God and give glory to him The second is Babylon is faln is flan that great City Babylon is faln And the third is Haleluja for the Lord God omnipotent reigns Now brethren you I speak to in whom the Serpent â— subdued you see and feel that God your teacher your comfort your life your strength your liberty you are set free by him and it is a sweet satisfying freedom Now speak plainly do not your hearts love God and glory in him do you not acknowledge God all in all in pardoning healing teaching saving and manifesting love and life to you and that your selves men and creatures can do nothing herein but must let that alone to God for ever now you give glory to him and you love him and I beleeve that Scripture that is interpreted Fear God should rather be Love God for the frame of spirit thus set at liberty in whom Babylon is faln and in whom the Lord God omnipotent reigns is rather full of the embracings and breathings of love and delight to give God all the glory rather then fear which 〈…〉 of bondage which perfect love casts out Well all that I have 〈…〉 the midst of this cloud of 〈…〉 your Redemption drawes near God is working out an inward and an outward peace and liberty for you all What I have writ in this following discourse I could not but write I was carried by a strong hand I believe of God in writing of it through much bodily weakness and yet with abundance of delight that gave strength to my spirit I leave it with you But the Crown of Glory I chearfully set upon his head that sits upon the Throne and upon the Lamb for evermore May 20. 1648. Your Brother and Companion in the Kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ Gerrard Winstanley the Particulars insisted upon in the following Discourse CHAPTER I. THe great Mystery of God is this He will cast the Serpent out of man and subdue that â—orrupt flesh under his feet dwell in man himself pag. 1. The Promises and Types of the old Testament point out God manrfested in the flesh which is Gods Kingdom God by his Prophets fore-told the captivity of Gentile Saints under the little horn The Beast The Prophets saw not in the depth of those Prophesies God gave them to write God manifested in the flesh makes known his own mystery to men Seven particular heads to be minded about Gods two Witnesses CHAP. II. What the testimony of the two witnesses is p. 9. Jesus Christ and his Saints make one perfect man The Anointing that dwelt in Jesus and in his Saints is that only power that bruises the Serpents head The world ever hated the appearance of God in the flesh CHAP. III. Who these two witnesses are that God speaks of to whom he will give power to prophesie in sack-cloth 1260. dayes p. 15. What is meant by three that bear witness in Heaven and by three that bear witness on earth The excellency of Christs spirit in his sufferings Christ was not compelled by humane authority to bear testimony of his Fathers Councell but he did it willingly The Saints are not compelled they bear testimony of the Father willingly by the power of the same Anointing Gentile Saints are Gods Witnesses that prophesie in sackcloth 42. months What is meant by two Candlesticks And by one golden Candlestick and two Olive-Trees of each side of it And by two Olive-branches Jesus Christ was the first that went under the Captivity of mystery Babylon and the first that came out Christ laid the foundation of Sion and his hand shall finish the building The two witnesses kill enemies by fire that proceeds out of their mouth and how What it is to hurt the two witnesses What Antichrist is What is meant by Heaven The witnesses have power to shut Heaven that it rain not and how What is meant by rain The witnesses have power over waters to turn them into blood and how CHAP. IV. What is meant by 1260. dayes which is the time given to the 2. witnesses to prophesie in cloathed in sack-cloth p 42. What is meant by prophesie and to prophesie in sack-cloth And by 1260. dayes in a literall sence And by silence in heaven for the space of half an hour And by wilderness into which the woman fled The wilderness is a safe hiding place in Gods hand from the face of the Serpent The earth helped the woman What is meant by 1260. dayes in a mystical sense And by 3. dayes and half by 42. months or by time times and dividing of time that the Saints are to lie under the captivity of mystery Babylon What is meant by Dragon by Leopard by the Beast with 2 horns like a Lamb And by the Image of the Beast The proud Beast or whorish spirit will not suffer Christ to reign â—ing Priest and Prophet but he will reign in his stead What it is to speak like the Dragon The Saints rejoyce when Christ reigns What the seaventh day or Sabbath is The Saints greatly rejoyce when they feel and see the Serpent cast out of them and the Anointing appears to rule and dwell in them CHAP. V The Witnesses were to be slain when they had finished their Testimony p. 63. The witnesses finish their testimony and prove the word of the Father true That the seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head by their own experience not by hear-say What the bottomles pit is What the Beast is that rose out of the bottomless pit What the smoak is that ascended out of the bottomless pit What the King of this bottomless pit is What is the ayre wherein the Beast lives S. John speaks that the two witnesses must prophesie in sack-cloth but 1260. dayes And Daniel saith that the Sanctuary and Hoast shall be trod under foot 2300. dayes how these are reconciled The Beast kills the two Witnesses and how Three dispositions in the Beast whereby he kils Gods two witnesses The Ecclesiastical Lawes of the Beast kill Gods 2 witnesses but give liberty to Gods enemies The Whore kils the two witnesses by that Authority which she got from the Kings of the earth when she and they committed fornication together What the mystery of iniquity is Whâ—â— the Kingdom or mystery of God is The killing of the two Witnesses is not a killing of the bodies of their flesh only but 〈◊〉 killing of their testimony and how The Reaâ—â—â— and whorish spirit snubs and thwarts Jesus Christ in 8. particulars CHAP. VI The Witnesses were slain long agoe have lain dead in the street of the great City three dayes and almost the half and are now upon their rising p. 85. We in these dayes are under the found of the sixth Angel or second woe Four Angels are loosed that were bound up in the great River Euphrates and what they do What the great River Euphrates signifies What is meant by Kings of the East whose way is prepared
of man Or secondly A perfect man in the unity of faith with all his Saints he being the head and all the City of Zion or number of Saints the Members knit into one spirituall body by the spirit of the Father And this is called the Branch and the Vine Now a Branch or Vine doth not consist of one sprig or rod but of divers and so the seed of the Woman the Anointing or the Son of God doth not consist of one man only after the flesh to wit the man Christ Jesus but also those whom the Father hath chosen and given to Jesus the anointed and writ their names in him the Lambs Book makes up but one Son of God being all partakers of one Spirit And likewise they make up but one feed of the Woman they beâ—ng all partakers of one flâ—sh to wit the flesh of Christ the Saints being bone of Christs bone and flesh of his flesh And this is the 1and of righteousness which all the Children of Zion shall inherâ—t they shall not dwell in Adams corrupt flesh but in Christ pure flesh And because Christs mysticall body springs from the first Adam which is from the earth earthly and corrupt Therefore the Lord takes away the filthy garments from them And purges the iniquity of that Land in one day that is in the day of Christs power and so makes them conformable to the second Adam which is the Lord from Heaven Now this seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head for God the Father hath engaged himself to subdue the Serpents power under the feet of Sâ—â—nts as well as under the feet of Christ he and they being but one body one man one branch one Vine one Son of God being but one in respect of the unity of spirit and one in respect of the unity of flesh after their iniquity is purged as it must be God being Christs God and their God Christs Father and their Father Only here lies the difference Christ hath the full measure of the spirit but God gives to the Saints severally as he will according to the measure of the fulness of Christ Jesus Christ he breaks the Serpents head by the strength of his Father which dwelleth in him And the Saints break the Serpents head by Christs strength in them even the same Anointing and hence it is that Christ the head prayed That his Disciples or body mysticall might be one with him as he and his Father were one and when the Saints are taken up into this spiritual enjoyment and feeles sees and findes by experience that Gods strength which is the anointing dwells in them and is become the Lord their righteousness they henceforth know Christ after the flesh no more And this speaks great comfort to Saints to the poorest members that live alone among the scoffing sons of bondage as well as to the whole City in generall they shall never fall from grace their eternall life is as sure as the eternall life of Jesus Christ their head in whom their life is hid God himself being that life and strength and these being part of that seed which the Father hath said shall break the Serpents head so that the Serpent shall only bruise the heel by his temptings but he shal never blot out one name that is writ in the Lambs Book of life for this compleat man or seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head The head of this mysticall body hath conquered already and is sat down in glory waiting till his body be glorified with him and so all enemies be for ever made his foot-stool And this is the Counsel of God which the two witnesses give testimony of that the Serpents head shall be bruised and sinners reconcil'd to God by no other name or power but only by Jesus Christ the anointed Son of God This anointing being God himself in man God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing their sins to them But the Lamb Christ Jesus he is the chief and the power of the Faâ—her appeared first in him and after that through him in the Saints to break the Serpents head according to the word of the Father And this is the testimony which these two faithfull witnesses beare witness to for the glory of the Father who is engaged In this was manifested the love of God towards us Because God sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him And we have seen and do testifie that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God That is acknowledge that Jesus is that power whereby God will break the Seâ—pents head God dwells in him and he in God And so again who is he that overcometh the world but he that believeth that Jesus the Anointed is the Son of God And this eternall councel and purpose of the Father That the seed of the Woman should break the Serpents head was declared as soon as the devil or red Dragon had deceived the whole world in Adam And this Councel of God is held forth to the world in all the promises in all the Mosayecall types and in all the prophesies of old For minde it the Scriptures point out nothing else to us but this That Jesus Christ is the onely begotten Son and strength of God whereby he will subdue the power of darknes and translate sinners into his owne Kingdome and glory and he is the very righteousnesse of God whereunto the selfeconceited Jewes and Gentiles will not submit And therefore God had need of faithfull witnesses to bear testimony hereof to the world such witnesses as men may say after the vail is taken off their hearts that without doubt their testimony of the Fathers Councell is true Such witnesses as can and will prove their testimony not from the writings and words of others but from their own experienced knowledge of what they have seen and heard and been made acquainted with from God The world is so far from believing this report That the Anointed is the power of God That when Christ appeared as a man in the flesh they reproached him under the name of a Mecannick tradesman a Carpenter and never rested till they had killed him and cast him out And now in these Latter dayes when Christ comes in Spirit ruling and working in the Saints according to the promise of the Father truly the ignorant deceived world denies him still will not own his spirit but jeeres him calling him the Spirit of the Divell and a spirit of errour even as the Jewes told Christ after the flesh that he was a deceiver of the people And this deceived world or corrupt flesh of man endeavours to make lawes and establish â—hem with all possible policy and power to â—ring the
Anointed into bondage and will not allow him a liberty to worke where and upon whom he pleaseth but would restrain him to their scanty measure the principles of the flesh and so though the world allow Christ the name of King Priest and Prophet yet they will act â—hese Offices themselves both over him and over his body the Church Ey but Gods two faithfull witnesses shall not only prove that Christ is King Priest and Prophet in name only but that he is those in â—ule in operation and powre proving it in â—heir own experience which in time the world â—hall see and be ashamed though for the present they will not see nor be ashamed for â—heir envy to Christ and his fellowes And â—hen shall the glory of the Father be advanced â—nd the song of the Saints shall set the Crown of glory upon the head of him that sits upon the Throne and upon the Lamb for evermore For then all Nations shall see the word â—nd councel of the Father fullfilled that the â—erpents head is bruised by the seed of the woman This is their testimony which I lay â—own generall but the witnesses prove their Testimony by particular experiences as hereâ—fter I shall relate some CHAP. III. Who these two Witnesses are that God speaks of to whom he will give power to Prophesie in sackcloth a thousand two hundred and sixty daies NOw the second thing is to shew who these two Witnesses are which God speaks of I will give power to my two witnesses And these are the word of God and the Spirit of God or Christ in flesh and Christ in Spirit or the Anointing in the person of Christ after the flesh or the Anointing in the flesh of Saints And these are but one in respect of nature one Spirit and one flesh one body as I have shewed But they are two in respect of their appearance or manifestation in or to the world The man Christ Jesus who was borne of the Virgin and dyed by the hands of the Jewes at Jerusalem he is the one Witnesse And the body of Saints in whom the Spirit of Jesus Christ dwells who are persecuted for the same testimony that Christ held they are the other witnesse And my understanding herein is built up as followes ☞ There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven The Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one But one Witnes though three names or denominations By Heaven I understand the Church or the City Zion in whom the Anointiug dwels and in â—hem and to them the witnesses of those three â—n one is satisfaction enough and the Saints â—ife is bound up in that divine manifestation and â—hey live in that life and see light in that light The son of righteousnes the Lamb the Anointng is the light of that City which makes it Heaven The Testimony of men to the Saints is noâ—hing they have no peace nor joy in their hearts till God himself do witnesse to them by â— lovely manifestation of himself taking them â—p into his own rest And this is God in three discoveries which make up but one witnesse both in and to Zion the Church not to the World first but to them first and afterward to the World Then there are three that bear witnes in earth The water bloud and Spirit and these three â—re one but one witnesse though 3 denominaâ—ions making one perfectman Now by Earth understand either the Saints before they have a cleare manifestation before their filthy garments be quite taken off them For then they look upon Christ after the flesh and seek for testimonies of the Fathers love and promise in a â—itterall way and God condescends to the weaknes of their flesh for in the fulnes of time God â—ent his Sonn made of a VVoman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of Sons according to the promise Gen. 3. 15. Or Secondly by Earth I vnderstand mankind all sects and Nations as they are considered one flesh or one earth of which all of us are made even one created humanity And unto this earth God sends water bloud spirit in two appearences to witnesse this his faithfulnesse that what he spake shall come to passâ— That the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head God cals these his two witnesses because they are two discoveries of his own wisdom and power For first By water bloud and spirit I understand to be our Lord Jesus the seed of the woman a perfect man according to the flesh who 〈◊〉 the first faithfull and true witnes the humane â—ody of Christ and the eternall spirit that dwelt â—herin or that power which God gave I wil give power to my two witnesses c. And God gave this is power when the holy Spirit descended like a Dove upon Christ Jesus when he was baptized and came straight-way out of the water This power God gives to both his witnesses but to his humane body first If you look into the Evangelist Iohn you shall find that one of the Souldiers with a spear pierced Christs side and forthwith there came out water and blood now the water and blood declared Jesus Christ to be a true and reall man the seed of the Woman according to the word and Councell of God and so the VVord was made flesh and dwelt among us and we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God full of grace and truth Now Physitians say and it is a truth that the heart of man hath adjoyning to it a bladder or skin of water which cools the heat of the bloud Which they call the Pericardium And the Spear piercing Christ to the heart did break that skin of water and so there came out that water and blood that was in his heart this shews he was a man the seed of the Woman And then for the spirit or power that was in Jesus Christ declares him to be one faithfull witnesse for though hisfufferings were so great that he sweat drops of blood yet there was no sin or murmerings against God found in him but he was still full of the sprrint of humility and patience of love and of faithfulnesse to God his Father who had assigned him that cup to drink And likewise was still full of the spirit of love to poor lost sinners that flood in need of this his death or else they could not have bin reconciled to God and this unbsameable spirit of his gives testimony to Heaven and Earth that Christis the great power of God and so the world to the councel of his Father For indeed no son of man besindes him could be found to suffer the like intolerable burden of wrath and yet beare it with such a patient understanding loving faithful and pittiful spirit towards others as Christ did Now this humane body of
power till that time be accomplished for it is their time of prophesying in sackcloth it is not Gods time of raining down wrath as yet because God by his word hath limitted himself to such a time And truly here our God points out such a spring as may refresh his people in all their suflerings To consider the sufferings of the Saints and the enemies cruelty is not acted according to the will of the enemy but enemies and Saints and troubles are all in Gods hand and enemies shall dye the Saints shall be comforted and all teares wiped from their eyes when Gods appointed time is accomplished and not till then surely this gives much strength of peace and patience to poor children of God in their sufferings But secondly They have power to shut Heaven or to stay Gods hand from raining down judgement upon the Beast all the dayes of their prophesies as sometimes God rained down a deluge of water to drown the rebellious World and sometimes he rained a deluge Of fire as a plague to destroy those wicked people in Sodome and Gomorah And this power is in the hand of the Anointed Iesus Christ for he hath the power of hell and death And the reason is this Iesus Christ hath bought out this power by his bloud out of the hands of offended justice For now as God shewes no mercy out of Christ so he executes no act of wrath or justice but by the hand of Christ for the Father hath committed all judgment to the Son and Christ is all and in all Christ hath the Key of life and death he can either bind or loose destroy or save Therefore it is said That the Witnesses have power to shut Heaven or the hand of offended justice that it rain not down plagues And they have power to open Heaven and to smite the earth with plagues as oft as they will Or secondly If by Heaven we understand the Church which I rather adhere to then I conceive the meaning is this The Witnesses have power from God to prophesie in sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes and there shall not be showers of divine discoveries whereby the Beast shall be utterly consumed all that time onely she shall be plagued now and then by those divine discoveries like drops of raine so often as the spirit of truth the Anointing which rules in the witnesses pleaseth And by these few discoveries of divine truths from God to and in the Church the carnall inventions of the Beast shall be discovered to be evil and made void thereby and the Beast or subtile flesh shall be put to her shifts to invent new deceits every age against Christ which doth plague this carnall earth mightily But the witnesses have power to shut Heaven that it rain not That you may see into the mystery hereof By Rain I understand two things by which the Beast is destoyed quite First When discoveries of God and manifestations of the brightness of the Anointed Iesus Christ appears in every Member of the Church like a showre of raine that sweepes away the refuge of lies or fleshly inventions before them as Isaih saith The Earth or Saints shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea for now the darknes of men cannot stand before the light of God nor the wisdom of the corrupt flesh cannot stand before the wisdom of God and this is that sword that is in the mouth of Christ whereby he destroyes his enemies and this shall be made good when the Church shall not need to be taught by any man but shall be all taught by God and by that same Anointing shall know all things But Heaven or the Church is shut up from these plentifull discoveries till the time of the end that the Witnesses sackcloth-prophesying is accomplished but when that time is finished then this rain shall appear whereby the Beast with all her fleshly deceits shall be destroyed Secondly By Raine I understand the number of Saints that shall increase and spread like the multitude of drops in a showre of raine or like sands upon the Sea shoar so that their number shall over-top the number of Babylons Citizens And so the Church being full of the righteousnes of God and discoveries of Christ shall sweep away the City Babylon with all her beastly practices and fleshly inventions And hereby the Beast shall be destroyed For whereas all the dayes of the Witnesses sack-cloth-prophesying and death The earth that is the flesh of men and conversation of men was full of drinesse and unfruitfulnesse before God in every thought word Work by reason of the Beast or wisdom of the flesh that ruled in them and promoted Self Now by this Rain the earth or flesh of man is filled with fruits of righteousness and truth I mean by the plentifull discoveries of truth or brightness of Christ and by the plentiful1 increase of the Saints the destruction of the Beast or the Serpents head in flesh is broken and consumed And that there shall be such increase of Saints in the latter dayes the Prophesie of Hosea makes it manifest for when God cast off literal Israel He promised the large increase of spiritual Israel which are beleeving Iewes and Gentiles that shall be like the sands of the Sea shoar in the day of Christ But the Witnesses have a power to shut the Church or Heaven from raining in this kind till their Prophesie be ended as God appointed And then I believe there shall appear plentifull manifestations of Gods love in the Church to the increase of their number and to the increase of their spiritual enjoyment of God And likewise there shall appear hereby even plentifull manifestation of justice and wrath upon the beast and wisdom of the flesh to its utter overthrow And these manifestations of love justice shal appear like a showrâ— of raine sweeping away the refuge of lye before it And yet further in that sixt verse They have power over waters to turn them into bloud By waters first of all I conceive are meanâ— the inventions actings and appearances of the power and wisdom of the flesh arising against the testimony of the two Witnesses to prove their testimony false For the Devil and corrupt flesh would faine prove God a lyer and would not have the seed of the Woman break the Serpents head And hence doth arise such a deaâ— adoe among men to find out a way to worship God and give direction to others and to enforce people to observe those directions oâ— else to stand lyable to humane punishments as though they must help Christ to save sinners But when the Angel powres out his Viall into the Sea fountains and waters of Babylon that is upon the very spirit of subtile enmity it self and upon all the carnall wisdom and appearances that have flowed there-from and caused them to become like the
earth in proving in their own experience this to be a truth that the seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head and there are none that acknowledge the Father and beare witnesse to him herein but onely these two against all the world and Babylon All others wander after the Beast Flesh self But these only whose names are written in the Book of life admire God and make their boast only in him continually But Iesus Christ the Head he beares witnesse by the power of the Father in him The Father that dwelleth in me saith Christ he doth the works and the Saints they beare witnesse by the power of Christ Which is the Father likewise that is in them as in him But the Saints receive this power at the second hand for the anointing that Was powred upon the head of Christ Iesus fell down to the skirts of his garments and so his meanest member Partakes of that anointing and by his power the Saints doe all things and without him they can doe nothing The Spirit of God gives a second testimony that the two witnesses are Iesus Christ in his flesh and Iesus Christ spiritually in the flesh of Saints and can be no other For saith he in Rev. 11. 5. If any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their enemies And if any will hurt them he must on this manner be killed Now mark this is one part of honour which the Father hath given his two witnesses to kill enemies by fire that proceedeth out of their mouth For when Paul spake of the destruction of the Man of Sin or mystery of iniquity it is not to be done by an earthly power of prisons and punishments But the Lord Jesus himselfe saitn he shall consume him with the Spirit of his mouth and with the brightnesse of his comming And in the great Battell of God Almighty when Christ and his Saints fought with the Beast and the Kings of the Earth which is the wisdome of the flesh strengthened by humane Authority the Text saith That the Beast and the false Prophet were taken as other places say God takes the wise in their craftinesse and they were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone that is they were plunged into a deep vexation of spirit so that they gnawed their tongues with anger which is as terrible to that proud spirit as a fire of brimstone to tender flesh And the remnant were slaine with the sword that proceeded out of the mouth of him that sate upon the Horse By remnant I conceive is meant the common people that were deceived by the learned wisdome of the Beast but when she was destroyed first that was the main upholder of deceit then the people were undeceived and convinced by the word of truth in the mouth of the Anointed And whereas they Wandred after the Beast now they admire at the wisdome and power of Christ for the Word of his mouth is a sharp two edged Sword and when that appeares no policy or strength of flesh can stand before it which would make void the councel of God by her directories and blessed reformation as the flesh called it Therefore if any will hurt Gods two faithfull witnesses that is if any will deny them or their testimony and turning them and their witness into a lie as all ungodly men do turning the grace of God into wantonness and so making void Gods eternall councel in their thoughts words and practises so far as lies in them after this manner they shall be destroyed that is not by prisons whips or punishments of men nor by any Carnall weapons but by the spirit of truth that proceedeth out of their mouth Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof you have heard that it should come and even now already it is in the world He that denies the Anointing to be manifest in the flesh of the person Christ Jesus is Antichrist but this none denies if any do they be very few for all sorts of professors acknowledge Jesus Christ to be born of the Virgin and to be a man and so come in the flesh But there are but few that confesse that the Anointing is manifest in the flesh of Saints or that Christ who is the Lord our righteousnes doth rule in beleevers from one single person to the whole City which are his body scattered up and down the world And if they do confesse this yet when Christ doth manifestly appear to dwel and rule in the flesh of his Saints they will not freely acknowledge it but presently stand off and call it a delusion or blasphemy for any to affirm that the same anointing for kind as was in the flesh of Iesus Christ doth rule and dwell in the flesh according to the measure of the gift of Christ and in this sense there are many Antichrists that deny Christ to be come in the flesh And what do these Antichrists do but hurt Gods Witnesses or deny that power the Anointing which God hath given to his Witnesses or if they acknowledg the one witnes to wit Iesus Christ after the flesh yet they deny the second Witnes the Saints which is Christs mystical body or Christ in his spirit manifesting this testimony in their flesh as he did in their own person That the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head But he that believeth on the Son of God hath the Witness in himself That is be that belieyeth in whole Christ Head and Members a perfect man consisting of divers members hath the Witnes in himself the truth is in him as it was in Iesus But he that believeth not God hath made him a lyer because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son Then farther God proves Christ in his two-fold appearance that is in his own person and in flesh or persons of his Saints to be his two witnesses for saith he in the 6. verse of the eleventh chapter of the Revelations These have power to shut Heaven that it raine not in the dayes of their Prophesie and have power over waters to turn them into bloud and to smite the Earth with all plagues as oft as they will By Heaven I conceive may be understood either God himself or his Church If we understand God to be that Heaven that the witnesses have power to shut that it rain not in the dayes of their Prophesies then I conceive the meaning is two-fold thus first they have power to stay the hand of God from raining and powring down destruction upon the Beast all the dayes of their prophesie because God hath said they shall prophesie in Sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes So that God hath given the power of destroying the Beast out of his hand or hath tyed up his
bloud of a dead man that is to corrupt and dye for ever And every living soul within the Sea dyed That is All the strength glory and being of the beast dyed And the place and power fleshly wisdom and actings against Christ and the Saints was seen no more And this suites with the Oath that the Angel swore in Daniels hearing and in Johns hearing likewise That when the beast had accomplished to scatter the holy people all those things in the vision should be finished and time should be no more For when the seventh Angel had powred out his vial upon the Ayre or the element wherein the beast lived which is a humane magisterial power got from the Kings of the Earth when they and she committed spiritual fornication together after that God had limitted the beast a time to reign in Then there came a great voice out of the Temple of Heaven that is from Christ saying it is done And in that day saith God I will make a Covenant of peace for Israel and I will break the bow and the sword and the battel out of the Earth and make them lie down safely And there shall none hurt in all Gods holy mountain any more as the Beast hath done hurt But secondly when these waters are applied to Nations Kinreds Tongues and People as they be for saith John The Waters which thou sawest whereon the Whore sitteth are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues Then they point out unto us those people men and women in whom the flesh rules in all her self-actings and inventions against Christ and in either of these senses that is either the multitude of fleshly inventions arising from the spirit of self-love or the multitude of people in whom the flesh works so powerfully or both these joyned into one body make up the City Babylon And all those phrases as Mystery Babylon Beast Whore and Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth are to be applyed hereunto And when the waters are thus turned into bloud by the testimony of Gods two Witnesses that is the wisdom inventions and actings of the flesh are now destroyed and proved evil and the men in whom this wisdom appeared against God are ashamed and confounded then it is manifest That the seed of the woman Christ the anointed hath broken the Serpents head I heard the Angel of the waters say Thou art righteous O Lord which art which wast and shall be because thou hast thus judged For they have shed the bloud of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them bloud to drink for they are worthy And by these phrases thus made manifest it appeares that Jesus Christ in his two-fold appearance in the flesh and in the Spirit as hath been declared are Gods two faithfull Witâ—esses and can be meant of no creature CHAP. IV. What is meant by one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes which is the time given to the two witnesses to prophesie in cloathed in sack-cloth AND now I come to the third particular to be minded that is to shew the meaning of the thousand two hundred and sixty dayes which is the time given them of God to prophesie in and when they must be slain and who it is that slayeth them In handling of this I shall observe three things in prophesie First to prophesie is to fore-tell either in plain or dark language what hereafter shall come to passe And this did God the Father when he said The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head And this is both a Promise and a prophesie Secondly to prophesie is to make such things plain and easie to the understanding of others which appeared dark and hidden before And this did Jesus Christ when he made the mysteries of the Kingdome of God plain and easie to the understanding of his◠〈◊〉 which were spoken indark sayings 〈◊〉 ther 's and this is Gospel-ministery by the 〈…〉 of truth Thirdly to prophesie is to give testin◠〈◊〉 or proofe of such things to be true by 〈◊〉 Discoveries which God hath 〈◊〉 or fore-told heretofore should 〈◊〉 passe in the latter dayes And this did Jesus Christ when he by his Death and Resurrection did experimentally prove himselfe to be the seed of the Woman that broke the Serpents head And so the Spirit of Christ in the coÌ„version of sinners to God doth provelikewise by many cleare experiences that those sinners so taken up to God are part of that seed of the woman in whom the Serpents head is broken And they shall prophesie in Sack-cloth saith God and so they doe For first all those abusive slanders mockings oppressions and death which was laid wrongfully upon Jesus Christ for his enemies confesse they found no fault in him and yet they would crucifie him doth not all this shew a cause time and houre of mourning or wearing sack-cloth And this was the condition of Christ whilest he was in the world bearing a visible testimony to his Fathers counsell And this is the same condition of his church for as he was in the world so are â—hey The world knew not him neither doth the world know them The world hated him â—nd it hates them Secondly Sack-cloth implies the absence of â—ome friend plenty honour comfort c. And did not our Lord Christ leave his glory in Heaven and came and took upon him the forme â—f a Servant nay took upon him the curse â—ue to sin which is death that he might â—reak the Serpents head and free sinners from the bondage of that power of darknesse And â—oth not his Church goe on weeping carrying â—heir Sheaves with them like Pilgrims and â—â—rangers looking for a dwelling place in God â—nd waiting upon him till he wipe away all ears c. And thus they prophesie in Sack-â—loth Thirdly Jesus Christ prophesieth in Sack-â—loth while his heel is bruised by the Serpent â—nd his seed for in all their afflictions he is â—fflicted with them Therefore it is a time of â—â—ourning to Christ to see such cruelties and â—ppressions to be inflicted upon his Church â—hom he doth so dearly love And it is a Sack-cloth time to his church â—hen they see the Name the Truth end Testiâ—ony of their Lord Christ Whom they love to 〈◊〉 blasphemed rejected and persecuted in the â—orld And now I shall observe the time that God I â—ath given his witnesses to prophesie in and that is 1260 dayes The number of 1260 dayes is to be understood as I conceive in a two-fold sense yet both pointing out the mystery of God the first more Literall the second more Mysticall As first I conceive that these 1260 dayes are reckoned according to the dayes of a Week that our Saviour Christ Jesus did beare witnesse to his Father from the time of his Baptisme and descending of the Spirit upon him to the day that he was crucified For he began his visible testimony that
he was the Son of God when he was supposed to be about 30 years of age as Luke speaks we read not of any thing that he did till this time that he was baptized and the Spirit descended upon him And from that time till he was crucified as I have gathered by books it was supposed to be about three years a half which is about this account which the Spirit calls 1260 days according to the days of a week it is but about 17 dayes difference The like number of dayes is spoken of Rev. 12. And the woman fled into the Wildernesse where she hath a place prepared of God 1260 dyes This I conceive was the same tearm of dayes according to the number of the dayes in a week that one Saviour did prophesie here in the world among men And this points out unto us the time of the battell that was fought between Michael our Prince the seed of the woman and the Dragon or the power of darknesse ruling in the corrupt posterity of Adam For if the Serpent and his seed could have made Jesus Christ to have sinned by their temptations then the Serpent had conquered him and had broken Gods head But Jesus Christ held out to the end and sinned not as he that saw it bore witnesse and his witnesse is true therefore he broke the Serpents head and became a faithfull witnesse to his Fathers counsell Now all the time of this bettell the church was kept by the power of God at a stand and there Were no voyces heard but silent for the space of halfe an houre that little time of 1260 dayes and God and Angels Saints and Men were spectators of this great battell between the Serpent and Christ But when Christ had finished his testimony he laid down his life and the Serpent and his seed thought they had conquered him and began to rejoyce and make merry as Revel. 11. 10. And then was made manifest in heaven that is in and to the Church by the Father the Spirit of truth That Christ by death had overcome him that had the power of death which was the Devill Then there was heard a loud voyce in heaven in the Kingdome and victory of Christ Now is come Salvation and Strength an◠〈◊〉 Kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our Brethren is cast down which accused them before God day and night And they the Church overcame him the Serpent by the blood of the Lambâ— the death 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ and by the word of their testimony the Fathers promise That the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head And they loved not their lives unto death They would rather dye as the Martyrs did then they would deny this testimony of Jesus One thing note here That as the silence in heaven for the space of halfe an houre points out the time of tine battell between the Serpent and Christ in the flesh so likewise it points out the spirituall combat between the Spirit of Christ and the flesh or the Serpents power in every beleever For so long as the Flesh and Serpent accuses their consciences before God day and night and every disobedient action that will breake their peace is laid before them they cannot sing praises but mourn bitterly for as yet God hath given them no testimony of his love in pardoning of them and of receiving them into his enjoyment this is the writing time or the halfe houres silence till God give deliverance But when the Anointing sets the poor souls free from these accusations by a satisfying discovery of his love then there arise voices of â—raises and thundrings-forth of thankesgiving â—o God day and night even as the accusation formerly was day and night And truly here is great comfort to every particular member of Zion to know that the wisdome and power of their corrupt flesh which fights against the Anointing and accuses their consciences day and night before God presenting God to be an angry God to them when as indeed he is loving yea and love it selfe to poore sinners I say for them to know that it is conquered and the life and power of it is taken away by Christ the Anoiuted it is comfort And when Christ who is the Lord our righteousnesse is pleased to cast the Serpent out of your flesh and to take possession and dwell in you himselfe then you shall be freed from all those accusations and from the malice of the accuser and be made able to sing by experience Now is come salvation and strength and the Kingdome of our God and the power of his Christ to my soule for the Prince of Darknesse and powers of my flesh that fought in me against the Anointing or Spirit of truth is now cast out For God hath pardoned all my disobediences and taken me into his own rest Therefore honour and glory be to him that sits upon the Throne and to 〈◊〉 Lamb for evermore And now the Dragon being vexed and 〈◊〉 of wrath because he is conquered and câ—st out of heaven even every particular member of Zion he rules strongly still in the children of disobedience or in the Serpents 〈◊〉 in whom he dwels and raises all cruell perâ—â—cutions against the church out of whom he is cast and in whom the Anointing rules And of whom according to the flesh the Lamb Jesus Christ was born And as Paul spake of Isaac and Ismael that he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that Was born after the Sprit even so it is now he or they in whom the Serpent rules persecutes him or them out of whom the Serpent is cast and in whom the Anointing rules who is the Lord our Righteousnesse But saith John unto the woman or church was given two wings of a great Eagle that she might flie into the wildernesse into her prepared place where she is nourished for a time times and halfe a time from the face of the Serpent I conceive that the soule by the wisdome and love of God is carried into a condition of sensible barrennesse both in it selfe and in others in which condition the soule is under Gods protection from the face of the Serpent so that this Wildernesse spoke of is a very safe condition or hiding-place from the Serpent wherein the soul is fed and nourished by God and not by any creature for a lime times and halfe a time that is the Church and every particular member is fed and protected by God all the severall degrees of the dayes of The Beast as hath been shewed And here I shall mind two things First what this Wildernesse is not Secondly what it is First ☞ when men are in a good conceir of their own Wisdome Learning and Strength as the Jewes were that thought they had all knowledge to discerne Truth from Errour and therefore when Christ
when Euphrates is dried up Those four Angels are evill ones and what they are by name How these four evil Angels kill the third part of men These four evil Angels raise Armies of Horse-men and what they are What is meant by fire smoak and brimstone that proceed out of the horses mouths by which the third part of men are killed The rest of the men that were not killed yet repented not and who they be Why these our dayes are called the half day Of the Beast or the dividing of time They of the nations kindreds tongues and people shall see the dead bodies of the witnesses he dead in the street of the great City 3 dayes and half and who they are They will not suffer the two witnesses to be put in graves what is the meaning What the great City Babylon is What the street of the great City is The Beast doth not do his own will when he killed the witnesses but Gods will A scruple answered The power called Ecclesiastical hath and doth deny the Scriptures Men of the earth rejoyced when the witnesses were slain The appearance of God In Saints casting down the formes and Customes of tâ—â— Beast is that which torments the world Gâ—â— calls his witnesses to come up to heaven 〈◊〉 him what is meant What the Cloud is in which the witnesseâ—â— ascend up to heaven What is meant by Earth quake In the Earth-quake the tenth part of the Citâ— fell what is that Seaven thousand men were slain in the Earth quake who are they How those 7000. meâ—â— are slain The reâ—nant were affrighted what is that The reformation and preservation of Magistracy in Common-wealths is that which every man is to mind with tender care it being Gods Ordinance The downfall of humane Ecclesiastical power will be the reformation and preservation oâ— Magistracy and peace of Common-wealths That which men call Ecclesiasticall power was raised up by the craft of the Serpent on purpose to make war with Christ and his Saints God only suffering it for a limited time Ecclesiasticall troubler relies upon the arme of flesh to support it not upon the arme of God Ecclesiasticall power hath alwayes made men hypocrites Ecclesiastical power hath through its policy ever made Magistrates to act backwards A Conclusion â—ROPHESIES FVLFILLED AS particular and generall experience is proved CHAP. I. 〈◊〉 great Mystery of God is this Hee will cast â—â—e Serpent out of man and subdue that corâ—upt flesh under his feet and dwell in man himâ—elf IN every age of the world God hath manifested his love to sinners more clear than other that he will deliver them from the power of darknesse by no other â—â—â—e or power but by his Son Jesus Christ â—â—â—om Adam to Moses God revealed his Son â—â—â—er the name of a seed The seed of the woman bruise the serpents head and then to Abraham promising a blessednes to all Nations thorow his Sonne In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed This was Gods sowing time and all our mercies graces pardon life salvation are in that seed of his love Jesus Christ whom the Father hath sent and cast into the world even as the fruitfull crop of corn lies in the small seed which the husbandman throws into the earth Then from Moses till the fulnesse of time or the period of Gods determinate counsell That Christ should come in the flesh God did make known his Sonne under types figures shadows and ceremonies of the Law And God took no delight in those legall performances no further then they by his appointment held forth his Son And so the Law was a teaching not a whipping Schoole-master till Christ came in the flesh When God made known the Law of works to the people upon Mount Sinai in Horeb he taught the people therein to beg a Mediatour for God appeared so terrible to them that they said to Moses Do thou speake to us and we will bear but let not God speak with us lest we die They have spoken well saith God in what they have spoken therefore bid them go to their Tents again and come thou said God to Moses and stand by me and I will speak unto thee and thou shalt be a Mediator betweene me and the People But Moses was made onely a Type of Christ who is the Mediator of a better Covenant then this For as soon as God had granted them Moses he promised them his Son Jesus Christ in Moses for when the People had desired Moses to speak to them from God They have well spoken saith the Lord in what they have spoken For I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and I will put my words into his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I will command him And the Apostle shews plainly that this Prophet whom God promised is Jesus Christ the Sonne of God or God manifest in the flesh And so the Law of Types and Ceremonies whereof Moses was the Mediator was but a teaching School-master to lead us to Christ For it was added till the time of Reformation or till the seed came For it was impossiible that the blood of Buls and Goats should take away sinnes therefore when Christ or the anointing came into the world he saith Sacrifice and Offerings thou wouldest not but a body hast thou prepared for me in burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices thou hast no pleasure Then said I Lo I come to do thy will O God He takes away the first Covenant where of Moses was Mediator that he might establish the second whereof he himself is Mediator And therefore Stephen told the Jewes That though they had received the Law by the hand of Angels yet they had not kept it and why Because saith he There was not a Prophet that God sent to fore-tell the coming of Christ the just One but your Fathers did slay them and of whom now your selves are the murtherers of the just one They should have observed Moses Covenant of Types till Christ came who was the body and substance of all and cleaved to him and then rejected the Types ah but they rejected Christ and kept to the Types still and therefore saith Stephen you have not kept the Law As it was the sin of the Jewes to keep to the letter of Moses when Christ was come in the flesh So I believe it will be the sin of many professing Gentiles to keep to the bare letter of the Apostles only looking upon Christ in the flesh when the promise of the Father is come that he will take up his Saints into a spirituall enjoyment of himself and that they shall die to formes and know Christ no more after the flesh I hope I shall declare a truth in this before I have done In the dayes of Daniel Ezekiel and Zechariah who did prophesie towards the latter end of the Jewish
God dwels who is the light of lights that is called Heaven in the mystery And this leads us to the sanctified Humane Nature Jesus Christ in whom God dwels bodily And I beleeve this is the Heaven here spoken of So that God the Father speakes out of his beloved Sonne Jesus Christ and calls his Witnesses that have been trampled upon under the feet of them that were not in covenant with God fourty two months that is the three dayes and halfe of the Beasts reigne and bids them come up hither into the same condition of Nature Life Liberty Peace Victory Kingdome and Glory of his beloved Son Jesus Christ And this Paul having some experience of gives God thanks that had called him into his Kingdome and glory For seeing the men of the World will have no communion with these lights of God his Witnesses but mightily oppresse them and weare chem out therefore God takes them up into fellowship with himselfe and so the Anointing in the man Iesus and the Anointing in the Saints are made one with the Father and the Father entred into Iesus and the Saints so they likewise enter into the Father and partake of his rest and peace And this is Gods Kingdome even God thus manifested in flesh And so humane flesh is changed into the image of God and the vile bodies of the Saints are made glorious by the in-dwelling of the holy breathings of Almighty God Come up hither faith God into the same height of glory you shal lie no longer under the feet of the Gentiles for the appointed time is accomplished And they ascended up to heaven in a Cloud Now this Cloud is the combustions delusions oppressions and troubles which the foure evill Angels before spoken of raise up For mind and you shall see that when the sixth Angel began to blow the Trumpet the foure evill Angels were loosed out of the great River Euphrates and they went forth killing and doing hurt And thus they continued untill the Witnesses ascended up to heaven and then this second woe ceased And the third woe to the inhabitants of the earth cometh presently after as you may read So the loosing of the four evill Angels and the troubles that they stir up and the ascending up of the Witnesses into heaven were all to be acted under the sound of the sixth Angel which is the second woe By Cloud note four things First what the Cloud is Secondly it darkens the Sunne from our sight Thirdly It sends down rain Fourthly the effects that follow Now by Cloud in this spirituall sense I conceive is meant a conjunction of the seven thousand which Iohn mentions which I shall speak somthing of anone either in whole as they live in all Nations or in part as they have power in one Nation to manage the cause of the Beast by preferring the wisdome power and learning of the flesh in either upholding old corrupt formes and customes or in making new ones of pretended divine worship By reason whereof in the Second place the light of the Son of Righteousnesse Iesus Christ is hid from the generality of men where these bear sway for the immediate teachings of God must not be preached neither must any be suffered to write thereof but the seven thousand or such as they tollerate And so the wisdome of men is taught for the wisdome of God by reason whereof a dark veil is drawn over the mindes of men so that the whole world wonders after the Beast saying Who is like the Beast who is able to make warre with him Or Thirdly by Cloud may be meant the two effects that follow as first the falling of the could in a showr of rain for when the usurped authority of the seven thousand is slighted by the Saints and these Mordecaies will not bow to that proud Haman and indeed none dare encounter with the wisdome power customes formes directories and abominations of the Beast but the Saints in whom the holy breathings of God dwell and the weakest of these dares throw him the glove I say when that cloud of false witnesse is scattered it showres down threatnings oppressions prisons punishments death like a flood of water to drown the woman the Spouse of Christ upon every one that will not conform for truly the King of a fierce countenance the Prince of darknesse rules in the cloud who through policie makes craft to prosper in his hand and he destroyes the holy people mightily and then the second effect But in the Fourth place the falling of the Cloud makes men to run under some shelter And so when this Cloud of false witnesses falls either in self-seeking and false doctrines in threatnings or punishments upon all that will not conform or in forcing people to conform or in restraining people from such wayes of Divine worship â—s God hath perswaded their hearts unto and â—o taking peace from the earth In the falling of this Cloud or in this showre of rain God calls upon his two faithfull witnesses bids them come up to him shelter themselves in heaven even in the glory kingdome and beauty of Jesus Christ And they ascend up to heaven in this cloud that is God takes up his Saints to him is their refuge and shelter their life liberty and comfort he dwels in them and they dwell in him And now they live above the wisdome malice sorrows of the world in the joy rest peace of the Father as Iesus the Anointed did And their enemies beheld them that is those that were the upholders of the Beast shal be coÌ„vinced in their consciences that the Saints whom God so takes up into fellowship with himselfe though they be not bred Schollars inhumane Arts yet they are more righteous then they and at this sight they shall be offended and very angry And in the same hour there was an Earthquake By Earthquake mind two things First when God shakes down all the corrupt flesh in a Saint and treads it under his feet making that subtile proud coveteous envious and unclean Serpent his foot-stoole shaking down either more visible or lesse visible in the eye of the world old Adams building that he may set up his own new building the Anointing And this shaking is that which vnbelievers scoff make a laughing-stock at in these dayes but they can do no otherwise for they are slaves to the Serpent and he makes them do so and they will do so till God pul them out of that power of darknes But this is not the shaking onely which is pointed out by Johns vision though without this the other that follows cannot be done Therfore Secondly the Earthquake here pointed at is this When God shakes down corruption in Magistracy which the Beast brought in and so restores that ordinance of God to purity in justice and when he shakes down all false shews forms customes of