Works, Book 4 · Letter 11
EPISTLE IX.
Mr. Hayn's Fourth Letter to Mr. Mede, about several passages in Daniel and the Revelation.
1. SCaliger's or Iunius his Opinion prevail not so much as should their Reasons. God had told the Iews plainly the year, and by types the time of the year, when Messias should work their redemption: So that it was not enough to know in what age it should be.
2. The coming of the Son of man is to his Kingdom on earth, on which the Scripture runs abundantly, Dan. 2. & 7. Apoc. 1. 7. Luke 17. 20. and was to be before that generation passed, Matth. 24. 34. And within that space of time he came on Ierusalem, as the Floud on the old world. There shall be a Second coming of Christ, namely, to Iudgment: And then he shall give up his Kingdom here to the Father. Yet shall this Kingdom here and that in Heaven be one and the same, consist of the same men or subjects, and have the same bent to the honour of God.
3. The Greeks Rule after Antiochus Epiphanes was sufficient to express the clayie legs; that is enough for me; and the clayie legs are part of the Fourth Monarchy. The Romans more the Iews friends full many scores of years after Epiphanes his time: Their war against God's people is that for which God paints them out as Beasts. And though the Romans conquered Macedon long before Christ's coming, yet both Iulius Caesar and Antonie let Cleopatra hold her due of what Rule she had, and were but sticklers, not opposites, at first.
4. If Christ's Kingdom took place at his first coming; the same is one, and but one, and that everlasting.
5. The seven Trumpets, seven Vials, two Witnesses, &c. shew a new matter, not particulars of the Fourth Kingdom particularized before in Daniel.
6. The late Iews (God enlighten them) shift abundantly; and the ancient both before and after their desertion did but groap in darkness.
7. Yet both the late and old Iews, and Porphyrie too, saw some truth; who can deny it?
8. The Text saith, In the days of those Kingdoms, say you; as if it were in all of them; and the Stone confounds all. Why should we allow foreign typi?
9. You deny the duration of the Fourth Kingdom to hold proportion with the parts of the Image: I affirm it; my reason is, If the Three former do, then the Fourth also.
10. I know there is a Second coming of Christ, that at the day of Iudgment: But the Kingdom once begun is one, for it is everlasting. If there were two Kingdoms, the one must end, the other begin. Though there be degrees in the progress of Christ's Kingdom, in regard of the world's indisposition to submit to it; yet de jure all is Christ's at his Ascension.
11. The Mystery which now you speak of I acknowledge, and bless God for it; namely, of the calling of the Gentiles. The Iews Rejection also is plain in the time of the Gospel, yet was a remnant of their Nation saved. And what more were the elect out of other Nations … few to the many.
12. Though de facto the Gospel was not preached to all the world then, yet see mentem Legislatoris, the mind of the Law-giver, Go preach to all Nations.
13. Christ is the Stone: what is said of him in many things, is and may be said of them of his Kingdom; He bruises with a rod of von, Ps. 2. so do his servants, Rev. 2. 27. He the Stone, and his kingdom and people here, do the same thing.
14. For … the Proposition, the authority I brought was sound and good. That about Iephtah is (though I use not to be sudden in this kind) ill translated. I wish time would have given me leave to have conferred with Books and men about it. I pray you think of it. Were it not better, Gideon was buried by the cities of Gilead; namely, the men of them all much honouring him, joyned in solemnizing his burial?
15. Not the ruffling Horn (as you call it) but the body of the Beast, Dan. 7. 11. continued till the Son of man came. Now the Body of the Beast hornless may express the same, or be correspondent to the clayie legs; and thus the answer is home in this particular also. Much more I could have said, but must here make an end, and leave you to God, whom I pray to keep us in his truth.
Octob. 16. 1629.