4. "If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies; and if any will hurt them, he must in the same manner be killed. 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 plagues as often as they will." Elijah is the prophet who sits as the subject of this portraiture. As he destroyed his enemies by fire, so do they; as he shut the heavens from rain, so do they; and as he ascended to heaven by translation, so do they. The mouth symbolizes the words or doctrine of these witnesses, and the fire symbolizes its warlike and revolutionary, or destructive character. It is observable they both spoke with one mouth, or both taught the same doctrine. Now, it is certain that both departments of Israel teach the great doctrine of true liberty, and that this doctrine is inherent. in Christianity, and it is revolutionary to monarchy in its very nature. The term man, is a term of multitude, and embraces their enemies, or organic power that hurts or oppresses them. Now, it is notorious, that all of the revolutions, for many centuries, in Europe and Britain, have originated from the attempts to gain civil and religious freedom; and the Bible has been, and is, a proscribed book, because of its revolutionary character in church and state. Though true Christians have not existed, organically, in Europe, in the two forms indicated by the two witnesses, yet it has virtually existed; and the very term "sackcloth," shows that they were not to exist in this dual organization independently, until the end of the forty-two months. These two departments, however, being essential departments of the people of God, when possessed of true rights, are properly represented, while they existed in a depressed state.

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The shutting of the heaven, and turning waters to blood, as often as they will," symbolizes the fact, that, whenever they have resolved to strike for liberty, they have produced the greatest of destruction. Now, this accords. with the history of the causes of many of the revolutions. The doctrines which these witnesses proclaimed, have fired almost every throne and kingdom in past ages; and the smothered fires of a volcano, produced by their doctrine, is making Europe now tremble to its center, and will bring on the final shock of the great political earthquake of nations.

5. "And when they shall be about to finish (Telesosi) their testimony." This conforms to the "time of the end," spoken of by Daniel, and to the seventh trumpet period.

6. "The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit." This beast is distinguished from the beast out of the sea, and from the two horned beast, and is the fourth empire restored under Russia, coming out of Asia, or from barbarism.

"Shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them." As this event was to be in the time of the end, it must refer to something now existing. Now, when we remember that civil and religious. liberty has lately been crushed in Hungary and south Europe, by the special agency of Russia, we see a very fair coincidence. Indeed, throughout Europe, since the year '49, the chain of despotism has been more strongly riveted than for many years.

8. "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." The city is evidently put for Europe in general, and the city may symbolize a kingdom of it.

street of a

The witnesses to be slain being chiefly in one part of Roman Europe, corresponds most closely with the fall of the Hungarian witnesses in Austria, by the aid of Russia. Sodom and Egypt are apt representations of the Roman empire, but spiritually applied, they with great force describe Austria and Italy, where our Lord is daily crucified afresh. Austria is, doubtless, the street of Roman Europe referred to.

9. "And they of the people, kindreds, and tongues, and nations, shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer them to be put in graves. And they that dwell on the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented them which dwelt upon the earth." It is well known that the monarchists. of Europe have had great rejoicings and public thanksgivings over the suppression of liberalism in Europe, and especially in Hungary and Italy. These witnesses were to lie unburied. This, with the ancients, as all classic readers. know, was considered a state of great misery. It is used in the scriptures to represent dishonor and disregard.— 2 K. xxiv. The king of Babylon, to dishonor Jehoiachin's memory, threw his dead body without the walls, without burial. The cause of the Hungarians is now a disreputed and dead cause; the two witnesses in the Austrian street lie quiet and cold, and no voice of consolation reaches. their ear of death.

10. "And after three days and a half, the spirit of life, from God, entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." This resurrection in three days and a half is to occur about four or five years after their overthrow. We may, therefore, soon look for a great insurrection in Hungary, in the course of two or three years. It will

cause great alarm to Austria, who will see them alive again, and ready for contest.

11. "And they heard a great voice from heaven, saying unto them, Come up hither." As this heaven is symbolic, it must represent either exaltation at the call of some power, represented by the voice, or a call to emigration to the place of the church. This call may be from our country.

12. "And they ascended to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them." This ascension seems not merely to imply exaltation, but an actual removal from the country. Clouds are the symbols of God's power and of protection; they also signify a great multitude, as "a great cloud of witnesses." "Their enemies beheld them;" but could not help themselves. It is very possible that there may be extended to the Hungarians, at their resurrection to life, an invitation to come to this country, under sure protection guaranteed to them, and that a large multitude may come, and that Austria may not be able to prevent it.

13. "And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand; and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.” An earthquake symbolizes an insurrection, or overthrow, and the destruction of the tenth part of the city is equivalent to the overthrow of a principal kingdom in Europe. This tenth part of Europe is plainly Turkey. This is evident from the fact, that after this tenth part fell, it was immediately announced that "the second wo is past." Now, as the rise, and progress, and duration of the Turks is called the second wo, the end of this wo is the end of Turkey. Its fall, therefore, synchronizes with the rise of Hungary, since it fell at the same hour with the rise of the witnesses.

The three and a half days of the witnesses may have two lengths. One of them is equal to four years two hundred and sixty-eight days, and the other to five years. two hundred and eleven days. The end of these is close at hand, as well as the end of Turkey; 1854-6–61, are the points of time. We do not claim, absolutely, certainty here in time, but only in facts of other kinds. Should we be mistaken as to Hungary, it will follow that Russia will crush some Christian people, who will rise in three and a half days, and then, in a few years thereafter, Turkey will fall.

The slaying of seven thousand is symbolic of great destruction, and the glorifying of God by the rest is the admitting of the people to a decent privilege of civil rights, and, probably, giving up Islamism.

CONCLUSION.

1. The two witnesses being synonymous with Jerusalem, the double city, and representing the Israel of God, must represent Christianity, universally, in its depressed condition during the prevalence of church and state union.

2. As Jerusalem and the two witnesses are synonymous, and one is the interpretation or duplicate of the other, the 1260 days must be the duplicate or interpretation of the forty-two months.

3. The term Gentiles being a symbolic term, must represent the spiritual Gentiles of the church; and as they were set up over the witnesses at church and state union, the time of this union must be the epoch at which to date the 1260 days and 42 months. But as this epoch was a double one, or was an era from Constantine to Justinian, we must date them from both. The first epoch