The Two Witnesses, Tract · Sermon 7
VERS. 9. And they of the People, and Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations, ſhall ſee their dead bodies three dayes and an half, and ſhall not ſuffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
WE have formerly ſeen theſe Witneſſes ſlain, by whom, as alſo where they lie dead; but now, when we ſhould attend them to their graves, we cannot, there's this hinders (ſayes the Text) Their dead bodies are not ſuffered to be put in graves.
The enquiry of the meaning of this, is our preſent buſineſſe: In the endeavour whereof, for better order ſake, we ſhall obſerve:
1. What it is that's further done to theſe Witneſſes after they are ſlain; In theſe words [They are looked upon, and not ſuffered to be put in graves.]
2. The perſons that look upon them, and will not ſuffer them them to be put in graves, pointed at in theſe words, [They of the People, and Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations] theſe look upon the dead Witneſſes, and will not ſuffer them to be put in graves.
3. How long this gaze of theirs laſts, and the Witneſſes thereupon kept unburied; which theſe words alſo give us knowledge of, 'Tis [three dayes and an half.] They of the People- and Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations, ſhall ſee their dead bodies three dayes and a half, and ſhall not ſuffer them to be put in graves.
In the foremoſt of theſe (which will perhaps take in the ſecond in the ſcanning) I muſt needs acknowledge there is a knot; which becauſe it ſeems to lay it ſelf open to two, different, and oppoſite meanings, and both very plauſible, renders the matter difficult whether to take of them.
The queſtion is, Whether this [looking upon theſe dead Witneſſes, and the not ſuffering them to be put in graves,] be done in favour, or diſ-favour of them; and accordingly as you incline in this queſtion either to the one ſide, or to the other, ſo will there a ſutable meaning offer it ſelf to you. To inſtance therefore; here's one interpretation the words ſeem to like of. The Beaſt, the Romiſh Antichriſt with his complices, having ſtopped the mouthes of all the Witneſſes, thus ſlaying them, and now further deviſing ſome way, that being thus ſlain, they may never riſe again, never witneſſe more againſt him, thus trying to throw them into the Grave, to ſhut and ſeal the graves-mouth upon them; in attempting hereof, is by the Reformed people (through the Miniſtry of the Witneſſes, by this time grown into great multitudes, and already provoked for the ſlaughter of theſe Witneſſ…s) reſolutely oppoſed; which Antichriſt perceiving, and fearing leſt upon further attempts they might become deſperate, fits down content onelyonly to have thruſt theſe Witneſſes from their places, and ſtopt their mouths for preſent, not daring to make any further attempt at all againſt them. Thus they of the Kinreds, and Tongues, and People, and Nations, do hinder, that Antichriſt (who hath ſlain theſe Witneſſes) ſhould yet proceed ſo far as to throw them into graves; And to this interpretation theſe Conſiderations ſeem to give countenance:
1. It is not the Inhabitants of the earth (by which name the Popiſh faction are commonly known in this Revelation) who keep the Witneſſes from being buried; for then the matter had been put beſides all queſtion; but on the contrary, tis [They of the Kinreds, and Tongues, and People, and Nations] theſe will not ſuffer the Witneſſes to be put in graves; by which, who can be meant but the Reform…d p…opl…? Thoſe you have indeed brought in rejoycing, at the following Verſe, for the ſlaughter Verſ. 10.of the Witneſſes; who, had they been here meant alſo, probably not this ſo different, but the ſame expreſſion had ſerv'd to point at them in both places.
2. The Originall Text ſeems to contribute ſomething toward this Interpretation; where you reade, [foreign] being all put partitively; As if the holy Ghoſt ſhould ſay; [And ſome of them of the Kinreds, and People, and Tongues, &c. ſome of finer mettle, choyce… ſpirits] theſe ſhall not ſuffer the Witneſſes to be put in graves.
2. This is one Interpretation, and indeed in the generall plauſible, though (I muſt confeſſe) looking a little neerer, to ſee how particulars will hold, there ſeems ſome difficulty: For inſtance; ſtating the Reformed people k…p the Witneſſes from burying; but what can be meant by their looking on their dead bodies? (ſo ſayes the Text) They look upon their dead bodies three dayes and an holy; Is it any pleaſure for them to have their eyes ſo long upon their dead Witneſſes? Abraham, when his beloved Sarah Gen. 23. 4.was dead, then buyes a place to bury his dead out of his ſight: were it never ſo great delight to look on them while alive, ſure it can be none to look on them when dead. And then again, what can we underſtand by thoſe graves, which according to this Interpretation, the Reformed people are ſaid not to ſuffer theſe Witneſſes to be put into? ſhall we ſay this they mean, [they keep them from being killed indeed] but where finde we that [not ſuffering to be buried] ſhould mean, not [ſuffering to be killed] what analogie between theſe? And indeed 'tis a hard matter to aſſign any condition which holds reſemblance, or analogie with thoſe graves, which the Reformed people (according to this Interpretation) are ſaid to keep the dead Witneſſes from.
So you have the firſt meaning the words ſeem to allow of; The other is this:
The Romiſh Antichriſt with his party, having ſtopped the mouthes of theſe Witneſſes, thus ſlaying them, after this ſhall with ſcorn, and inſultation look upon their dead bodies: And if any ſhould come as Joſeph of Arimathea, to beg the body of Joh. 13. 39one of theſe dead Witneſſes, or ſhould trie to hide or ſhelter theſe Witneſſes, as Obadiah did the Prophets in the Cave; no, they 1 Kin. 18. 4 and 13.muſt not; ſuch is the ſavageneſſe of this Beaſt, with his complices, they forbid any to harbour, entertain or countenance theſe ſilenc'd Witneſſes, thus not ſuffering their dead bodies to be put in graves.
And if this ſenſe ſhall paſſe, then have we a fair and obvious underſtanding of both thoſe particulars, which in the former we ſcarce knew what at all to make of. The former [They look upon them] according to this Interpretation, the meaning muſt be, [They look upon them in deriſion.] So they did upon our Saviour, when he was upon the Croſſe; The people, with the Prieſts, beholding of him, derided him, Luk. 23. 25. And is it not an uſuall thing, in this manner for them to be looked upon, who having been formidable before, are now brought down, and become at an under? Caſt your eye upon that 14 of Iſa. and 16, and you will thence eaſily know, what it is for any Iſa. 14. 10. and 16.to be looked upon in the caſe above mentioned; Obſerve the words a little, [They that ſee thee, ſhall narrowly look upon thee] Mark you, Here's a looking upon the Babylonian Monarchs now fallen; well, and what ſay they? Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did ſhake Kingdoms? Art thou alſo become weak as one of us? See how they inſult over that fallen Monarchy.
And then for their [not ſuffering them to be put in graves] which was the other expreſſion, we knew not what to make of in the former Interpretation (ſtill retaining the analogie) it hath this meaning, [They ſhall deny them ſhelter, hiding place, and the like] So that if any had a deſire to entertain them into their houſes, ſo to bury them within their private Walls, it muſt not be: The Beaſt will not allow ſo much honour done to theſe Witneſſes, as to ſuffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
In both which, there ſeems an alluſion to our Saviours caſe, juſt after he was crucified; whoſe dead body was indeed beſtowed upon Joſeph of Arimathea, when he came to beg it, but had it not been becauſe the next day was a high day with the Joh. 19 31.Jews, it had hung a longer ſpace upon the Croſſe, to be the object of the gaze, and ſcorn of all that ſhould paſſe by. But theſe more cruell then the Jews, at leaſt not fearing their Feſtivall. Verſ. 10.(mentioned in the Verſe following) ſhould be prophaned by the bodies of the Witneſſes lying unburied in the ſtreet, will not at any hand ſuffer them to be put in graves; but there they muſt lie to be looked upon, the ſcorn and deriſion of all; as our Saviours had been alſo, had not the ſolemnity of the day following prevented.
And now to render this Interpretation more likely, take theſe Conſiderations:
1. To deny the dead buriall, ſounds alwayes a diſ-favour; a great diſ-favour from him that doth deny it; a great indignity to him to whom it is denyed: was it no indignity to Jehoiakim, that he is threatned to be buried with the buriall of an Aſſe? He Jer 22. 19.ſhould have no buriall at all, or none worth having? As alſo to the Babylonian Monarchs, That they ſhould be caſt out of their graves, as an abominable branch? Would this be no indignity, no Iſa. 14. 19.diſ-favour to them?
2. That which appears the main ſupport of the other Interpretation (namely, becauſe 'tis not the inhabitants of the earth are ſaid to keep them from their graves, but The Kinreds, and People, and Tongues, and Nations; implying thereby, That not the Popiſh Party do it, but ſome other) will not hold; both (notwithſtanding the different expreſſion) ſeeming indeed to mean the ſame perſons. They do ſo at the 13 Chap. of this Propheſie, the 7 & 8 V. In the former whereof, I mean the 7. you find the Beaſt hath power given him, over all Kinreds, and Tongues, & People, and Nations: In the latter, All that dwell upon the earth worſhip him. Here they are all one: But now if any man ſhould queſtion whether that power over Kinreds, and Tongues, and People, and Nations, do not mean a power by perſecuting, to over-maſter, and ſo implying no voluntary ſubjection of theſe, as of the other: the 17 Chap. and 15 verſe puts this out of queſtion, where you find, The waters which the woman ſits upon, that is, which ſubject Chap. 17. 15.themſelves to her, are people, & kinreds, & tongues, & nations.
3. Theſe ſame who look upon the dead Witneſſes in this ver. appear the ſame with thoſe, on whom great fear falls, when they ſee them ſtand upon their feet, and ſo riſe again at the 11 verſ. They do ſo; for who could they be in likelihood, that ſee them after the three daies and a halfſtanding upon their feet, but thoſe who during the ſpace of three dayes and an half look'd upon them? And by the ſame argument, are they not the ſame with thoſe who at the 12 verſe (beholding theſe Witneſſes aſcenſion) are there expreſſely called their enemies? for who in likelyhood ſees theſe Witneſſes after three dayes and an half aſcending, but thoſe who all the while before look'd upon them? yea I ſhould offer it, Whether the Nations that look upon theſe Witneſſes here, and thoſe which at 2 ver. tread under foot the holy City, be not all one: The ſame original word [foreign] expreſſes both; and if theſe Nations Verſe 2.here be but the ſame with thoſe who tread under foot the holy City, we need no further queſtion whether friends or foes keep them unburied, or whether this be done in favour, or diſ-favour of the Witneſſes: To all which this ſeems to adde ſome confirmation, That therefore it appears they will not ſuffer them to be put in graves, that they might glut their eyes with looking upon them; So the Text, They look upon them, and will not ſuffer them to be put in graves, as though they could never have their fill of ſuch a pleaſing ſpectacle as is the dead Witneſſes.
You have now both the Interpretations. The one underſtanding this [looking upon the Witneſſes, and not ſuffering them to be put in graves] done in favour to them, the other diſfavour: neither of them unlikely, and therefore I ſhall leave every one, after the reaſons on both ſides well weighed, to take which himſelf beſt pleaſes; though for my own part I muſt confeſſe I rather encline to this latter, 'Tis done in diſ-favour.
And now you ſee this large handling of the firſt thing mentioned; namely, [the looking upon the Witneſſes, and not ſuffering them to be put in graves] hath (according to our former intimation) prevented a large enquiry in the ſecond: I mean [the perſons looking upon the Witneſſes, and not ſuffering them to be buried] and ſo will not hold us long off from that [ſpace of time wherein theſe Witneſſes being looked at, are not ſuffered to be buried] which was the laſt thing in theſe words to be enquired concerning.
For if ſo be theſe Witneſſes are kept out of their gaves in ſavour to them, according as the former meaning would have it, then [they of the Kinreds, and Tongues, and Nations] muſt needs be the Reformed people; but if this be done in diſ-favour, as the ſecond Interpretation carries it, then muſt [they of the Kinreds and People, and Tongues and Nations] without all controverſie mean the Popiſh Party.
Unleſſe we ſay ſome kinde of middle people may poſſibly be underſtood (ſomewhat differing from the Inhabitants of the earth, the through Papiſts) who formerly having ſhewed themſelves friends, and yeelding ſome ſhelter to theſe Witneſſes from the ſtorms that had before droven them from their own places; yet now ſeeing the great power of Antichriſt, fall in with him as the ſtronger, now no longer affording any ſhelter, any hiding place to theſe Witneſſes. Which of theſe [the Kinreds, and People, and Nations] mean, I ſhall no further determine, but from it, paſſe on to enquire, how long the Witneſſes are lookt upon, and kept unburied, by the People, and Tongues, and Nations, which (ſayes the Text) is Three dayes and an half; the laſt thing we were to enquire after, and comes now to be handled.
Concerning which three dayes and an half, I ſhall not ſay as ſome do, it ſignifies ſome very ſhort time, yet not at all limited, Paraeus Com… Apo.or determinate; I ſhall not ſay ſo: for, being that it is a broken number [three dayes and an half] as broken numbers uſe to do, it muſt needs ſignifie a time determinate.
Nor further can this ſignifie the ſame ſpace with the Witneſſes Propheſie (which yet ſome imagine) for that of the Witneſſes Deut. Exp.Propheſie, is three yeers and an half; this, of their lying unburied, but three dayes and an half: Beſides, this ſpace of the three dayes and an half, doth then begin, when the term of the three yeers …n… an hal… is about to determine. For when the Witneſſes have continued their propheſie almoſt three yeers and an half, and are now drawing toward an end, then are they ſlain; and after ſlain, they lic unb…ried three dayes and an half; ſo that this cannot be the ſame ſpace with the term of the Witneſſes Propheſie.
Once more; Nor ſeems it to be underſtood in the letter, viz. Ribera.for three dayes and an half properly, and in ſtrictneſſe ſo taken, it being hard to conceive, that all that which is mentioned to be done, during this ſpace, ſhould in ſo ſhort a time as three dayes and an half be poſſibly accompliſhed. Is it poſſible that tydings of the ſlaughter of theſe Witneſſes ſhould be carryed from one people to an other, in the ſpace of three dayes and an half; ſo that in that ſpace alſo, they might congratulate with one another for this ſo happy turn of the Witneſſes ſlaughter? Or is the ſpace of half a day perceiveable, in a time of ſuch publike and univerſall ſolemnity, as that is, when the Witneſſes are killed? Which if ſo, If this three dayes and an half be not on indet…r…inate time (as we ſaw before;) nor yet the ſame with the 1260 dayes, the terme of the Witneſſes Propheſie: nor yet three dayes and an half in the letter (as we ſaw juſt now) what can it mean, but three dayes and an half propheticall, that is, three yeers and an half? Thus long is the ſpace while the Witneſſes lie unburied. So we underſtood the three yeers and an half of the Witneſſes Propheſie before; which reſolving into one thouſand two hundred and threeſcore dayes, and then accounting a day, for a yeer (as is the manner of the Prophets ſometime to reckon) the whole came to one thouſand two hundred and threeſcore yeers; So theſe [three dayes and an half] take them (is ſometimes the Prophets do, and as we reckoned the former) and they make three yeers and an half al…o.
The meaning of this Verſe, and all the ſeveralls thereof, being thus at large opened; I ſhall not for this once, draw up the ſumme of all offering it to one view, ſo (as hath been my former manner) but ſtudious of brevity, ſhall forthwith proceed to the obſervations, which are theſe.
1. From the former Interpretation; Do the reformed people keep the Witneſſes from being thrown in to graves? Then if this ſhould not be paſt, here is a leſſon for the reformed people, here's this hint for them: Though they may ſuffer Antichriſt to ſlay their Witneſſes; yet when he goes about to throw them into the grave, to the end they might never riſe again, then does it behove the reformed people, with all their united ſtrength, reſolvedly to oppoſe it.
Let the reformed people remember this, now they are told of it, if ſuch a thing were yet to be accompliſhed▪ That they do their parts, and not ſuffer Antichriſt, after he hath ſlain their Witneſſes, to the end they might never riſe again, to throw them into the grave alſo.
2. From the latter. 1. Do the Popiſh party look upon the dead Witneſſes, and will not ſuffer them to be buried, that they might ſtill delight themſelves in the beholding of them? Oh the inſinite ſpleen the Popiſh party do bear againſt the Lords Witneſſes! Is it not ſufficient, they have ſlain them, but they muſt have their dead bodies lye before them, to ſcorn and mock at? Is it not ſufficient, the Philiſtimes have put out Sampſons cyes, Jud. 16. 21▪ and 25.but they muſt ſend for him in this condition, to make them ſport alſo? Take notice of the immortall hate theſe bear againſt Gods Witneſſes, which doth not determine with their death; For after this, they muſt have their dead bodies to make maygames of.
3. Obſerve the ſalvageneſſe of Antichriſt and his crew, who will not ſuffer the dead Witneſſes to have the honour of buriall: When they have ſtopped the Witneſſes mouths, and ſo ſlain them, they cannot bear it, that any ſhall take a ſilenced Witneſſe into houſe, give him ſhelter, entertainment: Hence ſuch ſearch, ſuch enquiry made after theſe proſcribed Witneſſes heretofore, and ſhould this not be accompliſhed, it will be greater yet then ever, the Antichriſtian party will not ſuffer the dead Witneſſes to be put in graves.
4. Does this unburied ſtate of theſe Witneſſes laſt but three dayes and an half, three yeers and an half, here's ſome comfort, Om…ia adverſ…, qu…ntu…s magn…, ….Though this time when ever it is, may be troubleſome; yet 'tis not like to laſt long. How long ſoever they be a ſlaying, when once ſlain, they lie dead but three yeers an half, no longer are they left to be the ſcorn of the Popiſh brood; no longer are the people of God deprived of them.