Things Now-A-Doing, Title page – Dedication
THINGS Now-a-doing: OR, THE CHVRCHES TRAVAILE Of the Child of Reformation now-a-bearing. IN A SERMON Preached before the Honourable Houſe of Commons, at their ſolemne Faſt, Iuly 31. 1644.
By Stanley Gower, ſometimes Rector of Brompton-Brian in the County of Hereford, now Preacher of Gods Word at Martins Ludgate, London: And one of the Reverend Aſſembly of Divines.
MATTH. 24. 21, 23, 24, 25.
V. 21.
Then ſhall be great tribulation, ſuch as was not ſince the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever ſhall be.
V. 23.
Then if any ſhall ſay to you, Lo, here is Chriſt, or there: beleeve it not.
V. 24.
For there ſhall ariſe falſe Chriſts, and falſe Prophets, &c.
V. 25.
Behold I have told you before.
Publiſhed by Order of the ſaid Houſe. LONDON, Printed by G. M. for Philemon Stephens at the ſigne of the Golden-Lyon in Pauls Church-yard, 1644.
TO THE HONOVRABLE HOVSE OF COMMONS Now aſſembled in PARLIAMENT.
Right Honourable;
DAniels Prophecie concernes the JewesDan. 1…. 1. Thy people. in Hypotheſi, the whole Church of God in Theſi, for no Scripture is of private interpretation, ſaith 2 Pet. 1. 20. 1 Cor. 10. 11. foreign.S. Peter, and Theſe things hapned to them as enſamples, ſaith S. Paul.
To them it ſpeaketh two things;
1. Their Calamities under the foure great Monarchies now almoſt at an end.
2. Their Conſolation afterwards, and now approaching.
To us it ſpeaketh two things more;
1. Our Hope, living in dayes of trouble, but withall, of delivery; it is not a Tympany, but Dan. 1…. 1.a Child, that the Churches of the Saints goe withall, if they ſtick long in the place of birth, it Hoſe. 1… ▪ …is becauſe they are fooliſh; but at length a ſafe deliverance is promiſed, the man-child of Reformation ſhall be borne, and Heaven and earth ſhall cry grace grace unto it.Zech. 4. 7.
2. Our Help, (for hope deferred maketh theProv. 1…. 12. heart ſick,) in this booke two ways it is afforded.
Firſt, From the Hiſtory of it, See here how the Church, though it be a little and but a deſpiſed flock, yet is it of that esteeme with God, that for the Churches ſake he wheeles about all the Monarchies of the world; the Perſian ſhall daſh in peeces the Dan. 2. & 7.Babylonian, the Greekes the Perſian, the Romanes the Grecian, and the God of Heaven the Romane Empire and them all, and ſet up the Kingdome of Ieſus Chriſt, that ſtone cut cut without hands, which ſhall become a great mountaine and fill the whole earth.
Secondly, From the Propheſie of it, not Humane, but Divine, that ſacred Calendar, and great Almanack of Propheſie: the foure Kingdomes of Daniel, are not only, an Hiſtoricall, but a Propheticall Chronologie of times, meaſured from the beginning of the Jewes captivity till all the Kingdomes of the world ſhould become the Kingdome ofRev. 11. 15. our Lord and his Chriſt; a courſe of time, during which, the Church and Nation of the Iewes ſhould carry the veile upon their hearts, but afterwards ſhould turne to God, and be raiſed up from the death of ſinne; are turne ſo ſtrange, a delivery ſo Dan. 12. 2. Rom. 11. 15.great, that it is reſembled to a reſurrection from the grave.
To this great Calendar of times the Apoſtles in the new Testament relate, when they call the times of the fourth Kingdome, the laſt times, and the latter times of that Kingdome, the latter times; (viz.) the latter part of that laſt Kingdome (as ſaith a learned Interpreter:) Goe we then to this Mr Mede Apoſt. of latter times, p. 64, 65, 66.Propheticall Calendar, we have the Romane Monarchy almoſt at an end, and concerning the Iewes, (whoſe comming in ſucceedeth their going out) two things foretold.
The finall end of the Turkiſh Empire (as learned 1.men conceive) the only obstacle to thoſe Kings ofM. Brightman, and many others. Rev. 16. 12. the Eaſt as the Iewes are call'd, and the last defence of the Beaſt; whoſe beginning, was about the yeare 1300. and the addition of 350. (which is the time,Dan. 12. 7. M. Brightman, in locum. times, halfe a time) doth bring that Turkiſh tyranny to an end, in the yeare 1650.
The beginning of their gratious delivery, this 2.ſhall be after a two-fold epoche.
1. The taking away of the daily ſacrifice,Dan. 12. 11. which was wickedly done by Antiochus, long before, but de jure by our Lord Ieſus Christ his death, destroying Dan. 8. 10. 11, 24. 25.all other ſacrifices by the ſacrifice of himſelfe, the fulneſſe of all their ſhadowes, and defacto by TitusIoſeph Antiq. Veſpaſian, who tooke away the place of ſacrificing, when he deſtroyed the Temple.
2. The ſetting up of the abhomination of deſolation, (or which maketh deſolate) this was wickedly attempted by the Iewes in the dayes of Iulian the Apoſtate; he in contempt of Christ gave licence to the Iewes to build their Temple, and renew their Iewiſh worſhip, hereupon they tooke up every Tripart. Hiſt.stone of the old foundation, but before they laid any new one, they were diſperſed by a ſpeciall hand of God. A fearfull earthquake in the night deſtroyed all their work…, a ſudden fire conſumed all their tooles, and themſelves ſo diſperſed that from that time the Iewiſh ſuperſtitions did for ever ceaſe. Cyril Biſhop of Ieruſalem, who admoniſhed them of this Propheſie of Daniel, but after no diſſwaſion could prevaile, he openly profeſſed, that now the time was come which our Lord fore-told, that there ſhould not be left one ſtone upon another.M…t. 24. 2.
Now underſtand we this to be the epoche, Iulians reign fell out in the yeare 360. to which adde 1290. they make up 1650. the very time formerly deſigned for the finiſhing of the Iewes diſperſion.
Theſe things being ſo, I knew not (Right Honourable) a Text ſpeaking more to
You,
VsUs,
Our times,
then what I preached on, and by your Authority have expoſed now to more publike view.
To you it ſpeakes by way of Caution, that no 1.ſpot, nor blot, nor ſhrinking back be found amongſt you, that are repairers of our breaches, and reſtorers of pathes to dwell in.
To us it ſpeakes by way of Criſis, it diſcovers the 2.temper of the ſick body of both Church and State under you our great and (under God) only Phiſitian, your phyſick ſtirs the humours; makes ſome better, ſome worſe.
To our times it ſpeakes by way of comfort, they 3.are troubleſome, but trying times, and after triall, there ſhall be delivery to thoſe that are purified, made white, and tried, but deſtruction to thoſe that doe and will doe wickedly, true wiſedome and underſtanding is hid from them, and reveal'd to the godly wiſe. Let then a bloody crew fight on, and fill up their meaſure, and let a fooliſh people refuſe to aſsiſt you as they ought, the Lord himſelf hath ſaid the word, to you as to Cyrus. He is my ſhepheard, andIſa. 44. 28. ſhall performe all my pleaſure, even ſaying to Ieruſalem, Thou ſhalt be built, and of the Temple, Thy foundation ſhall be laid: and to them, the Lord will throw downe his haile upon them that Rev. 16.ſtand againſt Reformation, and rend their hearts with indignation and blaſphemy; he will goe an end with his worke, though they ſweare and ſtorme, till he have utterly conſumed them from the face of the earth. Perfect is the work of God, and (as the Lord Deut. 32. 4.ſpake concerning Eli) when he begins, he will alſo1 Sam. 3. 12. make an end.
Thus craving your pardon, and (which is more) your acceptance, as you have my faith, ſo ſhall you have my prayers, that what Caeſar once ſaid of Rome, He found it brick, but left it marble,Romam latericiam inveni, marmorea… relinquo. may much more Honourably be ſaid of you, you found our Church and State Atheiſticall, Prelaticall, you leave the beames of our houſe Cedar,Cant. 1. 17. Plin. l. 43. c. 5 & 16. c. 41. and our galleries firre; famous for durableneſse, acceptable for ſweetneſſe; by laying in the walls of the Church ſuch ſolid and eternall truths of God as may hold out instead of Socinianiſme, Arminianiſme, and many moe; and by ſetting up ſuch Worſhip, and Diſcipline, and Governement, as may keepe off wind and weather, that Gods people may walke hand in hand together, as in galleries of firre.
Your Honours, both at the throne of grace, and in the worke of Chriſt▪ STANLEY GOWER▪