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AWFUL SUPPOSED CONFESSION.

life, their putrid bodies will be above ground unburied, the objects of public abhorrence.

But suppose, once more, that the God of heaven interposes in behalf of the oppressed and persecuted witnesses in prison. Soon after their imprisonment, one of those false witnesses against them is brought upon his dying bed. But, Oh the struggle between life and death! He cannot live; and he cannot die! In this awful pang, he intimates that something is on his mind that must be publicly disclosed before his death. Numerous witnesses are in solemn attendance. He commences his sad and heart-rending tale of woe, by confessing his own crime of perjury, in swearing falsely against those who had testified the truth. He declares with dying breath, that he and his associate witnesses were bribed thus to do, by the gift of liberal sums of money by A. B., the defendant in the case aforesaid, and that the whole story about the deed of conveyance was a fabrication, devised to secure a successful defence against a just claim of damages, and known to be so by all the witnesses of the defendant. And that now, in view of awful eternity, and conscience let loose upon his wretched soul, he could not die without disclosing the facts, that to his certain knowledge, the former cause pending for the claims of C. D. the plaintiff, was righteous and true; that the witnesses in its support testified the truth; that their indictment, trial, conviction of the guilt of perjury, and sentence to imprisonment, were the result of a device of A. B., to confirm the public sentiment in favor of his victorious defence; and that, for this purpose he (the dying man) and his confederate witnesses had been bribed the second time by A. B., who had offered and bestowed upon them a liberal reward, for repeating the whole fabricated false testimony, which

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first defeated the just claims of a righteous cause and secondly, had condemned the innocent and true witnesses, and unjustly subjected them to degradation and false imprisonment; and that their release would be an act of restorative justice. And finally, that all this statement might be depended on as a true confession from the mouth of a dying man, who in a few moments would be called into eternity, to stand at the bar of God and answer to the charge of falseswearing.

We will farther suppose, that in confirmation of the awful confession of the dying man, the other confederate false witnesses, on hearing the fact of his confession, proved their own guilt, one by hanging himself, and the other two by absconding to parts unknown, leaving A. B., the contriver of mischief, to the destiny which an indignant public might award to his crimes.

And, as a matter of course, the punishment of the innocent and true witnesses, would be commuted by proper authority, from the moral death of degradation, and putrefaction above ground in a dungeon of infamy, to the fresh and wholesome air of freedom; to the bosom and affectionate society and confidence of all their former friends; and to the sympathies of all lovers of truth and justice. This would be to them as life from the dead! Yea, they would indeed be Providentially raised from the worst of deaths that can be conceived of, as death in life, above ground! A resurrection from the condemnation and infamy of false witnesses, shut up for life in the death-like, doleful dungeon of hopeless darkness, not worthy to be believed in the light of the sun! to full public confidence of their integrity as men of truth and veracity, who had suffered the pangs of a living death on the charge of crimes which they never committed. Oh, what a resurrection to life

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must this be, while the memory of their enemies would rot above ground like putrid carcasses.

The foregoing supposed process (which doubtless exhibits an outline of the reason why many just causes in the world fail of being sustained, and righteous claims are lost by the subornation of false witnesses.) may also serve to explain the probable signification of the figurative prediction of the future death of God's witnesses; the shameful exposure of their unburied, putrid carcasses in the streets of the great city; the triumph of the successful hosts of Antichrist in celebrating the victory which had rid the world of their Bible-tormentors; and of the glorious interposition of the Almighty, in the resurrection of the witnesses to life and full vigor, after a depression of three and a half years, by Divine permission, to give full opportunity to the Atheistical Infidel powers of Antichrist to display their banners, encourage their prospects, and strengthen their hopes of final success in this their probable first onset of the battle of the great day, as will be shown in the next lecture.

Thus, by their exulting anticipations of triumph in the total subversion of Jehovah's dominions of this earth, their own defeat and total overthrow in fulfilment of divine predictions, would be the more obvious, conspicuous and glorious in the eyes of all holy beings on earth and in heaven. And the final result would be, eternal praise, and honor, and glory to the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for the display of his wisdom and power in the destruction of his enemies, in the victory of his great battle day. When the anti-Christian powers of earth and hell, combined, arrayed in hostile armor, should challenge the Almighty to mortal combat in the field of battle,

there meet their overthrow, like Pharaoh at the

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Red Sea! preparation would then be made for the accomplishment of all the predictions of God's word, relating to the eternal salvation of all his chosen people of every nation and language, both Jews and Gentiles, whose " names were written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world."

LECTURE X.

THE GREAT BATTLE DAY OF THE LORD.

Signs of the Times proclaim the dreadful day,
When Anti-Christian Powers will melt away!!!

A CONSIDERATION of Bible Predictions of the battle of the great day of the Lord will be the subject of this lecture, which will be illustrated as follows. Namely, consider

I. Predictions relating to the time of the battle. II. Those relating to the place of the battle-field. III. Those relating to the first onset of the battle, made by the combined powers of Antichrist upon God's witnesses, all of whom are overcome and slain, and the victors celebrate a triumphant festival over the death of their tormentors, during three and a half prophetic days.

IV. Predictions relating to the fearful interruption of the feast of triumph, by the appalling sight of an approaching host of cavalry, of formidable and terrific appearance, and also, the shocking spectacle of the resurrection of the dead witnesses to life, who, at the word of command, join the approaching tremendous army, in sight of their horror-smitten enemies.

V. Predictions relating to the dreadful onset upon the powers of Antichrist, and the decisive victory

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