of those signs unto the day of Judgment is but a short time as our Saviour also saith Mat. 24.33 therefore all the Prophecies in the Revelation from the sixth Seal to the nineteenth chapter v. 11. where the day of Judgment doth commence are to continue but a short time and consequently it is a long time before the four first Seals do end and for ought we know it is a long time before any of them shall begin 5. The opposition between the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things that must shortly come to pass Rev. 1. â— and the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things that must be done hereafter Rev. 4.1 intimate so much The first are a Preface to the things spoken of in the Epistles to the seven Churches and shew they were to begin shortly after Johns time the second are a Preface to the Prophecies in this chapter and in the chapters following and shew they were not to begin so soon but a long time after 6. The conjectural expositions of these Prophecies signifie as much for time is the best interpreter of Prophecies and if these Prophecies were fulfilled already men would not speak upon conjecture nor write so variously and uncertainly of the meaning of these Prophecies as they do CHAP. VII The Prophecy of the Sealed which were to be secured from suffering 1. ANd after these doleful sights were over I saw farther what should come to pass in the time of this Prophecy before the seventh Prophecy should begin to wit that four Angels should stand upon the four corners of the earth upon each corner one which should have power over the four winds that be in the earth to let them loose Mat. 24.31 or to keep them in that they should not blow upon the earth nor upon the Sea nor upon the Trees but as they pleased 2. And I saw that another Angel should then come with a Commission from the East and bring the Seal of the living God along with him and that he should cry with a loud voice to the four Angels which had power to hurt the earth and the Sea 3. Saying That they should not hurt the earth Ezeck 9.4 5 6. nor the Sea nor the Trees until we have sealed the Servants of God in their fore-heads 4. And I heard the number of them which were to be Sealed and they were a hundred and fourty and four thousand young men of the Iewish Nation which are to be reckoned in this manner 5. Of the young men of the tribe of Iuda shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Reuben shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Gad shall be sealed twelve thousand 6. Of the young men of the tribe of Aser shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Naphthali shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Manasse shall be sealed twelve thousand 7. Of the young men of the tribe of Simeon shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Levi shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Issachar shall be sealed twelve thousand 8. Of the young men of the tribe of Zabulon shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Ephraim shall be sealed twelve thousand of the young men of the tribe of Benjamin shall be sealed twelve thousand The Prophecy of the blessedness of the not sealed Martyrs after death 9. But lest any should be discouraged from suffering for the cause of Christ because they be not sealed and secured from suffering as the other were there was presented unto me the great felicity and transcendent bliss which the Martyrs should enjoy in Heaven at the same time that the sealed ones should be secured on earth and I saw they should be more in number than the other were to wit an exceeding great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and kindreds and people and tongues which should stand before tâ—e Throne of God and before the Lamb in white robes of Glory and Palms of triumph in their hands 10. Where they shall laud and praise the Lord for that Heavenly Glory and felicity which they shall be in at this time acknowledging and saying Salvation proceedeth from the Lord our God which sits upon the Throne and from Jesus Christ the Holy Lamb and to them be it ascribed for evermore 11. And not only they themselves but also all the Holy Angels which are in Heaven shall laud and praise the Lord for that Heavenly bliss and happiness which the Martyrs shall have in Heaven at that time when the sealed ones are sealed on earth 12. Saying Amen Blessing and Glory and Wisdom and Thanks and Honor and Power and Might be ascribed to the Lord our God for evermore 13. And that I might understand the meaning of the Vision one of the four and twenty Elders asked of me saying What be these comely persons whom thou seest arrayed in white robes of Glory and Palms of triumph in their hands and from whence came they to that blessed State and transcendent degree of happiness which thou seest them now to have 14. And I said Ah Sir thou knowest who they are and I would learn of thee who they be and from whence they came to that blessed State and transcendent degree of happiness which I see them in at this time and what it was that brought them hither Then he said unto me These be the Holy Martyrs of the Church which were in great affliction in the World and suffered death for the cause of Jesus Christ and shed their blood for professing of his Gospel for this cause it is that they be now in white robes of Glory which were made so by his blood and are given them as a reward for their suffering for him 15. For this cause it is that they be now before the Throne of God and serve him in the Church Triumphant as in their life-time they did in the Church Militant and God shall dwell with them and be their God 16. They suffered hunger heretofore but now they suffer it no more they suffered thirst heretofore but now they shall suffer it no more they suffered persecution heretofore but they shall suffer it no more 17. For Jesus Christ shall feed them with his Heavenly Food and give them drink of his Heavenly Well and God shall wipe all tears from off their eyes so that no sorrow shall come near them Disputation III. 1 Quest Whether the sealed ones be the Jews and they only Ans 1. The tribes of the Children of Israel be usually the Jews only as Gen. 49 16.28 Exed 24.4 and so in other places but the sealed ones here mentioned are one hundred fourty and four thousand of all the tribes of the Children of Israel v. 4. 2. Where the tribes of Israel are distinctly reckoned by their names there
the Devil 1. AND I saw a great wonder in the Starry Heaven prefiguring what should be done upon the earth and the wonder which I saw was a woman representing the Nation of the Iews cloathed with the Sun in token of her future Glory and the Moon beneath her Feet in token she should change no more Gen. 37.9 10. and a Crown of twelve Stars upon her head which are the twelve Tribes of Israel 2. And their conversion shall be like the pains of a woman in Travel which hath hard labour and strong pains and throws before she be delivered even so they of this Nation that be converted first shall have hard labour and Travel to convert the rest 3. And I saw another wonder in the Starry Heaven and it was a great Red Dragon representing the Devil and his mighty Agents upon earth which shall oppose the Church of Israel in her Travel and hinder their conversion what they can and they be seven Heathen Kings which shall have Crowns upon their Heads and ten Heathen Kingdoms which shall have no Kings of their own in them at this time 4. And he shall be in a great rage to hear of the conversion of this Church and Nation and in this rage of his shall with his tail in which as some say his main strength doth lye seek to overthrow the frame of nature and had rather Heaven and Earth should have an end than the conversion of that Church be brought to pass Or else his tail may represent the vulgar people that be in his Kingdoms as his seven heads do represent his Kings and by the help of this vulgar people he shall turn aside some part of that Nation from minding their conversion at the present and draw their hearts away from Heavenly things to earthly or else do some other hurt unto them and he himself shall stand before the Church of Israel now ready to be converted to the Faith of Christ threatning to devour them and their Children so soon as they become Christians 5. Yet for all this they shall be converted to the Christian Faith and the Child that shall be born of them is Jesus Christ who is then said to be born spiritually whenas a Church or Nation is brought to believe in him and after their conversion he shall subdue all Nations that War against them with the Sword but he himself shall sit in Heaven at Gods right hand and on his Throne 6. And when they be converted a great part of that Nation shall flee into the Wilderness especially they that be instrumental to convert the rest where they shall have a place prepared for them by the Lord their God as their forefathers had Hos 2.14 15. when they came forth of Egypt that they may be nourished and preserved there three years and a half from the fury of the Devil and his Agents 7. But before that this is done there shall be a great battel in the Church Michael and his Angels shall fight against the Devil in behalf of the Church of Israel Dan. 10.13.21 Dan. 12.1 that they may be converted to the Christian Faith and the Devil shall fight against Michael and his Angels against the others Angels that they may remain in unbelief 8. But Michael and his Angels shall prevail and the Devil and his Angels shall be overthrown and there shall be no place for them any more in the Church of Israel 9. And the great Red Dragon that old malicious Serpent otherwise called the Devil and Satan who deceived our first Parents at the first and the whole race of mankind ever since shall be cast forth of the Jewish Nation and all his evil Angels cast forth with him 10. And there shall be great joy in the Church of Israel and loud acclamation and Thanksgiving saying Now is salvation come to the Church of Israel from the Lord our God he is the Author of it and to him be it ascribed for evermore And the might and Kingdom of our God shall now be seen and made known unto the World and the power of his Christ for the accuser of that Church and Nation is cast forth who before their conversion accused them of their unbelief before our God day and night but from henceforth shall accuse them of that crime no more 11. But they shall overcome him by the merits of his blood who died for them and by their Faith which they have in him and the open profession of the same and they shall not love their lives more than they love their Christ but expose them unto death rather than remain in unbelief and deny their Faith in him and for this it is that Satan shall be cast forth of that Nation 12. Rejoyce ye Church of Israel because Satan is cast forth of your Nation and from ruling any more therein but wo be to the unbelieving Gentiles after this is done for the Devil will be among you altogether and have great wrath as knowing he hath but a short time to stay among you 13. And when Satan shall perceive that he is cast forth of the Jewish Nation he shall set himself to persecute that Church and Nation especially those members of them which were converted first and shall be instrumental to beget the rest to the Faith of Christ 14. But power and opportunity shall be given to those members of that Church to fly into the Wilderness to the place prepared for them where they shall be nourished and preserved three years and a half from the power of the Devil and his Angels 15. And when the Devil shall perceive that they are fled into the Wilderness he shall send a flood of Water after them to drown them in the Wilderness or drive them out from thence 16. But God shall cause the dry and thirsty earth to open her mouth and swallow up the flood of Water which the Devil shall send after them and the Water thereupon shall do them no hurt 17. At which the Devil shall be very wroth and thereupon shall leave the Wilderness where they be and make War with the remnant of that Church and Nation which shall not flee into the Wilderness as the other shall but keep the commandments of the Lord their God and profess the faith of Jesus Christ in their known and open dwellings 18. And to accomplish this design of his he shall stand upon the sea shore representing the heathen people and Nations of the World out of whom he shall raise a beastly Tyrant to make War against that part of the Church of Israel which shall flee into the Wilderness as hereafter followeth Disputation VIII 1. Quest Whether this Prophecy doth belong to the seventh Trumpet and be a part thereof Ans 1. The seventh Trumpet doth not end with the former Chapter but reacheth onward to the end of the Book and whereas the other Trumpets have a close added to them this Trumpet hath no close at all and therefore
Dan. 7.21 22.25 Now who are meant by the Saints in Daniel but the Jews 4. VVe read in the same Book that Daniels people shall be in great troubles such as never was since there was a Nation Dan. 12.1 Now from whom shall they have this trouble if not from the Beast here spoken of 5. VVe read in the Prophet Micah According to the days of thy coming out of the Land of Egypt will I shew unto him marvellous things the Nations shall see and be confounded c. Micah 7.15 16. Now the plagues which shall fall upon the Beast are many of them the very same for kind with the plagues of Egypt therefore as the plagues of Egypt fell upon them for the wrong they did unto the Jews so the plagues which shall light upon the Beast shall fall upon him and his people for the persecution of that Nation 6. After the parturition of the woman in the former Chapter v. 12. the Devil knows he hath but a short time and therefore the Beast who is raised by him afterward has but a short time too Now if we look upon the Beasts which are in the world at this time whether Turks or any other they have continued a long time and therefore this prophecy is not meant of any of them but remains to be expected upon the Jews Conversion 7. The Beasts which now are in the world came to their height and eminency by long and tedious wars and by the ruines of other Nations but this Beast is raised on a sudden by the Devils art and policy as you may read v. 2.4 and there are such strange courses taken such witchcraft and inchantment used such signs and wonders shewed such cunning and deceitful tricks invented and such a strange mark imposed by the second Beast to make men adhere unto the first Beast as you may read v. 12 13 14 15 16 17. as never yet was known take them all together at the rising of any Beast since the world began to this very day nor will be till the Jews Conversion and the rising of this enemy of theirs the Beast here spoken of The conclusion therefore is The Antichrist of St. John St. Pauls Man of sin and the Beast here spoken of be not all one The Antichrists of St. John be the false Christs that our Saviour speaks of in the Gospel Mat. 24.24 which should start up before and after the destruction of Jerusalem 1 Joh. 2.18.22 and 4.3.2 Joh. 7. The Man of sin spoken of by St. Paul is avouched by some and denied by others to be the Pope of Rome of which see those that have written on that subject But the first Beast here spoken of is a Heathen King or Emperour raised by the Devil to war against the Jews after their Conversion and the second Beast is a Witch as Balaam was raised by the Devil and imployed by the first Beast as Balaam was by Balak to help him and assist him and do mighty things for him and for his settlement in his Kingdom v. 12 13 14 15 16 17. and for the ruine of the Jewish Nation Chap. 16.13 14. CHAP. XIV The Prophecy of the Virgin Company 1. THen was presented unto me in a Vision what shall come to pass after the three days and a half allotted to the Beasts prosperity shall be ended and I saw a Lamb representing Jesus Christ stand on Mount Sion and with him an hundred forty and four thousand of the Jewish Nation spoken of before but to another purpose in the seventh Chapter who notwithstanding the power and prevalency of the Beast shall boldly profess the Name of Christ and have it and his Fathers Name besides legibly written in their Foreheads 2. And I heard a voice out of Heaven as the sound of many Waters and as the sound of a great and mighty Thunder and after that the voice of Harpers making pleasant Melody with their Harps 3. And they sung a new Song before the Throne of God and before the four living Creatures and before the four and twenty Elders which Song shall be sung by none that be upon the earth but by the one hundred forty and four thousand which shall be redeemed from the rest that be upon the earth 4. These be they which shall not be defiled with Women for they shall be Virgins and unmarried Persons these be they which shall wait and attend upon the Lamb as a Lifeguard doth upon their Prince whithersoever he shall go these shall be redeemed from the rest of men as being the first Fruits to God and to the Lamb of the Jewish Nation 5. These be they which shall be without guile fraud and deceit and without stain of hainous sin in the sight of God The Prolcamation of the first Angel 6. And I saw an Angel flie in the midst between the Heaven and the Earth with a commission to preach proclaim and make known and publish the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ to the inhabitants of Judaea and to every Nation and Kindred and Tongue and People that shall be therein 7. Saying and proclaiming with a loud voice as he shall flie along Fear God and give him Glory for the hour of his Judgment is come and will shortly fall on all that fear not him worship not the Beast nor yeild obeisance unto him in the way that he goeth in opposition to the Gospel of Jesus Christ but worship him alone that made the Heaven and the Earth and the Sea and the Fountains of Waters The Proclamation of the second Angel 8. And another Angel followed after him proclaiming and saying Babylon is fallen is fallen meaning thereby that she shall shortly fall and come to nought because she made all Nations drink of the bitter Wine of her spiritual Fornication The Proclamation of the third Angel 9. And the third Angel followed after them proclaiming and saying with a loud voice If any worship the first Beast or his carved Image or take an Oath to be true and faithful unto him and receive a mark in their right hand or in their Foreheads in token that they have so done 10. The same shall drink of the bitter VVine of the wrath of God without mixing any thing therein to allay the sharpness of it and shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the sight and presence of the Holy Angels and in the sight and presence of the Lamb. 11. And the smoke of their torment shall ascend for ever and never have an end and they shall be tormented Day and Night without ceasing or intermission which worship the first Beast or his carved Image or take an engagement to be true and faithful unto him and receive the print of his Name in token that they have so done 12. Here will be the tryal of the patience of the Saints which are living in Judaea when the Beasts engagement comes among them then it will be known who they be which keep the Commandments of the Lord
was made known to John the one was in the time of Vespasian the other in the time of Domitian 2. John knew of the destruction of the Jews before he was banished into Patmos but he knew not of the Revelation till after he was there 3. Christ had sufficiently foretold his Disciples of the destruction of the Jews in his life-time Mat. 24. Mark 13. Luk. 21. and therefore there needed not a second Revelation of the same thing to John again 4. There is not one Syllable of the destruction of the Jews by Vespasian in all the Revelation That Prophecy Rev. 11.13 is not 〈◊〉 of the destruction of the Iews but of the Gentiles rather and is not yet fulfilled 5. There is not one Syllable of consolation to the Churches taken from the destruction of the Jews near approaching 6. The Epistles to the seven Churches are not spent in consolations taken from the destruction of the Jews near approaching but in reproofs and menaces for their fins threatning them with their own destruction unless they did amend as you may see Rev. 2.4 5 14 16 20 22 23. Rev. 3.2 3 15 16. 7. The destruction of the Jews did not terminate the persecution of the Christians but they were persecuted afterward more than they were before and there was but one general persecution before the destruction of Jerusalem by Vespasian and that was in the Reign of Nero but there were nine general persecutions afterward 8. If any will extend the destruction of the Jews to the time of Adrian this will not terminate the persecutions of the Christians neither for there were but three persecutions before his time the fourth was in his Reign and there were six persecutions afterward Disputation II. 1. Quest Whether the six first Seals were fulfilled in Judaea at and before the destruction of Jerusalem by Vespasian Ans No prophecy is fulfilled before it be revealed but these six first Seals were revealed to Iohn in the Reign of Domitian and therefore not fulfilled at and before the destruction of Jerusalem by Vespasian 2. No man was ever cast into a trance to behold things which he was told of before but Iohn was told by Christ in his life-time the things which should happen in Iudaea at and before the destruction of Ierusalem by Vespasian therefore he was not cast into a trance for such a Revelation 3. No man did write the Prophecies of the Revelation except Iohn but if the six first Seals be meant of the things which shall happen in Iudaea at and before the destruction of Ierusalem by Vespasian Mathew Mark and Luke did write thereof as well as Iohn and that more copiously and plainly than is here delivered see Mat. 24. Mark 13. Luk. 21. 4. No Prophecy is of things useless or needless but if the six first Seals be meant of the affairs of Iudaea at and before the destruction of Ierusatem by Vespasian this Prophecy might very well have been spared for it was well known before and Iohn might have said unto the Angel which shewed him these things Why am I cast into a trance and made believe that I should see things which no man ever saw before and of such concernment as no man in Heaven or in the earth or under the earth was counted worthy to reveal save Christ alone and now I have seen the six first Seals opened of this so highly praised commended magnified and extolled prophetical Book as no Book ever was the like alas what am I the better for it I have seen no more than I knew before 5. Let us take a view of the several Seals in order and we shall find that not any one of them was fulfilled in Iudaea at or before the destruction of Ierusalem by Vespasian as some would make us believe they were Begin we with the first Seal which is a Prophecy of a white Horse and he that sate thereon had a Bow and a Crown was given unto him and he went forth conquering and to conquer but no such thing was fulfilled in Judaea at or before the destruction of Jerusalem in a literal sense which is the cause they fly unto a mystical and understand the Prophecy of the conquest of the Gospel but it will not serve their turn for the Scene of the Gospel is the World and not the narrow confines of Judaea from whence it was removed before this Prophecy was revealed Mat. 21.43 Act. 13.46 To which may be added that the first Seal ends before the second Seal begins but the Gospel shall continue to the Worlds end The second Seal is a Prophecy of a red Horse and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth and that they should kill one another and there was given unto him a great Sword but when was this Tragedy acted in Judaea The intestine slaughters of Jews among themselves will not amount unto a War and if they would yet they were not such noted ones nor so numerous as these shall be to which may be added that the rider on this Red Horse was to take peace from the earth which word is too large to be confined to the narrow compass of Jerusalem where the Zelots slew their Brethren not on Horse-back but on Foot and the Sicarii had not great Swords as this Rider had but short Pocket Daggers to slay men with a weapon fitter for Thieves and Robbers than such noted Warriers as this Prophecy aimeth at The third Seal is a Prophecy of a Black Horse and he that sate on him had a pair of balances in his hand And I heard a voice in the midst of the four Beasts say A measure of Wheat for a penny and three measures of Barley for a penny c. which words are either meant of Famine or of civil Justice but the broiles and tumults in Judaea would not suffer civil Justice to be used And if we understand this Prophecy of Famine where shall we find a noted Famine in Judaea except that which Agabus spake of Act. 11.28 or that which happened in the City in the time of the Siege but neither of these can be meant in this place not the first because the adequate Scene of that Famine was not Judaea but the World and the time when it happened was in the second year of Claudius which was before Iohns banishment into Patmos as themselves confess and not the second for the like reason because it came to pass at the Siege of the City by Vespasian which was before the Prophecy was revealed to Iohn which was in the Reign of Domitian To which may be added that this third Seal begins when the second Seal doth end but the slaughters which the Zelots committed in the City were not ended when the Famine did begin but the Famine was the occasion that they slew the people which denied them bread Add we further that a Chaenix was no Iewish measure and therefore the Prophecy was not fulfilled in
therefore these that are counted here be only Males and not Females 2. The first Fruits that were dedicated to God of men and of Beasts were the Males only and we may not think that the first Fruits were only of vegetables for then these sealed ones could not be first Fruits as they are said to be Rev. 14.4 but the first born of men and Beasts were first Fruits as well as vegetables Exod. 22.29 30. and such were males only Exod. 34.19 20. Exod. 13.2.12.15 Now these sealed ones are called the first Fruits to God and to the Lamb Rev. 14.4 not in respect of sanctification as all believers are Iam. 1.18 but by peculiar dedication to God and to the Lamb as the first born were and therefore they be Males only 3. Because these are said to be redeemed from among men Rev. 14.4 Now what redemption is this not the common redemption by the blood of Christ from sin and condemnation which belongs to all the elect in general but the peculiar redemption of the first born which belongs to the Males only Exod. 13.2.12.13.15 Exod. 34.19 20. Lastly because it is said Rev. 14.4 These are they which were not defiled with Women and therefore they be men and not women and what kind of defilement doth he mean not a spiritual defilement with Idols which is as much as to say that these men be not Idolaters nor yet a carnal defilement with Harlots which is as much as to say that these men be not Adulterers but a ceremonial defilement with VVives which is as much as to say that these men be Virgins and unmarried persons and had not known a woman of which kind of defilement see Exod. 19.15 1 Sam. 21.4 5. 1 Cor. 7.5 4 Quest VVhat kind of Seal is meant in this place whether the Seal of Sanctification or of corporal preservation Ans 1. The seal of sanctification is not committed to the Angels but to the Spirit of God Eph. 4.30 but the seal here spoken of is committed to the Angels v. 2 3. 2. The seal of sanctification is chiefly inward in the heart but this here spoken of is only outward in the forehead v. 3. 3. They are called the Servants of God before that they be sealed v. 3. and therefore they are sanctified before this seal is given unto them 4. The seal of sanctification is a common seal and doth belong to all believers but this is peculiar to the persons here spoken of 5. The seal of sanctification doth not exempt from bodily danger Rev. 11.7 Rev. 13.7 But this is therefore given them that their bodies might not be hurt Rev. 9.4 see the like Ezek. 9.4 5 6. Exod. 12.13 Gen. 4.15 6. The seal of sanctification is given successively in all ages of the World but these are sealed all at once in one day 7. The seal of sanctification is given by degrees to some more to others less but these are all sealed alike one as far forth as another 8. The seal of sanctification doth admit degrees after it is given and a man is sanctified more at one time than another 2 Pet. 3.18 but these were sealed as much at one time as another and as the mark which Cain had Gen. 4.15 and which the men in Ierusalem had Ezek. 9.4 did not diminish or increase so the seal which these men had continued in the same condition all their life afterward 5 Quest VVhether the great multitude mentioned v. 9. were sealed Ans 1. It is not said that they were sealed and therefore we may not think they were unless we have some reason for it 2. They are a distinct company from the sealed v. 4.9 3. They are more in number than the sealed and therefore they could not all be sealed for the number of the sealed is but finite one hundred fourty and four thousand and no more but this great multitude were so many that no mortal man could number them v. 9. 4. Iohn knew the sealed who they were and what their number was v. 4. but he knew not these who they were nor the number of them v. 9.14 5. The sealed were preserved from destruction and the seal was therefore given that they might be secured v. 1 2 3. Rev. 9.4 But these are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb v. 14. and therefore these be Martyrs but the others are not 6. The sealed be the men which are to live in the time of the seven Trumpets but are not to suffer under them Rev. 9.4 Rev. 14.3 4. but these latter be the men which shall suffer for the Faith of Christ before the Trumpets shall begin and the reason why they are introduced in this place is not to shew the time or causes of their sufferings but to shew the blissful state and happiness which they have in Heaven at this very time when the other shall be sealed upon earth 7. The sealed be the men which are to get the Victory over the Beast and over his mark and over the number of his name Rev. 14.2 3. Rev. 15.2 3. but these latter be the men which shall die for the Faith of Christ before the Beast begins his Reign and shall be then in Heaven in unconceiveable bliss and happiness when the other shall be sealed upon earth 8. The sealed be some eminent members of the Church Militant which shall be in jeopardy of their lives in the time of the ensuing Prophecies but are therefore sealed that they might be preserved from suffering in the time of those dangers the latter be some eminent members of the Church Triumphant which suffered while they lived but when the sealed ones are sealed they shall be in Heaven secured from suffering any more CHAP. VIII The Prophecy of the seventh Seal divided into seven Prophecies called seven Trumpets 1. ANd when he had opened the seventh Seal it did not immediately appear what the Prophecy of that Seal should be there came nothing forth of that Roll as there did out of the other Rolls to shew the Prophecy thereof whereupon there was silence in Heaven for the space of half an hour every one expecting what would happen and shew the Prophecy of this seventh Seal 2. And after the space of half an hour I saw there were given to the seven mighty Angels which stood before the Throne of God seven Trumpets whereby I understood that these seven Trumpets contain the Prophecy of the seventh Seal 3. And when they had received their Trumpets another Angel came and stood at the Altar where the Souls were that prayed to God for Vengeance of their bloud with a Golden Censer in his hand and much sweet Incense in it that he might add it to the prayers of the Saints which were under the Altar that as they prayed for Vengeance of their bloud before their fellow Servants and their Brethren were slain so now they being slain take up the
Thunders had uttered their voices I was about to write what the seven Thunders had spoken for they spake things remarkable but I heard a voice from Heaven saying unto me Conceal the things which the seven Thunders have spoken and write them not for they are too terrible to be revealed 5. And the Angel whom I saw standing with his right foot upon the Sea and with his left foot upon the dry Land lifted up his hand to Heaven as a token that he meant to swear 6. And he sware by the true and ever-living God who made the Heaven with the things which are therein and the earth with the things which are therein and the Sea with the things which are therein that the mystery of God should be delayed no longer 7. But in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel when he shall sound his Trumpet Rom. 11.25 Esa 11.11 12. Esa 14.1 2 3. Esa 27.12 13. Jer. 23.7 8. Jer. 31.27 28. Jer. 32.37 38. Jer. 46.27 28. Eze. 37.16 17. Hos 3.4 5. Joel 3.1 Amos 9.11.14 15. Zach. 8.20 21 22. which after these things now in hand will shortly be the calling conversion and restoring of the Iewish Nation shall be put in execution and not be laid aside until it be brought to full perfection As soon as that Angel shall begin to sound their calling and conversion shall be brought to pass and before that Angel ends the restauration of their Kingdom shall be finished and this joyful news is no new invention but God hath told it his Servants the Prophets in the old Testament long ago 8. And the voice which I heard from Heaven before bidding me seal up the things which the seven Thunders had spoken and write them not spake to me again the second time and said unto me Go take the little Book or Schedule which is wide open in the hand of the Angel which standeth with his right foot upon the Sea and with his left upon the dry Land 9. So I went unto the Angel as the voice commanded me and I said unto him Give me the little Book or Schedule which is wide open in thy right hand and he said unto me Take and eat it and when thou hast so done it shall make thy belly bitter but in thy mouth it shall be sweet as Hony 10. So I took the little Book or Schedule out of the Angels hand and eat it up before him and it was as the Angel said in my mouth as sweet as Hony but when I had eaten it my belly was bitter 11. And he told me the meaning of it and he said unto me Thou must Prophecy again before the sixth Trumpet endeth and thou must tell what shall befal the People of the Iews and what shall befal the Gentiles and their Kings before the seventh Trumpet soundeth and the mystery of God which I told thee of take effect And the first things that thou must Prophecy of will be very sweet and pleasant as Hony to thy mouth but the second will be very bitter as Gall unto thy stomach Disputation VI. 1 Quest Whether the little Book had any Prophecy written in it Answ 1. It is not said in the Text that it had any Prophecy written in it and therefore they which say it had do it upon no ground at all 2. It was wide open and not shut nor sealed therefore there was not any secret thing therein 3. It was but one Schedule or piece of Parchment and that a little one too and therefore too little to contain all the Prophecies from the eighth verse of the tenth Chapter to the end of the Revelation 4. It was far less than the other Book which had seven rolls and seven seals to them But if all the Prophecies from the eighth verse of the tenth Chapter to the end of the Revelation should be comprised in it it would be far bigger than the other Book which had seven rolls and seals to them 5. The other Book which had the seals is commended for its Prophecies Rev. 5.2 3 4 5. But this Book is no where commended for any Prophecy it had 6. The Prophecies in the following Chapters be of higher note and far more excellent and of more concernment than the Prophecies in the former Chapters be and therefore they belong not to this little Book which is no where commended for its Prophecies but to the other Book with seven seals which hath so high a commendation as not any Book the like Rev. 5.3 4 5. 7. There should be by this reckoning two Prophetical Books of the Revelation and the seventh verse of the tenth Chapter should be the last verse of the first Book and the eighth verse of the tenth Chapter should be the first verse of the seeond Book but St. John makes but one Book of all the Revelation and he writes it all in one Volume without division and calls it a Revelation in the singular number and not two Revelations in the plural number Rev. 1.1 8. By this reckoning the Prophecies of the other Book with seven seals should be mingled with the Prophecies of the little Book without seals for they say that all the Prophecies in the Revelation from the eighth verse of the tenth Chapter to the end of the Revelation belong unto the little Book Now if you look into the eleventh Chapter you shall there find the ending of the sixth Trumpet v. 14. and after that the seventh Trumpet or some part thereof from the fifteenth verse to the end of the Chapter both which belong unto the other Book with seven seals and namely to the seventh seal thereof Rev. 8.2 and after this come in the Prophecies as they say of the little Book again What a mingle mangle have we here of those two Books one in another Surely as St. John eat up the little Book so they make the little Book swallow the Prophecies of the other Book into his Belly 9. The sixth Trumpet doth not end with the seventh verse of the tenth Chapter but goes onward to the fourteenth verse of the eleventh Chapter and there ends and not before so that all that Prophecy in the eleventh Chapter to the fourteenth verse doth belong unto the other look with seven seals and the seventh Trumpet doth not end with the eleventh Chapter for if it did a close would have been put unto it at the end of that Chapter to distinguish it from the Prophecies that follow but there being no period put unto it there as there is to the former Trumpets where they end it is an Argument sufficient that it doth not end there but is to be extended farther even to the twelfth Chapter and to all the Chapters following inclusively until a Period be put unto it which is no where to be found so that the seventh Trumpet hath no end at all nor any close put unto it as the fifth and sixth Trumpets have Rev. 9.12 Rev. 11.14 and seeing the seventh Trumpet
that you may know what that City is indeed without any mystical sense at all it is the City where our Lord himself was crucified 9. And the Soldiers or strangers of divers People Tribes Tongues and Nations that shall be sent to Jerusalem by the Beast to make War and slay these two Witnesses shall behold and see their dead bodies in the open Street of the City three days and a half day by day one after another and all that while shall not suffer their dead bodies to be buried and this is done not out of favour or disfavour unto them but only that men might know and see that they be dead and relate it unto others * This was the reason that the body of Campson Gaurus was by command of Selimus laid forth in an open place for all men to behold that such as believed him to be alive might know that he was dead See Turkish History pag. 532. See the like Story in Graftons Chronicle pag. 705. where he relates that the dead bodies of the Earl of Warwick and the Marquess his Brother by the space of three days lay open visaged in the Church to the intent that all men might evidently perceive that they unfeignedly were dead And for no other reason be the two witnesses left unburied three days and a half that men might behold and see that they be dead 10. And the Inhabitants of the place City or Country thereabout shall rejoyce over these men and make Feasts and be merry and send presents from their Tables one unto another because these two Prophets of the Lord are dead who by their Preaching and Miracles and Plagues tormented the Inhabitants of the Land when they were alive 11. But after they have been dead three days and a half their souls shall enter into them again and they shall stand upon their Feet and be alive again in their bodies and great fear shall fall upon all them that shall behold it 12. And they shall hear a voice from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither and they shall presently ascend to Heaven in a Cloud as Christ himself did and this shall be done not in their successours but in their own bodies Act. 1.10 11. and their enemies shall behold them and see them ascending into Heaven as Christs Disciple did behold and see him when he ascended thither 13. And the same hour that this is done shall be a great earth-quake at Jerusalem and the tenth part of the City fall and be thrown down unto the ground and seven thousand men be slain by the earth-quake and the rest that shall escape shall be afraid and glorifie God for their deliverance 14. The second wo is past when these things shall be fulfilled and there is but one wo more to come when these things are ended and that wo shall come quickly The Prophecy of the seventh Trumpet or the inchoation of it 15. And the seventh Angel sounded his Trumpet and presently upon the sound thereof there were voices of joy exultation and ovation in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of the World shall become the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ and he shall Reign for evermore and the time is now at hand in which it shall be done 16. And upon this joyful acclamation the four and twenty Elders rose up from their seats and fell prostrate on their faces and worshipped God because the time was come that the Lord and his Christ should Reign 17. Saying We give thee thanks Lord God Almighty the Monarch of Heaven and Earth the Ruler and Governor of all things therein and that not only now but heretofore in all ages past and throughout all ages for time to come because thou wilt receive thy great power and might and put thy Kingdom in execution 18. And the heathen shall be angry and thy wrath shall come and is now approaching and the time of the dead that Judgment be given to them and reward be given unto thy Servants whom thou shalt imploy to Preach thy Gospel and to thy Saints which be not Preachers but believers of thy Gospel and to all that fear thee both small and great and that thou shouldest destroy and root the Heathen out which corrupt and defile the earth where thou intendest to Reign and set up thy Kingdom 19. And the secret Closet of God shall be opened in Heaven and there shall be seen in his Closet the Ark of his Covenant Jer. 31.31 32 33 34. Heb. 8.8 9 10 11 12. which he made with the Jewish Nation that they should be converted to the Faith of Christ which at this time is to be put in Execution according to the Prophecy of the Angel in the tenth Chapter but before it commence or take effect there shall be Lightnings and Thundrings and a terrible Earthquake to usher it in Disputation VII 1. Quest Whether the Prophecy in the eleventh Chapter from the first Verse to the end of the fourteenth doth belong to the sixth Trumpet and be a part thereof Answ 1. The sixth Trumpet doth not end with the ninth Chapter nor at the sixth Verse of the tenth Chapter but reacheth onward to the fourteenth Verse of the eleventh Chapter and there ends and not before as appears from the words of that Verse The second Woe is past and behold the third Woe cometh quickly 2. The close of the sixth Trumpet is not set down at the end of the ninth Chapter nor at the sixth or seventh Verse of the tenth Chapter but at the fourteenth Verse of the eleventh Chapter Therefore whatever comes between the seventh Verse of the tenth Chapter and the fourteenth Verse of the eleventh Chapter doth belong unto the sixth Trumpet and is a part thereof 3. Look into the former Trumpet and you shall not find any thing interposed between the end of that Trumpet and the close thereof and why should any Man think that so large a Prophecy as is contained between the seventh Verse of the tenth Chapter and the fourteenth Verse of the eleventh Chapter is interposed here 4. Of all the six Trumpets none have a remarkable close added to them but the fifth and the sixth Trumpets only and wherefore were these closes added to them but that we might exactly know as well where they end as where they do begin Now the fifth Trumpet ends where the close thereof is set and that is Rev. 9.12 and therefore also the sixth Trumpet ends where the close thereof is set and that is Rev. 11.14 and not before 5. St. John when he wrote the Revelation did not distinguish it into Chapters and Verses as now it is but did set down the sixth Trumpet and all the rest of the Revelation joyntly together without any such Partition or Division and if they which did at first distinguish the Revelation into Chapters and Verses had made but one Chapter of the sixth Trumpet beginning with the thirteenth Verse of the ninth Chapter and ending with the fourteenth
Adrians time but we read in some Books of History that Adrian would have built a Church for Christians without Images if some about him had not told him that it would be dishonourable to all the rest of the Gods which was the cause he did it not See Prideaux History pag. 199. 2. The not measuring of the Court which is without the Temple doth imply the not building of it therefore the building of a new City at Jerusalem by Adrian in the place where the outer Court did stand cannot be meant thereby 3. After the building of the Temple and the Altar the outer Court shall be given to the Gentiles and the Holy City shall they tread under Foot 42 months after the Holy places be provided and no longer but since the time of Adrian to this day has been more than 42 months which way soever we take them and Jerusalem has been troden under foot by the Gentiles all this while 4. The two Witnesses be not two Bishops at Jerusalem the one of the Jewish the other of the Gentile Congregations for there was but one Bishop of Jerusalem at one time and there were but fifteen Bishops in all until the destruction of the Jews by Adrian and all of them were Jews whereof the first was James the Brother of the Lord and the last was Judas and after the City was destroyed by him there were no more Bishops of the Jews but of the Gentiles and the first of them was Marcus See Eusebius l. 4. c. 5. l. 5. c. 11. 5. The two witnesses be Prophets extraordinary as appears by their description v. 3 4. and by their miracles v. 5 6. now there were no Prophets extraordinary in the days of Adrian and there were not any that could do such miracles as these had power to do v. 5 6. in Adrians time nor in any time since 6. When the two Witnesses shall have finished their testimony the Beast that cometh out of the bottomless Pit shall make War against them and overcome them and slay them v. 7. Now there was no Beast in Adrians time except Adrian himself and he did not make War against the Christians in Judaea but against the wicked and Rebellious Jews only but they with whom I deal in this question will not allow Adrian to be the Beast here spoken of but one Barchocheba a Rebellious Captain of the Jews in Adrians time Now by the Beast is meant some potent King or other that had ten Kings under him or to joyn with him as appears Rev. 17.12 13.17 but Barchocheba was no King nor had any King under him or to joyn with him 7. After the two Witnesses had been dead three days and a half the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet v. 11. but there were not any that were raised from death to life in the days of Adrian nor in any time since And if it be said that this is meant of their successours to this I answer 1. That the two Witnesses had no successours for there were no such Prophets in Adrians time nor at any time since and there were not any that could do such miracles as these had power to do v. 5 6. in Adrians time nor in any time since 2. The souls of men after they be dead do not enter into other mens bodies but into their own bodies only now 't is said the Spirit of life that is their Souls entred into them v. 11. therefore this is not meant of their successours but of their own bodies for if the Spirit of life did enter into their successours it did not enter into them but into others and they did not stand upon their feet that is their own feet but upon the feet of others 3. They heard a voice from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither and they ascended up to Heaven in a Cloud and their enemies beheld them v. 12. Now what man did ever ascend to Heaven in successours And what benefit were it to him if he did We read that Christ ascended thither and so did Enoch and Elias but of any that went to Heaven in successours we read not in all the Scripture And if these two Witnesses did ascend to Heaven as were made alive in successours what became of their dead bodies The Text saith they shall lye in the street of the great City and they shall see their dead bodies three days and a half and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in Graves v. 8 9. but if the Spirit of life did not enter into them what became of their dead bodies afterward Did they lye in the street still Or did the Ravens eat them or the Dogs devour them or were they buried in the earth-quake Or what became of them let them tell me if they can And let them tell me too whether Barchocheba and his complices whom they suppose to be the enemies of the Witnesses here spoken of were not dead before the Christians in Adrians time were advanced to peace and Halcyonian days in Iudaea And if they were how can it be said that their enemies did behold their ascension into Heaven seeing they were dead before And lastly if the Witnesses were made alive in successours why do they not also say that the Widows Son of Naim was made alive in a successour And if they ascended up to Heaven in successours why do they not also say that Enoch and Elias ascended thither in successours Yea why do they not say that Christ himself ascended thither in a successour And why do they not say that all the Texts of Scripture which speak of the Resurrection of the dead be meant of the rising of successours And if they can have Faith to believe that the Texts of Scripture which speak of the Resurrection of the dead be meant of the Resurrection of the same bodies that were dead why can they not have so much Faith as a grain of Mustard Seed to believe that the enlivening of the Witnesses is meant of the enlivening of the same bodies that were dead 8. The same hour that this was done there was a great earthquake v. 13. but we read not of any earth-quake at Ierusalem in Adrians time but in Iulians time there was 9. The tenth part of the City fell v. 13. Now in Adrians time the whole City was destroyed and the Plough passed over it and a new one built by Adrian on its ruines which he called Aelia after his own name Aelius And here we are to take notice that this new City was not built by Adrian before the Rebellion of the Iews began as the Temple and the Altar were v. 1. before the Witnesses began to Preach but this new City was built by him after the Rebellion of the Iews was over Eusebius l. 4. c. 6. Carion Chron. l. 3. p. 229. 10. And in the earth-quake were slain of men seven thousand v. 13. but the Iews that were slain in
their God and the Faith of Jesus Christ and will not engage unto the Beast though they perish for refusing 13. Then I received a command from Heaven saying unto me Write for the consolation and encouragement of these faithful men which shall suffer at this time Blessed are the dead which die for the Faith of Jesus Christ and for professing of the same and they need not doubt thereof for the spirit saith so which is the spirit of truth and cannot lye and herein their blessedness doth consist they shall rest from their labours miseries calamities pains and dolours which they sustained in this life and the reward and recompence of their Faithful service shall follow after them as soon as they be dead The first Judgment on the Beast 14. Then an Angel shall sit upon a white Cloud in the likeness of a young man with a Golden Crown upon his head and a sharp sickle in his hand to execute a heavy Judgment upon the Beast and his men 15. And another Angel shall come out of the Temple and say unto the Angel which shall sit upon the Cloud Thrust in thy sharp sickle and cut down the people which belong unto the Beast for the time is come for thee to cut them down because their sins are now ripe 16. And as soon as this commission shall be given the Angel shall thrust in his sharp sickle upon the earth and the people which belong unto the Beast shall be cut down as the Corn is when it is full ripe The second Judgment on the Beast 17. And after this Angel shall have done his work God shall send another Angel from the Temple with another â—â—arp sickle to execute another heavy Judgment upon other persons belonging to the Beast in like manner as the former Angel did 18. And another Angel shall come out from the Altar which hath power over fire to Plague the earth therewith when God will have him and he shall cry unto the Angel which hath the sharp sickle saying unto him Thrust in thy sharp sickle and cut down some other people of the earth which belong unto the Beast because their sins are also ripe 19. And the Angel shall make no delay but thrust in his sharp sickle into the earth and cut down the other people which belong unto the Beast and cast them into the great Wine-press of the wrath of God Almighty and squeeze the blood out of them as Grapes are squeezed in a Wine-press 20. And the place where this execution shall be wrought shall be in Judaea without Ierusalem and the blood of the slaughter be so great that it shall reach even to the Horses Bridles in height for the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs in length Disputation X. 1 Quest Whether this Prophecy doth contemporate with the Prophecy in the former Chapter or succeed it Ans 1. Prosperity cannot contemporate with adversity but in the former Chapter the beast is in prosperity v. 7. and in this Chapter the Beast is in adversity v. 15 16 17 18 19 20. therefore 2. Good success in War and bad success therein cannot contemporate each with other but in the former Prophecy the Beast hath good success in War for 42 months together and in this Prophecy the Beast hath bad success therein and a lamentable slaughter is made of him two times one after another as appears v. 15 16 17 18 19 20. 3. Rising growing and increasing cannot contemporate with dying falling and decaying but in the former Chapter the Beast is rising growing and increasing till he come unto his height and in this Chapter and those which follow the Beast is dying falling and decaying till he come unto his end Ob. The Virgin company are so called because they were not defiled with Harlots v. 4. therefore they fall into the meretricious times of the Whore of Babylon Ans Whether they be called Virgins for that reason or because they were unmarried persons as St. Jerom thinks I list not to inquire at this time it is sufficient to say that this Chapter speaks not of the first times of the Virgin Company nor of the first times of the Whore of Babylon but of her declining times only as appears v. 8. Ob. Of this Virgin Company be they which proclaim the fall of Babylon v. 8. and deterr men from worshipping the Beast or his Image and from receiving his mark v. 9. Ans Be they of the Virgin Company or no which Proclaim the fall of Babylon it makes no matter be it so or otherwise it is not done by them at Babylons first and prospering times but in her latter and declining days only Ob. These be the called and chosen and faithful Soldiers of the Land and if I may so say his life guard by whom he wageth War with the horns of the Beast and at length gets the Victory against them v. 4. and ch 17.14 Ans This Victory is not gotten in the first and prosperous times of the beast for then he gets the Victory of the Saints Rev. 13.7 but in his latter and declining times only Ob. The Virgin Company be the bands of Faithful Soldiers which opposed the Beast and adhered unto the Eamb when others of the World forsook him and received the Character of the Beast therefore either these opposed the Beast at his first beginning or else the Lamb had none on his side to oppose him at that time Ans The beast was raised to make War against the remnant of the womans seed Rev. 12.17 so that they be the men which opposed him at the first and were overcome by him Rev. 13.7 but the Virgin Company are they which oppose him in his latter and declining days and get the Victory against him Ob. The beast and the Virgin Company do contemporate in their ends for they both end together and that is when the History of the Palm-bearers doth begin Rev. 7.9.14 Ans Whether the History of the Palm-bearers doth begin or no when the History of the beast and the Virgin Company doth end I think it needless to inquire at this time for the present I confess that the beast and Virgin Company do end their race together but I deny that they begin their race together but whether they doe or no this Chapter speaks not of it for it speaks only of the first declining of the beast and not of his first beginning nor of his final end Ob. The Virgin Company are sealed ch 7. before any of the Trumpets do begin and therefore are they sealed at that time but that they might set themselves against the beast at his first beginning Ans They are not sealed for that end that they might set themselves against the beast at his first beginning for there were others to oppose him then Rev. 12.17 but that they might be preserved from the storms of the ensuing Trumpets Rev. 9.4 and they are not called forth against the beast till his declining age doth