hark! the noise of multitudes, tumultuous noise of heavenly hierarchies of heaven's combined armies, gathering together upon these holy mountains. For the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle from far distant countries, from farthest end of heaven: even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, almighty to destroy. (Isa. xiii. 4-6.) I have opened wide my armoury, my weapons are brought forth; (Jer. 1. 25;) my warriors' bows are bent: their bright, sharp, glistering arrows drawn forth from out their quivers: their horses' hoofs like flint, their wheels like mighty whirlwinds, rush their chariots, horses, armies, powers, unto that awful gate, which I alone can open. (Isa. v. 28; xxii. 22.) "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in this my holy mountain : let all the inhabitants of those nether heavens tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: and nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. Before their face the people shall be much

pained all faces shall gather blackness. They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: and the Lord shall utter his voice before his army for his camp is very great for He is strong that executeth his word for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel ii.) "Ye multitude of terrible ones." (Isa. xxix. 5.) the battle in array." (Isa. xxii. 7.) the heavens." (Isa. Ixiv. 1.) Rage, ye chariots." (Jer. xlvi. 9.) "Behold the noise of the bruit is come." (Jer. x. 22.) "I go before thee in my wrath, to find out all mine enemies." (Ps. xxi. 8.) I the Lord of hosts will visit them with thunder, and earthquake, and great noise, with storm, and tempest, and devouring flames of fire. (Isa. xxix. 6.) I will cause my glorious voice to be heard, and will show the lighting down of my arm with the indignation of my anger, flames of devouring fire, hail stones, scattering,

"Set

Rend ye

* Our readers will here observe that this description could alone apply unto celestial warriors.

and tempest. (Isa. xxx. 30.) Ye archers, bend the bow shoot, spare ye no arrows against those who sin against the Lord. (Jer. 1. 14.) For I will punish the host of high ones. (Isa. iv. 21.) The fire shall now devour them. (Ps. xxi. 9.) Every "battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire." (Isa. ix. 5.) My fierce anger will not return until I have done it, and until I have performed the intents of my heart. (Jer. xxx. 24.) I come upon them in sharp judgment, horribly and speedily. (Wisdom vi. 5.) Father, the hour is come: I heave down the portentous key thou laidst upon my shoulder. (Isa. xxii. 22.) I open wide the two-leaved gates. It is done: I have broke the gates of brass, and cut the iron bars in sunder. (Isa. xlv. 1, 2.)

Swift as the lightning lighteneth heaven from one end to the other, the Almighty Lord, with all his mighty angels, in flaming fire descends into his footstool heavens with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God-pouring the fury of his fierce anger as devouring fire, hailstones, fire, and brimstone! Downward as whirlwinds, his terrific armies with tremendous rush hurl the astounding thunder-bolts of heaven's heaviest calibre: "cherubim and seraphim in burning rows," filing in all directions, running like lightning o'er the mountain-tops. (Nahum ii. 4.) Right-aiming thunder-bolts from clouds, as welldrawn bows, flying unto their mark-hailstones of wrath, cast forth from out stone bows--storm,

tempest, mighty winds loud roaring, the chariots of the Lord, myriads of high, strong angels, as flaming torches, (Nahum ii. 3,) spreading wide devastation, render his furious anger, his rebuke with raging flames of fire. (Isa. lxvi. 15.) By fire and by his sword He pleadeth with all flesh, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy his lips are full of indignation, his tongue as a devouring fire: his breath as an overflowing stream, reaches the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity, (Isa. xxx. 27, 28,) threshing the mountains with a new sharp threshing instrument, having teeth; (xli. 15;) beating them small as chaff, winds carrying them away, whirlwinds swift scattering them; sending his blazing messengers the circuit of the heavens, chasing the reeling globes, (Isa. xxiv. 20,) like unto chased roes, (Isa. xiii. 14,) before the dreadful judgment-seat. For the awful Judge now takes his seat upon his glorious throne, (Matt. xxv. 31,) encompassed by all his holy angels. The prediction is fulfilled, I make my footstool glorious.

That terrific voice that shook our earth on Sinai, as an electric shock, now vibrates from world to world: the glory of his majesty ariseth, to shake terribly all worlds, (Isa. ii. 19,) trembling and quaking because of his wrath: the foundations of the mountains are moved, (Ps. xviii. 7,) melting like wax at the presence of the Lord, (Ps. xcvii. 5,) flow down as melting fire (Isa. lxiv. 1) turned into pitch, the dust thereof to brimstone. (Isa. xxxiv. 9.) There goeth up a

smoke from his nostrils, and fire from out his mouth devoureth; coals are thereby kindled. (Ps. xviii. 8.) He has bowed his heavens and come down; God is come, and will not keep silence; it is very tempestuous round about him. (Ps. 1. 3.) He has called to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge his people. Gather my saints together unto me; those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. (Ps. 1. 4, 5.) He has rode upon a cherub and has fled; yea, he has fled upon the wings of the wind; darkness was his secret place. His pavilion round about him were dark waters, and thick clouds passed, hailstones, and coals of fire: the Lord also thundereth in the heavens, and the Highest giveth forth his voice-hailstones and coals of fire; yea, He sends forth his arrows, and scattereth his enemies. He shoots out his lightnings, and discomfiteth them. Now the channels of water are seen, and the foundations of all worlds are discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord! at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils, (Ps. xviii. 15,) all nature is convulsed; internal fires for ages raging, pent in the intestines of terraqueous bodies, with dreadful rumblings through their subterranean vaults, deep cells, and hollow caverns, force vent out huge volcanoes, issuing sulphureous smoke from every stifled crevice, every gaping chasm, form mighty columns, ascending immense heights forth from the wide-mouthed craters of the bellowing mountains, and with tremendous bursts explode-oceans of boiling matter, oceans of liquid fire, deluging the circumambient countries with