BEfore the Lord begins to describe his two Wit­nesses, [...] requireth his servant Iohn to take a sur­vey of his Church of Saints, the spirituall house of God, consisting of living stones, built on the chiefe Corner Stone, Jesus Christ, (they being the holy Priesthood, who offer up spirituall Sa­crifices acceptable to God by him) which hee signifieth by the Temple of Jerusalem, and the Altar of Incense that was in the same, whereinto the Priests onely might enter through the vaile, to sacrifice and adore.

These onely are they that the Lord will have to bee measured, [Page] and taken notice of, as being his part and portion, his Taberna­cle wherein he will dwell.

BY the outer Court of the Temple, which John is bidden to cast out, and not measure, wee are to understand the com­mon outward unregenerate Christians, who (especially after the dispersion of the true Spouse of Christ from her primitive viblsie estate) should become many in number, and attaine to great authority and power in the outward state of the Church, and take upon them, and assume unto themselves as if they were the very true Church and Spouse of Christ.

These, who notwithstanding all this their outward profession and taking much upon them, are but Gentiles in heart, full of all uncleannesse and abominations (resembled here by the outward Court of the Temple where the Brazen Altar was, and where­into all the people of Israel might enter and sacrifice) are they whom the Lord commandeth to be cast out, and forbiddeth to be measured, or accounted of as being any part of his portion, or inheritance.

And whereas these Gentiles are said to tread the holy Citie under foot fourty and two months, is foreshewed, that they should persecute, kill and keep downe out of sight, the true Spouse and her children, who are here described by the name of the holy Citie, because they are the Tabernacle and Sanctuary of God, wherein hee will dwell for ever. And that this they were to doe for the space of fourty and two months, which are to be understood months of yeares, taking every day of each month for a yeare, according to Ezek. 4.6.

BY which words the Lord by his Angel gives to his servant Iohn, and unto all his Church of Saints, to understand, that although those Gentiles unto whom the outward Court was to bee given, should tread the holy City of Saints under foot so [Page] long as fourty and two months of yeares; yet neverthelesse hee would so give unto his two Witnesses, that they should prophe­sie all the while, even every one of the dayes of those months, which according to the account of the Hebrewes, who had thirty dayes to every month, and twelve months to every yeare, do con­tain, according as the Lord doth here also intend it, a thousand two hundred and threescore years. And sheweth also that their manner of prophesying should be, as cloathed in Sack-cloth, that is to say, in mourning; for so in the same kinde of habit they always prophesied, although it would be now much more abun­dant, by reason of the abundant cruelties of their enemies, who should for their word and testimony sake, persecute those that in the evidence of the Spirit, and the teares of true repentance, faith and patience, testified the same against their Gentilisme, hypocrisie, and lies.

HEre the Lord now begins to declare unto his servant Iohn, and so unto all the Saints, what his two Witnesses are in their own true nature, in saying, These are the two Olive Trees, and the two Candlesticks standing, &c. The two, as if he had said, the onely two, and the very same two Olive branches, the two anointed ones, or Sonnes of oyle shewed before unto the Prophet Ze­chary, which stood fructifying continually before the Ruler of the whole earth, not onely in the Prophets time, but also long before his dayes, and since, Zach. 4.14. for so much doe the words clearly imply, shewing that they were not two new ones not yet sprung up, but those that were of old; the Lord re­ferring us as it were to the testimony of the Prophet, which we are further to consider of.

As first, where he saith, I have looked, and behold a Candlesticke all of gold, with a bole upon the top of it, and his seven lamps thereon, and seven pipes to the seven lamps which were upon the top thereof. And two Olive Trees by it, one upon the right side of the bole, and the other upon the left side thereof, vers. 2.3.

So the Prophet having seen these things, desires to know what they were, and the Angel answered him, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by [Page] my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become [...]plain, and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof with shouting, crying, Grace, grace unto it, vers. 3.4, 5, 6, 7. And the word of the Lord came again unto the Prophet, saying, The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house, and his hands shall also finish it, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you. For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoyce, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel, with those seven, they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth, vers. 8, 9, 10.

Although the Prophet had seen and heard all these things, yet was he not satisfied concerning the two Olive trees, but questi­ons again, saying, What be these two Olive trees upon the right side of the Candlestick, and upon the left side thereof? vers. 11.

And again, What be these two Olive branches which through the two golden pipes empty the oyle out of themselves into the gold? ver 12.

And the Angel answered him, saying, Knowest thou not what these be? And he said, No, my Lord. Then said the Angel unto him, These are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth.

Now the Prophet understood every thing, and accordingly as they were declared unto him, he writ them downe, to the end that other Saints also might understand the same.

And yet (for all this, and notwithstanding all that Christ hath revealed and spoken by his Angell unto his servant Iohn, and hee left written to us) it remaines in doubt, and is still a great que­stion with many at this day, what the two Witnesses, the two Olive Trees, are.

Some saying they are Enoch and Elias whom they will have to come. Others say, they are Zerubbabel and Iosua. And some say, they are other two men, or more, whom they will have to stand up in these times. And others say, they are the two Churches of the Iewes and Gentiles, and the Ministers of both. And others, that they are the Ministers of the Gospel since Christ; and some say, the Magistracie and the Ministery. And others, the two Te­staments and the Ministers. And some say, they are the two Te­staments onely.

Now which of all these opinions is the truth that shall stand approved when all the rest shall vanish like smoake, and come to nothing?

[Page 5]Surely, not to make any further demurring, the Two Witnesses are the Two Testaments of God, without the adding or joyning men or Churches unto them, in that respect. For which of all those o­ther may be said to empty the pure oyle and light of the righteous­nesse and justice, grace and truth of God out of themselves, through their golden pipes, into the golden Candlestick, which is the Church of God, but his two Testaments onely, who have the same oyle in themselves naturally, as the Olive trees have their oyle in themselves naturally.

It is true, the Church having received into her seven Lamps, of the pure oyle and light of these two Olive Trees and two Candle­stickes, (as Christ also calleth them, because they have light in themselves as well as oyle,) may (through the sevenfold Spirit of Prophesie given her of God, those seven eyes which Zechariah saw graven on the head Stone, Zech. 3.9. and were with Zerubbabel, Zech. 4.10. and are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth, spoken of also Rev. 5.6.) The Church I say, having so recei­ved, and being made partaker of these excellent graces and gifts, may and doth by her Prophets prophesie and hold forth the light of Gods two Witnesses, the two Olive Trees, and two Candle­stickes) and testifie the same righteousnesse and justice, grace and truth to the world, in all parts and places where they come. For which cause it is said of her, O Jerusalem, which bringest good tidings, lift up thy voyce with strength, O Sion, that bringest good tidings, &c.

And againe, How beautifull upon the mountaines are the feet of those that bring good tidings of peace and good things unto us!

And St. Paul saith of that holy Citie, that she is free, and is the mother of all the children of God, because she ministers the glad tidings of grace and peace unto them.

Although all this be true of the Church of God, and that she is so neerly united unto his two Witnesses, as that they cannot be di­vided, nor parted asunder; yet they may and must be distinguished so one from another, as that the Church and her Prophets may not bee the Witnesses, nor part of them, nor the Witnesses the Church: For it can no more be so, then the woman mentioned Rev. 12. which had the two wings given her, (wherewith she might flie into the wildernes) can be the two wings, or the wings the woman; though without them she could not flie, nor be cloathed, nor fed when she was in the wildernesse, as the Text, Rev. 14. im­plies, (the two wings being also the two Testaments) which con­tain [Page 6] in them the word of the Lord, wherewith she is in spirit cloa­thed and fed, and they are but two, not three, nor foure, nor more, but onely two, which God in those dayes gave unto her (perfectly finished) to be her guide and help every way upon all occasions, and in all places wheresoever she removed, or should bee disper­sed. And therefore Christ her Lord, who was carefull of her, ad­vised her beforehand, that then especially, when the time of trouble (which he also foretold her of) should come, shee should betake herselfe unto them, as he also saith, When yee therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the holy place, who so readeth let him understand, then let them which be in Iu­dea flic into the mountains, &c. Matth. 24.

For this was the very time of the great persecution raised by the Dragon against that admirable woman in her most excellent pri­mitive estate, described in Rev. 12.1. whereby she was necessitated to flie into the Wildernesse to her place which God had provided for her, to take some breath and live. She was now to read and un­derstand the written words of his two Testaments, and to betake her selfe to them, and flie (they being the two wings of the great Eagle, even the Lord himselfe, who gave them unto her to that end; and that she might be also nourished by them (in that secret desart) for a time, and times, and half a time, (that is to say, three yeares and a halfe of yeares) from the presence of the Serpent, as verse 14. compared with verse 6. where these three times and a halfe are decribed by 1260 dayes, and are to be understood for so many yeares, it being also the full time of the reigne of the Beast, which was to rise after the Dragons fall. For St. Iohn, as it seem­eth, wrote this book of the Revelation at the same time when all the Westerne Churches were (by the persecution of Nero, and the rest of those cruell Pagan Emperours) dispersed, and they of Iudea also, Iohn himselfe being now for the word of God, and witnesse of Iesus Christ, in the Isle of Pathmos: onely the seven Churches of Asia remaining in their places undispersed, and that this was the reason why Iohn speaks not a word of any Churchelse, of a­ny place besides those seven of Asia, unto whom he was appoin­ted to send the book when he had written it.

And although (notwithstanding that great persecution against all Christians in generall then under the Romane power, the name of Christ, and profession of Christian Religion, increased, so that in short time it came to be very generally entertained; yet did the [Page 7] true Church herselfe (being, in respect of her Seed, dispersed amongst them) never recover her first and primitive estate againe; but all things grew worse and worse untill the Beast rose, who brought the mystery of iniquity to perfection, and set up the abo­mination of desolation to the full, (which the Dragon had begun in Ierusalem, and Temple thereof) to stand where it ought not, e­ven in the Temple of the Christian Gentiles, the seven Churches of Asia being now also by the Easterne Empire, subdued to the Beast, and brought under the supremacie and power of his Church of Rome; and so they wrought and brought to passe by degrees, that the eminent light and beauty of the truly modest, and chast virgin Spouse of Christ, might no more be seen, till the fourty and two months of the Beasts reigne should be expired.

Therefore as Christ said, Matth. 24. Who so readeth, let him under­stand, &c. So again, Rev. 1. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that heare the words of the prophesie of this booke, and keep those things which are written therein, for the time is at hand, verse 3.

HEre the Lord doth further declare by his Angell, what his two Witnesses are in their owne true nature and power, in saying, If any man will hurt them, fire shall proceed out of their mouth, &c. That is to say, if any man shall resist their words and testimo­ny, or seem to stop their proceeding, and pervert the straight way of the Lord which they declare, as the Scribes and Pharisees, and those false teachers in Antioch, and them of Galatia, Elymas the Sor­cerer, and many other more in the Apostles dayes, did; or shall wrest their words from their true intention, to some other false and evill ends, and so turn their prophesie and testimony out of the way, to maintaine their blasphemous opinions, abominations and lies, under pretence of truth, as Arius and his followers did, and the Beast and his Clergie have done a long time, and as many o­thers doe now amongst us at this day, to maintain their sundry er­roneous and corrupt opinions; which they have taken up, contrary to the intent and meaning of the Spirit of God in these his two Te­staments. Look what judgements they have pronounced against such, shall surely, first or last, fall upon them, the fire of Gods [Page 8] justice and wrath which proceedeth out of their mouth, shall cer­tainly devoure them.

And let no man marvell at this, that they being two, are descri­bed to have both but one mouth: for although they bee two in number, and are truly distinct and differing one from the other, the one being the Law of sinne, and of death, (so called by reason of us, who are all guilty of the breach thereof, and so of death) which is said to come by Moses: the other being the Law of the Spirit of life, of grace and truth, and is said to come by Jesus Christ; yet doe they not speak or will things contrary one to the other, but doe truly agree and speake as with one mouth that which is holy and just, gracious and true. Therefore if any man will hurt them, so must he be slain.

If any man shall make and love to make lies against them, or of them, and say they speak that which they speak not, or mean that which they mean not: If any man shall adde to, or take from the words of their prophesie, see then what their sentence is, even in the very finishing of their testimony; If he shall adde, God shall (then) adde unto him, the plagues that are written in this booke. If he shall diminish, or take from, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy Citie, and from the things that are written in this book, Rev. 22.18, 19.

Blessed (therefore) are they that doe his commandements, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the Citie: for without shall be Dogges, and Sorcerers, and Whoremon­gers, and Murderers, and Idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

THat these two Witnesses have power for to doe all these things, I suppose no man will deny, because it is (without question) true. And that whatsoever they have prophesied against any Kingdome, Monarch, Nation, State, Citie, People, for their wickednesse against their testimony, and against the Prophets and people of God, that stood to maintain the same, have and shall cer­tainly come to passe. If they prophesie of famine, either of the Word and knowledge of God, which is the bread of life, or of [Page 9] common bread, signified here by shutting the heavens that it rain not, &c. Or if they prophesie of destruction by the sword, here signified by turning waters into blood, so giving them blood to drink for their shedding the blood of the Saints, as it is exprest Rev. 16.3 4.5, 6. Or if they prophesie of pestilence, of earthquakes, or any other ca­lamity or judgement to come, signified by smiting the earth with all manner of plagues so often as they will, their word is a law; such spe­ciall priviledge and power they have, that what they say and de­nounce, shall stand, not one jot nor tittle of their word shall fail, till all be fulfilled.

According as the Lord spake of his Prophet Jeremiah, and by him saying, Behold, this day have I set thee over Nations, and over Kingdomes, to pluck up, root out, destroy, and throw down, build and plane, J [...]r. 1.9, 10. And in another place, Therefore have I cut them down by my Prophets, and slain them by the words of my mouth. Hos. 6.5.

And so Zerubbabel (concerning the power that opposed him) saying, Not by Army nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts. Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain, &c. Zech. 4.

Now, what two men were there ever in the world, or what two States of Magistrates and Ministers, or other, have there ever been, that had power to doe all these things, and by the word of whole mouth, all those judgements of God already past and fulfilled on those former Monarchs, Kingdomes, Nations, Cities, people, that have been the great adversaries of God, enemies to his Word of Truth, and destroyers of his Saints, have been uttered and pronoun­ced; but the mouth of his two Testaments onely, which the holy Prophets and Apostles have been the witnessers and recorders of. In which respect the Lord did so greatly honour Moses and the Prophets, they being dead, and their writings onely remaining to the people, saying, They have Moses and the Prophets, let them heare them, &c.

And so to us now, we have Moses and the Prophets; yea more, we have John the Baptist, the Elias that was to come, and Christ the Messiah promised, and his holy Apostles, (insomuch as wee have their Records and Writings of the great things of Gods two Testaments, which they had seen and heard from the Lord.) And if we therefore will not heare them, nor beleeve their record, then neither will we beleeve, if Enoch and Elias, or Noah and Abraham, or any other two or more of the holy Prophets and Apostles, [Page 10] should come from the dead, and preach anew unto us: for so much doe the words of the Lord imply.

Wherefore it concerneth us greatly to read and consider, and to desire of God to give us understanding. And blessed is hee that readeth and beleeveth, and keepeth the sayings of Gods two Wit­nesses, which are his two Testaments: for so I will now take it for granted of all that love the Lord, and delight in his Testimonies.

THese words in the opinion of some (I know) will seeme to contradict that which hath been said of the two Witnesses, because they will understand their testimony here spoken of, to be their prophecying in Sackcloth 1260 dayes, mentioned in verse 3. and so as if the words of this 7 verse did imply the killing of them by the Beast, to be at the end of those dayes, a little before his own death; that he shall then get up again out of his con­sumption, and make warre against them, and kill them, and their carkasses lie in the streets of his great Citie three naturall yeares and a halfe unburied; that so the Beast and his false Prophets, and those Kings and Nations, and the people that worship the Beast, may yet rejoyce and triumph over them before the Beast die, and his Church come to desolation.

This they conceive and teach, and that the two Witnesses must therefore be some two men of these times, as Mr. Burton and the o­ther that suffered with him, and were imprisoned (as they say) three yeares and a halfe just to a day; and then set at liberty by the Parliament, and so raised from death to life, and caused to stand upon their feet again: for so they have published in their bookes: yet not giving the honour wholly to them alone, but joyning also together with them all those Ministers which had suffered and been supprest by the Bishops, for not conforming unto their orders and rules, who are now restored to places and meanes. Some ad­ding to these, the zealous Magistrates and States now in place of authority.

But to answer these Teachers, not denying any of Gods faith­full Servants, Magistrates or Ministers, the least part of their due and right; onely let me tell them that so teach, They are utterly [Page 11] deceived in their imaginations concerning the two Witnesses, and also much mistake the words of the text.

For first, it saith not of the two Witnesses (which are the two Testaments onely, as hath been sufficiently proved, and I now take it for granted) And when they have finished their prophecying in Sackcloth, as if they should cease so to doe before the Be [...]st should kill them. Neither doth it say, when the 1260 dayes of the Beasts reigne shall be accomplished; then the Beast should make warre against them, and kill them. Nay, this were very contradictions and unreasonable: for how could the Beast kill them when his dayes were ended? Or if he could, what would it then avail him, the time of their prophecying also being expired? Nay, it had been much more for his advantage, to have killed them long before, see­ing they were before, even in the Prophet Zechary his time, though they had not yet finished their testimony till about three hundred yeares before the beast rose.

And 2^ly, the two Witnesses of God (being the two Testaments) cannot bee said to finish their prophecying in Sackcloth, till all Gods elect are called and sanctified by their word, and that the sufferings of Christ in them his members for his Word sake, are ended.

Neither did the two Witnesses ever otherwise prophesie then in Sackcloth, that is, in mourning. All the holy Prophets, Apostles and S [...]ints, have in mourning and weeping born record of them, and in faith and patience testified the truth of their words to the world, and were hated and persecuted for their sake, not their own; but because they testified and walked in the light of them: And in this kind of habit they are to prophesie untill the Lord come in his glory.

For although the Lord would (as he said) so give unto his two Witnesses, that (notwithstanding all whatsoever the Beast could doe against them) they should prophesie the 1260 dayes, even e­very one of the dayes of those fourty two months of the Beasts reigne, and the Gentiles treading the holy Citie under foot; yet did he not limit their prophecying in Sackcloth within the com­passe of those dayes: Neither is there a word in all the Scripture to such purpose; onely their being killed by the Beast, and their corps lying dead in the street of his Sodomiticall Citie, &c. are limited within that time, as we shall see hereafter.

Neither is it said in the Text, the Beast which descendeth into [Page 12] the deep, shall make warre against them, and kill them; but the Beast which ascendeth from the deep, &c. implying plainly, that he should make warre against them and kill them at his ascending or rising, or soone after, and not at his descending or downfall. And that the finishing their testimony here spoken of, was to bee before the Beast should rise; which we are here duly to consider of, as a thing that we ought to know and understand. And there­fore the Lord foreshewed, saying, And when they have finished their testimony, the Beast which ascendeth from the depth, shall make warre a­gainst them, and kill them.

That is to say, when the holy Prophets, Apostles and Evangelists had finished their course, & written down all whatsoever they had seen and heard from the Lord concerning his two Wils & Testa­ments, according as they were guided by the holy Ghost; and espe­cially his second or last Will of grace and peace by Jesus Christ.

His wonderfull conception, birth, life, death, resurrection from the dead, foretold also by the Prophets.

His ascension into heaven, and his sending the holy Ghost unto them, the Spirit of truth to lead them into all truth, and to enable them to prophesie through the sevenfold gifts thereof.

Of Iohn the Baptist, who was that Elias which God promised to send before the great and terrible day of the Lord should come, the day of judgement and wrath; and how he cried out unto the people of Israel, and so unto all the world in the spirit and power of Elias, requiring every man (with strong perswasions, great sorrowfulnesse of heart, much lamentation and many teares) to repent, that they might obtaine the forgivenesse of their sinnes through faith in the Messiah, the Mediator and Messenger of the Covenant, who was now also come to his Temple. Which voice of this Elias crieth out unto us all, even to this day, that we should repent, that we may receive also the forgivenesse of our sinnes by faith in Christ, lest in that great day when he commeth in power and glory, we perish in his wrath, and he smite the earth with a curse.

And how Christ himselfe (also) preached, saving, Repent, for the Kingdome of heaven is at hand, Repent and beleeve the Gospel, with many other heavenly Doctrines, and most true and gracious sayings.

And of all his wondrous workes, and the things (he had fore­shewed them) should come to passe. Of the destruction of Je­rusalem, [Page 13] and wrath upon that people. Of false Christs and false Prophets that should arise. Of great tribulation that should befall the Church of Christ during the time of his personall absence. And of the signes of his comming, and end of the world.

And after his death and resurrection how hee opened their un­derstandings; and (among many other heavenly things that he spake of; and foreshewed them) said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in his Name among all Nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

And then last of all, this book of the Revelation, wherein many great mysteries (that were sealed up, and no man in heaven nor on earth was found worthy to open, but the Lamb that was slain) are by him revealed.

1. The estate of his Church in her primitive time.

2. And what her great enemies should be, and what shee was to suffer at their hands.

The first being the great red Dragon Satan, reigning in the Pagan Emperours; by whose bloody persecutions shee was forced to flie into the wildernesse to escape from his fury, as in Rev. 12.3, 4, 5, 6, &c. described in Rev. 6.4. by a red horse, and one fitting on him, that should take peace from the earth.

The second that of Arius and his followers, whose blasphemous doctrines and malicious persecution against those that opposed the same, continued five months of years, as in Rev. 9.2, 3, 4, 5. descri­bed by a black horse, Rev. 6.5.

The third, this of the Beast and his false prophets, and whorish Church; of whose abominations and filthinesses of the cup of her fornications, Kings, Princes, and people of all Nations, have been made to drink, and became drunken, committing fornication with her, and so their souls became lost for ever.

And her selfe also becomming daily drunken with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Christ, whose bodies she killed, because they would not drink of her cup, nor commit fornication with her. All which being to continue fourty and two months of years, as Rev. 11.2. & Rev. 13.5. described also in Revel. 6. by a pale horse, &c. ver. 8.

Then what plagues should bee powred out upon them all for their murders and wickednesse. And what and when should bee their end, and how great their condemnation.

[Page 14]And which exceeds all (for the comfort of the Church of Christ, which was to suffer all these things at her enemies hands) how shee should bee delivered from her so great and violent op­pressions.

And what and how great things her Lord hath prepared for her, and promised and foreshewed her, especially in this booke of the Revelations, to be inherited of her for eternity in the world to come, when he shall appeare in his glory.

So, the holy Prophets, and Apostles, and Evangelists, having from the Lord perfected his two Testaments (which are his two Witnesses) they having thus finished their testimony, which was never to done before, nor (from thence forth) could ever bee so done after; and, which might therefore rightly be called, Finishing their Testimony: and also, because no man, nor Angel from hea­ven, might or may preach any thing as the testimony of Gods two Witnesses, or his Oracles, but what is written and contained in them, it being the whole counsell of God.

So I say, they having thus finished their testimony, and they being prophecying in the plain demonstration of the Spirit and of power, turning the hearts of Gods elect to repentance, that they might be justified from their sinnes by faith through his grace in Christ, which by the Spirit, and word of reconciliation, was mi­nistred to their broken and contrite hearts: And also by the same Spirit and power convincing the wicked perishing world of sinne, of righteousnesse, and of judgement.

Of judgement, because the prince of this world, whom they serve and obey (he ruling in their hearts) is judged already.

So those dwellers on earth, being tormented with their just and righteous sayings, which the Saints and servants of God, the true successors of the holy Apostles and Church of their time maintai­ned against their ungodly, superstitious, filthy, flesh-pleasing wayes. And the beast, hee being now risen up and seated in the Dragons Throne; and there being nothing more tormenting or grievous unto him and his false prophets, and those dwellers on earth, then the true and righteous doctrines and prophecies of these two Prophets, Gods anointed ones, the light whereof being so contrary to their wayes and works.

Therfore as holding it their wisest & surest way, that they should torment them no longer, they make battell against them, and kill them.

[Page 15]And this they effected and brought to passe, partly by belying their testimony, giving most false and blasphemous expositions of their sayings, making the world beleeve that so they meant; and partly by suppressing those which stood to maintain their true intent and meaning; and partly by keeping close their written words, forbidding them to bee published or read in any of the tongues or languages of the Nations, which were under the au­thority and power of the beast, that the people should not come to the knowledge and understanding of them, lest they should see and discover their false and deceitfull delusions.

So the beast and his false prophets, by putting out the light and true intent of Gods two Witnesses (which was and is their life) they killed them.

ONely their dead letter, or bare text of their testimony, they would retaine and keep, as wee see they have done in their Cells, Temples, and streets of the Nations and Kingdomes where the beast is worshipped, who with Rome their chiefe, doe make up that great Citie; which because of their spirituall whore­domes and hardnesse of heart, are described by the names of So­dom and Egypt, they answering in a spirituall manner unto them both.

And they are charged also with the crucifying of the Lord him­selfe, (even as the Lord had charged the Scribes and Pharisees of his time with the blood of Abel) because, like as they imitated Cain in hardnesse of heart and wickednesse, in their killing the Prophets, as he did his brother: So these, imitating those of Je­rusalem, that crucified the Lord of life, in their murdering his faithful Servants, his Saints & Martyrs, are justly charged with cru­cifying the Lord; they making up one generation with all the Heathen and wicked murderers, and shedders of righteous blood in the world. For which cause he saith, And in her was found the blood of Prophets, and of Saints, and of all that were slaine upon the earth, Rev. 18.24.

ANd so, those Nations and Kingdomes, People and Gentiles, under the name of Catholick Christians, having the dead bo­dies or letter of Gods two Witnesses lying in their streets, could, and can yet handle and look upon them, while those three dayes and a halfe, the time, times, and halfe a time of the beasts reigne lasteth: That is to say, (not as the beast, and they of the Church of Rome expound it) three naturall yeares and a halfe, which they will have to be the time of the reigne of a great Antichrist of their imagining, (w^ch they pretend is yet to come) but 3 propheticall years & a halfe: that is, so many years of years, which (according to the account of the Hebrews, are, 1260 years. A long time for Gods two Testaments to lie dead among them, and not suffered to be so read, or heard, as they maybe understood and laid up in the hearts of the people, where they ought to have been laid and kept, as in their true and naturall graves or tombs, where they should have been buried, not to be forgotten, but to be kept in memoriall to the praise of God, and salvation of his people.

NOw the beast & his false prophets, and all those worshippers of the beast here named, (because of their great number) The Inhabitants of the earth: they having attained their wills, and pre­vailed over Gods two Witnesses, and cast his truth to the ground, (as the Prophet Daniel also foretold) are glad at their hearts; and, in triumph over them, and for joy that they may now goe on qui­etly, in setting up and adoring their own inventions. They (as one well observeth) make themselves merry with bonfires, vigils, fe­stivals, processions, and in token of their joy (as the text saith) send gifts one to another.

Kings, Princes and people present and endow the beast and his Church, with donations, immunities, possessions, gold and silver offerings, &c. And the beast on the other side requites their love [Page 17] and devotion with Titles, Bells, Prayers, Pardons, Bulls, and such like.

And the reason of this their wicked and ungodly rejoycing, is, because they had put out the eyes or light of Gods two Testa­ments, which are here named two Prophets, and (before) his two Witnesses, and two Olive Trees, and two Candlesticks, vers. 3, 4.) that their abominations & filthinesses of their fornications, might not be discovered and reproved by them, as formerly had been, which was so tormenting unto them, and is, and will be still, to all such lovers and beleevers of lies, (whose hope and conversation, and dwelling, is here on earth) as nothing can be more.

For so much doe the words imply in saying, Because these two Prophets tormented them that dwell upon the earth.

ANd after three dayes and a halfe (that is to say) after the time and times, and halfe a time of the Beasts reigne, spoken of in Dan. 7.25, & 12.7. and mentioned in Rev. 12.14. to be the time of the woman being nourished in the wildernesse.

And so, taking a day in this place, as a time is to bee taken in Dan. 7.25. & Rev. 12.14. Then these three dayes and a halfe, in a propheticall understanding, are (as the three times and a halfe are) three yeares and a halfe of yeares.

And therefore, not as they of Rome would have them, three na­turall yeares and a halfe, which they make to bee the time of their expected two witnesses Enoch and Elias, and their being killed, and lying dead, &c. and of their Churches desolation, and being in the wildernesse, which they pretend they expect shall come to passe upon the rising of their Antichrist, (a Jew of the Tribe of Dan) and by him who is to be borne they know not where nor when, and yet must reigne those three years and a halfe, and doe all these things.

Neither can any of those among our selves, which are so neere of opinion unto them of Rome, (concerning the three dayes and a halfe, of the two Witnesses being slain) shew any one sound rea­son why a propheticall yeare may not be intended in this place by the name of a day, as well as by the name of a time in Dan. 7.25. [Page 18] and 12.7. and Rev. 12.14. which I suppose they acknowledge.

And seeing also that a day is a time as well and truly as an houre is a time, or a month, or a yeare. Vnder all which termes the time of the reigne of the great Antichrist is exprest, 1 Ioh. 2.18. Rev. 3.10. & 9.13, 14, &c.

Where John (having seen their great and terrible Army of hors­men, and heard also the number of them to bee twenty thousand times ten thousand) describeth them also to have breast-plates of fire, and of Jacinth, and of brimstone, and their horses to have heads, as the heads of Lions: and that out of their mouthes issued fire and smoke, and brimstone, and having tailes like Serpents, with heads on them. And that all these (whose power is in their mouthes, and in their tailes) were prepared for an houre, and a day, and a month, and a yeare, to slay the third part of men, verse 15, 16, 17, 18.

This is that last houre spoken of in 1 John 2.18. The houre of temptation, which was to come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth, Rev. 3.10.

So then if an houre may contain so long a time, why not a day? if a day, then why not three dayes and a half as well as three times and a halfe, seeing three dayes and a halfe are three times and a halfe?

Neither is it possible that all those things which are to be done within the time of the two Witnesses lying dead and unburied in the streets of that great Citie, should bee fulfilled and done in so short a time as three naturall yeares and a halfe.

That the Beast and his false prophets (that great Army of in­chanting horsemen) with all those Kings, Princes, and Tribes, and people, and Gentiles, and inhabitants of the earth, which worship the Beast and his Image, should so universally, & so publickly in all places make those merriments with bonfires, festivals, wakes, &c. rejoycing over their own inventions, (and for that they had put out the light of the truth of Gods two Witnesses which so trou­bled them in their ways) and send such great gifts also one to ano­ther for joy thereof, chopping and changing, & making Merchan­dize of all things, even of the very souls of men, as it is declared, Rev. 18.12, 13. and as experience hath sufficiently proved they have done, no short time slaying and destroying with their inchantments and sorceries (the fire, and smoke, and brimstone, which issued out of the mouthes of those monstrous horsemen [Page 19] and their horses, and the mouthes of their tailes) the souls of ma­ny thousand men, of all degrees, high and low, and of all nations, even a full third part of the world; and yet the rest that were not slain by these plagues, repented not of their workes, that they should not worship Divels, and Idols of gold and silver, and brasse, and stone, and wood, which neither can see, nor heare, nor walke, nor repent of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their for­nications, nor of their thesis.

I say it is not possible that all these things (which are to be done while the two Witnesses lie slain in the streets) should be accom­plished in three common yeares and a halfe, but must have the full time of the Beasts reigne for the sam; the time of those Gentiles treading the holy Citie under foot, and of the woman being fed in the wildernesse even 1260. yeares.

After which (as the text saith) the Spirit of life from God shall enter into his two Prophets, and they shall stand upon their feet, &c.

God will then, in, and about that time especially, raise up faith­full Scribes indeed, and Shepheards of understanding hearts, whom he will teach and instruct in the wayes of his truth; and give them so to understand the words and testimonies of his two Witnesses, as that they shall through the power of his grace, declare the true intent and meaning of them, and set forth and divide the same un­to the people: (Like unto the good housholder, or as the Scribe taught in the Kingdome of God, that is alwayes provided of things both new and old, and is ready to minister upon all occasi­ons, in, and at all due times and seasons, according to the words of Christ, and as Paul once charged Timothy) that they also may un­derstand it, and walk in the light thereof to the praise of God, and their own salvation.

And so, the true spirituall and heavenly meaning of Gods two Testaments, their light and life, (which their enemies had taken away, and kept out of fight and knowledge so long, being now re­stored) they his two Prophets walk upon their feet againe, as well to the terror and astonishment of all false and lying interpreters, as to the reverend feare, admiration and comfort of all the children and justifiers of wisdome; for so much do the words imply, And great feare fell upon all that saw them.

And if any man shall marvell how the two Witnesses may bee said to prophesie all the time of the reigne of the Beast, and their [Page 20] bodies lie dead in the streets of his Sodomiticall Citie all the while, let him consider, that although they lie dead in his streets, yet they speake and prophesie notwithstanding, like as did the blood of Abel, and the bones of Elisha. And whatsoever they have spoken or prophesied in the written words of their Testimo­ny, either against the Beast and his Church, and all other false ac­cusers and beliers of them: or as concerning their owne restaura­tion, and the good of the Church and children of God, shall surely come to passe and be fulfilled, let the Beast and all the rest of them doe what they can.

Neither doe nor did their bodies lie dead and unburied among the Saints, and children of the woman that fled into the wilder­nesse, they have been living and prophesying with them all this while, and their enemies have heard their voyce from thence many and sundry times sounding in their eares, though they hardened their hearts against it, and sought still by their cunning inquisitions to lay hold of, shut up in their dungeons, and slay all those that te­stified the same.

NOw the true meaning of the Scriptures contained in the two Testaments of God, which had been so long obscured by false and lying expositers, shall be so famously published and made known, and by such plain demonstration of the Spirit and power of God, as that no power of wickednesse whatsoever shall any lon­ger bee able to stop or hinder the glorious course and prosperous proceeding therof: but that (as one well observeth from the words, And I heard a lowd voyce from heaven, saying, Come up hither) it should be more possible for them to stay Elias Chariot from as­cending, or to pull the wind back from pursuing his poynt, then to resist the power and wisdome of the same, which shall vindicate the abuse of the Scriptures, and by the same Spirit and power of God in the ministery of his faithfull servants (as in the strength of cloud) shall hold them up, and restore them to their spirituall and heavenly meaning again: And so as the beast with his false Pro­phets, Sorcerers and liers, (which have been their long and an­cient enemies) shall see the glory of their restauration, and wonder [Page 21] thereat and die: for so much doe the words imply in saying, And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.

ANd in the same houre (saith the Spirit of God) there was made a great earthquake: As much as to say, In the same very time when it should please God to begin his work of raising up and restoring his two Witnesses to life and strength again (as be­fore is declared) there should be made a great disturbance in the Christian world (where the Beast should reigne) concerning mat­ters of religion: And that a tenth part of the Citie, that is, of the same Christian world or State where the Beast is worshipped, should fall from the Beast.

And that in this great earthquake and disturbance, and fall of the tenth part of the Citie, there should bee slain many thousand men, signified here by names of men seven thousand, for standing up to maintain the true doctrine of Gods two Testaments against the Beast, and his abominations and lies; and because they would not worship him nor his image any longer.

And that the rest (meaning those that were in their consciences reproved, and in their minds enlightned by the evident light of the truth so witnessed) were cast into a feare, &c. that is, into a re­verend feare and admiration, and gave glory to the God of heaven, praised his name, and used all meanes both by word and deed to establish and support the same doctrine of truth, that it might bee yet more publickly knowne to the world. The words implying, that among these rest so enlightned, which gave glory to the God of heaven, some were Princes and Rulers of the people and Nati­ons, who had civill power also to promote this great worke, and made use thereof accordingly.

And the houre or time in the which this great earthquake should be made, and worke of reformation begin, was (as it must needs be understood and acknowledged) that very time when those great troubles, broyles and bloodsheddings were in Bohemia, Germany, France, Flanders, & others parts, as also in England, for and concer­ning the institution of religion, whereof histories doe so clearly re­port.

[Page 22]Whereupon (as we have seen, and doe see by experience) sun­dry Kingdomes and States of Christendome (a tenth part at least) that were under the power and subjection of the Beast, have fallen from him, and forsaken his abominations, and have set their help­ing hands to the building of the walls of Jerusalem, and to restore the morning and evening Sacrifice of praise and thankesgiving to God in some part and measure answerable to that which was once in the former time, and in the dayes of old. And so it is true, a tenth part of the Citie fell and is fallen.

For we are to understand, that although the resurrection of the two Witnesses, or restitution of the true meaning of the Scrip­tures, is not yet perfected, nor so known and understood (in every part) and published, as God will have it to be in this last age of the world; nor the woman, his true Church, come fully forth of the the Wildernesse, nor shall till after the three dayes and a halfe of the beasts reigne, mentioned in verse 11. yet the beginning of both was to be before, and their light and brightnesse have increa­sed ever since to this day, and shall yet still more and more daily, even as Antichrist and his Church with her abominations, consucmeth daily.

For like as the beast and his Church, with that mystery of ini­quitie, came not to perfection at once, but by degrees, according as they could, and did by degrees put out the light of the Scrip­tures, and extinguish the beauty and face of the true Church of Christ (the life of the one depending (as it were) upon the death of the other.) So on the contrary part, it is and shall be now, the Lord Jesus Christ (with the Spirit of his mouth) is to consume the beast by degrees, his two Witnesses are to stand upon their feet, and his Church is to appeare out of the wildernesse in part and measure sometime before the end of the beast, that they may by the truth of their testimony, discover him and his abominations openly to the world, that so those ten hornes, or Kings, and King­domes which formerly gave themselves and their power unto the beast, might by degrees also, some after other, fall from him, and come to hate the whore with her filthinesses, & to devour her flesh by the Sword, and burn her with fire, according to the word of the Lord, Rev. 17.6. And that also (for Gods elect sake) those daies (in respect of the evils and great tribulation of them) might now even while the beast yet remaineth in his throne, be shortned, ac­cording as Christ foretold, Matth. 24.

[Page 23]Therefore let not now any of Gods chosen be dismayed at any thing they shall heare of or see, though in their present appre­hensions never so contrary, but let them know there can nothing prevent God of his purpose, nor hinder or put by the fulfilling of any part of his word; what hee hath spoken shall stand, let the beast, and all the powers of wickednesse in the world with him, do what they can, the truth shall certainly prosper, and the beast with all his power the Dragon bestowed upon him, of what kind soever, shall prevail no longer.

For who art thou, O great mountain Babel, the perfection and full accomplishment of all the former Babels and mountains of confusion that have been in the world? And what art thou before him that fitteth on the white horse, whose name is called, The Word of God? He with the sharp sword that proceedeth out of his mouth, shall not only go on to consume thee even to the last hour of thy dayes determined, but shall also take thee and thy false prophets, those two hundred thousand thousand Clergymen, that wrought miracles before thee, and cast yee both alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone, according as it is written, Rev. 19.

And then shall his two Witnesses prophecie in their full strength more publickly and freely then yet they doe, and his Church come fully forth of the wildernesse, that her modest coun­tenance, her holy and heavenly conversation, may be more clearly seen then yet is or hath been for these many hundred yeares past.

IN Chap. 8. mention is made of three woes that were to come upon the world, and be within the time of the sounding of the three last of the 7 Trumpets which the 7 Angels were to sound, v. 13. where John saith, And I beheld and heard an Angel flying through the middest of heaven, saying with a lowd voyce, Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the other voyces of the Trumpets of the three Angels which are yet to sound.

The first of these three woes being that of Arianisme before men­tioned, which is described in Chap. 9. from ver. 1. to ver. 11. and is said to continue five months, ver. 5. meaning in the propheticall understanding, months of years, which according to the Hebrews account, who had thirty dayes to every month, and twelve months [Page 24] to every year) doe containe the just number of an hundred and fifty years, which was the time of the Arian persecution, and prevai­ling of that heresie, as Histories doe plainly report.

This, and no other thing, can rightly be taken for the first Woe; neither may the persons or workers thereof, be thought to bee Sa­racens, Arabians, Mahometans, as some name them and would have them, nor any other heathen powers or people without the outer Court or Pale of the Church: but Christians by profession, and such as had great place and power in the outward state of the Church, wherby to worke their mischievous Woe in stinging and poisoning the inhabitants of the earth with their hellish smoky blasphemous doctrine, and to persecute the Saints of God that opposed the same.

The holy Ghost having from the first verse of this ninth chapter, to the eleventh verse, made a full description of this first Woe, it being the least of the three, and no more again to bee mentioned, saith here, ver. 12. One woe is past. And because each of the other two would be farre greater, he saith, And behold (as requiring all men to hearken and take speciall notice of it) two woes more come hereafter. And then presently following, saith, ver. 13. And the sixth Angel sounded, &c. From which to the end of the Chapter, in a very brief and generall manner, is foreshewed not onely the frightfull uglinesse, and monstrous deformed shapes of the crea­tures that should work this second Woe, and cause that abominable mystery of iniquity to overspread the earth, and how great the number of their Army of Horsmen should be; but also with what Devillish weapons of hellish fire, smoke, and brimstone, issuing forth of their mouthes and tailes, they should effect it, to the slay­ing of the the third part of men.

Which strangely deformed great Army, are not nor may bee thought to bee that of the Turkes, which have invaded, and doe now possesse a part of Europe, as some conceive and publish. Nay, but they are Christians also by profession, as were the au­thors of the first woe, even the whole race and generation of the great Antichrist of Rome, and legions of his false prophets. These are the true authors and workers of this second Woe; who now be­gan to shew themselves in their fashion when the sixth Angel be­gan to sound, v. 13, 14.

And so in respect of that first Woe of Arianisme, which began with the sounding of the fifth Angels Trumpet, and continued [Page 25] five months: This of Antichrist, which was to begin with the sounding of the sixth Angels Trumpet, and to continue fourty and two months, is in Chap. 11.4. called, The second Woe. Which woe although it was to be, and is more particularly, and much more ex­actly and largely discovered in Chapters 13. and 14. and Chap. 17. and 18. and 19. yet because it is here in Chap. 11. in a gene­rall manner fully revealed, the Lord (to whom all things past and to come are present) saith vers. 14. The second woe is gone.

And because the third woe is to come very soon after, and it be­ing the greatest of all, he saith again, And behold, calling unto (as it were) and requiring all men to hearken and consider of it, say­ing, And behold, the third woe will come; meaning the great day of the Lords comming in his glory to judge the world, which will bee a day of terror unto all those inhabitants of the earth that repented not of their sinnes, and sorceries, and murders, &c. that beleeved not in him, and of the greatest woe to them that ever came.

For all the woes as they are woes, doe belong to the ungodly, and are so called in respect of them, not of the just; neither will the day of the Lords coming in glory, be a day of terror or woe to them; but rather on the clean contrary, the day of their greatest joy, the day which they looked for.

And that they his chosen and faithfull, should know and under­stand upon certainty, that this great day of the Lord shall not tar­ry long, but come soon after the desolation of Antichrist, he ad­deth this word quickly, And behold the third woe will come quickly.

Which very thing the Lord also confirmed before in another place, by the like word, immediatly, Matth. 24. where hee having spoken of the tyrannous reign of the selfe-same Antichrist, and his false prophets, verse 23, 24. saith, Immediatly after the tribulation of those dayes, shall the Sunne be darkned, and the Moon shall not give her light, and the Starres shall fall from heaven, and the powers of hea­ven shall be shaken, and then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of Man in heaven, and then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourne, and they shall see the Sonne of man comming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory, and he shall send his Angels with a great found of a Trumpet, &c verse 29.13.31.

And as concerning the length of the time that is to bee between the end of Antichrist and the day of the Lords comming in glory, intended by the word quickly, and the word immediatly. The Pro­phet Daniel (speaking likewise of the reigne of the same Anti­christ, [Page 26] and number of his dayes, as also of the end of the world, which is to be at the day of the Lords comming) declareth it plain­ly to contain fourty and five yeares, according to the Chaldees ac­count, Dan. 12. his words being these; And from the time that the daily Sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh de­solate, set up, there shall bee a thousand two hundred and ninety dayes. Blessed is he that wayteth, and commeth to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty dayes; (adding to the thousand two hundred and ninety dayes, five and thirty dayes more, which make a thousand three hundred thirty five) and then saith (as being the words of the Angel of God to Daniel) But go thou thy way till the end be, for thou shalt rest and stand up in the lot at the end of the dayes, vers. 11, 12, 13. The Prophet (from the Angel) intending by dayes, yeares, and counting the years after the use of the Chaldeans, and not of the Hebrewes, between whom (in three years and a halfe, there was as it seemeth, thirty dayes difference.

And so, if Daniel was to goe his way and rest till the and bee, and that he shall stand up in the lot at the end of the dayes, then must the end of necessity be at the end of the dayes. But Daniel was to goe his way till the end should be, and was to rest, and stand in the lot at the end of the dayes; therefore the end of the dayes must needs be the end, even the end of the world.

And now therefore, if the time between the end of those dayes of Antichrists reigne, and the end of the world, will indeed for cer­tain be so short as those Scriptures declare, then where will there be time or place for that glorious thousand yeares Monarch of Saints, which so many learned Ministers and zealous people at this day look for, and hold as an Article of their faith, to bee here in this present world, before the end thereof? Surely, neither the Prophets, nor Christ, nor any of his Apostles, doe admit of such a thing.

Those people and Ministers whatsoever they are for zeale and learning, they are herein utterly deceived, misunderstanding the Scriptures, which speak indeed of a glorious Kingdome, and ma­ny great and excellent things the Saints shall receive and possesse, not for the limited time of a thousand yeares in this corrupt world, but for ever and ever, a thousand and ten thousand times ten thousand yeares, even for eternity in the uncorrupt world to come, which world and kingdome shall have no end, as the Scrip­tures declare, Esay 9.7. Esay 45.14, 15, 16 Dan. 7.14.25. Luk. 1.32, [Page 27] 33. and sundry other places. Those Ministers and people therefore w^ch look for such a millenary Monarchical kingdom in this world, may do well to renounce that Atticle of their faith, as they call it, & in meeknes and humblenes of heart seek and desire of God, to give them his holy Spirit of truth, whereby to understand with comfort his word of truth.

The things that are to be between the end of Antichrists reigne, and the end of the world, are by Christ himselfe foreshewed in these words, Matth. 24. Immediatly after the tribulation of those dayes, shall the Sunne be darkned, and the Moone shall not give her light, and the Starres shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall bee shaken, &c.

Where the Lord intendeth by the Sunne, the word of his truth, the Gospel of salvation, which had been darkned by Antichrist, and should now toward the end of his dayes, break forth and shine again, to discover his abominations, and for the saving of Gods e­lect, (which the Lord also intended before, ver. 22. in these words, But for the elect sake those dayes shall be shortned.) And implying also that it should shine yet more brightly after the end of Antichrist, and that the greatest part of the time of 45 yeares, intended by the word quickly, and the word immediatly, shall be for the prosperous proceeding of the Gospel, and full accomplishing of all Gods elect.

And as the Sunne thus shineth, so shall the Moon, that is to say, the earth, and the inhabitants thereof, whose light doth depend up­on the light of the Gospel, as the light of the Moon doth on the light of the Sunne, she shall now give her light, according also as a holy one in another place saith, The Sun shall suddenly shine again in the night, and the Moon three times in the day, &c.

And the Starres of God shall appeare in heaven, God will raise up in his Church true and faithfull Shepheards, that shall as starres in heaven hold forth the light and truth of his two Testaments to the word, and so the powers of the heavens spirituall, will bee in their heavenly way and order again.

All these things are plainly implied in the words of Christ, else how can the Sunne be said to be darkned, and the Moon to lose her light, and the Starres to fall from heaven, &c. immediatly after the tribulation of those dayes of Antichrist, if they did not, and should not shine forth and give their light some time before the end of those dayes, and also after, more especially, therefore all [Page 28] these things must be. And the true Church of Christ which had been troden under foot, and caused to hide her face, as it were, in the wildernesse so long, shall come forth and bee seene neer like as she was once in her primitive state, clothed with the Sunne, even Jesus Christ and his righteousnesse; and having the Moon, that is, all earthly and corruptible things under her feet, as disregarded, her conversation and affections being farre above them all, in hea­ven where her Lord is, and from whence shee looketh for him to come, and bring all those his rewards with him that hee hath pro­mised: And having also on her head a Crown of twelve starres, the true and sound doctrine of the Lambs twelve Apostles, and of the holy Prophets, walking in the light and truth thereof, according as they walked with true love toward God, and also toward men. And so be, as once she was (in these spirituall & heavenly respects) truely visible, like a Citie set upon a hill, that cannot be hid; and as a Candle in a Candlestick which giveth light to all in the house, her faith shining again throughout the world.

And when shee shall bee in this estate (like as at the first) when she was travelling with child to bring forth her first fruits unto God and to the Lamb, the Dragon stood before her to devoure her child, and persecute the woman into the wildernesse, as Rev. 12.

So now, when she shall be travelling with child again, ready to bring forth her last fruits unto God and to Christ, then the Dra­gon, that old Serpent, being loosed out of his prison (where he had been bound so many hundred yeares) shall goe out to deceive the Nations that are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, and gather them together, and compasse the camp of the Saints a­bout, and this the beloved Citie, till fire descend from God out of heaven and devoure them, as it is written, Ezek. 38. and 39. Rev. 16.21. Rev. 20.9.

For as the time of the Churches fairest beauty was but short be­fore the Dragon so cruelly used her: so shall this time of her re­newed beauty be as short before he shall be loosed to work this his last misehiefe against her.

Then shall the Sunne be darkned more then ever it had been, it shall be as black as Sackcloth of haire, and the Moon shall not one­ly be darkned, but also be turned into blood, as it is said, Rev. 6.12. according to Ioel 2.31. For great bloodshed shall be upon the earth at this time as the Prophet Esay also saith.

And the Starres, that is, such as are in outward place and name, [Page 29] as starres and lights in the Church, shall like untimely figges, fall from Christian religion to Mahometisme, or other such like hea­thenish Apostasie, and then shall the powers of the Heavens bee shaken.

These are the signes that shall goe before the great and terrible day of the Lord, as those Scriptures before mentioned declare.

And then those Armies of Gog and Magog being destroyed by fire from heaven, and the Devill that deceived them being cast in­to the lake of fire, the seventh Angell shall sound the great and last trumpet, as followeth.

MAny great things are to bee done at the sounding of this Trumpet: For this is it of which St. Paul saith, We which are alive, and remain unto the comming of the Lord, shall not prevent them that are asleep, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voyce of the Archangel, & with the Trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are are alive and remain, shall bee caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the aire, and so shall we be even with the Lord, 1 Thess. 4.15, 16, 17.

And again, Behold, I shew you a mystery, we shall not all sleep, but wee shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinckling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorrup­tible, and we shall be changed, &c. 1 Cor. 15.51, 52, 53.

And Christ saith, Mat. 24. Then shall appeare the signe of the Son of man in heaven, and then shall all the Tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Sonne of Man comming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the foure winds, &c. vers. 30, 31.

And again, Rev. 10. And the Angel which I saw stand upon the Sea, and upon the earth, lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that there­in are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea and the things that are therein, that there should be time no longer. But in the dayes of the voyce of the seventh Angel, when he shall begin to sound, the [Page 30] mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets, verse 5, 6, 7.

When this great and last trumpet shall sound, mentioned in all those places before cited, and whereof the Prophet Esay long before this, spake, Esai. 27.13.

Then shall all those great things be done, spoken of in the same places. The Lord shall come in his glory, and then hee shall sit in the throne of his glory: the dead both good and bad shall be brought before him, and be judged: Then shall all the Tribes and kindreds of the earth, even the whole multitude of the ungodly, that ever had been on the earth, and they also which pierced him, see him, and mourn and waile because of him, and hee shall send his Angels with the sound of the same great Trumpet, and they shall gather his elect together from the four winds, &c.

Then there shall bee time for repentance no longer: but the great mystery of God shall be finished, even that great mystery of the redemption of all Gods chosen ones, the whole house of Is­rael spirituall, as he had declared to his servants the Prophets, and whereof, they all (that have been since the world began) have spo­ken, according as it is testified of them, Luke 1.69, 70, 71, &c. Acts 3.21. and as their own written prophesies doe shew more abundantly.

And this is that redemption wherewith the Lord himselfe doth comfort his chosen, hee having foreshewed all the sig [...] that should goe before the same, saying, And when yee see these things be­gin to come to passe, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemp­tion draweth neere. Then know yee that the kingdome of God is nigh at hand, Luke 22.28, 31.

Now the kingdomes of this world so long time usurped by Mo­narchs and Antichrists, shall be made the Kingdomes of our Lord, and of his Christ, and he shall reigne for ever and ever.

The kingdomes of this world, in respect of the creation and workes of God, for so by right they did alwayes belong to the Lord, and to his anointed the Prince of the Covenant, though they have been usurped and polluted by Satan and his powers of wickednesse, which now shall be removed, and the earth and hea­vens cleansed; all things shall be new, as it is written, Esay 65.27. & 60.22. 2 Pet. 3.13. Rev. 21.1.5.

This corrupt world shall be purged, and made incorruptible, as these our corrupt bodies shall, and instead of corruption and evill, [Page 31] righteousnes and holines shall dwell therein. And so in this consi­deration (as the state shall be in the restitution of all things, dif­fering from that it is now) it shall be another world, not this, and therefore the Scripture calleth it, the world to come, Heb. 2.5, &c.

This present world is not that world which was before the Flood, as Peter saith, The world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished, 2 Pet. 3.6. and yet we all know, and so did Peter, that (in respect of the works of Gods creation of the heavens and the earth) it is the same, though in some other kind of respect, it is not the same, but another.

So the world to come, though it shall bee another world farre differing from this world in state and condition, yet in those re­spects of creation, it will be the same.

And therefore it may rightly be said, in the day (when the Lord shall come to reigne) The Kingdomes of this world are made our Lords, and his Christs, and he shall reigne for ever and ever. And be­cause others, to whom they belong not, doe now possesse them: And they with the whole earth, unto the utmost ends thereof, by right of inheritance, are the Lords, as it is written, I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Sonne, this day have I begotten thee, Ask of me and I will give thee the heathen for thine in­heritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt breake them with a rod of iron, and dash them in peeces like a Potters ves­sell, Psal. 2.7, 8, 9. And again, In his dayes shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the Moon endureth; hee shall have do­minion also from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, they that dwell in the wildernesse shall bow before him, and the enemy shall lick the dust, &c. Psal. 72.

And the Prophet Daniel declareth, saying, I saw in the night vi­sion, and behold one like unto the Son of man came with the clouds of hea­ven, and came to the Ancient of dayes, and they brought him neere before him. And there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not passaway, and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroyed, Dan. 7.13.14.

Again, he having spoken of the four Monarchs that in this world should usurp the kingdome, saith, But the Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdome and possesse the kingdome for ever, even for ever and ever, vers. 18.

And again, And the Kingdome, and dominion, and the greatnesse [Page 32] of the Kingdome under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of Saints of the most High, whose Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome, and all dominions shall serve and obey him, vers. 27.28.

This Kingdom of Christ and his Saints is to be after the foure Monarchs are ended, as the Prophet doth plainly declare: and that it being once set up, shall continue much more time then they all, it shall not passe away, nor be destroyed, but remain for ever, even for ever and ever: It is to have no end, as the Angel Gabriel from hea­ven testified to Mary, saying, Feare not Mary, for thou hast found fa­vour with God, and behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Sonne, and shalt call his name Jesus, he shall be great, and shall bee called the Sonne of the Highest, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David, and he shall reigne over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdome there shall be no end, Luke 1.30, 31, 32, 33.

And according to all this spake the Lord before by the Prophet Nathan to David, saying, And it shall come to passe when thy dayes be expired that thou must goe to be with thy Fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sonnes, I will establish his kingdom, he shall build me an House, & I will establish his throne for ever. I will be his Father, and he shall be my Sonne, and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I tooke it from him that was before thee: but I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever, and his throne shall be established for evermore, 1 Chron. 17.11, 12, 13, 14.

And in another place the Lord God confirmeth it again, saying, Also I will make him my first born, higher then the Kings of the earth, my mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with him, his seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the dayes of heaven, &c. Psal. 89.27, 28, 29.

And again, My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone forth of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holinesse, that I will not lie unto David, his seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the Sun before me, it shall he established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithfull witnesse in heaven, vers. 34, 35, 36, 37.

And as one Apostle testifieth from another Psalm, saying, But unto the Sonne he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a Scepter of righteousnesse is the Scepter of thy kingdome, thou hast loved righteousnesse, and hated iniquity, therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse above thy fellowes, Heb. 1.8, 9. Psal. 45.6.

[Page 33]Many more great and excellent things are spoken of this glo­rious kingdome of Christ, and his Saints, which (as plainly ap­peareth by all these Scriptures) is to have no end, but is to endure for ever, even for ever and ever world without end. And shall be manifested when the 7^th Angel soundeth the great and last trum­pet, even when Christ shall come in his glory, and all his holy An­gels with him, and then shall he sit in the throne of his glory, as himselfe saith, Matth. 25.

And so it is plain, that it cannot bee understood of this world, but must needs be of the world to come, when all rule, all autho­thority and power, all enemies, are subdued under Christs feet, which in this world are not, nor can be untill the end thereof, as the Apostle yet further confirmeth, saying, For unto the Angels ha [...]h he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak, Heb. 2.5.

By which words he first sheweth plainly, that all their doctrine of the Gospel tended to an estate of inheritance in a world to come, not this present world, and that it was not to be in subjecti­on to the Angels.

But as he saith, One in a certain place testifieth, saying, What is man that thou art mindfull of him, or the Sonne of Man that thou visitest him: thou madest him little lower then the Angels, thou crownedst him with glory and honour, thou didst set him over the workes of thy hands, thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet, &c. ver. 6, 7. accor­ding to Psal. 8.4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

And then argueth, saying, For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him.

But now we see not all things put under him (saith he) But we see Je­sus (who was made a little lower th [...]n the Angels for the suffering of death) crowned with glory and honour, that he by the grace of God might tast death for every man: for it became him for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sonnes unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings, ver. 8, 9, 10.

Now is Jesus Christ crowned with glory and honour in the throne of God the Father at his right hand in the heavens, where he is to fit and reigne with him untill he hath put all enemies un­der his feet, as in Psal. 110.1,

Not onely all the Monarchs and powers of wickednesse, but al­so all enemies besides, and death w^ch now hath dominion over the bodies of the Saints, it being the last enemy, as in another place he proveth, saying, For as in Adam all died, even so in Christ shall all [Page 34] be made alive; but every man in his own order, Christ the first fruits, then afterwards they that are Christs at his comming.

Then commeth the end (saith he) when he shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God, even the Father, when he shall have put down all rule and authority and power. And then reasoneth from the words of the Psalm 110.1. For he must reigne untill he hath put all enemies under his feet: The last enemy that shall be destroyed, is death, &c. 1 Cor. 15.22, 23, 24, 25, 26, &c.

Where the Apostle proveth plainly, that the Kingdome which Christ at his coming is to deliver up to his Father, when all his e­nemies are subdued under his feet, is the Kingdom where he is now sitting in the throne of God the Father at his right hand, of which David said, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand un­till I make thine enemies thy footstoole: and therefore hee calleth it, The Kingdome, that is to say, The supreme Kingdome and throne of God; not his own, which he is to receive and take possession of with his Saints, in the world to come, when all things are put under his feet. Nay, herein he is to be setled for ever, as God promised his Father David, I will settle him in my House, and in my Kingdome for ever, and his throne shall be established for evermore.

This is that of which himselfe speaketh and promiseth, to his Saints, saying; And I appoynt unto you a Kingdome, as the Father appointed unto me, that yee may eat and drink at my table in my King­dome, and sit on thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel, Luke 22.29, 30.

And where he saith again, To him that overcommeth will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set with my Fa­ther in his throne, Rev. 3.21.

And again, He that overcommeth, and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the Nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of Iron, and as the vessels of a potter shall they bee broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father, Rev. 2.26, 27. According to Psal. 2.8, 9. Where the Lord God also saith of him, notwithstanding all those his enemies his opposites, Yet have I set my King upon my holy Hill of Sion, vers. 6.

By which testimonies a plain distinction is made between God the Fathers throne and kingdome, and the Sonnes kingdome and throne. In the throne of God no man or Angel ever sate, nor shall sit, but Christ the Sonne of David (Davids and our Lord) hee onely obtained it till all enemies were subdued. But in the [Page 35] throne of the Sonne, the Saints may and shall sit with him, as the Son hath promised.

Now is the Sonne to bee substitute under God the Father, as his King, his speciall anointed King and first borne, to sit upon his holy hill of Sion, in the throne of his Father David, to reigne o­ver the house of Iacob, whereof David is one. Hee and they his redeemed, ruling the Nations with a rod of Iron. Which throne and kingdome God will so establish, as that it shall remain for ever as the Sunne, and as the Moon before him, even for ever and e­ver world and kingdome without end, as he promised.

And so (God having thus put all things under his Sonne Christ (himself only excepted) and the Son having resigned & delivered up the supreme kingdome and throne wholly to God the Father) now is the Sonne also himselfe to bee subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all, as the Apostle saith, 1 Cor. 15.27, 28.

And herein shall the Sonne lose no honor: for as he is God hee is the same for ever, as before, when he was upon the earth; having taken our nature upon him; he prayed and gave thankes, and was obedient: for although he were the Sonne, yet learned he obedi­ence, as it is written.

So now hee with his redeemed, his Spouse the Church, is to bee subject unto God the Father, and to honour him as his head, even as the Spouse his Church is to be subject unto him, and to honour him as her head.

And here now let me ask the Millenaries a question or two, and first this; That if these things bee so, and that the comming of Christ, and his delivering up the Kingdome to God the Father, and the end of the world, and resurrection of the dead, shall bee so together at one and the same time, without any distance of time, either dayes or houres between, as Paul, 1 Cor. 15.22, 23, 24, 25, 26, &c. in plain words expresseth them.

Then I ask, Where they will have time or place for their thou­sand years Monarch, which they expect shall be between the com­ming of Christ, and the end?

A second question is, That if at the very time of Christs comming, the dead in Christ shall be raised, and his elect that are living be changed in a moment, and caught up together with them, to meet the Lord in the aire, and so bee ever with the Lord, as the same Apostle also saith, 1 Thess. 4.15, 16, 17. Then I ask, Where [Page 36] they will have more Saints to die and to rise again from the dead a thousand yeares after, as they teach?

A third question, if Christ unto them that look for him, shall appeare the second time without sinne unto salvation, as it is said, Heb. 9.28. Then I ask, where they will have a third time of com­ming to such purpose, which some of them imagine shall be?

A fourth question is, That if Christ at his appearing, and his kingdome, when he commeth in his glory, and all his holy An­gels with him, and shall sit in the throne of his glory, and all Nations and people both quick and dead, be brought before him, and judged according to the words of Christ, Matth. 25.31, 32, &c. and Paul, 2 Tim. 4.1. Then I ask how they can put it off to a thousand years after his appearing, or make it a thousand years a doing?

A fifth question which is this, And if they doe beleeve, that al­though the people and children of this world here marry, and are given in marriage, and die, yet in the world to come, which is to be in subjection unto Christ, they who shall bee counted worthy to obtain the same, and the resurrection from the dead, as Christ himselfe saith, shall neither marry nor be given in marriage, nor die any more, but be as the Angels in heaven, &c. Luke 20.34, 35, 36. Then I ask how they will make this their opinion (That there shall be a multitude of people of all sorts, as now, possesse that world after the resurrection of the just, which shall for a thousand years space successively marry, and be given in marriage, and die,) to stand and agree with that which Christ speakes, and not rather be clean contradictory to the same?

And as touching the first resurrection, and living and reigning with Christ a thousand yeares, spoken of Rev. 20. it is cleare by the very words of the text, that the holy Ghost speaketh of, and intendeth a resurrection spirituall of the soule, which the Saints living here, did, and doe partake of according to the words of Christ, Iohn 5. where hee saith, The houre is comming, and now is, when the dead shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God, and they that heare it shall live, verse 25.

And then afterward saith; Marvell not at this: for the houre is comming in the which all that are in the graves shall heare his voyes, and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evill unto the resurrection of damna­tion, verse 28, 29.

[Page 37]Where the first resurrection which is spirituall of the soul, and the second universall resurrection of the body, are both of them plainly and distinctly described.

And the Apostle Paul to the Saints of the Church of Colossia, saith, And yee are compleat in him which is the head of all Principality and power, in whom also yee are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sinnes of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with him in Baptisme, wherein also yee are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God; who hath raised him from the dead. And you being dead, hath hee quickned, to­gether with him, Col. 2.10, 11, 12, 13.

And Coloss. 3. hee saith, If yee bee risen with Christ, seeke those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, vers. 1.

So Rev. 20. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Iesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worship­ped the Beast, nor his Image, nor had received his mark upon their fore­heads, or in their hands, and they lived and reigned with Christ a thou­sand years, vers. 4.

And then saith, This is the first resurrection, Blessed and holy is be that hath part in the first Resurrection: for on such the second death hath no power; but they shall be Priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reigne with him a thousand years, vers. 5, 6.

Where the Lord also speaketh to living men, and of them, who having their part here in the first resurrection spirituall, and suffe­ring for the testimony of Christ, and dying with him (as Paul in another place saith; For the rejoycing that I have in Christ Iesus, I die daily. And again, For thy sake, O Lord, are wee slain all the day long, and counted as sheep to the slaughter) may herein be much com­forted in respect of the promise, that the second death shall have no power on them, according to that in John 5. Hee that hea­reth my word, and beleeveth in him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death to life, vers. 24.

So here, Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection, on such the second death hath no power, but they shall bee Priests of God, and of Christ, and shall reigne with him a thousand years.

Whereby it is manifest the Lord speaketh to men living in the body, and of them: such as having their part here in this [Page 38] The first Resurrection (for there can be but one first resurrection) who although now, during the time of the reigne of the great Antichrist especially, which was to be a thousand yeares at least, they (as touching their bodies) should for the word of God) and witnesse of Jesus Christ, bee beheaded, slaine, &c. and for the hope fake in Christ, die daily: yet in the spirit as touching the soule, live and reigne with Christ, as Paul saith, dying, and be­hold we live, &c. 2 Cor. 6.9. Again, for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God, Col. 3.4.

And when the thousand yeares are expired, and Satan loosed out of his prison to goe unto the Kings of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battell of the great day of God Almighty, according to Rev. 16.14. and 20.8.9.

Then the Lord comming in his glory, all that are in the graves, even every one, small and great, shall heare his voyce, and shall come forth. They that through the grace and power of the Spirit of God in the new birth and first resurrection, have done good, unto the resurrection of life eternall, in respect of their body also, united now to their soule, they being found written in the book of life.

And they that have done evill (those rest of the dead, that had no part in the first resurrection spirituall from the death by sinne, and so, not beeing found written in the booke of life) unto the resurection of condemnation in the lake of fire burning with brimstone, which is the second death.

They now have a resurrection, and live again, though a misera­ble dying life, body and soule for ever.

And that the first resurrection, Rev. 20. cannot possibly bee meant of the bodies of any that are to rise from the dead, as the Millenaries would have it, wee may perceive plainly by the words of the Text, verse 4. where John saith not, And I saw the soules that were he headed, as if that could bee; neither doth he say, And I saw the bodies that were beheaded, and they lived, &c. But his words are, And I saw the soules of them that were beheaded, &c. that is, of those whose bodies were beheaded, of which soules he saith, And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years, &c.

The soule can no more truly be said to rise from the dead with the body when it shall rise from the dead, nor for the body, then it can be said to be beheaded with it, or for it.

[Page 39]For although in some other cases when bodies and soules are living together, it may bee said, as in Genesis 46. All the soules of the house of Iacob which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten, verse 27. in such like cases as this, the soule being the principall part of man, and the body living and moving together with it, may rightly and truly bee named for both; yet in other cases not so.

And to name the soule and say, when a body is beheaded, or dieth, the soul is beheaded, or dieth; or when the body shall arise from the dead, the soule riseth from the dead, it is to say and speak a very untruth.

When the bodies of those Saints which slept, arose from the dead at the time of Christs resurrection, it is not said their Soules arose, but their Bodies onely, Matth. 27.52. And the graves were opened, and the bodies of many Saints which slept arose, and appea­red unto many.

The soule cannot with any truth or sense of reasonable under­standing, bee named for the body, nor for both in those cases. Nay, all the Millenarians in the world, how learned or ortho­doxall soever they are accounted, are not able to prove this thing, except they hold and can prove (as some have been so bold of late to affirme and publish) that the soule of man is mortall, and dieth when the body dieth; and so lieth dead in the grave with the body, untill the resurrection of the body, and then so to rise with it, and be named for both.

For one corrupt opinion, or point of false doctrine, brings al­wayes more of the like nature with it.

But I leave this to their consideration, and come again to the Text, to see what it further saith.

NOw, the seventh Angel having sounded the great and last Trumpet, the Lord being come in his glory, and the King­domes of this world made his, who is to reign for ever and ever [Page 40] world without end. Hereupon the four and twenty Elders, which are Moses and the Prophets (as the four Beasts mentioned in Chap. 4.9. are the four Evangelists) fall down on their faces be­fore the throne of God, adoring him for that his judgements a­gainst Antichrist and his worshippers, which they by the seven­fold Spirit of Majesty given them of God, spake of and denounced from time to time against them, were now justified upon them. And the everlasting Kingdome of the Lord their God, whose do­minion reacheth from Sea to Sea, & from the River to the ends of the earth, is now set up for evermore, according to all that he had foreshewed them, and by the same Spirit spoken by them. Hereup­on they falling down, and adoring the justification of God, break forth into praises and thanksgiviving, saying; We thank thee Lord God omnipotent, which art, which wast, and which shalt come; because thou hast received thy great power and brightnesse, &c.

ANd notwithstanding the rage & fury of those great Monarchs of the world, that like wild Boares of the Forest, that rose up against the Lord, and against his people and Citie Ierusalem; and of those Beasts of the field which said against the Lord and his anointed, Let us break their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us. And of all those Antichristian powers of so long continuance, that have with the rest (to fill up their measure) rejected the Lord, and trode his truth to the ground, and made the holy Citie of his Saints as a street to trample upon. And of all that innumerable mul­titude of Gog and Magog; which that old Serpent the Devill and Satan shall at last gather together with their mighty men and chiefe Captaines, against this great day of the Lord; bringing them down and compassing the camp of his Saints about, and the beloved Citie; intending to destroy, root out and take the prey and spoyle of all.

These all (who are here described, as they are also in Psa. 2. by the name of Gentiles: And the Gentiles were angry, &c.) are now to en­dure the wrath & judgment of him who with justice judgeth. The great day of his wrath being come, and the time of the dead to be [Page 41] judged. Now the Lord, for whose glory this day is made, will ren­der unto every man justly and truly according to their works and wayes wherein their hearts have walked and delighted.

First, to his Servants, his Prophets, his Saints and Martyrs that through faith and patience have overcome, their just reward which for his name and promise sake is right and due unto them. And next, unto all those heathen Gentiles and people of all nati­ons & kindreds of the earth, under what name, and of what pro­fession of religion soever they passe, Jewes, Catholiques, Pro­testants, or other, whose hearts are hard, unrepentant and unbelee­ving, who by their evill deeds have corrupted the earth; their just reward also, and recompence which to their workes and wayes is rightly due unto them. For so much doe the words conclude in saying, And to render reward unto thy servants the Prophets & Saints, and to them that feare thy Name little and great, and to destroy them that have corrupted the earth.

And hereby it is also manifest, that at the same very time when the last trumpet shall sound, and the Lord shall come in his glory, the dead both good and bad shall be raised and judged without a­ny distance of yeares or dayes between, the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised, as Paul saith.

And although the salvation of the just, and sufferings of the un­godly, shall continue for a thousand, yea and ten thousand times ten thousand thousands of yeares, even for everlasting, as the Scrip­tures declare; yet the judgment and sentence passing, will require no longer time (in the hands of the Lord) then one day, as the Scriptures alwayes expresse it.

And that we should know for certain, that this day will come at the same time when Satan with his Armies of Gog and Magog shall be upon Christendome, compassing the Camp of the Saints a­bout; and fire shall come downe from God out of heaven, and de­voure them.

The holy Ghost in Rev. 20.9, 10, 11, 12, &c. doth plainly declare it. And to the end that we should take notice thereof, hee saith, chap. 21.6. It is done, I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, &c. And in chap. 16. upon the same comming down of the Kings of the earth, and of the whole world unto the judgement of the great day, it followeth, vers. 17. It is done. And in Ezek. 39. upon the same destruction of Gog and Magog, it followeth also verse 8. [Page 42] Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord. This is the day whereof I have spoken.

Which day will be the last day of this world, spoken of by Mar­tha, Luke 11.24. and whereof Christ saith; But of that day and houre knoweth no man, no not the Angelt of heaven, but my Father only. Matth. 24. For although the Lord hath revealed, and men may know the yeare, yet the day and hour can no man know.

And as in this last day, this present world shall end; so in it shal the world to come, and the kingdome of Christ and his Saints be­gin, as it is also declared, Matth. 25.31, 32, 33, &c. 2 Tim. 4.1. And then shall be the restitution of all things which God hath spo­ken by the mouth of his holy Prophets that have been since the world began; as it is also written, Acts 3.20.21. There shall bee new heavens and a new earth, and Jerusalem shall be made a praise in the earth.

And great shall bee the difference between the estate of this world to come which shall be in subjection to Christ, and wherein he shall reigne, and righteousnesse shall dwell for ever world with­out end; and the now present world wherein the heathen and Pa­gan Monarchs and Antichrists reigne, and iniquity beareth rule, and dwelleth.

And for any to teach or perswade the Christian State now pre­sent, as some in their Sermons and Printed bookes have done, and doe, that the Kingdome of Christ and his Saints whereof the Prophets have spoken, shall be in this present world for a thou­sand yeares before the last day, is to teach and perswade to a Do­ctrine against Christ, and not for him, whose Kingdome is not of this world, which is not, nor will be, being corrupt, subject unto him.

Antichrist and his Clergie of false prophets, that have taken upon them as much as ever did any, the name of the onely true Church of Christ in the world, have been as a great Monarch in this present world for a thousand yeares past already, and let them take it for their portion of happinesse. But let no true Chri­stian Ministers, state or people, bee of such a mind to teach such doctrine, or looke for such a thing here againe; But rather flie the glory and shadow of this world, and look for the eternall King­dome [Page 43] in the world to come, ready to bee revealed when Christ shall come at the last day, which I verily beleeve (upon the grounds before mentioned) many thousands now living, shall live to see. And so I rest their Christian friend, wishing them all true happinesse, grace and truth, and peace in Christ. Amen.

Now having here a little space, let mee put a question or two more to the Millenaries;

As first, if when God shall have created new Heavens, and a new Earth, Jerusalem a rejoycing, and her people a joy, there shall be no more thence an infant of dayes, nor an old man that hath not filled his dayes, as the Prophet Esay saith, Esa. 65.20. Then I ask, how there can thence an infant or child of dayes, or an old man die, as they will have it in their Millenary estate?

Again, if the resurrection of the ungodly shall not bee till the thousand years kingdome of Christ (which the Millenaries make to be the day of judgement) shall be expired, as they teach: Then I ask, what time they will have for that great multitude of un­godly, not risen from the dead, to be judged? and who they mean Christ shall be (all that time of a thousand yeares) a judging? Or how hee can judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdome, as Paul saith, if the dead be not all raised at his appea­ring and kingdome, and brought before him to be judged? or why he should need a thousand yeares or dayes time of pawsing in judgement, or more then one true naturall day, though there shall be a thousand and ten thousand times ten thousand yeares of exe­cution and suffering; yea yeares and dayes, and nights everlast­ingly, as it is written, Matth. 25. and sundry other places.