Emperor unless they would have one chose for them Meeting therefore at Franck-fort they chose out of one of the weakest Families every Faction grown jealous and fearing the other Rodolphus Earl of Hapsburg in the year 1270. to be Emperor the Raiser of the present House of Austria upon this occasion and grand Revolution for by War and by his Imperatorian Power gaining Austria and other Territories adjoyning he confers them upon his Son And so the Earls of Hapsburgh become first Dukes then Arch-Dukes of Austria about the year 1280. and so propagated their power far and near unto our times By this time the seven Electors had rooted themselves in their usurp'd Electorship which began first by bare permission and under pretext of avoiding confusion and for better order in the Election to take the Votes of all the other Princes of Germany what should be best for the Common Interest afterwards used and usurped as their priviledge and so continued it till they got to be established therein by the Golden Bull. II. The Golden Bull or Seal is constituted as the perpetual and fundamental Law of the Empire not to be altered by the Emperor no not with the Electors consent themselves by Charles the Fourth in the year 1356. Yet to which since has been added Capitulations of the Emperor with the Electors and Princes of Germany In the Golden Bull was contained the Priviledges Liberties Order and mutual respect between the Emperor and Princes In it the seven Electors were established by publick Sanction and Law of the Empire before sometimes more sometimes less usurped the Power to themselves which bred dissentions and confusions alwayes in choice Also to hinder Haereditary Succession that three Emperors of one and the same Family should never be chosen together as had been by Power Interest and Factions formerly accustomed to keep it in one House which how well observed the Story will shew it having continued in that Line ever since and become in a manner quite haereditary and scarcely to be altered In it also was decided between the House of Bavaria and the Palatine the Controversie about Electorship which was by perpetual right then annexed to the Palatinate and ever since continued so till the late German Wars before each claiming the Electorship which therefore often disturbed their number to be more or less than seven III. About the year 1500. the State of Burgundy which contained the Low Countries was by Marriage with the Heiress thereof added to the House of Austria which further strengthened it About the same time under Maximilian the first the publick Courts of Judicature which followed the Emperors Court alwayes before were fixed to a certain place and this is called the Imperial Chamber the Supream Tribunal and Appeal of Justice in which in Civil Matters the Emperor and all the Princes should be subject and the greatest Controversies be submitted to its Judgment It was after two removes fixed at last to Spires hence the Chamber of Spires fam'd over all and the Empire also divided into ten Circles by the same Emperor at the same time IV. The Heir of Burgundy i. e. the Emperors Son by his Wife Heiress thereof marrying with the Heir of Spain unite the Kingdom of Spain and Burgundy and the House of Austria together and so the King of Spain becomes Arch-Duke of Austria Duke of Burgundy and Lord of the Low Countries and after his Grand-fathers decease Emperor also viz. Charles the Fifth Son of Philip King of Spain Son of Maximilian the Emperor succeeds his Father in his Estates of Inheritance of Spain Burgundy and the Low Countries Austria c. and by Election his Grand-father Maximilian in the Empire in the year 1519. under whom the German Empire rose to its greatest height and inlargement ever since the dismembring of it And indeed with this addition of Spain Burgundy and the Low Countries Naples and Sicily it might equal it under Charles the Great when it had France and Italy Members thereof or subject thereunto besides the Dukedom of Milan fell to this Charles also the Kingdom of Tunis and other parts in Africa became Tributary and moreover married the Daughter of Portugal and so laid a Foundation for that Kingdom also But if you add the West Indy Kingdoms the Kingdom of Mexico overcome Anno 1521. the Kingdom of Peru 1535. It had more extent though not greatness and power than all the Roman Empire ever had And had not the French opposed him he had over-ran all Europe and been Universal Monarch He had Prisoners at the same time the French King and the Pope of Rome He ruin'd the League made by the Protestants at Smalcalde in Germany Took Prisoners the Elector of Saxony and Landgrave of Hassia drove the great Turk from Vienna as well as won Tunis But the Turk soon broke his Power in Africa and being hunted out of Germany he resigned all his Estates and Kingdoms the Empire to his Brother who had been before elected King of Hungary and Bohemia Anno 1526. and by the procurement of this Charles elected King of the Romaus 1531. and now by his Resignation Emperor 1558. The rest of his Estates to his Son Philip the Second King of Spain and so went off the Stage and died private in a Monastery after he had been glutted as it were with the pomp and vanity of the World As Emperor of the Germans King of Castile Aragon Naples Sicily c. Arch-Duke of Austria Duke of Burgundy Prince of Belgium or Low Countries c. King of India and the Ocean c. Lord of Africa c. But in the end only Monk V. From this time the Austrian House took such rooting in Germany that the Empire is in name rather Elective but in reality Haereditary and become the Inheritance as it were of a Family Specially after he brought in the custom of creating King of the Romans during the Emperors life as he did to his Brother Anno. 1531. which is a Title proper to the Emperor notwithstanding the Elector of Saxony who by many Arguments shewed how it tended to inervate the free election of the Emperor VI. Under this Charles all Germany both Empire and Church is rent into two grand Factions or Parts Roman Catholicks and Protestants the Protestants again into Lutherans and Calvinists and from this division arose the two grand Wars the Smalcaldick and Bohemian The chief cause was the general hate of the Roman Court and Tyranny and base abuses and corruptions thereof both by the Princes and People ready to take any occasion against them But the occasion was the common selling of Indulgences by an impudent Monk whom another Monk but honester opposes Thus the two Instruments were two Monks one a very Knave or at best corrupt ignorant Friar the other an honest sincere and well-meaning Soul as well as zealous Martin Luther by name such as were many in those dayes as Thauler whom Luther much esteemed and praises or if you
Monarchies nor leave their Kings so much elbow-room nor their Commands so absolute and Sovereign as the other There are moreover in Europe other lesser Kingdoms comprehended under these as those of Bohemia and Hungary under the Emperor That of Navarre under the Crown of France Those of Naples Sicily Sardinia and Maiorck under the King of Spain And those of Scotland and Ireland under the King of England The Seven Electors three Eccleasiastick four Saecular and of late a fifth are the Arch-Bishop of Mentz Dean of the Colledge of Electors Lord High-Chancellor of the Empire in Germany The Arch-Bishop of Colen Lord High-Chancellor of the Empire in Italy The Arch-Bishop of Trevers Lord High-Chancellor of the Empire in France The King of Bohemia at this time Emperor till the young King his Son come to be installed therein chief Cup-bearer of the Empire Count Palatine of the Rhine heretofore the fifth Elector chief Almoner of the Houshold now the eighth and Lord High-Treasurer since the Duke of Bavaria new-created was put in his place The Duke of Saxony Lord High-Marshal or Sword-Bearer and the Marquess of Brandenburgh Lord High-Chamberlain and who has the largest Territories next the Emperor himself These Electors are Sovereign in their Estates and though Members of the Empire yet can make Peace and War when they please whereof we have at this present a sad example between the Elector Palatine and the Elector of Mentz with the Lorrainers The Ecclesiastick Electors ever had the precedency of the other by reason of the height and Supremacy of the Pope in Temporals and the Saecular Power of the Bishops in former times The seven Grand Dutchies or Dukedoms which have each their particular Lords and Masters are the Dukedom of Moscovy the Prince whereof assumes the Title of Emperor and by some is reckoned among Empires As indeed to say the truth it is a Dukedom on which depends thirty other Dutchies and three Kingdoms which exceed Germany and Poland in extent and notwithstanding all their Cold are fill'd with Inhabitants And the Duke himself is absolute over his Subjects The Dutchy of Savoy at this day the first in Europe the Dutchy of Tuscany of Lorrain of Saxony and Bavaria whose Dukes are Electors and the Dutchy of Holstein As for the great Duke of Lithuania he is subject to the King of Poland and the Dutchy of Milan to the King of Spain And the other petty Dutchies of Germany and Italy are not of any force or reckoning with these seven We must crown all these Dutchies or Dukedoms with the one only Arch-Dukedom of Austria whereof the Emperor is Master and add that all these Estates have nothing mixt in the form of their Government and that they acquiess under the Authority of one alone The seven Common-Wealths are those of the Suisses of Venice of the United Provinces of Genoa of Lucca of Geneva and of Raguza For the petty Common-Wealth of St. Marine must not come into this Range As for the Hans-Towns and free Cities of Germany they acknowledge some subjection or other to the Empire c. The three grand Principalities are Transilvania Wallachia and Moldavia all three tributary to the Turk As for the Prince of Precopia or lesser Tartary called the Crim Tartar he is now made slave to the Turk and over him a Beglerbeg or Bassa to command in chief It will not perhaps distast the Reader to give a List here of the present Kings and Princes according to their different Ages together The King of Spain Swedeland the Prince of Orange the Land-grave of Hesse-Cassel the Duke of Mantua the Duke of Modena are yet in their Minority The King of France England Portugal the Elector of Bavaria the Duke of Saxony the Duke Regent of Holstein the Dukes of Lunenburgh the Landgrave of Hesse-darmstat the Duke of Mickleburgh the Prince of Mount-Belliard the Prince of East-Friezland the Marquess of Bada the grand Duke of Moscovy and the grand Segnior All these Princes are in the prime of their Age and like to reign long Those that have passed the middle of their dayes and begin to draw towards their evening are the Pope alwayes the King of Poland who has now lately resign'd his Crown and none other yet chose the King of Denmark the three Electors Ecclesiastick three of the Secular the Palatine the Elector of Saxony and of Brandenburgh the three Princes of Transilvania Walachia and Moldavia The Duke of Lorrain Wittenburgh Newburgh Brunswick Wolfen-Buttel the great Duke of Tuscany and the Duke of Parma The Ecclesiastick Government of Europe in general is either Papal owning the Pope as Supream or Episcopal owning the King as Supream in all causes and Arch-Bishops and Bishops under him call'd also Prelatical as in the Church of England or Super-intendent which is a kind of Episcopal among the Lutherans but yet owning no Head of the Church neither Pope nor King or Civil Magistrate to order the Affairs of the Church as such The Presbyterian or Synodical owning a Presbytery or Synod as Supream and Lay-Elders c. but no Bishops nor Super-intendents as in France Holland c. As for other forms of Government there are none established any where by publick Authority And this is the present face almost of Europe in General LANGUAGES The present Languages of Europe for we pass by those that are out of date as the Hebrew Greek and Latine which are rather Scholastical than National and onely us'd among the Learned may be reduced to three the Teutonick the Sclavonian and the derivatives of Latin and Greek corrupted By the way only take notice that the Arabick Tongue is the same in Asia that the Latin is in Europe and that by its help one may march from the Bosphorus in Europe to the furthermost Lands of the Indians We find not therefore in Europe more then two Mother Tongues at present which have each their several Dialects with some sprouts as it were of the two dead Languages Latin and Greek The two Mother Languages then are the Teutonick and the Sclavonian The Sclavonian is familiar at Constantinople and even at Grand Caire And has for its principal Dialects the Rheuthenick or Russian for the Moscovites the Dalmattan for the Transilvanians and Hungarians the Bohemian and the Polonian the Illyrian Jazigian c. with some others which have their course amongst the Walachians and the Moldavians and the lesser Tartary The Teutonick hath three principal Dialects the German the Saxon and the Danish And of these again issue forth other Idioms as the Flemish or Low-Dutch the English the Swedish the Cauchian of the East-Friezlanders amongst themselves only for they use Dutch to strangers the Language of Norway and of the Suissers The Greek Language Mort or dead but less corrupted than the Latin hath divers Reliques and shootings forth in divers Isles of the Archipelago in Achaia and Morea under the great Turk and is better preserv'd here in these named then in
Fr. Sam. J. three days after he said he saw the Angels present with him When he was come to the last words about his Adversary there he wept having pronounced all things concerning himself with great boldness and courage 10. Having ended the Oath he sat down and laying his face upon the Table he put that Paper out of which he had recited the Oath after thrice kissing it under his face And then All of us being astonished and silent suddenly with drew himself away and sung the hundred twenty third Psalm To thee have I lift up mine eyes who dwellest in the Heavens As the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters so our eyes look up unto the Lord our God till he have mercy on us Lord be merciful to us Lord be merciful to us for we are exceedingly filled with shame Our soul is exceedingly laden with scoffings and reproaches and with the contempt of the proud which when we all sung together and it was ended He falling upon his knees and we with him poured forth most fervent Prayers unto God that God would deliver his Name from Reproach c. All which things to be performed after this manner all we under-written do testifie both on our Consciences and with our hands At Puchow July 16 th 1663. Paul Laurine P. T. Pastor of the Church of Puchow of the Helvet Confession Ezechiel Alfeus Paul Vetterin his advarsary Nicholas Pilsin Paul Horatschek Luke Cales of the Church of Lednick Pastor Tobias Jeffon Preacher of Gods Word Wenceslaus Godfry Bielsky de Karissow A Noble man Samuel Junius Hence therefore all should acquiesce without further a-do and leave all both him and his adversary to the divine judgement and determination Yet Vetterin his Adversary though present himself and amazed thereat seemed to give glory to God and by his hand given promised silence and subscribed the Testimony given together with the others yet not satisfied and relapsing into new thoughts has writ his dissatisfaction not only to his Adjunct Comenius but has been also more bitter and violent against Drabricius then ever for several reasons here omited And caused the new Pastor Laurin also to waver and suspect evil of him and to invocate God for judgement against Drabricius c. who at last answered in a writing called his Confession which he was commanded by God should be put as a close to the new edition of his Revelations where you have it also After these things so transacted Paul Laurine the new Pastor of the Exiles and now become a new Adversary of Drabricius a young healthful and lusty man was taken ill the Physicians said of an Hectick which in vain they laboured to cure and dyed soon after Veterinus still living c. There is added also the Judgement of two Godly English Divines with divers forcible Arguments for the divine Authority of these Revelations too long for this preface To the Objection of things not coming to pass accordingly c. Comenius amongst many other things at large replyes thus 1. That what ever is denounced of God and is not done to day may be done to morrow as with Nineveh c. 2. That which is not fulfilled acording to the Letter in our sence is fulfilled according to the Spirit in Gods sense and meaning as of the eternal Kingdom fothwith of the Messiah the Son of David 3. What is not done the condition being altered was yet to be done the condition not altered As Nineveh if it had persisted without Repentance c. see Jer. 18. 6 0. Add hereto that 't is certain the divine Prophecies were neither heretofore fulfilled in the letter nor are at this day Whence so many wild ravings of phrenzy as it were of the Jews about the letter c. That Prophetick predictions are conditional That there is possibility of fulfilling most still That where there is not such a possibility it may be then thought that the Prophet has ventured to add something of his own according to his own sense and apprehensions For Prophets are subject to Error Passions Affections c. which the spirit of Prophecy does not always take away And that in such a case the precious is to be separated from the vile as God commands Jer. 15. 19. That all Prophecy is a Riddle and obscure And therein God is a God that hideth himself Isaiah 45. 15. c. with many other things more at large From all things therefore thus objected we are to leave the Judgement and Execution to God who in due time will manifest the truth or the falsehood hereof c. Besides Comenius some years before namely in 1658. finding all things go contrary rather to his Prophecyes wrote severely to him and with great rebukes c. who thus replyed lamenting I received yours full of Zeal full of Lamentations full of Interrogations to which you require me a worm contemn'd of men condemned half put to death to answer Which after I had read over and weighed I had resolved to answer with silence to commend the matter to God the searcher of hearts yet crying aloud Come expostulate with me But the Lord suffer'd me not to hold my peace c. But as for me I must say with Jeremy Wo unto me my Mother that thou borest me whom all do curse I besprinkle these with tears with Jeremy saying In truth the Lord hath commanded me to write these things Yet behold the word of the Lord is made unto me for a reproach c. Is it not the voice of God which saith The Lord doth not any thing unless he revealeth his secret to his Servants And by Joel he promises that it should come to pass in the last times That their young men should see Visions and their old men dream dreams And why as yet ye illuminated men I beseech you do you expect the last times But because the Lord hath said unto me also Jan. 14. 1651. a man of polluted lips That I should be his last Trumphet Behold I behold with full confidence and assurance in the sight of God Angels and men do boldly speak that they are the words of God which I have wrote And except it were so I know that though I deceived men yet I could not deceive God nor my own conscience but should undoubtedly procure confusion and destruction to my self But behold as I live or dye that I have written what I have heard from the Mouth of God let men take it as they please To God be praise that now the world shall no longer be ignorant of those things which the Lord would have denounced and declared by me unto it Let who so will dispute against those things but not against me For the Lord hath said unto me his worm Thou art not of thus much to defend thy self much less me my words I will defend my self when I shall fulfil my words The Sons of men understand not the hight of my Councels as
Islands and breaking in peeces the Peoples one by another Behold It is the Lord who both speaks and does Let not the Protestants and the Evangelicks say they are reformed and comeout of Babylon and forsaken Antichrist Alas Alas We lack not Popes but Rome the spirit of Antichrist has notforsaken us in all things but only dispersed it self into more things How many Universities Doctors Masters Bishops Pastors we have so many Popes And every common man of the people would be a Pope and Dictatour above all Law and Discipline The Thunderbolts of God comprehended in these Books do reach all corrupt Christendom Let no party of Christians think that this Book is for them alone to destroy all others The world is full of Babylonish works therefore the whole World is Babylon And every Kingdom State City House Church and School hath its Babylon Every Faction would build a Tower to climb into the Heaven of Glory nor will cease from their own wayes and thoughts to bring them to pass Have we no Nimrods hunters of Dominion and Lordship over others and destroyers of the Christian Evangelick liberty Antichrist is not hard to be found even among the Evangelicks who for liberty in Christ began to shake off and would be now thought to have shook off the Antichristian yoak Either the Evangil is not Evangil or we are not Evangelicks But there are reformed Evangelicks Would there were not in name but in deed For the Kingdom of God is not in Word but in Power That Christians as they now are are of all which the Earth bears most perverse as who do all things against their profession believe against their Creed live against their decalogue and Law pray against their Lords prayer hope against their hope and before all other Nations to be reformed from the very foundation or to be rooted up from the very foundation may be here read Alas Alas Moses and Mahomet have theirs more dutiful then Christ For the Jews strictly observe through all sufferings their Ceremonies Christ has commanded to worship God in spirit and truth only and to love one another and no ceremonies and yet these Christians are mad for and quite regardless of the other Charity alone was commended to us not Ceremonies yet these only urged Among us perpetual fallings out all sorts of oppressions bloody Wars and mutual horrid butcherings of one another testifie that we have no charity Mahomet forbad his Wine and they abstain Christ forbad no good thing and taught only Temperance yet Christians live most intemperatly He forbad his to dispute of Faith they dispute not content with their blind faith Christ taught to do and not to say like the Pharisees yet we do nothing but scold about Faith but lead for the most part prophane lives Mahomet commanded to tolerate both Jews and Christians and they do molesting none for difference of Religion But Christ hath in vain forbid us to pluck up the Tares before the Harvest most deadlily raging against one another for Religion And so all things otherwise then he has commanded by whose name we are called O good Jesus the whole universe of Christians seems to have conspired against thee and they are first or prime in persecuting thee who have the primacy in thy Church c. But they are not fulfilled say some of the wise and learned in the particulars T is answered In Prophesies old and new the scope of God is not to satisfie humane curiosity about this or that particular thing or person But to ingenerate in mens minds Terror in the Evil Hope in the Good and Repentance and Patience in all And we are not primarily to seek what may be future as what is our duty what God requires or forbids promises or threatens and how to escape the Wrath and to obtain Grace which when men do not God blinds them so that to them Every Vision becoms a sealed Book not able to be read and the prophane find there nothing but stumbling stones of offence and darkness to blind them and to grope in That God fulfils things in his own time and way though we mistake That Instruments miscarry and God defers till the last till the very hour of desperation c. He that believes will not make hast That in promises and threatnings God intends them conditionally though spoken as it were many times absolutely Of which enough already c. O Protestants Christians Reform'd Evangelicks Because most of you are contemners of extraordinary works of God Visions and Revelations Charity compels to warn you that you do not proceed to sin against God and your own souls by a pertenacious Judgement condemning those things which you neither understand nor that you might understand ever made it your work or took any leisure for Run through all your Bibles you shall never find God complaining of mens too much credulity towards him and his words and other signs of his Anger or Grace but the contrary Shall we therefore now amongst so many Prodiges of Heaven and of Earth and the cryes of God Angels Men and almost of the very stones and whilst the Signs of Gods Wrath dart forth every where into our very faces fear to sin by too much credulity Specially when by new Revelations no new opinion is suggested only new incitements to weigh throughly the ancient words and works of God and to return into the ancient wayes of Faith and Obedience with perpetual revoking us from our negligence to the Scriptures And shall we yet go on to ascribe these things rather to Satan than give glory to God The conversion of the Jews and the Nations unto God with terrible foregoing Judgments and Plagues is the Theme of this Book And therefore no cause why any one should like to condemn this Book or prohibit it to any to be read For certainly Christians ought to rejoyce that what all have pray'd in the name of Christ this sixteen hundred years is now declar'd to be at hand Dissenters in opinion ought to rejoyce Because an end of Dissentions is declar'd and Universal Peace and Concord establishing Protestants ought to rejoyce Because God himself protests for them Catholicks ought to rejoyce Because the Pale of the Catholick Church is promised to be extended even to the ends of the Earth Zealots ought to rejoyce who have hitherto laboriously might and main persecuted those that erred in Faith and dangerously though with never so much pious Zeal endeavoured to root out the Tares out of the Lords Feild whilst Behold God himself now takes this his own work upon himself to purge his own Floor They that suffer or have suffered Persecution ought to rejoyce Because the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord are declared Neither ought this day of the Lord coming as Fire terrifie any man Because this Fire is the Refiners Fire and Fullers Soap wherewith the Sons of Levi namely the Clergy of all parties are throughly purged that they may be
scattered by him and so those things come to pass which have been foretold thee I answered thereunto Lord thou knowest that thy Eternal Delights are sweeter to me then all those things which thou revealest unto me But he rebuked my impatience dehorting me from weariness so he went away from me Now all the following year 1628 He made no mention of my life or death except in the last Vision Moreover that I was to undergoe also one disease Then in 1629. January the 9 th It was declared unto me by an Angel that I should be visited from the Lord in a Dream with a Disease by name the Apoplexy which also came the same day in the evening I therefore because the year was now gone the Visions had now ceased believed that the very time was now approaching which the Lord had spoke concerning And that I should not now escape this Disease I therefore prepared my self in mind and conscience and my desire was to be dissolved and to be with Christ Which hope certain antecedent signs also did strengthen As were certain knocking 's or beatings under my Bed and under the next Table four several evenings many that visited me being present and hearing so iterated that each day the number was less by one stroak At length on the 26 th of January it sounded one and afterwards five which having heard I believed as also the rest That one only day of my life was now remaining and an end to be to morrow evening at five a clock Therefore watching all that night and praying and meditating on eternal life and this blessed departure I decreed to pass hence But hearing by night a certain voice as it were of a man three times Come come come Unusual Joy being shed abroad through my Soul I slept a little But Saturday morning at break of day when more vehement pains oppressed me I could not but interpret that Voice to have been a Divine Call I bad farewel therefore to my beloved Friends visiting me all that day And I was alwayes worse and worse till evening approaching my Sight Hearing Memory Speech and at length my Spirit failed me And I felt my self to go forth with my Spirit and to be carried into Heaven where surrounded with a great shining I saw an huge company cloathed in White And the Lord stepping forth took me in his imbrace saying The Lord hath done whatsoever he would in Heaven and in Earth For the Majesty of his Power is exalted and there is no counsel of his Will nor does it admit any For who hath known the mind of the Lord and who hath been his Counsellor Return therefore unto the place from whence thou art come forth and the breath of the most High shall vivify thee Arise walk farewel to thy Disease and behold the goodness of Jehovah in the Land of the Living exulting in his virtue For the dead shall not praise Jehovah nor admire his Works when they go down into the place of Silence but the living the living shall bless thee from this time and for ever God Jehovah dwells on high and hath exalted his Right Hand over all Nations And does wonderful things as it pleases him at all times He is the God of the living who also draws forth out of death and who gives life even for ever Therefore sadded with these things I begged that he would signifie unto me How many the dayes of my life should be But he said Thy times are in the hand of the Lord. He has measured thy years and hid thy term from thee Live therefore and injoy the goodness of God upon the Earth amongst his Saints But sanctifie thy years to God thy Creator and live righteously But thy reward and thy portion shall not wither away nor perish but thou shalt find it and shalt rejoyce concerning it and in it unto eternity That also which the most High does with thee accept gratefully and go not contrary to thy Creator by thy impatience Go thy wayes now and return for it is Jehovah who doth good to thee and hath a care of thee Therefore offer unto him the sacrifice of praise and render thy Vows to the most High giving thanks also unto him that he works the Work of Salvation in thee and will still work even until he shall blessedly finish it unto the praise of his Grace but unto thy Honour I wish use thee no more unto my works neither will I come unto thee Now therefore glorifie God in thy Body and Spirit which he hath given thee Acquiesce now in Heart and Conscience and give honour to God who doth all these things to the praise of his glorious Grace My Peace be with thee After he had said these things I falling down worshipped him And together also returned into life Sad indeed yet restored that very moment to full vigor and health and strength To this great God be Honour Praise and Empire unto Ages of Ages for ever Amen Come we next to Drabricius's Dedication of all to Christ which he was commanded to prefix before his Prophesies together with his last Protestation and Prayer c. To the most Serene most Invincible King of Kings and Lord of Lords JESUS CHRIST the Eternal and only begotten Son of God and the Virgin Mary who is the Alpha and Omega the first Born from the Dead whose Name is Wonderful Counsellor the Mighty God the Everlasting Father who hath loved us and given us good hope through Grace To whom only is due all Kingdom Power and Empire unto all everlasting Ages Amen! Hallelujah ALL Nations of the Earth hear All Inhabitants of the World attend Small and Great Rich and Poor I Nicholas Drabricius by Countrey a Strasnian by Nation a Moravian by the destinate Counsel of God chosen and called to the Ministry of the Church of God and to Preach the Gospel of Christ and lawfully ordained in the year 1616. But then afterwards in the year 1628 with many other Godly Persons keeping Faith to God to Conscience and to the Church driven into Exile by Ferdinand the 2 d Roman Emperor for the Verity of the same Gospel and for the Testimony of Jesus Christ So that leaving my Countrey and the Inheritance of my Parents and plundred moreover by the Spanish Souldery onely my Wife and Children escaping and wandring in exile unto the Land of Hungary in the territories of the most Illustrious Lord the Lord George Ragotzi Prince of Transylvania the first of this Name I took up my Seat under the Castle of the Town Ledvitz And there with many other Families of pious fellow-exiles amidst extream miseries and sorrows of poverty yet humbly and patiently I served my Christ for fifteen years But here in the year I say 1643. Jan. 23. it pleased God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of the Holy Spirit of God according to the chosen good-pleasure of his Counsel to admit me his little Worm so far and to
that end That in the day of this last Age might be made known by me as his last Trumpet to Nations and Peoples and Tongues of the whole Earth the last Will of God By which his Divine Majesty Wills and Commands that Kings Princes Counts and all Potentates of the Eastern and the Western of the Northern and the Southern Lands do unto the Roman Pope as unto the Babylonish Whore That all Idolaters Hereticks Atheists and false Christians adhering to her perish And that to the Turks Tartars Jews and other Nations inhabiting under the Sun Light shine forth For these ungodly long since fore-ordain'd to this damnation as who turn the Grace of our god into wantonness and deny the alone Heir God and our Lord Jesus Christ Jud. v. 4. are even they who have segregated themselves from God and his Holy Law sensual not having the Spirit v. 19. All whom God destinates to destruction by the force and right of his Law and by the force of the secular Power into whose heart he hath given and in these last dayes doth give and will give to conceive hatred against the Whore and make her deserted and naked and eat her flesh but burn her her self with Fire Revellations 17. 16 17. For to save others with fear and snatch them as it were out of the flames and to hate the Cassock Cap and Hood spotted with the touching and defilement of the flesh with which the Guardians of the Whore being indued do with a ridiculous haughtiness and opinion of sanctity besot themselves and others stalking up and down shaven like fools girt with Cords like Hangmen and with naked Feet and Thighs like Whores designing to be seen of men and to be extolled with praises Wo unto them for they have gone into the way of Cain and running greedily after the error of Balaam for reward feed themselves Clouds without Water unfruitful Trees wandring Stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Jude v. 11 12 13. The Wisdom of God hath also by me lamented over the Political consusions of Kings and Princes of Lords and Subjects by denouncing his Will That there be made a Renovation of good Order after the Rule of his Law in Church and State By prescribing what manner of Persons Kings ought to be and others placed in Power And what the Ministers of the Church and Pastors of Souls with their Revenues on both hands and what Schools and all Orders universally And how in every Nation under Heaven a Monument is to be erected to oblige themselves and their Posterity after them to serve the one God The Mouth of the Lord hath spoken concerning this to me and by me unto all in the year 1651. March 26. Determining the Inscription of the Pillars in these words Our God Jehovah is one God in Essence but three in Persons Whom alone we will serve for ever through all our Generations Amen therefore So be it That it may be fulfilled what was foretold Zeph. chap. 3. v. 9. That it should come to pass that a pure Language be restored to the people that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one shoulder And as in Rev. 15. v. 4. That all Nations come and worship before God because his judgments are manifest That all under Heaven may profess the Doctrine of Faith delivered by Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and to the Faithful their successors to these very last times of the World in which the Wisdom of God by me also cries and sounds as with a Trumpet by declaring his Will That errors of all kinds cease But the Verity of the Words and Life of the Lord Jesus to shine forth after the ruine of Mystical Babylin and the going forth of the People of God therefrom as it is written in the Revelations which who so reads let him understand being certain that no Prophesie of Scripture is of any private Interpretation For that the Prophesies came not of old time by the will of Man but holy Men of God spake and do speak as they were or are moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 20 21. Know therefore know all Nations and Tongues of the universal World high and low rich and poor learned and simple in whom soever the fear of God and the use of sound reason is That the Speeches written by me and often watered with tears now with sear now with joy have not been nor are my Speeches proceeding forth from my will or Wit and my Judgement which is plain and simple in me and too dull for such and so great things as these but from the mouth of God the Creator God the Redeemer and God the Sanctifier and represented unto me intelligibly and to my mind and memory as a man perceptibly To which I give and do give wholly give belief by many now and various Experiments undoubtedly made certain and secure that the Holy and Blessed Trinity will own them for theirs and in very deed and fact demonstrate their verity Not then or so when and how I or thou whosoever thou art will or will'st but then when the time and hour of the Judgement determined by the Will of his Majesty shall come Because it is necessary that that remain true once pronounced A thousand years are with the Lord as one day and one day as a thousand years I therefore every way weighing and pondering the matter I denounce to every one contradicting me in these things and condemning them for something not yet approved by the event Behold I denounce That I cite him to day and will cite to morrow and so long as I or thou be alive and in the point of mine and thy death and in the day of that last tremendous Judgement in the illustrioous coming of our Lord Jesus Christ I cite him I say into the presence of the Clarity of the most High and most True God with whom is no acceptation of persons who alone is Judge of Quick and Dead judging not according to the sight of the Eyes nor reproving according to the hearing of the Ears but judging the Poor in righteousuess and reproving for the Meek of the Earth in equity Isa 11. 4. And I cite him into the presence of Seraphims and Cherubims and the whole coelestial Hierarchy I cite him into the presence of the Patriarks Moses and the Prophets and Apostles I cite him into the presence of the boly Doctors or Teachers of the Church Cyprian Ambrose Augustine Bernard c. And of the Martyrs Wickliff Hus Jerome c. And into the presence of the holy Reformers Luther Melancthon Calvin and their Successors faithful Lights of the Church c. Full of hope and confidence towards God and the Father of the Lord Jesus that if any one of you O men whosoever he be shall condemn me the least of all the Servants of Jesus Christ with this my Work perform'd dutifully yet laboriously to his
holy Name yet that I and these my Words and Speeches shall not be condemned of my God nor of his Angels present with me always as my Witnesses nor of my own Conscience than which after God and his holy sacred Word and Faith given to me towards it I have nothing dearer in this Life Bending my Knees before God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ That he would not desert the Work begun in us but would keep mee and thee whoever art implanted into the Root Christ blameless and make me and thee through Death not to come into Judgement but to pass into Life where the Sun shall not fall upon us nor any heat but where the Lord shall wipe away all Tears from our Eyes c. So to me and thee who readest these things be propitious the Dominator of Heaven Earth and Sea God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost Blessed unto Ages of Ages for ever Amen! Nic. Drabricius Str. M. P. P. Of the last Protestation of Drabricius which he call'd a Confession with a Prayer adjoyned wherein he resigns all his concerns to God and bids farewell to all the World VEterinus not contented with what had passed in his Examination although equally present with others and astonished he seem'd to give glory to God and by giving his hand promised silence and with others subscribed his Testimony to the whole Business as it was acted Yet relapsing into other thoughts not onely wrote to Drabricius's Adjunct that he could not yet acquiesce but went on to molest Drabricius falling upon him more sharply than ever pretending the causes of his unquietness 1. That they had not satisfied him concerning so many things yet to be fulfilled which that he should believe to have proceeded from the mouth of the Omuiscient he could by no means be perswaded to 2. That he saw what causes Drabricius had of forswearing himself namely Self-love and Covetousness that he might not deprive himself of the Opinion which he now saw rais'd of him and of the Benefits begun to be now offer'd to him for his Prophecies and adding also blasphemy against the Dictator of Oracles calling him That vain and lying Fellow and other foul things By which also he rendred the new Pastor Laurinus wavering anew and suspecting ill and to invoke also the Judgement of God upon Drabricius as his Epistle testifies Both of them was admonish'd of modesty Veterinus especially not of me onely the Adjunct but also of others that were nearer unto them Divines and Statesmen That he would not disturb the affairs so compos'd but rather would perform promised silence and would by our example expect the Judgement of God and pray that God would not defer it But all in vain For he senta violent Writing to Drabricius importunately urging that he would answer him And when Drabricius out of the fervour of zeal trampled it under foot others being present adding Thus saith Jehovah So will I tread upon the Enemies that blaspheme my Name and cast it into the fire Veterinus not only sent back the same Writing to Drabricius but also sent it abroad unto divers stirring up all against the false Prophet Drabricius therefore at length answered by Writing which calling his Confession he sent by Command of the Oracle in a Revelation that it should be affixed to the new Edition of his Revelations in stead of a Close which therefore his Adjunct accordingly did A Confession Made unto the Glory of God and to fore-arm from Error all who shall read the Revelations made unto me from God of whatsoever State and Order Dignity or Vocation they shall be upon the face of the Earth in the Year 1664 June 30. I Nicholas Drabricius a Strasnian Exile of Christ by this my Writing confess That certain Observations of Paul Veterine Inhabitant of Puchow directly tending to the abuse of the Divine Name and the Voice through me made to the Nations of the Earth Eastern and Western and Northern and Southern have come to my hands By which I stirr'd up unto zeal purposed to snatch up the Sacred Book and on whatsoever place I should light to take that for a foundation of my Answer I open'd therefore and beyond hope presently are offer'd to my Eyes those last words of David 2 Sam. 23. 2. The Spirit of the Lord hath spoken by me and his Word by my Tongue Which admiring I opened again and fell upon those words of Samuel 1 Sam. 7. 2 c. If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts then put away the strange Gods Baalim and Astaroth from among you but in the Papacy Idols and Images of He and She Saints and prepare your hearts unto the Lord to serve him only c. And I will pray for you unto the Lord and he pray'd and the Lord heard him and the Lord thundred with agreat Thunder upon the Philistines and discomfited them and they were smitten before the Children of Israel And Samuel builtan Altar unto the Lord c. When furthermore I turned over three leaves there came in sight the 14 vers of Chap. 12. of the same Book If ye will fear the Lord and serve him and hear his voice and not disdain the mouth of the Lord ye shall continue and v. 20 21. Fear not but serve the Lord with all your heart follow not after vain things Idols which will not profit you because they are vain At length I opened anew and found Chap. 1. of the Book of Wisdom where it is said That Wisdom enters not into a malitious Soul And although the Spirit of Wisdom be a kind and loving Spirit yet it acquits not a Blasphemer of his Lips because God is Witness of his Reins and a true Searcher of his Heart and Hearer of his Tongue Therefore he that speaketh unrighteous things cannot be hid nor escape Judgement for the correction of his Iniquities and the Mouth that belieth slayeth the Soul It slayeth indeed I which in my time also mine Eyes have seen how many by the blasphemous speech of their mouth and by the Writings of their hands have procured destruction to themselves being made a Spectacle to Angels and Pious Men in whom is no guile Such as by the goodness of God there are many every where Men great and illuminated Divines and Statesmen through Hungary Holland and England found Who how sincerely and reverently they receive the Words of God by me pronounced have testified it by their Writings after that God had given it into their hearts to see and know and understand the hand of God to have done this and the Holy One of Israel to have spoken by me Isa 41. 20. now in the last days of the World A'so concerning Gog and Magog Ezek. 39. Rev. 20. That they are about to be rooted out with all Errors of depraved Doctrine Wherefore I Nicholas Drabricius forewarn all who have read the forementioned VVritings of Paul Veterine and beseech them by
5th of July in the year of Christ 1664. which is of my Age the 76th of my Ministry the 48th of my Exile the 36th of the beginning of Revelations made unto me from the Lord the 26th A PRAYER Written by Command of the Lord and my God in the year 1653. April 18. and in the year 1664. June 30. commanded to be put for a close of my Revelations O Eternal God! Holy Father Incomprehensible in VVisdom Judgment Counsel Grace and Justice Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier Father Son and holy Spirit Thou Holy One of Israel who from the beginning hast founded the Earth and the Heaven of Heavens are the work of thy Hands VVho sittest on the Throne of inestable Glory in the midst of thy innumerable Hosts Cherubims and Seraphims and Men triumphing through Martyrdoms ministring to Thee day and night and singing Holy Holy Holy Jehovah Zebaoth Behold amongst them me also praising thee O God! Acknowledging thee to be the Lord with all the Earth worshipping Thee the Father everlasting For that Thou hast form'd me a frail mass or lump of Clay for a small Vessel of thy grace and hast call'd me forth by my own proper Name out of my Mothers womb and hast written my Name in the Lambs Book of Life And in these last days of the World in a Nation which hath known thy Name and heard the Voice of thy Trumpet going forth from thy Throne hast set me upon the Walls of thy Jerusalem thy beloved Church for a Witness and Watchman and for a Voice of one crying to the Nations That openly in the sight of all Nations I might declare the Day of Vengeance to the Worshippers of Idols and to all false Worships of those to do not rightly acknowledge Thee the Tri-Une God who livest eternally And again The Day of Grace to the Nations of the Earth to acknowledge in the true Light interior and exterior Thee the living God and thy pure and chaste Worship Such as the Angels perform unto thee in Heaven and thou wouldst have perform'd to thee without Idolatrous Errors on Earth out of a pure Heart and good Conscience and Faith unfeigned in Body Soul and Spirit unanimously and humbly in simplicity of Heart Behold me thy pitiful little VVorm and most inconsiderable Dust Refuse or Off-scouring at the Threshold of thy House thy beloved Church and of that small Portion which thou hast gathered to thy self under the Name of the Brethren of Bohemia Behold me in the days of its cruel Persecution and sad Exile in another Land the Hungarian burdened and hanging down my Head with the very Disease of Old Age I did hear thy voice of thee the living God speaking unto me I know not how but speaking I know what For intelligibly I did perceive thy Voices and clearly apprehended the sence yea and moreover I my self did speak unto thee the Invisible I did ask Questions and make Answers All things with the unconfused and undisturbed Powers and Forces of my Mind And my eyes saw the whole World in thy hand as a little Globe and I heard thee explaining those Mysteries how thy hand contains all things And those other things which would never have come into my mind nor were suggested by any of Mortals I did receive from thee alone my God! with fear day and night and did imprint them in my Memory or also through theâ— commanding in Tables and Papers But thy face I a man of poluted lips never saw save onely thy hand pierced through with a Nail once extended towards me and put under my left Arm-pit when thou swaredst That thou wouldst neither leave thy Cause nor me thy Servant And thou hast kept faith O faithful One In the sight of mine Enemies Domestick and Forreign And that in sleep I beheld thee my beloved Saviour in thy diffrent Age and Habit with Joy and Tears acknowledging mine indignity and with covered face throwing my self down at thy feet and kissing them and perceiving the Taste of Eternal Life with Sweetnesses unutterable by me For thou madest me to see even the Joys of the Elect in Heaven as also the Torments of the Damned in Hell and what things in the world also in respect both of Church and State should be hereafter till even thy illustrious Return to Judgement Which things I faithfully without any fraud in simplicity of heart with groans to thee whether thou hadst commanded by night or by day did refer and put down into writings Adding nothing of my own and respecting nothing of my own nor any other thing besides thy Glory And bearing many Prejudices Reproaches Cavils Twenty six whole Years and Ten Months and Three Days Till now in this Year 1664. an end being put unto thy work thou my Lord and my God hast commanded to close and shut up all these things with this Prayer Hear therefore O Heavens and perceive with your ears O Earth Behold I conclude dutifully I conclude with weeping Falling down at thy feet Lord Jesus Kissing thy Wounds and Marks and pouring out my Soul before thee I ask humbly I ask confidently First that thou wouldst leave thy Holy Spirit for a Guide Counsellor and Comforter unto me even until Death and through him wouldst pour out a plentiful shower of Benediction upon all thy Speeches which thy mouth hath brought forth in these last days of the World by me thy sorry Servant which I receiving from thy mouth have sealed up by thy Command and by a Man whom thou hast adjoyned to me for an help have made known first indeed to the Hungarian Nation then afterwards to other Nations also Grant O holy God! That all to whom the sound of thy Trumpet shall reach may acknowledge that they have come forth from thee that thou mayest be glorified in all Nations of the Earth All which sanctifie O God! in thy Truth to acknowledge thy word through all Nations and Tongues and thy Self to be the Truth the Way and the Life Cause O God! That Kings Princes Subjects and Doctors or Teachers of the Gospel with their Hearers and Parents with Children may be one in thee and the truth of thy Word and may know thee the One onely God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent by whom all things were made and without whom nothing was made in the Unity of the holy Spirit God undivided in Power Wisdom Goodness Majesty and Glory blessed for ever I ask O God! I ask That all the Islands of the Sea may now wax silent before thee that all the Ends of the Earth may be afraid and fly to thee May assume new strength may be carried with Wings as Eagles and may run and not be weary with us to thee the Fountain of Salvation who speakest Righteousness and art sufficient to save nor art delighted with the death of a Sinner O Shepherd of Men Convey over but even now in the last days all Nations under thy Pastoral Rod that they may be brought into the Bond
of the Covenant Espouse unto thee O God! the People in faith that all may acknowledge thee Jehovah to whom thou mayst say My People and they to thee My God Let Men thy Image now cease to respect Stones Wooden Golden and Silver gods and to exhibit honour unto those which are no Gods but Vanity Let the Society or Tribe of Priests cease to commit Preys and Robberies in thy Name and with their wickedness to rejoyce Kings and Princes with their lyes adulterating all things Appointing to themselves Kings but not by thee and setting up Princes whom thou doest not acknowledge but with their Gold and their Silver making themselves Idols to their destruction Root out therefore O God! but even now at length Idols with the Worshippers of Idols and Errors with the Sowers of Errors As thou didst in the time of Elias Ezekias Josias Let it become manifest to the World how great difference there is between Light and Darkness that Victory may give place to the Truth and all men may learn to walk in the Light and being made the Sons of the Light may be brought back again to thee the Fountain of Light Gather together the sheep going astray stragling up and down O Prince of Shepherds by men chosen to this work from the East and the West from the North and the South giving faith in to their hearts unto thy words and by a strong and inflexible obedience and dutifulness to execute the purpose of thy Eternal Counsel to bring Vengeance upon Spiritual Babylon and upon the Whore sitting upon the Beast that she may no longer by committing Fornication with her Abominations seduce the Nations on the face of the whole Earth Grant O God! that successfully and happily once may go on forward that wish'd-for Recollection or gathering up together again of thy Rational Creatures out of the Streets and Villages and from among the Lanes and out of the High-ways that they may be introduced into thy House Here indeed into the House of the Church thy Sheepfold but there into the House of Eternity thy Glory where are many Habitations and Joys never to be ended Sitting down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob at thy Table O Jesus Christ my only Saviour and of all that believe in thee Whither also my selâ— now hastening apace I bid my last farewel to thee O World to thee my earthly Country to thee my Body the Habitation of this Soul Farewel all beloved Friends in God! known and unknown to me Ye who have not known me in this mortality shall see me in that day wherein our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of the living God by his illustrious coming shall gather us call'd forth out of the Dust of the Earth and from all parts every where to himself To whom be Honour and Glory and Empire and Benediction for ever and ever Amen! After these things had been thus acted Paul Laurine a new Pastor of the Exiles and a new Adversary of Drabricius a young man and of a firm strong complexion and always otherwise lusty was seized with an unexpected Disease as hath been before noted the Physicians call'd it an Hectick but in vain was all their Physick and departed this Life about the end of September Veterine hitherto preserv'd perhaps to behold the works of God to which he stiffly and pertinaciously denies Faith and Credit and to acknowledge his Error God have Mercy on him even as also on us all whosoever do erre with whatsoever Errors Amen! So Comenius We 'll conclude onely with a wise and sober Remarque out of the Mystery of Jesuitism concerning the Prophecies of St. Hildegard which very well agrees and may very well be applied to these Thus far says he the Prophecy it self Of which and the like what to think and what credit is to be given thereto others have given their opinion viz. That 't is not impossible Prophecies and Predictions of this kind may amount to no more than the Dreams of melancholy superstitious and distempered Persons Such as of which it may be said Augurium vanum vani docuere Parentes Cui credens dignus decipiatur erit Our vain Fore-fathers taught's vain Auguries Let them be cheated that believe such Lies But to deny all credit to Prophecies is to be guilty of an incredulity greater than that of the incredulous Thomas Nor are we to think what God saith by the Prophet Joel to be spoken in vain That in the last days the old men should dream Dreams and see Visions and the Sons and Daughters prophesie Many Examples might be alledged of Prophecies of this kind which the Events have confirm'd to be true and therefore they may challenge Belief when they are in their Effects fulfilled Mystery of Jesuitism concerning St. Hildegard 's Prophecies approved of in the Councel of Trier and also by Pope Eugenius the Third Remarkable also is that of the Angel to Kotter concerning the time of accomplishment What things are said unto thee concerning things future are not said after an human manner But after a manner which thou shalt never attain by human Reason and Wit Jehovah hath these times in his power Kotter Chap. 17. Great and Marvellous are Thy Works O Lord God Omnipotent Just and True are Thy Ways Thou King of Saints Who shall not Fear Thee O Lord and Magnifie Thy Name Because Thou alone art Holy Because all Nations shall come and worship before Thee For Thy Judgements are made manifest FINIS An APPENDIX of the planting of the Christian Religion in China c. THE marvellous and unheard of Alterations and Troubles The terrible and bloody Wars and most wonderful Revolutions even of all Asia and Africa in this present Age likewise but especially of the mighty antient and most flourishing Empire of China have been no less astonishing and stupendous then the Europaean and those shameful and cursed ones of Unchristian if not Pagan Christendom But would require another and larger Table to represent also a general view thereof And therefore we shall only add an Appendix according to promise of some things remarkable touching the Introduction of the Christian Relion into China by the Fathers of the Society and the Queens the young Princes her Son the Mandarins and Colaos and chief Ministers of State c. Conversion from Idolatry to Faith in Jesus and Worship and Confession of the Son of God so nois'd of in the World of late years And probably they would have prov'd better Christians and Disciples under better Masters and Teachers then such Apostles as have now the glory thereof About the Year 1580 as soon as the Jesuites had by fair shews of Religion and Learning found general success and acceptance in Europe and well rooted themselves here With great Zeal they compass Sea and Land as far as even the East Indies and China it self to gain Proselytes After the example of the more devout Religious and Zealous Monks and Fryar before them Riccius at first mentioned and Rogerius
dayes in a lamentable manner First With his own hands killing his Mother and Daughter and at length grown desperate hanged himself Amidst such great Confusions of the China Empire the Christians grown to a great multitude were betwixt hope and fear and wait with sollicitous hearts the new own'd Emperors inclination and found him in the end more favourable then they could either wish or hope for Especially upon the account of Father Schall before mentioned as a Stranger of admirable prudence and skill in the Affairs of the China Kingdom and to whom he might unbosom the secret counsels of his heart securely and as one highly recommended to him for his rare skill in the computation of Time and Astronomy and other Arts of Europe And so made him Mandarine of the first Order and one of his supream Counsellors And set him about perfecting the reformation of their Calender for the Universal benefit and advantage of the Kingdom as before hath been declared After this was the Queen and her Son Converted and Baptized by the name of Helena and Constantine of which her Supream Minister of her Court Pan Achilleus long before a Zealous Christian more then once affectionately wrote Letters thereof both to the Pope and to the General of the Jesuites Society to send more Labourers into China as followeth The Interpretation of the China Letter from the Chancellor of the China Empire Pan Achilleus a Chinois Christian to our most Holy Lord by the Fathers Andrew Xavier and Michael Boym of the Society of Jesus in the Court of the Emperor of China for the time Assistants Of the most famous Empire of China by the command of the Emperor The Universal Vice-Roy of Kingdoms and Provinces Quám tum Quám Sy c Fò Kien Commissary of the Militia by Sea and Land Duke of the little petty King Quám Sy c Treasurer of the Revenues and Sollicitor absolute and sole decider or Judge of Causes in the absence of the Emperor Chief Captain of the Imperial Guard Master of the Horse Great Chancellor Privy Secretary of the Emperor and Chamberlain Pan Achilleus Christian on bended knees and head bowed down to the Ground prostrates himself before the Throne of the Vicar of God JESUS on Earth the Universal Doctor of the Catholick Church the true Lord the most Holy Father I Achilleus weigh with my self that being by Office Keeper of the Privy Chambers of the Emperor yet led by error I also take care of the Militia Whence I have diminished that is degraded or debased my self and without light and Discipline that is Instruction have augmented the multitude of sins Long since in the Northern Court or Palace through the good Will of God I hapned upon men of the Society of Jesus who led me who was rude and ignorant in the open Path exhorting me erring and going astray to follow the Faith Wherefore being with reverence expiated in the Holy Laver I then began to understand the documents that is Fundamentals or Principles of the Holy Doctrine and its hidden Excellency and high profundity And then being immers'd in this study night and day with a faithful heart I have prosecuted it twenty years and more nor durst I grow slack in the least So I have procured the help of the King of Heaven whom I know not how I shall be able to answer I had often a mind to come unto your most Holy Throne and with veneration to satisfie my eyes with your most Holy Countenance But the matters of the Empire were so various and the Royal Affairs so perplexed as they were permitted me not to perform the desires of my intimate Bosome Wherefore I am most highly aggrieved The onely thought and grief now of me a Sinner from the bottom of my Soul is in this that the calamity of the Empire has not yet ceased Therefore on purpose I went and asked a man of the Society of Jesus Father Michael Boym that in the next Ship that went away he would return back to the great West and come suppliant to you the chief Priest the most Holy Father that before the Altar of the Saints Peter and Paul with the universal Church of the whole World with eyes lifted up to Heaven you would pray to God that he would look down upon this Imperial House with mercy help and conserve the Empire and set limits of future speedy peace and together would grant that our most wise Emperor who is the eighteenth Successor of this Royal House and the twelfth Grand-child from the first founder of the Empire and Family That himself as Lord with his Subjects may adore Jesus the Lord of the Heavens This at length will be the intire happiness of our China Empire And indeed at present the most intire most wise most clement the venerable Empress of Christian Name Helena The Queen Mother of the Emperor of Christian name Mary The Queen his legitimate Wife of Christian name Anna and the Son of the Emperor Prince and Heir by Christian Name Constantine do all with humble hearts believe and worship the Holy Doctrine together they have the words of Speech which they send to the most Holy Throne viz. of the Pope As for me rude Sinner I humbly beseech you the most Holy Father That for the hour of my departure out of this life you would vouchsafe intire remission of the punishment of sins and would send also many men of the Society into this Empire of China who by their Doctrine may convert universally the men of the Age and may advertise them with Repentance to give good heed to Worship and adore the Holy Law nor may by a vain and transient stay be sent away with the Dust of their Feet snatch'd up that is quickly So at length I hope to attain Felicity truly never to have an end With Veneration I have in small measure by these things explained the Secrets of a simple ignorant Mind I cast my self wholly to the Earth expecting a mercifull beholding of your Countenance And no more Yum Lie the fourth year in order of the Revolutions of the Annual Letters Kem Yn the tenth Moon eighth day which was in the year 1650. the first day of November Further nothing to be read The place of the Seal wherein after the China manner for they do not use to write their Names otherwise are engraven these words The Seal of the most Valiant Generalissimo of Arms universal Vice-Roy The Interpretation of the China Letter from the Empress of the China Empire the Lady Helena by name and of the Queen = Mother the Lady Anne and the Queen = Wife the Lady Mary and also of the Son of the Emperor Prince and Heir the Lord Constantine By Father Andrew Xavier and sent to our most Holy Lord c. The Speech of Helena the most Intire most Wise most Clement Venerable Empress of the most famous Empire of China before the Throne of the Vicar on Earth of God JESUS Universal Doctor of the