llt>oomes~oap. monilh us tG have patience in all o?r expect.ations : What is it to fuffer a while,an inch ~{~1.37· 7, 10 • of time, contidering the reward. IS great mdeed, everlafiing in durance? Reft in the Lord (faith David) and watt pamnrly for htm: fret not thyfeiffor him which profpmth in his way : And will youknow the reafon .' F.ryet a I ill le J!!hile, Md the wickfd jl 1 aJI not 'be ; b11t the meek_jhnll mhent the Mrt? ,andjhall del,ght themfelve.< in the ab1mdance of ptt<~e : Pfal. 37· ID, I r. So the)' !hall mdeed, tf onely they wtll expeCl a little time; not now, but Then] flay yet a whde, and be fure anon the reward 01all be given. 2 , But to anfwer pofitively, this Then is no other than Doomes-d,.y, and when that !hall be, will be known bell: by J Conjectures. · ) Signes. . We will begin with the former. r. Some would have it in the year 6ooo from the beginning of the world: this was the fentence of Elias (fay the Jewes) whofe prophecy thus runs, Two thoufand yrars before the Law:nvo thoufand under the Law,and two tltoufand under the Gofpel: how untrue this founds,any one may guelfe that confiders: in the firfr number he fails,becaufe it was too little;in the fecond number he crres,becaufe it was too lllUCh: and if Elias fay amiffe for the timc'now pafi,how lhould we believe him for that yet to come? Others,befides telli– mony,produce reafon,thatas ~dwas creating the world fix dayes,fo he mufr be a go- . Vernlng it fix thoufand years;here's a feeming proportion, but upon what reafon?Evcry Y{al. 9•· 4· day,(fay they)mufr be a thoufand years with man,becaufe a tho•tfsndyears are bmas"" S 1 . <( day with God. It were too frivilous a pains to repeat any more, or to anlwer thefe:Isnot ,:b:~:o~~. 1~9, thiJf"cril~dge to brea/z.into Gods place,and pry into his SanCfuaryiwhy lhould we prefume to know more than God would have us? Look at the Apoftles, were they not Gods Secretaries? Look at the Angels, are they not Gods Heralds? Look at Chrifr himfelf, .M4r~ r 1 • ;.. is he notthe Son of God? andyetashe is the Son of man, he fpeaksofall, Ofrhat Ne llP! add.- day and hour lz.noweth no mt<n, no Angel, neither the Son, but the Father only, Mark. 1 j. mas tnqHZrere, 32 . It is not for us toJeek.., where the Lord bath not a tongue to fpeak.. Why lhould we '!:}};;f,' a":re know more than other men, than aU men, than Angels, than Chrifr himfelf, who (as Aug.EpJ~ 14 s man) was either ignorant of it, or at leaft had no commiffion to reveal it. It is not for f,.Eis. 1. 7• you to f0•w the timeJ .ondfeafons, whi<·h the Fath<r hath put in his owzt power, ACl. 1.7. It is a better ufe which our Saviour makes, Tal(; heed, watch, and pray; for ye i(po1v not ~~. '3• 33 · whm the time iJ, Mark, 13. 33· As a thiefin the night, fo is Doomes-d~ty, it comes fud- ' s. 2 ' denly, it will come lhortly: would you needs know when ? Why then when you leail: imagine fuch a matter, thenwhen worldly hono1.1rs profit nothing, then when kindred -and acquaintance fail, then when the world !hall be fet on fire, tlun] thm] he fh•llre· ward every man according to his work}. · >. But fecondly,ifconjelhtru fail,the ftgnes are certain:Jerom reports of15 Miracles for Tejle Tho A· ·I 5 dayes,which he writes to have fo<1nd in the Hebrews Annols, and immediately mull: ;~:~~s;!;:e~: prece<je tlre Judges coming.The firft day (faith he) the Sea jludl {well,&~ lift up htr wav<J 13 . .rt. 1. at leaft fifteen c11bits above.the height ofthe higheft hills. The fecond day, unlrk; to thl former,the[eflfha/1 ebbe agam,Jtnd the w"ves be f.1ilcn ttll theyfc"n·e befecn.The th~rd day the fea muft return to its anciem courfe, &[o abtde thatd~y as it was before. Thefourth d..y, fea-monflers jhnll appMr Rbovt thefea whofe bellowing roars jiJRII fill the a>r w11h mes,whrch God alone underfta11dJ, and menJlutll,tremble at. Thefifth day,nl: thefowles ofthe flir ]hall flock together, and meeting in the fields Jhall there chatter, mrd jfflrve for fr.r ofthe ap– proaGhing times, Theftxth day, jloodJ of fire jiMII rife "P againft the firmament, whrch kindling P.t the falling Sun, ]hall run lik.f a light~ing to the riftng morn. Theftventh d.ry, .,u ftars andplanets JhallJhoot Oltt fiery comers . The eighth dfly, there jl•all be agfnerAl tllrth-qnak.!, and the motionJo violent, tioflt rhe groundjiMII hop, '"'d the living creamrs not fttmd on their f~t, that w,.lk_onthetotttringjloors. The nirreth ~~~y, trees Jha/1 fww blood. The tenth day, all the flonesof theearthjha/1 w.anogethir, andwtth a thundermg noife brellk_one upon "nother. The tleventh day, all bmldmgs jlrall be rmned, and All the hills and monntAinJ melt into duft and powder, The melfth day, all heaft! of the fieldJhall comefrom their woods and dens, andJo abftainingfrom their food, jiMII roar and bellow"f itnd down the plttins. The Thirtceth day, "11gr,.ves]hall be open, from the riftng up•JthJ Sun, HntO the going down ofthe fAme. The fourteenth day,all men jhall come abro<d,~n . [?eh" di(lraEiionfeiz.e on thei>" heavy hearts, that they jhllillofe theJpeech and volnbtltty <[ their tongnu. And the fifmmh(which is the /aft day) the lwrng men jiJall.du, and the dead jlrallliw lfll:llin·llll "bo 11 eeJtrth be changtd,and tlx>fc in tlieir gr~v" be rr.ifed and rrc 1 oj vered, " J , : I Wl
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