A VVARNING TO THE DRAGON AND ALL HIS ANGELS Marke yee this wicked persons yee friends of the vnrighteous MAMMON LVKE XXI Take heed to your selues lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with Surfetting and Drunkennesse and the Cares of this life and so that day come vpon you vnawares For as a SNARE shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole Earth A SNARE O DEUIL Printed M.DC.XXV A GENERALL EPISTLE TO The fold and Flocke of CHRIST and to them that are gone astray that say they are Apostles and Catholiques and are not c. GRace be to you and Peace from God the Father and from our Lord IESUS CHRIST who gaue himselfe for our Sinnes and in the absence of his Body for a remmbrance the Blessed Supper till his second appearing As often as we taste thereof he takes it as a token we are not vnmindfull of his tender mercy that tasted Death it selfe for vs so many melting trials and torments the innocent Lambe for a brood of Vipers whose damme is Death whose sting is Sinne he that washed vs in his owne Blood vnto whome there is no accesse but by Faith Behold hee commeth and euery eye shall see him To him be glory and dominion for euer and euer Amen Jt seemed good vnto me having a perfect vnderstanding giuen mee in these things and the dispensation of them an office not a trade to roote out to pull downe to build and to plant by the grace and bounty of IESUS our Lord God To present this Visitation to your view joyning you together of the first Arke and vniuersall great House vessels of Honor and dishonor some cleane and purified others having need of purging Former things are come to passe and new things I declare vnto you no age so weake nor sex excusing when the Lord shall send and will put his words in their Mouth He powreth out his Spirit vpon his hand-maidens the rich are sent emptie away even so Father for it seemed good in thy sight Pressed and constrained with obedience to him and Duty towards you saying no other things then the Prophets and Apostles did say should come to passe that yee might know the certainty of those things wherein yee haue beene instructed whether you will heare or whether you will forbeare Jt is a salue to annoint and open the eyes of the blinde to bring them that sit in darkenesse a light to leade them out of the Prison-house others by meanes of remembrance whose annoynting long since teacheth them all thinges to stirre them vppe It is a true looking-glasse a large houre-glasse Phisicke for the sicke wholsome for the whole milke for the young and meate for the strong It is vpon Record due an olde debt One and Twenty hun-yeares since Vnto me is giuen this stone to polish vnto me this grace is giuen Jt is as it were a new Song to be sung before the euerlasting Throne a salutation for Strangers and the Brethren if we loue them that loue vs if we salute the Brethren only what doe wee more then others yea but they come at the last houre others hauing borne the heate and burthen of the Day Shall not the lost Son be found againe the Father of these that Blaspheme and are found lyers But in the eye of our weakenesse their prosperitie will weaue the webbe of enuie murmure not at the good-man of the House Is it not lawfull is it no wrong as he will to dispose the riches of his owne goodnesse nay rather may we not all say we are vnprofitable we haue both gon out of the way there is none that doth good no not one nay are not his Iudgements according to truth O man grudge not his grace dispute not his justice But they haue bin and will be to the worlds end our persecutors and slaunderers need they not so much the more our Prayers recompence no man evill for evill Therefore let the Congregations of the faithfull Pray for them poore blind distracted naked wretched people and giue glory to God who hath done away the vaile from these hidden mysteries that hindred our stedfast sight Though to blinde mindes and deafe harts this vaile remaines still vntaken away Wherein for mine owne part J challenge little not so much as those that brought to the Tabernacle guifts of their owne spinning of Blew and other colours But rather to be in the number of those servants that drew out the wonderfull Wine for the Bridegroomes Feast to beare it to the Gouernor and the Guests though to cast in my myte with others J was never vnwilling Finally to those that require a Signe or thinke this Confidence Boasting that high stiles are not steps for the declining age of this weake world to climbe my age of this weake world to climbe my defence is no shorter then free Least any should thinke of me aboue or better then he seeth me to be as others to suspect a forged passe To present you with Pearles of that sort or holy things I forbeare at this time If the debt be paid the secret of the multiplyed oyle is to my selfe Though J shut the Doore or shadow my name I feare no faces smiles nor frownes for the hope of Israel to me no chaines are heauie it is no bought nor stolne fire my ability nor boldnesse extending so high yet a Candle too high mounted for Sathan and all his attempts to blowe it out thriued the Gospell the lesse rejected of the Iewes But all alike hit not the marke they presse forward wranglers started aside like a broken Bowe the match is wonne one Foord is not knowne to all Passengers eleven strikes the clocke saith he twelue saith she doe these contradict those that are not against vs or with vs Antichristians those that are not against vs are with vs Even so glory be to him alone the Set is ours the houre and set time of whose Iudgement is at hand and O Lord remember thy servants Abraham Isaac Iacob looke not to the stubbornnes nor to the wickednes of this People turne their harts preserue thy Church and his victorious Matie to tread downe the power of his enemies our Soveraigne gratious Lord and the Queene annoint them with thy holy Spirit Crowne them with Grace and forren Princes especially the Kings excellent Sister with a happie life here and eternall life hereafter Be gratious to the remnant of IOSEPH heare J beseech thee the Prayer of thy servant The Servant of Iesus Christ O A SVRE DANIEL DANIEL I END AL. Postscript TO maske my name with boldnesse to vnmaske Error J craue no Pardon the manner let none dispise Dreames in times past haue beene interpreted our Fathers in divers manners haue beene spoken vnto the winde bloweth where it listeth ELEANOR AVDELEY REVEALE O DANIEL TO THE GREAT PRINCE the King of Great BRITAINE FRANCE and IRELAND Defender of the Faith THE INTERPRETATION OF THE VISIONS OF THE PROPHET
DANIEL revealing the Man of Sinne And the Morning Starre before the comming of the Day IN the Visions of this Prophet are revealed the same things contained in the Revelatiō which GOD gaue to Iesus Christ to shew vnto his Servants things which must shortly come to passe things that are not to bring to nought things that are And as he signified to his beloved Servant IOHN the Contents of the secret Booke by his Angell Even so the Lambe slaine by the eternall Decree purposed from the foundation of the world Declared the same things to the man greatly beloved his servant DANIEL vnfolded in this present exposition drawing the juice of many sorts wanting roome and leasure to lay things in order wherein the Scripture will repaire the want of methode Being not willing for the lighting of a Match to make a fire when the stroke of a Flint is of more facilitie Speaking not to a People of a strange Speech and of a hard Language but to the House of Israell Avoyding mans enticing words things without life giue no life that revealeth not the testimony of IESUS at whose Name a name aboue every name Let every knee bowe Heare all yee Children of my people harken O Earth The first vision of this holy Prophet was in the I. yeare of the raigne of BELSHAZZER King of Babilon from which spirituall Babilon takes the denomination One and Twentie hundred yeares since Wherein he saw the foure Windes of Heaven or the losed Angels bound in the great River Euphrates the auntient bounds of the great Roman Empire that stroue vpon the great Sea and the foure great Beasts that came vp from the Sea diuers one from another These blowing Windes had no power to hurt till the servants of God were Sealed in the foreheads at what time that Cōmon-wealth became a Monarchy persecuting the Church of God being then with Child Trauailing in birth crying and pained to be deliuered of the man Childe roaring like a Lyon the whole Forrest ringing ruling all Nations with a Rod of Iron that breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things He is Alpha and Omega so haue the servants of God a Two-fold sence Besides man including some other of his Creatures bearing the names of men yet being neither Man nor Beast Praise yee him Sun and Moone c. I heard the number of them And here ended the Sealing of the first Covenant a yoake which our Fathers were not able to beare to establish the second which is Spirituall to put his Lawes in their mindes with the Pensell of his Grace to write them in their hard harts a light Burthen for the letter of the Law graven in stone is the sentence of death But the Spirit giveth life to stony harts that were dead in trespasses and sinnes yea the whole valley of dead Bodies turn'd into Stones and Earth from ABELL the first Borne to the last man taken vp in the Field they are all holy vnto the Lord their iniquitie is forgiven and forgotten as a Father hee remembreth their sinne no more Of these were Sealed to bee of the seed of ABRAHAM one hundred forty and foure Thousand twelue times twelue Thousand Of which faithfull Number IESVS CHRIST the Saviour of the world the only begotten Sonne of the living GOD in the likenesse of sinfull Flesh without Sinne the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah was sealed on the Eight day of his Nativitie The Lyonesse bringing but one and but once in her life That with the sprinckling and shedding of his Blood both Covenants might be sealed These were the first Fruits vnto God and to the Lambe hauing the Token of the everlasting Covenant of the great mysterie in those times concerning CHRIST and his Church put in the Flesh a Figure of the Heart Which first Covenant remaines to vs a Patterne of tendernes not made with hands the Heart by a mutuall respect being now the Closet or secret part whereby wee Gentiles are made the tender Spouse the habitation of God fellow heires of the vnsearchable Riches joyned to Christ the head that in times past were the Children of disobedience and wrath Aliens from the common-wealth of Israell Strangers from the Covenants of promise having no hope without God in the world are now who were somtimes farre off of all Nations Kindreds and Tongues vncircumcised Philistines not of his Brethren not of the House of his Father By the blood of IESUS CHRIST made nigh members of his Body of his Flesh and of his Bones greater loue and felicitie can none expresse Of which great mysterie Hipocrites next Harlots whose counterfeit beautie deceiues not him whose praise is of men and not of God false Gods are no partakers the outward Token being common to both To assure vs of which receiving the earnest of his Spirit that abideth not crying Master Carest thou not that wee perish but Abba Father Thus our tackling lost without Anchor to repayre the ruines and weaknesse of these decayed sunke weather-tempest driven bottomes such Treasures of Millions expended and bestowed what burthen what prizes what things God hath prepared to bee the lading of these vessels of honour Eye hath not seene eare hath not heard neither hath entred into the hart of man To which all the Transported affections felt or fained injoyed without paines or feare may seeme but light dotage as Light and Darknesse compared compared with the Crowne and weight of that Eternall blisse The Foure windes prepared for an houre and a day and a moneth and a yeare are the powers of these foure great Beasts shewing their degrees of residence also the finall Blast is included The Sea are the Nations of the Earth The beginning and the ending thus saith hee to the Sea Waues drowning one another swelling into Mountaines for glory foaming out your owne shame Saying haile to the Wood awake according to your owne vnderstanding you haue made Idols and Images not by my direction but after the invention of the Craftsman and haue exalted your hearts and forgotten mee giving my Praise to graven Images and my glory to another for your God not setting me before your eyes you haue gotten a Divell a false Prophet whom I sent to proue you that takes my lawes in his mouth not of loue but for strife and envie Thinkes he to say Lord Lord in thy Name wee haue cast out Divels Preached and Baptized my answer is not vnknowne to you both though you thinke to plead ignorance persecuting and dispising the number of my little ones You onely haue I knowne of all the Families of the Earth whose transgressions doe hasten your Iudgement Therefore I will punish you for your iniquities you shall bee like the Morning Cloud and the early dew that passeth away as the Chaffe that is driven with a scattering whirle-winde out of the Flower as smoake out of a Chimney vanishing away And I will bee like a Lyon as a Leopard by the way I will wayte and obserue you and as a
behalfe rather then the honour of God of a happy daring shall cause the reproach offered to cease without his owne reproach hee caused the shame to turne vpon him that opposeth and exalteth himselfe aboue all that is called God The Lord sometimes providing the remedy before the sore as carefull Physitians haue Drugs in store for all diseases preparing the disobedience of VASTHI and the vnlawfull divorce for the preservation of the Iewes to hang proud HAMMON and all his wicked Sonnes so this Prince throwing vnder foote his Cappe of Maintenance whose visage was vnmask'd by a Munke not long before those Babel Monasteries vnmeete Cages for such Craignes Ostriges and chanting Owles digesting not only all the thorney Choaking Heresie of false Prophets but the rusty Purgatory fictions of Heathen Poets The doings of these vncleane and hatefull birds Though as the eating of doung I loathe them in my Mouth yet since our Saviour and Lord himselfe vouchsafed to cast his Eye towards those secret privie places bidding vs take heed of their Deserts I may not stop my Nose or Mouth for nicenesse but rather thinke it my part to empty such houses of office it weakenesse did not prevent and hinder my willingnesse Yet with mine owne hand according to my might God willing I will throw one stone at this Thracian Witch the wicked Prophet If I cannot breake his head I will breake his Harpe if I can before hee passe headlong downe to Hell the streame Neither will omit her Holinesse though her natiue Soile and Sex may challenge some fauour how they shall walke then Inseparably hand in hand togither And as certaine of their owne Poets mention her vntimely Death stung by the false Scorpion that lurk'd so close in the grasse of his gamesome villany This Beast or rather Divell for so hee seemes by his description by the stamping of his Oxe feete Long teeth of Iron nayles of Brasse and ten Hornes or at least some horrible Monster in his likenesse takes vpon him to giue by his Marke to all the world most cursed Dispensations To please HEROD it shall be lawfull to Marry his Daughter to her Husbands owne Brother the Vncle to his Neece Thus vnnaturall he is not satisfied in most prodigious manner to abuse himselfe but others must doe Incestuously by his Example These vomited things are now savory meate neither can Sathan cast out Sathan Then it is granted they can Erre which Cunning lesson had he not learned of his lying Father his Kingdome long since had beene divided and broken in pieces Bee it never so vnlawfull like the Law of the Medes and Persians the Decree may not be changed Thus out of the sentences of the holy Scripture this Spider sucks somtimes his poyson saying in his Hart All the Kingdoms of the Earth are mine My Father the Divell hath given them vnto me and rather of my Estate then abate a button I will teach men as many lyes to damne them as wee can both inuent that with the breath of my Mouth I blow in and out the fire of Purgatory where People beleeue some Soules are blood-raw others rosted to death that I make the Creator sacrifice and sell their Saviour which puts me in minde of Iudas my Brother whose hanging I could heartily lament had hee not like a passionate foole so ill playd his last part Admit of his weaknesse he did repent is a wise man the Trumpet of his owne shame to say he had Err'd to be his owne accuser what did he gaine by this some say forsooth This Confession of friends and foes might be to leaue the subtill Elders and their generation the Iewes without excuse though wee eate both of one Sop I like not the Example I meane the manner It is olde and weake and lame Arguments will follow fast enough Idle Confessions are no secrets to me I like not his tragicall speech it was timorous had it beene by boasting scoffing or to advance his service as it proued carnest more might bee said in his defence I doe the same my selfe but let it passe my plot was no pen to blot his name and had it prevailed the fire is witnesse his frailtie had never flowne so farre When I call to minde my predecessors no small puffe can blow my pride downe shall I degenerate or not follow their steps IUDAS the Apostle and IULIANUS the Emperour no Ring-leaders of that Nazaren poore Sect that leaue the certaine Blisse of this world to beleeue 0253 200 Scripture promises made to the Fathers had I beene in their dayes though they were couragious both faithlesse and false enough I can lift my heele as high as theirs I had gone before them in their owne craft Yet since it was not remorce of Conscience but the vngratefull answer of the chiefe Priests and all his hopes frustrate this cast the Man away my Pardon as beneficiall to him as to others shall cost him nothing this accident vpon that ill advised answer WHAT IS THAT TO us LOOKE THOU TO THAT was the first motiue that made me coine Absolution which passeth now for currant Silver being all the Fees the desperate Traitors get of mee towards their hanging this ditch-water I giue the poore soules for Aqua-vitae when they goe to the Gallowes If some will say this stone is cast too far I say but a Dreame of like or lesse horror would haue started or as throughly awakened themselues to behold so great a Tyrant a Prince so gratious good his Kingdome with so much pride and spitefully invaded All his naturall Subiects become disobedient Rebells except a Remnant of some few forsaking their liues that lou'd not their liues to the Second Death suffering for their loyalty loue vnexpressable fiery exquisite bloody torments his Cittizens amongst whom hee Inhabited with one voyce Crying out all at once Away with this Man saying we will not haue this Man to raigne over vs himselfe ô gentle Doue dumbe as a Sheepe before the sheerer hanged by the hands as an off-scouring set vp like a Marke for an Arrow reviled made a derision as their Musicke to his People sweating drops of blood downe to the ground the barres of sorrow preventing the passage of Teares all in vaine in so strong and Agony more for griefe and anguish of them and their Children then his owne feare of those vnspeakable paines and torments Crying with a lowde voice vnable to conceale that passion MY GOD MY GOD VVHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN MEE my tongue cleaveth to my jawes thou hast brought me into the dust of death through his tender Mercy shedding from his pierced side blood from the wound for a sensible Testimony of a true Sacrifice and water to Baptise and wash them whose hard hearts could not weepe for themselues He wiste the Spirit of the Lord was departed from him Stones rent the Earth quaking not Ghosts walking but Graues opening and dead Bodyes amazed and awaking The whole Globe Mourning in Sable blacknesse except Man