--·----o/--fk-,e-R--~E-V~:-E~L--A_T __ I ~O--N--.--~---j-3~ C1ys Herodian, Fames Romanos ajjllxit, the Romans .,,hre affliCted by rea!on of~ Famine and Scarcity : When C!eander, ComiJtodin hts great Favorite, detained Chap. 3· .. the Corn from the common Peo~le, (he bemg keeper of t)1e Store-houfe of it) ~ upon which they muttny, requmng htm to be put to Death ; and proceeding further in their Rage, they throw down Hou!es, oppofethe Souldters, fl:one the Captains, &c. (o that CotHmodl# was ~nforced to cut off his Favorite's Head,and ftt it upon a Pole, and to defl:roy hts Chtldrcn allo, fo to pactfy the People. Yea in tho(e very words which Mr. Mede quotes for Sever/# his Jufl:ice, and care about Oil, &c. there is an intimation of the cxhaufl:ure of the Corn of the publick Storchoufe, through that Famine : The words are thefe,, Rei frumentat'ite q~ttrm minimam reperiebat ita confidmt, eit"c. So l!kew1fe there IS fuch an inti ... motion in that other place which he quotes for AlexmderSevmu his care, ( Anno II8.) which only was occafioned by HeliogabaiM his having overthrown the publick Stock of Corn, [ Fmmenta e-tJertijfet.J ' Then, 2dly, for the Chriflian Writers of thcfe Times : Teriu!lian, whci lived in Am10 203, cloth more confirm this; for in his Apology for the Chriflians, he brings in this Calumny as ulual among the Heathens; that they laid the cau!e of all their Mileries upon the Chnfltans: Hts words are thefe, Si Ctelum fletit,&c. if it rained not, if Nil m overflowed not Egypt, (which was the Granary of the Empire) fi·om whence arofe a Famme; or tf the Pefl:tlente devoured them, O'C. Statim, (lays he) they cried, Chrijlianos ad Leones ; away with the!e Chriflians to the Lions. I obferve, he infl:anceth mofl: in Famine, ahd the Caufes of it, as being that which then they were mofl: punifl1'd with. .And he it\ his Apology, pleading for Chriflians,how they fafled in Times of Judgments~ He inflanceth in that of Famine only, faymg, If Famine be threatiterJ by want of R,ti,, fo that their Annona, or Provijion of Corn (as de la Cerda reads it) were iU. danger tobe j}>ent, th.lf thw they Chrijlians f".ft, whilft other Romans portr them· felves out to aU Licentiouji!Cfl. It is obfervable, that he frill inflanceth in the Judg– ment of Famine. And in his Apology to Scap11la, the African Prefidem, he !hewing that ho City that perfecuted the Chriflians did go unpunilh'd \ infl:anc: .,th, how lately, under Hillarian's Prefidentlhip, (his Predecdfor) the Chrifli• ans begging a Floor of Corn, a Voice was heard from under-ground, faying-, Are£ non font : And indeed they were not, for they had no Harvefl: nor Corn the rrext Year, to threfh in them, it being fpoiled through a great Wet in the Time of Harvefl:, as he there lays. And you (lays he) condemninl! a Chrifli: an to the Beafl:s, Statim h£c vexatio fobfecHta ei1; which 'B.~ro11ius ~nderfl:ands of that wet Year before fpoken of, which brought ruin to the Corn. But Ori' gen !peaks more clearly to this, who prc!enrly after (about 226 Years after Chrifl:) writing upon the 24th of Mattbew, and taking occafion to anfwer· the fame Calumny, objeCted fo generally againfl: the Chrifl:ians by the Heathens. namely, That becaule of the multitude of Chriflians among them, they had bee~ vexed with Wars, Famine; and Pefl:ilence, although he reckons up all thofe three Plag\ies as objeded ; yet to make it good that the Heathens did {o object, he e!pecially inflanceth in Famine; Frequenter enim (C1ys he) Fa11tis cmsfo Chri– f/ianos c•ltures cHipa'rHnt Gentiles; (for the Heathens ofientimes laid the fault of their being afllitl:ed by Famine, upon thofe of the Chriflian Religion); though they did !o becal1re of other Plagues allo, yet they often laid their Famines ill the Difh of the Chriflians. Which evidently argues this Punilhmenr to have. been very frequent in thole Times, as being taken notice of by the Heathens themfelves, and al!o by Origen, to have been the eminent punilhment of that Age, which made up the third Seal. Now then the Fourth Seal produceth a fourth Horfe, and that a Pale one, fdt his Rider is Death; Mars pallid•, pale Death as they ufe to call it. And this Hor!e brings Death upon the fourth part of the Enipite, ca!lea theEanh, and his Work was to kill with ail forts of Death, "bcith Plague, and Famine, ~nd Wars, and Wild-Bearts, all Gcid's Plagues let loofe at once. Before,Civil Wars came alone, and Famine came alone ; but nciw, for their impenitency; he lets loofe all four Judgments mentioned in fzek., 14. 21. God now brings forth all F , hi•
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