Prophets and seeing these Witnesses are sent out as his special Heralds and have such a weighty Charge upon their hands to Proclaim his coming in judgment and to give warning that this second Dreadful Woe is now at hand and coming upon all such as will by no means be Reclaimed and brought to Repentance 6. These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their Prophecy and have power over waters to turn them to blood and to smite the earth with all Plagues as often as they will This seems to be spoken in allusion to the Miracles that God wrought by Moses and Elijah Elias saith St. James 5.17 was a man subject to like passions as we are and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months And this was in Ahab's time as we may see 1 Kings 17. and 18. Chapters And Moses at God's command bid Aaron to stretch his rod over the waters and they were turned into blood Exod. 7.19 And many other Miracles did God by their hand in the land of Egypt as we may see in the Book of Exodus And with respect to these do these words here seem to be spoken And by these Witnesses having power to shut Heaven c. we are to understand I conceive That Almighty God will in an extraordinary manner order and Over-rule the Affairs of the world during the time of their Prophecy and will do little less than work Miracles upon their account while they are executing their Offices and fulfilling his Will that they may not be interrupted in the doing of it and others may have the greater opportunity to mind them and that with an high Hand and an outstretched Arm he will keep out Popery till they have done their great Work and the 1260 days of their Prophecy are sulfilled For if God had not with a high Hand kept out Popery it had been here before this time 7. And when they shall have finished their Testimony the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless Pit shall make War against them and shall overcome them and kill them When these Witnesses shall have finished their Testimony and fully executed their Office in Proclaiming the coming in of Popery and the Dreadful Woe that is at hand and have given other seasonable Instructions and Admonitions for such a great juncture of time as this is And when the 1260 days or three years and about an half that are allowed them for this work are ended Then the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless Pit that is the Papacy the Pope and his Agents shall assault them and those of the Romish Religion shall prevail over them and will quite put them to silence and deprive them of all the Rights and Priviledges of living men and pass the Sentence of Excommunication and Death upon them perhaps as seems probable and will then put a stop to all outward appearance of the Protestant Church This seems to be the meaning of Killing them here And here in these sacred Oracles we may see what a sinful Religion Popery is and what a sinful Church the Romish Church is to wit That it is Diabolical and Hellish enough that it comes from the Infernal Pit of Darkness and that it is promoted and carried on by the Devil and his Agents and is a grand Enemy of Christ's Church and the Killer of his faithful Servants Here we may see with what black Characters and Marks our Saviour hath Stigmatized and branded the Papacy and Church of Rome And let no good Protestant then ever any more presume to say that there is any hope of Salvation for such as are of the Romish Church and continue therein and so help to deceive the Papists and such as turn to the Romish Church And Rev. 13.5 6. And there was given un to him a mouth speaking great things and Blasphemies and power was given unto him to make war forty and two months And he opened his mouth in Blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven Here we may see that the Popedom and Romish Church is flatly charged with Blasphemy against Almighty God himself thas the Religion and Practice of the Papists is no better in God's account than down-right Blasphemy against him And how then can any man be saved by joining with those that Almighty God hath declared to be Notorious Blasphemers of him and grand Rebels against him For it is clear that the Popes of Rome and the Popedom are meant by this Beast as I have shewed before by the deadly Wound that was given him in the Reformation and the healing of it up again now when Popery is to be extended as far as it was before and the Pope and his Ministers are like to Lord it over all the Protestant Church again And as for the Beast with two Horns Rev. 13.11 It is clear that he is a Creature subservient to the Popes and Popedom and perhaps these late western Emperors may be meant by him Horns denote Principalities and Power and these Empero's have been some times Kings of France or Spain and Emperors and some times Princes or Dukes and Emperors And the cursed Courts of Inquisition their merciless Racking and Tormenting of poor Souls that are unwilling to join in their Idolatrous and sinful worship and their threatning of men with Fire and Sword and the most terrible Deaths that can be invented may look like the doing of great Wonders and making of Fire to come down from Heaven on the earth in the sight of men ver 13 when by these Terrors in a manner like thunder from Heaven they fright and drive men to fall down and worship this Beast of Rome and own him as it were for a Deity And again Rev. 14.9 And the third Angel followed them saying with a loud voice If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receive his mark in his forehead or in his hand that is shall own the Pope to be the Head of the Church and join in the Popish Religion and any ways publickly declare himself to be a Papist which we are to understand by worshipping the Beast and his Image and receiving his mark The same shall drink of the wine of the Wrath of God which is poured out without mixture in the Cup of his Indignation and he shall be Tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb And the smoak of their Torment ascended up for ever and ever And can any man now say that Papists may be saved that continue in the Romish Church except he will flatly contradict these sacred Oracles of Truth For all men that will seriously mind this book of the Revelation may see that these things are spoken of the Church of Rome by the Angels interpretation Rev. 17.9 and other places And the more these
of God resolving to put an end to the Protestant and pure Church of Christ And that the Wrath of God then came upon them and prevented them from doing of it and defeated this bloody design of theirs And that it was time then that these Dead Men that were dead in trespasses and wickedness and past all hopes of being Reclaimed and brought to Repentance should be judged and sentenced to Destruction according to their great Sin and Wickedness And that it was time then that God should think upon all his faithful Servants and all such as fear his Name of what Rank or Degree soever they be and reward them according to their Piety and the faithful service that they have done for him And that he should destroy and Sentence to Corruption those of the Romish Church that destroy the Earth and corrupt all the Morals of Mankind For this is here related as past 19. And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of his testament and there were lightnings and Voices and thundrings and an Earthquake and great hail And The Temple of God saith St. John was opened in Heaven And hereby seems to be meant that the Protestant and pure Worship and Service of Almighty God shall then be publickly set up again and celebrated in publick Churches to the Praise and Honour of his great and glorious Name and that all men shall then have free access to his sacred and pure Worship again and to all the Mysteries of the Christian Religion which seem to be meant by the Ark of his Testament being seen therein to wit That all men shall then be admitted again to draw nigh to God in his Church and Temple and sacred Worship and admitted to his Table again in the holy Communion And the lightnings and Voices c. seem to shew the great acclamations and shoutings of joy that there shall be then and the Psalms of praise and thanksgiving that shall then be heartily sung to Almighty God and the great alterations that shall then be made for the better ordering of Affairs both in Church and State The third and grand Woe of all is to be executed in the time of this seventh Trumpet-Angel about the year 1826 as I have said but the Angel having declared ver 14 That the third Woe cometh quickly the farther treating of this Woe seems to be put off till some Chapters after upon which I shall briefly touch by and by I have here endeavoured to make this sacred and infallible Oracle as clear as I well can that the Light thereof may now shine forth and that it may Proclaim aloud to the world this second dreadful Woe that is now at hand That men may now at the last be admonished and prevailed with to repent and amend their lives seeing the heavy Wrath of God now hangeth over our heads and this Woe is now ready to be executed upon us That they may now be awaked out of their carnal security and take some effectual means for their own safety seeing the Danger is so great and at hand and there is but one step between them and the Pit of Destruction And let all the Bishops and Pastors of the Protestant Church now read over with hearty attention the Epistle to the Church in Sardis and look upon it as directed to themselves There they may see that they are too tardy and too negligent of Christ's Flock even according to the Divine and Infallible Censure of our blessed Lord himself Rev. 3.2 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to dye For I have not found thy works perfect before God Be watchful and double your diligence and look after and strengthen that little Flock of Christ that remaineth and is ready to dye and perish For your works you see are not found perfect before God Let all the Bishops and Pastors of the Protestant Church now take care to cherish and strengthen their Flocks and especially to fortifie and strengthen them against Popery that they may not be devoured by that Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless Pit I here give publick Warning to all the Bishops and Pastors of the Protestant Church that our blessed Lord is coming and at hand and therefore let them take care That their loins be girded about and their Lights burning and they themselves like unto men that wait for their Lord Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching Luke 12.35 And ver 43 Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing Of a truth I say unto you that he will make him Ruler over all that he hath But if any man will not take warning but put his confidence in an Arm of flesh and trust to Carnal security If any will not prepare for such a Coming of our blessed Lord as I here warn him of but will put the Evil Day far off and out of his thoughts and sing Requiems to his Soul and pursue his pleasures and delights Let that man know that these very words of our blessed Lord shall be verified upon him Rev. 3.3 If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee And how our Lord will then treat such a man he hath plainly told us Luke 12.45 46. But and if that servant say in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to beat the men servants and maidens and to eat and drink and to be drunken The Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and at an hour when he is not ware and will cut him in sunder and will appoint him his Portion with the unbelievers And let all the Protestant Bishops and Pastors and all men else take care that this be not their Condition and Doom at this time Now is the time that the Angel is to be sent forth with the Seal of the living God to Seal the Servants of God in their foreheads and to mark them out for Protection and Deliverance that the destroying Angels may not hurt them Rev. 7.2 And let all the Pastors of the Protestant Church take diligent care that they may be fit and well qualified for such an Angelical and Divine Mark of Mercy and Protection And let them use their utmost endeavours that others may be so too and may be Registred in the Book of Life both for Salvation at this time and also in the world to come Now is the time that the gloriously adorned Woman the pure Church of Christ is like to undergo her hard and sore Travel when the great red Dragon will wait and stand by her ready to devour her hopeful Off-spring as soon as it is born Rev. 12.1 And let all the faithful Pastors and Members of Christ's Church now implore the Divine Assistance of Almighty God That now seeing the
you alway even unto the end of the world Amen Which words I hope I may thus paraphrase with respect to this great juncture of time My incessant Care and watchful Providence shall always attend you my Servants and I will never be wanting to you but will be ready to assist you always with my Counsel and Help if ye will hearken to me and carefully observe the motions of my Hand And even now in this dark Day and fiery Tryal that is coming upon you mine eyes shall be continually upon you and my hand stretched out to uphold and strengthen you and Death with its gastly looks and dreadful face shall not then too sorely affright and terrifie you when ye dye Martyrs in my Cause And know that it is I the Saviour of the world that am the sure and faithful Watchman and that I do now advertise and give you warning of the dark Days that are coming upon you and the heavy Woe that is to follow them that ye may know these things beforehand and may not be surprized at them when they come to your astonishment and prejudice For it was I that awoke my Watchmen and set them to give warning of the Evil approaching otherwise they had been taken in a drowsie and sleepy Condition I am faithful in what I promise and according to my Word Lo I am with you now and at all times even unto the end of the World Amen The second Woe which is now at hand and like to fall as I conceive upon the Protestant Kingdoms chiefly is like to be very dreadful But yet the third Woe which is like to fall upon the Popish Kingdoms and within the jurisdiction of Rome about 130 years hence is like to be far more dreadful for so do these sacred Oracles plainly seem to declare Then is the terrible Vision of the sixth Seal as I conceive to be consummated and completed Rev. 6 12-17 And I beheld saith St. John when he had opened the sixth Seal and lo there was a great Earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair and the moon became as blood and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth even as a figtree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together and every mountain and Island were moved out of their places And the Kings of the earth and the great Men and the rich men and the chief Captains and the mighty men and every bondman and every freeman hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks Fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the Wrath of the Lamb For the great Day of his Wrath is come and who shall be able to stand This Seal may in part belong to this second Woe that is now approaching but it will be consummated and compleated as I conceive when the third and last of these three dreadful Woes cometh And then Woe Woe Woe to Rome and the Romish Church for then are all these dreadful things like to be fulfilled and compleated according to the sense and meaning of them And the Destruction of new and Mystical Babylon is set out in as prodigious a manner as the Destruction of old Babylon was Isaiah 13.9 as if the Frame of the whole world should then shake and tremble and be disordered at that Day and as if the Terror of it should be like the Terror of the last Day when the Heavens and the Earth shall be dissolved and as if men should then be surrounded with Blackness and Darkness on every side and should then seek to hide themselves in the dens and caves of the rocks and call to the rocks and mountains to hide and shelter them from the fiery Wrath and merciless Cruelty of that Day that should have no Light nor Comfort at all in it Then will be the time that the great Harvest of the earth the great Harvest of Sin and Iniquity will be fully ripe and fit for the Sicle and shall then be cut down and cleared away Rev. 14 14-16 Then will the great Winepress of the Wrath of God be trodden Rev. 14.19 20. And the Angel saith St. John thrust in his sicle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth and cast it into the great Winepress of the Wrath of God And the Winepress was troden without the City and blood came out of the Winepress even unto the horses bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs O Dreadful What an astonishing treading of the Winepress of the Wrath of God is this like to be when Blood shall thus flow from it like a great River whose Stream shall swell and rise as high as the horses bridles and not be stopt before it hath run a thousand and six hundred surlongs What an Akeldama and field of Blood will Rome and the jurisdiction thereof then be But thro the good Providence of God this great and stupendious Winepress of the Wrath of God shall be trodden without the City Not without the City which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt Not without the City of Rome and the jurisdiction thereof for these are like then to be the Shop and Anvile of Divine Vengeance where all the Heats of Wrath and Fury are to be hammer'd But it will be trodden without the holy City and pure Church of Christ God then so over-ruling and ordering Affairs that his faithful Servants shall not then be dipt in this bloody Stream And our Lord then making good his Promise to the Church of Philadelphia his beloved Spouse Rev. 3.10 Because thou hast kept saith our Lord the Word of my Patience I also will keep thee from the Hour of Temptation which shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the earth From this dark hour of Tryal and judgment is the Church in Philadelphia then to be preserved as a recompence for her sore Travel and great exercise of Patience that she is now to undergo in the end of the Sardian Church and after this second Woe is past the Philadelphian Church I hope will begin Then when the third Woe cometh are all the seven last Vials of the Wrath of God to be poured out upon the earth and upon the City which Spiritually is called Egypt and it is like to be plagued in such a manner as heretofore the Land of Egypt was Rev. 16.1 Then is the water of the great River Euphrates to be dryed up that the way of the Kings of the East may be prepared to come in to the Fall of great Babylon Rev. 16.12 Then are the three unclean Spirits like frogs proceeding out of the mouths of the Dragon the Beast and false Phrophet to go forth to gather the Kings of the whole world to the Battel of that great Day of God Almighty And then they
are to be gathered into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon which shews that they are all there to be destroyed where this vast Army shall be drawn together Rev. 16.14 16. Then is to be that grand Earthquake such an Earthquake as the world had never known before ver 18. And there were Voices saith St. John and thunders and lightnings and there was a great Earthquake such as was not since men were upon the earth so mighty an Earthquake and so great Then is the Earth to be shaken in such a manner as it had never been shaken before with the Tumults of War and Armyes and Battels and bloody Tragedies that shall then be acted upon it Then is great Babylon like to be shatter'd and rent to pieces ver 19. And the great City was divided into three parts And great Babylon came in remembrance before God to give unto her the Cup of the Wine of the fierceness of his Wrath. The great City of Mystical Babylon is then to be divided into three parts but never an one of these three parts will be left to uphold the Papal Chair For then will the Kings of the earth that have committed fornication with her and her Merchants and Paramours and Lovers that doted upon her be glad to make their escape from her Torment and Burning and to stand afar off for fear of it and there to pour out their doleful lamentations for her when they behold the smoak of her Burning Rev. 18.9 And of the ten Horns it is said Rev. 17.16 These shall hate the Whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire And then will they be ready to curse the day wherein they were made such Slaves and Drudges to the Papacy and Popish Religion And of the Beast and false Prophet it is said Rev. 19.20 And the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet These both were cast alive into a Lake of fire burning with brimstone which shews that they shall be totally destroyed and swallowed up with a swift and merciless Destruction Then when this third Woe cometh are all the Popish Princes like to lay down their Scepters and to bid Farewel to all Regal Authority for so do these sacred Oracles shew Rev. 16.19 And the Cities of the Nations fell saith St. John That is all the Popish Principalities and Polities shall then fall to nought and be destroyed And under the sixth Seal it is said Rev. 6.15 And the Kings of the earth and the Great men hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks Fall on us and hide us Then are all the ravenous Fowls of heaven to be called to the Supper of the great God That they may eat the flesh of Kings Rev. 19.17 18. And I saw an Angel standing in the sun saith St. John and he cryed with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven Come and gather your selves together unto the Supper of the great God That ye may eat the flesh of Kings and the flesh of Captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great When this third Woe cometh Then not only the Popedom and Popish Church and Religion but even the very City of Rome also shall then in a Violent manner be totally destroyed and no Artificer's hammer shall any more be heard therein and the sound of the milstone is then like to cease there and no candle is to shine there any more Rev. 18.21 And a mighty Angel saith St. John took up a stone like a great Milstone and cast it into the Sea saying Thus with Violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and shall be found no more at all Here we have the Type of Rome's dreadful destruction viz. that it is to be like the violent dashing of a great milstone into the Sea And ver 22 And the voice of harpers and musicians and of Pipers and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee and no craftsman of whatsoever craft be he shall be found any more in thee and the sound of the milstone shall be heard no more at all in thee And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee and the voice of the Bridegroom and of the Bride shall be heard no more at all in thee The very City of Rome it self is then like to be totally consumed and nothing left but the sad Ruins thereof to declare to Posterity That there once stood the great City that Spiritually was called Sodom and Egypt which was the great Metropolis and Den of all the bloody Tyrants and cruel Persecutors of the Church and Servants of God and the place where Satan himself kept his black Court Rev. 2.13 These Melodious and joyful voices and comfortable sounds shall then totally cease there and the hideous howlings of the beasts of the desert are then like to succeed in their room Rome then is like to become the Rendezvous of Daemons and the Cage and Receptacle of all hateful and uncouth birds For this is the proclamation of the Angel that came down from Heaven Rev. 18.2 And he cryed saith St. John mightily with a strong voice saying Babylon the great is fallen is fallen and is become the habitation of Devils and the hold of every foul Spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird The Satyrs and Goblins may then dance there and the Owls may take it for their habitation All the doleful Creatures of the twilight may then resort thither that are fit to howl and hollow forth the sad Ruin and Desolation of this place and to proclaim to the World That Rome's Day is at an End and the dismal Night of Darkness is come upon her And this third Woe also will come in a surprizing manner upon all such as are wrapt up in Carnal security and are too intent upon their worldly Concerns and eagerly pursuing their sins and wickedness This our Saviour sheweth declaring that his Coming at this third Woe should be like the coming of a thief Rev. 16.15 Behold I come as a thief Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Let all men then take care to be upon their watch and look to it that they be not surprized in their sins and filthiness to their eternal shame and reproach And saith the Angel Rev. 18.8 Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire This seems to intimate that her plagues should come unexpectedly one upon another and she is to be totally consumed And it seems probable that the City of Rome the Mystical Babylon will then be burnt down with fire And as Noah gave
A LETTER OF A Protestant Clergy-man TO THE Reverend CLERGY OF THE Church of England AND To all other good Protestants advertising them from the sacred Revelation of St. John of the Evil which he apprehends to be coming upon THE PROTESTANT CHURCH c. Written by DIGBY BULL M. A. and late Rector of Sheldon in Warwickshire London Printed for the Author and are to be sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster 1695. Reverend Brethren both of the Clergy and Laiety I Am apprehensive and very confident than an Evil Time is at hand and that Popery is ready to come in upon us for the great Abuse of that blessed Light of the Gospel which we have so freely enjoyed And I doubt that first and last there will be a great deal of Bloodshed in this Nation and I would have you all advertised hereof That you may make all the due Preparation against such a Dreadful Time that may be and may do all that lyes in your Power to preserve your selves and the Flocks that are committed to your Care that you may not fall to Popery nor be taken in any other great Wickedness and so be swept away with the Beesom of Destruction I would have you to peruse Archbishop Usher's Prediction and to make the best use of his Advice that may be For I take it to be of a Divine Nature and do believe that there is Truth in it and that the dismal Time which he speaks of is now at hand And I am perswaded that this Day will come in a surprizing manner as he saith and that such as give themselves up to a carnal and vain Security will be wrapt up in Misery and Destruction before they are well aware of it And therefore it behoveth all Men to look well to the grand Concerns of their Souls and Lives and to be continually upon their Watch and Spiritual Guard that they may not be taken in a vain Confidence like the rich Fool in the Parable Luke 12.16 And from Rev. 11. I do believe that Popery will prevail over us for three Years and an half and that then to the great wonder of the World and like Men from the dead the Protestant Religion shall rise up again and be as Glorious as it was before if not much more so And from the comfortable expectation of this lightsome and joyful Morning we may be the more encouraged with Patience and Perseverance in the Truth to weather out this dark and dismal Night And by the blessed Help and Assistance of Almighty God we shall be able to do it and his Divine Help will never be wanting to us if we seek it with that diligence and care that we ought And the more to keep us from falling to Popery we may remember how strictly we are commanded to keep the Faith and Doctrine of the Gospel pure and uncorrupt and how severely the Violators thereof are threatned And we may sufficiently see that Popery is not at all consistent therewith First We may see that we are strictly enjoined to keep the sacred Commands of Almighty God and to contend earnestly for the Faith of the Gospel and at our Baptism we did solemnly engage to do so by our Sureties Upon our love to him doth our blessed Lord require of us that we should keep his Commandments If ye love me saith he Joh. 14.15 keep my Commandments St. Paul also in sundry places doth strictly charge both Timothy and Titus and in a Solemn manner before God to keep the Precepts and Commandments that he gave them 1 Tim. 5.21 and 6.13 And he sheweth that the Philippians were to strive together for the Faith of the Gospel Phil. 1.27 That ye stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the Faith of the Gospel and in nothing terrified by your adversaries And this St. Jude presseth also Jude 3. It was needful for me saith he to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the Saints And to the Angel of the Church in Sardis saith our Saviour Rev. 3.3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent By the Angel here we are to understand the Bishops and Pastors of the Church and the Flocks under them the Angel seems to be put for the whole Church but especially for the Governours and Pastors of it And this place as Dr. More sheweth respecteth our own times And here we are admonished to remember how we have been Instructed in the sacred Scriptures and also how we have been taught by the blessed Reformation to lay aside all the sinful Errors and Practices of the Romish Church And here we are also strictly enjoined to retain and hold fast all that is good and agreeable to the sacred Scriptures and upon our neglect herein we are severely threatned with Judgment as the following words shew Secondly We may see that such as any ways make void the sacred Word of God are sharply rebuked and severely threatned for it Our blessed Lord himself doth sharply rebuke the Jews upon this account and shews that such Religion is vain when Men leave the Divine Laws and Commandments of Almighty God to follow the Traditions and Precepts of Men. Mar. 7.7 In vain do they worship me saith he teaching for doctrines the commandments of men For laying aside the commandment of God ye hold the tradition of men And saith he Mat. 5.19 Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven St. Paul also doth shew that he that disannulleth the Gospel of Christ and setteth up any thing in opposition to it is to be had accursed yea tho' he were an Angel from Heaven Gal. 1.8 But tho' we saith he or an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed And this the Apostle doubleth that it might be the more heeded and minded and that none might presume to do so And saith St. John 2 Joh. 9. Whosoever abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God And saith he again Rev. 22.18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophecy of this book If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this Book And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the book of life By these plain places of Scripture we may see how closely we ought to keep to the Sacred Word of God and that it is in vain to pretend to worship and serve Him except we do so And we see that it is a cursed thing to make void the Gospel and to preach up any thing in opposition to it and that such as do so must expect the Wrath and Judgment of God
and that now I wait with long Patience three years and an half after I have sent forth my Heralds in mournful habit to proclaim my coming in judgment that hereby the formal and hypocritical Worldlings and all Sinners might be brought to a true and sincere Repentance and Reformation of their Lives according to my Divine Precepts and so find Mercy at this time But if this Gracious method of mine will not prevail with them and no Overtures of kindness will work upon them I will take away the Mask and Vizard of their Hypocrisie I will suffer the Popish Gentiles and the Beast of Rome once more to bear Rule over my Church and then it will be manifest to all the world whether they will own me for their Lord and Master or whether they will reject me and adore this Beast of Rome flat contrary to my sacred Laws and that Abhorrence and Detestation that I have declared against this Romish Beast and the Popish Religion in these sacred Oracles And if they will presume to do this let them know that my second Dreadful Woe is at hand and at their Eternal Peril let them look for the Direful Effects of it This doth not all indeed arise from this single Verse but it may be fairly drawn from this Verse and the rest of the Chapter These Witnesses seem to be two eminent parts of the Protestant Church and the faithful Seruants of God And I am persuaded that the eminent men of the Non jurors of this Kingdom do bear a considerable part herein being now suspended purely for a Point of Conscience and in a mournful condition And perhaps something of a like nature may be now acted in other Protestant Countries And these two Witnesses are to prophesie 1260 days that is about three years and an half before that Popery shall prevail and have power over the true Christian Church And altho it be now above three years and an half since these men were suspended yet this doth not prove that they can be no part of these Witnesses For tho they began then to be in a mourning condition yet the more solemn time of their Prophesying did not begin till afterwards and this may be looked upon as a Praeludium to their more solemn Prophesying But I would not have any one to think that there will be three years and an half yet before Popery shall come in For it may come in within a twelve-month month for ought I know I am fully persuaded that these 1260 days are now a running but I cannot define the exact beginning of them and therefore not the end and am ignorant of God's secret working in the Prophesying of these Witnesses The exact time belongs to God and I know it not 4. These are the two Olive-trees and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth This may have some respect to the Prophet Zechariah's Vision and the answer that the Angel gave him to his question about it Zec. 4 11 14. Then answered I saith the Prophet and said unto him that is to the Angel What are these two Olive-trees upon the right side of the Candlestick and upon the left side thereof Then said he These are the two Anointed Ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth And this is understood to be meant of Zerubbabel and Joshua those two eminent Servants of God and is a high commendation of them And so is this to be lookt upon as a high Encomium and commendation of these Witnesses and shews our blessed Saviour's high approbation of them And this may be farther confirmed by what is said of the undefiled Ones in the Church of Sardis and is an argument to shew that these places contemporize and belong to the same time Rev. 3.4 Thou hast a few Names that is Persons even in Sardis saith our Lord by his Angel which have not defiled their garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy Tho the Generality of the Bishops and Pastors in the Sardian Church be very tardy and faulty yet we see that there are a few in this Church that are approved of and highly commended And these I take to be the Witnesses here And by these high Characters that our Lord hath given of these Witnesses he hath shewed that these are the great Lights of his Church and hereby hath admonished all men to have a due regard to them and to hearken to their voice and to be ready to be guided and directed by them And as I take the eminent men of the Non-jurors to be a part of these Witnesses so would I have all men to have a due regard to them and now to hearken to their pious Instructions and admonitions that they may save their Souls and Lives too if it may be But if any Non-jurors do shew themselves to be sinful and wicked men in other respects or to be favourers of Popery they are not to be looked upon as any part of these Witnesses For these are the true and distinguishing Characters whereby all men are to know these Witnesses at this time to wit Their sad and mournful condition Their Prophesying in sackcloth as it is in this xi Chapter and their undefiled Garments as it is Rev. 3.4 5. And if any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth and devoureth their Enemies and if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed This may have some respect to Moses and Aaron whom God did in an extraordinary manner protect when he sent them to Pharaoh King of Egypt to redeem his People out of their Egyptian Bondage as we may see Exod. 7. and thence forward And afterwards in the Wilderness did God in a miraculous manner destroy those that rose up against them causing the earth to open and swallow up one part of them and sending down fire from Heaven to consume another part of them as we may see Num. 16. And this may also have some respect to God's two great Prophets Elijah and Elisha for the protection of the former of which God twice sent down fire from Heaven to consumè the two Captains and their men that were sent to apprehend him 2 Kings 1. And for the protection of the other God vouchsafed an heavenly Host of Horses and Chariots of fire 2 Kings 6.17 And by this fire proceeding out of their mouth here we are to understand as I conceive that God will in an extraordinary manner protect and defend these Witnesses during the time of their Prophesying and will execute some signal punishments upon their Enemies rather than suffer them to hinder his Witnesses in the execution of their offices which they do in obedience to his blessed Will And it may seem the more requisite that he should vouchsafe them this extraordinary Safe Conduct for their protection as he did to Moses and Aaron and to Elijah and Elisha seeing the World heretofore hath been too ready to stone his
both in respect of the seven hills upon which Rome stood and was built and also in respect of the seven Supreme Governments of Kings Consuls Dictators Emperors c. by which that City and the Roman Polity have been governed and which resided there as their great Metropolis yet it is plain to me that by this Beast is for the most part or altogether meant the Popedom and Romish Church since it became an Idolatrous and Persecuting Church And when the Popedom and Church of Rome hath stood 666 years from its first assuming the Nature and Disposition of a Beast of Prey when 666 years are compleated from the time that it first put the true and faithful Servants of God to death in a notorious and remarkable manner then shall the Popedom and Romish Church be destroyed in a most dreadful manner and then shall the third and last Woe be executed upon it And these 666 years do begin as I conceive about the time of the Waldenses and Albigenses and about the year of our Lord 1160. What was done before that time may be looked upon as done in the Minority of the Beast before he came to his full growth and not to be reckoned of but about that time he became of a full Stature and Strength and in a bloody and remarkable manner did destroy the Sheep and Church of Christ and thousands lost their Lives and perished by him And about that time and about the year 1160 do these 666 years begin And when they shall be ended this third Woe cometh which may be said to come quickly in respect of this far longer distance of time that hath been between the first Woe and this second Woe 15. And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great Voices in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever The seventh and last of these Trumpet-Angels here soundeth to Usher in the seventh and last Scene of Affairs of the Church as they are divided under these seven Trumpet-Angels For after the time of this seventh Trumpet-Angel is expired an End is to be put to this World and there is to be time no more as the Angel sware Rev. 10.5 And the Angel lifted up his hand to heaven and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever That there should be time no longer But in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel when he should sound even the Mystery of God should be finished as he hath declared to his Servants the Prophets In the end of the days of the voice of the seventh Angel the Mystery of God is to be finished and this World then is like to be at an End In this Sacred and Mysterious Book of the Revelation there seem to me to be three Septenaries or distinct Sets and Orders of Prophecies The first is of seven Churches the second of seven Seals and the third of seven Angels sounding with their Trumpets And in the times of the three last of these Trumpet-Angels were to be three grand Woes as the Angel declared Rev. 8.13 And I beheld saith St. John and heard an Angel flying thorow the midst of Heaven and saying with a loud voice Woe Woe Woe to the Inhabitants of the earth by reason of the other voices of the Trumpet of the three Angels which are yet to sound The first of these Woe 's was in the time of the fifth Trumpet-Angel and is now long since past the second which is to be in the time of the sixth Trumpet Angel is now at hand and the third is to fall under the time of the seventh and last Trumpet-Angel and will be fulfilled hereafter as I said before And the time of the seventh Trumpet-Angel doth begin presently after this second dreadful Woe shall be executed And upon his sounding there were great voices and acclamations in Heaven as it was represented to St. John in this Vision declaring that the Kingdoms of this World that is a considerable part of them were become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and hereby shewing that they will then be so indeed and will then become Protestant Kingdoms and sincere Professors of the pure Word of God and live and act according to the blessed Precepts and Commands of the Gospel of Christ And then he shall Reign over them to the World's end and be owned by them for their Lord and Master and his Sacred Laws shall then stand valid and in force with them and neither the Pope of Rome nor any other such cruel and sinful Lord shall any more in such a manner Tyrannize and Domineer over them and Persecute them and drive them to Idolatry or any other notorious violation of the Sacred Word of God 16. And the four and twenty Elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God Upon this wonderful Work that Almighty God had wrought here upon earth for his Church and faithful Servants the Elders of the Court of Heaven were represented to St. John as falling upon their Faces before God and worshipping of him in this profound manner and hereby shewing that the Church then ought and will magnify him in an exceeding high manner For these Elders seem to allude to the Jewish Sanhedrim and great Council and are the Representatives of the Christian Church as we may see Rev. 5.9 10. where they say of the Lamb For thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation And hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall Reign on the Earth By declaring that they were redeemed by the blood of the Lamb and that they should Reign on the Earth they shew that they are the Representatives of the Christian Church 17. Saying We give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great Power and hast Reigned And here is their Song of Thanksgiving and ascribing of Glory to Almighty God who was from all Eternity and endureth to all Eternity upon the account of what he had done for his Church and Servants because in the Day of Anguish and Distress he had in such a wonderful manner stretched out his Omnipotent Arm and rescued them from the very Jaws of Death and Pit of Destruction and given such a Proof of his irresistible Power 18. And the Nations were angry and thy Wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy Servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that fear thy Name small and great and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth This is a Narration of the Elders shewing their high Approbation of what God had righteously done Declaring that the Popish Nations were angry and enraged against the Protestant Church and true Servants
Child is come to the Birth there may be strength to bring forth 2 Kings 19 â— and that the Fruit of her Womb this Royal and hopeful Issue may be delivered from the bloody Talons and merciless Paws of this red and fiery Dragon and may be caught up to the Throne of God and there preserved that in due time he may Rule all Nations with his strong and iron Rod. Now is the time That that Grand and Set Battel is to be fought between Michael and the Dragon Rev. 12.7 For now will Michael the Archangel and all the Host of blessed Angels that are under him exert and put forth their utmost strength and power and use their utmost vigilancy and Industry for the supporting and upholding of the pure Church of Christ and to keep the Servants of God from Revolting and Backsliding and falling to Popery and being driven by the Terror of men to fall down and worship the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless Pit And now will the Dragon also set his shoulder to the work and he and his black Regiments will labour with Might and Main to extinguish and utterly to put an End to the pure Christian Church and to drive all the faithful Servants of God to desert and forsake him and to turn to the Popish Religion and to join with the Beast of Rome which God hath declared to be a grand Rebel against him and his Kingdom And now therefore it is the Duty of every good Protestant and especially of the Bishops and Pastors of the Protestant Church to be at their most ardent Prayers to Almighty God and to implore his Help that he would have Mercy upon his Church and preserve it from being destroyed by the restless Enemies thereof Now is it their duty to lift up their incessant Cryes to the blessed Jesus that he would make good that Promise to his Church Matth. 16.18 That the Gates of Hell should not prevail against it That he would now hold up his Auspicious Hand while this Battel is fought as once Moses did upon a like occasion Exod. 17.11 and that he would stretch out his Almighty Arm for the support of his Church and Servants and Succour us frail Creatures in the Day of Tryal and Grant Success and Victory to Michael and his Angels who is represented as General of the Christian Forces Now let all the valiant Souldiers of Christ put on the whole Armour of God that they may be able to stand against all the Wiles of the Devil Eph. 6.11 For we are now to wrestle not with flesh and blood against the bodily strength of a single man as wrestlers do But against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the darkness or the dark and sinful Rulers of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places Wherefore let us take unto our selves the whole Armour of God that we may be able to withstand in the evil Day and having done all that is in our power that we may stand Let all the faithful Servants of Christ now give all that little help and assistance that they can in so righteous and sacred a Cause as this is when the Church and Spouse of Christ lyeth at the Stake and wherein the blessed Jesus and Saviour of the World requireth their service And then if they fight valiantly in this sacred and Renowned Cause and persevere to the end then let them expect his Euge Well done thou good and faithful Servant Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord Matth. 25.21 And saith our Lord to the Church in Sardis to the Pastors and Members thereof even to the present Christian Church as I understand it and as Dr. More also hath interpreted it Rev. 3.5 He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot out his name out of the Book of Life but I will confess his name before my Father and before his Angels Those that overcome in this Grand Battel against the Dragon in this splendid manner like Victors and Conquerors are they to be clothed their Names are like to stand Registred in the Book of Life as those that are like to enjoy eternal Bliss and Happiness And to their unspeakable joy and endless glory they will be had in honor before Almighty God and his Angels But if any man draw back his Soul will have no pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 And our Lord hath told us Matth. 10.33 That whosoever shall deny him before men him also he will deny before his Father which is in heaven And now let all the Bishops and Pastors of the Protestant Church remember that bitter Curse which the Angel pronounced against the Inhabitants of Meroz Jud. 5.23 Curse ye Meroz said the Angel of the Lord Curse ye bitterly the Inhabitants thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord to the help of the Lord against the Mighty And let them take care that there may be no cause for the Archangel Michael now to pronounce such another bitter Curse against them for their backsliding at this Day when this great Battel of the Lord upon the account of his Church is to be fought And here we are taught how we must prevail and overcome Rev. 12.11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony and they loved not their Lives unto the death These are the means by which we are to overcome at this time and not by carnal Weapons viz By procuring an interest in the Blood of the blessed Jesus and by a meek and patient suffering for his sake and a firm resolution rather to dye than to depart from the Testimony and Faith of Christ and violate and break his sacred Commandments freely offering up our Lives to him if he should call us to the Cross to suffer Martyrdom for his sake And for our great Comfort and Encouragement herein saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 2.12 If we suffer we shall also reign with him And saith St. John Rev. 14.13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me Write Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from hence forth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them And again saith he Rev. 20.4 And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years This is the first Resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years See Dr. More upon this place And for our great stay and sure support in such a fiery Tryal saith our blessed Lord Matth. 28.20 And lo I am with
warning of the Destruction of the old World a hundred and twenty years before the Flood came to sweep away and destroy the Sinners thereof So let these Papers now give warning of this dreadful Woe 130 years before it cometh that all such as shall have any fear of God before their eyes and shall be heartily concerned for the safety of their Lives and the eternal Salvation of their Souls may be advertised of it beforehand and may take a due care to save themselves that they may not then be destroyed and perish Let them harken to the Voice of Mercy which St. John heard from Heaven while Mercy may be had and before it be too late Rev. 18.4 And I heard another Voice from Heaven saith he saying Come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues Let all Persons of the Popish Church both now and hereafter harken to this sacred voice and be admonished by it to leave the Communion of the Romish Church while there is hope of Mercy for them before Mercy be shupt up in displeasure and there remaineth no more but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversaries Heb. 10.27 It is clear to me that both Mr. Mede and Dr. More tho learned men are mistaken in these passages that relate to these two great Woes and therefore perhaps it may not be a miss for me to set down those places in this sacred Book of the Revelation which appear to me to respect these Woes and the times about them And perhaps it might be the Will of God that these things should remain as it were under a cloud till now that the Light of them breaking forth on a sudden and unexpectedly might the more startle and fright men out of their Carnal Security and worldly mindedness and have the greater influence upon them to perswade them to Repentance and a Reformation of their Lives and stir them up to use their utmost Care for their own Safety and Salvation at this great juncture of time when they apprehend themselves to be in so great Danger of Perishing both in this World and that which is to come too The Places that seem to respect this second great Woe and the Times about it The Church in Sardis Rev. 3.1 6. The Sixth Seal Rev. 6.12 17. In part and in part to the next Woe The Sealing of the Servants of God Rev. 7. In part and in part to the next Woe The three Woes Rev. 8.13 The two Woes to come Rev. 9.12 The measuring of the Temple Rev. 11. The giving up of the outward Court Rev. 11. The Treading of the Holy City under foot Rev. 11. The Prophesying of the two Witnesses Rev. 11. The Beast's War and killing of them Rev. 11. Their returning to Life again Rev. 11. The great Earthquake and Slaughter Rev. 11. The Woman in Travel Rev. 12. The War between Michael and the Dragon Rev. 12. The War of the Beast with the Saints Rev. 13.5 As for the seven Epistles to the seven Churches Rev. 2d and 3d. Chapters we are to look upon them not as the Epistles of St. John to particular Churches but as the Epistles of our blessed Lord directed to his universal Church at certain junctures of time written by St. John as they were dictated to him by the Angel For tho' he addresseth himself to them Rev. 1.4 saying John to the seven Churches yet when he cometh to write these Epistles he writeth them in the Name of our blessed Saviour as the Prefaces of them do shew Rev. 2.8 These things saith the First and the Last which was dead and is alive And ver 18. These things saith the Son of God and so of all the rest of these Epistles And these Prophetick Epistles our blessed Saviour directeth to his universal Church at the great junctures of time when it was or shall be most seasonable for him to do so and when his Church stood or shall stand in the greatest need of his Divine Instructions Admonitions and Encouragement And about what times they seem to me to be directed to the Christian Church I shall here set down The Epistle to the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2.1 7 seems to be directed to the Christian Church some considerable time before the 16th Year of the Emperour Adrian and doth chiefly respect the Christian Church in Judea For herein our blessed Saviour takes notice of their Labor and Patience c. but withal tells them that they had lost their first Love and that he would remove their Candlestick out of his place except they should repent and shew a higher pitch of Zeal and Love than of late they had done ver 4 5. Nevertheless saith our Saviour I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first Love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent Our Saviour doth here tell them that they were fallen from the great Zeal and Love that the Church had formerly shewed and doth admonish them to repent and shew such Love and Zeal towards him And tells them plainly that if they would not he would come quickly and remove their Candlestick out of his place that is that he would remove the Light of the Gospel from them if they would make no better a use of it And when the Christian Church in Judea and of the Jewish Nation had had a considerable time to repent in after this Admonition and Threatning they not repenting as they ought our Saviour according to this Threatning did remove their Candlestick out of his place between the 16th and 18th Year of the Emperor Adrian For about that time the Jews were all driven out of Judea and their Land was laid waste and the Christian Church there was quite destroyed several hundred thousands were slain in Battels a great number perished by Famine and Diseases and others were banished into Spain and the Jews were forbid to come within sight of their Country And till that time the Bishops of Jerusalem had been of the Jewish Nation but after that time when there came to be Bishops of Jerusalem again there were no more Bishops of the Jewish Nation See Eusebius lib. 4. chap. 5 and 6. and the Authors that Valesius mentions in his maginal Notes upon the 6th Chapter And it was just and right that seeing the Christian Religion was first planted in Judea and in the Jewish Nation their Candlestick should be first removed when they began to abuse and did not make that good use of the Light of the Gospel that they ought And this our Saviour had told them when he was conversant among them Matt. 21.43 That the Kingdom of God should be taken from them and given to a Nation bringing sorth the fruit thereof And this was to