"In the scene before the prophet, the heavens, containing God's throne, and his altar and surrounding ministers, are above. The earth is beneath, not hanging like an orb, or ball, but extended in a plain, and containing the divisions before marked of land, of sea, of rivers. The angel descends from heaven above, and takes his station on the earth, placing one of his gigantic feet on the sea, the other on the land. The Eastern nations, expressed by the division of the land, had been hitherto the principal scene of action under this Trumpet. The angel's placing one foot on the sea, seems to intimate, that the Western nations of the Gentiles are to be an object of the remaining prophecy. And this is also expressed in verse 11 he is to prophesy before many people, and nations, and languages, and kings.' It may be observed also, that the first, the right or principal foot of the angel, descends upon the sea, which seems to imply, that the part of the Christian world represented by the sea, is now to be principally concerned." - Woodhouse, p. 278.

6

"But why this new commission to the prophet? He was sent originally to the seven churches in Asia: wherefore this new designation, Thou must prophesy again before many people, and nations, and languages, and kings?' Observe then, that before the conquests of the Mahomedan invaders, the seven churches were situated near the centre of the Christian world. From the period of the Mahomedan apostacy, they were no longer central in any sense. They lost their consequence, repented not of their idolatry and wickedness;' and, in succeeding irruptions, they fell a prey to the victorious enemy. 'Their lamp-bearer was removed,' according to the threatening of their Lord. But as Christianity receded in the East before the arms and doctrines of the Mahomedans, it spread and enlarged in the West. A new scene and a new audience have now therefore their commencement. The Gentile nations of Europe (the sea on which the angel places his first foot), come into view; those ten kingdoms, into which the remains of the Western Roman Empire were divided. And the period of this prophecy will be seen in the next chapter to be 1260 years." - Woodhouse, p. 282.

PROPHESYING OF THE TWO WITNESSES IN SACKCLOTHI.

which spiritually is called Sodom or Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

9 And they of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

11 And after three days and a half, the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

12 And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them.

13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second wo is past, and behold the third wo cometh quickly.

(See Note K in the Appendix.)

These 1260 years of impure worship in the West, are cotemporaneous with a similar period already noticed in the East. If computed from the year 606, which seems to be most distinctly marked as the commencement of the papal hierarchy, it will terminate in 1866, by adding 1260 years: whereas the Eastern apostacy appeared destined to prevail from 612 to 1844. Thus the two will be almost exactly cotemporaneous.

Archdeacon Woodhouse thus notices the period here adverted to: "Fixing our attention on the period of history to which we seem directed, we cannot but remark a long succession of ages, commencing with the times when the Western Gentiles flowed into the church, and possessed the outer courts of the temple: when on their ignorance and superstition a corrupt and ambitious clergy began to raise the papal hierarchy, substituting pagan ceremonies and unauthorized observances in the room of primitive religion. These in history are called the middle ages, intervening between the bright period of Grecian and Roman literature, and the restoration of learning in the fourteenth century; between the days of primitive Christian knowledge, and the return of it at the reformation." Page 296.

Speaking of the reformation, he observes as follows: "The rulers of the darkness of this world had then apparently extinguished the light of evangelical religion: but while they were enjoying their triumph, the holy light rekindles; it rises as it were from the dead. By Luther, Melancthon, Zuinglius, Calvin, and their followers, the Gospel of Christ is produced to the world; is perpetuated by the art of printing; becomes the rule of worship and duty, and points the true way to heaven." - Woodhouse, p. 300.

That the witnesses mean the prophets of the Old and New Testament, may derive some support from the following observation by the translator of Mosheim: "When asked by the papists where our religion was before Luther? we generally answer, 'In the Bible,' and we answer well," &c. It may truly be said, that the two bodies of evidence contained in the Old and New Testament, are "twin pillars of Christian faith, resting on the one pedestal of truth, and crowned with the one capital of human salvation."

The witnesses are generally understood to be the protestant churches, but some difficulties attend this interpretation. It is not improbable that there might always be some scattered individuals who retained the true faith and pure religion of Jesus: but it is certain there was in Europe no particular country, and questionable whether there was any distinct sect or church, which has at all times professed Christianity in its original purity. But the Scriptures have always confronted Antichrist, as it were, and

D

horne testimony to the truth; although their light was long clouded by ignorance and superstition, and purposely withheld by a designing priesthood; as if conscious that this testimony pronounced their own condemnation.

This figurative interpretation, in allusion to their withholding the light of the Gospel from the people, seems in many respects more applicable than the literal, as referring to the suffering of any particular sect or church: for instance, the witnesses devouring their enemies with the fire of their mouths;' their shutting heaven that it rain not;* 'their visiting the earth with all plagues,' are phrases more applicable to the Scriptures than to the persecuted church. Nor could the church be said to stand before the god of the earth, here supposed to mean Antichrist, in opposition to the God of heaven. But this is offered merely as a conjecture; for it appears in the original, that the word used is in some editions Κυριος, and in others Θεος. To the Scriptures, however, all these characteristics appear perfectly applicable, but not to any church.

With the proposed explanation of the death and resurrection of the witnesses, the writer acknowledges that he is far from satisfied, although it was thought right to submit it to the consideration of the reader. Upon more mature reflection, he is disposed to agree with Archdeacon Woodhouse and Bishop Newton, that these parts of the prophecy may be still future, and may yet receive a more satisfactory solution. His reason for this opinion chiefly rests on the following ground; namely, that we cannot, without giving up the consistency of the metaphor, suppose the witnesses to have been slain, to have risen again, and to have ascended into heaven; and after their ascension, suppose them to be still prophesying in sackcloth on earth. But if the period of their prophesying extend to the end of the 1260 years, as it is declared, these have not yet terminated, and the conclusion therefore is inevitable, that they have not yet ascended into the symbolical heaven.