Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	great_a	lord_n	people_n	4,203	5	4.5705	4	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96871	The two vvitnesses: discovered in severall sermons upon the eleventh chapter of the Revelation, wherein, after the prophesie opened, the great question of these times. Viz. whether the two witnesses are slain, yea or no, is modestly discussed. / Preached at Lawrence-Jewry in London, by F.W. lecturer of the said place. It is this seven and twentieth day of April, 1643. ordered by the Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament, concerning printing, that these sermons intituled, the two witnesses, be printed for Luke Fawne. John White.	Woodcock, Francis, 1614?-1651.; England and Wales. Parliament. aut	1643 (1643)	Wing W3433; Thomason E100_1; ESTC R13873	76,978	106

so however then they look after Liberties Properties Safety c. yet their main care must be Church-work preserving reforming restoring in Church matters matters of Worship this should be the chief care and endeavour of these Witnesses which doth not a little reflect upon us in this Kingdom who have spent much time much pains in securing Liberties Properties and providing for our safety but little Oyl all this while dropt into the Candlesticks little proportionably bestowed in Church-work which possibly is not the least reas●n Why after all this time we are so far to seek neither the work of Reformation nor our own Safety to this day being advanced to any desired perfection VERS 5. And if any man will hurt them sire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies And if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed HAving presented some few lines to ward a perfect draught of these Witnesses and in them discovered what they are to the Church namely as Oyl unto the Candlestick in our further description of them we come now to shew what they are to those that do oppose them for they meet with opposers and how well appointed they are to give them as hot as they bring that shall dare to attempt any wrong or violence upon them This you have discovered in these words And if any man will hurt them c. In which who so dim sighted as not to perceive Moses and Elias as with the finger pointed at both which when enemies have risen up against them have had the wrong by sire avenged upon those enemies So you reade of Moses in the 16 of Numb when Korah and with him two hundred and fifty chief men of the Congregation make there a tumult against him at the 35 verse of that Chapter Fire proceedeth from the Lord and destroyes those two hundred and fifty Of Elias also you have it storied in the 2 of Kinos and 1. When that Idolatrous Ahaziah sends two Captains with fifty men apiece one after the other to lay hold upon the Prophet upon his word fire comes down Ver. 11 12. from heaven and destroyes both the Captains and both their fifties Both these you have here a reference to and this not onely because of the same thing done but which is my apprehension which also I touched upon before because there is a resemblance intended betwixt the doers also I said before the two Olive trees did not onely signifie the like common work happening to Zerubbabel and Jeshua and to the Witnesses but seemed to hold forth a likenesse or samenesse in the quality of the persons also So likewise when in a further description of these Witnesses we have them rendered such Out of whose mouthes sire procceding destroyes their enemies a plain allusion to Moses and Elias I should conceive 't is not only to shew the same thing done by all of them and no more but to tell us the persons in resemblance are another Moses and Elias also And to make this yet seem more likely observe we how just their work falls alike to all of them Doth Moses lead Israel out of Egypt and do not these Witnesses lead the Christian Israel out of the Romish Egypt of which no question Moses his former leading was a type And doth Elias stand zealous for God in that grand Apostasie of Israel no doubt a type of this grand Apostasie of Antichrist and are not the Witnesses cloathed with the zealous Spirit of Elias nay is it not doubled upon 2 Kin. 2. 9. them who dare contend with the Antichristian Apostates even then when their Idolatries have so over overwhelmed the world that they onely are left opposing And if this so and there 's no new thing in all this the same Scene come about again what strange thing to see the same actors and if now in the last act of the world there is a bringing out of Egypt such as was before a contending with Apostates as there was before how every way elegant to make Moses and Elias the actors here also Having thus found out the Witnesses to be Moses and Elias now as we saw them Zerubbabel and Jeshua men of like quality and employment before lest we mistake the speciall thing that 's here mentioned done by them we now proceed to a particular examination of it If any man will harm them fire proceeds c. Which words we must in no wise understand in the letter To think these Witnesses should indeed breath forih fire and so destroy their enemies what weaknesse or else perversenesse at best would any such thought argue And if not in the letter then must we borrow the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hither which we finde expresly adjoyned to Sodom and Egypt at the 8 Verse of th●s Chapter and then we are to enquire what mysticall fire the Scripture mentions and so what spiritually or mystically the phrase imports of fire proceeding out of their mouthes and de●ouring their enemies To answer this in short The Word of God in Scripture is severall times compar'd to fire Jer. 20 9. Jer. 23. 29. Is not my Word like as a fire saith the Lord But especially cast your eye upon the 5 of Jer. 14. where you finde the Lord thus bespeaking the Prophet And I will make my Word in thy meuth fire and this people as wood and it shall devour them A place so parallel so plain an interpretation of what we have in hand that to me it seems altogether needlesse to enquire any further meaning Observe it there you have the Lord threatning that People by the Prophet but his word is slighted and the Prophet that delivers the message misused for this cause the Lords Word in the Prophets mouth shall be fire and that People wood and it shall devour them So here you have the Witnesses testifying against Antichrist for his great impieties this testimony of theirs is slighted themselves opposed and misused to avenge which indignitie fire comes out of their mouthes takes hold of their opposers they threaten Judgements God accordingly executes them thus fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies All this but confirming that of the Apostle The Gospel and its Ministers have in readinesse ● Cor. 10. 6. to avenge every disobedience Nor let any man stumble at the expression They said to d●stroy their enemies who y●t do but onely denounce destruction ●or 't is an easie thing to shew That what Gods Minist●rs denounce in his Name that they themselves are said to do Ezekiel in denouncing Judgement against the City Ezek. 43. 3. is there said to destroy the City So when the Witnesses in the Lords Name and by his direction denounce destruction to their enemies they likewise are then said to destroy their enemies If now unto the former of denouncing Judgements you adde also their praying Judgements upon incorrigible enemies which seems not unlikely to be meant here also you

Sackcloth the Antichristian power at this time collecting it self possibly by murthering some but chiefly by putting them from their places disinabling suspending and silencing shall thus overcome kill and make an end of these Witnesses And now perhaps it will be expected especially having so fair a hint given by the Text we should come to some determination Whether the killing of these Witnesses be past yea or no but in regard we shall be furnished with most light then when we have heard the Prophesie speak out we shall therefore adjourn the decision till the last still continuing to proceed forward in opening the Prophesie onely before we do proceed any further from this last verse we now opened take these observations 1. Are the Witnesses slain when they have done their testimony Hence take notice Best men and best Offices are sometime of all other the worst rewarded here are Witnesses calling sinners home from dangerous and perishing wayes beseeching them to turn from dumb Idols to serve the living God then which none can do a better Office yet after all their pains bestowed they are killed for a recompence 2. Are these slain then when their mouths are stopped when they cease to witnesse By this account men live no longer then they work and whoso hath left off to do the Lords work as the Apostle speaks in another case is dead while he lives he that 1 Tim. 5. 6. Rev. 14. 13 hath rested from his labour by this reckoning is no other then dead 3. Doth the Beast slay these Witnesses Oh the plague this Beast this Antichrist is to the world but two lights leading a blinde world from perdition and the Antichristian power puts them both out slayes both the Witnesses 4. Doth the Beast ascend out of the bottomlesse pit the Antichristian kinde of Government ascend out of hell sure then they much mistake themselves that tell us 't is jure divino they much mistake its originall that tell us it is from heaven 't is from hell from the bottomlesse pit if we believe the Scriptures there it had its conception and shall in due time be returned thither back again VERS 8. And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great City which is Spiritually called Sodome and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified OUr last work concerned the killing of the Witnesses It follows now we look what becomes of their dead bodies in these words And their dead bodies shall lie in the street c. The slaughter of these Witnesses being for the most part an unbloody slaughter the killing of them in their Office as we saw before by the like proportion their lying d●ad what can it mean but their continuing in that state of civill death which their former slaughter brought them into They remaining suspended from the execution of that Office which as Magistrates and Ministers they held before remaining silent not prophesying not witnessing any thing authoritatively as they did formerly this seems meant by the Witnesses lying dead I say again Their mouthes were stopt at what time they were slain and since then they continue silent dead to all that life which as the Lords Prophets and Witnesses they lived before thus they lie for some space as dead corpses after their slaughter But passing from this let 's take a view of the place where these Witnesses lie dead this follows and 't is In the street of the great City spiritually called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified A place so at large set forth and by such apt resemblances as indeed it seems even next door to naming it in the description whereof the holy Ghost bestows so many words that when he wo●ld not name it yet would seem to make such sure work that any who had but half an eye should not misse the understanding of it This place because it will afford much variety of matter not unprofitable we shall therefore take a more exact view of it enquiring first What this great City is Then what the street Why this great City is called Sodom Why Egypt Why the place where our Lord was crucified For the first of these Whereas it is said the dead bodies of these Witnesses do lie in the street of the great City by the great City it seems we must necessarily understand Rome So much is understood by this same expression the holy Ghost himself inerpreting at the 17 Chapter of this Prophesie and last Verse And when further you have mention of the great Whore Great Babylon and the like still Rome is meant by all those expressions Cha. 17. 1. Ch. 16 19. Ch. 20. 10. Only once in this book the new Jerusalem extant after the fall of Babylon is called the great City but that the new Jerusalem should be meant by the great City here none can be so far lost to all understanding as once to imagine it And sure not without cause is Rome called great Babylon the Ch 16. 19. great City for whether you take greatnesse to signifie an amplitude of power for so sometimes 't is used to signifie hence the great King is as much as King of kings or take greatnesse for Psal 48. 2. spa●iousnesse What City can compare with Rome in either of these In the former What City can when you have Rome by the holy Ghost himself described the great City that ruleth over the Kings of the earth Nineveh Babylon no Citie ever extending Chap. 17. ult its power so far as Rome And for spaciousnesse which can at this day when but a part of it remains 't is 15 or 16 miles in compasse within the Walls if Lipsius may be believed but when this Prophesie Admirand lib. 3. was written it was then in compasse 42 miles And is not this then with good reason called the great City I know Bellarmine with some other Popish Writers as also Bell lib. 3. de Pa. some late ones of our own contend Jerusalem must be here meant the great City but how likely let others judge For first for extent of power none will say it ever came neer Rome 't was utterly inconsiderable to Rome which was indeed urbs Hicronim caput orbis the City the Empresse of the World yea which at once did swallow up Jerusalem with all its Territory and little lesse then an hundred times as much as all that came to And for spaciousnesse take this record concerning Jerusalem Wilhelmus Tyrius l●b 8 de bello sacro urbs min●r m●●imis mediocribus mai●r It was a City lesse then the greatest greater then the least a midling City as we say this is all that can be said for the compasse of it which if so Jerusalem then cannot be the great City here meant and if not Jerusalem then must Rome be it for besides Jerusalem there is none else that stands in competition Rome then is the great City but now the street of the great City follows

the fifth verse they do the Witnesses wrong but when the Witnesses plague them then t is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they inflict upon them a just torment and accordingly when they come to destroy Babylon for these very Witnesses do destroy her there you have the same word also How much she hath glorified Cha. 18. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 her self so much just torment give her Shewing that what they do to these Witnesses is wrong what the Witnesses do to them even when they come to destroy them is but just punishment But to let this passe all the parts of this verse being now opened put all together and it comes to thus much The Popish party being grievously tormented by the Witnesses pouring forth the Vials upon them in revenge hereof they slay the Witnesses and having slain them do out of measure rejoyce they are thus got rid of them Thus you have at once the sum of the verse from which next follow these few observations 1. Are the dwellers on the earth the Popish crue From hence then learn the Character of the Popish Antichristian party They are a generation that dwell upon the earth an earthly generation So sometime the Prelaticall faction their neer kinred have been described viz. A generation of the earth earthly and Baines Dio. Try Fr●f that savour not the things of God And certainly not without cause are the Popish party thus decifered Their Religion is of the earth their Ordinances are earthly Ordinances thence all came and when they have all holpen those poor Papists that use them what they can will not carry them above that earth from whence they came 2. Do the Antichristian brood rejoyce at the slaughter of the Witn●sses Oh the desperate height of wickednesse these unhappy wretches arive to The Lord doth send his Witnesses choice Instruments to convince these of their Idolatry uncleannesse prophanenesse and if it might be to bring them to repentance but they are so farre from being convinced so farre from being wonne unto repentance that insteed hereof they slay the Witnesses and when they have this done wonder of impiety as if they had done some most praise-worthy thing they rejoyce at it Oh the desperate hardnesse that 's come upon the Antichristian faction 3. Do the Witnesses torment the Popish party You see then they do not so carry their hard usuage of these Witnesses that they themselves scape u●●et withall If they make the Witnesses prophesie in Sackcloth the Witnesses torment them as much by pouring upon them the Vials And sure by that time all casts are plaid The Popish party will have no great cause to boast of their winnings by that time these Witnesses have rewarded Rev. 18. 6. Babylon as she hath rewarded them and in the cup wherein she hath filled have filled to her double which is their Commission which also I could earnestly desire were more looked upon and considered for who knows but some of us that now live may be called forth to execute this Commission I say again by that time the Reformed Churches have slain her Priests as she hath slain their Witnesses and dash'd her bratts against the Psal 137. 8 9. Rev. 18. 6. stones as she hath done their little ones yea and rewarded her double for all the wrongs and violence done unto them then will the Antichristian faction be enforced to acknowledge they were sufficiently matcht when they medled with these Witnesses VERS 11. And after three dayes and an half the Spirit of Life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them IN the words last handled we saw how joy'd the Popish crew were at the slaughter of the Witnesses thinking they had made such a hand of them as that they should never hear of them any more But now which quashes all their mirth and makes them every whit as sad as did the slaying of these Witnesses rejoyce them before Behold After three dayes and an half the Spirit of Life enters into the Witnesses and they stand upon their feet In which words you have observable 1. The witnesses Resurrection The Spirit of life from God ent●rs into them and they stand upon their feet 2. The time of their Resurrection 'T is after three dayes and an half 3. The Consequent hereof Great fear fell on them that saw them Of these I shall speak in this order and thereof briefly also as of the former beginning with their Resurrection first in these words The Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet The Spirit of life that which the Hebrews call breath of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arab. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 life this enters into them And they stand upon their feet After this Spirit of life or Breath of life or as the Arabique renders it Spirit from God enters into them they stand upon their feet that is They rise up again into their former employment A posture quite different from what we ere while saw them in when they lay dead in the street not able to move hand or foot for the space of three ye●rs and a half together But now after that God hath by some extraordinary hand of his restored them from their suspensions and silencings and so life put into them then they stand upon their feet as ready now anew to witnesse against Antichrist as ●ver they were before So those dry bones Ez●ch 37 〈◊〉 37. 1● which also seem plainly here alluded to after thet sinews and flesh had covered them at the tenth verse Breath enters into them and they stand upon their feet And this perhaps will tell us what kinde of Resurrection is this of these Witnesses For mark it then is all this fulfilled I mean the dry bones have sinews and flesh and after breathed upon do live and stand upon their feet When Israel in captivity 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 hopelesse Captivity This is the living and rising again of the dry bones there mentioned According whereunto when these Witnesses formerly slain their office thrown out thence are by the speciall hand of God restored thereto again what hinders but we say This is the Spirit of life from God entring into the Witnesses and their standing upon their feet A Resurrection properly so called it cannot be for of none such do we reade till the 20 Chapter of this Prophesie as was Cha. 20. 5. intimated before and if not a Resurrection reall and proper what can it be but some speciall hand of God in restoring these Witnesses to place opening their mouthes which were stopped by their former slaughter This appears the Resurrection of the Witnesses here intended Which if so we need not then that shift which some make use of telling us