is mean't of the faith in Christ without which no man's heart is cleansed The tenth place is Deut. 32. to the 44. verse Here from the first verse to the 40. divers passages occurre concerning the Conversion of the Iews as Heurnius doth learnedly expound them Then from the 40. verse to the 44. is the prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles For the Apostle Rom. 15.10 alleageth the first part of the 43. verse to this purpose Now here it is prophesied of the destruction of the enemies of the Church and of the spilling of their bloud in fight Which destruction hath not happened yet as is plain by this Syllogisme If the Destruction here prophesied of by Moses agrees with that which is prophesied of Revel. 19. vers. 20.21 it hath not yet happened out but is to come But the Antecedent is true Therefore also the Consequent The Assumption is made good by the comparing of these two places And here it shall not be amisse in brief to call into our memory how many dâ—structions of the enemies of the Church after the Babylonian captivity we meet withall in the Prophets And they are in number three The first Destruction is of the enemies of the Church of the Iews in the time of the Maccabees Dan. 11.34 35. The second Destruction is of the enemies of the Church of the Gentiles Dan. 11.34 35. Revel. 19. vers. 20 21. The third Destruction is of the enemies of the Church of both Gentiles and Iews a little before the end of the world Revel. 20.4 The eleventh place is Nehem. 1.8 9. Here the promise of God Deut. 30.3 4. a little before explained is repeated and is applyed to the bringing back of the two tribes from the Babylonian captivity which was a type of the deliverance of them all which is yet to come For God promised the twelve Tribes that he would gather them together whither soever they were scattered among divers Nations although they were driven to the utmost part of Heaven that is into the most remote Countreys Which cannot be interpreted of the Babylonian captivity alone For neither then were all the Tribes brought back neither was their bringing back from the remotest Lands The twelfth place is Psal. 22.27 28. All the ends of the earth shall remember and be converted unto the Lord And all the kindreds of the Nations shall bow down themselves before him Compare Psal. 86.9 All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name So Psal. 117.1 O praise the Lord all ye Nations praise him all ye people Let us search through the Monuments of Hictories and then let us examine whether this hath been or no We shall finde indeed in some new found Lands detested in ours and our fathers memory that the works of the Conversion of the Nations hath had some beginning and small progresse But in many parts of the East to this day we shall finde so little progresse that not so much as a beginning thereof will anywhere yet appear The thirteenth place is the whole 97. Psalm This Psalm containeth a Prophesie of the Kingdom of Christ in his Church of the New Testament as may be gathered out of the 7. verse the latter part of which the Apostle Heb. 1.6 alleageth concerning Christ Again Many Islands are bid to rejoyce which cannot be accommodated to the Church of the Old Testament Whence by the word Sion verse 8. the Church of the New Testament is to be understood as almost every where in Isaiah Moreover in the 6. verse it is said All the peâ—ple see his glory Lastly the judgements of God upon his enemies and the Ioy of the Churâ—h which both are here described have not as yet been accomplishâ—d The fourteenth place is Psal. 110. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike thorow Kings in the day of his wrath He shall judge among the hâ—athen he shall fill the places with dead bodies He shall wound the head over many Countries That these things are not yet come to passe will appear to any one that will take into his consideration History and Experience But that is especially to be taken notice of which he speaks concerning the Head over many Countreys For without douâ—t it is to be understood concerning that Great Antichrist whom many Countries acknowledge for the HEAD of the Church The fifteenth place is Isai. 2.1 2 3 4. Here is mention made of the last times and four things are prophesied of which then shall happen out 1. The Mountain of God shall be placed on the top of the Mountains 2. All Nations shall flow in unto it 3. The Law shall come out of Sion 4. They shall beat their Swords into Plough-shares c. Nation shall not lift up a sword against Nation c. Of these the first and the third are fulfilled The second will be brought to passe more and more every day The fourth is not yet accomplished as experience hath hitherto taught us and doth yet teach us The 16. place is Isai. 11.10 11 12. Two things are here prophesied of 1. The Conversion of the Gentiles a little after the first coming of Christ by the preaching of the Gospel Verse the tenth For it shall come to passe at that time of the coming of Christ of whom is the foregoing Prophesie from the beginning of the Chapter hitherto that the Nations shall seek unto the roote of Jesse 2. The Conversion of the Iews and Gentiles together Verse 11 12. See Hâ—urnius upon this place Compare this Prophesie with the sixteenth Verse of this Chapter and with the following twelfth Chapter The 17 place is Isai. 24.23 Where there is foretold that the Lord shall reign gloriously in the mount of Sion and in the City of Ierusalem and in that manner That the Moon and Sun shall be covered with shame at this glory of the Kingdom of God in his Church so great shall be the glory and splendor thereof Now this so great glory hath not as yet been seen either in the Church of the Old or New Testament Therefore in it 's due time it shall be seen The 18 place is Isai. 25. from the 1 to the 13 verse Here is contained a Prophesie concerning the Church of the New Testament as it appears by the comparing of the 8 verse with Rev. 7.17 and chap. 21.4 as also by comparing the 2 verse and the 1â— with Revel. 16.19 c. and chap. 18. ver. 2.10.18.19 Now here it is prophesied concerning the deliverance of the Church from the persecution of enemies ver. 3 4 5. concerning the destruction of the enemies thereof vers. 10 11. and namely the destruction of the City of Rome ver. 2 and 12. Lastly concerning the joy of the Church being now delivered from them that persecuted her vers. 1.6 7 8 9. And here you must take notice That by Moab or the Moabites the enemies of the Church of the New Testament are
thousand years shall be finished For they being ended Christ not long after shall come to Judgement which both the living and the dead must expect This is * that first Resurrection In which the Bodies of the Martyrs shall rise in the beginning of those thousand years We must not therefore understand in this place a Spirituall Resurrection by which we are said to rise out of the sleep and death of sinne For that Resurrection is common unto all good men and happeneth daily Wherefore thus we are to think concerning the Word Resurrection when we finde it mentioned in Scripture Resurrection is either of our Spirit Flesh * Particularly in the time of Elisha whose bones raised the the dead man which was thrown upon them Christ Who raised Lazarus and the daughter of the widow of Naim When divers rofe at his hanging upon the Crosse Matth. 27. Paul who raised a dead man to life The 1000. years And this is called the First Resurrection Universally which shall happen in the end of the World And this is the second Resurrection 6. Blessed With a speciall blessing and proper onely to the Martyrs And holy That is Out of singular favour set apart by God for the priviledge of this peculiar blessing Who hat'â— part in that first Resurrection Who shall be in the number of the Martyrs who shall rise in this first Resurrection On him the second death shall have no power The second death is the casting away of the damned to eternall torments Compare the 14. verse with this Otherwise it is called Eternall death But they shall be Priests of God and Christ Not in that common respect whereby all the elect in this life are spirituall Priests who by the Spirit of Christ offer themselves up unto God But by a speciall prerogative whereby the Martyrs being raised from the dead shall obtain chief power in the Church as it were Priests of God and Christ as before these thousand yeares the Priests of Antichrist were cheif And they shall raign with him for a thousand years In the Church the profession of Christianity being no way hindred See Revel. 5.10 and the Questions following Therefore the peculiar happinesse of the Martyrs consisteth in the first Resurrection in their reign with Christ in their Priesthood in the same manner as we have described it 7. And when those thousand years shall be finished To wit of the happinesse of the Church and of a free and universall profession of Christianity Satan shall be loosed out of his prison That is he shall recover his power and liberty to attempt and seduce without restraint which power had lain asleep as it were and been buryed for the thousand years the Angel now giving him leave in whose hands it was according to the pleasure and command of God to binde and loose Satan 8. And he shall go forth That is out of his prison or place of his custody whereof in the foregoing verse namely Out of the bottomelesse pit where he was detained That he may seduce the Nations in the four corners of the earth That is Wicked men who shall heer and there remain in the World at the end of the thousand years These Satan shall seduce urging them to make warre against the Saints Gog and Magog That is those Nations which at that time Satan shall seduce and which at the end of those 1000. yeares shall by warre make an attempt against the Church and shall endeavour to destroy it as in old time Gog and Magog vexed the people of the Iews Therefore by Gog and Magog are heer to be understood all the professed enemies of the Church even as Gog that is the people of the Lesser Asia which environed Iudea on the North and Magog that is the Scythians which inhabited places situate on the South of Iudea were the professed enemies of the Iews Thus then we must understand it The Devill shall seduce the Nations in the four corners of the Earth the Nations I say which are endued with a spirit like that of Gog and Magog Read the 38. and 39. chapters of Ezekiel But you will say How can it be that those wicked men should reassume their power after these thousand years I answer This shall be brought to passe by the just judgement of God whereby not only the great Antichrist shall flourish again but also Pagan and barbarous people and other monsters of the same batch shall gain encrease And shall gather them together to battle Against the profession of Christ in generall that it being quite as it were thrust out of the world they may substitute in the room thereof Antichristianisme Barbarisme and unbelief Whose number shall be aâ—â—he Sand of the Sea So that it shall be a most compleatly furnished army whose like hath never been heretofore And Satan being conâ—ident in the strength of these forces shall hope thereby to swallow up the Church 9. And they went up on the breadth of the Earth So great an army shall be gathered together that no part of the earth shall be free from it All the ground shall be covered with Souldiers They shall come up that is they shall rely upon much force and ayde And here is an allusion to Gog and Magog the Type who being to besiege Ierusalem which was placed upon a hill were of necessity to ascend And thâ—y * encompassed it The allusion to the type still holds For the Church at that time shall be encompassed on every side with enemies as in old time Iudea was encompassed by Gog and Magog those fierce and barbarous people The campe of the Saints That is Wheresoever the true souldiers of Christ were making warre in their own stations And the beloved City The whole Church which is one City at that time scattered through the whole world And fire came down from God out of heaver and devoured them Some such thing verily shall happen as we read of Gen. 19. concerning Sodome and Gomorrha And as the first world perished with the deluge of water so Gog and Magog shall perish in â—â—e end of the world by the destruction of fire 10. And the Devill that deceived thâ—â— was cast Otherwise then in the third verse for here he is so cast that he shall not beloosed again thence for ever Into the lake of fire and brimstone This is a description of Hell Where the beast was That is The former Beast which is described in the 16. chapter v. 13. For that beast is distinguished from the false-Prophet who is the same with the latter beast And the false-Prophet Great Antichrist Apollyon the Babylonian whore who with his subtle wiles seduceth men perswading and pressing a counterfeit religion wholly seeking after the honours and riches of this world no otherwise then the false Prophets in the old Testament were wont to do Wherefore in a speciall manner Antichrist is called the false-Prophet And shall be tormented To wit they three The Devill
606. III. Under the Popes of Rome while they extended their power farre and wide from the yeer of Christ 606 to the yeer 1517 that is from Boniface the third to Leo the tenth In all which time the Church was most miserably pressed and only not quite oppressed partly by the Sarazens and Turks in the East partly by the Popes of Rome in the West IV. Under the Popes of Rome now perceiving an inclination and decay of their Kingdom from the yeer of Christ 1517 to the beginning of the thousand yeers What the condition of the Church hath been and now is since the yeer 1517 to this prsent is known unto us partly from Histories partly from our own notice and remembrance What it shall be hereafter from the time wherein we write this to the beginning of the 1000. yeers we cannot in particular determine But this we know in generall That the Church is to be purged purified and cleansed by this persecution which at this day it suffers That by this means it may be by little and little prepared for that great Reformation which the Epocha or Account of those thousand yeers shall bring The third Period of the Church of the New Testament is from the beginning of the thousand yeers to the end thereof And it shall contain as well the Martyrs that shall then rise as the Nations not yet converted and the Iews and it shall be free from persecutions Which four things because they are called into question are the more at large to be proved And first of all for the Resurrection of the Martyrs The truth thereof is demonstrated * to the eye in a manner out of the 20 of the Revelation the 5. verse Then for the Conversion of the Gentiles which are not yet called into the Church the Apostle describeth it most lively Rom. Iâ— 25 where he plainly teacheth us That the fulnesse of the Gentiles is to be gathered to the Church Hitherto also appertaineth that which we read Gen. 48.19 that the seed of Ephraim shall become a multitude of Nations For it cannot be interpreted of the numerous off-Spring of Ephraim for therein the Tribe of Iudah especially excelled And the word Gojim is most properly meant by the Heathens Therefore this is the meaning Out of Ephraim shall descend in numerable Nations which in their time shall flow-in plentifully to the Gospel Moreover Christ Luk. 21.24 teacheth us that the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled So Gen. 17.4 5. God promiseth Abraham that he should become a father of a multitude of Nations and Gen. 18.18 that in him all the Nations of the Earth should be blâ—ssed To these places you may adde Psal. 22.28 Matth. 24.14 and Revel. 12.5 If any one should object that the Conversion of the Gentiles was a little after the first coming of Christ He must know that at that time all nations were not called Therefore we must understand a double Conversion or calling of the Gentiles a former and a latter The former was in the time of the Apostles and their Successors This latter hath not been as yet but it shall be at length a little before the Conversion of the Iews So that these two Conversions are joyned together Isai. 11.12 Zach. 2.10 c. For the maintaining of this opinion see among others Iustus Heurnius De Legatione Evangelicâ ad Indos capessendâ and Kepler De Stellâ novâ Serpentarii where fol. 206. he writs That all the contentions which are at this day among Christians and the difference of their worships tends to this That from their mutuall destroying one another an occasion may arise on one side of converting the Indians on another of converting the Iews and Turks Now let us enter into consideration of the conversion of the Iews The promises thereof are Gen. 49.18 19. Num. 23.23 Deut. 30.3 6 8. and chap. 32. from the 19. to the 43. Isai. 11.11 12. and chap. 43.5 and so forward chap. 45.22 25. chap. 59.20 21. Iere. 16.14 chap. 23.3 4. chap. 31.31 32 33 34. Ezech. 36.26 and forward Hos. 1.11 chap. 3.4 5 Mich. 2.12 chap. 4.6 and forward chap. 5.5 6 7. Zeph. 3.11 12 13 19 20. Amos 9.14 15. Zach. 11.16 Rom. 11.25 26 27. 2 Cor. 3.16 Matth. 23.39 Luk. 21.24 The explications of which places look for in the following questions and almost every where in the author cited in the Margine And to them adde these two reasons 1 The Iews wander to and fro through the whole world dispersed scattered and banished from their own ayr and soil God therefore without doubt reserveth them for some great and admirable work 2. Christ being born of the Iews he is promised unto them with very many and most glorious promises Therefore it is not to be beleeved that they should not at some time or other acknowledge him as the Messias Neither can you object that the Iews were converted in the time of Christ and the Apostles For they were but the first fruits of the Iews And that Conversion was but in part onely See concerning this Argument Iustus Heurnius in his Book before cited who handles it most accurately and is of opinion that this order shall happen in the Reconciliation of the Iews That in the first place those ten Tribes which were carried away by the Assyrians shall be converted to whom afterwards the Tribes of Iudah and Benjamin shall joyn themselves In the same place also he conjectureth very probably That the converted remainder of the Iews united with the converted Church of the Heathen shall resist the attempts of the adversaries of GOD and beat down Antichrist Yet I should rather suppose that the Iews should entertain the ruine of Antichrist as an occasion of their Conversion But this nothing to the main matter and substance of the question It remains now that I make it plain that this Church gathered together of Iews and Gentiles shall be freed from the persecutions of their enemies This is proved out of Deut. 32.40 41 42 43. Psal. 96. Psal. 110.5 6 7. Isai. 11.1 2.3.4 chap. 24.23 chap. 25. chap. 26.1 2 3 c. chap. 33.20 21 22 23 24. chap. 34. from the 1 to the 18 verse chap. 49.24 25 26. chap. 54.14 15 16 17. chap. 59.16 17 18 19 20 21. chap. 63.1.2 3 4 5 6. Dan. 12.1 Ioel 3.1 2.9 10 11 12 13 14. Micah 4. the whole Chapter Zeph. 3. from the 9 ver. to the end Zach. 11 10. to the 17. chap. 12.1 to the 9. chap. 14. â— to the end Mal. 4.1 2 3. Revel. 14.8.14 15 16 17 18 19 20. chap. 18. quite thorow chap. 19.1 2 3.11 and the following verses chap. 20. In these places is described the setting at liberty of the Church of the New Testament from the persecution of the enemies of the Gospel by an utter overthrow of them from whence shall arise it's continuall Peace together with an enlightment and Regeneration greater then
6. Verses IV. The troubled State of the Church Vers. 7 8 9 10. V. The Description of the last judgement From the 11. Verseâ—â— the end Of the first Part. The Angel is described 1. From the Person imployed therein who is Iohn the Evangelist whose effect illustrated by the time added is expressed in these words After that I saw 2. From the proper Person or Subject An Angel 3. From the effect which is illustrated by the place Coming down from Heaven 4. From the double adjunct illustrated by a threefold similitude Having the kâ—y of the bottomelesse pit and a great chain in his hand Of the second Part. Five effects of this Angel are recited 1. The first is illustrated by an allegoricall description of the object thus And he laid hold on the Dragon that old Serpent which is the Devill and Satan The second is illustrated by the circumstance of time And he bound him for 1000. years 3. 4. 5. The other three are set down with a manifestation of the end for which this was done And cast him into the bottomelesse pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more Of the third Part. The happy estate of this Church hereon Earth is either common or proper The common estate of the Church is that of all the godly then living in these words That he should not seduce them any more And it is discribed thus 1. From the extent of the Subject Thaâ— he might not seduce the Nations 2. From the adjunct of time Till the thousand yâ—â—rs should be fulfilled 3. From the destructive cause of their felicity And after that he must be loosed Now as well the efficient cause of the corruption of this felicity is declared namely The decree of God He must be loosed As the manner and forme Be loosed And lastly the adjunct of time For a little season The Proper estate of the Church is that of the Martyr and is consists of their Resurrection and Kingdom The Resurrection of the Martyrs is described 1. From the Person imployed Then I saw 2. From the impulsive procuring cause to wit the Judgement of those heavenly powers which is illustrated from an adjunct and effect metaphoricall thus Thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given unto them 3. From the recipient subjects which is described from the adjunct passions as also from the its effects And the souls of them who were beheaded for c. The procuring cause also of these passions or sufferings is declared to wit Their confessing of Christ and their refusing of Idolatry 4. From the manner of their Resurrection And they lived agaiâ— The Kingdom of the Martyrs is described from the effect connâ—â— and adjunct time And thâ—y reigned with Christ for a thousand years The Resurrection of the Martyrs is again described 1. From the unlike condition of others But the rest of the dead lived not again untill c. 2. From it's Epithite This is the first Resurrection 3. From four adjunctâ— of which the first second and fourth are peculiar the third common For the Martyrs are described from their particular happynesse Blessed From their particular holinesse And holy From their holy security On such the second death hath no power From the dignity of their Priesthood But they shall be Priests Their Kingdom with the durance thereof is the second time also set down in the 6. Verse Of the fourth Part. The happy estate of the Church shall be troubled by the extreme persecution of the wicked that is to say by the warre of Gog and Magog the cause whereof and the event is described The cause is as well efficient as formal The efficient is either principall The seducing of the Devill or instrumentall The wicked Nations The seducing of the Devill is described 1. From the time When the thousand years shall be finished 2. From the permissive cause Satan shall be loosed out of his prison For he shall be let loose by the Angel God permitting and commanding it 3. From the manner and end And he shall go forth that he may deceive the Nations and gather them to battlâ— The wicked Nations are described 1. From the subject place The Nations which are in the four corners of the earth 2. From the comparison with their like Gog and Magog 3. From the adjunct That he might gather them to battle 4. From the multitude added which is set forth and illustrated by a simile whose number is as the sand of the Sea 5. From a double effect And they came up on one breadth of the earth and encompassed c. The event of this warre of Gog and Magog is in respect 1. Of the Nations But fire came down from heaven 2. Of the Devill whose action is described And the Devill who seduced them and his passion He was cast into the Lake And this punishment is described from his company Where the Beast and the false prophet are And from the durance of time added And they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever Of the fifth Part. The last Judgement is described 1. From the efficient cause which is the Iudge who is described partly from the limited place to wit The Cloude Then I saw a Throne c. partly from adjunct to wit His Majestie And one sitting thereon before whom the Earth and the Heaven fled away 2. From the Object which are the guilty or the persons to be judged They are described both from their past condition The dead both small and great as also from their present state Standing in the sight of God as likewise from their future condition And they were judged From a tripartite distribution also from the distinct places And the sea gave up no dead and death and helâ—gave up their dead which were in them 3. From the Rule observed in the Judgement thereafter as their works are According to their works This rule is declared from the infallibility thereof which is signified by the books that is the Consciences of men And the books were opâ—ned And by the Book of life also And another book was opened 4. From the execution of the sentence of which one part here is onely mentioned namely the casting of the wicked into the Lake of fire Vers. 14. the other is related in the following chapter Now this casting into the Lake is described partly from what went before And Death and Hell Partly from the forme and manner of it Were cast into the lake of fire which is the second Death And partly also from the impulsive cause And whose names were not found in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire If you like better of it divide this Chapter into four particular Visions Of which the 1. Is concerning the Angel Vers. 1.2.3 2. Is concerning the State of the Church here on Earth as well In a most happy condition Verse 3 4 5 6. As in a most afflicted
and troubled Verse 7 8 9 10. 3. Is concerning the throne of Christ the Judge Vers. 11. 4. Is concerning the Vniversall Judgement and the processe thereof Verse 12 13 14 15. IV. The Paraphrase of the Chapter THe condition and estate of the Militant Church being laid open unto me from the yeer of Christ 94 together with the temptations and assaults wherewith it was shaken the labours wherewith it was afflicted the deliverances whereby it was freed the Victory whereby it was ennobled but specially and last of all the fall of Babylon being foretold and declared 1. I saw in my extasie a good Angel the Minister of the Judgements of God such as I had seen in my former Visions Him I say I saw coming down from the heaven of the blessed who had by God entrusted to him the key of the bottomlesse pit of hell that according to the appointment of God he might shut and open it also a great chain in his hand wherewith he might binde some powerfull enemy 2. This Angel laid hold of the Dragon that infernall old Serpent who from the beginning vomited forth his poyson upon man-kinde and deceived them with his winding Sophismes who is both the Devill slandering God before men and on the other side men before God who is also Satan the adversary of God and men of Nature in generall and of the Church This Deceiver being found and apprehended in his Sophistry and Tyranny the good Angel bound with his chain and that for a thousand Solar years and commonly used in the generall course of life 3. Neither was it enough for him to binde him but moreover he cast him being bound and threw him headlong into the bottomlesse pit and being thrown down thither he shut him up and being shut up he sealed the Cover of the bottomlesse pit lest breaking forth by any means he might seduce partly to Idolatry partly to the persecution of the Church any more as he had done before the Nations as well Jews as Gentiles untill the thousand yeers are finished For afterwards he must God so appointing it be Ieâ— loose out of his prison for a short time which God hath limitted and which shall not befor a thousand yeers as the time of his binding and his being shut up was 4. A joyfull Catastrophe or issue shall follow this Tragedy of the Dragon For I saw Thrones set in order and and Christ with his holy Angels sate upon them For unto these power was given to judge partly by giving and executing sentence partly by approving thereof I saw also the souls of them who were beheaded and tormented with innumerable kinds of punishments not indeed for their own offences but for the testimony which they gave concerning Christ the Son of God and onely Advocate of the Church and for the Word of God which they had boldly maintained against the corruptions of men and who had not worshipped that second Beast which I made mention of that I saw it before nor the image of that Beast which is two-fold both in respect of doctrine and life neither had received his mark in their foreheads publikely making shew and witnessing by their words that they belonged to the family of the Beast Lastly they had not so much 〈◊〉 received this mark in their hands expressing the same either in their life manners or actions Such at these lived their bodies being raised again and restored to life Neither did they only live again but also reigned in the Church freed now from Persecutions with Christ that King of kings for a thousand years 5. But the rest of the dead as well the godly who before these 1000 yeers received not the Crown of Martyrdom as the ungodly lived not again till the thousand yeers were finished And this is the first Resurrection due onely to them as a â—rerogative who above others have glorified the Lord Christ in their bodies nothing terrified with the threats curses and torments of men 6. These Martyrs therefore who have their part in the first Resurrection are deservedly esteemed happy above others as also peculiarly separated and set aside by God for the receiving of such a reward For the second death shall have no power over them By reason that though they live the second time here upon earth yet they shall no more by any sin engage themselves so that they need to fear any danger of an eternall death For they shall be here upon earth Priests of God and of Christ not of this world and they shall reigne with Christ not as the kings of the Nations but in the Majesty of the Spirit for these thousand yeers 7. Now when these thousand yeers shâ—â—â— be fulfilled the happinesse of the Church shall on the sudden begin to fail here on earth For Satan in an instant shall be â—et loose out of his prison in which he was most carefully kept for those thousand yeers 8. But being thus set at liberty he shall not rest so but shall return to his old game and so he shall go forth that he may the more freely seduce the Nations which are in the four corners of the earth towards the East and towards the West towards the North and the South Now he shall not onely by heresies of all kindes lead on the blinde world to Apostasie or falling away from the faith but also he shall behave himself as a Captain or Leader to bring on a grievous Persecution upon the Church stirring and raising up against it Gog and Magog the sworn enemies thereof and of God himself such as were of old those people who under these names were bitter enemies to the Iews And having thus stirred them up he shall gather them together to Batteâ—â— farre more cruell and bloody then hath been from the beginning of the world For men shall enter into this Battell barbarous in their monstrous cruelty and monstrous cruell in their barbarousnesse whose number shall be as the sand of the Sea 9. Wherefore these vast forces under the conduct of Satan shall come upon the earth and shall cover the breadth thereof with their multitudes And straightway they shall encompasse the Camp of the Saints wheresoever it shall be and with their utmost diligence and devices shall endeavour quite to deface the Church that beloved City of God But however in the very midst of this their rage and fury being greater then that either of the Cyclops or Giants on a sudden a fire shall come down from Heaven God himself sending forth lightnings and flashings of fire upon them and shooting out his Arrows against them This fire shall devour those his innumerable enemies like stubble 10. But neither shall their Leader the Devill who conducted and seduced them carry it away so without his due punishment for opposing the Church of God by the seduced Nations For he shall be cast into the Lake of fire and brimstone that is into hell it self where his companions the first beast and
the false Prophet who is the great Antichrist being thrust down a little before the beginning of the thousand yeers do endure their punishment There they shall be tormented day and night without intermission for ever and ever that is For all ages so that for the time to come they shall never scape forth again 11. I saw also a great cloud like a great white Throne and Christ the Son of GOD the Judge of the living and dead sitting thereon with great Majesty and prepared to give Judgement From before his face the Earth and the Heaven fled away and there was no place found for them For this earth and this heaven shall passe away at the coming of Christ and all things shall be made new 12. I saw also all the dead small and great standing before God and ready to hear the sentence of the Judge What happens then The books of mens Consciences are opened the counsells of all mortell men and the secrets of their hearts being brought to light Now lest the elect children of God should be disheartned every one by the particular survey of his own book or conscience behold another book is opened for them I mean the Book of Life in which according to the fatherly acceptance of God in Christ their names are written from everlasting These books being thus opened the dâ—ad are judged out of those things which are written in the books according to their works and that after such manner that the works of the Saints are judged out of the book of life which contains the books of their Consciences washed and cleansed with the Blood of Christ But the works of the ungodly are numbred and surveyed and so judged out of the books of their own consciences not cleansed from sins nor purged with the Blood of Christ 13. Hereupon then the Sea gave up its dead which had been concealed in the bosome thereof Death also and the Grave that is The fire ayr and the earth and indeed all the Elements dâ—livered up their dead which having received formerly they had partly consumed partly yet preserved They were therefore all judged and every one in particular none at all excepted and they were judged justly for the judgement was according to every ones works of which their consciences bare them record 14. And this being performed ungodly men Death and Hell that is Men deserving both were cast into that lake of fire that there for ever they might swallow up waters running with fire and there suffer the second death that is by dying the second death never to die 15. For whose name soever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into that lake of fire both by the just Judgement of God and by the heynousnesse of his own deservings V. The Questions arising in this Chapter THe chief Questions of this Chapter are these 1. Whether these thousand yeers severall times here mentioned are alwayes to be understood literally 2. Whether they be already finished 3. What year ought to be put for the beginning of them 4. What is to be understood by the first Resurrection 5. Who are to be understood by Gog and Magog 6. Whether the Martyrs with Christ shall reign here on Earth All which Questions I will bring into this one Whether there shall be any happinesse of the Church here upon earth before the last day and of what kinde it shall be This question I will handle somewhat more largely both by way of confutation and confirmation I will in the first place therefore by certain Classes or ranks of Arguments confirm the truth to be maintained herein After that I will confute the Objections of the adversary part I. The Confirmation of the Truth THere shall be three Classes or ranks of Arguments for the maintaining of this Truth which we comprehend in the following Thesis or Position The happy estate of the Church in this life shall consist of the Resurrection of the Martyrs and their kingdom here on earth of the freedome of the Church from the persecution of the enemies of the Gospel by an utter overthrow of them of a lasting peace which shall arise from thence of the encrease of the Church or the multitude of the believers by the conversion of the Iews and Nations not yet converted of the Reformation of Doctrine or a greater enlightment and life among all estates of men of the Majesty also and great glory of the Church and lastly of the sincere joy thereof Now this happinesse shall begin in that very year wherein it shall come to passe That the kingdom of that great Antichrist shall be destroyed and it shall last for a thousand years The truth hereof we will make good 1. Out of the Context and Coherence of this Chapter 2. Out of other sayings of the Scripture 3. Lastly by Arguments taken from reason and the consent and agreement of some holy and learned men The first Classis of Arguments From the Context of the Chapter we draw these Arguments THe first Argument is taken from the connexion of this Vision with the former which is described chap. 19. verse 19 20 21. For Iohn saith in the first verse of this Chapter And I saw that is Afterwards to wit After I had seen the Beast and the false Prophet cast into the Lake of fire Now lest any one should think that this casting of them in shall be in the end of the world Iohn doth presently adde and the rest were slain with the sword of him that sate on the horse and all the fowls were filled with their flesh From which words it is manifest That it is spoken here concerning the destruction of Antichrist and his followers which shall not happen in the last and Universall Judgement but shall be a particular Judgement by it self which is thus demonstrated The coming of Christ to the last Judgement shall at length happen after the Warre of Gog and Magog which is a distinct War from that which is described chap. 19. ver. 19. For the Warre of Gog shall be against the Saints having now enjoyed a long-lasting Peace But the Warre of Antichrist shall be against the Saints being now brought almost to nothing by some great persecution Again in this 20â—h Chap. vers. 10. it is said That the Devill should be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone after the Warre of Gog where the Beast and the false prophet * WAS which words have a plain respect to those chap. 19. ver. 20. These both the Beast and the false prophet were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with Brimstone The second Argument is from the Connexion of this Vision with the following which is set down in the 21 Chapter For saith Iohn in the first verse thereof After that I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth that is The thousand yeers being finished the Warre of Gog and Magog being ended and the execution of the last Judgement of which in the
declâ—red do either severally or more of them together occurre The first place is Gen. 17.4 5 6. Where God thus speaks unto Abraham As for me behold I make my Covenant with thee and thou shalt be a father of many Nations Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram but thy name shall be Abraham for a father of many Nations have I made thee And I will multiply thee abundantly and I will make Nations of thee and Kings shall come out of thee In these words is promised unto Abraham that he shall be a father not onely of the Iews but also of the Gentiles For it is plain That divers people had their originall and descent from Abraham For besides that Isaac was born of him Ismael also grew into a great people and the Edomites also descended from him were scattered farre and wide Of other sonnes also which he had by Keturah very large families were spread abroad But what Moses had a farther respect in these words namely that the Nations by faith were to be inserted into the kindred of Abraham though they were not begotten of him according to the flesh as the Apostle witnesseth Rom. 4 11. The Iews of all kindes and Gentiles shall be the sonnes of Abraham in Christ But this is not yet brought to passe Because the tenne Tribes carried away by Salmanassor have heard nothing concerning Christ and the two Tribes Iudah and Benjamin have hitherto wandred in their own wayes as also the Indians and the like unto them It must be therefore that they also at length be brought into the Covenant made with Abraham The second place is Gen. 18.18 Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him Compare Gen. 26.4 Hence I thus reason In the seed of Abraham which is Christ all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed But this hath not yet come about as it appears out of the illustration of the former place This therefore must be yet done Compare Gen. 21.13 where God promiseth Abraham that of the sonne of the Bond-woman Hagar he would make a Nation that is he would cause that of him many people should be born because he was his seed As if he should say This seed of Abraham also shall not slip out of my remembrance but in it 's due time it shall know that I am the God of Abraham The third place is Gen. 27.40 When thou Esau shalt have the dominion thou shalt break his thy brother Iacob's yoke from of thy neck This shall then be done when the posterity of Esau shall grow together into one body with the Israelites Which is not yet done The fourth place is Gen. 48.19 Notwithstanding his Manasse's yonger brother Ephraim shall grow greater then be and his seed shall be the fulnesse of the Nations These words receive light from the 11 chapter to the Romans where the same manner of speaking is used This therefore shall be the meaning Out of Ephraim indeed no numerous off-spring shall arise according to the flesh for in this respect the tribe of Iudah exceeded the tribe of Ephraim but this shall be his prerogative that his seed shall be the fulnesse of the Gentiles that is shall put a conclusion to the Conversion of the Gentiles and so together with the rest of the Iews shall be turned unto Christ The fifth place is Gen. 49.10 Which is spoken of Shiloh that is the Messias And unto him shall the gathering or obedience of the people be That is of Iews and Gentiles as also of the Turks and Indians and of the tenne Tribes The sixth place is Gen. 49.18 Here Iacob breaths forth his griefs for the tribe of Dan I have waited for thy salvation ô Lord As if he should have said yet at length I shall be saved ô God however thou meanest to scatter me with the other nine tribes of Israel For it is a very hard censure utterly to exclude those tenne tribes from the Communion with Christ The seventh place is Gen. 49.26 Here Iacob thus speaks unto Ioseph The blessings of thy father have prevailed with the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills That is They are not only temporall but eternall For he joyns together spirituall promises with earthly because the one are but the resemblances and figure of the other Therefore those last words are a circumlocution of Perpetuiâ—y I demand then where in the whole world were the posterity of Ioseph made partakers of Christ It is necessary therefore that this promise should yet be fulfilled The eighth place is Numb. 24.17 Where Balaam thus prophecieth concerning Christ I see him but not now I behold him but not nigh there shall come a starre out of Jacob and a scepter shall arise out of Israel and shall smite all the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Seth. Here by the children of Seth are understood all the children of this world because we are all sprung out of Seth who succeeded into the place of Abel who was slain For the posterity of Cain perished in the Deluge Noah had his descent from Seth. And from Noah was the reparation of mankinde Wherefore the sonnes of Seth are as much as the sonnes of Adam that is all mankinde This is the meaning Christ who shall come out of Iacob as a starre and whose scepter shall rise out of Israel shall bring to nothing the Moabites the enemies of the Israelites and shall destroy all the sonnes of Seth that is all men by subjecting them to himself by his own Spirit Which yet as experience it self may be witnesse hath not been brought to passe Now in this place I translate it the sonnes of Seth following the Lxx. Interpreters and Vatablus because the Antithesis between Moab and Seth so required To say nothing that that Translation He shall destroy all that are behinde is forced Now in the word he shall destroy there is an extraordinary Emphasis or significancy for the Hebrew word denoteth as much as to break down a wall as if he should say he shall break in pieces their walls that is whatsoever all men have of their proper holynesse or worth this Starre shall make dimme and obscure and shall weaken all power that lifteth it self up against God The ninth place is Deut. 30.3 4. Then shall the Lord God turn thy captivity and shall have mercy on thee and will return and gather thee from among all the people whither thy Lord God had scattered thee If any of thine be driven out unto the utmost parts of heaven from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee and from thence he will fetch thee This truly is not fully performed in the bringing back of the Babylonian captivity For neither were the tenne Tribes then brought back See also the 6. and the 8. Verses For what is spoken there concerning the circumcision of the heart
Sonne of thine Handymayd T. B. I wholly submit my selfe and opinion to the determination of our long expected Venerable Synod Its Auctoriâ—â—e in libello Docto Iupiter laborioso There is extant also in Print this last yeare a Treatise of one Master John Archer sometimes Preacher of All-hallows in Lombardstreet Intituled The Personall Reigne of Christ upon Earth The Author as I â—eare is with God but his Booke thou maist have on every stall But so farre out of some of our English Divines Let us now heare the Incomparable Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} His Testimony taken out of his first Tome Astronomicorum Progymnasmatum not farre from the end IT is worthy our best observation that as all the former uneven Revolutions of the Fiery Trigon namely the first third and fifth have ever beene auspicious to the world as having ushered in some great and singular favours of the Almighty to mankind so it is probable that this seventh Revolution which now Reignes ever since the yeare of our Lord 1603. is the forerunner of a more happy and glorious state then all the afore pâ—ssed ages have eveâ— yet enjoyed Neither doth this disagree with the most ancienâ— prophecies of the wisest men and enlightned by the Holy Ghost who have foretold that before the generall conflagration of all things that there shall be a certaine quiet and peaceable age for some good space of time upon Earth wherein the tumults and confusions happening 〈◊〉 politique States and by reason of varieties of Religions shall be setled and appeased and at length be made more conformable to the Divine Will and pleasure Which we may also not abscurely collect from the Prophets themselves who foretold that some golden age should be for a time on Earth in which men should beate their swords into Plough-shares and their Speares into pruning-hookes neither should Nation lift up a sword against Nation nor learnâ— warre any more But they shall sit every man under his Vine and â—nder his Figureâ— and none shall make them afraid as Micah the Prophet hath it ch. 4. and Esay ch. II. prophecyeth of the same in this manner The Wolfe shall dwell with the Lambe and the Leopard shall lie downe with the Kid and the Galfe and the young Lion and the â—atling together and a little childe shall leade them And the Coâ— and the Beare shall feed their young ones shall lie downe together and the Lyon shall eate straw like the Oxe And the sucking childe shall play on the hole of the Aspe and the weaned childe shall put his hand on the Cockatricuden They shall not hurt in all my holy Mountaine For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea And that passage also Esay 60. is to be referred to the Mysticall Hierusalem or more perfect state of Christianity then hath beene hitherto For Brasse I will bring gold and for Iron I will bring Silver and for-Wood Brasse and for Stones Iron I will also make thy Officers peace and thy exactors righteousnesse Violence shall no more be heard in thy Land wasting nor destruction within thy borders but thou shalt call thy wals salvation and thy gates praise And what goes before and followes where at length lie thus concludes I the Lord will hasten it in his time More places are likewise to be found as well in the Prophets as in the * Revelation promising an unusuall and unexpected happynesse of earthly things such as never hath beene in any age of the world hitherto The truth therefore of this Prophecy shall be fulfilled before the generall destruction of all things for it cannot faile proceeding wholly from the infallible Spirit of God and it is probable that the accomplishment thereof is at hand Why then may not all these things obtaine an expected event within the compasse of this renewed Revolution of the fiery Trigon and of the other three ensuing which compleate 800. yeares Hactenus Atlas ille Coeli Mathematici The Testimony of Carolus Gallus out of Dr Hakewill in his Advertisement to pag. 476. for I have not the Booke by me A Booke written by Carolus Gallus a Professour of Divinity in the University of Leyden published in the yeare 1592 and intituled Clavis prophetica nova Apocalypseos Iohannis Apostoli Evangeliographi In his Epistle Dedicatory to the Prince of Orenge and the States of the Netherlands he professeth it was a worke In quo saith he jam inde a viginti quinque annis c. that is In which for these XXV yeares I have very much laboured by reading meditating searching writing disputing and publiquely teaching both in Churches and Schooles seeking out and letting slip nothing which seemed to concerne the finding out of this Divine Treasure Now this man after all this travell search and study thus concludes his eight Observation upon the 20. Chapter of that Booke Breviter spiritus propheticus in hac Iohannis Apocalypsi c. that is Briefely the Spirit in this Revelation of John Prophecyeth concerning the particular and wonderfull Resurrection renovation and restitution of the Church that it in this last Age shall appeare made one of Jewes and Gentiles both living and dead and more gloriously then ever heretofore in a wonderfull manner shall live againe from the dead or first death and shall be renewed restored and flourish againe I THESS IV. Commate 16. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} THE DEAD IN CHRIST {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for Christ that is The Martyrs SHALL RISE FIRST THe interpretation will not seeme strange to any one who knowes that the same Paul who in his owne words is {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Ephe. 4.1 was a prisoner on bound for the Lords sake the preposition as feaâ—heâ— men know sometimes signifying the cause propter qâ—â—â— That place also Rev. 14.13 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} They that dye in the Lord is no otherwise interpreted by some Learned men for the whole pericope or passage there seemes plainely to point at the Martyrs who verse 4. are more elegantly called {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} The first fruites unto God and to the Lambe as purchased by a particular prerogative from among men Io. Bodimus method Hist. cap. 7 Epist. ad Paulinum Quot babet verbâ— tâ—â— Sacramâ—ntâ— * Dâ—â—tate exuperant latae contra ingraâ—os leges Amm. Marcell lib. 23. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Themiâ—t Orat. 3. * Xenophon {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} â— Cic. Academ. Quâ—st l. 2. Acts xvii â—â— 19 Lâ—ers de librâ—s Heâ—selitâ— Anthol lib. gâ—â—p 33. * {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} O 〈…〉 dictâ— vide Epâ—cterum {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 2 Tim. 4.3 {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 2 Tim. 1 1â— * {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Marc.
Egyptian bondage Exod. 12. and 14. by the deliverance of Hierusalem from the siege of Sennacheri◠2 Kin. 19. by the deliverance from the hostile invasion of the Ethiopians under King Asa. 2 Chro. 14. by deliverance from the invasion of the Moabites and Ammonites under King Iehosaphat 2 Chron. 20. And lastly by deliverance from the oppression of Antiochus Epiphanes 1 Mac. 1. and following chapters Adde unto these divers examples of the Church of the N. T. which when it's condition hath been granted as desperate and quite lost hath had deliverance by the * unexpected handy-work of God See the Ecclesiasticall History at large From hence we may very well gather that the Church at this time oppressed on every hand and left destitute of all humane assistance shall by the power of God be asserted and vindicated when Antichrist in the full course and carrére of his happynesse shall little think of any such matter IV. The downfall of Antichrist and the binding of Satan for a thousand years do without any intermission meet together It is very probable therefore That the beginning of these thousand years is at hand For Antichrist at that very time wherein he shall make the greatest boast of his victories shall suddenly fall Revel. 18.7 8. V. The severall Phaenomena or Apparitions in the Heavens namely new Starres and Cometes also Earthquakes and the like taken notice of in these latter times do without doubt portend and manifestly foretell some notable and extraordinary change VI The Period or limited time for the Kingdom of Antichrist to continue is almost expired and at an end as appears by the Revelation and History VII Daniel Chap. 12. declares an end of his prophesie when he expressely sets down that 2625. years shall be finished after the end of his Lxx. Weeks that is from the year of Christ 69. which years if they be added to the other the sum of 2694. years is made up In which current of time all things shall happen out which are foretold except the last Judgement and what follows thereon Wherefore if from 2694. years 1000 be subducted we shall come by the year of Christ 1694. In this year then or sooner our THOUSAND years shall take their beginning The consent of Godly and learned Men IN the forefront we place the fourth book of Esdras For there many passages occurre concerning the conversion of the Jews and the deliverance of the Church of the N. T. from Antichrist Especially That is a notable place Chap. 13.39 40. And whereas thou sawest that he gathered another peaceable multitude unto him Those are tenne Tribes which were * carried away prisoners out of their own Land in the time of Hoshea the King What the same Author writes concerning the Eagle and Lion is severally expounded by severall interpreters Out of the Sibylls also some things are brought about the downfall of Antichrist and the happy estate which the world shall enjoy after that shall come to passe Very much mention is made of that Rome shall become a street or high way All the Fathers were of this opinion that Elias should come and restore all things Some as you may see in Alfonsus Conradus in his Commentary on the Revelation between the coming of Christ in the flesh and his coming in Majesty do maintain a certain middle coming which they call his coming in the power and effiency of his Spirit to destroy the great Antichrist to reform his Church This coming they say shall be in the end of the sixth Millenary or 1000 years of which coming they make Enoch and Elias the forerunners They say that Antichrist shall be destroyed by their preaching and his Kingdom abolished After whose downfall peace shall be granted to the Church and Satan shall be bound so that he shall not be able to disturbe the tranquillity thereof Now this peace and happy progresse of the Church they say shall last for the whole seventh Millenary till the last time of her troubles by the persecution of the Nations Gog and Magog because Satan who they say shall then be set at liberty shall stirre them up against the Godly From hence it appears That our opinion concerning these 1000 years is not new and unheard of Alfonsus Conradus of Mantua in his Commentary on the Revelation published at Basil. An. 1574. writeth as followeth IN his Preface This one thing perchance will offend the ears of some because I seem to promise a more plentifull peace to the Church then that likenesse of the Crosse will allow of to which in this world it must be made conformable to Christ it's head But let them bethink themselves I entreat them that this is not so contrary to the Scripture that it should be objected against me or laid to my charge as fit to be reckoned in the number of those which are termed either impious or absurd Especially when as I cannot perceive by what means that happinesse which Iohn writes the Church shall enjoy Satan being bound can be made good except we acknowledge some rest of the Church her enemies being overthrown Which I think indeed ever happened as often as the enemies of God's people have been removed out of the way Now because the enemy which Iohn tells us shall be taken away is more dangerous then all that ever yet infested God's people it ought not to seem strange to any one if he being once overcome the Church enjoy a more plentifull peace then usually Vpon the 20. Chap. of the Revel. Vers. 1. God being about to bestow a more plentifull peace upon his Church then hitherto he had granted to it it sufficeth him not to have removed out of the way the Beast and those Kings of the Earth with a horrible slaughter who favouring the Beast had wholly disturbed his Churche's peace except also he restrain Satan the beginner of all these mischiefs So that he may not any more raise those usuall contentions and strife among men Wherefore the Angel comes down from Heaven who repressing the fury of Satan shuts him up in the bottomelesse pit and there forces him to remain so long as he pleases not to have the peace of the Church to be taken away And a little after Now he binds him and shuts him up into the bottomelesse pit for a thousand years that is for that whole time wherein God hath determined that the peace of his Church shall not be disturbed by Satan See more there to this purpose Lucas Osiander upon Daniel 12. I think the end of these years will fall in with that time in which the Popedome of Rome shall bodily be overturned although in some mens mindes it shall hiddenly remain even untill the last day Matthew Cotterius in his continued and demonstrative Exposition of the Revelation upon the 20 Chap. Satan began to be tyed in bonds when the restored Truth of the Scriptures began to take place on earth the witnesses being
raised and the dark miste of lyes being dispelled Then shall Satan be bound for a thousand years which must be expired before he scatter new errours through the world and by them seduce the Nations This this is the imprisonment this is the liberty or setting free of Satan In the same place upon vers. 2. But when began Satan to be bound In the year 1517. when the witnesses were raised From that time ALL people generally have not drunk any new poyson of heresie which might weaken or overturn their faith In the same place To 1517. adde 1000. years So you shall make 2517. at which time Satan shall again draw the Nations into abominable heresies In this Exposition of Cotterius the thousand years are rightly urged according to the letter But his Epocha or beginning of his account is not well placed in the year 1517. For then began onely the praeludium or proeme of this Millenary Iohn Piscator in his Commentary on the Revelations The happynesse of the faithfull who shall live upon earth after the downfall of the Papacy is their security from the hostile invasions of the wicked for 1000 years In the same place The singular happynesse of the Martyrs of Christ who before these thousand years indured persecution is their Resurrection which shall be before the generall Resurrection and their reign in Heaven with Christ for a thousand years before the Resurrection of the rest In this Exposition the literall interpretation is rightly urged But that he sayes the Martyrs shall reign with Christ in Heaven for those thousand years cannot be proved out of the Text Nay the contrary may thence be proved because the Resurrection of the Martyrs is part of the happinesse of the Church here on Earth Again The Kingdom which is limited by a certain number of years cannot suite well with eternall life See also Revel. 5.10 where the Saints in Heaven among other things sing thus And we shall reign upon the Earth But moreover the same Iohn Piscator maintains this opinion of the thousand years in his German translation of the Bible and a little before his death he wrote a short Treatise Of the future happinesse of the Church in this life Out of which I have made use of many things which I have transcribed into this Meditation for that Treatise of his hath not as yet seen the light Many Writers of the former and this present Age have published many things concerning Elias the Artist who is to come Of the Lion of the North who is neer at hand Of a fourth Northern Monarchy Of a great Reformation Of the Conversion of the Jews and the like See Theophrastus Paracelsus Michael Sendivogius in his Treatise of Sulphur Stephanus Pannonius Of the circle of the Works and Iudgements of God where among other things he writs thus Yet it shall come to passe that the pure Gospel of God shall be preached to the Americans before the end of the world Again Nothing is more sure then that the Reformation of the East and South drawing on some famous Emperour whose types Constantine and Theodosius both entitled Great were shall openly shew himself and granting liberty of Religion to them who professe the name of the Holy Trinity shall do some great matter in the world for the glory of God for the building up of the Church and for the downfall of Antichrist In the same place The Eastern Christians fired with the zeal of Christ shall make their way into Asia it self and provoke the Jews to jealousie Rom. 11. And the spirituall Babylon shall be a pray unto all Nations In the same place A refining of the Souldiers of God whereof there is mention Zach. 13.8 that is temptations and tryalls shall go before this Reformation that the light of God may arise out of the Crosse of Christ This Treatise was published in the year 1608. Iohn Dobricius also in the year 1612. did set forth a notable book entitled {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that is The Interpreter of times wherein both out of the Holy Scripture and from the new Star which appeared in the year * DC.IV. and the great Conjunction of the Planets many things are discoursed of concerning the reformation and future happinesse of the Church Peter du Moulin in his French Book intituled Du Combat Christien that is The Chrictian Conflict pag. 256. This persecution is a cruell tempest which cannot last awayes Either it will take us out of the world or God will take it away from us Pag. 353. Every one hath but a short journey whereby he must come to God and the time is at hand that we must commit our bodies to the earth our Souls to God and to the Church peace and the blessing of God For it shall come to passe even in our times that God shall be glorified in the great Congregations Yea even in those places where are horrible ruines the Word of God shall â—ound forth and God shall afford us matter of praise and thanksgiving Pag. 450. After that God shall have shewn us his deliverances on earth he will also shew us his riches in Heaven A CONFUTATION Of the Objections I. Object IS taken out of Matth. 24.14 If after the Gospel preached in all the world the end of all things shall come that happinesse of the Church in this world shall not happen out between the end thereof and the preaching of the Gospel For the Gospel is already preached through the whole earth I answer 1. The Consequence is to be denyed for although this happynesse do come between yet it hinders not but that the end of the world should come after the Gospel preached over the whole earth Secondly The pro-syllogisme is to be denyed because the Gospel is not already preached over the whole earth II. Object Is taken from Matth. 24.29 30. If presently after the destruction of Hierusalem Christ shall come to Judgement then this happinesse of the Church shall not be before his coming to Judgement Answ. The matter it self speaks and experience witnesseth that this word Immediately or Presently is not here properly or simply to be understood but hyperbolically and according to what went before namely in relation to the foregoing Prophesie concerning the overthrow of the Iews which they were to receive by the destruction of Hierusalem So that this is the meaning that between this desolation of Hierusalem and the coming of Christ the Iews should receive no other overthrow III. Object Is out of the same Chapter vers. 37 38 39. If a little before the coming of Christ to Judgement the State and condition of the world shall be such as it was in the time of Noâ—h before the Deluge and that such a state of things is to be seen at this day It may be hence gathered that such a condition of the Church as is here described shall not happen out before the coming of