A Scripture Line of Time, Title page – Preface
A Scripture-Line OF TIME, Drawn in Brief From the Lapſed Creation, to the Reſtitutution of all Things.
Diſcours'd at large, upon the 2300 Ev. Morn. Dan. 8. 14. And their Collateral Lines, From CYRƲS, to the Kingdom of CHRIST in the New Jeruſalem.
By T Beverley.
Bleſſed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the 1335 Dayes, viz. the Last of the 2300. Dan. 12. 12.
We are not of the foreign, the Apoſtaſie to Perdition, but of the foreign, the Apoſtolick Faith, to the ſaving of the Soul. Heb. 10. 39.
Printed according to a Calendar, 1684.
ERRATA.
THE Errors in this Impreſſion are either ſmall by change of a Letter, miſpointings, ſometimes want of Points, or of a Parentheſis; which it is hop'd the conſidering Reader will eaſily over-rule by the ſence. The more notorious are thus to be corrected before the reading the Book. p. 5. l. 6. before the end, for 230, r. 2300. l. 4. before the end, for as r. was. p. 12. l. 23. for ſhape r. ſcope. p. 20. l. 17. for Revelational r. Revelation. p. 36. l. 13. before the end, for 2302. r. 2300. p. 63. l. 23. for Kingdoms r. Kingdom. p. 66. 16. blot of p. 82. l. 28. blot was.
Second Part.
At p. 66. of the ſecond part, ſome more noted Errata's are mark'd, which the Reader is deſir'd to mend before Reading.
IN the Title, for XXII. r. XVI. Sections. p. 39. l. 11. before the end, for 626. r. 622. p. 46. l. 11. after hundred blot the Comma. p. 47. l. 25. for ſufferings r. ſufferers. p. 58. l. 1. blot all of them. p. 103. l. 12. after Tribunes blot of the People. p. 110. l. 6. after Head blot Com. p. 11. l. 16. after by, blot him. p. 127. at l. 13. Marg. Argument 2. p. 128: at l. 7. Margent, Argument 3. p. 135. l. 16. r. Surd p. 146. l. 23. r. Tempt one. p. 151. l. 3. r. Grandiloquence. p. 163. l. 11. remove the Colon after (Smyrna) to after (camein) p. 175. l. 20. blot the Figures after (with) In the Preface, p. 4. l. 10. after Diſcourſes r. without. p. 4. l. 11. after compar'd, r. with.
THE PREFACE TO Thoſe, who deſire to Hear and Ʋnderſtand the Words of Scripture Prophecy.
My very Honoured Friends.
THE Scripture Line of Time, which I affirm, is that, which riſes from the excellent State of All Things at Creation; when followed an immediate Deordination, flowing from the Apoſtaſie and Fall of Man through the Serpents Temptation; But by the interpoſal of the Promiſed Seed of the Woman, That State was borne up from utter Ruine, and ſinking, and a Proſpect given of a Reſtitution of all Things by a new Creation, when the Serpents Head ſhould be bruis'd; Now of this Reſtitution, all the holy Prophets have been ſpeaking, ſince the Worlds Beginning, and they have led along the Courſe of things to it, in the Exaltation of Him, whoſe Name is the Word of God, (the Alpha and Omega of the written Word) till He appears encircled with many Crowns, Revel. 19. At which, That old Serpent, the Devil and Sathan, is laid hold upon, chain'd, and ſeal'd up within his proper Abyſs, or Bottomleſs Pit, and the New Creation is eſtabliſh'd in the Kingdom of this Many-Crown'd King. Which Kingdom can never be broken, nor leaves a poſſibility of any Succeſſion to it ſelf; But it is deliver'd up into the Hand of the Father, from which it is receiv'd; before which Delivery, or Reſignation, ſhall be the perfect and final Contuſion of the Serpents Head; Himſelf, and all his Offſpring, not written in the Book of Life, being caſt with Death and Hell into the Lake of Fire, which is the ſecond Death, Rev. 20. This bleſſed State therefore is not a ſingle Sabbath, but a Sabbatiſm of a thouſand years, that remains to the People of God, conjoyn'd inſeparably with the Sabbatiſm of Eternity, even as the ſeventh day Sabbath of the Creation was connected with, united in, and immediately ſucceeded by the Chriſtian firſt day Sabbath, or Our Lords Day, at his Reſurrection.
This Line of Time I then avow, is drawn from that former Sabbath of the Firſt Creation, to the Sabbatiſm of the New Creation, as from Point to Point, without Oſtentation, or formal Profeſſion of ſuch a Line; yet ſo that it is all along, and eſpecially the Commiſſures and Joynts of the parcel, and particular Lines, are ennobled with ſome illuſtrious Symbols of the down fall of Sathans Kingdom, and of the Glory of the Kingdom of the Seed, or of the Teknogony of the Woman, as may be abundantly made good in all Inſtances.
At what I have aim'd, and for what end in the calculation of this Line, I have prepared a full Diſcourſe, may be ſeen by the Calendar annexed to this Preface, what I have perform'd may be ſeen hereafter, if God permit the Publication of that Preparation upon the whole Line. At this Time I have only preſented my Endeavours upon that grand Prophetick Line of Daniels 2300 Evenings Mornings, which is by the admirable contrivance of the Divine Wiſdom given firſt entire, and ſo preſerv'd, as not to be under any ſuch Prejudice from the formidable variation of Copies, as the Ages of the Patriarks are; and then the parcel or collateral Lines either in number'd Numbers, or as I hope, will appear on very good Proof, riſe exactly adequate to the 2300; ſo that the whole, and the Parts demonſtrate, and aſſure one another; beſides I vouch thoſe undoubted, and indiſputable Lines, delineated in the Calendar, as far, as to Cyrus indiſputable, I do not mean ſo much, when they began, or how much Time they comprehend, For ſo I know there are many Doubts through Difference of Copies, or otherwiſe, but in this indiſputable, that Holy Writ hath taken care there ſhould be an Account of Time ſo far. And this I vouch, as an Argument, That he who begun a Line from the Creation, continued it to Cyrus, and defin'd by ſeventy weeks the ſpace from the word going forth to the Meſſiah, hath every where fill'd it up, and continued it to the Kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt, ſeeing he as eaſily commands Time future by Prophecy, as Time past by Hiſtory; and I do find both are certain and definite, to that preciſeneſs, as to be twice, once in Hiſtory, once in Prophecy, ſaid to be the ſelf ſame day, viz. the coming out of Egypt, Exod. 12. 40. and the Viſion of the New Jeruſalem. Ezek. 40. 1.
And that very Charactariſm of Ezekiels 390, and 40 days, lying on his two ſides, I look upon as an eſpecial contrivance of the Holy Spirit to mediate between the Hiſtorical and Prophetick Pares of Time, that being part Hiſtorick, viz. to the Time of the Siege eſpecially, and more or leſs ſo to that Viſion of the New Jeruſalem, and of very great Symbolical Importance alſo concerning the ſtate of the Twelve Tribes, till the Times of the Gentiles, that entred in Nebuchadnezzars Univerſal Monarchy, were fulfill'd; of all which, with the anſwer of all Doubts, upon that and other the Viſions of Ezekiel, relating to Time, I have at large treated in that afore promis'd Diſcourſe, only I cannot omit the Prophetical Cypher of Time, tranſlated from the 40 Days for forty years in the Wilderneſs is here ſolemnly given, with its Key, as of perpetual Scripture uſe from thence.
I can with great Truth and Sincerity, make Proteſtation; It was no part of my Deſign to enter a Diſpute with any Perſwaſion of Chriſtians, but only to purſue the Line of Time, as it reaches that illuſtrious Sabbatiſm, for which I find, Eminent Perſons of all Perſwaſions, have very great Favour.
But doing this, I could not avoid, but that the Antichriſtian Apoſtacy, as ſeated in the City, that in the Time of the Revelation given, and its Prince, are ſo fathally enwrap'd in all parts of Prophecy, that they muſt be every where attack'd, yet I have taken care to do it only in the Terms and Phraſes of Prophecy, and as the neceſſary Explication of it, and its Times enforc'd.
Notwithſtanding, I had no ſuch Intention, I find no Diſcourſes upon, or againſt that Apoſtaſie, in any degree comparable either in clearneſs, or aſſurance, if disjoyn'd from Prophecy, as when conjoyn'd with it, either for determination of Theological, Doctrinal Controverſies, or Differences in Hiſtory, or Chronology, as when ſuch corrupt Doctrines, ſuperſtitious Innovations in Chriſtian Worſhip, Uſages, and Uſurpations in Chriſtian Diſcipline, entred the World, and at what rate of Detestation they ought to be Had; All theſe are more certainly and more briefly reſolv'd, when Prophecy hath the umpirage; for little Intimations either deriv'd from Grounds of Scripture, or Reaſon, or from Hiſtory and General Opinion, when Prophecy inclines, with them, or ſuppoſes things agreeably with them; will weigh againſt vaſt Volumes on the other ſide, with which Prophecy propends not; Thus I am much more aſſur'd, by obſerving what is after fully diſcours'd from Prophecy concerning Image-worſhip, however palliated; that it is that ſo much deteſted Idolatry, forbidden in the ſecond Commandment, then from all Rational Diſcourſes with Prophecy, however grounded on Scripture, but not compar'd without Prophecy for a fuller Interpretation of it. I am much more aſſur'd, in what Claſs of Religions, and Churches, that Religion and Church is to be repos'd, that on ſuch Terms calls it ſelf Catholick, by laying them into the Prophetical Scales, then by the most conſiderable Moments of Diſcourſe without Prophecy. I know better, when a Church-Supremacy entred, by the Prophetical Era joyn'd with that (however it may be by any controverted) Agreement of Hiſtory, that Phocas gave it Anno 606, then I can know by ſome very learned Tracts concerning it. I better understand of what ſmall avail that Diſtinction betwixt the Court and the Church of, &c. in Vogue with ſome great Names can be, by offering it to the Prophetical Teſt, then by any other way of Exploration; although I look upon the Diſtinction, as a Confeſſion extorted by Divine Judgment upon both, from Prophets of their own, that that Court is the Court of the Beaſt, and that he ought to have ſuch a Court that the Prophecy might be fulfill'd; And what a Church it is, I learn from the Prophetical Syſtem of the Churches, of which I have given a brief ſurvey, though it does not ſo expreſly concern Time, yet as moſt admirably illuſtrating, as well as concurring with other Prophetical Iconiſms, and Characters of Time. And to every part I have added Brief Remarques, directing to that Faith and Patience of the Saints, to that keeping the Commands of God, and the Teſtimony of Jeſus, which are the uſe of all the Diſcourſe that at that Glorious Reſurrection, It may be ſaid of us; Here are they that have ſo done. Revel. 14. 12.
Thus I have given Account of what is now drawn in full, and whole, and what only in little, in ſhort Calendary Proportions, which I intend, if God pleaſe, to give in more proper Dimenſions, as alſo to make compleat concerning the Churches, concerning the Voices, and Vials, concerning the thouſand years, what is rather in Perſpective, then in juſt Figures of Diſcourſe.
I have only to add, that notwithſtanding, ſpeaking, or writing the Word of God, I muſt obey the heavenly Viſions throughout, yet as that teaches me, I yield all the Regards, Deferences of Honour, and eſteem due to the Character, Learning, Vertue, general Profeſſion of Chriſtianity, that I can render to every Perſon, and much more to Princes, and all in Authority, however of a Communion, I could for this Propheſies ſake moſt earneſtly pray, and even offer my Life in the Service, they might not be of.
But nothing can be more effectual againſt Rebellion, Sedition, or any Irregularity towards Government, and ſupream Power, then the Right Ʋnderſtanding of this Prophecy. For while Holy Prophecy ſtyles them Kings, who yet give their Kingdoms to the Beaſt, the plain Doctrinal, and Preceptive part of Scripture, obliges, as to fear God, ſo to Honour thoſe, whom It ſo ſtyles Kings, and then Prayers, Supplications, Interceſſions, giving of Thanks ſhould be made for them, and for all in Authority.
Nor is it poſſible any Pretence of ſetting up or advancing Chriſts Kingdom can juſtifie any Rebellions, mutinous or ſeditious Commotions; ſeeing hitherto, It is most evident, they have proceeded upon mistakes of Time, And when ever that Kingdom ſhall Appear, The manner of Appearance is miſtaken alſo, for it is not as from Earth, but as from Heaven, Heavenly, Spiritual, Pure, Peaceable, yet Efficacious and Almighty; Regular, Orderly, conducted by lawful Sovereigns, even thoſe, who till the Words of God are fulfill'd, have ſo given their Power, ſo that as well may the Doctrine of the Day of Judgment, which no created Power can produce, or oppoſe, be made a pretence for Rebellion, as the Doctrine and Prophecy of Chriſts Kingdom, or be complain'd as dangerous to Government, or deſtructive to Humane Society.
That therefore we may be Aright guided by this ſure Word of Prophecy, that ſhines as a Light in a dark place, is my Grand Deſign in this publication, even till it be wholly Unriddled, and Unveil'd, as it ſhall be, when it Turns to the Lord just then Appearing, however it be now Veil'd, when it looks from Him, as at a diſtance 2 Cor. 4. 3. v. 13. 16.from that Appearance, and towards us, for our Inſtruction, and as inviting our Diligent ſearch firſt, and then our Expectation, Prayer, and earnest Deſire for the Quick Coming of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, eſpecially now his Appearance grows ſo near; And that we may be thus guided, is alſo the moſt Humble and Inceſſant Prayer of,
My very Honoured, Your moſt Faithful Servant in this Work, Beverley.
If any Perſon, either Friendly, and from deſire of further ſatisfaction in this Point, or Unfriendly, and from Prejudgment, pleaſe to make any notice of it to me, I doubt not by the Evidence of this Prophecy, and the Gracious Aſſiſtance of the Spirit of it, to ſatisfie their Doubts, and remove their Prejudice, upon fair Allowances.
The Contents of this Treatiſe are given in Tables annexed to each Part.
1 Part, Before the Apoſtacy in 10 Sections.
2 Part, During the Apoſtacy to the laſt End, in 16 Sections.