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
figurative worship which was a little before the dawning of the new Testament or of Gods being manifest in flesh in the man Christ Jesus For Daniel did prophesie in the first year of Darius which was the full end of seventy years of Israels captivity in Babylon Now from the carrying away into Babylon till Christ came was fourteen generations but 70. years of those fourteen Generations were now expired so that the dawning of the new or better Testament was near at hand in the time of those Prophets And now upon the delivering of Israel after the flesh from that Babylonish captivity God reveals to Daniel in a Vision his Councel and purpose to send his spirituall Israel which are the believing Gentiles into a longer captivity under the power of mysticall Babylon For Daniels Vision reports three things First the nature and power of this mysticall Enemy Secondly How that the house-hold of Faith in the latter dayes shall lie under that Antichristian power for a certain time Thirdly It points out the Saints deliverance from this Captivity and the ruine of that tyrannicall Beast And all the time of this mysticall Captivity it is called by the spirit of God the hour of temptation that shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the Earth Now to Daniel God revealed the Vision more dark and hidden for Daniel himself did not understand the mystery of the Vision for saith Daniel I hear but I understand not then said I O my Lord what shall be the end of these things And he said go thou thy way Daniel for the words are closed and sealed up till the time of the end for thou shalt rest and shalt stand in the lot at the end of the dayes But when Jesus Christ the Lamb of God was come and had shed his blood and was gone to the Father again and was found worthy and able to open the book of the mystery of godliness and of the mystery of iniquities and to loose the seven Seales thereof that is To make known to sinners that by his bloud a sweet harmony and consent was made among the seven attributes of the God-head and so fully declaring their reconciliation to God according to his eternall councell in him Then did God give the full Revelation of all things to this Son that he might reveal them again to his Servants For God doth not speak to us out of his Son but in his Son and by his Son And it shall come to passe that that Soul that will not hear the voice of this great Prophet which God hath sent into the world that we might live through him shall be cut off from among the people And now Jesus Christ being in this last age of the World fully revealed to be the seed of the woman the Messia the holy and just one and by his bloud hath worthily deserved to be King of Saints and King of the World he doth now clearly shew by his spirit the right understanding of all those Books dark sayings of old and Visions that were sealed up to the Prophets Many truths he hath made known already yet I beleeve there are many more truths which are not yet made known to the Sons of men for indeed our weakness is not able to bear all truths at once But at the sound of the seventh Angels Trumpet when the mystery of God is finished and Temple of God is opened in Heaven that is when Christ in spirit is made known to Saints and I believe that the time for this Angell to sound growes very near if not begun already Then the Saints shall see clearly into the mystery of God which they have so long time earnestly desired to attain unto Now among many other truths which God hath promised by his spirit to lead his Saints into which must be made known in the time of the end There is one mystery of God concerning Gods two witnesses spoken of by St. John and what the meaning is as they conceived many dear servants of God have writ very largely which I shall neither contradict nor condemn but only adde what I understand and so cast in my mite into this treasure of God according to the measure of the gift of Christ which I have received Revelations 11. 3. I will give power to my two Witnesses and they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore dayes cloathed in sackcloth Some by these two Witnesses do understand the Law and Gospel and others conceive them to be Christian Magistrates and Ministers Some understand them to be faithfull Men and Women that have been martyred for the testimony of Jesus And others conceive them to be only the Ministers of the Gospel as the margent notes in the bible shew and others do say they be two particular eminent Saints whom God will raise up towards the end But the Scriptures of truth will not give their harmoniall consent to any of these so laid down neither will they own any of the like terravid and fading subjects absolutely to be those two Witnesses which the spirit in that place speaks of Therefore according to the proportion of faith received in declaring of my perswasion therein I shall endeavour to shew First What the testimony is which these two Witnesses do bear witness unto Secondly to shew you who these two Witnesses are Thirdly to shew you what the meaning is as I conceive of the 1260. dayes which is the time appointed them of God to prophesie in and when they must be slain Fourthly to shew how the two Witnesses are slain and how long they have been dead and how long they are to lie dead before the spirit of life from God enter into them and set them upon their feet Fiftly to shew what falles out in the World upon the slaying of these two Witnesses and why they of the Nations People Tongues and Kinreds will not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves and buried Sixtly What shall follow upon the resurrection of the two Witnesses from the dead And seventhly I shall endeavour to shew what I have given me to understand by those dark words phrases and termes of time which are expressed in that eleventh Chapter of the Revelations under which this mystery of God concerning his two faithfull Witnesses doth lie folded up But I do declare what I conceive of the words and phrases all along this discourse as they necessarily fall in the way CHAP. II. What the Testimony of the two Witnesses is NOw for the first of these to shew what the Testimony of the two Witnesses is I conceive it is to bear witness of the eternall will and Councel of God That the seed of the woman should brusse the Serpents head and that this seed is Jesus Christ his Son a perfect man after the flesh as he was called the Child Jesus or the Sun
Anointed into bondage and will not allow him a liberty to worke where and upon whom he pleaseth but would restrain him to their scanty measure the principles of the flesh and so though the world allow Christ the name of King Priest and Prophet yet they will act â—hese Offices themselves both over him and over his body the Church Ey but Gods two faithfull witnesses shall not only prove that Christ is King Priest and Prophet in name only but that he is those in â—ule in operation and powre proving it in â—heir own experience which in time the world â—hall see and be ashamed though for the present they will not see nor be ashamed for â—heir envy to Christ and his fellowes And â—hen shall the glory of the Father be advanced â—nd the song of the Saints shall set the Crown of glory upon the head of him that sits upon the Throne and upon the Lamb for evermore For then all Nations shall see the word â—nd councel of the Father fullfilled that the â—erpents head is bruised by the seed of the woman This is their testimony which I lay â—own generall but the witnesses prove their Testimony by particular experiences as hereâ—fter I shall relate some CHAP. III. Who these two Witnesses are that God speaks of to whom he will give power to Prophesie in sackcloth a thousand two hundred and sixty daies NOw the second thing is to shew who these two Witnesses are which God speaks of I will give power to my two witnesses And these are the word of God and the Spirit of God or Christ in flesh and Christ in Spirit or the Anointing in the person of Christ after the flesh or the Anointing in the flesh of Saints And these are but one in respect of nature one Spirit and one flesh one body as I have shewed But they are two in respect of their appearance or manifestation in or to the world The man Christ Jesus who was borne of the Virgin and dyed by the hands of the Jewes at Jerusalem he is the one Witnesse And the body of Saints in whom the Spirit of Jesus Christ dwells who are persecuted for the same testimony that Christ held they are the other witnesse And my understanding herein is built up as followes ☞ There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven The Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one But one Witnes though three names or denominations By Heaven I understand the Church or the City Zion in whom the Anointiug dwels and in â—hem and to them the witnesses of those three â—n one is satisfaction enough and the Saints â—ife is bound up in that divine manifestation and â—hey live in that life and see light in that light The son of righteousnes the Lamb the Anointng is the light of that City which makes it Heaven The Testimony of men to the Saints is noâ—hing they have no peace nor joy in their hearts till God himself do witnesse to them by â— lovely manifestation of himself taking them â—p into his own rest And this is God in three discoveries which make up but one witnesse both in and to Zion the Church not to the World first but to them first and afterward to the World Then there are three that bear witnes in earth The water bloud and Spirit and these three â—re one but one witnesse though 3 denominaâ—ions making one perfectman Now by Earth understand either the Saints before they have a cleare manifestation before their filthy garments be quite taken off them For then they look upon Christ after the flesh and seek for testimonies of the Fathers love and promise in a â—itterall way and God condescends to the weaknes of their flesh for in the fulnes of time God â—ent his Sonn made of a VVoman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of Sons according to the promise Gen. 3. 15. Or Secondly by Earth I vnderstand mankind all sects and Nations as they are considered one flesh or one earth of which all of us are made even one created humanity And unto this earth God sends water bloud spirit in two appearences to witnesse this his faithfulnesse that what he spake shall come to passâ— That the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head God cals these his two witnesses because they are two discoveries of his own wisdom and power For first By water bloud and spirit I understand to be our Lord Jesus the seed of the woman a perfect man according to the flesh who 〈◊〉 the first faithfull and true witnes the humane â—ody of Christ and the eternall spirit that dwelt â—herin or that power which God gave I wil give power to my two witnesses c. And God gave this is power when the holy Spirit descended like a Dove upon Christ Jesus when he was baptized and came straight-way out of the water This power God gives to both his witnesses but to his humane body first If you look into the Evangelist Iohn you shall find that one of the Souldiers with a spear pierced Christs side and forthwith there came out water and blood now the water and blood declared Jesus Christ to be a true and reall man the seed of the Woman according to the word and Councell of God and so the VVord was made flesh and dwelt among us and we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God full of grace and truth Now Physitians say and it is a truth that the heart of man hath adjoyning to it a bladder or skin of water which cools the heat of the bloud Which they call the Pericardium And the Spear piercing Christ to the heart did break that skin of water and so there came out that water and blood that was in his heart this shews he was a man the seed of the Woman And then for the spirit or power that was in Jesus Christ declares him to be one faithfull witnesse for though hisfufferings were so great that he sweat drops of blood yet there was no sin or murmerings against God found in him but he was still full of the sprrint of humility and patience of love and of faithfulnesse to God his Father who had assigned him that cup to drink And likewise was still full of the spirit of love to poor lost sinners that flood in need of this his death or else they could not have bin reconciled to God and this unbsameable spirit of his gives testimony to Heaven and Earth that Christis the great power of God and so the world to the councel of his Father For indeed no son of man besindes him could be found to suffer the like intolerable burden of wrath and yet beare it with such a patient understanding loving faithful and pittiful spirit towards others as Christ did Now this humane body of
two Olive-trees and the two Candlestickes strand before the God of the whole earth saith john And these two stand by the Lord of the whole earth saith Zechariah I conceive the meaning is two-fold as the phrases are different They stand by the Lord of the Whole erth saith Zechariah that is they hold with him as two friends maintaining one and the same cause in giving testimony and in convincing the world by experimentall discoveries of this truth and counsell of God that the seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head and none holds with me in these things saith God to Daniel but Michael your Prince And they stand before the God of the whole earth saith John that is as they two faithfull witnesses the Anointed and the Anointing Christ and his Spirit hold with God in defence of his Word Truth and Honour so these two Witnesses they stand before God that is they are alwayes in his eye in his heart are his delight and his right hand and so will honour them as they honour him And so certainly will subdue all enemies under Christs feet as under the feet of his humane Body so under the feet of his Body the Church which are the heele of Christ and so part of his feet according to the word of the Father therefore the Apostle speaking of Christ This man saith he after he had offered up one sacrifice for all sate down at the right hand of God expecting till his enemies be made his fâ—ot-stool And Zechariah makes it yet more plain That Iesus Christ a perfect man in the sense aspresaid is Gods two witnesses that both stand by and before the God of the whole earth As Zech. 4. 7. Who are thou O great Mountain before Zerubbahel thou shalt become a plain And â—o forward to the end of the ninth verse Zerubbabel types out Iesus Christ who is the King or chiefe Governour in Sion Gods holy Hill For Zerubbabel was the chief of the Fathers of Israel that was carried into the captivity of earthly Babylon And he was reckoned the first that came out of that literall Captivity All other Priests and Elders were counted inferior to him as appeares Ezra 2. 2. Nehem. 7. 7. And this types out Iesus Christ that is the Head and chiefe of Saints that was carried or rather sent captive into mysticall Babylon that is to prophesie in Sack-cloth under the wisdome and powers of the flesh or Serpent which ruled in the Jewes and Gentiles and under which he was slain And he was the first that returned with joy from that Captivity for he rose by the power of God the third day and ascended to his Father And all the rest of the Saints in their appointed time when their testimony is finished they shall come along with Christ our or from under then same captivity as inferior Priest and Elders For Christ the first fruits then afterwards they that are Christs as it shall be in that other resurnection where these words are used I. Cor. 15. Then again Zerubbabel was the chiefe thaâ— did build the Temple and Walls of the Citiâ—Jerusalem which was thrown down all the rest of the Fathers and Elders were inferior to him as appears Ezra 4. 2. Nehem. 12. 1. And this types out Jesus Christ who is the chiefe in Zion and whose hands did lay the foundation of that spirituall House of God both in respect of one private Saint and in respect of the whole body as is mysteriously declered by Zechary chap 4. 9. For where it is said that the hands of Zerub babel have laid the foundation of this House and his hands shall finish it it points out cleare to me that by the phrase This House hath reference to the golden Candlestick in the second verse which is the Church Zion or House of God for there is no other House spoke oâ— but this as is likewise mystically held forth in the chapter before which is the voyce of the Father unto Christ the Anointed under the name of Joshna the high Priest If thou wilâ— walk in my wayes and keep my charge then shalt thou also judge my House and I will give thee places to walk in among these that stand by Heare now O joshua the high Priest that is Christ the Anointed thou and thy fellowes that sit before thee for they are men wonderd at that is the Saints or House of God in whom the Anointing dwels the foundation of this House the hands of Jesus Christ hath laid and his hands shall finish this Temple and City building Therefore God the Father makes a boasting exultation over all enemies of Christ that rise up to hinder him in building Gods spirituall House the Saints as Sanballat and Tobia rise up to hinder the building of literall Jerusalem Who art thou O grat Mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become plain that is who art thou O great wisdome and powers of the flesh and darknesse before Christ my Sonne ye shall all be trod under his feet nay his very heels shall stamp you down For behold I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH and he shall break the Serpents head Then God goes on to hold forth to our view his two faithfull witnesses which he calls the two anointed ones which stand by the Lord of the whole earth which are the Branch that is first the Man Christ Jesus the anointed For in him the Godhead dwels bodily and he is pointed out by the name Joshua the high Priest and by the name Zerubbabel as being the first and chiefe witnesse Then secondly his mystical body the Saints which being united to him and he to them by the same Anointing makes up Gods Branch And these are pointed out to be Joshua's mysticall body that was cloathed with filthy garments in the dayes of corrupt flesh before God caused their iniquity to passe away and cloathed him with change of garments that is with the beauty of the anointing ☞ Now mind this that though the Saints be many particular persons yet as they stand in relation to Christ they are but one body kniâ— together by that one Spirit the Anointing and Jesus Christ as he is called the Anointed of the Father cannot properly be called a perfect man if he should be separated or stand at a distance from the Saints his body and spirituall house therefore the Apostle joynes Head and Members together and so make up one compleaâ— Christ or Anointed in Eph. 4. 13. and 1 Cor. 12. 12. as you may read And these I conceive to be Gods two faithfull witnesses the Man or Child Jesus who is the head and chiefe witnesse and the Citie Zion who are anointed with the same Spirit every one with that measure as God is pleased to divide to every one his portion as he will according to the measure of the gift of Christ And these two witnesses stand by the God of the whole
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
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
would cast God out not under the name of God but under the name of an Errorâ— For truly our flesh will envy Truth it will not envy Error the flesh will kill its enemy not its friend Barabbas must live and Christ must die and so Christ who is God blessed for ever is put to death under the name of a Deceiver and a man full of errors And thus the Flesh in every man labours to kill Gods witnesses even the Declarations of truth within it selfe by grudging because he cannot beare it Secondly this spirit of envie which ariseth in the flesh against Gods witnesses whose testimony honours God doth not onely appeare inwardly in the sensible feeling of a mans owne corruptions when God begins to teach him but it appeares outwardly likewise in other mens actings to the view one of another As the envy of Darius his counsellors against Daniel the envy of Herod against the Child Jesus and the envy of the Scribes and Pharisees against Christ his Apostles who threw down the letter of the Law which the Jewes doted upon and set up the spirituall practice of the Gospel which they could not endure This envie in the Flesh is the first on-set of the Beast to kill Gods witnesses A second disposition of the Beas is the spirit of subtill policy and hypocriticall craft that laies wait to ensnare Gods witnesses and makes his mountain strong against God And this crafty hypocrisie appears in every man likewise for when God hath found out a mans iniquity and begins to shame the Flesh that he may save the Soul the heart wil not with humility acknowledge it self sinfull but will have many turnings shifts and policies to justifie himself though his conscience tell him he is guilty So while the Witnesses of God prove the man a sinner his flesh still would fain be esteemed righteous and labours to kill the Witnesses If the heart be found guilty of pride coveteousnesse envie unfaithfulnesse or any uncleannesse it hath many winding pretences to cleare himself and so prove God the liar But well though the fleshly conscience smother and kill Gods Witnesses within it selfe and by his shifts avoids shame and so rejoyceth in his innocency got by lying craft yea and rejoyces over that testimony from God that bore witnesse against his conscience As when the witnesses were slain in in that 11. Revel. all that dwelt upon the earth that were tormented by them rejoyced at their death Even so all the wisdom love joy and peace in sin that were tormented in a man by the testimony of truth against them now they all rejoyce by the loud out-cries of the flesh God suffering it the truth is slighted and the conscience quieted upon carnall grounds through carnall policy But when the determined time is accomplished that God will raise up the spirit of his Son in thee who is killed by and lies buried under thy corruptions then God will destroy thy flesh all thy carnall joy peace and all thy own self-works shall be burned and he will make thee confesse thy selfe a sinner and a wicked man When God hath given thee experience that he hath broke the Serpents head in thee and so hath revealed his Son in thee and filled thee with joy and peace of himself taking thee into his rest into his kingdome and glory by the rising of the bright morning Star and the resurrection of Gods truth the Anointing within thee then the envy policy and all the wickednesse of the flesh acting against God shall be destroyed And the Anointing which is the Lord our Righteousnesse shall dwel and rule in thee for thee for ever which is thy redemption And secondly this spirit of hypocriticall craft against truth appeares in others likewise to the view one of another by slighting the testimony of God by a two-fold policy first by devising carnall customes and false formes of worship which are pleasing to the flesh not according to the command and example of Scriptures which the flesh pretends to follow and yet doth not Here is truth killed by the subtill inventions of the flesh which are cried up for sound learning Secondly the Flesh kils Truth by working subtilly with the higher powers of the earth the Magistracy which God hath set in the world by which he preserves peace and outwardly punishes them that doe evil I say the flesh works subtilly to deceive this and gets an Authority here-from to make Lawes Canons Directories Ecelesiastical or Classical Constitutions to compel all men to an uniforme conformity to all her inventions customs and formes of worship agreed upon And this is the subtilty of the little Horn or the King of a â—erce countenance which Daniels vision speaks of whose power shall be mighty but not by his own power For truly this Ecclesiasticall power is no power which God did ordaiâ— or make but is a power which the crafty Flesh hath got from the Kings of the earth whereby the Flesh doth destroy wonderfully the mighty and the holy people And likewise through his policy God still suffering it and having appointed a time for the Flesh to act its part in against God mind that He causes craft to prosper in his hand and he shall magnifie himselfe in his heart and by peace or by pretending of peace shall destroy many he shall also stand up against the Prince of Princes here is the up-shot of the Fleshes malice and policy But he shall be broken without hand Now mark All this crafty hypocriticall policy of the Beast is not to move Gods witnesses to be faithfull to give God all the glory but to intangle them in and by the usurped power and unjust Lawes and Constitutions of the Flesh because the Witnesses beare testimony that the Flesh woâ—ld reigne as God and would sit in the Temple of God that is in created man but their testimony is that God will destroy this Serpent and will reigne himselfe in his own House even Man And this we have experience of that the Canons and Lawes that have been made and confirmed by humane Authority to maintain Directories and Ecclesiasticall forms of worship did not suppresse wickednesse for ungodly men that wondred after the Beast and honored the Flesh still have their liberty in sinfull practices But they have insnared and suppressed the Saints that worship the Lamb that is God in Man or the holy breathing in mans flesh And this is the second on-set the Beast makes to kill Gods witnesse As Darius his crafty counsellors got the King to signe a Decree which they pretended would be for his honour and welfare but the subtill intent was to entrap and kill Daniel who was Gods friend A third disposition in the Beast is the spirit of cruelty which puts all those Lawes and Canons in execution to kill Gods Witnesses And the flesh in every man is very
men that were guided by God to walk sincerely according to what they knew and understood and durst not do any thing because others do it or said it was a truth unles they saw it to be a truth likewise I wish this were seriously minded in these our dayes And as it was raised by deceived Magistracy so in every change of time the maintainers of that stolen usurped power did not rely upon God to preserve and carry on Church-work but still they were petitioned to Kings and Parliaments to establish this Ecclesiastical power to enforce men to a uniformity in Religion but self-love and temporal livings were the bottom of that zeal And so by the precepts of men they have taught or rather by compulsion have enforced men to pretend a fear of God for theiâ— Ecclesiastical power makes men fear men morâ— then God and so makes hypocrites which hath been a power God hath since Esay prophesied threatned and executed wrath upon the mannagers So that ever since this Ecclesiastical power was raised up it hath been a troubler of Godly Magistrates a troubler and silencer of godly Ministers a troubler of common people in High-Commission Courts Sessions and by Classical censures making men hypocrites to act contrary to their knowledg for fear of punishment But if it please God to put it into the heart of Magistrates in Kingdomes to take back their power from this Beast and to let the government of Church-work lie only upon the shoulders of our Lord Christ for it is his due right he is King of Saints Then the pure reformation of civill Magistracy would soon appeare confusion and Babylon would die and there would be peace among men Indeed the main cause of all our Nationall troubles is the discontent of the whorish spirit in men that wonder after the Beast but when once it is faln really in Common-wealths as it is faln in some Saints then men will be freed from bitternesse and rejoyce because the Lord God omnipotent reigneth And Magistracy which is Gods Ordinance will run in its right channell to be a terror to the wicked and to protect them that doe well whereas by this Ecclesiasticall power established by deceived Magistracy the sincere in heart that worship God in spirit and truth according as God hath taught them and they understand These are and have been troubled in Sessions in Courts and punished by Fines and prisons c. But the loose-hearted that will be of any Religion that the most is of these have their liberty without restraint and so Magistracy hath acted quite backwards in punishing them that do â—â—ell and protecting in a hypocriticall liberty them that do evill O that our Magistrates would let Church-work alone to Christ upon whose shoulders they shall find the government lies and not upon theirs and then in the wisdom and strength of Christ they would govern Common-wealths in justice love and righteousnesse more peacebly All that I shall say in conclusion is this Wait patiently upon the Lord let every man that loves God endevour by the spirit of wisdome meeknesse and love to dry up the river Euphrates even this spirit of bitternesse that like a great River hath over-flowed the Earth of man-kind For it is not revenge fines fightings that will subdue a tumultuous spirit but a soft answer love and meeknesse tendernesse and justice to doe as we would be done unto This will appease wrath When this Son of righteousnesse and love arises in Magistrates and people one to another then these tumultuous Nationall stormes will cease and not till then This Son is risen in some or else these tumultuous stormes would have made it a cold and uncomfortable season before this time This Sonne will rise higher and must rise higher and the bright shining of it will be Englands liberty Well I am confident that those that are very violent in spirit without double-dealing acting outwardly what meerly is in their hearts and knowledge though for the present they are tormented even in Hell night and day by that unquiet Spirit yet these 〈…〉 make and enjoy a peaceable quiet and righteous spirit and I beleeve within a short time and they shall be delivered from this Serpents bondage and Gods kingdome shall enter into them and when men have wearied out themselves in following their lusts then is Gods time to take them up into his rest and liberty This work God maniests in some that are scattered up and down like a few drops of haile before the showre fall in force And when he workes in generall then the showre of haile shall fall in force and sweep away all the refuge of lies before it that is plentifull discoveries of God in every man burns up the drosse of the flesh and plentifull increase of Saints in a Kingdome is like a showre of haile that sweeps away all abominations in States and Churches And such a time as this is coming on when the seventh Angel sounds And I shall leave with you one Scripture with which I will conclude And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Arke of his Testament and there were lightnings and voyces and thundrings and an earth-quake and great haile Commander in chiefe is God himselfe who rules the Spirits of men Wait then on him up-roares to quell and setle peace again Those that doe rise for fleshly ends a Kingdome for to trouble Shall lose their pains undoe themselves and vanish like a bubble Gods shaking Nations trying men and changing times and customes Ruining the Beast and saving men amidst these great combustions Cease striving then ye sons of men Destroy not one another God will avenge him that 's opprest by Christ our elder brother His turn is next the Realm to take and rule the sons of men And Beast and Devill Pope and Sin Shall never rise again But yet mens hearts disquiet are and bitter as we see Hot times have been hot times yet are but hotter yet may be For now the Image of the Beast appeares to act his part But he 's a falling and Saints shall sing Haleluja with joy of heart FINIS 1. Kinâ— 18. Psal. â— Num. â— 12. Dan. 24. Dâ—â— 6. 5. 〈…〉 II â—n 19. â—hn â—et 〈◊〉 â—e 〈◊〉 12. Jer. 23 â— 6 2 Thes 2. 8. Luke 17. 21. Heb. 4. 3. 1 John 4. 4. Esa. 1. Esa. 1 Rev. 〈◊〉 Dan. 7. 6. 27. Rev. 11. 5. Rev. 16. 7. Rev. 14. 〈◊〉 1. Esa. 60. 4. â—ev. 11. â—3 Cor. 〈◊〉 4. â—a 4. 4. Esa. 49. 22. Rev. 1â— 7. 8. chap. 19. 6. 1 Pet. 4. 13. ☜ John 18. â—ev. 22. 1. â—ev. 5. â—3 Act. 4. 12. Gen. 3. 15. Chap. 18. 18. Gal. 3. â— 16. Gal. 3. â—20 Heb. 10. 5 Exod 20. 19. Deut. 5. 28. Heb. 8 Deut. 1 18. Acts 3. 21. 22 Heb.