o Jude 16. v. Zach: 4. to send both soul and body down unto Sheoll for ever, without redresse and all hope of recovery. But your hour, and the power of darknesse, is known what it is, either to have mens persons in admiration, because of advantage [] or else to seek all occasions against them to brand them with all manner of reproach and ignominy; but for the truth taught dayly in the Temple, you know not how to stretch out your hand or exercise your ministery against it, least it become leprous, and you take it back again with losse, when it appears dryed and withered: and wherefore reason ye amongst your selves, saying we exercise the power of our ministrations against none but such as are Delinquents, whereby we clear the innocent, and establish peace in our borders; (we demand) what think you of those two witnesses prophesying in sackcloth a thousand two hundred and three- PRevel. 11. score dayes, [P] those two Olive trees and Candlesticks standing before the God of the earth? are these guilty and vile persons out of whose hands by the power of your ministery, you are delivering and releasing the world? then indeed are your wayes justifiable: But if these be the just, chosen, and peculiar friends of God, yea, such as without which his truth and righteousnesse are not justified, his wisdome and holynesse maintained and upheld in the world, in point of salvation by Christ; then are your ways wicked and to be abhorred; for in your professed course, you are they by whom they are slain and put to death, and all your glory is to keep their Corps unburied in your streets, and yet you know not what you are do ing, no more then you know what these witnesses That is, by are whom you are altogether ignorant of; for what light your libraries never saw them (and you see not they find in but by their eyes) for these are two, and never works. more, nor yet lesse, yea ever the same, they are r Isai. 39. 1, 2. Olive trees, else no witnesses, and also Candle- & Which comprehend his sticks, else both the former fail, yea, are not at all: Kingdom and we must tell you what these are, else we cannot Priesthood set declare how ye kill them: for it is not our intent to in Joshua the open unto you the house of the treasures, the sil- high Priest & ver and the gold, the spices and the precious oint- Zorobabel in ૧ other mens forth unto us their return ment, nor the house of our armor () because ye out of Babylon take all as execrable, and put all to a prophane use, to re-edifie the that cometh from us: But these two witnesses are the Temple; as in life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ [] or (in the Zechary the true language of heaven also) the strength and the chapters. third and fourth weaknesse weaknesse of Christ: for he was crucified through 1 2 Cor. 13. 4. weaknesse, but liveth by the power of God ['], This is the Word of the Lord in Zorobabel, not by an army, nor by power (and so deprives him of all strength) but by a spirit that the greatest mountain or loftiest hill in the world cannot stand before, but becomes a plain, which with facility and ease he passeth upon: hence it is that he doth not only lay the top, or the head stone of all, but also the lowest in the foundation, and then onely is the voice of shouting heard, Grace, grace, in the house for ever: and then doth the day of smal things become the day of joy and triumph, yea of parting the rich spoils and prey of all the world: for then he that doth but turn and lift up his eyes, he cannot look besides that great flying book of the Curse that is gone forth over the n Zech.5.1,2,3. whole earth ["] without these two witnesses joyntly uttering themselves in every particular Scripture undertaken to be divulged by any, no evidence nor testimony of God is given or brought in at all, but a meer refuge of lyes, for the souls of men to betake themselves unto (") without these w Isa. 28. 15. two pipes of the Olive trees, emptying into the bowl of the Candlesticks, no unction nor oyl at all is found in them, and that being wanting the light of the sanctuary is gone out, so that the light appearing amongst you is onely the light of Baalam whose eye was open, which you may read either Shethum, or Sethums, for that opening is nothing else but the shutting up of the holy things of God, so that in seeing ye see not, [] but communicate only in the light of that beast who puts the witnesses to death as Baalam did in the sight of that dumm beast of his, whose eyes were so opened as y Isa. 6. 9, 10. z Revel. 11. 7. to see the Angell before him a: So that while a Num. 22. you think it is our wisdome to stoop unto you for That is before light we never come amongst you, but see our Balam, so that selves in a regiment of gross and palpable darkthe beast and nesse, and discern you very plainly how you scraBalam have ble the same light the wall to find the door of Lots house upon & look. and cannot, as also how you toil your selves to b Gen. 19. 11. climb up into the sheepfold another way yea so many other wayes, and have no sight nor discerning of the door at all, by the which whose ver entreth becomes a true feeder of the flock, yea none entreth in thereat but the true shepherd himselfe. Most impious it is to put to death two such noble witnesses that have power to Which sig nifies either 4. 25.27. c Joh. 10. 1, 2, 3. c shut e the two wit g h shut heaven that it rain not in the dayes of their prophesying, to turn waters into blood, and to smite the earth with all manner of plagues as oft as they wild, d Revel. 11. 6. whom that spirit that is amongst you kils on this Being one of wise. The life and power of the Son of God as nesses before above, which is infinite, not admitting of circum- noted, or his scription or contenent, for the heaven of heavens power and kingly authocannot contain him; f yet have ye not dared to rity. grasp and inviron that power in the heavens, and f1 Kings 8. 27 therefore have resolved and concluded, that hee 2 Chron. 2. 6. only rules upon the earth in these dayes, by his Deputies, Lieutenants, and Visegerents, whereby you limit, (5) and so destroy the holy one of Israel, & Psal. 78, 41. for, give him, that in one time or place, which af terwards, or else where yee deny unto him, and you which is his make a nullitie of him unto your selves, and in so wherein he Priesthood, doing, you kill the other witnesse, namely the death deprives himor weaknesse of the Lord Jesus, (h) for you must selfe of all have man to be honourable, learned, wise, expe- or strength of power of man, rienced, and of good report, else they may not rule the arme of amongst you; yea, and these things are of man, and flesh: i Psalme 22, 6 by man, as, Peeres in that they only officiate so, as k Revel. 11. 8, man may disanull and take it away againe, witnesse 9, 10. your change of officers, constantly speaking for us? That is, if herein; thus have you slaine also, the Death, or God, and the the weaknesse of Christ, who professeth himselfe weaknesse & to be a worme and no man, [] the shame and frailty of man contempt of the people, and these faithfull and so slaine, as to true witnesses thus slaine, you must of necessitie be stil kept as deny buriall, and keepe them both in your streets, dead in sight [k] in open view, otherwise all your pompe and could not the glory fals to the dust ['] whence it came, and on power and which it feeds, [m] nor can send your presents one glory of the to an other, of your acts of Justice, power to creature, (as pro- Visegerent, tect; wealth, honour, and friends, wherewith you unto the power gratifie one another: And where these are thus and glory of slaine, and their corps lye in open view, none of God in his abthe Gentiles, peoples, tongues, and kindreds, suf- set up, and fering their corps to be put in grave, ["] there is made known. that great Citie which spiritually is called Sodom, Revel. 11, 8, and Egypt, where our Lord is crucified: But after 9, 10, 11. three dayes and an halfe the spirit of life, from God, shall enter into them, and they shall stand up, upon their the power of should not be sence) be seen m Gen. 3, 14. n feet, 2, 3. Rom. 3. 9. to 19. q Matt. 5. 34. to 38. r Mat. 5. 27, 28. feet, to the terrour of you all: Nor doe you thinke, that wee only inveigh against the great ones of the world, for thus doing; for wee know, that the greatest of the Princes of this world, hath the very same spirit, wherewith the basest Peasant, hath laid himselfe open in the view of all the world, and the basest Peasant, hath the same spirit, with the greatest of the Princes of this world. (9) These wee say, are the two wito Ephes. 2, 1, nesses, if you can receive it (P) and what dishonour is it to trade so much by meanes of witnesses, and yet know not what a true witnesse is, which if you p Matt. 11. 14. did, you durst not attempt the things yee doe, whereby you cast reproach upon all the world, in that you professe your selves a choice people pickt out of it, and yet you goe on with such practises as you doe, maintaining them as your only glory. Our Lord gives you in charge, not to sweare at all, [] but it is your dignity to bring men to your seats of Justice, with nothing but caths in their mouths; why doe you not ballance the Scriptures in this point? It hath beene said of old, thou shalt not commit Adultery, but I say unto you, hee that looketh on a Woman to lust after her, hath committed Adultery with her in his heart already. [] So also, it hath been said of old, thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe, but I say unto you, sweare not at all: So that if it bee Adultery to looke to lust, it is also forswearing of a mans selfe, to sweare at all; if one be Adulterie, the other is Perjury; if one be admitted in some cases, the other also; so that in preaching the Toleration, nay the duty of an oath, you preach the toleration, yea, the dutie of adulterie it selfe: So that our Lord plainely evinceth unto all mens consciences, not only the guilt, but the folly and madnesse of the oath of man, to shew how farre it is from investing into place, or demonstrating causes. So that hee that concludeth upon honour and power, received from the oath of man, or upon knowledge, and boldnesse to judge, in a cause from that Testimonie, without the which hee could not have it, is as vaine in his thoughts, as if hee should hereupon conclude, I have now altered the frame of Heaven, which is no lesse stable then the Throne of the great God, or demolished the earth, which is as firme as his Foot-stoole for ever, or made a fraction in the orders of lerusalem, that choice and peculiar Citie of the great King, whose institutions no mortall breath can intrench upon, or to professe his authority and skill to be such, whereby hee can make a haire of his head black s Psal. 103. black or white, viz. cause his age to wax old as a garment, or renew it with the Eagle at his plea- 5. sure, [] hereby doth man in this point of swearing, professe his folly to be such, that he is become not onely vaine in his imaginations, but to that pride and usurpation therein, as to intrude himselfe into the Prerogative Royall of his Maker, so that howsoever ye boast of the Ordinances of God, yet hee tels you, there is no more then yea yea, and nay nay in them; for that which is once nay is ever nay, in the ordination of Christ; and what is once yea, is ever yea with him, and according to his account (howsoever man reckoneth, whose accounts shall be called over againe) what is once the curse, is ever the curse, and that which is once the Principality and power of Christ, is ever the principalitie and power of Christ; as that which is once the principalitie and power of darknesse is ever the saine, what hands soever it comineth into: for inanifestation, measure your Kingdome whether it be eternall, and your jurisdiction whether it be eternall, and your jurisdiction whether it be illimited, for hee hath given him the Heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession, [] and a Kingdome of lesse extent hee professeth u Hebr. 3, 15. not, nor can he approve or acknowledge any that t Psal. 2. 8. do; no more then light can approve of darknesse, or the Lord lehovah of the lord Baal. Be wise therefore and bethinke your selves, while it is called to day, harden not your hearts, ["] as though you would make your selves Meribba, nothing but strife and contention against the Lord; rather kisse the Sonne, if it be possible, lest his wrath kindle, and you perish from the way for ever: Oh blessed onely they that hope in him, (w) so that hee which pro- w Psal. 2. 12. fesseth on this wise, it is yea, I am a Pastor, but it was nay; at such a time I was none at all; hee renounceth that spirit of the true Pastor, yea, the only Feeder of Israel, but professeth that spirit only that pusheth the weake with the horne, and pudleth with his feet the waters where the flocke of God should drink. [*] He with whom it is yea, I x Ezekiel 34. am a Ruler, but it was nay, when I was none, re19, 20, 21. nounceth that spirit of him that rules in Righteousnesse, () professing the spirit of him that rules y Isaiah 32, 1. according to the god of this world, that Prince of the power of the ayre, who is now working so effectually in the children of disobedience; (2) so also, z Ephes. 2. 2. he with whom it is yea, I am a Captain or chiefe slaughter-man : |