of the R EV EL A T I 0 N . fpccial Company allo of the Nations, and Tongues, and Kindreds. For it is ~ not (tid, that [ail] Natiom, Ki11dredJ, a11dTongueJ, &c.. (as m the 13th Chap-~ tcr, when PoptEY was m m firft he1g__ht und1lcovered, It IS f:ud,. that ~nuchrift had power over Lail J NttTOIIJ a11d ]o11guu, &c.) Nor IS 1t iatd [7~e Nation1], &c. but [tbey J of the Nation1], or [ fome of the Nation1 J [ Co-< T.£v '-•· Zv 1 w:l q;ui\Zv, x.a! yl\&J6"(f(.j~, xetl te\·~v, &c. J and not [all J li1 thofe l(indred.r, and PeopieJ, and N"tiom, among whom thelc Witneifes arc. And lo the Phrale of Speech ferves fitly to note out a contradiftinct, Cpecial Party, or Company; even the Protcftant Party, who are not tn all Nauons; netther arc they all univcrlally Proteftams in thofe Nations where the Gofpel is preached and profdfed. But only fume Nations are Proteftant, and but tome in, and of thole Nations. And lo the mention of them here may come in to !hew what part they !hould phy in this Tragedy. For this killing the Witneifes, falling out in an Age, when fo many among the Nations, do in Heart ftill continue of the lame Religion with the Witnefies; the enquiry would be, What will they do ? Will they endure it when it !hall come to li.1ch extremity? Will they not put to their hand to help the Witneifes of their own Religion ? No, (lays the Angel here) they foul/ fie their De•d Bodies, and not Jitjfor tbem to be put in Graves. r. It is f.1id, They fba/1 fie their dead Bodiu lie in the Street, or publick Mark!t· pl.n·e, (as the word may allo fignify ). Which their fo publick lying in fuch a Place, notes out the grcateft fcorn put upon them by their Enemies, that may be. And yet thefc behold them as Friends that have no heart to help them, and fo will not once flir to rdieve them ; but like ftanders-by, and meer lookers-on, arc !hie, and lift not to intermeddle in their killing, one way nor other. They frand aloof off, as Men ule to do from Malefactors Executed, although they be Friends and Well-willtrs to them; or as Men that pars by, and go on the other fide of the Street, when they fee a dead Carka(s lying before them. Thus the Phrafe [jeei11g them J is alto ufed in Scripture, and porticularly in this Book. For thus when the Whet! is turned about, and after this, Rome's turn comes to be burnt, her Friends, the Kings of the E"rth, that !hall in Heart ftill cleave un– ·to her, are de(cribcd as fianders aloof off, and Spectators that [fee J her Smo4e, (as Abraha11t did the Smoke of Sodom): So chap. 17. 9, ro. and 18. And thus it may be, The[cof tf,.'Peoples, Kindred1, To11gue~, and Nation1, who have ta· ken part with thefe Wimeifes formerly, !hall now not dare to do it, but frand af.u· otf (as it were) and pars by and lee them kill'd, and not have Hearts to h~lp rhem. This the Phrale [feeing them J may import. Or further, it may be f.1id, that Thofe of the Peopiei, Kindred!, &c. !hould fie tbem, in that tH'efe Witneffes !hould be driv.en out among thofe 'PeopieJ, Ni11011J, &c. and !hould fly unto them for refuge and help. And fo (in the fecond Place) that which follows, may come in as a further degree of inhumanity, which thefe their 6Ife Friends !hould !hew to them, which !hall be added umo the Indignities put upon them by their Enemies, fo to make the calamity and diftrefs of thefe Witneifes the more compleat. Name– ly, that thefe their Friends, of the Proteftant Party, !hould be fo far overcome and prevailed upon by the Power and Dread of the Papifts, that they !hall de– ny thcfe Witncifes all help and !helter which they !hall leek for, and all thofe common Offices of Friend!hip and Humanity which might be expected from them. Thofe that are Friends, ule to bury the dead Bodies of thofe whole Lives they could not refcue out of the Hands of their Common Enemies; but thtfe here !hall be fo h\r from helping the Witneifes, that they Jball not foffir them to be lmried among them, or to be laid in Gravu; which are here metapho– rically put for Refting-places, where they might be !heltered from rhe !ham~, contempt, and indignities impaled on them by their intuiting Enemies, who now were compleat Vi[l:ors over them. And thus the Allufion herein may be unto the Sufferings of Chrift, who though he .had a great Porty of the People for him, crying, Hofonna i11 tbe Highijt; yet thofe very Jews were fo far prevailed upon by the PharifeC!, (when they once had Chrift down in their Power) as to cry with tbe refr, Crucijj hint, Cmcijj /;im, and to run out in Troops to fie him executed. So Luk! 2 3. 35· Y Tf.e
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