The period of this prediction is the fame with that of the last one. It is for 1260 days, equal to the 42 months at 30 days in each month, that is 1243 folar years. It is the relative fituation of the fame parties which is reprefented; but, in a different point of view. The two witneffes of Chrift prophefying in fackcloth, are the symbol for the church of Christ in a perfecuted and mourning ftate. The beaft that afcendeth out of the bottomlefs pit, is the fymbol of the papal hierarchy during the period in which the temporal and the ecclefiaftic powers were united in it. A full account of the beaft will be given in its proper place in the commentary, on chap. xiii

It is faid. that this beaft afcendeth, not that it ascended, nor that it fhall afcend; to intimate that its rife fhall be contemporary with that of the witneffes prophefying in fackcloth. That beaft makes war against them, and kills them; but they rife again.

In the former hieroglyphic, the church of Chrift is reprefented as ftripped of all outward grandeur; and the church of Rome, as adorned in a pompous and magnificent manner. In this, the church of Chrift is reprefented as bearing teftimony to the truth, though her votaries are few and perfecuted, and the church of Rome is represented as perfecuting her; and for a short time apparently overcoming her; but yet fhe

rifes again, and, by her rife, the limits of the pal kingdom are greatly contracted.

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The leaft attention to the different parts of this hieroglyphic, may fatisfy any perfon that they are not any two individual perfons, who are meant by these two witneffes; firft, because no two perfons have ever lived fo long as 1 243 years, the time they are faid to prophecy; and fecondly, because it is not to be fuppofed that any individual perfons fhall rife to life and vigour again, after they have been expofed dead, on an open street, for three days and an half, which, as shall be fhewn, is three folar years and an half.

It is the mighty angel mentioned in the preceding chapter, who ftill fpeaks in this, and who calls these two witneffes his witnesses: But, it was fhewn that this mighty angel is Chrift; hence, these are his two witneffes, and from him they derive the power by which they are enabled to prophecy fo long, in fo trying a fituation. It is by faith in him, by the fuperintendency of his providence, by the influence of his gofpel, and by the agency of his fpirit, that he giveth them this power. Chriftians, in that period, are called Chrift's witneffes, because they bear teftimony to the truth as it is in Jefus,. and to Jefus himself, that he is the Chrift, and the Son of God. Like honeft witneffes, they declare the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. An VOL. I.

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honeft

honeft witness will declare neither his own conjectures, nor the hearsays of others, but only those facts which he hath perceived himself. In like manner Chriftians, as witneffes to the truth, neither believe nor profefs, as articles of their faith, their own conjectures and fancies, nor the mere commandments of men; but they believe and profefs as fuch all thofe truths, and only those, which they perceive to be taught in the facred fcriptures, the word of God. They dare not add to them, nor take from them. They have not the impious vanity to imagine that they can improve the oracles of God, by human additions. Nor are they influenced by that worse than childish cunning, which makes too many think that it is unfafe or imprudent to profefs or to teach, what the unerring wifdom of God thought fit to reveal; and, to reveal without any of those cautions, which little minds too often falfely call prudence. Like the apoftles of Chrift, Acts, xx. 27.

They fhun not to declare all the counsel of "God." Thus, chap. vi. 9. these martyrs or witneffes, who were flain, are faid to have been flain, "for the word of God, and for the teftimony "which they held."

For the fpace of 1243 years, commencing in the year 756, all true Chriftians are ftiled, as in this hieroglyphic, witneffes or martyrs; for the word martyr is the one in the original, which

here

here and in every other place, is tranflated witnefs; as all acquainted with the Greek language know. It is not in fuffering but in witneffing for the truth, that the effence of martyrdom confifts. It is a steady and open attachment to the word of God and to the teftimony of Jesus. Though a man fhould give his body to be burned, and have not this teftimony, it profiteth him nothing. And he, who firmly believes, and uniformly profeffes and obeys the truth as it is in Jefus, in this period, is a martyr of Chrift, though he fhould never be called, in the course of divine providence, to feal that teftimony with his blood, provided he is one who would do fo, if God in his providence should call him to fuffer for the truth.

In this period Christians are ftiled witneffes, chiefly, because their fituation, during the 1243 years of it, compared with that of the Chriftians who fhall live in the world after that period, is like that of honeft witneffes, during the dependance of a long, intricate, and important trial in a cause of great confequence, in which the paffions of many parties and their adherents are deeply engaged; compared with the fituation of thefe fame witneffes, after a final fentence hath been paffed in the caufe, in the most exact conformity to their depofitions, by a judge of fuch established character for abilities, attention, and integrity, as to convince all men of the juftice of his fentence; 3 A 2

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or, at least, completely to filence the few, who will not yield to conviction. During the dependance of the trial, though thefe witneffes are fully fatisfied in their own minds, that they have told the truth, and concealed no part of it; and, knowing the character of the judge, are perfectly confident that his judgement fhall correfpond to their teftimony; yet, by thofe perfons interested in a contrary decifion, and by the great multitude who in moft cafes form opinions without examining the cafe, and deliver thefe with that confidence for which their ignorance only hinders them to blufh, they are fometimes reprefented as ignorant fools, and fometimes as artful and perjured knaves. Some take one fide of the queftion, and others the other. Thofe, who em. brace the wrong fide, commonly mifreprefent the characters of the witneffes, and of those who embrace the right fide. It is not reason, a found judgement, and a well informed understanding, which make men take the wrong fide in any cafe; but, it is prejudice, private intereft, or paffion, and in many cafes, all the three; and these never fail to make them rail againft and mifreprefent all who take the oppofite fide. But, when the final judgement fhall be given in terms of their evidence, then, the general opinion fhall change, and thefe witneffes will be treated with that refpect, which is due to their upright and well-informed,