bending his utmost endeavours to ruine the Gospel licenceth 17000 Jews to return to Jerusalem to rebuild their Temple but God destroyeth them all by Lightnings and Pestilences Horrible Earthquakes cast up into the Air the foundations which had been buried in rubbish till then Therefore Daniels compute of the Temples finall ruine must but begin then there begin his two Numbers Chap. 12. ver. 11 12. of 1290 and 1335 which in all must but make 1335 years which added to 363 make up and point to Anno Christi 1698 the joyfull Jubile of the Churches Deliverance from all Adversity Anno Mundi 4373 Anno Christi 426 The first Trumpet blown Fire and hail war and bloudshed cast into the troublesome Sea of the Roman-Western-Empire by Valentinian and the succeeding Emperours untill the end of the Western-Empire The savage Inundations of Goths Huns Vandals and Bulgarians into Italy Revel. 8. 7. Anno Mundi 4553 Anno Christi 606 The second Trumpet blown Boniface that Mountain of fiery Combustions obtaineth of Phocas the Popish Supremacy Hence wars betwixt the Emperours and Popes Revel. 8. 8 9. Anno Mundi 4613 Anno Christi 666 The third Trumpet blown The Romish Bishop the great Star of the Western Christian Clergy falleth from the Heaven of Truth and Godlinesse and of a vigilant Pastour becomes a ravenous Robber of the Church and the gifts thereof Revel. 8. 10 11. Anno Mundi 4946 Anno Christi 999 The fourth Trumpet blown The Pope fallen from Piety and his Clergy from the Pulpits Christ the Sun of righteousness with his Merits the Church the Moon and the Ministers the Stars thereof are eclipsed and vilified by Sylvester II Revel. 8. 12 13. Anno Mundi 5018 Anno Christi 1071 Satan loosed out of prison beginneth to rage by Gregory VII against the Gospel of Christ Revel. 20. 4. Anno Mundi 5140 Anno Christi 1195 The fifth Trumpet blown The Vicar of Christ with his Keyes openeth hel's mouth to let out his Cloister-fiends and satanical Locusts to overspread the Earth of Christendome described by John most graphically Revel. 9. 9. to 13. Anno Mundi 5245 Anno Christi 1300 The sixth Trumpet blown The Ottoman Empire ariseth invadeth first the Eastern-Empire of Constantinople and winneth it then flieth upon the Germane Emperour with barbarous millions of invincible Armies Revel. 9. 13. to the end The saying Revel. 9. 15. of the Turks preparation for a day a moneth and a year beginneth now Which Number allegorically taken maketh 398 years which added to A. 1300 the year of the original of the Turkish Empire sheweth that A. 1698. shall be the final downfal of the same Anno Mundi 5462 Anno Christi 1517 The last Trumpet is blown The Thrones Principalities and Dominions in Heaven rejoyce that God would now at length take his Churches Cause in hand and raise up Luther and other Sons of Thunder to vindicate the quarrel thereof against the Romish Antichrist to the ruine of his Kingdom Revel. 11. from ver. 15. to the end By eating of the Book Chap. 10. Measuring the Temple and slaying the Witnesses Chap. 11. is understood the Reformation by Luther and downfall of the Papacy under Charles the fifth Anno Mundi 5504 Anno Christi 1559 The first Vial poured-out England Scotland and Ireland by the Reign of Queen Elizabeth renounce the Papacy which generates the ulcers of spight and malice in the Romish Church against England Revel. 16. 2. Anno Mundi 5518 Anno Christi 1572 The second Vial poured out Martin Chemnitius and others pronounce the vengeance of God against the mortiferous Sea of the Councel of Trent Revel. 18. 3. Anno Mundi 5528 Anno Christi 1583 The third Vial poured out The stinking Waters of the Papacy are infected with bloud in murthering of the Popes and Romanists in Rome the slaughters of the Spaniards in the Low-Countreys and the Discomfiture of the Spanish-Armado in Anno 1588. Revel. 16. 5 6 7. Anno Mundi 5540 Anno Christi 1605 The fourth Vial poured out The Protestant Champions Pareus Polanus Whitakers Perkins Andrews King James and others pour light upon the Sunne of the Gospel in writing against Bellarmine Stapleton Campian and other Papists Revel. 16. 8 9. Anno Mundi 5565 Anno Christi 1630 The fifth Vial is now pouring out The Swedes in Germany An. 1632. The English in England 1640 combine against the Papists Jesuites proscribed in Poland and Swethland Anno 1648. This Vial shall end in the ruine of Rome Anno 1666. Revel. 16. 10 11. Anno Mundi 5594 Anno Christi 1659 The sixth Vial beginneth to be poured out Three barbarous Nations sack Hydruntum in Apulia made enrodes into the Eastern Coasts of Italy and sack them with fire and sword Factions and Massacres in Rome and Tuskany The Pope contemned and invaded The Western Christians make an Army and fire Rome in the 2419 year after Romulus laid the foundation thereof as Sibylla prophesied Oracul lib. 4. Revel. 16. from ver. 12. to 17. Anno Mundi 5595 Anno Christi 1660 The faithfull and true Warriour riding upon a white Horse descendeth from heaven with his Souldiers riding upon white horses to fight against the enemies of his Church The Angel in the Sun calleth to all the fowles of heaven to come to the feast of God to eat the flesh of Kings Captains mighty Men and horses Rev. 19. 11 17 18. And I saw the beast and the Kings of the earth and the Warriours gathered together to warre against him that sate on the horse and against his Souldiers But the beast was taken and with him the false Prophet that worketh miracles before him whereby he deceived them that have received the beasts mark and them that worship his image These two were cast alive into the lake burning with fire and brimstene c. Ibid. 19 20. Anno Mundi 5601 Anno Christi 1666 Vrbs antiqua ruit multos dominata per annos Destruiturque armis gens scelerata suis Go out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins nor receive of her plagues Forasmuch O Rome as thou glorifiedst thy self and livedst in pleasure saying I sit a Queen am no widdow and shall see no sorrow therefore shall thy plagues come upon thee in one day death sorrow and famine and thou shalt be burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God that judgeth thee The Kings of the earth shall bewail thee and thou shalt never more be inhabited the light of a candle shall shine no more in thee and the voice of the Bridegroom and of the Bride shall be heard no more in thee Rejoyce O heavens for righteous are Gods judgements He hath condemned the great Whore Then they sung Hallelujah and her smoak arose up for evermore Rev. 18. 7 8 20. 19. 3. Anno Mundi 5614 Anno Christi 1679 Rome being destroyed Jews dwell amongst Protestants and begin to search into the Scriptures and learn the waies of God
Anno Mundi 5618 Anno Christi 1684 A great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Leo The Jews converted in the West prepare to unite with their Brethren in the East and raise a Combination to propagate the Gospel and destroy the Headless-Turks Anno Mundi 5622 Anno Christi 1687 Praise our God all ye his Saints and Servants and ye that fear him both small and great And I heard the voice of a great multitude both small and great as it were the sound of many Waters and as the voice of strong thundrings saying Hallelujah for the Lord our God reigneth Let us rejoice and be glad and give glory to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her self ready Rev 19. 5 6 7. Anno Mundi 5633 Anno Christi 1698 The dreadfull and terrible Battell of the Jews with the enraged Turks in the land of Judea where the Turks are destroyed with an eternall destruction Ezech. 38. 39. chap. all Gog and Magog viz. Turks and Tartarians gather themselves together to battell whose Number is as the sand of the Sea and they went up into the plain of the Earth and incompassed the Tents of the Saints about even the beloved City but fire came down from God out of Heaven and destroyed them Revelat. 20. 8 9. Anno Mundi 5635 Anno Christi 1700 THE FIFTH MONARCHY Anno Mundi 5645 Anno Christi 1710 ANd I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea The new Jerusalem came down from God out of heaven trimmed like a Bride to meet her husband And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying behold the Glory and Tabernacle of God with men and he shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be their God with them and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow neither crying neither shall there be any more pain for the first things are passed away Rev. 21. 1 2 3 4 c. Anno Mundi 5698 Anno Christi 1763 No more Germany no more any Western Empire or any footstep thereof for God hath now transplanted his Gospel from Europe unto a more gratefull and pregnant soyl which will bring forth the fruits thereof in due season Anno Mundi 5699 Anno Christi 1764 Jam nova Progenies coelo demittitur alto Exoriturque atris Lucifer albus equis Anno Mundi 5702 Anno Christi 1767 The holy Temple restored at Jerusalem the holy utensils prepared the glory of God filseth the house God lovingly upbraideth the Israelites for their infidelity and Idolatry for which they were Vagabonds in all Coasts of the World 2400 years without King Law Priest and Temple and rehearseth their blessed and joyfull estate now being converted and victorious over all their enemies Ezech. 12. last chap. per tot Anno Mundi 5705 Anno Christi 1770 Behold I make all things new Rev. 21. 5. Anno Mundi 5728 Anno Christi 1793 The Jewish Magistrates and Ministers labour in the Conversion of the World to the Gospel of God Ezech. 46. per tot Anno Mundi 5765 Anno Christi 1830 The seventh Viall powred out And now are all things fulfilled which are contained in the Scriptures After which all Nations may expect the comming of the great Judge to render to every man according to his works Thus farre reacheth the Observations of Grebner and Baudensis VI A true Explication of that Number in Rev. 20. 8. BEfore I come to comment upon this Chronologicall Index it will not be amisse to deliver that saying Revel. 20. 8. And the Saints shall reign with Christ a thousand years from all those false Interpretations which have been fastned upon it by Papias Bucholcherus Scaliger Brightman Alsted and others and declare the true sense of it as remotest from Innovation and coming nearest the intention of the H. Ghost There is in this 20 Chap. two severall Epoches of a 1000 years which are two severall waies to be interpreted The first is in vers. 2. of Satan being bound for a 1000 years which must begin either at the Instant of our Saviours Incarnation and end at An. 1000 in the 2d year of the Popedome of Sylvester II that infamous Sodomite Necromancer and Conjurer under whom the filthinesse and Idolatry of the Romish Church was brought to the height or rather they must begin at the Destruction of the 2d Temple by Titus which was An. 71 and end in An. 1071 in the Popedome of Gregory VII aliàs Hildebrand who first broke bonds of Allegiance with Henry the Emperour excommunicated him set the Gospel in a totall Eclipse and Europe in the mournfull Flames of a civil Warre but of this in the Chronology But this in the 8 vers. of the Saints reigning with Christ a 1000 years Alsted Bucholcherus and others expound of a Comparative Felicity of the Church on this Earth for a 1000 years beginning An. 1694 when they say all visible Enemies of the Church shall be overthrown and must end An. Ch. 2694. after which shall be the Warre of Gog and Magog against the Church which shall be prevented by the coming of Christ to judgement But in this Alsted is wide from the right mark for this number must begin An. 1072 at the expiration of the former and must be interpreted for all that time that the World shall last after the aforesaid An. 1072. And the holy Ghost doth term this indefinite and unlimited time by the Number of a 1000 years for three speciall Reasons 1 Because a 1000 years are the Number of Perfection and of Eternity and doth most aptly serve to expresse the End of these Earthly Troubles and the beginning of that Time which never shall have end 2 Because those things which the holy Ghost in the Scriptures affirmeth are yet to come must not be plenarily accomplished till after An. 1830 it may please God that the glorious and flourishing estate of the Church and Gospel here upon Earth may continue much of 200 years longer to increase the number of them who shall be saved and to amplifie more the heavenly Attributes of Gods Mercy Righteousnesse Truth Holinesse and Omnipotency in the Salvation of the Just and his Equity Judgement and Uprightnesse in the firebrands of destruction 3 Because a vicissitudinary time of Affliction and Ease Persecution and rest pure Doctrine and Heresies is signified to be the whole continuance or most part of a 1000 years wherein those who are to suffer for the Testimony of the Word of God and the truth of Jesus Christ shall have their reward after the expiration of that time which cannot be till after the last generall Judgement The fearfull and terrible Warre of Gog and Magog viz. the bloudy Warre of Turks and Tartarians with the Jews newly converted in the Land of Jury in which the very
and the glorious and wonderfull Birth and erection of the FIFTH MONARCHIE UNIVERSALL which by these pangs and sorrows of Christendome shall be brought forth about the time of the totall conversion of the Jews For the season is now come when Judgement must begin not at the Temple of Antichrist but at the House of God and what bloud soever is shed upon the soyl of the Church shall be no other then fruitfull showers and warm seasons to make the Field of Christmore pregnant in production of that glorious Harvest of Saints which shall cover the Earth For as it shall be in the end of the World this old decrepit and corrupt world must be purged and refined with the fire of the Lord before there can be placed in stead thereof a new Heaven and a new Earth So in the finall Conclusion of the troubles of the Church warres Apostasies alternations and changes in Kingdoms and States the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} of Gog and Magog and all the enemies of Christ the amputation of unprofitable Trees and eradication of noxious Weeds out of the Garden of the Church shall facilitate and prepare the way for the ingresse of the Monarchy of the Gospel into the eyes of the world Far wide therefore is the Surmise of those Christians how this doctrine of the universall Regiment of the Church upon earth is a vain glorious and fantastick dream considering the hopes of it now are small and like to be lesser because charity and devotion daily decreaseth Nay rather this is the most evident sign that it speedily approacheth because the malice of the devil with the corruption of mankinde hourly augmenteth and strives to stifle and prevent it If God be known to be God by bringing light out of darknesse and manifesting his power in weaknesse then certainly shall these warres and schismes among Christians the barbarous invasions and conquests of Turks and Tartars the encreasing Idolatry of the Western and Eastern Indians be an Axe in the hand of God to lop off all superfluous branches from his Vine to make it overspread with nourishing fruit the Globe of the whole Earth IX Certain Epigrams of Petrus Damiani of the ruine of Turk and Pope c. never yet before printed And that these are no novell Opinions these following Testimonies may give sufficient evidence Petrus Damiani flourished Anno 1060. a laborious Divine an acute Philosopher and a witty Poet Gesner and other Bibliothecaries say nothing of him is extant Yet I have seen in the Library of Trinity-Colledge in Cambridge certain Latine Epigrams of his Of the conversion of the Jews Of the destruction of the world by fire in the last day Of the ruine of Rome and Of the last Judgement which Latine Epigrams I finde translated into English Stanza's in an old Manuscript of L. B. intituled The Dove 1. Of the Burning of the world by fire Primum foedavit mundum scelerata libido Cujus quà m ad coelum flammea massa venit Diluvium immissum est immensumque obruit orbem Vt mala tanta pijs eluerentur aquis O dira Ebrietas mundi faex prima secundi Te opposita interiment atque elementa prement Justitiam Domini in cunctis sic cernimus actis Vnda lavat venerem pocula flamma bibet Thus Englished As the first world did first by lust offend Whose burning rage to such a height did win That God to quench the same a Floud did send O Drunkennesse the second world's first sin The course of Vice that Element must end Which is opposed to that which did begin In every thing Gods justice we may spie As Flouds drown Lust Flames Drunkennesse must dry 2. Of the ruine of Rome Effuge Grex Christi peccati à Gurgite diro Cui meretrix odio est atque corona triplex Effuge dum Tempus datur fera praelia cessant Ne ut tu delitias sic sua damna feras Quum jam funestos Agnus superaverit hostes Pingue gregique epulum militibusque dabit Se mentem metet haec meretrix quam sevit eandent Jam Sathanae sedes quae Domina orbis erat Thus Englished Fly Faithfull Christians from that Sea of sin Who hate the Whore and the two-horned Beast Fly fly in time before their griefs begin Lest as their pleasures so their plagues you taste When once the Lamb the victory doth win He of fat things will make his Flock a Feast Who as she sowed so shall she reap those evils Once the worlds Mistresse now a Cage of devils 3. Of the conversion of the Jews Postquam Evangelium toto narretur in orbe Fulget ignotis nostris genitoribus oris Quum Gentes Christum agnoscunt generalitèr omnes Quas Deus aeternùm aetherea dignabitur aulâ Tunc amplectetur verum Solynaea propago Quod priùs invidiâ tam aversabatur iniquâ Vltima Evangelium Legem quae prima recepit Quos docuit primos postremos Christus habebit Thus Englished The Gospel once being preacht in every place To lands of which our Fathers could not tell And when the Gentiles all are drawn to Grace Which in the new Jerusalem should dwell Then shall the stubborn Jews the Truth embrace From which with such disdain they did rebell Who first the Law last shall the Gospel have Christ whom he first did call shall last receive 4. Of the last judgement Indictum Tempus quod totum territet orbem Per praedicta homines signa monere solet Praelia Evangelium mundo vulgatur adorant Judaei Christum cognita jam meretrix Zelus hebet Stellaeque cadunt fera crimina regnant Aegra fides languet Daemonis ira furit Vltima jam genus omne malorum buccina clangit Supremamque diem signa tremenda notant Thus Englished That threatned time which must the world appall Is that all may amend by signs foreshown Wars rumor'd are the Gospel preach'd o're all The Jews convert the Antichrist is known Devils rage Vice reigns Zeal cools Faith fails Stars fall All sorts of plagues hath the last Trumpet blown And by prodigious signs 't may plain appear That of the Son of man the time draws near Thus by this great Divine living in the mistiest times of Popery it may plain appear that it was a received opinion that the total destruction of Rome the conversion of the Jews and the fifth Monarchy should precede the end of the world And this is also confirmed by Hieronymus Savanarola who died a Martyr at Florence A. 1498. whose Prophesies are extant in the works of Franciscus Mirandula That in the last times Jews Turks and Moors should be converted to Christ a man like Cyrus with a numerous Army of true professors should come over the Alpes and destroy Rome and ruinate all the Kingdoms and States of Italy That grievous Wars Bloud-sheddings and Massacres should arise in the world by a Northern King for a happy Reformation who should carry the Gospel out of
men have made me at length after a long time of silence put Pen to Paper and through the intricate Labyrinth of those portions of Scripture which never Commentator yet ever medled with I mean the twelve last Chapters of Ezekiel the three last of the Revelation the last of Daniel with some passages in Hosea and Zechary to descry when We People of England with all Protestants in Europe shall see an end of these our Warres and Tumults what shall be the Estate of our Churches Stares and Kingdomes from this present year 1650 to the beginning of the Fifth and last universall MONARCHY of the Gospel of Christ upon Earth which shall begin in the year of our Lord 1710 and in what year we may expect the downfals of the Beast of Rome the Red Dragon of Constantinople the totall Conversion and restauration both of the Eastern and Western Jews within their holy Land of Jury all which must most certainly be falfilled before the end of the World Of these high Points and Mysteries I finde nothing in any Commentator upon the last of Daniel and the Revelations save only Brightman who being acquainted in Leiden with Joseph Scaliger got some but those very imperfect notes of Grebner concerning those Numbers in Ezekiel and Daniel But that excellent Manuscript which Johannes Baudensis writ of the Life and Writings of Grebner declareth all these things most plainly and punctually how that greater Troubles fearfuller Combustions direfuller Devastations shall come upon the Western Kingdomes of Europe then yet ever did before they can expect the downfall either of Turk or Pope or the universall Monarchy of the Gospel of Christ upon Earth In which incomparable Work the Learned Astrologer bringeth Divine and Heavenly Reasons why Europe for the space of thirty seven years after that fearfull blazing Comet in 1618. should with amazed eyes behold the infinite and sudden mutations and downfals of flourishing States and potent Kingdomes the deformity of Empires and mournfull faces of Commonwealths as is lately happened in England Portugall Swethland Bohemia and Denmark the Devastations of whole Kingdoms at a clap and burning six or seven Nations at once in their ashes and cinders as of late in Germany not to make them ask whether there be a God Heaven and Providence or not or whether Empires and States depend wholly upon the will and power of man or upon secret and hidden causes beyond the thoughts and expectations of the World but to praise God for his paternall corrections seeing by this they know he remembreth them and that through this Fire and Water of Affliction he will bring his Church to a finall Conquest over her Enemies and both the Congregations of Jews and Gentiles to an universall Monarchy over the face of the whole Earth Severall passages of which Manuscript I will insert here and there in this ensuing Discourse as Method and Matter shall require III. The Confutation of the wicked Opinions of the Millenaries of the Personall Reign of Christ upon Earth after An. 1700. Since the spirituall sword was sheathed in England which lopt off the serpentine Heads of Heresie and Schisme while they were yet growing it is a wonder to see how all Sects and Schismaticall Opinions in the world have like devouring Weed overgrown and choked the seed of the Word Above the rest the Millenaries have exalted themselves whose abominable Pamphlets have flown abroad like Atomes wherein they dream of a Personall Reign of Christ upon Earth how he shall descent from Heaven An. 1666 destroy all the works of darknesse in every corner of the Earth make an easie passage to men from Earth to Heaven so that they may ascend into Heaven and leap down to Earth again as oft as they list how he shall keep a Quarter Sessions or Goal-delivery in his own Person upon Mount Olivet call all Nations before him rebuke them of sin face to face and shall cut out of them their stony hearts and shall sew in their bellies hearts of flesh in stead thereof that An. Dom. 1700 shall be the day of Judgement and that the Judgement shall last other 1700 years because otherwise the glorious Attributes of Christ's Mercy and Justice cannot be sufficiently explained to the World and the Consciences of men All which Fopperies with many mo too horrid to relate are contained in M. Archers Personall Reign of Christ upon Earth Rich. Stirreys Kingdome of King Jesus and in A.R. his Caelestis Hierusalem Printed A. 1642 1644 and 1645. Now having unmasked the vanity of this Error ut contraria juxtà se posita magis elucescant I will epitomize in this Section the truth of the future estate of the World from this time to the end which afterward I intend God willing further to dilate and prosecute in this Treatise This year 1650 all Europe are in civil Warres These civill warres shall not cease till they have mustered out a great Army of the true worshippers of God to ruine Rome which shall be about Anno 1666. Rome thus destroyed the Western Jews shall begin to learn the waies of God and believe his Gospel which they cannot do so long as Rome standeth and shall Anno 1683. enter upon the conversion of their Eastern brethren the 10. Tribes now invisibly hid in Tartaria and India and they two none else shall ruine the Mahumetan Empire about An. 1698. and so shall be restored to the holy Land to reinhabit Jerusalem Then must begin a comparative felicity of the Church of God upon earth because after these times both Turk and Pope shall be destroyed Neverthelesse this felicity must be mingled with internall troubles and persecutions within the bowels of the Church because the Church shall never be wholly at rest while the world standeth Lo here the difference betwixt Truth and Heresie betwixt the opinions of the Millenaries and right sense of Scriptures The Millenaries say Christ must descend personally feom heaven The Scriptures on the contrary say he shall not come from Heaven personally till the last day when he shall descend with his holy Angels in flaming fire to judge the quick and the dead He shall send power and strength from heaven to his true Worshipppers as he hath done hitherto to destroy Turk and Pope from Heaven he shall give power to his ancient people the Jews to regain their ancient Land of Judea and not by his corporeall presence upon Earth from Heaven about An. 1700. he shall transferre his Gospel from Europe as he hath done from Asia and raise up and inspire godly Ministers after his own will who shall implant his holy word in all and every of the Kingdomes and Provinces of America and in all countries of the Southern and Eastern India China Tartaria and in all the regions of the North unto the worlds end and make it shine in as great purity and glory as ever it hath done in England or Germany This is the felicity of the Church the fifth Monarchy
nefandarum domitrix altrixque ferarum Quid fueras quid fisque vide tua prima propago Bella gerit fibolémque pctet lues atra secundam At Leo terribilis Borealibus cduus oris Fammifcram ex Orco pelagiplangentibus undis Educens aciem pecudes urbésque virósque Sternet antiquis Solem Lunámque movebit Sedibus ille etiam patrie jure infima summa Reddet Occasum sub leges mittet inermem Thus Englished Alas ill race to dismall Fates reserv'd By whom dire Beasts are tamed and preserv'd See what thou wert and art Thy first issue Inclines to War Plague doth the next subdue But Lion fierce sprung from the Northern shore Shall bring from deepest Hell and waves that rore A blasing Army he shall men o'rerun Cities and cattel yea the Moon and Sun Shall he remove and Father-like the least Make highest and give Laws to the weak West Yet he that returns back in reviewall of the conjunctions and fiery Triplicities may see how they have in part prognosticated the present troubles and and distractions of Europe with the Common-wealths of England and Scotland Anno 1603 in the first great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the fiery triplicity K. James came to the Crown of England and so was fulfilled that Prophecie which an holy Anchoret made 890 years agoe English men for that they wonneth them to drunkeinesse to treakson and rechlesenesse of Got's house firsten by Dancs thenth by Nortmans and the thrid time by Scots whom they holden lest worthen of all they shallen be overcompn Then the world shallen be unstable and so various and diversable that the unstablenesse of thoughts shallen be betookeineid by many manner diversity of cloathing This could never be fulfilled but by a Scottish King swaying the English-scepter and therefore never came to passe till the Union of the two Kingdoms under the said King As the second Conjunction Anno 1623. found Germany and most of the West involved in civil Wars and as the third An. 1643. found the King and Subjects of England in the field one against the other so the fourth Conjunction An. 1663 in Sagitarius shall begin those destructive Combustions in Italy which shall allure the Protestant Armies to make a third all-conquering Party in the same and the fifth An. 1683 in Leo shall bring forth the Conversion of the Jews but the sixth Conjunction happening in Taurus An. 1703 shall behold that which many glorious Saints and children of God have read of and rejoyced and desired to see and yet could not see them For now Revel. 22. 1. shall the Sea that is the miserable estate of the World by Wars Desolations and Sicknesses be destroyed and no more extant Now shall the time of Tribulation War and desolation the time of torments temptation heresie and persecution be utterly abolished from the memory of men For a new Heaven and a new Earth a renovated Church purified Saints shall succeed in the room of those Wolves who in sheeps-cloathing devoured the Flock of Christ These are the dayes for the hope of which the stones of Sion cry day by day though little esteeming seven thousand deaths in regard of that precious assurance graven in their Brests that they shall then and in that day behold the Lord which hath mercifully gathered them from all Nations and hath so wonderfully preserved them from the sorcery of Babylon which hath destroyed all the Earth that leadeth them in and out before Pagans Hereticks and Idolaters before the covetous and foolish-wise of this world so prudently and so invisibly that they seeing are not seen and living are not known But from these low things let us ascend up to Scripture further to prove the certainty thereof Daniels Image as it gave the first so it gave the fullest Knowledge of this great Mystery of the Church of God Dan. 2. per tot In which Image is described in brief the Estate of the World from the very day God revealed this to Damel and he to Nebuchadnezzar to the full and final End and Conclusion of time By the golden Head silver Arms brazen Belly and iron Legs we must understand the Chaldean Persian Macedouian and Roman Monarchies which successively one after another tyrannized over mankinde by cruelty and by cruelty came to as miserable Destructions in the end The feet part of Iron and part of Clay denoted the declining Estate of the Roman Empire after that indiscreet Division of it under Charles the Great into the Eastern and Western under the present Papacy and now-vulturizing house of Austria which hitherto doth and shall continue until An. 1694. Therefore the Stone cut without hands in the 34 verse which smote the Image on his feet that were part of Iron part of Clay and so brake them to pieces that the Iron Brasse Clay Silver and Gold became as chaff of the Summer-flowers that the winde carried them away and no more place was found for them And the Stone that smote the Image became a great Mountain and filled the Earth must needs be understood of a glorious Monarchy of the Church of God upon Earth which by the Conversion of the Universal Nation of the Jews shall overcome all her Enemies and reign triumphantly in all Nations under Heaven in universality uniformity integrity and innocency of life and conversation This blessed and happy estate of Christs Church upon Earth after the aforesaid battel of Gog and Magog described Ezech. 38. and 39 Chap. of which enough before is graphically deciphered in the nine last Chapters of the same Prophet beginning at the 40 where under a specious and large type of restoring the old Jewish Temple with the Sacrifices chap. 40. the measuring ordering and disposing of it in every thing thereto belonging chap. 41. as the chambers of the Priests in the Temple the holy Utensils chap. 42. the glory of God filling the house chap. 43. his paternall upbraiding the Israelites for their antient Idolatry and demonstrating his great and affectionate love to them for the present chap. 44. is contained as I said before a pithy discourse how powerfull and magnificent these new converted Christians shall be how holy learned and unanimous their Ministers should be how ardent and studious they shall be in communicating the Gospel of Christ to such as yet sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death chap. 45. how vigilant their Princes and Magistrates shall be in being keepers of the house of God that is in incouraging the Ministers tam praemio quà m paenâ to inftruct the people in the knowledge of the truch that so both Ministers and people may render due obedience to their common Saviour in love to God and charity toward men And again the reserved portions of Land for the Temple City Priests and Princes all in just measures and dimensions the waters issuing out of the Temple ever increasing in Latitude and Profundity the severall divisions of the particular lots of
manifested by an excellent Prophecy which the learned Erasmus received from Reuchlinus and was found in the study of Justus Lypsius by Janus Douza the younger running thus Post mille expletos à partu Virginis annos Et post sexcentos rursus ab orbe datos Nonagefimus octavus mirabilis annus Ingruet is secum gaudia laeta faeret Corruet hoc anno Turcarum invisa propago Roma tuum in libris fabula nomen erit Omnia tunc mundi sursum ibunt atque retrorsum Imperia ut populos sceptra novella premant Vtque suum cunctas Verbum diffundat in oras Christus imperitet nomine ubique suo Thus Englished Six thousand years from Virgins birth expir'd Six hundred after that acquir'd The famous ninety eighth year shall come on Full of great Contentation This year the Turkish hatefull race shall rue Rome shall a fable be not true Then shall be tost all Kingdoms of the World And into a new Kingdom hurl'd That into all coasts Christ his Word may spred And be alone the Peoples Head XI A true Exposition of 2 Esdr. 11. ch. The two Books of Esdras are thought and that by none of the least learned as Augustine Hierome Ambrose Tostatus Scaliger the elder Melancthon Arrias Montanus Bucer and Bibliander to be Canonicall because of the most evident fulfilling of many predictions in them contained In the 11 chap. of the second of those Books there is under the type of an Eagle a manifest prophecie both of the Roman Heathenish Empire as likewise of the Papacy with her chief Leagurers to this present time throughout the whole Chapter This Eagle is that Roman Heathenish Empire her twelve feathered wings are the twelve first Emperours from Julius Cesar to Nerva Coccejus The three Heads are the three Kingdoms of France Spain and Germany preordained of God to uphold and maintain the power of her pride when all her wings her heathenish and tyrannicall Cesars should fail her Neverthelesse under her 12 first Cesars are comprehended in generall all the Emperours which reigned in her from Julius Cesar who first crackt the strings of her liberty to Augustulus Momyllus her last Roman Cesar for the space of 474 years Her 8 contrary feathers are the 8 terrible Inundations of severall Nations from the North God's scourges which over-whelmed her fairest Provinccs sunk her State in bloud and by fire and sword humbled her as low as the dust she trod on viz. 1 Alaricus and his West-Gothes 2 Attilas and his Hunnes 3 Gensericus and his Vandals 4 Odoacer 5 Theodoricus and his East-Goths 6 Totilas and his Spaniards 7 Alboinus and his Longobards who deposed her diminitive Cesar Augustulus Momyllus 8 and lastly the intestine homebred Faction and Conspiracy which proved more pernitious then the rest as all included diseases are the worst which in the reigns of Otho the Great Otho III and Frederique II so often strove to eradicate the Papall Superiority and reedifie her S. P. Q. R. buried so many ages ago out of the ruines of the City The Head in the midst is the Germane Empire begun An. 801 on Christmas day by Charles the Great which though vers. 32. it long did and yet doth put the Earth in great fear yet vers. 33. must vanish in an instant as did the Wings and come to nought The Germane Empire thus destroied vers. 35. The Head on the right side the Kingdom of Spain must devour the Head on the left side which is the Kingdom of France Therefore it is manifest That the Kingdom of France though now it flourisheth in what Glory and Magnificence Earth can afford must ere long be humbled by the power of Spain with many Discomfitures and brought to dolefull streights and great perplexities I my self have observed one remarkable Adjunct of that Kingdome in particular how that year in which the Figures of the Golden Number were equall to the Figures of the year of Christ hath ever proved fatall to that Monarchy for Warre Bloudshed Pestilence and Famine It was so with them from An. 1570 to An. 1576. in all which seven years the Guisian faction made lamentable havock of the Church of God and the Kingdom so shall it be in that year in which the finall Tragedy of that Kingdom shall be acted six years after which France shall be no more But when that shall be no sign of Europe shall remain nor remembrance where the wals of Rome stood The LION which vers 37. and chap. 12. v. 31. came roaring out of the Wood speaking to the Eagle and rebuking her for her wickednesse is the WIND which the most high God hath kept for Rome and her wickednesse till the end even the LION OF THE NORTH of which you shall hear anon a Prophesie of the true Merlin which shall reprove the Roman Empire and cast before her her spoils he shall set her alive in Judgement rebuke and correct her and deliver the residue of Gods people by Affliction which are preserved upon his borders and make them joyfull untill the day of Judgement In the 13 Chapter Esdras beholds a vision of a man rising out of the Sea and devouring the multitudes of fighters that came against him neither with sword spear nor any instrument of Warre but only with the fire and storm that came out of his mouth which is Christ the son of man who through a sea of bloudy persecutions and tribulations propagated his Gospel over the Earth confounding and devouring the multitudinous Pagans and Idolaters fighting against Christians by the invincible force of the Gospel After a long time of the obstinate wilfulnesse and fulnesse of the Gentiles he shall call to himself another peaceable multitude vers. 12 40. even the whole Nation of the Jews out of Armenia Tartaria and the Eastern India whom God shall defend and convert to the Gospel when he shall destroy all other Nations upon Earth These are called the peaceable People because after the conversion of the Jews shall come that Ministeriall Monarchy of the Church over the whole World that peaceable and still Time when all Kingdoms under heaven shall forget fighting one against another Warres shall cease in all the World and swords and spears shall be beaten into Plowshares and pruning hooks When the seventh Angel blew the Trumpet Luther began his Reformation then it is when the Multitude stood before the Lamb and sung the new song of Moses and then neverthelesse is but the vail only of the Tabernacle opened in heaven and a great cloud and smoak covered that Glory But it must be 180 years after when the Kingdomes of this World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and those be destroyed that destroyed the Earth For then and not till then shall the Temple of God be fully opened in Heaven and the Ark of his Testament the very same modell which God shewed to Moses in the Mount shall be seen in Jerusalem not in a Tabernacle but