{ Here is a manifeſt Alluſion to Zechariah's Viſion; Z ech. 43,11, 14. though with ſome little difference. He faw a Candleſtick all of Gold, with a Bowl upon the top of it, and his ſeven Lamps thereon, and ſeven Pipes.to. the ſeven Lamps which were upon the top thereof < and two Olive-trees by. 1t, one upon the right fide of the Bowl, and ano+ ther upon the left ſide thereof, verſe 12. The Anpel-tells him, that. theſe two Olrve-branches , 'which through the two- Golden Pipes did empty. the Golden Oyl out 'of themſelves, were the "two anointed ones { or the two'Sons of - Oyl ] that : ſtood by the Lord of the whole Earth. By which ſome underftand Zerobabel and Foſhna ; ſome; thoſe god- ly Magiftrates and Prieſts, which after the Captivity the Jewiſh Church ſhould have, and prefigured a Goſpel-Miniſtry, who being filled with Knowledge and Grace, ſhould feed' the Lord's Church ( as, Paſtors after his own heart ) with Wiſdom and Underſtanding, from the Gifts and Graces of God's Holy Spirit, which they ſhould re- ceivez. which further confirmeth me, thatby the #wo Witneſſes, verſe 3. we are to underſtand a godly Magiſtracy and Miniſtry ;” ( or rather the latter only, to whom Propheſying moſt ſtrifly agreeth ) and who have a- more ſpecial Relatton to the Candlefticks here mention- ed, by-which' Churches are meant, chap. 1. 20, m' In Zechariah's Viſion''was but-0ne Candleſtick,” How comes: here'a mention to be made of two'? Mr. Mede' confefſeth himſelf at a loſs here unleſs here -anothey Candleſtick be added to ſignifie the, Gentiles Conver- ſion to Chriſt, Others think that it denoteth "the ſmall number of Goſpel Churches that ſhould be left; | They | were reckoned ſeven, chap. 1. 20. here they are reduced to two. Poſſibly. it: may denote the different . ſtate of God's Church : In: the Old Teſtament God had but one Church, viz.” that of the Jews ; but now he hath many ' Churches, -and they are'i all fed | from faithful Miniſters, as ects pouring out their Oyl of Grace and Knowledge upon nem. .-i7 os Go tals Gs ! Bonnet E979 9!
5 And-if any -maty witthurt "them 7, fire proceed- eth out of” their mouth; -and devoureth their ene- mies 0, and if any man .will hurt them, he muſt in this manner be killed; ©. ting |
n_ "That is; my faithful Miniſters, ' the two Olive-branches before-
accord1 a to Zecharieh's Viſion before-mentioned; and the Revelation of the Willof God in it, chap. 4. 6. Not by, Might, nor by Power, but
It is certain, the Apoſtles had a miraculous Power, but they rare- ty
Chap. Xl,
Chap. þ + I:
2F, Zech.14.2.
* Ch. 17. I, 5.
REVELATION
ly uſd it, but in doing Goodl fo Men ; Anantas and Saphira indeed were ſtruck dead upon their Word, As 5. and Elymas the Sor- ccrer was ſtruch blind by them ; but this Power is long ſince ceaſed. Mr. Mede underſtands this Power of the Keys of Do&rine, and Church-cenjures the Miniſters of the Goſpel ſhould be intruſted wth; fo as they ſhould not preach the Goſpel unto ſuch as contemned their Miniſtry, by the with-holding of which means of Grace; alſo they would be deprived of the Dew of heavenly Grace. And, in- deed, this ſeemeth more proper than to underſtand it of the Keys of Diſcipline; for what Power of this Nature have Miniſters over thoſe who are without? I take a general Explication to be the beſt. If any hurt them, God ſhall revenge their Cauſe, not only by ſpi- ritual, but by temporal Judgments, bringing all manner of Eyvils upon their Adverſaries. They are ſaid to have Power to do it, nM God will do it in the Revenge of the Injuries done unto tnem,
7 And when they ſhall have finiſhed their teſtimo-
. ny /; * the beatt that aſcendeth out of the bottomlels
pit z, F ſhall make war againſt them z, and ſhall over-
come them, and kill them «.
{ *Oray r9fawnr;, Mr. Mede notes, that this is ill tranſlated by the Preterperſe& Tenſe : The true Engliſh of it is, when they ſhall be abrut to finiſh their Teſtimony: When they have prophefied 1n Sackcloth the moit of their twelve hundred and fixty Years, they ſhall niect with u/timum conatam Antichriſti, the laſt ſtruggle of the Beaſt for life. t That is, the Beaſt mentioned, chap. 13. 1, 4+ (by which the Papacy is meant, whom they have plagued all the time of their Prophecy, though continual Sufferers from it) « ſhall get Life again, and make one Puſh more, poſſibly the ſharpeſt yet made, w and be too hard for them, and kill them. It 1s a great Queſtion, Whether this be to be underſtood of taking away their natural Lives, or of a civil Death relating to them as Witneſſes, ma- king them as if they were naturally dead. - The latter of theſe ſeemeth to me much the more probable, for theſe reaſons ; 1. Sup- poſing the godly Magiſtracy, or Miniſtry, or the latter alone, to be the two Witneſſes, it doth not ſeem probable that ever the Pa- pacy ſhall fo far prevail, as to kill all ſuch over the Face of the whole Church. 2. Neither is the Holy Ghoſt here ſpeaking of them as Men, but as Witneſſes. 3. Nor would either Friends or Ene- mies ſuffer dead Bodies to be unburied three Days and an half, in the Street of a great City, as v. 8, 9. 4 Neither is their Reſur- retion mentioned, v. 11. to be underſtood of a corporal Reſur- reftion. I take therefore the killing here mentioned, to be under- ſtood of a deſtroying them as Witnefles, turning magiſtrates out of their Places, and Miniſters out of their Places; thouzh it be not probable that ſach a Malice and Hatred as ſhould cauſe this, ſhould terminate without the Blood of fome of them ; but that ſurely is not the thing principally here intended. |
$ And their dead bodies /h4// //e mm the ſtreet of * the great city, which ſpiritually is called Sodom and
Egypt x, where alſo our Lord was crucifed y.