A Discourse Upon the Powers of the World to Come, To the reader – Table of contents 2
TO My Very Eſteemed Auditory at the Lecture at Cutlers-Hall; and in them to Every Reader.
I Have indeed in ſeveral Treatiſes (my moſt Eſteemed Chriſtian Friends) made publick before this; Aſſerted Things of the ſame Tendency; But I never yet Attempted, in a Set and Solemn Diſcourſe, to Argue this Grand Point of Miracles; that ſhall ſo Diſtinguiſh and Aſſure ſuch a Succeſſion of the Kingdom of Chriſt, as I give now before-hand the moſt Open Notices of, God any way enables me to. Now, if that his Name, as King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, ſhall be declared by his Wondrous Works at 97. to be ſo near, as that his Kingdom is in Succeſſion; If beſides the mighty Revolutions in the World, that ſhall bring it into Succeſſion, and be brought in by it; That Time ſhall be ſevered from All other Time, by Miracles, as Great, and Greater than in the Times of the Apoſtles; as the Kingdom that was then▪ was to be under Patience, and Delay, particularly of the Times and Half Time; ſhall then by the Oath of Chriſt Allow no ſuch further Time, nor Any Delay whatever; but the Myſtery ſhall be Finiſhed with all ſpeed. I Appeal to All, Whether Any One Declaring this, can be ſuſpected of an Intention to Deceive, and if the Events do not Anſwer, to ſhuff…e under any Plauſible Appearances, and ſo to Abſcond? There are, and may be Great Changes in the World by that time; and ſpeaking, but after the manner of men, It is more than probable, there will be; and one might take Sanctuary, to ſalve Appearances, at ſome of them. But ſo Great a Revolution as the Return of Miracles is ſuch as will Allow no Subterfuge; Either it is, or it is not, will preſently decide: Now this Teſt I have moſt Freely, in the following Diſcourſe put my ſelf upon.
It is true, there is yet a Diſtance of Time to 97. but not ſo far off now at 94. as it was at 84, when I Fi…ſt Publiſh'd that very Year, and when it was (as Little, All will commonly think) I Hope, Leſs Acceptable than under the preſent Reign; And have not now, nor ever ſince, either mov'd it nearer or further off: And I moſt humbly bleſs God, it is ſo much nearer, that we All write now 1694.
The Subſtance of the Diſcourſe of Miracles was Preach'd in your Hearing, to whom I eſpecially write; and hath for the moſt part undergone only ſuch Alterations, Additions, or Detachments, as the Difference between a Free way of Speaking, and a more ſettled Writing, requires.
The Adjoyn'd Treatiſe, Entuled, The Great Charter for Interpretation of Prophecy, hath been occaſionally interſpers'd in many Diſcourſes to you, though more Compacted, in Another Aſſembly. But the Matter being ſo much Allied, and ſo neceſſary to Direct Expectation, as to the Time of the Return of Miracles; Though it be an Addition to what I propos'd, and Receiv'd the Contribution of ſo many for; Yet the Diſcourſe propos'd, Leaving Room for it ſo, as that it will come juſt up to the Propoſal, with this Adjoyn'd, and no more; I hope, it will not be miſinterpreted; and the rather, becauſe it is the Authority I ſhow for All I have Written, and Preach'd, concerning the Kingdom of Chriſt in Succeſſion, at 1697. And I am ſo far ſatisfy'd in what I have, through Gracious Aſſiſtance, been enabled to ſay; that if I may be ſo Bold to make an Humble Alluſion, to what our Lord ſaid concerning the Paſſover; I would not ſet my ſelf to Write (I do not ſay, declare) any more concerning it; Except Any one ſhould call Publickly, and in Print, for an Anſwer of Any Objection made to it till it be Fullfill'd in the Succeſſion of the Kingdom of Chriſt.
I Know many will be very Forward to blame me, in this Confidence (as I know it will ſeem alſo) of Boaſting. But I have well weigh'd my Grounds, and do not Fear. I know whom, and what I have Believed upon; and Reſt Secure He will bring it to paſs and Haſten it in its own Time, I have declared
Yet, According to the very Infirmity of the Preſent State, I have ballanc'd the matter; I know if Things, which can neither Deceive, nor be Deceived, Ratifie what I have written, God hath not vouchſafed by Any, to Declare Them, ſo Publickly Appearing, as he hath by one moſt Unworthy, and Deſirous to Lye in the Duſt before him, and All his People, in the Sence of my own Unworthineſs; If ſo; Whatever hath, or ſhall befall me, None ſhall take This Glory from me, nor from the Remembrance of me: That I have beon thus Enabled by Him, to Speak, and Write thus, concerning the Kingdom of Chriſt, and the Time of its Succeſſion; I Remember yet with due Honor that Fellow-Helper in his Annotations on the Revelation; Yet the leaſt in the Succeſſion of that Kingdom, ſhall be much greater, than Any can be now.
But, if on the other ſide, I may have been Deceiv'd on ſuch Grounds, as I Reſt upon; I ſhould neither Expect, nor Deſire to have the mercy; ſo Great a Confidence ſhould be covered in Silence; But that my ſo Great Aſſurance ſhould he ſet as a Sea-mark, to Caution All Others, and to reſt as an unremovable Shame, and Confuſion on my ſelf and Name.
But I hope better Things, and ſuch, as ſhall Lay faſt hold on the Kingdom of Chriſt, though I thus ſpeak; and as I moſt Humbly, Sollemnly, Affectionately Pray for your Abundant and Rich Entrance into this Everlaſting Kingdom of our Lord, and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt; So I moſt earneſtly deſire your Prayers for the bringing forth that Kingdom, that you would look for, and haſt on to it, even on my behalf alſo, as the Miniſter of it; and that I may ſo Preach it, and all the Doctrines pertaining to it, which are indeed all the Doctrines of the Goſpel; that I may both ſave my ſelf, and them that hear me, and that while I Preach it to others, I my ſelf may not become a Caſt-away from that Kingdom; and that you may be Found worthy to ſtand before the Son of man at that day.
My moſt Honoured, This 7th Month, 7th Day, 1694. Your most Faithful, and Humble Servant in this Miniſtry of the Goſpel, and of the Kingdom of it. T. BEVERLEY.
THE CONTENTS OF THE Diſcourſe upon Miracles.
CHap. I. The Opening of the Text, and the Heads of the Diſcourſe given Page 1
Chap. II. Of the Nature of Miracles, and the due place of them p. 4
Chap. III. Giving yet a more Strict, and Exact Deſcription of Miracles, in Five Particulars p. 15
Chap. IV. Of the Reaſons, or ends of Miracles, as they are generally Aſſign'd by thoſe, who have VVrit upon them p. 23
Chap. V. VVherein the Grand Scope of the Diſcourſe is Endeavoured to be truly Fixed, viz. That the Chief and Adequate End, and Reaſon of Miracles is; That they are Portions and Pledges, Peices and Parcels and Portions of the Kingdom of Chriſt, or of the World to Come, and to Bring it in at Laſt; p. 30
Chap. VI. A Diſcuſſion of the Times wherein Miracles have been moſt Illuſtrious, and when there hath been greateſt Darkneſs among the People of God, in Relation to them; Preparatory to the Aſſerting, That Miracles are not ceas'd, but a Return of Them is to be Expected p. 46
Chap. VII. The Direct Proof of the Power of Miracles Returning, by the following Arguments for it. p. 58
Chap. VIII. Of that Power of Miracles, that always Accompanies the Goſpel of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt; and hath reſted upon the Witneſſes, and yet Reſts upon them; During the whole Time past, and to the End of the Twelve Hun…ed and Sixty Days of the Woman in the Wilderneſs and the Witneſſes in Sackcloath; and the Forty two Months of the Antichriſtian Apoſtaſy. p. 75
Chap. IX. An Enquiry upon ſome late Miraculous Appearances of God according to his own Will, that look like a Beginning of Miracles Returning; and how far They give Encouragement to wait upon God in any caſe of Extremity to do for us above his ordinary Courſe of Providence, or Government of the World. p. 85.
Chap. X. Wherein a Repreſentation of the Excellency of the State of Miracles in the Days of Christ, and of the Apoſtles is given, That we may thereby Judg of the Return of ſuch a State of Miracles, excelling even that in Ʋniverſality, and reaching the utmoſt Effects. p. 88
Chap. XI. The Inferences from the whole Diſcourſe of Miracles; Tending to make Wiſe to Sobriety, concerning Them; and to all Holineſs and Heavenly Converſation; are Recollected and Preſented. p. 94
THE CONTENTS OF THE Charter for the Interpretation of Propheſy.
THE clearing of the Text, for the Founding the Diſcourſe, from page 1. to page. 8.
The great Relation, this whole ſecond Epiſtle of the Apostle Peter hath to the Apoſtaſy, and to the Kingdom of Chriſt after it. p. 8. to▪ pag. 14.
The Heads of the Diſcourſe laid down, p. 14. 15.
The Arguments Proving Interpretation of Prophecy is of Free, and Open, and not of Reſerv'd Acceſs, from p. 15. to p. 23.
The Objections againſt theſe Arguments Anſwered, from p. 23. to p. 32.
The Standards or Rules to be Obſerv'd in the Interpretation of Prophecy, for giving Aſſurance to the Interpreter himſelf, and to others; his Interpretation of Prophecy is Just and Right, and worthy to be Conſidered, from p. 32. to p. 37.
The Application of theſe Standards to the Interpretation of Prophecy in ſeveral Treatiſes by the Author; briefly given; from p. 37, to 42.
The particular Reaſon of Fixing the Epoch, or beginning of the 1260 Days at 437, ſo as to End at 1697. by way of Anſwer of an Objection, that that year is not remarkable enough to bear ſuch an Epoch. From p. 42. to 47.
An Humble Enquiry into, and Prognoſticks upon any Repreſentation Prophecy may have given of the State of Things near the Time of the Succeſſion of the Kingdom of Chriſt; as Now from 1694, and the two last Years before to 1697. by way of Removal of a fear'd miſtake in Former Hopes, from p. 47. to p. 56.
The Table of Prophetick Time preſented, from p. 56. to p. 67.
The conſideration of a Prophecy, found near 100 years ago in the Study of Juſtus Lipſius; and Tranſcribed by Dr. Mayer in his Preface before the Prophets, above 40 years ago: Of great Conſent with the Authors Expectation at 97. given as an Appendix to this Diſcourſe, from p. 67, to the End.
A DISCOURSE UPON THE Powers of the World to come: OR, The Miraculous Powers of the Goſpel and Kingdom of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
Heb. II. 4, 5.
God alſo bearing them Witneſs with Signs, and Wonders, and divers Miracles, and Gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, according to his own Will:
For unto the Angels hath he not put in ſubjection the World to come, whereof we ſpeak.