been spilt during these reigns. In the eighteenth year of Trajan there happened a prodigious earthquake, which was almost general in the East, but Syria chiefly suffered. Many great towns were ruined. In the city of Antioch, where the emperor Trajan then resided, almost all the buildings were thrown down, and many thousands of people lost their lives, the emperor himself hardly escaping by leaping out of a window. In the second year of Marcus Aurelius, the Tiber overflowed a considerable part of Rome, carried away a multitude of people and cattle, ruined the country, and caused an extreme famine. This inundation was followed by swarms of insects, which devoured all that the flood had spared. Four years after, Lucius Verus coming victorious from the Parthian war, brought the plague along with him, which communicated the contagion to all the Roman provinces through which he passed, and carried off multitudes of people.

Severus, the fifth persecutor, among other misfortunes, had for son Antoninus Caracalla, a most vicious prince, who attempted to take away his father's life by stabbing him with his own hand, but was prevented by some that were present. This behaviour of his son threw Severus into a deep melancholy, which put an end to his life. The hand of vengeance pursued even his children. Caracalla murdered his brother Geta, and he himself underwent the same fate, which extinguished the family.

Maximinus, the sixth persecutor, became odious to the whole empire for his cruelties and his avarice. Africa rebelled against him. The Senate of Rome declared him an enemy to the state, and set up new emperors against him. He was so detested, that while he was besieging the city of Aquileia, his own soldiers fell upon him in his tent, slew both him and his son, sent their heads to Rome, and left their bodies to be devoured by dogs and birds of prey.

During the short reign of Maximinus, neither the city of Rome nor the provinces were free from wars, tumults, murders, and all sorts of calamities.

Decius the emperor, an execrable beast, as Lactan

tius styles him, in his war with the Goths, being attacked by them, and seeing his eldest son killed before his 'face, and a great part of his army cut off, in despair run into a deep bog, where he perished. His body was not allowed common burial, but exposed to be devoured by the beasts of the earth and the birds of the air.

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The horrible persecution in this emperor's reign seemed to rouse up afresh the indignation of Heaven. The Roman State was harassed by great wars and desolation from the Goths and other barbarous northern nations and likewise by a dreadful pestilence, which spread itself over all the provinces, and lasted ten years, destroying incredible numbers of people. In the first year of the emperor Gallus, Decius's successor, who continued the persecution, the plague raged more furiously than ever, particularly at Carthage, in Africa. There vast multitudes were swept away every day, and the streets were filled with the carcasses of the dead. St. Cyprian, Bishop of that city, wrote on this occasion his book on the Mortality, or Pestilence, to comfort and encourage his own flock under the general calamity, and he zealously exhorted them' not to be wanting in giving all assistance possible to the infected, though Pagans, and their declared enemies. He also wrote at this time to Demetrianus, a magistrate of Carthage, representing to him that these evils were not, as the Pagans pretended, punishments inflicted upon them by their Gods, for their permitting the growth of Christianity; but on the contrary, that they were real punishments sent from the true God of Heaven and Earth for their cruelties to the Christians. St. Cyprian tells him : "Never do we see the Christian name persecuted, but "the divine vengeance soon follows. Of this we have "a recent èxample, when so quick and so remarkable "a judgment lately appeared, in the violent death of the "Kings," meaning Decius and his son, "in the great "devastations made by the enemies, and the ruin of the ❝ Roman army.”

Valerian, the eighth cruel persecutor of the Christians, in his war with the Persians, was taken prisoner by Sapor their king, who treated him with the utmost in

dignity, so far as to make him who had but just before been the greatest monarch in the world, to bow down and serve as a footstool to him (the king) to get on horseback. After keeping him seven years in this wretched slavery, Sapor ordered that his eyes should be pulled out, then that he should be flead alive, and his skin hung up as a trophy in one of the Persian temples.

After Valerian's persecution, Heaven and Earth seemed to conspire in the destrucion of the Roman Empire. Earthquakes overthrew cities, and destroyed great numbers of people. The sea overswelled its boundaries, and broke into many continents, drowning countries, cities, and people and so violent a pestilence raged, that in Rome no less than five thousand persons died in a day. Besides this, the whole empire was invaded on all sides. A body of Germans crossed the Alps, and broke into Italy. Another body of the same enemies wasted Gaul and entered Spain. The Goths and Scythians ravaged Pontus, and great part of lesser Asia; and in Europe, all Greece, Macedon, and their confines. The Quadi and Sarmatians seized on Dacia and Pannonia; and the Persians and Parthians took possession of Mesopotamia, and a great part of Syria. To complete these disasters, there rose up thirty tyrants, who assuming the title of emperors, set up in opposition to one another, and to the reigning emperor Gallienus, which occasioned the empire to be more harassed and oppressed by its own intestine broils than by foreign devastations. These disasters had been foretold in the time of the persecution by the holy martyr St. Marian, when he was carried to execution. He announced them as a scourge impending on the State for the innocent blood that was spilt of the Christians.

The emperor Aurelian, another percecutor, was assassinated by his own secretary and some others, who had formed a conspiracy against him.

Dioclesian, the tenth persecutor, was compelled by Galerius, whom he had created Cæsar, to resign to him the empire, and retire himself to a private life. Afterwards he had the mortification to learn, that Constantine, who was become emperor, had pulled down

thy works, O Lord God Almighty. This canticle is here said to be the canticle of Moses the servant of God, because it bears the sense, and is sung in imitation, of the canticle which the Israelites-sung to God, after having passed the Red Sea under the conduct of Moses, and seen their enemies perish in its gulf. For thus sung they: Let us sing to the Lord; for he is gloriously magnified, the horse and the rider he has thrown into the sea, &c. Exod. xv. 1. To the canticle of Moses the Christian saints immediately join the canticle of the Lamb, singing: Just and true are thy ways, O Kings of Saints; thus extolling his justice and bounty in his dispensations to them, for having subjected them to severe trials, having safely conducted them through by his grace, and crowned them with victory. Then they conclude their religious hymn in addressing Almighty God thus: Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and magnify thy name? For thou only art holy for all nations shall come, and shall adore in thy sight, because thy Judgments, or punishments on the impious, are manifest.

From what has been exhibited in this scene, we learn, that the Almighty is jealous of whatever injuries are offered to his servants, and takes upon himself the judgment of their cause. Though for the proof of their zeal, and for their greater crown, he permits their enemies for a while to exercise their tyrannical power over them, yet in his wisdom he reserves to himself a time, in which he will revenge the evils done to them, and severely punish their persecutors. Not only former ages furnish a great number of known instances of such punishments, but the word of God openly declares such to be the tenour of the divine economy. Will not God, said our Saviour, revenge his Elect who cry to him day and night: and will he have patience in their regard? I say to you, that he will quickly revenge them, Luke xviii. 7, 8.-Hence we are prepared for what follows.

V. 5. And after these things, proceeds St. John, I looked, and behold, the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened.

V. 6. And the seven Angels came out of the temple,

having the seven plagues, clothed with clean and white linen, and girt about the breast with golden girdles.

Here the scene changes, and is carried back to the period of time that immediately precedes the beginning of the seven plagues or punishments. This removal of the scene St. John insinuates by the unusual circumlocution, after these things I looked, and behold. Then the temple of the tabernacle of the testimony in heaven was opened. St. John sees in heaven a tabernacle of testimony, similar in form to the ancient Jewish tabernacle; and the Temple, that is, the Holy of Holies, or sanctuary of this heavenly tabernacle, had been shut up on the conclusion of the above canticles, and in it the Deity with the seven angels: but after a short space of time, on the commencement of the new scene, the Temple or sanctuary opens, and presently comes out from the presence of God the seven Angels, holding the seven plagues, clothed in clean and white linen, the emblem of the immortal glory they enjoy; and girt about the breasts with golden girdles, to show they are vested with the divine authority, and that they are actually proceeding to execute the work they are charged with.

V. 7. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven Angels seven golden vials, full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever.

V. 8. And the temple was filled with smoke from the Majesty of God, and from his Power: and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven filagues of the seven Angels were fulfilled. Here the seven Angels receive seven Vials full of the wrath of God; upon the pouring out of which, as we shall see, follow the seven plagues or divine judgments upon the enemies of religion. The Vials are given to the Angels by one of the four living creatures, that is, by a prophet, because at that time the effects of the Vials have not happened, but are to happen in time to come, and therefore are here announced by way of prophecy. Then the temple in heaven is filled with smoke, manifesting, first, the Majesty of God residing there; secondly, his Power, which he is going to exert in the punishment of idolator and heretics. A similar scene to this was former.