of the RE V EL A T I 0 N. s E c T. I I. The _.ms of the Witmjfer ; firft i11 t!Je darkeft Times of Popery, with– holding the Rain, What? Next i11 the Times of Separatio11 from fo– pery, in the time firft Vials, verf. 6. THisbeing Premifed, to the end that you might know what Times to refer thefe unto; I come now particularly to explain thefe feveral Exploits here againfl: their Enemies, and that g.reat Service they ~o for God all this long Time of their Prophecy. Whtch fervtceable Acts of thelfS have a double Afpect. 1. Towards their Enemies. 2. Towards the Temple, the Church of God. Or they may be divided, according to the feveral Times in which thefe Services were performed. As, · 1. What in this lafl: Age they were to do before their killing, and now when the T emple is meafured, and the Outward Court to be troden down : and this in the 4th and stb Verfcs. And, 2. what in the former Ages of their Prophecy they had alto done; which is laid down verf 6. . . And this Divi!ion you will here fee to fall in accordmgto that Divi!ion which I made of thefe Times, Chap. I 4· and in the Vials. For the firft, What they did to their Enemies : And,. r. What they did againfl them in the days fore· going this latter Age, wherein 'John is fuppofed to ftand. Which ACts of theirs are fet forth in the fixth %~ . 1. And thofe were either done in thofe firfl: Times of all, even in the darkeft Times of Popery, when the 144000 ftood on Mount Sion without a Temple, and when Idolatry overfpread the World, (Chap. 14· from the beginning of it, unto verf. 6.) Then thefe Witneifes did fhut Heaven, that it rained not ; which in the Allu!ion refers to the Times of Ahab, as the fitteft Type of thefe firft Times. For that Exploit carries us unto what Elias then in like manner did, when he brought that Curfe on the Land for their Idolatry, That it rained not. When alfo the Church was fo [mall, that EliM thought himfelf alone ; and when Ahab, and his Priefl:s of Baal (that is, the Pope and his Mafs·Priefl:s) ruled all the World. But hereby is Ggnified, that then thefe Prophets had this Privi!edg, to have true Grace only, and the Dews and Influence of Heaven to come down upon themfdves, to have a Truth of Doctrine among them to ftve them ; which fell not into the Knowledg and Hearts of thefe Prief!s of Baal; (you heard, Chap. I 4· 3· that they had a peculiar Song unto themfelves which none elfe could learn). Now all thefe Dews of Grace, and Saving Do: chine, were reftrained and with-held from thole Idolaters, as a jufl: curfe upon them for their Apoftacy. Or, 2. in the Times fucceeding, next to thefe firft Times ; that is, fi·om and after the Times of their Separation from Popery, and upon their coming out of that Egypt. Then, as Mofes and Atron, they execute the like Plagues to thofe of theirs on Egypt, even the three firft Vials, which are therefore alfo mentioned in this 6th Verfe; (for which I refer you to the 16th Chapter). And thefe are the Days of that Separation of Churches from Antichrift, and firlt R.eformatton, fet forth in the 14th Chapter. T SECT, "-A..F'' Chap. 5· ~
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