Dooms-day: or, the great day of the Lords Judgement, proved by Scripture to be even now neare at hand.

SEtting aſide all opinions of the Ethnicks who (ſome of them) affirme, that as the world had no beginning, ſo it ſhall never have end, that there are more worlds then one, that the face of things ſhall onely be changed, and not a finall diſſolution; wee will informe our ſelves out of the Word of God, and from two other Prophecies, never before imparted, and finde out ſo far forth as we may whether or no the deſtruction of the world, and the ſecond coming of Chriſt, be not even now to be expected.

It were needleſs to go about to prove, that moſt part of the Prophecies of the ancient Prophets are alreadie ful­filled.

Chriſt the Son of God, is come in the fleſh, and hath per­formed the worke of our redemption: the Goſpell hath been preached to all Nations, yea to thoſe Nations that (when our Lord lived on earth) were not ſo much as heard of, nor knowne to be under heaven, who have been con­verted from Paganiſme to Chriſtianity, and are at this day zealous for the truth; the Jewes who betrayed the Lord of life, and crucified their redeemer, whoſe blood, according to their raſh deſires, hath been upon the heads of them and their children, and have (according as he prophecied) been ſcattered among all Nations: the remnant of thoſe many hundred thouſands the Sword of God, and Veſpaſian had ſpared, the abhomination of deſolation, ſpoken of by Da­niel1〈1 page duplicate〉2the Prophet, viz. the head of a ſwine in deriſion of the Jewiſh Religion ſet up over the gate of that Temple where God himſelfe was once pleaſed to dwell, and which may certainely aſſure us, that the day of doom is even now at hand, according to the Prophecies of the Prophets; that before that day there ſhall be a reſtauration of Iſrael, even thoſe people the Jewes, according to certaine and credible information, are at this time^**Under Joſias Catzim, and according to Letters from beyond the Seas, they are numerous, and ſhow them­ſelves in great bodies in Illy­ria, Bethinia and Cappado­cia. aſſembling themſelves together into one body from out of all countreys, wherinto they have been driven with a reſolution to regaine the holy land once more out of the hand of Ottaman: But here me thinks I heare ſome men ſay, but yet is not come the downefall of the Whore of Babylon, who hath made all Nations drunke with the wine of her fornication; That man of Sin, the Pope, who ſitteth in the Temple of God, and is worſhipped as God, hath not yet taſted of the fierceneſs of Gods wrath. I anſwer, That the fall of that Antichriſt is even now at this preſent, he ſitteth tottering on his ſeat, he hath a long time purſued the Iſraelites, viz. the faithfull ſervants of Jeſus Chriſt, but now his Chariot wheels are taken off England, Scotland, and Wales, which ſome three hundred yeares a­goe was wholly in ſubjection to the papall Throne, and wandred groping in an Egyptian darkneſs of Popery and Superſtition, are now illuminated with the glorious light of the Goſpell, and enjoy the pure and undoubted Word of God, ſufficient for the ſalvation of their ſoules; the houſe of Auſtria have burſt in ſunder their yoke, and caſt off the bondage of Antichriſt, the Danes and Hollanders, ſome­time ſuperſtitious Papiſts, are at this preſent ſincere Prote­ſtants. France even now alſo looking two waies, and deſi­rous to renounce the Popes power, with divers other King­domes Principalities, Provinces and Dukedomes, formerly yeelding obedience to the See of Rome, now the haters of his uſurped power:^**Rev. 18.20. rejoyce over her thou heaven, and yee holy Apoſtles and Prophets, for God hath avenged you on her^**Chap. 19. Verſ. 1. for true and righteous are his judgements, for hee hath judged the great Whore ▪ which did corrupt the carth with her fornication, but ſome may object, and ſay,3 why yet the great and mighty King of Spaine with others, ſtand firme to his holineſs? I anſwer, and ſo may doe (even till^**The mean­ing of that place Rev. 18.17, 8. Chriſt coming to judgement) ſhe ſhall ſit as a Queen and ſay, I am no widdow; ſhe ſhall ſay, though theſe Na­tions and thoſe Kingdomes are departed from me, and are the ſervants of the living God, yet I am no widdow, the King of Spaine &c. is my husband, and ſtill maintaineth my abhominations: But marke what the Holy Ghoſt: ſaith,^**Chap. 18. Verſ. 8. therefore ſhall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and ſhe ſhall be utterly burnt with fire, and leaſt any ſhould doubt her ſo ſudden ſubverſion, the words enſuing tell them, without doubt it ſhall be ſo, for ſtrong is the Lord who judgeth her: This bringeth a Pro­phecy into my minde, which I once ſaw in the ſtudy of a great Schollar, and no meane Antiquary who deceaſed ſome few years ſince, which I copied out, and having this opportune occaſion, will preſent it to publike view.

Now the Propheſie of Geofrey Chawcer, who flouriſhed in the dayes of King Richard the ſecond, ran thus.

Now let us compare and examine theſe two Prophecies: The firſt ſaith, when Chawcers Prophecie ſhall be fulfilled, when troubled and miſeries ſhall come upon great Britaine, occaſioned through the wickedneſſe of the Paſtors, who (themſelves erring from the way) cauſe the people to walk aſtray with them; for ſo he certainly meant when he ſaid,When faith failes in Prieſts Sawes.

The fulfilling of the Propheſie wee all know before our4 preſent diſtractions: Was not the moſt part of the Clergy of this Kingdome given over to vice, and Epicuriſme? when arbitrary power ſhall be endeavoured to be ſet up, and the Subjects of the Kingdome brought into bondage: for ſo he no doubt meant when he ſaid,When Lords heſt are taken for Lawes.

Do we not know, that before the breaking forth of our preſent diſtractions, the power of the King was divulged to be over the people both body and goods, that a few perſons in favour with his Majeſty, impoſed upon the Subjects of this Kingdome the great loane of Ship-money; and that the Earle of Strafford propoſed, that the tyrannicall power of the Kings of France might warrantably be exerciſed by the Kings of England; therefore when things ſhould bee thus carried, he propheſied:

And have not our eyes ſeen the ſame fulfilled? What great­er miſery can come to a nation, then to be at variance among themſelves, mutually to ſheath their ſwords in each others bowells, to batter downe Cities ore one anothers heads, to have their Soveraigne in armes againſt them, and in a word, to have all the calamities of war at once heavy upon them; and this hath this poore Kingdome of England, till of late, undergone; therefore the fulfilling of Chawcers Prophecie none but a mad man will denie.

But now for the other Prophecie, it comes more neere unto us, even to this preſent yeare 1647. for are not the three Kingdomes of England, Scotland and Wales entred into a ſolemne League and Covenant, to ſet up one and the ſame Religion in the three Kingdomes? then (if granted) now is the long lookt for yeare come, that Antichriſt ſhall fall, and then the day of Doome ſhall happen, But of that day and houre knoweth no man, no not the Angells which are in heaven, Mat. 13.32. that is, no man can poſitively affirme, that ſuch a day in ſuch a moneth, & at ſuch an houre. The Prophet Daniel giveth us the time when it ſhall be, ſaying, Dan. 12.1. And5 there ſhall be a time of trouble, ſuch as never was ſince there was a nation, to that time: and is not that time now. Is not the whole world involved in watres, was there ever ſuch a time of trouble as there is now, ſince there was a Nation up­on the earth? And that theſe troubles foretell the neare approach of the day of judgement, the very next Verſe in­formes us: And many of them what ſleep in the duſt of the earth ſhall awake, ſome so overlaſting life, and ſome to ſhame and e­verlaſting c•••••…p•. Againe, for our Saviours Prophecie, Mark 23. confirming the Prophecie of the Prophet Ioel, Io­d 3.15. That the Sun ſhall be darkened, and the Moone turned into blood, it is the opinion of the Ancients, and of•he beſt of our mode••Divines, that the darkneſſe of the Sun, not•••••…tion of the Moone is not to be expected, but rather the myſticall ſenſe thereof, the Sun being taken for the glorious light of the Goſpell, the Moone to preſigure the Church. But now what is meant when he ſaith,And F. ſhall weare his triple crowne?

I am not able to determine, whether (as is moſt likely) that ſome Prince, the firſt letter of whoſe name begins in F. ſhall plucke the Pope out of his Throne, let the learned judge, whoſe knowing minds are able to dive into ſuch deep myſteries: it ſufficeth me to be informed, that the ruine of Antienriſt is neere, even at the doore, and that the day be­gins to draw nigh that God will viſit them that dwell upon the earth, when God will make of them what they be that have hurt unjuſtly with their unrighteouſneſſe, and that the righteous man ſhall ſtand with great boldneſſe before the fa­ces of them that have afflicted him, who when they ſee it, ſhall be amazed with terrible feare, and wonder at the ſtrangeneſſe of his ſalvation; and they repenting and groa­ning for anguiſh of ſpirit within themſelves, ſhall ſay, this is he whom we had ſomtime in deriſion, and a proverbe of reproach, we fooles accounted his life madneſſe, but now he is numbred among the children of God, and hath his lot with the Saints.

There is a report ſpread abroad, and the common talk a­bout6 London, and ſo conſequently over England, that ſuch a day in ſuch a week the day of Doome ſhall happen: others will have it, that on that day Chriſt ſhall come againe on earth, and there perſonally reigne with his Elect a thouſand yeares; and opinion monſtrous, and to be abhorred as much as their opinion who contend, that the divels ſhall at length be releaſed from their torments. We are ſufficiently infor­med in the Scriptures, and next to them from others, that the day of Doome is even now at hand, and that the ſecond coming of Chriſt is each day and houre to be expected; what remaineth then, but that we prepare our ſelves to meet the Bridegroome, with the loynes of our minds girded, and oyl in our lamps, that when our Lord cometh, he may ſay, well done good and faithfull ſervants, enter ye into your maſters joy.