If I do make an Impression the certain Judg of Doctrines, then am I much deceived. This is the great Privilege of the Scripture, saith the Protestant, against the Papists, to be the only Judg of Doctrines, and Controversies. Indeed God may please to open a place of Scripture to the Soul in the imprinting of it; but to make an Impression the certain Judg of a Doctrine, is without doubt, a great Error: for where do we find that ever God hath appointed an Impression unto this Chair. You read of Mr. Fox, that blessed man, who wrote the Book of Martyrs, That he had so great, and deep an Impression made upon his Soul, concerning the meaning of a Scripture, that he thought he could not be deceived therein. He tells the Story twice; once in the History of the Ten Persecutions of the Primitive Times; and once in his Commentary on Rev. 13. The Scripture opened, and sensed to him, was verse 5. of that Chapter; And he shall continue forty two months: Writing (saith he) the Story of the Ten Persecutions, I was so much affected therewith, that I even expostulated with God, why he would suffer his People to suffer such cruel things; and why he would not tell his Church, and Servants, when the time of the end of their trouble should be: whereupon (saith he) being in this sad conflict in my own soul, I heard a Voice, saith the English Relation,1 but the Latin thus; Sine Voce tamen; only I did not hear a Voice, but had vehementem cogitationis impressionem, a vehement impression of mind, which whispered thus to me; O thou fool, count these Months by Sabbaths, as the Weeks of Daniel, are counted by Sabbaths; which I did (says he) with the help of some Godly Merchants, and found the Years to be two hundred ninety four, just the time of the Ten Persecutions: doubtless therefore, this is the time of the Beast, and herein I was fully satisfied. Yet this cannot be the true meaning of that Text, as is confessed by all hands; for this Beast that is to continue forty two Months, doth receive his Power from the Dragon; therefore it is not the time of the Dragon, but the red Dragon; that is, the Heathen, Roman Emperor, did persecute the Woman, Rev. 12. standing before her, to devour the man Child, the Seed of the Church, as soon as ⟨p. 26⟩she was delivered, verse, 2, 3.
If I do make an Impression the certain Judg of Doctrines, then am I much deceived. This is the great Priviledg of the Scripture, saith the Protestant, against the Papists, to be the only Judg of Doctrines, and Controversies. Indeed God may please to open a place of Scripture to the Soul in the imprinting of it; but to make an Impression the certain Judg of a Doctrine, is without doubt, a great Error: for where do we find that ever God hath appointed an Impression unto this Chair. You read of Mr. Fox, that blessed man, who wrote the Book of Martyrs, That he had so great, and deep an Impression made upon his Soul, concerning the meaning of a Scripture, that he thought he could not be deceived therein. He tels the Story twice; once in the History of the Ten Persecutions of the Primitive Times; and once in his Commentary on Rev. 13. The Scripture opened, and sensed to him, was verse 5. of that Chapter; And he shall continue forty two months: Writing (saith he) the Story of the Ten Persecutions, I was so much affected therewith, that I even expostulated with God, why he would suffer his People to suffer such cruel things; and why he would not tel his Church, and Servants, when the time of the end of their trouble should be: whereupon (saith he) being in this sad conflict in my own soul, I heard a Voyce, saith the English Relation,1 but the Latin thus; Sine Voce tamen; only I did not hear a Voyce, but had vehementem cogitationis impressionem, a vehement impression of mind, which whispered thus to me; O thou fool, count these Months by Sabbaths, as the Weeks of Daniel, are counted by Sabbaths; which I did (saies he) with the help of some Godly Merchants, and found the Yeers to be two hundred ninety four, just the time of the Ten Persecutions: doubtless therefore, this is the time of the Beast, and herein I was fully satisfied. Yet this cannot be the true meaning of that Text, as is confessed by al hands; for this Beast that is to continue forty two Months, doth receive his Power from the Dragon; therefore it is not the time of the Dragon, but the red Dragon; that is, the Heathen, Roman Emperor, did persecute the Woman, Rev. 12. standing before her, to devour the man Child, the Seed of the Church, as soon as ⟨p. 26⟩she was delivered, verse, 2, 3.
- 1Nomen illius qui responsum accepit non hic edo, nec opus est: fluctuanti in hunc modum h•minis animo multumque secum cogitanti do his rebus, tandem •f•licior quaedam Divini (ut reo•) neminis gratia, quae arcano quodam admonitionis ••bilo velut respondens sine voce tamen at non sine vehementi cogitationis impression, subito in mentem eis suggerit vel increpat potius stulte numera hos menses quemadmodum Daniel numerat suas hebdomadas per septenarium numerum annorum, qui anni si rite supputentur faciunt 294. rem ipsam ita ut igesta est vera, simplicique narration adnotandum duxi, Deus mihi testis nec m•ntior nec singo nec muto quicquam, nec postulo ut quisquam [Greek or Hebrew] fidem adhibeat nisi velit qui non velit, ipse de sua tripode, adferat meliora, mea quidem ita fert ratio ut credam Christum nec mortuum esse nec mutum, quorsum in Ecclesia Templum Dei aut in Templo oraculum cum p•opitiatorio si nemo in caelis sit qui in dubiis Scripturae locis vobis interpellantium respondeat.Nomen illius qui responsum accepit non hic edo, nec opus est: fluctuanti in hunc modum h•minis animo multumque secum cogitanti do his rebus, tandem •f•licior quaedam Divini (ut reo•) neminis gratia, quae arcano quodam admonitionis ••bilo velut respondens sine voce tamen at non sine vehementi cogitationis impressione, subito in mentem eis suggerit vel increpat potius stulte numera hos menses quemadmodum Daniel numerat suas hebdomadas per septenarium numerum annorum, qui anni si rite supputentur faciunt 294. rem ipsam ita ut igesta est vera, simplicique narratione adnotandum duxi, Deus mihi testis nec m•ntior nec singo nec muto quicquam, nec postulo ut quisquam 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 fidem adhibeat nisi velit qui non velit, ipse de sua tripode, adferat meliora, mea quidem ita fert ratio ut credam Christum nec mortuum esse nec mutum, quorsum in Ecclesia Templum Dei aut in Templo oraculum cum p•opitiatorio si nemo in caelis sit qui in dubiis Scripturae locis vobis interpellantium respondeat.
