of the R EV EL A T I 0 N. 1 55 it begins to be) that for that ver~ Caufe, thele Friends of theirs may fo far in- "-A.f""l rerpofe, ss to hinder the urter exrmchon, or the Bunal of them, wholly under-~ ground (as it were), as hoping that thiS Nonon grven out of rhetr Refurretl:ion, after three Years and an half, may prove true, as the Difciples hoped of Chrifl's R.efurretl:ion all the while that he lay in the Grave. And whereas it may be thought, that becaufe the Holy Ghofl fingleth out this one lafl Killing, and inf'cancerh in it alone, above all thole other that have . fiJre-gone it throughout the Beafl's whole Reign, ~although he bath made many War~ againfl, and Slaughters of the Wrmeffes rn former Trmes); that there– fore this fhould be the worll and fharpefl:; therr Anfwer hereunto IS, That this killing of themhere, is rhus particularly and alone mentioned, in another refpetl: ;– namely, as it isthe Signal of the Pope's Ruin: and fo, that this argues not rhe forenefs of this their \art Killing above any foregoing. This is that which ufeth ro be laid for this Opinion. Bur for my part, I think it cannot be denied, but that, I. This lying Dead here ofthefe Witneffes,mufl needs be Metaphorically meant, and underftood of fuch a Civil Death, and of a fuppre!Iion of them and their Caufe, and, ,15 they are Witne.!Jis, to be fo put down and extinguifh'd, that they, fur a Time, remain as Men laid forth by the Walls for dead, and as Men in whofe Teftimony there is in appearance no Life, or likely-hood of a Revival their Enemies having now got fltch a Power over them. This is certain!)' mad~ the great Matter of their Enemies rejoicing; that as the Pharifees they had Chrill: fure enough when they got him condemned and crucified, and had him in the Gr.1ve: fo thefe their Enemies. fhall think they have the WitnelTes down fure enough for ever; fo great, defperate, and helplels in all view, will the fuppref. fion uf the Wimeffes by thefe their Enemies be, And this was principally in– tendeJ; in their being C1id to lie dead. And oppofitely, the revival of them and their Caufe, is let forth by a Refimeflion from the Dead. And to this purpofe there may be fomething in t.hat Phrafe in Da11iel, when the Angel, !peaking (as I take it) of this laft War of the Beaft, lays, He }hall acromplijb to fcatter the Power of the Holy 'People; as noting out rather the dif. folving their Pmver tH Witne.!Jis, than kjlling them as Men. So that what-ever Proceedings the Power of their Enemies may reach unto, further to kill or mar– tyr the Natural Bodies of thefe Wimeffes; yet this is the Thing eminently held forth in this Metaphorical Expreffion, and therein eminently intended. That the Caufe and Tei'limony of thefe Wimeffes fbould be as defperate and hopelefs, withom any appearance of Life. And the Holy Ghoft would have us take no– tice, that their Enemies prevailing fhould fo far reach. But yet withal (in the fecond place) I am notwithftanding afraid, left that fo great a Victory over them, and fuppreffion of them as WimelTes, fhould alfo be followed with great effufion of Blood, and with martyring many of them. And although this their lying dead, and rijing again, be metaphorically meant and intended, to let out the defperatenefs of their Caufe and Teftimony, and fo, to illuftrate that glorious Revival of theirs afterward : yet thole other foregoing words, [He fballiJtakg War againfl them, overcome them, and kj/1 them J may im• port fun her Proceedings, by which they got this compleat Victory. I confefs I am afraid of thole many Metaphors; left this fame Killing mentioned after Over– coming,!hould not be meant really and properly offome further Cruelty in Ene• mtes fo malicious, when they have got the Power in their own Hands. For if th~ intent of that word [ Ki//i,g J were to exprels their fuppreffion only as Wrtndfcs, that word [Overcoming J had then been fufficient to import it. Sure I am, m the qth Chapter, (where the rage and utmoft cruelty which the Beall: fhould at any time, through his whole Reign, exercife againft the Saints, is fo prophtfied of) all that cruelty of their Enemies, which proceeded to fo great Slaughters of them, is expreffed in the fame words that here, [ a11d it was given him to [mak!; Wal"] againft the Saints, and to [overcome] them], verC 7· And yet under thole two Expreffions (whereas here are Three [Killing] being ad• ded) are contained all thofe bloody Executions and Butcherings of the Saints, by Martyrdom and Death; which afterwards, in the 10th Verfe of that Chap• tcr, is more fully exprclled, when it is faid, He that [~Ifs] with the Sword, X J tm':ft ' ·
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