old ferpent the devil, one to effect on a religious mafk to effect it: the converfion of the empire to He enticed Chriftian profeffors to Chriflianity, the other to obftruct adopt the fuperftitious cuftoms it? By the devil's not prevail- and idolatrous rites of the new ing,' have we not fignified the un- converts to the faith, and actualfuccessfulness of heathenifh efforts by fucceeded in his enterprise to to prevent the prevalence of Chrif- eftablish the idolatrous spirit and tianity and the actual converfion religion of heathens in the visible of the empire? By his being church. Having fortified this caft out into the earth,' the hum- acquifition. and being angry with bled and degraded flate of heath- the woman, he went to make war enifm after this revolution? By with the remnant of her feed, for the ferpent's cafting out of his the conftancy of their faith and mouth water as a flood,' after the their ftedfaft adherence to the rewoman, that he might caufe her ligion of Chrift. To give us the to be carried away of the flood, moft impreffive idea of this engine, have we not reprefented the in- this meffenger of Satan, to blafcurfions of the fouthern nations pheme God, and vex and diftrefs upon the empire, inftigated by Sa- his people; the apoftle addrefies tan, to fubvert the Christian to us a full portraiture of him, caufe? By the earth's helping Chap. 13. in the figure of a monthe woman, opening her mouth and ftrous beaft rifing up out of the fwallowing up the flood,' have we fea, having feven heads and ten not fignified the mild and favora- horns, opening his mouth in blafble difpofition of the favages, who phemy againf God, his tabernacle instead of overturning the church and them that dwell in heaven,'. as they had overturned the state, or the temple and its worshippers, were abforbed by the Chriftians, and making war with the faints.' embracing their faith, profeffing And to give us a view not only their religion and incorporating of the horrid impiety and cruelty with them? This brings to the of the Chriftian religion Gentilfubject, or period, under confider-ized, but alfo of the captivating ation. The vifion proceeds, ver.influence of it upon those whole 17. And the dragon was wroth names were not written in the with the woman and went to make Lamb's book of life, we have it war with the remnant of her feed, pourtrayed, Chap. 17. in the fig which kept the word of God, and ure of a fafcinating ‘harlot,' gaihave the tefiimony of Jefus Chrift.'ly attired, making all nations drink Of this, it is fuppofed, the following fummary contains the true import. The devil, by the fuppreflion of heathenifm or idolatry, being vilibly depofed in the Roman empire, and exiled from court, to the favage nations of the earth, and being difconcerted in his artful fratagem to fubvert Christianity, by inftigating the barbarous nations, thro' his inftruments, to overturn the empire, turned into an angel of light or put

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the wine of ber fornication,' or fuperftition and idolatry, and herfelf drunk with the blood of faints

and the martyrs of Jefus.'Thus we have the Gentiles treading the holy city under foot, or antichriftianifm displaying itself

Though heathenifh cuftoms had been adopted by the church before the fubversion of the empire by the barbarians, yet did not an idolatrous fpirit obtain much greater influence by that event?

II. The witneffes prophefying in fackcloth.

in the vifible church. Let us | to bear teftimony againft him at now confider, the commencement of his blaf. phemy, and all continue their teftimony through the whole term of his ufurpation and influence, twelve hundred fixty days, or years. But this never was, nor will it ever be, applicable to any two individuals of the human race.

This compels us not only to admit that the two witneffes are not any two individual perfons, but fuggefts to us who they are, The worshippers in the templeThofe who embrace the genuine doctrines of the gofpel, and attend its holy inftitutions.-Unlefs we view them in connection with the context, they are introduced in an unusual manner, very abrupt

by which they might be known. But the text fpeaks of them as already produced and exhibited; and where is this unless in the temple, the altar, and those who worship therein? Do not these remarks fufficiently evince, that by the two witneffes we are not to underftand any two diftin& perfons, but that church of the liv

WHO are these two witnesses? is a queftion which hath often been propofed, and to which various anfwers have been given. The two teftaments, fay fome. Two of the ancient prophets, fay others. Some fay, two eminent martyrs; and others, the two great reformers, Luther and Calvin. But will not an examination of the paffage itself demonftrate, not only that no one of thefe is the true anfwer, but what the true answer is? The character of witness or witneffes, relates to doubt or controverfy, and it it the office of witneffes to exhibitly, and without any prognoftics the truth and reality of fact. They exift, confequently, only where controverfy fubfifts. Thefe are Chrift's witneffes, and the conteft is about the queftion, What is truth? or, Who is king and head of the church? Chrift claims the office, and antichrift, as God, will fit in the temple of God. It is the province of the witneffes to teftify in favor of the fupremacying God, against which the gates of of Chrift, and against antichriftian hell fhall never prevail, and which ufurpation. The text according- is the pillar and ground of the truth. ly reprefents them as appearing at As by the Gentiles, the beaft, the fame time. When the Gen- the man of fin, or by whatever tiles began to tread the holy city name antichrift is defignated, we under foot, or antichrift to arro- are not to understand any one gate the prerogatives of Jefus particular perfon, but a certain Chrift to himfelf, the witneffes character continued through mabare teftimony againft it. They ny fucceffive generations, fo by continue for the fame term, forty the witneffes we are to understand and two months, or twelve hun- a descriptive body or society, comdred and fixty days, or years. pofed of many individuals and When antichrift fhall ceafe to continuing from age to age thro' blafpheme, the witneffes will cease the appointed time of their teftito prophefy. The witneffes can- mony. Some of these from their not confequently be understood diftinguifhed ability, fortitude, of any who lived before antichrift zeal, and the energy of their tefexifted, nor after he fhall expire. timony, may now more eminently Nor of any, unless they appeared be called the witnesses than thofe

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who are weak in faith and babes | God, that the most eminent faints in Chrift. They are called two, and prophets did in their time.this being the leaft number which Let it only be added concerning the fcriptures admit as fufficient thefe witnesses, that as we had to fubftantiate a fact, and which the Gentiles treading the holy they confider as fufficient for eve- city* under foot in the 11th chapry fuch purpose. By the mouth ter, the dragon who perfecuted of two or three witneffes fhall eve- the woman, Chap. 12. difplayed, word be established.-It has Chap. 13. in a monftrous beaft, indeed been remarked, that the which blafphemed God and pereminent advocates of the truth, fecuted his people, and in Chap. have often appeared as Chrift fent 17. in the mother of harlots inforth his difciples, by two and toxicating all nations with fupertwo; as John Hufs and Ferom of ftition and idolatry; fo we have Prague, Luther and Calvin, &c. the witneffes prophefying in fack. &c. This notwithstanding, the cloth, in the woman fleeing into witneffes are not to be confined the wilderness, Chap. 12. in Chap. folely to this number.-It is faid 14. in the hundred forty and four they fhallprophefy'; not that it thousand which flood with the fhall be their office to predict fu- Lamb on mount Zion, of whom it ture events, but to teach, reprove is faid, "They were not defiled and exhort, as the word is fre- with women,' not contaminated quently used to fignify in fcrip- with the abominations of the motare. As fackcloth was the ther of harlots, the corrupt and known fymbol of adverfity and idolatrous churches; for they trouble, it is said they shall pro- are virgins,' chafte and fervent phefy in fackcloth, importing that in their affection to Chrift. Thefe the term of their teftimony fhould are they that follow the Lamb be one continued feene of afflic-whitherfoever he goeth." Imtion and forrow. We have next movably attached to their Lord a defcription of their prerogatives. Thefe are the two olive trees and the two candlesticks.' As Zerubbabel and Joshua preferved the the precife meaning of the Gentiles worship of God after the Baby-treading the boly city under foot. Ders lonifh captivity, so these fhall pre- it import the depreflion and perfecution ferve the cause of Chrift through of the witneffes by antichrift? or, The the time of the great apoftacy. From the faith once delivered to the great apoftacy of nominal profeffors And for their prerogatives, they faints? Does not the expreffion, But have the powers and privileges of the court leave out and measure it not, pofMofes and the prophets. They ffs the power of a ftrong antithefis, ·Shut up heaven that it rain not, implying, that the temple or church was turn water into blood and fmitetion? Is not this much more agreeanot abandoned to antichriftian superstithe earth with plagues, as oft as they will. If any man hurt them "fire proceedeth out of their mouths,' they denounce God's wrath and judgments against the perfecutors of his people. They poffefs the characters and powers and anfwer all the purposes to the caufe of

It is rather difficult to determine

ble to the doctrine of the fcriptures, which uniformly reprefent God as extending a conftant and tender care towards his peculiar people? By the holy city are we not confequently to underftand the fame as the court, the vifible church, confifting only of nominal profeffors who were abandoned to idolatrous fuperftition?

and guide, they follow him by | fhall be explained and answered in faith, in holy conftancy, fortitude, heaven. Let the following genezeal and patience, through cruel ral obfervations upon it only be mockings and perfecutions, bonds added. This mystery of iniquity and imprisonments, over moun- began to work in the days of the tains and thro' defarts, into dens apoftles, in the pride and ambiand caves of the earth.-We may tion of Christian paftors and pronext confider, feffors, but was retarded in its progrefs by the edicts and perfecutions of the Roman power; but when the empire became Christian and those restraints removed, they enjoyed the protection and favor of the ftate, imbibing more copiously the spirit of the world, they availed themselves of the opportunity to increase their claims and fecure their prerogatives. When the empire was conquered and, as it were, new peopled by the northern nations, who embraced the Chriftian religion, to accommodate it to the tafte of the new profelytes they multiplied heathenish cuftoms and fuperftitions, an idolatrous fpirit was more deeply rivetted and its influence more extended.—The myftery of iniquity was not yet matured. Antichrift was yet in embryo. As the decline from the faith and the corruption of the church were gradual, it is impoffible to fix the precife point of time when the man of fin arofe. If the obfervation of Dr. Mofbeim be juft, that in the fixth century, probably toward the close of it, the oppofers of epifcopal ufurpation and corruption retired from Italy to the vallies of Piedmont; if these were the place pre

III. The duration of this fcene, the Gentiles treading the holy city under foot, and the witneffes prophefying in fackcloth.-This is fo clearly afcertained in the feriptures that it admits of no illuftration, unless it is in the mode of computation; as, if it be computed by years, it is three years and a half; if by months, it is forty and true; and if by days, it is twelve hundred and forty, each of which, reckoned prophetically, a day for a year, will give the term of twelve hundred and fixty years. For fo long a time fhould the Gentiles tread the holy city under foot, the dragon perfecute the feed of the woman, the beaft wear out the faints of the Most High, and the mother of harlots, the apoftate and idolatrous church, intoxicate all nations with the wine of her fornication, her fpiritual adultery, her fuperftition and idolatry. Thro' this extended period fhould the witneffes prophefy in fackcloth, the woman, the church, be in the wildernefs, in retirement, in poverty and diftrefs, and the chafte and faithful fpoufe of Christ follow her Lord and guide in great tribulation, fupporting the doctrines of his word and the purity of his inftitutions.pared for the woman, and this her -But when did this term com- flight into it, we must fix the date mence? a question which hath about the year 600. If we are to occupied the inquifitive, and ex- judge of it by analogy, comparing ercifed the pens of the learned it with that difpenfation of Proviand ingenious; but which, it is dence to which it is often referred, prefumed, will not be fully refolv- the captivity of the Jews by the ed, until, with other myfterious Babylonians, it commenced and events of divine providence, it will terminate at different periods.