Selected quad for the lemma: book_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	prophecy_n	word_n	write_v	3,353	5	6.1475	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A40762	A sober inquiry, or, Christs reign with his saints a thousand years, modestly asserted from Scripture together with the answer of most of those ordinary objections which are usually urged to the contrary.	I. F.	1660 (1660)	Wing F26; ESTC R5515	86,615	187

AMongst the many questions that this Age abounds with These two great questions seem more especially to be of concernment to us viz When did that man of sinne who hath been the Worlds burthen and the Saints bane arise and when shall he cease Secondly Whether shall Christ personally reign with his Saints and take into his own hands the Monarchy of the world when and how long if he do I confess these Enquiries themselves are such as lye under the censures of some the reproaches of others and the general neglect of very many so that it will not be needless to say something by way of justification of our selves before we come to the questions themselves The which I shall do in these three Conclusions Con. 1 This Enquiry is no enemy to a mans own grace or the grace of God in others but rather a special help and advantage to the increase and quicking of grace both in the person enquiring and the person reading and hearing For even this is included under that general Command John 5.39 Search the Scriptures God commands not that which is prejudicial to our graces but advantagious to their growth and increase Hence we may and must 1 Thes 5.21 Prove all things and hold fast that which is good Again a word of blessing goes along with sincere and faithful endeavours of this nature Rev. 1.3 Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this Prophecy and keep those things which are written therein Rev. 22.7 Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the Prophecy of this book The Original word in either place which is translated to keep comes from the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifies to reserve or observe noting a searching so as to weare or rub out that we may keep what we so finde Again we have a particular promise of fruit and success annexed to such an enquiry or enquiries Dan. 12.4 Many shall run to and fro that is about the time of the end when the things themselves draw towards an accomplishment many shall run to and fro by enquiries and searchings and disputes and knowledge shall be increased And this cannot be head-knowledge onely but heart-knowledge also for the first would be a poor blessing without the other Con. 2 The Holy Ghost hath expresly foretold that the Saint at the time of the end shall make diligent enquiry into these things Dan. 8.13 Then I heard one Saint speaking and another Saint said unto that certain Saint which spoke how long shall be the vision concerning the dayly sacr●fice and the transgression of desolation to give both the Sanctuary and the Host to be trodden underfoot Dan. 12 5.6 How long shall it be to the end of these wonders It were easie but I conceive it needless to multiply texts for the proof of this Therefore Con. 3 The Holy Ghost hath left particular and certain ground for the faith of Gods people in the last days to go to God upon for light and knowledge in these things and enquiries Dan. 12.4 But thou O Daniel shut up the woras and seal the Book even to the time of the end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vsque ad tempus finis And ver 9. the words are closed and sealed till the time of the end and then as I said many shall run to and fro and knowledge by these enquiries and disquisitions shall be increased The Conclusion is that at or about the time of the end Mysteries are by scrutination searchings enquiries and serious studies to be understood the book unsealed the Vision made known and if so then this our practice is justifiable and the practice of all those holy godly and learned Divines who have ingaged themselves in studies of this nature laudable and praise-worthy And although many learned pens have been mistaken in some things yet they have hit right in many others if some lines have been crooked yet many have been straight men have not been infallible and yet for all that very profitable so that by their canvasing the matter to and fro knowledge hath increased But on the other hand the carelesness and remisness and negligence of the world not looking narrowly diligently and seriously into Mysteries and Prophecies hath done a great deal of hurt What else I pray you was the cause that when Christ in his first coming was so earnestly expected and looked for and desired and all this about the time when he did come yet he came and came to his own and to his own that expected him and did his work and went again and they did not receive or own him Again what else was the cause that Antichrist should be looked for and seared that he would come and this about the time that he did come and was written preached against Yet he came and came at that very time and yet found entertainment yea hath almost lived his long life done his work and run his thousand two hundred and sixty dayes or years and yet for all this the more part will hardly take notice of it but take him for Christs Vicar whom the Dragon substituted and made to be his own Lieutenant Again is not Christ almost ready to take the Beast and false Prophet and cast both out of the World into the Lake and take to himself his great power and reign and give the Kingdom to the Saints and reduce the Nations under his dominion and binde up Satan and sit on the throne of David and yet the more part will beleeve none of all this I pray you then let me be almost the number of those that run to and fro that if it were the Will of God knowledge might increase And give me leave to speak a few words and as it were by way of preparation to the second thing proposed which I mainly intend to the first of these two Questions to wit of the Rise and Ruine of Antichrist And in the first place we are to note that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 postrema tempora last time So much spoken of in the New Testament in the general note out unto us all the times from Christ unto the consummation of all things which times are the last in respect of the times of the world complexively considered as old age is the last times of a man in respect of his whole complex age Now these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or last times consist of three great periods as Meàe the sober Guess and others have abundantly cleared and made out the first of these was the period or time of the Dragon when Heathenism raged in the world the second was the time of the Beast and false prophet who synchronize when superstition and idolatries prevail the third is the Millennium or Reign of Christ when Satan is bound up and the Kingdom given to the Saints Note we further that the Scripture tells us of no other period these three are all and where the first end the second begins

in pieces the Roman Empire and did perpetrate and act such things as very strongly smell of Antichristianism which doth plainly indigitate to us about what time Antichrist arose was born revealed or as Mr. Mede well phraseth it editus in lucem At this self-same time arose both the ten horned Beast viz. that beastly political power ten kinged having ten Kings And the reviver and the restorer of him the two-horned Beast viz. that seeming Lamb-like Vicar of Christ to look upon but ●n reality the Devils Lieutenant and the Dragons Spokesman the Pope and his filthy defiled Clergy and Party I say at this time both this Beasts arose quod erat demonstrandum Object And whereas it may be by some objected concerning these ten Kings that the beginning of their reign is not to be fetched from their first irru●tion into the Romane Empire but from their firm constitution and full establishment in so many Kingdoms therein Answ To this I answer that the sacred Scripture doth not hold forth this character to us from Kingdoms established or confirmed but received For the words run thus Rev. 17. ●2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And the ten hornes which thou sawest are ten Kings which have received no Kingdom as yet but receive power as Kings one houre or at an hour with the Beast the sacred Prophesie fetcheth as the Courteous Reader may perceive the begining of these Kings and Kingdoms from their first rising up and not from their established and fixed Government which was not till many years after namely when they had received power of reigning from God in whose power it is to confer and transfer Kingdoms Prov. 8.15 And John in this place speaks plainly of power received they received power as Kings one houre with the Beast which who doth not see though but with half an eye to be here referred to the time of their Reignings and Kingdoms first taken Concerning a matter not unlike Polibius a most grave and sober Writer being to give his judgment concerning the Rise of the Romane Empire he compares it with the beginning of the Macedonian and speaks thus to us Ego principio cujusque rei esse statuo primus conatus c. I conclude saith he that the beginnings of any thing are the first endeavours c. But to let pass Polybius I do suppose at that time those ten Kings received their power when the Pope did not only take to himself the Primacie and exercise it but did with his idolatrous Clergie go about to paganize the Empire by his new idolatries and superstitions For the holy Prophesie affirmes that they rose at one and the same hour They received power as Kings one houre with the Beast The Kings receive power and are actually crowned Kings at the same time of this Beast under the succession of the last Head getting again into being and therefore this healed Beast his ten Hornes are represented with ten Crowns upon them Chap. 13.1 which answers exactly to this present text they received power as Kings one houre with the Beast The sense I guess is this that at what time the Beast should revive and be worshipped that is obeyed and yielded to or in plain English about what time the Empire should re●apse again into idolatry and be re-assuming the ancient pagan-rites though placing them upon Christian-objects about that very time the Empire should be rending into ten Kingdoms or these ten Kings should be receiving power as Kings all of them appearing or succeeding in their Enterprises within a little time from the first degeneracy of the Empire into pagan-idolatries and superstitions Therefore not of the confirmed Kingdoms of this ten-horned Beast but of his youth and Infant-state when those Kings first challenged a right to the Roman throne the sacred Prophesie Rev. 17.12 is to be understood Hence I conclude the Character of the rising of the Beast or Antichrist which is all one is to be placed about the year 410. For it is evident from what was spoken before that the Beast was risen when all the ten Kings were risen among the threatning ruines of the falling Empire which was Anno Christi 410. or thereabouts For the Readers further satisfaction herein viz. That all the ten Kings were then up I shall refer him that will be at further paines to that Tract before-mentioned entituled Antechristi Excidium a most elaborate piece As also to Mr. Mede's Apostacy of the last times and his Commentary on the Revelation who fully clears this point Object Now for the Objection of some Cantabrigiens against those that think of the year 1666. for the time of Romes Ruine wh●ch I doubt not but some have heard of though it may be not all that this cannot be the time because by the Computation of Helvicus we have lost about four years since Christs time by negligence in our Chronological Accoun̄ts the which also Bishop Vsher thinks to be true so that it is already past To which I answer Answ 1 That this Objection supposeth that all Apocalyptick men in these times make 666. to be the year of Romes Ruine and Downfal from that Text in Rev. 13. ult His Number is 666. interpreting the Number of the Beast according to T.L. In his voice out of the Wildernesse to be nothing else but the period and final determination of the usurped tyrannie and dominion of Antichrist But all are not of this opinion though they that are the followers of T. L. adhering to his Interpretation of the Number of the Beast as the Authors of that Book intituled Romae ruina finalis do make it in Anno 1666. It will fall therefore to their shares to answer this Objection I confesse T.L. who gives this sense of the number of the Beast in his Book on some part of the Revelation writes in a prophetick stile and with a prophetick boldnesse as if he had it revealed to him which doth very much strike the Readers fancy But I have read lately in Mr. Mede's Diatriba in some of his Letters this passage concerning T.L. As for T.L. saith he I have no fancy to him he means to that his Interpretation of 666. as appears by his following words for he adds I prefer Mr. Potter far before him The Sober-Guess also inclines far rather to Mr. Potters Interpretation of the Beasts Number 666. And so do I. Answ 2 But yet suppose T. L to be right and that to be the meaning of the Mystery that by 666. is meant the ruine and final determination of the man of sin to be in 666. that is in the Year 1666. I suppose that this Objection might be answered and were I of that opinion I could this answer which if I be not deceived would be to the purpose viz. That the Holy Ghost speaks according to the vulgar Computation of the Year of our Lord. For the Revelation is not an History unlesse we call it an anticipated History but a Prophesie and the Spirit of Prophesie