§ 13. The smiting work of Quinto-Monarchians is grounded on falsities, or uncertainties concerning the agents, means and time of smiting mentioned, Dan▪ 2. 34. 44, 45.

HItherto I have prosecuted those arguments against the Quinto-Monarchians doctrine and practise which shew it to be damnable and Antichristian in respect of the act it self of smiting civil powers; I shall add further more arguments against them, shewing the falsity and uncertainty of those grounds and principles, on which their de∣terminations concerning separation from & smiting of civil powers rest. The first whereof is, that afore the Fifth-Monarchy be set up, and in order thereto, afore Christs coming all civil powers, that are now extant as part of the fourth Monarchy, are to be disannulled. Which hath no foundation but in their own fancy, or hatred of the civil powers as withstanding their design. For it is said, Revel. 17. 16, 17. That the Kings, which formerly supported

It is said, That the Kings of the earth, who have committed fornication, and lived deliciously with her, shall be wail her and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning: which shewes, that Kings, even those that have joyned with Babylon, shall remain after her fall, yea and some Kings shall be the instruments of her destruction. And the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 24. tells us, Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the Kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power. Which words plainly intimate that afore the end, when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to God even the Father, all Rule and Authority and Power shall not be put down. Which may be also gathered from Revel. 11. 15. where it is said, which is said v. 18. To be the time of the dead that they should be judged; and therefore till that time there shall be the Kingdoms of this world, and consequently civil powers.

A second is, That civil powers are to be dissolved by men. Whereas this is still asserted in Scripture as Gods prerogative, that the most High ruleth in the Kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, Dan. 4. 25. 32. 34, 35. and 5. 21. And even in the business of the fourth Monarchy, the stone that is said to smite the image upon his feet, is said to be cut out of the mountain without hands, Dan. 2. 34. 45. which is more likely to be meant of Christ, who was cut without hands out of the mountain, that is, without natural generation as o∣ther men, whether by the Mountain be meant Eternity, or Hea∣ven, or the Roman Empire, or the Universe of human kind, as I conceive, then of any other man or men. And if it be meant of the Kingdom, as v. 44. doth expound it, that it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms, it must be meant in respect of Christ the King, whose dominion is set up by the God of Heaven, and not by men, and therefore take it any way agreeable to the Text, the stones breaking in pieces and consuming all the Kingdoms must not be expoun∣ded of Subjects, now calling themselves Saints, destroying civil powers, to which they are subject.

A third is, That men shall dissolve civil powers by fighting with swords, which is very false: For the stone that smote the Image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth; which if it be understood of Christs spiritual Kingdom, it smote the Image by preaching the Go∣spel, by which the power of the Idols, who ruled in those Kingdoms, Page  68 was cast down, and by it the stone became a great mountain and filled the whole earth; if it be meant of smiting hereafter, it is to be, as 2 Thes. 2. 8. it is said, that wicked one the Lord shall consume with the spi∣rit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming; or if it be meant of the Saints, as Mr. Thomas Parker conceives,

as it is interpretted, Dan. 2. v. 44, 45. Thus, saith he in his Exposition of that Vision, (as in the Greek expounded by Mr. Mede, men of name) seven thousand, presently after which it followes, The Kingdoms of the world, are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ. Now be the Earth-quake, as Mr. Mede thinks, a great commotion of the Nations, and alteration of Politique Affairs, or some thing else, it is caused by Gods power either without man, or only by the witnesses and their testimony, and if the falling, and slaughter thereby be in whole, or in part, the smiting of the Stone, Dan. 2. 34. 44, 45. (as it is proba∣ble) it is not by fighting, sure not by such as overthrowes civil powers; for they shall be altered and be instrumental to destroy Babylon, Revel. 17. 16, 17. And therefore this (which is the hinge on which the smiting work of Quinto-Monarchians turns) being ve∣ry uncertain, or rather very false, all their inferences thereupon must of necessity be groundless and unwarrantable.

A fourth is, that the smiting work ascribed to the Stone, shall be by the Saints, even those who are private persons, and that the civil powers shall be smitten by them, to which they are subject, But for this they ha∣ving nothing but an obscure prophecy to rely upon, and it not agreeing with plain precepts, which forbid resistence to the higher Page  69 powers that are, this their impious Collection is deservedly to be exploded and detested.

A fifth is, that this smiting work shall be done by the Saints afore Christs coming, and in preparation thereto. But this agrees not with the Apostles words 1 Cor. 15. 24. where it is made Christs work to put down all Rule, and all Authority and Power, which will not be till the end, and then Christ, or his Father shall put all his enemies under his feet, which cannot be the work of the Saints. For one of the enemies is death v. 26. which none in his wits will say can be de∣stroyed by Quinto-Monarchian Saints; they perhaps may bring death on themselves and others, but sure they cannot destroy death, who cannot raise from the dead. Besides the scripture makes the coming of Christ and his Kingdom comtemporary 2. Tim. 4. 1. therefore not to be effected by the Saints on earth, by any prepa∣ratory work of theirs.

A sixth uncertainty or falsehood, which moves them to so much zeal for their smiting work, is, that they have fancied it to be the work of the present generation, which Mr. Tillinghast much insists on in his Sermon on Matth. 16. 3. concerning the signs of the times; but up∣on how slender reasons may be shewed in what followes: sure when our Lord Christ made the time of his coming unknown to Angels and the son of man, and known only to the Father, Mark 13. 32. he would have us not be curious to know it, but watch, that we be not surprised by it. And sith after all the labours of the learnedst and most prying inquisitors all the Prophetical numbers about this thing of the ruin of Babylon, and Christs personal Kingdom on earth have been so uncertainly calculated, that mens expectations have been deluded, it is great rashness for any to pitch on a cer∣tain year or age, much more to attempt such audacious and horrid things, as the smiting of civil powers in a preposterous way which attempt of theirs becomes the more inexcusable, in that their own writing entituled, The Banner of truth displayed, shewed their uncertainty, and unresolvedness both in the manner, extent and time of this smiting work. For whereas they apply that of Dan. 2. 34, 35. 44, 45. concerning

unto the Saints, even Gentile Saints smiting of all parts of the fourth Monarchy, all the civil pow∣ers of Europe, which they count Roman, Babylon, and Antichristian, yet Page  70 p. 40, 41. they make which is utterly inconsistent with the And for the time of the beginning of their smiting work, which p. 46. they make which they make a But the event disproving it, they will not engage further therein, but set down other signs, which are signs only from themselves, and not from any divine revelation, and yet p. 52. conclude, and then adding some examples of Gods former providence, they say, By which may be perceived their uncertainties in that, which they call their faith and hope, wherein those whom they believe to be godly oppose them, and their violence of spirit beyond all sobriety in moving persons so earnestly to that smiting work in this age upon no bet∣ter grounds than their own conjecture, though they foresaw it would bring common calamity, and the bodies and lives of godly persons perish by reason of their opposition to this Stone, which shewes they were resolved to smite all that stood in their way though godly, as it fell out in the year 1660. Mr. Tillinghast in his first Ser∣mon p. 26. saith, the work of Christs Kingdom, the glorious beginning of it, shall be about the time of the Jewes coming in, and p. 39. saith, the Lord make us wait on him for his own time, and yet, Serm. 3. gives signes of its being near even in this generation, which he makes it the duty of Saints to observe, though not one of the signes is from any Revelation of God, but from things which may happen and have without such signification, as he would put upon them. I omit what Mr. Mede in his letter to Arch-Bish•p Usher, and in other writings and many others write of the mystical numbers in Daniel and in the Revelation, which I would not have slighted so as to give * no heed to them, it being not in vain, that the Holy Ghost hath delivered them to us: only this I conceive it very dangerous and unsafe to make them the warrant or motive to such an attempt, as the smiting of civil powers, or the beginning of any War against the Page  72 known Rules of scripture and Lawes of civil Government, it being in it self wicked, shewing bitter furious zeal without the wisedome from above, and likely hereafter, as it hath done formerly to others, to bring destruction of soul and body on the agents, and much mi∣sery on others whether opponents or neuters.