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

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

all that are slain upon the earth and after all this shall come to reckon with her for shedding the blood of Cha 18. 24 his onely beloved Son for crucifying the Lord of glory also What a vengeance must all this be recompensed withall VERS 9. And they of the People and Kinreds and Tongues and Nations shall see their dead bodies three dayes and an half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves WE have formerly seen these Witnesses slain by whom as also where they lie dead but now when we should attend them to their graves we cannot there 's this hinders sayes the Text Their dead bodies are not suffered to be put in graves The enquiry of the meaning of this is our present businesse In the endeavour whereof for better order sake we shall observe 1. What it is that 's further done to these Witnesses after they are slain In these words They are looked upon and not suffered to be put in graves 2. The persons that look upon them and will not suffer them them to be put in graves pointed at in these words They of the People and Kinreds and Tongues and Nations these look upon the dead Witnesses and will not suffer them to be put in graves 3. How long this gaze of theirs lasts and the Witnesses thereupon kept unburied which these words also give us knowledge of 'T is three dayes and an half They of the People and Kinreds and Tongues and Nations shall see their dead bodies three dayes and a half and shall not suffer them to be put in graves In the foremost of these which will perhaps take in the second in the scanning I must needs acknowledge there is a knot which because it seems to lay it self open to two different and opposite meanings and both very plausible renders the matter difficult whether to take of them The question is Whether this looking upon these dead Witnesses and the not suffering them to be put in graves be done in favour or dis-favour of them and accordingly as you incline in this question either to the one side or to the other so will there a sutable meaning offer it self to you To instance therefore here 's one interpretation the words seem to like of The Beast the Romish Antichrist with his complices having stopped the mouthes of all the Witnesses thus slaying them and now further devising some way that being thus slain they may never rise again never witnesse more against him thus trying to throw them into the Grave to shut and seal the graves-mouth upon them in attempting hereof is by the Reformed people through the Ministry of the Witnesses by this time grown into great multitudes and already provoked for the slaughter of these Witness●s resolutely opposed which Antichrist perceiving and fearing lest upon further attempts they might become desperate fits down content onely to have thrust these Witnesses from their places and stopt their mouths for present not daring to make any further attempt at all against them Thus they of the Kinreds and Tongues and People and Nations do hinder that Antichrist who hath slain these Witnesses should yet proceed so far as to throw them into graves And to this interpretation these Considerations seem to give countenance 1. It is not the Inhabitants of the earth by which name the Popish faction are commonly known in this Revelation who keep the Witnesses from being buried for then the matter had been put besides all question but on the contrary t is They of the Kinreds and Tongues and People and Nations these will not suffer the Witnesses to be put in graves by which who can be meant but the Reform●d p●opl● Those you have indeed brought in rejoycing at the following Verse for the slaughter Vers 10. of the Witnesses who had they been here meant also probably not this so different but the same expression had serv'd to point at them in both places 2. The Originall Text seems to contribute something toward this Interpretation where you reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being all put partitively As if the holy Ghost should say And some of them of the Kinreds and People and Tongues c. some of finer mettle choyce● spirits these shall not suffer the Witnesses to be put in graves 2. This is one Interpretation and indeed in the generall plausible though I must confesse looking a little neerer to see how particulars will hold there seems some difficulty For instance stating the Reformed people k●●p the Witnesses from burying but what can be meant by their looking on their dead bodies so sayes the Text They look upon their dead bodies three dayes and an holy Is it any pleasure for them to have their eyes so long upon their dead Witnesses Abraham when his beloved Sarah Gen. 23. 4. was dead then buyes a place to bury his dead out of his sight were it never so great delight to look on them while alive sure it can be none to look on them when dead And then again what can we understand by those graves which according to this Interpretation the Reformed people are said not to suffer these Witnesses to be put into shall we say this they mean they keep them from being killed indeed but where finde we that not suffering to be buried should mean not suffering to be killed what analogie between these And indeed 't is a hard matter to assign any condition which holds resemblance or analogie with those graves which the Reformed people according to this Interpretation are said to keep the dead Witnesses from So you have the first meaning the words seem to allow of The other is this The Romish Antichrist with his party having stopped the mouthes of these Witnesses thus slaying them after this shall with scorn and insultation look upon their dead bodies And if any should come as Joseph of Arimathea to beg the body of Joh. 13. 39 one of these dead Witnesses or should trie to hide or shelter these Witnesses as Obadiah did the Prophets in the Cave no they 1 Kin. 18. 4 and 13. must not such is the savagenesse of this Beast with his complices they forbid any to harbour entertain or countenance these silenc'd Witnesses thus not suffering their dead bodies to be put in graves And if this sense shall passe then have we a fair and obvious understanding of both those particulars which in the former we scarce knew what at all to make of The former They look upon them according to this Interpretation the meaning must be They look upon them in derision So they did upon our Saviour when he was upon the Crosse The people with the Priests beholding of him derided him Luk. 23. 25. And is it not an usuall thing in this manner for them to be looked upon who having been formidable before are now brought down and become at an under Cast your eye upon that 14 of Isa and 16 and you will thence easily know

and Jeshua Moses and Elias Moses and Aaron you have seen what they do They spend themselves into the Candlesticks to the Churches they are as Oyl is to the Lamps nourishing and keeping them alive all the time of Antichrists prevailing if any attempt to wrong them fire proceeds out of their mouths and destroyes such as do attempt it And for the wrongs the Antichristian Gentiles offer the Church these Witnesses shut heaven upon them that it rain not nay pour forth all the Vials of the wrath of God upon them Thus you have all the active part of these Witnesses already drawn forth That which follows is their passive which when I have touched upon one or two observations from these last words I shall without any other interruption fall upon The Observations are these 1. Is heaven shut by these Witnesses so that no rain falls upon the Antichristian party all the glad tydings of forgivenesse and reconciliation withheld from them How sad must needs be the condition of such a people What have they to soften them to make them fruitfull when no rain at all falls upon them 2. How fruitfull on the contrary should we be who live under the droppings of heaven and are refreshed with the former and latter rain alwayes in their seasons Poor Papists have no rain Yea how much the rather should we endeavour fruitfulnesse Isa 5. 5 6. lest for default that same be made good upon us which once the Lord threatned his Vineyard withall he would takaway the hedge and would command the clouds that they should rain no rain upon it 3. Do the Witnesses pour forth all the Vials No marvell then they are said to torment them thot dwell upon the earth No Vers 10. marvell those same Inhabitants of the earth rejoyce they are got rid of them as they do when by the hands of these Witnesses is emptied forth so much wrath upon them VERS 7. And when they have finished their testimony the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit shall make warre against them and shall overcome them and kill them WE have ere while seen who these Witnesses are what they do how grievously they torment Antichrist with his party which because these Witnesses do not carry impune Antichrist not sitting down unrevenged it now follows we see what is done to them and how they are repaid for all the plagues wherewith Antichrist and his party have by them been tormented This is laid down in the words above mentioned as also them that follow And when they have finished their testimony the beast c. In which who so observes shall finde as cleer an allusion to our Saviour as set forth in the story of his death resurrection and ascending up to heaven as before to any of the types whereby these witnesses were formerly represented Our Saviour when he had preached neer three yeers and half about the number of the dayes of the Prophesie of these Witnesses was by Pilate and so by Rome then Heathen as the Witnesses by Rome now Antichristian put to death After three dayes there being a great earthquake rises again and not long after is received up to heaven in a cloud To all which who sees not a plain allusion intended when in the description of these witnesses suffrings and after restauration you have mention of the like death earth-quake resurrection and ascending up to heaven in a cloud also So that if before in what they did they were like Zerubbabel and Jeshua Moses and Elias Moses and Aron here for what they suffer and the sequell they are cleerly resembled to that faithfull and true witnesse Jesus Cha. 5. 14. Christ This much in the grosse but look more particularly and you shall finde in what is mentioned of these Witnesses sufferings such specialls observable as these 1. There is warre waged with these witnesses and the consequent the Witnesses overcome and killed 2. The enemy that wages this warre The beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit 3. The time when this warre is waged and these witnesses overcome and killed by this beast and this is sayes the Text when they have finished their testimony I shall addresse my self to speak of these in this order First the warre waged and the consequents then that which follows in the order above mentioned And for this warre waged with these Witnesses we must not think this is the first which hath ever been raised against them as though the Witnesses had met with no opposings all the time of their prophesie continuing so many hundred yeers till just toward the end and close of it we must not so conceive at any hand For if you consult the thirteenth Chapter and seventh verse you finde the beast these Witnesses enemy and as old as are these Witnesses so soon almost as he receives being receives power to make warre with the Saints and to overcome Cha. 13. 2. and kill them And in the twelfth Chapter and last verse the Dragon who substitutes this beast and on whom he estates his power throne and great authority himself being now no longer able to hold them in his own name as soon as ever the Woman was scaped into the wildernesse which is now severall hundred yeers agone he goes forth under covert of this beast To make warre with the remnant of her seed which kept the Chapl 12. Vers ult Commandments of God and had the testimony of JESVS CHRIST And sure the event shews as much when above four hundred yeers agone in that one Kingdom of Gaule now called France if Perionius may be beleeved at least ten hundred thousand of those godly Waldenses and Albigenses were butchered by this beast And can we imagine so many Saints slain and none of these Witnesses among all these numbers This warre then here mentioned supposes not the Witnesses untouched all the time of their prophesie before but rather seemes to hold forth some eminent warre now at last to be raised against them which perhaps because it shall differ from all the former in the quality of it or specially in the successe striking of all the Witnesses there where 't is done which no other warre had perhaps done before is therefore by the Holy Ghost thought fit onely to be mentioned Nor yet therefore can we say this warre shall be more grievous and bloudy then all the former possibly it is not mentioned for any eminent bloudshed accompanying it but rather as some conceive for a signe of the instant and neer approaching ruine of Antichrist which but a little after follows it however I dare not say this last warre shall be eminent for bloudshed beyond all the former for this reason I now offer If this same killing of these Witnesses can not be understood in the Letter viz. That indeed and in the Letter these Witnesses should be slain but a mysticall killing is only here understood then sure this cannot be a killing so very bloudy

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

these Witnesses rise again in their successors making this the Resurrection of the Witness●s here mentioned For if their rising again mean their restoring to their place of Witnesses as we saw before then nothing hinders but the same that were slain may also rise again nothing hinders but the same which had their mouthes shut which was their slaying may have their mouthes again open which is their Resurrection I am sure the space wherein they lie dead hinders not Had that indeed been long threescore or fourscore yeers then perhaps I should have sought it in their successors but when betwixt the last Witnesse that is slain and the first that rises again there intervenes but the space of three yeers and an half 't is no very hard thing to believe That some who three yeers and an half since were silenced and suspended after that space have now their mouthes open And doubtlesse it must be so for mark it The dead bodies of those that were slain those same dead bodies that lay in the street were looked upon three dayes and an half and not suffer●● to be put in graves into these same sayes the Tex● the Spi●it of lite from God enters and they stand upon their feet And I would fain know what successors could be nourished to rise up in the room of these Witnesses after this time for either they are Witnesses themselves at what time these are slain and then they are slain also for then are all the bold opposers of and Witnesses against Antichrist slain or else then they were not Witnesses and then think what a time this three yeers and a half was to hatch up a brood of young Witnesses in when now all the other being slain they are hereby deprived of all means of publike instruction But sufficient of this first thing I mean the rising again of the Witnesses now follows the second the time when they rise again After three dayes and an half that is after three yeers and an half which because it hath already in the foregoing words been handled I shall passe from it to the third thing viz. The consequent of this Resurrection in these words Great fear fell upon them which saw them They that behold these Witnesses rising again are afraid Some like thing is mentioned of them that were present at our Saviours Matth. 28. Resurrection And indeed it is a common thing when some eminent thing is done for the lookers on to be stricken with fear at the beholding When Anani●s and Saphira fall Act 5. 3. 11. dead at the Apostles feet then do●s great fear fall upon the people the witnesses of it And when the Exoreists Jews taking Act. 19. 16 17. upon them to adjure the evill Spirit to come forth are by the man that had the evill spirit overcome escaping from him naked and wounded then great fear falls upon the people also But you will not blame the beholders here to be afraid at the rising again of these Witnesses For if these be the Popish party as was conceived they well might be did they ever dream they should see the Witnesses rise again did not they think they had made such sure work as that they should never have been troubled with them any more but now after they had slain them that besides all expectation they should rise again and this perhaps to torment them worse then ever they did before can you blame them they are afraid at it We have now examined all the severalls of this verse all which drawn together are thus much in the result The Witnesses being silenced thrust from their places thus slain after three yeers and an half are by a speciall hand of God restored to liberty and office again at which the Antichristian faction become greatly afraid not having the least thought after they had once slain the Witnesses they should ever have been troubled or tormented with them any more Having thus opened the words there are but two Collections I shall make from them and then passe on to what followes 1. Do the Witnesses after three dayes and an half rise again sure then this businesse of the slaying of the Witnesses cannote b a matter of so much discouragement as we usually conceive so it as also neither should we take on for the slaying of the Witnesses as men without hope for but a little while and the Witnesses 1 Thess 4. 14. rise again Nay neither should this slaughter so much afflict the Witnesses themselves who even then when it is a doing may bid the Popish faction hold their countenance forbear rejoycing for though they fall they shall yet within a little Mich. 7. 8. time assuredly rise again These lights may be by Antichrist suppressed for a time but afterward they break forth in greater lustre and brightnes then ever they did before 2. Do the Popish faction become greatly afraid upon the Resurrection of the Witnesses then observe it the rising of the Witnesses is the fall of the Spirits of the Popish party When the Witnesses fell before then they rejoyce and make merry cannot contain themselves but now they rise their hearts fall every whit as fast within them just like the Scales of the Ballance if one rise the other falls so inconsistent is the prosperous condition of the one with the content and satisfaction of the other VERS 12. And they heard a great voyce from heaven saying unto them Come up hither and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them WE have done with the Resurrection of the Witnesses in the words last handled now follows their Ascension to heaven in these words And they heard a great voyce from ●eaven saying Come up hither c. In which for method sake I shall observe 1. A voyce calling Witnesses up to heaven in these words They heard a voyce from heaven saying to them Come up hither 2. Their Ascension thereupon They ascended 3. The manner of this Ascension It is in a cloud 4. The Adjuncts or Concomitants of this Ascension first Their enemies behold them mentioned in this Verse 2. A great Earthquake at the same time mentioned in the words next following Of these severally in this order But before I come to speak to every of them in particular give me leave to premise this much in the generall concerning all of them and it is nothing else but what hath severall times for the substance been already inculcated viz. This Ascension and so the severalls thereto appertaining are not to be understood in the letter as though the Witnesses after their Resurrection should now indeed and in the letter ascend up to heaven by no means it seems at no hand to be imagined But as we shewed their death was a mysticall death their Resurrection a mysticall Resurrection so now in like manner we say their Ascension must be a mysticall Ascension also How can we conceive their death a mysticall death a killing