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Day of Midian, Jofh. 7. 22. turn their Hands against each other, and like as the Moabites Ammonites and the Children of Mount Seir, 2 Chron. 20. 23. helped to deftroy one another, fo fhall thefe lift up every one his Hand against his Brother, and turn his Sword against his Fellow. Even as the Lord hath faid, Ezek. 38. 21. I will call for ́a Sword against him throughout all my Mountains, every Man's Sword fhall be against his Brother. And I will plead against him with Peftilence and with Blood, and I will rain upon him and upon bis Bands, and upon the many People that are with him, an overflowing Rain, and great Hailftones, Fire, and Brimftone. And (Rev. 19. 20.) the Beast and falfe Prophet that wrought Miracles before him, with which he had deceived them that had received the Mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his Image, were both of them taken and caft alive into the Lake burning with Fire and Brimstone. And the Remnant (V. 21.) were flain with the Sword of him that fate upon the Horfe, which proceedeth out of his Mouth, and all the Fowls were filled with their Flesh. This is what St. Paul foretold concerning this Lying Deceiver, 2 Theff. 2.8. That the Lord shall confume him with the Breath of bis Mouth, and deftroy him with the Brightness of his Coming. When he fhall defeend with the Power and Majefty of an Everlasting Kingdom, which fhall defcend with him upon the Earth, then fhall all the Glorious Promises made to the Church be plentifully fulfilled then shall the Sons and

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Disciples

Disciples of the Crofs receive double a the Lords Hand for the Shame which they have fuffered for his fake, and inftead of Confusion they shall rejoyce in their Porti on, and in their Land they fhall poffefs the double. He will give them Beauty for Afhes, the Oil of Joy for Mourning the Garment of Praife for the Spirit of Heaviness. Everlafting Joy fhall be upon them. Yea the Lord fhall fend forth See the his Spirit *, and renew the Face of the Earth. Original. Pfal. 104. 30. which is that Reftitution all things which God hath Spoken by the Mouth of all his Holy Prophets ever fince the World began. Acts. 3.21.

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The CONCLUSION.

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ND now perhaps it may be asked, The Conas the Difciples asked our Bleffed clufion, with Some Lord, Mat. 24. 3. tell us; when fall thefe Thoughts Things be? To which Question our Lord concerning has upon another Occafion, Acts. 17 the Signs given us this fhort Anfwer, that it is not for Times. us to know the Times and the Seafons, which the Father bath put in his own Power. And it mufti be acknowledged, that no one thing has given fo fatal an Advantage to the Enemies of Prophetical Truth, as the vast Prefumption of fome Men, who upon very flender Grounds have dared as in the Name of the Lord to confine the Completion of fome very great Revolutions to a very narrow Compafs of Time, and that with as much Confidence, as if their Comments had been as Divine and Authentick as the Pro phecies themselves which they pretended to explain. The Miscarriages of fuch Pere fons have fò prejudic'd the Men of free thinking and Philofophy, as to make them (generally fpeaking) entirely neglect the Prophetical Writings; yea, not only neglect but ridicule them, and think all that can be faid for them, to be fufficiently. an fwered with that bitter Sarcafme of a cer tain Great Man, that the Book of Revelations either found people mad or left them fo; which

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however fometimes true it may be in Fact,is directly contrary to the Declaration made by the Spirit of God Himself (if they will allow this Book to be Divine) who begins it with the Promise of a Bleffing, a fpecial Bleffing to the study of it; Blessed is he that readeth, and they that bear the Words of this Prophecy, and keep those things that are written therein. Rev. 1. 3.

Now though our Bleffed Saviour condemns a too pofitive Curiosity in things of this nature, yet does he by no means difcourage the modeft and humble Enquirer, having himself vouchfafed, Mat. 24. Mark. 13. and Luke. 21. to give us fome Marks and Tokens whereby to judge of the near approach of that Time; at least with as much Certainty as we can judge of the near approach of Summer, when we fee the tender Branches of the Fig-tree begin to bud and put forth its Leaves, or judge of the Weather by the appearance of the Sky. Learn (faith he to his Disciples, Mat. 24. 32, 33) a Parable of the Fig-tree: when his Branch is yet tender, and putteth forth his Leaves, ye know that Summer is nigh: So likewife ye when ye fhall fee all these things (meaning the Signs and Tokens afore-mention'd) know that it (the great Defolation) is near, even at the doors. So Mat.16. 2, 3. When it is Evening, ye fay it will be Fair Weather: For the Sky is Red. And in the Morning it will be Foul Wea ther to Day: for the Sky is Red and Lowring. O ye Hypocrites, ye can difcern the Face of the Sky, but cannot ye difcern the Signs of the Times?

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Omitting therefore all Chronological Difquifitions, which at the beft are attended with infinite Uncertainties, we will take a fhort view of those Criteria, or Tokens, which our Bleffed Lord has given us.

THE firft is Mat. 24. 6. Ye shall bear of Wars, and Rumours of Wars, Nation fhall rife against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom, there fhall be Famines and Peftilences and Earthquakes in divers Places. Upon this let any inquifitive Chriftian look a little into the face of the prefent Times, and let him ferioufly tell me, did he ever meet with fuch a state of Affairs in any period of History, as that which at this time embarraffes the Princes and Potentates of Europe. I mean in relation to the different Interefts andPretenfions,upon which the prefent War is grounded, which by fome furprizing Springs and Motions have upon fuch different Grounds engaged fo many States and Kingdoms, that there is hardly a Neutral Power left to be the Mediator or Guarantee of the fo much expected and defired Peace. I cannot upon this Head forbear to mention the vifible Weakness and Declension of the Empire, as also their prefent Differences with the Court of Rome, which may poffibly haften the Comple tion of Daniel's Prophecy of the Ten Toes of his Image, Dan. 2. 41. which will be an indifputable Proof of the near Approach of the grand Revolution. As for the other Inftances, viz. Peftilences and Famines, by the Mercy of God they have not yet been fo univerfal; and O may the fame + which is

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