a great sword"
with which to kill, denoting an agent of great destruction.
Where shall we look in the history of religious affairs to find the
object that meets the requirements of this symbol? Who were the activ
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