Generation-work, or, A brief and seasonable word offered to the view and consideration of the saints and people of God in this generation, relating to the work of the present age, or generation we live in wherein is shewed, I. What generation-work is, and how it differs from other works, II. That saints in the several generations they have lived in, have had the proper and peculiar works of their generations, III. That it is a thing of very great concernment for a saint to attend to and be industrious in, the work of his generation, IV. Wherein doth the work of the present generation lye, V. How each one in particular may find out that part or parcel of it, that is properly his work in his generation, VI. How generation-work may be so carried on, as that God may be served in the generation / by John Tillinghast ...

SECT. I.

THE stream of Expositors, as they make application of the things Prophesied of in the 12 Chapter to the first period, or the time before the Beast arose; so also do they of this Prophecy that concerns the 144000 to the second period, or the 42 months of the Beast, judging these 144000 to be those Saints that should in several places within this time bear witness against the Beast; and accordingly they look upon the fulfilling of this Prophecy to be a thing past.

For my own part, as I saw my self constrained (not out of any desire of singularity, but for truths sake) to baulk the common road, and seek a new way upon the 12 Chap∣ter: So have I the same constraint lying upon me here, to dissent from the common opinion, and seek another. My Reasons are,

1 Reason, because this 144000 have their station upon Mount Sion, which noteth a fixed state, Psal. 125.1. Those which trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Sion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. But the abode of the Church all the 1260 dayes is in the Wilder∣ness, noting a moveable uncertain condition, which at that 〈…〉〈…〉 in.

〈…〉〈…〉 the Church and people of God in time of old

(to whose state doubtless we have here an Allusion) could not be said to be footed upon Mount Sion, whilst they were wandring in the Wilderness; no more is it proper to say, that these 144000 in the Churches Wilderness-state, should yet stand upon Mount Sion, yea it seems to me, that this Character is given the 144000, and that in op∣position to the Womans former state, which was, and for a long time together had been in the Wilderness.

In a word, it notes thus much to me, that this 144000 are a People whose condition, after once they are gotten upon their legs, shall be fixed and stable, and not subject to such motions and mutations, as was the Womans former state in the time of her Wilderness-condition.

2 Reason, because all the time of the 42 months, the waters were subjected to the Whore, who sits upon them, Rev. 17.1. Come hither, I will shew thee the judge∣ment of the great Whore, that sitteth upon many waters; but at this time there is a voyce of many waters crying against her, vers. 2. And I heard a voyce from Heaven, as the voyce of many waters.

3 Because the condition of the Church all the 42 months, the 1260 dayes, is a sad mournful condition, they wear Sackcloth, they are under the power of Babylon, and therefore hang up their harps, as did Israel of old, whilst in Babylon, Psal. 137.1, 2. But the condition of the Church at this time is wonderously joyful, they play with their Harps, Sing a new Song, vers. 2, 3.

4 Because all the time of the 42 months, Christ hath no Throne visible in the world, but the Beast hath the Throne. But at this day Christ hath a Throne, vers. 3. They sung as it were a new Song before the Throne, vers. 5. They are without fault before the Throne of God.

5 Because the Characterising this 144000 by this, these follow the Lamb whither soever he goes, is to me

a cleer intimation that the Lamb was now upon his march to his Kingdom in the time of their standing up, yea had gone a good step, so far as many of his first followers had left him, and these only clave to him, which is not appli∣able to the state of the Church in the Wilderness, and that many hundreds of yeers ago.

6 Because that preaching of the Gospel, which immedi∣ately succeeds their standing up, cannot without a manifest forcing of the Text, be applied to the time of Waldus, Wickliffe, or any time already past, as will plainly appear when I come to open those words.

7 Because their standing up is not until the very hour of Gods judgement upon Babylon is come, vers. 7. Fear God, and give glory to him, for the hour of his judge∣ment is come; What hour is this?

Ans. The hour of Babylons downfal, whose judge∣ment comes upon her in an hour, Rev. 18.10. For in one hour is thy judgement come; and therefore to shew this to be the meaning, we have a Herauld in the next verse proclaiming the news of it, vers. 8. And there followed another Angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen.

For these Reasons, and some others, I could urge, I cannot look upon this Prophecie as contemporising with the 42 months of the Beast, the 1260 dayes of the Wit∣nesses and Woman, but rather as a Prophecie there to take beginning, where the 12 Chapter leaves us, which is about the end of the time, times, and a half, with the attempt of the Dragon against the remnant of the Womans Seed.

And so in an orderly manner things succeed thus. The Dragon having killed the Witnesses, endeavours to rid the world of that remnant of the Womans seed, that stand up for Christ in some other place.

Now the Lord Jesus seeing this, that the Dragons rage is such, that he cannot content himself with that unpara••eld

injury offered to him, namely to kill his Witnesses, hereby indeavouring to leave him without witness in the world; but because there is yet a little remnant in a corner of the world that stand up for him to bear forth his name and glory in the world, therefore the malicious raging Dragon must design upon them, and labour to root them out: Christ hereupon is so mightily provoked, and full of wrath and fury, and so jealous for his name, and his bowels do so work for his remnant, that he cannot now any longer for∣bear to behold the cruel rage and insolency of the enemy, but instantly appears (by a more glorious manifestation of himself than ever before) upon Mount Sion, i. e. in the midst of his people now come thither, calling together his remnant about him, by his presence incouraging them not to fear this great and dismal attempt, and assu∣ring them that the Dragon, ere he shall have his will upon them, shall beat him out of the field. And here will be the first glorious Rendezvouz in Canaan, all done before this day is to be reckoned but the War on the other side Jordan; that War was with a part, the Lamb with his followers encountring such only as stood in his way, and hindred his march towards the borders of the Promised Land, but this will be with the whole body of the Canaanites under con∣duct of the Dragon, who shall fall before the Lamb, and his 144000.

So that I say, we are to begin the Prophecie of the 14 Chapter, with the Dragons attempt against the remnant of the Womans seed, in the very concluding time of the 1260 dayes.

Should I say, That we we are to begin this Prophecy of the 14 Chapter from about the end of the Beasts 42 months, Chap. 13. and that John after he had seen the Beast acting his part upon the Stage, and now going off, beheld presently the Lamb coming up with his 14400, it amounts to the same with the other; so that whether

we begin from the end of the 12 Chapter, or of the 13. the beginning is stated aright, either falling to be in the very concluding time of the 42 months, the 1260 dayes. But I rather choose to begin from the Dragons at∣tempt.

1 Because by that beginning we have (as before wee have shewed) in the 12 and 14 Chapters, the Prophecie of the Woman compleat.

2 Because that attempt seems to be the reason of the Lambs appearance.

3 Because (as I have also said) the 13 Chapter comes in by way of digression, and the Prophecie as to the point of time and order, is compleat without it.

Object. Babylons downfal is spoken of after this Rendezvouz, vers. 8. And the Beasts followers are after∣wards threatned for worshipping the Beast, his Image, receiving his Marks, vers. 9, 10, 11. Therefore this Prophecie must contemporise with the time of the Beast.

Answ. This stands upon a supposition, which I deny, viz. That 42 months, is the utmost term of the Beasts continuance, and therefore Romes downfal must bee within that time; whereas I affirm (but shall here wave the proof of it) that the 42 months is only the time allot∣ted the Beast to continue a Tyrant, raging and tyran∣nizing over the holy City, the Saints, and the Nations, and not the time of his continuance, which shall be for some time after this term is run out, within which time Rome shall be ruined, and therefore is its destruction mentioned after this Rendezvouz of the 144000, and al∣so the Beast still, even within this time to his last, shall have many cleaving and adhering to him, who are the per∣sons here warned.

I know not any other Objection against this our me∣thod, that deserves a particular Answer. Something else

there is by some said for the common method, but he that shall observe our following Discourse, will find, that either it falls of it self, as I have stated the thing; or if not, may if he please, gather up that which will be a particular Answer to the thing (possibly) where his scruple lyes.