come Ye know not wâ—en the time is But 〈◊〉 it is not farre of we are sure So Paul teacheth To admonisâ— vs vpon whom the ends of the world are come Saint Iohn is as plaine It is the last time Augustine saith vnto Hesychius who was curiously inquisitiue of the worldes end That he dare not giue the aduenture to measure the length and the scope theref seeing the Angels and Sonne of man himselfe are ignorant hereof But in his first â—ocke vppon Genesis against the Manichies hee giueth sixe ages to the life of the worlde as the life of man is disposed and diuided into seuerall sundrie ages through which as his life passe so the life of the worlde goeth away By casting the worlde into sire ages hee followeth the set number of dayes which were sire wherein the whole forme and frame of heauen and earth were made and finished The first age is the time from Adam to Noah or to the stood which hee compareth to our infancie The seconde is all the time from the flood to Abrahams dayes which hee likeneth to our childehoode The third is all the time from Abraham to Dauid which he suteth to our youthfull age The fourth is all the time from Dauid to the transportation of the people into Babylon which is answerable to our mans estate The fift is all the time from the captiuitie to the Incarnation of Christ which hath reference is our olde age The sixt is all the time from Christ to the verie ende it selfe which is our decrepit estate and condition which is called by Saint Iohn The last houre After which followeth the seauenth day euen the Sabboth of our endlesse rest But in regarde of the notable chaunges thereof the worlde may be drawne to a narrower roome and more simplie be destributed into foure ages onely The first is the time from the Creation to the Flood which wee may rightly tearme the infancie and Child-hoode of the worlde for that theu Artes were first founde out and that with the first principles and promises of saluation the godly were satisfied and they worshipped God after a simple and plaine manner The second from the Flood extendeth it selfe to the promulgation and publication of the Lawe which for verie good causes wee may woorthily call the youthfull age of it For then were men farre and wide diuided throughout all partes of the earth Common-wealths were first founded and the beginning of the first Monarchie instituted and the couenant of saluation by God with Abraham our father indented the linage and descent of the Messiah designed and our vniuersall redemption in the deliuerance of the Israelites from the Egyptian thraldome typicallie represented The thirde age comprehendeth the whole time that was spent vnder the time of the Lawe vnto the comming of our Sauiour in the flesh as wee finde it diuided by our Sauiour Christ himselfe saying The Lawe and the Prophets are vnto Iohn c. That was the ripe age and manhoods of the Worlde it being then come to his perfect growth for then came in Magna Charta the plenarie enrolment of the will of God making the consignement of the promises of God by sundrye Ceremonies and opening them at large by the Commentaries of the Prophets Nowe as sorrowes encrease with yeares and the full age hath fulnesse of troubles accompanying it so manie perturbations did fall vppon these tymes and the whole worlde was as it were set vppon Wheeles and vp and downe rolled with tragicall commâ—tions The fourth age ranne vppon the necke of this wherein the Senne of God in flesh was manifested which to the consummation of the worlde shall be continued This as wee noted before out of Iohn is called The last houre otherwise called by the Apostle Paul to the same effect The fulnesse of time so tearmed because all the promises of God excepting the generall resurrection and iudgement are absolutely fulfilled and shall make a full end of the Worlde Nowe it agreeth fulâ—ie with the nature of olde age For as olde men can not liue long though young men may die soone and they spende their remainder of time with cares infirmityes and diseases enough so wee can not promise to the worlde beeing in his olde age any long continuance or that it shall bee better then it is but rather that the age of it shall bee more burdensome vnto it and make it to be worsser This knowledge howsoeuer sufficient for vs satisfieth not others folishly curious ayming at the verie exact time of his dissolution by these â—riuolous coniectures These haue found out a simple shift for themselues to answer Christs words The day and houre knoweth no man instnuating that we may haue a gesse at the time though wée knowe not the nicke and exact part of the time But their sophistrie will not serue theÌ„ For Christs â—â—plie to the â—psie quâ—stion of the Apostles in these words It is not for you to know the times cutleth off their cauilling â—â—stinction of time it beeing in the Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Times and seasons wherefore their cunning commeth out of time Neither will that out of Mathew doe them good whereby they would take a measure of the time when 〈◊〉 world should haue 〈◊〉 in these words And this Gospell of the kingdome shall bee preached thorough the whole world for a witnes to all natiâ—ns and then shall the end come Augustine answereth them thus the Lords comming shal not be vntill the Gospell be dispersed throughout the world But how soone he shal come after this is thus published it is not from hence gathered The Gospel was generally notified to the world in the Apostles time who by their coÌ„tinual tedious perambulations had sent the sound thereof into all lands as Paul in his letter to the Colossians writeth thus Which is come vnto you euen as it is vnto all the world and is fruitful as it is also among you and yet euer since the world hath continued But there are many relie vpon idle dreames as vpon familiar deuiles The Mathematicians doe looke for a great yeere as Cicero sheweth after which al the starres shal returne to their beginnings and then the end of the world shal be Baldus in Cicero putteth in this spoake This conuersion howe long it will bée is a great question but it is necessarily certaine and definite Macrobius out of the opinion of naturall philosophers doth set downe a great yeere which hee calleth the worldes yeere Making it to confist of fiftéene thousand yeeres as the Sunne measureth them Augustine acquainteth vs with the fancies of some in his time who assigned fower hundred yéeres after the assention of Christ vnto heauen of others who â—â—crâ—ed fiue huÌ„dred of others who spake of a thousand after the expiration whereof the world should haue an absolute vastation But their vttermost prefixed time hauing long beene out of date their vaine assertions are sufficiently reproued
Others there are that are carried away with oracle deriued from the traditions of the Hebrewes which they would beare vs in hand they had learned of Elias and out of his schoole house and restraine the worlds duration to 〈◊〉 thousand of yéeres which they to part equally into these 〈…〉 1. Two thousand spent be oâ—e the time of the law 2. Two thousand vnder the law 〈◊〉 3. The last two thousand to the kingdome of Christ depâ—ted so as 〈◊〉 â—eeing the yeere of grace reuealed 1603. as it pleaseth learned men so suppâ—te this is the fiue thousand fiue hundreth 〈◊〉 eight yeere of the worldes age So that of this account there 〈◊〉 yee foure hundred â—eeres to be consummased This reckoning hath â—â—nne the more currantly in that they applie these six thousand yeeres to the six dates wherin God created yâ— worldâ— inasmuch as the Prophet saith A thousand yeers in thy sight are as yesterday and it â—â—in Peter One day is with the Lord as a thousâ—â—d yeers and a thousâ—nd yeers as one day Héereâ—pon they make this interence as in hâ—daâ—es the worlde was 〈◊〉 and in the seauenth wâ—s the sâ—bbath of the Lord wherein hée tested So after six thousand yeeres accomplished the world shall bee â—estâ—oâ—ed and in the seauenth shal our eternal fabbâ—th hee fulfilled and in the eight the puritie of our circumcision reâ—oâ—ed Wee read also of another fraternitie and brotherhoode who â—â—liuer that the â—â—sticali bodie the church shal abide three and thirtie yéeres héere in caâ—th as Christ himselfe 〈◊〉 so long in the bodâ—e which he tooke from the Virgin But they make euery of those â—éeces of a wonderful widenes putting fiftie yéeres to euery one to make euery yere a yéere of Iubilee But this and such like are verâ—e frâ—â—uolous fictions It is naturally engrafted in the mind of man to desire nouelties and to affect strange courses and so see is after a knowledge beyond al sobâ—tetâ—â— to be curiously â—â—quisttiue after â—â—ages to come and carelesly respectiue of such thinges as are present This is the cause why some giue themselves vnto â—â—lawfull artes and 〈◊〉 themselues to be mocked and misled bâ—â—ste Deuill So did Saul who perceiuing God to bee angrie with hâ—m and the hand of the Philistiâ—â—s to be sore vpon him neuer sought vnto God for his Quietus est to haue couÌ„saâ—le or comfort from 〈◊〉 But decâ—â—ous to know the censequent of the case hee deliberated with 〈◊〉 women who draue him headlong to deâ—petation and destruction Such madnesse now blindeth and beâ—â—teâ—eth too manie who by staring vpon the startes will prognositcat the euent and successe of euery yeere and so determine of the estate of it as if they had the heauens water in an brinall with an impudent rashnes denouncing warres fore-promising peace prophisying of maladies in men and beasts giuing vs many good words of a good yéere telling vs a faire tale of the free passage of religion and comprehending in their speculation the perturbations and mutations of all kingdomes In the meane while they let slip greater matters that are certaine reuealed by the scriptures touching faith hope charitie and other godlie duties requisite for a christian man weil to know and to bée familiarly conuersant in which haue no perpleritie or obscuritie in them But in this Article especially which is of the end of the world men at all times haue bene singularly busie and bolde Wheras the prophecies thereof as Augustine well saith are sooner perfected then perceiued This is one of the Deuills notable stratagems and deuises to set our braines a worke with circuler questions endles and fruitles thereby to withdraw our mindes from points of greatest néedfulnes The Apostle toucheth such and willeth the Thessalonians not to héede them that drop into their eares the present comming of Iesus Christ in glory Our age haue brought forth men of no base learning who in their bookes and sermons haue bene ouer sawcie and malipert in this matter as if they had bene furnished with heauenly reuelations and as if God had familliarly talked with them as the father deth with the childâ— Now what heinous and detestable boldnes is this to affect such a metaphisicall and supereminent knowledge which goeth beyond the wisdome of angells and the wisdome of the sonne of man as he is barely the sonne of man So wée be wise vnto saluation wée must content our selues with that which the word deliuereth vs and séeke no other scholmaâ—ster no though it were an angell I care not what any Angell saith if he take not his text from the written word of God which wée haue with vs. That which wée say of an Angel is to be vnderstode likewise of the spirites of those that are departed as the historie of the rich man and Lazarus sheweth who putting vp his bil of request vnto AbrahaÌ„ that some doctor out of another world from the company of the dead might be sent to preach vnto his brethren hée was denied his sute and tolde that Moses and the Prophets were sufficient and that if they could not reclaime them their case was incurable this his new found affected monster could doe no good vpon them What néed haue we to séene beyond the scriptures for any thing belonging to the worke of our saluation when as Paul saith an Angell is not to bee credâ—ted but so farre as he commeth with scripture The obiect and subiect of the word being Christ how should it not be stored with all kinde of wisdome Who of God is made vnto vs wisdome and righteousnes and santification and redemption The written word of God endited by the spirit is in all numbers absolute as Paul teacheth The whole scripture is giuen by inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to improue to correct and to instruct in righteousnes that the man of God may be absolute being made perfect vnto all good workes It was requisite that this time should be concealed and not discouered to vs. That we might arise the better from that bed of securitie into which wée were cast as Iezabell was cast vpon abedde of fornication Christ taketh vp this argument as an instigation to vs to more forwardnes and faithfullnes in our dutie Watch therefore for yee know not when the maister of the house will come at euen or at midnight at the cocke crowing or in the dawning It is our manner to serue God as lawâ—ers do their cliants with delaies and to put off duties of religion and deuotion to after times promising our selues that wée shall liue long and sée many good daies But while we are in the fashion of the world in Zacharie â—in time of which it is said All the world sitteth still and is at rest the Eccho and answering voice from heauen will be this When they shall say peace and safetie then shall come vpon them sodaine distruction as trauell vpon a woman with child and they
their eyes shall haue better obiect before them their feete shall be exalted aboue the cloudes and the whole bodie shall be mantled with immortalitie as sayeth Chrysostome If to infringe this which hath beene deliuered any shall obiect this saying of the Apostle Flesh and blood cannot inherite the Kingdome of God and so inferre hereupon that the bodies of men shall not rise againe we answer them thus that by fleth and blood is not meant the bodies of men simply but as they are now in the state of corruption that which the Apostle calleth animale corpus The fleshly man or the earthly man and what soeuer is of nature without the spirite which being depraued and corrupted must needes be renued Wherefore Christ said to Nicodemus vnles a man be regenerate and borne a new he cannot enter into the kingdome of God The vnregenerate man is called Flesh therefore Christ immediatly after the former words said That which is borne of the flesh is flesh wherefore of force wee must be regenerated neither onely the flesh the bodie or a part of the minde is to be renued which couetteth and is angry but especially the reason the minde the will And Christ else where teacheth that the whole man as he is in the state of nature is called flesh and bloud For thus Christ answereth Peter Blessed art thou Simon Bar Iona for flesh and bloud hath not reuealed these thinges but the spirite of my father In which wordes Christ comprehendeth the better parts of the mind For they be those by which we vnderstood and the truth is reuealed vnto vs. Therefore these must be turned and transposed and created a new that we may be as Christ saith like the Angells in resurrection For the infirmitie of this mortall bodie is such as it cannot take the least taste or smack of heauenly glorie as we perceiue in the Prophets and Apostles who were men without soules when at anie time God did appeare vnto them And not without cause said God to Moses Thou canst not see my face neither shall man see me and liue Wherefore the German and right sence of the wordes of the Apostle is this as we are nothing else but flesh and bloud weake mortall sinfull Curuae in terris animae coel est ium in mes wée cannot inherite the kingdome of God Lastly if that of Salomon shall be laid against vs The condition of the children of men and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition and so argue that a man shall rise no more from the dead then a beast we will answere them by Salomon who explaineth himselfe in the words following they are like in dying As the one dieth so dieth the other but in their estate after death they differ of which Salomon speaketh not The sixt Chapter Of the certaintie of the iudgement or the day of doome THe general iudgement being the consecution of the resurrection the end therof yâ— last blast of that shril truÌ„pet giuing this Eccho surgite mortui venite ad IudiciuÌ„ Arise ye dead come to iudgement We are to enter into the tractation hereof in this place This subiect matter though it be of vnquestionable assurance Yet because the schoole of Cyclopical Atheists Epicures carnal minded men is so great who as seâ—pents grouel wholly in the dust only giue themselues to earthly things licking vp this Aphorisme of Socrates the Philosopher Quae supra nos nihil ad nos Those things that are aboue vs appertaine not vnto vs we list to light a candle before the Sun and aswel by scriptures as irrefragable reasons determine the absolute certaintie of this matter 1. The scriptures are plaine and plentifull in the point Hanna the mother of Samuel thus prophecieth hereof saying The Lords aduersaries shall be destroied and out of heauen shall he thunder vpon them the Lord shall iudge the ends of the world and shall giue power vnto his kinge and exalt the horne of his anointed which is Christ Isaiah sermoneth it thus Then shall they goe into the holes of the rockes and into the caues of the earth from before the feare of the Lord and from the glorie of his maiestie when he shall arise to iudge the earth That the prophet by these wordes aimeth at doomes day appeareth by the Angells exposition of the same And the kings of the earth and the great men and the rich men and the cheif captaines and the mighty men and euery bondman and euery free man hid themselues in dennes and among the rockes of the mountaines And said to the mountaines rocks fal on vs and hide vs froÌ„ the presence of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lambe For the great day of his wrath is come and who can stand In another place he preacheth thus Behould the day of the Lord cometh cruell with wrath and fierce anger c. But in another place â—e is most pathetical in the point The lord wil come with fire his charets like a wirlewind that hee may recompence his 〈◊〉 with wrath and his indignatioÌ„ with the flame of fire For the Lord wil iudge with fire and with his sword all flesh Daniel deliuereth the like doome saying And at that time shal Michael stand vp the great prince which staÌ„deth for the childreÌ„ of the people and there shall be a time of trouble such as neuer was since there began to bee a nation vnto that same time and at that time thy people shall be deliuered euery one that shall be found written in the booke And many of them that sleepe in the dust of the earth shall awake some to euerlasting life and some to shame and perpetuall contempt And they that bee wise shall shine as the brightnes of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnes shall shine as the starres for euer and euer Ioel writeth thus of it I will shew wonders in the heauens and in the earth bloud and fire and pillars of smoke The Sunne shall be turned into darknes and the moone into bloud before the great terrible day of the Lord come Zephaniah singeth the same songe with the rest The great day of the Lord is neere it is neere and hasteth greatly euen the voice of the day of the Lord the strong man shall crie there bitterly That day is a day of wrath a day of trouble and heaumes a day of destruction and desâ—lation a day of obscuritie and darknes a day of cloudes and blacknes a day of the trumpet and a â—arume against the strong citties c. Malachie hath also good matter to this purpose The day commeth that shal burne as an ouen and all the proud yea all that do wickedly shal be stuble the day that coâ—meth shall burne them vp saith the Lord of hosts and shall leaue them neither roote nor branch In the new testament we haue verie