Seeing the tenth part of the city that must fall, is France, this gives me some hopes that the death of the two witnesses hath a particular relation to this kingdom. It is the street or place of this city, i.e. the most fair and eminent part of it. The witnesses must remain dead upon the street and upon it they must be raised again. And as the death of the witnesses and their resurrection have a relation to the kingdom of France, it may well fall out, that we may not be far distant from the time of the resurrection of the witnesses, seeing the three years and a half of their death are either begun, or will begin shortly. And in the earthquake were slain seven thousand; in the Greek it is seven thousand names of men, and not seven thousand men. I confess that this seems somewhat mysterious: in other places we find not this phrase, names of men, but simply men. Perhaps there is a figure of grammar, called _hypolage casus_, so that names of men are put for men of name, i.e. of raised and considerable quality, be it on account of riches, or of dignity, or of learning. But I am more inclined to say, that here these names of men, must be taken in their natural signification and do intimate that the total Reformation of France shall not be made with bloodshed, nothing shall be destroyed but names; such as are the names of Monks, of Carmelites, of Augustines, of Dominicans, of Jacobins, of Franciscans, Capuchins, Jesuits, Minimes and an infinite company of others, whose number it is not easy to define and which the Holy Ghost denotes by the number seven, which is the number of perfection, to signify that the orders of monks and nuns shall perish for ever. This is an institution so degenerated from its first original, that it is become the ruin of Antichrist. These orders cannot perish one without the other. These great events deserve to be distinguished from all others; for they have changed, or shall change, THE WHOLE FACE OF THE WORLD. EXTRACTS FROM SERMONS BY DR. JOHN GILL.