to lose much of these outward things the things of the world which at best are but vanity for it is far better to be without these and have a good conscience than to enjoy much of these either with a troubled or seared conscience and a hardened heart It is better to be at emnity with the Beast heerin and lose much of the world then to enjoy abundance of the world and soon after to perish with the Beast Again This let me tell you with all that if you shall persist in endeavouring to get such an imposing power it being that by which the Beast raigns in any place where it is it is in vain for you to endeavour it in England for England is fallen from Rome and is no more a part of Rome and therefore it is in vain to seeke to exercise a Romish power any longer in it And England being thus fallen is become a president to the other Kingdomes so to doe and shall not return to Rome again for England and all the other Kingdomes must hate the whore and make her desolate And thus much I cannot but speake to you that endeavour to take such a power upon you whether you will hear or whether you will forbear Deduction 16. 16. The next particular arising from these verses thus opened is an exhortation to all the Saints in England to dwell together in unity O you precious sonnes and daughters of the Almighty the Saints and Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ that are in this Kingdome of England Consider you what your condition was about seven or eight year ago at what time you were trampled upon by the Bishops which was a treading under foot of the Beast Call to minde how some of you were pillored and had your eares cropt and many of you imprisoned and fined and by severall other waies were persecuted and troubled by the members of the Beast your adversaries and that onely for acting that which in your conscience you were parswaded was according to the minde of God and which if you had for fear of men or for any other reason left undone your conscience told you that you should in so doing be disobedient to your heavenly Father I say call these things to minde and what a great pressure it was to your spirit that you could not with liberty and freedome follow the Lamb but men did what in them lay to enforce you to worship the Beast and to embrace for doctrine the commandments of men O how grievious was this oppression to you And what a burden was it And how did you groan in your spirits to be delivered What a grief was it to you to see precious Saints cruelly and ridgedly dealt with by the enemies of Iesus Christ And how many frequent prayers did your souls breath out and lift up to heaven against your enemies and for deliverance from their yoake of bondage I say call these things to minde and remember that this was the condition of you all whether you are such as are commonly called Presbyterians or Independents or Anabaptists if you were Saints if you loved the Lord Iesus Christ in sincerity you were all a like hated of and opposed by the Beast and it was a grief and burden to all your spirits to see the enemies of Iesus Christ to prevail so much and you all both Presbyterians Independents and Anabaptists did pour out many effectual fervent praiers against the Beast and the Bishops his adherents in England Again Consider as the Beast was thus an enemy to you all alike so it was a mercy to you all alike when in the year 1645. God gave you all a full victory over the adherents of the Beast in this Kingdom for then the Bishops and them that fought for them and in them the Beast was overcome And this I say was a mercy to you all alike and it was alike answer to all your praiers and alike joy to all your spirits to see your enemies and the enemies of Jesus Christ overcome And now since you are all children of the same Father and have all one Lord Iesus Christ and have all one Spirit and have all drank of one cup of affliction and had all one common enemy that hated you all and persecuted you all because you had all the one holy Spirit of the Father and of the Son in you and since your Father in love to you all and in answer to the praiers of you all gave you all alike deliverance from that enemy of you all O unite unite unite since your God hath made you one in his love O be you one in your love one to another and let it appear that you dwell in God by dwelling in love What a low unworthy thing is it for you that dwell in God to grow cold in love towards your brethren the children of your Father for differing from you in judgement in some circumstantiall things only What if some be weak and doe not know so much of the minde of God in some circumstantial things as you whether you be Presbyterians Independents or Anabaptists conceive you doe Will you therefore not love your weak brother for whom Christ died and who is beloved of your Father because your Father in his wisdome hath yet with-held that light from him which he hath given to you What a weaknesse is this in you thus to doe Doe you not know that it is not for your merits that you have more then him but it was from grace from free favour that you have it And doth what you have received from grace worke such an effect in you as to make you grow cold in love toward your brethren O let it be far from you And what though some are Presbyterians and some Independents as they are commonly distinguished Though I could wish that these distinctions of difference might be all laid aside and that all that belong to Jesus Christ might only be called Saints and the servants of Jesus Christ and by such generall expressions as include them all though they still differ in circumstances for there were no such distinctions used among Saints in the primitive times though there were differences in some circumstances But I say What though some are Presbyterians and some Anabaptists c. Yet if they are such as you judge to be in Christ Jesus and to be beloved of the Father resolve you in the strength of Christ to suffer none of their differences from you in judgement to with-draw your affections from them but since you love your God and Father love you his beloved children and your brethren and since you sincerely love the Lord Jesus Christ let it appear in loving of those upon whom his image is stampt For there is no reason why you should not love Presbyterians as well as Independents and Anabaptists as well as Presbyterians c. unlesse you look upon them as no Saints as such as are no lovers of the Lord Jesus but if you
indeed the Lord Jesus Christ that doth order and dispose all things in and concerning his Church and all things in the world and therefore it is that all power is given unto him in heaven and earth Mat. 28. He is the King of the holy hill of Sion Psalm 2. And he must rule the Nations with a rod of iron and break them in peeces like a Potters vessel and he must raign untill he have put all his enemies under his feet Rise and measure The Lord Jesus doth not leave his people in the hand of enemies nor under the rod of the wicked in a carelesse manner as if he did not care how much they were given up to the hand of the enemies no but they are measured out to affliction and so far as they are measured out unto it so far shall they be under affliction and no farther So God measured Job to affliction All that he hath is in thy power only upon himself put not forth thine hand Job 1. 12. and again Behold he is in thine hand but save his life The wicked shall not goe a hairs-breadth beyond the measure Jesus Christ hath such a tender respect unto all his people in their sufferings that they shall have no more then need 1 Pet. 1. 6. Measure the Temple The word Temple in the old Testament is used only for that House that Solomon built in Jerusalem unto the Lord which was called the Temple of the Lord it being the place wherein God was in a speciall manner present and wherein he would in a speciall manner be worshipped But in the new Testament it is used first for the Church the Saints of God of which that Temple was a figure for as God was in a speciall manner present in that Temple so he is in a speciall manner present in his people And so we have it 2 Cor. 6. 16. For ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people 1 Cor. 6. 19. What know ye not that your bodies are the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you c. and thus the word Temple in the new Testament is used for the Saints as the Temple was a figure of them as they have a speciall presence of God in them Which is likewise spoken of Isay 66. 1 2. Thus faith the Lord the Heaven is my Thron and the Earth is my foot-stool where is the house that ye build unto me and were is the place of my rest for all these things hath my hand made and all these things have been saith the Lord but to this man will I look even unto him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my word So that he that is of a poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at the word of God shall be the house the Temple of God As we have it also Isay 57. 15. But secondly The word Temple in the new Testament as it is used for those in whom there is a speciall presence of God so it is used to signify that means by which knowledge and instrustion is given out as the Temple of old was the place where people were to receive instruction and knowledge And in this sense it is used Rev. 21. 22. And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it This is spoken of the new Jerusalem of that glorious state the Church shall be in when they shall be all taught of God from the greatest to the least Now the word Temple heer in the Text doth signify these Eirst It signifies the Saints of God as they are they in whom God in a speciall manner dwels And Secondly It signifies the Ordinances and means whereby knowledge is dispensed and instruction is received for it is the Saints that are as lights in the World and they both instuct the ignorant and edify one another especially when they are congregated assembled together to worship God according to his own will and to prophesy to edify one another The Temple of God and the Alter and them that worship therein It clearly appears in these words that the word Temple heer includes the Saints both as they are an habitation of God through the spirit and so are his Temple and as they are being assembled together the means of instruction and increasing knowledge and doe worship God aright For least the word Temple should not be full enough to expresse this it is added And the Altar which in the Temple was the place where they worshipped God and them that worship therein Not only the place of worship but the worshippers So that this takes in all Saints as they are a Temple as their assemblies are the place wherein God is worshipped and instruction is given and received and as they are worshippers as Saints worshipping God and possessing God Verse 2. But the Court that is without the Temple The Court is said to be without the Temple as of old the Court was without the Temple and was a more common place not so holy as any part of the Temple was so that the Court heer being without the Temple it is some outside thing it is no part of the Temple Now it being apparent that Saints onely are the Temple of God this Court heer mentioned though it seem to be neer the Temple yet is not the Temple is none of the Saints but some outside professors that seem to the outward eye to be near to Saints as the Court was near to the Temple yet they are not of that holy place they are but an outside they are without the Temple But the Court that is without the Temple leave out or cast out and measure it not Though Jesus Christ have a tender care of his Saints under affliction and they are measured out to the chastisement appointed to them yet hath he no such respect unto such as are not his Though they are professors Though they seem to be near the Temple yet if they be not the Temple though they do professe him yet if they do not possesse him as the Temple doth they must be left out cast out of the care of Jesus Christ But the Court that is without the Temple cast out and measure it not Jesus Christ will not own that as his and therefore it must not be measured For it It was the Temple and the Altar and them that worshipped therin that was measured out to chastisement So then it was it that was to be given unto the Gentiles by measure so that this word for it may be read thus for the Temple Is given unto the Gentiles The word Gentiles in the old Testament when the Temple was in its glory was used to expresse such as were not of the Church of God for the Israelites only were accounted the Church all others were looked upon as
For on the 23. day of October 1641. did the Beast begin the war in Ireland and he continued overcomming the Witnesses the Saints of Jesus Christ in Ireland and in England untill the 5. day of April 1645. and from the 23. of October 1641. unto the 5. of April 1645. there is just a thousand two hundred and sixty daies which according to the Scripture account though not according to the Heathen account is three years and a half compleat and when this three years and a half were expired which was I say one the 5. of April 1645. then was the resurrection of the Witnesses for they having lain dead for three years and a half before then the Spirit of life from God entred into them And the year 1645. as it is the year wherein the Witnesses were raised from the dead so it is the year wherein the term of time in which they were to prophesie in sack-cloth and to be troden under foot was to expire and the year also wherein the prevailing power of the Beast over the Saints was to expire as is made evident in the opening of the 2 vers pag. 60. c. Now that one the 5. day of April 1645. the Saints Witnesses and Servants of Jesus Christ were raised up and that then a Spirit of life from God entred into them appears thus On the 5. day of April 1645. the Parliaments Army who had stood for the defence of the Saints against the Beast and had bin before that time exceedingly overcome and were brought into a very low condition at that time being new modelled and having a great many precious Saints in it both eminent Commanders inferiour Officers and common Soldiers and being then put under the conduct of Sir Thomas Fairfax they then began to march against the enemy and then had a Spirit of life from God that entred into them as did appear in all their actings afterward for they went on with such vigour courage life and fortitude as they effected every work they took in hand defeated all the enemies with whom they did encounter had the victory in every battle they fought never sate down before any City Town or Castle but they took it in before they raised their siege Thus they acted like men raised from that dead low condition they were in before And why Because now a Spirit of life from God was entred into them and unto God did they give all the praise and so let them doe still for they had as surely fled before their enemies and been beat down as the myre in the streets then as ever they had been before if the Spirit of life from God had not been put upon them Thus the 5. day of April 1645. did the Witnesses the Saints of whom the Beast thought to make an utter end stand upon their feet having a spirit of life from God put upon them when the Army that fought their battles and defended their righteous cause began to march against the Army of the Beast to the overthrowing of it And they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them that saw them The Saints being raised from the dead from that dejected low condition in which they were for three years and a half a Spirit of life from God being put upon them they then stood upon their feet to the fear and amazement of their enemies Before indeed the Saints did lie dead in the street and were as the street to them that went over them but since the Spirit of life from God entred into them they have stood upon their feet and as men that stand upon their feet so long as they doe stand upon their feet are not in a capacity of being trod under foot of men So the Witnesses and Saints of Jesus Christ since they stood upon their feet could not be troden under foot of men Though they have been troden under feet a thousand two hundred and threescore years and the Beast hath had power so long to trample them under feet yet since the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet it was not possible for the Beast nor any of his adherents so to trample them under foot any more And they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them The Witnesses standing upon their feet as men risen from the dead did cast a great fear and terrour upon their enemies for now they begin to fear what will become of themselves and their great Idoll The Beast they seeing the Witnesses of Jesus to stand upon their feet fearfulnesse doth surprize them because now they conceive that their Kingdome is going down as indeed it is going down wonderfully as they did rejoyce and make merry when they saw the Saints or Puritans as they termed them brought into a low condition when they lay dead so now on the contrary they seeing these Puritans the precious Sonnes of Sion to stand upon their feet now a fear a great fear is fallen upon them Vers 12. And they heerd 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 As the Beast and they that joyn with him are in severall places of the prophesie of this book called The earth So the Saints and Witnesses of Jesus Christ are in opposition to the Beast called Heaven As Rev. 13. 6. it is said of the Beast That he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwelt in Heaven By them that dwelt in Heaven is meant the Saints of God who are called Them that dwell in Heaven As the members of the Beast are called Them that dwell upon the earth Rev. 11. 10. And so Rev. 15. 5. It being said in the former verses of the Saints that had gotten the victory over the Beast and over his image and over his mark that they sung the Song of Moses the Servant of God and the Song of the Lamb saith John After this I looked and behold the Temple of the Tabernacle of the testimony in Heaven was opened And Chap. 11. 19. And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of his Testament c. It is evident that in both these places the Saints the Church of God is called Heaven for it cannot be understood of Heaven it self for there is no Temple So in this verse whereas it is said the Witnesses heard a voice from Heaven by Heaven here also is meant the Church the Saints of God So that the meaning of this verse is this The Witnesses of Jesus being raised from the dead and having a Spirit of life from God put upon them and standing upon their feet like living men that part of the Saints that in a more especiall manner acted in opposing the Beast and had a most eminent Spirit of life and courage put
you to consider how evident it is that Jesus Christ hath had some true Prophets during all this twelve hundred years that the Beast hath troden the Saints under foot For Jesus Christ saith expresly I will give power unto my two Witnesses and they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and sixty daies cloathed in sackcloth And this hath been made good for it appears thaâ— in all times since Christ hath had some that have prophesied that is have held forth the Testimony of Jesus Christ For the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesie And indeed every true Saint is a Prophet because the Lord revealing his secrets to a soul as it maketh it a Saint so it maketh it a Prophet and so the Lord looks upon his Saints as his Witnesses and Prophets Now this being evident That Christ hath had true Prophets this maketh it clear that as it is said Ephes 4. 10 11 12 13. That Jesus Christ when he ascended up farre above all heavens gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of Saints for the worke of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ. So this word hath been fulfilled Jesus Christ hath alwaies continued these For First Apostles have been continued for the edifying of the body of Christ as it is here said for the Apostles being the eie-witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ in all that he did and suffered and of his Resurrection as it is evident in that expression of Peter when another Apostle was to be chosen in the place of Judas Acts 1. 21 22. Wherefore of these men which have accompanied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us Beginning from the baptisme of John unto that same day he was taken from us must one be ordained to be a Witnesse with us of his Resurrection I say they being eie-witnesses of the Lord Jesus their witnesse which they gave of him is left still upon record in which Apostles still continue usefull to the Church for perfecting of Saints for the work of the Ministery and for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come c. and in this sense Apostles have continued but Prophets Evangelists Pastours and Teachers have actually continued in the Church and that doth appear by this because we here see it is evident that Prophets have been continued Now a man that is a true Prophet of Jesus Christ may be and in some degree truly is an Evangelist and Pastour and a Teacher also For First To be an Evangelist is to be able to hold forth the Gospel in the grace and sweetnesse of it and he that is so is an Evangelist And Secondly To be a Pastour is to be able to feed the flock of Christ both the sheep and tender lambs with the wholsome saving truths of Christ to the nourishing and strengthning of their Souls And Thirdly To be a Teacher is to be able to unfold the mysteries of the Gospel and clearly to hold forth the truths of Christ to the instruction of the ignorant and encreasing of knowledge and he that is so is a Teacher Now he that is a Prophet may be all these First He may be a man that publisheth the glad tydings of the Grace of the Gospel And secondly A man that teacheth and instructeth people with knowledge and understanding And thirdly A man that feeds the flock of Christ with wholsome saving truths I say a Prophet may be an Evangelist a Pastour and Teacher and so was Paul that he was a Prophet appears Acts 13. 1. and that he was a Pastour appears in that he was so frequent in feeding the Church of God and that he was a Teacher appears Acts 13. 1. and 2 Tim. 1. 11. and Acts 20. 27. and that he was an Evangelist appears in all his Epistles by his full and sweet holding forth the Grace of the Gospel in them and as Paul was so so it might be also said of Apollo and Peter and Barnabas and Timothy and others But here it may be objected If one man may be both a Prophet and Evangelist a Pastour and Teacher Why doth the Apostle speak of them particularly as given to particular persons For saith he Jesus Christ when he ascended gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers And again 1 Cor. 12. 29. he saith Are all Apostles Are all Prophets Are all Teachers Implying that the Spirit had dispenced out the gift of prophesying to one of teaching to another of Apostleship to a third and not all these gifts to one Answ Though it be true That a Prophet may be also an Apostle an Evangelist a Pastour and Teacher as Paul was yet the Scripture speaks particularly of them because they are severall gifts and sometimes they are severally dispensed so that one man may be more properly said to be an Evangelist because he may be more able to hold forth the sweet word of the Gospel and to be a son of consolation and to be more Evangelical then other and so may be more properly said to be an Evangelist And so of the rest one man may be more eminent in one of these gifts then in the rest and so may be more properly said to be either a Pastour or a Teacher and yet notwithstanding he that is an Evangelist may in some sort be able to act as a Pastour or a Teacher so he that is a Pastour may in some sort be able to act as an Evangelist or a Teacher though in an especiall manner he may be fitted to doe the work of a Pastour and so of the rest So that the reason why they are particularly spoken of is because that some Saints may be more eminently fitted for one of them then for the rest and not that they that have one of these gifts have only one of those gifts and is utterly void of the rest and this will be the more confirmed and cleared by comparing this with that passage 1 Cor. 12. 8 9 10. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdome to another tbe word of knowledge by the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit to another the working of miracles to another prophesie to another discerning of Spirits to another divers kindes of toungues to another the interpretation of tongues Here the Apostle speaks of severall gifts and saith that one is given to one and another to another and a third to a third c. And his meaning is That one Saint is more eminent for one gift and another for another and not that he that had the word of wisdome had no knowledge nor no faith
the Woman the Church that is cloathed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet And this wicked one persecutes the Church as she is thereby driven into the wildernesse that is into a desolate bewildred barren and sad condition and that so long as the Beast remains for that 's the meaning of a time times and half a time as will appear in what follows as if it were not possible for the Church to be in any other then a wildernesse condition untill the ruine of the Beast and the fall of Babylon were come And when he had driven the Church into that desolate wildernesse condition he was not therewith satisfied but cast out water as a flood after her that he might cause her to be carried away with the flood And hath it not been even thus Did not that scarlet coloured Beast so persecute the holy City all the Saints of God ever since his first rise as that they have been in a desolate sad wildernesse condition ever since And yet is he not so satisfied but is sending out of his floods of malice and fury after the Saints and would swallow them all up if it were possible Again Chapter 12. 17. he is said To be â—roth with the Woman and to make war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ And Chap. 13. 6 7. And the Beast opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwelt in heaven and it was given unto him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them And hath not that Beast the Pope punctually done as is here spoken of him in opening his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his name and his Saints Hath he not said himself was the head of the Church and that he could forgive sins with many other blasphemies And hath not he made war with the Saints which kept the Commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ Have not they been the only ones with whom he hath made war The most vilest and most abominable persons were most nourished by that cursed Beast and the most precious Saints have been most hated and hath he not also overcome them For for this twelve hundred years he hath so overcome them as they never had power to rise up against him untill of late Again Chap. 17. 6. the great Whore is said to be drunke with the blood of Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus And Chap. 18. 24. It is again said of Babylon the City of Rome the great Whore That in her was found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth And most evident it is That Rome hath not only made others drunken with the cup of her abominations and filthinesse of her fornications but is her self drunken with the blood of the Saints and the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus which she hath taken in greedily and eagerly and in her it will be found when with violence she shall be thrown down and become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hurtfull Bird. Thus by this time it appears by whom and how the holy City hath been troden under foot And the holy City shall they tread under foot fourty and two moneths It being apparent what the enemies of the Church are and that they have troden the Temple and holy City under foot The next thing to be cleared is the time how long those enemies of the Church were to tread her under foot And that is heer said to be fourty and two moneths Now what the meaning of this is will more clearly appear by comparing it with four other passages in the prophecy of this Book One is Chap. 12. 6. And the woman fled into the wildernesse where she had a place prepared of God that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore daies A second Chap. 12. 14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great Eagle that she might flee into the wilderness into her place where she is nourished for a time and times and halfe a time from the face of the Serpent A third is Chap. 11. 3. And I will give power unto my two Witnesses and they shall prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore daies cloathed in sackcloth A fourth is Chap. 13. 5. And there was given unto the Beast a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies and power was given unto him to continue fourty and two months it was given unto him to make war c. Now the text speaks of the afflicted condition of the Church under the expression of being trod under foot and the first of these passages speaks of the afflicted condition of the Church under the expression of flying into the wildernesse because of the persecution of her enemies The second of these passages speaks likewise of the afflicted condition of the Chuch under the same expression as the former of fleeing into the wildernesse The third of these expressions speakes of the afflicted condition of the Church under the expression of being cloathed in sack-cloath and the 4. speaks of the afflicted condition of the Church under the expression of the Beasts making war with the Saints and overcoming them and they all speaking the same thing the affliction of the Church do also speak of the same time of the continuance of that affliction with this in the Text. Now in the Text that time is expressed under the expression of fourty and two moneths And In the first of A thousand two hundred and threescore daies In the second of A time and times and half a time In the third of A thousand two hundred and threescore daies In the fourth of Fourtie and two moneths Now that these agree in one appears thus In fourty and two moneths accounting thirty daies to a moneth there is just a thousand two hundred and threescore daies so that fourty and two moneths and a thousand two hundred and threescore daies agree in one Again in three years and a half we have just fourty and two months accounting twelve moneths to a year So that a time times and half a time that is one year two years and half a year which is three years and a half agrees with fourty and two moneths And with a thousand two hundred and threescore daies So that the time the Church was to continue under affliction to be troden under foot was a thousand two hundred threescore daies Now as the Prophet Ezekiel was to account a day for a year Eze. 4 5 6. so this one thousand two hundred and threescore daies is to be accounted a thousand two hundred and threescore years So then whereas in the Text it is said that the Church should be troden under foot fourty and two moneths by the Gentiles that is particularly by that
into them did hear a voice from the Churches of Christ from most of the Saints wherein they expressed their great affection to them and owned them and embraced them in their societies They said unto them Come up hither and they again mutually embraced them they went into the Heavenly societies of the Saints they ascended up to that Heaven but it was in a cloud it was not clearly seen of men but though not clearly yet it was seen by them for their enemies beheld them their enemies beheld them though in a cloud in an obscure manner And thus it was with those Saints that were in the Army on the Parliament side as before they stood upon their feet and prevailed against their enemies they had the praiers of all other Saints so afterward were they with great affection received into the societies of Saints and embraced by them and this did appear to their enemies though not very clearly Vers 13. And the same hour was there a great earth-quake The Kingdome of the Beast being called the earth it is that earth of whom this earth-quake is spoken Now this earth-quake is said to be the same hour when the Witnesses being risen from the dead did ascend into the societies of the Saints and were by them received and embraced in that same hour there was a great earth-quake The state of the Beast hath been shaken before The Witnesses have made a former earth-quake in the Kingdom of the Beast which was mentioned Chap. 7. 5. but that is not said to be a great earth-quake but this is said to be a great earth-quake And indeed this was a greater earth-quake a greater shaking to the Kingdome of the Beast then any that hath been before it as doth appear by the effects of it mentioned in this verse Though it is true this is not the greatest earth-quake that shall come on the Kingdome of the Beast for there shall be a farre greater earth-quake that shall come upon it as appears Chap. 16. 18. yet this was a very great earth-quake a very great shaking to the Kingdome of the Beast For in this earth-quake The tenth part of the City fell This word The City hath reference unto a City formerly mentioned in this Chapter and that is vers 8. and it is there so plainly described as it doth evidently appear to be the mystical Babylon And the tenth part The ten Kingdomes that were the ten horns of the Beast were ten severall parts of mysticall Babylon which did raign over them So that England being one of them was a tenth part of mystical Babylon And a tenth part of the City fell This was one of the effects of the earth-quake which was occasioned by the resurrection of the Witnesses the Saints in England it did so shake the great Babylon of the Beast as a tenth part of it fell And this most exactly came to passe in the year of the Resurrection of the Witnesses 1645. for then did the Kingdome of England which was a tenth part of great Babylon fall from Rome for then was that removed from it whereby it had continued to be a part of Babylon the place of Saints slavery namely the power of men over the consciences of Saints For after the Army which was for the Witnesses stood upon their feet in 1645. they so cast of that power that men had had over their consciences and over their persons and estates for their conscience sake as it was not possible for the Beast nor any of his Adherents to recover that power again over the consciences of the Saints in this Kingdome though they did with all their strength and greatest industry endeavour it afterwards for the Witnesses then standing upon their feet there was such an earth-quake great Babylon was so shaken as England fell from it the yoke of bondage which was upon the consciences of Saints in England was then cast off And this was one effect of the great earth-quake which there was in mysticall Babylon at the resurrection of the Witnesses that England fell from it Thus England is fallen from the great Whore mystical Babylon and is become a president to the other Kingdoms who must all in time cast off the yoke of bondage under which they are and hate the Whore and make her desolate and naked c. Revel 17. 16. And in the earth-quake were slain of men seven thousand This was another effect of the earth-quake that as a tenth part of the City fell so there were slain of men seven thousand What is meant by the fall of the tenth part of the City is already apparent and it is not the material falling of a tenth part of any material City but the mystical falling of the tenth part of a mysticall City And sutable to this is the meaning of this slaying of seven thousand men not by the material falling of any part of a material City But the earth-quake being a mysticall shaking of mystical Babylon this is a mystical slaying of seven thousand men whereby they die mystically that is cease to live any longer to mystical Babylon being by beholding the great victory which the Saints had over the Beast converted and fallen off from the Beast which seven thousand men were before either secretly or openly lovers and worshippers of the Beast But it may be objected How doth it appear that seven thousand men or persons were so converted by the resurrection of the Witnesses Answ Though it doe not visibly appear to the outward eyes of any yet it is sufficient to perswade me and should be to perswade all Saints to believe it in that this Scripture this oracle of Heaven saith it When there was no true worshippers of God in Israel that were visible to Elijah the Prophet and that then the Lord telling him that he had left seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal nor had kissed him with the mouth it was sufficient to perswade Elijah to believe it although not one of those seven thousand did visibly appear to him Therefore much more ought Saints now not to question the truth of this that seven thousand are in this mysticall earth-quake mystically slaine though it be not altogether so visible to us as other things are because this Scripture saies it And besides what the Scripture saies in it there is a probability of it for it is very probable that many are convinced that the Witnesses the Saints are Gods people and those that sight against them are enemies of God and doe fight against God I say it is probable that many are convinced of this because God hath so owned his people and given them such victory over those vile wretches that did oppose them and formerly reproach them and say Where is your God And now God appearing to be for them when the enemy were come to such a height of impiety and insolency there is no question but that many were convinced by it and fell from the Beast
apprehensions neither to faith nor peace nor joy nor strength but have seemed to be as unbelieving as carnal and as fleshly as ever walking heavily for a long time And that Word which hath been sweet to others that at the same time heard it hath been as nothing to them That word which hath raised the heart and strengthened the faith and inflamed the love of others hath seemed to have no effect upon them and thus some have continued weeks months nay years together and if they have had any reviving it hath been but as a morning dew and yet at last when the Fathers appointed time was come wherein he hath raised them up to joy and peace in believing and given them life vigour and strength then hath the Spirit brought to their remembrance the things which they heard many years before and then have they been wonderfully overcome and taken with it and it hath brought forth fruit abundantly in them Therefore Saints you that say you finde little or no effect the word hath upon you for the present be not thereby discouraged but goe on to reade and to hear the word still for it is a means which is often blessed to many But thirdly Is it so that it is a blessed thing to reade and hear the Word so as to keep it Then it serves to exhort all as to hear and reade the Word so to look beyond it in the frequent hearing and reading of it waiting for the coming in of the Spirit for the blessing is not pronounced upon the hearers of the Word only but such as hear it and keep it and hear it and doe it and then shalt thou hear the Word so as to keep it when the Spirit comes along with it Therefore when thou comest to hear the Word doe not rest upon the bare hearing of the Word but expect the coming of the Spirit and that thou maiest thus doe consider that there are frequent presidents in Scripture That in the hearing of the Word the Spirit hath been given as you have it Act. 10. 44. While Peter yet spake these words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word And in the second of the Acts at the 41. verse we finde that there were three thousand souls converted at the preaching of Peter And when Philip went down to Samaria and preached the Word there were by his preaching many converted both men and women as appears Acts 8. 12. There are severall other passages in the Acts to this purpose And Gal. 3. 2. saith the Apostle Received you the Spirit by the workes of the Law or by the hearing of faith Whereby it appears That the Spirit was received by the hearing of the word of faith and therfore it is that the Apostle cals the Ministery of the Gospel The ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 8. Therefore let all be encouraged in the hearing of the Word to wait for the Spirit whereby they may not be forgetfull hearers but doers of the Word and be blessed in so doing Vse 4. And in the last place it serves to encourage all Saints to be frequent in reading of and meditating upon the book of the Revelation for there is a blessing particularly pronounced upon them that read or hear and keep the things that are written therein therefore let none be discouraged from reading those things that are written in this book because they are so hard to be understood and are more darke and mysterious than most places of Scripture It is true they are so but to encourage us to be frequent in reading of it notwithstanding the mysteriousnesse of it the holy Ghost hear pronounces a particular blessing to it which is a speciall encouragement to incite us to the reading of it And there is also another encouragement in these words For the time is at hand And now if we be desirous to be informed of the things that concern the present time then let us look diligently into the book of the Revelation for this word The time is at hand hath held true and doth and shall hold true in all ages and times even until the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ to judge the quick and the dead when all shall appear before the judgement seat of Christ for there hath been no age since the delivery of it in which it might not be said The time is at hand that is The time is come in which some part or other of it hath been fulfilling for at the time when this Revelation was given to John then was fulfilling that which is spoken concerning the seven Churches and soon after that which was to be done in the opening of the seals began to be fulfilled which is not yet fully accomplished and about four hundred year after Johns time began that to be fulfilled which is spoken of concerning the rising of the beast and what is revealed concerning the actions of the beast and the pouring out of the viols upon the beast hath been since that and now is a fulfilling and what is spoken concerning the totall ruine of the beast and the happy deliverance of the Saints and the glorious state of the Church after deliverance shall be hereafter fulfilled So that still it might and now and hereafter it may be said of the prophecy of this book The time is at hand therefore it concernes us to be frequently looking into it and diligently to observe the things that are written therein And now since the following Discourse is on a part of the book of the Revelation let these two motives which here you have to stirre you up to the reading of the whole book as that it is a blessed thing and it concerns the present time incite you to the reading and the serious consideration of what is herein delivered concerning the exact accomplishment of some of the things contained in this book which comes now to be spoken of AN EXPOSITION VPON Part of the eleventh Chapter OF THE REVELATION The Exposition of the first Verse And there was given unto me a reed like unto a rod IN the 21. Chapter of this book at the 15. verse when the holy City was put into a delivered enlarged raised condition there is mention made of a golden reed wherewith it was to be measured But here is not a golden reed but a reed like unto a rod importing that it is a chastized and afflicted depressed low condition into which it was at this time to be put and that it was indeed so appears in what follows And the Angel stood saying This Angel chap. 10. 1. is thus described And I saw a mighty Angel come down from heaven cloathed with a cloud and a rain-bow was upon his head and his face was as it were the Sunne and his feet as pillars of fire This description resembles that which is given of Jesus Christ Chap. 1. 15 16. by which it appears That this Angel here spoken of is Jesus Christ It is