But why is their number noted as two? Whether the duality of the two branches just noted, forms any part of the reason, I will leave. Pastors and churches form but one, and the two witnesses, in fact, form but one general testimony for God. Various biblical considerations, as well as historic facts, favor the idea of a duality of the witnesses of Christ. There must be two witnesses to constitute a legal testimony. See Deut. xix. 15; and Matt. xviii. 16; 1 Tim. v. 19; where two are noted as necessary to warrant conviction. And in the most trying times of the dark ages, God never left his cause without ample witnesses; though their number was often small. In the sacred oracles, we find Moses and Aaron must be associated, to operate as the witnesses of God; Elijah and Elisha; Joshua and Zerubbabel; the disciples must be sent out two and two! And something like a duality seems to have been furnished, to bless the church of the faithful, in the dark ages;-as, John Huss, and Jerome of Prague; Luther, and Calvin; Cranmer, and Ridley; the Waldenses, and Albigenses. These dualities seem to favor this idea of a duality in the witnesses. In the present time, the church in America, and the church in Great Britain, form the essential two, in commencing and supporting the flight of the missionary angel. And the church of the Jews, and of the Gentiles will be the final means of the conversion of the world, after the battle of the great day shall sweep Antichrist into perdition, and shall leave a remnant over the earth to be brought into the fold of Christ. If these reasons be not fully satisfactory; the sovereignty of God is sufficient; "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight." Ver. 5. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6. These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. We have here a striking allusion to the powerful efficacy of holy Christian prayer. It fails not to engage the omnipotence of God in behalf of the persecuted church. "And shall not God avenge his own elect who cry unto him day and night, though he bear long with them? I tell you, he will avenge them speedily.' The witnesses destroying their enemies with fire from heaven, seems an allusion to Elijah's calling down fire from heaven to consume the captains and their fifties, who were sent by the wicked Ahab to take him: as also their having power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy, must allude to the drought, occasioned on the idolatrous Israel by the prayers of Elijah. And their turning water to blood; and their smiting the earth with all plagues, as oft as they will, must allude to the plagues on Egypt, inflicted by the instrumentality of Moses in behalf of the liberation of the chosen tribes. The holy oracles honor the saints, in their afflictions from the wicked world, with the possession of a power like this, for their defence. But the true sense is,-God does these, or similar works of judgment, in answer to their prayers for Zion's salvation; and in vindication of the Christian cause. We accordingly find such language as the following, in the Holy Scriptures, relative to the honor and power of the people of God: " 'Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hands, to execute vcngeance upon the heathen, and punishment upon the people; to bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute upon them the judgments written; this honor have all the saints." In one of the prophets, the church, in these last days, is directed to use a new threshing instrument, having teeth, to thresh the nations, and beat them small as powder, that the wind may carry them all away! A great meaning is contained in such figures, which the wicked world will too late discover, to their cost, for all their pride and malice against the cause of Christ on earth. The wicked queen Mary had learned a little of this sentiment, when she felt that she would "rather have ten thousand men in arms against her, than the prayers of John Knox!" Such figures must be viewed as alluding, not to any malevolent vindictive spirit in Christians; but to the influence of their holy intercessions with God in behalf of his cause, and the fulfilment of his word for Zion's salvation. They both allude to, and confirm the fact, that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." They hint to us what all the effectual fervent prayers of the followers of Christ will avail, when put in operation in behalf of Zion's afflicted cause, and pleading for the fulfilment of God's word, in ,, 66 the protection of his churches on earth. They know, feel, and rejoice, that vengeance belongeth unto God, and not to them; and they plead with God to build up his own cause in his own way. God then, in his own time and way, performs his work, "his strange work" of judgment, in behalf of his own kingdom of salvation, in which his children adoringly acquiesce; and he condescends to ascribe the event to them, inasmuch as he does it in their behalf, and in answer to their prayers for his own glory. And thus he says, "All things are yours." "All things shall work together for good to them that love God." And he adds, as Rev. ii. 27; "He that overcometh and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessel of a potter shall they be broken to shivers; even as I received of my Father!" (See Psalm ii. 8, 9.) This commission was given to Christ; and he thus gives it to his faithful children;-not to be the efficient cause of judgments, as he is; but to have the honor of being one object of his judgments; as interceding for his cause; and as having fellowship with him in his methods of judgment, and of grace. We learn how we are to esteem the religion of the papal system; unmeasurable iniquity and abomination! The same we learn in 2 Thess. ii.; "Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders; and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness;" "who opposeth himself above all that is called God, or worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God," in his blasphemous self-exaltations. See the abominations of this character of popery in the second beast, in Rev. xiii. 11, to end; and as personified by the woman, Rev. xvii. 1-5. We have here "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots, and abominations of the earth,' "drunken with the blood of the saints,"-defiling kings of the earth; and rendering the millions of her deluded votaries drunk with the wine of her filthiness!-dashing out in her purple, and scarlet, gold, precious stones, and pearls; holding her golden cup filled with unmeasurable abomination. This scheme is the most fatal delusion;-"the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death." No fel وو lowship is to be held with her. "Come out of her, my people: be not partakers of her sins; that ye receive not of her plagues." Wretched is the nation, or part of a nation, where this polluting system shall prevail, or be thought well of! Where it touches, it will defile and ruin. It will gender infidelity; and lead on to the battle of the great day. "I beheld then, because of the voice of the great words which the horn (popery) spake, I beheld till the beast (the atheistical system produced from it) was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame; "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented for ever." 99 66 May we have our lot with the two witnesses. In order for this, we must possess their character, make and maintain their faithful prayers, and thus wait on the Lord. Things with the two witnesses, and their enemies, will be found ripening to a crisis. The only safety of true Christians will be in living near to God. Then will their prayers bring down for them all needed aid from heaven; and their cause will, in due time, ascend thither, and their enemies will with despairing eyes behold them. Do we then, belong to the true witnesses? To what do we bear witness? Do we truly support the doctrines of grace?— the duties which God demands of men?-the gospel motives of salvation? Is this our faithful witness; while many turn away their ears from the truth, and are turned to fables? Is our witness borne for Christ truly practical, as well as evangelical? Is it in the exercise of the new heart which God gives?"Created in Christ unto good works; truly born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God?—having the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us?beholding the glory of God as he is in himself, and being changed into the same image by the Spirit of the Lord?" Do we carefully avoid the spirit and conduct of such as turn into crooked ways; who cry lo, here; or lo, there; and cannot endure sound doctrine? Do we stand and inquire for the old path, the good way of salvation, where the new-born have gone, denying themselves, taking up the cross, and following Christ? Do we thus in spirit and practice hold forth the word of life, as children of the light, and of the day? Are the enemies themselves constrained to take knowledge of us that we have thus been with Jesus, and have truly learned of him? Decide these questions in the affirmative; and the immunities and salvation of the two witnesses will be ours. Their people will be our people; and their God our God! LECTURE XIII. REVELATION XI. (The Slaying of the Witnesses.) Ver. 7. And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and 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. We have here an event of deep interest; to find the sense and the period of which, now claims our attention. I have been of the number of those who fondly hope that this solemn event is past: but on further inquiry, I have been led to doubt of the correctness of this, and finally to apprehend that it is yet future. Various events have been presented to the public as the slaying of the witnesses; most of which may be seen in Bishop Newton on the prophecies (vol. ii., page 226–9); which will not here be adduced. That noted writer gave his own full belief that the event was then still future. One writer has given his opinion that the event took place in the revolution in |