A Scripture Line of Time, Treatise · Part 2 · Section 7
SECT. VII.
In which is given the deſcription of the other Beaſt, and his firſt Adminiſtration; of the Witneſſes and their firſt manner of Teſtimony, both before the Beaſt's forty two Months; with the Anſwer of an Objection, and Reflections upon this Interval.
IN theſe Enquiries I have now explain'd, whatever I can conceive needful from the Beginning of the Trumpets to the forty two Months of the Beaſt, except the Delineation of that, which the Prophecy calls the other Beaſt, under whoſe Conduct the Gentiles were brought into the outer Court and Holy City, ſo far as the Action of that other Beaſt led to the grand Apocalyptick Beaſt.
And to inlighten this Interval of Time the more, viz. from the Apoſtaſie beginning in the 1260 Days at 437, unto the Beaſts 42 Months 475, I find it moſt convenient to conſider moſt accurately the State of the Witneſſes, as Prophecy hath given any Light to the pointing of the Time of their whole Teſtimony, and diſtinguiſhing the various States of it: which Method I will endeavour to follow through this whole Line of Time; viz. to obſerve the Advances and Declinations of the Beſtian Kingdom, and to adjuſt thereunto the Declinations and Deſcents of the Witneſſes into the deepeſt of their obſcure State, and their Re-advances till their Reſurrection and Aſcenſion: for the one and the other States riſe and fall alternately; whoſe motion herein, the Woman, the Church was exactly conform'd to, being indeed the very ſame one with another, except the Notion of Single and Collected, Single in the Witneſſes, Collected in the Church, as before ſaid. But becauſe the Action eſpecially was ſuſtain'd by the Seed, or the Witneſſes, the Line of that Action is moſt particularly drawn over them, the Witneſſes.
I begin then with the other Beaſt: but I will adventure to lay no ſtreſs upon the Word foreign, or Another, as if it did neceſſarily imply Another Order, or a various Sub-ſpecification of theſe two Beaſts; becauſe I find this Word foreign or foreign, may be, according to this Prophecy, ſignificant of no more than a numerical, individuating Difference. But yet that theſe two are ſo different, ſo ſolemn, and great, ſo momentouſly different Iconiſms, as are given of each of them, and their Action by the holy Spirit ſufficiently argue.
That we may then have the perfect Pourtracture of this other Beaſt, who manag'd all things from the Beginning of the Apoſtacy, during the wounded State of the Grand Beaſt in one, viz. the ſixth of its Heads, call'd the Dragon, and the Infancy of the Grand Beaſt, viz. as united to its ſeventh Head, call'd in this Prophecy moſt often, The Beaſt; We may thus behold Him the other Beaſt, ſo far as his Deſcription reaches, while the Grand Beaſt lay wounded, which was till the forty two Months began: by which great Preparation will be made to underſtand that Grand Beaſt.
1. This other Beast muſt, as Beast does every where in Prophecy, import a Body of Men under ſome Superiority of Power. I muſt here remember again, to except to the Tranſlation of the Four, not foreign, ſalvage Beaſts, but foreign, gentle Animals, or living Creatures, Revel. 4. and elſewhere, leaſt it ſhould cauſe any miſtake; but elſe both in Daniel and the Apocal. Beast does imply a People under, united to ſome Principality above: and becauſe here the Principality was in a Peerage or Ariſtocracy, it reſides in the two Horns.
2. Becauſe it is a Beaſt of Continuance, as plainly appears by its Action from the very Apoſtaſie to the Number of the Beast, viz. from 437 to 725; and after that to the very Deſtruction of the Beaſt and falſe Prophet; it muſt be a fluid, ſucceſſive Body, as other Prophetical Beaſts are.
3. The inward ſenſe of it muſt be a Body of Falſe Prophets under Chiefs, mitred Prophets; for all the marks of falſe Prophetiſm are upon them: this Beast therefore riſes low, mean, feeble, ſtilly out of the Earth, without warlike force, or noiſe: it works Miracles, pretends to call for Fire from Heaven, like Elias; that is, it threatens Men with the Wrath and Judgments of God; it deceives, it cauſed men to do by ſaying, or teaching. After its Adminiſtration, as a Beast, is paſt, becauſe ſwallowed up in the Grand Beſtianiſm, it is ſeveral Times call'd the Falſe Prophet, as being expreſſive of its very Eſſence, and wherein it is moſt nearly united to the Beast, Revel. c. 16. 13. c. 19 20. c. 20. 10.
4. It muſt be Antichriſtian; and ſeeing Antichriſtianiſm is a falſe, mock, abuſed Chriſtianity, it muſt have of Chriſtian alſo in it, elſe it could not be Antichriſtian; it hath therefore the Reſemblance of a Lamb in its two Horns: but it is Antichriſtian ſpecifickly, working by Fraud to ſurpriſe the Kingdom of Chriſt; ambitious, haughty, idolatrous, perſecutory, cruel, thirſting after blood; for it ſpake as a Dragon: altho therefore, it hath two Horns, like a Lamb, yet not the Lamb Chriſt Jeſus; for he hath ſeven Horns, Revel. 5. 6. agreeable to all the Apocalyptical Sevens, except the Dragon's, and the Beaſt's ſeven Heads: Seven, not becauſe They were ſymbolically, but literally ſeven Succeſſions of Government, as the Rev. 17.Womans ſeven Mountains.
5. Seeing the great Subject of the Apocalype is the Roman Empire in its laſt State, when the Kingdom of Chriſt was begun in the Goſpel, and to appear in Glory after that laſt State of the Roman Empire, the laſt of thoſe four Imperial Canales of Time; it muſt therefore be, that this pſeudo prophetical Beaſt under its two Horns is compounded of the upper and under, the dignified and inferiour Falſe Prophets of the Eaſtern and Weſtern Empire. And ſeeing we ſhall find, that the Grand Beast is Roman, it will thence appear, This Beast muſt be ſo, ſeeing its whole Miniſtry is about that Grand Beast, which is Roman.
6. It muſt be after the Grand Beaſt in ſome prophetical Reſpect or Notion of that Grand Beaſt, for it is call'd the firſt Beaſt in compare with this other Beaſt; yet this other Beaſt muſt be before it in regard of Action; for it does all for it; viz. It is after it, as the Grand Beaſt is one from its very Beginning, or Foundation of the Roman Empire, under its ſeven Heads ſucceſſively; it is after it in regard of Procuration, of the Cure of its Wound, of the Exerciſe of its Power, while it lay wounded: all which ſpeak it in being before this other Beaſt. But it is before this very grand Beaſt, as under its ſeventh Head; for it erects it into its Headſhip, by ſpeaking as a Dragon, by keeping alive the Beſtian Power, and in exerciſe while the ſixth Head lay wounded, till the VVound was heal'd by the ſeventh Head ſucceeding, and then it protected the Infancy, or low beginning of that ſeventh Head, as will be ſeen under the beginning of the forty two Months; to which it hath led us.
From the whole then, theſe two Things ariſe to our main Purpoſe: 1. That this other Beaſt muſt be the whole prophetick Office of the VVeſtern and Eaſtern Roman Empire under its Superiors, or Hierarchy, ſo far as it was grown Apoſtatical, Antichriſtian, and Pſeudo prophetick, or into falſe Prophecy, from the very beginning of the Apoſtacy at 437, to the end of it at 1697, and beyond that, in what State ſoever it ſhall be, till it is caſt into the Lake with the Beast. With this Exception, before the Beaſts coming to the Image, and Number of it ſelf, this Beaſt hath the Regency, and ſo the Type of a Beaſt; after that it ſubſides into bare falſe Prophetiſm, but ſuch as is inſeparable from the Beaſt, and the Beaſt from it; ſo that they rule together, but the Supremacy is in the Beaſt; and they fall, and are caſt into the Lake together.
2. The Action of this other Beaſt, till the forty two months, is its ſhaping its own Beſtianiſm, both into the Body under it, and its Superiority over its own Body. Its ſpeaking as a Dragon, and governing the Gentiles, who are call'd the Earth, and them that dwell therein, herein exerciſing the Power of the wounded Beaſt before him, viz. the former Paganiſh Beaſt,, that with all its Heads and Populacy, according to the prophetical Emblem, liv'd in a wounded State for want of a Beſtian Head, or Prince, from the Empire becoming Chriſtian, till the Antichriſtian King became its Head at the beginning of the forty two Months. And this other Beaſt guided them, rul'd, and conducted them, as paganiſhly affected to a new Antichriſtian Paganiſm in preparation for the ſeventh Head, without whoſe Succeſſion the Grand Beaſt had been extinct. In all which, by Head is meant Head in Power.
It may be objected againſt this whole State of Things, Object. That here is no view of that Arrian Hereſie and Perſecution, which could not be untaken in the Notices of this Prophecy.
This Prophecy is not to be ſuppos'd to take notice of All Anſwer. the diſorders in the Profeſſion of Chriſtianity, any more than of all the Governments, or Changes of Government in the World. It minds its own Purſuit, runs in its own Channel, which was the fourth Monarchy, and in that, the Antichriſtian Surpriſal of the Kingdom of Chriſt after the Deſtruction of pure Paganiſm: ſo that Paganiſm firſt, under the Pagan Empire, Antichriſtian Paganiſm puniſh'd with the Barbarian, and Mahometan Inundations from which the True Church was hidden, and its Seed perſecuted under the Beſtian Kingdom, is the only Symmetral, Even, Proportionate Courſe of this Prophecy, till the end of the 1260 Days.
I come now to the laſt Thing neceſſary before the Entry into the Beaſts forty two Months; that is, to ſettle the State of the Witneſſes, as in its general view under the whole 1260 Days, and more particularly in this Interval from the Apoſtacy beginning unto the Beaſts forty two Months.
The Witneſſes, as hath been already declar'd, are the Seed of the VVoman, the True Church, who keep the Commandments of God, and hold the Teſtimony, the VVitneſs, the Martyry of Jeſus.
Theſe are in Sackcloth, as the beſt of their State, the whole 1260 Days; but their Time is diſtinguiſh'd by three great Pairs of VVitneſſes in the Old Teſtament, whoſe Hiſtory explains the varying Types of their Condition; Joſhua and Zerubbabel, Elijah and Eliſha, Moſes and Aaron.
The firſt is of Joſhua and Zerubbabel, who though in mournful Garments, as Joſhua, and in union with him, Zerubbabel, is repreſented, Zech. 3. 1. &c. yet They were as two Olive Branches to the Church of the Jews, which was at that Time, the Candleſtick ſtanding before the God of the whole Earth. And this is the firſt Repreſentation of the VVitneſſes; for they are alſo the two Olive Trees, and the two Candleſticks ſtanding before the God of the Earth, Revel. 11. 6. compar'd with Zech. c. 4. And it compriſes the certain Aſſurance and Expectation of the New Jeruſalem, and its glorious Sanctuary, even as the typical Temple, and its Jeruſalem were ſo far ſettled by thoſe two great perſonages: But beyond that, They had the Promiſes of the New Jeruſalem State, peculiarly made to them; to Joſhua, Zech. 3. 7. places among the Angels ſtanding by in that Viſion, as Attendants on Chriſt, to Zerubbabel, Haggai 2. 21. &c. When that Overthrow of Kingdoms ſhould be, which could be no other than that at the ſeventh Vial. Zerubbabel ſhall be a Signet; and to all God's People throughout the Prophecy of Zechar. the ſame Promiſes are confirmed; and ſo to theſe two Witneſſes.
The VVitneſſes then at this Time, by holy Doctrine, pure VVorſhip, unſpotted Sanctity, begin their Teſtimony, and are truly Chriſtian Prophets, or Perſons of a magiſtratical Character and Eminency, or truly fit for ſuch a Dignity; and as the Sons of Oyl, or anointed ones, Zech. 4. ult. They empty the golden Oyl into the two golden Candleſticks, into the Souls of the Servants and People of God, the Seed of the VVoman, who from the beginning of the Apoſtacy to the end of it, are Members, and make up thoſe two Churches, Pergamus and Thyatyra; which, as I have ſhewn in its Place, run parallel in Pergamus at the beginning, and Thyatyra in the latter part with the whole Apoſtacy, although the Church of Sardis firſt, and Philadelphia at laſt, do indeed undertake the Line drawn by the Churches through the whole Apocalypſe, before the Church of Thyatyra, in its real Subſiſtence, ſhall ceaſe to bear that Type of the Chriſtian Church, it is appointed to ſuſtain.
Now how admirably does this agree with the ſtate of the true Chriſtian Witneſſes for ſome conſiderable ſpace after the Apoſtacy beginning? They did indeed put on Sackcloth in God's Account, aſſoon as the Gentiles came into the holy ground with their unhallowed feet, ſhod with Paganiſh Superſtition.
But They at firſt, and for ſome ſpace of time, rather emptied the golden Oyl out of themſelves, than were under Perſecution and Sufferings; They ſent out the Holy Doctrine, and chrystal Stream of Evangelical Truth; The Worſhip of God they directed, was tranſparent, clear, and pure, without Paganiſh Mixtures and Ceremonies; and the Converſation they preach'd and gave Example of, was not foul, ranck, fetid, but holy, gracious, pellucid, of an excellent Odour and Fragrancy.
And although Hiſtory is not juſt, and ſincere enough to give account hereof, paſſing through the Feculencies of the beginning Apoſtacy, and ſuffering under all its particular Injuries more than thoſe of Time, and obſcur'd, as under that cover'd State, in which the Church now was; yet we are not under a total want of ſuch Monuments of the Witneſſes Teſtimony. But for the Corruptions they were to teſtifie againſt, they are too notorious to be denied, as ſuch Beginnings of the Apoſtacy, even at this very joynt of Time; and therefore by the conſtant care of God in preſerving a Seed that is accovnted to the Lord for a Generation, and particularly by the Types of this Prophecy, we are moſt aſſured there muſt be ſuch Witneſſes, and ſuch muſt be their Testimony.