e discharge of their responsible duties to God and
man. (1 Tim. i. 2; Titus i. 4; Ps. lxxii. 1.) Thus were those public
servants of God and of his people qualified who "stood before the God of
the earth," as Moses and Aaron in Egypt, Elijah and Elisha in Israel, to
whom there is obvious allusion in the special work of these witnesses.
(2 Kings i. 10; 1 Kings xvii. 1; Exod. vii. 17.) "Fire proceedeth out of
their mouth," when from the scriptures they denounce just judgments upon
the impenitent enemies of him whom they represent. They "smite the earth
with all plagues," when, in answer to their prayers, vengeance comes
upon antichristian communities. (Luke xviii. 7, 8.) They "turn waters
into blood," when through their effective agency, the votaries of
Antichrist are made the instruments of mutual destruction. And all this
is made more clear in the symbolic "vials," (ch. 16.) These witnesses
"prophesy," not as being inspired, but because they,--and _they only_,
apply existing predictions to their appropriate objects, so far as they
receive light from Him who is "the light of the world."

They are "clothed in sack-cloth," because they sigh and cry for all the
abominations of their time,--subjected to oppression, and excluded from
"kings' palaces,"--places of worldly honor, power and emolument.

But the question is of great importance, and, to themselves in
particular, of absorbing interest,--How shall these witnesses be
identified among mankind? For however few, humble, despised and
persecuted, even unto death; strange as it may seem, there are not
wanting many to put forth a claim to be identified with them! Assuming
that these mystic witnesses are individual persons, the Papists say,
they are Enoch and Elijah, hereafter to appear on earth! By Protestants,
John Huss and Jerome.--Luther and Calvin, have been selected. Others
suppose the Old and New Testaments, with many other vague and groundless
conjectures. The witnesses die; but the two prophets named "were
translated that they should not see death:" and the thought is
preposterous that they should be brought again from their glorious state
of immortality and subjected to an ignominious death. John Huss and
Jerome of Prague did not prophesy 1260 years, nor have we the shadow of
a ground to believe that any of the human race shall ever prolong their
days on earth to the age of Methuselah. The two Testaments cannot die,
for "the word of God liveth and abideth for ever." (