opportunity to perform their desires And although Mr. Feack do affirm before his congregation that the General and Parliament as he calls it are yet in Babylon but he shall finde to his sorrow that they will inshort time obey the truth and come out of Babylon Therefore all ye of the Kings party give up your selves to God in prayer and serving of him with a holy and sober life not giving your selves to rayoting drinking swearing nor working of plots for the Children of this World are wiser in their generation then the Chilnren of God Luke 18. 8. and God would not have you to use any such wicked means whereby to establish your selves and get the glorie from him but rather to stand still wait and behold the salvation of God that ye may give him the glorie of your salvation And as for you that are Ministers pray and preach with fervencie of Spirit and by the power of the same Spirit laid down in the holy Scriptures glorifie God strengthen the hearts of the people in the Faith and thereby overcome your adversaries and glorie not so much as ye do in your vain Phylosophy Coloss. 2. 8. which by a faithfull Soul is of no more esteem in regard of the word of God in Scripture then chaff is in comparifon of Wheat Jerem. 23. 28. 2 Tim. 3. 14 15 16 17. And I dare affirm that a sincere plain man with his meditating and studying the Scriptures onely and conversing with the like shall attain to a more excellent power to maintain his Doctrine then many of you have so that for all your learning if ye be not so expert in the Scripture as he is he will overthrow you Therefore if ye expect the blessing of restoration Matth. 17. 11. Mark 9. 12. Acts 3. 20. 21. leave your luke-warmness and be more diligent in searching the Scriptures and in preaching them lift up your voice like a Trumpet Isai 58. 1. and 64. 1. to rouse the people out of their slumbering sins to be fervent in prayer that the Lord would rent the heavens and come down to deliver his people from the hands of their oppressours that we may praise him with songs of deliverance What is the reason that the Bride-groom doth not come Matth. 25. 5 6 7 8 9 10. Is it not because the Bride doth not make her self ready to receive him what is the reason that some of you count me a Blasphemer in what I say concerning King Charl Is it not your ignorance of the Scriptures Matth. 22. 29. What is the reason that though ye have the truth on your side yet ye are not able to incounter in Dispute either with the plain Countrey-men or Mechanicks or Heriticks of these times Is it not because of your ignorance of the Scriptures and Luke-warmness for ye onely desire to know them but afar off Ah this negligence will never make us happy ye shame your selves that Childe which neither by prosperity nor adversity will be brought home to his Father is a lost Childe Consider what I say and the Lord give you understanding in all things 2 Tim. 2. 7. If ye be the servants of Christ your word should be a word of power such as all your enemies could not be able to gain-say nor resist Luke 21. 15. Acts 6. 10. yea one of you should chase a thousand and too put ten thousand to flight Deut. 32. 30 31. if ye did but obey the voice of the Lord I must needs confess I speak these things unto you with grief of heart for seeing ye walking as men who have not the Spirit of courage and boldness as the Apostles had in adversitie Acts 4. 13 19. Acts 5. 28 29 30 31. I doubt very much what will become of you whether God will not cast you off and put into the Ministry men according to his own heart that will serve him with more diligence and fervency with greater boldness and courage not fearing the faces of men though persecutours I do not thus speak to all the Ministers but to the proud envious ignorant and negligent that will neither do the work of God themselves nor allow of such as do it for many of this sort I know there beâ— and some of them have come to cavell with me and to despise me because God hath made me more bold then they in delaring the Truth But suppose now that a man should meet one of our great Officers walking in the fields having a new scarlet Cloak and enter into discourse with him if the man in the midst of their discourse should snatch the Cloak off his back and rent it into twelve pieces and give him ten pieces of it again saying the Lord will divide the Army and give you ten parts thereof ye shall prevail would not such kind of Ministers as you condemn this man for his so bold an act Yet he might be a Prophet of God therein the thing come to pass as truly now as it did when such a thing was done by the Prophet Ahijah 1 Kings 11. 28 29 30 31. but these men are miserable comforters Again I finde a contrary spirit not onely in the Ministers but in the generality of the Kings party also some do suppose that it is impossible for the King to come in because say they these men now in power are so strong and mighty speaking as if they were the Sons of Anack by their account Numb. 13. 27 28 29 30 31 32 33. Others there be of Calebs spirit Numb. 14. 24. who speak comfortable words to the people and declare the hopefull things which they conceive surely God is well pleased with these and they shall injoy their desires But for the other let them take heed as the Lord saith Numb. 14. 34. Least they shall know my breach of promise And if our adversaries had regard to the works of the Lord against them they might see what is become of the most eminent of them that rose against the King How fell Essex Brook Hampden Hotham and his Son how fell Hurry Poyer Waller Brown Massey and Love yea Fairfax and Bradshow are falling how did all the Presbyterians sall out of the sadel whereis the five treacherous Members that withstood the late King at first It is true one yet remaineth to drink the dregs of his fellows cup Where is the great Ministers that preached the people into tumults and rebellion Do they not stink now in the Nostrils of those whom they preach'd up How is their glorious Parliament as it were sunk quick to Hell How hath Scotland and their great ones there been punished for their rising against the King as a just reward of their folly for of all men living they should never have done so how did the immediate hand of God appear against Marleborough it being one of the first Towns that arose in England and made them a wooden God to mock the King How is Coronet Joyce that first laid hands on
put the late King to death So it is evident that this little horn is not a king but a State that completeth the wickedness of the State of Rome and fourth Beast Good Reader take heed therefore of this Aspinwall and all such for this is not only a matter of life and death but also of salvation and damnation of souls and know for a certain that he either understandeth not or wresteth the Scriptures as you see apparent by what hath been already spoken so that he is both deceived and deceiveth others making them serve his turn in speaking for the present time be it never so wicked Now M. Aspinwall I hope you see it is clear that you have said a wrong foundation for your Fabrick or fist Monarchy in applying those Texts to K. Charls which doth further appear Dan. 7. 24. He shall subdue three Kings and this He you say is K. Charls How did K. Charls subdue three Kings Did he ever take any Kingdoms from any It is true by Birth he was Heir to three Kingdoms and did enjoy them to the great happiness of his subjects until that unreasonable Beast Parliament violently and unjustly did wear out his people took his three Kingdoms from him and his life too And did not that Beast Parliament v. 25. Change Times and Laws And was not that Beast Parliament destroyed April 22. 1653. as ye have it v. 11 And though that Beast Parliament be destroyed in part that is as they were a Body consisting of so many men yet the Parliament men being in Gods account every one of them a Beast by himself and are called Beasts v. 12. who though their Dominion be taken away from them at the time of their dissolution yet have they their lives prolonged for a season and time fit to call them to a further account and total destruction as ye have it v. 26. Again M. Aspinwall you may clearly see your error That K. Charls was not the little horn neither are the Kings of Europe those Beasts who had their Dominion taken away when K. Charls died For where is any of those seven Kings whereof you speak that have lost their Dominion But it is evident to all That the Parliament was that Beast or little horn and that the Parliament men are those Beasts who lost their Dominion when the Parliament was destroyed Further By this also the little horn appeareth to be the last Parliament The little horn had eys and a mouth speaking great things and looked more stout then his fellows v. 8. 20. Is not the eys their knowledge by which the late Parliament pretended to see more from Scripture then any other before them So that in their own conceits they were both wiser and stouter then any former Parliament That their mouth and Votes spake great and monstrous things even such as were never heard of before in any Heathenish Assembly of State so that all Christians yea I am confident some of themselves do now abhor the wickedness that proceeded from them 1 Sam. 24. 13. And as concerning the ten horns or kings there is no judgement to come upon any of them all but only three of them namely England Scotland and Ireland for they suffer very much and according to their sufferings they shall be exalted again to reigne with their King in glory Dan. 7. 27. For as you have it v 9 10 13 14. 18. 22. By the Ancient of days there is signified Jesus Christ and by the Son of man is signified K. Charls who in regard the Lord Jesus found him faithful to the death for the maintenance of his Laws in Church and State will make him Ruler according to the promise Luke 12. 42 43 44. over all that he hath So that this Charls Stuart thus being found so just a Steward whom Aspinwall doth vilifie is indeed that wise and faithful Steward whose seed shall rule all that the Lord Jesus hath for ever and is the most High on earth Dan. 7. 25. 27. and Prince of the Host or Prince of Princes Dan. 8. 9 10 11. 25. who under Jesus Christ is the only father and begetter of the fift Monarchy and his seed shall be chief in it for ever And the Laws of England both for Church and State as it was established in his time for the maintenance of which Laws he died even that Law shall go over all the earth and shall be the law of the fift Monarchy for ever And to make it yet more clear the little horn in Dan. 7. 8. is that Beast Rev. 13. 1. that hath its ten horns also as is evident by the mark in its mouth For as the little horn had a mouth speaking great things 1 Dan. 7. 8. 20. 25. so the Beast in Rev. 13. 5 6. hath a mouth speaking great things Again the late Parliament in Scripture is called by divers names somtimes it is called the little horn Dan. 7. 8. 20. somtimes the Beast Dan. 7. 12. Rev. 13. 1. and somtimes the Whore Rev. 17. 15 16. in regard of its unfaithfulness and trechery to their King Head Father and Husband of the Kingdom And as the Beast or Where was to be destroyed with its own ten horns Rev. 17. 16. so the Beast Parliament was destroyed April 22. 1653. by the now Lord General and about ten of those horns that afore defended them for the Beast was to be destroyed without hands only by the spirit of his mouth Dan. 8. 25. Dan. 11. 20. 2 Thes. 2 8. So that Beast Parliament a raiser of Taxes was destroyed without anger without battel without hands only by the Word from the Generals mouth Whereby it is evident to all who are not wilfully blind that the late Parliament was this little horn or Beast expressed in the former cited Scriptures But as concerning K. Charls himself there was much anger and after many battels fought against him he and his followers had many hands laid upon them and then according to the Word Rev. 20 4. they had their heads cut off because they would not worship and submit to that Beast Parliament And see how the holy Spirit long before takes notice of the Nature and Cowardlyness of this Beast who as before saith of them That they should be destroyed without hands that is without so much as one Box of the ear much less then to have a sword drawn against them And yet saith that this Beast should have its deadly wound by a sword Rev. 13. 3. 14. so that but only ten of their servants came into the House and spake to them not in anger the very thought of a Sword struck them all dead so that they who about nine of the Clock came into the House looking upon themselves to be the greatest Princes in Europe before eleven went out baser then the basest of all the people insomuch that the very Boys in the streets and the most vulgar sort of people did hiss and hoot at them as at the
their prayers were answered of God by those my books and that if they did not believe what I said and do the same speedily that God would send them strong delusions and bring sudden destruction upon them Isa. 65. 12 24. Isa. 66. 3. 4. 2 Thes. 2. 10 11 12. so I say unto you now that if ye will not be answered by the same things of God in my aforesaid Books God will likewise send you strong delusions and bring sudden destruction upon you for your contempt of his truth in not believing it ye cry against the late Parl. because they cheated the people of their monies and blame also these men now of Westminster as you call them for treading their steps and not calling the other to an account for all the injustice they did alas do ye think that these or the like men will ever call them to an account Nay we must think these will rather be more chargeable to the people then they were For do ye think that such mean men raised to such high places who not having means of their own sufficiently to maintain their greatness will not have it out from the people over whom they have now the power and command And will they not raise their children friends and relations to all places of profit Truly it were a shame for them if they did it not and I am confident that if ye were in their place ye would do no less although the Countrey should still suffer by it yea and its like to suffer untill the King Nobles and Gentry of England injoy their rights again for they having great revenues of their own by which they are able to bear such places of Authority and govern the people at their own proper charges Therefore I say unto you if ye would have men in places of lawfull Authority that are not self-ended and covetous why do not ye bend the strength of your prayers for CHARLS your right King and his party that they may enjoy their rights again And then ye may be sure that he will call your late Parliament to an exact account for all those monies ye speak off and ease the people of their heavy taxations and doubtless ye shall prevail with God in prayer for him and have all your desires accomplished I beseech you to consider the difference between this State-Government and a Monarchy Queen Elizabeth had Wars with Spain and Wars in Ireland and also assisted Holland all which was done with her own revenues and without any Taxations from the subjects but now where are the Crown Lands What 's become of the Bishops Deans and Chapters Lands and Delinquents Estates and many other things that are gone I know not where And do ye think that the people are ever like to be eased from the abundance of Assessments and Taxes whilest the great revenues belonging to the Crown are gone which saved the people from such heavy and continual Taxes and by which large revenues Queen Elizabeth did such great things and yet left behinde her abundance of Treasures So that you may clearly see that there was a great part of the Kingdome juggled away from the Nation by the late Parliament when the new State was set up because what was the Kings was theirs for the saving of their own goods bearing their charges and so was the Church-Lands also appointed to ease the people that they should be free from being at charge to pay those that were the Chief rulers of the Church and took care for their Souls And now if ye would have God to hear you why do not ye hear him by doing justly to the King and Kingdom that righteousness may run down as a River Amos 5. 21 22 23 24. or else all your seeking of the Lord will be in vain for if ye will still have your prayers granted according to your own sense and will that is for you to prevail kill and slay all that will not submit to you then the Lord will shew your folly to all the World And do not you boast as some of you do that ye have had the Spirit of Prophesie these seven years that your Armies over-coming their Enemies is the fruit of your prayers Alas it is but your pride for it was Gods decree to deliver his people into your hands for a time to punish them for their sins and he revealed it unto me 20 years ago that your party should prevail as they have done and then come to a miserable end as I have declared Thus ye may see that it is not your spirit of Prophesie which you deceiving your selves do imagine to have nor yet is it the fruit of your prayers that hath done it for if ye had never opened your mouthes such things had come to pass you shall see within a short time that God will deliver you into the hands of his people to be utterly destroyed and all your Prophesying and praying shall not deliver you in that day Then leave off sacrificing to your Calf for it is no more then if the Egyptians should have sacrificed to their false gods for giving them power to overcome the Israelites and keep them in bondage but God had shewed to Abraham long before that his seed should serve the Egyptians Gen. 15. 13. 14. and when the time of the Israels deliyerance came then neither the Egyptians nor all their gods could keep them one day longer Exodus 12. 40. 41. so likewise the Babilonians might have gloried as you do and attributed their success to their own parts or to the power of their gods when they had overcome Israel but they were more modest then so And knew very well that they could not detain them any longer then God had decreed whereby you see that they in the very nick of Gods time set down by the Prophet Jeremiah 2 Chron. 36. 21 22 23 Ezra 1. Did send them home and restore all which was theirs to them aagain Here I have taken an occasion by the way to speak a word also to Mr. Feake Mr. Simpson and others of their party meeting in Black-Friers not doubting but when God shall arrest them saying 1 Kings 21. 19. hast thou kild and taken possession in that place where King Charls and his people lost their bloud in that very place shall thy bloud be spilt even thine and set their bloudy deeds to Cry unto their Consciences saying we are thine we will not leave thee untill thy Judgment come then their courrage will be abated and they shall know that they are not for the Interest of Jesus Christ as they falsly affirm But are for the Interest of the Devil who was 2 murtherer from the beginning John 8. 44. 1 John 3. 8. and when Nathans Ridle is opened unto others saying thou art the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. 14. For thou hast given great occasion to the Papist to Blaspheme saying these are the works of such as would be altogether Ruled by the
receive the King in peace and if it be his blessed will that the Parliament and State would not bring utter ruine upon themselves and upon this distracted Nation Now after I had interpreted this bloudy Vision he was very well satisfied in his spirit and desired me to interpret the other Vision which he had within a quarter of an hour after the former but he said it never troubled him as the other did and I said it shall be also done for it may be there is more of comfort in that then there is of sorrow in this The Interpretation of the second Vision THen said I whereas you saw your self in a Field newly sown with Wheat That signifies that now there shall be a new Kingdom established again here in Brittain more glorious then ever was upon earth Jer. 33. 14 15. Isa. 44. 2 3 4. Psal. 126. 6. Matth. 3. 12. And whereas you saw a companie of milk white Doves upon that Field all in a round ring or circle The Ring or Circle signifies the endless everlasting and everstanding Court that shall be raised and established here again And the companie of milk white Doves signifies the spotless Nobles that have continued faithfull all this time Therefore both they and their seed shall Triumph gloriously in the Court for ever Isa. 66. 22. Psal. 84. 2 10. Psal. 65. 4. Song 2. 14. And whereas you saw one Dove alone in the middle of the Ring or Circle which did shine like the Sun in brightness by that Dove is signified the King who in due time will shine like the Sun over all the earth to answer the expectation of all Nations and fulfill the promise of our Lord Jesus so that Jews and Turks shall then acknowledge Jesus Christ to be the onely Saviour of Souls Psal. 68. 13. Psal. 24. â— 8 9 10. And after I had interpreted his Visions he called for Pen and Ink and wrote them and left them to my disposing but I desired him to get them fairely written and that I would get the Interpretations of them also fairely written and that he should carry them to the Lord General Cromwell and a Petition with them to shew his case and condition telling him that the General was a good man and would perhaps do something for him And then he was inclinable to take my counsel but two dayes after he came again to see me and brought his wife with him I propounded the same motion to him again saying that it was best for him to go with his Visions to the Lord General And he answered me saying That one Mr Wilde as he heard was then and had been a long time prisoner in Newgate for declaring a vision that he had seen and that if his Excellencie should send him to prison upon it both he his wife and children might come to starve by that means But said he I refer it to God and your disgression to publish it in due time according as God shall direct you Then I considered how I had prayed and that God sent the visions to him as a conduit to convey them to me and to answer my prayers and as a Talent for me to give an account off therefore I moved him no more to that purpose And the man presently after being much troubled in minde at his wants and crosses in the world went to Virginia with some friends of his to trie his Fortune there Now the reasons why I look upon these visions as an immediat warning from God to this Nation are these five following 1. Because he was not factious on any side or a seeker after new opinions but was well grounded in the true Christian Faith of the Church of England believing the truth of it and without dispute resting constantly in the same Faith that he was taught in at first and hence I do gather that he was beloved of God who shewed him those Visions 2. Because I saw that he had not a spirit of pride or revenge in him for although he lost all he had in these times for no cause but onely that he was peaceable yet did I never hear him speak a word against the Parliament or any other that had wronged him but contrarily sought for a place under any of them to get anywhere a poor honest living patiently waiting on God without any pride or thoughts of revenge 3. Because that after he had seen the Visions though he said to me that he was never so troubled before yet now had he no rest in his spirit untill he got a satisfactory Interpretation to them from me and then had perfect rest and peace in minde concerning the Visions 4. Because I saw it was the fruit of my prayers to God who since he called me to this his peculiar service never denied me any thing that was needfull for me to know and whereby to warn this Nation Therefore whatsoever others think of these Visions I shall look upon them as certain truths consonant to the Scriptures which suddenly will come to pass 5. Because that from the time I had these Visions thus left with me unto this present it hath been a great burthen to my spirit so that I finde it impossible for me to keep them in silence and have rest And although I had rather be a Jonah then a Jeremy in pronouncing of judgement and that England might become a Ninive and not a Jewry in matter of repentance Jonah 3. 4 10. Jer. 25. 8. Jer. 39. yet Gods decree must stand Isa. 46. 9 10 11 12 13. and the stout harted shall bow down to it ye stand upon your sword saith God And I will call for a sword against it throughout my mountains saith the Lord God every mans sword shall be against his brother Ezek. 33. 16. Ezek. 38. 21. Amos 5. 6. That all flesh may know that I the Lord have drawn my sword Ezek. 21. 5. Therefore be thou instructed Oh Jerusalem lest my Soul depart from thee lest I make thee desolate a Land not inhabited Jer. 6. 8. Now I have given you an account of these Visions to the intent that God might be glorified you profitted and my self eased of my burthen I shall endeavour to inform you further of what I see and discern in Scripture concerning this Nation but I shall direct my speech chiefly to those Gentlemen of the Representative now at West-minster and then to the rest of this Kingdom beseeching all of them to consider what I have said in my former books the one called A voice from heaven and the other An Eccho unto that voice and take special notice of the dates of those books and likewise how those sayings are come to pass since they were published and lay them to heart seriously and then consider that if I keep a clear conscience I must declare the truth Admonitions to all the People of this Kingdom but chiefly to those that have the power in their hands By ARISE EVANS MEn and brethren I beseech
you let me freely speak unto you in the language of the Apostle Acts 2. 25. How be it as his speech was distastefull then so I doubt mine will be to many Palets now but I hope such as fear the Lord will hear and be pricked in their hearts Acts 2. 37. Truly though I have received his spirit for my directions herein 2. Cor. 3. 17. Eccles. 12. 10. Yet if it were possible I would not displease you I confess my matter or message is contrary to most of your judgements but for all that as I shall endeavour to deliver the same in as fair terms as I can so I hope ye will accordingly take the same in good part surely I look upon your Declaration to be your real intention and take it as a great mercy of God that ye are such men as be able to hear reproof Prov. 13. 18. Prov. 15. 5. 10. 31. And of such qualifications to fulfill such terrible places of Scripture whereas if it had been the lot of some proud hot intemporate men who would not endure to be told of what they were by their station they might have gone to Hell without mollestation or any to pity them It is averred by some that a Cockatrice seeing it self in a glass and by beholding its own deformity immediately dieth I do not wish you should do so But I wish that when I shew you by the Scripture what ye are now that ye would become what you should be to your eternal happiness I know God can turn a Saul to Paul Acts 9. 4 5. and I hope no less of you for God can turn the shadow of death into a morning Amos 5. 8. he can make darkness light and crooked things straight Isai 42. 16. so that there shall be no shadow of death nor darkness where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves Job 34. 22. all these things are possible with God for them that believeth Mark 9. 23. Matth 19. 26. Indeed my main matter is both hard for me to utter and for you to understand Rom. 16. 25. 26. John 6. 27. 1 Timoth. 5. 17. Heb. 5. 11. Nahum 1. 1 2. Habaâ— 1. 1 2. for I am under a burthen which presseth me sore and have been twenty years under the same and though many think it but an easie thing to declare the minde of God and to open the mysteries of his word as they are fulfilled yet I tell you it is so hard and requireth so much courage strength and labour that none knoweth it but such as are exercised therein Jer. 9. 3. Jer. 23. 16 17. But it is an easie thing to be a flattering false Prophet who swim always with the stream crying peace where there is no peace and the World follow such Jer. 6. 14. for we see the true Prophets were generally men of sorrows condemned and persecuted by the World because they did not flatter nor spare men in Authority but told them their sins for which cause they were so rejected that some of them wished to die or that they had never been born to see the truth and their love slighted and the people ruined Jer. 20. 18. Jer. 22. 3. 4 5 6 7 8. 1 King 19. 4. and men in Authority never wanted false Prophets to flatter and destroy them by perswading them to go on and prosper 1 Kings 22. 12. until their sins were ripe and no remedy left Therefore it is better for you to hear me now while the Sun of prosperity shineth upon you then to hear those thousands who tell you the World is yours and cause you to bless your selves in the imaginations of your own hearts Deut. 29. 18 19 20. as if God were pleased with injustice bloud shed tebellion robbery opression spiritual pride drunkenness and a many other abominable inormities which the late Parliament countenanced among us for I am assured that what I do now tell you is true and will as certainly come to pass as those truths have done which I foretold to those that were in Authority before you It is certain that you do by your Declaration require a worship and acknowledgement of your power as if you were a Parliament why should I wrong and flatter you by giving you a false Title ye cannot be ignorant that according to the Laws of England ye are not a Parliament And I wonder much that ye did take that name upon you ye being so unlike to it for ye know a Parliament consists of Lords spiritual and temporal and Commons called in by the Kings Writ and chosen by the people but the generality of them as one said to me do not look upon you as a Parliament though many be forced to lie against their consciences by calling you so Is it not therefore best that I tell you the truth which is that the people do not own you as a Parliament which I fear ye will finde when they see a fit opportunity which they wait for to rise up against you whereof if I should not warn you and tell you the truth which is so clearly revealed unto me I should be a murtherer and bring your bloud upon mine own head Ezek. 3. 4 5 6 7 8 9 17 18 19. then how can I rest or hold my tongue seeing no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him 1 Joh. 3. 15. and sure it is that there is a heavy judgement to come upon you unless by repentance and amendment ye speedily prevent it And now me thinks I hear some of them in power say what shall we do to prevent this judgement I answer give that unto God which is his due and unto Caesar what is due unto him and unto all people thier just rights and Liberties 1. Do right unto God and that is restore to God all those things which were taken from the Church by the late Parliament or any other in Tithes and offerings Malach. 3. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. Ye know well enough what the Tithes are and for the offerings first they are the praises of God which were sung and said dayly in our Churches both Cathedrals and others throughout the Kingdom which singing and praising of God with instruments of Musick in Scripture is called the daily sacrifice Daniel 8. 11 12 13. Daniel 12. 11. Psalm 150. Psalm 50. 14 15. Rev. 5. 8 9. Rev. 14. 2 3. All which praises being his due ye ought to restore unto him again and for other offerings belonging to God they are all those things which have been given by our fore-fathers for pious uses whether to the Church to maintain Ministers in in several places or to the maintainance of poor Orfants and aged people or any other ways left to be disposed all which ye are to restore and dispose off according to the minde of those good people that gave them for those things were sacrâ—ficed unto God who taketh care for his Ministers and for the poor and acknowledgeth that what was given to them Matt. 25. 40.
fully known for a necessity is laid upon me and wo is me if I do it not 1 Cor. 9. 15 16. Now I proceed further concerning the late Beast Parliament which though it be destroyed according to the word of God yet it liveth still in its Acts and the same One that did destroy it commanded to make a Representative or Image thereof And he the Lord General had power to give life to the Image of the Beast Parliament which Image is this present Parliament as they call themselves that the Image of the Beast should both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the Beast should be killed And if you look upon the manner of the dissolution of the late Parliament by the Lord General and his Councel and upon the continuing of their Acts still in force as they were before by which the late Parliament seemeth vet to live and upon the manner and calling of this present Representative or Image of them a Representative being but an Image like somthing that it doth represent as the Image of a Man Beast or whatsoever else as also upon the manner how these had their power from the Lord General as he gave them authority life or spirit to act and compare all these particulars with Rev 13. 3. 11 12 13 14 15. and you shall find that this Scripture was so really fulfilled both in the manner of the Lord Generals destroying of the late Parliament and his setting up of this as if he had purposely set this very Scripture before his eyes and taken it for his absolute direction therein he not erring one jot in the performance of the substance thereof Hence you see both what the Beast is and his Image in the next place I shall shew you what the mark of the Beast is and what is the name of the Beast and likewise the number of his name Rev. 13. 16 17 18. 1. Concerning the Mark of the Beast it is a word abused For they call as I proved before the height of wickedness godlyness and that is the mark For saith the Author of the Grand Politick Informer Upon the seventh of Iuly 1653. it was Resolved That no person should be employed or admitted to publike service but such as this Representative should be first satisfied of their real godlyness saith he This word Godliness will shortly become the mark of the Beast Indeed there is a god of this world 2 Cor. 4. 4. which many expound to be the Divel and there are those who account that godiyness which is most contrary thereunto 1 Tim. 6. 5. and such such as put light for darkness and darkness for light Isa. 5. 20. Now if we enquire who is a godly person after their account It will appear to be such an one as hath broken his faith to God and man or one that is a robber murtherer false swearer or hath been or is an approver of all the bloody Actions of the late Beast Parliament So that this sort of people are their godly persons and this pretended godlyness is the mark of the Beast as the Apostle describeth them sufficiently 1 Tim. 6. 3 4 5. 2 Tim. 3. 4 5. and bids every true Believer withdraw himself and turn away from such as from the most dangerous people to converse withall Whereby it is evident that this pretended godlinesse is the mark of the Beast which they that will be gainers in this Weal Publick of England must needs have else they shall not be preferred trade or prosper in these times Rev. 13. 16 17. And now having shewed you what the mark of the Beast is viz. a pretended godlinesse next in order I shall through Gods assistance shew you what the Name of the Beast is and the number of his Name Rev. 13. 16 17. He that will have any preferment from these people or gain by them must acknowledge them to be the States of England or the Commonwealth of England or the Weal publick of England for if he call this the Kingdom of England and stick to that ancient name he shall be cast off as one that hath not their stamp and have nothing to do in matter of office or way of profit from them Rev. 13. 16 17. And I find that it cannot bear the name of the Commonwealth of England since the Election of a Parliament was taken away from the Commonalty or generality of the People and that a publike Party excludes all the rest and sets up a Parliament But I find its proper name to be the Weal publike of England For the word Commonwealth is excluded long ago from a Weal Being so that none but those in publick places do prosper Therefore I say it is not the Commonweal but the Weal publick of England And I find the number of this name The VVeaL pVbLIke of EngLanD to be 666. for the numeral letters of it are these DLL 600. LVV 60. VI 6. so that in all they come to 666. There is also another name no less proper both to the late Beast Parliament and to this Representative which is its Image in regard the people did and do so much Idolize them by their petitions to them and their esteem of them otherwise more then ordinary Rev. 14. 11. so that they way be called Englands Idols which word Englands Idols in the ancient Welsh or Brittish language is Delwau Lloiger and I find the numoer of this name Delwau Lloiger to be 666. for the numeral letters of it also are these DLL 600 LVV 60. VI 6. so that in all they come likewise to 666. Now the words of the Scripture that declares the number of the Beast are these Rev 13. 18. Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count the number of the Beast for it is the number of a man and his number is six hundred sixty and six Now it remaineth that I should speak somthing of this Man for it is the number of a man saith the Text This Title a Man is a note of Eminency which signisies a man of God 1 Sam. 2. 27. 1 Chron. 13. 1. or a man of a thousand Eccles. 7. 28. so that from Rev. 13. 18. mav be observed that the man expressed by these words for it is a man is such a man as carrieth a divine Majesty with him So that I must needs infer from those words that the Apostle John means here a justified man a man opposite to the Beast though in the number of their names they partly agree And know that in the new Testament none is called The man of God but only a Bishop 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. And we may gather also from the same Scripture and the scope of the Apostle Pauls words to Timothy when this Bishop and man of God is to appear which will be in the last days 2 Tim. 3. 1 2 3 4 5. 17. when men break forth into rebellion against God and his Church and certain it is That