Page images
PDF
EPUB

The CONCLUSION.

A

of the

AND now perhaps it may be asked, The Con clufion, as the Difciples asked our Bleffed with fome Lord, Mat. 24. 3. tell us; when Shall thefe Thoughts Things be? To which Queftion our Lord concerning the Signs has upon another Occafion, Acts. 1. 7. given us this fhort Anfwer, that it is not for Times. us to know the Times and the Seafons, which the Father bath put in his own Power. And it must be acknowledged, that no one thing has given fo fatal an Advantage to the Enemies of Prophetical Truth, as the vaft Prefumption of fome Men, who upon very flender Grounds have dared as in the Name of the Lord to confine the Completion of fome very great Revolutions to a very narrow Compafs of Time, and that with as much Confidence, as if their Comments had been as Divine and Authentick as the Prophecies themselves which they pretended to explain. The Mifcarriages of fuch Perfons have fo prejudic'd the Men of free thinking and Philofophy, as to make them (generally fpeaking) entirely neglect the Prophetical Writings; yea, not only, neglect but ridicule them, and think all that can be faid for them, to be fufficiently anfwered with that bitter Sarcafme of a certain Great Man, that the Book of Revelations either found people mad or left them for which

how

however sometimes true it may be in Fact,is directly contrary to the Declaration made by the Spirit of God Himself (if they will allow this Book to be Divine) who begins it with the Promife of a Bleffing, a fpecial Bleffing to the ftudy of it; Blessed is be that readeth, and they that bear the Words of this Prophecy, and keep those things that are written therein. Rev. 1. 3.

Now though our Bleffed Saviour condemns a too pofitive Curiofity in things of this nature, yet does he by no means dif courage the modeft and humble Enquirer, having himself vouchfafed, Mat. 24. Mark. 13. and Luke. 21. to give us fome Marks and Tokens whereby to judge of the near approach of that Time; at least with as much Certainty as we can judge of the near approach of Summer, when we fee the tender Branches of the Fig-tree begin to bud and put forth its Leaves, or judge of the Weather by the appearance of the Sky. Learn (faith he to his Difciples, Mat. 24. 32, 33) a Parable of the Fig-tree: when his Branch is yet tender, and putteth forth his Leaves, ye know that Summer is nigh: So likewife ye when ye shall fee all these things (meaning the Signs and Tokens afore-mention'd) know that it (the great Defolation) is near, even at the doors. So Mat.16.2, 3. When it is Evening, ge fay it will be Fair Weather: For the Sky is Red. And in the Morning it will be Foul Weather to Day: for the Sky is Red and Lowring. O ye Hypocrites, ye can difcern the Face of the Sky, but cannot ye difcern the Signs of the Times?

Omitting therefore all Chronological Dif quifitions, which at the beft are attended with infinite Uncertainties, we will take a fhort view of thofe Criteria, or Tokens, which our Bleffed Lord has given us.

THE firft is Mat. 24. 6. Ye shall hear of Wars, and Rumours of Wars, Nation fhall rife against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom, there fhall be Famines and Pestilences and Earthquakes in divers Places. Upon this let any inquifitive Chriftian look a little into the face of the prefent Times, and let him seriously tell me, did he ever meet with fuch a state of Affairs in any period of Hiftory, as that which at this time embarraffes the Princes and Potentates of Europe. I mean in relation to the different Interefts and Pretensions,upon which the prefent War is grounded, which by fome furprizing Springs and Motions have upon fuch different Grounds engaged fo many States and Kingdoms, that there is hardly a Neutral Power left to be the Mediator or Guarantee of the fo much expected and defired Peace. I cannot upon this Head forbear to mention the visible Weakness and Declension of the Empire, as alfo their prefent Differences with the Court of Rome, which may poffibly haften the Completion of Daniel's Prophecy of the Ten Toes of his Image, Dan. 2. 41. which will be an indifputable Proof of the near Approach of the grand Revolution. As for the other Inftances, viz. Peftilences and Famines, by the Mercy of God they have not yet been fo univerfals and Osmay the fame

[ocr errors]

good

good Providence continue to be our De fence and Protection! But for Earthquakes, they have been more common in many Parts of Europe and America within thefe few Years, than they have been for fome Ages before.

ANOTHER Sign is the Perfecutions which the faithful Witneffes of the Truth of God fhall fuffer from the Oppofition of thofe that have corrupted the Truth by the Workings of the Antichriftian Spirit, v. 9, Then Shall they deliver you (the Teachers and Affertors of Apoftolical Truth) up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and you shall be hated of all Men for my Name's fake. And v. 19. many shall be offended, and shall betray one another, and hate one another. Upon which Words I fhall mention no other Comment *Cat. 15. than that of St. Cyril of Jerusalem *" If "thou heareft that Bifhops contend againft Bifhops, and Priefts against Priefts, and People against People, even to Blood, be not disturbed at it; for it was foretold that it should come to pafs. (And again) Amongst the Apoftles themselves there was Treachery, and doeft thou wonder that there is Variance amongst Bifhops?!

Sect. 4.

Сс

༢༢༢

σε

ANOTHER Sign is, v. 11. Many False Prophets fhall arife, and shall deceive many. This Sign in particular has been, vifibly fulfilled in the fight of all Men, by one of the most notorious and remarkable Inftances of Delufion that ever was acted in any period of the Churchia Delufion masked under fo

vaft a Mixture of noble Primitive and Evangelical Truths, and fuch Appearances of Piety and dif-interested Zeal for God,that it deceiv'd many well-meaning pious Souls, who followed them in the Simplicity of their Hearts. These may, I think, in the moft proper Sense be called Falfe Prophets, though they taught and published many great and noble Truths. Prophets, I think they may be called, in the common Acceptation of the Word, for Persons that speak by the Direction and Affiftance of fome fupernatural Agent. For this I am perfwaded was their Cafe, neither can I be induced to think that the whole was a Sham and Contrivance of fome cunning Leaders amongst them who were at the Bottom of the whole Design, to ferve fome By-ends of their own; and I believe it appears by this Time, that there have been fundry Things done amongst them, that greatly exceed the Powers of Nature. Secondly, They are False Prophets, as having not juftify'd their Miffion by that decifive Miracle to which they made their See, The laft and most folemn Appeal. And Laftly, New Prethey may be called Falfe, as fpeaking in and tenders to by a* falfe Spirit, and making those very Prophecy Truths they uttered fubfervient to the pro- and their moting of Error and Falfehood, as might Pretences be shown at large, and which I fear will be shewn to be but too fadly evident by the lamentable Ef. groundless and false, fects which it has and will have according to by N. the different Impreffions which it has made Spinckes, upon the Minds and Principles of different M. A. Perfons. I cannot pafs by this Sign, with- Printed for

[blocks in formation]

examin'd,

R. Sare,

1709.

« PreviousContinue »