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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58173	Miscellaneous discourses concerning the dissolution and changes of the world wherein the primitive chaos and creation, the general deluge, fountains, formed stones, sea-shells found in the earth, subterraneous trees, mountains, earthquakes, vulcanoes, the universal conflagration and future state, are largely discussed and examined / by John Ray ...	Ray, John, 1627-1705.	1692 (1692)	Wing R397; ESTC R14542	116,553	292

in the sun and in the moon and in the stars the sea and the waves roaring he adds as a Consequent thereof Vers 26. Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things that are coming on the earth And indeed how could any Man possibly be buried in so profound a Lethargy of Senselessness and Security as by such stupendious Prodigies not to be rowsed and awakened to an expectation of some dismal and tremendous Event How could he sing a Requiem to his Soul and say Peace and Safety when the World so manifestly threatens Ruin about his Ears For the reconciling of these Expressions to this sudden coming of our Saviour to Judgment it were most convenient to accept them in the Figurative and Metaphorical Sense For if we understand them of the Ruins and Devastations of Cities and Countries the Changes of Governments the Subversions of Kingdoms and Commonwealths the Falls and Deposings of Princes Nobles and Great Men these happening more or less in every Age tho the serious and inquisitive Christian who searches and understands the Scriptures may discern them to be the Signs of the World's Catastrophe yet the careless and inconsiderate the vicious and voluptuous are not like to be at all startled or moved at them but may notwithstanding looking upon them as ordinary and insignificant Accidents Dormire in utramque aurem sleep securely till the last Trump awaken them Or it may be answered that these Prophecies do belong to the Destruction of Jerusalem only and so we are not concerned to answer this Objection CHAP. IX The fifth Question answered At what Period of Time shall the World be dissolved 5. THE Fifth Question is At what Period of Time shall the World be dissolved I answer This is absolutely uncertain and indeterminable For since this Dissolution shall be effected by the extraordinary Interposition of Providence it cannot be to any man known unless extraordinarily revealed And our Saviour tells us that of that Day and Hour knows no man no not the Angels of Heaven c. Matth. 24.36 And again Acts 1.17 It is not for us to know the times and the seasons which the Father hath placed in his own power And this Dr. Hakewyll brings as an Argument that the World decays not neither tends to corruption because if it did the time of its actual Dissolution might be collected and foretold which saith he the Scripure denies We may invert this Argumentation and infer Because the World doth not decay therefore the time of its Dissolution cannot be known But yet notwithstanding this many have ventured to fore-tell the time of the end of the World of whom some are already confuted the term prefixt being past and the World still standing Lactantius in his time said Institut lib. 7. c. 15. Omnis expectatio non amplius quàm ducentorum videtur annorum The longest expectation extends not further than two hundred years The continuance of the World more than a thousand years since convinces him of a gross Mistake Paulus Grebnerus a high Pretender to a Spirit of Prophesie sets it in the year 1613. induced thereto by a fond conceit of the Numeral Letters in the Latin Word Judicium Other Enthusiastical persons of our own Countrey have placed it in the years 1646. and 1656. The event shews how ungroundedly and erroneously Others there are whose term is not yet expired and so they remain still to be confuted As those who conceit that the end of the World shall be when the Pole-Star shall come to touch the Pole of the Equator which say they ever since the time of Hipparchus hath approached nearer and nearer to it That it doth so I am not satisfied but if it doth it is merely accidental and hath no connexion with the end of the World But the most famous Opinion and which hath found most Patrons and Followers even amongst the Learned and Pious is that of the Worlds duration for six thousand years For the strengthening of which Conceit they tell us that as the World was created in six days and then followed the Sabbath so shall it remain six thousand years and then shall succeed the Eternal Sabbath Heb. 4.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. There remains therefore a rest or Sabbath to the people of God Here we see that the Apostle institutes a comparison between the heavenly rest and the Sabbath Therefore as God rested upon the seventh day so shall all the World of the Godly rest after the six thousandth year For he that hath entred into his rest ceaseth from all his works as God did from his Of this Opinion were many of the Ancient Fathers as I shewed before grounding themselves upon this Analogy between the six days of the Creation and the Sabbath and the six thousand years of the Worlds duration and the eternal rest For saith Irenaeus lib. 5. cap. ult Hoc autem that is the History of the six days Creation and succeeding Sabbath est praeteritorum narratio futurorum prophetia Dies enim unus mille annos significat sicut Scriptura testatur 2 Pet. 3.8 Psal 90.4 the Scriptures reckoning days of one thousand years long as in verse 8. of this Chapter and in Psal 90.4 This is likewise a received Tradition of the Jewish Rabbins registred in the Talmud in the Treatise Sanhedrim delivered as they pretend by the Prophet Elias the Tishbite to the Son of the Woman of Sarepta whom he raised from the dead and by him handed down to Posterity I rather think with Reuterus that the Author of it was some Rabbi of that name The Tradition is Sex millia annorum erit mundus uno millenaria vastatio i. e. Sabbathum Dei Duo millia inane Duo millia Lex Duo millia dies Messiae Two thousand years vacuity Two thousand years of the Law Two thousand years the days of the Messiah But they shoot far wide For according to the least account there passed a far greater number of years before the Law was given 2513. saith Reuterus and on the contrary less time from the Law to the Exhibition of the Messiah All these Proofs laid together do scarce suffice to make up a probability Neither do those Rabbinical Collections from the six Letters in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first word of Genesis or from the six Alephs in the first Verse of that Book each signifying a thousand years or from the six first Patriarchs in the order of the Genealogy to Enoch who was caught up to Heaven and found no more add much weight to this Opinion S. Austin very modestly concludes after a discussion of this Point concerning the time of the Worlds duration Ego tempora dinumerare non audeo nec aliquem prophetam de hac re numerum annorum existimo praefinivisse Nos ergo quod scire nos Dominus noluit libentèr nesciamus But though none but presumptuous persons have undertaken peremptorily to determine that time yet was it

JOHN RAY F.R.S. Printed for J. Hinton at the King's Arms in Paternoster Row Miscellaneous Discourses Concerning the DISSOLUTION AND CHANGES OF THE WORLD WHEREIN The Primitive Chaos and Creation the General Deluge Fountains Formed Stones Sea-Shells found in the Earth Subterraneous Trees Mountains Earthquakes Vulcanoes the Universal Conflagration and Future State are largely Discussed and Examined By JOHN RAY Fellow of the ROYAL SOCIETY LONDON Printed for Samuel Smith at the Prince's Arms in St. Paul's Church Yard 1692. TO THE Most Reverend FATHER in GOD JOHN Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Primate of all England and Metropolitan My Lord IT was no Interest or Expectation of mine that induced me to dedicate this Discourse to your Grace I am not so well conceited of my own performances as to think it merits to be inscribed to so great a Name much less that I should oblige your Lordship or indeed a far meaner person by such inscription My principal motive was that it would give me opportunity of congratulating with the sober part of this Nation your advancement to the Archiepiscopal Dignity and of acknowledging His Majesty's Wisdom in making choice of so fit a Person to fill that Chair endued with all Qualifications requisite for so high a Calling so able and skilful a Pilot to govern the Church and so prudent and faithful a Counsellor to serve himself But I will not enlarge in your just praises lest I should incur the unjust Censure or Suspicion of Flattery Give me leave only to add what I may without injury of Truth and I think also without violation of Modesty that your Grace's Election hath the concurrent Approbation and Applause of all good men that know you or have had a true Character of you which may serve to strengthen your Hands in the Management and Administration of so difficult a Province though you need no such Support as being sufficiently involved and armed by your Vertues and protected by the Almighty Power and Providence Those that are Good and Wise are pleased and satisfied when great Men are preferred to great Places and think it pity that Persons of large and publick Spirits should be confined to narrow Spheres of Action and want field to exercise and employ those rich Talents and Abilities wherewith they are endowed in doing all the Good they are thereby qualified and inclined to do My Lord I am sensible that the Present I make you is neither for Bulk nor Worth suitable to your Person and Greatness yet I hope you will favourably accept it being the best I have to offer and my boldness may pretend some excuse from ancient acquaintance and from my forwardness to embrace this opportunity of professing my name among those that honour you and of publishing my self My Lord Your Graces most devoted Servant and humble Orator John Ray. THE PREFACE VVERE it not customary and expected by the Reader this Discourse would need no Preface All that I shall premise shall be something by way of Apology or Excuse First For the two long Digressions I have made the one concerning the general Deluge in the days of Noah the other concerning the Primitive Chaos and Creation of the World My first Plea is their Affinity and near Relation to my Subject The future Dissolution of the World by fire inviting me to say something of the former Destruction of it by Water And the destruction being opposite to the formation I had as good a Pretence to discourse likewise concerning that My second excuse is their agreement with my Subject in being alike matters of Ancient Tradition Five matters of Ancient Tradition I have taken notice of and four of them by reason of their now-mentioned Relation one to another I have had a fair and inviting occasion to treat of in this Work They are 1. That the World was formed out of a Chaos by the Divine Wisdom and Power 2. That there was once an universal Flood of Waters in which all Mankind perished excepting some few that were saved in an Ark or Ship 3. That the World shall one day be dissolved by Fire 4. That there is a Heaven and an Hell a Tartarus and an Elysium and both eternal the one to reward good men and the other to punish wicked 5. Of which I have no occasion to treat That Bloody Sacrifices are to be offered for the Expiation of Sin It may be doubted whether these Traditions among the Heathen had their Original from some passages in Scripture as that of the Chaos from the second Verse of the first Chapter of Genesis And the Earth was Tohu vabohu which we render without form and void and that of the Deluge from the History of it in the seventh Chapter of the same and the future conflagration from several passages in the Prophets c. or were antecedent to the Scripture I rather think the latter because we find them among some Nations which it's likely never had understanding of the Scriptures nor indeed ever heard of them Secondly For Writing so much for which perchance some may censure me I am not ignorant that men as they are mutable so they love change and affect variety of Authors as well as Books Satiety even of the best things is apt to creep upon us He that writes much let him write never so well shall experience that his last Books though nothing inferiour to his first will not find equal acceptance But for mine own part though in general I may be thought to have written too much yet is it but little that I have written relating to Divinity Thirdly For being too hasty in huddling up and tumbling out Books Herein I confess I cannot acquit my self wholly from blame I know well that the longer a Book lies by me the perfecter it becomes Something occurs every day in reading or thinking either to add or to correct and alter for the better but should I defer the Edition till the Work were absolutely perfect I might wait all my life-time and leave it to be published by my Executors But I see that Posthumous Pieces generally prove inferiour to those put out by the Authors in their lives And perchance did the Reader know my Reasons for this speed which I think it not fit now to lay open he would judge them sufficient to excuse me However hasty and precipitate I am in writing my Books are but small so that if they be worthless the Purchase is not great nor the Expence of Time wasted in the perusal of them very considerable Yet is not the worth of a Book always answerable to its Bulk But on the contrary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is usually esteemed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 One ●hing still remains to advertise the Reader of that is that upon second thoughts I do revoke what I have delivered as my Opinion or Suspicion concerning the Continuance of the Rain at the Time of the Deluge for one hundred and fifty dayes because it is

compare together if we desire to understand any thing of what shall befal the Christian Church or State in time to come This Text which I have made choice of for my Subject is part of a Prophecy concerning the greatest of all Events the Dissolution of the World 2 PETER iii. 11. Seeing then all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness CHAP. I. The Division of the Words and Doctrine contained in them with the Heads of the following Discourse THESE words contain in them two Parts 1. An Antecedent or Doctrine All these things shall be dissolved 2. A Consequent or Inference thereupon What manner of persons ought we to be The Doctrine here only briefly hinted or summarily proposed is laid down more fully in the precedent Verse But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up These words are by the generality of Interpreters Ancient and Modern understood of the final destruction or dissolution of Heaven and Earth in which sense I shall chuse rather to accept them at present than with the Reverend and Learned Dr. Hammond and some few others to stem the Tide of Expositors and apply them to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish Polity I say then That this World and all things therein contained shall one day be dissolved and destroyed by Fire By Heaven and Earth in this place the most rational Interpreters of Scripture do understand only the whole Compages of this sublunary World and all the Creatures that are in it all that was destroyed by the Flood in the days of Noah and is now secured from perishing so again that I may borrow Dr. Hammond's words in his Annotations on this place And again the word Heavens saith he being an Equivocal word is used either for the superior Heavens whether Empyreal or Ethereal or for the sublunary Heavens the Air as the word World is either the whole Compages of the superior or inferior or else only of the sublunary lower World we may here resolve that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heaven and Host or Elements thereof are literally the sublunary aereal Heavens and all that is therein Clouds and Meteors c. Fowls and flying Creatures and so fit to join with the Earth and Works that are therein In prosecution of this Proposition and in order to the Proof and Confirmation and likewise the clearing and illustration of it I shall 1. Give you what I find concerning the dissolution of the World 1. In the holy Scripture 2. In Ancient Christian Writers 3. In the Heathen Philosophers and Sages 2. I shall endeavour to give some answer to these seven Questions which are obvious and usually made concerning it 1. Whether there be any thing in Nature which might prove and demonstrate or argue and infer a future Dissolution of the World 2. Whether shall this Dissolution be brought about and effected by Natural or by Extraordinary Means and Instruments and what those Means and Instruments shall be 3. Whether shall the Dissolution be gradual or sudden 4. Whether shall there be any Signs and Fore-runners of it 5. At what Period of Time shall the World be dissolved 6. How far shall this Conflagration extend Whether to the Ethereal Heavens and all the Host of them Sun Moon and Stars or to the Aereal only 7. Whether shall the Heavens and Earth be wholly dissipated and destroyed or only refined and purified CHAP. II. The Testimonies of Scripture concerning the Dissolution of the World 1. THen Let us consider what we find delivered in the holy Scriptures concerning the Dissolution of the World And first of all This place which I have made choice of for my Text is in my opinion the most clear and full as to this particular in the whole Scripture and will give light for the Solution of most of the proposed Questions V. 10. The day of the Lord shall come as a thief c. This answers the third Question Whether the Dissolution shall be gradual or sudden Wherein the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and all the works that are therein shall be burnt up And again V. 12. Wherein the Heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat This answers the second Question What the Means and Instruments of this Dissolution shall be V. 13. Nevertheless we according to his promise look for a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness This gives some light toward the answering of the last Question Whether shall the Heavens and the Earth be wholly burnt up and destroyed or only renewed and purified These Words as clearly as they seem to refer to the Dissolution of the World yet Dr. Hammond doubts not to be understood of the remarkable destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish State he thus paraphrasing them V. 10. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat and the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up But this Judgment of Christ so remarkable on the Jews shall now shortly come and that very discernably and the Temple shall suddenly be destroyed the greater part of it burnt and the City and People utterly consumed V. 11. Seeing then all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness Seeing then this destruction shall thus involve all and now approacheth so near what an engagement doth this lay upon us to live the most pure strict lives that ever men lived V. 12. Looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of God wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat Looking for the coming of Christ for our deliverance and by our Christian lives quickning and hastning God to delay it no longer that Coming of his I say which as it signifies great mercy to us so it signifies very sharp destruction to the whole Jewish State V. 13. Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness Instead of which we look for a new Christian State wherein all provision is made by Christ for righteousness to inhabit according to the promise of Christ concerning the purity that he should plant in the Evangelical State How he makes out and confirms this Paraphrase see in his Annotations upon this place So confident is he of the Truth of this his Interpretation that he censures the usual one as a great Mistake in his Annotation on