The Kingdom of Jesus Christ Entering at 1697, Preface – Errata
THE General Preface, With a Table of Contents.
THE Preface I intend, ſhall be to preſent a Key of the following Diſcourſe, in the plaineſt manner I can.
The great Intencion of it is, to Aſſert ſo Happy a Revolution of the World, as the Kingdom of Chriſt in its Succeſſion, within ſo few Years, as lye betwixt the preſent 1689, and the next enſuing 1697.
This Kingdom, however the Prophane, and wicked World may take it, and be Angry at it, muſt needs be the Joy and deſire of all good Men, and Women. The change will be ſo Great, and Happy, that the Heathen Empire becoming Chriſtian under Conſtantine, was ſo dark a ſhade of it, that notwithſtanding it, the Churches flight Rev. 12. 6.into the Wilderneſs for 1260 days Is immediately upon it given out. At this 97. It ſhall return from the Wilderneſs, and not before, How much more Glorious ſhall that Time then be? The Pope and Turk ſhall go off the Stage of Power, and which is much greater to us; The Reformation, or Proteſtant State, ſhall be purg'd from all the Remains of Antichriſtianiſm in Doctrine, Worſhip, Juriſdiction, and Manners, which, God knows, are very great; ForRev. 3. 2. Chriſt hath not Found our works perfect or Fill'd up before God.
It is a dangerous thing to ſay, if God hath ſaid it; How ſhall this thing be? How did he raiſe the World in Six days, when as yet there was none of it? How did he bring in a Chriſtian Empire after the Cruelties of thoſe Salvage Emperors, Diocleſian and the other Tyrants of that Time, juſt before Raging in the Laſt, and greateſt Chriſtian Perſecution by the Pagan Empire!
The great Queſtion is then, whether he hath ſaid it or not! To ſhew he hath ſaid it, Theſe Two Viſions of Daniel are expounded by themſelves, together with the Light of the New Teſtament, as a Calendar, and here offer'd.
To make out this, It is firſt Intimated, which in its proper placepag. 1. is more fully prov'd, that Daniel's great Viſions throughout his Prophecy, and ſo theſe two are on purpoſe to ſhew, how long it would be, e're Ezekiels viſion of the Glorious City, and Temple would come out of Viſion into the Everlaſting Throne, and the Sanctuary cleans'd, as Real Event.
To ſhew it would be a long Time, God gives in theſe two Viſions a Subſtantial Calendar of Four great Monarchies, running out themſelves, e're the Everlaſting Throne would be Erected; At the end of them, It would; As in another Viſion, He gives 2300 Evenings and Mornings, till the Sanctuary cleans'd, as a numeral Calendar of the whole Time.
The beſt Key, that can be given to this, is, to give the Contents of the Diſcourſe, Referring to the pages, wherein each part is diſcours'd, in the way of Argument, That theſe two Viſions give ſo Subſtantial a Calendar of more value, then Seth's pillars, if Extant; and then a Numeral Calendar ending 1697.
The firſt Viſion is, in the Exquiſite frame, and admirable contrivance of it, and the moſt Illuſtrious Remarks, Providence ſo deſignedly gave it in Daniel's Expoſition of it, made out to be ſuch a Calendar, pag. 2.and to end in a Kingdom of Chriſt; neither the Heavenly, nor the Spiritual Evangelical Kingdom onelyonly; nor that of the Chriſtian to pag. 13.Empire, or Chriſtian Princes and States ſince Conſtantine; But One to Come.
The ſecond Viſion is then ſhown to be doubled, to Fix the Certainty,p. 14. 15. 16 as alſo, that It is more particular, as given to Daniel, a Domeſtick of the Divine Kingdom, above what, was allowed to Nebuchadnezzar an Alieu.
The Grand Argument of ſuch a Calendar propos'd, and all along purſued is; That Things have been ſucceſſively, and are to this day in Motion according to this Calendar; And by expreſs Scripture, aspag. 16. 17. to the Babylonian, the Perſian, the Graecian Monarchies, All acknowledg'dly paſs'd, and gone off.
It is therefore in the next place ſhown, the Calendar could not expire in the Graecian Monarchy, as it ſtood divided after Alexander the Great; And that therefore it muſt ſubſiſt in the Roman Monarchy and how Agreeably with Prophecy, and Hiſtory of the New Teſtament, even to the Evidence of an Article of Faith, It doth there ſubſiſt, is argued; And that this Monarchies having no Name in the Old or New Teſtament, as the other Monarchies p. 18. to p. 25.have, nor any particular ſhape in Daniel, as the other Kingdoms have in the three Beaſts, does not weaken, but ſtrengthen the Calendar, is alſo Argued.
That the Calendar therefore might continue in the Roman Monarchy, That Monarchy remain'd unbroken at the Reſurrection,p. 26. and Aſcenſion of Chriſt; and from thence, it is to be divided into three Periods.
1. The Period of the Pagan Empire before Conſtantine's moſtp: 26. 27. Livelily Symbold in the Revel. c. 12. 1. &c.
2. The Period of the Chriſtian Empire from Conſtantine p. 28.till the Abdication of Auguſtulus; The Symbol of it in the Revelation and the wonderful care, Prophecy takes about it, Shown atto p. 38. large, Becauſe it was not Beſtian, but a ſhade of the Kidgdom of Chriſt; That yet the Calendar ſhould not be thought deſtroyed, is diſplayed from the Apoſtle Paul. 2. Theſſ. 2. and from ſeveral Apocalyptical Concerts concerning it.
The Calendar, as brought down to the Chriſtian Empire, and plac'd there, as on a Grand pillar of Time, is Reviewed, as in thatp. 39. Chriſtian Empire Beginning, and Ceaſing.
3. The third Period is, of the Roman Papacy, wherein is prov'd, that whatever ſucceeded the Chriſtian Roman Empire, and hath continued all along to this day, muſt be the Beſtian State of the Roman Empire; and it could be no other but the Papacy, with thep. 40. Ten Kings and Kingdoms, into which that Empire was after the Chriſtian Empire, Divided.
Becauſe the State of the Roman Empire under the Papacy, and the Ten Kings would be ſo long, that the Calendar could not be enough ſupported by the Real ſubſtantial Notes of diſtinction, nor known, how long! Here therefore the Numeral Calendar of Time, p. 41. 42.Times, and Half a Time is given; which had been in vain given, if not to be underſtood; The explication is therefore undertaken in that Aſſurance, and Ballanced, with Forty Two Months, Prophetically divided and multiplyed.
The Epoch, or Beginning of theſe Times and Half Time, is argued to be at the Abdication of Auguſtulus (where, by the wayp. 43. to 45. the true Notion of Abdication is …lear'd, and urg'd) and the Ten Kings thereupon Receiving Power with the Beaſt at one Hour; which Receiving at One Hour is explain'd, and argued.
The real Calendar in the Times, and Half Time is argued by ſuch undeniable, and unparalellable Agreements betwixt the Prophecy of Daniel, and the Revelation, and the State of the Roman Empire p. 46. to 53.under the Papacy, and the Ten Kings, as can be no way overcome, by ſo much, as an Atheiſt, or Papiſt, that will conſider.
The Numeral Calendar of Times, and Half a Time, is made out by Ballance with the 1260. days and Forty two Months, … 54. to …4.as the Time of the Eclipſe of the Church of Chriſt by the Beſtian Moon under its Feet; Giving Great underſtanding of the Calendar, both in Alluſion to an Eclipſe, one of the ſureſt Characters of Time in Chronology, and alſo moſt exactly Calculated in its Time of Duration, and various degrees of Beginning, Middle, and Going of; And the Application of a Calendar onelyonly to the Little Horn in Daniel, and to the Time of the Beſtian Tyranny in the Revelation, ſhews us, They muſt be both the ſame; and that therefore we muſt be Right in the duration, knowing the Epoch of the Times and of the Half Time; This is diſcours'd at large, and then by way of Brief Recollection; That if the Beaſts Times and Half Time are taken alone, and Divided, and Multiplyed by themſelves, according to that fix'd Epoch of the Times, and of the Half Time; They muſt needs end at 1697.
The ſucceſſion of the Kingdom of Chriſt, is demonſtrated neceſſarily to follow at the end of the half Time: together with ſome Practicalp. 64. to the End. Intimations.
If then to the ſucceſſion of the Graecian Monarchy in its Divided ſtate, we have expreſs Scripture for the Calendar; if all Hiſtory aſſures us, the Roman Empire ſwallowed that; and Scripture preſent it then in its Greatneſs, even to an Article of Faith, and hath both by a real Conſpicuous Agreement betwixt it, and Prophecy all along preſented it to us in its State to this day, and given us a Numeral Calendar, that, tho' Myſtick, is to be, and is (I ſolemnly Aſſert) with undoubted Certainty unlock'd to us; as ending at 97. And that nothing can Follow, but the Kingdom of Chriſt; Let us, being ſo near a Kingdom, that cannot be ſhaken, have Grace, wherewith to ſerve God with Reverence and Godly fear, For Our God is a Conſuming Fire.H…b. 12. 28.
Beſides ſome ſmall Miſtakes in Pointing, theſe few Faults have eſcap'd, which the Courteous Reader is deſired to mend thus;
Page 4…. line 6. for were read we. p. 46. l. 28. point thus, Compos'd, are; The▪ p. 50 l. 40. r. Beſtianiſm. p. 64. l. 30. r. ſlay. p. 66. l. 26. r. foreign.