that hath no bottome this beast or forme of wickednes this beast-like power that slayeth the witnesses hath no foundation it is not brought forth by any institution of Christ it hath no such bottom to fasten it selfe on but doth arise from the evill imaginations of mans heart this wickednesse rage hath no limits or bounds the heart of man closing with Satan doth hatch bring forth all the most abominable hideous the most black and monstrous wickednesse that is acted in the world This wickednesse arising into power and greatnesse breaketh forth into cruelty and rage into madnesse and beastlinesse Antichrist acting upon this principall becomes as a beast and is fierce and cruell he being in power doth kill and slay the witnesses and faithfull servants of Christ And this beast ariseth out of the bottomlesse pit that is without breadth or length such as cannot be fathomed or measured being full of darknesse and blacknesse of torment and confusion Thus we see what is meant by the bottomlesse pit from whence this beast cometh that maketh war with the Saints Hence it is that the Apostle sayth The coming of the man of sin is after the working of Satan 2 Thes 2. 9. It is Satan that doth captivate the mindes and understandings of men and powerfully seduce and deceive them So that Satans working upon the hearts of men doth produce all those strange inventions deceits all that darknesse and confusion all those horrid designes and plots that causeth all that rage and cruelty that mans heart doth hatch bring forth even all that killing and slaying enmity that Antichrist doth exercise against the witnesses So much for the description of the bottomles pit from whence the beast cometh Thirdly the manner of this beasts coming he doth ascend up c. that is into greatnesse and power he doth arise up high in dignity and dominion This beast doth ascend from the bottomlesse pit of the workings of Satan from that darknesse blacknesse confution rage cruelty in mans heart up unto greatnesse power and dominion This wickednesse doth not lye in the hellish imaginations of mans heart closed up in those unfathomed and endlesse thoughts and inventions but it ascendeth up into power and action it ariseth into height and dominion and then breaketh forth into cruelty and oppression Thus the beast is sayd to ascend out of the sea Chap. 13. 1. that is he as being greedy of supremacy and greatnesse did ascend by little and little untill he was lifted up into the highest power and dominion So this beast doth ascend out of the bottomless pit to a state of strength and power As it is sayd in Chap. 13. 2. The Dragon gave unto the beast his power and his seat and great authority that so he might make war with the Saints and overcome them and kill them Thus much for the manner of the beasts ascension The third thing to be considered is the manner how the witnesses are to be slaine and that is expressed by a threefold action of the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit he shall First make warre against them Secondly shall overcome them Thirdly he shall kill them First we have the war that this beast makes against the witnesses This is the war in heaven spoken of in Chap. 12. 7. between Michael and his Angels fighting with the Dragon and his Angels That is Christ and his people waging a spirituall war against the Devill and his agents This represents us with the spirit of enmity and malice of the Serpent put forth in the power and authority of the Dragon here is the seede of the Serpent and the seed of the woman conflicting and fighting one against the other When the woman is fled into the wilderness and Antichrist himselfe having taken the possession of the outward Court yet the Dragon makes war with the remnant of her seed Chap. 12. ult This war is in heaven being a spirituall Combate between Christ and Antichrist The envie the malice and the inveterate hatred of the seed of the Serpent is alwayes putting it selfe forth against Christ his servants his image and truth Hence it was that Christ told the Jewes That they were of their father the Devill who was a murtherer from the beginning Joh. 8. 44. They received the root and seed of malice and hatred from Satan the accuser of the servants of Christ who doth alwayes raise calumny war and contention against them Thus the beast being filled with the cursed seed of the envie and malice of the Serpent doth alwayes make war with the Saints Secondly this beast shall overcome the witnesses This represents us with the craft and subtilty of the Serpent whereby he shall ensnare and intrap the Saints for the time that they shall be given into his hand Thus it is said of the King of a fierce countenance that through his policy he should cause craft to prosper in his hand Dan. 8. 25. And so in Dan. 11. 31. He shall corrupt with flatteries Such is the craft and subtilty of Antichrist who by faire pretenies and subtill devices doth betray the Saint And thus he doth by translating himselfe into an Angel of light taking up the forme of Christ to persecute the spirit and life of Christ The beast comes forth with faire pretences like a woman in some glorious dresse arayed in purple and scarlet colour decked with gold and precious stones and pearles Revel 17. 4. having many excellencies of nature and formes of worship humane gifts and a counterfeit spirit that so the whole world wander after the beast saying Who is like unto the beast But when he hath by subtilty and deceit brought about his owne ends then he openeth his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and abuse his people by Ecclesiasticall Cannons Lawes and Constitutions so that to the malice here is added the subtilty of the beast to overcome and ensnare the Saints and to bring them under his power and jurisdiction all the appoynted time while they are given into his hand Thus the beast by turning Religion into a Law and by establishing his formes of worship by civill sanction and humane authority taking into his assistance the powers of the world he doth prevaile against and overcome the witnesses Thirdly the beast is sayd to kill these witnesses And this represents us with the spirit of cruelty herein he doth beast-like devour and destroy the faithfull servants of Christ Now we must not understand this killing of the witnesses of a literall or outward slaying but of a Mysticall slaying for they are not here slaine as men but they are slaine as witnesses and so their killing here imports two things First a restraint layd upon their persons sometimes by imprisonment and banishment sometimes by throwing them from place and office from rule and government by silencing and suspending of them some way or other hindering them in the course of their prophesie Thus the Jewes cast out
third Seale Chap. 6. 5 6. And when he had opened the third seale I beheld a black horse and he that sate on him had a pair of ballances in his hand and a measure of wheat for a penny and three measures of barley for a penny c. The black Horse and he that â—ate thereon with a pâ—re of ballances signifie scarcity â—aminâ— a great dearth and want which is all one with the Viall poured out upon the fountaine of waâ—â—â— Agreeable hereunto is the effect of the third trumpet Chap. 8. 10 11. At the sound of the third Trumpet a great starre fell from heaven burning as it were a lamp and it fell upon the third part of the rivers and upon the fountaines of waters and the name of the star is called worm-wood and the third part of the waters became wormewood many dyed of the waters because they were made bitter The starr falling from heaven burning like a Lampe shewes forth some glorious discovery made of the mysterie of truth by the Angell that sounded this third Trumpet and this becomes worm-wood making all the fountaines of water to be bitter so that all the fountaines and springs of the water of consolation and comfort all the streams of light and life that the men of the earth or of the Antichristian Church did draw forth and were refreshed by these were all become bitter as worme-wood So that as by the former viall poured out the Sea and the waters became blood now by this third Viall being poured forth the Rivers and Fountains became as blood and as wormewood bitter and unsavory for the the Fountain is corrupted the streams are defiled they cannot drinke or be refreshed by them The wisdome and policie of the Beast all the invented ordinances and worships all the power and rule of Antichrist these fountaines these streames are all become unsavoury all that feed upon them feed on the curse they feed on bitter waters and dye therewith The fourth Viall was powred out 4 Viall upon the Sun And this scorched men with fire they blaspheme God because of their plagues and repented not c. Revel 16. 8 9. Agreeable hereunto is the effect of opening the fourth seale Revel 6. 8. When the fourth seale was opened or a fourth discovery of truth revealed there appeared a pale horse upon whom sate death and hell followed him and power was given him over the fourth part of the earth to kill with sword and with hunger and with death and with the beasts of the earth Under the former seale we had famine now here we have death and hell following this is meant of the spirituall death that the men of the earth who worship Antichrist shall be slaine withall as in their parts professions and power The same consequent followeth the fourth Trumpet Chap. 8. 12. The fourth Angel sounded and the third part of the Sun was smitten and the third part of the Moone and the third part of the Stars so as the third part of them was darkned and the day shone not for the third part of it and the night likewise The whole state and kingdome all the ordinances and worships with their offices ministry were all darkned confounded and destroyed by the sound of this Trumpet So the Viall powred out upon the Sun darkens all the Churches and Ordinances all the powers and governments all the doctrines and worships of Antichrists their Sun looseth his light and their Moone her shining and their Starres their glory and darknesse and confusion come in their roome The fist viall was powred out upon the 5 Viall seat of the beast and his kingdome was full of darknesse and they knawed their tongues for paine and blasphemed the God of heaven because of their paines c. Revel 16. 10. The seat of the beast is that earthly power that upholds Antichrist as kingdomes States powers dignities rules and dominions these powers upholding the power of the beast shall be shaken and torne in pieces Suitable hereunto is the effect of the fift seal Chap. 6. 9 10. And when he had opened the fift seal I saw the soules under the Altar of them that were slaine for the word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cryed how long Lord c. These cry out for vengeance and wrath to be powred out upon the head of the powers of the earth that persecuted and tormented them Compare with this the fist Angel sounding in Chap. 9. 1. whereat there was a Star that fell from heaven unto the earth and to him was given the key of the bottomlesse pit c. This Star doth represent us with such as before disowned the power and seat of the beast but now fall to the earth or would set up some new forme of worship and ground it upon an earthly power and so fall from that seeming heaven they lived in to strengthen themselves from the earth and so cause a great smoake and confusion to arise that so truth can hardly be discerned from error light from darknesse the bottomlesse pit is now open and the Temple is full of smoke whereby the Sun and ayre are both darkned so that Church and State are brought into confusion So that when the Viall of Gods wrath is powred out upon the seat of the beast or power and strength of Kings and States that the Gospel must onely be supported by the power of Christ alone then the state and kingdome shall be full of darkness and confusion they shall gnaw their tongues and blaspheme God because of those sores and breaches that be made upon them The sixt viall was powred out upon the 6 Viall great river Euphrates the waters thereof were dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East might be prepared Chap. 16. 12. The drying up of the river Euphrates seemes to be spoken by an allusion to the taking of old Babylon Jer. 50. 38. And to the drying up of the Red Sea Exod. 14. 21 22. and also of Jordan Josh 3. 16. By this is signified that by the powring out of the sixt Viall all the strength and power of the beast should be dryed up then the Kings of the East both Jew and Gentiles shall come to embrace the Gospel upon the glorious manifestation of the glory and power thereof The great effect of this Vialls powering out is That three uncleane spirits like frogs comes forth of the mouth of the Dragon the beast and the false Prophet for they are the spirits of Devils working miracles which goe forth to the Kings of the earth and to the whole world to gather them to the battell of the great day of God Almightie and he gathereth together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon Vers 13 14. 16. By the Dragon the beast and false Prophet are meant all the powers of Antichrist Civill and Ecclesiasticall these send forth uncleane spirits like frogs who send forth their Legats and
incendiaries to draw together all their strengths and powers to uphold the power of the beast which now is like to be broken and consumed These are the spirits of Devills being full of uncleannesse working miracles by some counterfeit spirituall actings or setting up some new invented formes of worship thus they gather the Kings of the earth to the great battell of God Almighty where God shall shew the greatness of his power in destroying of them for they are brought to Armageddon which signifies devoted for destruction that they are seduced and by â—uoâ—iâ—â—ie brought together to be destroyed Baraks victory over Sisera was by the waters of Megiddo Judg. 4. 15. So all that give up their power to uphold the beast shall come to the great battell of God Almighty even to Armageddon where they shall assuredly be ensnared and broken in pieces Hitherto agrees the effect of the sixt seal Chap. 6. 12. c. And I beheld when he had opened the sixt seal and there was a great earth-quake a greaâ— feare and terrâ—ur fell upon all men great concussions and commotions should be on the earth And the Sun became blacke the glory of the state and Church of Antichrist turned into blackness mourning into great confusion and astonishment And the Moone became bloud all the invented ordinances of the man of sin were darkned and obscured And the Stars fell â—rom heaven as a figtree casteth her untimely figs Such as seemed to be Ministers and profâ—ssors of Christ now appeare to be fleshly and carnall and fall from that appearance of heavenly light unto the earth cleaving now to an earthly power even like untimely figs that never come to maturity or ripenesse Then their State and Church which seemed to be as high as heaven departed as a scroll and all their mountaines of strength and confidence were removed out of their places And the Kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the chiefe Captaiues and mighty men and every bond-man and every free man hid them selves in dens and in the rockes of the mountaines c. All sorts ranks and degrees of men from the highest to the lowest they now fly to the rocks and mountaines of their trust and confidence every one will fly unto his God unto that he trusts in the States and powers of the world will fly to the Church and hide themselves under religious formes of worship and the Church will fly to the earthly powers for shelter and protection and the people will run to those that seduced them for succour and reliefe but shall not be able to secure themselves from the wrathful countenance of the Lamb â—e being exalted upon the throne of his power in the great â—ay of his venge nâ—e when he shall reckon with the Antichristian powers that have shed the bloud of the Martyrs and rejected the testimony of his witnesses This at the rising of the witnesses Add hereunto the effect of the sixt Trumpet And the sixt Angel sounded and I heard a voyce from the four hornes of the golden Altar which is before God Chap. 9. 13. The voice and power of Christ prefigured by the golden Altar Exod. 30. 1. having hornes vers 10. signifying the power strength of Christ whereby the foure Angels that were heald in the river Euphrates were loosed The great multitude of Saints that were bound up by the strength and power of Antichrist are now set at liberty now they goe forth with great authority and hold forth the truth making glorious discoveries of the same These slay the third part of men for fire smoke and brimstone comes forth of their mouths the light and truth they hold forth as fire doth devour and as smoke doth darken all the light and glory of Antichrist And in their tailes or conversation they hurt by condemning the men of the world and of those that repented not of their deeds And in Chap. 10. Christ comes forth as a mighty Angel clothed with a cloud of darknesse obscurity that the world could not see him having a rain-bow or Covenant of grace on his head and the booke of the Gospel unsealed in his hand he set his right foot upon the sea of the common people and his left upon the earth or worldly powers And crying with a loud voice the seven thunders uttered a perfection of feare and amasement of dread and terrour falls upon the sea and upon the earth upon all the people and powers of Antichrist The seventh Viall was powred into the 7 Viall aire and there came great voyces out of the Temple of heaven saying it is done Chap. 16. 17. The very ayre that Antichrist lives and breaths in is now destroyed there is no longer breath spirit or life in any thing that Antichrist would live in or receive comfort from so that the whole worke is done the beast is quite destroyed and there were voyces and thunders and lightnings and great earthquakes such grievous concussions and earth-quakes as if heaven and earth were conspired together to destroy Babylon the work is done or Bah loâ— undone though once it had a being now it hath none now it is divided into three parts as being torne to picces by the earth-quake and every Mountaine and Island fled away as things that could yeeld no protection And there fell great haile out of heaven upon men about the waight of a talent and men blasphemed God because of the plagues of haile for the plague thereof was exceeding great Here is an allusion to the great plague of haile that fell upon Aegypt Exod. 9. 22. This haile falls from heaven from the light and truth held forth by Saints in the middest of heavenly enjoyments these raine downe great and weighty haile-stones upon the state order and worship of Antichrist Compare hereunto the effect of the seventh seale And when he had opened the seventh seale there was silence in heaven about the space of halfe an houre Upon the opening of this last seale there is some respite or intermission and as it were for a time some rest and cessation of the Saints from persecuâ—ion and trouble Now is the full revelation of truth now is the kingdome of God come and now the Gospel goes forth without let or molestation now the servants of God have peace without and also a sweet tranquillity and quietnesse in their owne spiritâ— Add hereunto the seventh Trumper Chapt. 11. 15. And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voyces in heaven saying The kingdomes of the world are become the kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ c. Now the kingdomes and nations cast downe their crownes at the feet of Christ who will take his great power unto himselfe and raigne Thus we see how the Saints smite the earth with all plagues by powring out all the vialls of Gods wrath upon the State and Church of Antichrist Aiso you perceive that there is an agreement between the seals
rising of the Witnesses The Third and last woe comes quickly it speedily followeth and shutteth up the whole mysterie The death of the Beast is proclaimed under the sixth Trumpet and in the time of the second woe Chap. 10. 6. Time should be no more in which Antichrist should live and raigne Then at the sound of the seventh Angel the mysterie of God should be finished vers 7. The mysterie of Antichrist fully laid open and the mysterie and glory of Christs kingdom fully revealed This last woe is meant of those calamities mentioned in the last verse of this eleventh Chapter And there was lightnings and voyces and thundrings and an earthquake and great haile All which doth imply Gods heavy terrible astonishing and irresistable judgements upon the world hee will plague the earth as once he did Aegypt with haile Exod. 9. 25. This is the third and last woe that accompanieth the seventh Trumpet Observe That great and terrible woes Observe befall the world in the three last ages of Antichrist Here is three woes but the second that falls at the rising of the Witnesses is the greatest This second woe is a bitter one indeed it will fall like a milstone and grinde in pieces the inhabitants of the earth Great are the torments and vexations this woe brings upon the world all Famines Sicknesses Feares Warres and all sorts of evils weaknesse aâ—â—rightments strange amazements this woe brings with it The present calamities upon the world that are occasioned by the Earth-quake throwing downe States Nations Governments Powers and shaking men of quality state wisdome and parts bringing wars feares famines deaths c. These and the like woes upon the world this day speak forth the rising of the witnesses And as the rising of the Witnesses is a work of time and is of a graduall product so also shall this second woe be a lasting woe and lasting woes are the worst of all The third woe followeth the second it comes quickly this brings it's sting along with it but 't is of a shorter dispatch then the former This last woe that immediately succeedes the second comes with the seventh Trumper and therefore is the last woe that befalls Antichrist This last woe is the reason of all those plagues as death mourning famine fire that God will destroy Babylon withall which shall cause the Kings of the Earth to lament her and the Merchants to mourn over her for shee is stript of her gold and silver of her precious stones and pearles of her purple and scarlet of all her sine linnen and cloathing and in one houre shall be made utterly desolate Thus we are come to an end of the Prophesie of the Witnesses resurrection and ascention with the great effects that followes namely the great Earthquake and the second woe which is the work of the first Trumpet Next followeth that of the seventh Trumpet and the state of Christs Kingdom after the full and perfect ascention of the Witnesses and the finall downfall of Antichrist VERS 15. And the seventh Angell sounded and there were great voyces in heaven saying the kingdomes of this world are become the kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and hee shall raigne for ever and ever HAving spoken of the Prophesie Death Resurrection and ascention of the Witnesses with the effects of their rising namely the great earthquake that shakes the world which doth accomplish the second woe This being the first resurrection of the Saints from shame and sack-cloath from misery and affliction upon which the tenth part of the City falls and the little horne that thought to change times and lawes is subdued Dan. 7. But after comes a second Resurrection of truth and light of life liberty to the Saints in all nations when there shall be a universall ruine of Antichrist Then all Saints throughout all Nations shall come in to the enjoyment of internall and externall glory when all former persecution and shame shall be past away and they shall live raigne with Christ a thousand yeares and shall fully enjoy the immunities and liberties of the kingdome of Christ which shall be fulfilled at the sound of the seventh Trumpet And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voyces in heaven saying The kingdomes of this world are become the kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ c. That which wee shall enquire from hence is to know what is meant First by the Trumpet sounding Secondly by the seventh Trumpet Thirdly by the voyces in heaven Fourthly the subject matter that those voyces doe proclaime and that is The kingdomes of this world are become the kingdomes of our Lord c. First a Trumpet is that with which men sound to give an alarme or a preparation unto the battell 1 Cor. 14. 8. Also to publish or proclaime a thing Joel 2. 1. The counterfeit Pharisees when they gave their almes are sayd to sound a Trumpet Mat. 6. 2. Alluding to the custome of the Jewes who when they would gather an assembly or proclaim a matter did use to sound a Trumpet So here by the Trumpet sounding is meant the Saints proclaiming and sounding forth the word of truth declaring the testimony of Jesus and extolling his praises This they doe either by preaching forth or declaring of the truth or by making profession thereof These Trumpets doe respectively follow the seales opening as the vials follow the Trumpets sounding The first seale first Trumpet first viall goe together and every one of these respectively in order follow each other The beginning is with the opening of the seals which is Christ opening and disclosing of heavenly and divine truth unto his Saints and accordingly as the seals be thus opened to them they by declaring and professing of the truth so discovered to them are said to sound forth the Trumpets each Trumpet in his season according as the seals are opened and heavenly light and knowledge is discovered unto them Secondly what is meant by the seventh Trumpet In Chap. 8. we read of the sounding of the foure first Trumpets And in Chap. 9. of the fift and sixt Trumpets sounding and here we have the seventh and last Trumpet So that there is a graduall and orderly sounding of the Trumpets answerable to the opening of the seals when the last seale shall be opened then the seventh Angel comes to sound the last Trumpet which is the highest and last declaration of the truth and excellency of God Seven is the number of perfection of rest and blessednesse the seventh Trumpet is the proclamation or declaration of the kingdome of Christ caused by the Saints sounding forth the highest and the last glory of Christs raigne and dominion Thirdly we have the effect of the seventh Trumpet and there were great voyces in heaven The most perfect and exact the most distinct and sweet note of musick is the tongue of man there is no sound so perfect and compleat as these voyces in heaven these are the