Review of What God Hath Been Pleased to Do This Year, Title page – Dedication
A REVIEW OF What God hath been pleaſed to do This Year, According to PROPHECY; And particularly near the 23d of the Month we ſtile Auguſt IN THE General Peace, and the Muſcovian and Imperial Victories over the Turks.
WITH A moſt Humble Apology and Defence concerning the falling ſhort of Events, of what was expected according to the Interpretation of that ſure Word of Prophecy.
By T. BEVERLEY.
Pſal. 111. 2. The Works of the Lord are great, ſought out of All who have pleaſure therein.
LONDON: Printed for William Marſhal at the Bible in Newgate-ſtreet, and John M…rſhal at the Bible in Grace-Church-Street. MDCXCVIII
TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE Sir Humfry Edwyn, LORD MAYOR Of the City of LONDON.
My Lord,
I Have obſerved, The ſupreme Providence, hath Placed you in the moſt Eminent Magiſtracys of this Great City, in Two Extraordinary Years, Engraven upon with Illuſtrious Appearances of his own Hand; Your Sherivalry, as I have been aſſured in the Year 88, The Year of the ſo Great Revolution in theſe Nations; and your Lordſhips Mayoralty Enters in this Year of the Peace, and the ſo Grand Victory of the Imperial Army over the Mahometan, Turkiſh Signiory; and both ſo cloſe together, and at a Time, as I apprehend, well known to Prophecy: I have therefore thought it my Duty, Humbly to preſent the following Review of both to your Lordſhip, as in ſo High a Station, This ſo Great Year: And yet, If God hath Graciouſly led me into the t…e Interpretation of his Sure Word of Prophecy, This is but ſmall in Compariſon of your Authority, Extending it ſelf into the much Greater Year 98; As I hope it will be found; In which your Sword ſhall be born before the Prince of Princes, the King of Kings and Lords of Lords, the Prince of the Kings of the Earth; I mean not in His Perſonal Appearance, as many either Ignorantly, or wilfully miſtake; but in Regard of the Glorious Manifeſtation of His Kingdom Entring its Succeſſion; which will not Leſſen but Aggrandize both Royal and Magiſtratical Honour, and Authority, that Kiſſes the Son, and does Homage to This Supreme; and will not in the leaſt give Countenance to Anarchy, Confuſion, or Reſiſtance to that Ordinance of God by either Le elliſm or Rebellion; but Conciliate the moſt Holy, Humble and Pious ſubjection to Authority ſo Enſtamp'd from Heaven, as then it will be.
I have taken Notice by General Diſcourſe; Your Lordſhip in your Publick Attendance on the Worſhip of God, appears to Deſire the Reconciliation of Protestants, whether under thoſe undeſirable, and, as too much mannaged, unkind diſtinctions of Epiſcopacy, Presbytery, or Congregational Union.
I hope, It is, as Falling out this Year, not without happy Preſages of that Bleſſed Philadelphian Church-State ſpeedily about to enter; In which all ſuch Names of difference will be loſt in both the Purity and Love, that will overflow them in the Succeſſion of that Kingdom; And as I have ſome Years ago Foretold; That the Cathedral of Pauls, (as we ſtile it) whoſe Loughty Pile, which Providence ſeems to have allowed the Preparation of, for the National Solemn Acknowledgments of God in the Peace, wherein your Lordſhip will bear ſuch a Figure, ſhall yet, (I am perſwaded) ſpeedily with thoſe Names of Prelation and Prefidency in it, that have their only Baſis in that Antiquity, wherein the Synagogue of Sathan began to have the Aſcendency, and not in pure Scripture-Antiquity, Bow Themſelves at the Feet of that Philadelphian State, and Acknowledge, Chriſt hath Loved and Choſen it; or elſe both the Prelacy and the Cathedrals will ſuffer Abrogation, and become uſeleſs;
There is one thing more, I Congratulate to your Lordſhip this Year of your ſo eminent Magiſtracy in; And that is, An appearance of Zeal for the Retrenchment and Extirpation of open Prophaneſs, Irreligion, and Lewdneſs of Manners: I cannot but have an Honour for any ſuch undertaking, and beſeech of God his preſence with it, and Bleſſing upon it; So far as it bears, but a deſire to prepare for, (if I may ſo allude) a Temple for God in the Nation; and I doubt not. It will have the aſſiſtance of your Authority, and other the Religious Participants of your Government; But yet I cannot but hope▪ Our Greater Solomon will be ſupreme in the Adminiſtrat…on, and Raiſe it much higher then Man can do.
My Lord▪ As to my ſelf, I cannot claim any particular Knowledge of, or Intereſt in you; but looking upon your Magiſtracy in 88, and 98, as Honoured with a Prophetickneſs, I have on that Account taken the boldneſs to Inſcribe your Name, and I do very humbly beſeech your Patronage of this Review under its Great Patron, and the acceptance of this Dedication; Till it ſhall be able, as I hope, it will within few Months be, to Anſwer for it ſelf to all that ſhall ſend to it or ask a Reaſon of its Hope; as owned by that Higher Patronage, publickly in the Eyes of all. In the mean time, as I moſt humbly beg the Prayers of all, who Love the Kingdom of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; So my moſt Fervent and Earneſt …upplications ſhall be for the Magiſtracy of this Great City, and their as Honourable Station in the Kingdom of Chriſt; and moſt particularly for your Lordship.
Mo. 9. D. 12th. 1697. My Lord, Your Lordſhips, Moſt Humble Servant, In that Kingdom, THO. BEVERLEY.