CHAP. W. Conf. F. Acts of 26-1639. or sacrament) they were sealed to full membership in the national covenant; and without these distinguishing marks in the forehead or in the right hand, it is evident from all their Creeds and Confessions, that no one was entitled to any religious privilege. 48. The Anabaptists for renouncing the mark on Ass. Sess. the forehead were decreed to be rooted out of the Protestant dominions. Moreover the civil and ecclesiastical powers ordain and command, their said con· fession of faith, &c. " to be subscribed by all his majesty's subjects, of what rank and quality soever, under all civil pains." They caused all to receive the oath, "all masters of universities, colleges and schools, all scholars at the passing of their degreesand finally all members of the kirk and kingdom." Thus comprehending under their mark, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond. 49. The Protestant mark [xapayμa] or character of a Christian was always an outward ceremony, oath, or profession; so they caused all, both small and great, Rev. xil to receive that Christian character or mark. All mas16, 17. Rev. xiii. 18. ters, and scholars, and ministers, such as made merchandize of their gospel, as well as merchants in burg, and all who paid rent to the kirk, must have the true Christian character, the sealing ordinance, the only mark of God's true religion administered and received. 50. And however formed or reformed, these outward marks, so long as the dispositions and actions of man are beastly, his assuming a Christian character, and claiming a relation to Christ, only distinguishes him, as a wolf in sheep's clothing is distinguished from other beasts. 51. Protestants neyer would admit that man in the present life, could rise to any thing higher than his own fallen nature, or be so united to Christ as to become one with him, he must continue to be fallen man, mere man, a daily transgressor of the commands of God, and to this they must all covenant and swear, and the seal of this character is their distinguishing point of communion. 52. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: and this is easily done, for it is the number [Gr. arogans] of man ♪ not (as many suppose) some particular man, as an in- CHAP., dividual; but MAN in his common gender, including male and female. Then as the number of the beast is the number of man, so the character of the beast is the character of man, even beastly man in his natural human depravity, which he established, supported and applauded, under a profession of the name of Christ; and his name, under this profession in his common gender, is simply in the original Greek x§s. i.e. Chxist; and his number six hundred and sixty-six.* His eyes 8. 53. Thus fallen man in his most reformed state is Gen. vi, found wanting. When God saw the wickedness of 5, 6, 7. man that it was great-it repented him that he had made man-and he said I will destroy man. in a former beastly appearance are said to have been Dan. vi. like the eyes of man. And last of all, the number of See 2Pet. the beast is the number of man, and his name is almost ii. 12, 14, like the name of Christ, but it is not Christ, and however near the resemblance, justice forbids that he should be heir to the promise of everlasting life. 54. Likewise this beast begins with a great number, and ends with a small; so the Protestants began with christening whole nations, causing all both small and great to receive a mark, and a name, to the letters of which they added nought. Their kirk it is true had, in a nominal profession, some appearance but they never could keep the commandments of Christ: like the Ephraimites and their Sibboleth, for Shibbo- Judges leth, they never could frame to pronounce it right. 55. While they and their kings and nobles, and ministers of the gospel, professed to bear the cross of Christ, (at least the mark of it in the forehead,) they unhappily betrayed their attachment and likeness to the rebellious children of Israel, who had their The ancient Greeks as well as Romans, used the characters of their alphabet instead of figures to represent numbers. Thus : The 1st. character % is in number 600, in the letters of our alphabet Ch. Then by putting these characters together they make CHXIST: And by adding the numbers together they make 666. Thus we see that Christ is the name of the beast, and 666 the number of his name. Let him that hath understanding to compute his pernicious doctrines, horrid blaspheies, and abominable cruelties, make the application. CHAP. distinguishing mark only in the flesh of the foreskin; but the Protestant mark on the skin of the forehead, was neither so deep, nor so dangerous to the beast. 56. The Protestants and their descendants, like the uncircumcised Israelites, glory much in their outward marks, but more in their number; but though the number of these children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is only the number of the beast, the number of fallen man, such as Christ called, serpents, a generation of vipers. 57. As the Jews confined the favour of God to their mark and their number, so did the Protestants, and so do all the Christian world; therefore the character and doom of both are well described by the prophets : Tai. Ixy. But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number. Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter :-for the Lord God shall slay thee and call his servants by another name. 11, 12, 15. Rev. xiv. 9, 10. 58. To sum up the whole matter, the Christian world, in its present state, is so universally corrupt, that every orthodox Christian must needs be marked with a significant mark or sign of human depravity, and bound by every obligation that ever was given to restrain vice. 59. The sexes cannot live together in any order, without a ceremonial covenant ratified and solemnized by a consecrated priest, or civil magistrate; they cannot be governed without the compulsive energy of arms and human laws; they cannot be credited without the sanction of a solemn oath, nor agree among themselves without the interference of the civil magistrate to keep them in order; none of which pertains to the true kingdom of Christ; and therefore, after the appearance of the Lamb on mount Zion, the Angel so justly proclaims with a loud voice: 60. If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture, into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fre and brimstone, in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. CHAPTER IV. Remarks on the present State of the Witnesses of Truth. TH IV. HE natural state of man being a state of proba- CHAP. tion, it became necessary that he should be brought into judgment, and render an account of all the deeds done in the body and as wickedness cannot go unpunished, so it cannot be condemned without witnesses for this cause, therefore, hath God selected from amongst mankind, men of like passions with the rest; and endowed them with the light and gifts of his spirit, to stand as witnesses against the general corruptions and abounding wickedness of the world and no age has been without such, from the beginning to the present day. 2. Even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied against the wicked, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh in ten thousands of his saints, to execute judg- *gr. ev. ment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly Jude 14, among them, of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. 3. Noah was a true witness against the Antedeluvian world, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Samuel, all bore a swift testimony against sin. The prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, with the lesser prophets, and thousands who received the same spirit, were witnesses for God, against the growing corruptions of human nature. 4. Next follows John the Baptist, by whom was introduced JESUS, the true and faithful witness, who, having finished his testimony, gave the same authority to his disciples, apostles, and true followers, thousands of whom by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, knew what was in man, and testified against his depravity, for which they suffered all kinds of hardships and torture, even to the laying down of their lives. 5. We have seen also, from the most approved records, that through the darkest ages of antichristian apostacy, God had a people who bore witness to N n 15. IV. CHAP. the truth; a people who taught the principles of virtue, and practised what they taught; who took no oaths, bore no arms, and held the reins of spiritual government in the strictness of their morals; which, according to their degree of light, rendered their communion inaccessible to the unrighteous and wicked, and who testified, that the church of Christ, could be composed only of the holy and the just. Rev.xi.4. 6. We have stated from the authority of some of the most noted ecclesiastical writers, the general faith and manners of the Marcionites, Hierachites, Manicheans, Novatians, Priscillianists, Basilians, Bo. gomilans, Catharists, Paterines, Albigenses, Anabap tists, Picards, Waldenses, and lastly of the people called Quakers. Thousands and millions of whom, even from the beginning of the falling away, to the time of the persecution in New-England, fell by the sword, and by fire, and by captivity, and by spoil many days. 7. The testimony of truth, which stood against vice through the reign of Antichrist, had for its authority both the first and second appearing of Christ, that which was past, and that which was to come; and besides, it had for its object the corruption of human nature, both in male and female, so women as well, as men, were authorized to bear testimony to the truth, against vice and corruption; and as two witnesses were always counted necessary to establish a fact, therefore they are said to be two witnesses, two olive trees, and two candlesticks, standing before the God of the earth. 8. According to the time of .Antichrist's reign, which was to be a time, times, and an half, which is understood to mean three prophetic days and an half, or forty and two months, that is, (according to the solution of prophetic numbers,) one thousand two hundred and sixty years; so were the sufferings and death of the witnesses. 9. Yet those bodies or communities of virtuous believers, although dead to the world, cut off from any free exercise in the kingdom of Antichrist, devoted to destruction, and banished by oppression to the sequestered vallies, to the mountains, and to the |