The great charter for the interpretation of all prophecy of Scripture, and of the times defined by it: Pleaded, in justification of what hath been written thereupon, against the several imputations of curiosity, groundless presumption, phantastry, or enthusiasm.

An APPENDIX.

This Prediction I have added by way of Appendix, concerning Greatest Revolutions in the so near Ap∣proaching Year, 1698.

Found in the Study of that eminent, Learned Person, Justus Lipsius, who Dyed in the year 1606.

Transcribed by Dr. Mayer, into his Preface upon all the Prophets, published 1653. and there to be seen by any who will inspect it.

Translated, and Remark'd upon according to its Agree∣ment with Scripture Prophecy, and the Line of it's Time explain'd in several Discourses; de∣monstrating, the time, times and half time sworn by Christ, as the space of the Antichristian Apostasy shall end in the year 1697. And so these so Grand Events appear in a settlement and Consistency, 1698.

The Original PREDICTION.

POst Mille Expletos a Partu Virginis Annos, Et post sexcentos Rursus ab Orbe Datos, Nonagesimus Octavus, Mirabilis Annus Ingruet; Issecum Gaudia Laeta Feret. Corruet hoc Anno Turcarum Invisa Propago; Roma, Tuum in Libris Fabula Nomen Erit, Omnia Tunc Ibunt Mundi sursum, atque Deorsum Imperia, ut Populos Sceptra Novella Premant; Utque suum Cunctas Verbum Diffundat in Oras Christus, & Imperitet Nomine Ubique Suo.

The Translation.

FRom Virgins Son a Thousand Years when told, And after them six Hundred more are Roll'd; Then Ninety Eight, a year of VVonders Comes, And Joyes on Joyes It heaps, to Vastest Sums; The Hated Stem of Turks that year shall Fall: Oh Rome, in Sacred Books Foretold, men All Shall call thy Name That Lye: Earths Empires Move Their upside down; a Novel Empire prove The Universal Monarchy; Then Christ To th' Everlasting Gospel giving Rist, Shall through all Tongues, and Kindreds it diffuse, And for Imperial Style his own Name use.

I can Humbly Bless God, I have never been subject to be lightly Impress'd upon by any Pretensions to Prophecy; Re∣vering only that sure word of Prophecy, Scripture Prophecy; to which I esteem the word, Prophecy, in proper speaking, to be now only due; as the word Scripture to Sacred Writ; and the Word to the Word of God; yet it is very certain, there may be still, and there is still vouchsafed by God such Expositions of the sure Word of Prophecy, as that his Servants thereby have the Testimony of Jesus, which is the Spirit of Prophecy; or some Eminent Servants of God, as A. B. Ʋsher had; may have particular Foresights given them; or God may provi∣dentially Dictate to the minds of whom he pleases, the Fore∣telling of particular Events, and their Times; and each of these may, in general speaking, be call'd Prophecy, or rather (as I choose) Prediction; All this notwithstanding; A Vain Credulity, a weak Superstitiousness, Fanatick Heats I have, through his Grace, Far Removed from me; and I desire still to Renunciate to them.

Yet being (as I may Account) Providentially Directed to this Prediction; which I can sollemnly Affirm had so little to do yet with my so constant Fixing on Ninety Seven; that I had never Taken the least notice of it, before the latter part of the last year; Nor had I now minded it in the least; but that I found it to Tread the path of Scripture Prophecy in so great, and won∣derful Events; and according to the Line of Time given also by

that Prophecy; with which I have for several years last past, Separated my self to Intermeddle, and to make, as publick, as I could, as one Principal Point of Wisdom at this Season, now the Day is so near Approaching; I have found upon most Assured grounds; This Prediction hath fallen upon the Just Time for those Events, that commencing 1697 shall settledly appear, 1698.

Moreover, I find, This Prediction Formed in the very Phrase and Words, which are so Applicable to the sacred Style; that considering both the Substance and the Happiness of the very Expression in several Instances, I cannot deny my self the Sa∣tisfaction, and others the Benefit (as I hope and desire) of ma∣king some Remarks upon such an Effort of Providence; in giving to, whoever it was, a Prediction so agreeable to Prophe∣cy; a Prediction, in undeniable Fact, many years before the pre∣sent Time, so consonous to what, upon strongest Arguments from the Word of God, with the Consent of Undeniable, Universal History, I have offered to General Knowledge, and Observation; To Excite to the Pondering of which Substanti∣al Proof, I have some Expectation; such a Concurrent, short Prediction (because we are naturally Inclin'd to have some kind of Quicker Thoughts for such) may not be unuseful.

This Prediction is affirm'd by Dr. Mayer, to have been found in the Study of Justus Lipsius, a Name so known to the World, for All Learning, and Sagacity of Enquiry into All Things; and of the Roman, (as they will have it call'd) Catholic Church.

I confess, I can give no greater Proof, It was found there, than that Dr. Mayer hath left it so Affirm'd; but if it was so; It Argues, There was some Observation Defer'd to it by him; that he gave that Paper a place in his Study, which Foretold Rome, as the Catholick Church, should become one of the most no∣torious Fables in the World; and be exposed, as one of the greatest Cheats upon it, Altho he seem'd to adhere to it; I say, He seem'd (for of so great a Wit, I question it) However bigotted he appear'd in Writing the Virgo Hallensis.

But that which is enough to me, and will be, I suppose, to others in this Kind, is; That it hath undoubtedly been extant in Print above Forty years, and so in the Hands of many per∣sons; and that any one may see it at any Time, that Pleases.

Now it must needs be, Dr. Mayer knew it a Predicti∣on of some Age in his Time, in Assigning it to Lipsius his Study, who Died near Fifty years before; and how long before it came into Lipsius his Study, it cannot be said: Yet indeed Forty years in this matter, is as much as an Hundred; and Dr May∣ers Preface in this Case, as much as Lipsius his Study. For the whole stress lies here; that such Events were Foretold so long before; that there was no Train of Causes leading probably to that Ninety Eight, more than any other year; and that there be sufficient Assurance of this by the Predictions being in well known Hands: Now both these are uncontestable concerning this Prediction by being so long ago in Print in Dr. Mayer, and Dr. Mayer's Works in many Hands. The Sum of the matter is, This Prediction was so long, before 98, an undeniable matter of Fact in Print, and known to be so.

But I must not conceale; There is a Prediction in Stows An∣nals, p: 749. According to which, This, I am Discoursing, most probably was Form'd, as appears by several Allusions of the one to the other, so plain as not to be Denied. It is a Prediction up∣on that famous year 1588, running thus.

Post Mille Expletos a partu Virginis Annos, Et post Quingentos Rursus ab orbe Datos. Octagesimus Octavus, Mirabilis Annus Ingruet; Is secum Tristia Fata Feret: Si non hoc Anno Totus Malus Occidet Orbis, Si non in Nihilum, Terra, Fretumque Ruant Cuncta Tamen Mundi sursum, Ibuntque Retrorsum Imperia, & Luctus undique Grandis Erit.

There Englished thus

When after Christs Birth, there shall be expir'd, Of Hundreds Fifteen years, Eeighty and Eight; Then comes the Time of Danger to be fear'd, And all mankind with Dolors it shall fright; For if the World that year shall not fall, If Sea and Land then Perish, ne decay, Yet States and Kingdoms then alter shall, And men to ease themselves shall have no way.

Now this last Recited Prediction is said to be written by Regio∣montanus, that most Famous Astronomer of his Time, in the

year 1475. the year before he died at Rome; And the Pre∣diction I now Recommend, may seem to be a meer Imitati∣on of it; and so to be the Diversion of a Fanciful, Poetical, and Adventrous Pen, wantonizing upon a Former Prediction, and Running Counter to it; and that therefore there is no Regard to be had to it. But I shall argue the contrary, and that upon Due Compare of the one with the other, That in Dr. Mayer will be much advanced in Repute.

I do grant, That it was written by one, that had laid the Prediction of Regiomontanus before him: Nay, I make no doubt, he writ it after the year 1588. when the Remarkable Events of that Famous Year had given Reputation to the Prediction upon it: Whoever therefore writ the Prediction before us, Coasted, and Glanced along upon that of Regio∣montanus, grown into Esteem by Things Answering it; and grafts a far greater Prediction upon so much, as would serve his main purpose, and Leaves the Rest. And this he did to give it some Remarkableness, by appearing in some of the Garb of what had obtain'd a Degree of Honor by the Effect Following it: But it indeed far exceeds its Copy; and since I know, it is so Truly according to the Sure Word of Prophecy, I am assur'd, whoever writ it, writ it either from a Judgment enlightned by deep Enquiry into Scripture Prophecy, or by some Divine Impulse, and far above the Copy.

And as Reasons of my Assurance herein, I make these Ob∣servations upon it.

1. In the other Prediction, there is nothing, but what falls within an ordinary Human imagination, supposing the world in an Hurly-Burly, and Confusion; but such a Series of Events known only to Scripture, and its Prophecy, not to be Read in the Stars, nor in the Book of Nature, but the Book of God only, shews a much higher Original, than Human Imagination, taking Copy from one much lower than it self; but either a mind Divinely Taught by Scripture Prophecy, or at least, Pro∣videntially Impell'd, as Caiaphas's was, John 11. 51. and not speaking of it self.

2. Whereas in the other Prediction, The Events, though sig∣nified to be great, yet are but General, and Confused, and no one Express; In this Prophecy, all is very great, each Event is of

the greatest, that can be Thought of within the state of the whole present World; each is Distinct, Firmly declared, Like one that knew he spake on great ground; this Poetry and Fancy do not use to do.

3. Whereas a mere Fancy, or Humor of Foretelling would have chosen some nearer Time than above a Century beyond that 1588, to raise a quicker Expectation; and thereby a great∣er Amuse; this Prediction, carries steddily to 1698, so far off.

4. A Naked Fancy, or Incertainly guided Arrogancy of Foretelling, if it had born so Aloft, and at a Distance from the Time of the Former Prediction, would have hardly miss'd of the Crime of 1688, Answering 1588. For we see common Expectation hath of it self run upon that year, and has not been greatly mistaken, in Regard of the Revolution in this Na∣tion, wherein All the European World hath been so much con∣cern'd also; to carry therefore the Prediction as from one 88, and not to stop, and quarry (as one may say) upon the next 88. but to fall Perpendicularly upon 98. is a higher flight, than of a Fancy.

5. The words chosen out, by whoever, was the Predictor, so susceptible of, so ready to Fall into, and to Cope with the words, and Images of Scripture Prophecy, are a very great Argu∣ment, and Assurance; He either from Great Acquaintance with Scripture Prophecy, and Assistance from it in that mediate way, or some more immediate Inspirings of that Holy Spirit of Prophecy; or at least from a Providential Impulse, or Motion of Mind was Enabled to use words, which the Holy Spirit Teacheth, comparing Spiritual Things with Spiritual.

6r That, which above All Assures me, there was a Divine Extraordinary, either Explorating, and searching out of the Testimony of Jesus in the Written word; or from some Emoti∣on of the Spirit of Prophecy in some Holy and Sanctified Person; or at least from some Providential Impulse of that Spirit upon the Person, that writ the Prediction, is, that he hath fallen upon that very time, I have by exact Calculation found to be the very Time for the Coming of these great Events to pass in a settle∣ment in 98, after their beginning 97.

FINIS.