description of this future state of the Church from innumerable passages of the Holy Scripture What can be a more glorious or desirable state of the Church of Christ then that described by Isay ch 11. v. 4 c where speaking of Christ's Reign With righteousness saith he shall he judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the Earth and he shall smite the Earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins and faithfulness the girdle of his reins The Wolf also shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lion and the Fatling together and a little Childe shall lead them The sucking Childe shall play on the hole of the Asp and the weaned Childe put his hand on the Cockatrice den They shall not hurt nor destroy on all my holy Mountain For the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea Philop. This is an excellent state of the Church indeed Philotheus Sophr. Psal. 87.3 Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God Philoth. Isa. 2.2 c. Again chap. 2. And it shall come to passe in the last days that the Mountain of the Lord's House shall be established on the top of the mountains and shall be exalted above the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it And many people shall go and say Come ye and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the House of the God of Iacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths For out of Sion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Ierusalem And he shall judge amongst the Nations and rebuke many people and they shall beat their swords into plough-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more O house of Iacob will the Nations say come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord. Sophr. Like that concerning the new Ierusalem in the Apocalypse And the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it Apoc. 21.24 and the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory unto it Philoth. But that of the Apocalypse seems more expresly to allude to that of the 60 th of Isay Ver. 1 c. Arise O Sion shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee For behold the darkness shall cover the Earth and gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightness of thy rising And at the latter end of that Chapter The Sun shall be no more thy light by day Ver. 19 21 22. neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory Thy people also shall be all righteous they shall inherit the Land for ever the Branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in its time Sophr. I believe to this time also may belong that of Isay 30. Isa. 30.26 Moreover the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven days in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroke of their wound As also that of Zacharie Zach. 12.8 In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Ierusalem and he that is feeble amongst them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Euist. The Hebrew has it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where Drusius renders 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sicut Dii understanding thereby Angels Bath John 1.11 As it is said in S t. Iohn that to as many as believed on him he gave power to become the sons of God And our Saviour Matt. 11.11 though he declared that among them that were born of women there had not risen a greater then Iohn the Baptist yet notwithstanding saith he he that is least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater then he Philoth. That is a shrewd Note of Bathynous his upon the Testimonie of our Saviour touching Iohn and such as should urge a man to search deep into his own Conscience as well as it will instruct him how little hitherto there has been of the Kingdome of God in the World But in the mean time Philopolis I think it is pretty plain already what in the general the state of the Church will be in those glorious Times we speak of viz. That there will be spiritual Strength and Righteousness and Peace and Ioy and Security from Wars within the Church and from any Persecution of God's people This for the Quality of the Church VII The Extent thereof But for its Extent it is insinuated that it will be exceeding large as if it would spread over the face of the whole Earth Isa. 11.9 For it is said The Earth shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea and that is far and wide And again that the Mountain of the Lord's House shall be established on the top of the mountains Chap. 2.2 and that all Nations shall flow unto it Also in that expression A little one shall become a thousand Chap. 60.22 and a small one a strong Nation c. To which you may adde what is foretold by Daniel chap. 2.32 And the Stone that smote the Image became a great Mountain and filled the whole Earth And again chap. 7.26 But the Iudgement shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it to the end And the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdome under the whole Heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome and all Dominions shall serve and obey him Accordingly as those voices in Heaven do declare upon the sounding of the seventh Trumpet Apoc. 11.15 The Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Philop. These things Philotheus in the general are very plain and clear But are there not more particular Prefigurations in the Prophetical Writings touching the state of the Church you now discourse of Will the one and twentieth Chapter of the Apocalypse afford no more Particularities then thus Philoth. Probably it may VIII A more particular description of the
another place where God is said to bring Abraham forth abroad and to say unto him Gen. 15.5 Look now towards Heaven and tell the Stars if thou be able to number them for so shall thy seed be And in the same Chapter a deep sleep falling upon Abraham at the going down of the Sun and an horrour of great darkness seising upon him the Lord said unto him in a Vision Gen. 15.13 c. Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a Land that is not theirs and shall serve them and they shall afflict them four hundred years And also that Nation whom they shall serve will I judge and afterwards shall they come out with great substance And thou shalt go to thy Fathers in peace thou shalt be buried in a good old age But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again that is to the Land of Canaan For the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full And in the seventeenth Chapter more expresly touching that Land And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after thee the Land wherein thou art a stranger all the Land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and I will be their God And upon Abraham's willingness to offer up Isaac the first Promise made to him has a very high and pompous Ratification Chap. 22. By my self have I sworn saith the Lord For because thou hast done this thing and hast not withheld thy son thine onely son That in blessing I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the Stars of the Heaven and as the sand that is on the Sea-shore and thy seed shall possess the gate of his Enemies And in thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed because thou hast obey'd my voice Hyl. You have produced abundant testimonies of God's timely Promise to Abraham O Philotheus but in what considerations do you conceive it to have been performed Philoth. The Numerousness of Abraham's Offspring is notorious even in the more carnal sense For the people of the Iews properly so called are very numerous not onely in the Turkish Empire but in Christendome it self as Travellers observe Besides that vast plenty of Abraham's bloud that may run in the veins of Nations of a disguised name as amongst the Turks and did amongst the Saracens without disguise not to adde all Christendome to which in a better and more mystical sense the completion of the Promise is applicable For all Christians in this sense are the seed of Abraham How will then the seed of Abraham be multiplied when all the Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of Christ the son of Abraham and how compleatly will then that be fulfilled And in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed which has in a good measure been fulfilled in all Christendome already And what-ever is commendable in the Morality or Religion of the Turks it is plain they owe it to Moses or Christ. And what-ever was illustrious and laudable amongst the Heathen Nations heretofore in Vertue and Philosophy the first seeds are credibly conceived to have been fetched from the posterity of Israel Euist. The ancient Fathers harp much upon that string as if Pythagoras and the wisest Philosophers of Greece had all from that Fountain Bath I and the marvellous applicability of that ancient Philosophy to the three first Chapters of the first Book of Moses which are all Philosophicall does wonderfully ratifie that Conjecture of the Fathers Cuph. But that Vision of Abraham at the going down of the Sun has an interpretation and completion more express touching the affliction of his offspring in Egypt and their redemption from that bondage after four hundred years saving that it was penn'd after the Event Bath That in my judgement O Cuphophron is a very disingenuous Exception whenas you see so plainly that those Prophecies also are verified that reach some thousands of years beyond the time of Moses By this cavill Moses should have omitted all Predictions whose Completion was before his own time nor have recorded either the Dreams of Pharaoh or of Ioseph himself Philoth. Indeed Cuphophron this fetch of yours is over-fine and witty and next to the distrusting of the whole History of Moses But the truth of the Prophecies that point at Events some thousands of years after Moses's time countenances also the History As in that notable Prophecy of Iacob Gen. 49.10 The Sceptre shall not depart from Iudah nor a Lawgiver from between his feet till Shiloh come and unto him shall the gathering of the people be Which Prophecy plainly points at the time of the coming of the Messias and Conversion of the Nations to him which fell out accordingly Philop. It is very true Philotheus Philoth. But that also is very wonderful and observable which Saint Paul intimates XXI Historicall Types of what was to befall Christ and his Church As the Sufferings of Joseph and his Exaltation that the Actions and Accidents that befell the seed of Abraham are Prophetick Types touching Christ and his Church It were an endless business to number up all but not amiss to give you an instance or two As the Conspiracy of the chief of Iacob's Family against Ioseph their brother to put him to death Gen. 37.19 Behold this Dreamer cometh Come now therefore let us slay him A fit Figure of the Conspiracy of the Scribes and Pharisees and the Rulers against Christ who by Divine Revelation knew himself to be the Messias as well as Ioseph by his Dreams was fore-advertised that he should be exalted to that honour that his Father and Mother and Brethren should bow down themselves to the Earth to him and worship him as his Father declared from his Dream of the Sun and the Moon and the eleven Stars doing obeisance to him And from the Dream of the Sheaves his brethren said unto him Gen. 37.8 Shalt thou indeed reign over us Wherefore for these things they envied him to the death But after his Sufferings his descent into the pit and his garments dipt in bloud which are not unsignificant of the death and burial of our Saviour Christ he was not onely raised out of the pit again but highly advanced into the Political Heaven in the Court of Pharaoh which bears an Analogie to the Ascension of Christ and his Apotheosis For as even those that crucified Christ after adored him as the Son of God so those that conspired the death of Ioseph after did the lowliest obeisance to him and as Iacob speaks in the interpretation of his son's Dream they bowed themselves down to the Earth before him And also as the death of Christ tended to the Salvation even of them that crucified him so that Conspiracy against Ioseph and the Affliction they brought him into proved at last the Conservation of the Conspiratours And lastly as it is said of Christ Isa. 53.10 When thou shalt make
his Soul an Offering for sin he shall see his seed he shall prolong his days Gen. 50.22 23. so it is said of Ioseph that he lived an hundred and ten years and that he saw Ephraim's children of the third generation the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Ioseph's knees Wherefore the great increase of the Children of Israel after Ioseph's sufferings by his brethren in the Land of Egypt is a Type of the great increase of the Disciples of Christ or his Church after his Passion Resurrection and Ascension in the Roman Empire which till their deliverance in the time of Constantine was to them an house of sore bondage and unsupportable affliction as the Land of Egypt was to the children of Israel till their deliverance by Moses And Egypt from hence has ever remained a Type of such Powers as are the Persecuters of the Children of God Whence it is also applied to the Pagano-christian Tyranny of the Pope in the Revelation of S t. Iohn Philop. XXII The Paschal Lamb and the Israelites passage through the Red Sea Truly Philotheus what you say seems not to me any-thing hard or incongruous But methinks there is no Type so significant of the Sacrifice of Christ's Passion as that of the Paschal Lamb whose bloud being sprinkled on the posts of the doors of the Israelites saved their first-born which some make a Type of the Soul from the destroying Angel Philoth. You say right Philopolis it is a most palpable Prefiguration of the Crucifixion of the Lamb of God that was to take away the sins of the world by virtue of his bloud and so to work Salvation for us But what think you of Pharaoh and his host's being overthrown in the Red Sea is that nothing Typical of the bloud of Christ Philop. In all likelihood it is and signifies our Redemption from the bondage of Sin and the Devil by the bloud of our Saviour Is there any thing more in it Philoth. It is manifestly applied in the Apocalypse to the escape of the Reformed Churches out of the bondage of the Roman Pharaoh the Pope For I pray you tell me Philopolis who can those be that are said to have gotten the victory over the Beast Apoc. 15.2 and over his Image and over his Mark and over the number of his Name but such as have renounced Popery and are redeemed from the Tyranny of that Church and Empire Philop. I must confess Philotheus I have not read Interpreters upon that Book with so ill success but that I am fully satisfied of that and therefore will easily admit that Reformed Christendome is concerned in that Description But these Philopolis are said to stand before a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire Apoc. 15.2 3 4. and having the Harps of God to sing the Song of Moses the servant of God and the Song of the Lamb saying Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God almighty Iust and true are thy ways thou King of Saints Who shall not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name For thou onely art holy for all Nations shall worship before thee for thy Iudgements are made manifest Philop. I cannot deny but that hereby is meant the Judgement of the Whore or little Horn with eyes begun in the Reformation and that this Song of Moses refers to that of the Israelites upon the destruction of Pharaoh and his Chariots in the Red Sea But is there any mention here of the Red Sea it self Philotheus Philoth. Yes manifestly Philopolis It is said in that Song of Moses which the Israelites sung Exod. 15.8 The flouds stood upright as an heap and the depths were congealed in the midst of the Sea that is to say the Red Sea became as Ice for its fixedness and transparency And here it is called a Sea of Glass for the same reason Are these Metaphors so different Philop. Hugely congenerous O Philotheus Philoth. And in that it is said to be a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire that in the letter may allude either to the colour of the Sand that shined through the water and some kinde of Red you know is called Colour de feu or to the fiery appearance of the Angel that shined into it as they passed through it by night Philop. This I must acknowledge is ingenious But well what then Philotheus Suppose this Sea of Glass the Red Sea in what sense is the Italian Pharaoh and his host said to be overthrown in this Sea of Bloud Philoth. Justification by Faith in the bloud of Christ for the remission of sins in opposition to enslaving Penances and hypocritical Good works in which consisted much the trade of that City of Merchandises this is the Red Sea wherein the Roman Pharaoh and his Chariots and horsemen were overthrown in their pursuit after the Israel of God those that bore the brunt of the first Reformation Bath And if their Successours on their part will fill up the Mystery of the Sea of Glass mingled with Fire in the more inward sense thereof that is to say in virtue of Christ's bloud and spirit which is compared to fire will perfect righteousness in the fear of God 1 Cor. 10.2 and not onely be baptized in the cloud and in the sea as the Apostle speaks alluding to their passage through the Red sea in the exteriour meaning but will drink the bloud of Christ in the true participation thereof and be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire to the consuming all Hypocrisie and wickedness out of their hearts I do not doubt but their conquests against Pharaoh and his hosts will be infinitely more great and glorious then ever As it is said of the Israelites by Balaam when the King of the Moabites would have had him to curse them He hath not beheld iniquity in Iacob Num. 23.21 neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel and then it follows The Lord their God is with them and a shout of a King is among them Ver. 24. Behold the people shall rise up as a great Lion and lift up himself as a young Lion he shall not lie down till he eat of the prey and drink the bloud of the slain Num. 24.6 8. As the valleys are they spred forth as a Garden by the River's side which the Lord hath planted as the Cedars beside the waters God brought him forth out of Egypt he hath as it were the strength of an Vnicorn He shall eat up the Nations his enemies and shall break their bones and pierce them through with his arrows This success attends the uprightness and integrity of the Israelites of the Old Covenant and the same in Analogie is to be expected in the New Philop. XXIII The brazen Serpent the Tabernacle High-priest and whole Camp of Israel a Type of Christ and his Church True Bathynous But to return to the Prophetick Types touching the Bloud of Christ methinks there is nothing more
thus For they have shed the bloud of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them bloud to drink for they are worthy Cuph. Methinks Philotheus it is but an harsh and strained sense of Scripture that fetches out bloud The Spirit of God surely breaths out more Meekness and mercifulness Bath There is a Meekness and Sweetness of the natural Complexion which would pretend to that Divine Spirit but falls as short of it as Nature does of God and is a Softness over-usually accompanied with a Falsness and Perfidiousness to all Truth and Vertue and betrays all that ought to be dear to a man his Prince his Friend his Country and all What Rigour or unmercifulness was there in slaying the Spaniards at Sea that would have destroy'd our Land with fire and sword if they could as they intended have made an Invasion What Harshness in executing such persons as would traitorously have murthered the King or Queen Such Mercy as this is like that of the wicked Pro. 12.10 which as Solomon saies is Cruelty it self Cuph. Nay Bathynous as you represent the case I am abundantly convinced Philoth. And so you may well be from the very Text it self For the Angel of the Waters his justification of this Revenge is onely touching the Rivers that is Emissary forces that come to assault others and ruine them Surely defensive Opposition in so just a Cause and the paying them thus in their own Coin has with it all the Equity imaginable And therefore this passage is not at all misbecoming the Spirit of God Philop. I am fully of your mind in that Philotheus and those Reformed Churches that can doe that right to themselves by propulsing their Enemies I think they may thank God for the good condition they are in But we are advanced no higher in the Vials as yet Philotheus are we Philoth. No surely not in that more externall and Politicall sense But I know not whether in some other sense we may And assuredly the Apocalypse has its eye upon Religious accounts as well as Politicall I mean the Propheticall Iconisms sometimes have not onely a Politicall sense but a more Spiritual and it may be sometimes onely such Philop. In the mean time I am not a little pleased Philotheus that I know whereabout we are in this Politicall sense which methinks should be as desirable to be known by all that have any thing to doe with the affairs of the Kingdome of God as it would be to the Pilot of a Ship on the main Ocean to know in what Longitude and Latitude he is You have led me through my Three first Quere's Philotheus with much delight and satisfaction Let me now intreat you to give your self the trouble of instructing me touching the last Cuph. XXXVIII Philopolis his last Quere deferr'd till next day's meeting Truly if I have any aime or presage in me Philopolis if Philotheus fall upon your last Quere thus late he will not onely give himself but also you and the rest of the company the trouble of sitting up all night Philoth. Indeed Philopolis I fear my self that that Theme will so spread it self in the entring into it that it will require at least as long a time as we have spent already Philop. This is a sad distraction and unexpected that I am cast into Philotheus To desire you to goe on would be both uncivil and unsupportable to you and the whole company To leave off would be such a torment to my desire of seeing to the end of this great Theorie and a loss so irreparable that I have not the patience to think of it Cuph. Why then Philopolis is it not a plain case that you must stay in town to morrow Philop. I must so Cuphophron whatever becomes of my Country affairs I will lie at a friend's house by the way on Sunday and on Monday I shall be pretty timely at home Cuph. Very well resolved Philopolis But I will not thank you for this Dine but with me here in this Arbour for now you cannot say you are pre-engaged and for that honour you and this company shall doe me I shall heartily thank you You may begin your Discourse with Philotheus immediately after Dinner and gain an hour or two's time Philop. How ready and skilfull Cuphophron is to entrap men into the acceptance of a Civility If you will give your Parol that you will make us a right frugal and Philosophicall entertainment I will dine with you to morrow because I see you so earnest in it Cuph. XXXIX The Conclusion with the Song of Moses and the Lamb sung to the Theorbo by Bathynous I promise you I will not at all exceed In the mean time this Glass of Canarie to you till our next meeting Philop. Not a drop I thank you Cuphophron A Fit of Musick rather according to your Pythagorick mode to compose our minds to bedward For indeed it is late though I was loth to think so when I would have had Philotheus to proceed in his discourse Sophr. Bathynous play us the other Lesson I pray you Philopolis desires it And but a short one it being so late Here take the Theorbo Bath It seems I must the second time shew my unskilfulness You shall sing Sophron and I will play a thorough Base to it Sophr. What shall I sing I have neither Song nor Voice Bath Yes but you have the Song of Moses and of the Lamb. Sophr. The onely piece of Poetry that I was ever guilty of in all my life My zeal and love for the Reformation was the Muse that with much adoe once inspired those humble Rhymes which I can onely repeat not sing at all Bath If you cannot Sophron I can And the Lute I think is pretty well in tune Philoth. I pray you do Bathynous Bath Great and marvellous are Thy works Lord God of Might Thou Sovereign of Saints Thy ways are just and right Who shall not fear thee Lord And glorifie thy Name Thou onely Holy art Thine Acts no tongue can stain All Nations shall adore Thy Iudgements manifest Thy holy Name implore And in thy Truth shall rest Philop. That is all Nations shall be converted to the pure Truth of the Gospel and rest satisfied at the length in so solid and unexceptionable a Religion Sophr. I meant so Philopolis Philop. A very good meaning and a very sutable Song for this day 's Subject I pray God hasten that time to the comfort of the whole Earth I must abruptly bid you all good night for the present and see if I can dispatch a Letter home by this night's Post. But I shall keep promise with Cuphophron and am not a little joy'd that I shall once more enjoy this excellent society before I leave the Town Cuph. It is our happiness that we have detain'd you one night longer Philoth. Good night dear Philopolis I shall meet you here according to your expectation Philop. In the mean time dear Philotheus good night
prospect I shall pray Thy Kingdome come with a more peculiar Emphasis for this day's Instruction Philotheus then ever I have done hitherto in all my life But that I may doe it with the greater Plerophorie I pray you proceed to the next Point and declare the Grounds of this your so glorious hope Philoth. Why XII What Grounds of hopes out of Scripture for that glorious state of the Church to come are you at a loss Philopolis for the Grounds of this hope when you have heard so many Prophecies assuring you of it Philop. But who knows Philotheus but that they may be conditional and may take effect onely according to the uncertainty of our will Philoth. That implies as if these things depended on our merit But the great Affairs of the World and such as are the chief Objects of Divine Prediction do not hang on such weak hindges There is a Fate assuredly O Philopolis there is a Divine Fate and irresistible Counsell of God Almighty that maugre all that can be done by men or Devils must take effect in its season Jer. 2.24 The wilde Asse in the wilderness snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure who can turn her away They that seek her will not weary themselves after her in her month they shall finde her And David foretells Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power Psalm 110.3 Ezek. 37.3 Son of man can these bones live saith God to Ezekiel in the Valley of dead mens bones But he answered with reverence O Lord thou knowest insinuating that it was in his power whether he would make them live or no. But you know when once God had commissioned the Prophet to prophesie on the dead bones Ver. 4 5. and to say unto them O ye dry bones hear the word of the Lord Behold I will cause breath to enter into you and you shall live the effect did most certainly follow For there was a noise and a shaking Ver. 7 8. and the bones came together bone to his bone and they were straightway covered with sinews flesh and skin And so when he had said Ver. 9 10. Come from the four winds O breath and breathe upon these slain the breath came into them and they lived and stood up upon their feet an exceeding great Armie Was there ever any case more hard and desperate then this Philop. I doubt not but God can if he will bring up such a glorious state of things as are prophesied of but that our demerits may put a stop to it Philoth. Such vast Oecumenicall favours as these Philopolis are not dispensed according to our Merits but according to the free Counsell of God Hear what the same Prophet saith to the house of Israel Ezek. 36.22 23. Thus saith the Lord I doe not this for your sakes O house of Israel but for my holy Name 's sake that I may not be blasphemed amongst the Nations I will sanctifie my great Name which is profaned among the Heathen and the Heathen shall know that I am the Lord saith the Lord God when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes Ezek. 36.25 26 27. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stonie heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Iudgements and doe them What think you of this Language Philopolis And there are many such Expressions in the Prophets Philop. I must ingenuously confess that I think that such National or Oecumenicall Mutations of things for the best do not depend on our Merits or Free-will For so far as I see here God gives both to will and to doe according to his own Counsell and the Predictions of his holy Prophets that his Providence may not be suspected nor his Name reproched amongst Unbelievers Sophr. The description of the New Covenant in Ieremie is also according to this tenour Jer. 31.33 34. After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people What out of any Merits of theirs No but merely out of his own good pleasure For I will forgive their iniquities saith he and I will remember their sins no more Bath The Souls of men at last for the eternal High-priest's sake return into their Sabbatism of spiritual Rest. Philoth. Besides this Philopolis see what a causeless thing this is thus to mistrust Divine Providence who has so steddily and peremptorily carried things on hitherto according to the Predictions of the Prophets touching the Affairs of his Church as you have heard all along from the beginning to this very day Not to take notice of those things before our Saviour's Ascension and his sending down the Holy Ghost according to promise Apoc. 6.12 consider how punctually the six Seals are accomplished and in the sixth the Victory of Michael over the Dragon when under Constantine the Roman Empire became Christian. An Event out of the reach or ken of any mortal eye to foresee onely our Saviour the onely-begotten of God foretold it his followers in that saying Fear not Luk. 12.32 little flock it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdome Consider also the distinct Accomplishment of the six Trumpets during the succession of which according to Divine foresight and prediction there was the Virgin-company or the Woman in the wilderness and the mournfull prophetick Witnesses as well as the two and ten-horned Beasts and the Whore of Babylon or the false Prophet And how in the last Half-time Apoc. 11.11 12. or Half-day within the blast of the sixth Trumpet there was a great Earthquake and the slain Witnesses rose and to the admiration of the beholders in despight of all the Persecutions of that Man of Sin ascended gloriously into Heaven by the late Reformation in severall Kingdoms and Principalities Are not these very great things O Philopolis Philop. They are so indeed Philotheus Philoth. And such as are plainly set down in that admirable Book of Divine Fate For it is expresly written For God has put in their hearts to fulfill his will Apoc. 17.17 and to agree and give their Kingdome unto the Beast untill the words of God shall be fulfilled that is to say till the times be accomplished foretold by the Prophet Daniel Dan. 7.25 till the seventh Semi-time be expiring Then there will be amongst the ten Horns those that will hate the Whore Apoc. 17.16 and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire that is shall abolish the Papal power and
Philop. Cuphophron will have his conceit on every thing be it never so serious Let him call it what he will I pray you Philotheus reade it leisurely and distinctly Philoth. XXXVIII Theomanes his Vision of the seven Thunders I shall Philopolis The Title is The space of the seventh Trumpet dividing it self into the seven Thunders with their previous Coruscations in order as follows It begins with a straight stroke and broken line abruptly after this manner And the first Coruscation cast forth its Light which shone from one end of the Heaven to the other Whereupon a most dreadfull Thunder uttered its voice insomuch that the Earth shook and trembled and shrunk under it Wherewithall the Clouds were discharged of a most noisome and prodigious Rain of Bloud of Fire of Hail and infectious Dust with other such like Plagues of Egypt insomuch that men were exceedingly tormented and enraged by reason of the intolerableness of the Plagues Philop. This I believe is but a more broken and confused Representation of the Effusion of the seven Vials or of something synchronall thereto As you have already declared that the seven Vials are Synchronall to the first Thunder Philoth. It may be so Philopolis Philop. But I pray you go on I shall not again interrupt you Philoth. After this I looked up and behold in the East a large white Cloud which came sailing as it were with a cool and refreshing gale of wind toward an exceeding high Mountain at a certain distance from which the second Coruscation discharged it self from this Cloud Whereupon I heard a more chearfull Thunderclap re-echoing through the Air and the Cloud breaking a-pieces I saw a most glorious City lightly descending carried in the stream of this cool breeze obliquely downward and so settling at last on the Top of this high Mountain But I had not long fed mine eyes with so beautifull a Sight when unexpectedly from over the City a bright Coruscation broke forth so great and so glorious from the pure Sky that the light of the Heavens was sevenfold more clear then the light of the Sun Upon which immediately I heard from thence the voice of the third Thunder and thereupon as it were the voice of a Man tunable and articulate saying Hallelujah Apoc. 19.6 The Lord reigneth And suddenly after a whole Quire of voices seconded this first Voice saying Hallelujah Psalm 87.3 Glorious things are spoken of thee O thou City of God The Mountain of the Lord's House is established on the top of the Mountains Isa. 2.2 and all Nations flow unto it Apoc. 21.24 The Nations of them that are saved walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their glory and honour unto it Hallelujah Which Heavenly and enravishing Melodie was heard from the Holy City for the space of four hours After this I cast mine eyes toward the West and I saw a large Cloud of two colours black and pitchy on the West part thereof and of a bright shining colour toward the East And lo of a sudden the fourth Thunder uttered its voice from the West-side of the Cloud and discharged it self upon certain hollow Rocks and Mountains tearing them a-pieces and rending open their infernall Caverns While in the mean time there issued out on the East-side a strong Wind but pure and refreshing which dividing into severall parts that turned round became so many innocuous Whirl-winds of sincere Air tinctured onely with a cool refreshing smell as if it had passed over some large field of Lilies and Roses Which Whirl-winds moved from man to man lifting them somewhat from the Earth and so letting them easily down again but left a Mark upon the Bodies of every one they thus lifted and a sweet Savour on themselves and on their Garments And the number of them thus lifted and marked is the number of the Companies of the Lamb and their number was 1728. But in the Western part of Heaven the Air was ill-sented by reason of the Fumes from those dark Caves out of which were seen to come many direfull and dismall Forms with part of their melted Chains which the Thunder-clap had broke a-pieces hanging upon their bodies Which Hellish Shapes ran up and down after men upon the face of the Earth catching them and breathing upon them a poisonous breath that corrupted their bodies and made them look black and deformed like Devils But the lifted Companies were too light-footed for them neither had they any power over them because they bore the Mark of the Lamb upon their bodies These things I saw under the voice of the fourth Thunder After which I beheld and lo the whole Heaven was overcast with Clouds especially toward the bottom And immediately the fifth Thunder uttered its voice And there was a re-echoing noise round about the Heavens like the beating of Drums Whereupon I saw innumerable Armies of men from the four Quarters of the Earth marching up toward the Holy City to lay close Siege unto it Apoc. 20.9 And they encompassed the Camp of the Saints round about And I was in an exceeding great fear and trembling But in the midst of this solicitude there came a large flash of Lightening from the East which shone unto the West and the sixth Thunder uttered its voice And I saw the Clouds rent from the Horizon upwards and they were parted toward the North and toward the South like the Curtains of an opened Tent or Canopie Whereupon a marvellous Light sprung up very fast from that quarter and the voice of the Thunder was immediately drowned with a terrible sound of a Trumpet which filled the whole Concave of the Heavens and made the Ground tremble under mens feet Apoc. 20.11 And lo there suddenly appeared a great white Throne arched like a Rain-bow with the Son of man sitting upon it with glory and great majesty from whose face the Earth and Heavens fled away and there was found no place for them And the dead all appeared before the Tribunal of God and the Books were opened And they whose names were written in the Book of Life their strength was renew'd unto them and they mounted up with wings like Eagles and associated themselves with the Angels of God But the Hypocrites and Prophane were condemned whose hearts grew more heavy then lead and became the dregs and sediment of the World Fear and Despair sinking them down while Joy and Assurance lifted up the Sincere into those more defecate Mansions For the whole Sky was filled with Myriads of myriads of Shapes in this great Compearance where the purer Spirits ascended upwards and the more gross were precipitated downwards by the stupendious operation of the great Refiner of the Universe And I saw the Good perfectly separated from the Wicked and the King of Glory rise from his Throne And this general Assises was turned suddenly into a Triumphal Pomp to the Godly they marching orderly in the open Sky with the