I will not fay thefe things are certain, (!leave yott t0 the author thar.rccire.s them) but if any whit true, ·,vhy (bleffed ':-ord !)_what a day of appearance ll1all th1s be? I ch,·y(ofl. !mow not faith one)what others maythmk of lt,butf•r myfelf,zr mak!;Jme tremble to conjz- Jfom 7! .m MAt der it. u ; 1 -a day of an.~er C(r wreth,a day of troub/.c r:j· hca'Yinefs,a day of obfcurit) ()-dark:_ Zepl>• 1. 15. ne!Je,a day ofcloudJ e-;- bl:'.ck__nefs,a day ofthe tmmpet qnd alarm ag4mjl the Sfrong cwes,f.7 againjf 1 he high to1vers, Leph. r. 1 5. I w1llbut runthorow the fignes, as we find them in Gods writ, and then fee 1fyour hearts will not fa1l for f<;ar. .· .. · . . Thm] Shall the S11n be darksncd: can Nature fl:anG! and fuffsr ageneral ' Eclipfe? MM. 24 . '9 When God died, the Sun could d1fcolour 1ts beauty, and fute It fe,lf m blac~ to ItS Makers condition· and now man dies, the Sun is clad again in mourning robes. Alas ! what can it do bu~ mourn ? God lives, but man-kind dies : though he was the Creator, yet we are the creatures for who~ it was created : wlm; tht ~on]holder_ dies, the . family grieves : were all eyes dry, here IS the eye of the world weel?s 1t felf bhnd to n;e P.11~. f•mrliar this diifolution : Is man bereft of compaflion, for whom the Sun 1t felf undergoes thiS, morrenre ru.-ba– paflion ~ Think on thofe times, when darkneffe that may be felt, thallfpread over all ~~ dr,n~s.. the earth ; how thould plants but wither? Or beall:s of :he .field but wafl:e? How fit~;,;, 44~" thould men but dye, when they fl:umble at noon-day ? The~t eyes thall fail them, the · light forfnkes them : mifcrablc men! the Sun thall not thine on them, becaufe God will judge them. But this is not all. , . Then]jiJtiii the moon notgive her light: as the day 1t11d night ar,eboth alikJ with God, fo Matt b.·~· 29 the day and night thall be alike with man : the Sun will not lend its lufl:re, nor can the • Moon borrow any more light : bur what I!range war makes this confufion of nature?the Sun thalllook black ; and the M oon be turned into blood. Here is a new Moon, and fuch Ja~l. 2 , 3 r. achange as before was never feen: there is no increafe, no ful), no wane, but a!Lthe ligh~ is at once cxtinguithed: unhappy creatures that depend upon her influence! how Gen. r. 14• fhould they live, when the her felf wades mblood! God made thefe Lights for jign,es, ""dfor feafons, for dayes, andfor years : but now !ignes are out, feafons pall:, dayes are done, years abolithed: The Ahngel 1 h 1 ath Jibtlw 1~n byhhimhthat livhe.s for ever, tbha.; time Reo. 10 . o. Jhallbeno!onger, Rev. 10. 6. _WOW'. not e 1evet at. earest rsfacredoat rWas it a man? No, an Angel.·] dtdhe fay 1t} No, hefwornt :] how? by himfelf? No, it was·hy him th"t livesfor ever:] and what? ~hat time mufl: be little ? Nay it mull: be n.o longer, time jlulil be no more.] How thall tt be any more? The Sun is disfigured, the Moon difrobed, both cclipfed. But this not all. · ' · Then]jhall theJl~trr be j11aken; the powers of Heaven thall move, and the Lamps of heaven thall tremble: thefe were Gods threats againfl: theBabylonians,Efay , 3 • ro. _ For the Jlars ofH eaven, and the Planets thereofjha/1 notgive their light. Againfl: the E[ay ' 3· ro; Egyptians, Ezek. 32· 7· I will cover the heaven, andmak.§ theJlars dark._over thee: A- E=!A· 32. 7• gainfl: all his enemies, Joel3. 15. The Sun and Moon jlra/1 be dark!;'ned, (but not they J oel3· 1 5• alone, for) "nd theftarsthemJe.lveJ jha/1 withdraiV their jhining: But what fpeak we of darkneffe, Ol' the fl:ars not thming? They thall not only dim, but down. In thofc· • · • dayes(faith our Saviour) after thllt rribulatson the Sun and the Moon jhall dark!;n, and Ma:~l3· rs, thefl<~rsofheaven jhallfa/1: how fall? Sothick__(fay Expofiters) that. the Firmament ljmne, &'· jha/1 feem to be without all light. I cannot fay thefe fignes fhall be real· whether it is by fubtrattion of their light, or the conceit of buin-troublcd !inners, or the fall of fome enflamed vapours, or the Apofl:alie offomc enlightened pcrfons: for certain (to fpea~ literally) there thall be fome change in the whole order of Nature: Son "nd Moon,. Sws t<nd Planets, all mutt lofe their ·Jight, and by all likelihood, it is the glory of the Judge that will dazle thofe Candles. Neither is this aiL . Then] Jhall tf,e elements melt, the fire thall fall down from heaven, the air turn·i't felf in.to vapours, ~he Sea fwell above all Clouds, the earth be full of yawning Clifts~ , and Vtolent tremblmgs. Afire thall full: uther. the Judge, and fuch a fire as thaU have 2 Pet:~·. r8. the prope_rty ofall fires; that fire in its fphear, this fire on earth, the fearful fire which l!limtntAris .tor~ents mhell, allthall meet in one, and ac.cording to their feveral qpalities, produce f•briliandv, ' thett feveral effects : If we beheve the Authour in the margeRt; the jujfjl:all be refined by temftm .con· . •ne, the wicks~ fha/1 be tormented by t~nother,.the et~rth be confumed by ,a third : There is no ~:u:;~';;;1J;,c creature but tt, mofl: be fu_el for this fire ; as the firll: world was qefl:royed \jlith water 'Joh. <le.Co!ll· to guench ~he hea.t oftherr lufi : fo mufl: this be deftroyed with:fire, to warm the cold bir• ofour chanty. But not the fire alone · Then~ thall the ~ire breedwonders ; what !hall be feen but iightriings, whlrJ>:winds, torufcattons, blazmg-fl:ars, flallling tliunders ? llere a Comet IU!)p round in a circuit, there:'
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