Second advent library

caars-r'a sacoxn connro. 181showing that the church would be given tothe slaughter,like a calf fatted for the market, during the period oftheopening of this seal, which period lasted until about A.D. 318, when Constantine put a period to the persecutionsof the Christians.5th and 6th verses, "And when he had opened thethird seal, l heard the third beast say, Come and see.And I beheld, and lo, a black horse; and hc that satupon him had a pair of balances in his hand. And Iheard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, Ameasure of wheat for apenny, and three measures ofbarley for a penny, and see thou hurt not the oil and thewine." The third beast, which represents the church,under this seal, had a face as a man, and shows that thechurch would be like a natural man, proud, hau hty,independent, selfish, ambitious, covetous, and wogdly.This seal wasopened in the days of Constantine, whenreligion became and was astepping-stonepopular,topower; and this seaagrees with the Pergamos church,as to time and place. The black horse denotes errorand darkness; and when the church became connectedwith worldly power and wisdom, she lostherdpurity ofdoctrine and practice, and ado ted, in her cree ,maximaand principles congenial with the natural heart, andforms and ceremonies for show and parade, rather thanthe humbling and life of the followers ofJesus. The balances cross-bearing denote that religion and civilpower would be unit/ed in the person who would administerthe executive power in the government, andthat he would claim the judicial authority both in churchand state.This was true among the Roman emperors, ustin-from the days of Constantine until the reign ofran, when he ve the same judicial power to the bishopof Rome. Ti: measures of wheat and barley for adenote that the members of the church wouldpznny eagerly engaged after worldly goods, and the love ofmoney would be the revailing spirit of the times, forthe would dispose ot? any thing for money. The oilandvwine denote the ces of the Spirit, faith and love,and there wasgreat ggiger of hurting these, under thainduence of so much worldly spirit. And it is well atf16