that it was the word of the Lord. That then from which these stubborn Jews were broken off is the word of the Lord or the holy Scriptures but the Jews were broken off the true Olive Tree therefore the true Olive Tree is the word of the Lord or the holy Scriptures All which being compared it will evidently appear that the two Olive Trees in this of the Revelation and that of Zacariah are none other then the holy Scriptures or word of God Secondly It is as plain that the blessed Scriptures are the proper Food and Noufishment of Saints spoken of Rev. 12.6 Isa 25.6 Psal 36. what else is that feast of fat things that Wine on the Lees well refined that fatness of the Lords house wherewith he satisfieth the souls of his Saints those Rivers of pleasures he makes them drink of and to which the Lord Jesus so freely invites them Eat O friends Drink Cant. 5.1 yea Drink abundantly O beloved But I pass this briefly as not to be denied that the holy Scriptures are the proper Food and Nourishment of the Saints For which employment these holy witnesses are designed Rev. 12.6 namely to feed the Church in her exiled Wilderness estate 1260 years But if any shall cavill that I attribute that to the Scriptures which is peculiar to the Spirit of God I have this to say that I have no thought of the Scriptures without or beside the Spirit of God I receive all Scriptures as the Lord Jesus delivered them The words that I speak unto you Joh. 6.63 2 Tim. 3.15 Heb. 4.12 they are Spirit and they are life able to make wise unto salvation And therefore the blessed Scriptures are the proper fit sutable nourishment for the Saints and particularly for the Church in her afflicted despised wilderness estate Thirdly That the holy Scriptures are called witnesses and which is yet more plain these very witnesses of Christ will appear in the perusal of several Scriptures And first that the Law is called so Deut. 31.26 Take this book of the Law and put it in the side of the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God that it may be there for a Witness against thee And it appears as cleerly to me that the Gospel is so called also 1 Joh. 5.9 This is the Witness of God which he hath testified of his son If it be objected that it is the Spirit c. that is here called the Witness t is readily granted neither dare I call the Spirit one thing and the word another thing except it be said that the Scriptures are the minde of the Spirit it is above noted that the Lord Jesus saith they are both one thing The words that I speak they are Spirit therefore the Scriptures have ordinarily the same Appellations and operations ascribed to them as are to the Spirit it self the Spirit is called Truth so also the word is called Truth 1 Joh. 5.6 Joh 17.17 the Spirit is said to sanctify so the word is likewise said to sanctify and the like and certain I am that the properties ascribed to the word Heb. 4.12.13 are not Communicable to any essence below the Spirit of God For the word of God is quick and Powerful and sharper then any two edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and Spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart c. Therefore have I hewed them by the Prophets Hos 6.5 Isa 11.4 compared with Rev. 11.5.10 I have slain them by the words of my mouth When I compare these Scriptures with the fifth and tenth verses of this eleventh of the Revelation it doth so wonderfully cleer this truth to me that the Scriptures of the two Testaments and only these are the two Witnesses that if there were no other ground but this it would abundantly satisfie and confirm me in the discovery of this abstruse and wonderfull mystery To conclude this truth so manifest already is yet further cleered by those blessed Lips where never guile was found the Lord Jesus Christ himself affirms it in these words Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they that testifie of me John 5.39 Where it is plain that they are not only called Witnesses but these very Witnesses here spoken of for the words carry with them this cleer sound Search the Scriptures for they are my Witnesses Thus as these blessed Witnesses testify of Christ so Christ also giveth testimony to them Fulk Contr. Mart. Pres Pag 5. as to his Witnesses and so puts the point in hand beyond all dispute That the holy Scriptures of the Two Testaments and only these are the two Witnesses here spoken of And yet one word more for the more ample discovery of the transcendent excellency of these heavenly Witnesses the Scriptures of truth from the cleer evidence the Apostle Peter gives who having declared the excellent glory of Christ in the mount which he saw and the audible voice 2 Pet. 1.17 from the highest Majesty giving Invincible testimony of his son We have also saith he a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed c. What the Scriptures more sure then the voice of God himself from heaven yes a more certain Infallible voice now in these Gospel daies then any miraculous extraordinary voice whatsoever and here we may admire the wisdome care and faithfulness of our Royal Lawgiver who knowing that many false Prophets would arise and deceive many and considering how Satan usually transformeth himself into an Angel of light 2 Cor. 11.13 2 Cor. 11.14 2 Thes 29. and that his eldest Son Antichrist would come after the working of this Prince of darkness with all Power and signs and lying wonders But especially foreseeing that monstrous impiety which so many of his Servants have warned us of as that ordinances would be slighted vilified rejected that many foul beasts would defile pollute and at length totally depart from those pure Chrystal streams that make glad the City of God even the blessed Scriptures of truth 2 Pet. 1.21 2.1 immediately flowing from that infinite Ocean of all fulness That many of them would deny in part as the divinity others absolutely the Lord that bought them And that the Divel would so far prevail with some whom he would mount to such a height of blasphemy as to affirm that they are Christ the Spirit the Eternal Father that their words are the words of God and when you hear them speak it is God that speaks for they are God and God is them c. To detest this detestable wickedness and most dreadful blasphemous abomination so frequently belched forth in these dayes of Satans power Gal. 6.16 Luk. 29.13 1 Cor. 11.26 Rev. 2.25 Gal. 1.8 hath our eternal King left his Royal will and pleasure upon Record as a
years to bring forth a Christian Emperour so this degenerate Church of Rome the ape of the true Church travelled also 300 yeers still swelling and by insensible degrees growing bigger and bigger till at last she brought forth the spurious birth of a universal Bishop in the reign of the bloody Emperor Phocas Anno Dom. 600. And now is the great Antichrist openly enthroned at the same time when the Empire is divided and broken into ten Kingdoms Rev. 17.12 viz. 1. Brittons 2. Saxons 3. Franks 4. Burgundians 5. Wisegothes 6. Swedes 7. Vandals 8. Astrogoths Mede Apoc cap. 8. 9. Almans 10. Greeks Of which ten three fall quickly before the Beast according to Daniels Prophesie Dan. 7.8 Park Prophe p. 28. and those were the Greeks Longobards and Franks and to these Pipin adds another temporal dominion And now this king of pride A brief Exposition of part of Dan. 11.22 as with the arms of a Flood bears down all before him exalts himself against the Prince of the Covenant with all power and lying wonders yea with all deceivableness of unrighteousness Vers 24. Entring upon the fattest places of the Provinces whereupon he founds his Superstious prophane Abbeys Nunneries Monasteries c. where he fats up his Locusts those Idols drones belly-gods that in huge swarms have filled all his Dominions even the choycest fattest places thereof as is obvious to every eye that will but look upon the decayed superstitious Places in our own Land where the Swine have swilled he wageth war with the King of the South and overcometh all those Southern Kings that dare oppose him Dan. 11.25 as Soliman in Asia Cassianus in Syria the Egyptian Caliph in Judaea which exploits were performed by that incarnate Devil Hilderbrand Vers 26. Vers 28. who returned with great spoyls and abundance of Treasures he fals on with rage fury and violent persecution against the poor Waldensian Protestants and at length by open hostility he destroys many thousands of this covenanted people Vers 30. in a most bloody fierce and cruel War After this Vers 31. is the breaden god the abomination that maketh desolate set up amongst them Via Tuta pag. 118. the Idol doctrine of Transubstantiation established for an Article of Faith Vers 32. and the true Sacrifice taken away In the midst of all this Pride Tyranny and Persecution the Lord preserves himself a peculiar people as in Elias time even in the heart of Romes Dominions a people that cleave close to the Lord whom he strengthens in the midst of their sorrows so that they do glorious exploits of the highest nature like the Son of God while they overcome by sufferings These Waldensian Protestants were undoubtedly that people here spoken of that know their God and understand his will Vers 33. and therein instruct many thousands both by doctrine and sufferings by the sword by flame by spoyl and by Captivity whereunto they know they were appointed with the rest of their brethren for many daies even 1260 years which they go through with wonderful constancy Vers 34. patience and resolution But at last they shall be holpen with a little help some small weak unlikely means for what was Luther Calvin Melancton and a few such in comparison of that great Potentate and his Scarlet Conclave and yet this little help strikes a good stroak wonderfully refresheth the poor wasted Churches but abates little of the pride and cruelty luxury and abominations of Antichrist who is still as desperately wicked as any of his Predecessors what wickedness was formerly acted that France Spain Italy c. is yet reformed of Did Clement the Sixth poyson the good Emperour Lodowick Did Pope Joan alias Gilberta openly discover her self to be a notorious Strumpet in the open street what may be said to Ticell affirming that though a man should lie with the Virgin Mary he could by the Popes power freely pardon the sin What may be thought of the Tyranny Perjury Murther Extortion Adultery Incest and other monstrous villanies of Pope John the Thirteenth who lay with Stephana his Fathers Concubine defloured several Virgins set houses on fire put out the eyes of Benedict drank to the Devil c. What a goodly Tenet was that of Boniface That whoredom is no more a sin then the rubbing of the hands together These and many such like are the apples that grow in that filthy Lake of Sodome to this day as they that have any experience in Romes Territories do wel know what fearful Tragedies what desperate villanies what inhumane bestialities are still rise within these Confines scarce a night passeth but in most Towns of Trade in Spain and Italy several lose their lives and no wonder when for a Royal of six pence value a Brave will undertake to dispatch any mans life and when he hath done flie but to the Popish Church and he is secure how abominably is the Lords day prophaned by Mercats Plays c. what multitudes of filthy Stews doth this man of Sin yeerly receive vaste sums of money from for their allowance God forbids whoredom and appoints marriage the Pope that he may shew himself to the life to be Antichrist expresly forbids marriage and allows whoredom But this sin is venial indeed they say in comparison of that more dreadfull beastly Sodomitical abomination maintained amongst them and defended in books and praysed in Songs c. A Cardinal seeing two men led to Execution said they should not die but he would desire their lives of the Duke his Brother when it was told him what villany they had committed The one being a wretched Murtherer he set him free but the other being condemned for Sodomy he presently cryed Away with him to Execution Base Peasant that dare presume to meddle with the pleasures of a Prince Of the like stamp was that other Cardinal who having a Bitch that he had long abused himself with and the Bitch at last dying he buryed her with much cost in his Garden and built a stately Monument over her and upon it wrote these two lines This Tomb for thee dear Bitch I builded have Who fitter wert for Heaven then a grave But how have I forgot my self in raking this filthy Jakes but the abominable wickedness that mine eyes have seen practised amongst them with much much more hath even forced this digression from me I shall now return to the further discovery of this man of Sin from the eleventh of Daniels Prophesie Who was so far from Reformation upon the discovery of Light by Luther that little help spoken of that now he grows more enraged Dan. 11.34 mad and fierce then ever witness those horrible butcheries Massacres Martyrdoms of poor Saints in Germany and other places What such a contemptible fellow as Luther presume to meddle with his Scarlet Holiness that exalteth himself above every God yea magnifieth himself and speaketh marvellous things against the God of gods
Characters without life a shell without a kernel a leaden rule Sphinx his Riddles a wood of Thieves a shop of Hereticks imperfect obscure full of perplexities with these weapons the man of Sin fighteth against the holy Scriptures speaking great words against the most High one of the Scarlet crew cryes out before the Pope Fie upon Peter fie upon Paul with a great deal more of such blaspemous stuff Dan. 7.25 Erasm de Lat. Conc. lib. 3. And that he may throughly declare himself to be that great Antichrist he daringly meets the Lord Jesus at his own weapons I will make war and fight with mine enemies Gog and Magog Apoc. 2.16.19.15 with the sword of my mouth saith Christ I will make war against mine enemies the Scriptures with the Sword of my mouth saith Antichrist And he is as big as his word Hist Coun. Trent 155. witness their accursed dealing with the Scriptures in their Conventicle of Trent where though clear proof was made of the excellency of the Hebrew and Greek Originals to the full sence whereof they confess the Latin cannot attain yet lest the cause should be yielded to the Protestants Rhem. pref sect 57. Counc Tre. pag. 156. the vulgar Latin is preferred and they pronounced Hereticks that refuse it And it is there blasphemously asserted that the Holy Ghost who did dictate the Scriptures to Prophets and Apostles in Hebrew and Greek Pag. 156. doth as truly dictate to the Church of Rome the vulgar Latin as more beloved then the rest 158. That there can be no hope of ending controversies if popular Licence be granted to read the Scriptures That the Doctrines of Faith were so well cleared by the Pope and Schoolmen that we ought no more to learn them out of Scripture That it was indeed formerly read in the Church for instruction of the people but now it was needless to study it any more 159. That Scriptures must be interpreted C. Cusanus according to what articles of faith are established by the Church That the Church may vary in Exposition of Scripture according to the times That it was fit to bridle the sawciness of such as should attempt to add any good thing to former Expositions of Scripture 160. That if any thing were discovered to any singular spirit C. Facceco he should be enforced to conceal it And after all these and such like desperate blasphemies against the Scriptures their Latin Translation is approved and none other to be received And upon pain of Heresie it is forbid to say there are Errors in it 161. and that none shall dare to refuse it though it be plainly proved that they have blasphemously corrupted the Text in many things in that corrupt translation as changing Ipse into Ipsa thereby to make way for their Idolizing the blessed Virgin Fulk Cont. Mart. p. 19 Their desperate wounding the 4. Commandment reading it in this Diabolical Dialect Remember to sanctifie the holy dayes In the Latin Bible upon Deut. 4. Via tuta pag. 280. where it is observed that God forbids the making of Graven Images their Jesuitical Index Expurgatorius hath cast it out as all see they have most shamelesly dealt with all the writings of the Fathers Rhem. Test pag. 328. which hath provoked Doctor Fulk to exclaim against them Out upon you Antichristian Hereticks void of all truth and honesty But their shameful and blasphemous reproaches of these heavenly Witnesses exceed all bounds of civility and humanity charging them with inextricable obscurity insufficient imperfect and what not Paul must be censured for a hot-headed person Europ speculum pag. 164 165. of whose assertions there is no great reckoning to be made that 't is dangerous to read him Fulk Rhem. Test Epist to the Qu. as savouring of Heresie upon these and such like pious conclusions the Sacred Bible hath the honour of the first place in their Catalogue of Books prohibited Via Tuta these Monsters endeavouring to their utmost power to hinder that any sound of Scripture should possess the people This is the nature of that cursed war raised by the Beast against the Scriptures as they are about to finish their Testimony What shall be given unto thee Psal 120.3 4. or what shall be done unto thee for this thy Blasphemy thou false tongue What reward shalt thou have for the marvelous things thou hast done against the most High Sharp Arrows of the mighty with coals of Juniper Thirdly the manner how these heavenly Witnesses were overcome and killed must not be imagined to be a shedding of blood forasmuch as these two Olive trees are uncapable of such suffering But as the working of their enemy is the mystery of iniquity so are the weapons of this warfare such as may carry a resemblance of the weapons that the Lord Jesus useth in his Kingdom 2 Cor. 10.4 whose Vicar the Beast pretends to be So that the Victory obtained by Antichrist over the sacred Scriptures is by the exercise of his power in suspending suppressing prohibiting the Translation of them into the vulgar Languages not permitting them to live or breath in the streets of his great City Indeed they are not buried that is beyond the power of Antichrist they are still above ground but 't is in a dead letter They take out the Candle and give the Lanthorn to guide ignorant people in a dark night Deut. 4.2 28.14 the life and strength of them is taken away nay the very heart of them is pulled out for they have to their everlasting shame excluded the second Commandment from the Decalogue Thus void of fear of that dreadful curse which the Lord hath denounced against such desperate wickedness and without the least apprehension of the terrors of the Almighty his fierce wrath against that abhorred sin of Idolatry which did so often provoke the eyes of his jealousie to punish his ancient people hath this infernal beast not only presumed to blaspheme Fulk Rhem. Test Epist mangle suppress and prohibit the eternall Word but hath also most desperately corrupted the sence of it least the deep silence of these blessed Witnesses thus cloistered within the walls of an unknown Language should break forth into loud clamors against his detestable wickedness you have beheld him tearing out their very heart as it were in discarding the second Precept from their Adulterate Decalogue and this by their detestable Councel of Trent is declared good Catholique Doctrine Europ spec p. 185. Taylor Libert pag. 115. Much like that Antichristian expression of Pope Clement Perswas from Pop. p. 15. who shameth not to vaunt of that detestable Decree of his bloody Inquisition That no Lay man must be permitted to have the Bible or any part thereof in the vulgar Tongue and this he prescribeth to be inviolably kept But from Decrees they at length come down to downright blows c. for
there were slain of Nobles c. 3000. Revel 11. The great whore of Rome betrays these holy Witnesses into the hands of his Butchers in his Slaughter-house of Trent These cut out their tongues and suffer them not to speak in those known Languages wherein they had wrought wonders These put out the eyes of the Scriptures and so cast them into the streets of their great City These bind the Witnesses with their cursed Decrees of Trent and of Pope Pius the 4. 1564. and then cloyster them up in their Monasteries Convents and there wrest them at their pleasure Apoc. 11.10 And they shal rejoyce over them and make merry c. because these two Prophets tormented them c. And after three years and a half the spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet And the tenth part of the City fell And there were slain of Names of men 7000. Thus run these grand Enemies of Truth exactly parallel in their Actons and are therefore design'd to the like ruine I shal not further enlarge upon this verse save onely on the latter part of it a little and were there no other ground to evince the truth of what hath been delivered this passage would abundantly satisfie that the Witnesses are none other then the holy Scriptures for these two Prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth And what is it that hath power to torment the consciences of wicked men on earth but the Word of God this and only this being the engine of the spirit tormenteth them that dwell on the earth Heb. 4.12 For the Word of God is quick and powerful and sharper then any two-edged Sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the hearts No wonder if earthly men rejoyce and make merry at the overthrow of such opposites as these At the hearing of the Word Ananias fell down dead Foelix trembled the Officers that came to apprehend Christ fell backward to the ground and by this Word shall wicked men be judged and therefore no marvel that Antichrist and his Adherents should exalt rejoyce be glad and send gifts one to another when these blessed Witnesses that have so tormented them are overcome and suppressed The eleventh Vers And after three dayes and a half the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them that saw them Three years and a half they continued in a dead letter suspended suppressed prohibited by Antichrist and after this in despight of all his Thunderbolts the spirit of life from God entred into them being translated into many common Languages about this time and amongst the rest into English yea the Papists themselves at Rhemes seeing the multitude of people depart from them and embrace the Scriptures were at last constrained to translate them also though in a corrupt manner and with most abominable Annotations upon them yet even from hence did many a precious soul draw life and salvation converting that into Honey which was the bane and poyson of others and it is wonderful to me that at this very exact time both this and many other Translations of the Scriptures should come abroad in the open view of the world Pref. Rhem. Test Sect. 1. Compared with title page Fulk cont Mar. Epist Dedic received and countenanced by many Christian Princes to the great fear and terror of their Enemies who saw them thus raised from the dead But as yet they ascended not into Heaven only they were raised and lived and stood upon their feet that so in every thing they might resemble the Lord Jesus their Fountain who after his Resurrection stood also upon his feet on this Earth fourty days before he ascended up to Heaven so these having stood a proportionable time upon their feet not in that glory they were to have but in expectation of it The twelfth Verse And they heard a great voyce from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them That the two Testaments are the Witnesses and that they were overcome lay dead and rose again as hath been declared I have good ground to be confidently assured of but how long they stood upon their feet before they ascended up into Heaven I am not so clear in yet if I may deliver what my serious thoughts grounded upon fair probabilities prompt me to I shall declare namely the great voyce calling up the Witnesses is this present famous and renowned Parliament of England which I believe for sundry reasons First The Scriptures never appeared in their true lustre splendor and glory since their suppression till now that this blessed voyce hath called them up to the Throne where these Worthies sit Secondly They ascended up to Heaven in a cloud of much trouble wonderfull Commotions and violent oppositions Thirdly Their Enemies beheld them and would gladly have pulled them down which they endeavored by all possible industry policy and violence and to their perpetual shame be it spoken they never beheld them but as Enemies King Prelates Papists and the whole rabble of Cavalliers restless in their spirits from the first ascending of the Witnesses into Heaven to this very day The thirteenth Verse Fourthly And the same hour was there a great earthquake Which certainly cannot be forgotten the whole Land yea the three Nations trembled nay which of the Kingdoms of Europe were free from Commotions so great was the Earthquake this same hour of the Witnesses ascension Fifthly And the tenth part of the City fell Great Brittain the tenth part of Romes Dominions had long before separated from Antichrist in Doctrine but never fell from Rome totally till now we kept close to her detestable Discipline till this happy Parliament the joy of Saints the honour of Christ Now the day breaks and shadows fly away down go Crosses Altars Images away pack Surpless Service-Book Organs and the whole bundle of Popish Superstitious Ceremonies Sixthly And in the Earthquake were slain of names of men seven thousand Arch-bishops Diocesan Bishops Chancellors Commissaries Deans Chapters Arch-deacons Ordinaries Prebends Sumners Choristers Parrators Parsons Vicars Curats Clarks and I know not how many names devised by Antichrist He that shall diligently consider the particular persons in this Land distinguished by these and such like Babylonish Titles will finde no less a number then seven thousand all slain in this terrible Earthquake Seventhly And the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of Heaven The late terrible Earthquake that great Commotion wherein the seven thousand names of men were slain did so affright the rest of the long Robe that they were glad to change their names and their clothes and instead of that of Parson Vicar c. to call themselves Ministers of the Gospel and get into the Parliaments
Vers 36. for what God commands expresly in his sacred Law they can easily finde some device or other to evade or else to dispence with whereas the commands of this son of perdition must be exactly obeyed Europae spec p. 52. and the breach of any of them especially his late twelve diabolical Trent Articles accounted a sin unpardonable And thus he must go on and prosper till the indignation be accomplished Dan. 11.36 for before this Scoene changes it is so determined by the Highest that he must overcome the blessed Witnesses as will be cleerly proved Neither shall he regard any God Vers 37. nor the desire of women in a lawful way His Forces and strong Holds are the gods he rests upon Vers 38. his sumptuous Monasteries and swarms of Locusts in them are his strength the great riches gold silver precious stones and pleasant things that by the superstitious devotion of his deluded Creatures have been offered to Pictures and Images are his delight and thus â—e must frolick it according to the Woâ—d till he be ripe for destruction which will eminently begin at the Resurrection of the Witnesses The residue of this eleventh Chapter of Daniel foretels that the Turk shall invade Antichrist on the one hand and the Emperour of Germany on the other hand with their various exploits Dan. 11.44 But while this son of perdition is thus embroyled in fierce Wars tidings out of the East shall trouble him that is the Jews the Kings of the East being now moved by the Spirit of God to return to their own Land before whom the great River Euphrates is dryed up to make way for them to their ancient habitation this news shall so exceedingly amaze them that now these great Enemies Turk Pope Ezech. 33. 39. Chapters Zach. 14.2 c. that have so long kept the poor Jews in slavery shall joyn their Forces altogether and go forth with one consent to destroy with great fury this poor distressed unarmed people Dan. 11.45 and having now begirt and surrounded them in the holy Land with intent to devour them at once as being now fully in their power in the midst of this miserable helpless hopeless condition up stands Michael the great glorious Prince discomfits this great and mighty Host and delivers his distressed ancient people out of their hands and not only so but he also puts such courage into his peoples spirits that they fall upon their Enemies and obtain a wonderful Victory all their oppressors by this mighty Conquest being now made their Captive slaves according to promise Isai 14.2 This is that glorious day in which the Lord Jesus Christ by the brightness of this his glorious appearance will utterly distroy this man of sin And thus from the eleventh Chapter of Daniel we have had a short survey of the rise raign and ruine of Antichrist of which we may have a more full discovery afterwards I shall now return to prosecute the story of the blessed Witnesses as they are now about to lay aside their Sackcloth Dan. 5.1.2 3 4 5. Now while Antichrist is in the midst of his pomp power and ruffe of Pride abusing like Belshazzar the holy things of the Lords Temple feasting and praysing his gods of silver and gold in this his heigth of jollity comes forth the hand writing against him for now by the appearance of Luther Calvin Melancton c. he perceives that the Witnesses are about to finish their Testimony wherefore he adresseth him with all power and policy to overcome them Let us therefore more diligently enquire 1. Of the time when these blessed Witnesses were to finish their Testimony 2. Of the nature of the War made by Antichrist against them 3. How they were overcome and killed 4. The precise time when they were overcome First The woman began to creep out of corners and her faithful Witnesses to leave their Sackcloth at that time when the little help wherewith they were holpen appeared in Luther Dan. 11.34 Calvin c. by whose endeavors blessed be the Lord the holy Scriptures rising from the dark Dens of obscurity wherein they had so long continued feeding the Church in her Wilderness condition began now to draw near to the finishing of their testimony in Sackcloth Clav. Apoc. pag. 115. Now do many Princes Provinces and Kingdoms renounce communion with Antichrist and embrace the Gospel of salvation breathing in life and glory to their souls But it must be considered that their Sackcloth is not yet laid aside they are yet but about in the way to finish their Testimony the day only begins to break Cant. 2.17 and Romish shadows to flie away For now the Beast laies about him to purpose how doth he rage and tear curse and blaspheme how do his roaring Buls and thundring Anathema's flie about the World now he declares himself Antichrist to the life shewing himself as god nay above all that is called God absolving Subjects from their Allegiance promising heaven to murtherers to destroy Princes casting others to the Devil by Excommunications that either countenance encourage or embrace the Instruments by whom the holy Scriptures are brought to light And because it was hoped that a general Councel might be a means to obtain a right understanding of differences how many shifts and stratagems are found to divert it Cons Trid. Epist the Pope and his Creatures being as fearful of a general Councel as our late Prelates were of a Parliament for they had some ground to suspect that their pomp and pride and luxury would hereby be detected but when it was resolved upon what devices what subtilties were contrived to procure a majority of voyces and thus the pretended Vicars of Christ are found the most pernicious Juglers in the world At the length after 24 years expectation the cursed Conventicle of Trent was jumbled together Ann. 1545. not to redress those foul enormities complain'd of but to overcome and suppress the Witnesses now about to finish their Testimony which is the first thing Secondly The nature of the War made by Antichrist against the holy Scriptures is lively described Dan. 11.36 And the King shall do according to his will Dan. 11.36 and he shall exalt himself and magnifie himself above every God and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods This War then is his blaspemous language and cursed Decrees against the Scriptures Rhem. Test Pres Sect. 7. while under a pretence of a high esteem and reverence of them he cuts out their tongues and suffers not the people to have them in their own language thus with all deceivableness of unrighteousness with the kiss of a Judas and the salute of a Joab he stabs these blessed Witnesses under the fifth rib belching forth these daggers of destruction against the holy Scriptures that there are in them a thousand lyes Acts and Mon. Epist Via Tuta pag. 289. that they are dead