Babylon, as mentioned by Peter i., Eph. v. 13, is thought by some to be Rome, but by others, to be a place of the same name in Egypt. Baronius contradicts this last assertion, by saying, there is no mention of a Bishop of Babylon till 500 years after Peter's time, under Justin the younger; which may be true, and yet such a church might exist in the apostles' days.

The paraphrase of Bossuet, Bishop of Meaux, a Catholic writer, on Rev. xvii. 5, is remarkable, as admitting Rome to be the city intended by St John.

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Babylon (says he) is meant by the name of the Whore, and Rome by Babylon. This is the most natural sense. We see then why St John represents Rome under the name of Babylon, as she had all the characters of Babylon, an empire full of idols and divinations, and a persecutor of the saints, as she was.” But then the Bishop probably applied this to Rome Pagan. Had Rome Pagan persecuted the saints as she did, it could have excited no astonishment in the apostle's mind; but he might well greatly wonder, as Lowman observes, that Rome Christian, once so famous for purity of faith, and patient suffering for the profession of the truth, should become another Babylon for idolatry and persecution. From hence Protestant interpreters may with reason infer, that this vision does not represent the persecution of Rome Heathen, but of Rome Anti-christian.

BALANCE, the known symbol of a strict observation of justice and fair dealing. It is thus used in several places of Scripture, as Job xxxi. 6; Ps. lxii. 9; Prov. xi. 1, and xvi. 11. And is so explained by the

Indian interpreter, ch. xv., and by all the interpreters in ch. ccxlii.

But balance joined with symbols denoting the sale of corn and fruits by weight, becomes the symbol of scarcity. Bread by weight being a curse, in Lev. xxvi. 26, and in Ezek. iv. 16, 17.

"Moreover he said unto me: Son of Man,

Lo, I will break the staff of bread in Jerusalem;

And they shall eat bread by weight and with care,

And they shall drink water by measure and with astonishment:
That they may want bread and water,

And be astonished one with another,
And pine away in their iniquity."

A case which Lucretius describes, b. 4, 948.

"Et quoniam non est quasi quod suffulciat artus, Debile fit corpus, languescent omnia membra,

Brachia palpebræque cadunt, poplitesque procumbunt."

The same curse is expressed by famine, in Ezek.

v. 16, and xiv. 13.

And therefore the Holy Spirit, which in the gospel dispensation is said to be shed richly or abundantly, Titus iii. 6; is said in John iii. 34, not to be given by measure. So whereas grace is said to be given according to the measure of the gift of Christ, Eph. iv. 7, that measure is understood to be, "out of his fulness, and grace upon grace," John i. 16.

Rev. vi. 5," He that sat upon him had a pair of balances in his hand." Here the balance, which in general is a representation of exact justice and righteous judgment, is used to weigh corn and the necessaries of life, in order to signify great want and scarcity, and to threaten the world with famine.

The rider sits on a black horse, and black in an

cient prophecy is an emblem of affliction, and in particular of affliction caused by famine. Thus Jerem. in Lament. v. 10, says, "Our skin was black like an oven, because of the terrible famine," referring to the effects of hunger in emaciating the body, and drying the skin.

The scarcity is farther denoted by the price of a choenix or measure of wheat, being a penny or denarius, i. e. the whole wages of a man's labour for a day (Matt. xx. 2), would only purchase so much corn as would suffice for an usual daily allowance; so that all he could get must be laid out on the very necessaries of life.

The fulfilment of this prophecy is referred by most commentators to the times of Septimius Severus. See Newton, Daubuz, Lowman, and others.

To this period it is thought Tertullian refers in his address to Scapula, when he mentions unfavourable harvests and heavy rains.

But Mede is of a different opinion, and refers it not to a season of scarcity, but to the regard paid to justice and equity by Severus in the administration of his government, that he preserved an even balance among all, and to the supplies of corn he procured for his subjects in seasons of famine. And the character given of this Emperor by Aurelius Victor, Spartian, and others, seems to warrant this opinion.

The passage referred to in the Indian Interpreter, ch. XV, is as follows: "Si quis in somnis stateram vel campanam quod vocant (genus est stateræ) loco quodam librari viderit, ea de persona Judicis intelligat. Quod si litem habet, ac inter librandum ea viderit exsequari; jus suum obtinebit.

"Si stateram æquam puramque videre videatur, Judicem loci justum esse cognoscat; sin perversas fractasque lances viderit, ejus loci Judicem, quo loco somnium vidit, injustum cogitet."

BEAR. Dan, vii. 5, "Another beast, a second like to a bear."

Rev. xiii. 2, "His feet were as the feet of a bear." The bear, according to the Persian interpreter, in ch. cclxxiv, signifies a rich, powerful, and foolhardy enemy. See Prov. xvii. 12; 2 Sam. xvii. 8; Hosea xiii. 8.

According to Aristotle, the bear is a greedy animal as well as silly and foolhardy. His name in Hebrew, doub, the grumbler, seems to be taken from his grumbling or growling, especially when hungry or enraged. So Buffon remarks, t. 8, “ La voix de l'ours est un grondement, un gros murmure, souvent melé d'un fremissement de dents qu'il fait surtout lorsque, on l'irrite." Compare Isa. lix. 11.

"We groan all of us like the bears;

And like the doves, we make a continued moan.'

This growl the Latin writers express by gemitus, because it is a disagreeable mournful sound. So Horace, Epod. 16, line 51,

"Nec Vespertinus circumgemit Ursus ovile.”
"Nor growls around the fold the evening bear."

And Ovid, Metam. b. 2, 1. 483,

"Vox iracunda, minaxque,

Plenaque tenoris rauco de gutture fertur.
Assiduoque suos gemitu testata dolores."

"From her hoarse throat proceeds a horrid voice,
And with perpetual growl attests her griefs."

Isa. xi. 7, “ And the cow and the bear shall feed,” i.e. men of ferocious dispositions shall become mild and placable, and shall associate with those who were gentle and harmless.

Hosea xiii. 8, "As a bear bereaved of her whelps." A circumstance, as Newcome observes, which adds a particular degree of fierceness. They never venture, says Cook in his Voyages, vol. iii. p. 307, to fire upon a young bear when the mother is near, for if the cub drop, she becomes enraged to a degree little short of madness; and if she get sight of the enemy, will only quit her revenge with her life.

Rev. xiii. 2, "The feet of a bear." The bear's feet are his best arms, with which he fights, either striking or embracing his antagonist, to squeeze him to death, or to trample him under foot.

Daubuz refers this prophecy to the invasion of the Roman Empire by the Barbarians, of whom the Scythians and Germans in particular were very sottish, ignorant, and cruel.

Dan. vii. 5, "A second beast, like to a bear." The bear is well known to be a rapacious animal, and the command here given to it indicates its nature. The three projections are called in our version ribs, but the original word oloin seems to denote something prominent or penetrating, and hence the term tusks is more natural and agreeable, especially as they are placed in the mouth or jaws, for so Houbigant renders it. The three tusks may refer to the three different points to which the Persians, denoted by the bear, pushed their conquests. Coming from the east, they invaded the western, southern, and northern territories.

And thus we read in ch. viii. 4, that the