Plague is come The Thrones of these Earthly Kingdomes cast downe the auncient of dayes shall appeare his long Traine and the great white Throne whereon he sate from whose Face the Earth and the Heavens vncleane in his sight fled away in whose presence ministred Thousand thousands and Ten thousand times Tenne Thousands also the Two Witnesses are brought forth the Books of the Law and the Prophets to Iudge every man by his workes or according to his faith for if they beleeue not the writings of MOSES how can they beleeue his words of whom MOSES wrote These Bookes shall accuse them the witnesses which God the Father beareth of his Sonne The other Booke is the Booke of Life written with the names of Saints that shall liue for ever To whom the iust Iudge shall deliver the possession of that Kingdome that shall never passe away to be destroyed but remaineth for ever even for ever and ever The foule Beast some of his purtenances will be wanting if his hornes be not farther Considered foure came vp out of the North part of his head the French Emperours of the South side sixe Spanish before whom there were Three of the first their Race pluckt vp by the Rootes amongst these came vp an other little Horne about the midst of the time in this Horne were eyes like the eyes of a man in workmanship striuing to set Nature a patterne curious in all Arts and doing honour to vertue but wanting the gift of grace opened a fearefull Mouth the King of the East whose looke is more stout then the highest of his fellow Hornes Hitherto is the end of the matter of these earthly Monarchies and the day of Iudgement hath beene also declared the matter of the end The Story is yet but chalked out Therefore in these following Visions is contained more at large the occurrence of theose dayes before mentioned even to the end of the world Wherein my desire is not as hee that rowleth a stone to returne vpon himselfe but to make it a twisted Threefold Cord to draw vp the weight that presseth so hard of infidelitie The Prophet beheld till the auncient of dayes did sit to Iudge the quicke and the dead and the Beast cast aliue into the Lake Fire his Body destroyed and given to the Burning flame to be tormented day and night for ever and ever DANIEL CHAP. VIII IN the third yeare of BELSHAZZER a Vision appeared vnto DANIEL alone even to himselfe and hee heard a mans voyce that called saying GABRIEL make the man vnderstand the Vision so he came neere vnto him and said O Sonne of man the time of this Vision extends to the end of all things behold therefore I will make thee know what shall come to passe euen to the last day the great day of Wrath and Indignation for at the time appointed the end shall be MEDES AND PERSIANS THE ROVGHE GOATE SEND MEE SPANIARDS THE GOTHE ROAGVE The first matter giuen him to vanderstand is the breaking in peeces of the Roman Empire which spiritually is called Sodome and Egipt where also the members of our Lords Body are Crucified signified by the Ram the Hee Goate is the Turke The Roman Emperours the Two hornes in the East and West are also signified by the Kings of Media and Persia The foure Kingdomes standing vp out of that Nation are the Isles of Great Britaine France Spaine and Turky Lastly the Goate himselfe shall be hunted by a King of a fierce Countenance not regarding the person of the old nor shewing fauour to the young casting downe some of the hoast of PHAROAH and of the Starres to the ground For the transgression against the daily Sacrifice was the Hoast given over A King vnderstanding darke sentences which are some part of the holy Scriptures through policie and supposed wisdome he shall cause the craft of the Divell to prosper for by Peace and affected pittie and satisfying the ambitious mindes of some Christians he shall not only draw them to denie the faith but many others following their example Not by his owne power but by the Divells policie he shall be mighty whose looke is more stout then his fellowes But by the great day of the Lord he shall be broken without hand Now in those dayes when the Goate was come close vnto the Ramme and had cast him downe and stamped vpon him The Prophet that beheld as by a perspectiue these remote things heard also one Saint speaking and an other Saint said vnto that certaine Saint that spoke how long is the time for this Vision to the end of the world that the holy Citie of God and his chosen People be no longer trodden vnder foote And hee said vnto mee vnto Two Thousand Three hundred dayes Then shall the Sanctuarie bee cleansed and the holy People Iustified The dayes bee so many yeares to the end of the world beginning at the Vision which was about the yeare of the world 342.5 Of the certaine Saints speaking or the nomber of wonderfull secrets I omit to speake that to the most part might appeare being in this Land and these late dayes but some tale of a Phenix though to bee testified of more then fiue hundred men and women besides my selfe DANIEL CHAP. IX AFter these Visions in the first yeare of DARIVS the Son of AHASHVERVS the Prophet vnderstood by Bookes and Computations the nomber of yeares whereof the world of the Lord came to IEREMIAH the Prophet concerning the desolation of Ierusalem that seventie yeares should be accomplished And whilst hee was speaking in Prayer and presenting his supplication before the Lord for the holy Mountaine the People of God euen for the holy Citie the Church that to the end of the world must be trodden vnder foote whereof that ruinons place the Citie of Ierusalem is a figure trodden downe at this day Yet was this Hebron built seaven yeares before Zoan in Egipt The man GABRIEL which was caused to flie swiftly touched him and said alluding to the former matter of his studie and meditations as of troublous appetites and Cogitations somtimes Dreames are deriued O DANIEL I am come vnto thee againe to giue thee more skill and vnderstanding Seuentie weekes are determined vpon the holy Citie signifying the time not onely when the Sonne of God by his suffering should make reconciliation for sinne but a time and times and part of time three dayes and a halfe halfe the mysticall Weeke to make an end of Sinnes to finish transgression and to make a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth everlasting righteousnesse to seale vp the Visions and Prophecies with the Seale of assurance that all these things are past and true and to annoint the most holy King and Kings and Lord and Lords the first and the last And here againe the Angell GABRIEL willeth him to know and vnderstand the things of which he shall informe him The first is this that from the going forth of the Commandement which is the beginning
of the Creation to the building of the new Ierusalem the second comming of Messiah the Prince the Sonne of God it shall be Seaven Weekes or Seaven Moneths as it is spoken by EZEKIEL the Prophet Then the desolate Citie the Sanctuary shall be walled in in a troublous time to make a seperation betweene the Sanctuary and the Prophane place And in the middest of this Propheticall weeke after Threescore and Two weekes Messiah shal be cut off the Son of God salbe Crucified and be deliuered vnto the Gentiles they shal scourge him put him to death the People of the Prince for it was not lawfull for the Iewes to put any man to Death these People the Roman Nation shall destroy the Citie of Ierusalem and the Sanctuary at the end of which Warre there shall begin a floud of Fyre kindled in our Saviours dayes during the Raigne of those Ethnick Beares and the abomination of desolation standing where it ought not then let him that is in Iudea flye to the wilde Mountaines for safety for in those times Iudgement did begin at the house of God and if first Iustice did begin at his Children and Servants in this life what shall the end bee of his Enemies whom hee hates in the world to come that haue not obeyed the Gospell of God These Flouds the Serpent will cast out of his Mouth a time and times halfe a Time to trie them of the holy Covenant their boldnesse what confidence they haue concerning the Lords oath and whether they will perseuer in this holinesse and righteousnesse all their dayes to their liues end and not rather feare his power who is Sathan the Prince of this world or at least the furious cruell hands of his torturing Instruments Whose liues cannot satisfie their malice for had not the senselesse earth shewed more pitty then they opening her Mouth to helpe these poore outcasts their torments had beene endlesse Sooner they may swim and sinke in their Blood then daunt or foyle their courage not abashed for their Boasts threats nor fiery Bands they feare them not at all their Triumphs are graven vpon the Palmes of the Lords hands hee forgets them no more then a Mother forgets her new-borne Sonne her sucking childe when the Tongue cleaues to the roofe of the Mouth for Thirst to haue compassion on him be of good cheere you haue peace in Christ though tribulation in this world persecutions are but like the Trauell of a Woman who hath sorrow because her houre is come but as soone as shee is delivered of the Childe shee remembreth no more the anguish for ioy a man-childe is borne into the world The Lambe the Bread of life shall feede them they shall hunger nor thirst no more hee shall wipe all Teares from the eyes of his Children these vilde Bodyes subiect to all infirmities shall then be made like his owne glorified Body of more perfection then our first Parents a living Soule that shall not dye to Sinne neither shall the heate of the Sunne smite them for hee shall haue mercy vpon them and leade them to liuing Fountaines of truth cleere as Christall these that come to him or overcome the world hunger no more they haue rest and peace for paine and by their white Robes and Palmes in their hands the Ensignes of peace and victorie they shall be knowne neither to be Heretiques or Schismatiques but his servants that haue fought for his Kingdome that it should not be delivered vp vnto Antichrist The followers of him who shall shortly tread these Traitors in the great Wine-presse of the wrath of God who haue turned away their Eares from the wholsome Scriptures the Leaues of which are for the healing of the Nations that they might be rubbed with the Prophane fables of Drunken doting old wiues But with all the faithfull the Lord shall confirme his truth and Covenant for a Weeke from the beginning of the world vntill the last end thereof This week is Seven thousand yeares consisting of yeares Moneths and weekes finished when the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and hee shall Raigne for ever and ever When the Tenth part of the Citie fell the Tenne dayes of Tribulation are ended Seven thousand names of men slaine in the great Earthquake Dies Solis Dies Lunae Dies Martis Dies Mercurij Dies Iovis Dies Veneris Dies Saturni the remnant were affrighted and gaue glory vnto the God of Heaven For wee must not be ignorant of this one thing that one day with the Lord is as a Thousand yeare and a Thousand yeare as one day In the middest of which Weeke the Lord shall cause the oblation and Sacrifice to cease saying Sacrifice and Offering thou wouldest not but a Body hast thou prepared mee without spot for the redemption of the transgressions that were vnder the first Testament The Blood of which first Testament of Beasts God enioyned to purifie the patternes of heavenly things the Vessels of the Ministrie but the heavenly things themselues with better Sacrifices which are the Consciences to purge them from dead workes that they may be cleane vessels to serue the living God Thus hee once suffered the vncreated in likenesse of a Creature like feeble sinfull flesh sowne in weakenesse and dishonour in the Dust but raised in Power the Brightnesse of his Fathers Glory the expresse Image of his person over whose excellent Nature voyd of violence and deceit the Graue could get no victory no more then the wombe can keepe backe a sonne at the time of perfection redeemed from the Bowels of the Earth and ransomed by the riches of his owne vnsearchable Treasure and quickning Spirit This seeming vgly Serpent rather some shadow or his skin at whose approach men turne pale and quake more terrified then hurt But rocking Babes the faithfull a sleepe others run raving with staring frenzie for feare as if this once appointed so were fits to be chased away not calling to minde the Resurrection of IESVS CHRIST hath opened his Iawes his Sting cut out and nayled to the Crosse that bold Champion scorning to be his executioner setting his victorious foot vpon the Traytors head by spirituall alliance kinne to the Divell proud of advantage bites the Heele of our Saviour with his rotten Teeth for want of his Poysoned sting But heare ô Death vnstop thine Adders eares from whose Mole-sighted eyes the light of Repentance is hid behold thy time and Plague is at hand thy pined crying Prisoners thou shall restraine their libertie no longer that say our Bones are dryed and our hope is lost when shall we dwell in the Land of the living behold thy Caues and Castles shall be destroyed broken downe and the Earth that opened her Mouth and swallowed vp the Flood shall cast it vp againe in the twinkling of an Eye thou shalt giue vp thy accompts for of the Sonnes and Daughters of the Lord thou shalt not
keepe backe so much as the least whose names are written in the Booke of life And lastly Viper seed of the olde Serpent thy sentence is for that bold attempt Fuller of malice then hurt thy house shall be burned with vnquenchable Fire the Place sowne with vnsauory poysoned Salt and thy Carrion-carkasse swallowed vp of thine owne Brood the second Death All which mysticall Weeke or Seaven Moneths formerly mentioned as it is spoken by the Prophet EZECHIEL The Land of Israell shal be burying of Gog that Sathan that the Land may be cleansed Hitherto are the matters talked of between the man GABRIEL and the Prophet DANIEL CHAP. X. IN the third yeare of CYRVS King of Persia a thing was revealed to DANIEL whose name was called BELTESHAZZER and the thing was true but the time appointed was long These are the things not only come to passe in this latter age of the world but at this time and in this day signified by the Son of God to the Prophet PRINCE OF PERSIA I CAN POPE FRIERS Divell I can Pope Friers Man hold vp my Traine Pope Kings I Depose and all their Race to Raigne Divell And Popes to Friers I can turne againe The Prince of the Kingdome of Persia that Lord by whom the Lord of Lords was withstood is Sathan the Divell MICHAEL one of the first Princes that came then to helpe him This is IAMES King of Great Britaine and the man who is raised on high The one and Twenty dayes the Lord making no forfeiture are so many Hundred yeares beginning at the Vision and ending this present 1600. And so long the words of this Vision haue been closed sealed vp Even till now the time of the end This most Blessed person the Saviour of the world remained with the Kings of Persia the Roman Emperors signified so vnto DANIEL being the present Monarchy till there arose vp a new King in Egipt which knew not IOSEPH and said vnto his People Behold the People of the Children of Israell are more and mightier then wee Therfore set over thē Taskmasters to afflict them with Burthens but the more they did afflict them the more they multiplied and grew These Kings placed in the highest Thrones to walke in his Statutes to execute his Iudgements but because they gaue more Eare and harkened rather to false Prophets then to ELIAS and MOSES for severitie and meeknesse Representing the Law and the Gospell suffering their Bodies to lye dead in the streets in an vnknowne Tongue even hee the Lord departed from them and with the sword of his Mouth will fight with their Prince Sathan renewing alwayes his old quarrell against the Church of God And here these Kings forsaken of IESVS CHRIST for one secret friend which is the Divell they haue two open Enemies the Turke and the Pope making their Crownes his footstoole this did not CAESAR by these Three the Empire being devided what can remaine but the bare Image or the Image of the Picture of him whose deadly wound was healed Bearing at this day as Thunder goes before Lightning for their fatall device the sad Fowle blazoned with the ominous Colours of the blacke Horse for feare but halfe displaying her wings in stead of her beake shee casts her heads the Eagle hath Mued her Feathers Though thou exalt thy selfe as the Eagle and though thou set thy neast amongst the Starres thence will I bring thee downe saith the Lord. These things hitherto mentioned concerning the last Vision is the preamble for this that followeth for here the Sonne of God whose eyes were like a flame of fire and his feet like fine brasse saith he will shew vnto the man greatly beloued that which is noted in the Scripture of truth which is the Reuelation the sayings of which are faithfull and true that there is none or but one that holdeth with him in these things which is the true Interpretation of the Scripture but MICHAEL our Prince of Great Britaine and Ireland that fights and contends with the Enemies of the Lord about his Body disputing with them haue transubstantiated changed the truth of God into a lye worshipping and serving the Creature more then the Creator for which cause God gaue them vp c. Now followeth that that is noted in the Scripture of that Prince After the Temple of God was opened in Heaven wherein was seene the Arke of his Testament overlaid round about with gold wherein was the golden Pot that had Manna and ARONS Rodde that budded and the Tables of the Covenant And over it the Cherubins of glory covering the Mercy-Seate and Lightnings and voyces and Thunders c. This is the Millitant Church that brought foorth the Man-childe the word of God caught vp vnto God and to his Throne after which the Woman fled into the Wildernesse where shee was fed A thousand two hundred and threescore dayes which are so many yeares The first accompt beginneth from the destruction of Ierusalem when the abomination of desolation did stand in the Holy place the yeares being the same spoken in the last Vision of the Prophet DANIEL though thirty yeares be taken away because the Court without the Temple was left out given vnto the Gentiles for the Raigne of the first Christian Emperour These yeares doe reach to the dayes of those blessed Men when the light of the Gospell did first begin to shine after the great Mist lasting a Thousand two hundred and ninetie yeares dayes of darknesse and gloominesse of Cloudes and thicke Mists when the third part of the Sunne was smitten and the third part of the Moone and the third part of the Starres which are innumerable After these dayes were past there was warre in Heaven MICHAEL and his Angells fought against the Dragon and the Dragon fought and his Angells the Iesuites and prevailed not neither was their place found any more in Heaven Heaven is here taken in this place for the Church of God the fray is fought by seconds by MICHAEL is meant King IAMES The Dragon needs little exposition It is the Pope for MICHAEL overcame by the blood of the Lambe and by the testimony of so many Bishops and other faithfull crowned with the Glory of Martyrdome Therefore reioyce yee Church of God yee Congregations of the faithfull and ye Professors that dwell amongst them and woe to the Earth and to the Sea the Congregation of that Sinagogue the Sea of Rome Sathans seate where Sathan dwelleth for the Pope the Dragon the Divell is amongst you having great wrath because he knoweth he hath but a short time two woes are past and behold the third woe commeth shortly Blessed are the Dead that dye in the Lord for they rest from their labours and their works follow them and this is the truth noted in the Scripture of Truth of MICHAEL And God make the name and Throne of the King his Sonne better and greater then his Though I owe no defence for the name of an
DANIEL revealing the Man of Sinne And the Morning Starre before the comming of the Day IN the Visions of this Prophet are revealed the same things contained in the Revelatiō which GOD gaue to Iesus Christ to shew vnto his Servants things which must shortly come to passe things that are not to bring to nought things that are And as he signified to his beloved Servant IOHN the Contents of the secret Booke by his Angell Even so the Lambe slaine by the eternall Decree purposed from the foundation of the world Declared the same things to the man greatly beloved his servant DANIEL vnfolded in this present exposition drawing the juice of many sorts wanting roome and leasure to lay things in order wherein the Scripture will repaire the want of methode Being not willing for the lighting of a Match to make a fire when the stroke of a Flint is of more facilitie Speaking not to a People of a strange Speech and of a hard Language but to the House of Israell Avoyding mans enticing words things without life giue no life that revealeth not the testimony of IESUS at whose Name a name aboue every name Let every knee bowe Heare all yee Children of my people harken O Earth The first vision of this holy Prophet was in the I. yeare of the raigne of BELSHAZZER King of Babilon from which spirituall Babilon takes the denomination One and Twentie hundred yeares since Wherein he saw the foure Windes of Heaven or the losed Angels bound in the great River Euphrates the auntient bounds of the great Roman Empire that stroue vpon the great Sea and the foure great Beasts that came vp from the Sea diuers one from another These blowing Windes had no power to hurt till the servants of God were Sealed in the foreheads at what time that Cōmon-wealth became a Monarchy persecuting the Church of God being then with Child Trauailing in birth crying and pained to be deliuered of the man Childe roaring like a Lyon the whole Forrest ringing ruling all Nations with a Rod of Iron that breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things He is Alpha and Omega so haue the servants of God a Two-fold sence Besides man including some other of his Creatures bearing the names of men yet being neither Man nor Beast Praise yee him Sun and Moone c. I heard the number of them And here ended the Sealing of the first Covenant a yoake which our Fathers were not able to beare to establish the second which is Spirituall to put his Lawes in their mindes with the Pensell of his Grace to write them in their hard harts a light Burthen for the letter of the Law graven in stone is the sentence of death But the Spirit giveth life to stony harts that were dead in trespasses and sinnes yea the whole valley of dead Bodies turn'd into Stones and Earth from ABELL the first Borne to the last man taken vp in the Field they are all holy vnto the Lord their iniquitie is forgiven and forgotten as a Father hee remembreth their sinne no more Of these were Sealed to bee of the seed of ABRAHAM one hundred forty and foure Thousand twelue times twelue Thousand Of which faithfull Number IESVS CHRIST the Saviour of the world the only begotten Sonne of the living GOD in the likenesse of sinfull Flesh without Sinne the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah was sealed on the Eight day of his Nativitie The Lyonesse bringing but one and but once in her life That with the sprinckling and shedding of his Blood both Covenants might be sealed These were the first Fruits vnto God and to the Lambe hauing the Token of the everlasting Covenant of the great mysterie in those times concerning CHRIST and his Church put in the Flesh a Figure of the Heart Which first Covenant remaines to vs a Patterne of tendernes not made with hands the Heart by a mutuall respect being now the Closet or secret part whereby wee Gentiles are made the tender Spouse the habitation of God fellow heires of the vnsearchable Riches joyned to Christ the head that in times past were the Children of disobedience and wrath Aliens from the common-wealth of Israell Strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope without God in the world are now who were somtimes farre off of all Nations Kindreds and Tongues vncircumcised Philistines not of his Brethren not of the House of his Father By the blood of IESUS CHRIST made nigh members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones greater loue and felicitie can none expresse Of which great mysterie Hipocrites next Harlots whose counterfeit beautie deceiues not him whose praise is of men and not of God false Gods are no partakers the outward Token being common to both To assure vs of which receiving the earnest of his Spirit that abideth not crying Master Carest thou not that wee perish but Abba Father Thus our tackling lost without Anchor to repayre the ruines and weaknesse of these decayed sunke weather-tempest driven bottomes such Treasures of Millions expended and bestowed what burthen what prizes what things God hath prepared to bee the lading of these vessels of honour Eye hath not seene eare hath not heard neither hath entred into the hart of man To which all the Transported affections felt or fained injoyed without paines or feare may seeme but light dotage as Light and Darknesse compared compared with the Crowne and weight of that Eternall blisse The Foure windes prepared for an houre and a day and a moneth and a yeare are the powers of these foure great Beasts shewing their degrees of residence also the finall Blast is included The Sea are the Nations of the Earth The beginning and the ending thus saith hee to the Sea Waues drowning one another swelling into Mountaines for glory foaming out your owne shame Saying haile to the Wood awake according to your owne vnderstanding you haue made Idols and Images not by my direction but after the invention of the Craftsman and haue exalted your hearts and forgotten mee giving my Praise to graven Images and my glory to another for your God not setting me before your eyes you haue gotten a Divell a false Prophet whom I sent to proue you that takes my lawes in his mouth not of loue but for strife and envie Thinkes he to say Lord Lord in thy Name wee haue cast out Divels Preached and Baptized my answer is not vnknowne to you both though you thinke to plead ignorance persecuting and dispising the number of my little ones You onely haue I knowne of all the Families of the Earth whose transgressions doe hasten your Iudgement Therefore I will punish you for your iniquities you shall bee like the Morning Cloud and the early dew that passeth away as the Chaffe that is driven with a scattering whirle-winde out of the Flower as smoake out of a Chimney vanishing away And I will bee like a Lyon as a Leopard by the way I will wayte and obserue you and as a