Ver. 5. And if any man will hurt them (the two witnesses), fire proceedeth out of " their mouth, and devoureth their "enemies; and if any man will hurt them, " he must in this manner be killed."

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Ver. 6. These witnesses 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 manner of plagues, "as often as they will."

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Those two verses contain a brief and awful description of the OMNIPOTENCE of God, and of his determined purpose to support the truths revealed in the two Testaments, against all opposition, as well Pagan, Mohamedan, Papal, as atheistical, during the forty and two months, or 1260 years, in which they shali prophesy in "sackcloth." The prophet expressly declares, that "if any man will hurt them," or, in other words, shall wickedly and wilfully oppose them, "fire shall proceed out of their mouth;" that is, the truths they contain, and a sense of his disobedience and persecution of them, shall convince him of his error, and, as a consuming fire, shall prey upon and torment his never-dying conscience. Moreover, God will attend to the preservation of his "two witnesses," by afflicting their enemies with famine. He will "shut heaven, that it rain not" during their prophecy: and will turn

their rivers into blood, by their intestine insurrections and bloody wars, and "smite them with all manner of plagues, as "often as he will."

The wonderful effects of this power of God, conferred on the "two witnesses," were never more conspicuous than immediately after the passion of our blessed Redeemer, and his mission of the apostles. At that time mankind in general were immersed in Pagan idolatry. All tradition of the true God, and of his power and providence, had been, during many ages, in a manner lost, excepting among the Jews; and even these, his much-favoured people, were divided into schisms, or fallen into Pagan idolatry. They had disregarded the warnings of their Almighty Protector, through his "faithful servants the prophets," and put to an ignominious death his immaculate and blessed Son, who had long been promised, and at length sent to save them; and yet, notwithstanding all this, in less than half a century, the two witnesses" went on conquering, and to conquer*, and established their truths in all parts of the world. The violent opposition and dreadful persecutions of the great "red dragon," or the Roman empire, then styled the mistress of the world, could not impede the rapidity of their progress †. Neither have those two mighty and formidable powers, the Mohamedan and Papal hierarchies, with

* Rev. vi. 2.

† Ibid x.

all their bloody wars, oppression, edicts, anathemas, proscriptions, inquisitions, tortures, massacres, and slaughters, been able to destroy their testimony. On the contrary, the power and spirit of God, declared in these two verses, have never forsaken, but constantly supported them; by smiting their most inveterate enemies, such as many of the Roman, of the barbarian Mohamedan emperors, and popes, and their adherents with tormenting remorse of conscience, and exemplary deaths; and punishing their countries with foreign wars and conquests, with intestine convulsions and insurrections (thus "turning their waters into blood:") moreover, with famine, pestilence, earthquakes, eruptions, and rivers of fiery lava, overwhelming whole cities and provinces. All these facts, which, through the providence of God, have been transmitted to us, by many faithful historians, were thus foretold by the prophet ages before they happened, in the verses I am here commenting upon.

To which may be added, that, in strict verification of this exposition, it is a remarkable and undeniable fact, that the persecuting power of the Mohamedan and Papal churches has been wasting by all, or some of these means, during several centuries past, and, as is clearly foretold in the Revelation, will in all probability be soon utterly destroyed.

But to come to the more direct meaning of the prophet, respecting the "plagues with which God was to smite the earth," on account

of the destruction of the "two witnesses. By the word "earth," I apprehend the angel means one wicked country, or nation. In this sense, the word is made us of in divers places of the Scripture. To give a few instances: Jeremiah, in foretelling the seventy years captivity of the Jews, says, "For I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth." Again, "The Lord shall give a shout against all the inhabitants of the earth*." And again, in the same figurative sense, Christ himself uses the same words, where he foretells the destruction of Jerusalem; " and then," says he, "shall all the inhabitants of the earth mournt:" clearly meaning, not the people of the whole earth or world, but only the tribes of Israel, and the country and nation of the Jews. So here I trust to be able to prove, beyond the power of refutation, that the word "earth" has this confined and metaphorical sense; nay, farther, that the single country, or nation, is France, or the French nation.

Indeed, not to anticipate the abundant evidence of this truth which is poured in upon us, in the subsequent parts of this chapter, the two verses under consideration, when applied to their proper events, clearly demonstrate it. For we know that France is the only country upon earth, in which the "two witnesses of God have been "killed;" or where all the truths of the two Testaments have been entirely † St. Matt. xxiv. 30

Chap. xxv. 29, 30.

abolished by the laws of the state; and which, on that account, it is here foretold, should be afflicted with all such "plagues," as should consist with the divine pleasure. And upon considering the text, we find that among the great variety of " plagues," with which God has often been pleased to punish nations for their crimes, there are only three particularly mentioned in this chapter; with design, no doubt, that by these the country might be distinguished from others, when they should be inflicted upon it. These "plagues" are, 1st, a dreadful remorse of conscience, that all "consuming fire, arising from the clear conviction of disobedience, rebellion, and guilt, for it is said, that if any man will hurt them, fire "proceedeth out of their mouth, and in this "manner he must be killed:-2, famine; for these witnesses of God" have power to shut "heaven, that it rain not in the days of their "prophecy :" and, 3, a "plague," which shall occasion an immense destruction of people, but not by earthquakes, pestilence, storms, inundations, and the like, but by "a plague" which shall shed their blood in such quantities, as shall turn" their waters into blood:" meaning foreign and civil wars, insurrections, assassinations, and massacres. Let it then be observed, that these three " plagues" point directly and singularly to certain events, which have lately come to pass in France.

*Heb. xii. 29.