naments, friends, lay aside your ornaments. It is the time of sackcloth, it is our duty, then, for to fast and pray and cry mightily unto the Lord.

Then it is our duty to put our mouths in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

Then it is our duty for to bear our testimony.

Then it is our duty for to wait on God; though the witnesses wear sackcloth for a time, yet there are white robes provided for them, and they come out with palms in their hands.

And the nearer the time of deliverance grows, the less time for waiting, the more we are engaged to wait. Why, now, according to the calculation there is not much of the time to come; there is but a little of the sackcloth time to come, shall we not watch with him one hour, and wear sackcloth with him one hour? Wait a while; he that shall come will come and will not tarry. And so I have done with the third thing, namely, What this sackcloth is, and their lying in sackcloth for 1260 years.

Fourthly. But then it is said here that these witnesses did prophesy: "I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy." Prophesy; what is that; and how did it come to pass that they shall prophesy in the time of their

sackcloth ?

Prophesy: What is that?

Why prophesying is sometimes taken in Scripture for the revelation of the mind of God, whereby a man doth foretel things to come, and so Daniel and Ezekiel and others were called prophets.

Sometime prophesying is taken more largely in Scripture, for preaching the word of God in a way of office; preaching the word by office and so the ministers and preachers of the word of God in office, they are called prophets in Scripture.

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But yet, more largely, prophesy is taken for a declaring and making known of the mind and will of God; and so all those that do declare and make known the mind and will of Jesus Christ, they are said to be prophets, and so I take it here. For I pray do but mark, this their prophesying and witness-bearing seems to be all one: "I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy." And when they shall have finished their testimony, their witness-bearing; he

should have said, When they have finished their prophesy. True, but he would shew that their witness-bearing and prophesy is all one; and so compare Rev. xix. and xxii. together, and you will find the same: "I fell at his feet and worshipped him; and he said unto me, See thou do it not, I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus." And chap. xxii., "I fell at his feet; and he said unto me, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow servant and of thy brethren the prophets." "Of thy brethren the prophets," here, in chap. xxii., is all one with "thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus," in the xixth chapter; and saith he there, "Worship God; for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." It is the same word that is used when they had finished "their testimony, or witness-bearing;" "the witness of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." This bearing witness to the truths of Jesus, this is prophecy. And thus now the witnesses they are said to prophesy.

Well, but how came they to prophesy in the times of their sackcloth?

"Behold I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1260 days clothed in sackcloth." How comes it to pass that they shall prophesy in sackcloth?

It is clearly answered, "I will give power," saith Christ; "I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy in sackcloth." I will give power to them; they shall have their orders to preach from myself; they shall have power from me to preach, and to prophesy, and to bear their testimony. Some have their orders and their power to prophesy from men, from prelates, from the beast; but, saith he, "I will give power unto my two witnesses to prophesy." It is said of the beast, that "power was given him." It is said of the witnesses, "I will give power unto my two witnesses." They shall have their orders, they shall have their power of prophesy and witness-bearing from myself: "I will give power unto my two witnesses." Plainly then thus much.

There is none can bear witness to the truths of Jesus Christ but those that are empowered by Christ; and if that Jesus Christ will give power unto his two witnesses for to prophesy, and to bear their testimony, then why should we not depend on God; why should we not go unto Christ and

depend on Christ for our very power to bear witness to the truths of Christ.

It may be you are afraid, and you will say thus: I am a poor weak creature, man or woman, and I shall never be able for to bear a testimony in these witness-bearing times?

Aye, but you know what the martyr, Alice Driver, said, I will set my foot against the foot of the proudest prelate of them all in the cause of Christ: but who gave power unto her? Jesus Christ, that saith, I will give power unto my two witnesses, and he hath said so concerning all his witnesses: I will give power unto my two witnesses that they shall prophesy, and bear witness; and he is faithful: and therefore why should you not go to Christ, and lay yourselves flat upon this promise, and say to him: O Lord, I am a poor weak creature; I fear I shall never be able for to bear my testimony, but thou hast said, I will give power unto my two witnesses; I am one of thy witnesses. Now then O Lord, give power to me, for I am poor; oh, remember this promise, here is a gracious and a blessed promise: Christ saith himself, I will give power unto my two witnesses, and he is faithful, and will make it good. And so I have done with the fourth thing, namely what prophesying is, and how the witnesses come to prophesy, in the times of their sackcloth; Christ gives them power.

Fifthly, But then what is the defence and guard that these witnesses have, whereby they are guarded and defended in their prophesy?

The text saith, If any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies. What is that? Fire proceedeth out of their mouth; it may relate unto Moses; but especially it relates unto Elijah, a prophet, a minister, that when the captain and his fifty came to do him hurt, he called for fire from heaven, and destroyed the captain and his fifty; fire came out of his mouth by his prayers: and when another captain came, and his fifty, Elijah prayed, and fire came down and destroyed him and his fifty fire came out of his mouth; plainly it relates to this of Elijah.

What then is this fire that proceeds out of the mouth of the witnesses, but the scorching and devouring judgments of God, whereby the enemies of God's people are blasted and

destroyed by the prayers and threatenings of the people of God, that come out of their mouth.

But if any man will hurt them, mind a little.

It seems then that there will be always be some in readıness to hurt the witnessing people of Christ, though they be impowered to witness from Christ himself. Though the saints and people of God be impowered by Christ himself for to bear their testimony. There will always be some or other to hurt the witnessing people of God. If any man will hurt them them that are witnesses.

But though men do hurt the witnessing people of God, they shall not go unpunished: "If any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouths, and devoureth their enemies:" though the enemies may hurt the witnessing people of Christ, the enemies shall be hurt themselves, they shall not go unpunished.

But they shall not only be punished that hurt the witnessing people of God: but they shall be punished with a so; he must in this manner, or so, he must so be punished: so, how so? So, look in what way he thought to have hurt the witnessing people of God: so shall he be hurt, look by what means he sought to hurt the people of God, by the same hand and means shall he be hurt himself.

But so, so by fire coming out of their mouth; by the prayers of the people of God, they shall be blasted and consumed; not by sword, not by might, nor by strength, but by fire coming out of their mouth, so, so he shall not only be punished, but be punished with a so, that hurts the witnessing people of God.

Oh, my beloved friends, why do you shut your mouths? why should you not be much in prayer? what, doth fire come out of the mouth of the witnessing people of God to devour their enemies, and will you shut your mouth and not pray.

Oh, where will opposers appear; what will become of those that hurt the witnessing people of God, oh, woe to them?

Oh, what a dangerous thing is it to oppose the prayers of the people of God? This is the fire that comes out of their mouth, whereby those that hurt them are scorched: and therefore let men take heed how they hurt any of the witnessing people of Christ; and let all those that are witnesses

pray; you that are witnesses now open your mouths, for fire proceedeth out of your mouths, to devour the enemies that hurt the witnessing people of God; open your mouths wide. And so I have done with the fifth thing. The guard whereby the witnesses are guarded in the days of their prophecy.

Sixthly, The next thing remains, and that is what are the great things that these witnesses will do, in the end of the days of their prophecy, and of their sackcloth ?

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Why briefly thus: in the general it is said; " These have power to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will:" that is, as I humbly conceive, pouring out the seven vials, Rev. xvi., the seven vials are poured out upon the earth and why is it spoken of here, that they have power to smite the earth with all plagues? But to shew that at least some of the vials shall be poured out, before the witnesses are slain: but not to fix there more particularly.

These have a power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy. What is that? Certainly it must relate unto Elijah: that Elijah prayed and by his prayer he shut the heavens that it rained not for three years and an half: plainly it relates unto Elijah as can be: Elijah prayed, and by his prayer he shut the heavens that it rained not for three years and a half.

Well, but what are the heavens here?

Those cannot be understood literally, but spiritually as it is said in verse 8., "Their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt:" the heavens here cannot be understood literally, but spiritually; what then; what are the heavens then, and what is the shutting of the heavens that it rain not?

The heavens are the highest power, so that look when the witnesses have power to restrain the highest power in church and state from their wonted influence; then is this word fulfilled, that they have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: I say the heavens are the highest powers: look when the witnesses do restrain the highest power in church and state from their wonted influence, then is this word fulfilled.

They have power also to turn water into blood. What is that? plainly it must relate to Moses, who turned rivers, and turned waters into blood. What is that? It cannot be understood