The Times of Restitution of All Things, Title page – Table of contents
foreign: OR The TIMES of RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS, WITH THEIR Neer Approach upon the RUINE OF THE BEAST.
MANIFEST By two Tracts on Rev. 20.5. & Rev. 21.5. Containing the main Scope of all Revelation Propheſie: Upon both which our former whole work is, now by Divine Diſpoſal, become a very Uſeful Commentary. 1. For Explication. 2. Confirmation. 3. Illuſtration and Application. As will after more appear.
Which ſaid two laſt Tracts may fitly be Entituled An Alarm to this preſent World, Bidding adiew to all wicked Grandure, and all ſinful enjoyments thereof: Not of 120 years as Noahs, but now of about 20 years in a fit latitude, upon many weighty Scriptural Conſiderations, following. Therefore, Firſt,
I. Lay not up for your ſelves Treaſure upon Earth, Mat. 6.19.
II. Kiſs the Son leaſt he be angry and ye periſh from the way, Pſal. 2.
III. Make to your ſelves friends of the Mammon of unrighteouſneſs, that when ye fail they may receive you into everlaſting Habitations, Luke 16.9. And that ye may not hear Chriſt ſay to you, Go ye curſed, for I was hungry and ye fed me not, &c. Mat. 25.
IV. Seek first, chiefly, conſtantly, the Kingdome of God, and his Righteouſneſs, Mat. 6.33.
By William Sherwin, Miniſter of the Goſpel.
London, Printed in the Year 1675.
Clauis abſtruſtoris SS.ti Euangelij partis opera et vigilijs Guilielmi Sherwin ejuſdem miniſtri et aſſidui, quibuſdam abhinc annis, ind agatoris excuſa, tandem que propitio … et hominum adjuuamine hucuſ que Eccleſice vſui prolata, jam que dicata. Cujus effigies …em praefigitur Anno: Dom: 1672o. Anno que Aetatis 65o. Ex dono Guilielmi Sherwin filij ejus natu maximi adhuc ſuperſtitis, ac Inſculptoris Regio Diplomate, inſianiti et auctorati.
The Contents of the enſuing Treatiſe.
1. THe Parallels of the Text, Rev. 21.5. with Acts 3.19, 20, 21. in four reſpects.
2. Is ſhewed how the firſt Bodily Reſurrection of the Saints is their inlet into that happy ſtate of the 1000 years Reign, &c.
3. Some Queſtions Anſwered, ſhewing 1. That all Saints deceaſed until then ſhall ariſe, and not Martyrs only: of which ſeven Reaſons are given.
2. Who are the reſt of the dead that riſe not till the ſaid 1000 years be finiſhed, and that they are many ways diſtinguiſhed from the former.
3. Such Texts of Scripture anſwered, as ſeem to ſpeak of one Reſurrection, and one Judgment, and that at once not ſo diſtant; whence it may appear that it is a Divine Rule from Chriſts Revelation, ch. 20. that thoſe laſt things, viz. concerning Reſurrection and Judgment, are from thence to be ſurely reſolved, in what was not ſo reſolved before in other Scriptures, for ſundry reaſons.
4. Some Anſwers to other Queſtions, to remove ſome difficulties upon former miſtakes, and to make way for the clearer handling of that Text of Gods Renovation of all things; and reaſons why the laſt Judgment, ch. 20.11. to the end, is ſet before the ſaid Renovation, and the New Heavens and New Earth, which are proved to be in time 1000 years before: with the conſideration of the dependency which the three laſt ch have upon ch. 19. wherein the general heads of them are briefly hinted; with divers pertinent obſervations in the explication thereof: and that ch. 20. is eſpecially to be conſiderdered as the Table of the good times, as ch. 11. to v. 15. was of the bad times: with many other matters affording much light to many things in thoſe four laſt ch. preparatory to the Text.
5. The Conſideration of Gods declared Renovation in the Text, with its Illuſtrations and Confirmations.
6. The Explication thereof, ſhewing what it is, and wherein the ſaid Renovation conſiſts three wayes.
1. Negatively, That it is not Gods making a new material frame of the World, &c.
2. Poſitively, What it is: and that two ways.
1. By Gods removal of the evils brought into the world by Sin, Satan, and wicked men: as the Curſe, Corruption, Bondage, Enmity, &c.
2. Poſitively, By making Prophetical New Heavens and New-Earth, viz. in what is to be renewed or reſtored by and for Chriſt, with his ſaid Saints the Lambs Wife at that great ſolemnity, &c. according to former Predictions, Promiſes or Covenants agreeing with Divine Revelations, concerning the ſame in ſundry particulars, &c.
7. Many Scriptural Explications ſetting forth what the ſaid times of Renovation are, vponupon ſeveral accounts decyphering the ſame in many parts and portions thereof, and what Scriptures chiefly manifeſt the neer approach of the ſaid times, and how they do it, in ſundry computations in Old and New Teſtament.
8. The Ʋſe and Improvement of all to ſeveral purpoſes.
1. To diſcover the manifold errours and miſtakes concerning this Text and Context.
2. To ſet footh, 1. The Excellency. 2. The Ʋſefulneſs: And conſequently the great and weighty Reaſons for the ſtudying of this ſacred Book: and eſpecially, in regard we have in a fit latitude from thence the ends of two great Myſteries: firſt of Myſtery Babylon, and her great Myſtery of Iniquity: and ſecondly, the finiſhing of the great Myſtery of God, &c. The former many ways pointed out, and eſpecially by her ending term of 666. as by the wiſdome of the holy Scripture [for divers reaſons it appears to be not from Chriſts Birth but by a neceſſary addition of the whole number of one thouſand [for other reaſons] to begin from his Aſcention, as we publiſhed twice, An. 1665. as follows &c.
3. And after ſome reference to other former improvements in former parcels: A Ʋſe of Admonition to all ſorts, to beware of inſnaring themſelves in the too eager perſuit of worldly affairs and projects: 2. To ſit looſe from them: 3. To do good with them whilſt they are theirs; viz. only for a ſhort time.
4. To exhort all that bear the name of Chriſt upon them from the conſideration of the neer approach of the ſaid times, as Eſa. 1. to be very watchful and diligent: 1. To ceaſe from evil: 2. To learn to do well: which that they may perform, they must be very induſtriovs in the uſe of all good means to be madegooad, that they may be able acceptably to do good, and that they may be capable of all kind of promiſed good here, in the world to come, at the ſaid times of Renovation of all things, and thence-forward unto all Eternity.