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picture of a pale horfe, and a rider upon him, whose name was Death, and the fymbol for the grave followed with him. Adns the word tranflated hell, fignifies the grave. He was at the fame time informed, that 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 beasts of the earth.

By the pale colour of the horse, the name of the rider Death, his follower the grave, and the explanatory note bearing that power was given unto them to kill, it is plainly declared that the perfecution, predicted by this hieroglyphic, was to be one in which fuch great numbers of Christians fhould be killed by the fword, hunger, and favage beafts, that Death, if turned into a perfon and appearing among men, could not have killed them in greater numbers. And that the burials of them fhould be fo frequent, that the graves might well be reprefented as always open to receive their dead bodies. This perfecution was to extend over a fourth part of the earth, that is of the Roman empire.

At the time to which this feal relates, the Roman empire, then very extenfive, was divided into four parts, and governed by two emperors and two Cæfars. By a fourth part, therefore, of the empire, is to be underflood fo much of it as was under the

jurisdiction

jurifdiction of one of these four rulers; though the territory, over which each of them ruled, might not be of the fame extent.

In a

By looking into the hiftory of the Chriftian church, and of the Roman empire, immediately after the period of the third feal, we fhall fee the predictions under this one exactly accomplished. In the beginning of the fourth century of the church Maximian Hercules was emperor in the weft, and Conftantius, the father of Conftantine the great, was Cæfar or governor of Britain, Dioclefian was emperor in the eaft, and Maximian Galerius, Cæfar in the east. fhort time, Galerius obliging Dioclefian and Maximian Hercules to refign the purple, declared himfelf fole emperor of the eaft, while the adminiftration of the western provinces was still in the hands of Conftantius. During thefe reigns, which were from about the year of Chrift 300 to the year 311, the perfecutions against the Chriftians were carried to the most barbarous and fhocking height in the eastern part of the empire, firft under Dioclefian, and after his abdication, under Galerius.

As the perfecution predicted under this feal was to extend, not over the whole, but only over a part of the Roman empire, the accomplishment of this circumftance muft ftrongly ftrike every candid mind. For, notwithstanding all the violence of Dioclefian and Galerius against the Chriftians in

the

the eaft; Conftantius not only did not perfecute, but even countenanced them in the western provinces of the empire.-That the Chriftians were, at this period, countenanced in the western part of the empire by Conftantius, Mofheim declares, Hift. vol. i. p. 163. with whom Eufebius agrees, Book viii. chap. 13. and alfo Gibbon vol. ii. P. 382,-393. "Dioclefian though much addicted "to fuperftition, did not however entertain any "averfion to the Chriftians: and Conftantius Clo

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rus, who following the dictates of right reafon a"lone in the worship of the Deity, had abandoned "the abfurdities of poletheifm, treated them with "condefcenfion and benevolence. This alarmed "the pagan priefts, whofe interefts were fo clofely "connected with the continuance of the ancient fuperftitions, and who apprehended, not without reason, that to their great detriment, the Chrif ❝tian religion would become daily more univerfal "and triumphant throughout the empire. Under "these anxious fears of the downfall of their au

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thority, they addreffed themfelves to Dioclefian, "whom they knew to be of a timorous and credu "lous difpofition, and by fictitious oracles, and o"ther fuch perfidious ftratagems, endeavoured to

engage him to perfecute the Chriftians."

The numbers that were killed in this perfecu tion were astonishingly great. In fome places the blood of the flain itfelf made little brooks, and co

loured

loured large rivers. Eufebius fays, that he hath seen the actors of that perfecution fo fatigued, and their fwords fo blunted with killing the Chriftians, that they were obliged to be relieved by fresh perfons, Fox Mar. p. 103. Eufeb. Hift. 1. viii. c. 9, 10. 11, 12.

At this time, there was also a great fickness and mortality in the Roman empire, fo that from the mortality, (Death), and the perfecution, men died. faster than the living could bury them; by which means, dogs were fo accustomed to eat dead mens flesh, that they became a terror to the living left they should eat them alfo. Eufeb. Hift. 1. viii. c. 10. Well then might this horfe be pale, his rider Death, and the grave following him.

The Chriftians were killed by being drawn afunder by horfes, cloven by trees, caft to wild beafts, fent to fea in boats without any provifion. There was an emulation among their perfecutors, who might invent the moft torturing deaths to Chriftians, Fox's Tables, Eufeb. Hift. 1. 8.

Eachard defcribes the different modes, by which Christians were put to death in this perfecution under Dioclefian and his fucceffor Galerus, almost in the very words of this prophecy. In the prophecy it is faid, "And power was given them to

kill with fword and with hunger, and with "death, and with the beats of the earth. And Eachard fays, Rom. Hift. vol. ii. p. 533. "As "this was the laft perfecution, fo it was the most "fevere

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fevere of all others, like the laft efforts of an ex

piring enemy, who uses his utmost power and strength to give a parting blow. It were endless, " and almoft incredible, to enumerate the varie"ty of fufferers and torments; it is fufficient to ob"ferve, in this place, that they were fcourged to

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death, had their flesh torn off with pinchers, and "mangled with broken pots, were caft to lions, tygers, and other wild beafts, were burned, beheaded, crucified, thrown into the fea, torn in pieces by the diftorted boughs of trees, roafted by gentle fires, and holes made in their bodies for "mélted lead to be poured into their bowels. "This perfecution lafted ten years under Diocle"fian and fome of his fucceffors; and the incredi

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ble number of Chriftians which fuffered death "and punishment, made them conclude that they had completed their work. And in an an"cient infcription, they tell the world that they "had effaced the name and fuperftition of the Christians, and had reftored and propagated the worship of the Gods."

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How exactly this perfecution correfponded to the prediction in thefe verfes is abundantly clear from Mofheim's Hift. vol. i. from page 164, to 166. Of these three pages I fhall tranfcribe only two fhort paragraphs. Page 165. "In the fecond

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year of this horrible perfecution, the 304th "of the Chriftian æra, a fourth edict was pub

"lifhed

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