Swore to and under CRONOS All The Tempestates or Species of Time what soever are comprehended Having Swore his Death so solemnly one would have thought The Angel would presently have fell upon The Aged Monster But He gives him a little Respite coming in with a BUT or an Exception which Semper firmat Regulam But Saith He In The Days of the voice of The Seveath Angel Reckoning These Days from the very Time when He shall Begin to sound c. Did I Say He gave him Respite He gave him none but killed Him then and Raised Him again to life The Oath flew both Him and his Issue TIME here is of a Complex nature and may rather be suposed a She Monster And being Pregnant The Angel rips open the Belly and lets the Young live out all their DAYS which had otherwise perished in The Womb of Their Parent But Though These POST HUMES live yet Their life is only a Reprieve after Condemnation for They are not to propagate Their Death being really swore to in the Death of their Parent This BUT limits their Life which is during All The Days under the Sounding of the Seventh Angel Some Pious Men amongst us understand TIME here in a Relative and Restrictive sense affirming that The Angel means no more than that some of the same quality or sort should be no longer than the Beginning of the Angels sounding which Interpretation though acidentally true yet falls much short of The Angels Oath being only a part of his plain indubitable sense For nothing is more plain than that the Sense extends it self farther even to the END of the Days and consequently to The END of the world The Text at the very entrance confirms this making The Hysteron the Proteron or Puting The Days before The Beginning plainly implying thereby That we are to include All The days under The Angels sounding before his Oath of Time being no longer can take place We cannot suppose that God would send so Extraordinary in Embassador to The world on such a slight Errand as to acquaint them That when The Sixth Hour was past it would be Seven a clock or that The Time under The Sixth Trumpet should last no longer than The Beginning of The Seventh Such a Message would be very unworthy so Great a Courtier And was his Business to tell us That The Time in the sixth Hour would not be The same for quality with That in The Seventh This would not add much to the Dignity of His Office In short TIME Ends not as is vulgarly supposed when The Angel BEGINS to Sound But at the Expiration of the whole Days under his Sounding And the Angels Chief Errand is to point out to Men The PERIOD of The world And The END of Time And Methinks I hear Him Speaking to The world after This manner YE Sons of Men Take Notice The Old Glass of Time viz. of 1260 is just run out And I Am Sent to Turn it And I Here Turn it in The Presence of you All And do Swear By The Living God who Liveth for ever and ever That It shall never be turnd more But when The Sands are run out or when The Days of the voice are Ended Reckoning Them from the Beginning of his Sounding or Tuning of his Trumpet Then The Glass shall be broke and TIME of whatsoever Denomination shall never be Measured more but be swallowed up in the Great Ocean of Eternity Two Things The Reader must Note First That That TIME which The Angel swears the Death of is of a Simple and indefinite nature and that The Time which He Excepts is of a Complex nature Because there are Days in it Secondly That The Angel is Seven year in sounding viz Betwixt The Second and Third Woe These things being premised Though there may be so me seeming difficulty when to Commence The Excepted Time and when it Ends or Expires Yet really There will be none at all For We are to Begin These Excepted Days Not when The Angel has sounded or done sounding But when He Begins to sound Not When The Clock has struck all But at The very First stroke of Seven The Text is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quum futurum est ut Clangat That is When He shall First begin or be about to begin to sound The very Tuning his Trumpet or his Preparing himself to sound comes into The Account 'T is usual to say T' is Seven a Clock when it has struck Seven But This is our Errour For it was seven at the First stroke at that very Instant when The Sixth Hour Lapsed or The Second Woe to The True Church Ended The Reign of a King Commenceth Not from the Time of his Proclamation But From The Exact Time of His Predecessors Death There is no Interregnum Time being not discontinued So The Reign of Christ Commenceth from the very moment of the Angels Beginning to sound which was in The Later part of 1688 When The Witnesses Rose The Spirit puts an Emphasis on The word beginning God being unwilling that Men should be ignorant of the Exact Epoche of Christs Reign Because it is The Index which points out The Final Day of Judgment Now In The second Place How long These Excepted Dayes will Last or when they will Expire and Time be Finished is alike plain and manifest For The Sands In The upper part of the Glass will be no longer in runing than in the lower part The Lease of The Bride If The Indentures be compared will be found to be cut out of the Same sheet of Time with that of the Whores Now The Whores Lease was for 1260 Years or Time Time and halfe a Time under the Sounding of the Sixth Angel And The Brides under the Sounding of the Seventh will be the Same viz 1000 for The Millennium and 260 for The Little Season In which Satan shall be Loosed which Ballances exactly Then Time shall be no longer The Turning the Last Glass or the Angels Begining to sound Is the Finishing of time Inchoate And Its vacuity or Expiration of the 1260 Years Is the Finishing of time Consummate These things must needs be very plain The Sounding of the Seventh Angel Is the worlds Passing Bell Judgment then begins and They are Destroyed which destroy the Earth and in the End are thrown into Hell when the Quick and Dead will he judged These Last 1260 Years being the Dawn of an Eternal Day to the Godly But the Dire Crepusculum of an Eternall night to the Wicked These Days Began in the Latter part of 1688 But had no Solemn Commencement 'till An. 1689 ' when The Man whose NAME is The Branch was Crowned King Now would The Inquisitive know what the Last Year of the Seventh Angels Sounding will Issue in Let me tell them T is very probable 't will Terminate in a Most Glorious Appearance of Christ Pouring down the Spirit from on High at Pentecost For He is Now Considered under the Following Relations viz As the Son of A Great King or an Heir Adult Claiming All the Kingdoms of the Earth As a Bridegroom come to marry His Bride As a Great General come to Conquer the World whose Name is called The WORD of God As an High Priest or Chief Administrator in His Millennian Kingdom and Lastly As a Young Infant in His Church Regenerate The Pouring out the Spirit so often promised may Refer to all These As He is a King 'T is the Great Proclamation As a Bridegroom 'T is The Marriage Supper 'T is the Sealing His Commission as a Souldier His Installment as He is an High Priest As He is married 't is the Sealing His Bride a Jointure of Power For a Thousand Years and as He is an Infant 't is his Babtizing and Lastly 't is the TEMPLE OPENED not of which The Plagues do Issue forth with a Full Commission to Destroy all His Enimies who would not have Him to Rule over them No Sort of Christians will deny that God hath made to Men a Promise of a NEW COVENANT in the Latter Days Obliging Himself thereby to write his Law in their HEARTS c. Now He never makes a NEW Covenant but He Break The OLD one Nor is it his Custom ever to Introduce a New or Cancel an Old one with out the Greatest Solemnnity After what Manner and with what Solemnity He Broke The old one I have plainly hinted in my Preface to the King The Introduction of the New one there being Two SEDE VACANTES by Cancelling the Old one is but the Reverse of That And That It will be Introduced with a Joyous Solemnity is The Rational Expectation of all Good Men. THE END * O. C. T. Burnet T. Beverly M. Jurieu
which by a New Predication will quickly over-spread the World This River shall receive no stop by the way as the last Satan being bound it shall run over all the High Mountains Isaiah saith And there shall be upon every high Mountain and upon every high Hill Rivers and Streams of Waters in the Day of the Grees Slaughter when the Towers fall Christ saith Every Plant which my Heavenly Father hath not planted shall be rooted up and this is the time of rooting up But God never pulls down but he builds up where he reaps he sows The falling of these Towers is nothing else but driving the wild Beasts out of the Forrest an overthrowing the Babylonsh Kings and their Buildings and this is done by the Sword Then comes the Word implied by these Waters and instructs and informs them in the Ways of the New Dispensation This is the last Dispensation which hitherto was to come The Text saith We give Thee thanks Lord God Almighty who art and wast and at TO COME This is that World or Dispensation to come which the Apostle to the Hebrews speaks of It therefore being now come no more is to be expected Four do not bear Record in Heaven only Three the Father the Word and the Spirit And God having applied himself to Reclaim Men by Three several Methods they can in Reason expect nothing else And therefore the Text saith He that is filthy let him be filthy still and he that is Holy let him be Holy still implying thereby that no more Attempts would be made to reclaim them The first Approximation was by Angels very Terrible above them the Second by Flesh more Familiar and Kind yet without them the Last by his Spirit comes nearest of all even within them This is a most Gracious Approach and will leave the whole World without Excuse Men need not step out of Doors for any thing they have all things at home In the Propagation of this last Dispensation there will be no such Martyrdoms as before the bloody Beasts are driven out or chained up Old things are passed away and all things are bcome New The Martyrdom will lie inward a renouncing Self and the World and a crucifying the Affections and Lusts Nothing henceforward can hurt Gods True Church for Christ presides over the Forrestial Kingdoms and makes Kings the Nursing Fathers and Queens the Nursing-Mothers thereof 'T is said The Kings of the Earth shall bring their Glory and Honour into it 'T is an amazing thing to observe how tenacious Men are of their Old Models thinking that God will build so lasting an Empire as that of his Son upon such rotten and weak Foundations Whereas he has publickly declared to all the World that he would make all things New Let them henceforward think of nothing else but of being broken to pieces by the Stone out of the Mountain The whole Civil and Ecclesiastical World is now in the Crucible and the Fire of Gods Wrath will quickly melt it down and make it ready for a New Impression The Angel has his Sword in his Hand and only wants the Word to fall on Christ has granted his Royal Pattent to his Church it wants only the Sealing and the Wax is just now a melting When 't is Sealed when the Complex Birth is Circumcised or the Child Regenerate Baptized with the Spirit I mean Then all the World shall know That the Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ They are truly and really His now And never a Tree in the Forrest has any Legal Power but One But this World knows not But then they shall And all the Rest shall be found to be Usurpers Then wo to Herod Wo to Zebah and Zalmunnah For the Sword of the Lord and of Gideon shall do mighty things Then the Kingdom of the Forest will enter and every Man will be a Soldier to help to kill the wild Beasts Every Man then shall understand what is meant by the Man whose Name is the Branch And shall confess that God has given him for a Witness to the People a Leader and Commander to the People I care not to perplex the Reader with Numbers When the Sun is up there is no occasion to ask when he Rises Yet I could do it very exactly But this is anothers Province Before I Conclude I must desire the following Writers to take particular notice of what I have wrote The One is an Ingenious Man but more a Philosopher than a Divine He melts down the World Literally instead of its Civil Frame This is most Cruel and Inhospitable There might have been some better Correction found out than to burn Mens Houses about their Ears and Some Better Entertainment for wearied Guests and Strangers than to fall on them and kill them in their Lodging 't is not customary to turn men off before They have said their Prayers The Millennium is the Repentance of the world The Counterpart of a Voyage The Reversion of an Estate after an others decease But He cuts off the Entail Sinks the Vessel in the Harbour kills the weary Traveller and allows the Penitent no Benifit of the Clergy 'T is the custom of a Skilful Founder to Break his Metal before He casts it a new The Stone out of the Mountain is said to break the metal Image of the Four Monarchies to pieces This Breaking to pieces is nothing but the unravelling of all the Constitutions upon Earth Now Had He well considered This I Believe He would have left us our Good Old world standing during the Time of the Millennium For there is no doubt but It would Last us much longer were the Heavy weight of Mens Iniquities Swept off The Other is more a Divine than a Philosopher and would have Christ to come Personally and his Saints with him and to Live and Rule with him in a Heavenly Court over us in the Air dureing a Thousand Years and to have The Dead-Risen Saints to hold a Corespondence and Commerce with the Saints that remain alive below upon Earth as plainly appears by his Catichism and other of his writings Now having so plainly and fully proved The First Resurrection not to be Literal there needs no more to be said in Confutation This Castle in the Air as He himselfe makes it will quickly vanish The Man is a Pious and Good Man and has Great Communications of Light But Humanum est Errare 'T is much more probable That Christ will appear in an ORACVLAR manner as in the Temple of old rather than in a Personal On This account He is called Wonderful COVNCELLOR c. And The Prophet Saith Men shall Say no more The BVRDEN of The Lord But what hath The Lord ANSWERED This plainly Implies That He is to be Sought to for Councel and Advice And although The Name of The City be The Lord is There Yet an Oracular Presence is more Suitable to Reason Scripture and Gods
within The Inward Powers being purified and set to rights the Outward Powers fall in of course and so the whole Creation quickly recovers its Native Beauty Therefore the first Act of Soveraignty which Christ will exercise will be to purifie the Heart there he begins his Reign of the Millennium If he should come in Person and be in the Air accompanied with an innumerable Company of Saints and Angels as some imagine Alas what would this sight do It would surprize us and we should gape for a little while but it would quickly wear off for we have the glorious Body of the Sun Moon and Stars and all the Beauty of the Creation without us but they have but little influence over us one small Ray of God in the Heart is more than all the Outward Aypearances whatsoever Satan therefore being a cunning Adversary when he came to conquer the World observed the Heart to be the chief Post and made his first Attack upon it and having conquered it and placed his Black Guards there he quickly became Master of the whole World But Christ comes to destroy the Works of the Devil to heal where he has wounded and to build up what he has pulled down and to raise the Creation out of that confusion in which Satan by a long Mis-rule has put it The first Act therefore of his Reign is to regain the Heart and that being secured all the rest come into due subjection And this consideration brings me to my Text. There has been a continual War fince the Creation berwixt Christ and Satan but in this Book particular mention is made of Three Great Battels if the last may be called one In the first Satan is thrown out of Heaven in the second he is thrown out of Heaven Earth taken Prisoner and bound and in the last he is thrown into Hell But this last is not so much a Battel as a Siege or Assault Satan in allusion to Ahaziah sending some of his Captains of Fifty to attack the Saints Camp and Fire comes own from Heaven and destroys them all At the First Battel or at least at the Mustering and Raising his Soldiers Christ was 〈◊〉 a White Horse and at the Second upon a White Horse and 〈◊〉 White-Linnen-Followers and at or after the last upon White Cloud But before I proceed any further I must note Christ's Wars are always of a two-fold Nature by the Word and Sword the Word first proclaims them and then retires into the Rear and the Sword in the Van leads the Armies was Lieutenant As for instance in this Second Battel First the Word gets upon the white Horse and proclaims the War raising an Army of white-Linnen-Followers which are his own Peculiar Army And these are nothing else but Preachers proclaiming a New Dispensation as is self-evident by their Swords being in their Mouths instead of their Hands and of being cloathed in Fine Linnen instead of Steel And tho' the Word's Garments are dipt in Blood 't is of the wicked Soldier 's and not of he own drawing These I say march at first in the Van proclaim the War and bid Defiance and then draw off into the Bear then comes up the Sword or Lieutenant or the Angel in the 〈◊〉 who is the Champion or Goliah of the Word who like him having first summoned the Fowls of the Air to a Treat presently fall on upon the Dragon or Satan and his Armies and Totally Routs them and when he has Routed them then comes up the Word in the Rear and compleats the Victory Preselyting the rest of the World by Preaching for the Text saith The Remnant were stain by the Sword of him that sat upon the Horse whose Sword proceeded out of his Mouth 'T is plain the Angel in the Sun or Constantine the second doth the Rough Work and is the Great Executioner He levels the Mountains and forces open the City Gates that the King of Glory may come in the VVord is nothing but the Word Preached and not a Person as some would have as is plain by the Sword in his Mouth which is the Sword of the Spirit Not by power or by might but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts Things standing thus the Forces of Satan who is Prince of this World being Routed and himself their Generalissimo taken Prisoner he 's not ransomed or bailed since none will be accepted but sent to Prison for a Thousand Years So All the World become the Kingdoms of the ord and his Christ who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords The whole Earth is his now as well by Conquest as by Right of Inheritance all the Inhabitants of the Earth become his Vassals and lie Civilly dead before him The whole Race of Mankind are All concluded under Death their Power and Dominion which is their Life not only devolved on him as of Right the Usurper being Expulsed but also by Conquest by force being taken from them Now the first thing this Mighty Conqueror doth as is the custom of Conquerors He has a respect to his own Trusty Followers and Servants who assisted him in his Conquest to them therefore in the first place he saith Rise and Live That is He Invests them first with Power and they being the first of the Civilly Dead which receive any Power are said first to Live and Rise and this is called the First Resurrection which truly and really is so in a double sence because they are the first Receivers of Power and because 't is the first time that ever Holy and Good Men were so Solemnly Advanced they being to this time not much better than Civilly Dead always labouring under the death of Perfection Tribulation and Affliction Now as to The Rest of the Dead the Text saith They lived not again until the Thousand Years were ended That is The 〈◊〉 of the Conquered received no Power which is Life till the Thousand Years of Satans Imprisonment is ended as the 〈◊〉 and Holy Men do Rise and Live in Christ so the Wicked at dead in or with Satan for Imprisonment is a Civil Death and Christ will let the defeated vanquished or dead crew of Satan to have no Life or Power whilst his Saints Reign and He gives his Saints the Church Regenerate or New Risen Witnesses a Royal Lease or Pattent of Power for a Thousand Years and 〈◊〉 they may have no Rival but be undisturbed all the time 〈◊〉 their great Adversaries to their good behaviour during 〈◊〉 time and here is the greatest reason for this immagiâ—â—â—â— For after his defeat in the last or rather in the first 〈◊〉 by Constantine this cunning Quack healed his Wounds and 〈◊〉 Again creeping into Heaven or the power of Empire in 〈◊〉 of the Church which Power he has Usurped for 1260 〈◊〉 therefore sufficient caution is now taken by binding him 〈◊〉 he Live not Again as before and that he may not palm upon the World any more Whores laying them like changlings in the
former Methods than a Personal The Last is if alive A Good Philosopher and Divine But a Bad Mariner Though at Roterdam and a worse Husbandman For He makes His Vessel to return back before it comes to its ordained Port Empire and The Gospel ought to Sail to the Extreamest Parts before They Return He makes also His Witnesses to Rise BARE GRAIN Whereas 't is First to rot in the Ground and come up with a New Body as The Apostle plainly demonstrates 'T is well known France is not the Extreamest Nation The Witnesses therefore could not Rise There The Extrusion of the Poor Reffugies was only an Act of Secretion By Him who has his Fan in his hand who being unwilling to have the Wheat and Chaff burned together dispersed them abroad not for their Ruine but their Safety Sodom could not be destroyed till These Lots were gone out And Now The Fatal Day is approaching The French Tyrant was Raised up on purpose to be thrown down and made Great that Neighbour of his might be made Greater But this runs me on another Subject I Freely acknowledge that what I have wrote on these Subjects is New But this gives it a title to Truth Since all who have hitherto wrote on the Same Points have been mistaken Now if Persons would but lay aside their Prejudices to Causes and Persons and consider of things sincerely and impartially I doubt not but they would confess that I have made good The Title and that These things will remain no longer a Mystery to all Generations To God be the Praise and Glory who hath hid these things from the Wise and Prudent and Revealed them unto Babes See! How The Heaven and Earthly Powers Run back This World 's The Green Jerusalem's The Jack The Spirit is The Bias and The NAME Of Him who is the BRANCH Begins The Game Of Time being no Longer ANd I saw another Mighty Angel come down from Heaven c. This Angel comes on a Solemn Embassy from the Mighty God and therefore his Garb is very magnificent He is clothed with a Cloud has a Rainbow on his head his face is like the Sun and his feet as Pillars of Fire The Great Business of his Embassy is to instruct The World in the Great Concern of TIME and to Commence a NEW Dispensation Which is first to be Published throughout the world and then TIME is to be no longer This NEW Dispensation is plainly intimated in the Commission He gives to John saying Thou must Prophecy AGAIN Before Many People c. The Open Book in his hand is The Book of the OLD Dispensation and his Commanding John to eat it up is the Cancelling of it and The Commencing a New One. This Solemn Act of eating it up lays it up in a safe place that Man may come at it at all times and so renders him inexcusable before the Great Judge The King is come himself The WORD is upon his White Horse and though We may regard his Picture in his absence and call it The King yet to call The Written Word so in his Presence is something unmannerly I have a due value for The Written Word of God But a much greater for The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or The ETERNAL WORD The One is The Original The other is but The Copy WORDS Printed or writen are but painted And we have had a great many unhappy Artists who have made The Copy very differing from The Original Some of The Draughts look more like J than Jesus The True word is only Audible and not visible No man yet ever saw words only heard them Therefore what is written or Painted in our Books cannot be The True and Real word Before The Marriage 'T is usual to send The Picture But when The Bridegroom comes 't is laid aside If it be asked how we shall distinguish I Answer The Spirit is our Helper and The Bride knows Her Lord. But to Return to The Angel His Drapery is all Hiroglyphick and plainly declares in what part of the world he delivers his Errand viz in the West 'T is the Setting Sun of the Gospel which sets under a Cloud when The Sun is setting 't is usual to see the Rayes dart down on the Sea and Earth like Pillars of Fire Before The Church was all-glorious without but under This New Dispensation She is all-glorious with in Her State is now inverted And This Angel coming to proclaim a New Dispensation and to usher in The Refreshing Times is Clothed with a Cloud which is a Symbol both of Change and Refreshment The Eastern Sun of Righteousness shining on the Western Cloud makes The Rainbow which is a very Comfortable Symbol and assures us God is mindful of his Promise which Promise He Performes by Renewing all The Old Eastern Images in the west For the Death Birth Resurrection Ascension c. of Christ are again Renewed in His Witnesses or Church Regenerate And These Things being strange to The world are appointed to be Published John Therefore is Commanded by The Angel to Prophecy AGAIN And He cryed with a loud voice as when a Lyon roareth He comes from the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah and therefore speaks in his Masters Language But besides His Embassy being to all the World should He not cry a loud He would not be heard And when He had cryed Seven Thunders uttered their Voices c. Since these Thunders are sealed I will not be too busie with them 't is probable they are the Seven years of the Seventh Angels sounding betwixt the Second and Third Woe which are a Mystery till the Last Blast And standing on The Sea and upon The Earth He lift up his hand and swore by Him That liveth for ever and ever c. I Never see The Sun Setting under a Cloud with his Feet like Pillars of Fire but it puts me into a Fit of devotion Thinking of The Most Solemn Oath of This Angel which puts a dismal Catastrophe to The World The Great God who is Just in all his ways and Holy in all his works is unwilling to surprise The world and therefore sends a special Message to Mankind by This Angel to acquaint them that after such a Time TIME should be no longer And That He may be Believed He Confirms it with an Oath that which a more Tremendous and Solemn One was never sworn Now since He has been so kind to send a Special Embassador 'T is worth our while to hear and consider well of his Message His Oath is positive and Indefinite That TIME should be no longer BVT c. But In The Days of The voice of The Seventh Angel when He shall BEGIN to sound The Mystery of God should be finished as He hath declared to his Servants The Prophets Here is no mention made of Time Times and half a Time as by the Angel in Daniel under The sounding of The Sixth Trumpet But The Death of CRONOS or TIME Indefinite is positively