eace
from the earth." "They should kill one another." The instrument of
slaughter is seen,--"a great sword." _Mutual_ slaughter does not seem to
harmonize with the idea of persecution, by which the saints only "are
killed all the day long." History records that insurrections, battles,
massacres and devastations of an extraordinary kind took place in the
first half of the second century, by which more than half a million of
the Jews perished by the hand of the pagans; and a still greater number
on the opposite side were slain by the Jews. Thus the two parties who
rivalled each other in opposing the gospel and the progress of Christ's
kingdom, were made by him the instruments of their mutual destruction.
For he it is who directs the movements and course of providence, the
"red horse." "Behold what desolations he hath made in the earth!" "In
this text," says an eminent expositor, "earth signifies the Roman
empire." ... "Daniel, ... whose sealed prophecy is explained by the
opening of the Apocalyptical seals, denominates the Roman empire, 'the
fourth kingdom upon earth.'" We humbly suggest, that this does not
render the Roman empire _synonymous_ with _earth_, any more than the
Chaldean, Persian, or Grecian. And indeed the monarchs of those empires
put forth as extensive claims to universal empire as ever the Cesars
did. The word _earth_ is to be interpreted always by the context. Like
the term _world_, it may sometimes signify the Roman empire, as Luke ii.
1. But in other cases even within the compass of the Apocalypse, it is
not to be so understood without manifest confusion, as in ch. xvi. 1, 2.
The contents of _all_ the vials are there said to be poured out upon the
earth; but _earth_ is afterwards the special _object_ of the _first
only_. It follows that this term cannot be uniformly and safely in this
book interpreted as identical with and limited by the Roman empire. The
importance of accuracy here may become more apparent in our future
progress.

5. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say,
Come and see. And I beheld, and, lo, a black horse; and he that sat on
him had a pair of balances in his hand.

6. 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 see
thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Vs. 4-6.--The third of the four "animals" calls attention to the
disclosures made by breaking the "third seal."