who had the infirmity and flesh of man to Judas That thou doest doe quickly Lasting woes are the worst woes Then commeth the third woe which shall last but half a day And as it is short so it is that which shall let us into the third state of the glory of God As there is the day of man the day of Christ and the day of God so their is the glory of Man the glory of Christ and the glory of God This Heaven into which the witnesses ascended is not the highest Heaven the highest glory There must come a third woe that will carry them thither And it comes quickly It is an happy state the witnesses are in when they are raised from the dead yet it 's not lasting though their condition be glorious yet it hath a woe stealing upon it yea though it be a very blessed state a Resurrection from a sinfull Earth yet it is such a blessed state as is subject to warre for immediately succeeds the third woe This clear bright Sun of righteousnesse is subject to an eclips The tenth part falls and 7000. are slaine yet all earth is not cleared away There were sweet enjoyments of the glory of GOD yet it was mingled with some weaknesse and this is our happinesse that our God wil never cease refining us til all Earth till all flesh bee quite removed from us til he hath perfected us into himself The Third woe is a tolerable woe though it hath its sting yet it comes quickly and goes quickly It 's such a one as we are wel able to endure And then cometh the seventh Angell Sounding and hee saith aloud The Kingdomes of this world are become The Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ The two Witnesses their prophesying their slaying resurrection and ascension is in the Mysterie of the Spirit Angels sounding It comes neere to perfection but yet is not absolute perfection the highest Reign and Kingdome of the Lord and of his Christ breakes forth at the sounding of the seventh Angel The seven Trumpets are all but one Trumpet The last Trump shall sound The Spirit of the LORD being able either to contract all into one or to enlarge one into seven when and as he pleaseth He can give all to one call it one make it one discover it and open it into one or enlarge it into seven Seven dayes make but one with him Seven Angels and seven Trumpets make but one Angel and one Trumpet with him Seven is a number of rest and blessedness and here is the seventh Angel or the ange licall nature in et's perfection Christ the Head of Angels or the Perfection of Angels Angels are ministring spirits sent forth from God Ministers and Trumpets sounding forth the Kingdome of glory The exellency or perfection of Angels is to trumpet out the last and greatest glory of God Yet Christ the Arch-angel the head and chiefest Angel takes pleasure to sound forth the glory of God before the breaking forth of the Highest and Last glory Trumpeting is a proclaiming or declaring of the glory of GOD. Jesus Christ the Arch-angel the head or chiefest Angel sounds and sends forth a proclaimation or declaration of the Kingdome of GOD. And when we hear the sound of this great Trump we enter into glory or the sounding of the last Trump by Jesus Christ the great Archangel goes before the approach of the highest glory of God And it s said There were great voices in heaven After the sounding of the Trumpet comes forth the voices which is a more distinct and excellent note in musick then the sound of the Trumpet No Organ or Instrument sends forth so sweet a note as the tongue of man It s said There were great voyces in heaven and as it s exprest afterwards these voyces are uttered by the four and twenty Elders that sate before the Throne worshipping God Twelve you know was the number of the Apostles who had only the first fruits of the Spirit We saith the Apostle have the first fruits of the Spirit They had as it were a single harmony of musick publishing and declaring the glory of God But here is not onely twelve but twenty and four Elders The Spirit of God appearing in a double measure twice as much as in the Apostles having the full harvest of the Spirit a greater company of Saints and the Apostolicall Spirit or the gifts and graces of the Spirit in the Apostles doubled upon the heads of the Saints or Jesus Christ appering in the Saints in a double measure of the Spirit of God And they are all Elders too al taken up into the Ancient of daies living in the eternall and everlasting Spirit He is an Elder indeed who was before the World was made he is but an Novice and of yesterday that can speak but from the begining of the World These are the great voyces in heaven by the four and twenty Elders In this dispensation you have that measure of the Spirit of God that was given to the twelve Apostles and Church in the primative time doubled raised up to the Ancient of daies And there were GREAT voyces in heaven Some times our God speaks in a low still voice and indeed His very whisperings are pleasant Here is not only one voyce or a low whispering voyce but many and Great voyces Audible and Mighty declarations Great and various discoveries of our God When the witnesses Prophesied in sack-cloth Thousands were sufficient but now here are Thousands of Thousands Now here 's Christ in the flesh and Christ in the Spirit joyned together Now they are multiplied to Thousands of Thousands in heaven Many voices tuned multitudes of hearts enlarged in heaven they are four and twenty In the former dispensations they were shut up in Earth they were cloathed in sack-cloth they were but twelve Here they are increased to twenty four All the voices crying out Now in one Great voice and that so clear so shril that it shal spread thorrow the whole Earth The Kingdomes of this world c. It may be those people that are of the earth that are of the world question and doubt what these voyces say and they cannot say after them or with them The LORD lives the LORD reignes they think it they dare not speake it or if they do speak it it is but poorly and weakly from a bare letter not from the Spirit of God But hear when Heaven is opened the glory of God manifested and the Spirit of God doubled There are great Voyces thousands of voices concenting and concentering together al speaking aloud al singing that heavenly Halelujah saying The Kingdom of the LORD The Kingdom of of the LORD The Kingdome of the LORD Now heer 's ful Language ful speech bold and loud speech in Heaven saying The Kingdome of the LORD The Kingdome of the LORD There are many and great Voyces in Heaven saying The Kingdomes of this World are become the Kingdomes of OVR Lord. When the
two moneths p. 206. l. 2. r. this creation p. 234. l. 18. r. their owne p. 240. l. 24. r. while p. 267. l. 29. for Spirit r. sixt p. 282. l. 18. for bouble r. double THE REIGNE OF GOD. PSALME 97.1 2. The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of Isles be glad thereof Clouds and darknesse are round about him righteousnesse and judgement are the habitation of his Throne HEre 's good newes glad tidings The Lord reigneth It cannot be published without praise without rejoycing without singing without blessing We should dishonour this truth if we should not publish it if we should with silence suppresse it if we should not speak well of it It is so sweet and comfortable that it fils the whole world with joy and cals in every eare and every tongue and every heart to be glad to rejoyce and to praise God Let the Earth rejoyce and the multitude of the Isles be glad As though he should say Let nothing fear but hell let nothing be disquieted but devils Let the lowest the poorest of the People of God though but Earth yet let them rejoyce in this The Lord Reigneth First Here is the thing affirmed The Lord reigneth Secondly Here is the use of it or the inference that is made from it Let the Earth rejoyce and the multitude of Isles be glad Thirdly Here is the means by which he ascends into the Throne Clouds and darkness are round about him First Here is a plain and certain Proposition affirmed The Lord Reigneh The Lord saith it and the Lord is it What ever the Lord saith it is a Kingdome what ever he is he is a Kingdome Men have Reigned and when men Reign God Reigns to by men and it was alwaies true That all the Kingdomes of the Earth were the Lords and his Christs and so all the Kings of the Earth have been the Reign of God in figure God hath Reigned in them as in types but that which we must now affirm which the Lord affirms is the immediate Reign of God such as that is which is expressed Rev. 11. Thou who wast art and art to come hast taken to thee thy great power and hast Reigned God did Reign invisibly while men Reigned visibly or God Reigned because he gave Reign to others but as there is his Reigne in giving so there is his Reign in taking Thou hast taken to thee thy great power The Lord takes Reign and Kingdome and Power into himself he takes off the Crown from the heads of Princes and sets it on his own head It was adminstred before by instruments now God administers power immediately by himself The other Reign was a lesse this the great Reign Hast taken to thee thy great power The greatest Power that ever the Lord gave to men is nothing to that power which Christ will put forth when he Reigns himself And observe the companion of this power When thou reignest the Nations are angry When God Reigns the devill rages when God comes to set up his power there is wrath and violence in the mindes of the men of the world and when you see this violence and rage in the mindes of the men of the world it is a sure sign that God hath taken the Kingdome Power and strength from them Here 's two things of very sweet consideration 1. The Reign of the Lord and 2. The Reign of the Lord in the Saints First This Kingdome that God is now setting up is his everlasting Kingdome It will not be administred by the weaknesse of man but by the power of God not by the folly of man but by the judgement of God God will in this Kingdome nakedly manifest his own righteousnesse his own compassion and pitie his own love his own peace Hee will doe all things immediately by his owne self And therefore all the pride and ambition all the oppression and tyranny and miscarriages that hath been in the government of men shall be wholly taken away Pure righteousnesse and judgement and equity shall be infallibly dispensed and infinite power strength holinesse goodnesse and authority shall shine forth nakedly in the face of God and that shall be the Judge of all men Wee shall no longer be abused and oppressed by the will of men by the lusts of men The poor people shall no longer groan under the burden of mens lusts nor sweat for the pleasure and contents of men nor their faces any longer be ground by the hardnesse of the spirit of men but they shall be under the protection of God The great cry now of the people is Let 's have a King Ye shall have one one that will reign in righteousnesse the LORD himself Secondly And this Reign of the Lord shall be in his Saints according to that in Dan. 7.27 And the kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most high whose kingdome is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve obey him As this kingdom shal be administred in the glory of God so also in the sweetnesse and gentlenesse of man by brethren by friends by the Saints of the most High God lifting up himself in the Saints will administer this Reign and as he will do it by the Saints so he will doe it by the softnesse and tendernesse of the Saints The kingdome and dominion under the whole earth shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High Itâ— now doing that ye shall obey none but the Lord ye shall know no other laws but the Law of God ye shall know no other Master but Jehovah He hath made us Priests and Kings and we shall reign with him on earth This nature of ours this body of ours shall reign with Christ with God and that upon earth The Lord reignes The Lord hath served hath been hitherto much yea mostly in the forme of a servant It hath been as it were the businesse of the Lord whilst this world stood to give supplies to men to serve men to give men strength and wisdome and riches and authority and power that men might be great and happy with the goodnesse of God and in this God hath been King too but in an under way As saith the Lord I have served with your sinnes and lusts now he will no longer serve but Reigne God will take all the Power and Authority into his own hands Hee will not be any longer under men but above all men It s time He should be so Its reason Hee should be so It s just He should be so Every thing now must bowe stoop submit to the Law and rule and will of God No man shall any longer say it shall be so because it is my will to have it so there shall not be found an heart or tongue that shall move against the Dominion of the Lord. Satan hath been a Prince hee hath made Lawes
of your captivity and misery Hee hath kept you to his task to doe him service He hath said Be angry and then you have been full of rage He hath said Be covetous and then you have been full of covetousnesse He hath said Bee Dark and then you have beene full of blindnesse Hee hath said Be proud and then yee have been full of haughtinesse And so he hath but by Divine will tormented the world The sting of Satans whips are in your consciences I know His errors mistakes have beene in the kingdome of darknesse in you that you do not know God the holy will of God You would come into the enjoyment of God Satan will not let you you would know God hee will not suffer you You would be wise unto Salvation hee will not permit you Hee hath fettered you with his chains of darknesse hee hath captivated your judgements he hath made you to grinde at his mill and to drudge in his service and hath made you to cry-out O when will the Lord come But now his wicked Reigne is at an end what yee had yee shall want and what yee want ye shall have what hath been shall not be that which shall be must bee and cannot chuse but be ye shall have Love because the Law of God is Love and ye shall have peace because the Kingdome of God is peace and yee shall have light because this Inheritance is Marvelous light yee shal have righteousnesse because this state is true holinesse ye shall have liberty setlednesse stability and every good thing in this Kingdome of God It s alwaies ill with us while Satan reigns It s alwaies wel with us while God Reignes when our Husband is King we shall have Preferment and honour and riches and greatnesse and power and authority because our God Reignes The Lord Reignes for us the Lord takes his Kingdome and it is for us the Lord hath Reigned in himself all this while now hee Reignes by us the Lord counts himselfe not to have a Kingdome till Wee have it with him The Lord thinks himself meane and despised till We are exalted He is poore without US He is weake while absent from US Hee is not himself unlesse hee enjoyes US Thou art my Excellency my First-borne The power of God is in weaknesse till We become almighty The Kingdome of God is in darknesse till Wee shine it forth The treasures of God were of no worth to Him if We were not his richest jewels The Lord doth Reign This is not to be passed by it s in the present tense This is the Song that wee heare and see Angels sing The Elders and Saints in Heaven sing it perpetually we daily hear it Hallelujah Hallelujah The Lord Reigneth There is administered into our hearts and eares An Hallelujah The Lord Reignes indeed every creature speaks it all in Heaven and Earth All these powers and darknesses on the face of the Earth speak out this aloud The Lord Reignes Your King hath taken power to himself and from every thing else The Lord doth Reign and saith I AM UPON MY THRONE I AM GREAT NONE IS GREAT BUT MY SELFE I AM KING I HAVE THE SCEPTER IN MY HAND I AM POWERFUL NONE IS POWERFUL BUT I. All the power of men is broken All the Thrones of men are shattered into dust All the wisdome of men is turned into folly All the strength of men is melted into weaknesse and water The meltings and moulderings away of the powers and dignities of the world speaks it aloud The LORD Reigns Let the Earth rejoyce and the multitude of the Isles be glad This Reign torments none but wickednes and wicked men The devil and his children may be dismaied but let Heaven and Earth rejoyce The Heavens they doe rejoyce All Saints all Angels Christ and all his members they sing in this Kingdome But that 's not enough that Heaven shall rejoyce but Earth too Poor Adam That 's his name Earth Poor man poor earthy man low Earth The lowest of the creation the basest and meanest of the whole world Poor dark Earth Let this creation which is Earth let it rejoyce Let men and women and children relations and comforts estates all the things of this World Religion worship gifts trading dealing eating drinking let all these things rejoyce Object Why must not all these things be done away that God may Reign The evill of them shall be done away the sinfulnesse the basenesse and filthinesse of them shall be done away the corruption the vanity the infirmity of them shall be done away but this Earth must not be lost The Kingdome of God must be established in this Earth but the waies of men and men so far as they are acted by the devil so far they shall be done away and destroyed by the breath of the Lord be burnt up by the fire and Spirit of the Lord. As they are in emnity with God as they shut out God as they are below God as they doe not own and acknowledge God so they shall be done away And they shall all be taken up into fellowship with God purified and sanctified and restored Every thing shall be brought up into the holinesse of God the nature of God the being of God the Spirit of God Therefore let the Earth rejoyce It s good newes for the poorest creature that dwels in darknesse that lives below that are strangers from Heaven that dwell at a great distance from God You that live below in the world in the meanest or lowest condition rejoyce God is come to dwell amongst you God is come to restore you to make you all new A new Heaven and a new Earth and nothing shall be troubled but the Sea The confusion of the devil that shall roar be vexed and tormented but the low poor simple Earth The mean Earth whatsoever is pure Earth those whose hearts are not set against God and Christ so far as there is submission to the Lord and subjection to God If ye are not fierce violent and mad against the appearing of a holy God rejoyce though ye be never so low But if yee quarrell with God or are angry with him ye cannot rejoyce That the Lord should Reign Let the multitude of the Isles rejoyce There is a continent of Earth and there are Isles that are naturally divided from the firme land by water They are in a lower a weaker condition then firme Land And so here is a fuller discovery of the poor people of God that be as the multitude of Isles separated by the Sea from the firm land As Isles are divided from fellowship with the firm land by Sea and cannot passe to it without danger so there are people that are at a distance from God that are cut off from that firmnes and stability that others have in the Lord the Land of the living There are divisions between them and God and they are broken one from another by the Sea of darknesse that is
in their world Broken in their understandings broken in their apprehensions broken in their peace broken in their strength broken in their joyes broken in their waies and they float in the Sea and waters of fears cares disquietnesses are round about them and beat upon them that know not how to have fellowship with God in a setled state Yet Let the multitude of the Isles be glad Indeed all the states of the Earth are broken in peeces by flouds and inundations And therefore let the multitude of the Isles be glad It is the Kingdome of the Lord that makes you to be Isles It is the floud of the Spirit of God that divides you from that stability and firmnesse that ye had The Isles shall hear the Word of the LORD The divided and broken state and condition of men shall hear the word of the LORD Those persons that are at the greatest distance from God from constant trading and dealing with God let them be glad and rejoyce It is the LORD hath broken US off from the Earth from that stability and firmnes that we had in our selves that we might have it in himself that so he might make US a new Kingdome He hath divided US from the Land that He might plant himself a Kingdome in US that He might make many Kingdomes for his own glory and righteousnesse to dwell in Neither is this without respect to a litterall sense This Reign of God first begins in Isles it rises up in little Isles before it appears in the great Empires of the world God will appear first in these lowest parts of the Earth Let the multitude of the Isles rejoyce Let the whole bundle of Isles England Scotland and Ireland rejoyce Let the multitude of Isles be glad It is visibly and sensibly a time of the greatest sadnesse that ever was but really and truly and in a spiritual sense it is a time of the greatest joy and gladnesse that ever was To see things in the Lord is the time of the greatest rejoycing and truest gladnesse This is the time of the LORDS Reigne and the time of Englands rejoycing If England knew her own time but we know noâ— our seasons and this is it that makes us uncomfortable and unsutable to our conditions The Lord Reigns and this is the greatest cause of mirth and joy that ever the earth had Let the earth rejoyce Poor earth hath been in bondage and captivity but now let the earth rejoyce We have been under the protection of men yea under the government of Satan for so long as wee are governed by any thing at a distance from God there is a mixture of Satan in it now we are under the protection of God The Lord hath broken the rod of the oppressour And now we shall have the end of our hopes and expectations the end of our praiers now wee shall have peace now we shall have settlement and stability now we shall have Reformation indeed now we shall have every thing that we have desired and our hearts have longed for freedome from oppression love quietnesse righteousnesse justice propriety full trade all in an heavenly holy glorious righteous spirituall eternall sure everlasting way for this kingdome of God hath in it all greatnesse fulnesse freenesse riches pomp state goodnesse and to this end it is said Hee shall come that is the desire of all Nations Therefore sit down and say what you will have If you will have it in God in an heavenly way ye shall but if in a way of flesh and darknesse and fear out of the pure light of God ye shall not Clouds and darknesse are round about him God that is the greatest light dwels in thick darknesse God is surrounded with darknesse And this is your joy now that in that darknesse that ye see upon the face of the Earth ye see God dwelling in it and your selves with him While you are without it its sad Doe but come in thorow this darknesse and there is light within it The light of God And these Clouds of darknesse are clouds of Witnesses that manifest and testifie the presence of the Lord. Christ comes in the clouds O how visible these clouds are now to the eye of reason What a thick cloud hangs over the City What a grosse thick cloud hangs over the Parliament What a black dark cloud hangs over the Army There 's none of them can see where they are what they doe or one another The clouds are so thick that one neighbour or friend knows not another can not trust one another What a cloud is there in the Countrey How these clouds doe gather every where If you will not see you may be ignorant but if ye will see the Lord is in these clouds What darknesses and clouds of opinions are there in the spirits of men What strange darknes there is in the minds of men Most men grope and feel after God and truely there are none can set a right step towards him What dark affections are there in man Dark fear darke anger darke disquietnesse and confusion Clouds and darknesse are round about him Every where where God is not you will finde clouds and darknes but in the face of God there you shall see glory and brightnesse There is nothing to be seen but clouds in all things save in the face of God and there it is bright and clear day God gathering in all fair weather light and brightnesse into himself So that indeed if you will live any where but in God you must live in clouds and darknes Every where else there is not a beam of light but every thing grows thicker and darker till it come to a very hell an eternall night only there is light in the face of God Yet now rejoyce These clouds are round about God and though you doe not see him because ye are in the dark yet he is neer you and he dwels secretly and sweetly in the midst of these clouds that shade and darken all the earth and you shall finde that God will suddenly step up into his throne and reign in light and brightnesse Will you not receive God in a cloud Are ye not contented with a cloud of darknes that so ye may meet with God there God comes cloathed in this darknesse God comes in a cloudy day with fire wasting and consuming all the world yet O who would not leap into those flames to meet God Be not startled at these dark clouds because God is in them but rejoyce Let these clouds come into your estates houses means and enjoyments Let them come in for God is there Welcome them rejoyce in them and be comforted for God rides upon them He rides in triumph upon them These clouds are his Gharriot and all the powers of the Kings of the Earth hee beats into dust and it flies about him therfore goe and meet the Lord in these clouds and dusts Righteousnesse and judgement are the Habitation of his Throne Thorow
West so should the comming of the Sonne of man be The first and the remotest and the furthest appearances of God are like lightenings this the Lord hath testified abundantly amongst Us What strange flashings of God have been upon men and upon the spirits of men There are few that have slept so soundly these times but this lightening hath broken in upon them into their beds betwixt their curtains There 's none have shut up themselves so close in the world locked up themselves so close in the earth and in the love of earthly things but I know these lightenings of God have flasht in their consciences and have in small quick blasts and discoveries of God told their hearts it is the day of the Lord. I say if men could see or would see the most worldly men have had some flashings of these lightnings upon them Many sudden quick throws pangs hot meltings breakings soul-terrifyings telling them clearly It is the LORD And though they recover againe out of them and the world heales it selfe again and makes haste to forget them because these lightenings are sudden and quick suddenly opening themselves and suddenly again inclosing themselves for God hath suddenly flasht Himself forth and suddenly extinguished Himself again yet God hath to all men more or lesse given enlightnings into their spirits telling them plainly they must give an account that Hee is come to judge them that He is come to exalt lift up Himself that the end of their world their profits pleasure is come That all their earthly comforts and contents are a dying That there is no rest or peace to be had here below These and such like motions have been in the minds of many men But especially these have bin in the hearts and spirits of Gods own people though they are in the world and though in a worldly state and at a great distance from God yet they have had some glances of the light of God I know your owne spirits are able to lead you to those flashings and lightenings And if yee are not quite drunk with the world and have not lost your reason and memory you must acknowledge that the lightenings of God have shined upon you and enlightened the world And the earth saw it and trembled So visible so manifest are the lightnings of the Lord that poor earthly man exceedingly trembles and quakes poore man Adam earth the poore earthy frame of man hath seen and trembled The earth saw and trembled you have seen the Lord though I know ther 's that in you that saies yee have not you doe not I know you have seen the Lord the earth hath seen God hath set His feete upon the earth all the earth have had a view of God ther 's never a doore at which God hath not knocked every eye shall see Him although when they see him they turn away from him and would forget him for so soon as ever the door is opened and they see the Lord they runne away from him and cannot endure the sight of him Amongst all the things of the world its most dreadfull and and terrible to see the lightnings of God I know yee had rather runne into the hottest fire then into the fire of God and though yee have seen yee say ye have not because yee have no minde to see him but the whole earth hath seen the Lord though they have been suddaine startings and quick motions and flashings yet the earth saw it And that it hath seen here 's the effect it trembles And trembled It s a constant universal effect of the sight of God this quaking this trembling there is no man hath the least view of God but it strikes death to him Oh man earthly man must die This sight kils man Oh now I must seace to bee Now all is going Now all is lost Now every thing is drawing into the sad pit of destruction Now every thing is swallowed up into the horrible pit of nothingnesse I have saith the earthly man seene and known and been but now I shall know and see and bee no more Wee know how dreadfull and fearfull the view and sight of God is and though nothing more joyfull to the spiritual man yet nothing more joyfull to the earthly man What shal we doe wee have seen the Lord said they that saw an Angel The Lord cloathing himselfe with an Angel was very terrible for they said we shal dye The appearance of the Lord is terrible to the flesh of man The mountains leape and fly away the waters roule back the foundations of the deep are discovered The whole Earth shakes A general Earth-quake seizes upon the Nations What ail you yee mountains to bee removed What ail you yee waters to divide asunder What all you yee Son and Moon that your lights are put out What ail you yee Stars great and small that yee drop down from Heaven like untimely Figgs What ail you all yee People and Languages that your Faces gather palenesse and blackness What ail you that yee are afraid and do tremble What 's the reason you so shiver and quake The reason is ye are before the God of the whole Earth The presence of the LORD is present Death to all but Himself when the LORD comes every thing retires and as he comes neare so all things Fly packing before Him The Rod of God is shaking over the hearts of men which makes them exceedingly to tremble and quake and if yee wil not yet bee sensible here 's that which is more visible more sensible hee that hath an eare must Heare and doth Heare what this Rod speakes The Hils melted Suppose there should bee that stoutnesse in the spirits of men that they are become like mountains and hils suppose that there should bee that hardnesse and brauninesse of hell and death upon the spirits of men that they will not see yet the hils do melt The hils melted like waxe If any Creature be upheld and strengthned it is by Satan like Pharaoh's heart that was hardened by the wrath of God that he might bee destroyed I know no man ignorant of this but it is through his suffering the Devil to seduce him but though a man be seduced by Satan hardned by hell and do not see yet the mountains doe see and feels and melt before the LORD Hils Mountains What are these Not materiall mountains or materiall hils the mountains of the Earth are Great-ones Strong-ones Kingdomes Nations Governments these are Great mountains which the men of the Earth yee may call them the beasts of the Earth have continually lived upon fed upon and been nourished by And those Churches that have called themselves the hils and mountains of the LORD mount Sinay and mount Sion these everlasting hils that have stood so long time shall melt That Justice Wisdome Power Strength Order Religion Ordinances Obedience and Love which hath been set up by God and by the Ministers and Angels of
into joy A Voice so powerfull so effectuall that doth indeed cause sighings and sorrowes to flee away eternall and everlasting joy saies Rejoyce A Fountain of joy filling US with joy saith rejoyce Joy it self speaks it self in US and saith Rejoyce I would not have you be troubled any longer I shall not be satisfied til I have wiped all teares from your eyes So long as you sigh you wound and pierce my heart I cannot be merry my self till my Spouse doe rejoyce with me So long as you are afflicted I mourn and your mirth is my rejoycing Therfore come let 's rejoyce together Let 's sing together Let Me be the matter of Thy joy Knowing Me Thou can'st not but rejoyce I know nothing troubles you but the absence of GOD. And there is no grief but this That GOD is absent Nothing displeases you but that GOD doth not Reign Nothing can disquiet a Saint but this That GOD is not exalted And therefore you shall be eased of your sadest thoughts and greatest perplexities and Yee shall see that which will abundantly comfort you Yee shall see your King Ye shall see the LORD Reign This Reign shall be in you Thy King commeth unto thee Our God knowes our troubles and knowes how to apply a remedy He knows what mounds US to see sin and Satan lifting up their heads so high to see the honour of our God in the dust to see this that Christ is crucified to see that we are any thing but GOD this is our sorrow this is our mourning and our God comes to US and removes this sadnesse Indeed we will not rejoyce till we see our KING we refuse to be comforted because We are not Rachel mourning for her children refusing to be comforted because they were not We will renounce all comforts without the presence of a God We will not rejoyce but in this Joy and yet in obedience to this voyce to this Lord we cannot but rejoyce We have all joy in speaking We rejoyce at the heart with joy unspeakable and full of glory We are full of the glory of God and therefore Wee rejoyce greatly Rejoyce Greatly Every thing in US must rejoyce in God every thing must be satisfied and fild with joy ther 's no true mirth except it be universall mirth universall satisfaction if every part be not fil'd the whole cannot be pleased if we have not all Joy but if our God gives US all Joy it is so great as to fill US every one and fill every one full This joy and rejoycing is the Infinite End and Answer of fullnesse and when God doth fill us full the Rebound of this fullnesse is joy The Lord filling us so with Himself that wee returne back again into himself filling us so full that wee flow out this is our joy when we have so much as wee can hold no more when wee are weary of râ—ceiving pouring back to Him that gave us all This is our JOY and Rejoyceing So long as ther 's a defect and want wee cannot rejoyce til all are compleatly satisfied Indeed all Heavenly joy is great hath a greatnesse and glory and Majesty in it we are never so awfull and terrible to our enemies as when we are singing and rejoycing we are mighty strong and powerfull in joy the joy of God makes US to bee Great persons Eminent persons and our joy is heightened and doth daily rise higher and higher it growes continually fuller and fuller and the Spirit of the LORD doth screw us and winde us up to the highest note of joy great HIGH and Excellent joy It pleaseth thee Oh Lord our GOD to hear our voices lifted up Oh how it pleaseth the Lord to have a Triumphing joy in US as that wee should wholly forget all sorrow that wee should bee even wilde and drunke with joy that wee should even forget our selves in great rejoycing Rejoyce greatly leape dance and sing greatly Le ts have the largest of your hearts the largest of your affections and wee will fill them with joy doe not live like low mean and base persons but Great persons in the greatest height Not the joy of Common Men or Common Creatures but the highest joy the fullest joy Rejoyce greatly O Daughter of Zion The Affections and love of God makes us rejoyce And finding God a heart full of love makes US to have hearts full of joy to heare God breake forth in expressions of love makes us break forth in expressions of joy when he cryes Oh my love then we doe sing with joy and when hee is in paine to deliver Himself into us to deliver us into Himselfe then do we rejoyce when Wee finde our God ravisht with love taken enamoured with us Oh Daughter Wee cannot but rejoyce when we see great love large expressions of the favour of our God then wee are well pleased O Daughter of Zion What a sweet Name is this It shews our relation though at a distance from him it shews our tendernesse and weaknesse yet the delight and pleasure that the Lord our Husband takes to us and in us Zion is the mountain of GOD Mount Zion the mountain of the LORD and we are the Daughter of this mountaine the Daughter of the LORD Take it as in a generation removed and the further we are removed from God the more need have wee of consolation and the greater love The heavenly state of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Apostles ye know is called mount Zion Ye are come to mount Zion to Jerusalem the City of the living God GOD dwelling with His people in a manifestation of his own Spirit and presence is mount Zion Jesus Christ exalted in the resurrection and His people walking with Him and in Him is mount Zion and the poor Saints of God at this time are but the daughter of this in the purest and best estate it is but the daughter of Zion dwelling with the daughter of Babylon the daughter of Zion in captivitie The uttermost that you have and enjoy and know of God it is but that Gospel-state removed or something that the Spirit of the LORD begets in you in some proportion and sutablenes unto the state that Christ and his Apostles had That uttermost Spirit of the LORD forming in you and begetting in you something of Himself and of His own grace that hath though in weaknesse and infirmity some likenesse to that state the Church lived in in the primitive times and that is I acknowledge and confesse the daughter of that the daughter of that faith the daughter of that love the daughter of that Gospel and the daughter of that presence of God though in infirmity and weaknesse a childe and that a female and in captivity in Babylon None hath this state and condition pure and perfect but mingled with darknesse and weaknes with much Antichristianisme This wee owne there is some similitude and likenesse of the state which was in deed and in truth in
he that hath the least acquaintance with God though a babe and childe yet he shal be able to puff at them to despise all the glory and strength and power of the creature The children of men The new man is the LORD from Heaven children and men and the children of men all believe the great God of Heaven and Earth children with Christ the holy childe Jesus The children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings Grown men shal come into the light of thy countenance but Children shall trust under the shadow of thy wings The LORDS wings take the near unto himself but the shadow of his winds takes in the most poorest and weakest the shadow of his wings reaches very far The excellency of the loving kindnesse of God makes every one glad to gather near unto him and glad to get under shelter of the name of the LORD glad that they can in the least manner be shadowed and kept by the goodnesse of God it is that which the LORD saith How often would I have gathered you together as a hen gathereth her chicken under her wings c. It is an expression often used in Scripture covering with wings the wings of God I will carry you upon Eagles wings As birds flying so will the LORD defend Jerusalem It shewes the excellency of the goodnes of God his spirit his power is to his in the worst times soft and tender as feathered wings when God is the hardest and ruffest to the world then is he gentlest as feathered wings to his people or that great darknesse that is upon the world and upon the enemies of God is but shadowes of Gods wings to his own people and we seeing these troubles that are abroad in the world we know they are but the shadowes of Gods wings with which he doth cover his people and when God opens and spreads forth his wings and causeth that darknes and confusion to be upon the people its cause of joy and comfort to his people for they see them to be the wings of God in which they have peace and rest and therefore that which is the worlds trouble is our safety that which is the worlds grief is our joy and that which is the worlds and the men of the earths disquietnesse is our comfort and consolation When wee see these motions and commotions wars and tumults in and upon the earth then God is risen from his seat and he is flying he is upon his wings and therefore as the world the flesh the earth dreads these things and runs from them the children of God shal run to them and put their trust in them what though wee doe not see the face of God in brightnes and clearnesse yet I see this is the shadow of his wings though I doe not triumpt with him upon the Throne yet I see this is the shadow of himself Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings The weakest and poorest Saints of God shall be able ney are able to put confidence and trust in God in trouble and that which darkens the joy and comfort of others is a comfort and shelter to the Saints and that which they so much complaine of That the Sunne is turned into darknesse all our ligts created comforts and peace appears to be nothing but darknesse yet this is a shadow a shelter unto them and they shall see that this is the wing of God by which he will carry us up into himself And though God doth not walke with us in the setled way of creatures as he hath done yet wee see him flying about us with the wings of his own Spirit with the wings of his own favour and love so there is a shelter and safety for us but that is not enough though this be good for children for the children of men but they shall also be aboundantly satisfied with the fatnes of thy house They shall be abundantly satisfiid with the fatnesse of thy house I shal rejoyce a little to speake of these words Protection is very sweet to lie down in the shadow of God the hollow of GODS hand is very comfortable but not onely so But they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house heer 's not onely protection and safety but food and plenty satisfaction abundance of satisfaction and that of the richest and chiefest of all Fatnesse and that in the house of God wee shal be alwaies full we shal alwaies feast we shal alwaies have our table richly furnished we shal continually have bread enough and our waters shal not faile wee shal want nothing we shal not say of any thing I would we had this or if we had this or that it would be wel with us wee shal see compleatnesse not a desire unsatisfied not a longing expression unles longing it selfe may have its satisfaction in it self not a desire but shall be satisfied and then the desire shal be satisfaction it selfe and this is the greatest happines that is satisfaction and dissatisfaction is the root of unquietnesse to look for and long for that which you dave not is restlesnesse but in this enjoyment of God wee have alwaies what wee would have the LORD wil so manifest himself that wee shal not say of any thing wee would have this wee shal never be baging and craving but alwaies enjoying never be hungering unlesse hunger sets an appetite to heavenly things and so makes them more delightful to us wee have nothing present that shall be absent there shal bee no corner of our heart unfill'd but every thing shal be compleated every thing shal have enough so we shal be satisfied And abundantly satisfied Not a little but very large satisfaction abundant of satisfaction we have enough and shal have enough and to spare we shal have overflowings of light peace joy power strength and of every good thing The LORD our GOD feeds us not in a nigerdly way but gives us abundance enough to spare we have more then wee are able to receive more then we are able to carry or makes us know such abundance that if it were not a abundance it would be a burthen to us so thronged with joy comfort peace wisdome power and strength that if it were not GOD we might complain we had too much it doth superabound all nessessaries all wants it 's even more then we desire onely we have a desire created in it if there be any difficulty it is because it 's too much too great too large if we have any reason to complain it is because it 's excessive and if any desires come from us it is that God would withhold and if any paine it 's because we cannot stand under the weight of glory But this is goodnesse to be overcome with this fulnesse drowned with mercy We are even laden with blessings and because they are blessings they are no loads else it would be a huge load indeed if
of the man so the man is by the woman but all things of God The Woman is of the Man Christ saith I am of the Father The Church saith I am of Christ I have nothing saith Christ but what I have of the Father I have nothing saith the Soul but what I have in Christ I doe nothing of my self but what I see the Father doe saith Christ I doe nothing of my self nothing of my own but as I see Christ doe what I have or am I am of him saith Man I am all of him and in him This is more easily confest But then Even so is man by the woman As I am of Christ saith the Soul even so is Christ by me As the woman saith I am of man I confesse so is man by me and he hath his being from me Question How comes this to be so Answ First Thus Man is by the Woman in the stubstance in Jesus Christ As Wisdome borne of a woman He is therefore called the Sonne of Man descended from Man As Christ descends from God in a way of descending the Father begets the Sonne the Son begets us so the Sonne ariseth out of us The Father out of him As Christ receives substance from the Father and we from him so Christ ariseth out of us The Father out of him And as we borrow our selves of him so he is borrowed out of us As by his travel we are brought forth he labours six daies and brings forth us so by our labor he is brought forth by us And he doth as freely confesse us to be his Mother as he is willing to be our Father He hath his originall from us and doth confesse that it is his glory that he hath his birth rice and growth out of such a poore mean stock and root as Man Jesus Christ is by us he is of man he is called the Son of man First Nan is in the World then Christ then God as God is first in Heaven then Christ then Man And so if ye will take the point of the lowest from the Earth Then first Man is begotten Man is Man lives and after man is then comes Christ borne of Man an age after Man the second unto unto Man when Christ hath lived heer a time then is God As we are of him so he is of us Even so is the man by the woman God doth so empty Himself of all that he hath into the Son that he doth as it were receive a new being from the Sonne God doth so love Jesus Christ that he doth deny himselfe for his sake I doe even spoyle my self of my glory my Son to empty it into thee I doe divest my self of my glory to put it upon and in thee Christ comes and empties himselfe by his humiliation into us I will powre out my Kingdome into you I will suffer my Kingdome to be wholly emptied into flesh into man And the next Kingdome that I have shall be in Man in you And if I am not emptied enough into you by my incarnation then I le come forth on the crosse and be slain that I might be more in you And the glory that I had distinct from you I have lost it And ever I be raised again it shall be by you and in you or in you and with you Even so is Man also by the Woman That seeing it hath pleased me to humble my self so low or it hath pleased thee for my sake in obedience to me to be abased therefore in reward to this righteousnesse and subjection of thine I le have my glory out of thee by thee And then when our Lord Jesus hath brought us into subjection and slain us Now Mark That out of an empty and dying state I will arise into glory and I will come to my greatnesse and majesty by this meanes that you are in Though Man be the head of the Woman yet Man is by the woman and though this be the greatnesse of Man yet he must have his being by the Woman A woman shall compasse a man And he is swollowed up and lost even in this weaknesse that he might receive another glory out of us by us and in us But all things of God Now if ye meet with this mystery in any peece of it if you meet with this truth in in any percel of it or if you meet with this in a side-look it will have no comlinesse at all in it or nothing to be desired but if you see this in open face as in God if you see God below and God above God in you and GOD without you God in Christ GOD in his People If you see God fill all in all how he is the highest in the lowest the lowest in the highest how he is gift in taking and taking in giving that what he gives he hath and what he hath he gives O this is order and harmony there 's no striffe or jarre in this tune every string speaks to one another and imbrace each other all points are good in their place and every period if you take them in God as all things are in God O now 't is excellent here 't is precious Heavenly mysteries are pleasant reconciled sweet no where but in God of GOD but out of him they are full of weaknesse obsurdity and meer vanity And any of these enjoyments outward beings inward speculations outward actions c. if they are not all as of God in GOD they are all nothing In being broken off from the whole they are kil'd and slain but in the head ye see them joyntly imbrace one another as many and yet one being two and yet one being two and yet the same being one and yet devided devided yet whole This is sweet The end of the eight sermon THE WITNESSES DEATH AND RESURRECTION REVEL 11.11 12. And after three daies and a halfe the Spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon-their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them And they heard a great voice from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them THere is much talk and discourse of the two witnesses and of the slaying of the witnesses which hath occasions the opening of this Scripture at this time I shall briefly passe through the former part of the Chapter which shews the mystery of these two witnesses in a lower and sadder state Prophesâ—ing in sack-cloth together with their death and the lying of their dead bodies in the streets of the great City And shall hasten to that which to me is the most pleasant and delightfull Their Resurrection and Ascension which are exprest in the verses now read It s said in the first verse of the chap. There was given to me a Reed like unto a Rod and the Angel stood saying Rise and measure the Temple of God and the Alter and they that worship therein We know concerning the
is not without a glorious light a bright shining light It 's by daies But more particularly I will give God Himself will give this inward spirituall glorious light of Himself Hee will give to his two witnesses a more Immediate discovery of Himself a more Divine and Heavenly light then to all the World besides More Spirituall light more life more grace more glory shall appeare when there shall bee an explicateing and unfolding of the secret but sweet Name of the LORD The LORD saith it This I will doe and the LORD doth whatsoever He saith I will give unto my two witnesses MY two witnesses The two witnesses are described to bee two Olive trees and two Candlesticks standing before the GOD of the whole Farth I the LORD will give unto MY witnesses To my TWO witnesses The LORD hath TWO Witnesses that testify concerning Himself which are Christ and the Spirit Two witnesses first the Son then the Spirit first Christ in flesh and then Christ in Spirit These are the two Olive trees Through which the golden Oyle of the God-head and Dietie runnes into the Church into the two golden Candlesticks That Holy anointing which runnes through the flesh and Spirit of Christ into the Saints whereby they come to bee the Holy Anointed ones of GOD and these two testifie that there is a God in the Earth The first Witnesse is Christ in the flesh testifying in weaknesse in lownesse in meannesse and this is the Olive tree on the left hand The other Witnesse is Christ in spirit in more power and glory testifying or bearing Witnesse to GOD in more brightnesse strength and power and this is The Olive tree on the right hand Christ in Majestie Christ exalted And I will give to my two witnesses I I the LORD will give I the Father wil give It 's the proper nature of the Father to give to send forth from Himself And they to whom the Lord gives are first Christ in flesh and secondly Christ in Spirit And these testifie and shew forth what God is And they shall prohesie a thousond two hundred and sixty daies clothed in sackcloth Such is the wisdome of GOD that when he will have the holy City the outward court left to the Gentiles to worldly Professours to be trodden under foot it 's for so many moneths It s for a space of time measured by the Moon But he will give to his two witnesses to prophesie by daies They shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and sixty daies The course of the Moon is by months The course of the Sun is by daies A day is measured by the Sun as a moneth is by the Moon And it is to be observed that though the prophesying of the Witnesses be reckoned by shorter and quicker spaces daies being shorter then moneths yet is for a speciall reason to signify that this time of the prophesying of the witnesses is a day-time it 's a day the day of the Lord. And though the Gentiles time is more in bulk by moneths yet it is no more then the time of the prophesie of the witnesses is by daies It 's a glorious time it 's the time of the appearing of the Sonne of righteousnesse though it be reckoned by daies yet it is the same time and of as long continuance as the other that is reckoned by moneths When the outward Court is trampled under foot by the Gentiles forty two moneths then the two witnesses are prophesying a thousand two hundred and sixty daies I wil give you a particular reason why the time of the witnesses prophesying is reckoned by daies It is to note the infinite variety of dispensations in the prophesying of the witnesses In which time are many sweet bright shining daies many excellent discoveries many glorious mysteries are voutsafed unto the People of God in the time of their prophesying and yet the nature of their prophesie is They are cloathed in sackcloth It is a darke mournfull expression holding forth thus much That they are in a dark low course sad mean and poor estate and but prophesying neither The LORD comes and sets up his two witnesses Christ in flesh and Christ in spirit He gives two witnesses of himself the flesh of Christ and the spirit of Christ the one to be crucified the other to revive the one prophesying and foretelling what shall be in sackcloth in a very dark low mean estate the other prophesying and fore-telling heavenly things to come More high more glorious more divine discoveries are made known by the Spirit of Christ then by the flesh of Christ And these are the two Olive trees and two golden chandlesticks standing at the right hand and left hand of the God of the whole earth To my two witnesses There are many and various interpretations that People doe make of these two Witnesses which though very remote from the inward and spirituall pith and marrow yet they may bear some Analogie or proportion with the minde of the Spirit as they are a dark figure of truth and in their greatest distance may be gathered up into these two Christ in flesh and Christ in Spirit Some interpret them to be the Magistracy and Ministry this is a very darke interpretation and very remote from the Adequate sense and meaning of the place and yet it may hold forth some-thing of truth in it it being a dark figure of the Magistracy and Ministry of Christ Christ a Minister a Servant a Prophet a Priest So he is in the flesh Christ a Lord a King Reigning Governing and so he is the Spirit Some again interpret them to be the two Testaments the old and the new which they call Law and Gospel A remote and dark figure still of Ghrist in flesh and Spirit Christ in flesh having much in it of the nature of the old Testament Christ in Spirit the new man the LORD from heaven having much in it of the nature of the new Covenant or new Testament But it 's generally understood to be the Saints of God and to speake in proper language these are the Saints of God or the holy ones of God Christ in the Spirit Christ in the flesh and Christ in Spirit where these two are bearing witnesse in any they are the Saints of God they are the holy ones of God These are the two Olive trees spoken of and the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth Zech. 4. last verse These are the two holy anointed ones of God If the question be What be these two Olive trees which through the golden pipes empty the golden oyle out of themselves It 's answered They are the two anointed ones of God It 's too much for men meer men to be the Olive trees or the Olive branches arising out of the root of God emptying the golden Oyle out of themselves for men take oyle into themselves but Christ in flesh and spirit gives forth the golden Oyle into the two golden candlesticks The Spirit
in the anointed ones or the anointing of the Spirit in the flesh of the Saints are the two Olive trees and the two golden candlesticks standing by the Lord of the whole Earth Emanuel God with us God with man God in flesh And they have mighty power If any man hurt them fire proceeds out of their mouths to devoure their enemies If any thing within or without riseth up against Christ and the Spirit against these two Olive trees against these two witnesses prophesying fire proceeds out of their mouths and devoureth it If any man hurt them he must in this manner be killed They have great power though but prophesying and in sackcloth Fire proceeds out of their mouths c. Not materiall fire but spirituall fire The fire of God in the Iowest â—state of the two witnesses though but prophesying in sackcloth is very firce and terrible If any man rise up against the Test mony of Christ in Spirit against these two Olive trees they have power to destroy it fire proceeds from the Spirit torments consumes and destroyes it whatsoever riseth up against these two witnesses in this our age this fire it hath it doth constantly destroy and devour it up And I am sure of it the cause of all the devouring plagues that are upon the world in this age at this time the distractions and confusions that are upon all powers ecclesiasticall and civell is for the hurting and opposing the low poor and mean beginnings and appearances of the Lord in his witnesses And this be ye assured of if any man will hurt or oppose them be he never so great be he never so wise be he never so strong and powerfull be he never so rich wealthy be he never so devout and religious if he or they shall oppose the Spirit of the LORD Christ in his People in their prophesying either as they leave out the outward Court and holy City or as they are measuring the inward Temple and Alier as they are worshipping God in the Temple sacrificing and offering up their flesh and fleshlinesse I say whosoever shall make opposition against the Spirit and spirituall actings of the Lord Christ and his People must in this manner be killed Fire puoceedeth out of their mouths c. Fire shall destroy the whole world and all that which is of the world I have found that whatsoever in me hath risen up in opposition against these two witnesses the fire of the LORD hath fallen upon it and destroyed it and I have found that the two witnesses have power to shut heaven that it raine not These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the daies of their Prophesie When these two witnesses testify against any thing any man any creature any way any ordinances any judgement saying This is hethenisme this is gentileisme this is carnall this is fleshly this is the creature this is man and not God or of God presently it is destroyed consumed blasted and brought to nothing And in this they shall shut Heaven through men have formerly been sweetly affected by the power of grace yet when any thing in them hath risen up against these witnesses they have power to shut Heaven against them As they have power to open Heaven upon some so they hove power to shut Heaven upon others that is effectually to exclude all carnal fleshly earthly man from the showers and dewes of the grace of God Though they have made never so great a shew of holines religiousnes and godlines though they have been able to say much and execute what they say yet when the two witnesses have declared that it is not God it is not Christ it is not the holy one of God but it 's man it 's the flesh it 's the outward Court that is excluded not the inward Temple Therefore measure it not leave it out meddle not with it exclude it from having the dewes and showers of Heaven fall upon it let not the sweet distilling strerms of God fall upon it for it is not God nor off God Presently Heaven hath been shut and they have had no rain This we have experience of in their ministration This me have found with a bundance of justnesse When any man or any thing hath risen up against these witnesses these Prophets and so it hath been frequently seen though they have been never so glorious in the Word and under never so glorious professions of Gospel Christ free-grace the light of the knowledge of God Church felowships and such like notions as these yet When ever they have risen up against the Spirit of Christ so soon as the same Spirit hath declared and witnessed what they are presently they have deen blasted withered scattered and broken They have had no more Raine from Heaven and have withered as a plant that God hath not planted as a branch that hath had no showers And have power to turne water into Bloud This we have seen to for we speak nothing else but what wee have seen that whereas professors have formerly had many pleasant streames many sweet waters many refreshing comforts and joyes Immediately upon the Witnesses Prophesying all their sweet waters have been turned into bloud ordinances duties gifts when they are not spirituall and spiritually exercised the Witnesses Prophesying have turned them into-bloud into contention strife debate distraction and confusion And to smite the earth with all Plagues The Earth is Thy creation the subject on which these Plagues are inflicted Whenfoever the Spirit of the Lord appeares either on the right hand or on the left that is as Christ in flesh and Christ in Spirit whensoever these Two witnesses these two Anointed ones that stand by the LORD of the whole Earth shall testify and beare witnesse of flesh to be crucified killed and slain presently their testimony smite the Earth and all earthly things with Plagues These Prophets have the Power of God and all the Power of GOD and can smite the Earth with what Plagues they will I have found them Smiting the Earth with sicknesses spirituall sicknesses weaknesses consumptions leprosies plague-sores running-sores famine death warres feares frightings amazments wild-beasts with all these Plagues The Earth is now full of Plagues sent forth from the mouthes of these two witnesses And when they shall have finished their testimony the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit shall make warre against them and shall oversome them and kill them There is a time to Witnesse and a time to Finish their work and you have it here Prophesied that they must first Finish their Testimony and that they shall bee overcome and killed but not before they have finished their Testimony But How must they be killed The beast that ascends out of the bottomlesse pit shall made warre against them and kill them This Beast which ascends out of the bottomlesse pit is Antichrist Many speake of the slaying of the Witnesses and it is in many peoples mouthes now which
doth certainly foretell though in them very darkly something that is to come But first let me tel you that that which shall kill them must Ascend out of the Bottomlesse pit It shall bee no outward or visible force that shall slay these two Witnesses It shall bee by no visible Power of Kings or Princes Papists or Malignants that these Witnesses shall be killed no we may see to the Bottom of al these That which shall slay these two Witnesses shall Ascend from a pit that hath no Bottom that is There shall such hellish fins such Hideous Monstrous darknesse such filthy Beastlinesse arise in the mindes and spirits of men that shall fight against the very Light of Christ and the Spirit of Christ in His People But these Witnesses are above the rage and reach of all visible Powers They may indeed kill and slay the bodies of men and after that can doe no more for alas that is not that which is here slain But the two Olive Trees Christ in Fesh and Spirit And that which kills them is a Beast a Beastlinesse below the Beastlinesse of man It 's not man it 's by no power of man It 's Beastly darknesse Beastly lusts Hellish wickedness such as ariseth from a Pit that hath no bottom such as you cannot tel whence it is nor what it is such as hath not been visibly manifest amongst the Sons of men Ye shall see yet more abominable hellish hiddious beastly black wickednesse then ever yet appeared Ye cannot yet tel the Father of these wickednesses Ye are able to say such and such wickednesses comes from the Pope such and such from Jesuites and Papists such and such from your owne hearts But yee shall finde such black hellish wickednesse such disorder and confusion such torment such disquietment such ignorance such base ignorance come out of a Pit deeper and darker and filthyer then hath yet been found out amongst the sons of men such as is without length or breadth such as is not to be fathomed or measured such a pit shal be opened and such darknesse come in to the world as never before appeared such as shall be blacker and baser and fouler then hitherto hath been brought forth And these shall make warre against the Witnesses and overcome them First fight then overcome and kill them First oppose the light of the LORD the Spirit of the LORD Christ I say oppose these two witnesses and testimonies of the presence of the LORD of GOD dwelling in flesh killing flesh offering up flesh upon the Alter These shal be opposed Secondly overcome them and kill them There is a continuall opposition of the Death and of the Resurrection of Christ and of Christ Risen in us of GOD dwelling with us and in us And there shal such a darknesse such a black darknesse arise out of this bottomles pit that shal fight with this light overcome it and kill it So that ye shal not bee able to say ye have God in you These Olive trees shall not give forth their Oyle they shall not bee able to speake their own Language in you ye shal not enjoy those sweet inward refreshings that some times yee have had The Witnesses shal be overcome killed and slain such hidious monsterous darknesse shal arise in you that yee shall not know that yee have the Spirit of God that Christ dwels in you ye shal not be able to see or say that yee have the presence of God with you that ye have the presence of these two Olive trees Emptying their Golden Oyle into you Al their opperations shal be quite killed slain and dead And their dead bodies shall lye in the streets of the great City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified The place of the dead bodies is the streets of the great City Babylon The world govern'd by Satan the god of the world is Babylon In the Streets of the great City Babylon yee shall have the dead bodies of the Witnesses lye un-buried There yee shall have some formes and figures of what they have said and done but dead without life without power without spirit Yee shal have strange workings of the Devill and Satan in the streets of the great City when the Witnesses are killed to preserve their carcasses formes and figures spiritless and life-less And this is the wickednes of the flesh Heightened There are these two Streets in the great City Sodom and Egypt that will bee found in you though they doe not yet appeare The filthinesse of Sodom pride gluttony fulnesse of bread and abundance of Idlenesse The wickednes of Egypt Idolatry enmity rage and malice against the Israel of GOD. Where also our Lord was Crucified Our Lord was Crucified at Jerusalem litterally or according to the Letter But spiritually it was in Sodom and Egypt It was the filthy wickednesse of Sodom and the cursed enmity of Egypt that Crucified Christ And you wil finde that that spirituall Sodom and Egypt that filthy wickednesse of Sodom and that cursed Idolatry of Egypt is that same wickednesse which shal wil and must kill and slay these two witnesses or thus That wickednesse in the Scribes and Pharisees that crucified Christ formerly I say that wickednesse Heightened and Spirituallized in the worldly fleshly part of the Saints that wickednesse growne more vil'd and more abominable then ever was known before The wickednesse of the Scribes and Pharisees that accused Christ of the High Priest that condemned Christ of Judas that betrayed Christ that grown as Sodom and Egypt as the filthy whordome of Sodom as the cursed emnity of Egypt shal make warre against these two witnesses and kill them Here the Dead bodies of these two Witnesses Lyeth And they of the people and kinreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three daies and an halfe and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves Peoples Kinreds Nations Tongues Gifts Strengths Powers c. Shal see the dead bodies of the two Witnesses the outward forme and figure without spirit and life The outward carcasse that these Heavenly lights that these two witnesses did minister in They shal see them and shal not suffer them to be buried to bee put in graves The earthly carnal worldly part of man cannot endure that these bodies should bee buried And why They live upon them they cannot subsist without them their very life and being is upheld and maintained by the carcass by the body the dead body by the fleshly part that is in man in the Saints The Remembrance and sight of these is their very life therefore they will not suffer them to bee put in graves to bee buried out of their sight They keep up al outward and fleshly formes above ground as long as they can It is their life their peace their comfort their joy they are glad that the Spirit and life is gon that was wont to vex and torment them And they that dwell on
the earth shall rejoyce over them and make merry and shall send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them c. They that dwell on the Earth shal rejoyce All fleshly powers and parts rejoyce and are glad in these formes There is an ease a freedome a joy a rejoycing that ariseth in and amongst earthly men when these two Prophets are slain And shall send gifts one to another Those that were before counted earthly men are now in their owne Esteem Heavenly Wee are say they good Christians Religious men yea in their owne esteem and so they judge of them selves in the midest of their merriment And though wee bee in the Earth and on the Earth yet wee have Peace and Quietnesse and gladnesse wee rejoyce and are merry together Now there is nothing to vex us because they that tormented us are dead This is the manner of their boasting and glorying over the dead bodies the Carcasses of the witnesses when they are slain But after three daies and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them After the death of the witnesses followes their resurrection there must be a death before there can be a resurrection People would fain ascend into Heaven and possesse Heaven and attain to the resurrection of the dead but this they cannot doe untill they be first slain You must die before you can rise I speak to those that are spirituall into whom these Olive trees have emptied themselves I say there must be a death before there can be a resurrection The most excellent the most glorious christians that I know must be slain After three daies and an halfe It 's a sad time this The slaying of the witnesses The prophesie is mournfull yet very effectuall When the Beast ascendes out of the bottomlesse pit killing the witnesses it 's a sad time but when they rise again it is a time of great rejoycing Though their death be grievious yet their resurrection is glorious After three daies and a half This is expressed else-where by a time times and half a time First A Time that 's one day Then times that 's two daies Then half a time or the division of time that 's half a day The meaning is this It will be but a while that the witnesses must lie in this sad and dead condition It will be but a day and two daies and half a day or a time times and half a time and then they shall rise again In this sad condition there will be an expectation of a quick and sudden deliverance Well saith the Soul after one day is past I shall be delivered and recover again This is comfortable that it is but a day O the slaying of the witnesses though a sad time will not be without a day to your spirits A day wherein ye shall see God A day wherein ye shall know 't is day A day wherein shall be an expectation of a seasonable and sweet deliverance But then alas there are yet two dries and half a day wherein it will grow more dark there will be multiplied evils there will be division of times Now saith the Soul let it be when God will I am contented to wait I am not carefull when it shall be When the heart shall lose its expectation of a quick deliverance and shall scarce have a thought of deliverance at all much lesse know when it shall be and shall ly down in a sweet submission now let it be when God pleaseth When this state daies or times is past then comes half a day or half a time And this is a short time now deliverance hasteneth He will cut his work short in righteousnesse For except these daies should be shortened no flesh should be saved but for the Elects sake they are shortend They are but half so much at last as they were at first God will cut his work short in righteousnesse And the Spirit of life from God entered into them There is not true life but by the Spirit of life which is in God When the Spirit of the holy God comes into us then we live that 's a life in deed Before it was the Spirit of God working in a poor low sad state it was a life in sack-cloth a mournfull a dying life a life next the grave But when the Spirit of life from God the Spirit of life that is life it self lives in man then he is well then he lives then he hath life indeed And I heard a great voice from Heaven saying come up hither Untill we hear this great voice Come up hither there is no life there is no motion but when we hear this Voyce then we live I see People are gaping after Heaven but they cannot come up thither see the glory of God or know any true solid joy or peace till they be dead and raised again Then shall they hear a great Voice saying COME VP HITHER And yet this is but the sixt Trumpet So much briefly for this time The end of the ninth sermon THE WITNESSES DEATH AND RESURRECTION REVEL 11.11 12. And after three daies and a halfe the Spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them And they heard a great voice from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them WE have already opened part of this mystery of the two witnesses and have shewed you who they are These two Olive trees or the two golden Candlesticks that stand on the right hand and on the left before the God of the whole earth are Christ and the Spirit who do testify and witnesse concerning the Father And though other ordinary Interpretations of the two Witnesses may be taken in as that it is the Magestracy and the Ministry the old and new Testament and the Saints yet al of them in a very far and remote way and as they have some analogy and similitude with Christ and the Spirit Christ in the flesh being the Minister Priest or Prophet of the Church and Christ in the Spirit being the Magestrate King or Governour of his Church Some take them to be the old and new Testtament which is indeed a dark Figure of Christ in flesh and Christ in Spirit The Old Testament which stood in types shadowes and figures of Christ to come in the flesh may be taken to bee a dark figure of Christ in flesh and the New testament or New Covenant being the testimony and witness of God more clearly with open face may be taken in as a figure of Christ in Spirit Some say they are the Saints and these are indeed the Saints of God the Holy ones of GOD the truly Anointed ones of God These have power that if any man will hurt them fire proceeds out of their mouthes fire proceeds out of the mouth of Christ in the Sdirit and this devours their enemies and
if any man wil hurt them it is death they must in this manner be killed These have power to shut heaven that it raine not in the daies of their Prophesie c. To deny the blessing grace and favour of God to any man any creature or to any thing And they have power over waters to turne them into bloud c. To kill and slay and to mingle strifes contentions debates envie malice and wrath in the minds of men because they are disobeyed And to smite the earth with ALL plagues c. Plagues both inward and outward The Plague of Sword Pestilence Famine Blindness Barrenness Nakedness c. as often as they will And when they have finished their testimony c. Wee have seen their death when their testimony was finished but not before When the Sonne of Man had finished his testimony when his houre was come then must he suffer and not before So when the Witnesses have finished their Testimony they must be killed and not before Then there ascends a beast out of the bottomlesse pit out of the lowest hel the nethermost hell A new and undiscovered wickednesse and uncleannesse of Spirit riseth out of this Bottomlesse pit against the two Witnesses And makes warre against them overcomes them and kills them And then their dead bodies lye in the streets of the great City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt This whole World is this great City as it 's governed and ruled by the God of this World and in this great City of the World is the filthines of Sodom and the Idolatry of Egypt Where also our Lord was Crucified It was a spirituall wickedness that Crucified the Lord Jesus and it shal be a more spirituall wickedness that shal kill and slay these two Witnesses And they of the People and Kinreds and Tongues and Nations c. Humane Carnal Fleshly Gentile Christians the Nations of this world shal see these witnesses lie dead and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves When the Spirit is with-drawn kil'd and slain by the Beast or cloud of darknesse that riseth out of the bottomless pit these Gentiles People worldly Christans shall not suffer their dead bodies outward formes to be buried the natural man upholds the body or form without the spirit a bare humane carnall remembrance to keep up the forme and flesh of Christ left spiritless and life-lesse this is the nature of the men of the world or earthly and fleshly men to live upon the dead carcasse of Christ but they cannot indure the spirit and life of Christ they can live no longer then they have the body dead and slain if that revive they dye And they that dwell on the Earth shall rejoyce over them and make merry And shall send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them that dwelt on the Earth An expression of joy and rejoycing and this is the wickednesse of earthly People that dwell in the Earth that dwell in the World they have no peace no joy longer then they get the mastery of the Spirit of God and when they can by the strngth of that wickednes that ariseth out of the bottomlesse pit trample upon the Spirit of God and of Christ then they are well then they can goe rejoycing from one to another blessing themselves and comforting one another telling vain and foolish stories of their victory that they have killed and slain the Lord and denied him to reigne over them In these three verses following is the reviving of the two witnesses After three daies and an half When these two witnesses shall appear in any shall finish their Testimony bee killed and slain they shall ly dead three daies and an halfe or as it is exprest in the next chapter of the Womans being in the wildernesse for a time times and half a time The time of the killing of the witnesses shall be a time of great joy and rejoycing to them that dwell one the Earth eartly Christians carnall Christians Yet there shall be in it a day Jesus Christ makes the grave a day There is a quiet rest and a sweet day in the death of Christ in the killing of the witnesses and though in it self it be very grievious and terrible yet you shal see brightnesse and glory shinings and twinklings forth of light so that ye shall be able to call it a day But there is a day and two daies and half a day or a time times and half a time First a day and season in which there shall be a comfortable expectation of a seasonable and speedy deliverance where-we are able to say These witnesses are now slain but they shall speedily revive and rise again After that comes times or two daies wherein there will be lesse expectation and more trouble multiplied evils time devided and then there shall not be such an expectation of a speedy deliverance as was before The Soul shall be able to say I shall be delivered but I know not when for ought that appears I may lie long in this state but I will waite with patience I will submit to the will of the Lord. Then after this there 's half a day or a season wherein there shall be a sudden reviving an unexpected deliverance A short work will the Lord make on the Earth The Spirit of life from God entred into them They had before but the Spirit of prophesie The Spirit of Prophesie is the testimony of Jesus wherein though they live'd yet their life was but a saying they should live but a fore-telling of a higher and further state of life to come but now they have a Spirit of life The Spirit of life from God entred into them Not the Spirit of prophesie only but the Spirit of life not only to bee able to fore-tel what they should be but what they are That they are righteous holy happy that they live Yea not only to be able to say they live but to be life it self Not only to Prophesie in sack-cloth to be under a vaile but by the re-entry of the Spirit of life into them to see GOD opening and un-vailing his face These Witnesses must and wil Prophesie before they live First wear sack-cloth Prophesie darkly that they shal live then live First be in expectation and Prophesie of live then live first beleive hope and expect then live We never lose any thing but we gain by it If we lose the Spirit of prophesie we gaine the Spirit of life for it we gaine by sufferings we gaine by losing If a spirit of darkneses ascend out of the bottomlesse pit clouding our comfort we receive a better Spirit for it The Spirit of life from God and so are gainers This we may be assured of for the LORD saith it He will not leave my soul in hell nor suffer his holy one to see corruption We may be brought to the death we may bee killed and slain wee may be dead carcasses But
where the carcasse is thither will the Eagles bee gathered together Thither this Eagle the Divine Spirit of GOD doth resort to this Carcasse I say to Revive it This heavenly Eagle or Spirit of GOD comes and eats up all the deadliness all the corruption all the Carcass that he in us might live in the Spirit There is no true life but the Spirit of life Then may we say we live when we live in the Spirit of GOD this is called the quickning Spirit The first Man was made a living soul the Second was made a quickning Spirit Man is a living soul a living creature and it is the Spirit of GOD that makes him to live a Spiritual life but when that life is killed and slain then he hath a second life for it a better life The Spirit of life life it selfe true life indeed And we know no life no true life but in the LORD our life When HE who is OVR life shall appear c. While the Witnesses prophesie they cannot say that they live but when they have received the Spirit of life then they can truly say they live Now they can claime that title I was dead but am alive I am the resurrection and the life There is no true life til there be a Resurrection til then it 's but a state of mortallity It is not yet life But when we revive and rise again mortallity is swallowed up of life now we live indeed That 's true life that is not subject to death that is true life that cannot be killed That life that is under the Power of death that is under the Command of death that can be extinguished by death is no true life It s life to be set free from death to be dis-engaged and dis-obliged from the command of this King of fears when we can say O death Where is thy sting O grave Where is thy victory When wee can trample upon death that is life true Life indeed The Spirit of life from God True life consists in a continual flowing forth from God a daily powring out of the Divine life the Divine nature into us enlivening and quickning all our actions and services Those are not living actions living services living performances that flow not from the life of GOD in us We live when every thing we act or speak flows from the life of God in us Then wee live when al we do comes from GOD when God sends it forth God speakes it God doth it then they are living words living actions In thy presence is life The absence of the soul from the body is the shadow and but the shadow of death but the absence of GOD from a thing or person that 's death Spiritual death You cannot say a man lives except you see his soul act move speak c. If yee were Christians indeed ye would not say you live until yee hear the voice of GOD saying to you This is the way of God these are the words and works of God There is life true life indeed The reviving and life of these two witnesses is the resurrection and the life the life of the Sonne of God God comes forth in these two in the Son and in the Spirit the fulnes of God shewing it self in the flesh of Christ and the Spirit of Christ this is life These three are all in union together the Father the Son and Spirit in one conjunction and unity The Father puting forth himself in the Son by the Spirit The Father acting quickning and inlivening the Son by the Spirit these mutually imbracing each other is our life Concerning this resurrection of the witnesses observe that it is graduall The Spirit of life from God first entred into them after that they live there was a kinde of absence before but now a presence of the Spirit of God The holy God suffers a kinde of parting to be between himself and his Son ney betwixt himself and his own Spirit which is himself and after this again there is a reuniting First There must be an entrance The Spirit of God first enters into them then they live The Resurrection though it be quick though it be in a moment in the twinkling of an eye yet it is graduall First There is an entrance of the Spirit The Spirit of life from God entered into them Secondly There is a double effect of this entering of the Spirit 1. They stood upon their feet 2. They heard a great voiyce saying Come up hither First The Spirit of the Lord entered into them while they are dead while their dead bodies were lying in the streets of the great City the breath of life from God entered into them And this is very certain we shall not lose any thing that we have had Though the Lord withdraw himselfe from us a little while yet he will returne to us again and then he wil gather up al that is scattered and enter into all that 's dead And they stood upon their feet This is the second gradation or the second degree of their Resurrection which is two-fold 1. They could own the Lord they could say The Lord is with us our God is with us and in us Life is come to us We are the holy ones of God We are the golden candlesticks upon whom the light of God doth shine This is the Spirit of life from our God And then secondly they are raised from the earth and so raised as that they can stand upon their feet an expression of the dry bones Ezek. 37. into whom when the breath of the Lord came they lived they stood upon their feet an exceeding great Army So the Prophet Ezekel when he was overcome by the glory of God in the great vision he saw chapter 2. it 's said The Spirit of the Lord entred into him and he stood upon his feet And so Daniel was raised chapter 10.10 11. O Daniel a man greatly beloved understand the words that I speak unto thee and stand upright Which is the same with this The Spirit of the Lord intring into us standing up in us manifesting and shewing what wee are making us visibly to appear the anointed ones of God inabling us to stand up and own a heavenly and spiritual life and light to appear to arise to shew our selves that we are the holy ones of God And though whilest wee were slain and dead we could not owne the Lord or acknowledge him we could not confesse the Lord who he was and what he was because we were in death and darknesse yet now having the Spirit of the Lord entred into us we now being raised from the dead we stand up and are able to say Wee are the Lords wee are the holy anointed ones of God There is life and strength and confidence appearing in the witnesses standing upon their feet so that they can say We by this life or in this life of God are able to live amonst men to walk about in the Name
into their eyes into their hearts that I know they see and connot but see and say This is the Lord and they tremble And I heard a great voyce saying Come up hither When we are alive we hear the voyce of GOD. And though the voyce of GOD be a mighty voyce a great voyce a strong voyce yet when we hear God speak we rejoyce O pleasant voyce pleasant because from Heaven O Heavenly voyce When Heaven speakes it speakes love and life and joy and glory and kingdome and power and goodness and excellency and majesty We hear it we hear it continually an eternal word It is alwaies sounding in our hearts and eares O this great voyce this mighty voyce Every thing that is in us heares it every faculty every part every gift Every thing heares this voyce It speaks largely it speaks mightily and powerfully it speakes to the whole man It is so big and great that it makes us to become all ear or the ear to be every where and every thing the head the feet the body the soul the spirit the inward man the outward man all hear this great voyce It speaks with Authority and Power It removes and sets aside every thought that hinders obedience to it hile we hear it we obey it we receive it It is so great that there is nothing else left but it This great Voyce saith Come up hither it is so great a voice that it turnes us into Heaven it turnes us into the voyce it selfe we are the voyce it fils Heaven and Earth so mighty so powerfull so full of majesty O it 's the great answer of our praiers the great end of our hopes the great glory we look for the great reward of our sufferings the great joy of our GOD the great love of our God! O It 's the voyce of our beloved of our Father of our King of our GOD It s thy voyce O GOD A great voyce from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither To them to none else none but the Holy ones the Anointed ones of God none but they that live in the Spirit of God though it be a great voyce yet it is spoken to none but them You my Son you my Spirit you my Self Come up hither Rev. 4.1 saith John A voyce said unto mee Come up hither and immediately I was in the Spirit So here When the Witnesses heare the voyce immediately they ascend The voyce takes them up into Heaven up into it selfe The voyce saiith unto them Come up hither Come to Me live in Me live in My Power live in My Strength live in My Glory live in My Kingdome Be as I Am Be where I Am Be what I Am Do what I Do Do as I Do Come into My Glory live not below the glory of God live no longer like creatures live no longer in the world but Come up hither and live in the glory of the Creator the glory of GOD Live not amongst men live not amongst Angels but live the life of GOD Come up hither Come to Me. This is not a going from place to place in a carnal way by a bodily motion but the true ascending and coming to God is in the Spirit of God in the life of God to live in the presence of God in the Face of God in the Kingdome of God in the Glory of God Come up hither O Excellent voyce O powerfull voicel O precious voyce O pleasant voycel Transcendent love Infinite goodnesse The bosome of the LORD opened Heaven it self opened The LORD Himself opening Himself and reaching forth his hand saying Come hither Come hither Ye cannot live any longer without me I can live no longer without you Let 's live together Ye are a part of my selfe I can no longer be parted from my self my self must come to my self we can live strangers no longer ye must come and live with me in my house Here 's a Throne sit down here 's a Crown put it on thy head here 's Glory weare it here 's a Kingdome it s yours We Come wee Ascend And they ascended up to Heaven in a cloud The third degree of their rising is upon their hearing We do arise we do ascend it is our nature to ascend and seeing we are now living the life of the LORD in the Spirit of the LORD we are able to ascend While wee were only men our faces tended to the earth down-wards but now our natural course is turn'd through the divine life of God in us we do ascend to Heaven to God or thus our ascending up daily more and more to God is become our naturall course Now we can quit the earth quit the creature quit the flesh al things below the glory of God we let them all go Now we bid farewel men farewel griefs and troubles and shame the companions of men Farewel earth farewel weaknesses cares and fears companions of the earth farewell now wee ascend to Heaven in a cloud In a cloud Whil'st we ascend in a Cloud somthing yet of darknesse and weakness accompanieth us Though we are hastening to glory hastening to God yet it 's in a cloud God descends Christ descends the Spirit descends and wee ascend yet we meet in a cloud GOD comes down to us we go up to meet God yet both in a cloud We meet together we converse together yet in a cloud Here 's the glory of God in the Saints not yet breaking forth into naked and open brightnesse but covered with Clouds with some weakness with some infirmity And their enemies beheld them Satan the Nations Kinreds Tongues religious Voyces religious Opinions Flesh and World all their enemies beheld them look upon them but its little comfort to them little joy to them to see them ascend This is an increase and addition to our glory that we must ascend in the sight and view of al those that hated us and persecuted us and were enimies to us and as they rejoyced when we were down so they must be troubled when we arise Hel death devil look on us and behold us and yet cannot hinder our asent we ascend and goe up in the sight and presence of all our adversaries yet they are not able to hold us down The witnesses that were slain arise and ascend into heaven yet their enemies cannot in the least measure hinder them As we ascend in the sight and view of God so in the sight and view of al our enemies As heaven is filled with joy at our arrivall so the world is filled with affrightment and amazment at parting with us we cannot leave the earth but we carry the life of the earth with us we take al good from hence and carry all good and glory into heaven with us Hel death devil shal al look upon us and shal bee troubled and not be able to keep one ragge of us from enjoying this Glory Majesty Brightnes and Excellency of GOD. The end of the tenth Sermon THE WITNESSES DEATH AND
RESURRECTION REVEL 11.13 And the same houre was there a great earthquake and the tenth part of the City fell and in this earth-quake were slain of men seven thousand and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of Heaven WE are unfolding the mystery of the two witnesses which are the witnesses of God in which and by which every word of God is confirmed they are two in their prophesie in sackcloth but their is a third conjoyned with them in their resurrection as they are in Heaven Ascended and Risen There are thee that bear witnes in heaven and by these three is every word establisht The Father the Son and the Spirit each of them having a sufficiency to confirm each other and together to put an end to all controversies You heard in the morning that there were severall degrees of the reviving of the witnesses the first degree is the entering of the Spirit of life from God into them which caused them to stand upon their feet Secondly They heard a great Voyce from Heaven calling them up Come up hither And thirdly There is their Ascention into Heaven They were taken up in a cloud and their enemies beheld them And in the 13 verse there is the effect of al this In the same hour there was a great earthquake and the tenth part of the City fell These works of God are not yet pure though they are very excellent Though there be a Resurrestion and Ascention into heaven yet it is in a cloud covered with some infirmity and darknesse and yet in this there is the greatest glory And the same hour was an Earthquake Or to speak the language of God elsewhere A rejoycing with trembling In the greatest appearance and manifestation of God so long as there is any Earth it Trembleth and indeed the more glorious the discoveries of God are the greater the Earthquake No Earth can be without moving and trouble that bears the weight of the glory of God upon it In this hour of ascention there is a mixture of some secret rejoycing and some trouble occasioned by the Earthquake or else take the Earth heer as distinct from the witnesses and then their ascending up from the Earth makes the Earth to shake Christ and the Spirit of God those two witnesses are the streneth and stability of the Earth yea the strength of the Pillars of the Earth I uphold the Pillars of the Earth saith the Lord He it is that strengthens the very foundations of the Earth And therefore when these witnesses the strength and Pillars of the Earth ascend and remove from it the Earth must needs quake and tremble The witnesses are the corner stone of the World It was by the word of the Lord that Eternall word that the Worlds were made that the Worlds are supported therefore when this Word of the Lord Ascends out of the World the World must needs shake The whole World hath lived and leaned upon Christ and the Spirit of Christ and now his arising and removall out of the World must needs prove the ruine and downfall of the World All your strength peace and comfort hath been borrowed of Christ and now his leaving the World and carrying the Pillars of the World with him as Sampson the Gates of the City makes all the World fall to confusion A great Earthquake The naturall cause of an Earthquake is the wind pent up in the bowels of the Earth which seeking vent breakes forth and so shakes the Earth So the Spirit or breath or wind of the Lord pent up in the bowels of the Earth shut up amongst earthly men as the Son a Man was three daies and three nights in the heart or bowels of of the Earth when it breaks forth it shakes and rends the World And this is the cause of the Earthquake and commotions that are now abroad in the World The breaking forth or ascending of the Spirit of God out of the World An Earthquake is one of the greatest perplexities and evils that can befall the world the Earth being the Center and stay of man The very bottome and foundation upon which all the camfort and good of the life of man stands When this center this rest or stay this foundation shakes nothing more affrightens and astonishes man These Witnesses ascending out of the world the Bottom and Foundation of peoples strength and comfort trembles and quakes the root of al humane life is cut insunder at once the bottom of al humane joy is taken away The foundation of Ecclesiastical and Civil power is shaken the ground-worke of all earthly stability and comfort of Church and Comon-wealth quakes and trembles I say the world is losing the foundation and ground-work upon which Religion and Civil-government stands and this makes the Earth to shake And the tenth part of the City fell This City is Babylon called the holy City This holy City is trampled under foot as you may read in the second verse of this Chapter This holy City or the outward Court is left to bee possessed by the men of the world by the Gentiles by men uncircumcised in heart and spirit by fleshly and carnal men This is the fate of this City The tenth part The tenth part you know was the Levits part which was holy to the LORD or dedicated to the LORD it was offered up to the Priests under the Law it was the chiefe maintenance of the legal priesthood And here the tenth part of the City the chiefest part the devoted part as you say Gods inheritance the lot and portion of the Priest-hood this part of the City fell in summe the holyest the chiefest the excellentest part of the City fell The waies of worldly Prophessors and Christians are somthing that is holy somthing that is offered up to God but in the hands of the world trampled under foot by the world There is an excellency in this this is that that 's called the tenth part that part wherein men have thought themselves most sacred and holy that which they have offered up to God that which they have seperated from the world and their owne proper use and given to God some of their wisdome some of their estates some of their time some of their strength c. the tenth part This tenth part of the City fell this chiefest and most excellent part This tenth part when they have reserved nine parts to themselves and dedicated the tenth to God That which hath bin mens Religion and that wherein they have placed their confidence and comfort and by which they have thought to be saved this excellent part this tenth part of the City fell in this earth-quake I tel you againe When these two Witnesses ascend and leave the earth then the highest formes of religion the most excellent seperated things of men those holy things wherein they have most devoted themselves to GOD and the Temple of God their hours of Praier their Sabbaths their Fastings their Engagements and Covenants
seventh Angel sounds when there is freedome and liberty in the hearts of the Saints they all now say The Kingdomes of the LORD There were great voyces in Heaven They talk aloud of God in Heaven Below in the Earth people whisper and speak as it were in a corner of God they speak low and in private therefore saith Christ What you speak in a cornes shall be published on the house top Al the appearances of God have been but as in a corner Though the sending out of the Apostles into the World did typify that universal free abundant declaration of GOD this Name of God in the World Yet al that which hath been made known of God hitherto hath been but a speaking in a corner in comparison of that which is now breaking forth God hath been spoken of in a corner heer a little and there a little But now there comes a great Voyce that throwes downe State Kings Kingdomes and al the powers of the Earth to make way for the glory of God God wil whisper it no longer nor speak with a faint Voyce with a cold language but wil speak so and come so That every Eye shall see him every Eare shall heare him every Tongue shal speak him and every heart shal acknowledge and confesse him This is the LORD Now doth GOD REIGNE Now is Christ exalted This Voyce may be heard in Hel and spoken in wrath but when ever it is spoken freely and aloud with joy then it is in Heaven to the Saints And this is the close of the great Voyce The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ The Kingdomes of this world are become c. God heretofore hath had the meanest of this World A sort of poor low mean People only have testified a little for God and Christ heer a little and there an handful but doe you think it or can it be thought That God wil alwaies be contented with this Or doe you thinke the GREAT things of the World were made eternally for the Devil and wicked men Or can it be imagined that God should fil a World with men and furnish them with parts and abilities Greatnesse Wisdome Riches Majesty Authority c. that wicked men should alwaies abuse them and devils alwaies have the command of them and God forever be excluded and shut out No no such matter No the Kingdomes of this World al the Riches al the Strength al the Authority al the Power al the Righteousnesse Justice Judgement and Excellency of this World both in respect of Civel and Ecclesiastical Government Al the Kingdomes of this World shall become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ We dare in the power of the Lord speak it The Voyce wil be No man hath to doe with any Power Authority Wisdome Riches or any thing in the World No creature hath any power or priviledge to dispose of any thing on the Earth Al Power Strength Riches c. are taken from men or if any thing be left that which remaines is consuming and blasting and shal wast away til al greatnes and excellency whatsoever resolves it selfe into the Kingdome of OUR Lord and of his Christ The Kingdome of Our Lord they are become OUR Lord now must Reign Al things now are become his They were Our Lords from the beginning and of right al did belong to him If he did intrust them to other Kings Nobles Great ones c. it was but onely as they were his Servants they were but intrusted and committed to them as Talents they are but his Stewards and woe be his Stewards when he turnes them out of their Sewardship they must be Stewards no longer but must give an account of their Stewardship of their Talents And these Kingdomes of the World must immediately become the Kingdomes of Our Lord and of his Christ Wee have a Lord that is a Lord indeed The great Lord of Heaven and Earth The Lord af Lords and King of Kings others are but Images and Pictures of this OVR LORD they are but his Substitutes and now OVR Lord comes and throwes out al other Lords He casts these Stewards out of their places and the Kingdomes of the World return again to Him whose they are They were of old thine only they were let out to use for a while The original right is in OVR Lord he hath it and wil maintain it and he himself wil Reigne The Spirit of God hath prophesied of this in al Ages and now he is performing it The next Age nay at this time this dominion is Our Lords Now for Our LORD now for the great GOD. Now for Our King Now all the Kingdomes of the World are become the Kingdomes of OVR Lord. OUR Lord wil take al and leave nothing un-possessed He must have al and we must have all in him He must Reign and we must Reign with him He that upholds us and comforts us He that is in us and with us He that speakes this language in us and puts forth this expression by us is OUR Lord God with us or Emanuel This LORD shall have all the Kingdomes of the Earth and he will put us in possesson of al that is good excellent rich beautiful all that is Kingly and Noble all that excels al the Kingdomes of the World And out of the Lord and from the Lord shal be nothing but desolation and confusion yea desolation and confusion it selfe is our Lords prison into which our Lord wil cast his enemies They are al become Our Lords and his Christs OUR Lords and his Anointeds It is Christ in the glory of the Father that is Our happinesse and Our life The Son in the glory and power of the Father God exalting the Son into himselfe The Kingdomes of the World are the LORDS yet so the LORDS as that Christ is King epual with the Father Christ laies down his Kingdome that he might ascend into the Kingdome of the Father And we lay down our Kingdomes of the World and creatures that we might live in the Kingdome of Christ that so the Father Christ and Wee might Reigne together The Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ or his Anointed There are many Anointed that pretend to be THE Anointed of God And many there be that have some Anointing But none shal Reign but His Anointed The holy one of God the Anointed of God Hee that is filled with the Spirit of God Hee that is Anointed with the Oyle the Oyle of GGD He shal Reign for ever no other None but the ANOINTED of GOD. OUR God Anoints US and We are the Anointed of GOD the Christ of GOD the holy one of God all gathered up into one Anointing one Anointed one God and in this unity all in one we shal Reign with him for ever and ever And so it s said Revelations 5. He hath made us Kings and Priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth The
of the Lord to owne and confesse God amongst men and with confidence to looke men in the face Hell in the face Devils in the face To out-look out-speak out-act all our adversaries To say We live and God lives in us We dare owne our selves what we are We dare go up and down and act and speak in the Name of our God And they stood upon their feet Time was that the glory of God was carried about upon the shoulders of men The Prophets did testifie and witnes in the strength and by the strength of the creature and in and by the meanes and use of some creature gifts parts Scriptures experiences and such like things wherein God stood upon the shoulders of man upon the feet of man was upheld and borne up by the strength power and authority of the creature by reason by judgement by opinion by strength of argument c. but this they are now dead unto and now there appears in them a high a more excellent way the witnesses Christ in flesh and Spirit stand now upon their own feet upon their own strength simply and immediatly upon their own strength and power not leaning upon cratckes of man the wisdome of man the strength of man the parts of man not borrowing ought from any creature but standing barely upon their strength their own power their own authority And because they are the Saints of God therefor they stand and require not helpe from creatures Now they can say This authority God gives us this power doth God administer to us and this we dare challenge and claim being the holy ones of God being the anointed ones of God We need no strength from others wee care for no crartches wee lean upon none wee stand barely and simply upon the strength and power of our God We need no arguments to confirme us no reasons to parswade us no authority of men to strengthen us wee stand upon our own feet we dare say Heer we are in the Name of our God Because we are we are because we llve wee live And because we are the anointed of God therefore we act therefore we speak therefore we live and upon no other account at all And they stood upon their feet They yet are upon the Earth and have not wholly put off their earthlines though they are able to live to act to speak in the Name of the Lord yet they goe upon the ground Though they need not cratches yet they stand upon the Earth Afterwards they ascended up into Heaven into a higher and more spirituall life then this when they hear that great voyce from Heaven Come up hither The Feet the lower and inferiour part of the body are alwaies subject to defilement by dirt and filth of the Earth for they have continually fellowship with the Earth But these two witnesses though living in the earth though standing upon the Earth yet have some fellowship with the Lord of Heaven And great fear fell upon them that saw them Earthly men and they that dwell onely on the Earth when the witnesses are slaine they looke and expect that that state of death and darknes wherein they lie should utterly swallow them up O say they what a dark what a sad condition are they in While the witnesses prophesied and testified against the flesh against the strength and wisdome of man earthly men were troubled and cast down but when the witnesses are slain and lie dead in the streets without the actings of the life of God in them presently they conclude they are wholly destroyed O say they see what a sad state they are in they are quite undone they have lost their life their strength their joy their peace their comfort they are dead they are gone there is an end of them Thus they speak thinking they shall never revive again These are the thoughts and this is the language of earthly men but when they see them stand up upon their feet revive and live again O this strikes them to the very heart to see the Lord standing upon the Earth owning himself in his People is terrible and dreadfull to earthly men the glorious appearance of God strikes man to the very heart O I shall dye I have seen the Lord. So Daniel when he saw the Lord he fell upon his face So Job when his eyes had seen the Lord he repented in sack-coth and ashes And know this that the reviving grace the reviving Spirit of the Lord bringing up his holy ones from the depths of temptations and troubles to a state of life and joy is terrour to the world a terrour to them that see it When any thing of the appearance of God of the clear brightnes of the Lord breaks forth and speaks thus I am the Lord the holy one of God man cannot stand he fears he trembles he fals down as dead when men live onely in the light and strength of God then great feare fals on them that see them Great fear fell upon them It fals irresistably they cannot avoid it every creature that is earthly within or without Fear fals upon them Fear surprizeth them at the reviving of the witnesses I know palenesse and sadnesse fears and astonishments and great troubles fall upon the flesh of man It hath upon me and it doth upon the flesh of man and upon al that hear any thing of the tidings of the appearing of Jesus Christ I say The reviving of the witnesses the enterance of the life of God into them the quickning the appearing of Jesus Christ in the Spirit God being in man and man being in God this life of God strikes horrour terrour and amazment into the hearts of earthly and carnall men It fals upon them like a Milstone it breaks them to peeces it grinds them to powder Men are weak things poore things base things fearfull things guilty things and therefore fearfull things full of bondage and slavish fear The least appearance of the high power and glory of God doth affright startle and confound rhe strongest the nost stout-harted amongst men No man no earthly man no fleshly man Dares Dares look upon God when he appears While man is able to say it is not God while he is able as he thinks to shut his eyes against him and not see him he may please himself at least a while in having a little peace and perswade himselfe that he shall doe well but this appearance of God is so sharpe so bright that he cannot must not shall not be able to shut his eyes possibly he may doe as a man that shuts his eyes against the Sun the man that lies in the Sun though he doth shut his eyes as fast as close as he is able yet the bright beames of the Sun doe so pierce and work into his eyes that he doth see do what he can So when men say This is not Christ this is not the Spirit yet the bright beames of the Sun of righteousnesse do so pierce