Dragon of Rome Pagan with his Angels servants and Officers were cast also out of their Heaven of high power as a great Milstone cast into the Sea into the bottomless pit for ever more Rev. 12.9 ch 18.2 ch 20.3 The type-Dragon Pharaoh thus sinking himself for ever had then no seat or authority to give to another And this Dragon of Pagan Rome his Antitype thus sinking for evermore had no seat power or authority to give to the Sea-born beast secular and Papal who also existed not till after that Dragon fell for ever as aforesaid Thus we see the Prophetick type Pharaoh with his servants is so apposite to its antitype the first Dragon and his Angels that it seems a real and literal relating of it Both perished without power both had not to give both did not give the least power to any other But the Dragon gave his power and great authority to the beast Rev. 13.2.4 Therefore that was the second Dragon We shall now examine another Patern or Prophetick type and compare it with its antitype How art thou faln from Heaven O Lucifer Son of the morning How art then cut down to the ground Isa 14.12 Who was this that thus fell from Heaven and who was thus cut down but only the Representative of the Kingdom of Babylon And from what Heaven did they thus fall but from the Heaven of high power and authority in that Kingdom And this Dragon of Pagan Rome the Representative secular of subantitype Babel Rev. 17.5 was cast down from Heaven unto the Earth chap. 12.8 And what was this Heaven out of which he was thus cast but the Heaven of high power and authority in the Roman Empire And thus Mead and most expositors expound the word Heaven in those texts to be high power and authority and indeed those texts thus explain themselves This was that Heaven of power wherein this first Dragon stood when he stood before the Woman to devour her Child For in any other Heaven he could not stand with the Primitive Church And how did type Babel with her secular head fall from this Heaven of power And how did her penultimate antitype or sub-antitype Rome Pagan and her head the first Dragon fall also from the same Heaven of power and authority unto the Earth I answer type Babel and her head secular fell from that Heaven when she fell into the hands of Cyrus that subdued both her and him And sub-antitype Babel Rome Pagan and her head the first Dragon fell also from their Heaven of power when they fell into the hands of Constantine and his armies Michaels substitutes that conquered both her and him about the year 320. But type Babel and her captivated head rebelled in the days of Darius Hystaspes for twenty months But she and her faln head by that Robellion fell lower from Heaven unto the Earth For her Rebels in her slew the women of that City that they should not hinder them in their designed work And Sopyrus by a policy cruel to himself betray'd the men into the hands of Hystaspes So she as a further progress to her final depopulation lost very many both of her men and women She raising that Rebellion to regain her place was exceedingly weakened thereby It quite brake that conquered power which she had in peeces and her place was found no more in heaven So the first Dragon the then faln head of sub-antitype Babel or Rome Pagans sudu'd representative rebelled also against the Gospel Church and her Masculine Off-spring that had subdu'd him He persecuted the woman persecuted her chiefly under the form of an Arrian in the time of Constantius the second Julian Valens but prevailed not the Primitive Church prevailed against him and his place was found no more in heaven But Thirdly Seleucus after type Babel to her own utter ruine had rebelled as aforesaid drew five hundred thousand of her Citizens out of her to inhabit his by him new built Selusia wherefore As Cyrus drew her River dry and so subdu'd that City at first So Seleucus draining that City of her Inhabitants brought her to the next door to eternal desolation which soon after followed For the place where she formerly shone like a refulgent Star was a Forrest where the Kings of Persia used to hunt in St. Jeroms time How art thou faln from heaven O Lucifer son of the morning And so When the first Dragon the captive head of sub-antitype Babel or Pagan Rome had rebelled against the Gospel Church and his Victor her Manchild Then he and his Angels falling the faster from heaven for that Rebellion were cut down to the ground For the Churches Eagles of high power in the Roman Empire the Orthodox Emperours Valentinian and Theodosius with his Sons bound him the more for that Rebellion with cords which he could not cast from him and with strong chains their strict Edicts against Arrians and Heathens which he could never break Therefore thus begirt with the bands of eternal death he besought the second Dragon the Barbarians of the North to pity his deplored estate That second Dragon mindless of his miseries came about 407 and about 412 trod his feeble and dying remnant under his careless feet Thus dyed that Dragon poor as Codrus not having any inheritance nor heir to inherit But the Dragon gave his seat and great authority the Supremacy therein to the beast therefore that was the second Dragon That beast secular and Papal blasphemed them that dwelt in Heaven Rev. 13.6 By heaven there is meant the heavenly conversations of Saints whom that beast blasphemed Rejoyceye Heavens and ye that dwell in them chap. 12.12 There by heaven is meant not only the heavenly conversations of Saints but the high power and authority of the Primitive Church prevailing against the first Dragon and possessing his throne of power and authority in the Roman Empire out of which heaven of power he was cast as aforesaid For he had no other heaven held no other That was his only heaven in which he was where and when John saw him in heaven And this was that heaven in which the Primitive Church stood with him when he stood before her and was there without him after he was cast out when her Manchild or secular head sate sole Monarch in the throne of the Roman Empire But rejoyce ye Heavens c. By heavens here is more especially meant the Western Empire and Churches that were more heavenly minded more Orthodox and more fruitful in good works conform to Gospel rule then the Eastern Churches were who were much more corrupt with Heresies Arrianism and evil manners And therefore as they scarse could be counted true Churches and so called heaven were called the earth and the Sea Wo unto the Inhabitants of the Earth and the Sea For The Devil is come down to you having great wrath because he knoweth he hath but a short time ver 12. For That first Dragon acted by the
of Papal Rome And when the time of those two Parents the Earth and the Sea was come to the Birth and there was no strength to bring forth the Bicorne and Decacerastick beasts Papal then did this second Dragon though he wounded both those Infant new born beasts with a sword give power to their two Parents to bring them forth by affording what furthered in that grand design their sick desires For he took away all that letted and filled other Nations of the Empire besides Italy with his Armies that they could not hinder it He also gave strength and means of growth to those two Parents by him first wounded Off-spring For he gave his power the Supremacy therein to that Decarch secular and Papal whom the Sea brought forth and likewise power to the Bicorne beast Rev. 13.2 4. ch 11.10 Dan. 7.25 That is he immediately after he had taken and burnt Rome lest the ruines of it with Italy almost ruinated to the wounded beast and false Prophet Papal For Honorius that good Emperour though a man of no great gifts durst not at least did not reside any more at Rome And that second Dragon in some process of time consigned his kingdoms to the false Prophets care embracing himself the unity of the Church of Rome He several wayes and at sundry times gave his seat and power which he took away from those he took out of the way as aforesaid to the beast and false Prophet wherefore He that is taken out of the way and he that taketh him away must needs be two But the first Dragon and Imperial Rome that letted the rising up of Rome Papal were taken out of the way But he that took away the first Dragon with Rome Imperial was this second Dragon 2 Thes 2.6 7. Rev. 13.24 which also Church History hath confirmed and will more fully confirm Therefore there must be inevitably two Dragons the second taking away the first and the first taken away by the second which also we find apparent from Reason Scripture and Church-History The first we find in Heaven and we find the Woman the Gospel and Primitive Church in the same Heaven of power at the same time Rev. 12.1 3. But she had not at her first ascending into that Heaven of authority such full power as that first Dragon had For he stood before her in the time of Constantius the first and in the beginning of Constantines Reign to devour her Child so soon as it was born ver 4. That is to destroy every man that might as a Christian Prince Emperour or Magistrate defend the Church The Woman or Gospel Church was then in Heaven in a double respect or in a twofold acceptation of the word Heaven but the Dragon only in a single acceptation of it And first the word Heaven holds forth an holy conversation And in this acceptance of the word the Church was then said to be in Heaven shining in the splendor of her Primitive Graces and not then faln from Heaven nor fled into the Wildernesses where her good works were much more dark and less visibly conform to Gospel Rule Secondly She not only had her conversation in Heaven but was ascended also into the Heaven of power and Authority in the Roman Empire and sate upon part of that Dragons throne whereon that Dragon sate Supream And in this respect both she and that first Dragon were said to be in Heaven that is in the Heaven of high power and Authority in the Roman Empire For in that Heaven of an holy conversation with the true Church that Dragon never was nor could be His conversation was not in Heaven but quite contrary to her Heavenly conversation Nor was he in Heaven That is as some assert in the true Church For both the Church and he are said to be in Heaven and he not in her or for her but before and against her But he was in Heaven that is he inhabited the Heaven of high power and Authority in the Roman Empire and was far above the Primitive Church at her first arrival into this Heaven For we find her there crying travelling in Birth and pained to be delivered that she might bring forth a Man-child a Christian Magistracy or power secular to protect her from that red Dragons bloudy persecutions And we find him standing before her to devour that Man-child or Christian Magistracy should she produce any But she brought forth a Man-child saith the text That is a Christian power secular and Military Michaels substitutes that overcame that Dragon and cast him out so as his place was found no more in the Heaven of Supream power and Authority in the Roman Empire He strove various ways and at several times to regain his place regained some power but his place was found no more in Heaven He had some power for a very short space power to persecute the Church but prevailed not He never after arrived to Supream Power in the Roman Empire but was soon after deprived of his being and about 412 cast into the bottomless pit forever By this it may plainly appear impossible that this Dragon should give his seat and power to the beast secular and Papal when he himself had none to give and when that beast was not in being who existed not till that Dragon that letted as the text saith his rising up was taken out of the way But the Dragon saith the text gave his seat power and great Authority to the beast Therefore that was the second Dragon But for the Readers irrefellible eviction we shall consider the Paterns or Prophetick Types and compare them with their Antitypes And first we find the type-Woman the Jewish Church Primitive Jacobs Family in Heaven adorned by an heavenly conversation having the Sun Moon and twelve Stars her Lights and guides Gen. 37.9 So we find her Antitype the Gospel Church Primitive in Heaven also having the Sun Moon and twelve Stars her Lights and guides Rev. 12.1 Thus we see that the Prophesies of the old Testament even in Genesis were not finally fulfilled as some affirm they were at the death of our Saviour or at the destruction of Jerusalem but signally ecchoed forth future transactions far beyond those times But of this we shall give after a short progress full proof The type-Woman Jacobs Family was as it were ascending into the Heaven of power become more mighty saith Pharaoh then the Egyptians therefore that Dragon for so the Scripture calls Pharaoh expresly the Dragon Ezech. 29.3 stood before that woman to devour her Man-child And this Dragon of Rome Pagan that Dragons Antitype stood before the woman the Gospel and Primitive Church ascended into the Heaven of power to devour her Man-child also so soon as it was born Rev. 12.4 The type-Dragon Pharaoh with his servants were cast out of their Heaven of power into the Sea Sank as a stone in the mighty waters The Sea covered them for ever Exod. 15.10 So his and their Antitype this
the Witnesses Sackcloth Prophesie run parallel in the same Epoche So the six Vials and this Cities duration synchronize with both which is plain from their temporal periods For The period of this threefold Mystery of iniquity in the tenth Chapter is thus exprest There shall be time no longer And its period in the sixteenth Chapter under or at the beginning of the seventh Vial as the former was under or at the beginning of the seventh Trumpets sounding is likewise thus exprest It is done And what is done The answer is made in the next verse but one And the great City was divided into three parts c. That is this threefold City was done ver 19. The scope and almost the express words of both texts is the same shewing That this threefold City or Mystery of iniquity should at the beginning of the sounding of the seventh Trumpet and pouring forth of the seventh Vial begin vigorously to be made manifest and the Mystery of God her Antithesis to be compleated that is The true Church should then begin more vigorously and visibly to expatiate and appear to all Sects and Nations For those periods It is done Time shall be no more are terms of expression that are synonymous in sense and are in both texts a twofold sacred record that the duration the more entire duration of this threefold City should be 1260 years synchronizing with the six Trumpets with the six Vials with the Witnesses Sackcloth-Prophesie and with all the rest of these twelve Epochaes Thirdly the duration of this threefold City is commensurated which are also the Epoche of the death of the Witnesses by three dayes and an half Rev. 11.9 11. In which texts the two former texts are more fully explained and the same period of this threefold City the third time repeated And first We see that the two Witnesses were to lye in that City dead for three dayes and an half ver 8 9. Therefore the end of those three dayes and an half was the period of the Witnesses death and of the duration as will appear of that threefold City For After three dayes and an half saith the text the Spirit of life from God shall enter into them ver 11. Therefore the end of those three dayes and an half must be the period of their lying dead in that City and the period also of that Cities duration For The same hour saith the text the tenth part of that City fell ver 13. And fell not to but from Apostacy in manners to pursue sincere truth and peace in Theory and practice or to use the words of the same text shall then begin to give Glory to the God of heaven that is Shall then begin to give Glory to God with greater vigour and visibility of true obedience then formerly And these three dayes and an half of the duration of the death of the Witnesses in that City and of that City till it should begin to fall as aforesaid are also conterminated as the same period the third time exprest with the beginning of the sounding of the seventh Trumpet vers 13. And the seventh Angel sounded c. Therefore these three dayes and an half of the more entire duration of this threefold City and of the death of the Witnesses therein synchronize with the six Vials the six Trumpets and the Witnesses Sackcloth Prophesie in 1260 years For those in this Chapter twice repeated three dayes and an half are the same three times and an half chap. 12.14 the same forty two Months chap. 12.2 And the same 1260 dayes in the next verse which being 1260 dayes annual are 1260 years For the durations of the death of the Witnesses and of this threefold City were pre-signified in Scripture both by three dayes and an half artificial or 42 hours and by three dayes and an half Annual or forty two Months as we shall fully and that so soon as we shall first lay down these twelve Epochaes instantly shew The Fifth Epoche is of the Gospel Churches grand revolt FIfthly The Gospel-Churches profligation and defection seems to retain the same time For We find her in Heaven holding forth though at last more remisly her primitive integrity of an Heavenly conversation till about 407 Rev. 12.1 And till then from about 292 in the Heaven of high Power and Authority in the Roman Empire For She casting the first Dragon from his seat there sate sole Regent in his Throne of power Her Eagles exalted both her and themselves into that Heaven ver 7. to the 12th But a falling away was to come and the Church fell fell from Heaven fled into the Wilderness for 1260 dayes Annual 2 Thess 2.3 Rev. 12.1 6 14. Therefore the Church fell from Heaven though not totally and finally in a twofold respect First in reference to her Heaven of high power Secondly In respect to her heavenly conversation Her fall in conversation caused her other fall She fell in part from her former Heavenly conversation Therefore She fell as the effect of that cause from her Heaven of high Power and Authority Her fall in conversation was Spiritual Her fall from Power was temporal In reference to both she according to those texts aforesaid stood in Heaven And in reference to both she fell from Heaven The manner of her fall from both is plain from her Patern or Prophetick type Lament 2.1 How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a Cloud in his anger and cast down from Heaven to the Earth the beauty of Israel c. So God covered her the Anti-type-Church with a Cloud in his anger and cast down from Heaven to the Earth the beauty of Gospel Israel For She like the Church of Ephesus left her first love forsook her first works works of Judgment Mercy and Faith and remembred not scarce yet remembreth from whence she fell Thus she fell first in her conversation from Heaven therefore God sent the second Dragon with a flaming Sword who cast her as were our first Parents out of Paradise out of her Heaven of power and Authority and drave her into the Wilderness for 1260 years chap. 12.1.6.14 Many Expositors call that falling away in conversation that grand and general revolt of the Gospel Church from Faith and Obedience Howbeit it was in her true members though much inwardly chiefly in outward appearance and practice The gradual aggresses of the Churches defection from about 340 to 407 we shall shew afterwards The sixth Interval THe sixth Epoche and this of a different denomination more fully proves the former is of the Churches abode in her place prepared of God which is twice recorded in two several texts of the same Chapter And the Woman fled into the Wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God that they should feed her there 1260 dayes which being as we shall instantly and irrefellibly shew dayes Annual are 1260 years chap. 12.6 And there were given to the Woman two Wings of a great Eagle that
with the Lamb upon Mount Sion Ch. 11.2 Ch. 12 6.14 Ch. 13.5 That Type-Wilderness was the place of provocation wherein those in a figure sealed servants of God erring in their hearts and not knowing the wayes of God provoked him to anger and they all perished in that place for their provocations That Type-Desert was a literal local barren part of the World But this Antitype-wilderness is less literal more spiritual no less barren in good works and is in the Aggregate of it the whole World For the Prototype Apostate-Church was driven out of Paradise into the barren World that brought forth as a curse laid upon it Bryars and Thorns And the Antitype revolted Woman the Gospel-Church fled from Heaven her Primitive stations and was driven thence into the Wilderness this wicked World where evil Beasts Heathens Hereticks and proud and blind Hypocrites in habit and which is an inextricable Labyrinth of investigable intanglements and wayes all overgrown with Briers and Thorns of the Cares and Pride of this life A place where the sealed servants of God habituate themselves to err in their hearts and to be ignorant of his ways with all confidence and continually provoke him to anger But The Gospel Church was not to continue scatrered over all this Spiritual Wilderness but to be more strictly confined for 1260 years to her more pecular place there prepared of God The pâ—â—ce prepared in the literal Wilderness was Egypt as we shall in the sequel fully shew Another Prophetick-place prepared of God and that more Mystical was the Apostate body of Israel or they in their journeys and places of their pitcâ—â—ng their Tents For all Israel above twenty years old about four excepted fell away when the faithless Spies brought evil reports upon the Land of Promise from Faith and Obedience That Apostate body was a place prepared of God to preserve his truly sealed servants So the Papal-Apostacy and her subdivisions such at least as held the Homousian Faith were the Antitype-place prepared of God to preserve his truly sealed servants for 1260 years But these 144000 upon Mount Sion shall not need any place prepared in the Wilderness to preserve them because they themselves shall not be there Nor shall they need a body of Death the body of the Apostacy of Antichrist to preserve as the Fish did Jonah their lives from death But they shall have the Name of God written in their foreheads And that name true practice in a fourfold conformity shall be a strong Tower to desend them from all distresses Nor shall that Name of God the vivid practice of the power of Godliness be an Anchor in a storm but an impreguable Rock above all Seas which storms can never reach Paul's Ship wherein he sailed was long driven to and fro dash't with impetuous storms at last split in pieces The passengers got its brokenboards to bring them to shore And the Profuga Gospel-Church that fled from the Serpent for 1260 years hath been long driven too much like Pauls ship to and fro broken with violent storms and is now ready by dashing billows of dissenting brethren to split inpieces But these 144000 upon Mount Sion shall not need to fear Sea-storms of tribulations or persecutions because there shall be no more Sea saith the Text Chapter 21.1 No more Sea That is No more coaltern persecutions betwixt Professors of different perswasions nor tempestuous dashings of civil Divisions nor any more distresses as formerly for faithless disobedience So the whole World in time of the flood was a stormy-Sea wherein the Ark the Prototype-Church was driven But when it rested on Ararat there was no more Sea of dashing billows against that weather-beaten Type And so the sealed Wilderness-Church hath been driven to and fro though her first 800 years were more favourable for about 1260 years as in a troubled Sea But when she shall arrive upon Mount Sion there shall be no more Sea Righteousness delivereth from death But her righteousness of a four-fold conformity which only is the fruit of true Faith shall deliver her from all future Sea-storms and Shipwracks But this righteousness is much more difficult to be done than the righteousness of formal Professors and far different from the promiscuous clypt and defalked righteousness of such true Saints whose Harps are ever out of tune For Formalists and Hypocrites nor are true Saints free from this fault really imagine that the way to work true Gospel-righteousness is obvious to any Every man they think may do it without much direction for any difficulty therein The ground of this almost general misconceit is this They mistake the deceiveableness of unrighteousness for the Righteousness of Saints and the Gold-like Crowns of Locusts for the Name of the living God written in the foreheads of his servants And this righteousness mistaken for true is most easie to be done by the most indocible It s most easie for men to pretend Religion and practise none To profess to witness the Truth and testifie lies in words and works or to witness it in both with those delayes and such slackness or partiality that it profits none To take much care to come to the knowledge of the Truth in the Doctrine of Faith and Manners and be deceived but not to come to the knowledge of the Truth in practice that they may be saved This is Doctrina dedocenda Doctrine to be learn't at least to better ends To pass heady censures and practise actions of precipitate rashness which even Heathens abhor is as bestial abhorred of God Our Law said an Heathen condemns no man unheard But corrupt careless true Christians can and commonly do condemn Indictâ causâ inaudito viro any man or thing unseen and unheard But no Law Literature nor Religion nor strict Profession nor sound Doctrine No Gifts nor Parts can bind or debar unsealed evil-Beasts from this barbarous frenzy which the Laws even of wicked Heathens allow not and which makes men more bruitish than the worst Heathens This desperate wickedness of barbarous folly so easie it is to be learn't is little less frequent nor less esteemed for true Righteousness than it was by the Pharisees who by this temerity of blind Hypocrisie condemned and crucified the King of Righteousness But the Righteousness of this Chorus Virgineus contrary to the Crowns of Locusts deceits of Hypocrites and the dangerous diversious of corrupt careless true Christians shall be as the Text infers every way conform to that which is right Therefore it must be for difficilia quae pulcra far more difficult to be attained and practised These were not defiled with women saith the Text for they are Virgins That is They shall not pollute themselves with the false Doctrines and foolish Opinions of Erroneous Professors nor espouse their works Their works shall not be like the fruits of Formalists withered for want of Rain nor blasted with the Wind but be good and perfect fruits of a foursold conformity well-pleasing to God
the first-fruits are in future to come then these pretenders incult and careless of true Christian practice cannot be the first-fruits for others to follow Such Professors cry up with vain acclamations old Errors and Deceits for new Lights and are so far found lyars We shall now enquire Fourthly What is here meant by Mount Sion in the Text It s Type had its higher and lower parts It s higher part contained Moriab Sion and Calvary On Moriab stood the Temple On Sion was the Tower and City of David On Calvary was Christ crucified Jerusalem was built on the lower part of it The upper and lower parts had the denomination from its highest part of Mount Sion Sion and Sinai are Synantitheses or directly contrary So was the Wilderness and the Land of Promise As Jerusalem was the Metropolis of the Land of promise and Sion the chief place of note therein So Sinai was the Head and Symbole of the barren Wilderness Their disparities appear thus expresly from the Text. Tell me saith the Apostle Do ye not hear the Law for is written That Abraliam bad two sons the one by the Bond-Maid the other by a Free-Woman which things are an Allegory For these are the two Covenants The one from Mount Sinai which is Hagar and engendreth to bondage But he of the Free-woman was by Promise And Jerusalem above the Mother of us all is free The Mother of us all That is of all Sarah's Seed the sens of promise Wherefore Sion and Sinai as Types differed as Hagar and Sarah as the two Covenants as Grace and the Law Life and Death Bondage and Freedom Type Sion was a threefold foundation the substructure of the Temple of the City of God of the City of David Thither the twelve Tribes came to keep the Passover Therefore Type Sion was a Figure of the Foundation of the Church of God and a literal place But Spiritual Sion no literal place shall be the Antitype-foundation of the Gospel-Church For the Lamb and with him 144000 having his Fathers Name written in their foreheads shall stand there Ch. 14.1 The Foundation of the Church of God is transcendent Secondly Derivative The Transcendent Substructure is Deus in Christo pacatus God reconcil'd in Christ This Foundation the Rock and Pillar of Truth from eternity stands for ever The Derivative Foundation of the Gospel-Church is the knowledge and love of the Truth or a fruitful Faith in the Promises of God through Christ Christ said to his Disciples But who say ye that I am Peter said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God Jesus answered Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church Matth. 16.15 This Derivative foundation of the Gospel-Church was the Faith which Peter confessed and it had respect to and was built upon that first and transcendent Foundation This Derivative Foundation a living and fruitful Faith shall be that Mount Sion Ch. 14. where those conscript 144000 the Antitype of Solomons Temple shall stand and whereon the City of God shall be built Chap. 21.2 The Prophetick-promises are express and the Texts full and clear that prove it which notwithstanding many may object and say That this Foundation was laid long before The Assertion I confess and grant that this foundation was laid long before even in the Primitive times But a falling away was to come and a departing from the Faith 1 Thess 2. 1 Tim. 4.1 For the Church at least in a very large measure forsook the Rock of her safety the Foundation of her standing fell from Heaven where she stood and fled into the Wilderness for 1260 years Revel 12.1 6 14. So the Prototype-Church Jacobs family fell away departed out of the Land of Promise fled into the Wilderness and into her place there prepared of God To wit Egypt the most barren place in that Wilderness were it not miraculously prepared of God and as it were in the middle of it and returning thence through part of the Wilderness turned aside there also They were then far remote and long removed from the Type-foundation Sion literal where Abraham would have offered his son Melchizedeck was King of Righteousness and where the Lord was twice seen in abundant Grace and Mercy So their Antitype the Gospel-Church was long removed as aforesaid into the Spiritual Wilderness from the foundation of her standing But as many of the captives carried to Babylon were mindful of Sion and would not forget Jerusalem Psal 137.5 6. So some of the faln servants of God in the Gospel-Church have had some weak desires of Sions welfare and are somewhat though very little mindful of their first foundation But may some say this foundation Faith in the Promises stands still firm I Answer Sion stood after the City and Temple built upon it were turned to ashes but it was left desolate the living were departed the dead only and the slain were left there as the Lamentatious declare at large And so the Faith of the Antitype revolted-Church in the Spiritual Wilderness was and is a desolate Faith a Faith fruitless or far from being fruitful in the practice of good Manners and at least drawing near to a dead Faith and therefore no way fit to be the Foundation of the Gospel-Church adorned to be the Lambs Bride Ch. 21.9 But Antiype Sion shall be a fruitful Foundation a living Faith giving life to the City of God that shall be built thereon For Such as the Tree is such is the Fruit and such as this Foundation shall be the Superstructure upon it But these 144000 the Antitype of Solomons Temple built thereon shall be undefiled and withour fault saith the Text vers 4.5 That is Their Righteousness shall be so perfect in a fourfold conformity but there is no man that sinneth not I Kings 8.4 6 that it shall be a sweet Savour and a Sacrifice well-pleasing to God But the Faith of the Gospel Wilderness-Church is as was that of her Prototype a barren faith affording very little fruit to Gods glory or the good of men The Wituesses we read were to be killed And this faith is much after the manner of the Carcasses of those killed Witnesses And indeed their Carcasses was such a Faith a dead or dying faith having some small insensible and almost unperceivable true life For Faith without Works saith the Apostle is dead a Carcass of Christian Profession without power James 2.17 20. And such a Carcass of the killed Witnesses or somewhat like it the Spiritual Gentiles kept unburied to be a foundation to build the Apostacy of Antichrist upon and it 's the Pillars of it to support it Nor are inanimadversive clypt inconform half-performances any fruits of a living but the deceits of a dead faith Such a faith Such a fruitless foundation is Sinai not Mount Sion and most unfit to be the Substructure of the Church of the living God Nor can it procure his favour but his anger or enmity for so Sinai signifies