Selected quad for the lemma: nation_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
nation_n	dominion_n	kingdom_n	language_n	1,374	5	9.2578	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75736	The work of the age: or, the sealed prophecies of Daniel opened and applied. VVherein is plainly proved that all the governments in the world, except the government of Christ, are but images, or parts of Nebuchadnezzars image, and shall be suddenly broken in pieces by the little stone cut out of the mountain without hand: together with the means how Christ will effect all this. Shewing also that image-government, and image-worship have always been companions. Explaining likewise Daniels mystical numbers, and discovering some misprisions about the little horn, both in the translation and application of the same. Amending sundry places in our common translation, and clearing some chronological points from the common errours. / By William Aspinwall.	Aspinwall, William, fl. 1648-1662.	1655 (1655)	Wing A4010; Thomason E832_1; ESTC R207510	48,246	60

the stone cut out of the Mountain and breaking in peeces these former Governments Touching which stone let these things bee inquired Quest 1. What is meant by this Stone Quest 2. What is meant by that phrase cut out but not with hands Quest 3. How doth it smite the Image upon his feet of Iron and Clay and how doth it break them to peices and when Quest 4. What will be the effect of this Stones smiting of the Image Answ 1 To the first I answer That by Stone is meant a Kingdom as may appear by comparing verse thirty four with verse forty four where it is so called The word there used for s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kingdom is the same that is used to express the Civil Power and Government of the other Monarchies vers 39 40 41. which argues that the Kingdom here spoken of is not as some apprehend it to be a Spiritual and internal Kingdom whereby Christ reigns in the hearts and Consciences of his people but it is an external Kingdom whereby hee rules and guides the World with Righteousness and Judgement Psal 98. 9. He comes to judge the earth with righteousness shall he judge the world and the people with equity Of this Kingdom it is spoken That the t 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Government shall be upon his shoulder The word there used is always put for Temporal Government as we call it not for Spiritual for a Dominion over the bodies and estates and outward actions of men not for a Dominion over their Consciences and Spirits Of this Kingdom and Government it is said to begin in the days of the ten Kings or Toes of the Fourth Monarchy vers 44. And in the days of them of these Kings shall the God of Heaven cause to arise a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed c. The words are very observable hee had spoken of the toes of the feet and their unequal mixture in the next preceding verses and now in this verse he saith u 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the days of them that is in the days of these Toes as the Pronoun relative doth necessarily infer And then by way of Exegesis addeth a description of the dignity of those Toes they were Kings Now in the days of these Kings he saith The God of Heaven x 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shal cause to arise a Kingdom which doth inferre that the Kingdom here spoken of is such as had not a being or to use the Prophets words was not caused to arise until the days of these Ten Toes or Kings Whereas the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ and his Regiment in the Souls and Consciences of his people was begun many years before the time of these ten Kings yea long before any of all the great Monarchies even from the beginning of the world The Kingdom therefore here spoken of cannot bee meant of an inward and Spiritual Kingdom but of an external Kingdom over mens bodies and outward actions This Kingdom is here described First By its Divine original It is cut out but not with hands vers 34. 45. Jesus Christ the y Gen. 49. 24. Stone of Israel received this power from the Father actually in the days of these ten Kings towards the end of the Fourth Monarchy Dan. 7. 14. And to him was given absolute Soveraignty and Glory and Dominion and all People Nations and Languages shall serve him c. Secondly This Kingdom is described by the perfect constitution of it it is such a Kingdom that shall never z 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bee destroyed or as the word signifies shall never be corrupted the Constitution being Divine and the Administrators thereof Saints it can neither be corrupted nor destroyed as it is said Dan. 7. 14. where the same word is used Thirdly The perpetu●ty of it is set forth in these words Shall a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 never be destroyed and therefore it is called an everlasting Kingdom Dan. 7. 14. These are the Three principall Characters of the Kingdom of Christ or the Fifth Monarchy as it is called Answ 2 To the Second I answer That the cutting out of this Stone but not with hands doth deny that it is from any Human policy or contrivement and therefore the Dominion and Soveraignty thereof is from above My Kingdom is not of this world Joh. 18. 36. And therefore his Servants would not then fight for it till the time was come which the Father had appointed And then he goeth forth to Warre and his Servants with him vers 12. 7. 17. 14. Answ 3 To the Third Question I answer He smites the Image or Image-Government by the Ministry of his Word Rev. 19. 15. Out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the Nations This is the first Act as I may say of this Stone Which argues that when the season comes for Christ to challenge his Kingdom his Servants first prepare his way by publishing to all the world his Royal Power and Soveraignty and declaring the incroachments of worldly Powers upon his Royalty whereby the free passage of Judgement and Justice hath been obstructed and the inhabitants of the Nations deluded with an Image-Government And having thus sent his Heraulds before to advertise the People and Nations hee then comes to break and crush them with his Iron Scepter and rules them with a rod of Iron Rev. 19. 15. Psal 2. 9. And who is it that doth not see or at least may that Christ hath already begun to break the Nations and Governments in the World and in these our Nations also in the late Warres and revolutions of State And is not this some beginning of his Kingdom As for the time when this shall be done it is said in the days of them of these Kings that is Christ will first send abroad his Heraulds and such as will not stoop to him he will break in peeces whilst yet these Kings and Kingdoms or various kinds of governments have a Being And hath not Christ made good all this before our eyes The Servants of Christ as Heraulds have gone before to publish the Royalty of this only and blessed Potentate witness Mr. Archer M. Tho. Goodwin and many others and some to this day suffer for their boldness in that behalf And that Christ hath ruled with his Iron Rod is manifest to our own experience We all know what strange Revolutions and overturnings of this Government after that hath been already made Answ 4 To the Fourth I answer That the effects of this Stones smiting the Image-Government of the Fourth Monarchy upon its feet are clearly expressed to be two First by the Ministry of his Servants he so smites them with the word of his mouth that they become as the chaff of the Summer Threshing-floors The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here signifieth such an action as reduceth this Image of Gold Silver Brass Iron and Clay into most fine and subtil dust

three Kings in Persia And are these all No there shall stand up a fourth after them which shall farre exceed for wealth he shall be farre richer than all But shall there be no more Princes after Cyrus but four Doubtlesse if there should have been any more the Angel that came to tell Daniel the truth would not have concealed the same But the words ensuing do intimate that this Fourth was the last because it it said that he by his strength with riches should stirre up or provoke the Prince of Graecia to wit Alexander of Macedon to his own ruine Vers 3. And a mighty King shall stand up c. These words yeeld us a description of this Prince of Graecia from his valour and from the greatness of his Dominion and irresistableness of his powe● His Valour expressed in these words a mighty King The greatness of his Dominion is expressed in the next words He shall rule with great Dominion His Dominion shall extend it self farre and wide over the earth and the irresistableness of his power is implyed in the next words Hee shall do according to his pleasure These are as so many Characters of Alexander the first Prince of Graecia whereof I have spoken more at large in the eighth Chapter Vers 4. And when he shall stand up he shall be broken c. These words yeeld a further description of the Graecian Monarchy by the death of that puissant Prince Alexander and the division of the Kingdom into four after his death But shall this division be made to Alexanders posterity Or shall they attain to the like power of this first Prince Verily no it shall not be to his posterity nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled And to the same purpose it is said that four Kingdoms shall stand out of the Nation but not with his power Dan. 8. 22. and if out of the Nation then not out of Alexanders posterity as it is said in this Chapter Thus you see the great and observable truth which the Angel would have Daniel to minde Now let every understanding Christian weigh the Angels words and the words of Greek Historians The Angel tells you of a truth that there shall be but four Princes in Persia after Cyrus untill Alexander Herodotus Diodorus Siculus Metasthenes and other Greek Writers and others that follow after them say there were thirteen from Cyrus to Alexander chuse you whether you will beleeve Obj. But this place in Daniel doth not say there were four and no more Ans The Angel saith he came to tell Daniel the truth And if he told him but a peece of the truth what were it lesse than Jesuitical equivocation or mental reservation which we have no ground to imagine of the holy Angel And to what end should the Angel tell him of four and no more if there were thirteen as Historians would make us beleeve But secondly I answer That the Angel doth in effect say there were no more For if there were but three after Cyrus and after those three a fourth exceeding in wealth and if this fourth did provoke the King of Graecia to wit Alexander as the description doth shew it to be who was potent and irresistable and overcame the Ram of Persia as you have it in the eighth Chapter then it is manifest there was no more And the Angel in his whole relation considered together doth in effect say there was no more but four Princes of Persia after Cyrus until Alexander These few words I have thought good to adde as an explication of some Chronological points for the benefit of such as cannot spend so much time to search out the matter themselves and the rather because I have met with some of late that have been led aside to give too much credit to Human I may say prophane Writers Daniel having fully declared the sad calamities of the Church under Antiochus Epiphanes in the eighth Chapter and the further calamities they should suffer by the Romans in the ninth Chapter he seeks the face of God in behalf of his people three whole weeks of daies in the tenth Chapter Whereupon God was pleased to reveal unto him in this his last Vision the utmost durance of that Persian Monarchy under which the people of God should suffer so much Which being done the Lord tells him what his people should yet suffer in the daies of those Persian Princes after Antiochus Epiphanes from vers 14. to the 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 describing those Persian Princes by some eminent Characters As 1 That the King of Syria in the North and the King of Aegypt in the South should enter into a League 2 That the King of the South should give his Daughter in Marriage to the King of the North. And 3 That this King of Aegypt in the South should take away his Daughter from the King of the North and give her to another all which is expressed in the sixth verse And accordingly you may read it was effected 1 Mac. 10. 51 c. Alexander King of Syria sent to Ptolomy King of Aegypt to make a League And Ptolomy King of Aegypt in the South gave his Daughter Cleopatra in Marriage to Alexander King of Syria in the North. But afterwards the said Ptolomy took his Daughter from Alexander and gave her to Demetrius Nicanor the Son of Demetrius Soter 1 Maccha 11. 12. 4 By this means the Kingdom devolved from Alexander and his Posterity according as Daniel had spoken vers 6. Neither shall hee stand nor his arm That is neither shall Alexander nor his Posterity continue to manage the Government of Syria And accordingly it so came to pass as stories manifest Thus having given a description of the robbers of Gods people he proceeds to shew what mischief they should do to the Church as we may read from vers 14. to the 18. Telling the Prophet that after those troubles are over and that Monarchy expired the Romans succeeding there shall stand up a raiser of Taxes ver 20. Touching which raiser of Taxes wee have an account given us Luk. 2. 1. where it is said That Augustus Caesar made a Decree to tax all the world Him I conceive to bee that raiser of taxes spoken of in Daniel After whom Daniel tells us that a vile person shall arise vers 21. which I suppose was Nero who should obtain or strengthen his Kingdom by flatteries or sly and subtill insinuations 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the word signifies whereby he gathers a strong part unto himself especially of the Souldiery for that is the usual manner of such cruel Tyrants who commonly are fair and smooth-spoken men until they have gotten themselves into the Saddle So did Jehu But when once he was got into the Chariot b See Jehu in his proper colours lo he drives furiously 2 King 9. 20. much like Phaeton of whom the Poets fable that he obtained of his Father Phoebus the guidance of the Chariot

said that wee are not to understand three as a definite number but as a number of perfection denoting divers and many of the Horns I wish it may be wel weighed how unsafe such an interpretation may be For if it be granted that three in this Prophecy is not a definite but an indefinite and uncertain number put for Many will it not open a door to some to question the Trinity of Persons in the God-head and to say there are many persons because three is counted a number of perfection and doth not denote a certain but an uncertain number which would be of dangerous consequence Besides it may justly be inquired where the Scripture accounts the number three a number of perfection Often wee read of seven so used as the Seven Spirits of God the Seven Golden Candlesticks the Seven Churches of Asia the Seven Starres the Seven Angells the Seven Seals And it is usuall in Scripture to reckon by Sevens But I do not remember the like rotundity in the number three And if wee should make such an interpretation of the number three as if it were put for an indefinite number it would render the Accounts of Scripture very uncertain which is not safe to be admitted In the Fifth and last place let it be considered how the Characters of the Little Horn afore mentioned will suit unto Charls Stuart the late King in every particular For First He was a King Secondly Hee was one of the ten Horns or amongst the ten Horns or Kings appertaining to the Fourth Monarchy or great Beast Thirdly Hee was by originall a Scot and by consequence a little Horn for as much as Scotland is one of the least Kingdoms of the ten And as hee was the least in respect of his originall Nation so also hee was least or youngest by birth He was not the oldest but the youngest sonne of James And hee did spring up as Daniel saith from being a King of the least of the Kingdoms to be a King of three Kingdoms Fourthly Hee did in a great measure pluck up by the roots all the three Nations or Kingdoms by his prerogative If you understand by that Metaphor religion and the civil rights of the Nations Which are to the Nations as roots be to the tree And hee made use of his prerogative to that end For hee said hee would not leave a Puritan in all his Dominions And it is well known how farre hee proceeded to root up religion and the Nations Civil Rights and to introduce an arbitrary government and Popery into all the three Nations Fifthly Hee was a vigilant Prince and politick and had the eyes of a man as Daniel speaketh Sixtly His Spirit was bent against God and against his people and against the waies of God as might be instanced at large Seventhly Hee was a Prince of a wilfull resolute spirit insomuch as King James his Father sometimes would say of him that through his wilfullnesse hee would lose the three Nations Eightly Hee made warre against the Saints the better part giving denomination to the whole throughout the three nations Witnesse the displaying of his Banners first against the Parliament not they first against him And witnesse the Commissions hee granted to the Popish-Rebells in Ireland against the Godly party there Ninthly Hee made use of his prerogative to the extirpation of religion and the Nations Civil Rights as farre as lay in his power infesting all the three Nations with intestine and bloody warres Tenthly Who is it that knows not how hee oppressed his Subjects with Taxes Loans Ship-monys c according as it is said of the Little Horn that he did wear out the Saints the whole taking denomination from the better part Eleventhly It is a thing well known that hee had a secret design to change the antient Government of the Nations and instead thereof to have ruled by his Proclamations And what else did his billetting of forrain Souldiers up and down the Country import before the begining of these late warres Twelfthly It is apparently known not only to these Nations but throughout the world that hee was brought to a Judicial tryal and received his sentence before the High Court of Justice Thirteenthly Hee was unkinged as I may say and divested of his royalty when the Court proceeded against him as Charls Stuart a delinquent without any Kingly title Fourteenthly All these Nations yea the whole World can witnesse that hee was beheaded and slain by dismembring as Daniel fore-told Fifteenthly It is well known and still remains upon record that after his beheading the State removed away all soveraignty out of the Nations by a publick Act of State Sixteenthly We know it to be a truth that though Charls be beheaded and Soveraignty abolished yet the rest of the Horns or Beasts appertaining to the Empire still retain their power and Soveraignty and so are like to do for a short season Seventeenthly It needs no proof that all these things have been thus acted as upon a Stage in the latter end of a time times and half a time Our times drawing nigh to the expiration of the Fourth great Beast or Monarchy as it is acknowledged by most Now let every judicious and unbyassed Reader consider and laying all that hath been spoken by mee or others in the ballance of the Sanctuary looking up to Heaven for direction and then comparing the word of God the dispensations of his providence together let them judge as God shall cast in any light who it is that is meant by this little Horn. And if any doubt should arise about the Characters I have collected out of the Text whether they be the proper Characters of this little Horn because some good men express them otherwise let the Reader himself be judge which of the Characters have best footing in that Scripture that describeth this little Horn. For to fetch Characters from the second Eighth or Eleventh chapters of this Book wil be altogether improper and raise a mist before the Readers eye unlesse it could be manifested that those Chapters speak of the same thing which with submission to better judgements I may be bold to say hath not yet been done nor can be For as much as the matter of those Visions doth apparently differ from this of the little horn as in part I have shewed upon the second Chapter and am now about to shew further in the opening of the eighth Chapter Dan. Chap. 8. 1 In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar a Vision appeared to mee even to me Daniel after that which appeared to me at the beginning 2 And I saw in a Vision and it came to passe when I saw that I was in Shushan the Palace which is in the Province of Elam and I saw in a Vision that I was by the River Vlai 3 Then I lifted up mine eyes and looked and behold one Ram standing before the River and to him two horns and the two Horns were high but