<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2012-05-24</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Colm MacCrossan</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A96871">
<STC T="W">W3433</STC>
<STC T="T">E100_1</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99859569</BIBNO>
<VID>111659</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P> THE TWO VVitne&s;&s;es: Di&s;covered in &s;everall SERMONS Upon the eleventh Chapter of the <HI>Revelation,</HI> wherein, after the Prophe&s;ie opened, the great Que&s;tion of the&s;e times. <HI>VIZ. Whether the two Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain, yea or no,</HI> is mode&s;tly di&s;cu&s;&s;ed. Preached at <HI>Lawrence-Jewry</HI> in <HI>London,</HI> by <HI>F. W.</HI> Lecturer of the &s;aid place.</P>
<P><FLOATEXT LANG="eng" TYPE="license">
<OPENER><DATE>It is this &s;even and twentieth day of <HI>April,</HI> 1643. </DATE></OPENER>
<P>Ordered by the Committee of the Hou&s;e of Commons in Parliament, concerning Printing, That the&s;e Sermons intituled, <HI>The two Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> be Printed for <HI>Luke Fawne.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>JOHN WHITE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</FLOATEXT></P>
<P>London, <HI>Printed by</HI> J. R. <HI>for</HI> Luke Fawne <HI>and are to be &s;old at the &s;ign of the</HI> Parriot <HI>in</HI> Pauls <HI>Church-yard.</HI> 1643.</P>
<PB REF="2">
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_IT hath perhaps already been wondred at, that &s;uch a one as I, who&s;e meanne&s;&s;es are not unknown, have been &s;o hardy, as to adventure to preach upon a Theme &s;o knotty and perplex, as is <HI>the Prophe&s;ie of the two Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> and now to make tho&s;e Notions more publike, may po&s;sibly revive the wonderment, and this &s;econd undertaking render me more hardy (that I &s;ay no more) then did the former. In neither perhaps am I wholly to be excu&s;ed; yet when you know all, at least I may be pardoned.</P>
<P>The great de&s;ire I had to gain &s;ome light to the&s;e dark times, drew me to be&s;tow &s;everall exerci&s;es upon this Sub|ject; the de&s;ire of &s;ome friends drew me thus to publi&s;h them. If for the fir&s;t I be challenged, it mu&s;t indeed wholly fall upon my &s;elf; If for the latter, there are tho&s;e that mu&s;t &s;hare the blame with me.</P>
<P>For the Subject, I cannot conceive how that &s;hould come unacceptable to any; we all &s;trongly de&s;ire to know what &s;hall become of us: And could we but meet with any <HI>di|vine Progno&s;tication, calculated for the&s;e times, and al&s;o for this our Meridian,</HI> nothing more welcome: Such do &s;ome conceive is this <HI>Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es;</HI> which whether &s;o or no, once I am a&s;&s;ured; the cleering of this &s;ame, would accordingly, or help our preparations for &s;uch a &s;torm as this &s;hall bring with it; or el&s;e relieve us
<PB REF="3"> from much di&s;couragement and fear, while we dayly look for it.</P>
<P>It is indeed a matter intricate, <HI>dignus vindice nodus,</HI> &s;uch as not unworthily is become the great Enquiry of the&s;e times, and doubtle&s;&s;e worthy a much other hand then mi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e, who fir&s;t profe&s;&s;edly undertook it: which duely weighing. I have endeavoured, with all becoming mode&s;ty, to deal <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n it.</P>
<P>It was not (if I know my heart) the great confidence I had upon my &s;elf, that made me adventure upon this &s;o dif|ficult undertaking; nor yet the pre&s;umption I had, I could do much in it. Onely I have thought I might either con|tribute &s;omewhat my &s;elf in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, at lea&s;t &s;hould provoke others that might contribute: In which latter, &s;ure I am, I have not been mi&s;taken; for though before I began, there was deep &s;ilence in this matter, yet &s;ince have &s;everall fallen upon it profe&s;&s;edly al&s;o.</P>
<P>If you meet with mi&s;takes in this Di&s;cour&s;e, to &s;ome the difficulty of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e will ea&s;ily entitle me; to others, the want of time to make &s;erious revi&s;ings: In which lat|ter, I mu&s;t needs tell you I was much &s;traitned. I had but tho&s;e Notes I u&s;ed in Preaching, whereby immediately, and not from any other Copy, I was fain at once to form and tran&s;cribe the&s;e; the Pre&s;&s;e drew them from me piece after piece; and many times preventing the quickne&s;&s;e of my writing, &s;tayed for me; I having never had the opportunity till all had pa&s;&s;ed the Pre&s;&s;e, to view altogether. In all which the equall Reader will con&s;ider me;</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>Who&s;e I am engaged in my mea&s;ure to &s;erve him, FRA: WOODCOCKE.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
<PB N="3" REF="3">
<HEAD>THE Two VVitne&s;&s;es.</HEAD>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>REVEL. 11. VERS. 3.</BIBL> and &s;o forward to the 15. <HI>And I will give power unto my two Witne&s;&s;es, and they &s;hall prophe&s;ie one thou&s;and two hundred, and three&s;core dayes Cloathed in Sackcloth, &amp;c.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>_THE main rea&s;on, why I undertook the task of this Prophe&s;ie, Is to try to &s;atisfie that common que&s;tion almo&s;t in every ones Mouth, <HI>What will become of us? What do you think of the&s;e times?</HI> To an&s;wer this from providences, &s;eemed to me altogether impo&s;&s;ible, they are di&s;pen&s;ed toward us with &s;o much variety: We fear to day, hope to morrow; &s;o that from our pre&s;ent condition, there is no pre&s;aging what will be our future. But then I thought <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Pet. 1. 19.</NOTE> could we finde out <HI>&s;ome more &s;ure word of prophe&s;ie;</HI> &s;uch as might in a more &s;peciall manner relate to our times, this might contribute much to our &s;atisfaction, in the in&s;ufficiency of the other. And while I was thus ca&s;ting, this <HI>prophe&s;ie of the two Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> offers it &s;elf, of all tho&s;e that I can imagine mo&s;t likely to aym at our times, and &s;o be&s;t to &s;erve the purpo&s;e above men|tioned. This apprehen&s;ion made me clo&s;e with it, of which having given this &s;hort account; I now proceed to give an ac|count of the Prophe&s;ie it &s;elf.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="4">
<P>And for coherence, that we may know where about we are, take this much; Some great Interpreters conceive the holy Gho&s;t having fini&s;hed the <HI>prophe&s;ie of the Seals,</HI> only &s;omewhat remaining of the <HI>la&s;t Trumpet,</HI> becau&s;e there was an other pro|phe&s;ie. <HI>viz.</HI> That which &s;et forth the condition of the Church, (beginning and ending with that of the Seals) not as yet men|tioned; till &s;uch time as &s;o much of the Churches <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">tate, as I may call it, was mea&s;ured forth as of the former, he &s;ets back the mention of the &s;eventh Trumpet from its due place in the t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nth Chapter till this be done; which being done in the for|mer part of this Chapter, to the 15 ver&s;e; there the &s;eventh Trumpet is brought in to be the common clo&s;e and Cata&s;tro|phe of them both.</P>
<P>By this reckoning, the beginning of this eleventh Chapter, wherein you <HI>have a Temple, Altar, and wor&s;hippers mea&s;ured,</HI> pre|&s;ents <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 1.</NOTE> to us the Churches condition in the Apo&s;tles dayes, and tho&s;e primative times neer about, and that which immediate|ly follows, the Churches &s;tate now gotten within the verge of tho&s;e times wherein Antichri&s;t was to prevail. This latter <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s; 2.</NOTE> I readily embrace; but that by the former &s;hould be meant the condition of the Church in the Apo&s;tles times, to me &s;eems al|together doubtfull.</P>
<P>I &s;hould rather with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion conceive, <HI>By the Temple, Altar, and Wor&s;hippers,</HI> are meant re&s;pectively, the <HI>pure wor|&s;hips and wor&s;hippers,</HI> continuing all the time of Antichri&s;t, the mea&s;uring of the&s;e denoting this much, That during this time of Antichri&s;ts pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ing, God would own &s;o much wor&s;hip in &s;o many wor&s;hippers, and no more. But for the <HI>outer-Court,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span"></NOTE> that is, <HI>fal&s;e wor&s;hip,</HI> and the <HI>Gentiles</HI> therein, which are <HI>fal&s;e wor&s;hippers,</HI> who are <HI>ca&s;t forth unmea&s;ured,</HI> neither of the&s;e would God own, either for <HI>wor&s;hip, or for wor&s;hippers.</HI></P>
<P>If this, the meaning of the former words, joyn this of the witne&s;&s;es to them, and the dependance lies cleerly thus: Then when the Antichri&s;tian Gentiles begin to take po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the outward Court, when Antichri&s;t begins to <HI>&s;it in the Temples of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. 2. 4.</NOTE> <HI>God;</HI> about this time came forth the&s;e two witne&s;&s;es to pro|phe&s;ie in Sackcloth.</P>
<P>Having found out thus much for connection, we proceed now to take a view of the Prophe&s;ie it &s;elf, the bulk whereof
<PB N="4" REF="4"> &s;eems thus much: <HI>About the time when Popery begins to &s;pread, there &s;hall be rai&s;ed up by a divine hand, a generation of men, testi|fying again&s;t it, who continuing their witne&s;&s;e in all its time, &s;hall be &s;lain at la&s;t by the Popi&s;h faction, but not long after ri&s;e again, their ri&s;ing procuring the Popi&s;h factions downfall.</HI></P>
<P>This in the generall: more particularly in this third Ver&s;e, where we begin, you have,</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="1"> 1. A title given to tho&s;e who te&s;tifie again&s;t Antichri&s;t; they are <HI>Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="2"> 2. Their number; they are <HI>two.</HI> </ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="3"> 3. Their office; they <HI>Prophe&s;ie.</HI> </ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="4"> 4. The manner according to which they execute their office; tis in <HI>Sackcloth.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><MILESTONE N="5"> 5. The time how long they continue thus to Prophe&s;ie, and this is <HI>a thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core dayes:</HI> of the&s;e in this order:</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P N="1"><MILESTONE N="1"> 1. The title, they are <HI>Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> and &s;o called, becau&s;e <HI>they bear witne&s;&s;e to truth, and holine&s;&s;e, again&s;t all the errours, and unholy|ne&s;&s;e of Antichri&s;t;</HI> &s;o is Chri&s;t &s;everall times called the <HI>faithfull witne&s;&s;e,</HI> and this by way of emminence, and becau&s;e <HI>bearing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 15. and 3. 14.</NOTE> <HI>witne&s;&s;e to all truth again&s;t all errours, and impieties what&s;oever.</HI> You &s;ee why they are called witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P N="2"><MILESTONE N="2"> 2. Their number follows, they are <HI>two.</HI> And <HI>two</HI> they are (&s;ay &s;ome,) becau&s;e <HI>few;</HI> Two making the lea&s;t number; or <HI>two</HI> in regard of the <HI>two Te&s;taments,</HI> which the&s;e avow the truth of; they bear witne&s;&s;e to what is contained in both the Te&s;taments: or el&s;e <HI>two,</HI> in regard of the types they are pre|&s;ented by, which are &s;et down by <HI>pairs, two and two,</HI> as we &s;hall &s;ee hereafter, our <HI>two witne&s;&s;es; e&s;pecially,</HI> becau&s;e in the Law, no accu&s;ation would pa&s;&s;e, unle&s;&s;e a&s;&s;erted <HI>by two or three wit|ne&s;&s;e;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu. 17. 6. Matth. 18. 16.</NOTE> &s;o that accordingly, if an accu&s;ation come again&s;t Anti|chri&s;t, there mu&s;t not be le&s;&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> then two witne&s;&s;es to avow it. Thus you have their number al&s;o, they are <HI>two witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P N="3"><MILESTONE N="3"> 3. Their <HI>employment</HI> next follows, with the <HI>manner</HI> of per|formance (for I &s;hall put both together), <HI>they prophe&s;ie in Sack|cloth.</HI> They prophe&s;ie, that is, they in&s;truct the people in the good way, te&s;tifying by all means, Whether by preaching, writing, or otherwayes again&s;t Antichri&s;tian impieties; prophe&s;ying being <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 2. 17. Rom. 12 6.</NOTE> not here &s;trictly taken <HI>for a foretelling things to come;</HI> or el&s;e, <HI>for preach|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="4 letters"></HI></P>
<PB N="6" REF="5">
<P>1. <HI>Did God rai&s;e up Witne&s;&s;es, all the times of Antichri&s;t?</HI> then in the darke&s;t times of Popery God hath not left him&s;elf with|out a People; they have been few. I confe&s;&s;e, reduced to the lea&s;t number &s;ometimes, yet never hath that darkne&s;&s;e &s;o wholly blinded all, nor their cruell per&s;ecutions &s;o &s;wept away all, but there have been &s;ome Witne&s;&s;es in all the times of Anti|chri&s;t te&s;tifying again&s;t him.</P>
<P>If therefore they ask us <HI>Where was our Religion before</HI> Luther; a common que&s;tion, and with which they think they have &s;ped us: Why &s;ure where&s;oever the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es were, it was both them; and if the&s;e were as old as Antichri&s;t, as appears by the Text they are; if they will &s;ay their Antichri&s;t is elder then <HI>Luther,</HI> they mu&s;t &s;ay our Religion was before <HI>Luther</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P>2. Fora&s;much as God rai&s;ed up &s;ome in all times to te&s;tifie a|gain&s;t Popery, 'tis plain God did not <HI>leave him&s;elf without Wit|ne&s;&s;es</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Acts 14. 17. 2 The&s;. 2. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">1.</NOTE> among the Popi&s;h Idolaters, &s;ent tho&s;e among them who <HI>would have healed</HI> Babylon, <HI>though &s;he refu&s;ed to be healed;</HI> and if &s;o, how ju&s;tly are they <HI>given over to &s;trong delu&s;ions to beleeve a lie,</HI> who when they had the truth, <HI>would not receive it in the love of it?</HI> yea, how ju&s;t &s;hall be the downfall of that <HI>Babylon,</HI> how for ever inexcu&s;able when judged, to whom when the Lord hath &s;ent a continued &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of Witne&s;&s;es, <HI>ri&s;ing up early and &s;enaing them,</HI> yet would not hearken, hath &s;till <HI>refu&s;ed to be</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">er. 51. 9.</NOTE> <HI>healed.</HI></P>
<P>3. From hence that they are called <HI>Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> we learn to what a height and heynou&s;ne&s;&s;e the errours and impieties of Po|pery were arriv'd: had they been weakne&s;&s;es, infirmities, they had been born withall; <HI>love had covered them,</HI> had they been on|ly infirmities; and &s;ure without a bearing with weakne&s;&s;es in Church &s;ocieties, it is not po&s;&s;ible to hold fellow&s;hip together: but when the&s;e mu&s;t be openly witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t, to joyn was damnable, and to di&s;&s;emble was no better, when 'twas not &s;uf|ficient <HI>to beleeve with the heart,</HI> but there mu&s;t be <HI>profe&s;&s;ion made</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10. 10.</NOTE> <HI>al&s;o;</HI> &s;ure the&s;e abominations mu&s;t be of a high &s;train, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e could be reckoned for weakne&s;&s;es no longer.</P>
<P>5 Fora&s;much as the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> are but two, the &s;malle&s;t num|ber, you hence &s;ee what the <HI>Synagogue of Rome</HI> gains by boa&s;t|ing the Catholique Church, glorying in her multitude; could they have given us a better Argument to prove them Antichri&s;t,
<PB N="7" REF="5"> the Bea&s;t, the Whore, the Gentiles by, when the&s;e fill the world, the <HI>Holy City the outward Court,</HI> and but two Witne&s;&s;es to op|po&s;e all this multitude?</P>
<P>Go on therefore, glory in your multitudes, boa&s;t your uni|ver&s;ality, we yeeld to you the <HI>whole world wonders after the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Reve. 13. 3.</NOTE> <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> while but two Witne&s;&s;es oppo&s;e him.</P>
<P>5. Do the witne&s;&s;es <HI>Prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth,</HI> kept down, and at an under through the potency of the Antichri&s;tian faction? then judge who have been mo&s;t like to be the&s;e witne&s;&s;es; whe|ther the&s;e, who taking unwearied pains, preaching in &s;ea&s;on, and out of &s;ea&s;on, could &s;carce get wherewith to maintain a poor family; yea, many times through per&s;ecution, thrown out of all; or el&s;e th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e who &s;eldom preaching, and when they did, <HI>not in Sackcloth, you may be &s;ure,</HI> &s;uch who lived as lords in|deed, and kept their Courts like Princes; judge whether of the&s;e are like&s;t to be the witne&s;&s;es in Sackcloth; yea learn not to wonder, if you have known &s;ome godly and painfull Mini&s;ters could &s;carce by all their pains and indu&s;try, get them bread; when yet the Romi&s;h Prelaticall Clergy, have been lords of all, wonder not at it alas, 'twas their time to <HI>Prophe&s;ie in Sack|cloth.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 4. </BIBL><HI>The&s;e are the two Olive trees, and the two Candle&s;ticks &s;tanding be|fore the God of the earth.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>HAving &s;poken already concerning the <HI>title, number,</HI> and <HI>office</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, together with the <HI>manner and continuance</HI> of them in their <HI>office;</HI> next we &s;hould enquire who the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are, to which in this 4 ver&s;e, and tho&s;e that next follow we have an&s;wer, the&s;e ver&s;es together offering a full draught, and de&s;cription of them.</P>
<P>But before I come to open the words, I &s;hould fir&s;t acquaint you what the thoughts of &s;ome are in this que&s;tion, beginning with the Popi&s;h fir&s;t; which I &s;hall only mention, and leave it.</P>
<P>They, therefore following &s;ome of the <HI>Ancients,</HI> and they the Hebrew Doctors, tell us, the&s;e <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es</HI> are <HI>Enoch</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Origen. La|ctan. Hilar.</NOTE> and <HI>Elias,</HI> who &s;hall come &s;omewhat before the end of the
<PB N="8" REF="6" MS="y"> world, preaching Repentance to the Jews, at that time mi&s;ta|king Antichri&s;t (&s;ome &s;trange <HI>Chymaera</HI> born of the Tribe of <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Bel. de Pa. Rom. l.</HI> 3.</NOTE> <HI>Dan)</HI> for the Me&s;&s;iah; which Antichri&s;t &s;hall after &s;ome &s;pace &s;lay the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es, <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias;</HI> but in the end, the Jews being converted, &s;hall make an end of him. This the Po|pi&s;h conceipt.</P>
<P>Among our &s;elves, I do not finde us perfectly agreed who the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are: <HI>Some</HI> for whom we owe much to God, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Brightmans Na<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ier. Beda.</NOTE> and to who&s;e di&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">overies we are greatly indebted (after &s;ome of the <HI>Ancients)</HI> conceive the <HI>two Te&s;taments</HI> are the two Witne&s;|&s;es. The two Te&s;taments (&s;ay they) together with the godly people, are the&s;e <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;hould not dare to deny the Scriptures are the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ut that the Scriptures &s;hould be <HI>the Witne&s;|&s;es them<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">lves,</HI> when yet the Witne&s;&s;es are de&s;cribed as per&s;ons, as men, are de&s;cri<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed by men, men that have lived in former ages brought in to per&s;onate the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, are de&s;cribed by actions that have been done by men before, and which men on|ly are capable to do again; that notwith&s;tanding all this we &s;hould pronounce the Scriptures are the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es; for my part, I &s;peak it with &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion, I cannot under&s;tand. The Scriptures are the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es indeed, but &s;eem not with congruity to be the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es them&s;elves.</HI></P>
<P>But I &s;hall detain you no longer from the Text, in mention|ing any more opinions, &s;uffice it we have hitherto &s;een who are not the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es; but now examine the Text, and from thence we may be told who they are: In which the holy Gho&s;t comes &s;o quick, after their number, office, manner of perform|ing, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word"> touched upon in the ver&s;e before, that almo&s;t before a man could well ask but <HI>Who are the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> he is an&s;wer|ed in the&s;e words; <HI>The&s;e are the two Olive Trees, and the two Candl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ticks &s;tanding before the God of the earth.</HI></P>
<P>Which fir&s;t draught and de&s;cription of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, we finde almo&s;t word for word fetcht from the 4 Chapter of <HI>Zach.</HI> whitherto having recour&s;e, if we can learn what, and who are meant by the <HI>two Olive trees</HI> there, it will much ready us to know whom we are to under&s;tand by the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es</HI> here, they being by that &s;ame repre&s;entation &s;et forth to us.</P>
<P>In that Chapter therefore (for I mu&s;t &s;end you thither) th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">
<PB N="9" REF="6"> Prophet in a Vi&s;ion &s;eeing a Golden Candle&s;tick, with &s;even <NOTE PLACE="marg">Zach. 4. 2, 3, 4.</NOTE> Lamps, and &s;even Pipes; and on each &s;ide of the Candle&s;tick two Olive trees emptying golden Oyl into the Pipes; which not knowing what to make of, and enquiring of the Angel that talked with him, receives this in an&s;wer:</P>
<P>The <HI>Candle&s;tick</HI> thou &s;awe&s;t, with all its Lamps burning (be|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 6, 7, 9, 10.</NOTE> one of the chief Uten&s;iles about the Temple, and not to be brought thereinto, till the building thereof is fini&s;hed) <HI>betokens the building and perfecting of the Temple.</HI> The Candle&s;tick be|tokens the Church; and the Candle&s;tick furni&s;hed compleat with Lamps, the re&s;toring the Church and Wor&s;hips from tho&s;e maims and ruines which during the time of the Captivi|ty they had layn under.</P>
<P>The Prophet &s;atisfied in the my&s;tery of the Candle&s;tick, yet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 11, 12</NOTE> further enquires; and <HI>What ure the two Olive trees &s;tanding on</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 14.</NOTE> <HI>either &s;ide the Candle&s;tick?</HI> After this que&s;tion twice asked, the Angel gives an&s;wer in the la&s;t Ver&s;e, almo&s;t the words of my Text; <HI>The&s;e are the two anoynted Ones;</HI> or as the Originall, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"></NOTE> <HI>The&s;e are the two Sons of Oyl, &s;tanding before the Lord of the whole earth.</HI></P>
<P>But now if any after all this remaining un&s;atisfied, &s;hall yet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rabbi Da|vid, Kimchi. Rabbi Solo: Iarchi.</NOTE> further enquire who the&s;e anoynted Ones are: I an&s;wer, with con&s;ent of be&s;t Interpreters, They are <HI>Zerubbabel,</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> and with them the Elders and Prie&s;ts re&s;pectively; who becau&s;e they &s;pent them&s;elves and their endeavours in building the Temple, and were In&s;truments of light and encouragement, in the conduct of the great Church-Affairs, typed out by the Can|dle&s;tick, with much elegancy of re&s;emblance, are pre&s;ented as two Olive trees dropping golden Oyl into a golden Can|dle&s;tick.</P>
<P>So then the two Olive trees emptying golden Oyl into the Candle&s;tick, in <HI>Zachary,</HI> are two eminent ranks of men; <HI>Ze|rubbabel</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ezra 6. 14. Zach. 3. 8.</NOTE> and the Elders one; for the Elders joyned them&s;elves in the work with him, and <HI>Jo&s;hua,</HI> and the other Prie&s;ts, the other; which Prie&s;ts al&s;o were a&s;&s;i&s;ting to <HI>Jo&s;hua.</HI> In &s;hort, they are godly Magi&s;trates and Prie&s;ts who did be&s;tow them|&s;elves in building, re&s;toring, fini&s;hing the Temple, Church, Wor&s;hips, all having gone to wrack the while of the Babylon|i&s;h Captivity.</P>
<PB N="10" REF="7">
<P>Bring all this but home now, and by this account, the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es</HI> de&s;cribed, and typed out by <HI>two Olive trees,</HI> mu&s;t be <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Jo&s;hua;</HI> for their quality, they mu&s;t be godly <HI>Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters:</HI> and then becau&s;e <HI>Olive trees drop|ping Oyl into Candle&s;ticks,</HI> (which we &s;aw before betokened re&s;toring, building, caring for the Temple, Church-Wor&s;hips) the&s;e mu&s;t be&s;tow them&s;elves in caring for Church, Ordinan|ces, and Wor&s;hips al&s;o, which is their employment.</P>
<P>And truely what can we oppo&s;e? For if the two Olive trees dropping Oyl into the Candle&s;ticks, were in their fir&s;t u&s;e and intention peculiarly apted to denote Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, men of like quality as were <HI>Zerubb:</HI> and <HI>Je<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">hua;</HI> and then their employment in caring for Church, Wor&s;hips, and the like: The holy Gho&s;t transferring the &s;ame type from thence hither, whereby to de&s;cribe the&s;e <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es;</HI> who &s;ees not they mu&s;t needs be per&s;ons of like <HI>quality,</HI> godly Magi&s;trates and Mini|&s;ters, and of like <HI>employment;</HI> they mu&s;t be&s;tow them&s;elves in caring for Church, and Wor&s;hips al&s;o.</P>
<P>I do not deny there be &s;ome differences between the two types, both in the <HI>mention,</HI> as likewi&s;e in the <HI>meaning,</HI> yet not &s;uch as to overthrow the foundation of the re&s;emblance. For In&s;tance,</P>
<P N="1">1. There in <HI>Zachary</HI> you have <HI>no Temple built,</HI> and therefore they to begin the world anew, to begin to build almo&s;t from the Foundation: but here in the beginning of this 11 Chapter, you &s;inde a <HI>Temple compleat and entire;</HI> &s;o that the work of the&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 11 1</NOTE> is not &s;o much to build a Temple anew, as to pre&s;erve and keep that in mea&s;ure, and from Antichri&s;tian encroachments which they had, and to re-gain &s;o much of the <HI>outward Court</HI> as they could, which now Antichri&s;t, with the Antichri&s;tian <HI>Gentiles,</HI> had wholly in po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion. This the fir&s;t difference, they &s;eem to begin their Church-work from the beginning, the&s;e not &s;o much to begin, as to pre&s;erve and recover what was lo&s;t by the u&s;urpations of Antichri&s;t: here they have a Temple, onely the outward Court taken from them; there they have as yet no Temple at all.</P>
<P N="2">2 There you have but <HI>one Candle&s;tick,</HI> here <HI>two;</HI> which whether becau&s;e the Church about this time was to be divided into <HI>Ea&s;tern</HI> and <HI>We&s;tern,</HI> as &s;ome conceive; or el&s;e <HI>two,</HI> becau&s;e the Churches were about this time of the Witne&s;&s;es to be re|duced
<PB N="11" REF="7"> to the lea&s;t number, even to two, as others; or whether <HI>two Candle&s;ticks</HI> here, and but one there, becau&s;e the Jewi&s;h Church was but one, the Chri&s;tian Churches are many, as o|thers; or whether any other may be the rea&s;on, I not deter|mine. You have the differences: but that in the main they agree, take notice of the&s;e &s;everalls for the purpo&s;e:</P>
<P N="1">1. As there you have a <HI>Candle&s;tick,</HI> &s;ignifying a <HI>Church;</HI> &s;o here Candle&s;ticks, &s;ignifying <HI>Churches</HI> al&s;o; &s;o I would under|&s;tand them: In no wi&s;e conceiving the two Witne&s;&s;es to be the <HI>two Candle&s;ticks,</HI> as they are &s;aid to be the <HI>two Olive trees</HI> before; and therefore I had rather reade as they do; <HI>The&s;e are the two Olive trees, with,</HI> or <HI>by the two Candle&s;ticks,</HI> as is the manner of the <HI>Hebrews</HI> &s;ometime to render their copulative: for 'tis evi|dent <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>loco</HI> <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> 1 Sam. 14. 18. <HI>&amp; alibi.</HI></NOTE> from the fir&s;t Chapter of this <HI>Revel.</HI> and 20. That <HI>Candle|&s;ticks</HI> are <HI>Churches; The &s;even Golden Candle&s;ticks,</HI> &s;ayes the holy Gho&s;t, <HI>are &s;even Churches.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. As <HI>two Olive trees</HI> there, &s;hew two ranks of men, name|ly, godly Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, &s;o by the <HI>two Olive trees</HI> here, we under&s;tand men of the like condition, godly Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters al&s;o.</P>
<P N="3">3. As tho&s;e by <HI>dropping Oyl into a Candle&s;tick,</HI> are &s;o pre&s;ented re&s;toring the Jewi&s;h Church, &s;o the Witne&s;&s;es by <HI>dropping Oyl into</HI> the&s;e Candle&s;tick as In&s;truments of <HI>light and grace</HI> (both which <HI>Oyl</HI> in Scripture doth aptly &s;ignifie) do keep alive and lighted the Churches all the times of Antichri&s;t, and by this light re&s;tore, recover them, as al&s;o expell and win upon that darkne&s;&s;e, which had gained much upon the world before. <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Sam. 16. 22. P&s;al. 102. 26. Ier. 52. 12. compared with 2 Ki. 25 8.</NOTE></P>
<P N="4">4. As tho&s;e are &s;aid <HI>to &s;tand by the God of the earth,</HI> which whether it means their <HI>&s;table and firm</HI> abiding (for &s;o much the word not unfrequently &s;ignifieth) or whether by it be meant they <HI>mini&s;ter before the Lord</HI> (for &s;o al&s;o tis often u&s;ed) the&s;e likewi&s;e <HI>&s;tand before the God of the earth,</HI> the&s;e in dropping Oyl into the Candle&s;ticks, &s;pending them&s;elves in caring for Church and Wor&s;hips, they <HI>mini&s;ter before the God of the earth</HI> al&s;o. Thus you have the Agreement.</P>
<P>Draw up now the &s;um of all this Ver&s;e together; and 'tis in &s;hort this:</P>
<P>In that the holy Gho&s;t de&s;cribes the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es</HI> by <HI>two O|live trees dropping Oyl into the candle&s;ticks,</HI> a type formerly u&s;ed
<PB N="12" REF="8"> to &s;ignifie Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters be&s;towing them&s;elves in caring f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r Temple, Church, Wor&s;hips then decayed, it is as much as if he &s;hould tell us; <HI>The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are godly Magi|&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, who during the times of Antichri&s;t, &s;hall be&s;tow them&s;elves in maintaining what of Church and Wor&s;hips th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y have; reforming, repairing, re&s;toring as there is need, and re|gaining what hath been lo&s;t by Antichri&s;tian en<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">roachm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nts.</HI></P>
<P>And that all this hath come to pa&s;&s;e accordingly; That there have been &s;uch per&s;ons, and they done all that we now mention, how obviou&s;ly were we acquainted with the Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall Hi|&s;to<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y would it appea? how cleerly &s;hould we &s;ee, not only the common &s;ort of people, &s;uch as tho&s;e <HI>poor men of Lyons,</HI> but Mini&s;ters, yea Nobles, yea Princes and Emperours have been of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es; who not only have dropt <HI>Oyl into the candle|&s;ticks,</HI> but even their <HI>blood</HI> al&s;o, in pre&s;erving them pure, and en|deavouring to reform them from Antichri&s;tian impiety.</P>
<P>So you have the meaning of the words: the Ob&s;ervations now follow:</P>
<P N="1">1. In that the Witne&s;&s;es are typed out, and de&s;cribed by per|&s;ons of quality, for &s;uch <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> were; how likely is it, the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es mu&s;t be per&s;ons of quality, as they were: And if they were Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, by whom they are &s;et forth and pre&s;ented, how warranta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ly may we pro|nounce the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters al&s;o. I do not deny but even the meane&s;t, te&s;tifying again&s;t Antichri&s;t, is in a &s;ort a Witne&s;&s;e: but to be a Witne&s;&s;e by way of eminence, to be &s;uch by office (as I may &s;ay) and &s;o authoritatively to bear witne&s;&s;e, this &s;eems re&s;trained onely to men of quality: and when the event an&s;wers accordingly (as was in part hinted be|fore) me thinks there needs no further que&s;tion in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: when Hi&s;tories will tell us, be&s;ides a &s;ucce&s;&s;ion of godly per|&s;ons in the Mini&s;try, there were al&s;o in the Magi&s;tracy, even in the highe&s;t places thereof, that did oppo&s;e them&s;elves again&s;t the Idolatry and Tyranny of Antichri&s;t (&s;uch as were <HI>Picus Mirandula, John Frederick</HI> Duke of <HI>Saxony,</HI> the <HI>Lantgrave, Erne&s;tus Brun&s;wick</HI> his &s;on: Emperors al&s;o, <HI>Henric.</HI> 4. <HI>Henric.</HI> 5. <HI>L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">wis.</HI> 4. with others; be&s;ides &s;ome of the Princes of this and other Kingdoms) And &s;o it appears they have been Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters in deed, and in event, even ju&s;t &s;uch as were the
<PB N="13" REF="8"> types before, by which they are &s;hewed forth: Judge whether from all we may not &s;afely pronounce; The Magi&s;trates and Mi|ni&s;ters oppo&s;ing Antichri&s;t, are the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Are Candl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ticks Churches? this learns us whence alone (as from the ordinary means) Spirituall and &s;aving light is to be expected; 'tis from the Churches, from the <HI>candl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ticks:</HI> and &s;ure repair we to any other Societies of men what&s;oever, and &s;o far as they have nothing common with the&s;e, &s;o farre there is no &s;aving <HI>light at all in</HI> them: Here onely 'tis that the Scrip|tures appear as a flaming Beacon upon a hill, by which the Mi|ni&s;ters, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 5. 15.</NOTE> as &s;o many <HI>candles,</HI> being lighted, and &s;et <HI>up in the candle|&s;tick, give light to all them that are in the hou&s;e;</HI> all that is with|out this Verge being nothing el&s;e but pitchy darkne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And if &s;o, what a &s;ad thing to be without a <HI>candle&s;tick;</HI> or as <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev 2. 5.</NOTE> Chri&s;t once threatned <HI>Ephe&s;us,</HI> to have the <HI>candle&s;tick taken away.</HI> How &s;ad was the condition of the <HI>Egyptians,</HI> when in regard <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exo 10. 23</NOTE> of that plague of darkne&s;&s;e then upon them, no man did <HI>ri&s;e from his place for the &s;pace of three dayes?</HI> How much more &s;ad in Spirituall regards is their e&s;tate, who are without a Candle|&s;tick, and &s;o in Spirituall darkne&s;&s;e, <HI>knowing not whither they go?</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 2. 11. Mat. 8. 12.</NOTE> Nay, Is not this that <HI>utter darkne&s;&s;e</HI> the Jews are threatned withall, whereby &s;eems meant, if well con&s;idered, as well their unchurch'd condition in this life, as their &s;tate of condemnati|on in the life to come when: the Kingdom of heaven, the Can|dle&s;tick, was taken away; from that time they have been ca&s;t forth into <HI>utter darkde&s;&s;e.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Are there <HI>two candle&s;ticks</HI> in all this time? then &s;ure that can|not but be too hard a cen&s;ure, that cries down all as Antichri&s;ti|an Churches, Antichri&s;tian Mini&s;ters, all this time; 'tis true, the Churches are now reduced to the &s;malle&s;t number, yet is there a number however, two Churches, two Candle&s;ticks at lea&s;t in all the time of the prevailings of Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P N="4">4. Are the Witne&s;&s;es <HI>Olive trees, dropping Oyl into the candle|&s;ticks?</HI> this tells you whereabout the proper work of the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es lies; 'tis about the Candle&s;ticks, 'tis Church-work theirs, their care, their bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, is to have an eye to the Candle&s;ticks: And if &s;o, however then they look after Liberties, Properties, Safety, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> yet their main care mu&s;t be Church-work, pre&s;erv|ing, reforming, re&s;toring in Church matters, matters of Wor|&s;hip,
<PB N="14" REF="9"> this &s;hould be the chief care and endeavour of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es; which doth not a little reflect upon us in this King|dom, who have &s;pent much time, much pains, in &s;ecuring Li|berties, Properties, and providing for our &s;afety; but <HI>little Oyl</HI> all this while <HI>dropt into the Candle&s;ticks,</HI> little proportionably be&s;towed in Church-work; which po&s;&s;ibly is not the lea&s;t rea|&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n, Why after all this time, we are &s;o far to &s;eek; neither the work of Reformation, nor our own Safety to this day being advanced to any de&s;ired perfection.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 5. </BIBL><HI>And if any man will hurt them, &s;ire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: And if any man will hurt them, he mu&s;t in this manner be killed.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>HAving pre&s;ented &s;ome few lines to ward a perfect draught of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, and in them di&s;covered what they are to the Church, namely, <HI>as Oyl unto the Candle&s;tick;</HI> in our further de&s;cription of them, we come now to &s;hew what they are to tho&s;e that do oppo&s;e them (for they meet with oppo&s;ers) and how well appointed they are to give them as hot as they bring, that &s;hall dare to attempt any wrong or violence upon them. This you have di&s;covered in the&s;e words; <HI>And if any man will hurt them, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In which, who &s;o dim &s;ighted, as not to perceive <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> as with the finger pointed at? both which, when enemies have ri&s;en up again&s;t them, have had the wrong by &s;ire avenged upon tho&s;e enemies. So you reade of <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> in the 16 of <HI>Numb.</HI> when <HI>Korah,</HI> and with him two hundred and fifty chief men of the Congregation, make there a tumult again&s;t him: at the 35 ver&s;e of that Chapter, <HI>Fire proceedeth from the Lord, and de|&s;troyes tho&s;e two hundred and fifty.</HI> Of <HI>Elias</HI> al&s;o, you have it &s;toried in the 2 of <HI>Kinos</HI> and 1. When that Idolatrous <HI>Ahaziah</HI> &s;ends two Captains, with fifty men apiece, one after the other, to lay hold upon the Prophet; upon his word, <HI>fire comes down</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver. 11, 12.</NOTE> <HI>from heaven, and de&s;troyes both the Captains, and both their fifties.</HI></P>
<P>Both the&s;e you have here a reference to, and this not onely be|cau&s;e of the &s;ame thing done, but (which is my apprehen&s;ion, which al&s;o I touched upon before) becau&s;e there is a re&s;emb|lance
<PB N="15" REF="9"> intended betwixt the doers al&s;o. I &s;aid before, the two Olive trees did not onely &s;ignifie the like common work happening to <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua,</HI> and to the Witne&s;&s;es, but &s;eemed to hold forth a likene&s;&s;e or &s;amene&s;&s;e in the quality of the per&s;ons al&s;o. So likewi&s;e, when in a further de&s;cription of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es; we have them rendered &s;uch, Out of who&s;e mouthes &s;ire procceding, de&s;troyes their enemies (a plain allu&s;i|on to <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias)</HI> I &s;hould conceive, 'tis not only to &s;hew the &s;ame thing done by all of them, and no more, but to tell us the per&s;ons in re&s;emblance are another <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P>And to make this yet &s;eem more likely, ob&s;erve we how ju&s;t their work falls alike to all of them. Doth <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> lead <HI>I&s;rael</HI> out of <HI>Egypt?</HI> and do not the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es lead the Chri&s;tian <HI>I&s;rael</HI> out of the <HI>Romi&s;h Egypt,</HI> of which no que&s;tion <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> his former leading was a type? And doth <HI>Elias</HI> &s;tand zealous for God, in that grand <HI>Apo&s;ta&s;ie</HI> of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> no doubt a type of this grand Apo&s;ta&s;ie of Antichri&s;t; and are not the Witne&s;&s;es cloath|ed with the <HI>zealous Spirit</HI> of <HI>Elias;</HI> nay, is it not <HI>doubled</HI> upon <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Kin. 2. 9.</NOTE> them, who dare contend with the Antichri&s;tian Apo&s;tates, even then when their Idolatries have &s;o over overwhelmed the world, that they onely are left oppo&s;ing?</P>
<P>And if this &s;o, and there's no <HI>new thing in all this,</HI> the &s;ame Scene come about again; what &s;trange thing to &s;ee the &s;ame actors? and if now in the la&s;t act of the world there is a bringing out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> &s;uch as was before; a contending with Apo&s;tates, as there was before; how every way elegant to make <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> the actors here al&s;o.</P>
<P>Having thus found out the Witne&s;&s;es to be <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> now, as we &s;aw them <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> (men of like qua|lity and employment) before, le&s;t we mi&s;take the &s;peciall thing that's here mentioned done by them; we now proceed to a particular examination of it, <HI>If any man will harm them, fire proceeds, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Which words we mu&s;t in no wi&s;e under&s;tand in the letter. To think the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es &s;hould indeed breath forih fire, and &s;o de&s;troy their enemies; what weakne&s;&s;e, or el&s;e perver&s;ene&s;&s;e at be&s;t, would any &s;uch thought argue? And if not in the letter, then mu&s;t we borrow the word <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> hither, which we finde expre&s;ly adjoyned to <HI>Sodom</HI> and <HI>Egypt</HI> at the 8 Ver&s;e of
<PB N="16" REF="10"> th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s Chapter; and then we are to enquire what my&s;ticall <HI>fire</HI> the Scripture mentions, and &s;o what &s;piritually or my&s;tically the phra&s;e imports of <HI>fire proceeding out of their mouthes and de|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ouring their enemies.</HI></P>
<P>To an&s;wer this in &s;hort: The Word of God in Scripture is &s;everall times compar'd to <HI>fire, Jer.</HI> 20 9. <HI>Jer.</HI> 23. 29. <HI>Is not my Word like as a fire, &s;aith the Lord?</HI> But e&s;pecially ca&s;t your eye upon the 5 of <HI>Jer.</HI> 14. where you finde the Lord thus be&s;peak|ing the Prophet: <HI>And I will make my Word in thy meuth fire, and this people as wood, and it &s;hall devour them.</HI></P>
<P>A place &s;o parallel, &s;o plain an interpretation of what we have in hand, that to me it &s;eems altogether needle&s;&s;e to enquire any further meaning. Ob&s;erve it, there you have the Lord threatning that People by the Prophet, but his word is &s;lighted, and the Prophet that delivers the me&s;&s;age mi&s;u&s;ed; for this cau&s;e, <HI>the Lords Word in the Prophets mouth &s;hall be fire, and that People wood, and it &s;hall devour them.</HI> So here, you have the Witne&s;&s;es te&s;tifying again&s;t Antichri&s;t, for his great impieties; this te&s;timony of theirs is &s;lighted, them&s;elves oppo&s;ed and mi&s;u&s;ed; to avenge which indignitie, fire comes out of their mouthes, takes hold of their oppo&s;ers, they threaten Judge|ments, God accordingly executes them; thus <HI>fire proceeds out of their mouth, and devours their enemies.</HI> All this but confirming that of the Apo&s;tle; The Go&s;pel, and its Mini&s;ters, <HI>have in rea|dine&s;&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Cor. 10. 6.</NOTE> <HI>to avenge every di&s;obedience.</HI></P>
<P>Nor let any man &s;tumble at the expre&s;&s;ion, <HI>They &s;aid to d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;troy their enemies, who y<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t do but onely denounce de&s;truction:</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">or 'tis an ea&s;ie thing to &s;hew, That what Gods Mini&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs denounce in his Name, that they them&s;elves are &s;aid to do.</P>
<P><HI>Ezekiel</HI> in denouncing Judgement again&s;t the City, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 43. 3. is there &s;aid to <HI>destroy the City.</HI> So when the Witne&s;&s;es, in the Lords Name, and by his direction, denounce de&s;truction to their enemies, they likewi&s;e are then &s;aid to de&s;troy their enemies.</P>
<P>If now unto the former of <HI>denouncing Judgements,</HI> you adde al&s;o their <HI>praying Judgements</HI> upon incorrigible enemies (which &s;eems not unlikely to be meant here al&s;o) you have then the &s;en&s;e thus much:</P>
<P><HI>Then when the Witne&s;&s;es pray Judgements,, and denounce Judg<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|ments</HI>
<PB N="17" REF="10"> <HI>upon their enemies, then does fire proceed out of their mouth, and d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;troyes their enemies.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas you have it repeated, <HI>[And if any mon will hurt them]</HI> and again <HI>[If any man will hurt them]</HI> repetition betoken|ing certainty (&s;o <HI>Jo&s;eph</HI> interprets the doubling of the Vi&s;ion <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 41. 32</NOTE> &s;hewn to <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> to note the certainty thereof) it is as much, as if in other words the holy Gho&s;t had &s;aid, <HI>If any man &s;hall pre|&s;ume to hurt the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, that man certainly &s;hall be de&s;troy'd.</HI></P>
<P>The meaning given thus piece-meal, put all together, and the re&s;ult is this: <HI>The&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es, formerly</HI> Zerubbabel and <HI>Je|&s;huah, now becau&s;e of like &s;pirit, and employment, but expre&s;ly be|cau&s;e in like manner protected from enemies, are</HI> Mo&s;es <HI>and</HI> Elias, <HI>whom if any man &s;hall attempt to harm, by denouncing and praying Judgements, they procure certain de&s;truction upon them.</HI></P>
<P>And now having opened the words, before I proceed to draw out any Ob&s;ervations, give me leave to &s;atisfie for what I took on tru&s;t before; of which, till now, I could make no ready payment.</P>
<P>I formerly gave this one rea&s;on why the Witne&s;&s;es are &s;aid to be <HI>two, viz.</HI> Becau&s;e they are de&s;cribed by <HI>pairs,</HI> but then &s;hew|ed no &s;uch thing. Now you have &s;een two <HI>pair</HI> already, <HI>Ze|rubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;huah,</HI> one; <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> another; and there is one other <HI>pair</HI> behinde, not yet come into mention.</P>
<P>I &s;aid before, The Scriptures, the two Te&s;taments, were the <HI>Te&s;timony</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, but denyed them to be the <HI>Witne&s;|&s;es them&s;elves,</HI> becau&s;e they are de&s;cribed <HI>as men, and by men,</HI> but then gave proof of neither; but now I hope 'tis evident they are de&s;cribed as men, and men of former times, &s;uch as <HI>Zerub|babel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua,</HI> brought in to per&s;onate the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es which, together with that which follows, gives abundant, and every was &s;atisfying evidence in this matter.</P>
<P>The Ob&s;ervations now follow:</P>
<P N="1">1. Does <HI>fire proceed out of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e Witne&s;&s;es mouthes, de&s;troying their enemies?</HI> then mu&s;t none think to harm the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es <HI>impune:</HI> they mu&s;t not hope to carry it &s;cot-free, be they who they will be, that &s;hall pre&s;ume to offer violence to th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es, either by <HI>praying,</HI> or <HI>d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nouncing</HI> Judgements, they do procure de&s;truction and ruine upon their enemies.</P>
<P N="2">2. Are the Judgements of God denounced <HI>[fire?]</HI> Then wonder
<PB N="18" REF="11"> not that waxie hearts are melted by them, as was the heart of <HI>Jo&s;iah;</HI> and on the contrary, the clayie hearts of others more <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Chro. 34 29.</NOTE> hardned, and their chaffie hearts burnt up and devoured by them; marvell not at all, it is &s;o, the Judgements of God de|nounced, they are <HI>fire.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. In that it is repeated, <HI>If any man will harm the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> mu&s;t be de&s;troyed;</HI> take notice of the certain vengeance that doth a wait the per&s;ecutors of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es: Let them flatter them&s;elves in their pre&s;ent impunity as they li&s;t, and becau&s;e <HI>&s;entence is not &s;peedily executed upon them</HI> for their violence done <NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccle&s;. 8. 11.</NOTE> unto the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, therefore plea&s;e them&s;elves in pur&s;uing of them &s;till; yet withall remember a certain and inevitable de|&s;truction will at la&s;t &s;eize upon them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 6. </BIBL><HI>The&s;e have power to &s;hut heaven, that it rain not in the dayes of their prophecie: and have power over waters, to turn them into bloud; and to &s;mite the earth with all plagues as often as they will.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>NOw forward with our de&s;cription, in which having al|ready &s;een how well able the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are to repay the wrongs done to their own particular, wherein al&s;o we have received further light concerning their per&s;ons; proceed we now on, and we &s;hall further under&s;tand in what manner they are furni&s;hed to avenge the Churches wrongs, almo&s;t deprived of beeing, if not wholly of appearance, through the &s;preading and prevalence of the Antichri&s;tian Apo&s;tacie.</P>
<P>This you have laid down in the&s;e words, <HI>The&s;e have power to &s;hut heaven, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In which you may ob&s;erve a <HI>threefold power</HI> wherewith the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are inve&s;ted:</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. A power <HI>to &s;hut heaven that it rain not.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. A power <HI>to turn waters into bloud.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. A power <HI>to &s;mite the earth with all plagues as often as they will.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Before you heard they <HI>pur&s;ue their enemies with fire,</HI> here they <HI>&s;hut heaven</HI> again&s;t them, <HI>turn their waters into bloud, and &s;mite their earth with all plagues as often as they will.</HI> What a mi&s;era|ble plight are the enemies of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es in, who have the <HI>fire</HI> armed again&s;t them before, and now the benefits of <HI>heaven, earth, water,</HI> all taken from them?</P>
<PB N="19" REF="11">
<P>But let us take them in order; fir&s;t, <HI>The&s;e have power to &s;hut heaven, that it rain not in the dayes of their prophecie:</HI> In which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jam. 5. 17.</NOTE> who &s;ees not the forementioned <HI>Elias</HI> a new pointed at, of whom it is recorded, that praying he <HI>&s;hut up heaven that it rained not,</HI> (the &s;ame <HI>thing</HI> here mentioned) and <HI>this for three yeers and a half;</HI> the ju&s;t <HI>terme</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es prophe&s;ie in &s;ackcloth.</P>
<P>But that we mi&s;take not by under&s;tanding all this in the let|ter, I mean either the <HI>thing</HI> it &s;elf, or the <HI>time,</HI> we mu&s;t again borrow the the word <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, enquiring out a my&s;ticall under&s;tanding of them both.</P>
<P>For the <HI>time</HI> I have touched upon it before, and hereafter may have occa&s;ion further to &s;hew 'tis to be reckoned according to the propheticall account, every day in this three yeers and a half, being put for a yeer, as is the manner of prophe&s;ies &s;ome|time to reckon, and then for their <HI>&s;hutting up heaven that it rain not;</HI> we &s;hall now trie to finde out &s;ome my&s;ticall meaning of it.</P>
<P>For this purpo&s;e therefore, in that <HI>Matt.</HI> 16. 19. you have men|tion of <HI>Keyes &s;hutting heaven: heaven is then &s;hut,</HI> according to the minde of that place, when &s;uch as live in ignorance, pro|phanene&s;&s;e, idolatry, or any the like gro&s;&s;e wickedne&s;&s;e, are by the Mini&s;tery of the Word, declared a people to who no com|fort, no forgivene&s;&s;e, no heaven doth belong.</P>
<P>However I doubt not but the &s;ame thing is meant in both places, yet in regard it is there, <HI>heaven &s;hut that people cannot enter,</HI> here <HI>heaven &s;hut that it do not rain,</HI> and &s;o, though in &s;ub|&s;tance they come both to one, yet the allu&s;ion &s;eems not &s;o clear; we &s;hall therefore trie further.</P>
<P>The glad tydings of the Go&s;pell are &s;everall times in Scrip|ture compared to <HI>rain,</HI> (this me thinks will nick the allu&s;ion:) I &s;ay again, the tydings of forgivene&s;&s;e, mercie, &amp;c. are often|times in Scripture compared to <HI>rain;</HI> &s;o <HI>Deut.</HI> 32. 2. <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 45. 8, &amp;c. and &s;ure could we &s;tay to &s;hew it, we &s;hould finde the re|&s;emblance patt, and every way an&s;weing. Doth rain refre&s;h the weary and thir&s;ty earth? doth it &s;often? doth it make frutfull? and do not the glad tydings of the Go&s;pell, the tydings of peace, forgivene&s;&s;e, refre&s;h, &s;often, make fruitfull al&s;o?</P>
<P>This &s;o, &s;hall we &s;ay accordingly, then do the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es <HI>&s;hut</HI>
<PB N="20" REF="12"> <HI>heaven that it rain not,</HI> when they with hold all tydings of for|givene&s;&s;e, mercy, peace, from the Antichri&s;tian Gentiles, while they continue &s;uch, (the Church the mean while being refre&s;hed with the&s;e &s;howers every day) and further declare, as that third Angell does, <HI>Chap.</HI> 14. ver&s;. 9, 10, 11. (who no doubt is of the&s;e witne&s;&s;es) that &s;uch as tho&s;e who <HI>wor&s;hip the Bea&s;t, and receive his marke, &s;hall drink of the wrath of God;</HI> no mercy, no forgive|ne&s;&s;e at all appertains to them And thus the former <HI>&s;hutting heaven</HI> in <HI>Matth.</HI> and the withholding of the rain of heaven here, do now appear to be the &s;ame; of which the &s;umme in &s;hort is this much.</P>
<P><HI>As</HI> Elias <HI>&s;hut heaven that it rained not upon tho&s;e apo&s;tate I&s;|raelites whil<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> they clave to Baal, which plainly is h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">re alluded to; &s;o while the&s;e Antichri&s;tian Gentiles continue &s;uch, the&s;e two Witne&s;|&s;es hold back all tydings of mercy and forgivene&s;&s;e, (that ble&s;&s;ed rain &s;o chearing and refre&s;hing weary &s;ouls) declaring them while in that condition, a people to whom no forgivene&s;&s;e, no heaven, but rather wrath, hell, and everla&s;ting vengeance appertains.</HI></P>
<P>We have &s;een the Witne&s;&s;es <HI>power to &s;hut heaven that it rain not,</HI> laid open; <HI>their turning waters into bloud, and &s;miting the earth with all plagues, as often as the will,</HI> next follows; which in regard they both concern the &s;ame thing, as may appear by and by; in the handling of them therefore we &s;hall joyn both together.</P>
<P>And here me thinks we meet with &s;ome thing like the <HI>vials,</HI> tho&s;e <HI>&s;even vials</HI> (I mean) emptying out upon Antichri&s;t the &s;e|ven <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 15. 1.</NOTE> la&s;t plagues of the wrath of God. And becau&s;e this &s;eems not unlikely, and the cleering of this will help us to under&s;tand the words; as al&s;o not a little cond<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ce to &s;atisfie in that great que&s;tion, <HI>Whether the time of the&s;e witne&s;&s;es be pa&s;t, yea or no,</HI> (as we &s;hall &s;ee hereafter:) our &s;atisfaction in which is the great de&s;igne we drive in all this undertaking: we &s;hall therefore fir&s;t enquire, whether at all we have any thing here relating to the vials, yea, or no; and when this is done, then proceed to take a view of the words more particularly.</P>
<P>The grounds per&s;wading to beleeve the Vials are here meant, are &s;uch as the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. Tho&s;e plagues of the Vials, and the&s;e here, do fall together into the &s;ame time, the &s;pace of the &s;ixth Trumpet receives both
<PB N="21" REF="12"> of them. The Vials (&s;o many wa&s;tes and graduall de&s;tructions of the bea&s;t) mu&s;t needs be pouring forth the time of the &s;ixth Trumpet: for at the beginning of the &s;eventh, with which the la&s;t Vials falls in, the <HI>bea&s;t his time is no more:</HI> [the bea&s;t, Anti|chri&s;t] is then de&s;troyed by an utter &amp; irrecoverable de&s;truction. The tenth Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, and &s;ixth ver&s;e, compared with the &s;ixteenth Chapter, 17, and 19 Ver&s;es, cleers this &s;ame to any, that &s;hall with care and ob&s;ervation examine them.</P>
<P>And that the plagues here mentioned bear the &s;ame date, fall in with the time of the &s;ixth Trumpet al&s;o, hence appears; for the&s;e plagues being chiefly drawn forth by the&s;e witne&s;&s;es to|ward the end of their Prophe&s;ie, and that ending with the <HI>&s;ixth Trumpet</HI> [the <HI>&s;econd Wo]</HI> as is plain from the 13 and 14 ver&s;. of this Chapter; who &s;ees not that the&s;e fall in with the <HI>time of the &s;ixth Trumpet</HI> al&s;o? And &s;o becau&s;e tho&s;e plagues, and the&s;e here, are both wrapt up in the <HI>&s;ixth Trumpet,</HI> and &s;o fall into the &s;ame time, this is one inducement per&s;wading they are the &s;ame plagues al&s;o.</P>
<P N="2">2. Tho&s;e who pour forth the Vialls, and the Witne&s;&s;es who inflict the plagues here mentioned, &s;eem all the <HI>&s;ame per&s;ons.</HI> The <HI>Angels</HI> who pour out the <HI>Vialls</HI> de&s;cribed <HI>coming forth of the Temple, clothed with pure and white linnen, and their bre&s;ts</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 15. 6.</NOTE> <HI>girded with golden girdles,</HI> who are they but godly ones, whether Magi&s;trates or Mini&s;ters; who appertaining to, or coming forth of Reformed Churches, do <HI>pour forth the Vialls.</HI> And are not the Witne&s;&s;es who execute the&s;e plagues godly Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters, who pertrining to the Temple mentioned at the fir&s;t Ver&s;e of this Chapter; that is, The Churches reformed, come forth thence, and inflict the&s;e plagues upon the Antichri|&s;tian Gentiles? And indeed how can we imagine that any &s;hould come forth of Reformed Churches, and pour out a Viall a plague, upon the Antichri&s;tian party, and not be of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es? when &s;uch is the nature of the plagues con|tained in the Vialls, as we may &s;ee by and by, that in nothing can any more openly and effectually witne&s;&s;e again&s;t Antichri&s;t, and the Antichri&s;tian brood, then by pouring out any of the&s;e Vialls upon them. They are the &s;ame per&s;ons then, the godly Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters of Reformed Churches, that pour forth the Vials, and that execute the plagues the Text here menti|ons.</P>
<PB N="22" REF="13">
<P N="3">3. As they fall out at the &s;ame time, are inflicted by the &s;ame hands, &s;o upon enquire you will finde them the &s;ame plagues al&s;o. To cleer this &s;ame: Have you <HI>here [a turning waters into blood?]</HI> upon the pouring out of the &s;econd and third Vials you have the <HI>waters then turned to blood al&s;o.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 16. 3, 4.</NOTE></P>
<P>Do you reade here <HI>[of plaguing the earth, with all plagues]</HI> mark it [plaguing the <HI>earth]</HI> what can hereby be meant, but the other Vialls? all whereof at the fir&s;t ver&s;e of the 16 Chapter, are to <HI>be poured upon the earth, the Ang<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ls there are commanded to pour all their Vialls upon the earth al&s;o?</HI> Adde this now to the for|mer; The&s;e plagues are inflicted at the &s;ame <HI>time,</HI> by the &s;ame <HI>hands,</HI> yea, are the very &s;ame <HI>plagues;</HI> and now who &s;ees not the Vialls are here pointed at (which was the thing in que&s;tion) and when the holy Gho&s;t tellsus&punc; The W<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ite&s;&s;e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>turn waters in|to blood, &s;mite the earth with all plagues</HI> (as in the Text) who &s;ees not 'tis as much as if in other words we had been told, <HI>The&s;e witne&s;&s;es are they who pour forth the Vialls?</HI></P>
<P>I mu&s;t not di&s;&s;emble what di&s;&s;ent I finde in this matter, &s;ome conceiving, the&s;e plagues here mentioned, do rather relate to &s;ome of the foremo&s;t Trumpets, which &s;ounding, you finde the <HI>like plaguing the earth, and turning of waters into blood,</HI> even <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 8. Ver&s;. 7. 8.</NOTE> &s;uch like plagues as you have here mentioned.</P>
<P>With &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion I cannot conceive tho&s;e plagues to be the &s;ame with tho&s;e of the fir&s;t and &s;econd Trumpet, for the&s;e Rea&s;ons:</P>
<P N="1">1. Not to mention tho&s;e, which prove the&s;e the &s;ame with the Vialls, fir&s;t, becau&s;e the&s;e fall within the time of the <HI>&s;ixth Trum|pet,</HI> as (we &s;hewed before) and therefore cannot be the plagues of the <HI>fir&s;t and &s;econd Trumpet;</HI> the con&s;equence is cleer, be|cau&s;e the plagues comprized in the time of the <HI>&s;ixth Trumpet,</HI> mu&s;t needs be a long &s;pace after the plagues comprized in the time of the <HI>fir&s;t and &s;econd Trumpet;</HI> the <HI>&s;ixth Trumpet</HI> being a good &s;pace after the <HI>fir&s;t and &s;ecnod Trumpet.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Tho&s;e plagues of the former Trumpets, and the&s;e of the Witne&s;&s;es, fall not upon the &s;ame <HI>&s;ubject:</HI> tho&s;e of the former Trumpets, as is evident to any ob&s;ervant Reader, falling upon <HI>Rome Chri&s;tian;</HI> the&s;e of the Witne&s;&s;es falling upon <HI>Rome Anti|christian:</HI> to cleer this latter (the former being without que&s;ti|on) And is it not &s;o, when becau&s;e of the&s;e plagues, you have <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 7.</NOTE>
<PB N="23" REF="13"> Antichri&s;t in the very next words, <HI>waging War witt the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es, and &s;laying them?</HI> Is it not plain the&s;e plagues fall upon <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 20.</NOTE> the Antichri&s;tian Party, when they are brought in at the tenth Ver&s;e, <HI>rejoycing</HI> for their &s;laughter, and this expre&s;ly the rea&s;on, Becau&s;e they were now got &s;hut of tho&s;e, who while they lived, <HI>tormented them with all the&s;e plagues?</HI> The &s;ubject then of the&s;e is <HI>Rome Aniichristian; of the other, Rome Christian;</HI> and if &s;o, they neither fall within the <HI>&s;ame time,</HI> nor upon <HI>the &s;ame &s;ubject,</HI> 'tis evident they cannot be the <HI>&s;ame plagues</HI> (the thing contend|ed for) and if the&s;e be not the &s;ame, there being none other in all this Prophe&s;ie that do re&s;emble them, &s;ave onely the Vialls, it remains an un&s;haken truth, the <HI>plagues</HI> here mentioned are no other then the <HI>Vialls.</HI></P>
<P>This much gained, we now proceed particularly to examine the words; <HI>The&s;e have power over waters, to turn them into blood, &amp;c.</HI> In which who beholds not another <HI>pair,</HI> even <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aa|ron,</HI> now coming forth to per&s;onate the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es: of whom we reade in &s;acred Story. That bringing <HI>I&s;rael</HI> out of <HI>Egypt,</HI> they <HI>turned the Egyptian waters into blood, plagued the earth, &amp;c.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 7. Exod. 8.</NOTE> the very &s;ame you have here done by the hands of the&s;e Witne&s;|&s;es. And now you have the <HI>last pair,</HI> where by the&s;e Witne&s;|&s;es are de&s;cribed: Formerly they were <HI>Zerubqabell</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua,</HI> after that <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias,</HI> now in the clo&s;e of this repre&s;enta|tion they are <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron:</HI> There now wants nothing to make the de&s;cription of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es compleat, but that we &s;ee what 'tis the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es do, that makes them appear another <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron;</HI> which done, we have then at once a full de|&s;cription and view of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>To this therefore I ha&s;ten, in entrance where upon, let me warn you as I did before, you are not to under&s;tand this &s;ame in the letter, namely, That indeed, and in the letter, the Witne&s;&s;es &s;hould turn <HI>waters into blood;</HI> but as we under&s;tood their <HI>de|&s;troying their enemies with fire,</HI> their &s;hutting <HI>heaven that it rain not,</HI> my&s;tically before, &s;o mu&s;t we under&s;tand their <HI>turning wa|ters into blood</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e I have already &s;hewn the&s;e plagues are no other then tho&s;e of the <HI>Vials,</HI> the better to compa&s;&s;e the meaning, it will not be ami&s;&s;e for us to turn over to the 16 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, where the Vialls are by the holy Gho&s;t profe&s;&s;edly
<PB N="24" REF="14"> mentioned, where if we finde what's meant by <HI>[turning waters into blood,</HI> and <HI>&s;miting the earth with plagues</HI> there] we &s;hal cleer|ly &s;ee what to under&s;tand by them here al&s;o, they being all one, onely here but glanced at, there by the holy Gho&s;t profe&s;&s;edly and at large di&s;covered.</P>
<P>In that 16 Chapter therefore (for I turn over thither) we finde that upon the pouring forth of the &s;econd and third Vials, <HI>the waters are turned into blood,</HI> hoth the&s;e I conceive are here pointed at. For the holy Gho&s;t, &s;eeming in this place to give a touch upon the Vials, &s;umming them up briefly under two Heads, <HI>viz.</HI> either plagues on the <HI>waters,</HI> or plagues on the <HI>eatrh,</HI> and &s;o to be apprehended, thru&s;ting as many as would fall under an head together, there being <HI>two Vials</HI> that will come under this head of <HI>[turning waters into blood]</HI> who doth not rea|dily conceive <HI>both the&s;e Vials</HI> mu&s;t hereby be hereby &s;ignified? So that it will be needfull we enquire the meaning of them both.</P>
<P>To begin therefore with the &s;econd Vial, the fir&s;t of tho&s;e that turn waters into blood, which in that 3 Ver&s;e of the 16 Chapter we finde is poured out upon the <HI>Sea,</HI> and the effect, <HI>it become as the blood of a d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ad man.</HI> This Vial (&s;ay &s;ome of our be&s;t <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 16. 3.</NOTE> Interpreters, whom I mu&s;t tru&s;t at pre&s;ent, it requiring no &s;mall time profe&s;&s;edly and to purpo&s;e to &s;peak to the&s;e Vials) was then poured forth, when all the <HI>Popi&s;h Doctrines</HI> being ga|thered into one by the <HI>Councell of Trent,</HI> afterward by <HI>Bellar|mine,</HI> and others: the godly Mini&s;ters of the Reformed Churches, by their writings, di&s;covered all that <HI>Sea</HI> of of <HI>Popi&s;h Doctrine</HI> to be but as the <HI>blood of a dead man,</HI> no <HI>living blood of Je&s;us Chri&s;t</HI> di&s;coverable in it all; and tho&s;e that live no other life then what they draw from tho&s;e corrupt Doctrines, to be in a dead, damnable, and undone condition.</P>
<P>This the &s;econd Vial.</P>
<P>The third is poured forth upon the <HI>rivers,</HI> and <HI>fountains</HI> at the 4 Ver&s;e, and the effect is, <HI>the&s;e become blood al&s;o.</HI></P>
<P>And then was this Vial poured forth (&s;ay Interpreters, whom I again refer to) when in the times of <HI>Queen Eliza|beth</HI> this State made a Law again&s;t <HI>Prie&s;ts</HI> and <HI>Je&s;uites,</HI> enacting it Trea&s;on for any to &s;educe this People to the Romi&s;h Religi|on; upon which &s;everall of them, as <HI>Campian, Ducket, Sherwin,</HI>
<PB N="25" REF="14"> and afterwards others were executed: and when at this day according to that Law we execute a Prie&s;t, or Je&s;uite; then do we poure forth this <HI>Viall</HI> upon the <HI>Antichri&s;tian Waters,</HI> and they <HI>become bloud.</HI></P>
<P>By this reckoning (and &s;o to bring all home to the Text) then are the witne&s;&s;es &s;aid to <HI>turn the Antichri&s;tian Waters into bloud;</HI> when by their cleer writings, and other wayes they di&s;cover all that <HI>Sea of Popi&s;h doctrine to be but as the bloud of a dead man;</HI> and further do <HI>execute their Prie&s;ts, and Je&s;uites,</HI> who as <HI>Rivers&punc;</HI> do derive and carry from place to place, the <HI>Waters</HI> of this noy|&s;ome Sea, thereby to poy&s;on, and de&s;troy the &s;ouls of &s;educed people.</P>
<P>And by the way, who is not now fully &s;atisfied, <HI>the Witne&s;&s;es poure forth the Vials</HI> (the thing we &s;o indu&s;triou&s;ly proved be|fore) when having but mentioned two Vials, we find the godly Magi&s;trates and Mini&s;ters of the reformed Churches (whom all along we have &s;hewn to be the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es) have already poured forth both of them? The <HI>former,</HI> the godly <HI>Ministers,</HI> &s;uch as <HI>Chemnitius, Chamier, Junius, Reignolds, &amp;c.</HI> The <HI>latter,</HI> the godly <HI>Magi&s;trates,</HI> as certain of the number of the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es al&s;o. Thus <HI>the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es turn Waters into bloud.</HI> The next thing that follows, <HI>And they &s;mite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will;</HI> this falls now in order to be enquired con|cerning.</P>
<P>And to be &s;hort, what can this mean, but (which we touched upon before) the pouring forth the other Vialls, all which at the fir&s;t Ver&s;e of that 16 Chapter, are commanded there to be <HI>poured forth upon the earth?</HI> And if this be &s;o, you have then the &s;umme of the former, and of this &s;ame, in one word this much, <HI>In that the Holy Gho&s;t tells us, the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es turn Waters into bloud, and &s;mite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will, 'tis all one, as if he had &s;aid. The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es do pour forth all the Vials.</HI></P>
<P>And now by this time you have had the Witne&s;&s;es at full &s;hewed forth, you have &s;een <HI>who they are.</HI> They are <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua; Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias; Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aaron:</HI> you have &s;een <HI>what they do.</HI> They &s;pend them&s;elves into the <HI>Candle&s;ticks;</HI> to the Churches they are as <HI>Oyl</HI> is to the Lamps; nouri&s;hing, and keeping them alive all the time of Antichri&s;ts prevailing; if any
<PB N="26" REF="15"> attempt to wrong them, <HI>fire proceeds out of their mouths, and de&s;troyes</HI> &s;uch as do attempt it. And for the wrongs the Anti|chri&s;tian Gentiles offer the Church, the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es <HI>&s;hut heaven upon them, that it rain not, nay pour forth all the Vials of the wrath of God upon them.</HI></P>
<P>Thus you have all the <HI>active</HI> part of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es already drawn forth. That which follows, is their <HI>pa&s;&s;ive,</HI> which when I have touched upon one or two ob&s;ervations from the&s;e la&s;t words, I &s;hall without any other interruption fall upon. The Ob&s;ervations are the&s;e:</P>
<P N="1">1. Is heaven &s;hut by the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, &s;o <HI>that no rain</HI> falls upon the Antichri&s;tian party, all the glad tydings of forgivene&s;&s;e, and reconciliation withheld from them? How &s;ad mu&s;t needs be the condition of &s;uch a people? What have they to &s;often them, to make them fruitfull, when no rain at all falls upon them.</P>
<P N="2">2. How fruitfull on the contrary &s;hould we be, who live un|der the droppings of heaven, and are refre&s;hed with the former, and latter rain alwayes in their &s;ea&s;ons? Poor Papi&s;ts have no <HI>rain:</HI> Yea, how much the rather &s;hould we endeavour fruit|fulne&s;&s;e, <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 5. 5, 6.</NOTE> le&s;t for default, that &s;ame be made good upon us, which once the Lord threatned, his Vineyard withall, <HI>he would tak|away the hedge, and would command the clouds, that they &s;hould rain no rain upon it.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Do the Witne&s;&s;es pour forth all the Vials? No marvell then, they are &s;aid <HI>to torment them thot dwell upon the earth;</HI> No <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 10.</NOTE> marvell, tho&s;e &s;ame Inhabitants of the earth <HI>rejoyce, they are got rid of them,</HI> as they do, when by the hands of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, is emptied forth &s;o much wrath upon them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 7. </BIBL><HI>And when they have fini&s;hed their te&s;timony, the bea&s;t that a&s;cen|deth out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, &s;hall make warre again&s;t them, and &s;hall overcome them, and kill them.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>WE have ere while &s;een <HI>who the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are, what they do,</HI> how grievou&s;ly they torment Antichri&s;t, with his party: which becau&s;e the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es do not carry <HI>impune,</HI> An|tichri&s;t not &s;itting down unrevenged, it now follows, we &s;ee
<PB N="27" REF="15"> what is done to them, and how they are repaid for all the plagues wherewith Antichri&s;t, and his party have by them been tormented: This is laid down in the words above mentioned, as al&s;o them that follow; <HI>And when they have fini&s;hed their te&s;ti|mony, the bea&s;t, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In which who &s;o ob&s;erves, &s;hall finde as cleer an allu&s;ion to our <HI>Saviour,</HI> as &s;et forth in the &s;tory of his death, re&s;urrection, and a&s;cending up to heaven, as before to any of the types, whereby the&s;e witne&s;&s;es were formerly repre&s;ented.</P>
<P>Our Saviour when he had preached neer three yeers and half; about the number of the dayes of the Prophe&s;ie of the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es, was by <HI>Pilate,</HI> and &s;o by <HI>Rome then Heathen,</HI> as the Wit|ne&s;&s;es <HI>by Rome now Antichri&s;tian,</HI> put to death. After three dayes, there being a great earthquake ri&s;es again, and not long after, is received up to heaven in a cloud. To all which who &s;ees not a plain allu&s;ion intended; when in the de&s;cription of the&s;e witne&s;&s;es &s;uffrings, and after re&s;tauration, you have mention of the like <HI>death, earth-quake, re&s;urrection, and a&s;cending up to heaven in a cloud al&s;o?</HI> So that if before in what they <HI>did,</HI> they were like <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua; Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias; Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Aron,</HI> here for what they <HI>&s;uffer,</HI> and the &s;equell, they are cleerly re&s;embled to that <HI>faithfull and true witne&s;&s;e Je&s;us</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 5. 14.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>This much in the gro&s;&s;e, but look more particularly, and you &s;hall finde in what is mentioned of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es &s;uffe|rings, &s;uch &s;pecialls ob&s;ervable as the&s;e;</P>
<P N="1">1. There is <HI>warre waged</HI> with the&s;e witne&s;&s;es, and the con&s;e|quent the Witne&s;&s;es <HI>overcome, and killed.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. The <HI>enemy</HI> that wages this warre, <HI>The bea&s;t that a&s;cendeth out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The <HI>time</HI> when this warre is waged, and the&s;e witne&s;&s;es overcome, and killed by this bea&s;t, and this is (&s;ayes the Text) <HI>when they have fini&s;hed their te&s;timony.</HI> I &s;hall addre&s;&s;e my &s;elf to &s;peak of the&s;e in this order: Fir&s;t, the warre waged and the con&s;equents, then that which follows in the order above men|tioned.</P>
<P>And for this <HI>warre</HI> waged with the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, we mu&s;t not think this is the fir&s;t, which hath ever been rai&s;ed again&s;t them: as though the Witne&s;&s;es, had met with no oppo&s;ings, all the
<PB N="28" REF="16"> time of their prophe&s;ie (continuing &s;o many hundred yeers) till ju&s;t toward the end, and clo&s;e of it, we mu&s;t not &s;o con|ceive at any hand: For if you con&s;ult, the thirteenth Chapter, and &s;eventh ver&s;e, you finde the bea&s;t (the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es enemy, and as old, as are the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es) &s;o &s;oon almo&s;t as he receives being, receives <HI>power to make warre with the Saints, and to over|come,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 13. 2.</NOTE> <HI>and kill them.</HI> And in the twelfth Chapter and la&s;t ver&s;e, the <HI>Dragon</HI> who &s;ub&s;titutes this bea&s;t, and on whom he e&s;tates <HI>his power, throne, and great authority</HI> (him&s;elf being now no longer able to hold them in his own name) as &s;oon as ever the Woman was <HI>&s;caped into the wilderne&s;&s;e,</HI> which is now &s;everall hundred yeers agone, he goes forth under covert of this bea&s;t, <HI>To make warre with the remnant of her &s;eed, which kept the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chapl 12. Ver&s;. ult.</NOTE> <HI>Commandments of God, and had the testimony of JES&V;S CHRIST.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;ure the event &s;hews as much, when above four hundred yeers agone, in that one Kingdom of <HI>Gaule</HI> (now called <HI>France)</HI> if <HI>Perionius</HI> may be beleeved, at lea&s;t ten hundred thou&s;and of tho&s;e godly <HI>Walden&s;es</HI> and <HI>Albigen&s;es</HI> were butchered by this bea&s;t. And can we imagine &s;o many Saints &s;lain, and none of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es among all the&s;e numbers?</P>
<P>This warre then here mentioned, &s;uppo&s;es not the Wit|ne&s;&s;es <HI>untouched</HI> all the time of their prophe&s;ie before, but rather &s;eemes to hold forth &s;ome <HI>eminent warre,</HI> now at la&s;t to be rai&s;ed again&s;t them; which perhaps, becau&s;e it &s;hall differ from all the former in the <HI>quality</HI> of it, or &s;pecially in the <HI>&s;ucce&s;&s;e,</HI> &s;triking of all the Witne&s;&s;es there, where 'tis done, which no other warre had perhaps done before, is therefore by the Holy Gho&s;t thought fit onely to be mentioned.</P>
<P>Nor yet therefore can we &s;ay this warre &s;hall be more <HI>grievous</HI> and <HI>bloudy</HI> then all the former, po&s;&s;ibly it is not men|tioned for any eminent bloud&s;hed accompanying it, but rather (as &s;ome conceive) for a &s;igne of the in&s;tant, and neer ap|proaching ruine of Antichri&s;t, which but a little after follows it however; I dare not &s;ay this la&s;t warre, &s;hall be eminent for bloud&s;hed beyond all the former, for this rea&s;on I now offer. If this &s;ame killing of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es can not be
<PB N="29" REF="16"> under&s;tood in the Letter, <HI>viz.</HI> That indeed, and in the Letter the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es &s;hould be &s;lain, but a my&s;ticall killing is only here under&s;tood; then &s;ure this cannot be a killing &s;o very bloudy: But that this mu&s;t be under&s;tood not of a <HI>reall</HI> killing, but a <HI>mysticall</HI> hence appeares: Such as is the <HI>re&s;urrection</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es mentioned at the eleventh Ver&s;e, &s;uch mu&s;t needs be the <HI>killing,</HI> here mentioned, for of <HI>oppo&s;ites there is the &s;ame rea&s;on.</HI> But their re&s;ur|rection <NOTE PLACE="marg">Oppo&s;itorum eademratio.</NOTE> we mu&s;t needs under&s;tand my&s;tically, for of no re&s;urrection properly &s;o called, do we read before the twentieth Chapter of this prophe&s;ie, which mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 20. 5.</NOTE> follow &s;ome &s;pace the ri&s;ing again of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es here men|tioned.</P>
<P>This then is a my&s;ticall killing, a throwing them from place, out of office, &s;ome civill death: As when a man in place formerly, now thrown out, may be &s;aid to be killed in his office, is dead in law: So the&s;e, cea&s;ing from place in Church, and Commonwealth, which as Magi&s;trates and Mini|&s;ters, they &s;ometimes enjoyed, and this accompanied perhaps with the killing of &s;ome of them indeed; this &s;eems the <HI>killing of the Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> we are to under&s;tand here.</P>
<P>I &s;ay again the <HI>killing of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es</HI> by this reckoning, &s;eems no other, then <HI>the throwing them from that &s;tation, which once they held in the Reformed Churches, being taken off from executing that Magistracie, that Mini&s;try they once had; and this po&s;&s;ibly attended with the reall &s;laughter of &s;ome of them,</HI> Though the other, the killing of them in their office, &s;eem the main, and more generall &s;laughter here in|tended.</P>
<P>Having &s;een whats done to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, <HI>[They are &s;lain]</HI> we next enquire <HI>who &s;layes them,</HI> and to this the Text makes an&s;wer, <HI>The bea&s;t that a&s;cendeth out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit:</HI> this now next in order comes to be handled.</P>
<P>For this therefore you may take notice, there is a &s;everall <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 4. Ver&s;. 6, 7, 8, 9. Chap. 13. Ver&s;. 1. &amp; 11.</NOTE> mention made of <HI>bea&s;ts</HI> in this prophe&s;ie; in the fourth Chapter you have four <HI>bea&s;ts</HI> &s;poken of, in the thirteenth Chapter theres mention made of <HI>two; one with two horns,</HI> another <HI>with tenne:</HI> But no where doe we finde a <HI>bea&s;t a&s;cending out of the</HI>
<PB N="30" REF="17"> <HI>bottomle&s;&s;e pit,</HI> this character being expre&s;ly affixed, &s;ave onely in the 17 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, whitherto having recour&s;e <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 17. 8.</NOTE> (where the holy Gho&s;t &s;eems not more to <HI>prophe&s;ie,</HI> then <HI>inter|pret)</HI> we &s;hall be&s;t finde what's meant by the <HI>bea&s;ts a&s;cending out of the bottoml<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;e pit</HI> here mentioned, and &s;o in conclu&s;ion who it is that doth &s;lay the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>In that 17 Chapter therefore you have a woman pre&s;ented &s;itting upon a <HI>Scarlet-coloured bea&s;t, having &s;even heads and ten</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 3.</NOTE> <HI>horns.</HI> In the opening whereof, the <HI>woman</HI> is expre&s;ly by the holy Gho&s;t called, <HI>The great City which ruleth over the Kings of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 11.</NOTE> <HI>the earth;</HI> that is, <HI>Rome;</HI> for at that time <HI>Rome</HI> onely of all the Cities of the world, was capable of any &s;uch de&s;cription; and if &s;o, the <HI>Woman</HI> be <HI>Rome,</HI> it mu&s;t needs follow the <HI>Bea&s;t</HI> &s;he &s;its upon mu&s;t be the <HI>Roman Empire,</HI> this follows &s;o cleer from the former, none needs to make que&s;tion of it.</P>
<P>But becau&s;e the Roman Empire in its Bulk con&s;idered, and according to its <HI>materiale,</HI> doth no more a&s;cend out of <HI>the bot|tomle&s;&s;e pit</HI> then other Empires and Kingdomes do; to loo&s;e this knot, hear a little further: The holy Gho&s;t &s;hewing the my&s;tery of the <HI>&s;even heads, and ten horns,</HI> tells us, The <HI>&s;even</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 10.</NOTE> <HI>heads</HI> are <HI>&s;even Kings,</HI> or <HI>&s;even kindes of Government, five</HI> where|of, namely, That of <HI>Kings, Con&s;uls, Tribunes, Decemviri,</HI> and <HI>Dictators,</HI> were expired already; <HI>one,</HI> namely, That of <HI>Cae|&s;ars, was,</HI> it <HI>was</HI> when <HI>John</HI> &s;aw this Vi&s;ion; and the <HI>&s;eventh,</HI> that of <HI>Popes,</HI> was <HI>to come;</HI> and when it <HI>comes, this kinde of Go|vernment</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s; 8.</NOTE> <HI>was to a&s;cend out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit.</HI> So that by this account, not &s;o much the <HI>Empire, the body of the Bea&s;t,</HI> as the <HI>&s;eventh head of this Bea&s;t, comes out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit;</HI> or el&s;e thus, The Empire, as ruled by the Popes, and thus ca&s;t into an Antichri&s;tian Form, <HI>this is the Bea&s;t a&s;cending out of the bottom|le&s;&s;e pit; The Roman Empire Antichri&s;tianized, is the Bea&s;t a&s;|cending out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit &s;laying the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>But why is this kinde of Government &s;aid to <HI>a&s;cend out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit?</HI> I was once thinking the &s;ame thing meant by this expre&s;&s;ion, as by the &s;ame Bea&s;t's <HI>a&s;cending out of the Sea,</HI> at the 13 Chapter and 1 Ver&s;e; which <HI>Sea</HI> is frequently in Scripture called the <HI>Aby&s;&s;e,</HI> or <HI>bottomle&s;&s;e pit;</HI> and there, as in other places, &s;ignifies no more then a <HI>multitude of people,</HI> which becau&s;e &s;ubjecting them&s;elves to the Government of this Bea&s;t,
<PB N="31" REF="17"> thence is this Bea&s;t &s;aid to <HI>ri&s;e out of the Sea.</HI> But when I finde that none of all the former <HI>heads</HI> but might in this &s;en&s;e be &s;aid to <HI>a&s;cend out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit;</HI> namely, Becau&s;e ari&s;ing from the multitude of people &s;ubjecting them&s;elves to them, and yet finde none of them &s;aid <HI>to ri&s;e out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit,</HI> &s;ave this <HI>la&s;t,</HI> this of <HI>Popes</HI> onely, it cleerly to me holds forth thus much. The other kindes of Government, &s;hadowed out by the former heads, had &s;omewhat of God in them. at wor&s;t were but the Ordinances of men; but this &s;eventh head, this Government of Popes, this hath its originall from hell, its <HI>coming,</HI> as the A|po&s;tle &s;peaks, is <HI>after the working of Sathan,</HI> 'tis his divi&s;ing, <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;&s;. 2. 9.</NOTE> comes from the <HI>bottomle&s;&s;e pit,</HI> and &s;hall in due time be &s;ent thither back again.</P>
<P>So that adde this to the former, and the Romane Empire un|der the &s;eventh head, namely, that of Popes (a Government de|vi&s;ed, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.</NOTE> and e&s;tabli&s;hed by the contrivance of hell, the work|man-&s;hip of <HI>Sathan)</HI> this is <HI>the Bea&s;t a&s;cending out of the bot|tomle&s;&s;e pit, &s;laying the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>You have &s;een then the enemy that wages War with the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, and &s;layes them; the next thing we are to enquire, is the time <HI>when the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain,</HI> and this is then <HI>when they have fini&s;hed their testimony;</HI> this now follows to be enquired concerning.</P>
<P>I finde this [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] &s;everall wayes tran&s;lared; &s;ome render it as here, <HI>[when they have fini&s;hed;]</HI> others, and tho&s;e very accurate Interpreters, tran&s;late the Aori&s;t by the future, and &s;o render it <HI>[when they are about to fini&s;h;]</HI> which latter if &s;o, the meaning mu&s;t fall thus, then when the Witne&s;&s;es draw toward end of their mourning te&s;timony, the Church by this time being in &s;ome good mea&s;ure reformed, and having now gained much ground upon Antichri&s;t, are ready to throw off their Sackcloth, then the Bea&s;t a&s;cending out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, makes War with them, and &s;layes them.</P>
<P>So that putting all together, <HI>viz. Their killing, The bea&s;t that kills them, and The time when they are killed;</HI> and you have the meaning of all at one view thus much:</P>
<P><HI>Then when the Witne&s;&s;es are about to clo&s;e up their te&s;timony, and having done much in reforming the Church, having regained much of the utter Court, which Antichri&s;t had gained whole po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ion</HI>
<PB N="32" REF="18"> <HI>of before, are now about to put off their Sackcloth, the An|tichristian power, at this time collecting it &s;elf, po&s;&s;ibly by mur|thering &s;ome, but chiefly by putting them from their places, di&s;ina|bling, &s;u&s;pending, and &s;ilencing, &s;hall thus overcome, kill, and make an end of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P>And now perhaps it will be expected, e&s;pecially having &s;o fair a hint given by the Text; we &s;hould come to &s;ome determination <HI>Whether the killing of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es be pa&s;t yea or no;</HI> but in regard we &s;hall be furni&s;hed with mo&s;t light then when we have heard the Prophe&s;ie &s;peak out, we &s;hall therefore adjourn the deci&s;ion till the la&s;t, &s;till continuing to proceed forward in opening the Prophe&s;ie; onely before we do proceed any further from this la&s;t ver&s;e, we now opened, take the&s;e ob&s;ervations:</P>
<P N="1">1. Are the Witne&s;&s;es &s;lain when they have done their te&s;ti|mony? Hence take notice, Be&s;t men, and be&s;t Offices, are &s;ome|time of all other the wor&s;t rewarded: here are Witne&s;&s;es, cal|ling &s;inners home from dangerous and peri&s;hing wayes, be|&s;eeching them to turn from <HI>dumb Idols, to &s;erve the living God,</HI> then which none can do a better Office, yet after all their pains be&s;towed, they are killed for a recompence.</P>
<P N="2">2. Are the&s;e &s;lain then when their mouths are &s;topped, when they cea&s;e to witne&s;&s;e? By this account men live no longer then they work; and who&s;o hath left off to do the Lords work, as the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks in another ca&s;e, <HI>is dead while he lives;</HI> he that <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 5. 6. Rev. 14. 13</NOTE> hath <HI>re&s;ted from his labour,</HI> by this reckoning is no other then dead.</P>
<P N="3">3. Doth the <HI>Bea&s;t</HI> &s;lay the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es? Oh the plague this <HI>Bea&s;t,</HI> this <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> is to the world! but two lights leading a blinde world from perdition, and the Antichri&s;tian power puts them both out, <HI>&s;layes both the Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. Doth the <HI>Bea&s;t</HI> a&s;cend out of the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, the Antichri&s;tian kinde of Government, a&s;cend out of hell? &s;ure then they much mi&s;take them&s;elves that tell us 'tis <HI>jure divino:</HI> they much mi&s;take its originall, that tell us it is from heaven: 'tis from hell, from the bottomle&s;&s;e pit, if we believe the Scrip|tures; there it had its conception, and &s;hall in due time be re|turned thither back again.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="33" REF="18">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 8.</BIBL> <HI>And their dead bodies &s;hall lie in the &s;treet of the great City, which is Spiritually called</HI> Sodome, <HI>and</HI> Egypt, <HI>where al&s;o our Lord was crucified.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>OUr la&s;t work concerned the <HI>killing</HI> of the Witne&s;&s;es; It follows now we look what becomes of their <HI>dead bodies,</HI> in the&s;e words; <HI>And their dead bodies &s;hall lie in the &s;treet, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>The &s;laughter of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es being for the mo&s;t part an <HI>unbloody</HI> &s;laughter, the killing of them in their Office, as we &s;aw before, by the like proportion; their <HI>lying d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ad,</HI> what can it mean but their continuing in that &s;tate of civill death, which their former &s;laughter brought them into. They remaining &s;u&s;pended from the execution of that Office which as Magi|&s;trates and Mini&s;ters they held before, remaining &s;ilent, not prophe&s;ying, not witne&s;&s;ing any thing authoritatively as they did formerly; this &s;eems meant by the Witne&s;&s;es <HI>lying dead.</HI> I &s;ay again, Their mouthes were &s;topt at what time they were &s;lain, and &s;ince then they continue &s;ilent, dead to all that life which as the Lords Prophets and Witne&s;&s;es they lived before; thus they <HI>lie for &s;ome &s;pace as dead corp&s;es after their &s;laughter.</HI></P>
<P>But pa&s;&s;ing from this, let's take a view of the place where the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es lie dead, this follows, and 'tis <HI>[In the &s;treet of the great City, &s;piritually called</HI> Sodom, <HI>and</HI> Egypt, <HI>where al&s;o our Lord was crucified.]</HI></P>
<P>A <HI>place</HI> &s;o at large &s;et forth, and by &s;uch apt re&s;emblances, as indeed it &s;eems even next door to naming it; in the de&s;cription whereof, the holy Gho&s;t be&s;tows &s;o many words, that when he wo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ld not name it, yet would &s;eem to make &s;uch &s;ure work, that any who had but half an eye, &s;hould not mi&s;&s;e the under|&s;tanding of it.</P>
<P>This place, becau&s;e it will afford much variety of matter not unprofitable, we &s;hall therefore take a more exact view of it, enquiring, fir&s;t, What this <HI>great City</HI> is? Then, what the <HI>&s;treet?</HI> Why this <HI>great City</HI> is called <HI>Sodom?</HI> Why <HI>Egypt?</HI> Why <HI>the place where our Lord was crucified?</HI></P>
<P>For the fir&s;t of the&s;e; Whereas it is &s;aid the dead bodies of
<PB N="34" REF="19"> the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es do <HI>lie in the &s;treet of the great City;</HI> by the <HI>great City,</HI> it &s;eems we mu&s;t nece&s;&s;arily under&s;tand <HI>Rome.</HI> So much is under&s;tood by this &s;ame expre&s;&s;ion, the holy Gho&s;t him&s;elf in|erpreting at the 17 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, and la&s;t Ver&s;e: And when further you have mention of [the great Whore] [Great <HI>Babylon]</HI> and the like, &s;till <HI>Rome</HI> is meant by all tho&s;e ex|pre&s;&s;ions: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 17. 1. Ch. 16 19. Ch. 20. 10.</NOTE> Only once in this book the <HI>new Jeru&s;alem</HI> (extant af|ter the fall of <HI>Babylon)</HI> is called the <HI>great City;</HI> but that the <HI>new Jeru&s;alem</HI> &s;hould be meant by the <HI>great City</HI> here, none can be &s;o far lo&s;t to all under&s;tanding as once to imagine it.</P>
<P>And &s;ure not without cau&s;e is <HI>Rome</HI> called great <HI>Babylon,</HI> the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ch 16. 19.</NOTE> <HI>great City;</HI> for whether you take greatne&s;&s;e to &s;ignifie an <HI>ampli|tude of power,</HI> (for &s;o &s;ometimes 'tis u&s;ed to &s;ignifie) hence the <HI>great King</HI> is as much as <HI>King of kings:</HI> or take greatne&s;&s;e for <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 48. 2.</NOTE> <HI>&s;pa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">iou&s;ne&s;&s;e:</HI> What City can compare with <HI>Rome</HI> in either of the&s;e?</P>
<P>In the former; What City can, when you have <HI>Rome</HI> by the holy Gho&s;t him&s;elf de&s;cribed <HI>[the great City that ruleth over the Kings of the earth:] Nineveh, Babylon,</HI> no Citie ever extend|ing <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 17. ult.</NOTE> its power &s;o far as <HI>Rome.</HI></P>
<P>And for &s;paciou&s;ne&s;&s;e which can, at this day, when but a part of it remains; 'tis 15 or 16 miles in compa&s;&s;e within the Walls (if <HI>Lip&s;ius</HI> may be believed) but when this Prophe&s;ie <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Admirand. lib.</HI> 3.</NOTE> was written, it was then in compa&s;&s;e 42 miles: And is not this then with good rea&s;on called the <HI>great City?</HI></P>
<P>I know <HI>Bellarmine,</HI> with &s;ome other Popi&s;h Writers, as al&s;o <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Bell lib.</HI> 3. <HI>de Pa.</HI></NOTE> &s;ome late ones of our own, contend <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> mu&s;t be here meant the <HI>great City;</HI> but how likely, let others judge: For fir&s;t, for <HI>extent of power,</HI> none will &s;ay it ever came neer <HI>Rome,</HI> 'twas utterly incon&s;iderable to <HI>Rome,</HI> which was indeed <HI>urbs</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hicronim.</NOTE> <HI>caput orbis,</HI> the City, the Empre&s;&s;e of the World; yea, which at once did &s;wallow up <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> with all its Territory, and little le&s;&s;e then an hundred times as much as all that came to: And for <HI>&s;paciou&s;ne&s;&s;e,</HI> take this record concerning <HI>Jeru&s;alem;</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Wilhelmus Tyrius, l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">b.</HI> 8 <HI>de bello &s;acro urbs min<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">imis mediocribus mai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r.</HI></NOTE> It was <HI>a City le&s;&s;e then the greate&s;t, greater then the lea&s;t,</HI> a mid|ling City (as we &s;ay) this is all that can be &s;aid for the compa&s;&s;e of it: which if &s;o, <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> then cannot be the <HI>great City</HI> here meant; and if not <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> then mu&s;t <HI>Rome</HI> be it; for be|&s;ides <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> there is none el&s;e that &s;tands in competition.
<PB N="35" REF="19"> <HI>Rome</HI> then is the <HI>great City;</HI> but now the <HI>&s;treet</HI> of the <HI>great Ci|ty</HI> follows, that mu&s;t be our next enquire.</P>
<P>And concerning this &s;ame, it is not to be conceived (I &s;up|po&s;e) a <HI>street</HI> properly &s;o called, &s;uch as every great City hath many of; for be&s;ides, That Armies do not u&s;e to make the City, and &s;o no one &s;treet of a City their place of fight, which yet they mu&s;t &s;ay who &s;hall here be peremptory for the letter: be&s;ides this (I &s;ay) neither was our Saviour crucified in any &s;treet of the City, but <HI>without the Gat<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> who yet is &s;aid <HI>there</HI> to be crucified <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb 13. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></NOTE> <HI>where</HI> the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es <HI>lay dead, even in the &s;treet of the great Ci|ty;</HI> from all which it appears not to be a <HI>&s;treet</HI> properly &s;o cal|led, and therefore &s;ome other mu&s;t be enquired after.</P>
<P>Shall we therefore &s;ay the <HI>&s;treet of the great City</HI> means the Romi&s;h Territority, the &s;pace wherein the Romi&s;h Govern|ment is exerci&s;ed. This &s;eems not unlikely; and if the word [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] &s;ignifying [a <HI>&s;treet]</HI> be well examined, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> often by the Lxx, tran&s;lated <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> &s;igni|fies, <HI>Quicquid e&s;t extra, regio &amp;c.</HI> Job. 5. 10. Likewi&s;e <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> rendred al&s;o by the Lxx <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, will not gain&s;ay, but a whole coun|trey may be called <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">. <HI>Vid. Mede Com. Apoca.</HI></NOTE> it will be found not altogether to abhor from &s;uch a meaning. In regard therefore this cannot be a <HI>&s;treet</HI> properly &s;o taken, and then further 'tis but <HI>one &s;treet,</HI> &s;uch as the greate&s;t Cities &s;eem to have but one of; though of <HI>&s;treets</HI> properly &s;o taken, there is no City but hath many, as al&s;o becau&s;e the word [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] will bear it; be the Roman Terri|tory, that &s;pace wherewith the Roman Juri&s;diction is co<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">xten|ded <HI>[The &s;treet of this great City.]</HI></P>
<P>But now why is this <HI>great city Spiritually called Sodom?</HI> this next follows to be enquired concerning.</P>
<P>This word [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>Spiritually]</HI> bars us out from any thought that this City here mentioned &s;hould be <HI>Sodom</HI> indeed; No, this City is <HI>&s;piritually Sodom;</HI> and yet not <HI>[&s;piritually]</HI> as often the word is taken, <HI>viz.</HI> when [earthly and carnally] are oppo&s;ed, for &s;o both the one City and the other have little to do with any thing <HI>&s;pirituall</HI> in this meaning: But <HI>[&s;piritually]</HI> it is <HI>Sodom,</HI> that is, this <HI>great city Rome</HI> is <HI>Metaphorically Sodom,</HI> 'tis <HI>Sodom</HI> by way of re&s;emblance; this is meant, when you have <HI>Rome</HI> called [&s;piritually <HI>Sodom.]</HI></P>
<P>And that this is &s;o, and there is a cleer re&s;emblance betwixt them, who &s;o &s;hall compare them each to other, will no longer make que&s;tion. For in&s;tance, <HI>Sodom,</HI> to which <HI>Rome</HI> is here re&s;embled (not to name other things) was the mo&s;t &s;ilthy place
<PB N="36" REF="20"> then in being in the world: we read the &s;tory of that notorious wickedne&s;&s;e of theirs in that nineteenth of <HI>Gene&s;is.</HI> From which <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 19.</NOTE> the &s;inne of <HI>Sodomy</HI> taking its name, retains it to this day. And for the great City of <HI>Rome</HI> here mentioned; &s;ure for unclean|ne&s;&s;e 'tis nothing at all behinde <HI>Sodome:</HI> For look upon her &s;pirituall uncleanne&s;&s;es, and becau&s;e of the&s;e you have her called the <HI>great Whor<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> the <HI>mother of Harlots and abominations of the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">R<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">v. l. 17. and 5.</NOTE> <HI>earth:</HI> &s;he being the parent of all abominable Idolatries what|&s;oever. And for carnall uncleanne&s;&s;e, let him &s;peak, who thus upon his knowledge reports her.</P>
<Q><L><HI>I pudor ad villas, &s;i non patiantur ea&s;dem,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Bapt Man|tu:</NOTE></L>
<L><HI>Et villae vomitas: Roma e&s;t jam tota Lupanat.</HI></L></Q>
<P>Who al&s;o taking his leave of <HI>Rome,</HI> thus be &s;peaks her. <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Vid. Fran: Petrat. E|pi&s;t.</HI> 20.</NOTE></P>
<Q><L><HI>Roma vale, vidi, &s;atis e&s;t vidi&s;&s;e, revertar,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Cum leno meretrix, &s;cu&s;ra Cynaedus ero.</HI></L></Q>
<P>But then for the &s;inne of <HI>Sodomy</HI> it &s;elf (the foundation of this re&s;emblance) is there any thing more common in this City then this mo&s;t infamous wickedne&s;&s;e, that of the Epi|gramati&s;t &s;peaks a great deal both of wit, and truth toge|ther.</P>
<Q><L><HI>Roma quid e&s;t? Amor e&s;t, quem dat prepo&s;terus ordo,</HI></L>
<L><HI>Roma mares: noli dicere plura&s;cio.</HI></L></Q>
<P>Can this &s;inne be a &s;tranger in that City, when <HI>Jerome, Zeged,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Bright|man.</NOTE> <HI>Mutius</HI> does dare to write in the defence of this &s;inne of <HI>So|domy,</HI> and the&s;e writings of his, allowed by the Bull of Pope <HI>Julius</HI> the third? When al&s;o the <HI>Archbi&s;hop of Beneventum,</HI> becomes &s;o lo&s;t to all &s;hame, as to make a Panegyrie in com|mendation of this mo&s;t dete&s;table wickedne&s;&s;e. But no more of this, lea&s;t I wrong mode&s;t &s;pirits. In &s;hort the uncleanne&s;&s;es of this place are not to be mentioned; of which (I &s;ay no more) if any <HI>be ignorant, l<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t him be ignorant &s;till;</HI> for my part I had rather he &s;hould be &s;o, then by my inveighing again&s;t them, &s;o to come to learn them. Sufficient I am &s;ure hath been di&s;covered, to &s;hew that <HI>Rome</HI> is <HI>Sodome,</HI> which was our pur|po&s;e. Next we proceed to enquire, why tis called <HI>[Egypt.]</HI></P>
<P>And doubtle&s;&s;e, the re&s;emblance holds as well in this, as in
<PB N="37" REF="20"> the former; as if we but take a view thereof, we &s;hall ea&s;ily di&s;cover. Ob&s;erve therefore: <HI>Egypt</HI> was a place for <HI>Idolatry,</HI> none like it; none had <HI>more gods</HI> then they; and then their <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Herodat. Juve: Sa|ty:</HI> 15.</NOTE> gods &s;ome of them, were <HI>Cats, Crocodiles, Serpents, Oynions,</HI> (as the Satyri&s;t &s;coffs at them) even the vile&s;t, and mo&s;t abject creatures. And doth not the re&s;emblance every way an&s;wer. Have any people <HI>more gods</HI> then are to be found in the <HI>Romi&s;h Egypt?</HI> Can you come into any place of theirs, any Temple, any Oratory, where you do not finde every Wall, every Win|dow, every corner thronged with them. And then to give divine honour to a <HI>pair of &s;hooes,</HI> a <HI>&s;hirt,</HI> a <HI>pair of breeches,</HI> with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Carthus: Alexand: Hal: Tho|mas Caje|tan Bona|vent. Bellar.</NOTE> infinite &s;uch kinde of Reliques (then which both their opini|on, and practi&s;e &s;peaks nothing more common) is not this eve|ry way as bad as to wor&s;hip a <HI>Cat,</HI> a <HI>Crocodile,</HI> or any other &s;uch vile creature.</P>
<P>But this is not all; As <HI>Egypt</HI> was an <HI>Idolatrous</HI> place, &s;o was it to the people of God, a place of <HI>cruelties,</HI> it was to them the hou&s;e of <HI>Iron bondage.</HI> However it was friendly at fir&s;t, yet <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deu 4. 20. Exod 1. 8.</NOTE> when <HI>an other King aro&s;e that knew not Jo&s;eph:</HI> then did <HI>Egypt</HI> begin to &s;hew it &s;elf; then, le&s;t <HI>I&s;rael</HI> &s;hould overmuch encrea&s;e, they mu&s;t be had to the <HI>firy furnace,</HI> if &s;o be the toyl, and an|gui&s;h <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s; 11. and 14.</NOTE> hereof might le&s;&s;en, and con&s;ume them; When this &s;uc|ceeds not, then all the <HI>mal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">-children</HI> mu&s;t be de&s;troyed as &s;oon as born; that thus &s;topping the &s;pring, the &s;tream, within a while might wither, and be cut off al&s;o.</P>
<P>And hath not all this been done in the <HI>Romi&s;h Egypt?</HI> What ever fair quarter the Church at fi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t found among them, it was not long before the <HI>Dragon,</HI> (a title formerly given to <HI>Pharaoh,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;ai. 51. 9. Chap. 12&punc; Ver&s; 1, 2, 3, 4.</NOTE> but now entailed upon the Heathen Roman Emperours:) doth <HI>&s;tand before the woman new in travell, ready to de&s;troy the Male|child &s;o &s;oon as ever it was born.</HI> When this takes not, then are they brought unto the furnace, and however the people of God <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 13. and 17. <HI>Sanguis martyrum &s;emen Eccle|&s;iae.</HI></NOTE> did multiply in their per&s;ecutions, and their numbers encrea&s;ed by tho&s;e very cour&s;es they took to le&s;&s;en them, in like manner as did <HI>I&s;rael</HI> before; yet was not the furnace of the <HI>Romi&s;h Egypt,</HI> le&s;&s;e &s;corching then of the <HI>other;</HI> nay rather, the furnace in this <HI>Egypt,</HI> is <HI>heated &s;even times hotter</HI> then ever that of the former. It could be no le&s;&s;e, when be&s;ides all tho&s;e who were put to death in the tenne Primative per&s;ecutions,
<PB N="38" REF="21"> at lea&s;t ten hundred thou&s;and of the <HI>Walden&s;es</HI> and <HI>Albigen&s;es</HI> (as was hinted before) are after made away by the Antichri&s;tian Power. And &s;ince tho&s;e bloody times to our dayes, no fewer de&s;troyed by this <HI>Egyptian</HI> fiery furnace al&s;o. In the fir&s;t thirty yeers after the Order of the Je&s;uites was brought forth, were <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Baldwin de A<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">tich cap</HI> 6. <HI>Fra: Iunius &amp; Tilmus ad Bell.</HI></NOTE> &s;lain of godly Chri&s;tians neer ninety thou&s;and: And the Inqui|&s;ition it &s;elf, in the &s;pace of &s;carce thirty yeers, made away with no le&s;&s;e then a hundred and fifty thou&s;and: whereto if we &s;hould adde all the blood of Martyrs &s;pilt in <HI>Germany, France,</HI> and <HI>England,</HI> together with that Prote&s;tant blood now &s;hed in <HI>Ireland,</HI> what would all this amount unto? but the former is &s;ufficient for our purpo&s;e; and what hath been &s;aid abundantly &s;hewing that <HI>Rome</HI> is to the people of God the <HI>hou&s;e of Bond|age:</HI> for which, together with its notorious <HI>Idolatry,</HI> 'tis not unelegantly by the holy Gho&s;t &s;tiled another <HI>Egypt.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Rome</HI> then for its <HI>Idolatry,</HI> and <HI>Cruelty</HI> apparently is <HI>Egypt;</HI> now next we enquire (which in the Text follows) why 'tis re|&s;embled to the place <HI>where our Lord was crucified.</HI></P>
<P>The Je&s;uites, to the end they might deliver their <HI>beloved Rome</HI> from the foul and odious &s;tains here a&s;per&s;t upon her, will needs turn <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ribera A|poc</HI> 11. <HI>num.</HI> 12. <HI>Bellar: lib</HI> 3. <HI>de Pap: Ro.</HI></NOTE> all this over to <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> telling us <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is the place here de&s;cribed; for where (&s;ay they) was our Lord crucified, but onely at <HI>Jeru&s;alem?</HI></P>
<P>Of our own there are that carry it thus; As <HI>Rome</HI> before was for its <HI>filthine&s;&s;e Sodom,</HI> as al&s;o <HI>Egypt</HI> for <HI>Idolatry,</HI> and <HI>cru|elty;</HI> &s;o now in her bla&s;phemous Ma&s;&s;e, for <HI>crucifying Christ</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Petra Epi&s;t.</HI> 19.</NOTE> <HI>afre&s;h every day,</HI> and killing the&s;e Witne&s;&s;e, as once indeed &s;he did Chri&s;t him&s;elf, is therefore here call'd <HI>Spiritually Jeru&s;alem:</HI> But if this plea&s;e not, you may refer this clau&s;e to that which went before, I mean tho&s;e words <HI>[the &s;treet of the great city]</HI> as if the Ver&s;e ran thus; <HI>And their dead bodies &s;hall lie in the &s;treet of the great city, where al&s;o our Lord was crucified.</HI> Ac|cording whereunto the meaning mu&s;t be this; <HI>Our Saviour was crucified in the &s;treet of the great city, where al&s;o lie dead the bodies of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Object."> But &s;ome may &s;ay; Our Saviour was crucified in <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> how then in any <HI>&s;treet of Rome?</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Re&s;ol."> I an&s;wer in both; He was crucified at <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> That was the certain, <HI>literall place</HI> (as I may call it) where he was cru|cified:
<PB N="39" REF="21"> yet in regard he was not put to death by any <HI>power the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 18. 31</NOTE> <HI>Jews had,</HI> (for they acknowledge, <HI>It was not lawfull for them, to put any man to death)</HI> but by the <HI>Roman power,</HI> in regard <HI>Pilate a Roman</HI> Judge pa&s;&s;es &s;entence: And further, becau&s;e ad|judged to dye a <HI>Roman</HI> death: And this in a place, at that time under the <HI>Roman</HI> Juri&s;diction, within the <HI>Roman</HI> Territory; therefore with good congruitie, he is here &s;aid to be crucified in the <HI>&s;treet of Rome</HI> al&s;o. In brief, our Saviour was crucified within the <HI>Roman juri&s;diction:</HI> This (as we &s;aw before) is [The &s;treet of the great City.]</P>
<P>Gather up now the &s;um of all the former into one, and the re&s;ult of all, is clearly thus much. The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es formerly &s;lain in their office; and now continuing in that &s;tate of civill death their &s;laughter brought them into, thus lie dead within the Dominion, and Territory of <HI>Rome;</HI> which <HI>Rome</HI> is for her <HI>filthyne&s;&s;e [Sodome]</HI> for her <HI>Idolatry,</HI> and <HI>cruell per&s;ecuting</HI> of the people of God <HI>[Egypt;]</HI> which when <HI>heathen</HI> puts our Saviour to death, now <HI>Antichri&s;tian</HI> puts to death his Wit|ne&s;&s;es. The words thus opened, the ob&s;ervations now follow.</P>
<P N="1">1. Is the <HI>&s;treet of the great City</HI> the <HI>[Roman Territory:]</HI> then if the &s;alying of the Witne&s;&s;es &s;hould be yet to come; as al&s;o to be accompli&s;hed in all the <HI>Roman territory;</HI> then only out of the <HI>Roman</HI> territory, can be exemption expected from this &s;laughter; onely in the further parts of the world, or &s;ome more priviledged place neerer home (if there be any &s;uch) can any Witne&s;&s;es hope this killing &s;hall not befall them?</P>
<P N="2">2. Is <HI>Rome [Sodome]?</HI> Take notice then of that &s;trange blindne&s;&s;e, or rather perver&s;ene&s;&s;e of the Romi&s;h Crew: <HI>Rome</HI> is in their apprehen&s;ion, and in their mouthes al&s;o <HI>[Sancta Roma,]</HI> holy Rome;] notwith&s;tanding (there being no place &s;o unholy) tis by the holy Gho&s;t de&s;ervedly called <HI>Sodome.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. Is <HI>Rome</HI> become <HI>[Sodome?]</HI> Ob&s;erve from hence, the &s;ad, yet proper puni&s;hment of Idolatry: <HI>Rome</HI> through her Idola|try, is by a ju&s;t judgement, transformed into <HI>Sodome.</HI> The&s;e by their Idolatrous imaginations depo&s;e the Lord into the <HI>likene&s;&s;e</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom 1. 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.</NOTE> <HI>of them&s;elves.</HI> God by a ju&s;t puni&s;hment depo&s;es them into <HI>wor&s;e then very beasts. For this cau&s;e God gives them over to vilo</HI>
<PB N="40" REF="22"> <HI>affections.</HI> They entertain <HI>unbecoming thoughts of God,</HI> and God gives them to do things altogether <HI>unbecoming them&s;elves.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. What a mercy was it to be delivered from <HI>Rome?</HI> What a mercy was it for <HI>Lot</HI> to be delivered out of <HI>Sodom?</HI> from &s;o much filthine&s;&s;e, and from &s;uch an unclean Generation, the be|holding whereof could be no other to a gracious heart, then a <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2. 7.</NOTE> continuall <HI>vexation?</HI></P>
<P N="5">5. If <HI>Rome</HI> from her <HI>Idolatry</HI> and <HI>cruelty</HI> is become another <HI>Egypt,</HI> How thankfull then &s;hould we bear our &s;elves for our deliverance from it? an Idolatrous place, as al&s;o a cruell; &s;uch as would by the <HI>former</HI> de&s;troy the &s;oul; or if it could not that, then by the <HI>latter</HI> the body: &s;hould not the deliverance from &s;uch a place, be alwayes had in remembrance?</P>
<P N="6">6. If <HI>Rome</HI> be <HI>Egypt;</HI> Ah cruell they that have formerly, and dayly do contend to bring a poor e&s;caped people into <HI>Egypt</HI> back again. <HI>I&s;rael</HI> had a Law, That none &s;hould bring again a <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 23. 15.</NOTE> &s;ervant, who becau&s;e of the har&s;h u&s;age of his Ma&s;ter, had got away from him: This was, and yet continues to be our ca&s;e, and is among us the great quarrell at this day: Poor we, are &s;caped from <HI>Egypt,</HI> from <HI>Rome,</HI> being able to bear her har&s;h u&s;age no longer; and cruell hard-hearted they, by all endeavours po&s;&s;ible will trie to bring us thither again.</P>
<P N="7">7. Is <HI>Rome</HI> the place [where our Lord was crucified?] Oh the de&s;truction and vengence that doth await <HI>Rome!</HI> when God &s;hall recompence upon her the <HI>blood of Proph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ts,</HI> the <HI>blood of Saints,</HI> yea, the <HI>blood of all that are &s;lain upon the earth,</HI> and after all this &s;hall come to reckon with her for &s;hedding the blood of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha 18. 24</NOTE> his onely beloved Son, <HI>for crucifying the Lord of glory</HI> al&s;o, What a vengeance mu&s;t all this be recompen&s;ed withall!</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 9. </BIBL><HI>And they of the People, and Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations, &s;hall &s;ee their dead bodies three dayes and an half, and &s;hall not &s;uffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>WE have formerly &s;een the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es &s;lain, by whom, as al&s;o where they lie dead; but now, when we &s;hould attend them to their graves, we cannot, there's this hinders
<PB N="41" REF="22"> (&s;ayes the Text) <HI>Their dead bodies are not &s;uffered to be put in graves.</HI></P>
<P>The enquiry of the meaning of this, is our pre&s;ent bu&s;ine&s;&s;e: In the endeavour whereof, for better order &s;ake, we &s;hall ob|&s;erve:</P>
<P N="1">1. What it is that's further done to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es after they are &s;lain; In the&s;e words [They are looked upon, and not &s;uf|fered to be put in graves.]</P>
<P N="2">2. The per&s;ons that look upon them, and will not &s;uffer them them to be put in graves, pointed at in the&s;e words, <HI>[They of the People, and Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations]</HI> the&s;e look upon the dead Witne&s;&s;es, and will not &s;uffer them to be put in graves.</P>
<P N="3">3. How long this gaze of theirs la&s;ts, and the Witne&s;&s;es thereupon kept unburied; which the&s;e words al&s;o give us knowledge of, 'Tis <HI>[three dayes and an half.] They of the People- and Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations, &s;hall &s;ee their dead bodies three dayes and a half, and &s;hall not &s;uffer them to be put in graves.</HI></P>
<P>In the foremo&s;t of the&s;e (which will perhaps take in the &s;e|cond in the &s;canning) I mu&s;t needs acknowledge there is a knot; which becau&s;e it &s;eems to lay it &s;elf open to two, dif|ferent, and oppo&s;ite meanings, and both very plau&s;ible, renders the matter difficult whether to take of them.</P>
<P>The que&s;tion is, Whether this [looking upon the&s;e dead Wit|ne&s;&s;es, and the not &s;uffering them to be put in graves,] be done in favour, or di&s;-favour of them; and accordingly as you incline in this que&s;tion either to the one &s;ide, or to the other, &s;o will there a &s;utable meaning offer it &s;elf to you. To in&s;tance therefore; here's one interpretation the words &s;eem to like of. The Bea&s;t, the Romi&s;h Antichri&s;t with his complices, having &s;topped the mouthes of all the Witne&s;&s;es, <HI>thus &s;laying them,</HI> and now fur|ther devi&s;ing &s;ome way, that being thus &s;lain, they may never ri&s;e again, never witne&s;&s;e more again&s;t him, <HI>thus trying to throw them into the Grave, to &s;hut and &s;eal the graves-mouth upon them;</HI> in attempting hereof, is by the Reformed people (through the Mini&s;try of the Witne&s;&s;es, by this time grown into great mul|titudes, and already provoked for the &s;laughter of the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s) re&s;olutely oppo&s;ed; which Antichri&s;t perceiving, and fearing le&s;t upon further attempts they might become de&s;perate,
<PB N="42" REF="23"> fits down content onely to have thru&s;t the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es from their places, and &s;topt their mouths for pre&s;ent, not daring to make any further attempt at all again&s;t them. Thus they of the Kinreds, and Tongues, and People, and Nations, do hinder, that Antichri&s;t (who hath &s;lain the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es) &s;hould yet pro|ceed &s;o far as to throw them into graves; And to this interpre|tation the&s;e Con&s;iderations &s;eem to give countenance:</P>
<P>1. It is not the <HI>Inhabitants of the earth</HI> (by which name the Popi&s;h faction are commonly known in this <HI>Revelation)</HI> who keep the Witne&s;&s;es from being buried; for then the matter had been put be&s;ides all que&s;tion; but on the contrary, tis [They of the Kinreds, and Tongues, and People, and Nations] the&s;e will not &s;uffer the Witne&s;&s;es to be put in graves; by which, who can be meant but the <HI>Reform<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">opl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">? Tho&s;e</HI> you have in|deed brought in rejoycing, at the following Ver&s;e, for the &s;laugh|ter <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 10.</NOTE> of the Witne&s;&s;es; <HI>who,</HI> had they been here meant al&s;o, pro|bably not this &s;o different, but the &s;ame expre&s;&s;ion had &s;erv'd to point at them in both places.</P>
<P>2. The Originall Text &s;eems to contribute &s;omething toward this Interpretation; where you reade, [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] being all put <HI>partitively;</HI> As if the holy Gho&s;t &s;hould &s;ay; [And &s;ome of them of the Kinreds, and People, and Tongues, &amp;c. &s;ome of finer mettle, choyce<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> &s;pirits] the&s;e &s;hall not &s;uffer the Witne&s;&s;es to be put in graves.</P>
<P>2. This is one Interpretation, and indeed in the generall plau&s;ible, though (I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e) looking a little neerer, to &s;ee how particulars will hold, there &s;eems &s;ome difficulty: For in|&s;tance; &s;tating the Reformed people <HI>k<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">p the Witne&s;&s;es from bury|ing;</HI> but what can be meant by <HI>their looking on their dead bodies?</HI> (&s;o &s;ayes the Text) <HI>They look upon their dead bodies three dayes and an holy;</HI> Is it any plea&s;ure for them to have their eyes &s;o long upon their dead Witne&s;&s;es? <HI>Abraham,</HI> when his beloved <HI>Sarah</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Gen. 23. 4.</NOTE> was dead, then buyes a place to <HI>bury his dead out of his &s;ight:</HI> were it never &s;o great delight to look on them while alive, &s;ure it can be none to look on them when dead. And then again, what can we under&s;tand by tho&s;e <HI>graves,</HI> which according to this Interpretation, the Reformed people are &s;aid not to &s;uffer the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es to be put into? &s;hall we &s;ay this they mean, [they keep them from being killed indeed] but where finde we
<PB N="43" REF="23"> that [not &s;uffering to be buried] &s;hould mean, not [&s;uffering to be killed] what analogie between the&s;e? And indeed 'tis a hard matter to a&s;&s;ign any condition which holds re&s;emblance, or analogie with tho&s;e <HI>graves,</HI> which the Reformed people (ac|cording to this Interpretation) are &s;aid to keep the dead Wit|ne&s;&s;es from.</P>
<P>So you have the fir&s;t meaning the words &s;eem to allow of; The other is this:</P>
<P>The Romi&s;h Antichri&s;t with his party, having &s;topped the mouthes of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, thus &s;laying them, after this &s;hall with &s;corn, and in&s;ultation look upon their dead bodies: And if any &s;hould come as <HI>Jo&s;eph of Arimathea,</HI> to beg the body of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 13. 39</NOTE> one of the&s;e dead Witne&s;&s;es, or &s;hould trie to hide or &s;helter the&s;e <HI>Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> as <HI>Obadiah</HI> did the <HI>Prophets in the Cave;</HI> no, they <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Kin. 18. 4 and 13.</NOTE> mu&s;t not; &s;uch is the &s;avagene&s;&s;e of this Bea&s;t, with his compli|ces, they forbid any to harbour, entertain or countenance the&s;e &s;ilenc'd Witne&s;&s;es, thus <HI>not &s;uffering their dead bodies to be put in graves.</HI></P>
<P>And if this &s;en&s;e &s;hall pa&s;&s;e, then have we a fair and obvious under&s;tanding of both tho&s;e particulars, which in the former we &s;carce knew what at all to make of. The former [They look upon them] according to this Interpretation, the mean|ing mu&s;t be, [They look upon them in deri&s;ion.] So they did upon our Saviour, when he was upon the Cro&s;&s;e; <HI>The people, with the Prie&s;ts, beholding of him, derided him, Luk.</HI> 23. 25. And is it not an u&s;uall thing, in this manner for them to be <HI>looked upon,</HI> who having been formidable before, are now brought down, and become at an under? Ca&s;t your eye upon that 14 of <HI>I&s;a.</HI> and 16, and you will thence ea&s;ily know, what it is for any <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 14. 10. and 16.</NOTE> to be looked upon in the ca&s;e above mentioned; Ob&s;erve the words a little, [They that &s;ee thee, &s;hall narrowly look upon thee] Mark you, Here's a <HI>looking upon</HI> the Babylonian Mo|narchs now fallen; well, and what &s;ay they? <HI>Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did &s;hake Kingdoms? Art thou al&s;o become weak as one of us?</HI> See how they in&s;ult over that fallen Monarchy.</P>
<P>And then for their [not &s;uffering them to be put in graves] which was the other expre&s;&s;ion, we knew not what to make of in the former Interpretation (&s;till retaining the analogie)
<PB N="44" REF="24"> it hath this meaning, [They &s;hall deny them &s;helter, hiding place, and the like] So that if any had a de&s;ire to entertain them into their hou&s;es, &s;o to <HI>bury</HI> them within their private Walls, it mu&s;t not be: The Bea&s;t will not allow &s;o much honour done to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, as to <HI>&s;uffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.</HI></P>
<P>In both which, there &s;eems an allu&s;ion to our Saviours ca&s;e, ju&s;t after he was crucified; who&s;e dead body was indeed be|&s;towed upon <HI>Jo&s;eph of Arimathea,</HI> when he came to beg it, but had it not been becau&s;e the next day was <HI>a high day</HI> with the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 19 31.</NOTE> Jews, it had hung a longer &s;pace upon the Cro&s;&s;e, to be the ob|ject of the gaze, and &s;corn of all that &s;hould pa&s;&s;e by. But the&s;e more cruell then the Jews, at lea&s;t not fearing their <HI>Fe&s;ti|vall.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 10.</NOTE> (mentioned in the Ver&s;e following) &s;hould be prophaned by the bodies of the Witne&s;&s;es lying unburied in the &s;treet, will not at any hand &s;uffer them to be put in graves; but there they mu&s;t lie to be looked upon, the &s;corn and deri&s;ion of all; as our Saviours had been al&s;o, had not the &s;olemnity of the day follow|ing prevented.</P>
<P>And now to render this Interpretation more likely, take the&s;e Con&s;iderations:</P>
<P N="1">1. To deny the dead buriall, &s;ounds alwayes a di&s;-favour; a great di&s;-favour from him that doth deny it; a great indignity to him to whom it is denyed: was it no indignity to <HI>Jehoiakim,</HI> that he is threatned to be <HI>buried with the buriall of an A&s;&s;e?</HI> He <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer 22. 19.</NOTE> &s;hould have no buriall at all, or none worth having? As al&s;o to the Babylonian Monarchs, That they &s;hould be <HI>ca&s;t out of their graves, as an abominable branch?</HI> Would this be no indignity, no <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 14. 19.</NOTE> di&s;-favour to them?</P>
<P N="2">2. That which appears the main &s;upport of the other Inter|pretation (namely, becau&s;e 'tis not <HI>the inhabitants of the earth are &s;aid to keep them from their graves,</HI> but <HI>The Kinreds, and Peo|ple, and Tongues, and Nations;</HI> implying thereby, That not the Po|pi&s;h Party do it, but &s;ome other) will not hold; both (notwith|&s;tanding the different expre&s;&s;ion) &s;eeming indeed to mean the &s;ame per&s;ons. They do &s;o at the 13 Chap. of this Prophe&s;ie, the 7 &amp; 8 V. In the former whereof, I mean the 7. you find the <HI>Bea&s;t hath power given him, over all Kinreds, and Tongues, &amp; People, and Nations:</HI> In the latter, <HI>All that dwell upon the earth wor&s;hip him.</HI> Here they are all one: But now if any man &s;hould que&s;tion whe|ther
<PB N="45" REF="24"> that power over Kinreds, and Tongues, and People, and Na|tions, do not mean a power by per&s;ecuting, to over-ma&s;ter, and &s;o implying no voluntary &s;ubjection of the&s;e, as of the other: the 17 Chap. and 15 ver&s;e puts this out of que&s;tion, where you find, The <HI>waters</HI> which the woman &s;its upon, that is, which &s;ub|ject <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 17. 15.</NOTE> them&s;elves to her, <HI>are people, &amp; kinreds, &amp; tongues, &amp; nations.</HI></P>
<P N="3">3. The&s;e &s;ame who look upon the dead Witne&s;&s;es in this ver. ap|pear the &s;ame with tho&s;e, <HI>on whom great fear falls,</HI> when they &s;ee them &s;tand upon their feet, and &s;o ri&s;e again at the 11 ver&s;. They do &s;o; for who could they be in likelihood, that &s;ee them after the three daies and a half&s;tanding upon their feet, but tho&s;e who during the &s;pace of three dayes and an half look'd upon them? And by the &s;ame argument, are they not the &s;ame with tho&s;e who at the 12 ver&s;e (beholding the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es a&s;cen&s;ion) are there expre&s;&s;ely called <HI>their enemies?</HI> for who in likelyhood &s;ees the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es after three dayes and an half a&s;cending, but tho&s;e who all the while before look'd upon them? yea I &s;hould offer it, Whether the Nations that look upon the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es <HI>here,</HI> and <HI>tho&s;e</HI> which at 2 ver. <HI>tread under foot the holy City,</HI> be not all one: The &s;ame original word [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] expre&s;&s;es both; and if the&s;e <HI>Nati|ons</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 2.</NOTE> here be but the &s;ame with tho&s;e who <HI>tread under foot the holy City,</HI> we need no further que&s;tion whether friends or foes keep them unburied, or whether this be done in favour, or di&s;-favour of the Witne&s;&s;es: To all which this &s;eems to adde &s;ome confir|mation, That therefore it appears they will not &s;uffer them to be put in graves, that they might glut their eyes with looking upon them; So the Text, <HI>They look upon them, and will not &s;uf|fer them to be put in graves,</HI> as though they could never have their fill of &s;uch a plea&s;ing &s;pectacle as is the dead Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>You have now both the Interpretations. The one under|&s;tanding this [looking upon the Witne&s;&s;es, and not &s;uffering them to be put in graves] done in favour to them, the other di&s;|favour: neither of them unlikely, and therefore I &s;hall leave every one, after the rea&s;ons on both &s;ides well weighed, to take which him&s;elf be&s;t plea&s;es; though for my own part I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e I rather encline to this latter, 'Tis done in di&s;-favour.</P>
<P>And now you &s;ee this large handling of the fir&s;t thing menti|oned; namely, [the looking upon the Witne&s;&s;es, and not &s;uffer|ing them to be put in graves] hath (according to our former
<PB N="46" REF="25"> intimation) prevented a large enquiry in the &s;econd: I mean [the per&s;ons looking upon the Witne&s;&s;es, and not &s;uffering them to be buried] and &s;o will not hold us long off from that [&s;pace of time wherein the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es being looked at, are not &s;uffered to be buried] which was the la&s;t thing in the&s;e words to be enquired concerning.</P>
<P>For if &s;o be the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are kept out of their gaves in &s;a|vour to them, according as the former meaning would have it, then [they of the Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations] mu&s;t needs be the <HI>Reformed people;</HI> but if this be done in di&s;-favour, as the &s;econd Interpretation carries it, then mu&s;t [they of the Kinreds and People, and Tongues and Nations] without all controver&s;ie mean the <HI>Popi&s;h Party.</HI></P>
<P>Unle&s;&s;e we &s;ay &s;ome kinde of <HI>middle people</HI> may po&s;&s;ibly be under&s;tood (&s;omewhat differing from the <HI>Inhabitants of the earth,</HI> the through Papi&s;ts) who formerly having &s;hewed them|&s;elves friends, and yeelding &s;ome &s;helter to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es from the &s;torms that had before droven them from their own places; yet now &s;eeing the great power of Antichri&s;t, fall in with him as the &s;tronger, now no longer affording any &s;helter, any hiding place to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es. Which of the&s;e [the Kin|reds, and People, and Nations] mean, I &s;hall no further de|termine, but from it, pa&s;&s;e on to enquire, how long the Wit|ne&s;&s;es are lookt upon, and kept unburied, by the People, and Tongues, and Nations, which (&s;ayes the Text) is <HI>Three dayes and an half;</HI> the la&s;t thing we were to enquire after, and comes now to be handled.</P>
<P>Concerning which <HI>three dayes and an half,</HI> I &s;hall not &s;ay as &s;ome do, it &s;ignifies &s;ome very &s;hort time, yet not at all limited, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Paraeus Com<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> Apo.</NOTE> or determinate; I &s;hall not &s;ay &s;o: for, being that it is a broken number [three dayes and an half] as broken numbers u&s;e to do, it mu&s;t needs &s;ignifie a time determinate.</P>
<P>Nor further can this &s;ignifie the &s;ame &s;pace with the Witne&s;|&s;es Prophe&s;ie (which yet &s;ome imagine) for that of the Witne&s;|&s;es <NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. Exp.</NOTE> Prophe&s;ie, is <HI>three yeers and an half;</HI> this, of their lying un|buried, but <HI>three dayes and an half:</HI> Be&s;ides, this <HI>&s;pace of the three dayes and an half,</HI> doth then begin, when the term of the <HI>three yeers <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> an hal<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"></HI> is about to determine. For when the Witne&s;|&s;es have continued their prophe&s;ie almo&s;t <HI>three yeers and an half,</HI>
<PB N="47" REF="25"> and are now drawing toward an end, then are they &s;lain; and after &s;lain, they <HI>lic unb<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ried three dayes and an half;</HI> &s;o that this cannot be the &s;ame &s;pace with the term of the Witne&s;&s;es Pro|phe&s;ie.</P>
<P>Once more; Nor &s;eems it to be under&s;tood in the <HI>letter, viz.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ribera.</NOTE> for <HI>three dayes and an half</HI> properly, and in &s;trictne&s;&s;e &s;o taken, it being hard to conceive, that all that which is mentioned to be done, during this &s;pace, &s;hould in &s;o &s;hort a time as three <HI>dayes and an half</HI> be po&s;&s;ibly accompli&s;hed. Is it po&s;&s;ible that tydings of the &s;laughter of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es &s;hould be carryed from one people to an other, in the &s;pace of three dayes and an half; &s;o that in that &s;pace al&s;o, they might congratulate with one another for this &s;o happy turn of the Witne&s;&s;es &s;laughter? Or is the &s;pace of half a day perceiveable, in a time of &s;uch publike and univer&s;all &s;olemnity, as that is, when the Wit|ne&s;&s;es are killed? Which if &s;o, If this three dayes and an half be not on <HI>indet<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">inate</HI> time (as we &s;aw before;) nor yet the <HI>&s;ame with the</HI> 1260 <HI>dayes,</HI> the terme of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie: nor yet <HI>three dayes and an half in the letter</HI> (as we &s;aw ju&s;t now) what can it mean, but <HI>three dayes and an half propheticall,</HI> that is, <HI>three yeers and an half?</HI> Thus long is the &s;pace while the Witne&s;&s;es lie unburied. So we under&s;tood the <HI>three yeers and an half</HI> of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie before; which re&s;olving into one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core dayes, and then ac|counting a day, for a yeer (as is the manner of the Prophets &s;ometime to reckon) the whole came to one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers; So the&s;e [three dayes and an half] take them (is &s;ometimes the Prophets do, and as we reckoned the former) and they make <HI>three yeers and an half al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o.</HI></P>
<P>The meaning of this Ver&s;e, and all the &s;everalls thereof, be|ing thus at large opened; I &s;hall not for this once, draw up the &s;umme of all offering it to one view, &s;o (as hath been my former manner) but &s;tudious of brevity, &s;hall forthwith pro|ceed to the ob&s;ervations, which are the&s;e.</P>
<P N="1">1. From the former Interpretation; Do the reformed peo|ple keep the Witne&s;&s;es from being thrown in to graves? Then if this &s;hould not be pa&s;t, here is a le&s;&s;on for the reformed peo|ple, here's this hint for them: Though they may &s;uffer Anti|chri&s;t
<PB N="48" REF="26"> to &s;lay their Witne&s;&s;es; yet when he goes about to throw them into the grave, to the end they might never ri&s;e again, then does it behove the reformed people, with all their united &s;trength, re&s;olvedly to oppo&s;e it.</P>
<P>Let the reformed people remember this, now they are told of it, if &s;uch a thing were yet to be accompli&s;hed&punc; That they do their parts, and not &s;uffer Antichri&s;t, after he hath &s;lain their Witne&s;&s;es, to the end they might never ri&s;e again, to throw them into the grave al&s;o.</P>
<P N="2">2. From the latter. 1. Do the Popi&s;h party look upon the dead Witne&s;&s;es, and will not &s;uffer them to be buried, that they might &s;till delight them&s;elves in the beholding of them? Oh the in&s;inite &s;pleen the Popi&s;h party do bear again&s;t the Lords Wit|ne&s;&s;es! Is it not &s;ufficient, they have &s;lain them, but they mu&s;t have their dead bodies lye before them, to &s;corn and mock at? Is it not &s;ufficient, <HI>the Phili&s;times have put out Samp&s;ons cyes,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jud. 16. 21&punc; and 25.</NOTE> but they mu&s;t &s;end for him in this condition, <HI>to make them &s;port al&s;o?</HI> Take notice of the immortall hate the&s;e bear again&s;t Gods Witne&s;&s;es, which doth not determine with their death; For after this, they mu&s;t have their dead bodies to make may|games of.</P>
<P N="3">3. Ob&s;erve the &s;alvagene&s;&s;e of Antichri&s;t and his crew, who will not &s;uffer the dead Witne&s;&s;es to have the honour of buriall: When they have &s;topped the Witne&s;&s;es mouths, and &s;o &s;lain them, they cannot bear it, that any &s;hall take a &s;ilenced Wit|ne&s;&s;e into hou&s;e, give him &s;helter, entertainment: Hence &s;uch &s;earch, &s;uch enquiry made after the&s;e pro&s;cribed Witne&s;&s;es here|tofore, and &s;hould this not be accompli&s;hed, it will be greater yet then ever, the Antichri&s;tian party will not &s;uffer the dead Witne&s;&s;es to be put in graves.</P>
<P N="4">4. Does this unburied &s;tate of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es la&s;t but three dayes and an half, three yeers and an half, here's &s;ome comfort, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Om<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ia ad|ver&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, qu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n|tu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">s magn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">.</NOTE> Though this time when ever it is, may be trouble&s;ome; yet 'tis not like to la&s;t long. How long &s;oever they be a &s;laying, when once &s;lain, they lie dead but three yeers an half, no longer are they left to be the &s;corn of the Popi&s;h brood; no longer are the people of God deprived of them.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="49" REF="26">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 10.</BIBL> <HI>And they that dwell upon the earth &s;hall rejoyce over them, and make merry, and &s;end gifts one to another, becau&s;e the&s;e two Prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the Earth.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IT now follows we &s;ee what is done the while the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es lye dead, gazed upon, and uninterred in the &s;treet of the great City. In the&s;e words, <HI>And they that dwell upon the earth, &s;hall rejoyce and make merry, and &s;end pre&s;ents one to another, becau&s;e the&s;e two Prophets tormented, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In opining whereof, we &s;hall ob&s;erve &s;uch like method as in the former enquiring.</P>
<P N="1">1. <HI>What it is that's done,</HI> the while the Witne&s;&s;es lye &s;lain, and unburied, laid down in the&s;e words, [They rejoyce, and make merry, and &s;end pre&s;ents.]</P>
<P N="2">2. The <HI>per&s;ons</HI> thus rejoycing, and making merry, And they are &s;tiled [The Inhabitants of the earth, They that dwell upon the earth.]</P>
<P N="3">3. The ground why they that dwell upon the earth are thus over joyed; In the&s;e words, [Tis over the&s;e two Prophets, be|cau&s;e they tormented them that dwell upon the earth.] Of the&s;e briefly in this order.</P>
<P>In opening the former, whereof I mean [The rejoycing, and making merry, &amp;c.] here mentioned, I &s;hall for this purpo&s;e referre to two, or three Scriptures; which taken notice of, will contribute abundant light in this matter.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t of the&s;e I referre to, is that ninth of <HI>He&s;ter:</HI> where, the Jews having got the day of their enemies, and procured <HI>Haman</HI> hanged, who in chief contrived, and endeavoured their ruine, for &s;o great a deliverance, they &s;et apart dayes of &s;olemn fea&s;ting, and in them, <HI>They rejoyce, and make merry, and &s;end</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">He&s;t. 9. 19, 18</NOTE> <HI>portions one to another.</HI></P>
<P>So likewi&s;e in that fifteenth of <HI>Luke,</HI> When <HI>the Prodigall <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">mes home,</HI> &s;o glad is the tender father, he hath received his &s;onne &s;afe again, that for joy, he &s;ends, and kills the fatted Calf, and <HI>they rejoyce, and make merry al&s;o.</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Luk. 15. 24.</NOTE></P>
<PB N="46" REF="27">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="47" REF="27">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="48" REF="28">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="49" REF="28">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="50" REF="29">
<P>And in the eight of <HI>N<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">miah,</HI> and the twelfth ver&s;e. The manner of keeping a &s;olemne fea&s;tivall, is thus de&s;cribed, <HI>The people went home every one to eat the fat, and to drink the &s;weet, and to &s;end portions on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> to another, and to make great mirth.</HI></P>
<P>From all which we gather, this much &s;eems meant by the <HI>r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">joy<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ing, and making m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rry,</HI> here mentioned: The Inhabitants of the earth &s;hall &s;o re&s;ent there killing of, and conque&s;t over the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, that they &s;hall as greatly, and &s;olemnly rejoyce, as tho&s;e, who for &s;ome great deliverance, or el&s;e &s;ome eminent good thing befalling, were wont to &s;et a part, and celebrate a <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ea&s;tivall, wherein their menner was (as we heard before.) <HI>To</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Neh. 8. 12.</NOTE> <HI>eat, and drink&punc; and make m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rry, and &s;end pre&s;ents one to another.</HI></P>
<P>This is the meaning. And here ob&s;erve it, I &s;tick not for the exact performance of all this in the Letter: Namely that in|deed, And in the letter they &s;hould here &s;end pre&s;ents one to another (a cu&s;tome among them of Elder times in their &s;olemn rejoycings, now antiquated,) out this they &s;hall do; They &s;hall as greatly rejoyce, now they are rid of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, as they in their &s;olemn fea&s;tivals did, who&s;e way of expre&s;&s;ing their joy, was by <HI>making merry, and &s;ending pre&s;ents one to another.</HI></P>
<P>We have now the meaning of the fir&s;t thing, <HI>viz.</HI> The <HI>re|joycing, and making m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rry,</HI> here mentioned; next follows, the <HI>per&s;ons that rejoyce,</HI> and they are [The Inhabitants of the earth, Th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y that dwell upon the earth.] The&s;e are they, that <HI>rejoyce, and make m<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rry.</HI> And whom can we under&s;tand by the&s;e, but the Popi&s;h Antichri&s;tian party? So we find them expre&s;&s;ed, and pointed at, in the thi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">teenth Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, and the eight ver&s;e. Likewi&s;e at the &s;eventeenth Chapter, and the fifth ver&s;, be&s;ides many more places: yea &s;o commonly doth the <HI>earth</HI> &s;ignifie the Antichri&s;tian Church, and the <HI>Inhabitants of the earth,</HI> the Popi&s;h Antichri&s;tian faction, that all this pro|phe&s;ie over, they are almo&s;t termes convertible. The <HI>Inhabi|tants of the earth,</HI> are the Antichri&s;tian faction; and the Anti|chri&s;tian faction, are the Inhabitants of the earth. And when the members of the true Church are u&s;ually in this <HI>Revelation</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 13. 6. Revel. 18. 20.</NOTE> &s;tiled [Tho&s;e that dwell in Heaven] which they are, how ap|po&s;itely are the members of the Antichri&s;tian Church, their oppo&s;ites &s;tiled [Tho&s;e that dwell upon the earth.]</P>
<PB N="51" REF="29">
<P>And indeed, who el&s;e can be imagined to rejoyce at the &s;up|pre&s;&s;ing, and killing of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, but &s;uch as the&s;e? Who were tormented by the Witne&s;&s;es, but they? So the Text, <HI>The two Prophets torm<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nted them, who dwelt upon the earth.</HI> And then who can the&s;e po&s;&s;ible be, but the Popi&s;h faction; who becau&s;e tormented by the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, help the bea&s;t to &s;lay them, and now having &s;lain them, do out of mea&s;ure rejoyce, they are thus got rid of them?</P>
<P>It is evident then the <HI>Inhabitants of the earth,</HI> are the Popi&s;h party: So we have di&s;patched the &s;econd thing, [The per&s;ons that do rejoyce, and make merry;] Now follows the third, [The rea&s;on why the Popi&s;h party do re<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oyce:] thus expre&s;&s;ed, <HI>They rejoyce over the Witne&s;&s;es, becau&s;e they tormented them that dwell upon the earth.</HI></P>
<P>And here we mu&s;t not mi&s;take, as though the rea&s;on lay thus, <HI>They rejoyce, becau&s;e the two Witne&s;&s;es tormented them;</HI> as the words at the fir&s;t face, &s;eem to carry it: for doubtle&s;&s;e, 'tis &s;mall joy to them to be tormented. But thus rather, <HI>They rejoyce over them, becau&s;e the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es tormented them,</HI> meaning, That becau&s;e the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es tormented them, when alive; therefore do they thus in&s;ult and triumph over them now, they are dead: or el&s;e thus; They rejoyce, becau&s;e avenged, as al&s;o got rid of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, and the rea&s;on why they rejoyce for this (as they conceive) &s;o happy riddance, is, becau&s;e the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es, while they were alive, grievou&s;ly tormented them. This is then in &s;hort the meaning, The Popi&s;h faction rejoyce, becau&s;e got &s;hut of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, fearing now no more to be tormented by them.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Que&s;t."> But befo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e we pa&s;&s;e hence, &s;ome may perhaps move &s;uch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r que&s;tion as this? How are the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es &s;aid to torment them that dwell upon the earth?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Rea&s;."> To which I an&s;wer, Were it nothing el&s;e but the Mini&s;try of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, this is torment greater then the Popi&s;h party po&s;&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ly can endure; and &s;hould we conclude upon it, and &s;ay, this is that rack that doth torment them, the word [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] expre&s;&s;ing here the torment, would not at all oppo&s;e: For in other Scriptures 'tis u&s;ed to &s;ignifie <HI>inward torment, torment of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 14. 10, 11.</NOTE> <HI>con&s;cience,</HI> and would as well &s;ignifie the &s;ame here al&s;o.</P>
<P>But we &s;aw the Witne&s;&s;es at the &s;ixth ver&s;e of this Chapter,
<PB N="52" REF="30"> <HI>Turning <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ers into bloud, and &s;miting the earth with all plagues,</HI> by which is meant [The powring out of the Vials] as was then &s;hewed. This indeed is the [Tormenting the Inhabitants of the earth] here mentioned. And &s;ure if it be either con&s;idered, <HI>what <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s in tho&s;e</HI> Vials, which is powred forth, or their <HI>behaviour,</HI> on whom they are powred; with all, remembring what hath been di&s;covered in this matter before. It will be undoubtedly con|cluded, The pouring forth of the Vials, is, <HI>The tormenting of the Inhabit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nts of the earth,</HI> here intended. For example. Ob&s;erve, What it is the&s;e Vials are full of, and at the 16 Chapter and &s;e|venth <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha 16. 1.</NOTE> ver&s;e, you finde them brim full <HI>with the wrath of God.</HI> All which being poured forth <HI>upon the eart<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> (ver&s;e fir&s;t, of that 16 Chap.) can it be, but this &s;hould <HI>torment th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">m that dwell upon the earth.</HI> Again, Look upon the <HI>behaviour</HI> of them that dwell upon the earth, now there Vials are a pouring forth: and &s;everall times in that 16 Cha you find, that when a Viall is pouring out, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 16. ver. 9. and 11.</NOTE> they <HI>gnaw th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ir tongues for pain, and bla&s;pheme the God of heaven.</HI></P>
<P>The Witne&s;&s;es pouring forth the Vials] is then the [tormen|ting of the Inhabitants of the earth] here mentioned.</P>
<P>But before I wholly leave this &s;ame, give me leave by the wa<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">, to ob&s;erve &s;omething from the word here u&s;ed. It is not [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> to wrong,] but tis [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> to inflict a ju&s;t torment:] when the Popi&s;h party medles with the Witne&s;&s;e, then [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] expre&s;&s;es it, as at the fifth ver&s;e, they do the Witne&s;&s;es wrong; but when the Witne&s;&s;es plague them, then tis [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] they inflict upon them a ju&s;t torment; and accordingly when they come to de&s;troy <HI>Babylon</HI> (for the&s;e very Witne&s;&s;es do de&s;troy her) there you have the &s;ame word al&s;o. <HI>How much &s;he hath glori|fied</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 18. 7. <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.</NOTE> <HI>her &s;elf, &s;o much ju&s;t torment give her:</HI> Shewing, that what they do to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, is <HI>wrong;</HI> what the Witne&s;&s;es do to them, even when they come to de&s;troy them, is but <HI>ju&s;t puni&s;hment.</HI></P>
<P>But to let this pa&s;&s;e, all the parts of this ver&s;e being now opened, put all together, and it comes to thus much. The Popi&s;h party being grievou&s;ly tormented by the Witne&s;&s;es pouring forth the Vials upon them, in revenge hereof, they &s;lay the Wit|ne&s;&s;es, and having &s;lain them, do out of mea&s;ure rejoyce, they are thus got rid of them. Thus you have at once the &s;um of the ver&s;e; from which, next follow the&s;e few ob&s;ervations.</P>
<P N="1">1. Are the dwellers on the earth the Popi&s;h crue? From
<PB N="53" REF="30"> hence then learn the <HI>Character</HI> of the Popi&s;h Antichri&s;tian par|ty, They are a <HI>generation that dwell upon the earth, an earthly ge|neration:</HI> So &s;ometime the Prelaticall faction their neer kinred have been de&s;cribed: <HI>viz. A generation of the earth, earthly, and</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Baines Dio. Try. Fr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">f:</NOTE> <HI>that &s;avour not the things of God.</HI> And certainly not without cau&s;e are the Popi&s;h party thus decifered, Their Religion is of the <HI>earth,</HI> their Ordinances are <HI>earthly</HI> Ordinances, thence all came; and when they have all holpen tho&s;e poor Papi&s;ts that u&s;e them, what they can, will not carry them <HI>above that earth,</HI> from whence they came.</P>
<P N="2">2. Do the Antichri&s;tian brood <HI>rejoyce</HI> at the &s;laughter of the Witn<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;&s;es? Oh the de&s;perate height of wickedne&s;&s;e the&s;e un|happy wretches arive to. The Lord doth &s;end his Witne&s;&s;es, choice In&s;truments, to convince the&s;e of their Idolatry, unclean|ne&s;&s;e, prophanene&s;&s;e, and if it might be to bring them to repen|tance: but they, are &s;o farre from being convinced, &s;o farre from being wonne unto repentance, that in&s;teed hereof they &s;lay the Witne&s;&s;es; and when they have this done (wonder of impiety) as if they had done &s;ome mo&s;t prai&s;e-worthy thing, they rejoyce at it. Oh the de&s;perate hardne&s;&s;e thats come upon the Anti|chri&s;tian faction!</P>
<P N="3">3. Do the Witne&s;&s;es <HI>torment</HI> the Popi&s;h party? You &s;ee then they do not &s;o carry their hard u&s;uage of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, that they them&s;elves &s;cape u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">et withall: If they make the Wit|ne&s;&s;es prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth, the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> torment them as much by pouring upon them the Vials. And &s;ure by that time all ca&s;ts are plaid, The Popi&s;h party will have no great cau&s;e to boa&s;t of their winnings: by that time the&s;e <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> have <HI>re|warded</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 18. 6.</NOTE> <HI>Babylon, as &s;he hath rewarded them, and in the cup wherein &s;he hath filled, have filled to her double,</HI> (which is their Commi&s;&s;i|on) which al&s;o I could earne&s;tly de&s;ire, were more looked up|on, and con&s;idered, (for who knows but &s;ome of us, that now live may be called forth to execute this Commi&s;&s;ion) I &s;ay a|gain, by that time the Reformed Churches have &s;lain her <HI>Prie&s;ts,</HI> as &s;he hath &s;lain <HI>their Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> and da&s;h'd her <HI>bratts again&s;t the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al 137. 8, 9. Rev. 18. 6.</NOTE> <HI>&s;tones,</HI> as &s;he hath done their little ones: yea, <HI>and rewarded her double for all the wrongs,</HI> and violence done unto them, then will the Antichri&s;tian faction be enforced to acknowledge they were &s;ufficiently matcht, when they medled with the&s;e <HI>Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="54" REF="31">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 11.</BIBL> <HI>And after three dayes and an half, the Spirit of Life from God en|tred into them, and they &s;tood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon them which &s;aw them.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>IN the words la&s;t handled, we &s;aw how joy'd the Popi&s;h crew were at the &s;laughter of the Witne&s;&s;es, thinking they had made &s;uch a hand of them, as that they &s;hould never hear of them any more: But now (which qua&s;hes all their mirth, and makes them every whit as &s;ad as did the &s;laying of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es rejoyce them before) Behold, <HI>After three dayes and an half, the Spirit of Life enters into the Witne&s;&s;es, and they &s;tand upon their feet.</HI></P>
<P>In which words, you have ob&s;ervable;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The witne&s;&s;es <HI>Re&s;urrection: [The Spirit of life from God ent<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs into them, and they &s;tand upon their feet.]</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The <HI>time of their Re&s;urrection;</HI> 'Tis <HI>[after three dayes and an half.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The <HI>Con&s;equent</HI> hereof; <HI>[Great fear fell on them that &s;aw them.</HI></ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Of the&s;e I &s;hall &s;peak in this order, and thereof briefly al&s;o, as of the former, beginning with their Re&s;urrection fir&s;t, in the&s;e words <HI>[The Spirit of life from God entred into them, and they &s;tood upon their feet.</HI></P>
<P>The Spirit of life] that which the Hebrews call [breath of <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> Heb. <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> Arab. <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"></NOTE> life] this enters into them.</P>
<P><HI>And they &s;tand upon their feet:]</HI> After this <HI>Spirit of life,</HI> or <HI>Breath of life,</HI> or as the <HI>Arabique</HI> renders it <HI>[Spirit from God]</HI> enters into them, they &s;tand upon their feet; that is, They ri&s;e up again into their former employment: A po&s;ture quite different from what we ere while &s;aw them in, when they lay dead in the &s;treet, not able to move hand or foot, for the &s;pace of three ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rs and a half together. But now after that God hath by &s;ome extraordinary hand of his, re&s;tored them from their &s;u&s;pen&s;i|ons and &s;ilencings, and &s;o life put into them, then they &s;tand upon their feet, as ready now anew to witne&s;&s;e again&s;t Anti|chri&s;t, as <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ver they were before. So tho&s;e <HI>dry bones&punc; Ez<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ch.</HI> 37, <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">. 37. 1<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> (which al&s;o &s;eem plainly here alluded to) after thet &s;inews and
<PB N="55" REF="31"> fle&s;h had covered them, (at the tenth ver&s;e,) <HI>Breath enters into them, and they &s;tand upon their feet.</HI></P>
<P>And this perhaps will tell us what kinde of Re&s;urrection is this of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es: For mark it, then is all this fulfilled; I mean, the dry bones have &s;inews and fle&s;h, and after breathed upon, do live, and &s;tand upon their feet.] When <HI>I&s;rael</HI> in cap|tivity, without hope, or likelyhood of ever being delivered (in which condition they are the dry bones) are yet by the hand of God brought out of that hopele&s;&s;e Captivity; This is the living and ri&s;ing again of the dry bones there mentioned. According whereunto, when the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, formerly &s;lain their office, thrown out thence, are by the &s;peciall hand of God re&s;tored thereto again; what hinders but we &s;ay, This is <HI>the Spirit of life from God entring into the Witne&s;&s;es, and their &s;tand|ing upon their feet.</HI></P>
<P>A Re&s;urrection properly &s;o called it cannot be; for of none &s;uch do we reade, till the 20 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie (as was <NOTE PLACE="marg">Cha. 20. 5.</NOTE> intimated before) and if not a Re&s;urrection reall, and proper, what can it be, but &s;ome &s;peciall hand of God, in re&s;toring the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es to place, opening their mouthes which were &s;topped by their former &s;laughter? This appears the Re&s;urrecti|on of the Witne&s;&s;es here intended.</P>
<P>Which if &s;o, we need not then that &s;hift which &s;ome make u&s;e of, telling us the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es ri&s;e again in their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors, making this [the Re&s;urrection of the Witne&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">s] here mention|ed: For if their ri&s;ing again, mean their re&s;toring to their place of Witne&s;&s;es, as we &s;aw before, then nothing hinders but the &s;ame that were &s;lain may al&s;o ri&s;e again: nothing hinders, but the &s;ame which had their mouthes &s;hut (which was their &s;laying) may have their mouthes again open, which is their Re|&s;urrection, I am &s;ure the &s;pace wherein they lie dead hinders not: Had that indeed been long, three&s;core or four&s;core yeers, then perhaps I &s;hould have &s;ought it in their &s;ucce&s;&s;ors; but when betwixt the la&s;t Witne&s;&s;e that is &s;lain, and the fir&s;t that ri&s;es again, there intervenes but the &s;pace of three yeers and an half, 'tis no very hard thing to believe, That &s;ome who three yeers and an half &s;ince were &s;ilenced, and &s;u&s;pended, after that &s;pace, have now their mouthes open.</P>
<P>And doubtle&s;&s;e it mu&s;t be &s;o, for mark it, The dead bodies of
<PB N="56" REF="32"> tho&s;e that were &s;lain, tho&s;e &s;ame dead bodies that lay in the &s;treet, were looked upon three dayes and an half, and not &s;uffer|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"> to be put in graves, into the&s;e &s;ame (&s;ayes the Tex<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">) the <HI>Spi|<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">it of lite from God enters, and they &s;tand upon their feet.</HI></P>
<P>And I would fain know, what &s;ucce&s;&s;ors could be nouri&s;hed to ri&s;e up in the room of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es after this time; for either they are Witne&s;&s;es them&s;elves, at what time the&s;e are &s;lain, and then they are &s;lain al&s;o (for then are all the bold oppo&s;ers of, and Witne&s;&s;es again&s;t Antichri&s;t, &s;lain) or el&s;e then they were not Witne&s;&s;es, and then think what a time this three yeers and a half was to hatch up a brood of young Witne&s;&s;es in, when now all the other being &s;lain, they are hereby deprived of all means of publike in&s;truction.</P>
<P>But &s;ufficient of this <HI>fir&s;t thing,</HI> I mean <HI>the ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es;</HI> now follows the &s;econd, <HI>the time when they ri&s;e again;</HI> [After three dayes and an half, that is, after three yeers and an half] which becau&s;e it hath already in the foregoing words been handled, I &s;hall pa&s;&s;e from it to the <HI>third thing, viz.</HI> [The con&s;equent of this Re&s;urrection] in the&s;e words; <HI>Great fear fell upon them which &s;aw them.</HI></P>
<P>They that behold the&s;e <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> ri&s;ing again, are afraid: Some like thing is mentioned of them that were pre&s;ent at our Savi|ours <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 28.</NOTE> Re&s;urrection. And indeed it is a common thing, when &s;ome eminent thing is done, for the lookers on to be &s;tricken with fear at the beholding. When <HI>Anani<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s</HI> and <HI>Saphira</HI> fall <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act 5. 3. &amp; 11.</NOTE> dead at the Apo&s;tles feet, then do<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s great fear fall upon the people, the witne&s;ses of it. And when the <HI>Exorei&s;ts Jews</HI> ta|king <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 19. 16, 17.</NOTE> upon them to adjure the evill Spirit to come forth, are by the man that had the evill &s;pirit overcome, e&s;caping from him naked and wounded, then great fear falls upon the people al&s;o.</P>
<P>But you will not blame the beholders here to be afraid at the ri&s;ing again of the&s;e <HI>Witne&s;&s;es:</HI> For if the&s;e be the Popi&s;h par|ty as was conceived they well might be; did they ever dream they &s;hould &s;ee the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> ri&s;e again; did not they think they had made &s;uch &s;ure work, as that they &s;hould never have been troubled with them any more; but now after they had &s;lain them, that be&s;ides all expectation they &s;hould ri&s;e again, and this perhaps to torment them wor&s;e then ever they did before, can you blame them they are afraid at it?</P>
<PB N="57" REF="32">
<P>We have now examined all the &s;everalls of this ver&s;e, all which drawn together, are thus much in the re&s;ult; The <HI>Wit|ne&s;&s;es</HI> being &s;ilenced, thru&s;t from their places, thus &s;lain, after three yeers and an half are by a &s;peciall hand of God re&s;tored to liberty and office again; at which the Antichri&s;tian faction be|come greatly afraid, not having the lea&s;t thought, after they had once &s;lain the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> they &s;hould ever have been troubled, or tormented with them any more.</P>
<P>Having thus opened the words, there are but two Collecti|ons I &s;hall make from them, and then pa&s;se on to what fol|lowes.</P>
<P N="1">1. Do the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es;</HI> after three dayes and an half <HI>ri&s;e again?</HI> &s;ure then this bu&s;ine&s;se of the &s;laying of the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> cannote b a matter of &s;o much di&s;couragement, as we u&s;ually conceive &s;o it; as al&s;o, neither &s;hould we take on for the &s;laying of the <HI>Wit|ne&s;&s;es, as men without hope;</HI> for but a little while, and the <HI>Wit|ne&s;&s;es</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">1 The&s;&s;. 4. 14.</NOTE> ri&s;e again. Nay, neither &s;hould this &s;laughter &s;o much afflict the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> them&s;elves, who even then, when it is a doing, may bid the Popi&s;h faction hold their countenance, for|bear rejoycing, for <HI>though they fall, they &s;hall yet within a little</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mich. 7. 8.</NOTE> <HI>time a&s;&s;uredly ri&s;e again:</HI> The&s;e lights may be by Antichri&s;t &s;up|pre&s;sed for a time, but afterward they break forth in greater lu&s;tre and brightnes then ever they did before.</P>
<P N="2">2. Do the Popi&s;h faction become <HI>greatly afraid,</HI> upon the Re&s;urrection of the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es?</HI> then ob&s;erve it, the <HI>ri&s;ing</HI> of the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> is the <HI>fall of the Spirits,</HI> of the Popi&s;h party: When the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> fell before, then they rejoyce, and make merry, cannot contain them&s;elves; but now they ri&s;e, their hearts fall every whit as fa&s;t within them, ju&s;t like the Scales of the Ballance, if one ri&s;e, the other falls, &s;o incon&s;i&s;tent is the pro&s;perous condition of the one, with the content and &s;a|tisfaction of the other.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<PB N="58" REF="33">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 12.</BIBL> <HI>And they heard a great voyce from heaven, &s;aying unto them, Come up hither, and they a&s;cended up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies beheld them.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>WE have done with the Re&s;urrection of the Witne&s;&s;es, in the words la&s;t handled; now follows their <HI>A&s;cen&s;i|on to heaven,</HI> in the&s;e words; <HI>And they heard a great voyce from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">eaven, &s;aying, Come up hither, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In which for method &s;ake I &s;hall ob&s;erve;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. A <HI>voyce</HI> calling Witne&s;&s;es up to heaven; in the&s;e words; <HI>They heard a voyce from heaven, &s;aying to them, Come up hither.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. Their <HI>A&s;cen&s;ion</HI> thereupon; <HI>They a&s;cended.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The <HI>manner</HI> of this A&s;cen&s;ion; It is <HI>in a cloud.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>4. The <HI>Adjuncts,</HI> or <HI>Concomitants</HI> of this A&s;cen&s;ion, fir&s;t, [Their enemies behold them] mentioned in this Ver&s;e. 2. [A great Earthquake at the &s;ame time] mentioned in the words next following.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Of the&s;e &s;everally in this order: But before I come to &s;peak to every of them in particular, give me leave to premi&s;e this much in the generall concerning all of them, (and it is nothing el&s;e, but what hath &s;everall times, for the &s;ub&s;tance, been alrea|dy inculcated) <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P>This A&s;cen&s;ion, and &s;o the &s;everalls thereto appertaining, are not to be under&s;tood in the letter, as though the Witne&s;&s;es after their Re&s;urrection, &s;hould now indeed, and in the letter a&s;cend up to heaven; by no means, it &s;eems at no hand to be imagined.</P>
<P>But (as we &s;hewed) their death was a my&s;ticall death, their Re&s;urrection a my&s;ticall Re&s;urrection; &s;o now in like manner we &s;ay their A&s;cen&s;ion mu&s;t be a my&s;ticall A&s;cen&s;ion al&s;o. How can we conceive their death a my&s;ticall death, a killing in office onely; their Re&s;urrection, a ri&s;ing again into office; and now conceive their a&s;cending up to heaven, a reall and proper A&s;|cen&s;ion? Not but that the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are at la&s;t glorified in heaven, but &s;o much is not expre&s;&s;ed by their a&s;cending up to heaven here mentioned. This here is a my&s;ticall A&s;cen&s;ion, and &s;o accordingly of the &s;everall above mentioned, <HI>[The great</HI>
<PB N="59" REF="33"> <HI>voyce, the heaven, the cloud,]</HI> we are to enquire a my&s;ticall In|terpretation.</P>
<P>This premi&s;ed, We now proceed to take the &s;everalls in their order: Fir&s;t, [The voyce from heaven calling them up thither.] <HI>And they heard a voyce from heaven, &s;aying to them, come up hither.</HI></P>
<P>Some read the&s;e words thus. [And I heard a voyce from <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Arab:</HI> <GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI><GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 word">.</HI></NOTE> heaven,] &s;o the <HI>Arabique</HI> among others, but better me thinks as we read it, [And they heard a voyce,] the Witne&s;&s;es now after they were ri&s;en from the dead, <HI>they</HI> heard a voyce from heaven.</P>
<P>But what voice is it then the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es hear, calling them up to heaven. I an&s;wer, If it mu&s;t be a my&s;ticall voyce (as we &s;aid before) what more likely thing can it be, then &s;ome <HI>Act,</HI> &s;ome <HI>Decree</HI> of them in high place, calling the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es in|to &s;ome more free, and honourable condition, oppo&s;ite to that of Sackcloth, wherein the Antichri&s;tian faction made them prophe&s;ie before.</P>
<P>I &s;ay again, Some <HI>Act</HI> or <HI>Decree,</HI> this &s;eems to be the voyce.] And then &s;uch as are in authority, appertaining to the Refor|med Churches, which are often &s;o expre&s;&s;ed, &s;eem to be the [Heaven,] from whence this great voyce comes. And that this voyce bidding them a&s;cend up thither, may very well be|token an invitation to &s;ome more ample and honourable con|dition, let but this be con&s;idered, <HI>viz.</HI> That when the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es ro&s;e up again, they ro&s;e up into their propheticall office, by vertue of their re&s;urrection, they had a liberty to Prophe&s;ie again: and then after this, To be called up to Heaven, what can it be, but &s;ome more <HI>liberall condition</HI> offered to them, then that wherein they witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t Antichri&s;t before? So that by this reckoning, by their <HI>Re&s;urrection</HI> they gain their mouths open to <HI>Prophe&s;ie again,</HI> by their <HI>A&s;cen&s;ion</HI> they gain it be not in <HI>Sackcloth.</HI></P>
<P>Their <HI>A&s;cen&s;ion it &s;elf,</HI> next follows, [They a&s;cended up to Heaven.] And what can this mean, an&s;werable to the former, but this, <HI>viz.</HI> They had that honour put upon them, which by the voyce from Heaven they were called to? They have now their Sackcloth taken from them, neither them&s;elves, nor their Mini&s;try, either to be &s;o contemned, or per&s;ecuted as before.
<PB N="60" REF="34"> I heir maintenance po&s;&s;ibly advanced to &s;ome hone&s;t, and com|petent allowance; which becau&s;e &s;o exceeding &s;mall before, might be one rea&s;on, why 'tis &s;aid they Prophe&s;ied in Sackcloth. In &s;umme, what you can conceive, is properly oppo&s;ite to Sackcloth, as cleering them in the eye of the world, mainte|nance, e&s;teem, and the like, <HI>This is the Witne&s;&s;es a&s;cending up to heaven.</HI></P>
<P>And &s;o &s;ometime <HI>[A&s;cending up to heaven]</HI> &s;ignifies: I mean a greater acce&s;&s;ion of honour, and dignity. As when <HI>Nebu|cadnezzar</HI> is brought in thus vaunting, <HI>I will a&s;cend up to heaven, I will exalt my &s;elf above the clouds,</HI> Tis all one, as if he had &s;aid; <NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;. 14 13. 14.</NOTE> I will yet be greater, I will yet make my &s;elf a greater name then I have ever gained hitherto.</P>
<P>Thus we have &s;een their a&s;cention, the manner of their a&s;cention next follows, and tis <HI>[In a cloud] they a&s;cend up to heaven in a cloud</HI> (&s;ayes the Text) this comes next to be enquired concerning.</P>
<P><HI>In a cloub]</HI> This &s;eems of nece&s;&s;ity to be a my&s;ticall cloud, for &s;uch as their a&s;cention is, &s;uch mu&s;t needs be the cloud, wherein they do a&s;cend. Shall we &s;ay therefore, it is a multi|tude of people? we read <HI>He<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">w.</HI> 12. 1. A multitude of belee|vers are called, <HI>A cloud of Witne&s;&s;es.</HI> And is there not &s;ome al<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">u&s;ion think you here intended? The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es a&s;cend up to Heaven <HI>in a cloud,</HI> they are accompanied with a cloud of Witne&s;&s;es, rejoycing, and congratulating with them for this their &s;o unexpected, and happy freedom, every one now helping, and lifting them up what they can, to that honour which by the voice from heaven they are called unto.</P>
<P>I do not finde Interpreters go thus particularly to work, thinking perhaps (as the &s;aying is, Gold is not under every &s;tone.) I mean, That every word &s;hall have &s;omething of mo|ment in it; but perhaps it would not have given &s;atisfaction, had I pa&s;&s;ed this &s;ame without this particular examination: but how likely this is the cloud wherein the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es a&s;cend up to heaven, I &s;hall leave every one to judge, and from it pa&s;&s;e on to the Concomitants of this a&s;cention, the former where|of is laid down in the&s;e words. And their enemies beheld them.</P>
<P>Their enemies.] Who can the&s;e be, but the Antichri&s;tian faction? Whom can we imagine enemies to the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, but they?</P>
<PB N="61" REF="34">
<P>The&s;e behold them.] And with how much terrour, with how much inward torment, and vexation? When they ro&s;e again in the former ver&s;e, you &s;ee what impre&s;&s;ions of fear it then made upon them, <HI>The Witne&s;&s;es &s;tand upon their feet</HI> (&s;ay tho&s;e words,) <HI>and great fedr fell on them which &s;aw them:</HI> Even ju&s;t &s;o it was with <HI>Herod,</HI> when he thought <HI>John the Baptist,</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Matth. 13.</NOTE> (whom he beheaded) was ri&s;en from the dead: And no marvell they are put into this fright, upon the ri&s;ing again of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es: For the Popi&s;h faction to &s;ee them ri&s;e again whom they had &s;lain once, they then conceiving they had made &s;uch a hand with the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, as they &s;hould never be troubled with them any more; can you blame them they are afraid at it?</P>
<P>But further, That after their ri&s;ing again, they &s;hould now a&s;cend up to heaven al&s;o; what fear, what indignation, will this impre&s;&s;e upon them? What fear? Had they, but only ri&s;en again, they might have hoped again to have &s;lain them; but now to a&s;cend up to heaven al&s;o, &s;o as they could not reach them, &s;o as they could not &s;lay them any more: where they &s;hould &s;it &s;e|cure, and out of their danger, they thence a new tormenting them, as for their former wrongs, &s;o for their late killing of them; and this with much more grievous torment, their little finger being now made heavier, then their whole loynes were before; Can we thinke, but this &s;hould much encrea&s;e the ter|rour formerly falling on them upon the ri&s;ing again of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>And as adde to their fear, &s;o beget in them much bitter in|dignation. To &s;ee tho&s;e whom they accounted not worthy to breath in the air while alive, nor worthy the honour of a grave when dead; not only to ri&s;e again, but to a&s;cend up to heaven al&s;o, to be followed with &s;houtings, and acclamations, have their Sackcloth taken off, and the <HI>Germent of gladne&s;&s;e,</HI> and honour in&s;tead thereof put upon them: How think we, is not this enough to make the Antichri&s;tian party, even eat their hearts for &s;pight and indignation, and wi&s;h their eye-balls &s;unk in their heads, rather then to behold it. <HI>The Witne&s;&s;es a&s;cend up to heaven, and their enemies behold them.</HI></P>
<P>Put all together now, and the &s;umme of all the&s;e &s;everalls is this much, After that the Witne&s;&s;es are by a &s;peciall hand of God re&s;tored to office again, have their mouths open, which is
<PB N="62" REF="35"> their Re&s;urrection: Such as are then in authority, in the Re|formed Churches, do call them to &s;ome more ample condition, more free, more honourable, the multitude with joynt endea|nour helping, while the Antichri&s;tian faction are &s;trucken with fear, and great indignation at the beholding. This &s;eems the meaning of the words, the ob&s;ervations now follow.</P>
<P N="1">1. Are the Reformed Churches <HI>heaven.]</HI> And the Act of &s;ome in power there <HI>[A voyce from heaven.]</HI> See then the va&s;t diff<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rence betwixt the&s;e Churches, and the Synagogue of Satan. This is <HI>earth,</HI> and the members thereof, <HI>The Inhabitants of the earth</HI> (as we &s;aw before;) but on the contrary, the Reformed Churches are <HI>heaven,</HI> and tho&s;e that appertain thereunto, are &s;uch who <HI>dwell in heaven.</HI> And not without cau&s;e &s;o called, for certainly if the pre&s;ence of God, of Chri&s;t, of the Spirit, will make heaven; Sure then the Churches of Chri&s;t are not unde&s;ervedly &s;o called. The policy the&s;e walk by, is a <HI>heavenly</HI> policy; Our <HI>conver&s;ation,</HI> or as the originall, <HI>our policy is in</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"></NOTE> <HI>heaven,</HI> (&s;ayes the Apo&s;tle, <HI>Eph.</HI> 3. 20.) their graces are from <HI>heaven,</HI> the Ordinances they attend upon, come from thence, and will in due time, as a means, carry up the <HI>comers</HI> there|unto <NOTE PLACE="marg">Heb. 10. 1.</NOTE> al&s;o.</P>
<P N="2">2. Doth a voyce from heaven call the Witne&s;&s;es up thither? Why then however the ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es be by the &s;peciall hand of God; yet their a&s;cen&s;ion is, by the means and intervention of men. <HI>A voice from heaven calls them up thither.</HI> Take notice of it, the hand of God rai&s;es up the Witne&s;&s;es from the lead, the hand of men does help them up to heaven; God will take order the Witne&s;&s;es once &s;lain, &s;hall again Prophe&s;ie&punc; We mu&s;t take order it be no more in Sackcloth.</P>
<P N="3">3. Do the Witne&s;&s;es a&s;cend up to heaven? Tis plain then, there is a time (a time here I mean) when the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es &s;hall have their mourning Weeds their Sackcloth, taken from them: There is a time, when they &s;hall have honour, e&s;teem, and re|compence for all the &s;corn, and injuries have been put upon them. Yea, a time al&s;o, when they &s;hall be above the enemies <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="3 letters">ch, and danger: Vex and &s;torm at them, they may, But when they once a&s;cend up to heaven, they get &s;o farre above them, a they &s;hall be a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">le to &s;lay them no more.</P>
<P N="4">4. Do the enemies of the Witne&s;&s;es behold their a&s;cending
<PB N="63" REF="35"> up to heaven? Oh what indignation, what gna&s;hing of teeth will this cau&s;e in &s;uch beholders! To &s;ee the&s;e have their Sack|cloth taken from them, ride in the &s;econd Chariot, honour have and e&s;teem put upon them; certainly <HI>Haman</HI> could not be more <NOTE PLACE="marg">E&s;tl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> &s;ad at the preferment of <HI>Mordecai,</HI> then will the&s;e be grieved and vexed at the A&s;cen&s;ion of the Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 13. </BIBL><HI>And the &s;ame hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the City fell; and in the earthquake were &s;lain of men, &s;even thou&s;and, and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>NOw follows the other Concomitant of the Witne&s;&s;es Re&s;urrection, and a&s;cending up to heaven, together with the &s;everall Con&s;equents thereon depending, in the words la&s;t mentioned; <HI>The &s;ame hour there was a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the City fell, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>In the handling whereof, we &s;hall ob&s;erve;</P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>1. The <HI>time</HI> of the Earthquake here mentioned, in the&s;e words; <HI>The &s;ame hour there was a great earthquake.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>2. The <HI>Earthquake it &s;elf.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>3. The &s;everall con&s;equents of this earthquake, being in all three; all whereof we &s;hall handle as they fall in their own order.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>But fir&s;t of the time; <HI>[The &s;ame hour there was a great earth|quake.]</HI></P>
<P><HI>The &s;ame hour.]</HI> Some copies reade, [The &s;ame day.] But whether <HI>day</HI> or <HI>hour,</HI> both &s;eem to come to one; neither to be under&s;tood of either <HI>day</HI> or <HI>hour</HI> properly &s;o taken.</P>
<P>If you reade, [The &s;ame hour] it is not to be taken proper|ly, for the 24 part of a naturall day; no more then 'tis in the 14 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, and 7 ver&s;e; <HI>The hour of his Judgement is come:</HI> Or at the 17 Chapter, and 12 ver&s;e; <HI>The&s;e receive power one hour with the Bea&s;t;</HI> be&s;ides many &s;uch like in|&s;tances, which might be fetcht from other places.</P>
<P>If you reade, [The &s;ame day,] it &s;eems not to be under&s;tood
<PB N="64" REF="36"> either of a naturall or artificiall day properly &s;o called, no more then in many other places. But whether one, or other, <HI>day,</HI> or <HI>hour,</HI> this appears the plain meaning of the holy Gho&s;t; About the time of the Re&s;urrection and A&s;cen&s;ion of the Witne&s;&s;es, about that time, there is a great earthquake.</P>
<P>The <HI>earthquake</HI> it &s;elf now follows, <HI>There was a great earthquake.</HI></P>
<P>There is a <HI>naturall carthquake,</HI> as I may call it, when &s;ome windy matter being inclo&s;ed in the caverns of the earth, impa|t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ent of being impri&s;oned there long, breaks forth at la&s;t, cau|&s;ing <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ari&s;to.</HI> 2. <HI>Me<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">co.</HI> 7.</NOTE> great and violent concu&s;&s;ions and motions of the earth. Such as this you reade of, the 1. of <HI>Amos</HI> 1: &s;uch a kinde of earthquake as this was at our Saviours Re&s;urrection; but this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Mat. 28. 2.</NOTE> kinde of earthquake we are not to under&s;tand here.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides this there is a <HI>my&s;ticall earthquake,</HI> when there are great &s;tirs and commotions in Kingdoms and States, and by the&s;e the Forms of Government changed. Such earthquakes are tho&s;e mentioned at the 8 Chapter of this prophe&s;ie and 5 ver&s;e; and 16 Chapter, and 18 ver&s;e. And (if I mi&s;take not) where we finde mention of an earthquake in all this book, we are to con|ceive it to be a <HI>my&s;ticall earthquake.</HI> such is the great earthquake here mentioned, a my&s;ticall earthquake, a State-quake, a King|dom-quake; this &s;eems the great earthquake here intended: When therefore the holy Gho&s;t tells us, <HI>The &s;ame hour there was a great earthquake,</HI> 'tis this in effect; About the time of the ri&s;ing again, and A&s;cen&s;ion of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, there are great State and Kingdom-&s;hakings.</P>
<P>The <HI>Con&s;equents</HI> of this earthquake next follow, in the&s;e words; <HI>The tenth part of the City fell, and in the earthquake were &s;lain of men &s;even thou&s;and; And the remnant were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven.</HI></P>
<P>Which Con&s;equents if you take them a&s;under, are three, as was before hinted. 1. <HI>The tenth part of the City falls.</HI> 2. <HI>Se|ven thou&s;and men &s;lain.</HI> 3. <HI>The remnant are terrified, and give glory to the God of heaven.</HI> Of the&s;e in this order; 1. The fall of the tenth part of the City, then of the other as they follow.</P>
<P><HI>The tenth part of the City fell;</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] I finde nothing in this Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es, with more variety
<PB N="65" REF="36"> and difference interpreted then this &s;ame; and doubtle&s;&s;e could we hit right here, it would contribute no little to our &s;atisfa|ction in the greate&s;t intricacie of this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. Give me leave to offer a ta&s;te of the&s;e different Interpretations, e&s;pecially of them which &s;eem to carry mo&s;t likelyhood; which when I have done, I &s;hall propound, and &s;ubmit my own thoughts in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>The great que&s;tion is, What we &s;hould under&s;tand by <HI>the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">The <HI>Arabi&abque;</HI> without con&s;ent of any, either Copy or Tran&s;lati|on that I have met withall, reads, The <HI>third part</HI> of, the City fell.</NOTE> <HI>[Tenth part of the great City,</HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.] In an&s;w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r whereto, you have &s;ome will tell you 'tis the <HI>Tenths</HI> of the Ci|ty, meaning, That whereas the Popes have <HI>Tenths</HI> paid them, which was the manner of the Romans formerly, as al&s;o of other Princes of elder times, now upon the ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es, and the great earthquake thereupon attending, this Tribute of Tythes or Tenths, whereby he was in great part maintained before, &s;hall now at la&s;t be utterly with-held from him. This is <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, that which we tran&s;late, [The tenth part of the City] falling. But (as &s;ome well ob&s;erve) to make this good, it mu&s;t have been <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">; but it is <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, and therefore this cannot be the meaning.</P>
<P>Another therefore by this [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] which we tran&s;late <HI>[The tenth part of the City]</HI> would under&s;tand, Tho&s;e <HI>ten Kingdoms,</HI> which at the 17 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, and 13 ver&s;e, <HI>give up all th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ir &s;trength and power to the Bea&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">;</HI> And when tho&s;e at la&s;t draw off from Antichri&s;t, which they do, for <HI>the&s;e &s;hall hate the Whore, cat her fle&s;h, and burn her with fire,</HI> Chap. 17. ver. 16. This is the fall of the Decharchy of the City. Tho&s;e ten King|doms that had formerly &s;upported Antichri&s;t, now drawing off, and preparing for her de&s;truction, this is the fall of the <HI>tenth</HI> part of the great City. And &s;ure if the&s;e ten Kingdoms with|drawing them&s;elves, hating the Whore, eating her fle&s;h, and burning her with fire, &s;hould not fall in with the time of the &s;eventh Trumpet, and la&s;t Vial, and be not that de&s;truction which at that time is to be executed upon her, I mean the <HI>Ro|mi&s;h Babylon,</HI> I &s;hould think this interpretation did carry much appearance of truth with it.</P>
<P>But then another by <HI>[the tenth part of the City]</HI> would un|der&s;tand, <HI>the City it &s;elf, Rome</HI> it &s;elf falls, making this &s;ame all one with the fifth Vial, which poured out upon the Throne of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 16. 10.</NOTE>
<PB N="66" REF="37"> the Bea&s;t, that is, upon <HI>Rome</HI> (&s;ayes this Interpreter) <HI>Rome</HI> hereby comes to be de&s;troyed. And if any object, The holy Gho&s;t doth not &s;ay the whol<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> City falls, onely <HI>the truth part of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> City;</HI> to this it is an&s;wered, That when <HI>Rome</HI> comes to be de&s;troyed, it is but the <HI>Tenth part</HI> of what it was formerly. I<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> was in compa&s;&s;e in former times neer 42 miles within the walls, now about 15: And if we mea&s;ure, it will appear, That that whch is in compa&s;&s;e 15 miles, will make up but the <HI>tenth part</HI> of that which is in compa&s;&s;e 42 miles. And &s;o accord|ingly, when the <HI>tenth part of the City falls,</HI> as is here &s;aid, the whole City is meant; for now the whole, is but the <HI>tenth part</HI> of what it was formerly.</P>
<P>This, I confe&s;&s;e, is a pretty Notion, but yet &s;uch as I dur&s;t in no wi&s;e conclude is the meaning of the holy Gho&s;t in this place: It carries with it too much acutene&s;&s;e to be the mean|ing of the Spirit; and indeed it &s;eems too much forced al&s;o; That <HI>the tenth part of the City,</HI> &s;hould mean <HI>the whole City,</HI> the words &s;eem not in any rea&s;onable congruity to admit of it.</P>
<P>Give me leave now in the la&s;t place, to adde what hath mo&s;t taken upon me, in all the variety of thoughts in this matter: and it is this;</P>
<P>The Antichri&s;tian Kingdom, as made up of tho&s;e <HI>ten horns,</HI> ten Kingdoms, into which the Roman Empire upon its fall was re&s;olved, the&s;e ten at the &s;ame time with one con&s;ent gi|ving their power thereunto, &s;eem here, as al&s;o in other places, compared to a great City: Which City, an&s;werably to the ten part of the Antichri&s;tian Kingdom, hath ten parts al&s;o; every one of tho&s;e ten Kingdoms, by &s;ubmitting it &s;elf to the Go|vernment of this my&s;ticall City, I mean this my&s;ticall <HI>Baby|lon&punc;</HI> hereby making it &s;elf a part of it.</P>
<P>This &s;tated, we &s;ay accordingly <HI>[the tenth part of the City]</HI> mu&s;t mean, O<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e of tho&s;e ten Kingdoms, which having &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">|mitted it &s;elf to the Government of this my&s;ticall <HI>B<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">bylon,</HI> hereby became to a part of it: and then an&s;werably is this <HI>t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nth Kingdom, the tenth part of the great City</HI> &s;aid to <HI>fall,</HI> when th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">inde of Government, which &s;ubmitted to made this one part of that City, I mean of <HI>Romi&s;h babylon,</HI> is now ut|ter<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ly di&s;&s;olved and aboli&s;hed in that Kingdom.</P>
<P>So then all this tog<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ther is thus much. About the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 span">
<PB N="67" REF="37"> Witne&s;&s;es ri&s;e again, and a&s;cend up to heaven, there are great &s;tirs and commotions, this is <HI>the earthquake;</HI> and among the&s;e, that Antichri&s;tiani&s;m which in one of the ten Kingdoms &s;ub|mitted to, made it one of the parts of the Romi&s;h <HI>Babylon,</HI> is utterly qua&s;h'd and di&s;&s;olved in that Kingdom. This &s;eems to be <HI>the fall of the tenth part of the great City.</HI></P>
<P>And here ob&s;erve it, 'tis [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">] with an Arti|ticle, which (I confe&s;&s;e) I had once let pa&s;&s;e, but &s;hould by no means pa&s;&s;e without notice; <HI>[That tenth part of the great City]</HI> &s;o we might render it, where the holy Gho&s;t &s;eems to tell us which tenth part of the City, which of the ten Kingdoms he means, why <HI>[that tenth part]</HI> that which &s;eems ea&s;ily di&s;cernable from all the re&s;t, <HI>that tenth part falls.</HI> But which this is&punc; I &s;hall hereafter &s;peak my conjecture; let this &s;uffice at pre&s;ent, that in <HI>That tenth Kingdom,</HI> which &s;eems ea&s;ily differenced from all the re&s;t, Antichri&s;tiani&s;m is aboli&s;hed, this is the <HI>fall of that tenth part of the great City.</HI> This &s;eems the meaning, and (I mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e) I have nothing readily to object again&s;t it, but from this fir&s;t con&s;equent of the earthquake, <HI>viz. The fall of the tenth part of the City,</HI> we may proceed to the &s;econd, in the&s;e words; <HI>And in the earthquake were &s;lain of men &s;even thou&s;and.</HI></P>
<P>This follows, and this is not without its difficulties neither: Some reade, <HI>the heads of men</HI> that were &s;lain were &s;even thou|&s;and; but if we reckon by the pole, &s;even thou&s;and men num|bred by the pole were &s;lain, and no more, it will readily be ob|jected; How can it be imagined the tenth part of the Anti|chri&s;tian Kingdom &s;hould fall, and yet but &s;even thou&s;and heads, or &s;even thou&s;and men reckoned by the Pole, &s;lain and overwhelmed in &s;o great a ruine? Seven thou&s;and, thus reckon|ed, &s;eem not a number any whit proportionable. To which it may be an&s;wered; This number of &s;even thou&s;and, is a perfect number, and is here put, as in other places, not to &s;ignifie ju&s;t &s;o many, and no more, but rather a certain number, for an un|certain, and may very well &s;ignifie a great many more then pre|ci&s;ely that number.</P>
<P>But if this &s;hould not pa&s;&s;e, there is another Interpretation <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, for <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">.</NOTE> be&s;ides, and this &s;eems without all exception.</P>
<P>This therefore in&s;tead of reading <HI>[the names of men that were &s;lain]</HI> which is the Originall, reads <HI>[the men of name that were</HI>
<PB N="68" REF="38"> <HI>&s;lain were &s;even thou&s;and.]</HI> And this not ra&s;hly, this kinde of &s;peaking being not infrequent in the Scripture: hence you reade <HI>Silver of Talents,</HI> for <HI>Talents of Silver,</HI> and the like; &s;o here, <HI>names of men,</HI> for <HI>men of names:</HI> And if you would know what's meant by this expre&s;&s;ion <HI>[men of name,]</HI> and what <HI>[name]</HI> imports in this con&s;truction <HI>[men of name]</HI> con&s;ult that 6 of <HI>Gen.</HI> and 4 ver&s;e, and you finde, tho&s;e Giant-like men whom the Originall calls, <HI>men of name;</HI> our Tran&s;lation calls, <HI>men of r<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nown;</HI> And &s;o both the Originalls &s;ignifying <HI>[name]</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP LANG="heb" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>Orae. O<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters"></HI> <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF"> <HI>Beza Anno.</HI></NOTE> often tran&s;lated; &s;o here, <HI>There were &s;lain &s;even thou&s;and men of name,</HI> that is, <HI>men of note, of quality:</HI> So many were &s;lain, <HI>in th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> fall of the tenth part of the City.</HI></P>
<P>And if this &s;hould be &s;o, it cleerly takes off the former ob|jection, <HI>viz.</HI> That the number of bare &s;even thou&s;and, were not proportionall; for granting that &s;o many of quality, of name, are &s;lain, be&s;ides the&s;e numbers of the common &s;ort that may be overwhelmed in tho&s;e ruines, and &s;ure &s;even thou&s;and men of note with tho&s;e other, are a number an&s;werable to the fall of the tenth part of the City.</P>
<P>But before I pa&s;&s;e further, I mu&s;t tell you, this <HI>&s;laughter</HI> of the&s;e &s;even thou&s;and, &s;eems not to mean a <HI>reall and proper &s;laugh|ter,</HI> no more then did the <HI>&s;laughter</HI> of the Witne&s;&s;es before men|tioned: for if the earthquake were not &s;uch properly &s;o called, onely &s;ignifying &s;tirs and commotions in the tenth part of the great City, and &s;o a my&s;ticall earthquake, as we &s;aw before; in like manner, neither can this <HI>&s;laughter</HI> which is done by a my&s;ticall earthquake, be any other then a <HI>my&s;ticall &s;laughter.</HI></P>
<P>And if a <HI>my&s;ticall &s;laughter,</HI> what can it be, but the Antichri|&s;tian faction, the abettors and maintainers of Antichri&s;tian|i&s;me, in that tenth part of the great City, have their place, their power, their maintenance taken from them, they cea&s;e to be in office as before, they lo&s;e their <HI>Livings,</HI> this is to them the <HI>lo&s;ing of their lives,</HI> this &s;eems the <HI>&s;laughter of the &s;even thou|&s;and eminent men</HI> here intended.</P>
<P>I do not deny but in the&s;e &s;tirs &s;ome of them may be <HI>&s;lain</HI> indeed; &s;omewhat like whereto was formerly &s;poken con|cerning the &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es, but this is not the &s;laugh|ter is here chiefly aymed at, it is e&s;pecially a my&s;ticall &s;laughter.</P>
<PB N="69" REF="38">
<P>We have &s;een now the &s;econd Con&s;equent, <HI>viz. Seven thou|&s;and men &s;lain;</HI> the third follows, in the&s;e words; <HI>The rem|nant were terrified, and gave glory to the God of heaven.</HI></P>
<P>And who is this remnant, but &s;ome of that party, I mean the Antichri&s;tian faction; who &s;eeing the ju&s;t and apparent hand of God upon them, are &s;tricken with it, acknowledging their errour, and thus give glory to the God of heaven. <NOTE PLACE="marg">Jo&s;. 7. 19.</NOTE></P>
<P>Or el&s;e the <HI>remnant were terrified,</HI> that is, the other &s;ort of people, who &s;caping the &s;laughter wherein the profe&s;&s;ed Anti|chri&s;tian faction were e&s;pecially concerned, they, &s;eeing the hand of God upon them, are terrified, and by confe&s;&s;ing their former mi&s;take in cleaving to them, do thus give glory to the God of heaven.</P>
<P>Sum up all this ver&s;e now, and 'tis thus much: About the time the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es ri&s;e again, and a&s;cend up to heaven, about this time there are great &s;tirs and commotions, in &s;ome of tho&s;e ten Kingdoms, into which the Roman Empire, upon its fall, became divided. By means whereof, Antichri&s;tiani&s;me becomes utterly aboli&s;hed in one of tho&s;e ten Kingdoms: upon the abo|li&s;hing whereof, many of note, and profe&s;&s;edly of the Antichri|&s;tian faction, are thrown from all Authority and Place, as al&s;o that large maintenance which they had before; which the other people, cleaving fa&s;t to them before, now beholding, and taking notice of the finger of God in it, confe&s;&s;e their former errour, &s;trike off from them, never to cleave to them any more.</P>
<P>The Ob&s;ervations now follow:</P>
<P N="1">1. Is one Kingdom but <HI>the tenth part of the great City?</HI> hence ob&s;erve the extent of the <HI>my&s;ticall Babylon.</HI> The Popi&s;h facti|on may well cry up Vi&s;ibilty, Univer&s;ality, the Catholique Church, and the like, why one Kingdom is but the <HI>tenth part</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Bell. de Not. Eccl.</NOTE> <HI>of it.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. Hence we have the rea&s;on, why that Call of God, <HI>viz. [Come out of her my people]</HI> is not to be re&s;trained to the City of <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 18. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>Rome</HI> properly, and in the letter &s;o taken, but takes place in all the ten Kingdoms, and in all the parts thereof, though never &s;o far remote from <HI>Rome,</HI> in regard of di&s;tance of &s;pace. The Go|vernment of this great <HI>Balylon</HI> takes in &s;everall Kingdoms, and &s;o far as her Government, and Wor&s;hips are retained in any of them, &s;o far doth God call &s;uch a people out of <HI>Babylon.</HI></P>
<PB N="70" REF="39">
<P N="3">3. If any of the <HI>ten Kingdoms</HI> have withdrawn them&s;elves utterly from Antichri&s;t, then is the <HI>tenth part of the City fallen.</HI> I need not trouble you with the rehearfall of the ten King|domes, they are commonly known to be the&s;e; 1. There was the <HI>Alanes,</HI> the <HI>Almains,</HI> the <HI>Britains,</HI> the <HI>Burgundians,</HI> the <HI>Frankes,</HI> the <HI>Greeks,</HI> the <HI>O&s;trogoths,</HI> the <HI>Saxons,</HI> the <HI>Vandals,</HI> the <HI>Wi&s;igoths:</HI> If any of the&s;e have utterly withdrawn them&s;elves from Antichri&s;t, then is the tenth part of the City fallen; If not, th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n is not the tenth part of the City fallen. But if any be utterly <HI>withdrawing,</HI> then is the tenth part of the City <HI>falling.</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. There is a time when the Antichri&s;tian faction &s;hall be paid in their own coyn: Have they &s;lain the Witne&s;&s;es? why when the tenth part of the City falls, they become &s;lain al&s;o: Have they &s;ilenc'd and &s;u&s;pended the Witne&s;&s;es? even &s;o &s;hall it be mea&s;ured to them al&s;o: And perhaps of this there hath been a ta&s;te given already. We have &s;een tho&s;e brought to the Bar, who have u&s;ed to &s;it in Judgement, pa&s;&s;ing hard and unju&s;t &s;en|tence upon others. Tho&s;e &s;u&s;pended, and their livings &s;eque&s;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ed, who formerly have been active to do as much for others. And no marvell; As <HI>Babylon</HI> falls, &s;o the Popi&s;h faction al&s;o.</P>
<P N="5">5. Do a <HI>remnant repent upon the fall of part of</HI> Babylon, <HI>and the &s;laughter accompanying it?</HI> Ob&s;erve then, there is &s;ome good to be expected from the fall of <HI>Babylon:</HI> when the tenth part falls, then do the <HI>remnant repent, and give glory to the God of heaven.</HI> How earne&s;tly therefore &s;hould we pray for the de|&s;truction of <HI>Babylon:</HI> It did no good &s;tanding, but un&s;peakable mi&s;chief; it will do good fallen, for then will people hereby be brought unto Repentance.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="sermon">
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL>VERS. 14. </BIBL><HI>The &s;econd Wo is pa&s;t, and behold the the third Wo cometh quickly.</HI></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>NOw follows the Clo&s;e of this Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es, which al&s;o as a &s;ure direction, tells us where we are, e&s;pe|cially while in hand with the latter part of this Prophe&s;ie; In the&s;e words; <HI>The &s;econd Wo is pa&s;t, and behold, the third Wo com|eth quickly.</HI></P>
<PB N="71" REF="39">
<P>The meaning whereof (that I make not many words about it) &s;eems in &s;hort this; <HI>The &s;econd Wo]</HI> that is, <HI>The &s;ixth Trum|p<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">t;</HI> For the three la&s;t Trumpets being three Wo-Trumpets, as appears Chap. 8. ver&s;e 13, <HI>the &s;econd Wo</HI> mu&s;t needs mean <HI>the &s;ixth Trumpet.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Is pa&s;t]</HI> that is, Is pa&s;t in mention. <HI>The third Wo]</HI> that is, The <HI>la&s;t Trumpet, [Cometh quickly]</HI> that is, cometh &s;peedily to be mentioned: As if the holy Gho&s;t &s;hould &s;ay; Now after this Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es is related, you have been told all the <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, even all the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the &s;ixth Trumpet; after which, I proceed &s;peedily to acquaint you with the bu&s;i|ne&s;&s;e of the &s;eventh Trumpet.</P>
<P>Or el&s;e this may be the meaning, Then when all that which app<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">rtains to this Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es is come to pa&s;&s;e, and the earthquake attending the Re&s;urrection and A&s;cen&s;ion of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es is perfectly ended, then is the &s;trength of the Wo of the &s;ixth Trumpet gone al&s;o. Which the &s;eventh Trum|pet, and the Wo it brings along with it, &s;peedily follow; which &s;eventh Trumpet is to clo&s;e and &s;hut up all this My&s;tery.</P>
<P>And now we have gone over this whole Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es, having carefully enquired the meaning of all the parts thereto appertaining. But before we proceed to &s;peak any thing in that great Que&s;tion, <HI>Whether the Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain yea or no,</HI> re&s;erved to be di&s;cu&s;&s;ed, till we had gone over with the Interpretation of the Prophe&s;ie, give me leave to draw to|gether under one view, the brief meaning of all the &s;everalls already handled; which being &s;et &s;o neer, and as a Preface to the Work yet behind, will be as a To<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ch held at the entrie, &s;hewing us where we &s;hould tread, in all that ob&s;cure way we are yet to go; as al&s;o be a rule neer at hand, whereby to examine what may be propounded in the great di&s;qui&s;ition following.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<PB N="72" REF="40">
<P><TABLE>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 3.</BIBL>
<P>ANd I will give power unto my two Witne&s;&s;es, and they &s;hall prophe&s;ie a thou|&s;and two hundred, &amp; three&s;core dayes, clothed in Sackcloth.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>DUring the time that Anti|chri&s;tiani&s;me &s;hal continue to &s;pread it &s;elf thorow the world, God will rai&s;e up &s;uch all this time, who &s;hall by their Sermons, Writings, &amp; Actions, te&s;tifie again&s;t it, mourning to behold the &s;preadings thereof; hereby al&s;o kept down, con|&s;trained to live in an ob&s;cure and mean condition; this their te&s;ti|fying again&s;t it continuing 1260 yeers.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 4.</BIBL>
<P>The&s;e are the two Olive trees, and the two Candle&s;ticks, &s;tanding before the God of the earth.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es moreover, for their quality, are godly Magi|&s;trates, and Mini&s;ters, &s;uch as were <HI>Zerubbabel</HI> and <HI>Je&s;hua</HI> for|merly, who all the while of An|tichri&s;t his prevailing, &s;hall be|&s;tow them&s;elves in maintaining what&s;oever of Church &amp; Wor|&s;hip they have, reforming, re|pairing, re&s;toring as there is need, and regaing what hath been lo&s;t by Antichri&s;tian encroach|ments.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 5.</BIBL>
<P>And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and de&s;troyeth their enemies; and if any man will hurt them, he mu&s;t in this manner be killed.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>And if any &s;hall attempt to harm them, they, furni&s;hed as once <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> were, by praying and denouncing J<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">dge|ments, procure certain de&s;tru|ction upon them.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 6.</BIBL>
<P>The&s;e have power to &s;hut heaven, that it rain not in the dayes of their Prophe&s;ie, and have power over w<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s to turn them to blood, and to
<PB N="73" REF="40"> &s;mite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>And as <HI>Elias</HI> &s;hut heaven, &s;o that it rained not upon the Apo|&s;tate I&s;raelites, while they clave to <HI>Baal;</HI> &s;o while the Antichri|&s;tian Gentiles continue &s;uch, the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es hold back all
<PB N="73" REF="40"> tydings of mercy, and forgive|ne&s;&s;e (that ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Train</HI> &s;o re|fre&s;hing weary &s;ouls) declaring them (while in that condition) a people to whom no heaven, no forgivene&s;&s;e belongs; as al&s;o to render their torment com|pleat, do pour forth upon them all the Vialls.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 7.</BIBL>
<P>And when they have fini&s;hed their te&s;timony, the bea&s;t that a&s;cendeth out of the bottome|le&s;&s;e pit, &s;hall make warre a|gain&s;t them, and &s;hall over|come them, and kill them.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>But when the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are about to clo&s;e up their mour|ning te&s;timony, and having done much in reforming the Church, and regaining of the utter Court, which Antichri&s;t had gotten from them before, are now a|bout to throw of their Sack|cloth; the Antichri&s;tian power collecting it &s;elf, by &s;u&s;pending, &s;ilencing, and the like, &s;hall thus overcome, and kill the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 8.</BIBL>
<P>And their dead bodies &s;hall lie in the &s;treet of the great City, which is &s;piritually called <HI>Sodome</HI> and <HI>Egypt,</HI> where al|&s;o our Lord was crucified.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es being &s;lain in their office, continue in this &s;tate of civill death, within the Dominion and Territory of <HI>Rome,</HI> which <HI>Rome</HI> is for her filthyne&s;&s;e, <HI>Sodome,</HI> for her Ido|latry, and cruell per&s;ecutions, <HI>Egypt,</HI> which when heathen, puts our Saviour to death, now Antichri&s;tian, puts to death his Witne&s;&s;es.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 9.</BIBL>
<P>And they of the kinreds, and people, and tongues, and nati|ons, &s;hall look upon their dead bodies, three dayes and an half, and &s;hall not &s;uffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>While they thus lye dead, the Antichri&s;tian faction, with &s;corn and deri&s;ion, look upon them, not &s;uffering any to afford &s;helter, honour, countenance, to the&s;e &s;ilenced Witne&s;&s;es.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 10.</BIBL>
<P>And they that dwell upon the earth &s;hall rejoyce over them, and make merry, and &s;end gifts <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">e to another, becau&s;e the&s;e two Prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>Who al&s;o in regard they were greatly tormented by the&s;e Wit|ne&s;&s;es when alive, having then poured forth &s;ome of the Vials upon them. Now that they are &s;lain, do out of mea&s;ure rejoyce, they are thus got rid of them.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 11.</BIBL>
<P>And after three dayes and an half, the Spirit of life from God entred into them, and they &s;tood upon their feet, and great fe<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">r fell on them which &s;aw th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>But when the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es have continued for &s;ome &s;pace &s;ilen|ced, &s;u&s;pended, after three yeers and an half, they are by a &s;peciall hand of God re&s;tored to liberty, and office again; at which the Antichri&s;tian faction become greatly afraid, not having the lea&s;t thought the Witne&s;&s;es once &s;lain, &s;hould by any means be ever rai&s;ed again.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 12.</BIBL>
<P>And they heard a great voice from heaven, &s;aying unto them, come up hither, and they a&s;cen|ded up to heaven in a cloud, and th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> enemies beheld them.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>But being now rai&s;ed, and re&s;tored to former liberty, &s;uch as are then in authority in the re|formed Churches do call them to &s;ome more honourable and ample condition, then was that of their Sackcloth, the people contributing all their help there|unto, while the Ahtichri&s;tian faction with fear, and great in|dignation behold it.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 13.</BIBL>
<P>And the &s;ame hour then was a great Earth-quake, and the tenth part of the City f<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ll, and in the Earth-quake were &s;lain of men, &s;even thou&s;and, and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>About this time of the Wit|ne&s;&s;es Re&s;urrection, and a&s;cen|ding up to heaven, there are great Commotions. By which Anti|chri&s;tiani&s;me becomes utterly aboli&s;hed in one of the ten King|doms, made out of the ancient Roman Empire: upon the a|boli&s;hing whereof, many are quite outed of honour, power,
<PB N="75" REF="41"> maintenance, they held before, which &s;ome of the people, clee|ving formerly to them now be|holding, and taking notice of the ju&s;t hand of God in it, &s;trike off from them, never to cleave to them any more.</CELL>
</ROW>
<ROW>
<CELL><Q><BIBL>Ver&s;e 14.</BIBL>
<P>The &s;econd woe is pa&s;t, and behold, the third woe cometh quickly.</P></Q></CELL>
<CELL>Thus ends the mention of the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of the &s;ixth Trumpet: or now when this Earth-quake ends with it, the &s;trength of the &s;ixth Trumpets woe ends al&s;o; after which the &s;eventh Trumpet bringing in the la&s;t woe, imme|diately begins.</CELL>
</ROW>
</TABLE></P>
<P>I Have hitherto kept my &s;elf almo&s;t to a Grammaticall ex|po&s;ition of this Prophe&s;ie, &s;carce at all glancing at that que|&s;tion, &s;o mu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h longed for to be an&s;wered, <HI>Whether the Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain yea or no.</HI> But now the Prophe&s;ie being gone over, and the rea&s;on why I forbore formerly to give my re&s;olution, (namely becau&s;e we had not heard the whole Prophe&s;ie &s;peak in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e;) now no more taking place, I &s;hould pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ve very injurious, if after keeping the matter in &s;u&s;pence all this time, I &s;hould not now at la&s;t (as <HI>Sam&s;on</HI> once pre&s;&s;ed with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Judg. 16. 16, 17.</NOTE> importunity) tell all my whole heart, and di&s;cover what&s;oever light I have received in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>I &s;hall therefore now cheerfully &s;et upon it, in mannaging whereof, I &s;hall not dare to be peremptory in any thing, ex|pecting that any &s;hould be concluded by what is propounded, farther then drawn to it by the &s;trength of rea&s;on con&s;onant to Scripture; and if I mi&s;take, for who am I, but I &s;hould, e&s;pe|cially in a matter &s;o intricate, and perplex as this is, &s;uch as are candid, and Chri&s;tian will pa&s;&s;e it by being confident (which they may be) that upon di&s;covery, I &s;hall mo&s;t readily recide from it.</P>
<P>This premi&s;ed, come we now a little neerer to our purpo&s;e, The great que&s;tion after all remains, <HI>Whether the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain, yea or no;</HI> which once re&s;olved, accordingly we &s;hall be
<PB N="76" REF="42"> better able to an&s;wer that common que&s;tion, almo&s;t in every ones mouth. What will become of us? What do you think of the&s;e times? The de&s;ire to an&s;wer which, was one main rea&s;on why we undertook this Prophe&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>And for our more orderly di&s;cu&s;&s;ing of this que&s;tion, we &s;hall fir&s;t take a view of their &s;everall thoughts, that tell us this &s;laughter of the Witne&s;&s;es is pa&s;t, and pa&s;t a good while agone, and &s;ee if any of the&s;e will abide the tryall. If not, then further enquire, if any &s;uch thing hath been done in the&s;e latter times, which may appear to be the killing of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, which if we finde not, the que&s;tion is then cleerly an&s;wered, the Witne&s;&s;es are not &s;lain: If we can, then the Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain, That which every one of us would &s;o fain have to be &s;o.</P>
<P>The &s;everall opinions that bear us in hand the Witne&s;&s;es are &s;lain, and &s;lain a good while agone, are &s;uch as the&s;e: Some tell us this was done, when &s;o many thou&s;ands of tho&s;e poor men of <HI>Lions</HI> (commonly &s;o called) were de&s;troyed by the procurement of Pope <HI>Boniface</HI> the eighth, about the yeer 1300. Others there are, that &s;ay, they were &s;lain, when <HI>John Hu&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Jerome</HI> of <HI>Prague</HI> were burnt by the Councell of <HI>Con&s;tance,</HI> about the yeer 1418. Others making the <HI>two Testaments,</HI> the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> tell us this &s;laughter was then, when they of the <HI>Councell of Trent,</HI> took away the perfection and authority of the Scriptures from them, about the yeer one thou&s;and five hundred forty &s;ixe; neer which time al&s;o, <HI>Charls</HI> the fifth, then the Popes mo&s;t &s;tout Champion, did overthrow, and vanqui&s;h the &s;trength of the godly party, at that time with all their might contending again&s;t Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P>Some referre this &s;ame to the Ma&s;&s;acre of <HI>Paris,</HI> others to the troubles of <HI>Germany.</HI></P>
<P>And indeed what place of the We&s;tern world, but hath had &s;ome thing done in it, like a &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es; which perhaps is the ground, why &s;ome think this killing of the Wit|ne&s;&s;es mu&s;t be done &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, in one Kingdom after another, and no other certain, and determinate killing be&s;ides this, to be expected; but of this perhaps more anon.</P>
<P>Among all the&s;e opinions, for the Witne&s;&s;es being &s;lain &s;o long ago, I &s;hall &s;ingle out that from all the others, which
<PB N="77" REF="42"> &s;eems indeed the mo&s;t likely of them all: I mean that which ayms it upon the <HI>Coun&s;ell of Trent,</HI> bringing this to the touch, which if it &s;hall appear, is not the &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es, and this by any arguments, which &s;hall as forceably come again&s;t the other al&s;o, (I mean that which makes it the &s;ame with the de&s;troying of the <HI>Walden&s;es,</HI> as al&s;o the &s;ame with the burning of <HI>John Hu&s;&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Jerome</HI> of <HI>Prague,)</HI> then this opinion falls, and with it, tho&s;e other al&s;o. And for the Ma&s;&s;acre of <HI>Paris,</HI> the troubles of <HI>Germany,</HI> they are not &s;o contended for by any, that we &s;hould be at the trouble particularly to examine them.</P>
<P>That this therefore cannot be the &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es, I mean that which was done again&s;t the Scriptures, and the godly, about the time of the Councell of <HI>Trent</HI> (be&s;ides the Arguments proving the Scriptures, are not the Witne&s;&s;es) &s;eems evident thus:</P>
<P N="1">1. Becau&s;e the <HI>Re&s;urrection</HI> of the Witne&s;&s;es, together with the <HI>Earth-quake</HI> thereto appertaining, bring in the <HI>&s;eventh Trumpet,</HI> which appears from the 13. 14. and 15 Ver&s;es of this Chapter, and the <HI>&s;eventh Trumpet</HI> brings in the <HI>utter de&s;tructi|on of Antichri&s;t,</HI> as is evident from the 10 Chap. ver. 6, 7, where the Angel &s;wears, That when the <HI>&s;eventh Trumpet &s;hall begin to blow, there &s;hall be time no more,</HI> Antichri&s;ts time &s;hall then be no more: But now we do not &s;ee Antichri&s;t de&s;troyed, not|with&s;tanding an hundred yeers pa&s;t, and gone &s;ince this pre|tended &s;laughter, and ri&s;ing again of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es. I &s;ay once more, the ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es, brings in the &s;e|venth Trumpet, utterly de&s;troying Antichri&s;t, and here's a hundred yeers pa&s;t, &s;ince tis &s;aid the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es ro&s;e again, and yet Antichri&s;t in &s;trength unde&s;troyed at this day.</P>
<P N="2">2. If the Witne&s;&s;es mu&s;t pour forth at lea&s;t <HI>two or three Vials</HI> before they be &s;lain, then could they not be &s;lain, about the time of the <HI>Trent</HI> Coun&s;ell, when 'tis confe&s;&s;ed, That either none, or but one of the Vials, was then poured forth. The con&s;equent is cleer; and that at lea&s;t <HI>two, or three Vials</HI> mu&s;t be poured forth, before they can be &s;lain; hence appears, other|wayes, How are they &s;aid, before they are &s;lain, to <HI>torment them that dwell upon the earth,</HI> at the tenth ver&s;e of this Chapter, and this (as we there &s;hewed) by pouring forth the Vials.</P>
<PB N="78" REF="43">
<P>If any &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>the tormenting</HI> there mentioned may mean onely the fir&s;t Vial, and this will be granted was poured forth before, mark the inconventences by thus &s;aying we run upon:</P>
<P N="1">1. The term of the Bea&s;t his continuing, and of the Witne&s;&s;es prophe&s;ying in Sackeloth, beginning and ending at the &s;ame time (as is commonly believed) by this reckoning we leave the Bea&s;t the &s;pace while &s;ix Vials are a pouring forth, after that the term of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie is pa&s;t and ended.</P>
<P N="2">2. If but one Vial be poured forth when they are &s;lain, and the &s;ixth and &s;eventh Vial fall neer their Re&s;urrection, which they do, what becomes of the &s;econd, third, fourth, and fifth Vials, where finde we any room for them? they hereby become utterly excluded. To &s;ay they are poured forth in the three yeers and an half, betwixt the &s;laying and Re&s;urrection of the Witne&s;&s;es; &s;ure this time is too &s;cant for four Vials to be pour|ed forth in: And be&s;ides, the Witne&s;&s;es (who as we have &s;hewn formerly, do pour forth all the Vials) do lie dead during all that &s;pace, and therefore tho&s;e Vials cannot then be poured forth.</P>
<P>To gather up all this in brief. The Witne&s;&s;es torment the earth, with four or five Vials before they are &s;lain (the &s;ixth and &s;eventh Vial falling in with the time of their Re&s;urrection) and therefore that time wherein either none, or but one of the Vials was poured forth, as was the time of the <HI>Coun&s;ell</HI> of <HI>Trent,</HI> cannot be the time of the &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es.</P>
<P N="3">3. If the &s;laying and ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es was then, Whence is it that &s;ince that time the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es have been &s;o grievou&s;ly per&s;ecuted? how is it that &s;ince that time &s;o many have continued to prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth? yea, &s;o many have been &s;ilenc'd, and &s;u&s;pended in this Kingdom, in other places? Had they been once &s;lain, and ri&s;en again, afterward they pro|phe&s;ie in Sackcloth no more, are &s;lain no more: If they ro&s;e a|gain then, how is it that for a hundred yeers &s;pace &s;ince that time, we have found them &s;till continuing to prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth?</P>
<P N="4">4. If it can be cleared, that the <HI>one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers</HI> (the term of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie) cannot begin &s;o high as <HI>Con&s;tantine the Great,</HI> &s;o as to end about the
<PB N="79" REF="43"> time of the <HI>Councell of Trent</HI> (as tho&s;e that favour this opinion contend) but mu&s;t begin after <HI>Con&s;tantine,</HI> and &s;o reach over the <HI>Councell</HI> of <HI>Trent,</HI> neerer to our times, then the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e is at an end, there will be no further que&s;tion in this matter.</P>
<P>To cleer this &s;ame therefore, and &s;o I &s;hall e&s;&s;ay to &s;hew you when this one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie doth begin (that which every one &s;o greedily enquires after.) For this purpo&s;e, I mu&s;t remember you of what I formerly hinted, namely, That the time of the Gentiles treading down the holy City; the time of the Bea&s;t his reigning, forty two moneths; the time of the woman in the Wilderne&s;&s;e, time, times, and half a time; and the time of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ying in Sackcloth, a thou&s;and two hun|dred and three&s;core dayes, &s;eem all of them to be the &s;ame time; &s;o that if we can finde where any of the&s;e either begin or end we &s;hall finde where every of them begin, and end al&s;o. This &s;tated (which none need que&s;tion, proof being &s;o obvious <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid Mede. Clav. Apo. Napier Pa|raus.</NOTE> to any that &s;hall make enquiry, and which only for brevity &s;ake, I do not produce,) I &s;ay this granted. Let us e&s;&s;ay to finde when the bea&s;t begins his forty two moneths, which &s;eems ea&s;ie&s;t of the re&s;t, and for our better direction, in this work, we &s;hall make the&s;e enquiries.</P>
<P N="1">1. When that [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>that Let]</HI> which the Apo&s;tle tells <NOTE PLACE="marg">2 The&s;. <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">. 6, 7.</NOTE> the <HI>The&s;&s;alonians</HI> hindred Antichri&s;t his coming) was removed out of the way: For if we can finde when that <HI>hinderance</HI> was removed, we &s;hall certainly finde when Antichri&s;t comes, who&s;e coming is ju&s;t upon the removall of the <HI>hinderance.</HI></P>
<P N="2">2. When the Bea&s;t had his <HI>deadly wound</HI> with the &s;word, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Revel. 13. 4, 5.</NOTE> and that <HI>healed</HI> up again; for from that time forward, the Bea&s;t hath power to continue forty and two moneths.</P>
<P N="3">3. When the Bea&s;t became <HI>ten-horned;</HI> for however the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 17.</NOTE> horns in nature are &s;omewhat after the Bea&s;t, and &s;o here, yet not &s;o long, but that by this enquiry we may gain &s;ome light, and direction in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>For the fir&s;t of the&s;e, <HI>viz.</HI> When that <HI>Let</HI> that hindered Antichri&s;t his coming, was taken out of the way. Sure this could not be when <HI>Con&s;tantine</HI> came to be Emperour, (which qua&s;hes the former opinion) for after him the <HI>Roman</HI> Empe|rours
<PB N="76" REF="44">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="77" REF="44">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="78" REF="45">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="79" REF="45">
<GAP DESC="duplicate" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 page">
<PB N="80" REF="46"> (which were <HI>the Let</HI> the Apo&s;tle &s;peaks of) continued a good &s;pace.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> But, may &s;ome &s;ay, the <HI>Pagan</HI> Emperours, were the [<GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, the hinderance,] which determining in <HI>Con&s;tantines</HI> time, then the hinderance became removed.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Resp."> I an&s;wer, no, It was the <HI>Emperours,</HI> whether <HI>Pagans,</HI> or <HI>Chri&s;tians</HI> that were the hinderance: For both the&s;e, making but the &s;ixth head, I mean the &s;ixth kinde of Government the Roman Empire was to be ca&s;t into, while the&s;e &s;taid on, they hindered the ri&s;ing up of the &s;eventh. It was the &s;ixth head &s;tanding on, that hindered the ri&s;ing up, and appearance of the &s;eventh: To make this more plain, conceive it all thus; The Roman Empire is pre&s;ented in this Prophe&s;ie as a Bea&s;t, with <NOTE PLACE="marg">Chap. 17. Ver&s;e 3.</NOTE> &s;even heads; which &s;even heads, are &s;even kinds of Govern|ments, one in order &s;ucceeding an other. Five of the&s;e heads were gone, and the &s;ixth, namely, That of Emperours was in <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;e 10.</NOTE> being, then when <HI>John</HI> wrote this <HI>Revelation:</HI> Which kinde of Government (I mean of Emperours) being but <HI>heatheni&s;h</HI> at pre&s;ent, was afterward to become <HI>Chri&s;tian,</HI> yet &s;till con|tinuing the &s;ixth head, notwith&s;tanding all this alteration, otherwayes the Bea&s;t mu&s;t have more heads then &s;even. Till this head was wounded to death, as it was to be, there was no place for the &s;eventh: The <HI>Emperours,</HI> the &s;ixth head, mu&s;t be wounded to death, before the &s;eventh, <HI>viz.</HI> That of <HI>Popes</HI> could &s;ucceed in the room of it.</P>
<P>But then it will be asked, when had this &s;ixth head the dead|ly wound, (The &s;econd thing we were to enquire concer|ning.)</P>
<P>But before I &s;peak directly to this query, give me leave to note the&s;e two things. 1. This deadly wound of the &s;ixth head was made by the &s;word; &s;o you read expre&s;ly at the fifteenth Chapter, 14 ver&s;e. 2. Upon this deadly wound, this &s;ixth head dies not, declines not, but by degrees, every &s;tep of its decli|ning, advancing the &s;eventh head accordingly that was to &s;ucceed.</P>
<P>This premi&s;ed, we &s;ay, Then &s;eems this deadly wound of the &s;ixth head, the head of Emperours begun to be made, when in the yeer 365 or there about. Tho&s;e barbarous Nations, the <HI>Almains, Quades, Gothes,</HI> with &s;everall other, broke in upon
<PB N="81" REF="46"> the Roman Empire, burning and de&s;troying where they came, from this time &s;eems laid the ground-work of the ruine of the We&s;tern Emperours.</P>
<P>Not long after this, about the yeer 412 (as <HI>Sl<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">idan</HI> reckons) <NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Sleid<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n, Sum: Im|per: lib.</HI> 2.</NOTE> or 410 (as others) <HI>Alaricus</HI> the <HI>Goth</HI> &s;acks <HI>Rome</HI> it &s;elf; &s;ure this was a deadly blow to the Emperours indeed, when the Seat of the Empire it &s;elf becomes conquered. It could not be <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ut at this time the &s;ixth head &s;hould lie a bleeding. And in|deed it did &s;o; for ju&s;t this very yeer (as &s;ome ob&s;erve) &s;everall of the ten horns began to appear upon the &s;eventh head (the third thing we were to enquire) I &s;ay, &s;everall of tho&s;e ten horns, tho&s;e ten Kingdoms into which the Roman Empire became divided, even this very yeer began to ri&s;e up, upon the ruines of the now di&s;&s;olved Empire. And &s;ure the &s;ix<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h head at this time mu&s;t be very low, when &s;everall of the horns of the &s;eventh head (which as was in nature, &s;o here, are after the head) were now become vi&s;ible and con&s;picuous; &s;ure much more the &s;eventh head it &s;elf, upon which the&s;e horns grow, was by this time in being, and vi&s;ible al&s;o.</P>
<P>Yet by the way, not in being a hundred yeers at lea&s;t before this time of the fir&s;t horns &s;pringing up, which yet they mu&s;t &s;ay, who will begin the Bea&s;t his 42 months as high as <HI>Con|&s;tantine:</HI> For though the horns are to be conceived after the head, yet 'tis an unrea&s;onable thing to imagine them a hundred yeers, after, e&s;pecially when we are told, <HI>That the&s;e receive power at one hour with the Bea&s;t,</HI> Chap. 17. ver. 12. But this on the by: To our purpo&s;e therefo<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e again.</P>
<P>The Empire after this, had &s;ome &s;truglings with the pangs of death for the &s;pace of forty yeers, or there<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">bout; but when <HI>Gen&s;erious</HI> the <HI>Vand<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">l</HI> came, about the yeer 455, and &s;acks <HI>Rome</HI> a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ain, and now burns it: at which time, all the ten horns were grown out, the ten Kingdoms grown compleat, then be|ca<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">e the Roman Empire utterly extinct.</P>
<P>But now the que&s;tion will be, From which of the&s;e periods mu&s;t we begin to reckon the Bea&s;t his forty and two months; whether from the fir&s;t incur&s;ions of the <HI>Goths</HI> upon the Roman Empire, in the yeer 365, or when they &s;acked <HI>Rome&punc;</HI> in the yeer 410, or el&s;e in 455, when the Empire of the We&s;t expi|red, or from any point of time, between any of the&s;e.</P>
<PB N="82" REF="47">
<P>I an&s;wer, To begin with it from this or that preci&s;e yeer I dare not; when the fulfilling of this &s;ame is cleerer, then may we be more bold; onely I &s;hould aim it to begin &s;ometime be|tween the fir&s;t Inva&s;ion of the Empire, 365, and the &s;acking of <HI>Rom,</HI> 410. Sometime neer <HI>Theodo&s;ius the Great</HI> his coming to the Empire, which Hi&s;torians will tell you, was about the yeer 380. And the rather I &s;hould pitch it thereabout, becau&s;e neer this time the <HI>woman</HI> &s;eems to <HI>fli<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> into the Wilderne&s;&s;e</HI> al&s;o: <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rev. 12.</NOTE> I &s;ay, the woman (taking the opportunity of this good Prince, and by him being holpen with the to Eagles wings) &s;capes in|to the Wilderne&s;&s;e from the Dragon; who in pur&s;uing of her, had ju&s;t before, when <HI>Valens</HI> was Emperour, ca&s;t forth the Floods of <HI>Arriani&s;me</HI> after her, hoping (though in vain) &s;he would have been utterly overwhelmed by them. About this time, I mean &s;ome period between 370 and 380, I &s;hould begin to reckon the Bea&s;ts 42 months, as al&s;o make it the com|mon Epocha of all the&s;e &s;everall times. In which doing (be|&s;ides the former proof made hereof) I am not altogether de|&s;titute of Authority wherewith to back it, but could produce <NOTE PLACE="marg">Vid. <HI>Al&s;ted. Chron. Na|pier.</HI></NOTE> others herein readily con&s;enting al&s;o.</P>
<P>And if &s;o, and we begin the Bea&s;t his forty and two months, al&s;o the Witne&s;&s;es one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers, neer that time (I mean 380) which in all likelyhood we mu&s;t do, then cleerly they reach over <HI>Councel</HI> of <HI>Trent,</HI> and &s;o much more the <HI>Councell</HI> of <HI>Constance,</HI> and the time of the <HI>Walden&s;es,</HI> and fall into the lap of the&s;e times we now are conver&s;ant in.</P>
<P>By this reckoning, I &s;ay, beginning this one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie, about 380, (which I pitch upon, becau&s;e it is a full number, not thinking but this term may perhaps begin two or three yeers before) At what time the Bea&s;t his forty and two months, and the womans time, times, and half a time in the Wilderne&s;&s;e be|gin) and it not on<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ly &s;hews us the Witne&s;&s;es could not be &s;lain about the time of th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Councell</HI> of <HI>Trent,</HI> (which was the thing in que&s;tion) but al&s;o further acquaints us, That we in the&s;e times mu&s;t look for its fulfilling.</P>
<P>But then every one will ask me. Hath there any &s;uch thing as the &s;laying and ri&s;ing again of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es been
<PB N="83" REF="47"> done in our dayes, yea or no?</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, There hath, and <HI>face doth not more an&s;wer face,</HI> then &s;omething done in our times, doth an&s;wer the &s;laying, and ri&s;ing again of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es: And &s;ure I mu&s;t &s;ay inge|niou&s;ly (and &s;o I &s;hall &s;hrive my &s;elf in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e) If this be not the <HI>&s;alying,</HI> and <HI>ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> I am now about to offer, I cannot imagine any thing already come to pa&s;&s;e that can be, but mu&s;t tell you, if this &s;hould not prove, for any thing hitherto done more likely then this &s;ame, we are yet to look for it. But I keep you too long from &s;ight of this, that &s;eems &s;o like to be the <HI>killing, and ri&s;ing again of the Wit|ne&s;&s;es,</HI> you &s;hall be delayed no longer, you &s;hall have a full view of it; and perhaps when you have, you may not a little be taken with it.</P>
<P>The <HI>Scene</HI> wherein the&s;e great things of the Witne&s;&s;es <HI>&s;laying, Re&s;urrection,</HI> and <HI>A&s;cen&s;ion</HI> have been acted, appears to be this <HI>I&s;land of great Britain;</HI> and the <HI>time,</HI> &s;ome yeers before the cal|ling, and &s;ince the calling of this <HI>Parliament.</HI></P>
<P>In this Kingdom therefore (yet in this not excluding other places) for many yeers la&s;t pa&s;t there have been godly Mini&s;ters, and others, who by their Preaching, Writing, and other wayes te&s;tifying again&s;t Antichri&s;t, and his wickedne&s;&s;es, have hereby di&s;covered them&s;elves to be of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es: who in regard they <HI>mourned</HI> to &s;ee Antichri&s;tiani&s;me &s;o farre prevail; as al&s;o becau&s;e <HI>kept under</HI> without countenance, e&s;teem, maintenance, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 3.</NOTE> by a Popi&s;h Prelaticall party (them&s;elves the mean while li|ving in all height of honour and exce&s;&s;e) might with good con|gruity be &s;aid to <HI>Prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth:</HI> And &s;ure he that had &s;een the condition of the godly Mini&s;ters in this Kingdom not many yeers ago, e&s;pecially &s;uch who were &s;o bold as to meddle with either <HI>Prelacie,</HI> or the <HI>Ceremonies,</HI> without the help of an Interpreter, would have readily pronounced, There are no other then the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es in Sackcloth.</HI></P>
<P>But forward; When the date of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es prophe&s;y|ing draws toward an end (which excluding their three yeers and an half lying dead, will fall about five or &s;ix yeers agone) Then the Antichri&s;tian power <HI>&s;layes</HI> the Witne&s;&s;es, &s;ilences, &s;u&s;|pends, throws them from their places, <HI>thus &s;laying them.</HI> And hath not all this been fulfilled in our eyes? Were not all the bold
<PB N="84" REF="48"> oppo&s;ers of <HI>Prela<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">y, and the Ceremonies, the great remains of</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 7.</NOTE> <HI>Popery in this Kingdom left undemoli&s;hed,</HI> were they not all &s;i|lenced, had their mouths &s;topped, and &s;o &s;lain in this Kingdom? There wereindeed &s;ome godly Mini&s;ters left; but was there left a <HI>Witne&s;&s;</HI> (I mean a bold and open oppo&s;er of Prelacy and the C<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">remoni<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s any emminent one that openly h<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ld forth any &s;uch thing in all this Kingdom?) And &s;ay freely, doth this look like the &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es, yea or no? You have godly Mini&s;ters, and others, oppo&s;ing what of Antichri&s;t remains in the Kingdom, &s;ilenced, &s;u&s;pended, thrown out of place, thus killed: You have all done &s;o to, all the bold oppo&s;ers through the Kingdom thus killed: You have it done by the Prelacy, no <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oubt an Antichri&s;tian power, and this ju&s;t about the time when by the li<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">lie&s;t computation it &s;hould be done: That every thing &s;hould with &s;uch con&s;ent, fall in: <HI>Witne&s;&s;es</HI> &s;lain, <HI>all</HI> &s;lain, &s;lain by the <HI>bea&s;t,</HI> and this <HI>then when the cour&s;e of times tells us they &s;hould</HI> be &s;lain. Can it be, but we mu&s;t confe&s;&s;e this is the &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es?</P>
<P>Further. After they are &s;lain, <HI>they lye dead in the &s;treet,</HI> that <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 8.</NOTE> is, They continue in that &s;tate of civill death, their killing brought them into, they remain for &s;ome &s;pace &s;u&s;pended, their mouths &s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">aled up; whom in this ca&s;e, if any &s;hould attempt to give &s;helter, &s;uccour honour to; it mu&s;t not be, for <HI>they will</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s; 9.</NOTE> <HI>not &s;uffer their dead bodies to be put in graves:</HI> And hath not all this come to pa&s;&s;e accordingly. And when all the Witne&s;&s;es were thus &s;ilenced, and &s;lain; did they not for &s;ome good &s;pace &s;o continue; was not the <HI>Pulpit</HI> &s;hut again&s;t them, yea the <HI>Pre&s;&s;e</HI> al&s;o; no breath of their former life of Witne&s;&s;es now coming from them? And then, did not the Prelaticall faction forbid any to &s;helter, countenance, or &s;uccour the&s;e &s;ilenced Witne&s;&s;es? You know what &s;earch hath been made for the&s;e &s;ame, what care that none &s;hould &s;helter then. <HI>Thus not &s;uffering their dead bodies to be put in graves.</HI></P>
<P>When they have brought things to this pa&s;&s;e, and &s;lain all the Witne&s;&s;es, then <HI>they rejoyce, and make merry:</HI> And did not <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 10.</NOTE> that faction do &s;o here? Did they not triumph they had made &s;u<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h a hand of the Puritan Preachers through the Kingdom? Have I not heard &s;ome of them have boa&s;ted, and hugg'd them|&s;elves in it, <HI>They had not left a Puritan Preacher in their Dioce&s;&s;e?</HI>
<PB N="85" REF="48"> This was the &s;ad condition of the godly Mini&s;ters, and &s;ome others well affected; for &s;ome three or four yeers before this Parliament. How think you now, doth this appear like a &s;laying of the Witne&s;&s;es, yea or no. But proceed.</P>
<P><HI>After three yeers and an half, the Spirit of life from God, enters</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 11.</NOTE> <HI>into the Witne&s;&s;es, and they &s;tand upon their feet: God by his &s;peciall hand restores the Witne&s;&s;es to their liberty again, which the Anti|chri&s;tian faction beholdi<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="2 letters">, thereupon become greatly afraid.</HI> And ha<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">h not all this been made good among us al&s;o; doth any que&s;tion, when after the three yeers and an half &s;ilencing and im|pri&s;onment of tho&s;e who &s;uffered more publikely, (for ju&s;t &s;o long to a day the&s;e &s;uffered.) They together with many other &s;ilenced, and dead Witne&s;&s;es, were again re&s;tored to liberty, the beginning of this Parliament. At the beholding whereof, and to &s;ee &s;uch a &s;udden and unexpected tu<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">n of things. I appeal to any man; did not the Popi&s;h Pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">laticall faction become no little affrighted? How think you now, Was not this like a re&s;urrection of the Witne&s;&s;es?</P>
<P>But yet further, being ri&s;en again, they are called up to Hea|ven, whither a&s;cending in a cloud, their enemies beheld them. Some act of them in place in calling the Witne&s;&s;es to &s;ome more ample condition, <HI>this is the voice, calling the Witne&s;&s;es up</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 12.</NOTE> <HI>to heaven.</HI> The multitude of people congratulating with them for their freedom; as al&s;o &s;etting to their &s;houlders to help for|ward their advancement, <HI>This is the cloud wherein th&egrave;y a&s;cend thither.</HI> And was not this made good al&s;o, was it not a great voice from heaven which fetch &s;ome of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es from the uttermo&s;t parts of this Kingdom, where they were impri|&s;oned to this place? And did not thou&s;ands of people, <HI>a cloud</HI> of <HI>Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> rejoycing, and with triumph accompany them hither? where al&s;o hath it not been con&s;ulted for the enlarge|ment of their maintenance and their better accommodation, that &s;o they might never more Prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth? Of all which al&s;o, were not their enemies the Popi&s;h Prelaticall party, as the Text further addes, The no whit over-joyed beholders? All which put together, &s;eems it not to be the Witne&s;&s;es A&s;|cen&s;ion?</P>
<P>Once more. <HI>The &s;ame hour there is a great Earthquake:</HI> A|bout <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 13.</NOTE> the time of the ri&s;ing of the Witne&s;&s;es there are great &s;tirs,
<PB N="86" REF="49"> and Commotions. And &s;ince that time, have their not been &s;uch in this Kingdom, nay do they not continue with us to this day. All which, what other thing are, they then the great Earthquake accompanying the ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es?</P>
<P>But further in this Earthquake, <HI>The tenth part of the great Citie falls,</HI> Antichri&s;tiani&s;me in one of the ten Kingdoms falls; <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 13.</NOTE> And is not this a doing? Prelacy and the Ceremonies, the only remains of Popery, have they not been falling ever &s;ince? They are gone in <HI>Scotland,</HI> and are they not a going in this Kingdom al&s;o?</P>
<P>And then la&s;tly, <HI>Seven thou&s;and men of name &s;lain in the</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s;. 13.</NOTE> <HI>Earthquake:</HI> That is many deprived of power, honour, main|tenance which they had before: And is not this a doing al&s;o, And when &s;o many <HI>Prelates, Deans and Chapters,</HI> with all their appurtenances, &s;hall have their honour, place, maintenance taken from them, which then is done when the bill is once pa&s;&s;ed, drawn up for this purpo&s;e, Then is the &s;laughter of the &s;even thou&s;and men of name fully accompli&s;hed.</P>
<P>The &s;umme of all this, that I may give it you at one view, is thus much. The godly Mini&s;ters, or others oppo&s;ing Anti|chri&s;tiani&s;me, and being kept under thereby, are the <HI>Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ying in Sackcloth.</HI> Their &s;ilencing, &s;u&s;pending, This is their <HI>&s;laughter.</HI> Their re&s;toring to liberty again is there <HI>re&s;ur|rection.</HI> The &s;tate calling them to more freedom, and honour, is the <HI>voyce from heaven,</HI> calling them thither: The multitude of people congratulating with them, <HI>the cloud wherein they do a&s;cend.</HI> The Commotions now in the Kingdom, are the <HI>great Earthquake,</HI> Prelacy, and the Ceremonies taken away, this is the <HI>tenth part of the Citie falling,</HI> and the Bi&s;hops, Deans and Chapters with all their rabble being utterly deprived of Autho|rity, honour, maintenance, are the <HI>Seven thou&s;and men &s;lain in the Earthquake.</HI></P>
<P>And now &s;peak every one his thought, &s;eems not this indeed the &s;laying and ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es, and do not things fall in, and an&s;wer beyond all expectation? It cannot be de|nyed but this &s;ame hath likelyne&s;&s;e of event to commend it, none more, and then for the time, where el&s;e would a man have pitch'd, had he been to choo&s;e? And indeed what can be ob|jected again&s;t it?</P>
<PB N="87" REF="49">
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> You will &s;ay, this &s;ame doth too much &s;traiten this Prophe&s;ie in regard of <HI>time</HI> and <HI>place:</HI> It &s;eems a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e more generall then to be confined to this Kingdom, or to tho&s;e we aym at in it.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Re&s;p."> I an&s;wer, for <HI>place,</HI> the holy Gho&s;t &s;eems cleerly to limit it to the <HI>tenth part of the great City, viz.</HI> to one of the ten Kingdoms; and if I &s;ay, <HI>England</HI> is this tenth part, doth not the Article tell me &s;o, <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, <HI>that tenth part,</HI> That one of the ten Kingdoms; which &s;eems mo&s;t di&s;cernable from the re&s;t; and which is &s;o ea&s;ily differenced from the re&s;t, as is this <NOTE PLACE="marg">Penitus toto divi&s;i ab.</NOTE> <HI>I&s;land?</HI></P>
<P>And let any &s;ay (which is well worthy our ob&s;erving) where have the Witne&s;&s;es of latter times been per&s;ecuted, &s;ave onely in this Kingdom? In <HI>France,</HI> in the <HI>Low Countreyes,</HI> and &s;o in other places, they have been quiet, onely per&s;ecuted here in the&s;e Kingdoms.</P>
<P>I &s;hould not deny but the Witne&s;&s;es prophe&s;ying in Sack|cloth, takes in other places, and hath been done either at once, or &s;ucce&s;&s;ively in mo&s;t of the&s;e We&s;tern Kingdoms, yet withall it &s;eems to me evident, the clo&s;e, and Chata&s;trophe of this &s;ame, I mean the <HI>&s;laying</HI> and <HI>ri&s;ing again</HI> of the&s;e Witne&s;&s;es, mu&s;t be acted in one Kingdom onely. Otherwi&s;e, why do not five, or &s;ix parts or more, or all the parts of the City fall, and not onely the tenth part, if &s;o be we &s;ay the Witne&s;&s;es &s;hould be &s;lain and ri&s;e again at once in &s;o many? But one part of the City falls, upon their ri&s;ing which could not be imagined, if the Witne&s;&s;es were &s;lain and ro&s;e again at once in all the parts.</P>
<P>Which &s;ame (if I may &s;tep &s;o far a&s;ide) may help to an&s;wer that que&s;tion, which I perceive &s;ome make in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, <HI>viz.</HI> Whether this &s;laughter of the Witne&s;&s;es may not be &s;ucce&s;&s;ive, and &s;o acted in one Kingdom after another: And this an&s;wer I &s;hould give to it: Granting <HI>the Witne&s;&s;es may prophe&s;ie in Sack|cloth,</HI> in one Kingdom after another, in regard it is not limited to place; as al&s;o is a bu&s;ine&s;&s;e of long continuance, and &s;o hath time enough to move from one place to another: but for their <HI>killing and re&s;urrection,</HI> in regard the&s;e are limited to a <HI>certain place,</HI> namely, To the <HI>Tenth part of the City</HI> (as we &s;aw before) as al&s;o farther, to a <HI>certain and fixed time,</HI> namely, To the end and term of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth, and to the
<PB N="88" REF="50"> end of the &s;ixth Trumpet, as a full &s;top and period to both of them; unle&s;&s;e we can conceive, <HI>The thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ie</HI> may end in one King|dom after another, and the time of the &s;ixth Trumpet, expire in one Kingdom after another, and al&s;o the &s;eventh Trumpet be|gin to &s;ound in one Kingdom after another, which we cannot: we may not conceive the &s;laying, and ri&s;ing again of the Wit|ne&s;&s;es, which are the exact periods of the&s;e certain, and fixed times, can be accompli&s;hed in one Kingdom after another neither.</P>
<P>But enough of the former part of the objection, urging us, as too much re&s;training the killing of the Witne&s;&s;es, in regard of <HI>place,</HI> and for re&s;training it to particular <HI>per&s;ons,</HI> which was the thing objected, I further an&s;wer:</P>
<P>I &s;hould not re&s;train it to two or three men, I would be un|willing to put &s;o much envy upon any. Some indeed there were that &s;uffered more publikely then others, yet all the &s;ufferers, Mini&s;ters and others, for there were others al&s;o of quality were at an under before this <HI>Parliament,</HI> yea <HI>Parliaments them|&s;elves ro&s;e up as from the dead, in this Parliament.</HI> All the&s;e to|gether make the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es.</HI></P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> But if they be &s;lain, and ri&s;en again al&s;o, how is it&punc; That &s;ince they are &s;o mi&s;erably per&s;ecuted, whence it is this warre is &s;ince rai&s;ed again&s;t them, and &s;ome of them &s;uffer more deeply now then ever they did before?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Resp."> To which it may be an&s;wered, This is nothing el&s;e but <HI>the great Earthquake</HI> upon the Witne&s;&s;es re&s;urrection; Tis nothing but the Popi&s;h Prelaticall faction, &s;truggling for life, now overthrown in the fall of the tenth part of the City. It is not any &s;olemne Authoritative per&s;ecution, &s;uch as was the former, 'tis the <HI>Earthquake</HI> only, and their &s;trugglings for life, all which ere long are like to end in their utter ruine.</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Ob."> If the Witne&s;&s;es have thrown of their Sackcloth, how is it that Antichri&s;t is not yet de&s;troyed, the time of Antichri&s;t's continuance, and of the Witne&s;&s;es Prophe&s;ying in Sackcloth ending <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">oth together?</P>
<P><MILESTONE UNIT="Resp."> The tenth part of Antichri&s;ts Kingdom is fallen, at lea&s;t a falling, which being a leading <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">a&s;e to the other, they moulder down apace after. And as we do not begin the account of
<PB N="89" REF="50"> Antichri&s;t his time, from his full growth, but from his birth, &s;o neither do we end it with the utter ruine, and overthrow of Antichri&s;t, but with that great and vi&s;ible declining of his, when he utterly loo&s;es a whole Kingdom, this breaking the Ice, for all the other to follow after. In &s;hort, Then &s;eems the Bea&s;t his forty two moneths to end, when the tenth part of the City falls, wherein is laid the ground-work of the ruine of all the other al&s;o.</P>
<P>You have now the conceived &s;laying and ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es which hath fallen out in our times at large repre&s;ent|ed, you have &s;een it in all the likelyhood, and advantage I could hold it forth withall: Now let every one take their liberty to &s;peak their apprehen&s;ion in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e; for my part, I cannot but think this &s;ame is like to be the <HI>&s;laying, and ri&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es;</HI> only that I may not di&s;&s;emble, where I am at a &s;tand, give me leave after all, to make the&s;e two or three queries.</P>
<P N="1">1. When did they of the Kinreds, and people, and tongues, and nations, look upon the &s;ilenced Mini&s;ters, and others of this Kingdom, who yet at the nineth ver&s;e of this Chapter, are &s;aid to look upon the dead Witne&s;&s;es?</P>
<P N="2">2. If with the ri&s;ing of the Witne&s;&s;es, the &s;econd Wo pa&s;&s;es, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Ver&s; 13. 14.</NOTE> and this &s;econd Wo is the <HI>Turk,</HI> how is it we &s;ay the Witne&s;&s;es are ri&s;en, and yet the <HI>Turk</HI> &s;till continuing, and like enough for &s;ome &s;pace yet to continue?</P>
<P N="3">3. If with the ri&s;ing of the Witne&s;&s;es the &s;econd Wo pa&s;&s;es, and the third Wo <HI>(viz.</HI> The &s;eventh Trumpet bringing in with the beginning of it, the utter de&s;truction of Antichri&s;t, as al&s;o the glorious coming and Kingdom of Je&s;us Chri&s;t) quickly follows after. Can our times be &s;o neer the accom|pli&s;hment of the&s;e, as is the end of the &s;econd Wo, which is the &s;ixth Trumpet, to the beginning of the third Wo, which is the &s;eventh Trumpet?</P>
<P>Somewhat I could an&s;wer unto the&s;e, but not that which would <HI>quietare,</HI> (as the Schoolmen &s;peak) but the&s;e an&s;wered, I know little el&s;e materiall, and of weight further to be excepted.</P>
<P>And now to draw toward a conclu&s;ion, and from all this to &s;ay &s;omewhat to that que&s;tion, <HI>viz. What will become of us?</HI> which was indeed the occa&s;ion of it all. Why if the Witne&s;|&s;es
<PB N="90" REF="51"> be yet to be &s;lain, and &s;lain in this Kingdom; Then yet a little while expect and prepare for a &s;uffering condition; I &s;ay, yet a while expect the times &s;hould frown and look black up|on us; yet being in no wi&s;e di&s;couraged; for be a&s;&s;ured, either this killing will never come ancer us, or if it do, being an <HI>un|bloody killing,</HI> we need not carry our &s;elves with &s;o much &s;o|licitou&s;ne&s;&s;e in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e. And certainly for fear of this &s;ame, to think to pack up, and be gone, while any work here remains, and while there is yet hope concerning us, what were it but to de&s;ert the Cau&s;e, weaken the already feeble hands, and run our &s;elves upon a reall danger, while we flie perhaps but from an imaginary.</P>
<P>But if they be &s;lain, and ri&s;en again, which you have &s;een how very likely, then cheer up, &s;trengthen tho&s;e weak hands, certainly the bitterne&s;&s;e of death is already over, and from hence forward expect better dayes, then either our eyes, or the eyes ou<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter"> of forefathers ever &s;aw.</P>
<P>If this which we &s;aw ere while be indeed the &s;laying and ri|&s;ing again of the Witne&s;&s;es, expect this &s;torm now over our heads &s;hould break up ere long, and the latter part of it fall very foul on them who fir&s;t rai&s;ed it.</P>
<P>Expect, That <HI>Prelacy</HI> after a while, &s;hould be utterly di&s;&s;el|ved in this Kingdom; Indeed it was &s;o <HI>rooted</HI> here, that nothing le&s;&s;e then an <HI>earthquake</HI> could throw it up by the <HI>roots,</HI> and we may perhaps be &s;haken wor&s;e yet; but by that time the earth|quake is ended, then expect a&s;&s;uredly to be freed from <HI>root</HI> and <HI>branch</HI> al&s;o.</P>
<P>Expect the tyde of Idolatry, Super&s;tition, and Tyranny tur|ning here, &s;hould back, not onely to low water, but till utterly dried up in all the&s;e We&s;tern Kingdoms.</P>
<P>Expect ere long much greater thing then I &s;hall dare to &s;peak of.</P>
<P>Exp<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">ct the <HI>little &s;tone</HI> beginning to fall upon the toes of the <NOTE PLACE="marg">Dan. 2. 34, 35</NOTE> great image, and &s;o di&s;&s;olving all, &s;hould ri&s;e up upon their ru|ines a Kingdom imcomparably more great, and glorious then they all. Expect that when the Earthquake his ended her<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">, and hath &s;haken the Nations on a row al&s;o, That then <HI>the d<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ire of all</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">Hag. 27 Heb. 8, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="MURP" EXTENT="1 letter">7.</NOTE> <HI>the Nations &s;hould come;</HI> for then, <HI>but a litte while, and he that &s;hall come, will come, and will not tarry.</HI></P>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="appendix">
<PB N="91" REF="51">
<HEAD>Appendix.</HEAD>
<P>I Have already di&s;patched at lea&s;t the &s;umme of what I preached on this Subject (I mean the Prophe&s;ie of the Wit|ne&s;&s;es.) In the carriage whereof, &s;ave only in &s;ome few particulars I have not much varied from the beaten tract of the late&s;t&punc; and mo&s;t received Interpreters; &s;o that however in point of <HI>Computation</HI> there may be &s;ome difference, yet in mat|ter of <HI>Interpretation,</HI> I have adventured to &s;tand or fall with them. But now becau&s;e I would contribute all that po&s;&s;ibly I could in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and leave no mean unattempted for this purpo&s;e; I &s;hould yet further crave leave to offer an other In|t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">pretation of this Prophe&s;ie, which after I entred upon this work, I have met withall, avowed al&s;o by &s;ome late Prote&s;tant Writers; That if &s;o be any thing may be made of it, it might be here neer at hand, and tho&s;e who &s;hould de&s;ire to &s;ee as much at once, as they could in this matter, might hitherto have re|cour&s;e, where at lea&s;t all the common, and likely apprehen&s;ions in this bu&s;ine&s;&s;e are pre&s;ented.</P>
<P>This Interpretation is not the &s;ame with that gro&s;&s;e Popi&s;h, which at the beginning of this di&s;cour&s;e was there propounded: nor upon the &s;ame ground&punc; contended for, yet withall, though not the &s;ame, yet neer bordering upon, and of neer affinity to it. They indeed who fir&s;t cryed up that opinion which was formerly mentioned as the Popi&s;h, did it upon mi&s;take, the Papi&s;ts that &s;ince have propagated it, did it meerly in de&s;ign, neither whereof, this Interpretation by and by to be named, may be challenged with all.</P>
<P>Upon mi&s;take I &s;ay, they fir&s;t did it, for as &s;ome well ob|&s;erve, <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> being a <HI>Counter-Chri&s;t,</HI> and &s;o the <HI>coming of Antichri&s;t,</HI> a <HI>counter Re&s;emblance</HI> of the <HI>coming of Chri&s;t,</HI> it came to pa&s;&s;e there were no le&s;&s;e mi&s;takings in the coming of the one, then there were in the coming of the other: For ex|ample, The <HI>Jews</HI> expected <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to come when he did come&punc;
<PB N="92" REF="52"> and yet becau&s;e they fan&s;ied him another, then indeed he was to be, and his coming to be in outward pompe, and in the man|ner of &s;ome mo&s;t potent temporall Monarch, they knew him not when he was come. So the Chri&s;tians expected Antichri&s;t to come at that time when he came indeed, but becau&s;e they fan&s;ied him to be &s;ome &s;trange barbarous Tyrant, that by the &s;word and power of Arms &s;hould not only de&s;troy the Church, but conquer the world; therefore they knew him not when he was come: So that as Chri&s;t came to his own, and his own received him not; So Antichri&s;t came to tho&s;e that were not his own, and they e&s;chued him not: So that mi&s;takes begat the forementioned opinion concerning Antichri&s;t, and the &s;everalls hereupon depending.</P>
<P>And then it became afterward propogated in de&s;ign; I &s;ay, inde&s;ign; for the Popi&s;h faction, to the end they might draw off the eyes of men from looking upon the <HI>Pope,</HI> as <HI>Antichri&s;t</HI> have bid you not to look for Antichri&s;t till the end of the Word, at what time <HI>Enoch</HI> and <HI>Elias</HI> the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> as the immediate Harbingers of Chri&s;ts &s;econd coming mu&s;t be expected al&s;o.</P>
<P>But this opinion is founded upon no &s;uch mi&s;takes, nor yet drives any &s;uch de&s;ign; grants you that Antichri&s;t is come, that the <HI>Pope</HI> is <HI>Antichri&s;t.</HI> One dividing the times of Anti|chri&s;t into three &s;everall periods. 1. The time of his ri&s;ing, and growth, mentioned at the 13. Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie and the fir&s;t ver&s;e. 2. The time of his declining, at the third Ver&s;e. 3. The time of his recovering again after his deadly wound, at the 4, 5&punc; ver&s;es. Tells you, that in this la&s;t Period, this time after the deadly wound healed, there &s;hall be &s;ome mo&s;t cruell Savage-Mon&s;ter that &s;hall then be Pope, who&s;e mo&s;t tyrannicall reign &s;hall continue 42 moneths, which pre|ci&s;e time, that is, three yeers and an half under&s;tood in the letter, &s;hall be the time of the <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es</HI> extraordinary Pro|phe&s;ie al&s;o.</P>
<P>But to hold you no longer from this opinion concerning the Witne&s;&s;e, Take it thus.</P>
<P>About the time of the calling of the Jews, &s;ignified by the <HI>mea&s;uring of the Temple</HI> in the two fir&s;t ver&s;es of this Chapter. There are rai&s;ed up two extraordinary Witne&s;&s;es, being two &s;ingle per&s;ons, who &s;hall te&s;tifie unto the Jews now mi&s;led by
<PB N="93" REF="52"> the impo&s;tures of the fal&s;e Prophet, then fir&s;t brought forth are appearing in <HI>Judea,</HI> and as the Popes &s;ervant, and &s;ub&s;titute, do|ing all he po&s;&s;ibly can in the behalf of him there: This their <HI>Pro|phe&s;ying in Sackcloth,</HI> la&s;ting ju&s;t <HI>three yeers and an half;</HI> namely all the time of the Bea&s;ts 42 moneths, all the time of that la&s;t and mo&s;t bitter per&s;ecution, of the la&s;t and wor&s;t <HI>Popi&s;h</HI> Anti|chri&s;t.</P>
<P>The&s;e Witne&s;&s;es further, the better to defend them&s;elves and annoy and torment their enemies, as al&s;o undeceive the Jews mi&s;led by the fained miracles of the <HI>fal&s;e Prophet,</HI> &s;hall indeed as once <HI>Elias by fire, de&s;troy</HI> their <HI>Enemies, &s;hall &s;hut heaven that it rain not,</HI> and as formerly <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>Aaron; turn the Waters into bloud, and &s;mite the earth withall plagues as often as they will.</HI></P>
<P>But when the three yeers and an half of their Prophe&s;ie in Sackcloth is expired, then the Bea&s;t, the fal&s;e Prophet there re|&s;ident <HI>&s;layes them,</HI> &s;layes them indeed; after which, their dead bodies lie ju&s;t three dayes and an half in the &s;treet of <HI>Jeru&s;alem.</HI> which is here meant by the <HI>great City Spiritually called</HI> Sodom <HI>and</HI> Egypt, <HI>Where al&s;o our Lord was crucified;</HI> where for that &s;pace, the &s;everall Nations at that time there meeting&punc; &s;hall look upon the dead bodies of the&s;e two Witne&s;&s;es: During which time, the mi&s;led inhabitants &s;hall <HI>rejoyce, and make merry, and &s;end pre&s;ents, becau&s;e now got rid of the&s;e two Prophets</HI> that did in their life time mi&s;erably tormented them.</P>
<P>But after tho&s;e three dayes and an half, they ri&s;e up from the dead, after this, a&s;cend up to heaven in a cloud; whereupon there being a great earth-quake, the tenth part of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> falls, &s;even thou&s;and men &s;lain, all of it to be under&s;tood in the letter; and all this to be done toward the end of the &s;ixth Trumpet.</P>
<P>Thus you have the Interpretation: Now if any ask the rea|&s;on why the letter is &s;o exactly kept to, and this whole Prophe|&s;ie of the Witne&s;&s;es under&s;tood to be fulfilled in the letter; 'tis this in the generall: This part of the Prophe&s;ie, I mean all that which appertains to the Witne&s;&s;es, is not &s;hewn the Pro|phet in a Vi&s;ion, but reported to him of the Angel, as an Inter|locuter &s;peaking all this to him by word of mouth. For this is a Rule; Look what things are pre&s;ented to the &s;ight, by &s;imi|litudes,
<PB N="94" REF="53"> and images, tho&s;e are all to be under&s;tood my&s;tically; But the things that are repre&s;ented to the ear, whether in pro|per or figurative terms, unle&s;&s;e nece&s;&s;ity enforce, are to be un|der&s;tood hi&s;torically, and in the letter.</P>
<P>This in the generall: But now further, Why [the <HI>one thou|&s;and two hundred and three&s;core dayes of the Witne&s;&s;es Proph<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;ie in Sackeloth]</HI> are to be under&s;tood in the letter; Why the <HI>[great City]</HI> means <HI>[Jeru&s;alem]</HI> and the like: you the&s;e have rea&s;ons in particular:</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, For the <HI>one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core dayes]</HI> to be conceived ju&s;t <HI>three yeers and an half</HI> properly; There are the&s;e rea&s;ons offered: 1. This time falls out toward the end of the &s;ixth Trumpet; now to conceive one thou&s;and two hundred and three&s;core yeers to come in toward the end of the &s;ixth Trumpet, how ab&s;urd, how impo&s;&s;ible. 2. This term is &s;uppo&s;ed to be the &s;ame with the term of that la&s;t, and mo&s;t cruell per&s;ecution, of the la&s;t and wor&s;t Antichri&s;t, the &s;ame al&s;o with that mo&s;t unparalell'd time of trouble menti|oned at the 12 <HI>Dan.</HI> 1. <HI>Such as never was &s;ince there was a Nati|on:</HI> which if &s;o, it cannot be &s;o long as that which the my&s;ticall Interpretation contends for, but mu&s;t be only three yeers and an half properly and in the letter &s;o taken: according to which account, the two Witne&s;&s;es may well be two &s;ingle per&s;ons al&s;o.</P>
<P>The rea&s;on why the <HI>turning waters into blood,</HI> and <HI>&s;miting the earth with all plagues</HI> be to be under&s;tood in the letter al&s;o, be|&s;ides that in the generall before mentioned, is becau&s;e &s;ome &s;uch thing as this, is expected to be done about the time of the Conver&s;ion of the Jews; &s;o you finde, <HI>Mich.</HI> 7. 15, 16. <HI>Ac|cording to the day<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s of thy coming out of the Land of</HI> Egypt, <HI>will I &s;hew unto him marvelious things: The Nations &s;hall &s;ee and be confound<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">d,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>And then the rea&s;on, why the&s;e <HI>two Witne&s;&s;es,</HI> who al&s;o are called <HI>two Prophets,</HI> together with the <HI>fal&s;e Prophet,</HI> have all of them reference to the <HI>Jews,</HI> being all of them to re&s;ide there, is this, becau&s;e where&s;oever you finde mention of Prophets, whether true, or fal&s;e, there is &s;till a reference had unto the Jews, to whom only it was peculiar, and their great privi|ledge, to be furni&s;hed with the Mini&s;tery of extraordinary Prophets.</P>
<PB N="95" REF="53">
<P>And then la&s;tly the rea&s;ons, why <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is here to be un|der&s;tood by <HI>the great City,</HI> and not <HI>Rom</HI> (as is commonly con|ceived; are fir&s;t, becau&s;e the&s;e two are expre&s;ly di&s;tingui&s;hed at the 16 Chapter of this Prophe&s;ie, and 18, 19, ver&s;es, where you finde the great City, that is, <HI>Jeru&s;alem, is divided into three parts,</HI> and <HI>great Babylon,</HI> that is, <HI>Rome</HI> comes into remem|brance, being there mentioned as two din&s;tinct places. Be&s;ides, <HI>Rome</HI> is no where in Scripture called <HI>Sodom</HI> and <HI>Egypt,</HI> but <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> is: <HI>Sodom</HI> 'tis called, <HI>I&s;ai.</HI> 1. 10. and <HI>Egypt</HI> it is cal|led, <HI>Ezek.</HI> 23. 18, 19: And further, <HI>Rome</HI> was not the place where our Lord was crucified, but <HI>Jeru&s;alem,</HI> and therefore when 'tis here &s;aid, <HI>[The Witne&s;&s;<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">s dead bodies lye in the &s;treet of the great Citie] Jeru&s;alem</HI> is this place where they lye dead, where al&s;o the fal&s;e Prophet hath his re&s;idence: and when tis &s;aid <HI>[The tenth part of the Citie falls,]</HI> it means the tenth part of <HI>Jeru<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">alem</HI> falls.</P>
<P>And now you have together with the Interpretation, the rea&s;ons (a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> I could meet with them) which this Interpretation chiefly leans upon. If the Pre&s;&s;e would have but re&s;pighted me a little, I had not only barely propounded this Interpre|ta<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ion, with the rea&s;ons, but had &s;poke my thoughts thereto al&s;o: But &s;ince I can procure leave <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">ut only to propound, the P<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">inter thinking long till the di&s;cour&s;e be gotten abroad; &s;uffice it that I have propo&s;ed it, hereby giving others an occa&s;ion to examine, and upon examination, either to receive, or refu&s;e, as it &s;hall be a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">le to abide the tryall; I having the opportunity only to bring it in <HI>Medie,</HI> where al&s;o I mu&s;t leave it.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<HEAD>Errata.</HEAD>
<P>Good reader amend the&s;e faults of the Pre&s;&s;e, which could I have tended upon, might happily have been prevented.</P>
<P>Pag. 4. Line 7. for <HI>&s;tate</HI> read <HI>fate,</HI> p. 10. l. 6. for <HI>Church wor&s;hips,</HI> read <HI>Church, wor&s;hips,</HI> p 13. l. 24. for <HI>come when:</HI> r. <HI>come: when,</HI> p. 22. l. 23 for <HI>tho&s;e</HI> r. <HI>the&s;e,</HI> p. 28. l. 21. for <HI>the&s;e</HI> r. <HI>tho&s;e,</HI> l 37. for <HI>it however;</HI> r. <HI>it; how|euer,</HI> p. 31. l. 23 for <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, p. 40. l. 8. for <HI>from</HI> r. <HI>for,</HI> p 49 l. 23. for <HI>former, whereof</HI> r. <HI>former whereof.</HI> p. 63 l 3. for <HI>honour have,</HI> read <HI>have honour,</HI> p. 68. l. 16. for <HI>the&s;e</HI> r. <HI>the,</HI> p. 71. l. 10. for <GAP LANG="grc" DESC="foreign" RESP="OXF">, p. 73. l 2. for <HI>Train</HI> r. <HI>Rain,</HI> p. 75. l. 11. for <HI>ends with it,</HI> r <HI>ends, with i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">,</HI> p. 80 l. 31. for <HI>fifteenth</HI> r. <HI>thirteenth,</HI> p. 81. l. 14. for <HI>the</HI> r. <HI>that,</HI> p. 82. l. 10. for <HI>to</HI> r. <HI>two,</HI> p. 88. l. 14. for <HI>thing</HI> r. <HI>&s;econd thing.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
