6. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it, and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.

Shall one seek death and not find it, and not rather seek Christ our life Who hath said: "Seek, and ye shall find "? Shall one desire to die, death fleeing from him; and not rather desire life, and obtain a long life even for ever and ever?

"Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord."

To seek death is sinful: yet to desire it may be saintly. St. Paul mentions his "desire to depart, and to be with Christ: which is far better" than even the most spiritual life on earth; thus reminding us of his words on another subject: "For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."

Mortal life then, even at its utmost perfection, is as the fading face of Moses; and hath comparatively no glory, by reason of the glory that excelleth. Amen. Alleluia.

There is another longing for death, far below St. Paul's, yet on occasion natural to man and not incompatible with eminent holiness. Such longing was Job's when he poured forth the bitterness of his soul: "Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul; which long for death, but it cometh not; and dig for it more than for hid treasures; which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad, when they can find the grave? ... My soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life. I loathe it; I would not live alway.... My soul is My soul is weary of my life. O that Thou wouldest hide me in the grave!"

St. Paul then desired death not as death but as the passage to Christ. And Job desired death not as death but as release from life well-nigh intolerable. To desire death as death is to love darkness rather than light.

From rebellious death, sudden death, lifeless death, Good Lord, deliver us.

7. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of

men.

8. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.

9. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of

iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

10. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months.

11. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

The wording of this passage repeatedly suggests that we are being instructed not plainly but by figure, similitude, shadow; feature after feature being described as "like unto or "as it were" or "as." Dark is the glass through which we are summoned to see, yet is it a glass.

The mysterious horrible smoke whence the locusts issue teaches us something by analogy. To pass unscathed through literal suffocating smoke, our way is to crouch low to the ground and through that other more deadly smoke surely our way of safety is not dissimilar; to bow down, to "walk humbly." Whoso learns humility learns wisdom if not knowledge: and wisdom being better than knowledge, "the word" even in this occult instance will thus become by no means unfruitful.

That these locusts "had a king over them" illustrates their allegorical character. For of the natural locusts we read: "The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands" which "prophecy : "of Agur may be blessed to us as a helpful Queen Esther prepared "for such a time as this." Very terrible are these preternatural locusts. Because one day such a trial may have to be faced by ourselves, and as yet we know not clearly what thus we may be called upon to face; point by point let us endeavour to confront them with that "Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."

"Like unto horses prepared unto battle."-But if "an horse is a vain thing for safety," so equally is he in himself a vain thing for destruction. "The horse is prepared against the day of battle but safety is of the Lord." "Thus saith the Lord, .. Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow." "I said unto the Lord, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O Lord. O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle."

"Crowns like gold."-Concerning another evil power we

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read: "Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are." Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." "Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in His wings."

"As the faces of men.”—But it is written: "He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

"As the hair of women."-Surely if man is not to be feared, still less aught that can be likened to woman! Concerning a dangerous wicked woman the wise Preacher proclaims: "I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom. . . And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her." "In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death."

"As the teeth of lions."-Yet saith Eliphaz the Temanite: "Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off? . . . The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken. The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad."

"As it were breastplates of iron."-The Prophet Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's first dream, spake of the Stone which was cut out without hands and brake in pieces iron and every such substance; till they became together like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors and the wind carried them away: which figure foreshadowed the destruction of earthly kingdoms by a Heavenly Kingdom. And ages afterwards Christ Himself being questioned declared: "The kingdom of God is within you. Thus the elect have within them what suffices to bring to nought the "iron" of their adversaries. The "breastplate of righteousness" makes each saint in his degree like his Divine Master Who "put on righteousness as a breastplate": behold! an invulnerable breastplate set against a vulnerable: even as Ezekiel's indomitable face was set against the faces of his opponents.

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As the sound of chariots."—" Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap. . . Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness."

Yet still good Christians will be safe. It will be with them as in the days of old when Elisha reassured his terrified servant : "Fear not for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. . . And behold the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." Or according to a yet more excellent confidence: "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God."

"Be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." Up to this point their terror only is fallen upon us; but now we read of their actual ability to hurt "There were stings in their tails." A base sting, a degrading punishment; a punishment suited to the offence, for sin is a base thing. What has sin never a lofty, heroic side? Never the sin, though sometimes the sinner. The sinner may awhile exhibit majestic traces of that lofty heroism which nature richly bestows and grace can transfigure to sanctity: but such birthright nobility when divorced from God can no more endure, than can a severed vine-branch maintain its luxuriance. I must learn this lesson must learn to recognize the degradation as well as the sinfulness of Saul's final revolt against humiliation, and of Jezebel's defiant pride.

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"And they had a king over them. . . . Whose name is Abaddon, . . . Apollyon."-Whether named King Abaddon or King Apollyon, his English equivalent is King Destroyer. Whatever we call him he remains the same were we to call him King Preserver it would modify neither his nature nor his office. Being a destroyer, our safety lies in recognizing, acknowledging, fleeing him as such. And further: so far as we are constituted our brother's keeper, our brother's safety similarly lies in our plainly calling him a destroyer; and never toning him down as a negation of good, or even unloathingly as an archangel ruined; which last suggestion I cull from my sister's Shadow of Dante, where she contrasts Milton's Satan with Dante's Lucifer,

Sins for like reason should be spoken of simply as what they are, never palliatingly or jocosely. Lies and drunkenness should bear their own odious appellations, not any conventional substitute. But some sins "it is a shame to speak of": true: so let us not speak of them except under necessity; and under necessity even of them truthfully. "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" "The angel of the bottomless pit."-Once an angel of

heaven, now an angel of hell: a self-destroyed destroyer. Such destruction is not annihilation. Happily angel still means messenger, come from where he may; and a messenger is restrained within the bounds of his commission. Even the Destroyer may thus be overruled to preserve instead of to destroy: as Satan tested Job, sifted Apostles, and by his buffeting messenger promoted St. Paul's well-being. Angels whether fallen or unfallen still envoys, but not plenipotentiaries.

12. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two more woes hereafter.

"One woe is past" shows that none need hesitate to call woe woe, even when short of the final woe for man is not framed without nerves but with nerves, and many times an horrible dread overwhelmeth him. Creatures of cast-iron or of stone might have different duties from creatures of flesh and blood whereof we are made.

The exceeding mystery of Divine judgments which prophets alone can declare, turns ignorant thought for safety into the channel of supplication. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks : walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of Mine hand: ye shall lie down in sorrow."

Lord God Whom we fear, protect us.

Whom we crave grace to obey, accept us.

Towards Whom we press through darkness, guide and enlighten us. Whom we trust, confirm us.

On Whom we stay our weakness, support us.

In the Name of Jesus Christ; in Whom the elect are safe, acceptable, wise, strong, indomitable.

Amen.