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ly fet up at his Refurrection and Afcenfion, was making great progrefs; and after the deftruction of his Enemies the Jews, was ftill more and more advancing it felf in all quarters of the Roman Empire; as is evident in the Hiftories of thofe Times. Monfieur Jurien's Objection, that this can't be Christ, because the Equipage of this Horfeman is not fo magnificent, nor his Ar- P.45,46. mor jo terrible as Chrift is usually deferib'd withal, feems to me of no great weight here. Because this is only upon his first Effay, or Entrance on his Power and Conquefts: and therefore all ought to be much lefs Stately and Magnificent than when he is defcrib'd in great Triumphs, and the more full Exaltation of his Kingdom afterward.

'Tis true, that Mr. Jurieu and Others are of Opinion, that by the White Horfe, and the Glorious Warrior upon him, pointed at by the firft Animal, which ftood on the Eaft fide of the Camp of Ifrael, and of the present Scene, is not meantChrist, but Vefpatian, or his Son Titus, the Roman Emperors who were advanc'd to that Dignity in the Eaftern parts of the Roman Em pire. But I cannot be of this Opinion, not fo much because the Reigns of thofe Emperors were over many years before John faw these Visions, as because the Contents of each Seal are intirely different from the Animal that calls out the Scene whereby 'tis represented. So that tho' the Time and Period of this Primordium Victoria Chrifti, be juftly to be dated from the beginning of the Flavian Family in the Empire with Vefpatian, which may therefore be fignify'd by the firft Animal on the Eaft fide of the Camp of Ifrael; yet I thinkChrift himself is fignify'd by the Glorious Warrior, and the first Succeffes of his Kingdom, by the Contents of this Seal, as has been already explain'd.

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ND when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second Apoc. vj. 3,4. animalfay, 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

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that

Mede Comment. Apocal.

that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great fword.

The fecond great and fignal Event is moft dreadful Murders and Destructions in the Bowels of the Empire; fignify'd both by a red Horfe, of the colour of Blood: and by a great Sword; and by a particular Commiffion given to the Rider of the red Horfe to fee that Peace be utterly taken away from the earth, and that instead thereof, internal Wars, and mutual Slaughters, and Butcheries, do make fufficient Havock and Destruction of the Jews and Heathens all over the Roman Empire; i. e. all over that Empire and Nation which would not have Chrift to Reign over them, but Perfecuted his Church, and Opprefs'd his People. And this Seal is fitly introduc'd by the Second Animal, an Ox: whofe Station was on the Weft fide of the Camp of Ifrael, and of the Prophetick Scene; denoting the Date or Epocha of this Seal to be the beginning of the Alian Family, or the Reign of Trajan A. D. 98. (who was born in the utmost parts of the Weft, even in Spain, and was the firft Roman Emperor who was not an Italian ;) and its continuance,during the Reigns of his immediate Succeflors of the fame Family. And if we look into the Hiftories of thofe times, we fhall not need any other Comment on this Seal than their own words. "Incredi"bili inquit Orofius, motu fub uno tempore Judæi, quafi rabie

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efferati, per univerfas terrarum partes exarferunt. Nam & per totam Lybiam adverfus Incolas atrociffima Bella gefferunt: "Que adeo tunc interfectis cultoribus defolata eft, ut nifi poftea "Hadrianus Imperator collectas illuc aliunde Colonias deduxiffet vacua penitus abraso habitatore manfilet. Qui circa Cyre"nen habitabant (loquitur Dion) Andrea quodam duce Romanos pariter atque Gracos concidunt; vefcuntnr eorum carnibus;

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† Ιβηρ ὁ Τραιανός, αλλ ̓ ἐκ Ἰπελὸς ἐδ ̓ Ἰταλιώτης - μηδείς πόθεν άλλος θνης τὸ τῶν Ῥωμαίων κράτος ἐχήκει. Trajanus Homo Hifpanus; nec Italus erat, nec Italicus. Ante eum nemo alterius nationis Imperium Romanum obtinuerat. Dion.

Ulpius Trajanus Italica, Urbe Hifpaniæ ortus. Aurel. Victor. Succeffit Nerve Ulpius Trajanus Crinitus, natus Italia in Hifpania; familia antiqua magis quam clara; nam pater ejus primum Conful fuit: Imperator autem apud Agrippinam in Galliis factus eft. Eutropius. "eduntque

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Præterea

"eduntque vifcera; tum oblinuntur eorum fanguine, & pellibus "induuntur. Multos a vertice ferris difcidere medios; multos objecere Beftiis; multos etiam certare inter fe coegerunt: ita "ut interierint hominum ad Ducenta Viginti Millia. "in Ægypto confimilis cades falta eft. Et in Cypro, Artemione "duce; ubi etiam perierunt Ducenta Quadraginta Millia. Sa"laminem Urbem Cypri, interfectis omnibus accolis, deleverunt. "(Orof. Eufeb.) In Alexandria autem commiffo pralio victi & "attriti funt. (Orof.) Tandem & ab aliis, &maxime a Lyfio, que n Trajanus miferat, fubalti funt. In Mefopotamia quo"que rebellantibus juffu Imperatoris Bellum illatum eft. (Orof. "Eufeb.) Atque ita multa millia eorum vafta cade deleta funt. And if we now defcend to the Reign of Hadrian, who immediately fucceeded Trajan, and was himfelf alfo a Spaniard, we fhall find the fame miferable Slaughter continue; and the bare words of Dio the Hiftorian, will ftill fufficiently explain the purport of this Seal. "Cum Hadrianus, inquit ille, in Ur- Mede ubi fu"bem Hierofolymam coloniam deduxiffet; ac quo loco Dei Tem- pra. "plum fuerat, alterum Fovi Capitolino adificari curaviffet, magnum & diuturnum Bellum inde moveri captum: totam Jnda"am commoveri: Judeos omnes ubique Gentium tumultuari: "multa damna occulto aperteque Romanis inferre: cumque iis complures alias gentes lucri cupiditate conjungi; atque ea de re "omnem fere orbem Terrarum commotum effe. Hos Hadrianus, "optimis quibufque ducibus adverfus eos miffis, fed (multitudine "corum & defperatione cognita) non nifi fingulatim eos adoriri aufis, fero tandem oppreffit, fregitque; cafis in excurfionibus praliifque non minus Quingentis & Octoginta villibus. Eorum autem quifame, morbo, & igne interiere, tanta fuit multitudo "ut numerus indagari non potuit. Tot etiam ex Romanis quoque "in eo bello periere, ut Hadrianus, cum fcriberet adSenatum, non eft ufus illo exordio, quo utiImperatores confueverunt; Si vos Liberique Veftri valetis, bene eft; Ego quidem & exercitus valemus. And if we enquire of the Jews themselves, the Author of the Book Fuchafin writes that In this War, Hadrian flew twice as many Jews as came up out of Egypt, i. e. above 1200000. And another Jewish Author, quoted by Drufius, fays, That neither Præterit. p. Nebuchadnezzar, nor Titus, did their Nation fo much mischief 126,

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Apoc. vj. 5, 6.

as did this Hadrian the Emperor. And indeed, Since this Seal exhibits the first great example of our Savior's Victories over his Enemies, begun under the former Seal, it could not but be most suitable to its designs to defcribe thefe heavy Deflructions, whereby not the Romans only, but the fews, his Crucifyers, principally were afflicted; on whom moft naturally he was to execute his Vengeance in the first place; as he accordingly ap pears to have fufficiently done by the foremention'd terrible Slaughters and Defolations: and thofe under Hadrian are the more remarkable, as being occafion'd by their woful pretended Meffias Barchochebas, fo infamous in their History.

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SEAL III.

ND when he had opened the third feal, I heard the third animal fay, Come and fee: And I beheld, and lo a black horsex and he that fat on him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6. And I beard a voice in the midst of the four animals, fay, Ameasure of wheat for a peny; and three measures of barly for a peny. And fee that thou be not unjust in the oyland the wine.

The third great and fignal Event is Severe and Impartial Juftice: fignify'd by the Black Horfe, the pair of Balances, and the Proclamation of the exact and equal prices of the most common Commodities; with a kind of Intimation therein what were the then common Commodities; and that there was great plenty of Corn, and Wine, and Oyl at the fame time: and concluding with a fevere Caution against all Injuftice in fuch matters, and an imply'd threatning of exemplary punishment if they prov'd faulty therein. And this Seal is fitly introduc'd by the Third Animal, with the Face of a Man, whofe Station was on the South fide of the Camp of Ifrael, and of the Prophetick Scene: denoting the Date or Epocha of this Seal to be the beginning of the Reign of Septimius Severus A. D. 193. who wast Born in the South part of the Roman Empire, even in

+ Septimius Severus oriundus ex Africa, Provineia Tripolitana, Oppido Lepti. Solus omni memoria antea & poft ex Atrica Imperator. Eutropius. Interfecto Didio Juliano Severus Africa oriundus Imperium obtinuit; cui Civitas Leptis, Pater Geta, Majores Equites Romani, ante civitatem omnibus datam; Mater Fulvia Pia. Spartian.

Σsong asup To Abus Severus genere Afer. Herodian.

439.

Africa it felf, and he and his Succeffors under this Seal, were the only Roman Emperors that ever were of that Extraction. And if we look into the Hiftories of this Septimius Severus himself, Xiphilin. Fand of Alexander Severus, Mammaa's Son afterwards, we fall pit. Dion.. find the Event exactly agreeable to the Prophecy. "Severo "(Septimio) inquit Aurelius, præclarior in Republica fuit nemo, Mede ubi tu "Legum conditore longe aquabilium. Implacabilis delectis, ftre- pra. "nuum quemque præmiis extollebat. Nulli in dominatu fuo permifit honores venundari. Ne parva quidem latrocinia impuni "ta patiebatur: in fuos animadvertens magis, quod vitio Ducum "ant etiam Prajectorum fieri vix experiens intelligeret. And Spartianus's account is exactly agreable. For in one place, he fays, Accufatos a provincialibus Judices probatis rebus graviter punivit. In another place he affirms him to have been "Impla"cabilem delictis, & latronum ubique hoftem; But if we descend a little lower to Alexander Severus, the Son of Mammaa, we shall find a still more full, and intire Completion of this Prophecy. "Is, inquit Lampridius, Leges de jure populi & fifci mo"deratas,& infinitas fanxit; neque ullam conftitutionem facravit "fine viginti Jurifperitis. Severiffimus Judex contra fures; appellans eofdem quotidianorum fcelerum reos, ac damnans acer"rime; ac folos Hoftes Inimicofque Reipublica vocans, jussit (Ju"dices Fures) in civitatibus nunquam videri, & fi effent vifi, de"portari per Rectores Provinciarum. Referebat Encolpius, quo ille. "familiariffime ufus eft, illum, fi unquam furem Fudicem vi"diffet, paratum habuiffe digitum, ut illi occulum erueret. "dit Septimius, qui vitam ejus non mediocriter executus eft, tan"ti Stomachi fuifje Alexandrum in eos Judices qui furtorum fa"ma laboraffent, etiamfi damnati non effent, ut fi eos cafu aliquo "videret, commotione animi ftomachi choleram emoveret; toto “vultu exardefcente ut nihil poffit loqui.. Juffit imo per praco"nem edici, ut nemo falutaret Principem qui fe furem effe noffet, ne aliquando detectus capitali fupplicio fubderetur. Si quis mi"litum de via in alicujus poffeffionem deflexiffet, pro qualitate lo"ci aut fuftibus fubjiciebatur in confpectu ejus, aut virgis, aut condemnationi; aut fi hæc omnia tranfiret dignitas hominis, "graviffimis contumeliis; cum diceret, vifne in agro tuo fieri quod. salteri facis? Clamabatque fepius, quod a quibufdam five Ju

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