into heathenism, having also reassumed her empire, as a spiritual power and lifted up her horn to scatter the true church and people of God, has been frayed and driven off from a great part of the christian territory by those illustrious workmen, the Reformers and their disciples. From so much experience of the past we derive encouragement for the future, and look forward with lively, yet humble and reverent faith to the time, when by Christ and those who "are workers with him" and under him, the last horn, in its last form, shall fly in dismay and be utterly cast out from the whole kingdom of the chosen people of God.

59

THE most explicit and absolute promises of the restoration of the temple and city of Jerusalem, with the future prosperity and exaltation of Judea, having been given in the first part of the vision, and in the second part the expulsion and overthrow of their enemies having been predicted under very apt and lively images, we ought to carry the recollection of them with us, now that we are entering upon the third part, in which the performance of those promises, consequent on the extermination of those enemies in succes sion, is represented by a very significant figure and expressly declared by various proclamations and messages.

1. And I lifted up mine eyes and looked; and behold a man; and in his hand a measuring 2. line. Then said I, "Whither goest thou," and he said unto me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is the breadth thereof and what the length thereof."

Since the rebuilding of their city from the ruins in which it lay was a thing very near of heart to the Jews, and made a principal part of the divine promises, "the line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem;" since it was also the event, which of all others might be expected to take place first after the expulsion and overthrow of its enemies, it is accordingly represented by the first emblem in this part of the vision. A man is seen with a measuring line, such as was used by builders and surveyors, in his hand, as if about to exercise his calling. The prophet, whose expectations had been raised and his feelings kindled by what had been before revealed, does not apply himself to the friendly aid of the interpreting angel, but at once directs his question to the object so interesting to his curiosity. "Whither goest thou ?" implying plainly, what art thou going to do? The man replies, that he is going to take an accurate measure of the extent of Jerusalem. Hence it appears that at the opening of this scene or part of the vision, Jerusalem is to be considered as actually rebuilt; wherefore, the predictions it contains cannot have relation to any thing that took place during the time that the city lay in ruins.

The motive of the measurer in undertaking his task is expressed in only a general way; "to

see what is the breadth thereof, and what is the length thereof." But when the promise in cap. i. 16, is remembered, we may properly understand, that he intended to compare the dimensions of the newly restored city with that, which had been destroyed, that so he might ascertain whether the divine promise had been completely fulfilled. We should however form but an inadequate and scanty conception of his undertaking, if we were to suppose nothing more to be included in the subject of measurement than the bare extent of the city walls: we must take the word "measure" in an extended sense for numbering, reckoning, computing; and apply it to the population, the wealth, and whatever contributed to the importance and grandeur of Jerusalem. The object of the measurer then was to determine, whether the newly restored Jerusalem were equal in all respects to the ancient city.

3. And, behold, the angel that talked with me

went forth; and another angel went out to 4. meet him; and said unto him; "Run, speak to that young man, saying, as villages shall Jerusalem dwell for the multitude of men and of cattle within her."

On hearing the intention of the measurer declared, the interpreting angel, as if moved by the human impulse of curiosity or by deep

feeling on so interesting a subject, immediately set off to witness, perhaps to assist in the execution of the task; whence, as well as from other circumstances, we must infer, that the welfare of God's people is matter of high concern to the blessed spirits of heaven. But before he was gone out of sight, another angel stepped forth to meet and detain him, until he had received full instructions as to a message, which he was directed to carry to the measurer of the holy city.

The mode in which the second angel is brought forward, is sufficient to induce a belief, that several persons were present in the scene, who are not expressed to be so by the prophet. The Angel is said to come out or forth. Whence? Probably from some row or company of angels standing about the exalted person, who is described in the first part as the Angel of Jehovah, but who now probably appeared in different circumstances. There may be no error in calling to mind here the vision of Micaiah, in 1 Kings, xxii. 19, or Job, i. 6; for although such a notion of a divine court is not to be insisted on as necessary to a right interpretation of the vision, yet something more than what is distinctly related in the narrative may fairly be presumed from the prophet's expressions.