A SHORT DISCOURSE (Recommended to all Our English DIVINES) Concerning the Death of the Witnesses in general, AND The Two Witnesses in particular; Plainly Showing,  


First, The Chief and True Reason of their Death.  
Secondly, The Manner How they are to be Slain.  
Thirdly, The Place Where.  
Fourthly, The Time When.  
Fifthly, By Whom they are to be Slain.  
Sixthly, The True Reason Why they are Overcome, and why in particular by a War.  
Seventhly, Who they are, and that they have already been Slain.     

The CONCLUSION.  
I. FIRST, The chief Reason of their Death is not their Adversary's Malice, as hath been generally supposed; no, This is only the Secondary and Instrumental Cause thereof; the True and Chief Reason of their Death, is, the Necessity thereof; for, having Finished their Testimony, they Ought to die: New Evidence is to be given, therefore They are to be thrust out of Court. Come Up Hither, saith the Text; this Great Voice was not made or directed to them, (for They and Their Testimony were slain:) But to the New-Risen Witnesses, investing Them with Power, and authorising Them to give in Their Evidence, and to commence a New Dispensation. Was the Death of Christ (for I must all along make a Comparison therewith) Necessary to put a Period to the Jewish Dispensation and Ceremonies, than Their Death was necessary to put an End to the Christian, I mean the First Christian Dispensation? No Dispensation can be finished without Death, and without a Death there can be no Resurrection, and without the entire Dissolution of the Old, there can be no New Dispensation. So 'tis self-evident, That the Death of the Witnesses is Necessary; for would the Old Dispensation have served God's Purposes, and the World's Necessities, 'tis certain, they had not been slain. 'Twas impossible it should be otherwise. Father, saith Christ, if possible, let this Cup pass from me. But since it did not pass, what doth his Death imply, but that 'twas impossible it should be otherwise? And since the Head could not (according to God's Appointment) escape Death on account of Finishing the Old, and Commencing a New Dispensation; 'tis much more impossible for the Body or Members to avoid Drinking of the same Cup, when they are in the same Circumstances and Predicament.  
II. Secondly, As to the Manner How they are slain. To this I answer; That Sickness, Persecution, or any other Abuse or Alteration in the same Subject, Body, or Constitution, is not This special Death they are to undergo. My Reasons are, First, If This sort of Death might have served the Turn, Then Christ had had no Occasion to have prayed, Father, if possible, etc. For it had been possible and feasible enough, to have Effected the Great Design, without his Drinking the Bitter Cup: For, a Scourging, a Whipping, or any other Abuse to his Sacred Person, would have served the Turn. Secondly, Would This sort of Death have served the Design of God, than they might have died and risen often, because they might be persecuted and abused often. But 'tis self-evident, That This Death ought to be Circumstanced so, and be of such a Nature, that they may die but once, because Christ died but once, and, indeed, no Man can die twice. Thirdly, Would This sort of Death have done the Business, than they would have risen Bare grain, with their Old Bodies; and this contradicts the true Analogy of a Resurrection. There aught to be nothing Old in the Resurrection, but all Things New. And Christ himself in relation to this Great Scene, saith, Behold, I make all Things New. Sickness or Weakness is not Death, Restitution is not Resurrection. The Powers and Constitution of the Old Church and State ought not to be impaired or weakened, but totally dissolved, to make it Death, and not restored or repaired, but absolutely Rebuilt, to make a Resurrection, otherwise the true Analogy of Death and Resurrection will not be answered: And when I say the Church and State are thus absolutely to be dissolved, I think, I need not say, that both Head and Member ought so to be, for I comprehend both under the Denomination of Witnesses.  
III. Thirdly, As to the Place where. It ought not to be in an Inland Country: And therefore not in Rome, Piedmont, Germany, Bohemia, Hungaria, France, etc. as some have thought. I freely own, that some Members or Parts of the Body of the True Church, and in a common Sense, the Witnesses of Jesus, in all these Countries have been abused, persecuted and slain; but These were not final, but intermediate Deaths; and as the Church can have no Abortive Birth, so no immature Death. But, Secondly, As such Abuses and Persecutions have no Title to the Denomination of This Special Death; so the Places are very improper for it: Because, it must be acknowledged, that Inland Countries are unfit to begin a Dispensation in; and nothing is more certain than that the Witnesses are slain on purpose, that a New Dispensation may commence. Further, The Head was slain in the East, the Body ought therefore to be slain in the West: But this will be more confirmed, if we consider; The Holy Writings make mention of Two Harvests, the First in the East, and by consequence, the Latter in the West; for the usual Custom of Reapers confirms it, who usually begin at the End of a Field; The World is this Field. The First Harvest was the Jewish Ceremony, and Pagan Idolatry, they were to be Reaped down; so the Reapers of those Times, viz. the Old Witnesses began Their Work in the East, and Now the Christian Superstition and Papal Idolatry is to be reaped down; so 'tis convenient the Reapers, that is, the New-risen Witnesses begin their Harvest in the West. Nature will direct us in this Affair. The Sun and the Gospel are Fellow-Travellers: They Finish their Journey in the West, and then set out again for the East. But Lastly, The Witnesses, and their Two chief Representatives are to be slain in their own chief Country, and own chief City: Because Christ was slain in Judea at Jerusalem, otherwise there will not be a due Conformity betwixt the Body and the Head. And as for the Place being called Sodom and Egypt, it imports Little, because 'tis Spiritually called so; for Judea, by the Prophets, has often been Spiritually called Sodom, and so very well may the Witnesses Country with a Salvo to their Holy Function.  
IU. Fourthly, As to the Time When. To this I answer, 'Tis When they have come to their Journey's End, When they have Finished their Course and Testimony: When they have Acted that Part, and Published those Truth's Heaven has appointed them to Publish; When the Minor or Guardian State of 1260 Years are Ended; When the Church is come to her adult State, When she is grown a Woman, or come Ad Mensuram Staturae Christi adulti: This is called the Fullness of Time: And Then it is they are slain, Then it is that a Solemn Period is put to the Old Dispensation. Then it is a Great Voice is heard out of the Temple of Heaven from the Throne, saying, GEGONE, it is done, or Finished; But what? Their Testimony, or the Old Dispensation. There are Two Great Voices in Scripture, particularly to be taken Notice of; The First is, Consummatum est, made by Christ Viva Voce on the Cross: The Other is this Gegone from the Throne, (Rex patitur.) As the First was uttered at the Death of the Head, and finished the Jewish Dispensation, so the Latter of course must be made at the Death of the Body (or the Witnesses) and finish the Christian Dispensation, I mean the First Dispensation: For we are to come from Strength to Strength until we come to God in Zion. As to the Calculation of Numbers and Figures, 'tis a Barren Study, and may misguide us, but Reason and Substance never can. Yet in relation to this, the Year of the Witnesses Death being fixed (as hereafter) will easily fix all the Rest.  
V. Fifthly, By Whom they are Slain. They are not slain by a Foreign Enemy or Nation, they are not slain, (I speak of this last Special and Particular Death) by the Pagan or Papal Power, as some have unadvisedly affirmed: For, though these may rejoice at their Death, and in other Cases be Criminal enough; yet to give them their due, they have no hand in this Last Tragedy. It needs no Proof that the Pagan and Papal Powers are represented by the Beasts that rise out of the Sea and Earth; but 'tis plain, that neither of these Beasts are concerned; For the Text is express to the Contrary, That the Beast which rises out of the Bottomless Pit, (viz. Wickedness in general, or Satan) shall make WAR with Them, OVERCOME Them, and SLAY Them. Now since these Three Beasts have Three distinct Characters, sure none will confound them, and make them all one and the same. Not to mince any further the Matter, the Truth is, We, their Friends and Countrymen, have slain them. The Reason is, Christ was slain by his Own Countrymen and Friends. He had his Wounds from the Hands of his Friends, and from those of his Own House. Thus with Zeal, whilst the Jews wait for, and Expect their SAVIOUR, and the Christians their Two Witnesses; The First, when He came slew the First, and the Latter, when They came slew the Latter. The Homines ex Tribubus, & Populis & Linguis & Gentibus, are their Friends, Coguati in Religione. Men of the same Reformed Religion, and of the same Nation. But the Jucolae Terrae are their Enemies and Foreigners, who rejoice at their Death, being of a Differing Persuasion, and whom these Witnesses tormented. In short, the First are Protestants, the Latter Papists, and had not their Friends slain them, there had been no due Conformity betwixt the Circumstances of the Death of the Head, and the Body.  
VI Sixthly, The True Reasons Why they are Overcome, and Why in Particular by a War, are as follows: But, First I must acquaint the World of a particular Thing they have taken little Notice of, which yet gives extraordinary Light to this great Mystery, and that is this, That This War is, and must of Necessity be an Intestine War: For, How can it be otherwise? Since their Friends and Countrymen, Men of the same Religion and Nation must slay them. This has been sufficiently proved above, and cannot be denied. I hope therefore they will not say, that is a Foreign War made in the same Nation, by Citizen and Countrymen amongst themselves, and it can be no other; for the Juculae Terrae, who are Foreigners, are only Spectators, not Actors in the Affair. But there is another Great Reason, little inferior to this, which fully clenches the Matter, and makes it impossible it should be other than a Civil War, and that is this, The Witnesses (in Conformity to the Head) are to rise again after they are slain. Now, had it been a Foreign Enemy, or Men of another Religion that had slain them, they had never risen again, but Church and State had both fallen into the bottomless Pit, and been utterly destroyed. These Things are very plain. But to return to the Reasons, Why, etc. considering War therefore neither as Civil or Foreign, but indefinitely, and abstractedly; I say not only a a War, but Victory thereby, are Circumstances little less necessary than their Death itself: For since the Old Constitution both of Church and State were wholly to be dissolved, nothing less than a War could do This, and done it ought to be, otherwise the Old Dispensation could have no true and proper Period; some Alteration or a Weakening of it would not answer, nothing but Death could serve the Turn, that is, a Total Dissolution. A Seizure by Conspiracy would not serve, nor could a few Tumultuous Hands pull down the Building, nothing but a general Assault on all sides could effectually do it; and this did it indeed, and levelled all with the Ground. But to come closer; The Constable and Watch with Clubs and Staves may seize and overpower a single Person unarmed: But to pluck a King and High Priest from their Throne, who are invested with Power and Force, nothing less than a Greater Force could do this, that is, a War. And as to a full Victory or Conquest it was no less necessary in respect of a due Process and Arraignment. Stabbing or Assassination might indeed procure Death, but then This sort of Death would have want the due and necessary Solemnity; but Christ was not Stabbed or Assassinated (I speak now in Relation to the Two Witnesses) but publicly Arraigned and Condemned; and the Copy ought to agree with the Original: So a complete Victory over them was necessary, that the due Solemnity of Process and Arraignment might take Place. In short, the Progression of the Climax is exceeding Regular, the War and Victory being highly necessary to procure that Death, the most necessary of them all.  
VII. Seventhly, Who they are. They are the True Church of Christ under the Denomination of Witnesses; and when I say the Old Witnesses, the New Witnesses, or the Witnesses, I refer to the Bulk or Body of the Building, and when I say the Two Witnesses, I refer to the Two chief Corner Stones; the whole Body is of a Witnessing Nature, and every single Stone is a Witness: But the Two chief corner Stones, by way of Excellency, are called, the Two Witnesses. These represent the whole Body as a King and an High Priest, the whole Nation; and as They represent the Power of the Whole, so at the appointed Time They are chose out to finish the Power of the Whole. The Comparison of a Building is made by the Holy Spirit. And after 'tis said, The Gentiles shall tread under Foot the Holy City; 'Tis presently added (as Beza renders it;) Dabo Illam; (that is, Sanctam Vrbem) Duobus Illis Testibus meis; that is, I will give the Care or Charge of my True Church to those my Two Witnesses, and, as if it had been asked who these Two Witnesses were, the Answer is, Hi sunt Duae Illae Oleae, meaning Zerubbabel and Joshua. Now none can make any Thing of these Two but a King and a High Priest. And though the Temple was measured, and THOSE (viz. the People) who worshipped therein: Yet I find the Text points no more but once to the Multitude, and indeed 'twas needless, because they had no Power: They are under Care and Protection, but cannot represent that they have not. And those Persons therefore are much mistaken, who suppose a few common Individuals slain in any Country, may answer the Death of the Two Witnesses. They make no Distinction betwixt the Body and Head: 'Tis certain, the common Mass, as living they have no Power, so their Death can represent the finishing of none; I mean their Death singly and apart; yet in Conjunction with their Head the TWO, I own their Death adds to the Efficacy and Solemnity, and that they ought to fall at the General Harvest by the Angel's Sickle: Yet to complete such a solemn Period, and to make it Full and Authentic, nothing less than the Solemn Death of a King and an High Priest will do the Business. For these being the Heads or chief Proprietors of Power, are the most fit and proper Persons to undergo the Passive Solemnity of its Abrogation. NOW, such a Thing has happened amongst us, viz. a King and an High Priest have been slain, after an unparalleled and uncommon Manner, or rather after a most proper Manner, they were slain in the Face of the Sun with the highest Solemnity, that all the World might take notice, that the Grand Period of the Old Dispensation was finished. And not only in this Point, but in all other Circumstances, as to Time, and Place, Process, and Arraignment, their Death exactly agrees with the Text, and Counterpart. IN THE WESTERN PART OF THE WORLD, THESE TWO WITNESSES, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE TRUE CHURCH, OR WHOLE PROTESTANT BODY, IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, BY THEIR OWN FRIENDS, AT THEIR OWN CHIEF CITY, WERE OVERCOME, BY A WAR and SLAIN. God is True, and all the World are Liars. He hath told us, In the End it shall speak and not Lie: Now here the Vision speaks, and who can contradict it? This Truth deserves to be writ in Capitals of Gold, since it asserts the Veracity of God, which foolish and vain Man has so long called in Question. I own there are several Persuasions, but no Matter by what Names we are called. There are only Two Churches, a True and False One, and I find the Holy Spirit takes notice of no more: Yet 'tis observable, the First is expressed by Four differing Denominations, viz. Tribus, Populi, Linguae, & Gentes; and the Latter but by One, viz. Jucolae Terrae. Now possibly amongst other Meanings, the Difference in Opinion may be one that causeth this Distinction: But leaving this Enquiry to the more Curious, let the Four be who, and what they will, 'tis certain, these Two slain Witnesses were the Head of them all, and appointed by Heaven to finish their Old State and Administration. The Church is in Two differing States, First under the Minor or Guardian State, then under the Adult State. And these Two slain Witnesses finish the Minor, or Guardian State, being the Two Last chief Proprietors of Power therein. And this gives great Light to those Congratulations of the Church on Christ's Arrival to his Manhood in the Church, and by Consequence on his Accession to the Throne. We Thank Thee, say they, Lord God Almighty, who art and waste, and art to come; Because thou hast taken to THYSELF ('twas in the Hands of Guardians before) Thy Great Power, etc. This implies a lesser Power in the former State. The Millennium is nothing but the Manhood of Christ in his Church, and when He comes to his Manhood, He is invested of course with his Great Power. But I would not be mistaken, I prefer the Master before the Servants, and am far from making a Comparison betwixt the Death of the Two Witnesses and that of Christ's, as to the Merit of it; yet I must be forced to acknowledge (and the Holy Scripture will bear me out) that Their Death is the true Counterpart of His, and aught to be attended with much the like Circumstances, viz. a Resurrection (not Literal) Ascension, and New Dispensation. As to the Two First, the Text plainly mentions them, and the Last to me is as plain: For, when John had eaten up the Book of the Old Dispensation, he was told, That he must PROPHESY AGAIN, before People, and Nations, and Tongues, and many Kings. The Words Finishing Prophecy, and Prophesying again, illustrate one the other; nor can we think they will prophesy again what they have finished, but turn over a New Leaf, and begin a New Chapter. And now,  
Notwithstanding any former Opinion (which I shall not be ashamed to disown) at present, the Truth shines so full in my Face, that I cannot otherwise think, and do hope so will others, That the Death of the  Persons, was the True Death of the Two Last Witnesses, which were to die to finish the Old Dispensation. Those who have Objections, let them publish them. All Christians must own, That such a Thing, if not done, some Time or other, in some Place or other, must be done; and since it must be done, let them produce better Reasons if they can, that This is not the Fact, or that it is yet to be done, and I shall willingly acquiesce therein. But I am satisfied, they cannot. It therefore being taken for granted, that the Two Witnesses are slain, and Old Dispensation finished; the next necessary Inference will be, that we are on the Premises of the Millennium, and that the Downfall of Rome is just at the Door. For This black Tragedy, as it withdraws the Old Scenes, so it presents the World with New ones, and opens a wide Door for Light and Truth. But to conclude, I shall endeavour to bring the Thing yet closer, and make it yet a little more plain, by Summing up the Whole.  

CONCLUSION.  
There are a True and a False Church, or Two Syncronizing Powers enter the Stage of the World, these Two Powers are represented by an inward and outward Court, the Latter persecutes the Former all the Time they are on the Stage; the Former are called Witnesses, having this Name from the Nature of their Office, which is of a Twofold Nature; for they have a Charge to give in, Testationem, & Protestationem, to Publish, and give their Evidence to Divine Truths, and Matters of Fact, and to make Protestation against all Iniquity and Idolatry, and especially against the Persecution of their Adversaries. The Date of their Adversaries Power and theirs is equal, but during the greatest part of their appointed Time, being persecuted and trodden under Foot, little Strength or Power (though virtually in them) appears, but near the Expiration thereof it exerts itself, not only in order to pull down and oppose their Adversaries, but in order to be abrogated itself. That which is under Foot, and stands not up, cannot be thrown down; therefore at last it stands up in order to be thrown down, but withal, in order to rise again, and not to be thrown in the Fire like their Enemies. The Cedar and the Vine are lopped, that the Branches may yield more Fruit, and flourish more abundantly. But to return, These Two Syncronizing Powers as at once they make their Entrance, so at once they make their Exit, yet their respective Scenes are not presently removed, there is the same Distance of Time in Proportion, as betwixt the Harvest and the Vintage. The Harvest (as usual) gins first, and the inner Court is pulled down, that is, the Angel puts in his Sickle (according to Command) and reaps the True Church, raises a War, cuts down her Two chief Representatives, burns her chief City, and inflicts many other heavy Calamities upon her. Thus ends the Harvest, and nothing else is said, only Demessa est Terra, The Earth was reaped. Afterwards (in course) the Vintage comes, and the outward Court is pulled down, and when the Angel had cut down the Grapes, the Text saith, Misit in Magnum Illum Lacum Excandescentiae Dei, He put them into that great Winepress of the Wrath of God. The Truth is, after God hath accounted with the True Church, he reckons with the False One, viz. with the Whore and her Worshippers, and both she and her City are burnt with Fire. But betwixt the City of the True Church, and that of the False One, there is this Difference, the First is only burnt with the Fire of Purgation, the Latter by the Fire of Indignation. And as to the First, that Text is fulfilled, which saith, Although I fall, yet I shall rise; for she hath risen again, and shines very gloriously: But when the Latter falls (and her Grapes are just ripe) she shall never rise again; But the Wrath of God abideth on her for ever. Amen. So be it. And now I have demonstrated the Thing so plainly, I am very well satisfied, that though some may, yet others will not believe: So That will be fulfilled which was said of Old; Behold, I work a Work in your Days, which ye shall in no wise believe, although a Man declare it unto you, that is, demonstrate it. But I cannot conclude without a small Reflection or two more, both on our Enemies, and ourselves, viz. When our City Flamed about our Ears, and other public Calamities befell us, our Enemies, the Jucolae Terrae, rejoiced much to see us in such deplorable Circumstances, under the Evil of our own Predictions; seeing us so low, they thought we should never rise again to torment them with Truth; therefore they sent Gifts and were glad: And we instead of looking up to Heaven, and being humble charged our Enemies with our Miseries, and proceeded so far as to Record the same not in Brass, but in Letters of Stone, which indeed ought to be erased; for it was GOD that burned our City, and not They; but like true Men in Misery, we were angry with every Body, yes, with GOD to, and ready to fly in his Face, and charge him with Injustice, and a Forgetfulness of his Promises. Thus we laid the Gild , but where it should be, on ourselves. Ignorant Wretches! We neither understood the Methods of God or Nature. 'Tis God's usual Method to punish his own Child first, Judgement always gins with the House of God. And as to Nature, we would have had Corn, and not Reaped, we would have had new Corn, and not Sowed; nay, we would have had Branches the first Day the Tree was lopped, and new Corn the first Day the Seed was sown: So ignorant, and impatient we were. Well! our Harvest has been got in, we have suffered nothing but our Lot, and much less than we deserved. Let us humbly thank God for our Chastisement and Visitation. And let us have but a very little Patience, and we shall see and understand his righteous Judgements. We shall see the Difference he makes betwixt Children and Enemies, and that we were not in Rome's Stead, but in our own necessary refining Fire, we shall see our Adversaries Mirth be turned into Mourning; and that the Jucolae Terrae, & Reges Terrae, shall weep and mourn, and stand afar off, and say, Alas, alas, for that great City Babylon, that strong City, in one Hour thy Judgements are come. Amen. Be it so. And NOW, though the preceding Discourse under Seven rational Heads, should be Sealed up to others like the Seven Thunders, yet to me they have spoke very loudly, and I would speak God's Praise in Words as loud, if I could, and therefore shall call a great Multitude to assist me, I mean The Church, and in Her Words say; Worthy art thou, O Blessed Jesus, to take the Book and open the Seals, because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy Blood, out of every Tribe and Tongue, and People and Nation, and made us Kings and Priests unto God, and we shall reign on Earth. Worthy is the Lamb to receive, Power, and Wisdom, and Riches, and Strength, and Honour, and Blessing, for ever more. Great and Marvellous are thy Works, Lord God Almighty, Just and True are thy Ways. Thou King of Saints, who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy Name? For thou only art Holy; All Nations shall come and worship before thee, for thy Judgements are made manifest.    

LONDON: Printed, and are to be Sold A. Baldwin, at the Oxford-Arms, in Warwick-Lane. 1699. Price 3 d.