finished at the last said sudden and terrible ruine of the Roman Monarchy by the destruction of Antichrist And here again observe how God all along the Beasts forty two months gave his Spiritual Power unto his two Witnesses prophesying in sackcloth those Sons of Oyl as they are called Zech. 4. to prophesy against Antichrist to consume him with the Spirit of Christ's mouth 〈◊〉 bring on the said Destruction gradually accomplished by the seve◠Angels with their seven last Plagues poured out upon him Rev. 15 16 chapters till that Destruction be accomplish'd at the seventh Trumpet and last Vial of the seventh Angel poured-out upon him about the said time fore-spoken of when Christ comes in the clouds of Heaven Dan. 7.13 14. to receive his Monarchy upon Earth spoken of likewise Rev. 1.7 when the Jews shall generally be brought home unto him as Isa 66.8 and when the iniquity of that Land shall be removed in one day Zech. 3.9 And then will the four living Wights with the twenty four Elders have that honour given to them which they were assured of to their so great exultation aforehand See Iren. pag. 32. Rev. 5.10 and whereupon all Angels and all Creatures render to Christ the glory due to him which they acknowledge there to be his deservedly saying Thou art worthy to receive Riches and Power and Wisdom and Strength and Glory and Blessing c. And then the Kingdom of the Stone will become a Mountain filling the whole Earth when there will be given to him the Son of man by his Father the Ancient of dayes Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People and Nations and Languages shall serve him and that for ever whose Dominion is an everlasting Dominion that shall not pass away as the four former Kingdoms did and his Kingdom such as shall not be destroyed as the four former were Dan. 7.14 with many other Texts in Daniels Visions as we shewed which manifest it evidently to be to the utmost extent of Dominion both of place Over the whole Earth and under the whole Heaven as was said chap. 7.15 27. and of continuance and duration for ever while the World remained and for ever and ever to eternity v. 18. when that Kingdom of the Mountain shall be perfected in the Kingdom of Glory in the highest Heavens In that visible Kingdom of Power Christ having received that Kingdom of his Father he will then give it to his Saints who shall then take it as Dan. 7.18 and manage it for him as ver 27. having the Judgment that is the authority of judging then given to them to reign with Christ a thousand years Rev. 20.4 And that it is the same Kingdom given at the same time as the series and order of the Prophecy of Daniel and of the Revelation both manifest and the same Authority of Judging in the like expressions of Ruling and Governing is in both places assigned to the Saints as followeth For first Judicandi potestas illis facta Rev. 20.4 It is said I saw Thrones and they sat upon them Dan. 7.9 So I beheld till the Thrones were pitched down and the Judgement that is the Judges were set Rev. 20. And Judgement was given to them Dan. 7.22 And Judgement was given to the Saints of the most High Rev. 20. And the Saints lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years Dan. 7. And the Saints possessed the Kingdom with Christ the Son of Man that came in the Clouds of Heaven But after the finishing of the said thousand years Reign of Christ with his Saints on Earth we are to observe what Christ in Rev. 20.7 8 9 10. further explains shall be fulfilled concerning the last wicked attempt of Satan after he shall be loosed for a little season vers 3. from his thousand years imprisonment in the bottomless pit all which time he was bound that he could not seduce the Nations until the said thousand years were ended namely that after that time was finished that he shall then seduce the last Gog and Magog the wicked Hypocrites then in the World who shall then become very numerous in the four quarters of the Earth from whence he shall tempt them to come with a joynt consent who being a wicked generation that had been forced in the thousand years unwillingly yet-outwardly did conform to the holy and good Government of the Saints successively unto whom before time they were necessitated to be subject for the said thousand years space though against their own heart yet shall think then upon Satans seducement and conduct to free themselves from their yoke by attempting to compass with their multitudes the Camp of the Saints and even attempt to besiege the beloved City too the New Jerusalem that came down from God out of Heaven even Heaven it self upon Earth where the blessed and holy raised Saints had all the thousand years before happily beheld Christs glorious Presence shining bright with light and comfort upon them the Lamb being in each respect the light of that City Rev. 21.23 Isa 60.1 expecting by such means to free themselves from that by them supposed heavy yoke of the Saints good Government that so the Kingdoms of the World might again become the Kingdoms of Satan and of themselves his Vassals Upon which abominable attempt of Satan and those by him seduced hypocrites the Vengeance of God by fire as formerly upon the Beast and false Prophet shall again fall from God out of Heaven upon them and devour them and thereupon the Devil that deceived them be cast into the lake of Fire and Brimstone where the said Beast and false Prophet were cast above a thousand years before to be perpetually there tormented with them unto which will succeed the end of the World and the general judgement when again the Judge will sit and the Books will be opened and another Book will be opened which is the Book of Life and the Dead shall be judged out of those things that shall be written in the Books according to their Works as follows Rev. 20.11 12 c. whereunto succeds Eternity of Blessedness or Misery to every Man and Woman accordingly as they stand or fall in that general Judgment And thus briefly of the main things of Christs Kingdom in its several states of the Stone and of the Mountain filling the whole earth with what respects the beginning and ending of the latter state of the Mountain namely that it begins upon the destruction of the first Gog and Magog to wit of the Turk and Pope Ezek. 38. 39. before the New Jerusalem Ezek. 40. to the end of the Book which shall be called Jehova Shamma the Lord is there and at the end of the 1000 years reign of Christ and his Saints will succeed the attempt and defeat and ruine of the last Gog and Magog of wicked hypocrites against the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City as was shewed upon which will ensue the end
wickedness both of Men and Devils in the world that the Vengeance of God will no longer suffer it to continue nor them to have longer time further to attempt any other Evil in it but both at once or near together shall be destroyed from the face of it and sent thence to their own place of torments and thereupon the dissolution of the world to ensue Such VVisdom Power Holiness and Goodness of such Gods great Proceedings in the world the Sacred Scriptures seem clearly to hold out to be observed and improved by all men The Parallel of the Fifth Monarchy in Daniel further Expounded in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ To which purpose we shall set down First Some Observations tending thereunto more indirectly and remotely Secondly We shall summarily and briefly adjoin the particular Branches most considerable in the Parallel between Daniel and the Revelation Thirdly We shall add some Explications and Illustrations of some most material things further to be considered therein as God shall assist WHere First observe That as the Antichristian Church is set forth by Forty two Months according to the course of the Moon that rules in the dark night So Daniel saith chap. 2.7 He saw the fourth Beast in the Night-Visions wherein much mystery of iniquity was to be observed Secondly Again observe as Christ Rev. 16.15 warns all men That he will come as a Thief in the night So Daniel c. 7.13 saw in the Night-Visions The Son of Man come in the Clouds of Heaven Thirdly As the time of the Two Sack-cloth Prophets is described by 1260 days of years Rev. 11. the day being the time of light and comfort so the Saints the Children of Light are they to whom the Son of Righteousness the true Light gives the Kingdom to possess it for ever and ever ver 18. when the Beast and his Worshippers shall be cast into utter darkness Fourthly As Christ makes known to his Saints That the Beast shall make war with them and overcome them and kill them temporally Rev. 13. So Daniel shews that the time would ensue that the Beast should be slain and his Body destroyed and given to the burning flame Dan. 7.11 Rev. 14. Fifthly As the Lambs Followers Rev. 14. are described to be such as loved not their lives unto death So the Kingdom that belongs to them Daniel saith shall not be destroyed v. 14. but they shall possess it for ever and ever v. 18. Sixthly As the Woman the true Church is nourished in the Wilderness a time times and half a time Rev. 12.14 that the Beasts tyranny and persecution might not destroy her while her limited time of suffering lasted so the Beast speaking great words against the Most High and wearing out the Saints is also limitted by the said time times and dividing of a time chap. 7.25 his great Power and abused Authority cannot lengthen his days Seventhly As in Dan. ch 2. many chief matters are set down of the times nature order or states founder or setter up continuance and prevalence of Christs glorious Kingdom on Earth with the unlimited extent of it so besides these in chap. 7. is more remarkably described the manner of raising it both remote and more near the Donation of the Founder thereof with the Owner of it namely the Son of Man his Doputation of it to the Saints together with power to judg and rule for him over the whole world and in chap. 12. the particular time in order is described of the second estate of it which are all that Daniel speaks directly of it only indirectly are the continuance of the first estate of it implyed chap. 9.24 26 27. describing what shall be done towards the end of the seventy Weeks when Christ should by his own Sacrifice of himself cause the other jure to cease and how he should confirm the Covenant with many and after the people of the Prince to wit the Romans should destroy the City about forty two years after And then in general sets down the time of its desolation which our Saviour calls the fulfilling of the times of the Gentiles Luc. 21.24 which contains the first Estate of Christs Kingdom Also it is again indirectly spoken of under the Popes wicked actings against it in the said first state of it by the Roman Monarchy Dan. 11.36 37 38 39. So in the Revelation what directly belongs to Christs glorious Kingdom upon Earth is Rev. 11.15 to the end and chap. 19 20 21 22. But indirectly there are many things revealed and seen and promised which refer to the New Jerusalem that comes down from God out of Heaven for encouragements to the faithful sufferers in their successive times all along set forth in that Book besides Of which more afterwards Vide Paper of Dec. 7.1664 in the Forerunner p. 36 37 38 39. Secondly As to the second head briefly to be adjoined we may both from Daniel and the Book of Revelations jointly observe these particular branches most considerable First The order and different states of that Kingdom distinguished by the Kingdom of Patience and Kingdom of Power called aptly by Mr. Meds The Kingdom of the Stone and the Kingdom of the Mountain grounded upon Dan. 2.34 35. The first is deciphered under Christs riding conquering and to conquer Rev. 6. through all the Seals and Trumpets to the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which contains the time of the first state the Kingdom of Patience or the Kingdom of the Stone set forth directly in all the Book of the Revelation saving those last named chap. 11. and chap. 19 20 21 22. wherein as was shewed is contained the second state of Christs Kingdom of Visible Power or the Kingdom of the Mountain filling the whole Earth Both these states Daniel sets down more largely First the first state though indirectly under the actings of the Roman Empire against the God of gods and disregard of his Fathers God in the Emperors and Popes time Dan. 11.36 37 38 39. and so of the actings of the Fourth Beast with his wicked Horn chap. 7. and a great part of the Iron Kingdom with feet and toes of Iron and Clay so long as they have been the Persecutors and Oppressors of Gods true Church and the other state of it Daniel expresseth when the Kingdom was given by the Ancient of Dayes to the Son of Man chap. 7.13 14 to the end of that Chapter 2dly Again for the beginning of the States of the said Kingdom The beginning of the first was under the first Seal Rev. 6. which was when Christ having all power given him in Heaven and in Earth then gave Commission Matth. 28.18 19 20. to his Disciples and succeeding Ministers to preach the Gospel to all promising to be with them to the end of the World when he saith Rev. 10. Time namely of the Beast and wicked Dominion should be no more which will be finished when the Beast shall be destroyed which Kingdom will be perfected upon the
As Judah had a deliverance after seventy years from the captivity of Babylon by Cyrus King of Persia but not the Tribes of Israel from Assyria So those that God brings most near unto him and have most interest in him he is propense to shew them more mercy than others that have been more estranged from him Sixthly As there was a remarkable degree of mercy vouchsafed unto the Jews after their return from Babylon even till Christ came in the flesh thence take notice That Gods ancient Promises to the faithful forefathers will certainly take effect though their Posterity may for a long time be unworthy thereof for the generality of them Seventhly As Judah after their reducement from captivity were much in an oppressed and troubled estate by the three last Oppressors of them so God suits the condition of a sinful People though near unto him answerable to their unworthy walking towards him Eighthly As Israel and Judah have had so long time of captivity and bondage under so many Oppressors successively So thence may be observed the greatness of their provocation that moved God so heavily and so long time by such sad calamities successively to scourge them Ninthly As God had made great and large promises of wonderful mercy to his People after all the times of their sufferings were over So he would by the Visions of Daniel let all his faithful People know thathe was mindful to perform them all though it was very long before their deserved sufferings would be accomplished Tenthly As the wonderful excellency and grace of Christs Kingdom on earth hath been anciently recorded and excellently described by the Spirit of Christ in his Prophets in all times of the Old Testament successively So the wonderful blessedness which the faithful shall enjoy in that state will prove worth patient waiting for when it shall be enjoyed by them Eleventhly As the Gentile Christians were surrogated in the room of the rebellious Jews when they were cast off So observe That long enjoyment of Gods mercie if it be abused is far from entailing it upon any People and that no People have been so estranged from God as were the Gentiles a very long time but God may have mercy and grace in store for them in his good time Twelfthly As the times of the Gentiles have been eminently more gracious since the Jews long rejection and cutting off So the heinous abuse of such clear and precious grace will make their judgement the more heavy as will be manifest in the Popes destruction especially who hath most wickedly turned the glorious Revelation of the mystery of the Gospel into a pernicious mystery of iniquity Thirteenthly And as the last Gog and Magog after the thousand years of Christs reign upon earth will sin most heinously against all former examples of judgements and against the most glorious grace set before them in the Kingdom of Christ the said thousand years So when they shall against all means and warnings and from an inward hatred of goodness follow Satans last seducement to attempt to compass with their multitudes the Camp of the Saints about and the beloved City Then God will thereby be so highly provoked to wrath both against them and the Devil together that his just vengeance will fall from heaven upon them and utterly abandon both Satan and all wicked men from the face of the earth so putting an end unto the world Fourteenthly As the fierceness of Gods wrath declared from his Word will be shortly executed upon Antichrist and his followers in these last and worst dayes of Satans wicked Dominion So let the consideration thereof be a strong enforcement to all sorts of men now especially to flee far from Babylon and Popist seducements lest they partake of those Plagues and heavy Judgements hastening to fall on her and them Fifteenthly As God hath in his Word recorded several remarkable computations of times respecting both Jews and Gentiles in these latter dayes So both should thence be awakened to behold and consider such marks and signs of these times that they may especially in these last dayes prepare for the glorious coming and appearance of Christ now near approaching For saith he himself of these very times Behold I come as a thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Rev. 16.15 For now the Adversary watcheth so much the more diligently and maliciously endeavouring to destroy and that as a ramping and roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour by how much he knoweth that his time in the world is short And that day also will come as a snare upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth as our Saviour himself shewed Luke 21.35 after he had particularly declared many signs of these last times now for the most part accomplished And thereupon in the next verse enforceth this duty of watching with prayer to this end that they might escape those terrible things that then at Christs appearing shall come to pass and also stand before the Son of man which they cannot do without keeping their garments to wit those spiritual garments of Justification by Faith in Christ Jesus and of inward Sanctification by Divine Grace in their hearts and souls shewing their living in the Spirit by their walking in the Spirit Rom. 8. Both which garments must be adorned with a Godly and Christian conversation in the sight of men that they seeing their good works may glorifie their Father which is in heaven Otherwise their shame as our Saviour forewarns will be manifest before himself the great Judge then and Angels and men And they will be found naked and lye open then to the fierceness of that great and dreadful storm of the wrath of the Lamb when will be such a time of trouble as never was since there was a Nation Dan. 12.1 And so great an earthquake as was not since men were upon the earth so mighty an earthquake and so great Rev. 16.18 So that well might our Saviour at such a time pronounce them blessed that so duely watch and pray and keep their garments which he of his infinite mercy teach and enable all his faithful People rightly to perform who by his own most powerful grace worketh all their works for them in the use of his own good means and according to the good pleasure of his most holy will to the eternal praise of divine Gospel-grace in him the Beloved Amen To the Christian Reader Reader THE Penman of the preceding parcels aiming therein next to the glory of Divine Grace and Truth at this double benefit to all sorts of persons in the Church of God in these dayes to prevent their evil and promote their good whether they be Independant Prelatical or Presbyterian as to Discipline provided they be truly Christian as to Principles of Doctrine Yea and yet further Though Seas bear the names of their distinct Coasts it is all the same kind of
with Wife and Children to trudg after Emilius triumâ—hing Chariot Hannibal flying several wayes was sent for by the Romans and could not be freed from them but poisoned himself Geutius King of the Illyrians felt their terror So Prusias King of Bythinia Eumenes King of Pergamus Ariarathes King of Cappadocia Deiotarus King of Galatia Mithridates King of Pontus c. all which felt the Roman yoke or brake their hearts or Kingdoms by resisting and their insolency hath been as much over the Jews and above any others for they made Judea a Province and billetted their Souldiers in every City and took away all Capital Government by Laws Offices and Penalties as Florus observes and others and after Jerusalem was made equal to the Earth by Vespatian But their insolency over earthly Gods as Psal 82.6 hath been seen in the Roman Antichrist for History relates at least 20 famous Emperours and Kings trampled under foot by him miserably c. besides such as spâ—nt themselves in his device of the holy wars and to act for him in other countreys c. Again the Church and State of Rome have been manifest by blasphemies when Ptolomy and Cleopatra told the Senate they were more bebolding to them then to the immortal Gods they took it so When Cicero uttered blasphemies against Gods Religion as barbarous superstition and against God himself as unworthy to be owned by the Romans since his people the Jews who professed dependance on him were overcome which Blasphemies were entertained and applauded The Emperor Tiberius was desirous to Authorize Christ amongst the number of the Roman gods but was resisted by the Senate pretending it belonged unto them to make or unmake Deities as they pleased But this Blasphemy is more palpable on the Roman Antichrist who challengeth to be stiled God and that by the Emperor himself and his Disciples stile him Our Lord God the Pope a certain Deity on Earth and the greatest Deity on Earth and by open allowance And though this Fourth Tyrant over the Jews was to continue long in the several Heads of that State and the Pope is the 8th or of the 7th and also that Turkish State over the Jews yet when Gods people shall be raised from the dust of dispersion and bondage both Pope and Turk will at once be destroyed and cast into the streams of Fire and Brimstone issuing from the Ancient of Days Yet it seemeth to me the 36 Verse is rather to be restrained to the former times of the Roman Kingdom under the Senate Kings Emperors and other Governors before the Popes time and suiteth well thereunto and it is remarkable That the Spirit of Christ teacheth the Prophet usually to set down his Prophesies and Visions according to the order of accomplishment except in occasional explications as Chap. 7 8. and 12. in some things yet Idolatry Blasphemy and Tyranny are such spirits as have run in the blood through the whole Body of the Roman Monster And that general note of the long continuance thereof the Roman Kingdom shall prosper till the indignation shall be accomplished c. that is to the end of the Jews dispersion and bondage and coming of Christ Cap. 12. Ver. 37 38 39. Neither shall he regard the God of his Fathers nor the desire of women nor regard any God for he shall magnifie himself above all Ver. 38. But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces and a God whom his Fathers knew not shall he honour with gold and silver and with precious stones and pleasant things Ver. 39. Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god whom he shall acknowledg and encrease with glory and he shall cause them to rule over many and shall divide the Land for gain But Ver. 37 38 39. seems evidently to belong to the Popes time in a special manner his not regarding the God of his Fathers sets forth the Antichristian Hypocrisie sub nomine Christi militant contra Christum they pretend for God and Christ but intend all for themselves not as the Apostles and first Roman Christians that so regarded their God that with heart and hand not onely in well-doing but in self-denial and sufferings to the loss of Estate Life Liberty and all they stedfastly clave unto him But now all the honor of Christs Prophetical Priestly and Kingly Offices are taken in effect from him and ascribed to the Pope and especially in respect of their Breaden Gods Idolatry as might be shewed and particularly follows in the next verse and how much the Papists disallow lawful Marriage and reproach it here called the desire of Women is too manifest both by their Doctrines and Practises and as for Atheistical Blasphemies their Writings are abominably fraught and filled therewith And how his new-coin'd Breaden God and what devised honor is given to him what Riches and Ornaments bestowed upon him how set up in Cities Kingdoms and Countreys what promotions go with him both Ecclesiastical and Civil what Prohibitions of Traffique Oppressions and Persecusions to the Opposers of his Worship is too large here to be set down Ver. 40. And at the time of the end shall the King of the south push at him and the King of the North come against him like a whirlwind with Charets and with Horsemen and with many Ships and he shall enter into the countreys and shall overflow aâ—d pass over Ver. 40. But that he might not in the time of the end be so terrible in Might in the World as he was grown notorious in wickedness in the world God had appointed to send him gradually such a Checkmate thenceforward to act another part upon the Worlds Stage that should both restrain his Power and curb his Pride which was the Mahumitan Antichrist arising out of the bottomless pit as well as the Pope which to carry on the Perdition of that wicked Iron Roman Monarchy in two Wo-Trumpets was to blow out the Wrath and Judgment upon the Eastern Empire especially and to restrain the Man of Sin which otherwise might have seemed too much like a God on Earth indeed First Raising the Saracens about An. Dom. 600. or not long after to push at the Eastern Roman Empire by many assaults and incursions in which both Saracens and Romanized Christians were both or at least by course the Jews oppressors in the times of those supposed Holy Wars but more especially since the Turk came against him with his Multitudes about the year of our Lord 1300 with Chariots and Horsemen and many Ships for his hour and a day and a month and a year as Rev. 9.15 that is 396 years he should continue to overflow with his Multitudes and pass over is not yet fully compleat Ver. 41. He shall enter also into the glorious land and many Countreys shall be overthrown but these shall escape out of his hand even Edom and Moab nnd the chief of the children of Ammon Ver. 41. The Turk should possess Judea and many