g up of my hands as the
evening sacrifice," Psa. 141:2.

Christ takes the book from the hand of him who sits on the throne, and
opens the seals. Thus he makes known unto his servants the revelation
which God had given him, 1:1. As each successive seal is opened,
successive portions of the writing in the book become accessible,--an
_epoch_ is marked, following which, and previous to that symbolized by the
opening of the next seal, are to be fulfilled, the events symbolized under
it.

The First Seal.

"And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I
heard one of the four living beings, saying, with a voice like
thunder, Come! And I saw, and behold, a white horse: and he, who
sat on him, had a bow; and a crown was given him: and he went
forth conquering and to conquer."--Rev. 6:1, 2.

The voice is evidently addressed to the personage on the white horse, or
to the agencies thus symbolized. It is the signal for their appearance on
the stage of action.

The symbol is that of a victorious warrior, armed with weapons of
conquest,--success being indicated by the crown given him. As there is no
analogous order, except in the religious world, Mr. Lord very properly
regards it as a symbol of the body of religious teachers, those faithful
soldiers of the cross, who, from the middle of the first to the middle of
the third century, as "soldiers of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3), went forth
to war "against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," Eph.
6:12. The apostle, when they received their commission, said to them,
"Take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in
the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your
loins girt about with truth, and having on the breast-plate of
righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of
peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able
to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of
salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," _Ib._
13-17.

Thus equipped, they went forth, conquering and to conquer. They assailed
the strong-holds of sin and Satan, and planted the standard of the cross
in all portions of the then civilized world. And at the end of their
warfare thousands of them could say with the apostle: "I have fought a
good fight,