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 ...

1 The SUBJECT of it,

The great River Euphrates.

AND the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great River Eu∣phrates. [Vers. 12]

Those who understand the drying up of Euphrates in a litteral sense, to make way hereby for the Jews more speedy return out of the Eastern Countries to Jerusa∣lem, their native Country, mistake, for the grounds of our last Proposition, and also because (as saith a godly man in answer to this opinion) the sixth Vial according to this should have no plague at all, for (saith he) either in these words of drying up Euphrates the plague is pointed at, or in none; for the following words mention no plague, but only the endeavour of Gods enemies to defend them∣selves against it.

By the River Euphrates some others understand the Riches and Revenues of Antichristian Babylon, which Riches and Revenues of theirs, are the strength of Ba∣bylon mystical, as Euphrates of old was of litteral Ba∣bylon; the drying up of Euphrates, the taking of these their Revenues from them, which Rents and holy Tribute of theirs being denied, their Chests and Coffers will by degrees grow empty.

Now although the Patrons of this opinion are men of worth, and to be esteemed, yet cannot I herein sub∣seribe unto them.

1 Because (as is by some of them confessed) the dry∣ing up of Euphrates in this sense, hath been begun this hundred years, nay, some say three hundred, where∣as the pouring forth of this Vial, is a thing yet to come.

2 Because every of the Vials hitherto hath done this by degrees already, and the Vials yet to come will more; for observe it throughout all the Vials, whatsoever it is that Antichrist loseth by any Vial, he, together with the loss of that, loseth a considerable part of his Revenues coming in thereby; and therefore every Vial clipping his Tribute, and cutting him short here, there needs not a par∣ticular Vial to be poured out upon that which every of the Vials, till the same is wholly destroyed, will have an in∣fluence upon.

Neither thirdly, Can I see how this will further (at most but very little) the Jews return, which is that great thing, to prepare a way for the doing whereof this Vial is poured forth.

An eminent late Writer interprets this River Euphrates to be the streams of Popish corruption, namely, their I∣dolatries, by their Mass, Invocation of Saints, &c. their murders of the souls of men, as well as the bodies of Christs servants; their Sorceries, of which many of the Popes themselves were guilty; their Whoredomes, namely, in their Stews; their Thefts, by their Indulgen∣ces and Pardons for money, &c.

But these things are no other but that Popish Earth, the first Vial fell upon, by the fall whereof these (though not throughout Antichrists Kingdom, yet in some parts (which is enough to evidence a Vial to have been already poured out upon them) were destroyed. And it is well known, that Luther who began to pour out the first Vial, was the very hammer of the Papists, as to the beating down, and knocking in peeces these things.

And although the Popish party are severely punished for these things, upon the sounding of the sixth Trumpet, Chap. 9.18, 19, 20, 21. Yet as these gross enormities came not then in, upon the sounding of that Trumpet, but were in before, though then they are punished for them; so (each Vial casting out (as the same Author hath observed) that very corruption which the same Trumpet brought in) it follows, the bringing of these things in being before, so must their casting out also, and therefore it is more agreeable to the Authors own Position, to place the casting of these things out under the first Vial (as I have done) they co••∣ing in, in all likelihood, under the first Trumpet) than that their casting out should not be until this Sixth.

But more rightly (as some others) we are to understand the Ottoman Family, or Turkish Empire, called the Great River, because of the multitude of People and Nations therein, Rivers signifying People and Nations, as I have proved under the third Vial; and the Great Ri∣ver Euphrates, either to signifie (as some think) that people to be here meant who inhabit about Euphrates, which are the Turks; or (as I conceive) to give us to un∣derstand that that very people are here intended, who shall about this time be looked upon, and accounted the greatest people of all others; for of all Rivers that we read of in the Old Testament, Euphrates is called the Great Ri∣ver, Gen. 15.18. Deut. 1.7. Josh. 1.4. or the River, by way of emphasis, Deut. 11.24. Now the people who at this present time are of all others accounted the greatest, are the Turks, who therefore, and no other, are here to be understood.

And which serves us for a strong confirmation hereof, the River Euphrates is but once more in all the Revelation mentioned, Chap. 9.14. and there, by the general con∣sent of Expositors, it hath reference to the Turkish power.

To which let me further add, that it being a thing also granted, that in the last war (to which preparation is made under this Vial) as well the Turkish Power shall be en∣gaged against the Saints, as the Power of the Beast, it therefore seems a thing very probable, that the Turk shall by the pouring out of this Vial, have some great provo∣cation which shall induce him to joyn hands with the Beast in his so desperate a quarrel.