the
Temple called the separate place, and the square court of the Altar called
the Priests court, and the court of them that worship in the Temple called
the new court: _but the_ great _court which is without the Temple, leave
out, and measure it not, for it is given to the _Gentiles_, and the holy
city shall they tread under foot forty and two months_. This measuring hath
reference to _Ezekiel_'s measuring the Temple _of Solomon_: there the whole
Temple, including the outward court, was measured, to signify that it
should be rebuilt in the latter days. Here the courts of the Temple and
Altar, and they who worship therein, are only measured, to signify the
building of a second Temple, for those that are sealed out of all the
twelve tribes of _Israel_, and worship in the inward court of sincerity and
truth: but _John_ is commanded to leave out the outward court, or outward
form of religion and Church-government, because it is given to the
_Babylonian Gentiles_. For the glorious woman in heaven, the remnant of
whole seed kept the commandments of God, and had the testimony of _Jesus_,
continued the same woman in outward form after her flight into the
wilderness, whereby she quitted her former sincerity and piety, and became
the great Whore. She lost her chastity, but kept her outward form and
shape. And while the _Gentiles_ tread the holy city underfoot, and worship
in the outward court, the two witnesses, represented perhaps by the two
feet of the Angel standing on the sea and earth, prophesied against them,
and _had power_, like _Elijah_ and _Moses_, _to consume their enemies with
fire proceeding out of their mouth, and to shut heaven that it rain not in
the days of their Prophecy, and to turn the waters into blood, and to smite
the earth with all plagues as often as they will_, that is, with the
plagues of the trumpets and vials of wrath; and at length they are slain,
rise again from the dead, and ascend up to heaven in a cloud; and then the
seventh trumpet sounds to the day of judgment.

The Prophecy being finished, _John_ is inspired anew by the eaten book, and
begins the Interpretation thereof with these words, _And the Temple of God
was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of the
Testament_. By the Ark, we may know that this was the first Temple; for the
second Temple had no Ark. _And there were lightnings, and voices, and
thundrings, and an earthquake, and great hail_. These answer to the wars i