They who fuppofe this book to have been written in Domitian's time, fome years after the deftruction of Jerufalem, are obliged to give another explanation of this firft feal, applicable to fome fubfequeut event, that it may not be deemed a hiftory of things paft inftead of a prophecy of things to come.. Now their notion is, that this first feal exhibits a reprefentation of the perfon and dignity of Chrift, and of the triumphs of the Chriftian religion over all the powers of Paganifm. At the fame time they allow (as it is generally allowed) that the fix first feals especially relate to Heathen Rome, and comprehend fo many notable periods in the Roman history. But where then is the propriety or confiftence, of underftanding this firft feal of Chrift and the Chriftian religion, and the fucceeding feals of fucceffive revolutions in the Roman empire, during its pagan and unconverted ftate? And what good reafon can be given for repsefenting the Church in triumph and glory, at a period when it was moft grievously perfecuted and afflicted?, Would it not have been more uniform and of a piece, and have agreed better with the feries and order of truehiftory, if they had applied this first feal to the conquefts of Vefpafian and Titus, and the deftruction of Jerufalem; as they have applied the fecond feal to the wars of Trajan and Adrian with the Jews, and the third and following feals to tranfactions of other Roman emperors? The four living creatures have their ftations, as we have shown, in the four quarters, eaft, west, south and north, to denote from what part we are to look for the completion of the prophecy and as Trajan proceeded from the weft, Septimus Severus from the fouth, and Maximin from the north, what other emperor before them, befides Vefpafian, came from the east, which was the ftation of the lion, who made the firft proclamation? It fhould feem therefore that the interpretation which was firft propofed is the more eligible, and indeed I cannot fee how this firft feal can be well explicated otherwife, confiftently with the truth of hiftory and other circumftances of the prophecy; and if this be the true interpretation, this is a farther argument that the book was N 3 more more probably written in the perfecutions under Nero than in thofe under Domitian. 3 And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the fecond beaft fay, Come and fee. 4 And there went out another horfe that was red: and power was given to him that fat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great fword. The fecond feal or period (ver. 3, 4) is noted for war and flaughter, and was proclaimed by the fecond living creature, who was like an ox, and had his ftation in the weft. And there went out another horfe that was red: and power was given to him that fat thereon, to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great fword. This fecond period. commenceth with Trajan, who came from the weft, being a (3) Spaniard by birth, and was the firft foreigner who was elevated to the imperial throne. In his reign and that of his fucceffor Adrian there were horrid wars and flaughters, and especially between the rebellious Jews and the Romans. Dion relates, (4) that the Jews about Cyrene flew of the Romans and Greeks two hundred and twenty thousand men with the moft fhocking circumftances of barbarity. In Egypt alfo and in Cyprus they committed the like barbarities, and there perifhed two hundred and forty thousand men more. But the Jews were fubdued in their turn by the other generals and Lucius fent against them by Trajan. Eufebius writing of the fame time (3) 16ης ὁ Τραϊανος αλλ' εκ Ιταλος, 88 Ιταλιωτες καμήδες προσθεί αλλος έθνης το των Ρωμαιων κράτος εσχηκει. Trajanus hono Hifpanus, nec Tralus erat, nec Italicus-ante eum nemo alterius nationis imperiem Romanum obtinuerat. Dien. Hift. Lib. 68. P. 771. Edit. Leunclav. (4) Kai i Tery of xara Kupnyny Ιεδαίοι τες τε Ρωμαίος και της Ελληνας έφθειρον, ώσε τας πασας δυο και είκοσι μυριάδας απολεσθαι. εν τε Αιγυπλῳ πολλα έδρασαν όμοια, και εν τη Κυπρο και απώλοντο και Ε faith, (5) that the Jews, inflamed as it were by fome violent and feditious fpirit, in the firft conflict gained a victory over the Gentiles, who flying to Alexandria took/ and killed the Jews in the city. The emperor fent Marcius Turbo againft them, with great forces by fea and land; who in many battles flew many myriads of the Jews. The emperor alfo fufpecting that they might' make the like commotions in Mefopotamia ordered Lucius Quietus to expel them out of the province, who marching against them flew a very great multitude of them there. Orofius treating of the fame time faith, (6) that the Jews with an incredible commotion, made wild as it were with rage, rofe at once in different parts of the earth. For throughout all Lybia they waged the fierceft wars against the inhabitants, and the country was almost defolated. Egypt alfo and Cyrene and Thebais they dif turbed with cruel feditions. But in Alexandria they were overcome in battle. In Mefopotamia alfo war was made upon the rebellious Jews by the command of the emperor. So that many thousands of them were deftroyed with vaft flaughter. They utterly deftroyed και (5) —ώτες ύπο πνεύματος δειν τινος και κασιωδες αναρριπισθεντες-εν τη πρώτη συμβολη επικράτησαν αυτε συνεση των Ελληών· οἱ και καταφυγοντες εις την Αλεξανδριαν, τες εν τη πόλει Ιεδαίες εξωγζησάν τε και απεκτειναν. EQ' is • auтungaTug enμe Magxior Trębwra συν δυνάμει πεζη τε ναυτική, ετι δε και ἱππικῃ ὁδε πολλαις μαχαίς πολλας μυριάδας Ιεδαίων ararges. ὁ δὲ αυτοκράτως Toucas και τις εν Μεσοποτάμια Ιεδαίος επι θησεσθαι τοις αυτόθι, Λυκιῳ Κυητῳ προσέταξεν εκκαθάρας της επαρχίας αυτες· ὃς και παραταξαμένος παμε πολυ πλήθος των αυτόθι φονεύει velut a violento quodam et feditiofo dæmone exagitari et primo quidem conflictu forte Judai Gentiles fuperaverant. Qui mox Alexandriam confugientes, Judæos qui in ea urbe degebant, captos interfecerunt. Itaque imperator Marcium Turbonem adverfus eos mifit cum pedeftribus ac navalibus copiis, et cuin equitatu. Hic multis præliis confertis-infinita Judæorum millia-neci dedit. Sed imperator veritus ne Judzi qui Mefopotamiam habitabant, incolas perinde aggrederentur, mandavit Lucio Quieto, ut eos extra provinciæ fines deportaret. Qui inftrula adverfus illos acie, ingentem eorum multitudinem proftravit. Eufeb. Ecclef. Hift, Lib. 4. Cap. 2. (6) Incredibili deinde motn, "sub uno tempore Judzi, quafi rabie efferati, per diverfas terrarum partes exarferunt. Nam et per totam Lybiam adverfus incolas atrociffima bella gef ferunt : quæ adeo tunc inierfectis cultoribus défolata eft Ægyptum vero totam et Cyrenem et Thebaida cruentis feditionibus turbaverunt. In Alexandria autem commiffo prælio victi et adtriti funt. In Mefopotamia qucque rebellantibus juffu imperatoris bellum illatum eft. Itaque multa millia eorum vafta cæde deleta funt. Sane Salaminan, urbem Cypri, inter fectis omnibus accolis deleverunt. Orof. Hift. Lib. 7. Cap. 12. p. 487. Edit. Havercamp. N 4 Salamis, Salamis, a city of Cyprus, having firft murdered all the inhabitants. Thele things were tranfacted in the reign of Trajan: and in the reign of Adrian (7) was their great rebellion under their falfe Meffiah Barchochab, and their final difperfion, after fifty of their strongest caftles and nine hundred and eighty-five of their best towns had been demolished, and after five hundred and eighty thousand men had been flain by the fword, befides an infinite number who had perished by famin and fickness and other cafualties, with great lofs and flaughter too of the Romans, infomuch that the emperor forbore the ufual falutations in his letters to the fenate, Here was another illuftrious triumph of Chrift over his enemies; and the Jews and the Romans, both the perfecutors of the Chriftians, were remarkably made the dreadful executioners of divine vengeance upon one another. The great fword and the red horfe are expreffive emblems of this flaughtering and bloody period; and the proclamation for flaughter is fitly made by a creature like an ox that is deftined for flaughter. This period continued during the reigns of Trajan and his fucceffors by blood or adoption about 95 years. 5 And when he had opened the third feal, I heard the third beaft fay, Come and fee. And I beheld, and lo, a black horse; and he that fat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midft of the four beasts fay, A measure of wheat for a peny, and three meafures of barley for a peny; and fee thou hurt not the oil and the wine. The third feal or period (ver. 5, 6.) is characterized by the ftrict execution of juftice and judgment, and by the procuration of corn and oil and wine; and was proclaimed by the third living creature, who was like a man, and had his station in the fouth. 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 midft of the (7) Eufeb. ibid. Cap. 6. Dion. ibid. Lib. 69. p, 794. four four living creatures fay, A measure of wheat for a ifhed and three measures of barley for a peny, and fee thou hatinot the oil and the wine. Where Grotius and others have (8) obferved, that a chanix of corn, the measure here men-tioned, was a man's daily allowance, as a peny was his daily wages; fo that if his daily labor could earn no more than his daily bread, without other provifion for himself or his family, corn muft needs bear a very high price. But whatever may be the capacity of the chanix, which is difficult to be determined, as it was different in different times and countries; yet fuch care and fuch regulations about the neceffaries of life imply fome want and scarcity of them. Scarcity obligeth men to exactness in the price and measure of things. In fhort, the intent of the prophecy is, that corn fhould be provided for the people, but it fhould be diftributed in exact measure and proportion. This third period commenceth with Septimius Severus, who was an emperor from the fouth, being (9) a native of Africa. He was an (1) enactor of juft and equal laws, and was very fevere and implacable to of fenfes; he would not fuffer even petty larcenies to go unpunished: as neither would Alexander Severus in the fame period, who (2) was a moft fevere judge against thieves; and was fo fond of the Chriftian maxim, Whatfuever you would not have done to you, do not you to another, that he commanded it to be ingraven on the palace, and on the public buildings. Thefe two emperors were also no lefs celebrated for the procuring of corn and oil and (8) Eft autem you tritici tantum, quanto homo fanus in diem indiget, ut ex Herodoti libro tertio et feptimo obfervarunt eruditi, alii etiam ex Hippocrate, Diogene Laertio et Athenæo. Denarius vero tantum, quantum quo-que die mereri poterat homo ftrenue laborans, ut videre eft Matt. XX. 2, &c. Grot. in locum. Vide etiam Vi. tring. p. 259. (9) Septimius Severus-oriundus ex Africa. Solus omni memoria et ante et poftea ex Africa imperator fuit. Eutropius. Lib. 8. Cap. 10. Interfecto Didio Juliano, Severus Africa oriundus imperium obtinuit. Ælius Spartianus in Severo. Hift. Auguft. Scriptores VI. p. 64. Edit. Salmafii. (1) Legum conditor longe æquabilium-implacabilis delictis-ne parva. latrocinia quidem impunita patiebatur. Aurel. Victor. de Cæfar. Cap. 20. (2) Severiffimus judex contra fures -Quod tibi fieri non vis, alteri ne fe ceris; quam fententiam ufque adeo dilexit, ut et in palatio et in publicis operibus præfcribi juberet. Lampridius in Alexandro. Hift. Auguft. Script. VI. p. 123 et 132. Edit. Salmafii. other |