years brings us to the exact date of the first Protestant creed (_the
Augsburg Confession_) in A.D. 1530. We must point to this date both for
the end of Rome's universal spiritual supremacy and for the rise of
Protestantism. D'Aubigne, in his History of the Reformation, when he
comes to this period, says: "The conflicts hitherto described have been
only partial; we are entering upon a new period, that of general
battles. Spires (1529) and Ausburg (1530) are names that shine forth
with more immortal glory than Marathon, Pavia, or Marengo. Forces that
up to the present time were separate, are now uniting into one energetic
band." Book XVIII, Chap. 1. "The first two books of this volume contain
the most important epochs of the reformation--the Protest of Spires, and
the Confession of Augsburg.... I determined on bringing the reformation
of Germany and German Switzerland to the _decisive epochs_ of 1530 and
1531. The history of the reformation, properly so called, is then in my
opinion almost complete in those countries. The work of faith has there
attained its apogee: that of conferences, of interims, of diplomacy
begins.... The movement of the sixteenth century has there made its
effort. I said from the very first, It is the history of the reformation
and not of Protestantism that I am relating." D'Aubigne, Preface to Vol.
V.

The next important object in the vision is the "two witnesses" that
prophecied in sackcloth. From the description given, it would appear at
first that these witnesses were active intelligent agents; and as such,
belonging to the department of human life, they would symbolize the
church, the number two denoting the ministry and the people of God. But
the church is already symbolized in this chapter, the angel representing
the ministry, as in the preceding chapter, and John, who is clearly one
of the symbolic agents in this vision, representing the church;
therefore the two witnesses must be representative of something else.
Since the actions ascribed to them are drawn from the department of
human life, it is evident that their interpretation is to be found in
connection with the affairs of the church. By way of explanation, verse
4 represents them to be "the two olive-trees, and the two candle-sticks
standing before the God of the earth," although it is not stated that
any olive-trees and candle-sticks were shown in this prophetic vision.
In this reference is made to the fourth chapter of Zechariah,