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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52817	The signs of the times, or, VVonderful signs of wonderful times being a faithful collection and impartial relation of several signs and wonders, call'd properly prodigies, (together with some philosophical and theological descants upon them) which have been seen in the heavens, on the earth, and on the waters, as they have been testifyed by very credible hands, all of which have hapned within the compass of this last year 1680 : which may well be called another annus mirabilis, or wonderful year, wherein the Lord hath given us loud warnings to repent of our sins and return to him, that he may have mercy upon us / by C. N.	Ness, Christopher, 1621-1705.	1681 (1681)	Wing N463; ESTC R32306	68,903	90

The SIGNS of the TIMES OR VVonderful Signs OF Wonderful times BEING A Faithful Collection and Impartial Relation of several SIGNS and WONDERS call'd properly PRODIGIES together with some Philosophical and Theological Descants upon them which have been seen in the HEAVENS on the EARTH and on the WATERS as they have been Testifyed by very Credible Hands All which have hapned within the compass of this last Year 1680. Which may well be called another Annus Mirabilis or Wonderful Year wherein the Lord hath given us loud Warnings to Repent of our Sins and Return to him that he may have Mercy upon us Woe to thm that Regard not the Work of the Lord neither Consider the Operation of his Hands Isa 5.11.12 13. By C. N. LONDON Printed for the Author And Published by Langley Gurtiss on Ludgate-Hill 1681. The Comet and the Dart The Armies in the Air The Three Suns seen The greathailstones Hatfield maid Ghost The Earthquake The 3 dead Tower-lyons the River dryd the whale The fight of Ships TO The Worshipful Francis Warner Esq AMongst all my small Acquaintance I have not had the Happiness to know personally any person of Quality though undoubtedly some such there be out of my reach so much conversant and so exquisitely vers'd in prophetick Mysteries like your self and considering That Prodigies which this portable pocket-book treateth upon are a kind of mute yet speaking Prophecies I made bold to Dedicate it quale quale est to your Worship being experimentally Assured That you are a lover of Learning and a candid Patron to all Abstruse Essays well knowing that in magnis voluisse sat est Difficilium facilis est venia Sir your Candour I presume will incline you to pardon me in the whole in as much as I have been constrained throughout this whole Work to tread all in untrodden paths finding none walking in the same way and Method before me You will find the Labour such as it is the more elaborate in finding out Sacred which are least obvious to Exceptions as well as Civil Parallels to present Prodigies and in making such I hope Innocent Descants upon them as the Matter doth require Sir I look upon you as one above many for Discoursing about the Signs of the times both the Signs of Divine Anger and of Divine Favour Signum Signatum sunt correlata Every Sign must have the thing signified no Sign is so dumb but it speaks something which only the wise do understand Hos 14.9 'T was Daniel only and not the South-sayers That could Read the Handwriting upon the Wall and give a Right Interpretation of it Dan. 5.8 11.12 15 16. Such as seek to Sorcerers deserve no better than a Disappointment the lowest fruit of their sublime Folly None of those Wizards of the world though they might have Deep Reaches in Humane Affaires could give the Sense of that Divine Oracle that work was reserved for a better man than they Stultorum plena sunt omnia Store of such Fools no better than Dust heaps are found in every Corner who either know not the mind of God in mystical matters or Stumble at it There be too many Atheists who do extenuate and undervalue all Prodigies Heathenishly ascribing them to Dame Nature only whereby they do dangerously Darken the Power and Providence of the Almighty God but there are not many wise wise-hearted and wise unto Salvation They are few that Understand the Signs of the Times 'T is Objected Prodigies are common Things therefore cannot be special Presages of future Events or of the End approaching I Ans 1 'T is very observable that the Palmoni Hamadabbat or Prince of Preachers preached upon Prodigies those signs and wonders which did presage the Destruction of Jerusalem and of his last Comming occasioned by his Disciples asking When shall these things be and What sign will there be when these things shall come to pass Luke 21.7 Mat. 24.3 Mar. 13 4. c. No sooner had Christ prepared them with due Cautions concerning themselves but he declared what was satisfactory to their curious question 2. The very first Text that Christs Apostles preach'd upon after Christ was gone from them and the Spirit come upon them was concerning Prodigies which the Prophet J●el foretold God would shew in the world ch 2. ver 30 c and the Apostle Peter handled that Text so powerfully as to prevail with 3000 Converts at one Sermon Acts 2● 17.19.41 Shewing how New Testament times do unvail and Accomplish the vail●d Prophecies of the Old 3 'T is the concurrent Opinion of our best Protestant Authors that there be some Special Signs of the Times call'd Sacramentis M●raculis cognata near a Kin to Sacraments and Miracles which are more than Natural even of a Divine Ordination declaring how the Great God stands affected towards poor man in respect of his Favour or Anger See Polani Syntagma●● 6. ca. 48 59 many Classick Authentick Divines 4 'T is likewise as concur●●●● a Sentiment of Go●d Hist ri●●● both Ancient and Modern that Prodigies do mostly Portend the Futurition of some extraordinary Events as Herodotus c. and Lucan l. ● telleth how the sad calamities of Rome were presaged by many strange Prodigies in Heaven Earth and Sea singing or saying Thus Superique Minaces Prodigiis terras implērunt Aethera pontum Igneta obscurae vidèrunt Sydera Noctes Ardentémque polum flammis coelóque Volantes Obliquas per Inane Faces c. All which do signify that the whole Fabrick of the Universe had put upon it by the Angry God a most frightful Face and Aspect and Heaven Earth and Sea did conspire together to chastize the Pride and Luxury of Rome at that Time and Claudian saith That after Caesars Victory over Pompey not only the Heavens drop'd blood but also pits and pools flowed with blood as a praesage of Caesars Stabbing cum multis aliis c. 5. Pliny l. 2. c. 58. saith The Heathens were startled at the Prodigys of his time in so much that they had their solemn Sacrifices for Diverting the Evils portended by them And will not those Dictates of the dim light of Dame Nature in these blind Heathens rise up in Judgment against our Atheists who scoff at all those wonderful signs so terrifying in themselves and so testifying God's wrath for Man's sin Alas they had not God's Heifer to plow withall which we have yet could they Unriddle those Mysteries call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God's prodigious preachments better than many of us their very natural Religion was a dark Imitation of the true Divine Devotion though the Devil God's Ape did impose upon them therein much Superstition If against this it be alledged what is said Jer. 10.2 3. Learn not the way of the Heathen and be not Dismayed at the Signs of Heaven as they are for their Customs are vain I Answer 1. God Cautions his people there going Captives into Chaldea then that they learn

the Rain-Bow fixed upon a watery Cloud by the Reflection of the Sun upon it This is such a wonderful work of God that the very Heathens feigned it to be the Daughter of Thaumantias which signifies VVonderment This is a work top-full of VVonders witness 1st The beautiful Form and Fashion of it a Semi-Circle the ends whereof were never seen by any Mortal but as 't is terminated by the Horison 2ly The Various Colours it carrieth exceeding the splendour and livelyness of the deepest Dye in the World which have as some conceive their various Significations as the two grand Destructions of the Old World and of this New by Water and by Fire the watery colour of the Rain Bow signifying the former and its fiery colour the latter 3ly The several Prognosticks of it according to Scalage saying a morning Rain-bow portends Rain but an evening one fair weather 4. The Shape of it being that of a Bow therefore called the Rain-bow which yet never shooteth any man unless it be with Admiration Delight c. 5. The posture of it the Bent of the Bow is from the Earth and towards Heaven as if man were shooting at God and not God at man This Bow with both ends downwards and its back to Heaven must needs be nuntius faediris serenitatis an Emblem of Peace and a messenger of Mercy to mankind for he that shooteth holdeth the Back of his Bow always from him and this may be the Signification of its third to wit Green colour that is the merciful preservation of the VVorld betwixt those two grand Destructions of it signified by its watery and fiery colours aforesaid 6ly The unreadiness of it as to any Execution of Divine Displeasure David saith God hath bent his Bow and made his Arrow ready Ps 7.12.13 But here though the Bow seem bent yet we see no String neither do we either read of as Ambrose well observeth or behold any Arrow ordained for this Bow If he doth so at any time 't is as the Psalmist there tells us against Persecutors and not against his People The time would fail me to speak of the Wind both Tempestuous and VVhirlwinds whereof I have spoke something of it in my Crown of a Christian in Chapter of Meditation and of other Meteors in the Firmament that are ordinary products of Nature yet Marvelous Wonders in Nature as to mans Capacity and Apprehensions It shall suffice to say only this in General at this time which is no less a signal and singular Wonder that out of one and the same equal matter to wit out of those same Vapours which are exhaled out of the Earth and Water so many several and differing Meteors should be engendred by the Almighty Power and unsearchable VVisdom of God Come we now to those that are Extraordinary and confine our selves to this past year 1680. only which God hath made Annum Mirabilem a wonderful year as he did that past year 1660 also How those two famous years run in Paralel lines and yet how that Congruity hath also its Disparity is made manifest in the Application The 1st Sign from Heaven or Prodigy in the Heavens that this VVonder-working God shewed to the VVorld was according to my now modell'd method that prodigious Comet or Blazing-star seen all over Europe upon which I have Published for publick good a little stitcht Book of three sheets Entituled A Philosophical and Divine Discourse Blazoning upon this Blazing-Star unto which I must here refer the Reader for a distinct discerning of the Product Form Colour Motion Scituation and Signification or Probable Prognosticks c. Thereunto Here adding this little supplement at this time This last Comet in the year 1680. was so prodigious that the like hath not been seen for length and breadth of its Train this 800 years I have consulted Osiander's Epitome of the Centuries who indeed mentioneth a Comet of an unusual magnitude a little before the Death of Constantine the Great which he saith was exposed to publick view tanti principis obitum Destgnâsse as a Prognstoick of the period of so great and so good a Prince Cent. 4. Lib. 2. Cap. 25. pag. 214. And the same Author tells of another Comet of a prodigious greatness shooting his Dreadful Rays above the City Constantinople and reaching almost as he saith from Heaven to that City which was as he addeth to give warning of Gajan the Scythian and Arrian's Design to set that great City on Fire yet through the goodness of God at the prayers of his People in it that Hellish Plot as he sayth was most graciously prevented and that by an Apparition of an Host of Angels which terrified this Cursed Arian from his burning project See Cent. 5. Lib. 1. Cap. 19. Pag. 89. I would to God the same mercy may be shown to London for the prayers of many in it Gen. 18.32 Isay 65.8 The same Author also telleth of another Comet in the 6th Century which did portend the Overthrow of the Metropolis of Cilicia by an Earthquake and much more mischief done in the East Cent. 6. Lib. 1. Cap. 34. and of another Horrible one of an unusual Longitude in Justinian the Emperors time which fore-ran that horrible Butchery the Hunns made over most of Europe Cent. 6. Lib. 3. Cap. 9. in the year 557. after Christ But I do not find in my Reading any such prodigious Comet as to its Train save only that one which was the fore-runner of the Turkish Monarchy in the 6th Century and who knows but this paralel Blaze may likewise presage the Approach of the fifth Monarchy of our Dear Redeemer who will sooner or later take to himself his great power and Reign Rev. 11.17 He will certainly Divide the spoil with the strong Isa 53.12 He will not always be an underling in the World but will put in for his part which his Father gave him Ps 2.8 in despight of a strong Turk strong Pope and strong Potentates and a strong Devil who is the Master of them all for his Father will make all his Sons Foes his Footstool Ps 110.2 and Matth. 22.44 He will put down all power that is opposite to the power of this Prince of Glory 1. Cor. 15.24 and put them who now Crest it high against Christ into the fittest place for them to wit under Christs Fect T is beyond doubt that this present Comet put Rome into a strange Consternation oh pray pray pray that the Influence of it may consume all the dreggs of the Roman Church in all that B●asts Dominions as Keplerus foretold long ago should be the effect of that Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Leo a sign of the Fiery Trigon And the reason why such an Effect was expected may be this The various Returns of those eminent Trigons fall out very rarely in the World Acute Tychobrahe thus reckons them The first was under Enoch The second under Noah The third under Moses The fourth under Solamon The fifth

Musitian according to Davids Dedication to many of his Psalms and that he is about to play over some eminent Acts of Providence which he will mannage throughout with most excellent skill upon the Stage of the World even such curious Lessons though consisting of Discords which may prove sad cordoliums to the VVicked yet sweet Cordials to the Godly The second particular in this General Discourse is the Scene whereon the great God shews his marvelous Signs and Wonders and where they have their extraordinary scituation whereof we cannot have a better account from any better Hand than from the sweet singer of Israel Ps 135.6 VVhere after he had declared 1. Gods Goodness v. 3. Then 2. Gods Greatness v. 5. Yea greater than all Gods either Deputed as Magistrates Ps 82.1.6 Or Reputed as Idols Ps 115.4.1 Cor. 8.4 He comes to declare what a most free Agent this good and great God is v. 6. Doing whatever pleaseth him whereby he confuteth three sorts of the Truths Adversaries 1st The Stoicks that bind Gods Almighty Hands under a Fatal necessity as if God could do nothing but as second Causes do move and oblige him 2. The Epicureans who dotingly Dream that God called Actus purissimus is altogether Idle sitting in Heaven at his own ease and altogether unconcerned with the Affairs of this lower World which they say are managed by chance and fortune 3. The Ethnicks who confess God to be concerned in the greatest matters of this lowermost World but not with the least of them saying Non vacat exiguis Rebus Adesse Jovi Jove is not at leisure to be present at small matters David here doth Demonstrate the grossness of all those three mistakes saying God is always at work as John 5.17 and he works freely what he pleaseth Ps 115.3 and under no Constraint or Restraint no second cause can either help him or hinder him even the seeming Impediments he over-ruleth and making them serviceable to his own irresistible Will as Phaorah's Daughter is made to preserve Moses who was to Destroy Pharoah's Kingdom c. And lastly he nameth the three grand Stages or Theaters whereon God worketh what he willeth both his Ordinary and extraordinary works to wit Heaven Earth and Sea the great God is concern'd in all things that come to pass in all these parts of the visible World This leads me from the General to a particular Discourse of those mighty Signs Wonders and Prodigies which the great God hath very lately shewn to the World upon all those three Scenes or Stages And first in the Heavens this Mighty God Jehovah not Jove or Jupiter is declared to be the Maker of all Meteors Jerem. 10.13 Ps 135.7 whether they be Fiery Airy or VVatery and whether they be Ordinary or Extraordinary 1. Ordinary 't is the great God that causeth Vapours to ascend from the ends of the Earth Ps 135.7 And Jerem. 10.13 Those Vapours the Sun Moon and Stars exhaleth out of the Earth and Sea by the Ordinance of the Creator whereon those usual Meteors as Clouds either with Rain or without Thanders and the Rainbow c are made as on their proper matter This may be exemplified in the little World Man in whom Vapours are experienced to Ascend up from below unto the Brain and from thence again do Deseend in a Defluxion of Rheum down upon the Lungs c. Thus it is in the Great World as to the first common Meteor to wit Clouds which are moist Vapours dra●n up as is aforesaid into the middle Region where being by the coldness thereof condensed and congealed they so continue there until by the warmth of the Sun they come to be dissolved and turn'd into Rain Zanch. de Op r. Dii lib. 3. cap. 6. pag. 381. Hereupon they are called Gods Garden-Pat for watering Plants wherewith he duly watereth the wide Garden of the World Now this though Common is one of Gods mighty Sig s and Wonders that he should bind up such a vast weight of water in his Clouds which are nothing but Vapours knit together and so are Vessels much thinner than the Liquor contained in them 't is a mighty Wonder that the Clouds are not rent under them Job 26.8 And so to cause a Cataclysme or warer Spouts as Marriners call them to drown not only Ships at Sea but also the whole Globe of the Earth This wonderful work of God that such a Massy weight of VVater should be confin'd to a thin Cloud as if a strong man should be conjur'd into a slender Cobweb and there be kept Nolens Vole●s If well weighed would be sufficient to convince the greatest Atheist in the VVorld of an Omnipotent Deity no meer man can spread aloft the thinnest Curtain absque fulcris without some solid thing to uphold it Yet the great God spreadeth those thin Curtains the Clouds over the whole Face of the Firmament Job 25.9.36.29 such as have great Floods bound up sometimes in them as in a Garment Prov. ●0 4 Yet have they nothing but the fluid Air to sustain them there be also Clouds without water as well as with which seem to carry the less VVonder in them yet if we Consider that all Clouds are Gods Spunges as Zanchy that Divine Philosopher calleth them which are in time filled with the waters that are above the Firmament and the true reason why some Clouds do Rain upon the Earth and others doe not is because God doth not squeeze all those Spunges with his mighty Hand and thus God saith I will command the Clouds to Rain no Rain upon this or that place Isa 5.7 Those are Clouds without Rain Prov. 25.14 For God presseth them not and those which God squeezeth as man doth a Spunge he doth it not with all his might but gently that they may moderately drop upon the Earth to refresh it but not to Ruine it as was done to the Old VVorld when God opened the Cataracts of Heaven and wrung those Spunges hard upon them the Consideration hereof should bring man to the knowledge of the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God Rom. 1.19 Job 38.37 Jer. 5.22 The second common Meteor is Thunder c. This is also Wonderful that Fire and Water should mingle in one Cloud and that Hard Stones according to the vulgar Opinion should come out of the midst of thin Vapours These are Wonders in Nature far beyond Humane Apprehension that one and the same Cloud should one while be an Aery Sea to powr down a whole Tide of VVater and another while even immediately be as some Aery Furnace which scattereth abroad flashes of Fire into all parts of the Earth astonishing the VVorld with the dreadful noise of that Eruption and that God should fetch Fire out of the midst of Water and hard Thunderbolts out of the midst of such a soft Exhalation as a Cloud is Hac sunt sane Tremenda atque admiranda no less to be Dreaded than Admired The third comman Wonder in Nature is

may well wonder at and more observable than either the most are aware of or affected with 'T is manifest That Jehovah is the true and only Thaumaturgus the great and ordinary Wonder-worker To omit the Wonders of the Creation for which see Psalm 136 4 5 6 7. and my little Book aforesaid upon Meditation pag. 125. to 145. and give but a Specimen or small Scantling of them 1. 'T is a Wonder to be wondred at How the Bones grow in her that is with Child Eccles 11.5 Solomon himself who was Natures Secretary wonders at this and so did David before him Psalm 139.14 2. The double Motion of the Lungs call'd Systole and Diastole and of the Pulse in mans Body is a Wonder which that Famous Physician Galen tho an Heathen was so amazed with that he would needs offer Sacrifices to that God whom he knew not who yet as he supposed must be the Original of that Wonder 3. The Strength of the Nether Chap is a Wonder whereof no man could ever give a Sufficient Natural Reason Nor 4. of the Heat in the Stomach for Digestion of all Meats in Succum Sanguinem into juice and Blood in a little time Nor. 5. Of the various Colours in the Rain-bow Nor 6. of the Flux and Reflux of the Sea Nor 7. of the Magnetick Virtues of the Loadstone to let pass many others that are Wonders all though ordinary No nor 8. of this common case that Chaff should be so cold as to keep Snow hid within it from melting and yet so warm as to hasten the Ripning of Apples which are coverd with it Gods wonders are without Number But 2. Instances more The 9th wonder is God's turning water into Wine as his Daily Work 'T is true this is called The Beginning of Christs Miracles Joh. 2.11 and 't was a mighty Miracle yea better than that of Moses for the Giver of the Law turn'd Water into Blood but the Giver of the Gospel turn'd Water into Wine the former could not be drank without danger of dying the latter was delightful to Drink and Heart-Reviving yet this VVonder of turning water into VVine is a daily work with God as Augustin excellently observeth Inasmuch as the Rain water which falls upon the Root of the Vine and nourisheth the Tree Doth in time turn into the Grape The Juice Blood or VVine is originally VVater In the 10th and last place Augustin excellently also maketh Gods multiplying a grain of Corn sown in the Earth to 30 60 or 100 Corns a more miraculous wonder than Christs multiplying the few Loves to feed 5000 persons his words are mirabilior est Grani in Terra multiplicatio quam illa quinque panum Tract 24. in Joh. 6.9 10 11. yet was that miracle of the 5 loaves exceeding marvelous Inasmuch as the Loaves by a strange kind of Arithmetick were Multiplied by Division as they were distributed among the Multitude and an Addition to them was made by Substraction As each person had his piece subtracted from the Loaves yet were they augmented thereby Notwithstanding all this That Reverend Father prefers the common Experience of every Husband-man the multiplying of one grain as a greater wonder Thus something may be known of God in the whole Creation Rom. 1.19 and much more in Divine Providence God never leaves himself without Witness Acts 14.17 yet leaves he all men without excuse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without any Apology Rom. 1.20 for though natural light is not available to bring faln Man into the Favour of God yet it is sufficient to convince him of Moral wickedness both against God and Man oh then what pity it is that Christ should still say Ye will not believe except ye see Signs and Wonders whereas men live in the very midst of many such like Signs and wonders as are the aforesaid c. yet they come not up to so much as amounts to an Old Testament Faith of Believing in GOD though a New Testament Faith is requisite also as Christ saith Ye believe in God believe also in Me John 14.1 but are Intoxicated with Atheism and live according to their Lusts as if they were all become David's Fools which say in their Heart There is no God though they Daily see God sufficiently sealing up his General Goodness to Man in doing him Good pro victu amictu bestowing upon him Daily Bread and Daily Cloathing 2. Besides those Ordinary God hath also his Extraordinary Wonders The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very great and Wonderful Works of GOD Act. 2.11 for though the Great GOD doth limit Nature to her Common Products yet will he never limit himself but Will Do whatever pleaseth him Psal 115.3 without either the Help or the Hindrance of any Whether it be Miracles or Marvels or Ordinanary Occurrences As to the first of those I have spoke so largely already and shall only add that there were never any Miracles for Weight Measure and Number for God is said to do all things pondere mensura Numero equal to those in the time of the Gospel none of those either before or under the Law can be parralel'd with those under the Gospel upon all those three accounts they are not like them for weight measure and number It may easily be Demonstrated how far Law-Miracles come short of Gospel Miracles in all these respects To Instance only in that one asorenamed Moses indeed turned Water into Blood but the Messiah turned Water into Wine and how much the latter exceeds and excels the former is obvious to every ordinary understanding inasmuch as the former was made pestiferous the latter salutiferous Drink therefore the captious and carnal Jews were exceedingly irrational in rejecting those Miracles the Messiah wrought amongst them and requesting some such as Moses had wrought for their Forefathers as giving them Manna from Heaven c. Seeing those of the Messiah did far surmount those of Moses both in quality and quantity and in ponderesity Inasmuch as that Manna Moses gave their Forefathers melted putrified bred Worms and perished in the using but the Messiah gave himself the true Bread from Heaven to feed them up to Everlasting Life his own Flesh for them to eat and his own Blood for them to Drink a Meat and Drink that must last without putrifying so long as the World doth last Manna was but the Type which is always the lesser Christ is the Antitype which is always the greater and better If our Saviour say of himself that he is greater than Solomon Matth. 12.42 We may likewise say of him he is greater and better than Manna Moreover that which more aggravated the Jews Contempt of Christs person and his Miracles is that their knowledge of Moses's Miracles they had upon Credit only they received it by Tradition from their Forefathers But as to the Miracles of our Blessed Messiah they received them not by Hear-say but were personal Eye-witnesses of them therefore doth the Apostle Peter make his

could neither wave nor swell nor flow but became as a firm Wall frozen into hard Ice on both sides of Israel Ps 78.13 Thus the fluid Waters were fixed and became as Stone Walls on each hand of them while they passed through with ease and safety This the Psalmist Wonders at and asks the Waters What ailed thee O thou Sea c. Ps 114.5 and thence he passeth to Jordan more Paralel to our Case asking what was the matter with you both that the one Fled and the other was Driven back can there be any natural Reason given or was 't the powerful presence of God that affrighted you into this Retrograde Run or Motion v. 7. This Instance sheweth we may many times ask Questions and yet neither doubt of the matter nor be ignorant of the Cause This more Paralel Case of the drying up Jordan Josh 3.13 The Waters of that River were cut off that is the Waters that came from above were cut off so as to stand still as on a Heap and the waters that were below according to their ordinary course ran away into the Dead Sea so the Channel was left Dry having no waters coming down from above to feed and fill it This was a wonderful Work of God and much admired by the Psalmist in his Ps 114. Now this Jordan was a compound of two Rivers Jor and Dan as our Welsh River was yet the Course of both the streams were stop't for some Hours so the Channel was dry though 't is true the Camp of Israel was not there with the Ark to pass over into Canaan The Chaldee Paraphrase Addeth the drying up of Arnon and Jabbok whereof see Num. 21.14 and Deut. 2.37 as Revel 16.12 mentions the drying up of Euphrates for the Kings of the East to pass over c. but leaving Sacred come we to Civil Story Our Famous Cambden Reports of another River in Merionith shire in Wales the River Dee that runneth through Pimble-Meer or Lake it mingles not her Streams with the Waters of the Lake though this be a great Marvel and hath also a good Moral to wit that we should not mingle the streams of our Affections with the puddle Water of Corrupt Company when carried headlong at unawares among them yet it is far short of our present Prodigy and the same Cambden relates how the River Ouse near Bedford in the last year of King Richard the II. stood still and ceased his Course so as the Channel remained dry for the space of three miles together Cambden Brit. pag. 399. which was then adjudged to signify the Revoltings of the Subjects from their Prince Bakers Chron. pag. 154.167 He being mislead by his Favorite Michael de-la-pool and other Sycophants did incurr the hatred of his People Prideaux Introduction pag. 324. In his time was the marvelous Parliament and that which wrought Wonders See Baker of his Reign Also in the Reign of Henry the VI. The same River Ouse on New-Years Day suddenly stood still and divided it self which as was conceived did portend the prodigious Broyls between the Houses of York and Lancaster see Bakers Chron. among the Casualties as he calls them of his Reign The like hapned in the year 1660. to the River Derwent near Darby which was dryed up upon Nov. the 29. for many miles and some hours so that the Mills stood the Boats were on ground the Fishes taken up upon the Sand by Children and men walked over dry shod This was the greater Prodigy not only because 't is a broad River and runs with a fierce and full Stream as Cambden Britt pag. 554. relateth but also because the Waters of the Sanctuary were dryed up soon after by the Silenting of some thousands of Orthodox Ministers As those Rivers returned all of them to their course again so the good Lord know us in our Wilderness and 〈◊〉 the Land of great Drought Hos 13.5 and make us again as a watered Garden whose Waters fail not Isa 58.11 That our Fleece as Giacons may not still be Dry. Judg. 6.39 but the Lord be as springs of Water to us 〈◊〉 all our fresh springs are in him Ps 87.7 an everflowing and overfl●●●ng Fountain of Grace and Comfort Were not my Book already swoln too bulky I might insist also upon the pr●●●gious Whale which was found lately in the River Wevner within 6 miles of Chichester 50 foot in length and 28 in thickness who broke off his own Tail with strugling and turn'd the River into Blood with his Blood an undoubted Prodigy for the Whale never breaks forth out of her beloved Ocean which is her peculiar Dominion into narrow Rivers but it presages Storms where such a thing hapneth Assuredly Jonah's was the greatest of Prodigies who ship'd him to the shore and in the mean time afforded him an Oratory a place to 〈◊〉 in Four Prodigious Wonders were concurring therein saith Mercer est That the Heat of the Whales Stomach did not Consume Jonah as it did other 〈◊〉 2ly That in so close a Prison he could both breath and live without the common use of Air and light 3ly That be was not choaked with the Stench of so fifthy a Jakes as the Whales Belly 4ly That he had his Senses as well as Life there to pour out such an excelient Prayer and Praise to God Jonah was the true Arion the Poets mention out of whose History Christ gathers the Mystery of his own Death Burial and Resurrection Jon. 〈◊〉 and 2.10 with Matt. 12.40 This great Sea-Monster that never useth to come near the Shore but Sports himself in the deep Waters Ps 104.26 yet when the Great God the chief Centurion commands him thither he must go and Vomit up Jonah upon dry Land He breaks the Head as well as Tail of this Monstrous Leviathan and gives him to be Meat to the People inhabiting the Wilderness Ps 74.14 Though no Mortal man can Ring him like an Hog or Rule him like a Bear Job 41.2 c. yet the Immortal God can and did so to Senacherib that crooked Leviathan Isa 27.1 37 29. and doth so both to the Great Turk who would Devour Europe and to the Great Pope who would destroy the Reformed Countrys Procopius tells of a great Whale in his Time that much Infested the Coasts of Constantinople and did much Mischief for fifty years together but at last was taken and tamed by slaughter though 30 Cubits long and ten bread Thus Jehovah will Take and Tame both Behemoth the Turk who Eats up men like Grass upon the Mountains Job 40.15 c. and Leviathan the Pope who Sports himself in his See to devour Protestants God will pull those 2 Kings of the Children of Pride out of their Seats though they have Infested the Church many fifty years and both Saddle and Bridle them Job 41.13.34 In due Time God will make this latter Leviathan to break his own Tail and let out his own Blood as that Colchester Whale did and God will break