shazzer, when he beheld the hand-writing of his doom in hieroglyphics, upon the wall of his palace, Daniel v, 5. Now the whole course of proceeding is changed-and changed for ever. Many run to see, and the most guilty conceal themselves. There these dead men stand upon their feet, with a heavenly, serene, confident and Godlike countenance, and to murder them again cannot enter their thoughts. They know and dread their power; they feel accused before the tribunal of their own consciencies; ther heart forsakes them, overwhelmed with fear and apprehension. They view them from their windows, their house-tops, and at a distance, in terror and dismay. Not a soul attempts to approach them, and all employments are laid aside.

But this marvellous scene is not yet finished. They heard a great voice from heaven, like the fulminating voice of Jehovah resounding from the summit of mount Sinai, saying unto them, Come up hither, into the arms of your Saviour, for the world is no longer worthy of you. And behold! rising from the earth, they were enveloped in a cloud, and ascended to heaven in view of all their enemies. Surprise, wonder and amazement seize every spectator, and as they follow them with their eyes in silent astonishment, an earthquake begins to rock the earth under their feet, and menaces them with instand death and utter destruction. The ground opens into yawning gulfs, burying houses and whole squares with shrieking families in her bosom. Thus in an unexpected moment, in a manner awful and horrid, shall seven thousand souls be hurried from scenes of licentiousness and sensuality, to appear before the tribunal of an offended God.

Of men seven thousand. The original here is ovopaza avde wwwv, names of men, which some authors have rendered men of names, or titles of honour or office, such as nobility, civil or military employments. I confess that the word voμa is sometimes used to express tities, and

even fame, but this does not appear to me to be the case in this place. We here behold the judgment of God on this great city, and the Lord foretells the great loss which it will sustain by its effects. Of the city itself, its buildings and edifices, the tenth part shall be swallowed up by a great earthquake; and in regard to the living creatures, (most of the men in it having reduced themselves by vice and sensuality to a level with brutes) seven thousand human beings are precipitated into eternity. This I presume, to be the true sense of this expression, and the reason for this singular construction of the words here in the original.

The remnant were affrighted and gave glory. It is probable that the earthquake will be more violent in that tenth part which shall be swallowed up totally, than in the rest of the city, and that some of its inhabitants may escape to places of greater security; but yet 7000 are buried in its ruins. From this we may conclude the probable ratio of its whole population, to exceed 70,000. Now, seven thousand shall fall, and all the rest will be converted and give glory to the God of heaven, the number of which must amount to upwards of 63,000 souls. Surprising conversion! which far exceeds that on the day of Pentecost, where only three thousand were pricked in their hearts, and cried unto the apostles, Men, and breth ren, what shall we do? These here are not only convinced of sin and humbled to a broken heart, and contrite spirit; but return to their heavenly Father with public confession and give glory to the God of the witnesses, whom they now also acknowledge as their God. Then Jerusalem shall be a glorious city, more holy and the dwelling place of Jehovah, than she ever has been. This is the commencement of the finishing of the mystery of God, and the first buding of the glorious gathering during the Millennium.

I cannot conclude this series of prophecies in the paral lel, prophetic side-line, all pointing to the Holy Land, as the future theatre of great and marvellous events, with any thing more appropriate, than an ingenious note of Mr. King's, annexed to "Hymns to the Supreme Being," p. 126. He considers Palestine, as the centre of the Millennian empire of Christ upon earth, and thus expresses himself: "How capable this country is of a more universal intercourse, than any other, with all parts of the earth, is most remarkable; and deserves well to be considered, when we read the numerous prophecies which speak of its future spleandour and greatness, when its people shall at length be gathered from all parts of the earth unto which they are scattered, and be restored to their own land. There is no region in the world, to which an access from all parts is so open. By means of the Black sea, and the Mediterranean, there is an easy approach from all parts of Europe, from a great part of Africa, and from America. By means of the Red sea, and the Persian gulph, and the well known roads from thence, there is an approach from the rest of Africa, from the East-Indies and from the Isles. And lastly, by means of the Caspian, the lake or sea of Baykall, and the near communication of many great rivers, the approach is facilitated from all the northern parts of Tartary. In short, if a skilful geographer were to sit down to devise the fittest spot on the globe for universal empire; or rather, a spot, where all the great intercourses of human life should universally centre; and from whence the extended effects of universal benevolence and good will should flow to all parts of the earth; and where universal and united homage should be paid, with one consent, to the Most High: he could not find another so well suited, in all circumstances, as that which is with emphasis called "The Holy Land."

In order to facilite a clear view of the series of prophecies in this prophetic side-line, and its termination in the accomplishment of the mystery of God, or the commencement of the Millennium, I will here arrange them into their proper order of completion according to the internal method of the book.

1. The mighty angel swears, A. D. 772, and the Non-chronos commences with the line of many kings, to which this oath has a particular reference; though this line of kings terminates before the expiration of the Non-chronos, which comprises the whole prophetic side-line to the actual approach of the Millennium. 2. The angels cry, like a lion's roar, and the voices of the seven thunders answer him by the crusades.

3. St John eats the little book and prophesies by measuring the temple of God, predicting the effects of the crusades.

4. The period of the Gentiles commences, and the Holy city is a gain trodden under foot 42 months.

5. At the termination of this period, the two witnesses arise, and prophesy 1260 natural days.

6. The beast which now has ascended out of the bottomless pit, with the ten kings at his side, brings utter destruction on Babylon, and afterward kills the witnesses.

7. Battle of Armageddon, and total overthrow of Antichrist and his faction, and restoration of the Jews. The Non-chronos expires. 8. The commencement of the Millennium-the great mystery of God accomplished.

THIRD INTERVAL OF TEN YEARS.

Verse 14. The second woe is past; and behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

It may appear strange to us, that not only superficial readers, but even some able expositors before and since the reformation, have so totally overlooked the internal order and method of the Revelation, as to consider chap. X, and X1, 1-13. as yet belonging to the sixth trumpet;

because the second wo is only here mentioned as past, and the third wo declared to be at hand. But the Lord seems to superintend the explanation of this prophecy with particular care, and he discloses its treasures only by degrees, as his children may be capable to receive new light, and the actual wants of his Church require. The third wo is only now mentioned, and the second declared as past for two reasons: to mark the true point of the third interval, namely, immediately before the sound of the seventh trumpet and the commencement of the third wo; and again, to resume the main line of the general series of prophecies, at the termination of the sixth trumpet, or the second wo. There the general series of prophecies had been broken off, in order to commence the above parallel prophetic side-line, and it is here resumed in this verse, which by its very words again connects itself to chap. IX.

St. John beheld an angel flying through the midst of heaven, chap. VIII, 13. who with a loud voice, announc ed the three woes. Accordingly, when the first wo was past, it was declared, chap. 1x, 12. as gone by, in order to mark the pause or interval preceding the second, and this also is the case here, before the seventh trumpet. But this verse also indicates the unequal proportion of time, allotted to this interval in comparison with the two preceding ones, by declaring that the third wo shall come quickly. And accordingly, it occupies only the fifth part of time, in my "Prospective view of the prophetic Chronology." But it is moreover particularly necessary to remark, that this interval is not taken up by this prophecy into the line of the kings, and properly belongs only to the column of the Church, and to the main series of the three woes. In that column, which continues the chronology of the Church, it occupies the time between A. D. 772-782; and in the main series of the woes, (which is considerably advanced before the other, by reason of its extraordinary numbers,) the time between A.

G