ring their prophecy, and power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the land with every stroke as often as they may choose, denotes that the denunciation of terrible judgments on apostates was to be an eminent part of their office, as it was of Moses and Elijah; and that their ministry was to receive from God the most evident sanctions in the destruction of those who, in despite of their teachings and warnings, should persist in apostasy. The period denoted by twelve hundred and sixty days, is undoubtedly twelve hundred and sixty years. There are examples of that use of days in the symbolic prophecies of Ezekiel, chap. iv. 4-6, and Daniel, vii. 25, viii. 14, xii. 11, 12; and it is in accordance with analogy. A day, during which the earth revolves on its axis, has a resemblance which fits it to be a symbol of the period of its revolution round the sun; and it is the only period drawn from the motion of the earth that presents that similitude. All shorter spaces are artificial divisions; all longer are either artificial, as jubilees and centuries, or founded, like cycles, on relations to other celestial bodies that bear no analogy to a revolution round the sun. It is the only period therefore formed by the earth's motion, that could be used to symbolize a year. That it is to be treated as symbolic, is indisputably certain. It is unquestionably a measure of time. But if a measure of time, it is of necessity a symbolic measure; inasmuch as the agency which it measures is symbolic. Founded altogether as the symbol is on analogy, it must be interpreted throughout in accordance with that relation. To deny that character to any part of it, were in effect to deny it to the whole; while to admit that the measure of the witnesses' agency is symbolic, and yet interpret it literally, were to assume that the symbol is identically the same as that which it represents, which is against analogy. In like manner a month, during which the moon revolves on its axis, has a resemblance which fits it to be a symbol of the period of its revolution round the sun, and that is the only longer period to which it presents that similitude. The forty-two months therefore are by the same law twelve hundred and sixty years, and solar years doubtless; as though the monthly division of time was drawn from the revolution of the moon, yet it was reckoned as of thirty as well as of twenty-nine days, and the year itself was determined by the revolution of the earth round the sun. It may be thought an obstacle to this construction, that as the period of a lunar revolution is not thirty days, forty-two lunar months are not equal to twelve hundred and sixty days. But neither are twelve hundred and sixty days equal to the number in three and a half years, nor the number in forty-two months of thirty days each equal to the number in three years and a half; the astronomical year consisting of three hundred and sixty-five days and a fraction, in place of three hundred and sixty, at which it was reckoned by the Jews and other eastern nations. Yet three hundred and sixty days were taken as the period of the revolution of the seasons or a year, although they were known not to be the true period; and thirty days were taken also as the period of a lunar revolution or a month, although they were in like manner known not to be the true period; and they are used interchangeably accordingly for the same period, and employed with equal propriety as a representative of twelve hundred and sixty astronomical years. The command to measure the temple of God, was addressed to the apostle doubtless, as representing the same persons as he symbolized in the prediction that he must again prophesy before peoples, and nations, and tongues, and many kings; and his action denoted that they were to seek and learn, first, the truths which the Scriptures teach, and that were symbolized by the inner sanctuary, respecting the throne of God, the intercessions of Christ, and the residence of the spirits of the redeemed in his presence; and next, the truths that were symbolized by the outer sanctuary respecting the expiation on which the true worshippers on earth rely for pardon and acceptance, the places in which acceptable worship is offered, and the ministers who offer that worship. The prediction, on the other hand, that the witnesses were to prophesy forty-two months against persecutors, was a prediction that they were to proclaim those truths and vindicate the rights of God against false teachers and usurping rulers, and denounce the judgments threatened in his word against their usurpations and idolatries. The agency symbolized by the measuring of the temple, had a most exact and conspicuous counterpart in the ministry of the Reformers and their successors. The great truths which they drew from the Scriptures, and proclaimed in opposition to the apostate church, were precisely those which were symbolized by the inner and outer sanctuary;-that God alone has the rights of deity, and is the only object of worship, in opposition to antichrist, to canonized creatures, and to idols; that Christ's sacrifice is the only expiation for sin, in contradiction to the sacrifice of the mass, and voluntary inflictions; that he is the only intercessor, in opposition to saints and angels; that the spirits of the redeemed pass immediately into his presence and are accepted and exalted to happiness, in contravention of the doctrine of purgatory; that acceptable worship is offered wherever two or three gather together in the name of Christ, in contradiction to the doctrine of the apostate church, that homage can be offered only in edifices consecrated by superstitious rites, sanctified by the presence of relics, and furnished with an altar, images of saints, and other idolatrous objects; and finally, that they are legitimate offerers of worship who are publicly set apart to that office, and who proclaim the truths and present the homage which God enjoins in his word, in opposition to the teachers of the apostate church, who regard those alone as true ministers who derive their authority from the pope, or from patriarchs, métropolitans, or diocesan bishops. I. They learned from the Scriptures and proclaimed the truths symbolized by the mercy-seat, that God alone fills the throne of the universe, and has the rights of deity, in opposition to the doctrine of the apostate church, that the pope is his vicegerent, and is invested with all his legislative and judicial rights. The mode in which the rights of God were arrogated by the popes and ascribed to them by the church, is shown by the following passages. "We agree that the holy apostolic chair and Roman pontiff hold the primacy over the whole world, and that the Roman pontiff himself is the successor of the blessed Peter, the prince of the apostles and the true vicar of Christ, the head of the whole church, and the father and teacher of all Christians, and that through the blessed Peter, plenary power was given to him by our Lord Jesus Christ to feed, guide, and govern the universal church." In assuming to be the vicar of Christ on earth, the pope claims to be invested with his rights and prerogatives as the king, the lawgiver, and the judge of the church, and thence to be entitled to the same absolute submission and obedience from men as are due to him. "If the pontiff be compared to Christ in respect to plenitude of power, he has not that absolute plenitude, but only his own peculiar portion, according to the measure of Christ's gift for Christ reigns over the whole church whether in heaven, in purgatory, or on earth, embracing all from the beginning to the end of the world; and can moreover make laws at his pleasure, institute sacraments, and confer grace even without sacra'Definit. Concil. Florent. Labbei Concil. tom. xxxi. p. 1031. ments; but the pope only governs this part of the church which is on earth while he lives, and cannot change the laws of Christ, institute sacraments, or remit sins without a sacrament. If, however, the supreme pontiff be compared with other bishops, he may be justly said to have a plenitude of power; for others have only a limited authority over limited districts, but he is placed over the whole Christian world, and has all the plenary power which Christ left for the benefit of the church on earth." "The church is a fold, a kingdom, a body. But a fold must have a shepherd, a kingdom a king, a body a head. Some one therefore must succeed St. Peter in the primacy. It cannot be said that Christ is the head and king of the church. Christ is indeed the invisible head of the church; but inasmuch as the church is a visible and outward society, it must have a visible and outward head succeeding to Peter in the pontificate, whose office it is to exercise an outward care of the whole family or society." The pope accordingly claims and is held by the Catholic church to have Christ's power as a lawgiver: "Our inquiry is whether the pope has a real power over all the faithful in spiritual things, as kings have in temporal; that as they can frame civil laws, and punish transgressors with temporal punishments, so the pontiff can enact ecclesiastical laws truly obligatory on the conscience, and punish transgressors with at least spiritual punishments, such as excommunication, suspension, an interdict:" and the answer is, that "it has ever been held by the Catholic church, that bishops in their own dioceses, and the Roman pontiff in the whole church, are true ecclesiastical princes, who can by their own authority, without the consent of the people or concurrence of the presbyters, enact laws which bind the conscience, judge in ecclesiastical causes in the manner of other judges, and inflict punishments." Bouvier in like manner enumerates among the prerogatives of the pontiff, the power of issuing doctrinal decrees, and enacting laws which are obligatory on all Christians.1 2 'Bellarmini de Rom. Pont. lib. i. c. ix. p. 536. Bailly, de Eccl. tom. ii. p. 174. At in ecclesia Catholica semper creditum est, episcopos in suis diœcesibus, et Romanum pontificem in tota ecclesia esse veros principes ecclesiasticos, qui possint sua auctoritate etiam sine plebis consensu, vel presbyterorum concilio, leges ferre quæ in conscientia obligent, judicare in causis ecclesiasticis, more aliorum judicum, ac demum punire. Bellarmini de Rom. Pont. lib. iv. c. xv. pp. 845, 846. 'Bouvier, de Vera Eccl. p. 309. Prærogativa tertia est, Potestas edendi decreta fidei et condendi leges quæ cunctos obligent Christianos. He claims in like manner the power of forgiving sins, and of debarring from forgiveness. "He is said to loose who remits sins, who frees from punishment, who exempts from law in respect to vows, oaths, and similar obligations. When, therefore, it was said to Peter generally, Whatsoever you loose or bind, the power was given him of legislating, rescinding, punishing, remitting, so that he became the judge and prince of all who are in the church." 991 "Should any one say the words of the Saviour, 'Receive the Holy Spirit; whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted to them, and whosesoever ye retain, they are retained,' are not to be understood of the power of remitting or retaining sins by the sacrament of penance, as the Catholic church has always held, and shall turn them against the institution of this sacrament, to the authorization of preaching the gospel, let him be accursed." But in this arrogation the pope usurps the incommunicable rights and prerogatives of God. He openly claims that he holds. in the church on earth the station of the eternal Word, exhibits himself as seated on his throne, and demands a homage that is due only to him. And that is the peculiar characteristic of the great rival of Christ, the man of sin, the son of perdition, as described by the pen of inspiration, who is hostile and contemptuous towards all that is called divine or that is venerable, so that he seats himself in the temple of God as the Almighty sat in the inner sanctuary, and proclaims that he is God by the assumption of his throne and arrogation of his rights. The Reformers accordingly discerned and denounced this impious arrogation, and embraced and proclaimed the doctrine of the Scriptures, that God alone is the lawgiver, king, and judge of the church. Luther devoted his tract respecting the power of the Roman pontiff to the refutation of his claims and vindication of the prerogatives of God, pronouncing it blasphemy to represent that Peter held the rights of a divine sway, asserting that he was but a mere minister of the word, and that Christ is the sole Lord of the church in heaven and on earth, and showing that the lofty terms empire, the rights of empire, and celestial and terrestrial empire, are appropriate only to God, and that in applying them to the pope they made him a deity. He accordingly denounced the pope as antichrist, and the papal hierarchy as the kingdom 'Bellarmini de Rom. Pont. lib. i. c. xiii. p. 558. 2 Concil. Trident. sess. xiv. de Sacramen. Pœnit. can. 3. |