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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45517	The key of sacred scripture, and, leading to it first, an answer to some objections given to the author, by a person of great learning and piety : wherein many mistakes, by which most professors wound themselves, and strengthen the hands of the churche's adversaries, are clearly discovered, and the more invincible weapons of truth inviolable (tending effectually to refel errors, and reform manners) are tendred to them / by Tho. Harby.	Harby, Thomas.	1679 (1679)	Wing H683; ESTC R20417	31,658	56

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 di●●ci●ates the whole if that be sealed it ●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-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

10.6 It is done saith the Text expresly Chap. 16.17 And thus my Opponent's first Objection and in that all the rest falls to dust with one stroke from the very words of the Text besides those upon Oath by the Living God in the 10th Chapter expresly gainsaying it Nor is my Opponent herein faulty alone but all Writers and Teachers consentient with him must be like him at a loss in mistaking the Matter of sundry Texts ahd Chapters not knowing where it begins nor where it ends nor what they hold forthe Nor are such mistakes peculiar to him or them alone but incident as an Epidemick Disease almost to all Writers For the most able and Orthodox I can except very few are not free from many mistakes that work setled habits of Error against Truth and Reason My Progress theresom till such false Foundations be first removed may give great offence to such and satisfie few For so many misapprehensions work as it were an universal incapability and where the Subject is uncapable the Agent cannot operate I am driven therefore here by urgent constraint and unavoidably as the Reader may plainly perceive to a brief Digress that I may remove those mistakes that obstruct them in reading and my success in writing for otherwise they must needs read both the Scriptures and those Books that best unfold them with little profit if they are not first well informed where the Matter in the Texts and Chapters begins where it ends and what they hold forth These Remora's therefore must be first removed Such an Intendment provided it be effectual do all future Ages call for and the present claims to refel Errors to reform Manners to heal the Churche's almost deadly wounds made wide besides no few failings of her own by the perverse ignorance of sundry subdivisions and to procure the Peace Conversion and Reviction of all Sects and Nations Something hath often been pretended but not effectually and in earnest intended to these ends I shall therefore with humble submission to the Judgments of Men more able endeavour as a duty indispensable to God and to his Church to shew briefly what sundry Texts and Chapters not only in the Scriptures counted plain but in the Prophets and in this compendium of Prophesies the Apocalyps hold forth and where the Matter in them begins and where it ends I promised to explain more fully some Texts handled in my first Treatise and it falls in most fit here to perform my Promise Nor let any grudg at this brief Digress for it may perhaps prove not only useful but needful for all that read the Scriptures both the Prophetical and those called plain and for all that shall hereafter Preach or Write upon either Howbeit such as before they read it had rather omit it may pass it by though with mach less profit to themselves and proceed where I return to prosecute my Answers to these Objections THE DIGRESS MAN made last was the most perfect Creature God made on Earth So this last Book of Holy Writ the Apocalyps is sacrae caput culmen Scripturae the consummate perfection of all the Scripture and an Abstract of it 'T is true it 's most despised by Ideots and Hypocrites and that 's the praise of it But as all the Tribes of Israel had Jerusalem and the Temple as their Metropolis and Center so all the Scriptures concenter in this last Book and are perfected and explained by it Would any know what God hath declared to his Servants the Prophets Here he may find it and find the supream end and intent of it in order to God's Glory and the ineffable good of Men Rev. 10.7 Is or hath any Book of Sacred Scripture been sealed with seven Seals Here we may find the truth of it asserted and how its Seals were and may be opened Chap. 5th 6th to Chap. 10.2 8 9 10. The Church till this Work be well begun must needs wander in the Wilderness and find no way forth For this Book being sealed was the cause of her Ingress and it being opened must be the only means under God of her Egress or coming out of it The Serpent brought Sin and Death upon all Men by beguiling Eve That Cause and those Effects are since grown into an excess of greatness but we find in this last Book an undefiled Company that shall be without guile and without fault before the Throne of God and how that State may be attained Chap. 14.4 5. Without Guile That is Men shall not as they do and have done deceive and be deceived and Sin and Death shall not have dominion as now and heretofore they had That those deceits of the Serpent whereby he beguiles as he did from the beginning the whole World to bring it with speed to Perdition may by being made manifest miss of their end and his aim is the Subject principally intended in this Digress It 's the Opinion of some Professors that what is contained in this last Book of Holy Writ concerns Asia only without further extent because it 's written to the seven Churches of Asia and Babylon therein mentioned was and Euphrates therein also exprest is in Asia I Answer Sodom and Egypt are also therein mentioned and Sodom is not in being and Egypt is in Africa But Sodom and Egypt in Chap. 11.8 are spiritually so called saith that Text expresly That is they are such in substance as Sodom and Egypt were in a figure Babylon now in being is not that City formerly so called but another built in another place but the first of that name is not now nor was that we find in being when John wrote This City therefore so called in these Texts is also not that literal City but is expresly called Mystical Chap. 17.5 And so Euphrates on which this Spiritual City likewise stands and is supported by it is to be understood Spiritually also that is Euphrates was to prototype Babylon or the first forerunner of her Antitypes the many Waters of that literal River which denoted in the last City and last but one of that metaphorical name Rome literal and Rome Papal both called Babylon Peoples and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues Ch. 17.1 15. Ch. 11.9 We find in Chap. 17.5 Mystery Babylon the Great c. There revolted Rome Imperial ruling ten Nations is intended and her River her Euphrates is held forth in the same Chapter vers 15. And great Babylon came in remembrance before God Chap. 16.19 There Papal Rome containing ten Nations is intended Chap. 13.1 and her River her Euphrates is held forth in Chap. 9.14 Chap. 11.9 Chap. 16.12 So then not that literal City in Asia called Babylon but two spiritual Cities so called Rome Imperial and Papal Rome are intended in these Texts Here almost all Protestant Writers mistake and their mistake brings a multitude more with it for they take that City called Babylon in the 17th and 18th Chapters to be one and the same City with this in Chap.

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 ●hen● 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. ●● 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