a little higher and yet below God too in the use of Gods Ordinances but in an outward profession to the flesh living by sense through a meer form and custome and humane These meet with woe sorrow for a literall profession exposed them to the lash but to worship God in spirit carries away the smart when the flesh is let loose it prepares misery to it self and to all that live after the flesh The third woe is yet to come and I have nothing to say of it only I greatly rejoyce in expectation of that universall glory which God will reveal to his Saints and into which they shal be taken up when those dayes come But the middle woe or the second in course is now in being And there are great troubles to be acted in the world but yet for the comfort of the Saints two things are to be noted First that under the sound of the sixth Angel that pronounces the woe The death of the Beast is declared and that his determinate time is quite finished and though he strive mightily like a dying hog for life at the last gaspe yet he shall never reign again in Majesty established by an usurped Law over Christ and his Saints as he hath done for his time times and dividing of a time his 42. months and his three dayes and half are upon the point of expiring And the Lord Christ is beginning nay hath begun to take the Kingdom and to reign of whose Kingdom there shall be no end Secondly note that under the sound of the sixth Angel the Witnesses are to be killed but to arise from death and ascend up to God in the Cloud And their rising is the Inhabitant of the earths woe even to such as have no hope but in this life it will be and it begins to be a time of woe to them for all creature comforts helps and communion shall be taken away and dead to them And I believe we are under that sound oppression and injustice doth so mightily abound in the Kingdoms and Magistracy of the world for when the seventh Angel sounds then Christ or the Anointing â—ho is King of righteousnes and King of Peace shall reign in the Kingdoms and Magiâ—tracy of the world for a certain space or a thousand years as the Scripture speaks which yet generally doth not appear though this Kingdom of Christ doth begin to appear in among the Saints that are scattered abroad The Beast is giving up his last breath and his violent kicking and sprawling troubles the whole world for a little time for the spirit of the Beast is the life of the Inhabitants of the Earth therefore I believe the Witnesses are not in killing but in rising from death and that the world must see ere long which will be a third woe to them when they shall see poor despised Saints whom no man regards to partake of the glory of the City of God and they themselves put by There is one passage of Johns Vision while â—his sixth Angel sounds which gives light hereunto the words are these Loose the four Angels that are bound in the great Riverâ—uphrates And the four Angels were loosed c. These are four evill Angels as I conceive which stir up the four quarters of the Earth to enmity against every appearance of God so that there shall be risings up of much bitternes in the East West North and South among the Sons of men against God though they think not so for they think their cruelty is godlines and they think their malice is zeal and they think their oppressing imprisoning murdering the Saints under the name of erroneous Round-heads doth God good service And it appears they are four evill Angels because they were bound up like prisoners in so bad a place as in the River Euphrates and they were prepared for this time that is For an houre a day a moneth and a year to slay the third part of men It appears they are four evill Angels if we consider first what the great River Euphrates is I believe this Euphrates is the spirit of the Beast or the very Serpent himself which like a great River overflowes every Son and Daughter of the first Adam And this River Euphrates is to be dried up when the sixth Angel powres out his Violl so that the way of the Kings of the Earth might be prepared The meaning to me is this That when this spirit of the Beast is dried up destroyed and subdued then the Kings of the East or such in and upon whom the Son of righteousnes rises first which are the Elect or City Sion they come and take the Kingdom and the Anointing in them who is the Lord our righteousnes reigns in the earth that is in mankind forever and ever The spirit of the Beast or Serpent is called Euphrates because as the River Euphrates in the History overflowed a great part of the Earth So this spirit of darknes overflowes man-kind and drownes them in ignorance pride covetousnes malice disobedience discontent deceived zeale but when this is dryed up as it must be when the seaventh Angel sounds then the Nations appeare for God And the Saints are called Kings of the East for their knowledg and for their faithfulnes to God for as the wise men or Kings of the East found out where Jesus Christ lay when he was born but would not tell Herod who laid wait to kill him but went another way So these spiritual Kings of the East or as Daniel calls them the wise or understanding people They know where the Anointing appears and they know that the Kingdom of Christ is spirituall for the Anointing teaches them all things and they have experience of the love sincerity humility peace and the like which are the Laws and walls of that Kingdom And likewise they know that the spiritual powers of darknes as ignorance pride envy discontent hypocrisie self-love and the like is the Serpent that would destroy Christ or the Anointing for if pride ruled which is the Serpent in the Children of disobedience then humility which is Christ in the Saints must be destroyed And if malice reign then love which is Christ in the Saints must die And so of all the rest And the Saints knowes this therefore in the second place they are called Kings of the East because they do not betray Christ into the hands of Herod the Serpent but they hold forth the power of Christ in faith and patience till God finish his work thereby destroys the enemies Now when pride covetousnes injustice envy self-love and the like is dried up like a River that cannot run Then the way is prepared for these Kings of the East to take the Kingdom and to reign in with Christ and righteousnes for ever and these four Angels were bound up in this River Euphrates and were
in the Earth-quake which are these very master-builders and upholders of the Beast as I shall shew anon Well here is a great Cloud of trouble arises nay it is risen And these four evil Angels subtilty hypocrisie malice and cruelty are very bitter in the spirits of men whom they torment day and night and kill And they have condemned to death all the Saints of God in the Kingdom under the name of Round-heads and they are boldly confident they shall compasse their murther-intent but they shall never do it For the day of the Beast is ended his reign is done and the Saints shall sing that Song in experience Babylon is faln is faln For the spirit of life appears in some already and will appear in more ere long when the showre of hayl falls And God takes up his Saints to himself for the Witnesses are not in killing bnt in rising from death and ascending up to God in this Cloud the Cloud of woe shall not now fall upon them but upon the Inhabitants of the earth who have no other hope or comfort but in this life There are a few words more mentioned in Johns Vision in that eleaventh of the Revelatiticons which being fulfilled declare that the witnesses are not in killing but in rising from death It is said That they of the Nations Kinred Tongues and People shall see their dead bodies lie in the street of the great City three dayes and an half c. These two appearances of God in flesh which testifie of God that is The appearance of God in the man Jesus and the appearance of God in the Saints are said to be dead bodies when they do not act and operate like themselves in the view of them whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life so long as the Beast hath a time to fit in the Temple of God and to shew himself as God no more then the dead bodies of men can do the actions of living men God the Father hath made Christ his Anointing the King Priest and Prophet to bring sinners to God but these Offices of Christ have been trampled upon by the Lawes Canons Acts and Ordinances of the Beast and have not visibly appeared to the world but the anointing of the Father in Jesus and the Saints have been like dead bodies in respect of such operations and have not acted publikely like themselves but have lain all the time of the Beast dead in the eye of the unbelieving world who have rejected them and stumbled at them till the spirit of life from God rayses them up and sets them upon their feet that is till God subdue all enemies under Christs feet the Anointing and give all rule and all authority to him But though the Beast have allowed Christ the name of King Priest and Prophet yet he hath denied Christ both the operation and honour of these three Offices and hath set the Crown of these upon his own head For whiles the Beast declares himself to be so quick-sighted that he can presently discerne what is truth and what is errour and take upon him by his usurped power to punish errours with plundering prisons and death Does he not thereby declare himself to be as God in knowledg knowing good and evil And as God likewise in Majesty by punishing every one that opposes his beastly being and so he declares himself to be an absolute infallible prophet to teach men A King to rule and punish men and a Priest to save men from death by his skil and operation And thus the Beast hath a long time acted these three Offices of Christ as himself pleased and the Anointing in Jesus and the same in the Saints have lain like two dead bodies killed under the hand of the Beast And these two dead bodies were to lie dead three dayes and an half that is the whole reign of the Beast in his three ages and an half As first the time and age of the Dragon which was Majestracy out of joynt that persecuted Christ and his Saints by open violence before the universal Bishop was lifted up by the Dragon and this is the first shape or time or age in which the Serpent appeared to kill the Witnesses Secondly The time and age of the Leopard which is that we call grosse Popery when the universall Bishop bare rule by the authority of the Dragon before there was any Church reformation And this was not so down-right violent but kils the Witnesses by a pretended Law under the names of error for indeed the appearance of God in flesh is far different from the appearance of the Serpent in flesh And the Serpent having a time to act himself and to maintain his being labours to destroy the being of God and calls the appearance of God an errour or deceiver Thirdly The time and age of the Beast with two horns like a Lamb but spake like a Dragon And this is that we call reformed Episcopacy which was of the same nature and had the same authoritive power from the deceived Kings of the earth to make war with Christ his Saints as the former had though a little more hypocritical for it came in sheeps cloathing but it spake like a Dragon for it devoured the sheep by his common Lawes Ecclesiasticall power and high Commission Courts And these two shapes of Popery and Episcopacy are called times because they are two ages or dayes of the Beast maintaining one and the same nature and compulsive and coersive power the one being more grosly abominable the other more hypocritically abominable so that here is time the Dragon and times Popery and Episcopacy faln in the world or three dayes which are visibly past and gone already in this one tenth part of the Citie England c. Here remains in being the dividing of time or halfe day which is called the Image of the Beast because it hath not the Authority of the Beast though it have the Nature and Spirit of the Beast in it And this halfe day or this dividing of time is the age of the Beast under which England Scotland and Ireland doe now groan and it may be a very hot time for the length of it but it will be but short And I have some hopes that God will make this three-fold kingdome being under one Magistracy the tenth part of the City Babylon that shall fall off first from the Beast And this is called the dividing of time because the witnesses are neither under an absolute bondage by Ecclesiasticall Lawes as formerly neither in absolute freedome because the boylings of the foure evill Angels mentioned before in mens spirits both in Magistrates common people and such as they call Ministers are so opposite against them And I beleeve that Gods two witnesses do yet lie dead publickly under the heart-burning power of discontent both of out-side professing
he was the Son of God when he was supposed to be about 30 years of age as Luke speaks we read not of any thing that he did till this time that he was baptized and the Spirit descended upon him And from that time till he was crucified as I have gathered by books it was supposed to be about three years a half which is about this account which the Spirit calls 1260 days according to the days of a week it is but about 17 dayes difference The like number of dayes is spoken of Rev. 12. And the woman fled into the Wildernesse where she hath a place prepared of God 1260 dyes This I conceive was the same tearm of dayes according to the number of the dayes in a week that one Saviour did prophesie here in the world among men And this points out unto us the time of the battell that was fought between Michael our Prince the seed of the woman and the Dragon or the power of darknesse ruling in the corrupt posterity of Adam For if the Serpent and his seed could have made Jesus Christ to have sinned by their temptations then the Serpent had conquered him and had broken Gods head But Jesus Christ held out to the end and sinned not as he that saw it bore witnesse and his witnesse is true therefore he broke the Serpents head and became a faithfull witnesse to his Fathers counsell Now all the time of this bettell the church was kept by the power of God at a stand and there Were no voyces heard but silent for the space of halfe an houre that little time of 1260 dayes and God and Angels Saints and Men were spectators of this great battell between the Serpent and Christ But when Christ had finished his testimony he laid down his life and the Serpent and his seed thought they had conquered him and began to rejoyce and make merry as Revel. 11. 10. And then was made manifest in heaven that is in and to the Church by the Father the Spirit of truth That Christ by death had overcome him that had the power of death which was the Devill Then there was heard a loud voyce in heaven in the Kingdome and victory of Christ Now is come Salvation and Strength an◠〈◊〉 Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our Brethren is cast down which accused them before God day and night And they the Church overcame him the Serpent by the blood of the Lambâ— the death 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ and by the word of their testimony the Fathers promise That the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head And they loved not their lives unto death They would rather dye as the Martyrs did then they would deny this testimony of Jesus One thing note here That as the silence in heaven for the space of halfe an houre points out the time of tine battell between the Serpent and Christ in the flesh so likewise it points out the spirituall combat between the Spirit of Christ and the flesh or the Serpents power in every beleever For so long as the Flesh and Serpent accuses their consciences before God day and night and every disobedient action that will breake their peace is laid before them they cannot sing praises but mourn bitterly for as yet God hath given them no testimony of his love in pardoning of them and of receiving them into his enjoyment this is the writing time or the halfe houres silence till God give deliverance But when the Anointing sets the poor souls free from these accusations by a satisfying discovery of his love then there arise voices of â—raises and thundrings-forth of thankesgiving â—o God day and night even as the accusation formerly was day and night And truly here is great comfort to every particular member of Zion to know that the wisdome and power of their corrupt flesh which fights against the Anointing and accuses their consciences day and night before God presenting God to be an angry God to them when as indeed he is loving yea and love it selfe to poore sinners I say for them to know that it is conquered and the life and power of it is taken away by Christ the Anoiuted it is comfort And when Christ who is the Lord our righteousnesse is pleased to cast the Serpent out of your flesh and to take possession and dwell in you himselfe then you shall be freed from all those accusations and from the malice of the accuser and be made able to sing by experience Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ to my soule for the Prince of Darknesse and powers of my flesh that fought in me against the Anointing or Spirit of truth is now cast out For God hath pardoned all my disobediences and taken me into his own rest Therefore honour and glory be to him that sits upon the Throne and to 〈◊〉 Lamb for evermore And now the Dragon being vexed and 〈◊〉 of wrath because he is conquered and câ—st out of heaven even every particular member of Zion he rules strongly still in the children of disobedience or in the Serpents 〈◊〉 in whom he dwels and raises all cruell perâ—â—cutions against the church out of whom he is cast and in whom the Anointing rules And of whom according to the flesh the Lamb Jesus Christ was born And as Paul spake of Isaac and Ismael that he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that Was born after the Sprit even so it is now he or they in whom the Serpent rules persecutes him or them out of whom the Serpent is cast and in whom the Anointing rules who is the Lord our Righteousnesse But saith John unto the woman or church was given two wings of a great Eagle that she might flie into the wildernesse into her prepared place where she is nourished for a time times and halfe a time from the face of the Serpent I conceive that the soule by the wisdome and love of God is carried into a condition of sensible barrennesse both in it selfe and in others in which condition the soule is under Gods protection from the face of the Serpent so that this Wildernesse spoke of is a very safe condition or hiding-place from the Serpent wherein the soul is fed and nourished by God and not by any creature for a lime times and halfe a time that is the Church and every particular member is fed and protected by God all the severall degrees of the dayes of The Beast as hath been shewed And here I shall mind two things First what this Wildernesse is not Secondly what it is First ☞ when men are in a good conceir of their own Wisdome Learning and Strength as the Jewes were that thought they had all knowledge to discerne Truth from Errour and therefore when Christ
THE BREAKING OF THE DAY OF GOD Wherein Four things are manifested I. That the two Witnesses are not in killing but in rising from death II. The three dayes and half or 42. months of the Saints Captivity under the Beast very near expired III. Christ hath begun to reign in his Saints and to tread their corrupt flesh under his feet IIII. Christs dominion over the Nations of the world near the approach BY Gerrard VVinstanley London Printed by I. C. for Giles Calvert at the Black-spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1649. TO The despised Sons and Daughters of Zion scattered up and down the Kingdom of England DEar friends and fellow brethren in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ you have been and are the object of the worlds hatred and reproach not simply as you are men and women but because the light beauty of our Father shines forth of you which they cannot behold therefore they brand you for wicked ones and your principles to be errour And under that name of deceivers troublers though indeed they themselves are the only deceivers troublers they threaten your ruine death you are the signes and wonders of the Kingdom you are the object of every ones laughter and reproach you are the men that they would plunder you are the men that are sentenced to be put to death in these uproar risings under the name of Round-heads That the name of Israel may be no more known in the Land but they shall never prevaile your Father hath blessed you yea and you shall be blessed you are the men they would chain up by an Ecclesiasticall compulsive or coersive power you are the men that they would give no liberty to to practise what God teaches you you are the men preached against writ against petitioned against to the higher Power to bring you under their foot-steps you are the men that are counted the troublers of Kingdoms and Parishes where you dwell though the truth is you are the only peaceable men in the Kingdom who love the Kingdoms peace the Magistrates peace and the Peoples peace who love the health and peace of all their souls But what 's the reason the world doth so storm against you but because you are not of the world nor cannot walk in the darkwayes of the world they hated your Lord and Master Jesus Christ and they hate you they knew not him and they know not you for if they had known him they would not have crucified him and if they did truly know the power of that God that dwels in you they would not so despise you But well these things must be it is your Fathers will it shall be so the world must lie under darkness for a time that is Gods dispensation to them and you that are Children of light must lie under reproach and oppressions of the world that is Gods dispensation to you But it shall be but for a little time What I have here to say is to bring you glad tydings that your redemption drawes neer you are come to the half day of the Beasts reign which may be very hot yet it will be short for the Son of righteousness and peace iâ— risen and he is beginning to disperse those cold rainy Clouds of mens lusts and inventions And to make the earth mankind to become like the summer season full of light heat fruitfulness and comfort There are two things which the Lord our righteousness is in doing First He is burning up all the drosse of our flesh and treading it under his feet by his bright appearing in our hearts and by the lively and free discoveries of himself and doth cast out the accuser The Serpent and takes possession and dwels in you himself and takes you up to dwell in him this is Gods Kingdom and this many of you have experience of and this strength of your God within is that which supports you against all the storming provocations of the world without stronger is he that is in you then he that is in the world Secondly the same God of truth he is burning up the drosse and shaking and casting down all corruptions which the wise flesh or rather wicked Serpent hath built up in Common-wealths and Churches and is beginning to spread the knowledg of himself over the earth as the waters cover the Seas But for the present men are angry disquieted at it they would not know God nor be saved God at first must work against their wills and make their swelling spirit to become willing and obedient before they can be healed And what 's the reason Why truly the Serpent that deceived the whole earth doth still stir up the whole world to wonder after the Beast and to maintain that corrupt power as long as he can for when once the Anointing takes the Kingdom and reigns The Beast or fleshly wisdom in States and Churches shall never reigne more this the Serpent knows and because God and the Lamb sits upon the Throne judging the Beast and Serpent The smoke of their torment ascends upwards day and night in blasphemy against God and bitter language and ill usages of his Saints that live above in the liberty and life of God which is a condition above the bondage and death of the Serpent well it must be thus for a time but do you wait patiently upon your God and you shall see in conclusion he will bring in your enemies to fall down at Christs feet and acknowledge love and live in the same God with you and then your joy shall be more and more fulfilled This thing God ere long will do far he is judging the Serpent And if England Scotland and Ireland this three-fold Kingdom united under one head or State Government be the tenth part of the City Babylon that must fall off from the Beast first as I have no doubtings but daily confirmations in me that it shall be You shall then see That all this envy and bitterness of spirit in these Nations shalldie and shall be swallowed up in the spirit of love you shall see these great nationall divisions to be swallowed up into brotherly one-ness you shall see oppressing injustice to be swallowed up into righteousness and peace and the fire of Gods spirit to burn up the fire of mens lusts and inventions so that Magistrates shall love the people and be nursing Fathers to them for that prophesie comes now to be fulfilled and the people shall love and chearfully obey the Commands of Magistrates All striving who shall honour God most in their severall places and callings this God can do and this he will do for he is Commander in chief in and of the spirits of men There are three Songs which God hath taught us and will have us to sing in experience continually The first is fear or rather love
Christ is an active and loving witness bearing record of the Father wish courage and he did not receive his testimony from any creature but from the Father For the Son can do nothing of himself but what he seeth the Father do and whatsoever he doth the Son doth likewise Jesus Christ was not compelled to bear witness to the Father as a malefactor is compelled to bear the sentence of justice but he undertook to bruise the Serpents head voluntarily he suffered freely and dyed freely seeing it was the will of his Father he took up death which was the desert of our sins willingly and voluntarily as soone as the Father had declared his councel concerning him Behold saith Christ I come to do thy will O God And no man takes away my life for I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up again New if the blood of Buls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinckling the unclean sanctifyeth to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the bloud of Christ who through his eternall spirit offered himse f without spot to God purge our Consciences from dead works of humane formes and fleshly actings to serve the living God in spirit and truth The Scriptures are plentifull to prove this In the Evangelist we see Christ beares witnes of himself That he is the Son of God and told the Jewes that unlesse they believed that he was He they should die in their sins The Pharisees told him his record Was not true because he bare record of himself but saith he My record is true and I am one that bear record of my self and my Father that sent me beareth witness of me I have many things to say and judge of you but he that sent me is true and I speak unto the world those things which I have heard of him And when ye have lifted up the Son of man then ye shall know that I am he and that I do nothing of my self but as my Father hath taught me so I speak And St. John Writes Grace and Peace to the seven Churches that is to the complaeat number and body of Saints from jesus Christ who is the faithfull and true witnesse And again unto the Angel of the Church of Laodicea Write thest things saith the Amen the faithfull and true witnese the beginning of the creation of God And by this we see that jesus Christ he was Gods first witness Then secondly The Saints or City Zion or the mystical body of Christ This is Gods other Witness And these doe not receive their testimony from men but from Jesus Christ And their testimony is still the same that Christ bare witness to and therefore they are said to suffer for the Testimony of jesus Now this second witness is not to be restrained to Magistrates Ministers particular men or women but to all the body consisting of learned unlearned poor and rich men and women in whom the spirit of the Son dwells and from whom they receive their testimony neither are they compelled to bear witness but through the same anointing they professe God willingly and they finde it is pleasing to them to acknowledg the Father as to take their meat and drink therefore certainly those that have neither will nor skill to bear witness to the Father unlesse they have a directory from men and those that never worship God without a humane power to encourage them Yea ☜ rather they that would fain have a humane power establisht to suppresse Gods Witnesses it is a manifest sign that they themselves are none of his Witnesses Now I conceive that water bloud and spirit as I mentioned before points out the Saints which are the feed of the woman likewise and as our Lord Jesus our head gave testimony in his appointed time prophesying in sackcloth so the Saints his body in whom the spirit rules giving testimony in their appointed time And the understanding people in all Nations Kinreds Tongues and People do see their testimony and how they have bin slain in the streets of the great City Babylon three dayes and an half as I shall declare how I conceive it if God please Now these Saints are not only learned Schollers in humane wisdome but such as the world counts fools neither are they Gods witnesses that are compelled by humane Lawes to worship God For these witnesses declare their testimony willingly against the wisdome of the flesh neither is there here and there one Saint that are called Gods witnesses but all the Saints in one body three in one water bloud and spirit make up one witness Now this spirit or this anointing that is in Saints which indeed is Christ the Lord their righteousness is a faithfull witness likewise This is he that came by water and bloud and not by water only but by water and bloud and this Christ came not only in himself but in his Saints whom he sanctifies and washeth in his bloud and it is the spirit that beares witness because though the bodies be weak yet the spirit in them is truth it being the anointing which they have received from the holy one And when Christ had not only freely shed the water about his heart but the bloud in his heart also as a price laid down for sinners he that saw it saith the text meaning God and the spirit of God that was in Christ aâ—â— those few Saints then present bore record 〈◊〉 his record is true and he knoweth that he 〈◊〉 truth that ye might believe All the whole body of Saints both 〈◊〉 and Gentiles are Gods Witnesses for one â—â—â—â—rit unites them into one body But I beâ—â—â—â— that those that live in the time of the new Testament while the little horn-beast and whorish spirit had a ruling power allowed him of God though I mention three names yet they are all one enemy to Christ I conceive I say that these are they to whom God hath given power to prophesie in sack-cloth one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes And these are they that are slain in the streets of the great City Babylon that is by the power of the Beast Yet the Saints of old are to take part of this honour stand in this lot because they these have all one spirit and if God had appointed them this sackcloth honor they would have been faithfull witnesses of God as well as these Nay in their time they bore witness to God against the same spirit of the beast though he had not the same power as he hath now Mordecai Hester the Jews gave a faithfull testimony to God against proud hypocritical and bloudy Hamon And likewise Daniel the three Children did bear witnese to God Faithfully against the hypocriticall and bloudy practices of Darius councellers which sufferings of them then did but type out the
power till that time be accomplished for it is their time of prophesying in sackcloth it is not Gods time of raining down wrath as yet because God by his word hath limitted himself to such a time And truly here our God points out such a spring as may refresh his people in all their suflerings To consider the sufferings of the Saints and the enemies cruelty is not acted according to the will of the enemy but enemies and Saints and troubles are all in Gods hand and enemies shall dye the Saints shall be comforted and all teares wiped from their eyes when Gods appointed time is accomplished and not till then surely this gives much strength of peace and patience to poor children of God in their sufferings But secondly They have power to shut Heaven or to stay Gods hand from raining down judgement upon the Beast all the dayes of their prophesies as sometimes God rained down a deluge of water to drown the rebellious World and sometimes he rained a deluge Of fire as a plague to destroy those wicked people in Sodome and Gomorah And this power is in the hand of the Anointed Iesus Christ for he hath the power of hell and death And the reason is this Iesus Christ hath bought out this power by his bloud out of the hands of offended justice For now as God shewes no mercy out of Christ so he executes no act of wrath or justice but by the hand of Christ for the Father hath committed all judgment to the Son and Christ is all and in all Christ hath the Key of life and death he can either bind or loose destroy or save Therefore it is said That the Witnesses have power to shut Heaven or the hand of offended justice that it rain not down plagues And they have power to open Heaven and to smite the earth with plagues as oft as they will Or secondly If by Heaven we understand the Church which I rather adhere to then I conceive the meaning is this The Witnesses have power from God to prophesie in sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes and there shall not be showers of divine discoveries whereby the Beast shall be utterly consumed all that time onely she shall be plagued now and then by those divine discoveries like drops of raine so often as the spirit of truth the Anointing which rules in the witnesses pleaseth And by these few discoveries of divine truths from God to and in the Church the carnall inventions of the Beast shall be discovered to be evil and made void thereby and the Beast or subtile flesh shall be put to her shifts to invent new deceits every age against Christ which doth plague this carnall earth mightily But the witnesses have power to shut Heaven that it rain not That you may see into the mystery hereof By Rain I understand two things by which the Beast is destoyed quite First When discoveries of God and manifestations of the brightness of the Anointed Iesus Christ appears in every Member of the Church like a showre of raine that sweepes away the refuge of lies or fleshly inventions before them as Isaih saith The Earth or Saints shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea for now the darknes of men cannot stand before the light of God nor the wisdom of the corrupt flesh cannot stand before the wisdom of God and this is that sword that is in the mouth of Christ whereby he destroyes his enemies and this shall be made good when the Church shall not need to be taught by any man but shall be all taught by God and by that same Anointing shall know all things But Heaven or the Church is shut up from these plentifull discoveries till the time of the end that the Witnesses sackcloth-prophesying is accomplished but when that time is finished then this rain shall appear whereby the Beast with all her fleshly deceits shall be destroyed Secondly By Raine I understand the number of Saints that shall increase and spread like the multitude of drops in a showre of raine or like sands upon the Sea shoar so that their number shall over-top the number of Babylons Citizens And so the Church being full of the righteousnes of God and discoveries of Christ shall sweep away the City Babylon with all her beastly practices and fleshly inventions And hereby the Beast shall be destroyed For whereas all the dayes of the Witnesses sack-cloth-prophesying and death The earth that is the flesh of men and conversation of men was full of drinesse and unfruitfulnesse before God in every thought word Work by reason of the Beast or wisdom of the flesh that ruled in them and promoted Self Now by this Rain the earth or flesh of man is filled with fruits of righteousness and truth I mean by the plentifull discoveries of truth or brightness of Christ and by the plentiful1 increase of the Saints the destruction of the Beast or the Serpents head in flesh is broken and consumed And that there shall be such increase of Saints in the latter dayes the Prophesie of Hosea makes it manifest for when God cast off literal Israel He promised the large increase of spiritual Israel which are beleeving Iewes and Gentiles that shall be like the sands of the Sea shoar in the day of Christ But the Witnesses have a power to shut the Church or Heaven from raining in this kind till their Prophesie be ended as God appointed And then I believe there shall appear plentifull manifestations of Gods love in the Church to the increase of their number and to the increase of their spiritual enjoyment of God And likewise there shall appear hereby even plentifull manifestation of justice and wrath upon the beast and wisdom of the flesh to its utter overthrow And these manifestations of love justice shal appear like a showrâ— of raine sweeping away the refuge of lye before it And yet further in that sixt verse They have power over waters to turn them into bloud By waters first of all I conceive are meanâ— the inventions actings and appearances of the power and wisdom of the flesh arising against the testimony of the two Witnesses to prove their testimony false For the Devil and corrupt flesh would faine prove God a lyer and would not have the seed of the Woman break the Serpents head And hence doth arise such a deaâ— adoe among men to find out a way to worship God and give direction to others and to enforce people to observe those directions oâ— else to stand lyable to humane punishments as though they must help Christ to save sinners But when the Angel powres out his Viall into the Sea fountains and waters of Babylon that is upon the very spirit of subtile enmity it self and upon all the carnall wisdom and appearances that have flowed there-from and caused them to become like the
bloud of a dead man that is to corrupt and dye for ever And every living soul within the Sea dyed That is All the strength glory and being of the beast dyed And the place and power fleshly wisdom and actings against Christ and the Saints was seen no more And this suites with the Oath that the Angel swore in Daniels hearing and in Johns hearing likewise That when the beast had accomplished to scatter the holy people all those things in the vision should be finished and time should be no more For when the seventh Angel had powred out his vial upon the Ayre or the element wherein the beast lived which is a humane magisterial power got from the Kings of the Earth when they and she committed spiritual fornication together after that God had limitted the beast a time to reign in Then there came a great voice out of the Temple of Heaven that is from Christ saying it is done And in that day saith God I will make a Covenant of peace for Israel and I will break the bow and the sword and the battel out of the Earth and make them lie down safely And there shall none hurt in all Gods holy mountain any more as the Beast hath done hurt But secondly when these waters are applied to Nations Kinreds Tongues and People as they be for saith John The Waters which thou sawest whereon the Whore sitteth are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues Then they point out unto us those people men and women in whom the flesh rules in all her self-actings and inventions against Christ and in either of these senses that is either the multitude of fleshly inventions arising from the spirit of self-love or the multitude of people in whom the flesh works so powerfully or both these joyned into one body make up the City Babylon And all those phrases as Mystery Babylon Beast Whore and Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth are to be applyed hereunto And when the waters are thus turned into bloud by the testimony of Gods two Witnesses that is the wisdom inventions and actings of the flesh are now destroyed and proved evil and the men in whom this wisdom appeared against God are ashamed and confounded then it is manifest That the seed of the woman Christ the anointed hath broken the Serpents head I heard the Angel of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art which wast and shall be because thou hast thus judged For they have shed the bloud of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them bloud to drink for they are worthy And by these phrases thus made manifest it appeares that Jesus Christ in his two-fold appearance in the flesh and in the Spirit as hath been declared are Gods two faithfull Witâ—esses and can be meant of no creature CHAP. IV. What is meant by one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes which is the time given to the two witnesses to prophesie in cloathed in sack-cloth AND now I come to the third particular to be minded that is to shew the meaning of the thousand two hundred and sixty dayes which is the time given them of God to prophesie in and when they must be slain and who it is that slayeth them In handling of this I shall observe three things in prophesie First to prophesie is to fore-tell either in plain or dark language what hereafter shall come to passe And this did God the Father when he said The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head And this is both a Promise and a prophesie Secondly to prophesie is to make such things plain and easie to the understanding of others which appeared dark and hidden before And this did Jesus Christ when he made the mysteries of the Kingdome of God plain and easie to the understanding of his◠〈◊〉 which were spoken indark sayings 〈◊〉 ther 's and this is Gospel-ministery by the 〈…〉 of truth Thirdly to prophesie is to give testin◠〈◊〉 or proofe of such things to be true by 〈◊〉 Discoveries which God hath 〈◊〉 or fore-told heretofore should 〈◊〉 passe in the latter dayes And this did Jesus Christ when he by his Death and Resurrection did experimentally prove himselfe to be the seed of the Woman that broke the Serpents head And so the Spirit of Christ in the coÌ„version of sinners to God doth provelikewise by many cleare experiences that those sinners so taken up to God are part of that seed of the woman in whom the Serpents head is broken And they shall prophesie in Sack-cloth saith God and so they doe For first all those abusive slanders mockings oppressions and death which was laid wrongfully upon Jesus Christ for his enemies confesse they found no fault in him and yet they would crucifie him doth not all this shew a cause time and houre of mourning or wearing sack-cloth And this was the condition of Christ whilest he was in the world bearing a visible testimony to his Fathers counsell And this is the same condition of his church for as he was in the world so are â—hey The world knew not him neither doth the world know them The world hated him â—nd it hates them Secondly Sack-cloth implies the absence of â—ome friend plenty honour comfort c. And did not our Lord Christ leave his glory in Heaven and came and took upon him the forme â—f a Servant nay took upon him the curse â—ue to sin which is death that he might â—reak the Serpents head and free sinners from the bondage of that power of darknesse And â—oth not his Church goe on weeping carrying â—heir Sheaves with them like Pilgrims and â—â—rangers looking for a dwelling place in God â—nd waiting upon him till he wipe away all ears c. And thus they prophesie in Sack-â—loth Thirdly Jesus Christ prophesieth in Sack-â—loth while his heel is bruised by the Serpent â—nd his seed for in all their afflictions he is â—fflicted with them Therefore it is a time of â—â—ourning to Christ to see such cruelties and â—ppressions to be inflicted upon his Church â—hom he doth so dearly love And it is a Sack-cloth time to his church â—hen they see the Name the Truth end Testiâ—ony of their Lord Christ Whom they love to 〈◊〉 blasphemed rejected and persecuted in the â—orld And now I shall observe the time that God I â—ath given his witnesses to prophesie in and that is 1260 dayes The number of 1260 dayes is to be understood as I conceive in a two-fold sense yet both pointing out the mystery of God the first more Literall the second more Mysticall As first I conceive that these 1260 dayes are reckoned according to the dayes of a Week that our Saviour Christ Jesus did beare witnesse to his Father from the time of his Baptisme and descending of the Spirit upon him to the day that he was crucified For he began his visible testimony that
act righteousnes chearfully The flesh and the lusts of it ruled strongly in me now holines rules in me so that I can look back and see my strong sins and lusts lie like dead enemies before me and my heart rejoyceth in the Anointing who hath given me the victory And now I see That the love the self-denial the inward rejoycing of my heart to advance God above all things is Christ the Anointing in me the hope of my future established enjoyment of God And this is my life and this my life is hid with God in the Anointed in this glory of Christ thus revealed in me and to my sight feeling that the Serpents head is broken in me in part and shall be quite broken at the resurrection at the day that my body is raised out of the dust In this I rejoyce with joy unspeakable Formerly my life and joy was bound up in creatures in riches in friends in self-satisfaction in my pride covetousnes and contents of the flesh Ah but now my life is the enjoyment of my God His wisdom I glory in His will His love His spirit of truth I glory in Not only to heare of these without by the voice of others but to feel the working dwelling and ruling in me To hear that Christ was raised from death and from the grave is joy But to see and feel Christ the Anointing raised upon me and to feel him who is the spring of life to be opened in me and to send forth sweet manifestations of God to my soul this is much more joyous and full of abundance of inward refreshments But the foul sees and feeles more of this glory within it self then it can relate in words And when once the Saints can speak this in experience then the Serpents head is broke in them the seed of the Woman and they seal to the truth of the Fathers word and now their testimony is finished And this was Pauls case while the Serpents power and head ruled in him he was a blasphemer and a persecuter as himself confessed but when the power of God appeared to break the Serpents head in him then saith he but I have obtained mercy and by the grace of God am made to preach and to acknowledge and practice that faith of God which once I endeavored to destroy But when the Witnesses had thus finished their testimony and proved the word of the Father true in their own experience then the Beast that ascended out of the bottomles pit made War against them and kil'd them Now here mind first what is the bottomles pit I conceive it is the corrupt heart and flesh of man for there is no end of the pride envy ignorant self-conceited subtilty and hurtfull nature of it against Christ the Prince of Princes and being far below God For let a man live ten thousand Million of years and the sinfulnes of his flesh will not lessen but grow worse and worse and rise higher and higher in wickednes against righteousnes and peace if Christ do but let him alone so that the depth of this pit being so far below God may be well said to be bottomles But this is spoke after the manner of men for no man can search the bottom of his heart but God knowes the full depth of it it is not a bottomles pit to him though it be a bottomles pit to men Then secondly mind That the Beast that rises up out of this bottomles pit is the wisdom and power of it branching it self forth into divers forms of Church-Government being contrary to Christ in every thing and so makes war against Gods witnesses in all their actings either inwardly or outwardly And this Beast or blind subtil hypocriticalnes of the flesh will not suffer Christ the Anointing to rule in the flesh but she will rule therein and over Christ too this is the Beast which hath his seat in every Son and Daughter of Adam Now John speaks of a smoak that rises up out of the bottomles pit and this smoak I conceive is either the inward inventions accusations and workings of the flesh within like a cloud hiding the Son of righteousnes from the soul as long as he can Or else it is the outward actings of the wisdom of the flesh in hypocrisie and provocations from men which is like an overflowing wave of powerfull wickednes which drownes the souls of men under ignorance and darknes that they know not what to do or else pufs up their minds with a vain confidence that they worship God according to his word when as it is manifest they have not so much as the letter of the word to warrant their practices and so this smoak becomes a strong delusion to them in whom the Beast reignes with power Then thirdly mind there is a King of this bottomles pit and that is Satan the spirit of darknes that rules in the children of disobedience or the Prince of the Ayre The Ayre I conceive is the element wherein the Beast or whorish spirit lives and that is either the time which God hath given her to reigne in or else the humane compulsive and coersive power exercised by Satan against Christ his Saints compelling the Saints to forsake the spirituall way of Christ and to honour the God of forces and of Silver and Gold which they know not as Daniel speaks for take away this power or let but the Angel powre out his Viall upon this Ayre and the Beast dies her time is done or accomplished So that here is the bottomles pit the corrupt flesh Then the Beast that ascendeth out of this bottomles pit and that is The wisdom of the flesh which is enmity against God And then here is the King of this bottomles pit Even Satan or the universall power of darknes that leads poor sinners captive at his will And yet these three are but one power of darknes in three discoveries fighting and making War against Christ and his testimony But the Anointed will destroy this power of darknes and translate his mysticall body into his own Kingdome of light and liberty And when they had finished their testimony the Beast shall make War against them and shall overcome them and kill them Before I proceed it is needfull to clear one Scripture of Daniel that may raise a scruple In that which I have already writ it appeares that God said the Witnesses should prophesie in sack-cloth 1260. dayes But when one Saint spake to another Saint and asked how long shall be the vision of the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation to give both the Sanctuary and the Host to be troden under foot The Angel answered unto 2300. dayes Then shall the Sanctuary be clensed Now this time of Daniels vision was 14. Generations except the 70. years captivity before Christ came therefore I conceive
that this 2300. dayes doth point out so many full years that the Church partly of the Jews and partly of the Gentiles shall lie under the captivity of the blaspheming horne in his severall shapes And so points out the oppressions of the Church of the Jews the destruction of the City Jerusalem and the destroying of the Temple and all those wastings of the Church both before Christ came among the Jews and since Christ came among the Gentiles and so comprehends the Tyranny both of the Dragon corrupt Magistracy And the Tyranny of the Beast the Antichristian shapes over the holy City from the end of the 70. years captivity in Babylon to the time of the end that the Beast shall reigne no longer And I believe that this 2300. dayes are a full number of years that the Church of the Jews and Gentiles have suffered and must suffer under the Serpents power till the appointed time be finished from the end of the 70. years captivity for when Daniel asked the Angel what should be the end of these things he said go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end pointing out to us that the Jews were yet to suffer many things before the Gentiles be called But when God speaks that his Witnesses shall prophesie 1260. dayes and that the holy City or the Host shall be trod under foot 42. months which are one and the same tearm of time as hath been shewed I believe he points out the very direct time of captivity that the Church of the Gentiles shall undergo under mystery Babylon or the blaspheming horn And therefore when the Angel was shewing the vision of these things to John Saith he seale not the sayings of this Prophesie for the time is at hand or the time of the 1260. dayes are upon the beginning and the time of the Jewish Church is come to a period And as God was pleased to shew unto John the beginning of those 1260. dayes captivity so I believe God is pleased to shew his Servants now that these 1260. dayes are very near an end And that the Kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdoms of Christ and he shall take to him his own power and reign for ever and ever Even so come Lord Iesus I shall now proceed hither to we see who it is that kills Gods two Witnesses Even the wisdom and envious power and policy of corrupt flesh that would be as God and sit in Gods Temple and rule over all that is called God The corrupt wisdom blind zeal and meritorious actings is forcibly pressed upon the Saints by the flesh before the believing in the free grace and love and gift of God yea the flesh honours it self and dishonours God and all that worship God or that live in him yea the flesh rules and strives mightily and hath a great prevailing power to enforce men to attend upon her preparative use of means which she calls means and self-actings to get knowledge comfort life and will not suffer men nay nor the Saints some-times to honour God by waiting upon him and wheresoever you see the flesh active if God be pleased to teach you shall see the flesh both in your self and in others to slight despise and undervalue God though to your present apprehension you think you honour God but truly we dishonour God when we would worship him in the way of the flesh and will not wait upon him in his own way It remaines now to shew how the Beast or flesh doth kill the two Witnesses And this phrase killing is but a fuller declaration of that compleat captivity under the blaspheming horn in his severall shapes for the space of 42. months or three dayes and half or 1260. dayes which are all one and then that God that gave his witnesses into the hands of the Beast to be killed raises them up to life again and as Solomon said the righteous is delivered and the wicked falls into his place for upon their rising the Beast is killed and he dies for ever but the killing of the witnesses is not everlasting neither is their death eternall for God will raise them up from death and of the life and Kingdom of the two witnesses there shall be no end But how are the Witnesses slain why truly when the wisdom and powers of the Beast rules in full strength then the Father hath so determined that the witnesses shall be trod under foot and killed but this killing is but in the eye of the world not in the eye of God and Saints for because I live saith Christ therefore you live and the world sees me no more but you see me And there are three dispositions of the Beast to be considered in killing Gods witnesseâ— First consider the spirit of envy and heart-burning that is in the flesh against Gods Witnesses As first the flesh of every man within in the secret of his own heart doth rise and fret against any truth which doth principally advance God and deny self we cannot bear the truths of God at first hearing nor ever till God make us able I speak in experience my own flesh declared its rebellion against God in this particular Tell a man that he hath no knowledge no faith in God and his heart swels presently and thinks you wrong him tell him him his own humane learning and workings are abomination to the Lord and that he must lay aside his beloved actings and wait onely upon God for knowledge and faith his heart swels and cannot endure to hear of waiting upon God And truly God is more honoured by our waiting then by the multitude of our self-actings Tell a man that God doth and wil give his Spirit to Tradesmen now-a-dayes as he gave himself to husbandmen and Fishermen formerly and that these being taught of God are Ministers which God sends forth and that humane Schollars that are not so taught of God are no Ministers but such as run before God send them though they have the ordination of humane authority his heart presently swels against this and he cries it down for an Error and cannot endure to heare that God should teach any but schollars that any should preach glad tidings from God to sinners but such Schollars Here the flesh within every man labours to kill Gods witnesses for the flesh grudges to give God his liberty to doe with his own what he will and the flesh would have something in it selfe it hath a secret grudging to acknowledge all wisdom faith and life must be given of God and that his actings can get nothing And if there were not an inward root of bitternes in every mans heart against truth there would not be such strivings and wars amongst men as there is the flesh of every man envies the Anointing and would not have God to reign in him but by secret grudgings and swellings
forms Customs and oppressions for when the Witnesses are raised the limited power of the Beast is ended and he shall reign no longer and so the seaven thousand or the compleat number of such as mannaged the cause of he Beast have no more work to do And these are said to be slain in a twofold respect First when they shall see the cause of the Beast is destroyed and they are like to have no more gain come in for they have no work to do for they cannot work in Christs Vineyard Now their hearts are filled with anger madnes and vexation to see that inferiour people even the fools of the world but the babes and sucklings of Christ are raised up to speak the deep things of God which those Masters of Art understand not And so the seaven thousand seeing their Trade go down they grow very angry and that beastly spirit in them opens his mouth in balsphemy against God and blasphemeth his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven calling light darknes and darknes light and calling every truth an error because it is too high for their understanding and in this sense they are flain and their hearts die within them with discontent and vexation and so they lie in hell or under the dispensation of wrath But secondly these or some of these shall be slain in another sense That is they shall even burn their books forsake their private Chambers and Colledges and deny their Ecclesiastical Trade which their Fathers and friends for worldly living sake have bred them too and shall come in and joyn with the Saints to wait upon God and to give glory to him and some shall by the spirit of burning or bright appearing of God in them be thus slain and happy it will be for those among the seaven thousand that shall be thus slain for they have escaped the woe which the other that are disconted and angry lie under And the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of Heaven by remnant are meant the common people that have been deceived by the false Prophet or 7000 that mannaged the cause of the Beast for when they shall see that Husbandmen and Tradesmen in every corner are able to speak in experience of things and truths which they have heard and seen from God their learned Clargy begin to be sleighted in their Office and be ashamed in their own visions though their persons be tender in the eyes of Saints c. Why now the ignorant common people are afraid that all Lawes and Governments shall be thrown aside nay the Beast doth buz them in the head with such a conceit to make the appearance of God odious as if men now should live in sin and error as they list without controle this the Beast pretends but inwardly her fear is she shall be destroyed her self because the Lawes forms directories and customs of the flesh are denyed by the Saints and Mordecaie that loves God will not bow to proud selfish Hamon and this is the remnant shall be afraid of But when God is pleased to put it into the hearts of Governours and Kings of the earth to take their Authority out of the hands of the Beast as our Governours in this tenth part of 〈◊〉 City have done in part and when God is 〈◊〉 sed to shake down all injustice in the civil â—â—istracy and restores that to the beauty and â—â—â—â—ty of justice and tendernes as I am confident 〈◊〉 is about that work then we shall have no â—se to fear or be troubled that we shall have 〈◊〉 Laws and Government for we shall then 〈◊〉 Laws and Governments according to truth 〈◊〉 Magistrates that will tender love and delight to be executing justice for the good and â—â—â—â—ry of the Common-wealth But this is the misery of our age men strive to uphold the usurped Ecclesiastical power which God never made only he determined to 〈◊〉 way it should rise and reign too forty two months over his Witnesses And in upholding of this which God is in throwing down because the time is near expired men are so maâ— and ignorant as the Beast hath deceived them that they will throw down the lawfull poweâ— too even Magistracy which is the higher power God hath ordained and commands every man to be obedient too And they count Magistracy no Government unlesse the Beast reign cheek by chaw by it as formerly in the dayes of ignorance but it must not be so for Magistracy in the Common-wealth must stand its Gods Ordinance But this Ecclesiastical beastly stoleâ— power in and over the Saints shall fall for the seven Angels of God are sent to powre out seaven Viols of wrath to blast curse and destroy all the glory of the Beast And when Christ comes in brightnes and consumes the remnant that is when Christ by his bright appearing burns up and consumes allâ— the ignorance envy discontent unbelief and alâ— the drosse of the flesh in all people and teacheâ— them to knowledge of his will Then this remnant shall give glory to God they shall then falâ— down before God and acknowledg him Lord oâ— Lords and King of Kings they shall acknowledge all Gods Ordinances and forsake the Beast and rejoyce and sing songs of praise because the Lord God omnipotent reigns This Ecclesiastical power hath been a great troubler of Magistracy ever since the deceived Magistracy set it up for when tender hearted Magistrates have sat in the seat of Magistracy it hath been a grief and burden to them witnes Queen Maries dayes as in the book of Martyrs To imprison banish fine and sometimes put to death peaceable quiet men that have no offence laid to their Charge but about the matters of their God as Darius bad Councellers troubled Daniel who indeed were a type of this Ecclesiastical troubler For while the Serpent ruled still in particular persons he was every foot put to his shifts to deceive and stir up new enemies against God and his Saints when the old ones returned to dust therefore he wrought very subtilly to deceive the Kings of the earthâ— that by them might be established this Ecclesiastical troubler to be a standing Law for as Daniel speaks this King of a fierce countenance reigns by a power that is none of his own but by the power of Magistracy out of whose hand the Serpent hath got it by his craft And so though persons die that mannage the cause of this troublesome Beast and others come in their roome yet still the Office and trouble remains And it hath been observed that when some Bishops have first been made Bishops they were tender hearted and zealous but after a little time by mannaging this Ecclesiastical Beast which their Office tyed them too they grew hard-hearted and great oppressors of peaceable