14.8 Chap. 16.19 whereby they run quite contrary to the intent of the Texts and subvert the sence of at least two whole Chapters I need not I suppose proceed further upon this Subject to prove that this last Book of Holy Writ wherein mention is sometimes made of the the whole World Chap. 16.14 c. was not intended to the seven Churches of Asia only I therefore desist from further enlargement upon the first three Chapters whose Prophesies had respect chiefly to the seven Churches of Asia and were long since fulfilled and come to the fourth Chapter CHAP. IV. THis Chapter holds forth an Historical Description of the Primitive Church chiefly in the Apostle's Times That Church as here described was a transient adumbration or figure of the Gospel-Church revived and returned after the 1260 years of the last grand Apostacy out of the Wilderness For we find in this Chapter a Throne and a Sea of Glass like unto Crystal before it vers 6. That Throne and Sea of Glass was the Primitive Church And we find her returned-Antitype the Church in future set forth by a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire Chap. 15.2 That is the Primitive Saints and Professors were a knowing and discerning People and so shall their Antitype the Gospel Church convinced and returned be much more for ever For the Primitive Church soon in about 400 years passed away and fled into the Wilderness into secret subterfuges of obscure latency for 1260 years Chap. 12.6 14. But the Gospel returned Church by her prefigured shall not pass away Isa 65.17 Chap. 66.22 Pet. 8.13 Rev. 21.1 to the end Ch. 22.5 That Throne in this fourth Chapter was the Superintendents of the Primitive Church whereon God sat supream And the Sea of Glass before it was that Church So by the Sea of Glass in the 15th Chapter is meant the Church in future times and those Victors born up by it and standing upon it shall be under God the Supervisors over it CHAP. V. THe Prophetick Visions in this Chapter that are most obvious to my Observation are two The first is The Book sealed with seven Seals in the hand of him that sat upon the Throne Vers 1. The second is a Lamb as it had been slain the Lion of the Tribe of Judah that prevailed to open the Book and to loose the Seals thereof and took the Book and of the right hand of him that 〈◊〉 upon the Throne vers 5.6 7. We must here inquire in the first place what this Book was or is Secondly How it 〈…〉 could open them nor reade it 〈◊〉 look thereon vers 3. 4. Thirdly How long it was so to be Fourthly What the causes of its being sealed were and are And first What is this Book I answer It must be the whole Scripture or else which is little less an abstract of it If an abstract then it must be this last Book of holy Writ for that 's the abridgment of all the Scripture and explains of diâ—â—ciâ—ates the whole if that be sealed it â—enders thereby the rest much more dark For if any part of the Body the Head especially be wounded all the Body must needs sympathize therewith and partake thereof So if any part of abstract of Holy Writ this part especially He sealed it cannot be but that the whole Scripture must be theirby greatly obscured and very much sealed and that undeniably denotes that most dangerous and 't is most like general mistake in Men Sects and Saints that calls for all possible and speedy care to remove it For all Saints Sects and Professors do not in the least dream that I observe of any such thing as a Book or any abridgment of Holy Writ being sealed especially in such manner aforesaid The opening therefore of the Seals thereof must be the greatest most needful Mercy that hath come to Men in Many Ages Many Expositors say This sealed Book is the Book of things concerning the Church till Christ's second coming But the things of this Book concern not the Church only but all Nations and not only until the time of Christ's second coming but in all after-times Rev. 11.15 Chap. 12.5 They therefore might perhaps have said better That it is the Book of the Presages of Events that should respect the Church and all Nations for above fifteen hundred ninety 〈…〉 beginning about the Year 70 when 〈…〉 began to Reign And of things that should concern the Church and Nations after those 1597 years aforesaid Pool saith It is the Book of the Old and New Testament especially as it concerns the Mysterious of Christ What Mysteries of Christ he means he does not distinctly declare threfore I pass by this account of this Book But That we may more certainly know what Book this is and how long it was to continue sealed we must search what God declared to the Prophets concerning the Antitype Mystery of God and the Mystery of Iniquity then opposite thereunto is the time of the last grand Apostacy and their Prophetick Figures and Fore runners in the Primitive Times For this is the Book of what God declered to his Servants the Prophets concerning the two first and those two last Rev. 6. to Chap. 8.7 Chap. 10.6 7. And first This Book began to be sealed in the Primitive Times about the Year 70 when Flavius Vespasian began to Reign the Jews to be rejected and Jerusalem to be destroyed It continued sealed from that time to 407 when the Primitive Church fled into the Wilderness and the Orthodox but Apostate Empire departed or began to pass away Then the Papal grand Apostacy succeeded and the Book became doubly Sealed This Book therefore beginning to be sealed in the Year 70 contains the Presages of the state of the Primitive Church and of the Bloody proceedings of her proper Antichrist or Mystery of Iniquity from that time to 407 when she 〈◊〉 as aforesaid Then the Antitype Mystery of his Iniquity or Papal grand Apostacy invaded the Christian World for 1060 Years before any effectual means of its discontinuance was made manifest And this last grand Mystery of Iniquity with its effects and the time of its continuance and the deplored state of the Wilderness-Church under it is also much more the Matter of this sealed Book which God declared to his Servants the Prophets But How does it plainly appear That the Mystery of God and the Mystery of Iniquity in the time of the Primitive Defection and in the time of the Papal Apostacy with what one did and the other suffered is that in this sealed Book which God declared to his Servants the Prophets I answer though more fully afterwards That we must mind what the chief Matter in the Mystery of Iniquity was and what its Prefigurations were For the Mystery of God was passive under them whiles they were in Power and therefore in that time did not or not much appear The chief Matter or Substance prefigured was the Secular Power of the
Righteousness for the duty of doing Right was more difficult in it self but impossible to be done when they had forsaken the foundation of it his Prophetical Ministry that held forth the Promises and Threatnings The Promises That if they did repent they should not be destroyed The Threatnings That if they did not repent they should universally perish This Ministry therefore was the means to work Faith which is the foundation of all Moral Obedience that makes it Genuine and Evangelical But Faith Hope and Charity the only three Fundamental and Fruit-bearing Graces are wrought as the means under God by the Prophetical Scriptures wherein the Moral Scriptures or those which Formalists falsly call most Profitable and Plain have little or no share For a Man may read the Moral Scriptures and the Historical that are not also Prophetical all the days of his Life and never learn what Faith Hope and Charity mean They therefore that would open the Seals of this Book or glorifie God and profit Men by their good Conversations must begin that Work not excluding the Moral and Historical in the Prophetical Scriptures which are for that end usually less Sealed and more easie to be understood than the Moral Scriptures are and therein Men and Saints seem to be universally mistaken I shall only add briefly this example All the chief Priests and Scribes could readily tell Herod when he enquired of them that Christ should be born in Bethlehem because it is written by the Prophet And thou Bethlehem in the Land of Judea art not the least among the Princes of Judah for out of thee shall come a Governour that shall rule my People Israel Mat. 2.5 6. Mich. 5.2 This was a Prophecy which they all understood I might give many Instances of the like easiness in other Prophecies But our Saviour said unto them I will have Mercy and not Sacrifice go learn what that meaneth Mat. 9.13 Now speakest thou might the Pharisees say plainly and speakest no Pâ—â—able nor are these words any unprofitable and unintelligible Prophecy but a plain and easie Moral Precept We all understand what Mercy means and are not now to learn this Lesson But it was in them a signal and universal Mistake For that Lesson was so sealed that none of them could rightly understand it or learn what it meant and it remains still so firmly sealed that Saints themselves cannot yet open the Seals of it nor read it For by Mercy in that Text is meant all Righteousness to all Men to a Man's self and to all Church-Societies Sects and Nations but it principally intends not that sleepy spurious or at best weak and imperfect practice of present or former times but that true future quadriform Righteousness of Gospel-Promise which shall be the supreme end of Christ's Death in order to God's Glory and the good of Men. There was no need that any Man should say to the Scribes and chief Priests Go learn what that Prophecy in Micha meaneth for they all knew what it meant and could readily unfold it But there is great need that God and Men say to all Saints and Professors Go learn what the Moral Scriptures mean and what their chief use and supreme end is For they have a depth in them which few Men can fathom and are much more sealed than usually the Prophetical Scriptures are he therefore that would reduced them into right action must learn to perform what they hold forth in a fourfold Conformity grounded upon true Faith and so their Fruits become Evangelical obedience to God and right to Men But the practice of Right in a fourfold Conformity is or at least hath been notwithstanding the rash repugnances of perverse gainsayers as much sealed even to Saints as was Sampson's Riddle For Thirdly The whole Scripture may be said to be sealed First in respect to inadvertency almost universal in Men and Saints Secondly In respect to the adequate and supreme end of it And first Inadvertency the most common Mark of the Beast is the almost universal means that this Book remains sealed Noah was a Preacher but without profit to them to the old World and we read not of one Man in all the Universe some few of his own Family only excepted that repented What was the reason of it The Book was sealed in a Figure not that there was any evident obsignation upon or great obscurity in the sacred Oracles which God gave by the Mouth of Noah to the whole World but their Minds were universally sealed through Sloth They knew nothing saith the Text Mat. 24.39 And no marvel because they minded nothing of Noah's Admonitions nor duly regarded what he said or did The same inadvertency in her Daughter seals this Book by little less than an universal unmindfulness For the Book of late is perhaps open in a great measure to some but very few and the Prophecies therein are performed to the beginning of the seventh Trumpet and seventh Vial and yet it remains still almost universally sealed with seven Seals very few excepted to the whole World For De non apparentibus non existentibus eadem ratio Things that appear not and things that are not are of like capacity But when things most necessary and of highest concern are sealed through sloth or unmindfulness it manifests the most unexpressible Prophaneness and Ignorance that Man can be capable of nor does it signifie any thing to the so besotted World that the Book is open to some few but sealed with seven Seals to all the rest as the old World to whom the Book by a general unmindfulness was sealed in a Figure was no better at all that it was open only to a very few for that was the cause of their greater Condemnation Therefore this way of the Book being sealed whereby Sloth is added to brutish ignorance and the cause of it is the most desperate and dreadful of all Ways whereby it is or can be sealed For This is Condemnation saith our Saviour that Light is come into the World and Men love Darkness So it may be now said which is the same This is the Condemnation of this World and will be the chief Cause of its speedy passing away that the Book of holy Writ having been sealed for many Ages with seven Seals begins to be opened and Men almost universally love to mind nothing But Secondly The whole Scripture is or hath been universally sealed in respect to its supreme end And what is that Answer The whole Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable to Teach to Convince to Correct and to instruct in Righteousness that the Man of God may be absolute being made perfect unto all good Works 2. Tim. 3.16 17. Good Works of Men and Saints made perfect are the supreme ends of the whole Scripture in order to God's Glory as these Texts expresly testifie But the profit of the whole Scripture to those ends aforesaid must needs be small whilst the Book is sealed and
Papacy it was shadowed forth by its first Figures and its immediate fore runner And first There were many first figures of the Matter of this sealed Book I shall here briefly instance but in one which is that of the four Beasts in Daniel the 7th By which four by what they did and by the state of the Church under them God did declare to Daniel the Prophet his Servant what the Matter of this sealed Book should be in the Primitive Times and in the time of the Papal grand Apostacy And Secondly God declared to his Servant John the Evangelical Prophet by four Beasts also by their bloody Practices in the Primitive Times and the Churches Persecutions by them what the matter of this sealed Book should be in the time of the Papal grand Apostacy Rev. 6. to the end of the Chapter And Thirdly God declared to his Servant John by the express signatures of those four Beasts in Daniel set upon the secular beast Papal and by the unparallel'd evil practices of that Beast what the Matter of this sealed Book was to be under the Papacy for 1260 Years Rev. 13.2 3 4 5. to the 9th verse Those four Beasts in Daniel succeeded each worse and less Noble than his Predecessor Those four Beasts in Rev. 6. succeeded also one worse than another And Those four Signatures upon the secular Beast Papal were the Marks of the four Beasts in Daniel that succeeded each worse than other which also undeniably denotes that Papal Beast to be the fifth Monarch and the Papacy to be the fifth Monarchy I might give many other Instances but this in this place is sufficient and clearly demonstrates That this sealed Book in its Antitype or Substance prefigured is the Book of what God hath declared to his Servants the Prophets concerning the finishing of the Mystery of God and the suppressing and final subverting of the Mystery of Iniquity and shews how both must be effected But that this Book is so and what the time of its continuing sealed is is confirmed by Christ upon his Oath By the Living God Chap. 10. For. When the first six Angels had sounded their six Trumpets for 1260 Years which time runs parallel with the Witnesses Sackcloth Prophesie Chap. 11.3 then we find the Angel of the Covenant who took this Book sealed out of his right Hand that sate upon the Throne Chap. 5.7 having it open in his Hand Chap. 10.2 And then he having declared before the meaning of the Prophecies of the seven seals in the Primitive Times by showing what their performance should be and having shown their fulfilling also in the time of the Papacy till about the end of the sixth Trumpet Swore by him that liveth for evermore that â—henâ— should be no longer 〈◊〉 But in the days of the seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound the Mystery of God should be finised as he hath declare to his Servants the Prophets Chap. 10.6 7. And immediately thereupon we find this Book open in John's hand Ver. 8.9 10. But what time was that which should be no longer I answer it was the same 1260 Years aforesaid of this Book bring sealed after the Primitive Times to 〈◊〉 The time of the last grand Apostacy prevailing of the Mystery of Iniquity being masked of the Mystery of God his Church being tradden under foot by the Gentiles and not finished not effectually reformed not returned out of the Wilderness not revived as evidently appears from the Texts aforesaid from chap. 11.2 from chap. 12.6 14. from chap. 11. â—â— 11. from Ezek. 37.2 3. For we find the seventh Seal opened in chap. 7.1 The Prophecies under that Seal are held forth to the 7th verse of that Chapter and their performances extend to the Year 407 when the Church fled for 1260 Years and the Empire fell began to fall for ever But we find no mention at all of this Book being opened when that seventh Seal was opened nor until 1260 Years after when the first six Trumpets had founded the first six Vials were poured forth and when the Witnesses had finished the 1260 years of their Sackcloth Prophecy as we have proved sufficiently before in the Texts aforesaid There shall be no longer time There 's the first part of Christ's Oath by the living God But in the days of the seventh Angel when he shall begin to sound the Mystery of God shall be finished There 's the second part of Christ's Oath by the Living God The first part terminates the time of this Book being sealed or until it should begin to be opened For we find it open in Christ's Hand immediately before he made this Oath and open in John's hand immediately after he had made it This first part of Christ's Oath terminates also the progress of the Apostacy of Antichrist or until there should be some thing materially tending to its discontinuance which might be as will after appear about the year 1666 or soon after The second part of Christ's Oath states the beginning of the Antitype-Mystery of God to be finished or till something should effectually tend to the finishing of it which might appear at the same time aforesaid or soon after Thus Christ himself upon his Oath by the Living God fully confirms the Terminus ad quem of the Mystery of Inquity or the time when it should begin to fall And likewise the Terminus a qus of the Mystery of God or the time when it should begin to be finished and therefore he must of necessity confirm also by the same Oath the duration of this Book being sealed and state the time when it should begin to be opened For it were absurd to think and a thing impossible that the Mystery of Iniquity can begin to fall and the Mystery of God begin to be finished till this Book the only means under God to those ends shall begin to be opened For All the powers of the Sword and policies of Church and States the wisest Counsels and most careful circumspection of Men and Saints without that means to those ends signifie nothing Therefore the time of all the three of the first beginning to fall of the second to be finished and of the beginning of this Book to be opened is fully confirmed notwithstanding the insedulity of sleepy Inadvertists that mind nothing by the Testimony of Christ upon his Oath by the Living God But If this Book be the Book of what God declared to his Servants the Prophets concerning the Mystery of God prefigured and the means to the finishing of it what then is meant by that by the Prophets foretold Mystery of God How or where shall we find it or know what it is I answer This last Book of holy Writ holds forth that also and further declares the time when it should begin to be finished For we find after 666 Chapter 13. the last Verse and in the first Verse of the 14th these words Then I looked and lo a Lamb stood on Mount Sion
it seems rather to serve to make Schisms to create Divisions to multiply Sects to frame Factions and to form false Opinions Mistakes and evil Manners for Saints Sects and Professors do all this and think they have good ground for it from the Scriptures because they are sealed and they see no better but when their Seals shall be opened all those dreadful evils shall soon vanish as Darkness when the Light appears Good works of Men made perfect are the supreme ends for which the whole Scripture was given by Inspiration of God in order to his Glory and the good of Men. The same account is given by our Blessed Saviour himself So let your Light shine before Men that they seeing your good Works may Glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Mat. 5.16 And is this all may Formalists and Hypocrites say and Saints are apt to say almost as much then we know already the supreme end for which the whole Scripture was given by Inspiration of God we know that we must make our good Works shine before Men that they may glorifie God And how have their good Works even of Saints shone before Men all the time of the Witnesses Sackcloth-Prophecy for 1260 Years How do they shine at present And what Glory have they brought to God or Temporal Good to Men I answer They have shone and do shine as the Sun when it was black is Sackcloth of Hair Rev. 6.12 There was sincerity in the good Works of Saints all that time and still is but Men could scarce see them or it they were so dark and did not shine to bring any great Glory to God or Temporal good to Men because they were and are so disguised like the Prophet in contrary Habits and so corrupt and mixt with evil Manners But when this Book shall be opened they shall shine and Men shall see them and glorifie God Then the whole Scripture shall be much more effectually profitable to teach to convince to correct and to instruct in Righteousness and Men and Saints be made more perfect unto all good Works and that 's the supreme end of the whole Scripture in order to God's Glory And what shall the good Works of Saints made perfect be I answer They shall be the practice of Right in a four-fold Conformity grounded upon true Faith What that Practice is or rather shall be I have shewn at large in my former Treatise and it will further appear in this And have not some Saints Sects or Professors attained to this supreme end of the whole Scripture or square practice of Right in the time when this Book was universally sealed with seven Seals I answer The Book was sealed in the Primitive Times and sealed or rather doubly sealed in the time of the Papal Apostacy whose principal time of continuance was to be 1260 Years and that 's the time of the Witnesses Sackcloth-Prophecy Rev. 11.2 3. Chap. 12.6.14 Chap. 13.5 Wherefore as the Prophets had leave of Elisha to seek for the Body of Elijah give me leave to search first those 1260 Years the principal time of the Papal Apostacy to see if possibly any foot-steps of this practice of square Right the supreme end in order to God's Glory of the whole Scripture may be found in all that time or under that Dispensation and if we find none there we shall search for it in the Primitive Times and then proceed to shew further what it is or what those good Works which are the supreme end of the whole Scripture and in respect to which principally it is sealed are or rather shall be And first We find the state of the Papacy under the first six Trumpets and first six Vials standing and under the seventh Trumpet and seventh Vial falling We must therefore see if we can find this supreme end of the whole Scripture held forth under the first six Trumpets and first six Vials and under the Witnesses Sackcloth Prophecy for they all run parallel in 1260 Years Under the first second and third Trumpet and Vial we find no mention at all of it nor under the fourth Trumpet and fourth Vial but that Men repented not to give glory to God Chap. 16.9 Not but that some true Repentance was wrought in Saints all that time but it was so small weak undiscernable and insignificant that God was not much if at all glorified thereby Therefore to such Repentance though some truth be in the performers of it God gives not the name of Repentance but saith expresly They repented not c. And who were they that repented not to give Glory to God They to whom the Witnesses were sent to prophesie for 1260 Years repented not in all that time to give Glory to God who were they to whom the Witnesses were sent They were the Saints and Church fallen from Faith and Manners 2 Thess 2.3 that is to those first and chiefly For the Prophet was sent directly to Apostate Israel fallen from Faith and Manners 1 Kings 13.1 That Prophet sent to Bethel and the other who dwelt there prefigured the two Sackcloth-Witnesses sent to the Gospel-Church and Saints fallen as aforesaid to prophesie 1260 Years but it was without much success For they repented not all that time to give Glory to God God sent the Prophet not to the dead Bones of Gog but to the dead and dry Bones in the open Valley which represented the state of the whole House of Israel and prefigured the whole House of Gospel Israel who for 1260 Years repented not to give Glory to God Ezek. 39.15 Chap. 37.11 For it were a Master-piece of incredible absurdity to say That dead and dry Bones without Flesh or Sinews or Skin to cover them repented vigorously and glorified God by their good Works Go not saith our Blessed Saviour into the way of the Gentiles and into the Cities of the Samaritans enter ye not But go rather to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel Mat. 10.5 6 7. He sent his twelve Apostles not to the Gentiles but to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel And I am not sent saith he but to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel Chap. 15.24 So the Gospel-Witnesses were sent of God principally and in the first place to the lost Sheep of Gospel Israel the Gospel-Church and her Saints to prophesie in Sackcloth for 1260 Years For She and they fallen from Faith and Manners as aforesaid were the prefigured lost Sheep all that time That is they were and are not yet free from those dreadful Perils in the lamentable state to see to of lost Sheep subject to all sorts of Calamities Conspiracies and contrivances to subvert their Temporal and Spiritual well-beings and which is worse they bring themselves into such great Tribulations by their rebellious disobedience in not repenting to give glory to God not greatly minding to learn to know what that meaneth For all other sick sleepy barren trivial but somewhat true Repentance whereby they are