two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

"And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt.

"And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." (Rev. ix.)

THE LITTLE BOOK.

"THEN they that feared the Lord spake often one to another : and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." (Mal. iii. 16-18.)

“AND I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: and he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.

"And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who

created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

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And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea, and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth, sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings." (Rev. x.)

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The mighty angel, who is clothed with a cloud, and who hath upon his head the covenant token, is, (or represents,) the Lord, the messenger of the covenant, who will suddenly come to his temple. And by his glorious face, his brass-like feet, his loud voice, by his oath respecting the completion of "time"; and by his position on the water, he is identified with the "certain man" who made Daniel understand what should befall his people in the latter days; and who,

while standing upon the water, numbered the days, and announced the circumstances, that should mark "the end" of those things he commanded Daniel to seal up. Having shown Daniel "that which is noted in the scripture of truth," the certain man said, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

"Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

“And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end." (Dan. xii. 4-9.)

Now the appearance of one who is probably identical with the certain man who commanded Daniel to seal up the book even to the time of the end; his swearing

by "Him that liveth for ever and ever," respecting the accomplishment of prophecy, and his having in his hand a little book open, may symbolize the opening of that which Daniel was commanded to seal up " even to the time of the end."

The oath of the mighty angel shows, that at the time marked by the introduction of the little book, the divine purposes will no longer be delayed. The mystery which God hath declared to his servants the prophets, will now be fulfilled. The things foreshown to Daniel, may therefore now receive their accomplishment; and the introduction of the little open book may mark the eve of the time, when God "shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people." The "fortytwo months," which are announced by the mighty angel, and which are marked by the measuring of “the temple of God," and by the down-treading of the holy city by the Gentiles, may harmonize with the " time, times, and an half," announced upon the waters of Hiddekel. (See Dan. xii. 7.) And from Daniel's prophecy it may be inferred, that "the fulfilment of the times" just mentioned, and the gathering of the holy people, are consecutive events. "Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow