and Honors that they received by it To hear this profitable Diana of theirs cried down and to see men disswaded from the worshipping of her this moves their blood and puts them into a tumult Act 19.28 11. And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them That is after Popery shall have Reigned three years and an half and after these Protestant Witnesses and Servants of God shall have remained in this dead and forlorn condition three years and an half Then by the Omnipotent Power of God they shall be raised up again from this dead and miserable condition into a lively and happy one Not by might nor by any Power of their own but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Zec. 4.6 And then shall all men be struck with exceeding great fear at this wonderful Work of God and must then expect the dreadful Effects of this second Woe as the following verses shew 12. And they heard a great Voice from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither And they ascended up to Heaven in a Cloud and their Enemies beheld them That is By an extraordinary Hand of Providence like a commanding Voice from Heaven there was a way made for their great exaltation and accordingly they were exalted to great Honor and Power and Authority in the Church of Christ in a remarkable manner which I understand by their ascending up to Heaven in a Cloud And their Enemies of the Church of Rome saw this and wondred at it that these Protestants which they thought they had in their Power and were wholly subdued should be so strangely rescued from them and exalted again and set out of their reach and power And this is to come to pass after Popery hath prevailed three years and an half over the Protestant Church 13. And the same hour was there a great Earthquake and the tenth part of the City fell and in the Earthquake were slain of men or Names of Men that is Persons of Men seven thousand And the Remnant were affrighted and gave Glory to the God of Heaven That is At the same time that the Protestant Witnesses shall be raised up again in such a wonderful manner there will be a great Earthquake that is an exceeding great Commotion and Tumult of War in the Protestant parts of the World and great Alarming and Fighting And then the Third Part of the Romish Church as I conceive shall be destroyed and fall off from the Popedom part being killed in this great Earthquake and Tumult of War and part turning Protestants And then will there be an exceeding great Slaughter of Men for seven thousand seems here to be put not barely for seven thousand but for an exceeding great number of Men that shall be then slain This we may conclude because this is one of the three grand Woes of this Book and we see that a far greater number than seven thousand have often been slain and yet accounted no Woe by these Sacred Oracles And the rest of the Papists being struck with fear and astonishment at this wonderful and heavy Judgment of God upon them will acknowledge in their Hearts and Consciences that this is in truth the Handy-work of Almighty God and many as may be hoped will upon this turn Protestants and so give Glory to the God of Heaven both with their Heart and Mouth and in the whole course of their Lives By the Tenth Part of the City here I conceive may be meant a Tenth Part of the old Roman Empire and about a third Part of the Popish Empire as it will then be when the Protestant Kingdoms are united to it again This seems probable to me because St. John saith ver 15 There were great Voices in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ And hereby I conceive we are to understand a considerable part of them and more than a Tenth Part of the Popish Empire And three of the ten Horns in Dan. 7. fell before the little Horn with Eyes and a Mouth whereby I understand that the Popish Empire was to be extended over three tenth Parts of the old Roman Empire and so a third Part of the Popish Empire will be a tenth Part of the old Roman Empire which I suppose may be here meant It seems probable to me that there will be some Bloodshed when Popery cometh into this Nation and let the great City of London look to that Let the worthy and pious Citizens thereof hearken to the Watchman's Voice for he is willing to do all that lies in his power to save their Souls and Lives too at this great juncture of time But Woe Woe Woe to poor England and the whole Kingdom thereof and the other Protestant Kingdoms at the end of the three years an and half when Popery shall be driven out For then we see that this dreadful Woe is to be executed Then let the Revolting Protestants and all the Papists of these Kingdoms expect that the heavy Wrach of Almighty God will come upon them if they do not in due time take care to prevent it by hearkening to Wisdom's Voice and taking a due care to reform their Lives according to her Divine Precepts 14. The second Woe is past and behold the third Woe cometh quickly When the three years and an half of Popery are past and this heavy Judgment of God hath been executed upon the formal and sinful Professors of Christianity and an exceeding great multitude of them are slain Then we are to know that the second great Woe is past And behold the third Woe cometh quickly That is in a short space of time and in a far shorter space of time than had been between the first Woe and this second Woe And this third and most dreadful Woe of all is like to come upon the Romish Church about an hundred and thirty years hence and about the year of our Lord 1826. This is too great a Mystery for me and as I conceive for any man else to define the exact year when this dreadful Woe shall fall and therefore I only say about the year 1826 and do not define that for the exact year when the Popedom shall go down But yet I am perswaded that it will stand but a very few years after that time For by these Sacred Oracles we are assured that the number of the Beast is but 666. Rev. 13.18 Here is Wisdom saith the Angel or St. John from him Let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast for it is the number of a Man and his number is six hundred threescore and six By the Beast here I understand the Beast with seven heads and ten horns and by this Beast with seven heads and ten horns I understand the Papacy and Church of Rome For tho' this Beast be said to have seven Heads
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
other places And I do believe that such as sustain any loss and run any great hazard at this time to keep a good Conscience towards God shall be well rewarded even in this World besides what they may expect hereafter in another But Fourthly For our great Comfort and Encouragement herein we have many promises of a blessed Reward hereafter in Heaven for suffering for a good Cause and for Righteousness sake Eternal Glory and Happiness shall then be sure to be our Reward for such high Obedience as the suffering meekly and patiently for the sake of the blessed Jesus is Matt. 5.10 saith our Saviour Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven And to this purpose Luke 6.22 Blessed are ye when men shall hate you and when they shall separate you from their company and shall reproach you and cast out your name as evil for the Son of man's sake Rejoyce ye in that day and leap for joy For behold your reward is great in Heaven for in the like manner did their Fathers unto the Prophets And those that forsake Houses and Lands for Christ's sake and the Gospel's shall besides their reward here in this World inherit Eternal Life and Happiness in the World to come Matt. 19.29 and Mar. 10.30 And in the world to come eternal Life And saith St. Paul Rom. 8.17 If so be that we suffer with him that we may be also glorified together For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us Christ ought to have suffered and so to enter into his Glory Luke 24.26 And if we will be his Disciples and followers we must expect to do so too and to enter in by the strait Gate of affliction But our sufferings here will bear little or no proportion to the Glory that doth await us for them For if St. Paul could say fo who hath given us so large an account of his sufferings 2 Cor. 11.23 much more may we say so And again saith St. Paul to Timothy 2 Tim. 2.12 If we suffer we shall also reign with him And saith St. James 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tried he shall receive the Crown of Life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him And this is our Lord's promise by St. John to the Church in Smyrna Rev. 2.10 Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a Crown of Life And all are to hear what the Spirit saith to the Churches ver 11. And again Rev. 3.21 saith he To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father in his Throne To this high Dignity is the faithful Sufferer like to be advanced Fifthly For our farther Comfort and Support in all the Sufferings that we meet with for Christ's sake and for keeping a good Conscience towards God we may see that God doth regard and pity us in all our distresses and afflictions and that he will then succour and strengthen us and not suffer us to be over-powered and born down with the violence of such temptations as we have not strength to resist and withstand Tho' our Trials sometimes may be sharp yet if we have recourse to him and call upon him in that due manner that we ought we shall be sure of a supply and shall have strength sufficient for all the Combats and Encounters that we shall meet with Our God is a God of Love and tender Compassion towards his Creatures and faithful Servants and will not desert and forsake them in the Day of Anguish and Distress but will hear and succour them when they cry to him for help This he declareth by the Psalmist Psal 50.15 And call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me And saith God by the Prophet Isaiah 49.15 Can a Woman forget her sucking Child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee The care of these tender Mothers towards the Children of their own Womb is not comparable to that of God towards his faithful Children And saith the Apostle Heb. 13.5 6. For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee So that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me And our Saviour doth promise to be constantly with his Church as need shall require Matt. 28.20 And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the world Amen And saith he Matt. 10.30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbred Fear ye not therefore So great is the Care that God hath of his Servants that the smallest matters belonging to them are all regarded and minded by him and due care is taken about them And saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 10.13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it God by his infinite Wisdom and Power will so order all things that we shall be able to overcome the temptations that we meet with some way or other if we do our utmost endeavours and he will so help us that we shall not be over-powered by them Sixthly For a fuller confirmation of this viz. That God will always be ready to help us in our greatest needs we may see that he hath always been with his faithful Servants in a remarkable manner and afforded them extraordinary Help and Assistance when their Need and Necessities have required it In an extraordinary manner was he with Joseph in the Prison with David when Saul sought to take away his Life with Elijah when Jezebel would have put him to death with the three Children in the Fiery Furnace with Daniel in the Lions Den with Paul when he was brought before Nero the Roman Emperour and with Stephen when he was put to death These and many more that might be alledged to this purpose are like a Cloud of Witnesses to confirm this to us viz That God will be sure to be with his faithful Servants in the worst of Times and Dangers to assist them with his Almighty Arm And as the sufferings of the Apostles did abound so did their inward Joy and Strength 2 Cor. 1.5 And in the midst of their sufferings could they rejoyce 2 Cor. 12.10 Col. 1.24 such sweet Influence and Communications of his Love and Goodness did God then afford them And I am
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
sacred Oracles come to Light the more peccant and culpable will those be that offend against them And I conceive that men will be far greater Sinners now in turning to the Popish Religion than they would have been heretofore Because the Light of these sacred Oracles doth shine more clearly now than it did in the days of our Forefathers as to what respects Popery and the Romish Church 8. And their dead Bodies shall lye in the street of the great City which Spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified That is these Witnesses and Servants of God shall remain like dead men being cast aside like dead Carcasses in the street that is within the jurisdiction and within the reach of the Power of the great City of Rome which in a Mystical way by the Spirit of God is called Sodom and Egypt and within whose jurisdiction and by whose Power our blessed Lord and Saviour was crucified Rome is the great Metropolis of the Popish Church and by it we are to understand the whole Romish Church within which the dead bodies of these Witnesses are to remain that is these Witnesses themselves in a dead and forlorn condition being cast aside like dead men and having no more to do with the Affairs of the Church or State than dead men And Rome and the Romish Church for the great wickedness thereof is compared here to Sodom which God destroyed in a prodigious manner with fire and brimstone from Heaven for the abominable sin and wickedness therefore as we may see Gen. 18. and 19. Chapters And it is also compared here to Egypt for the Tyranny and merciless Cruelty that the Romish Church exerciseth towards the Servants of God and all good Christians as Egypt kept the People of God under hard Bondage and in a merciless manner destroyed their Children that they might not increase Exod. 3 and was prone enough to Idolatry as the Romish Church also is And within the jurisdiction and by the Power and Authority of the City of Rome was our blessed Lord crucified Pompey the Roman General had taken Jerusalem and brought Judea into subjection to the Romans about sixty years before our Saviour was born And Pontius Pilate the Roman Governour by the Power and Authority that he had from Rome did pass Sentence upon our blessed Saviour and caused him to be crucified and put to death 9. And they of the People and Kindreds and Tongues and Nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves That is the Papists the Popish Gentiles and all other Sects and People of several Nations that shall then join with them shall behold these Witnesses and faithful Servants of God in this dead and forlorn condition being made as the filth of the World as the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 4.13 and esteemed like dead carcasses but still continuing stedfast in the Faith of the blessed Jesus These poor Wretches shall they behold and see before them three years and an half while they have the Government and shall carry themselves as Unchristianly towards them as it would be to see a dead man lye upon the ground and not vouchsafe to bury him But by an high Hand of Providence they shall be prevented from killing them in a natural and common Sense and taking away of their Lives By their dead Bodies I understand these Men in this forlorn and dead condition but still to be living Men. And by not suffering their dead Bodies to be put in graves may be meant their Unchristian carriage and Inhumanity towards them and that God with an high Hand would still preserve these Witnesses that the Papists shall not really kill them and send them clean out of the World And by three days and an half we are to understand three years and an half wherein Popery is to reign this being an usual thing to put days for years in the Prophecies in the Scriptures And to the Prophet Ezekiel the Lord said Ezekiel 4.6 And thou shalt bear the Iniquity of the house of Judah forty days I have appointed thee each day for a year Days were to signify years here in Ezekiel and so oft in other places and so in this place of the Revelation But to make three days and an half to signify 1260 years is a strange racking of the Sacred Text as the Learned Dr. More hath done to make it comply with his own Sentiments and being altogether ignorant as it seems of this great Woe that is now at hand And he hath confounded the 1260 days of the Prophesying of the Witnesses with the 42 months wherein the Gentiles are to tread down the holy City whereas these 1260 days are first to be finished and ended before the 42 months of the Gentiles begin For the Beast is not to prevail over them ver 7. till they have finished their Testimony and therefore the Gentiles are not to tread down the holy City and pure Christian Church till that time And if the 1260 days should signify so many years as he would have them to do and should end at the Reformation they must begin before the Reign of Constantine the Great And if they begin after the time of Constantine they must take in the time of the Reformation so that there is no appearance of Truth in understanding them this way and taking them for so many years For if these be times of Sackcloth all are Sackcloth since Christianity began There is no appearance of Truth in this Learned Man's exposition of this Chapter but it is indeed flat contrary to the Sacred Oracle in this place I say this because I would willingly prevent Men from being deluded by the mistaken Interpretation of this Learned Man in this weighty Matter to the great hazard of their Lives and Souls too 10. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoyce over them and make merry and shall send gifts one to another because these two Prophets tormented them that dwell on the earth That is the Papists and Romish Church shall then rejoyce over these Witnesses and the Protestant Church and be merry and heartily glad and shew great expressions of their joy and gladness one to another because they have brought the Protestant Church under again and intend to put an utter end to it Because these Witnesses and the Eminent Servants of God in the Protestant Church were continually upbraiding them with the sinfulness of their Religion and Practice and warning all men to have a care of the Romish Religion and drawing Papists from it telling them that it was flat contrary to the Sacred Word of God and that nothing could be expected from it but Eternal Death and Destruction and this was very tormenting and vexatious to those of the Romish Party to hear of the Sinfulness and Danger of their Religion which they were unwilling to leave because of the sinful and worldly Profits and Pleasures
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
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
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
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