the beast Daniell hath omitted St. John doth describe them more fully He saith that he came out of the Sea he saith he hath 7. Heads and 10. Hornes and upon his heads the Names of Blasphemy This ugly Monster he describes in the 2. Verse to be like a Leopard his Feet as the feet of a Beare and his Mouth as the mouth of a Lyon his Power and his great Authority was given to him by the Dragon And the Dragon is described before in the 12. Chap. and 3. verse to be Red and to have seven Heads and ten Hornes and Crownes upon their heads And J find in the 11. verse of the 13. chap. another Beast described To come out of the Earth having hornes like a Lambe but a terrible speech like a Dragon These two Beasts described by St. Joqn doth exercise their Power to advance each other vers 1â— he saith He exercised all the power of the first Beast and caused all that was on the earth to worship the first beast These two beasts be so joyned together in the exercise of their Power and having their power from the Dragon that they are sometimes said to be one But Daniell sets forth this Second beast unto us in the similitude of a horne that hath a Mouth and Eyes chap. 7. verse 8. Now before these terrible beasts appeare in the Earth and exercise their power I find in the 12. chap. and 1. verse A wonder seene in Heaven a most glorious Woman cloathed with the Sunne and the Moone under her feet and Crowned with 12 Starres Shee is also described to be with Child and in paine to be delivered But being in danger to be devoured by the Dragon and his Instruments these ugly beasts God Almighty provides a place for her and takes her Child unto himselfe vers 5. and 6. Now by this most glorious Woman and her Son is most certainly set forth unto us the Estate of the Church of Chrâ—st and the Sonnes of the Church When these monstrouâ— Beasts shall appeare for some of the Sonnes of the Church shall lay downe their Lives for the Truth and so is taken unto God Also in the 11. th Chap from verse the 1 till verse the 7. th is most certainly set forth unto us the pure Preaching of God's Word for the Worship and Service of GOD that shall be in the Church of Christ in that place when and where these Monsters shall appeare John is there commanded to measure the Temple of God and the Altar and them that worshâ—p therein But is prohibited to measure the Court and holy City seeing it was to be troden under foot by the wicked and prophane 42. Moneths that is 1260. dayes xxx dayes to the Moneth the same time the vertuous and glorious Woman lyeth hid in the place God provided for Her the 12. th Chap. and 6. verse But for his two Witnesses they should prophesie in Sackcloth 1260. dayes these are the two Olive-trees and two Candlestick standing before the God of the whole Earth Spoken of by Zachary the Prophet the 4. th Chap. and 3. verse and the 11. th and 14. verses By these two Olive-trees two Candlestâ—cks and two Witnesses is set forth unto us the Kâ—ngly and Priestly Officers As also the bookes of the Prophets and Apostles the Old Testament and the New all which shall be in Power and had in Estimation and the Word faithfully taught unto us by his Apostolicall Ministers When and where these monstrous Beasts appeares And it is most certaine that these Monstrous Beasts shall be Enemies to God his Worship and those that feare his Name That is manifest in the 7. th of Daniell the 25. verse for it is said there he shall speake great words against the Most High And in the 13. th Chap. of Revelations the 6. verse and he opened his Mouth with blasphemy to blaspheme his Name his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven Now for the cruelty of this Beast how this Beast shall prosper and what he shall doe and how long he shall continue that is necessary to be shown But of that hereafter But first of all what is meant by the Sea and great Waters from whence this Beast shall come it is expressed Chap. 17. th and 15. verse to be People and Multitudes Tongues and Nations it is also necessary to know where they shall appeare He shall certainly appeare in that place where the most pure preaching of the Gospell of GOD and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is taught and upholden Both in Doctrine and Discipline by Christ's Regall and Sacerdotall Officers And he shall oppose himselfe against all lawfull Authority This great Beast is certainly the Man of Sinne the Antichrist the Son of Perdition spoken of by the holy Prophets and Apostles But now for the Description of this Man of Sinne the Son of Perdition set forth by the similitude of these Monsters it is necessary to shew Therefore first of the body oâ— this Beast It is Multitudes of men in the World in Seven severall Nations who will either voluntarily or by force comply to the Man of Sinne. Secondly the Heads of this Beast is Princes and great men in those Nations and sometimes it is taken for the head City where they meet to consult Called the Royall City Thirdly by the Hornes of this Beast is meant the Kings of those Nations whereof one of them hath foure Dominions belonging to him So these foure and the other six maketh seven Heads and ten Hornes Revâ—lations the 13. th and 1. verse Daniell 7. th and 7. verse Then Daniell expresseth that he saw another little Horne come up after them Before whom three fell And that Horne is said to be the 8. th Dominion and yet one of the Seven Rev. 17 ch and 11 verse that lâ—ttle Horne is the Antichristian Horne which by Daniel is said to have Eyes and a Mouth that shall speake high things Now it is to be understood that when this Man of Sinne shall appeare all the seven Nations shall be Christians But he shall arise and make his Seat in one only Nation and in that Nation where the most pure Preachings of the Gospel are both in Doctrine and Discipline and in that Nation whose Head hath foure Hornes that is foure Dominions belonging to it though he doe but exercise the power of Three But upon the appearance of the little Horne the three Dominions which the former King had shall fall to him and the former King shall be pluckt up Dan. the 7. th and 8. verse but of that hereafter Now that Antichrist is set out unto us by this little Horne in Daniell and the Beast out of the Earth in John It shall be apparant by what he shall doe answerable to that which is written of him Also by the Description of his Name and Marke and the first Beast by his Name and the number of his Name Therefore to make it plaine I will shew it more
his Name afore spoken of Revelations the 13. th Chapter and the 17. th verse Now ye see what a Combination Antichrist when he commeth shall make All that are for him must have his Name others must have his Mâ—rke And some must have the Name and number of his Name and some shall have all But before this Tragedy shall be acted we shall find that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ shall seal his obedient ones least they should be deceived by the policy of the false Prophet and the prosperous successe of the Man of Sinne For it is said If it were possible they would deceive the very Elect. In the 7. th Chap. and the 2. verse I saw an Angell ascend out of the East having the Seal of the living God and in the 4. verse it is said There was sealed 144000. I have made it appeare what Power the Man of Sin shall have and Offices he shall usurpe Now I shall further shew you the Exercise of his power what he shall doe I have showne how he shall trample all under foot and change Lawes both Civill and Ecclesiasticall now I will shew you how he shall make Wars and against whom In the 7. th of Daniell and the 21. it is said I beheld and saw the same Horne make War with the Saints and prevaile against them And in the 13. th of Revelations and the 7. verse and it was given unto him to make War with the Saints and overcome Them In overcomming the Saints he shall first take away the chiefe Officers of the Church that iâ— the King and Bishops and their lawfull Officers and prohibit the true Dâ—ctrine and Discipline Apostolicall to be used and when he hath taken away the Church Officers to suppresse the Professors is easie For the King that then shall be shall fall before him which exerciseth the Power of the three Hornes Daniel the 7. th and 8. verse in the middle of the verse I considered the little Horne saith hee before three of the first were plucked up and in the 24. th verse he saith He shall subdue three Kings or Kingdoms and there he shall plant himselfe Now for the continuance of the time he shall have to stand in his Power It is requisite I should speake of it That after he appeares in his splendor we may hope for his end lest we should faint in the length of our sufferings In the Exercise of this wofull Tragedy against the Saints of GOD we find he shall speake great Words against the Most High and weary out his Saints the 7. th of Daniell and 25. And in the latter part of the verse it is said he shall continue a Time Times and the deviding of time John saith the 13. th Chap. and 5. verse He hath Power to continue 42. Moneths which is three yeares and an halfe that is to measure and account his Time by And I find that upon the increase of his Power he shall be so prevalent in opposition of God's word persecuting the Regall and Apostolicall Officers of CHRIST as that the Bookes of the Prophets and Apostles together with the two Candlesticks of the Church of Christ his two Officers is said to be slaine and lye dead in the streets and in the sight of all men for three dayes and an halfe Revelations the 11. and the 7. th And by reason of the Toleration that the Man of Sinne shall grant upon the suppressing of the true Worship and Worshippers of GOD and taking away the publique Liturgie of the Church there shall be a very great joy So that they shall give and send Guifts one unto another and make merry Chap. 11. th and 10. verse Because thereby they were hindred of their Liberty that they could not exercise their severall Idolatrous Fantasticall and Hereticall Opinions And during the time that these two Prophets and two Witnesses lies slaine and dead in the streets in open shame and contempt The true Professors of the Gospell shall be clothed in Sack-cloth 1260. Chap. 11. th and 3. verse According to the number of the Dayes the vertuous Woman that is the Church is hid by God in the place which he hath provided for Her the 12. th Chap. and 6. verse And then after the time limited be over shall their Sackcloth be put off and the Woman come out of her place to help forward the Iudgement of the Man of Sin But during the Time of the hiding of this Chast Woman and the Persecution of her Children There appeareth another Woman Chap. the 17. th and the 3. verse A Great Whore a Jezabel wonderfully Dâ—cked By whose Glory Thousands are bewitched By this Whore is set forth unto us Antichrist's superstitious Whore and the City where he shall keepe and the Idolatrous Brood he shall beget Now all men know or will confesse that Men are naturally subject to Idolatry and therefore is fitly compared to a Whore and Antichrist when he commeth will tolerate men thereunto Now if an arrant Whore be tolerated by Law what Wickednesse is it that she will not commit with a Brasen face And also abuse the most Godly Vertuous and Chast Woman that can be found Now I will but speake a very little of his Power more least I digresse too farre Jn the 13. th Chap. and 4. verse it is said And they worshipped the Dragon which gave Power to the Beast and they worshipped the Beast and said Who is like to the Beast Who is able to make warre with him Also hee shall extend his power a great deale farther then his owne proper Dominion which he hath usurped For his Name and his Marke shall goe through the earth Revelation the 13. th and the 8. th verse For it is said All that dwell on the Earth shall worship him For he shall extend all power into the Channels of the Sea and great waters So that Nations shall maintaine their Traffique by him and shall doe it by his Name and Marke wherewith his Patents shall be sealed and Articles of Peace or Warre marked and sealed He shall be like that Leviathan spoken of by Job that walloweth in the great deepe Now I thinke it necessary to the making of this great Tragedy plaine to speake of the matter of Worship a little as it commeth in order Kings and Princes and chiefe Priests in holy Scriptures are called Gods being sanctified by divine Power and also the same Scripture doth command worship and honour to be given them Now we may read in the 13. chap. Revelation the 3. verse That one of the beasts Heads was wounded to death and his wound was healed You may remember that I said before That the heads of the beasts were Nobles and great Men or such as is of the Kings Councell and the hornes are Kings now when the Hornes by force falls off aforementioned the Head on which it doth stand will receive a wound But when the little Horne growes great hee shall cause the beasts
head to be healed by electing another Nobility of his owne Tribe which is set forth unto us by the word Image And well may be called an Image in comparison of the other that was before it But however it must be Worshipped For in the 13. chap. the 15. verse He had power to give life to the Image of the Beast that the Image of the beast should both speake and cause that so many as would not Worship the Image of the beast should be killed And I will shew you more things that this Man of sinne shall doe expressed by Paul his 2. Epistle to the Thessalonians 2. chap. 4. verse it is said there That he shall oppose himselfe above all that is called Gods and are worshipped Now his fore-runner shall be a man of Worship as John Baptist was when he commeth But the Man of sinne shall be a meane Man and no man of Worship neither shall any be proper for him Therefore it is truly said When hee commeth and playeth his Pagents above Kings and great Men on the earth that he exalteth himselfe above all that is called Gods unto whom Worship belongeth And in the first of Paul to Timothy the 4. th and the 3. verse hee saith He shall forbid to Marry that is He shall alter the ordinary practise of the Church of GOD in marriage which was solemnly performed by the Ministers of CHRIST according to Gods word commanding it to be done by those that are no Priests which are Commissionated by his Marke and also upon a penalty of Disinheritance as Bastardizing their posterity Hee shall also command Fasting-dayes and prohibite Festivalltimes which the Church had celibrated as the time of CHRIST'S Nativity his Resurrection and Ascention and the like farre worse then any Pagan But it is more proper to Antichrist's fore-runner which shall come like John Baptist Neither eating nor drinking but with a great deale of temporance and Purity to deceive though it be proper to him what the People said of Iohn That he hath a Devill Now I will speake of Antichrist and his false Prophet joyntly being united to advance each other therefore first of their beginning and so of their growth And that I may make it plaine I will compare the Lord of life and this Messenger of Death together In the 2. of Luke the 46. th 47. and the 48. verses Christ was found of his Parents disputing amongst the Doctors in Gods Temple it seemes to me to be the Puritanicall Pharisees with which hee disputed and which hee calleth so often afterwards to his Disciples Hypocrites giving them command to take heed to them This was the time of CHRIST's beginning and increase to doe his Fathers businesse till he was Baptized in Iordain of John Then being in the full Exercise of his power after his Baptisme hee continueth therein till his Ascention 42. Moneths or thereabouts in all one and twenty yeares And a little before his Suffering Mathew the 21. chap. the 12. verse Enters into the Temple and overthrew the tables of the Money changers and those that polluted his Fathers house hee drave out saying that they had made his Fathers house a denne of Thieves The same time shall Antichrist have till he come to the height of his power that CHRIST had till he was Baptized after which time hee shall thinke himselfe lawfully Installed to his Jesus ship to him and his for ever And as Christ first began his most Gracious worke in the Temple and so continued till he whipt the Prophainers out as aforesaid So shall Antichrist and his false Prophets begin they worke to doe their Fathers businesse in disputing against the true Doctors Professors and worshippers of God in his Churches and Temples till they drive out of Christ's Churches his faithfull Officers and Professors and make them Stables Courts of guard and consequently a denne of Thieves Now it is requisite hee being so perfectly marked out that it should be made knowne what shall become of the Man of sinne and what shall be his judgment It is said in Daniel the 7. th and 11. I beheld then because of the voyce of the great words which the Horne spake I beheld even till the Beast was slaine and his body destroyed and given to the burning Flame And in the 26. th verse The judgment shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume it and destroy it to the end And in the 19. th of the Revelation the 20. th verse John saith That the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet that wrought Miracles with which he designed them that had the Marke of the beast and worshipped his Image these both were cast into the Lake of Fire burning with Brimston But seeing in the same Chapter there is mention made of a whorish Woman which I have a little spoke of before J will touch it a little as it lyeth in the way In the 3 verse John was carried into the Wildernesse and there hee saw the whorish Woman riding in the same Place and upon the same Beast which persecuted the most Glorious woman the Church John seeth a Cup of abomination in her hand and in the 5. verse We saw her Name written in her Forehead Mysterie Babilon the great the mother of Harlots the abomination of the Earth This Woman was drunke with the blood of the Saints and Martyrs of JESVS which made John wonder This Woman shall be the Royall City where the Man of Sinne shall make his Seat and in which the Antichristian Representative body of the Beast and Head of the beast doth Consult and giveth Antichrist that is the Horne his power In the last verse of that Chapter it is said The Woman which thou sawest is the great City which raigneth over the Kings of the Earth sor by their prevalent Power during their Antichristian compliance both by Sea and Land they are said to Raigne over the Kings of the earth And in the 7. verse of the 17. th chap. The Angell saith He will tell Iohn the mistery of the Woman and the Beast that carrieth her And in the 8. verse hee saith The Beast on which the Woman sate was and is n c and shall descend into the Bottomlesse pit and goe into Perdition and they that dwell on the Earth shall wonder whose lives are not written in the Booke of Life from the foundation of the World When they behold the Beast that was and Is not and yet is This Beast shall be Presviter John and the first great Assembly of Republiques that aydes him which was That is hee shall be in great Power when the Man of sinne appeares with his Toleration Hee shall lose his Power and Dominion when the Man of sinne is apparently come and therefore it is said He was and Is not And it is said hee yet is Seeing he shall give himselfe and his Power to uphold the Man of Sinne after which he shall recover his Power and being and
A PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF ANTICHRIST And his false Prophet WHEREIN Is plainly shewed that Oliver Cromwell was ANTICHRIST and John Presbiter or John Covenanter his false Prophet Written in the Yeare MDCLIV By ABRAHAM NELSON And now Published with an Epistle to the Kings most Excellent Majestie LONDON Printed by T. F. and are to be sold at Westminster-Hall Fleetstreet and the old Exchange 1660. TO HIS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTIE CHARLES the Second Of England Scotland France and Jreland KING Defender of the Ancient Catholicke and Apostolicall Faith DRead SOVERAIGNE NOw after your Majesties most happie Returne to your Kingdome your poore Subject hath nothing to present to Your MAIESTY save onely in testimony of my loyaltie to your Grace and true affection which I bore to him which was made so like his Lord and Master But onely a few Observations collected out of holy Scripture Prophetically and by Vision layd downe therein which hath been hid since the world began But now most dreadfully Acted in your dayes the which Observations I drew up in the yeare 1654. and reading it over to two especiall Friends and Royalists * Mr. BRYAN NELSGN and Mr. WIL EDVVARDS of Norwich By their perswasion and mine owne Inclination I resolved to put them in Print and with a Resolution to send your Grace a Copie thereof But considering that in the last Chapter of Daniel the Angell commands him to goe his way Seeing the words are closed and Sealed till the time of the end In Obedience thereunto I have reserved it till this present But most gracious Prince I humbly Beg of Your MAIESTY so much time as to Read it over and your Majesties pardon in that I cannot give that is Eloquence with wisdome of words most proper for such a Propheticall subject and due to such a Prince But that which is your Majesties due and can give I present to Your Grace that is my Service together with this unburnished Piece proceeding from a man of little Learning yet from a true and faithfull heart and whereas I have been loyall and alwayes ayding to him whose fame is made glorious without clogging my Conscience with Protestations Covenants Judgments or Oathes of any kind which brought utter Ruine upon my estate and great affliction upon me my Wife and Children Yet I chused rather in my allegiance to expose my selfe to any sufferings the same I shall be to Your Grace till by Gods ayd I shall finish my Course Your Majesties Loyall and obedient Subject ABRAHAM NELSON To the Reader FRiendly and Impartiall READER J doe here present to your view a perfect Description of Antichrist and his false Prophet collected out of holy Scriptures which I writ in the yeare 1654. You shall find upon serious Consideration in reading hereof that the transactions that hath past since the yeare 1639. till the yeare 1660. to be the time of Antichrist his false Prophet their Increase and Reigne and their particuler actions perfectly to fulfill their whole Description set forth in holy Scriptures together with their Names Marke and Number of his Name you shall also find Antichrist's false Prophet perfectly set forth in opposition to CHRIST's true Prophet that came before him You shall also find the Antichrist himselfe in opposition to CHRIST our Lord perfectly paralleld But though that the acknowledgement thereof seeme to crosse the generall Opinion of many Grave and learned Divines which I honour who have writ heretofore and to offend some others which have too much adhered to their late actions My earnest request is that they would suspend their Iudgments till they have read it over And in so doing then parallell that which they have seen known and understood in these times to the Texts of holy Scripture quoted which deciphers him out and then they may be satisfied of the truth of what is inserted And though in my own person either for Learning or publique Esteeme can give no Lustre thereunto therefore in this I crave your favourable Construction Neither did I undertake this so great a businesse of concernment in it selfe so considerable Which hath troubled both Church and State to this day neither for any private Satisfaction to my selfe or particuler Interest But being brought into great affliction and sadnesse of heart not only for my selfe my Wife and Children through our great sufferings to the losse of all But more a great deale for the horrid Apostacy from so excellent a Government both in Church and State in the dayes of CHARLES the first the great Martyr of Iesus So that I could not be delivered from such Meditations as brought these Observations into my mind And having made it knowne to two especiall Friends in Norwitch they perswaded me to put them in Writing the which I did and hath reserved it till this present Not that I was doubtfull of the accomplishment thereof for God's Glory and our Good at the time specified But in obedience to the Angels command to Daniell to goe his way seeing the words was sealed up till the time of the End For I had gone into Flanders this last Winter in February but that I wanted Money and there to have presented my Service to my Soveraigne with these Observations knowing that the time was to be accomplished in 1660. But so it is now with me that in writing of this poore Epistle to you I cannot doe it without teares Considering Gods miraculous Goodnesse to us so wretched Sinners as to accomplish his Worke in such Mercy and Gentlenesse and goodnesse to all As that all faults may be buried in oblivion in a little time and all the loyall Party which was wronged prevented of bringing a great Sinne upon themselves in their own Vindication O this great Mercy of God! Our King restored to us our Lawes executed Gods worship revived to the admiration of all the World all fulfilled according to his Word Let us walk worthy of his Mercy in love to one another This shall be the Prayers of your Servant as one of the Sons of the Church of England praying God that I may be found faithfull before him and acceptable to you Yours ABRAHAM NELSON A DESCRIPTION OF ANTICHRIST REading in the holy Scripture of truth the Vision which the holy Prophet Daniell saw in the dayes of Balshazar King of Babilon I find in the 7. th Chap. the 7. verse a description of a most dreadfull and terrible Beast First hee describes him by his Strength to be exceeding strong Secondly by his Teeth to be of Iron Thirdly by his Hornes to be in number Ten and also in the 8. th verse he speaks of a little Horne that came up before whom three fell Fourthly he describes this Beast to have Nailes of Brasse in the 9. verse This monstrous Beast being described by his Shape he also tells us what he shall doe But of that hereafter Also reading in the 13. Chapter of St. Johns Revelation I find the same Beast described and looke what Markes of