Sun Witnesses Martyrs of Jesus to whom the same Constant and Allowed Doctrine of Scripture will Allow them although in this Thick and Gross Atmospher they are Bandenitoe'd with other Names as Hereticks Schismaticks Factious or Fanaticks 5. The Crowning and Topping and most Assuring Standard for the Interpretation of Prophecy is when a Thread and Line is Laid from some Plain and Litteral Interpretation of Prophecy by the Holy Spirit of Prophecy it self in one Place to such Litteral Interpretation in another place till we come at last to that Issuing Point of All Prophecy The Glory of the Kingdom of Christ We have the Beginning of the Four Monarchies in Nebuchadnezzars Image by very Litteral Interpretation settled in Nebuchadnezzar himself For Daniel said to him Thou art this Head of Gold Dan. 2. The Persian and Grecian Monarchies are in the same manner by Litteral Interpretation of Prophecy assured Dan. 8. In the same manner the Epoch of the Revelation is Assured by the Apostles being in the Spirit on the Lords Day of the Resurrection Rev. 1. c. 5. By the Mention of the Lamb Newly Slain The Fourth Monarchy is Assured to be Current in the Time of the New Testament by Augustus Caesar Censing all the World Luke 2. By the Litteral Interpretation of the Great Whore to be the City Reigning then or that at that present was Holding the Kingdom over the Kings of the Earth which could be no other than Rome For no other had then the Kingdom besides the Seven Mountains on which she Sate is Litteral The Seven Successions of Government are given Litterally And that under the Beast is Affirm'd to be the Seventh Succession as Head and the Eighth as King The Sixth Succession is Litterally Affirm'd to be then in Being or now is that the Seventh King being the Christian Emperours was no Head It is Litterally Assur'd the Eighth King but Seventh Head call'd The Beast goes into Perdition and the Kingdom of Christ immediately Succeeds Now all these do so lead us in the True Line and Course of Time that we cannot be surer of the Course of the Seasons and Months that run along and fall out between Season and Season then we are of the Things which in Event or Matter of Fact and History run along all this Time from the Resurrection of our Lord and Answer the Symbols and Images of Prophecy Hereby then the Seals the Trumpets with the grand Events Compriz'd under Them are made most certain to Run along the Time of the Roman Empire from the Appearance of Christ in the Flesh at the Fullness of Time to his Appearance in the Fullness of Times or of All Time at the Kingdom of Christ Now if any one should say These Standards of Interpretation of Prophecy of Scripture are not sufficient to secure Interpretation according to them to be also according to the Mind and Sense of the Holy Spirit of Prophecy I should be Bold to say he either Contradicts what the Apostle hath said That Prophecy of Scripture is not of private Interpretation or he must suppose the Sense of the Apostle in these very words All Every Prophecy of Scripture is not of private Interpretation are as or more Dark and more Hard to be Understood than the Darkest Prophecy of Scripture it self and Further That things may be made by Art or by Chance to fall into an Exact Harmony with the Word of Prophecy or that even a Serious well grounded Research of Scripture according to all the Commands and Encouragements of the Word of God and a keeping close to all the Rules of Scripture and Reason in such a Search may be all to no End or purpose we are never the Nearer to the Truth and Mind of the Holy Spirit of Prophecy than if we had never search'd at all which how Opprobrious and how near to Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit It is so to say I leave to every serious Considerer to Judg. Now as to what I have my self done I cannot without Transcribing a Considerable Part of what I have already Written and made Publick shew How close I have kept to these Rules and Standards given by my self for Interpretation of Prophecy Nor will I presume to say any thing in the gross concerning it I will only first make my Humble Petition to any Person able to Weigh and to Consider and to Compare one part of Things with another that if I have been wanting in any one he would please by Free Entercourses to Remonstrate it to me and to allow Liberty of Debate upon it that so a due Care may be Taken to Vindicate Enlarge Strengthen or if necessity should so Require to Retract or Reform I will therefore here subjoyn but some of the grounds I have rested upon in the Interpretation of Prophecy according to a few Notes on these Standards as the Next Head of Discourse Proposed I First according to our General Scripture Account Fix Historical Time For the drawing then into one View the Types and Symbols of Prophecy from the Time the Spirit of Prophecy was pleas'd to Compose it into a Scheme and had prepar'd so to do I have consider'd the Archetypal Vision of Ezekiel's Temple and City c. 40. to the End Representing the Kingdom of Christ in its Glory and the New Jerusalem also having the Glory of God Now when this was once given it becomes a Standard gives Types to the State of the Church of god from that Time among the Jews before Christ and in the Days of our Lord in the Flesh then of the Jewish and Gentile Christian Church in all the States of it either in the Dartings out of the Glory of it or the Stops Stays and Darknings of its Glory because as is Evident both by Scripture and Experience that Glory hath been and yet is under so long a Delay from the Time of that Vision given to this Day Now this I have all along observ'd from Prophetick Vision to Prophetick Vision through the Prophecy of Daniel and of the Revelation in those Express References to that as I justly call it Archetypal Vision from the very giving it to the End And I Account it as a Pole-star like the Star that Led the Wise men to Christ so this Vision shapes an Unerring Course to the Kingdom of Christ And because one Principal Point in that Vision of Ezekiel was the Throne â—eading to the Throne of God and of the Lamb in the New Jerusalem Ezek. 4. 3. 7. and Rev. 22. 3. And that there was to be as I have said so long a Delay Soon after the Vision of Ezekiel given There is a Vision given to Daniel c. 2 in Nebuchadnezzars Image and of Four Beasts c. 7. describing Four Monarchies as Four Thrones which should successively reach to the Kingdom and Throne of Christ And then as it is expresly said the Thrones were cast down these Counter Thrones to the Throne of Christ and the Throne of the Son of Man Established alone
space but that yet that all Takers heed to prophecy Prophecy leads through the dark place with the Illumination of that Course of Time and how long it shall be until the dawning of the day and the shining of the day Star into the hearts of all his Saints by the glorious appearance of Christ and in the fulness of times or all Times Now all this is very evidently to a great and admirable end purpose and effect in the Apostle's Discourse in this Context and whole Epistle viz. to settle the hearts of the Believing Hebrews and of all Christians in the comfortable Expectations of that Kingdom in the midst of the greatest Darkness of the worst Times and it is with the greatest Wisdom of the Divine Spirit of Prophecy that at this very Advantage the Apostle goes on to set out this Apostacy at this very Joint of Discourse of the dark place which that very Apostacy was to create and at naming of prophecy and tells them that there shall be false Prophets among Christians as there were among the People of Israel of old So the Apostle John in the Revelations joins the Antichristian Beast and False Prophet in several Particulars opposite to the Apostles Doctrine concerning Prophecy and Interpretation of Scripture wherein they have Antichristianiz'd as the Pharises at that time had Prevaricated 1. In that insolent Pretence to Infallibility of Interpretation by a Pope and Council and their Clergy would engross Interpretation and the Power of Interpreting Scripture as their own Propriety Right and Dominion 2. In their Locking up Scripture from the people under this very Pretence They cannot interpret nor have right to interpret it so they cannot attend to the sure word of prophecy as they are commended here for doing 3. In their peculiar Enmity to the searching the Prophecy of Scripture and denying even to the most Learned to intermeddle with it seeing their own Condemnation in it contrary to the Apostle's most peculiar Commendation of those who give heed to Prophecy 4. In their setting up Tradition a thing dependent wholly on Human Will above Scripture whereas the Apostle commends Scripture and its Prophecy that it came not by the Will of man but by the Spirit 5. In their allowing to their own Votaries the Credit and Honour of their pretended Inspirations above the Close attendance to Scripture Prophecy and its Interpretation which the Apostle hath here so recommended to every Christian and without the least signification of Inspiration Given to All and his plain making former Scripture the Test of All following 6. By exalting their Fabulous Legendary Miracles above Scripture or the Prophecies notwithstanding even to the Transfiguration The Apostle prefers the sure Word of Prophecy Although That was no Cunning devised Fable and of so great an Excellency by which the Apostle seems prophetically to Glance most severely upon those Cunningly Devised Fables that should arise in the Christian Profession 7. The Apostle Foretelling those Scoffers in the last days who should set up the Mock Fifth Monarchy so earnestly recommends the Words of the Prophets and the Commandments of the Apostles of the Lord and Saviour the Great Messiah and Jesus whereby he hath also given a very damning Predictory Admonition of the Grand Antichristian Apostacy Now in all these it may be said to those Antichristians as it was to the Jews and their Rulers of old while they read these Scriptures and the Prophecys of Scripture in their own way they not understanding the Voices of the Prophets are most justly condemned in fulfilling them For thus ought the Antichristian Apostacy to do though most wickedly they do so that these Scripture Prophecys may be fulfilled All that hath now been spoken being by way of premisal and preparation I lay down these Propositions 1. That Scripture Prophecy is given by God for a Light that must shine in the dark place of the Antichristian Apostacy till the end of which the Kingdom of Christ is in delay 2. Christians do well to take heed to it as so shining and giving the time when the day of that Kingdom shall dawn and the day Star of it shine into the hearts of all Saints 3. Such heed cannot be given except there be a Right given to Christians and a power of interpreting Scripture Prophecies 4. It is a First Principle to Christians of the Apostle's setting and fixing that all and every Prophecy of Scripture and particularly of Time relating to the Kingdom of Christ is Open and Free and not a Private Record or of any way an Enclos'd Impropriated or Appropriated Interpretation For the more clear and illustrious arguing the Grand Proposition That all and every Prophecy of Scripture is not of a private or secret but of an open free and publick Interpretation I will first proceed by direct and down right proof and Argument that of all Scripture except that which lays down the Truths precisely and absolutely necessary to Salvarion The Prophecy of Scripture is in its Interpretation most Free open and most certain I will in the second place give Answers to the great Objections against this Proposition so prov'd I will in the Third Place consider what Standards according to Reason and Scripture-understanding may be given whereby we may judge whether any one hath given a true Interpretation of Scripture Prophecy viz. whereby the person giving such true Interpretation and whereby Any other may judge of it and find it so In the Fourth Place I will draw out in most publick view the Evidences I my self have within my self and have offered to others that I have given a True Interpretation of Scripture Prophecy All this I will do with most particular relation to prophetical numbers of Time I will Super-add a Judgment upon the state of Time Intermedious from hence to the Kingdom of Christ and shew that the Kingdom of Christ shall be very sudden and as Lightning And this I shall do by way of retractation and correction of Any thing wherein I have err'd in this matter and what will be as an Answer of an Objection that Glories in the present appearance of Things to Sense as if no such Kingdom were near I will recollect the whole in some very Brief Reflections for the settlement of the Judgment and practice in relation to Scripture Prophecy concerning Time I begin with the First The arguing the Proposition which shall insist upon these Four Heads or Topicks 1. I argue from the Infinite Ability of the Divine Spirit so to give Prophecy that the Interpretation may be Free and Publick 2. I argue from the necessity That whatever is written with sense and coherence of the things written and with the Harmony of Truth if the parts of such Discourses are diligently compar'd and sagaciously intermedled with by persons separating themselves thereunto a certain Interpretation must needs fly out to them 3. I argue from the gracious Assistances and Promises that the Holy Spirit will as the Spirit of Truth
point yet They need no Proof but Require only to be Magnified Displayed and Illustrated Argum. 2. Any Author or Writer that can Write Sense and who does indeed Write Sense and Writes with some Largeness and Diffusiveness of that his Sense and does declare He would be Heard and Read and would have the Minds that have Wisdom Exercise themselves upon what is Written let him wrap up his Mind and Sense in such Figures that none but the Wise and Considering should find out his meaning and let it but be that he accordingly hath Framed his Discourse whenever such a Writer gives out and makes publick such a Writing he thereby puts it under the Dominion of every One that is Wise and Sagacious and who will allow the Time and Thought that is necessary to make such Observation and Compare of the Hints and Remarks that cannot be Avoided in Rational and Coherent Discourse however Involv'd in Symbols and Figures by which the Sense and Meaning may be Understood and Found out But now it is on one side most True that None as the Divine Spirit can Write Highest Truth and of Stupendious Significancy and Coherence and yet Veil and Hide it so as that it should be impossible to find it out but remain perfect Mystery till the time of Revealing it should come if he pleased so to have it But then on the other hand none as he can Write in Figures and under Veils and yet so mix the Lights and the Shades if he please to have it so that the Minds that have Wisdom shall find Light Arising and Springing out in Taking heed to the sure Word of Prophecy And if They are Inclin'd and stirr'd up to separate Themselves to Intermiddle with this Wisdom it cannot be but they must make great Discoveries If they faithfully attend and lay the parts one to another and it be the will of that Holy Spirit of Prophecy they should do so Now that it is his Pleasure They should do so is made known by the very Writing and Publication of Prophecy and no Prohibition of Searching it as also by the obligation that lies upon all when he Writes to observe and understand This is due in Measure to every Intelligent and Worthy Writer but without Measure to his the Spirits Writing It is known to be his pleasure Because there is a General Command to Search the Scripture Because All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is Profitable and there is no Interdict upon Prophecy as to the search nor Limitation as to the Profitableness It is known to be his pleasure concerning Prophecy because it is said by our Lord with Relation to the Prophecy of Daniel Let him that readeth Vnderstand Because the Apostle Peter hath said of the more sure word of Prophecy yee do well in Taking heed to it because it is written as in Golden Letters on the Portal of the Revelation Blessed is he that Readeth and they that hear the words of the Prophecy of this Book which must needs imply with Understanding Because it is the Epiphonema the Burden of every Epistle of it He that hath an Ear let him hear And if it be thus then all the Locking up the Mind of the Holy Spirit of Prophecy is that he may reserve the Secrets of it for the peculiar Friends I say not of his word in general but of his Prophetick Word and that they may whet up the sharpest Exercise of their Powers of Understanding to find the Golden Taches and Couplings and one Part of Prophecy may be joyn'd to Another and the whole peice be under view in all its Frame and Contexture As soon as ever therefore the Holy Spirit hath once Publish'd and Expos'd his Prophetic Writings and thereby and therein Affix'd them to the Pillars of the Temple They are by his Grace made the Right of his Servants to search into and to Understand For they then cease to be the Secret Things that Belong to God But they being Reveal'd become those that Belong to us and to our Children we enter into that Priviledg of the Israel of God To us belong the Oracles of God every servant of God that hath his Heart stirred up hath very good Right to search and his search is no Sacriledg nor shall be imputed to him as Curiosity or presumption It is his Right to Search even as among Men it is no Violation to Inquire into the Sense of any Author offering himself to the Publick and there is greater Encouragement in Searching the sure Word of Prophecy than in Searching any other Author or Writing as is next to be spoken Argum. 3. I Argue from the Infinite Grace of the Divine Spirit that as he hath Given to Man a searching Mind after all Knowledg so he would not give any part of Scripture as a Torment of wise Inquisitive Persons but give the Key of Knowledg to Them and that he will as the Spirit of Truth so Lead into All Truth and shew his Servants Things to Come with such Uprightness Faithfulness and Sincerity that there shall be no more Secresy or privacy in the Interpretation of Prophecy than is necessary according to the Laws He knows Just and Due and which he hath himself weigh'd out as so Just and Due to Prophetick Oracles even as in All other parts of Scripture he hath in Infinite Wisdom as he weighed out the Mountains in Scales and the HIlls in a Ballance so proportion'd to every point of Scripture-Truth its Exact measure of clearness of Revelation and so consequently of Interpretation the most necessary are the most plain and yet there are Truths of the Grace of God freely Justifying and Accepting sinners in Christ that call for the most Quicken'd and Awaken'd Faculties for the Interpretation of them as also concerning the inward Operations of the Grace of God in the Hearts of Men and yet in all These and such as These The Holy Spirit hath Wisely and Holyly Given out his Oracles in a most Righteous Scale between the Excellency of the Truth he Reveals and the Exercise he knows necessary to the Mind of Man in Searching out the Interpretation and so hath made the Manifestation more Ligtsome or Requiring Closer Attendance And thus in Prophecy according to the Vehemency of Search and Enquiry he hath thought fit he hath Dispensed This doth not make it yet Private Interpretation because there are such Lines of Communication between part and part Emblem and Emblem number of Time and number of Time between words in Prophecy and words used in the Time of Prophecy Fullfill'd between Rules of Time in Prophecy and celebrated Rules of Time among Men in Prophecy Fulfill'd between Prophecy and Vniversal History that all may be made Plain But beyond All this Interpretation of Prophecy is not Private because The Spirit of Prophecy who Knowes it because he gave it Even that Blessed Publick Spirit of Wisdom Truth Scripture is present to Assist his Servants Searching into Prophecy Leading
but that the Empire of an Apostate to Paganism must be very Short even as of a Prince relapsing to Popery in these Nations It was the business of Anti-Christianism to suppress the Interpretation of Prophecy that had so dreadful an Aspect upon it self as much as it could yet the common Fame and Bruit of Anti-Christs coming was spread far and near when the Christian Empire which was the Let according to Thes 2. c. 2. was taken out of the way the joynt being so Natural between the Christian Ceasing and the Anti-Christian Begïnning to supplant having so much of the Name Christian The Voicing the Papacy to be that Antichrist lifting up himself above what ever was called Sebast or August as he did about that Time was heard all along from the time of Petrus Waldo till the Reformation and since the Reformation how many Eminent Servants of Christ have Labour'd with success in the Interpretation of Prophecy notwithstanding some particular mistakes with whom I humbly joyn my self a Fellow Labourer and one that hath taken part of their Labour and now the Fields are white unto the Harvest when many others shall enter into our Labours according to that saying One soweth and another Reapeth and yet he that Reapeth shall yet receive wages unto Life Eternal so that they who have sown and they that reap may Rejoyce together And indeed the Time is now so near that whatever Influence That nearness may be hop'd to have upon Interpretation of Prophecy according to Truth I may humbly hope for For tho the Time of Daniels public Interpretation upon the Seventy Years was nearer to their End yet the Time of his understanding was undoubtedly earlyer The Time of his Prophecy was designed to be close upon the very end of the Seventy Years and that so sollemn Prayer for else it is Evident The Time of his praying was every Day towards the Desolations of Jerusalem with his Windows open'd Three Times with foresight of the very time Seeing then the very Time of Ninety Seven I have now for some years pitch'd upon as the very Time when the Desolations of the Sanctuary shall be Accomplished and the Kingdom of Christ be in Succession of which I find dayly new Confirmations and Assurances as the Time Approacheth Therefore I hope I shall be Enabled and many Servants of God with me to set our selves dayly by Supplication and Prayer and so much the more as we see the Day approaching Obj. 1. It may be said what is the Good or Advantage of Knowing the Secrets of Prophecy or the Times more especially Defined by it have we not such plain Doctrines and Rules of Scripture that are every way sufficient to take up our Time and Thoughts that are more sure and certain in their tendency to God and have less of Scruple and Dispute in their Sense and Importance Ans 1. Whatsoever is vouchsafed to us by God as a Manifestation of and Revelation from himself to us in his Word not to regard receive and improve it is in the Scripture Phrase a wearying of God Isa 7. Ahaz made a fair and plausible Pretence of Trusting God without a Sign when God so Gratiously offered it to him he said He would not Tempt God and yet this his Refusal was called a wearying of God God understanding much better what is necessary for us and to our advantage than we do our selves and if he hath given us a Rule of Times it will be found to be our great Sin and Neglect if we do not search and enquire every one in our places What of the Night and also how near the Morning is Comming Esay 21. 11. Ans 2. Let us ask what Good it was to Noah that God told him The Old World should have only the Reprieve of an hundred and Twenty years before the Flood What Good was it to Abraham when God told him It should be Four Hundred years ere his Seed should be brought back What Good was it to the Church of the Jews to be assured the Babylonish captivity should be but Seventy VVeeks and that there should be but Seventy weeks of years from the full Restoring Jerusalem to the comming of Messiah Such as was the Good of these Manifestations to the Servants of God such is the good that arises from the Knowledg of Time Times and Half Time the 1260 1290 and 1335 days of years given as the measure of the Antichristian Times as the Measure of the Preparation for the Kingdom of Christ till the Glory of it such is the Knowledg of the 2300 Eves Morns from the Babylonish Captivity ending to the Justification of the Sanctuary in the New Jerusalem according to the Vision of Ezekiels Temple And Lastly such is the Good of the Knowledg of the 1000 years Glory of Christs Kingdom manifested to us and then of the Kingdom Delivered up to God and the Father the Last end and Consummation of All. I have thus far argued the Grand Assertion that All and every Prophecy of Scripture is not of private Interpretation and therefore not prophetick Numbers of Time but that there are Standards of Interpretation in laid into Prophecy it self and such Assistances from that publick Spirit vouchsafed to All that wait for them that it is justly to be stiled not private but publick Interpretation I have also counter-argued all the Objections I could discover I come now to the Third Head Head 3 d. The Third Head shall be to consider What Standards according to Scripture-Reason and the Ballance of the Sanctuary there are by which the Interpretation of prophecy may be judg'd to be a True Interpretation when it is offered us by any one that hath made it or whereby the person that hath himself made it may know it to be Just and according to the Sense of the Holy Spirit of prophecy and his Conduct into that Sense The Standards of Tryal for the True Interpretation of prophecy I would lay down are These 1. When the Types and Symbols of prophecy in the Old and New Testament are taken All as under One intire View and Consideration and so Analogized and shewn in their Agreement one with another as to make up a Full and perfect Portraicture and Table each Part appearing in its proper Symetry and Proportion in its own Scituation in its Lively 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Beauty and Lively Air of prophecy This is like a philosophick System of the Creation solving All Phenomena But if we take some single Parts only though there may be handsome and fine plausible and probable Descants upon them as they stand by themselves and if they alone were to be answered for Yet when they come to be examined by the rest of prophecy and it be considered how one part answers another in the whole Frame of prophecy and one single part under such or such a Descant Those Descants will be discovered to be only worthy of Rejection This therefore I have endeavoured and most closely
Dan. 8. 14. From the Decree of Cyrus the first going out of the word for the Restoring the Temple by the God of Israel and Cyrus King of Persia to the full going out of that word by Artaxerxes Longimanus the first 75 of the 2300 Eves Morns of years a Time of the Treading it under foot this Time therefore is Detach'd from the 2300. 75. Made out by Scripture Argument and Chronology From the word fully gone Forth to the Time of Annointing the Sanctuary by the Powring out the Spirit on the Apostolick Church at the Ascension of Christ Represented in the midst of the Half week by the Vision Revel c. 4. c. 5. And so the other Half Week continues the Time of the Confirming of the Covenant a Time cut off from the 2300 of Treading the Sanctuary under Foot 490 Dan. 9. 24. Of these 490 years or 70 Weeks seven of them were a Time of Building the Walls and Streets of Jerusalem according to all History Assuring the former 75 with these 49 years to reach ten years within the Reign of Darius Nothus and to be 124 years and therefore the First seven weeks are so cut off from the seventy Weeks and so many Persian Princes expresly nam'd in sacred History 49 Dan. 9. 25. Ezr. 6. 14. Fsther 1. 1. Neh. 12. 22. From the end of the First forty nine years of the Weeks are Sixty two Weeks distinctly nam'd a Time of Vassalage Tributariness Straits and Difficulties under Heathen Princes especially Antiochus Epiphanes a great Type of treading the Sanctuary under foot by Antichrist until the Publick Ministry of Messiah the Prince 434 Dan. 9. 25. From Messiah the Prince Appearing in his Ministry to the end of confirming the covenant to the Jews at the last week in the midst of which he Died the other half week by the Apostles and their Beginning Desolations 0007 Dan. 9. 27. The Duration of the Force of Annointing the Sanctuary was to continue during the Sealing of Vision and Prophecy viz. That great Vision of Ezekiels Temple which Sealing was both of Reserve from Immediate coming to pass of that Vision and of securing it from Antichristian Violation for that Time 400. Rev. 6. c. 7. Therefore this Sealed time is Divided into two halves  The First of which was of the Purer time of the Sanctuary when the Annointing was most upon it And this the Wisdom of the Spirit of Prophecy has set out by Ballances in the hand of that Just Emperor Alexander Severus weighout the time of the Purity of the Sanctuary according to the weights of the Sanctuary 202 Rev. 6. 6. The Sealing was to secure till there was a Full and Perfect Emblem of Christs Kingdom in the Christian Empire  The other half from Alexander Severus his Death till the taking away the Daily Sacrifice when the Annointing pass'd off and the Sealing as to the Security went off from the Outer-court and Rested on the Inner-court and Persons Worshiping in it 202 Rev. c. 6. to c. 8. and c. 11. 1. From the end of sealed time began Indicted time or time times half time so stil'd in Chaldee Hebrew Greek so call'd because sworn Time or Time declar'd by Oath Dan. 12. 7. Dan. 7. 25. c. 12. 7. And Accordingly God Provided by Constantine a Character of Time to be an Agreeable Distinction of Time viz. Indictions of 15 y. to Ascertain when the Indicted time times and half time should have place there are therefore twenty four Indictions that make the first Time or Third of 1080 Days 360 Rev. 11. 3. c. 12. 16. The two Times or two Thirds of 1080 Days are twice 24 15 of years or 24 Indictions 720 The last half of Indicted Time or an 180 years in twelve Indictions making up 1260 y. 180 At Rev. 10. Half Time begins as hath been shewn The Epoch or beginning of the Time Times and half Time is to be taken from the 42 Moons of the Gentiles as hath been shewn Beyond the time times and half time or the 1260 days of years are the Thirty days of years of the Voices making 1290 by the Addition of two Fifteens or Indictions 30 Dan. 12. 11. Rev. 14. The last part of Time till the Fullness of Time makes the 1290 1335 by the Addition of three Fitteens or Indictions or 45 Days of years and are the time of Powring out the Vials 45 Dan. 12. 12. Rev. 16. Now these two last parts of Time are Indicted Time also because they come under the Oath of Christ that in the Days of the Seventh Angel and his beginning to Sound the Mystery of God shall be Finished  Then follows the Thousand years the Glorious Kingdom of Christ the Fullness the Perfection of time Stild Rev. 20. Thrice The Thousand Years 1000 I am now come to the last Head of this Discourse I proposed Some Brief Reflections by way of Inference upon the whole Infer 1. This shews the great Price God hath put into our Hands in the Profession of Christianity of giving mighty Evidence to the Truth of the Scriptures if the Apostacy that hath come upon our Profession had not Robbed us of the Hearts to make use of it For God hath given us a Sure word of Prophecy that cannot Fail nor deceive us in any of the great Futurities the things to Come It hath Foretold They shall certainly be Fulfill'd each in their Season For Infinite Wisdom hath designed and contrived them that cannot upon any Emergent Unconsidered Change its Counsel For it calls the End at the very beginning Infinite Veracity or Truth hath Declared them which cannot deceive it is a sure word and Allmighty Power will bring them to pass Now Prophecy or Declaring things to Come is by God insisted upon as the greatest Assurance of the Divine Being Declare to us says God Things to Come that we may know you are Gods Yea do good or evil viz. When you have Foretold them Let the Things Foretold come to pass by your power Now seeing our Scriptures are full of Prophecies on which these Evidences must be Founded There wants nothing but Interpretation Adjusting what is past to its Just Times of Coming to pass according to Prophecy and History and thereby laying assured Grounds of Interpreting Prophecy concerning what is to come Oh why do we not then concerning Things to Come which Christ hath Promised the Spirit shall lead us into and shew us engage our selves in Interpretation Seeing the Apostle Peter hath assur'd No Prophecy is of Private Interpretation or Reserv'd even as in things past Relating to Christ which we so vehernently Argue upon against the Jews and with so great Reason why not in things to come concerning his Kingdom Infer 2. We have hence Authority to Joyn Interpretation of Prophecy and the Expectation of the Return of Miracles together that when in Daniel c. 12. 6. It is Enquired How long shall it be to the End or to the Perfecting of Wonders Those great Numbers