The Time of the End, Title page – To the reader
The TIME of the END:
SHEWING, Firſt, until the three years and an half are come (which are the laſt of the 1260 dayes) the prophecies of the Scripture will not be underſtood, concerning the Duration and Period of the FOURTH MONARCHY and Kingdom of the Beaſt.
THEN Secondly, When that TIME ſhall come, before the expiration, the Knowledge of the End (or that there ſhall be Time no longer) will be revealed, By the Riſe of a little Horn, The laſt Apoſtacy, and the Beaſt ſlaying the Witneſſes; contemporizing
The Characters Of which little Horn, the laſt Apoſtacy and Beaſt (as the Scriptures ſhew them) are here faithfully opened; And the Application left to the Wiſe.
By John Canne.
Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his ſecret unto his ſervants the Prophets. Amos 3. 7.
Think not that I come to ſend peace on earth; I come not to ſend peace, but a ſword. Mat. 10. 34.
London, Printed for Livewel Chapman, at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley, 1657.
To the Reader.
THat enmity which from the beginning Jehovah Elohim (the Lord God) did put between the Serpent and the Woman, and between their ſeed, as always, ſo now, doth work with marveilous earneſtneſs in all thoſe who in every age from their proper ſpirit are engaged by their principals, to maintain the combate to the time of the end.
The Righteous is an abomination to the wicked, and the wicked is an abomination to the Righteous, from the beginning to the end of this preſent evil world.
For as then (even in Abrahams time) he that was born after the fleſh, perſecuted him who was born after the ſpirit; even ſo it is now in theſe laſt days, and will be ſo till the old ſerpent the Divel and Sathan, be caſt into the bottomleſs pit; and then according to the ſcope of the Scriptures of Truth, the bond-woman and her ſon will be caſt out, and the children of the free-woman ſhall be the heirs.
And when I ſay, So it is now in theſe laſt dayes. I deſire it may be well weighed, for aſſuredly the Serpent and his brood will muſter all their forces, will improve all their policies, will come forth with utmoſt, inraged malice, to do the moſt miſchief they can againſt the true ſpiritnal …eed.
The freſh Auxiliaries which are uſed in this ſervice of the Dragon, that old Serpent, are the Apoſtates of the laſt times; who are ſuch Chriſtians in a form of Godlineſs, as the Devil is an Angel of Light, when he is ſo tranſformed, retaining his curſed properties and deſigns under the pretence of ſuch a glorious transformation.
Therefore (ſaith the Apoſtle) it is no great thing, if alſo his Miniſters be tranſformed as the Miniſters of Righteouſneſs.
Which words are, or may be, to the more cautelous Chriſtians, a great preſervative againſt the poyſonous infection of the preſent Apoſtacy; for multitudes of careleſs ones have been beguiled by theſe deceitful (or cheating) workers, into a compliance with the intereſt of the Kingdom of the Beaſt.
But Bleſſed be the name of our Lord Protector, the Patron of Innocency, Truth, and Righteouſneſs: that theſe deceitful workers, reſiſters of the Truth, Patrons of the carnal worldly Church, ſhall not proceed much farther; for their folly in its appointed ſeaſon ſhall be made manifeſt to all men, as the folly and madneſs of other of their brethren before them, have been made manifeſt in like manner.
And (which is matter of great rejoycing to the Lords ſuffering ſervants) the Prince of the Apoſtates himſelf hath bin compel'd by the over-ruling Power of our Lord Jeſus, to defile his own neſt, to throw dirt in the face of his own Brat, to trample upon his own Government, with notable contempt, in the preſence of his cowardly men of war. Oh! what joy of heart is it to us to live to ſee, how in that very thing wherein they dealt ſo proudly, ſo imperiouſly, the Lord is above them, and leaves them to ſuch a degree of folly, as to ſet at nought, in ſuch notable language in ſet Speeches, the works of their own heads and hands; and that in ſo ſhort a ſpace of time: verily it cannot be treaſon any longer (no not in the ſence of the Court it ſelf) to imagine, ſpeak or write againſt the Inſtrument, or inſtruments which brought forth that monſtrous Government. Ye may all ſpeak treaſon by authority, … ye Inhabitants of theſe three Iſles of the Sea; for your Lord Protector himſelf hath lately ſet you a Pattern to pour contempt upon the whole Fabrick, both Foundation and Superſtruction.
It is to be aſcribed to the preventing Grace of God himſelf, and to no other cauſe, that ſome few of us have been preſerved from that dangerous communion and conformity, wherewith many profeſſors, well meaning ſouls, (like the followers of Abſalom of old) have been unawares ſurpriſed and intangled.
That Scripture in 2 Tim. 3. the firſt five verſes (which by the ſervant of Chriſt, the Author of the inſuing Treatiſe, is opened and compared with two other famous Propheſies concerning the little Horn, and the Bottomleſs-pit-Beaſt) was made effectual to my ſpirit and conſcience, to deliver me from thoſe ſnares wherein the feet of others, not a few, have been taken: faith the Apoſtle in the forementioned place (after he had made a catalogue of Characters, whereby to deſcribe the Apoſtates and Hypocrites of the laſt time) from ſuch turn away. And the firſt and laſt of thoſe Characters lay with moſt weight upon my ſpirit: Men ſhall be lovers of themſelves, covetous, proud, lovers of pleaſures more then lovers of God, having a form of Godlineſs, but denying the power thereof: from ſuch turn away.
And what I ſpake publikely in a great Aſſembly, concerning the little Horn, in two general Obſervations, and nine ſpecial Characters, whereby to diſcern it from the other Horns, amongſt whom it came up, is remembred by many then preſent; ſince which, others have likewiſe given their judgements. But this Author (by what conduct of providence, time will ſhew) hath found cauſe to make thoſe two Propheſies concerning Daniels little Horn, and Johns Bottomleſs-pit-Beaſt, to ſynchroniſe, and to bring in the Apoſtacy of theſe laſt times, to accompany them in their accompliſhments.
It is remarkable what is told Daniel, Chap. 12. v. 10. Mary ſhall be purified and made white and …yed, but the wicked ſhall do wickedly, and none of the wicked ſhall underſtand; but the wiſe ſhall underſtand.
Surely the Apoſtates and Hypocrites of the laſt times are ſome of theſe wicked ones: theſe will do wickedly, but they cannot underſtand. Underſtanding dwelleth not, taketh not up her reſt in the Aſſemblies, in the Counſels, of the laſt and worſt ſort of wicked ones. The ſecret of the Lord is with them that fear him; the wiſe ſhall underſtand: who is a wiſe man? he that fears the Lord, for the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wiſdom. He that is become a fool for Chriſts ſake, that he may be wiſe. He who from a principle of ſaith and love, which is in Chriſt Jeſus, can deny himſelf, can take up his Croſs daily and follow his prince and his Saviour through the fire and through the water, if need be, and the cauſe of Chriſt call for it.
The wicked, inſtead of underſtanding theſe Prophecies, ſhall do wickedly againſt thoſe who watch and pray for the accompliſhment of them; ſhall ſecretly wiſh that the Lord would delay his coming; cannot eccho to the voice of the Spirit and of the B…ide, ſaying, Come Lord Jeſus; ſhall be found ſmiting their fellow ſervants, conforming themſelves to this old evil world, eating and drinking with the gluttons, and with the drunken; the Kings and the Inhabitants of the earth, who are made drunk with the wine of the fornication of the mother of Harlots, &c.
They cannot brook the hand-writing of God in the Scriptures concerning the numbring, weighing and finiſhing of their Kingdoms and Governments, ſo well as that Baby loniſh Prince Belſhazzar did bear the interpretation of the hand-writing upon the plaſter of the wall. But in ſtead of doing them honour who forewarn them of their approaching deſtruction, cannot behold them with a cheerful aſpect from the moment of ſuch their faithful admonitions and reproofs: but the will of the Lord be done.
I deſire moreover it may be underſtood and remembred by friends and enemies, that we have not by our Teſtimony ingaged our liberties and lives againſt the Gen. & the Apoſtatizing part of the Army, meerly, or indeed principally, upon the account of the expiration of the time allotted to the litle Horn, & the Beaſt (as it may be ſome have done) but upon the account of that good, righteous, and bleſſed Cauſe which He and his Officers ſeemed formerly to have loved better then their own lives, though ſince they have moſt unworthily preferred Barabbas before Chriſt, and ſo gratified the humours and the luſts of the children of Belial throughout the Nations, whilſt the Lords remnant have been weeping and mourning in this day of trouble, rebuke, and blaſphemy, for that abominable back-ſliding, whereof they are guilty before the Lord▪ Let that counſel of Solomon and Paul rake place among thoſe who have not yet fallen before him, becauſe there hath been no opportunity of converſing with him; but yet through the power of credulity and ſimplicity▪ are obnoxious to entanglements: When he ſpeaketh fair, believe him not; for there are ſeven abominations in his heart. Avoid thoſe who ſerve not the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, but their own bellies, and by good words and fair ſpeeches deceive the hearts of the ſimple.
All ſuch upright Chriſtians as are not (nor ſhall be) ſoftned by his tears, nor intrapped by his ſpies, have cauſe to reckon thoſe two deliverances in the catalogue of their choice mercies from the Lord: the beſt preſervative is, to keep out of the ſight of the one, and out of the reach of the other: far enough, and ſafe enough.
What is written in the few following ſheets, may be through the Lords bleſſing, of great uſe to caution many pretious ſouls for the time to come, who (having little experience and acquaintance with the ſpirits and deſigns of the worldly Powers in their managing the myſtery of iniquity & the deceivablenes of unrighteouſneſs) are very apt to plead their cauſe, and make Apologies on their behalf, of whom they will find cauſe to be aſhamed, when the hidden things of darkneſs and of diſhoneſty ſhall be brought into the open light.
The truth is, we erre, not knowing the Scriptures; We erre, not being well inſtructed in the mystery of godlineſs, and in the mystery of iniquity. Godlineſs and ungodlineſs, righteouſneſs and unrighteouſneſs, are both of them myſteries; they lie very deep, they are remote from common underſtanding. We need the candle of the Lord to find out the depths of God, and the depths of Satan: forforeign 1 Co…. 2. foreign 2. 24. each have their deeps, as Paul and John have written; but thoſe who are light in the Lord, are inabled to deſcend into the depths of God, and into the bottomleſs pit or depth from whence the Beaſt, who ſlayeth the Witneſſes aſcendeth, and into which the Dragon that old Serpent the Devil and Satan ſhall be caſt, and deceive the Nations no more. Amen.
Although we in our preachings and writings may to the preſent age ſeem audacious men, thus to meddle with theſe dark prophecies; yet the ſucceeding generations ſhall bleſs the Lord for raiſing up ſome before their times, to forewarn them to flee from the w…ath that is to come.
The Lord give forth ſuch a meaſure of the holy unction to his people in reading theſe things, that being inabled to diſtinguiſh betwixt probabilities and certainties, they may receive the Truth, and inquire further into that which is but probable, and ſo come to make a judgement of things according to the mind of Jeſus Chriſt. I ſhall not add any more at this time, ſave only, that through the rich adminiſtrations of Free-grace, I am ſtill, and hope to continue to the end,
The ſervant of Jeſus Chriſt, and of all the Saints for Jeſus ſake, according to the meaſure received, CHR. FEA…E.