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Perhaps fome perfons, unacquainted with the Hebrew and Greek languages, comparing the expreffion here, with the account which Elishah gives of a great plenty, 2 Kings vii. 1. "To mor"row about this time fhall a measure of fine flour "be fold for a fhekel, and two measures of barley "for a fhekel, in the gate of Samaria," may confider the expreffion now under our view as a prediction not of scarcity, but of plenty. All the difficulty, doubt, or mistake in this matter arifes from our tranflation. The word which is tranflated measure in 2 Kings vii. 1. fignifies, and indeed is, in the Hebrew language, the feah, a particular veffel, about fix times as large as the chanix, the particular veffel mentioned in the original, and tranflated measure in this paffage now under our view. The word in the original, which is tranflated penny, is the denarius. The fhekel is a piece of money a little more than three times the value of the denarius or penny. All this must be very clear to every perfon acquainted with the Hebrew and Greek languages, the contents of antient measures, and the value of ancient coins. Hence as the feah is fix times as large as the chanix, and the fhekel three times as valuable as the denarius; the meafure of wheat mentioned by John, must have been twice as dear as the measure of fine flour mentioned by Elishah. But the difference between the prices will appear ftill greater when we remember

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that Elifhah gives the price of fine flour, and John that of wheat only, which is far from being fo fpecifically valuable as fine flour. This therefore muft be an account of a famine; for whenever wheat, or the ordinary food of any country rifes to double its ordinary price, no man will doubt that there is ⚫ then a famine in that country. When to this eftimate of the price of the chanix of wheat, we add the black colour of the horfe and the pair of balances in the hand of the rider, the meaning of the hieroglyphic becomes as plain as if the word famine had been put in its place.

No hurt was to be done to the wine and the oil. That is, though there was to be a famine of the neceffaries of life, yet feveral of the comforts of life fhould be continued in plenty.

According to the idiom of the fymbolical language, intellectual, moral, and spiritual objects are fignified by material and visible ones, which bear fome kind of resemblance to them. Thus the food of the body is the symbol of the food of the mind. Hence the famine defcribed in these verses fignifies a famine of the ordinary spiritual food of Chriftians; a famine of the word of God and of the external ordinances of religion. But, whilft there was to be a great fcarcity of thefe, the ordinary fpiritual food of Chriftians, there was to be no diminution of the gracious influences of divine grace, reprefented by the oil and the wine, Pfalm civ. 15.

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"And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, "and oil to make his face to fhine." Like wine and oil, it is the influence of divine grace upon the foul, which gives true joy to the heart, and ferenity to the countenance. Without this no external means can be of avail for these important purposes, and this, of itself will fupply their place, when for wife purposes they are withdrawn by God. From the uses of wine and oil, in the confecrations and facrifices under the Mofaic difpenfation, it abundantly appears that they were the appointed fymbols of the grace of God.

This prophecy was moft exactly fulfilled in the perfecutions of Chriftians under the emperors Severus, Maximian, Gallus, Volufianus, Valerian, Gallienus, Claudius, and Aurelian; during the whole of the third century, as appears from Mofheim's Church Hift. Vol. i. from page 126, to page 129. And alfo under the emperor Dioclefian in the year 303. The chief force of all thefe perfecutions was directed against the minifters of religion, the facred fcriptures and other books of Chriftians, and their affemblies for public worship; by which means there was a very great famine of the word. Under these perfecutions, the fortitude and ferenity of the Chriftians were fo great, as fully to prove, that, though deprived of the outward means of knowledge and grace, they felt no diminution of the inward aids and confolations of Chriftianity. VOL. 1.

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The following paffage, from the hiftory of the period to which this feal refers, will fhew how exactly it was fulfilled in the famine of the word. Mofheim's Church Hift. Vol. i. page 164. "Diocle"fian, however, ftood for fome time unmoved by "the treacherous arts of a selfish and fuperftitious priesthood, who, when they perceived the ill fuc

cefs of their cruel efforts, addreffed themfelves "to Maximinus Galerius, one of the Cæfars, in or"der to accomplish their unrighteous purposes. "This prince, whofe grofs ignorance of every thing "but military affairs was accompanied with a "fierce and favage temper, was a proper inftru"ment for executing their defigns Set on there"fore by the malicious infinuations of the Hea"then priests, the fuggeftions of a fuperftitious "mother, and the ferocity of his own natural difpofitions, he folicited Dioclefian with fuch inde

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fatigable importunity, in fuch an urgent manner, "for an edict against the Chriftians, that he at length obtained his horrid purpose. For in the

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year 303, when this emperor was at Nicomedia, "an order was obtained to pull down the churches "of the Chriftians, to burn all their books and

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writings, and to take from them all their civil rights and privileges, and render them incapable of any honcurs or civil promotions. "I'his first edict, though rigorous and fevere, ex"tended not to the lives of the Chriftians, for Dio"clefian

"clefian was extremely averfe to flaughter and bloodfled; it was however deftructive to many "of them, particularly to those who refused to de"liver the facred books into the hands of the ma'giftrates. Many Chriftians, therefore, and among "them feveral bithops and prefbyters, feeing the confequences of this refufal, delivered up all the religious books and other facred things which "were in their poffeffion, in order to fave their lives. "This conduct was highly condemned by the most 'fteady and refolute Chriftians, who looked upon

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this compliance as facrilegious, and branded "thofe who were guilty of it with the ignominious appellation of traditors.

Verfes 7th, 8th.-And when he had opened the fourth feal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and fee. And I looked, and behold a pale horse; and his name that fat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him and power was given unto them, over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with fword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beafts of the earth.

When Chrift opened this feal, fo much of the roll as was contained between the fourth and the fifth feal was rolled off; and John faw upon it the A a 2 picture