happen in those regions, worthy of prophetic remark, until the time of the two witnesses, just before the termination of these 666 years. But with the conclusion of this term, Palestine will be once more the theatre of great and important occurrences, which are here represented. These accounts are a complication of events, foretold in the Old Testament, an aggregate of the most essential parts of those ancient prophecies, arranged into the order in which they will be accomplished in due season; wholly referring to the restoration of the Jews, and to the rise of the glorious kingdom of Christ on earth, to the morning-dawn of a Millennian day of splendour. These witnesses are two special messengers of God to his ancient people, great reformers endowed with the grace and spirit of Jesus Christ in an eminent degree; particular instruments of heaven, at the head of two churches, collected from the house of Israel and the house of Judah, Isa. x1, 12. Jer. xxx1,31. Ezek. xxxvII, 16-22. with whom the Lord will commence the fulfilment of the promises made to this people. The prophetic narrative here given of them and their marvellous deeds, may. refer to themselves personally, and also to those great communities, who shall choose them as their leaders. In what country they will first arise in the power of God, and collect those churches, we could only conjecture from Zechariah, chap. VI; but the Holy land will be their place of rendezvous, and the first object of their wishes. It would argue ignorance of the text, to look for them among the princes of this world, in a second era of crusades; they are called witnesses, and not represented as clothed with secular authority, or supported by armies in the prosecution of their design. No, the Lord calls them his witnesses, be-. cause he has commissioned them to bear testimony of him, that he is the Messiah and Redeemer of the world, in whom whosoever believeth, shall be saved. This doctrine they testify, in common with every faithful minister of the Gospel since the days of the apostles, Acts 1,8; but as they.

are special messengers, sent at a particular time, and on an extraordinary occasion, they no doubt, also enforce a new principle of doctrine on the minds and hearts of their hearers. The apostles, or special messengers of the Lord, at the establishment of the present economy, preached Christ the Messiah, crusified for the sins of the world; these witnesses of Jesus will preach Christ glorified, as the Son of God, the heir of all things, the King of kings, and the Lord of all the powers on earth. The apostles directed all their efforts and endeavours to establish his Church; and these witnesses will aim at laying the foundation of his glorious kingdom, and settling the great privileges of the ancient covenant people of God, Acts. 111, 25. To this end they have received power, to explain and apply all the prophecies of the Old Testament relative to these points, with peculiar felicity, and actually to prophecy themselves of the commencement of the kingdom of Christ, its near approach, nature and glory. In this they are supported by all their adherents, who are therefore considered in connexion with them, as one body; many of whom will probably bear their testimony to the princess and nations within the limits of the four great empires, mentioned in Daniel, in which this fifth empire is to be first founded, and thence extended over the whole world.

The term, during which they are to prophecy, is here expressed to be 1260 days. As the witnesses are natural men, at the head of two churches, this number must also be taken in a literal sense. Moreover, it must be obvious to every attentive and judicious reader, that this whole account of the two witnesses, is given in a style of language, far less figurative, than the rest of the Revelation; because it is intended to serve as a key to the ancient prophecies, and to direct our views in the hopes of Zion, as regards their accomplishment. These witnesses could not live so many natural years, and how could the world

remain a habitation for men or animals, if it were without rain only for 10 years, much less for some centuries? In this prophetic side-line, we have met with three periods of time, which begin at different points, in succession to each other, and terminate those orders of things, to which they are annexed, by a grand and general Reformation, which is to take place at the approach of the Millennium. The 1, is the period connected by the line of kings: The 2, the period of the Gentiles having possession of the holy city: The 3, the period of the witnesses, which is first, 1260 days, the time of their prophecy, and secondly, the time during which they lie dead in the street of the great city. At the resurrection of the witnesses, 63,000 of the citizens are converted, and thus the possession of the Gentiles terminates in Jerusalem; as the inhabitants now bow to the sceptre of Jesus Christ, and give glory to the God of heaven.

Verse 4. These are the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks. These two witnesses are the appointed instruments of heaven, for the restoration and conversion of the Jewish nation. They enter upon their commission, by bearing a loud and powerful testimony to their brethren of the Messiahship of Christ, from the prophecies of the Old Testament; and to the princess of this world, by openly attesting his divine right to an exclusive possession of the Holy land, by his covenant people, and his legitimate authority over all the powers of the earth. In order to execute their design with regard to the Jewish nation, they may obtain permission, but no military assistance from secular powers, and thus accomplish the purposes of God solely among themselves. They are emphatically termed the two olive-trees, and the two candlesticks, by which figurative expressions, we are referred to an important prophecy in Zechariah, ch. IV. which was delivered immediately after the return of the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, to the land of their fa-.

thers. From the Revelation we learn, that this prediction in Zechariah is a double prophecy, in which the first completion guarantees the accomplishment of the second and chief object. That prophecy in its immediate relation to those days,promises the Jews success in their new establishments, and in rebuilding the temple of the Lord by the instrumentality of Zerubbabel and Joshua, of Haggai and Zechariah. Zerubbabel was at the head of the government, Joshua was high priest, and Haggai and Zechariah were the prophets of the Lord on this important occasion. What these men of God have been in their time, the same will be the two witnesses, at the re-establishment of the same nation in the last days, of whom they are the true antitypes. See Zech. chap. 111, 8. ENOSCHI MOPHET, viri qui portenti insoliti sunt, or men of wonderful signification, in whom we are presented with something wonderful, to excite our minds to contemplate the promises of the Lord. In Zechariah, the candlestick signifies the temple and Old Testament church, which was then about to be re-established in unison with their civil government. The golden oil, which emptied itself from the olive-trees into the top-bowl, and from thence into the seven lamps, denotes the Holy Ghost in his seven-fold influence on the Church. Of this prophecy, the gene al import is explained Zech. IV, 6. 7. "Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the Head-stone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, Grace, unto it. It shall not be accomplished by might, or by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." The great mountain signifies the Persian empire, and the enemies who opposed the Jews in their religious and civil establishments, at which they now laboured with indefatigable ardour and assiduity, since the commencement of their restoration; and the Head-stone, no doubt, refers to the Messiah and their confession of him, and faith in his promises. Ps. cxvIII, 22, Eph. 11, 20.

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To that ancient restoration, and the prophecies concerning it, the Lord here refers us as being the true types alluded to, in order that we may acquire further information on this important subject. Candlesticks are the hieroglyphics of churches, Rev. 1, 20. In Zechariah there is but one candlestick and two olive-trees, but here, both are double; which signifies that the witnesses are the leaders of two separate churches,orgreat communities of the same people, revived &conducted,solely by the spirit of God in all their undertakings, without any further human assistance. They will present themselves in due time in Palestine, for the aforementioned purposes; not as an army. to make conquests, but as a Church of God, filled with the grace and spirit of Jesus Christ. Olive-trees furnish oil, and these witnesses assist others in obtaining the Holy Ghost, by reviving them into spiritual life. Candlesticks are placed to illuminate; and these must irradiate with great brilliancy, for in their days, the darkness of infidelity will border on Egyptian density. However, as successful as the people of God bave been, under the direction of Zerubbabel and Joshua, to establish themselves in the country of their fathers, and restore the temple to their God; so prosperous will be these witnesses now in surmounting all the obstacles in their way, and in laying the first basis for the future empire of the people of the Most High.

Standing before the God of the earth. These words in the original, αι ενώπιον τ8 θε8 της γης ες ώςαι, do not refer to the two witnesses as persons, as our common version would lead us to suppose, but to them under their emblematical representation as candlesticks or olive-trees considered as establishments, and should be rendered, have been placed or being placed before the God of the earth. Who the God of the earth is in this place, is very mysterious, if our common translation is retained; it may be the Lord, or it may also be Antichrist, who alas!