without giving up their religious principles to mere human authority.

If we look into the hiftory of the church of Christ, and of the Roman empire, immediately after the expiration of the period predicted under the first seal, we fhall find that the hieroglyphic under the second seal was most exactly fulfilled in the bloody perfecutions, which were inflicted upon Chriftians by the Roman emperors Trajan, Adrian, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Antoninus, and Severus, from the beginning to the end of the fecond century of the Chriftian church.

Under this feal, moft probably, is also included the perfecution by the emperor Domitian in the end of the first century. The account of these perfecutions is too long to be transcribed into this commentary. But the reader will fee it at full length, in Mofheim's Church Hiftory, vol. I, from page 76,-80.

It is faid, "that they should kill one another." By this expreffion it is predicted, that the citizens of Rome themselves fhould perfecute and kill the Christians their fellow citizens, even when the emperors were not violent in commanding them to perfecute. This part of the prediction was as exactly accomplished as the other parts of it: For frequently, in the fecond century, when there were no edicts of the emperors or fenate of Rome commanding them to perfecute the Chriftians, the

people

people and the priests, of their own accord, perfecuted them in the moft tumultuous, barbarous, and cruel manner.

A very few excerpts from the history of that century will fhew the most minute fulfillment of this prediction, Mofheim Hift. vol. i. p. 76. "In "the beginning of this century, (the fecond), "there were no laws in force against the Chriftians; "for the fenate had annulled the cruel edicts of "Nero, and Nerva had abrogated the fanguinary "laws of his predeceffor Domitian. But, notwithstanding this, a horrid cuftom prevailed of perfecuting the Chriftians, and even of putting them "to death, as often as a bloody priesthood, or an

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outrageous populace fet on by them, demanded "their deftruction. Hence it happened that even "under the reign of the good Trajan, popular tu"mults, and feditions were raised among the Chris

tians, many of whom fell victims to the rage of a "merciless multitude. Such were the riotous pro

ceedings that happened in Bithinia, under the "administration of Pliny the younger, who, upon "that occafion, wrote to the emperor to know in "what manner he was to conduct himself towards "the Chriftians." The answer which he received from Trajan amounted to this; "that the Chrif"tians were not to be officioufly fought after: but "that fuch, as were accufed and convicted of an "adherence to Chriftianity, were to be put to Z 2 "death,

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death, as wicked citizens, if they did not re"turn to the religion of their ancestors.

Page 78. "The emperor Marcus Antoninus if"fued out against the Chriftians, whom he regard"ed as a vain, obftinate and vicious fet of men, e

dicts, which, upon the whole, were very unjust, "though we do not know, at this distance of time, "their particular contents. In confequence of "their imperial edicts, the judges and magistrates "received the accufations, which even flaves and "the vileft of the perjured rabble brought against "the followers of Jefus; and the Chriftians were

put to the most cruel tortures, and were con"demned to meet death in the moft barbarous "forms, notwithstanding their perfect innocence, "and their perfevering, and folemn denial of the "horrid crimes laid to their charge. The imperial edicts were fo pofitive and exprefs against inflic-.

ting punishment upon fuch of the Chriftians as "were guilty of no crime, that the corrupt judges, "who, through motives of intereft or popularity, "defired their deftruction, were obliged to fuborn "falfe accufers to charge them with actions that

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might bring them within the reach of the laws. "Hence many fell victims to cruel fuperftition and popular fury, feconded by the corruption of a "wicked magiftracy, and the connivance of a prince, who with respect to one set of men, forgot "the principles and clemency which directed his

" conduct

"conduct towards all others. Among thefe vic"tims there were many men of illuftrious piety, "and fome of eminent learning and abilities, fuch "as the holy and venerable Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna, and Juftin Martyr, fo defervedly renowned for his erudition and philofophy. Many

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churches, particularly thofe of Lyons and Vienne were almost entirely deftroyed during this vio"lent perfecution, which raged in the year 177. and will be an indelible ftain upon the memory of the prince by whofe order it was "carried on."

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Verfes 5th, 6th.-And when he had opened the third feal, I heard the third beast say, Come, and fee, And I beheld, and lo, a black horfe; and he that fat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and fee thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

When the third feal was opened, and fo much of the roll as was contained between the third and fourth feal rolled off, John faw, upon it, the picture of a black horse, with a rider upon him holding a pair of balances in his hand. And, at the fame

time,

ny;

time, he heard a voice, in the midft of the four living creatures, faying, "A measure of wheat for a " penny, and three measures of barley for a penand fee thou hurt not the oil and the wine." In the fymbolical language, this hieroglyphic fignifies a great famine. The black colour is the fymbol of famine, because famine deftroys the ruddy complexion, and gives the countenance a dark pale look, Lam. v. 10. "Our skin was black like an "oven, because of the terrible famine." Teeat bread by weight or measure is the fymbol for scarcity of food, Ezek. iv. 16, 17. "Moreover he faid unto me, "Son of man, behold I will break the ftaff of bread "in Jerufalem, and they fhall eat bread by weight "and with care; and they fhall drink water by "measure and with aftonishment: that they may "want bread and water, and be astonished one with "another, and confume away for their iniquity."

The measure of wheat is in the original the chanix; and the penny is the denarius. The former was the ordinary allowance of corn for a labouring man's food for a day, and the latter was By the expreffion

his ordinary wages for a day. therefore "a measure of wheat for a penny," it is intimated that the famine fhould be fo great, that all the exertions and industry of men fhould be fcarcely fufficient to procure them daily fubfistence.

Perhaps