another meaning then what we have hitherto apprehended So as all the Scripture now by Gods assistance is made to agree in a Holy harmony and Justice Mercy and Truth go hand in hand together Therefore it is evident this must be done by the Assistance of God and at the time and in the way he hath appointed in his Word And as the Jews were mistaken as to Christ's first coming so the Christians are as much mistaken as to his second coming But I hope our Rulers will not oppose the Truth as theirs did But the people as they love to have smooth things told them and love not them that tell them the truth altho' they are willing to spend and be spent for them Some there are that find fault with my quoting of Esdras in my Books saying that he was not mentioned either by Christ or his Apostles To which I answer Neither were several other of the Prophets that are spoken of in the Old Testament But if any say he is not mentioned there they assert that which is false For Ezra in the Old Testament is the same person which in the Apochrapha is called Esdras For in Ezra Chap. 10. the 9 16 17. Verses is exactly the same with that in the 1 Book of Esdras Chap. 9. 5 6 17. Verses And also in Nehemiah Chap. 8. 2 4. Verses the like is again said in 1 Esdras 9. 40 42. Verses By which places it is fully made appear that it was one and the same Man who after the Captivity caused Israel to put away their strange Wives being met together at Jerusalem on the Twentieth day of the Ninth Month in the great showre of Rain and likewise stood upon a Pulpit of Wood and Read the Law on the First day of the Seventh Month to all the People As to the difference of the Name one was taken out of the Hebrew the other out of the Caldean Tongue and the Prophets are not called in the New Testament as they are in the Old But as for our Ancient Expositors who placed not his Prophesies among the Prophets it was because themselves erred from the Truth Not only as to their misapprehending that none but the Elect could be saved but they likewise understood not the meaning of the World to come And that in Scripture there is Three Worlds spoken of and Three Evers and Three Times and Three Generations And that in the Word every World is termed a Generation as well as that from the Father to the Son which now by laying Scripture to Scripture is proved Neither did they apprehend that the Powers and People are termed the Heavens and Earth which in the Word are so termed far oftner then the Material Heavens and Earth are as now by the Scripture is made plainly appear And our Ancient Expositors being mistaken in these things made them deny the Restitution of all things which God by the mouth of all his Prophets and his Apostles has declared Acts 3. 21. which likewise Esdras affirmeth which will be fulfilled in time to come before Eternity Until which time of Restitution the Heavens were again to receive Christ At which time of return the World will be judged in Righteousness by him whom God hath ordained Acts 17. 31. And then will Israel be restored For then the deliverer will turn away Ungodliness from Jacob Rom. 11. 26. And St. Paul turns us to the day of Judgment Isa 59. 20. For the time of the Judgment of this World and the rise of the Saints and the last Judgment when all the Dead are raised are clearly proved to be Two several Judgments Sure our Ancient Expositors were in dangerous mistakes when by their Interpretation of the New Testament they make God false and forsworn in the Old Testament For therein he hath declared that Jerusalem shall again be Built upon her own heap never more to be destroyed Jer. 30. 18. Jer. 31. 40. And likewise God hath sworn by his right hand and by thearm of his strength that he will no more give their Corn to be meat to their Enemies Isa 62. 8. which promise will be made good to them at the time of the Restitution of all things At which time we shall be judged according to our deeds These things will be fulfilled according to the Word in as much as it is impossible for God to lie in not performing his promise to all according as he hath declared Luther declared in a Book that was Translated into English by Capt. Bell That when the Turk began to decline the Mighty Lord would come And the signs of the time as I have already elswhere proved by the Word is about Forty years the which time Israel lay in the Wilderness And about Five or Six and Thirty years ago There was as is recited in History over Constantinople an Apparition seen in the Heavens which was a Woman with an open Book in her hand which when they of the City did see one of the Priests said Our Mahomet is not come at his appointed time And that the Book which the Woman holds open in her hand may be the Book of the Crucified Jesus which Book we have neglected Upon which saying the people Stoned him to Death at which time all the Lights in the place of their Worship went out The History in which this is recorded I saw about Seven years ago it was a borrowed Book and the Person is Dead with whom I saw it It was a Book in Folio and treated of several Countreys and may be heard of And since that Apparition the Turks have been much opprest by War and are declining and the Mighty Lord is a coming as by all the signs that he hath given us he doth declare which in my Books by the Word I have fully proved And Blessed will they be that are found waiting for him Whereas some say if the Lord were a coming sure we should know it And likewise others say if it were so we should know it And so the Third But they examine not their own hearts whether upon the signs the Lord hath given of his coming there was then in them an uncessant longing for his appearance and so a more diligent search into the Word by giving themselves up to God in studying the Scripture night and day neglecting their outward concern and like the importunate Widow to the Judge sought to God by fervent Prayer that they might more clearly understand the Scriptures And if they had so done my life for theirs they might have known a great deal more then they do in which way the knowledge of the Truth was attained by me And God doth often chuse a peculiar Person or Persons to accomplish or declare that he hath determined And who is it that for his so doing dares say What dost thou As for my self I have been one whom God hath Exercised with affliction from my Youth up and I have also loved my Lord much and therefore was not only
willing to give my labour and time but likewise to venture my little concern for the Publication of the knowledge of the Truth for the Glory of God and the good of Souls And now if any will set their helping hand that the knowledge of the Truths now discovered may be made more Publick then I am capable to do it will be very well pleasing in the sight of God For altho' the First Churches in the Apostles time were not in darkness that that day should overtake them as a thief 1 Thes 5. 4. Yet since the Christians are fallen into darkness concerning the time by the false Notions that they have received which has caused us to overlook the signs of the time which the Lord in his Word hath declared should be before his Coming Upon which evident Manifestation of the signs part of the Ministry in Swedeland after those great Earrhquakes which the World in so short time never before produced the like both for Number and Greatness as then were in several places with the other signs which the Lord foretold should be to give notice of his Coming therefore would have warned the People apprehending what Dreadful consequence it would be to them that are found in darkness at that day in not knowing the day of their Visitation But those of the Clergy that were in the wrong prevailed and would not suffer them so to Teach the People and presently sent away to Holland to the Ministers there to continue as they were This came over in the Monthly Mercury and a Lutheran Minister told me that the Resolutions of the Ministers of Swedeland was That whatever they thought themselves concerning the coming of Christ they would not Teach it the People But the severe Sentence of the Lord is not only against them that add to his Word that he will add to them the Plagues mentioned therein but likewise those that take away from the Words of the Book wherein the Lord declares the Judgment of this World the Restitution of all things as again making all things new with the general Invitation or common Salvation And the Spirit and the Bride say Come And the Lord saith Whosoever will let him come Rev. 22. 17. And who is it dares say to the contrary And it is those that will not own these things that shall have their part taken out of the book of Life and from all the Blessings therein promised Rev. 22. 19. Whereas it is said There shall arise many false Christs and false Prophets but to tell you of the true Christ and of his coming in the true way according as he hath declared in his Word I hope the Prince of Darkness will not so far prevail as to make it to be esteemed amongst us as false Doctrine which is so fully proved both in the Old and New Testament and likewise that Christs Righteousness will be applied for our Justification according to his Word in the way of our Obedience and if this Doctrine is new to us then have we forgotten the good old way And it may be partly said of us as God said of Israel My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge for there is many that would readily embrace the Truth had they been so well instructed as to understand Truth from Errour but them that will not see and them that cannot see will both fall into the Ditch And iâ— we would but give our selves liberty to consider we may easily see where the Stroke will fall when by the Gospel the Lord tells such as are under it That one shall be taken out of a Bed and the other left And one taken out of the Field and the other left And one out of the City c. And this not because God left them under necessity of Damnation but because they would not forget the eager pursuit of this present evil World as in the Parable But God by the Prophets tells Israel That they shall be gathered together and come up to Jerusalem in Multitudes upon Horses Chariots Litters Mules and swift Beasts And then will he gather in others with them Isa 60. 5 6 7. Isa 66. 20. the which I have elswhere more largly proved All which things ought to be weighed and considered since the Welfare of our Souls and Bodies lies at Stake The Bereans were termed Noble because they searched the Scriptures to see whether those things which the Apostles said were true Acts 17. 11. But the people of this Age think it their greatest Wisdom to put out their own eyes and not to look into the Truth rather choosing to answer by Rote according to what Notions they have received then to examine the certainty of those Truths which the Lord according to his promise hath now at the end of the time brought to Light that knowledge thereby might be increased so as the Vision now by the Word is made plain to speak and Light is thereby broke forth at Evening time according as he hath promised And if we would own the whole Truth and break off our Sins by working Righteousness we might not only save our selves but be an Example to many of the Christians abroad Oh! that we would consider our ways and be wise and humble our selves to Almighty God and that we may have more love one to the other it being the last Commandment the Lord left us that by our obedient and humble walking God may exalt us in due time But if not The loftiness of man shall be bowed down and the haughtiness of men shall be made low and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day Isa 2. 17. Whereas some say that I make Interpretation of Scripture according to what I fancy but whosoever says it it is such as speak by rote themselves and according to their received Opinion and not by weighing my Books and the Scriptures together which if they did without having a prejudice to the knowledge of the Truth they would quickly be of another mind For I don't pretend to Interpret Scripture for that which God hath imployed me in is to lay the Scriptures together which is set down here a little and there a little as thereby to make the Scriptures Interpret themselves so as to make the true meaning of the Word appear by them and in leaving nothing therein to contradict what is said in which sure way there can be no mistake Whil'st some others by their own Interpretations have made the Scriptures like a Nose of Wax and have turned it to what they please in taking some few Scriptures that has not been rightly understood to assert it but leaving many other places of Scriptures to contradict them but the Scripture is of certain rightly understood when it is made to agree in a holy Harmony and God proved to be faithful according to his Word as well to the Jews as to the Gentiles which by the Interpretation of Scripture accordsng to our Ancient Expositors they have turned Earth into
The Womans Advocate Shewing the Reason According to Scripture OR THE Scripture Reason Why God hath brought to Light the true meaning of his Word by an unexpected hand SEeing by that body of Men which in the Word is termed the Beast who under pretence of being Teachers of the Gospel deprive the Nations of the Scriptures whom God permitted so to do when the greater party with their Rulers grew to have no love to the Truth but took pleasure in unrighteousness then God suffered them to be deluded by the Beast and so Idolatry and Darkness overspread the Nations again By means of which we are now in great mistakes having lost in several places the right Sentiments of the Word And therefore if God hath at the end of the time determined that the whole truth should break forth another way I hope none will be offended And because Woman was the first in the Transgression therefore all the time of this World God hath more afflicted them than Man But the Lord Christ to restore fallen Mankind came of a Woman and to shew they were alike beloved of the Lord therefore his first coming was revealed to the Women as well as to the Men. And also when he arose from the Dead he then first appeared to the Women But because Woman was first in the Transgression therefore in the time of this World Man was given the Ruling Power and it is he that hath been the first setter up of all the Idolatrous Worship in the World And after the Primitive times the Beast and false Prophet have been the Suppressors of the Knowledge of the Truth And the Mighty God foreseing what the event would be Therefore by Zerubbabel the Favourite of Heaven the Lord saith Who art thou O great Mountain before Zerubbabel The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house his hands shall also finish it Zech. 4. 7 9. This was the great Zerubbabel that laid the Writing under Darius his Pillow wherein he joyns Women and Truth together as Prophetically foreseeing that as Christ who was Truth it self should come of Woman so again when Man had darkned Truth by Errour that God would again have Truth break forth by Woman at Christs Second coming and those places of Scripture which we have been mistaken in to be fully and clearly explained by the Word and that by Woman And tho' Women and all are said to be wicked Yet great is Truth and great is the God of Truth 1 Esd 3. 8 12. And Christ saith of himself I am the Way the Truth and the Life The Lord giveth himself that Name of Truth And several places of Scripture that we have apprehended to have little meaning in them yet will prove to be of wonderful Signification Now as Zerubbabel is said to lay the Foundation of the Temple so his hand is said to finish it And Christ terms his Body a Temple and the Temple of the Body of Christ came of a Woman and if the Lord will have the coming of the Temple of his Glorious Body fully declared by Woman it is what God thinks meet who is no respecter of Persons or Sex For of them that are in the Lord. There is neither bond nor free male nor female for they are all one in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 28. And the Lords Second coming has been again declared for these several Years since the Reformation as by Luther Usher and Withers And the Lord will not come the Second time till his coming has been clearly made appear and that by Woman I do not think that those Women that first saw the Lord after he arose were better beloved of him then the beloved Disciple John or Peter But that the Lord did thereby fore-shew that the clear Declaration of his Second coming should be fully declared by Woman also And I hope that as Man is willing to be saved by the Lord of Life that came of a Woman that they will not rather chuse to go hood-winkt to Destruction then to be warned by a Woman to escape the near Appproaching danger by a a speedy Reformation and Preparation for the coming of the Lord. But to be awakened out of a sleepy Security seems no way pleasing to the Flesh but let such consider it is better to see the danger before hand that they may avoid it then to fall blind-fold into it With the true Saint there can be nothing so desirable as the coming of the Lord and the knowledge thereof whose coming I long for And my Souls desire also is my fellow Creatures Eternal welfare For which I have Laboured night and day But I was willing to keep it from being known by whom God had brought to Light the true meaning of his Word therefore I endeavoured to place my words when askt about the Books so as it might not be apprehended that it was a Woman that wrote them But the Lord bringing these fore-mentioned places of Scripture to my remembrance as I was one Evening in Meditation which before I had not taken notice of as to apprehend their meaning By which I thought that it was the will of God that I should own the Work that he had imployed me in that thro my weakness his Power might be exalted But as the Lords First coming was a snare to Israel in that he came of her that was but of small appearance in this World so the Truth now breaking forth and not by the great Schollars and Rabbies of the time it will prove a snare to many especially to the high and lofty in their own imaginations But God chuseth not the Wise and Learned of this World to discover the Secrets in his Word because man should not attribute to his own Wisdome or Learning Therefore God chuseth the weak things of the World to confound the wise and mighty 1 Cor. 1. 27. Isa 29. 11 12 13. Now the Beast deprived the Nations of the Gospel and would not permit any woman so much as to Read the Word For which when man acts contrary to God then God acts contrary to man And in that I that am but a weak Worm do understand the Misterious part of the Scriptures and have brought to Light the true meaning of those mistaken places which has caused so much Dissention amongst us by means of which we have been in great mistakes as to several places of Scripture which have seemed contradictory one to the other because we did not understand the true meaning of them And therefore some have said God hath a Secret and a revealed Will And that by his revealed Will he invites all that will to come promising them Life but by his Secret Will he hath determined that none but the Elect shall be saved The which is no other then the turning the Truth of God into a lie in his offering that Mercy which he never did intend to perform But now all those mistaken places of Scripture are clearly proved by the Word to have
Heaven and so made the promise of God to Israel at the time of the Restitution of all things as nothing For they only apprehended the New Jerusalem that is above and therefore thought not of a new Earthly one which will be built again upon her own heap never more to be destroyed when all things are restored and again made new as in my Books is proved And tho' several Scriptures have a Twofold referrence or meaning yet no Scripture doth admit of a contradictory meaning when rightly understood And tho' our Ancient Reformers of the Church I am fully perswaded were Men of Sincerity and Integrity and several of them Martyrs of Jesus but coming out of the Darkness of Popery therefore could not suddenly discover the whole Truth of the Gospel but now God according to his promise That at Evening time it should be Light Zach. 14. 7. And that at the end of the time knowledge should be increased Dan. 12. 4. that thereby that day of the Coming of the Lord might not come on us unawares and therefore hath at the appointed time caused the Vision to speak Hab. 2. 3. And tho' it does come according to the Word as a snare to all flesh Luk. 21. 35. by reason it comes in a way unexpected But whosoever will own the Truth and prepare for the Coming of the Lord will be Blessed but it is such that will not have the Lord to Reign over them that at his return when he has received the Kingdom he then Commands to be brought and slain before him Luke 19 12 27. And that we might not be found to condemn others of that we are guilty of our selves as the smothering the Truth rather then we will be found in mistakes For when Gods Judgments are upon the earth the Inhabitants of the World should learn Reghteousness Isa 26. 9. The Prayers of the Wicked are Abomination and Sin when they ask forgiveness for that they intend to commit again but the Prayers of the Wicked is neither Abomination nor Sin when they ask forgiveness for that they never intend to do again begging God to assist them therein That we may all so do is the earnest Prayer of your Well-wisher and Servant in Christ M. M. Sold by J. Clark at the Bible the upper end of Cheapside 1697. FINIS Some of the chief Heads of the most Miraculous Wonders that have of late been in Christendom Jamaico June the 7th 1692. ABout a quarter of an hour after 11 of the Clock there was a terrible Earthquake which continued scarcely a quarter of an hour in which time it overthrew all the Brick and Stone Buildings in the Countrey in the which time Port Royal was destroyed and Town of St. Jago with several others Earthquakes in Sicily and Naples Which News came over in the Monthly Mercury THE Second of January in 1693 there happened about Four a Clock in the Morning a terrible Earthquake at Messina which however did no damage but it struck so great a terrour into the Inhabitants that the greatest part forsook the City the rest betook themselves to the Churches two days after The whole City was so terribly shaken that the violence of the shog over-turned 24 Pallaces and considerably endamaged all the rest of the Buildings as every body thought nothing else but escaping from the danger and retireing into the Country where they that could set up Tents were safe from the injuries of the Weather the Air being all on a flame by reason of the Thunder and continual flashes of Lightning But notwithstanding the great damage done to this City it was nothing to what many others received as that of Faermina Mascali Modica Agousta Catanea Syracuse Carlentino and several other considerable Cities and Towns and Provinces are utterly ruined Agousta is become a meer lake by reason of a Rupture which the Sea made into that part while at the same time the Lightning Flashing into the Fortress of the City blew it up into the Air Catanea was utterly overturned and Sixteen thousand Persons were Buried under the Ruins of the great Church the 18 and 19 two fresh jolts gave new Alarms Nor is the News from Palermo less to be deplored that the Pallace Royal is quite overturned and that the VICE-ROY had much ado to escape to the Gallies It may be truly said that Sicily is nie laid waste as also the lower Calabria 't is thought above 120000 People perished besides 20000 Wounded In this Earthquake was destroyed 37 great Cities and Towns There has been a small Earthquake ar Urbin so that Cardinal Francis Barbarini was in some danger going to his Legat-ship of Ravenna but he was succour'd in time by his Servants who disengaged him out of a Quegmire covered with Water This Earthquake was felt in the City of Castello where the Cathedral Church and some other Buildings were thrown down as also in several other parts of Romagno This News was in the May Mercury 1694. The Mountain Vesuvius has cast up so great a quantity of Melted Sulpher and Bitumen that both together have form'd a kind of a little River for Three Miles in length so that for fear it should diffuse it self into the Neighbouring Fields the VICE-ROY of Naples has been forced to set a great Number of Inhabitants to work to open a passage for the infernal Liquor into the Sea This News was in the August Mercury 1694. From Naples we understand that the ravages made by the Earthquake appear to be greater every day than other the last particulars of which are these The great Altar of the Cathedral Church and the Chappel of St. Januario belonging to it are very much damaged The Churches also of St. Jerome St. Laurence St. John St. Gregory of the Souls in Purgatory St. Pauls St. Peters St. John the Greater The Churches of the Annunciation St. Clara's the Jesuits and the Dominicans Churches have suffered some more some less and also the Cloisters of the Nunneries of St. Francis Teresa Mary Magdalen Sancta Clara and the Carmelites Upon the 22th day of June 1694 the day that the Sun suffered an Ecclipse there arose so great a Storm near Cahors and such a terrible Tempest of Thunder Lightning Rain and Hail that seven or eight Villages were burnt by the Fire that darted from the Sky above 1200 persons were destroyed and all the cattel underwent the same fate The River Loire swelled to that degree that it overflowed all the Countrey and when it returned to its Channel left such an infinite number of Fish altogether unknown upon the land that their stench infected the air every body thought the World had been at an end The Hail ravaged 48 Parishes in Armagnac on that side next Bigorie and the Mountains This News was in the July Mercury 1694. The new ravages which Mount Vessuvius has made are very considerable and accompanied with csrcumstances no less remarkable The people were first of all allarm'd by the roaring of Subterraneal Noises which began the 15th of April last These Noises were attended with rolling Hurricanes of Flames intermixed with Smokes and from the wide Mouth of the Mountain issued forth a torrent of Fire The air was at the same time covered with a thick cloud of blended cinders and burning sand which continued till the 12th The 13th the Mountain opening it self in several places threw up flames and bituminous matter which separated themselves into several Torrents They took their course thorow a very deep Valley that lies upon one of the sides of the Mountain and this river of fire glided along in this manner for the space of a mile and a half westward The breadth of it was near 50 fathom and the fire rear'd it self upward above 22 fathom and this continued till the 16th The same day the Mountain still threw up from the wide mouth of it which is near 4 miles in circuit a prodigious quantity of Bituminous matter which rising in the little burning Mountains and melting with dreadful noise form'd another Torrent of fire This lasted all the day and the Torrents ceased to run the 19th and the bituminous matter being harden'd into Stones filled the hollow places where they lay dispersed The 21st at night the Wind at East there fell a great quantity of black Cinders mixed with Sand which covered the streets and houses of Naples The Wind veered to the West and the next day being the 22th the Torrents of the fire began again to flow gently from the Mountain and falling into the Valley seperated themselves into two Valleys Others were formed in different parts of the Mountains which ran into the Territories of Hercolano and Bosco The Stones and pieces of Rocks that lay in the passage of these fiery Rivers were presently kindled and calcin'd After which they were seen floating and never sinking to the bottom The bituminous matters petrified and formed themselves into Massie-bulks of a prodigious bigness The Inhabitants of Labarra St. Yvorio and other places adjoyning to the Valley where the Torrent of fire made its way escaped to Naples where the VICE-ROY the Count of St. Istevan courteously received them These are the signs which the Lord gave us Luk. 21. 11. 2 Esdras 6. 24. to prepare for his Kingdom and by which the Lord did awaken me as to the near approach of his coming and therefore I sought to him to understand his word The fireing of this Land is Prophesied in Isa 34. 9. and by these fires Hell hath enlarged her self Isa 5. 14. and this is the fire Prophesied of by Moses Deut. 32. 22. and again mentioned by the Lord in the 2 Esdras 5. 8. as I have fully made appear in that Treatise which speaks of the fireing of the Mountains And if others did thirst after the knowledge of the Truth they would then quickly consider these things Which is the desire of my Soul FINIS