Prophecy faith not fimply, The Tribes, Lan- Part 2. guages and Nations; but they of the Languages, Tribes and Nations, i. e. fome chofen and elected out of the Nations; the faithfull scattered in all the Nations of Europe, fhall hinder the burial, and total deftruction of the Reformation in France.

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Nevertheless,this does not wholly exclude those among the Tribes, Languages and Nations, who are not Eled. For 'tis probable, that all Europe fhall contribute to hinder France from executing her defign of extirpating the Truth. But this figni fies, that the Reformed and the true Christians fhall awaken Europe, (as well that part which is Roman Catholick, as that which is Proteftant) to oblige it to look to it felf and its own fafety. Languages, The ene Tribes and Nations, always fignify feveral Peoples, France shal and never one only people. Thus it is evident by hinder the this Prophecy, that the people who are neighbours of the deftroying to Frances nay, thofe who are diftant from her, formation. fhall stop her in this furious defign, of destroying the Reformed Religion. But after what manner they fhall binder her, this Prophecy fpeaks not; perhaps. it fhall be, by caufing fome trouble to France, during which the perfecuted faithful ones fhall have opportunity of breathing, and of giving a new birth to the Truth. We thall quickly know whe ther God is preparing this already; all the Proteftants every where, have united their Interefts; and it cannot be doubted, this good understanding be tween them which appears, is owing unto the perfecution in France. The houfe of Auftria it felf begins to understand its true Intereft. There is ground to hope, that the late Truce, which gave opportunity for this perfecution will not be calm enough to give the Perfecutors leafure wholly to Kk 3

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Part 2. extinguish the Truth. Perhaps, it fhall be by another Method, that the feveral Nations shall binder the ruin of the Reformation in France. Without doubt, they do fomething toward it, by the fhelters and fuccors, which they afford to the fugi tives, and particularly to the Paftors, whom God referves, that they may again kindle the torch of the Doctrine of Truth.

Yea, in France it felf, which is the street of the great City, God will preferve a number of the faithfull, who fhall hinder the burial of the two witneffes, and the utter perifhing of the Truth. There have been perfecutions, in which the Truth hath been as it were quite funk to the bottom, and buried in certain places. This muft not happen in this last perfecution. The truth will be oppreffed; yea, fuppreffed: but it shall be most clearly difcerned, and those who shall hold it in their hearts, fhall be moft evidently seen and known. As in dead bodies unburied they are dead, and yet men do fee them as clearly as if they were alive. This perfecution fhall not come as far as a final fuppreffion of the Truth as happened in the time of the Albigenfes, when not only the Witnesses were killed, but were buried, and difappear'd for feveral Ages for tho fome of them being difperfed did preferve, and carry the Truth into feveral defert places; nevertheless, the body of them was buried, and difappeared in the streets of the popish Kingdom; which fhall not happen in this last perfecution.

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And they that dwell upon the Earth shallrejoyce over them, and shallfend gifts one to another, becaufe thefe two Prophets tormented them that dwell upon the Earth. Obferve it well; thefe are not the fame with those who hindred the dead bodies of thetwo

witnesses from being buried. Thofe are called, Part They of the people, and kindred, and tongues: thefe are called, They that dwell upon the Earth: the former hindred the burial out of piety; these rejoyce over their death out of impiety. In this whole Prophefy, the Earth always fignifies the territories and extent of the papacy and Antichriftian Kingdom. They are the Inhabitants of these territories of the Antichriftian Kingdom, who rejoyce. At this day we fee this Prophecy fulfilled. Popery triumphs every where; yea, they who live in Proteftant States are full of hopes, to fee quickly their Religion uppermoft, and nothing is more arrogant and infulting than their carriage. But in a few years, they fhall fee their pride brought very low; which we are about to fhew in the following Chapter.

CHAP. XIII.

The refurrection of the two Witnesses. The Reformation shall within a few years rife again in FRANCE after that, it shall be eftablisht by Royal Authority. FRANCE shall renounce Popery, and that Kingdom, shall be converted.

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He bodies of the two Witnesses must remain dead only three days and a half, and after these three days and a half, the spirit of life from God shall enter into them, and they shall and upon their feet. In my Preind. against PoI fixed these three days and a half, upon Kk 4.

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Part 2. that fpace of time which lafted from the Council of Bafil, and deftruction of the Taborites, untill Luther: during which time it seem'd as if the witnesses had been dead: But I have wholly abandoned that conjecture, after I had seriously confidered it. First, because in that space of time, the Witnesses were buried as well as flain; 'tis true, there continued fome remainders of Calixtins in Bohemia, but they deferve not to be reckoned as a body: Again, 'tis not ufual in Scripture to take a broken number, as this of three years and a half, to denote an uncertain and indefinite number, as I obferved above: fo that I am perfwaded, that these three days and a half, are three years and a half; a day ftanding for a year, as the three years and a half are 1260 years taking a year for a day. 'Tis therefore three yearsd a half, during which the external profeffion of the Truth must be altogether fuppreffed; and after which it shall be rais'd again to life. And as I reject my own notions, I would not that any should embrace those of Dr. More, who hath lately wrote upon the Revelation. He will have the three days and a half here to fignify the fame thing, which the three years and a half do, viz. 1260 years of the reign of Antichrift. But truly, he did not well confider this point, when he wrote this; First, this would be an affected and very profound obfcurity: after he had reduced the 1260 years, to 1260 days, which make three years and a half, then to reduce the fame 1260 years to three days and a half. We cannot find an example, where the Holy Ghoft fets forth the fame space of time, and in the fame place, after fo different a manner. But above all, we must take notice, that the Holy Ghoft does here in a moft exact manner diftinguish these four things. 1. The preaching of

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the Witnesses, they shall prophefy cloathed in fack- Part 3. cloth. 2. The death of the Witneffes; and after this, their bodies lye dead in the freet of the great City. 3. The duration of their Prophecy and teftimony, they fhall prophefy cloathed in fackcloth 1260 days. 4. And lastly, the duration of their death; they shall fee their dead bodies in the freess of the City three days and a half. He that will con found the two laft of thefe, viz. the 1260 years, and the three days and a half, must also confound the two firft, viz. the prophesying cloathed in fackcloth, and the lying dead in the freet of the City: but certainly, nothing is more different then to prophefy, and to lye dead: at leaft, it must be fuppofed, that the Witnesses prophefy while they are dead. For their prophefying and their death, being exactly fixed on the fame period, denoted by 1260 days, and by three days and a half, they muft happen at the fame time. But how can it enter into any mans head, that dead men can prophefy? And who fees not, that their death does imply a ceffation, and interruption of their tefti mony? But what need is there to reafon about this thing, when the Text faith exprefly and in plain words, that the death of the Witnesses must not happen, untill after their prophefying, and their witness-bearing 1260 days? And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they shall prophefy a thoufand two hundred and threescore days, cloath ed in fackcloth. And when they shall have finish'd their teftimony, the Beast, &c. shall kill them. And their bodies shall lye dead three days and a half. There needs no commentary, to let us fee that here is fpoken of a perfecution, that muft happen at the end of the 1260 years, in which the faithful, who dwell within the bounds of the Babylonian King..

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