Things Now-A-Doing, Appendix – License
An Appendix, Giving light from Hiſtory ſacred and Eccleſiaſticall, to ſome paſſages of the Sermon, humbly preſented to his much honoured Patron Sir ROBERT HARLEY Knight of the Noble order of the Bath, and one of the Members of the Honourable Houſe of COMMONS.
SIR,
AS the Honourable Houſe of Commons by your mouth commanded me both to preach, and print this Sermon, ſo I trust you will patronize this ſhort Appendix which I am encouraged by good friends to affix hereto.
The foure great Monarchies are now almoſt come to an end; out of the third comes up a little Horne, conceived to be AntiochusDan 8. 9. Hugh Broughton. Epiphanes, (as the circumſtances of the eight Chapt. ſhow) for it is of the Goat, which is call'd a Leopard, Chap. 7. 6. out of the fourth comes up another little Horne, conceived to be the Turke (as the circumſtances of the ſeventh Chapt.Dan. 7. 8. ſhow) for he riſeth among the ten hornes of the fourth beaſt, which is the Romane; Otthoman firſt aſſumed the title of Hen. Iſaackſon. pag. 343.Sultan; and about the yeare 1300. laid the foundation of the Turkiſh Kingdome, from thence reckon a time, times, and an halfe prophetically, dayes for yeares. The time 100. timesM. Brightman in Dan. 1…. 7. 200. halfe time 50. in all 350. yeares, which added to 1300. expires▪ Anno 1650. Then ſhall the King of the North (the Dan. 11 40, 44 M. Mede Apoſt. latter times, pag. 111.Turke) come againſt the King of the South (the Saracen) like a whirle-wind; Then tydings out of the Eaſt, ſhall trouble him: and then, from the taking away of the daily ſacrifice by Titus Veſpaſian, who burnt both City and Temple, and the ſetting up of the abomination of deſolation by Julian, ſhall be 1290. dayes, which added to 360. the time of Julians Onuphr. 360▪ Iſaa…ſon. 367.reign, makes alſo 1650. though 3. or 4. yeares difference there is amongſt Chronologers.
For confirmation whereof conſider two things, 1. Chriſts Prophecie. 2. Its accompliſhment.
Our Saviour Chriſt, a little before his death, propheſied 1.There ſhall not be left here, ſtone, upon ſtone, which ſhall notMatth. 24. 2. be thrown downe. His Diſciples aske him when this ſhall be? He bids them that reade, conſider when they ſhall ſee the abominationver. 15. of deſolation ſpoken of by Daniel the Prophet ſtand in the Holy place. Here is the Prophecie and the time when it ſhall be fulfilled.
To find the accompliſhment now, Eccleſiaſticall ſtory muſt 2.ſpeake. There I find Titus Veſpaſian as before, burning Ioſeph. Antiq.both City and Temple, where alone it was lawfull to ſacrifice; but yet for all that there were ſtones upon ſtones left; I find alſo Julian the Apoſtate endeavouring to reſtore Jud…iſ…e, Tripart. Hiſt.by authorizing, encouraging and aſſiſting the Jewes to reedifie their Temple, and they taking up every stone of the old foundation over night, and intending to lay a new foundation the next day, but when they had fulfilled the Prophecie of Chriſt, they were diſperſed that very night, and never able to lay a new stone there, as they had intended. Ile give you out of Greeke and Latine, the teſtimony of foure very famous Hiſtorians, (viz,) Ruffinus, Socrates, Theodoret and Sozomen; the two former mention the Prophecie of Christ, and Cyril of Jeruſalem, his obſervation upon it; the two latter imply the Prophecie, but ſay nothing of Cyril, all of them, though ſeverall writers, in ſeverall places and times, agree in teſtimony.
Firſt, Ruffinus tels, that Julian conveened the Jewes, and Ruffin Hiſt. Eccleſ …. c 37, …8, 39.asked them, why they doe not ſacrifice? they tell him, they may not except it be in Hieruſalem, as their law commands them; He askes, why then they doe not build their Temple? They tell him they are not able. He gives them authority, encouragement and aſſistance. They thereupon fall about it as if ſome Prophet had spoken to them. They prepare lime and ſand, and all things elſe, and then they take up the old foundation; which done, the next day, nothing was wanting, why they might not lay a new one, the old being removed. But when Cyril the Biſhop of Hieruſalem had dilige…ly conſidered what they had done, and what they were about to doe, he was confident either out of thoſe things which he had read concerning the times in the Prophecie of Daniel, or which our Lord had foretold in the Goſpels, that by no meanes it could be that the Jewes ſhould there lay a ſtone upon a ſtone, but that the ſaying of our Saviour ſhould now be fulfilled. Neither was his prediction vaine, For behold in that night which only staid them from beginning their new worke, an earthquake turn'd all down to the ground, and confirm'd the very truth of our Saviours words, and ſo being frighted, both Jews and Gentiles went away, and gave over their fooliſh beginnings.
Then Socrates to the ſame purpoſe; Julian calls for the Socrat. Hiſt. Eccleſ. l. 3. c 17. Secund▪ Graec. c. 20.Jews, and demandeth of them the cauſe why they did not ſacrifice? After they had anſwered, it was not lawfull for them ſo to doe, but in Ieruſalem, he commanded that in all haſt their Temple ſhould be built; accordingly all neceſſaries were provided, as timber, ſtone, brick, clay, lime, with other things requiſite in building. At that time Cyril Biſhop of Jeruſalem remembred the Prophecie of Daniel which Chriſt had fore-told in the holy Goſpels, that the time was now come, when there ſhould not be a ſtone of the Temple left upon another, but that the Prophecie of our Saviour ſhould now take place and be fulfilled. When the Biſhop had thus ſaid, accordingly it came to paſſe, for a great earthquake the night following, ſhooke the old foundation of the Temple, and ſo inſtead of raiſing it up, it was utterly overthrowne.
In the third place, Theodoret; The Emperour having called Theod. Hiſt. Eccleſ l. …. c. 20.the Jews together, asks them why they ſacrifice not as they are commanded? They anſwer, their worſhip is confined to one place; This wicked enemy of God▪ commands their Temple to be reedified, hoping fooliſhly, that he ſhould thereby make our Lords Prophecie a lye, but he contrary to his thought, hereby declared it much more to be a truth. All the Jews came together from all parts of the world, and contributed both pains and purſe unto the building; and 'tis ſaid they had made them spades, baskets and other tooles of ſilver, for that work; themſelves caſt down with their own hands the reliques of the old Temple, thinking to build it new from the loweſt foundation, &c. But a mighty earthquake and other fearfull prodigies deſtroyed all their preparations, ſo that they fled, &c.
In the laſt place, So…omen, though the Emperour hate… So…om Hiſt. Eccleſ. l. 3. c▪ 17 S…cund. G…c. c. ….the Chriſtians, yet he carried himſelfe curteouſly towards the Jews, becauſe they were great enemies to the Christians. Having call'd them together, and exhorted them to obſerve the Law of Moſes, and they having anſwered him that their Temple being destroyed, might not worſhip in any other place; he ſupplied them out of the publique, with money to reedifie their Temple, that he might reduce them to their old ſacrificing; They fall to the work with cheerefulneſſe, and begun to prepare the place they were to work in, and the Gentiles helped them, thinking to prove Chriſts words falſe, That their Temple ſhould never be repaired, but inſtead thereof, every ſtone thereof deſtroyed. They tooke away the reliques of the old building, and the next day intended to lay a new foundation, but were fruſtrated by an earthquake, &c.
By all theſe, you ſee every word of God is true, and every man a lyar: in the mouth of two or three witneſſes every wordRom. 3. 4. ſhall ſtand: here are foure in one book, all bearing witneſſe to this Truth, that as Chriſt had ſaid, it came to paſſe, there was not left ſtone upon ſtone in the Temple; From that time therefore is the full epoche of the abomination utterly made deſolate
Theſe things I have annexed for others, not for you, who have diligently ſought out the accompts: Accept only my firſt fruits; you have laid out much upon the Promiſes, and you ſhall receive much, the things which ſhall be accompliſhed make haſt.
The unworthieſt of all that ſerve you in the Goſpell of Chriſt STAN. GOWER.
FINIS.
Die Mercurii, 31o Iulii, 1644.
ORdered by the Commons aſſembled in Parliament, That Sir Robert Harley, and Maſter Hallowes, doe from this Houſe give thanks to Maſter Gower, for the great paines he tooke in the Sermon he preached this day, at the intreatie of this Houſe, at St Margarets Weſtminſter, it being the day of publike Humiliation, and to deſire him to print his Sermon. And it is ordered that none ſhall preſume to print his Sermon, but whom he ſhall authorize under his hand-writing.
H. Elſynge Cler. Parl. D. Com. I doe authorize Philemon Stephens to print my Sermon, and no other, but with his conſent. Stanley Gower.
End of the text · Stanley Gower, Things Now-A-Doing (1644)