Star.
London, England, 1808-04-22 00:00:00

THE FOURTH SEAL.

• -•

" When hr had opened the fourth seal I load, and &-
kid ! a pale horse, and his name that sat on him was Death,
and Hell followed with him.' (Rev. vi. 7.)
This rider conies as the necessary consequence of
the two former; for the Death here introduced is that
which is followed by Hell—Spiritual death ! It is true
that the word [2.3l;c] here rendered hell," might Le
rendered " the grave," but the sense will be the same ;
for it appears from the whole tenor of the Scriptures,
that those in whom the truth does not take such
root as to prevent them from apostacy, when affliction
and persecution arise for the word's sale" (Mark iv. 17),
are excluded from " the first resurrection," and from
the number of those over whom the second death hails
no power". (Rev. xx. 6). The words that immedi-
ately 'follow in the opening of this fourth seal, apply
to the two former riders as well as to that here brought
to view : ;
"'Pottier was given unto them over the fourth pars of the
earth, to WI With ihmword, with hunger, and with death,
and with the brasf.i . •d" the earth..'.'—That is,.. with the
sword of wielded by the rider on.. the.. re,/
horse, whishiatßict man y to apAstatise from the trath.:
4e" finiine occasioned. by the rider who made!
mercianiteesif 'the ;ar9sia ;—with iliath—the lust's 'Oe'
the "drian 'to the grat ifiing of which' that'
mert.:handi!.e pialsterecl-; for."they that live i pleasuri
are dead while, theta ve"and with the beasts' of ehc
earth, those grievous wolves which wire to enter in, not
sparing the flea (Acts xx. 29) : " inivardl.uthty are
ravening.wolvrs.". .0f 'all the evils here enumerated,
• that of the. false teachers is the greatest ; they are,
twice introduced : under the third seal, as merchants,
causing a famine of the word by their traffic ; and
under the fourth, as wild beasts : they not only starve,
but devour the flak.

But " beasts of theMitth" have also another qui-,
fication,assigned to them, which must not be over-'
looked. In the Revelation they represent lingdoms,.,
and throughont the book [Daniel], of which this is
the opening of one of the seals, havono other mean-11
ing. We have here then an intimatim.given to us
of the means by, which these false teachers were to be:
enabled to do such ektensive mischief :—the kings of
the earth were to co-operate with :them,. and, -even
after the period of 'the Pagan persecutions;* fo,assiSt
them, in wearing out the taint: of Tut Mart
On this I shall not at present enlarge, as the alliance
here alluded to forms a prominent feature in the sub-,
sequent parts of this prophetic history : but content
myself with observing, that, in the brief outline be;
fore us, we have a striking description of the mis-
chief that arose from, opposition to the authority,
and mistakes respecting the nature of -the kingdom'
of TUE MESSIAH. Another kingdom was establish-
ed, whiFh was called the
-kingdom of CHRIST, though
in fact, it was. earthly. and carnal, dignified with
the name of spiritual; but " to be carnal& minded is
draih."—This kingdom which was set up is the king-
dom of "-the Horn"—those who maintain it-are
" lteofile of the Prince," who, as DANIEL was infor-
med, -" ihould come and destroy the city and the ,ranc-
tuary."—But of this More hereafter.