under the name of Heaven yet what hinders but we may be prompted to make reflections upon them by so transcendent and significant a circumstance as this of a tempest Besides may not the consideration of Theodosius's praying hint some such divine matter to thee Thou ha'st heard I dare swear I would thou had'st alwayes rememberd as well that t 'as been a rul'd case in the Church time out of mind Preces Lachrymae c. No other weapons are allow'd us in the contest of Religion but those while Theodosius contended by armes the Devill was too hard for him the Christians were sore put to 't 'T was not the proper artillery for Religion But so soon as the hand drops the sword and is lifted up Holy Michael's partie carryes it cleer No sooner is this Angelical Ammunition recurr'd to Prayer's a Winged Weapon but the Adversary's darts recoyl upon his own pate and the Dragon maul'd by a tempest If this therefore should be the passage at which the B. Spirit here aimes and prayer speaks as fair for Michael as the tempest pointingly to the Dragon then I am sure can it not be farr to our journies end however thou canst not but take notice of some admirable exactness mean what it will that about the same pitch of time the Empire should be divided too Theodosius lest too wide a latitude might render the rest doubtfull sickning and dying (a) viz. About the beginning of Anno Dom. 395. to which if we ad 1260 it guides down to about 1655. I determin nothing but barely present it thee Reader as the duty of my charity Though other mens principles as well as these have leveld at 55 or 56 or some time thereabouts The Judge for certain is at the dooâ— The Lord make us watchfull Though I am no great favourer of Modern Revelations yet I cannot but account it the offering of my Charity to advertise thee of that memorable passage of Mr. William Sedgwick being a Minister of sober and very conscientious account who Anno Dom. 1646. at his devotions receiv'd a voice with an appearance to this sense Go tell thy fellow-brethren that yet ten days and the Day of the Lord shall be 'T is well known he was faithfull to the Command and misunderstanding the import of the Time imagin'd it to signifie ten natural days But he was not the first that might receive divine messages and not understand them I heard saith Daniel but I understood not chap. 12.8 This I am certain He was carried on with so extraordinary a power that exceeding grave rational and Holy men can bear witness for him how in most places he came he overthrew all the strong holds to the contrary London and that part of the Kingdom know him by the moe-name of Dooms-day-Sedgwick But consider it Reader for it suits very marvailously with the period of the Apocalyps And remember our Chronologers compute the distance from the first Adam to the flood about the same space that the Revelation seems to allow from the second to Adam the fire shortly after his return from this battail say's Mr. Symson who I dare cleer the man never thought of the Apocalyps in speaking it This sacred Book affords many other marvailous characters of the same importance all concentring in the foresaid date of Theodosius's death as the first Trumpet the arising of the Beast out of the Sea applyable to Alaricus's stormy invasion that very yeer The first trampling the outer Court by Gentilizing Christians for seriously popery is no better than Christned-Paganism and the appearance of the two horned fals Prophet for the emergency whereof about this very time you would wonder to hear what might be produc'd but my design at present allowes it not but hereafter may I will therefore shut up all with these following Quaeries First Whether the slaughter of the Witnesses Rev. 11.7 might not be intended by our gracious Lord for a sign to his Church of the 1260. dayes of their mourning verse 3. and the contemporals to be then drawing to an end when we should see that more than ordinary contempt and desolation upon the Prophets and for this regard chiefly not so much happily for the grievousness might it obtein a singular remembrance and description (a) Peradventure if this instance of Saint Luke and Daniels weeks be well observ'd it may seem to be the method of our Lords gracious dealing with his servants to be so indulgent to their frailties a to allow them predictive warnings of his suture intendments to serve as sweet incitements to their watchfulness and incouraging-advantages to their diligence even as the invironing of Jerusalem by the Army of Cestius Gallus about three yeers before the fatal siege by Titus was foretold by our Saviour as a warning that the desolation thereof drew neer Luke 21.20 Secondly Whether this present calamity and unmatchable conculcation of Protestantism for that especially the ministry must needs be the attestation of Gods truth if the Papacy be the beast Sound not as a comment on Revel 11.7 considering how visible it is to every eye that the beast which ascends from the bottomless pit i. e. the same beast we are wont to expound Antichrist Revel 17.8 is the contriver and actor of our ruin as appears by his Legion of Jesuits and other emissaries swarming amongst us transforming themselves often into illiterate but (aa) Inquire Reader of what is reported of the beyond-Sea-Semâ—naries that the Students are accustom'd for their recreation at lusory houres to addict themselves to some manufacture or other whereby they become proficients not only in literal but mechanick knowledge too what ever thou thinkst on 't truly it seemes no less to me than a head-form policy of the Dragon for by this opportunity they issue out among the reformed Churches some for gâ—fted Shoomakers others for inspir'd Weavers c. to the undermining of our Reformation gifted Enthusiasts otherwhile into desperate Arians yea and sometimes doubtless into Anabaptists Quakers and Converted Jews as that late famous Impostor at Hull striking by all means possible at the very root and life of our Religion everting to their power the principles of our holy faith distracting us into infinity of schismes and varieties of opinion and upon all oportunities insulting over our weaker Catechumeni Where 's now your Protestant Church Can there any six of your Ministers be produc'd that consent universally in one belief nay can ye produce any ministers at all Have not your selves confest and often struggled in the Controversie (b) What ever excuse may be found in this matter for other Reformed Churches who are wont to plead necessity can no way as I see relieve the Presbyterians of England where Episcopacy was wilfully inconfiderately abominably and well if not sacrilegiously rejected by them No Bishops no Ministery Episcopacy being the known and onely Door through all ages by which ministers were initiated into their function c. In
any such stain upon the word Zach. and were it not strange if the sense should be diverse may we not rather think that it hath pleas'd the sweetness of the Spirit to chuse the same word purposely to guide us into the same expectation For unlesse this sight of him were intended as an extent of mercy to them that peirc'd him viz That Nation it had not sure been exprest by Mourning but howling Tell me now doth not the Christian Church constantly understand his coming to judgment by his coming in the clouds for so Holy Daniel hath taught us to speak for from thence is the phrase borrow'd Da. 7.13 which very place for the Rev. and other parts of the New testament concentre as perfectly with the Prophets about this Date of the atcheivement as about the thing it self in the 14.22 and 27. verses as it apparently describes this royalty so it pitcheth it at his coming in the clouds to judgment and overthrowing the proud horn which is most assuredly [b] The controversy about Antichrist hath no way been more obscur'd than by applying to St. Pauls man of sin and the Apocalyptical whore that which is spoke of Antichrist in St. John's Epistles That by the Man of sin and whore is meant the Romanist I dare say is demonstrated by that most incomparable light of our Nation Mr. Mede to unprejudic'd minds As for the Name Antichrist 't is never us'd either in the Rev. or St. Paul so that 't is the liberty of the Churches speaking not scripture appellation that imposeth the term Antichrist on the whore and while we strive to square St. Johns Epist that way too we intangle the case For Rome denies not the father and the son 1 Epist St. John 2.22 'T is most cleer therefore that S. John refers to the false Christs predicted by our Saviour for the immediate Antecedents of Jer. ruin S. Matt. 24.11.23 S. Mark 13.21 22. An abominable false Prophet of which sort being then in the world and of great Note viz. Simon Magus besides Cerinthus and the cursed Gnosticks c. for there were many such Antichrists saith S. Joh. 1.2.18 This to be his meaning appears by these following Characters from the context First 't is propounded by him at that 18. v. by way of citation and reference to some other scripture As yee have heard c. But 't is no where els to be heard than from the Evangelists so treating of the warning peeces to Jer. destruction The words Antichrist and false Christ never occurring in the whole Bible but in the Gospels and his Epist Secondly 'T is instanc'd by S. Joh. as formerly presag'd by some other scripture and now us'd in way of Argument by himself for an immediate forrunner of some last hour for so the Greek speaks and as a plain manifestation that that last hour was then a running forasmuch as the Badge of it viz. Antichrist was so visible All which things were most exactly verified both as forespoken to such a premonition by the Evangel as also fulfill'd in the leud Deceivers of that Age at the time of St. Johns writing these Epist being hard upon the fatal accomplishment of these truths in that remarkable calamity which shortly after came upon Jer. Now after all this will not the intimation I pray of last hour be more naturally appliable to that desolation then at hand than to any thing yet to be expected it being above 1600. years since this was spoken For though the last times in regard to Dan. fourth Monarchy are spoke of us yet sure the last hour so long agoe mention'd is more happily applied to a matter already past Antichrist for all our Synod annotations as every sensible Reader may judge by comparing his description with that of the beast Rev. 13. So that here you see where St. Paul learnt before the Rev. was extant that Antichrist should be destroyed at our Lords coming 2 Thes 2.8 I will subjoyn other Arguments by way of appendence purposely not to tire the Reader with too continu'd a length of any Chapter without taking respite As St. Paul was formerly our warrant for applying those admirable glories mention'd by the Prophets to the Jews reinfranchment so he seems full as cleer in ranking its accomplishment under the contemporaries of the 7 Trumpet I know not how it may appear to others but I must confesse I cannot so undervalue the Holy Apostles Logick as to judg that he should fetch a Medium from a prophecy of the Jews restitution to prove the day of judgment by and yet not intend to lay the date of that Restitution at the time of judgment look Rom. 14.11 We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ For it is written As I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me c. But where is it written save Js 45.23 being a peece that belongs most assuredly to this matter from the 14. v. to the end of the Chap. Compare I pray that 14. v. There shall come over to thee in Chains c. with Js 60.14 and give your judgment if they mean not the same thing for so I am sure the [a] Can any impartial Reason despise the strength of universal Tradition amongst the Jews whilst yet the True and onely Church of God as is evident This truth flourisht by in their Ages And yet so much magnifie the same sort of Argument in our Christian â—ases Jews alwayes expound it And however we through mistake are wont to affix a mark at the 20. v. of the 45. Chap. intimating a different argument yet that the whole sequele naturally appertains to the same discourse let any impartial peruser judge by the genuine characters emergent from the context especially the very last verse being doubtless not an abrupt parcell of a changed theme but the united member of a continu'd one In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory Nor is this the onely text where the Apostle pitcheth the Epocha of this admirable royalty at the coming to judgment What lesse can amount from 2 Tim. 4.1 I charge thee before the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearance and his kingdom See A kingdom joyn'd with his appearance to judge the world and yet not the final kingdom for ever in the Heavens for after the universal resurrection our Saviour resigns up the kingdom to the father that he may be all in all 1 Cor. 15 24 28. That kingdom therefore which is neither before his appearance not yet after the last resurrection must necessarily be concluded between them Who can but wonder that this Truth should be so boggled at which is so harmoniously accorded to through all the Prophets Jer. 23.5.6 c. In his dayes c. Ezek. 34.23 c. Ezek. 37.22 23 24 c. Zach. 6.12 13 c. Zach. 14. from the 16. to the end All which expresse a Glory to
at the 7. trumpet and not his former vindictive appearance in fury at the desolation of Ier. by the Romans to which the incomparably learned Dr. Hammond is wont to referr many passages of the New Testament which my thinks in this present text the Analogie to other places were sufficient to distinguish Lastly Whether the scoffing here intimated v. 3. can be at any thing els [a] The time hits it well In the last dayes The primitive dayes being for it than this very opinion since the Opponent i. e. the Scoffer disputes directly against it but the Respondent viz. the Apostle pleads expressely for it See all this made good The Question in controversy is about the Promise of Christs coming which the Millenary affirms to consist in an unexpressible restitution Against this the [b] It would be inquir'd since the scoffers are suppos'd to be Christians in what other sense than which I have nam'd can they be said to scoff at our Lords coming for as to his coming to judgment in the general notion I think never any Christians did or will denie it Nor can any imagine the Apostle should bend his aim against speculative Atheists such as Lucian Diagords c. For who ever heard of can think that such toothless Barkers as those Dogs are may be of any dangerous influence to well-grounded Christians so that upon that score there had not needed such carnest incitement to remembrance and caution as the Apostle here useth which certainly must necessarily import the scoffing party not onely to be Christian but very considerable too As for the practical Atheist and loose-liv'd wretch this text meddles not with that capacity in chief For this scoffer deals with arguments Scoffer objects so much light the particle For will afford us it being a causal Conjunction naturally leading into an argument e. g. Where is this promise of his coming in such a restitution as you Chiliasts dreath of what appearance see ye in the least measure towards any such mutation For since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were Tempestuous warrs still angry commotions abominable lives dissolute manners Rebellions Treasons All things as they were What hopes then of any such change I should be unwilling to prevaricate one jot but have I hope presented the Argument in its natural colours being for the summ of it such an one as really I my self have heard from an ancient minister But on the other side The Apostle seems to me most confidently to assert it v. 13. [*] Adde to this text of St. Peter Act. 3.21 spoken also by S. Peter upon the same affidavit of the Prophets and on the same pitch of time When the heavens disclose him Nevertheless c. q. d. Say the scoffers what they please We according to his promise look for [†] By observing the speech in Js 51.15.16 of Js deliverance from Egypt it may peradventure be gather'd what the New Heaven and New Earth may imply I am thy God who divided the Sea viz. the Red Sea And I put my words in thy mouth i. e. I gave thee my law and cover'd thee with the shaddow of Mine hand that I might plant the Heavens and lay the foundation of the Earth viz. Make thee a Kingdom or Common-wealth in the Land of promise for in that notion Heaven and Earth are frequently taken in the Prophets So here New Heaven and New Earth i. e. a New Kingdom or New manner of Government new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Shall we after all this be difficult to grant that this admirable circle of mysteries I mean this renowned Chiliad is that which the scriptures call the Day of judgment I will adde but a word or two to what is already said but I think from such evidences as will hardly be evaded from particularizing the day of judgment though they also determine this expectation of Israel to that very day Examine we first that famous judging of the Heathen in the valley of Iehosophat Ioel. 3. from the 9. to the end which many of our Divines farr enough from my opinion in this business interpret literally of that Terrible day forasmuch as the 13. v. speaks the same thing with Rev. 14.15 But that the Rev. in that text speaks of the very time of judgment none will sure deny that views one like the son of man coming in a cloud v. 14. Read now on in Ioel from v. 16. to the end and tell me if this great good thing to Israel be not at the 18. v. affix'd to that very day I know thou wilt shift me by the mark Pleading I wisse to a distinct argument But I ask thee who made that mark did not they who allwaies misunderstood the Prophecy For that it is of the same contents with the 16. and 17. v. where no such mark appears nay where the Characters point directly to the judgment too let our own reason unlesse we have a mind to forfet it inform us The Lord shall roar out of Sion c. The Heavens and the Earth shall shake c. Surely that Dreadfull day But the Lord will be the hope of his people and the strength of the Children of Is c. [a] See Js 60.21 which Chapter assures us of a performance for these things on â—arth Then shall Jerusalem be holy c. We are wont to think Then and that Day aequipollents Lord That an unadvised scratch with a pen should be able to divert so cleer and so powerfull a Truth Another full as pregnant illustration of this sense may be fetch'd from Zach. 14. Where also is the description of that wonderfull day v. 4 5 6 c. The Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thee v. 5. will certainly evince so much collated with Daniels Thousand Thousands Chap. 7.10 and St. Pauls All that sleep in Iesus will God bring with him 1 Thes 4.14 as also [b] Consider whether the mutual accord of scripture be not sufficient to particularize the day of Christ 2 Thes 2.2 to the judgment though I confess the Authority of the Admirable Dr. Hammond sways much to the contrary see the former Chapter in verses 7.8.9.10 2 Thes 1.7 Revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels But what follows In that day v. 8. shall living waters goe forth from Ierus c. to the end of the Chap. Manifestly describing that unmatchable glory and Indulgence to Ierus where yet Holiness on the horse belles v. 20. is I trow legible enough to intimate the state to be perform'd on earth and not in Heaven vid. sup The Antient Iews kept constantly up to this tenet never understanding by the Great day of judgment so frequent in their Rabbines and deriv'd from thence by our Saviour and his Ap. lesse than a time of many years yea some strange to tell punctually a [c] If the Jews be not restor'd till our Saviour comes as is formerly