Hebrew text has it) "the two fons of oil that ftand "before the God of the earth." In both cafes they are aptly defcribed: God has anointed and confecrated them by his holy Spirit, and they very appofitely answer to the trope of the "two fons of oil:" for oil is, in fundry places, made ufe of as the type of the holy Spirit of God, which actuates, enlightens, and confecrates all things*; and the two Teftaments are here very properly called the two fons of that Spirit, as they proceeded from, and were written under, and by its divine inspiration, for the evident purpose of revealing light and truth, to his ignorant and fallen creatures. They are, moreover, prefigured in the text with equal propriety by the "two candlesticks ftanding "before the God of the earth :" for as a candlestick holds out to view the candle which illuminates a room, fo the two Teftaments hold up to the comprehenfion of the world, the light and knowledge of the Gofpel of Chrift, or the will and providence of God, the Father and Creator of all things, to mankind; and by their " ftanding before the God of the "earth," or Jefus Chrift, to whom God has delegated the power of judging the earth, we are to underftand, that he will perform that awful task by the light of his own revelation of his Father's will, ftanding before him on the records of the two Teftaments. If any ferious perfon fhould doubt this explanation of the "two witneffes," I would refer him to the authority of Chrift himself; for he enjoins us to "fearch the Scriptures ;" and exprefsly declares, "they are they which teftify of me;" they are my two witneffes." 66 * Exodus, xxviii. 7. Pfalm xlv. 7. + Acts, x. 42. The The angel, having before made known, that a fchifm fhould take place in the "holy city," or the church of Chrift; that "the court which is without "the temple, fhall be feparated from the altar, and "given to the Gentiles, who fhall tread the church "of Chrift under foot" 1260 years, and explained the meaning of the "two witneffes," proceeds to foretel what shall be their fate and condition during that long period: "they fhall prophefy in fackcloth." The evident interpretation of this trope is, that during the domination and perfecutions of the Mohamedan and Papal hierarchies, the pure truths of God, attefted by the "two witneffes," fhall lofe a great part of their weight and influence in the world. They fhall be mifunderfood, mifapplied, tortured, perverted, and corrupted by the two apoftacies. They fhall be as grafs trodden under foot, of little or no value in the eftimation of mankind. Many true believers fhall be feduced from the pure profeffion of the faith, and many be put to death; and yet thofe facred books, and the truths therein contained, fhall not utterly be loft, but shall be preferved, and, in fome degree, understood; and continue to predict the great and awful events that shall come to pafs in the courfe of God's providence, and government of the world, to the end of time. If we will not shut our eyes to the cleareft evidence of innumerable hiftories, and, indeed, against that of our own fenfes, we muft perceive, that the depreffion of the two witneffes" has, in a great measure, been fulfilled. When the prophet wrote, the doctrine of the two Teftaments had made a great progrefs in the world. The influence of it over the minds and actions of men, continued to increase during several ages after. In the time of Conftantine the Great, it became the religion of the late heathen world. So that there was nothing to induco the prophet to believe that Chriftianity could ever fall into decay, or lofe its general influence, unless by fupernatural information: and yet he boldly announces that it would be fo. From a multitude of hiftories we learn the rapid progress of Chriftianity in the first centuries, notwithstanding the powerful oppofition and cruel perfecutions of pagan Rome, the then miftrefs of the heathen world. After that period, and the confequent decline of the truths attefted by the two Teftaments, under the terrible perfecutions of the two great apoftacies, from their establishment in the beginning of the feventh century, the pure Gofpel of Chrift became ftrangely and moft wickedly perverted, to answer the nefarious purposes of their unbridled lufts and infatiable ambition; and to that degree, that, before the eleventh century, it was in a great measure funk into fuperftition, idolatry, and fenfuality. In this difpirited, this diftressful state, without energy or influence, it remained until the fifteenth century, when learning and freedom of inquiry reared their heads, and the cornerftone of the reformation was laid. From that epoch, the two Teftaments have been tranflated into many languages, been more generally read, and better underflood; and ignorance, idolatry, and fenfuality. introduced into the Chriftian world, by those two great apoftacies, have, in proportion, fallen before the bleffed truths of the "two witneffes" of God: but not fo fallen as to juftify true believers in laying afide their fackcloth," and lamenting that the truths of the Gospel of Chrift are not yet restored to their primitive purity; nor that perfect faith in the providence and the revealed will of God, which leads to the falvation and eternal happiness of man, fully established. Ver. 5. And if any man will hurt them "(the two witneffes), fire proceedeth out of "their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, be muft in this manner. "be killed." Ver. 6." Thefe witneffes have power to shut 6heaven, that it rain not in the days of their "prophecy; and have power over waters, to "turn them to blood; and to fmite the earth with "all manner of plagues, as often as they will." These two verfes contain a brief and awful defcripfion of the OMNIPOTENCE of God, and of his determined purpose to support the truths revealed in the two Teftaments, against all oppofition, as well Pagan, Mohamedan, Papal, as atheistical, during the forty and two months, or 1260 years, in which they fhall prophefy in "fackcloth." The prophet exprefsly declares, that "if any man will hurt them," or, in other words, fhall wickedly and wilfully oppofe them, "fire fhall proceed out of their mouth;' that is, the truths they contain, and a fenfe of his difobedience and perfecution of them, fhall convince him of his error, and, as a confuming fire, fhall prey upon and torment his never-dying confcience. Moreover, God will attend to the prefervation of his "two witneffes," by afflicting their enemies with famine. He will "fhut heaven, that it rain not" during their prophecy; and will turn their rivers into blood, by their inteftine infurrections and bloody wars, and "fmite them with all manner of plagues, as "often as he will." The wonderful effects of this power of God, conferred on the "two witneffes," were never more confpicuous, than immediately after the paffion of our bleffed Redeemer, and his miffion of the apoftles. At that time mankind in general were immerfed in pagan idolatry. All tradition of the true God, and of his power and providence, had been, during many 66 ages, in a manner loft, excepting among the Jews; and even these, his much-favoured people, were divided into fchifms, or fallen into pagan idolatry. They had difregarded the warnings of their Almighty Protector, through his "faithful fervants the prophets," and put to an ignominious death his immaculate and bleffed Son, who had long been promifed, and at length fent to fave them; and yet, notwithstanding all this, in lefs than half a century, the "two witneffes" went on conquering, and to conquer*, and established their truths in all parts of the world. The violent oppofition and dreadful perfecutions of the great red dragon," or the Roman empire, then ftyled the mifirefs of the world, could not impede the rapidity of their progrefs. Neither have those two mighty and formidable powers, the Mohamedan and Papal hierarchies, with all their bloody wars, oppreffion, edicts, anathemas, profcriptions, inquifitions, tortures, maffacres, and flaughters, been able to deftroy their teftimony. On the contrary, the power and spirit of God, declared in these two verses, have never forfaken, but conftantly fupported them; by fmiting their most inveterate enemies, fuch as many of the Roman, of the barbarian Mohamedan emperors, and popes, and their adherents, with tormenting remorse of confcience, and exemplary deaths; and punishing their countries with foreign wars and conquefts, with inteftine convulfions and infurrections (thus "turning their waters into blood"): moreover, with famine, peftilence, earthquakes, eruptions, and rivers of fiery lava, overwhelming whole cities and provinces. All these facts, which, through the providence of God, have been tranfmitted to us, by many faithful hißorians, were thus foretold by the prophet ages before they happened, in the verfes I am here commenting upon. *Rev. vi. 2. Ibid. xii. To |