Reader, These Books being of public Concernment to the Nation, are to be sold by John Allen, at the Rising Sun in Pauls Church-yard.  
THe Faith and Order owned and professed in the Congregational Churches in England, published by above 150 Ministers of the Congregational way.  
The Heart of New-England rent at the Blasphemies of the present Generation: Or, A brief Tractate concerning the Doctrine of the Quakers; demonstrating the destructive nature thereof, to Religion, the Churches, and the State; with consideration of the remedy against it, occasional satisfaction to Objections, and confirmation of the contrary Truth, by John Norton, Teacher of the Church of Christ, at Boston in New England.  
The Quakers Folly made manifest to all men, in a public Dispute at Sandwich in Kent, between three Quakers and Mr. Tho. Danson Minister; to which is added a Narrative of their wicked abominable practices, by the same Author.  
Ministers Maintenance by Tithes, Infant-Baptism, human Learning, and the Sword of the Magistrate, clearly maintained by the Word of God, by Immanuel Bourne, Minister of Gods Word at Waltham in Leicester-shire; with a sober Answer to Anthony Piersons great Case of tithes.  
Judicial Astrologers totally routed, and their pretence to Scripture, Reason and Experience answered, by J. A. Published for public good.   

A Sober Guess At the ISSUE OF OUR TROUBLES. By certain maxims & Conclusions FROM THE General Rules of Scripture. Applied to our particular case.  
Published for the public Good, by a Friend to the Truth.  
LONDON, Printed for John Allen at the Rising sun in Pauls Church-yard. 1660.   

A sober Guess at the Issue of our TROUBLES; By Certain maxims and Conclusions From the General Rules of the Scripture.  
Applied to our particular case.  
1. THat the papacy( sitting upon, and using the power of the Roman Empire in the West, with seven Heads, and ten Horns, and Crowns upon the Horns, ( i.e.) ten Kingdoms or chief Governments, whose power the Papacy made use of, against true Doctrine, Worship, and Right use of Christs Discipline, and the visible Saints of Christ) is the Antichrist, and will be destroyed in Gods appointed time, Rev. 17.  
2. That it will be destroyed by the ten Horns, those Kingdoms which gave their power to him, to fight with their power against the Saints of the most High, Rev. 17. or at least by some of them:( for it may be some of them shall mourn over him, as Rev. 18.)  
3. That England is one of those ten Horns: for they gave their power to Antichrist, in the year 600. since which, they have continued true to him, till Henry the Eighth's time: then they withdrew from him, and overthrew, first, his Doctrine; secondly, his Worship or Service; thirdly, his abuse of Christs Discipline: and this latter, being the chiefest piece of the Popes power, they are about reforming, to the utmost of the Rule of Scripture, so to bring it to the first standard where Christ had placed it in the primitive time, viz. in the Community, or 〈◇〉, by dividing the precious ( i.e.) visible Believers, from visible non-Believers, and settling the Power of the keys in the Community of visible Believers, as it was in the first Century; by which their 〈◇〉, or Reformation, comes up to the point where the apostasy began, in every respect, of Doctrine, Worship, and Discipline. And to the honour of God, and under him, of his Saints in England, it was they began this utmost Reformation,( beyond all that any people in Christendom did before) by their faithful Congregation in Queen Maries dayes, whereof Cuthbert Sympson, one of the chiefest of the Martyrs, was a Member and Deacon; and set it up before the world, to provoke them to emulation more fully and solemnly, by their blessed practise of it in New England.  
4. That Christ orders the Kingdoms of this world ( i.e.) Civil Governments, in order and subserviencie to his Kingdom: so he dealt with Cyrus; and so he will deal with England, in order to setting up the Jerusalem ,( i.e.) the Reformed Church-State in it, as he began in New England  
And this may be seen by his dealings with the late K. Charles, who did, though out of ignorance, abet the Antichristian State, by upholding the Bishops, who were of one species, or kind, and way, and power, with the Lord Bishops in France, and Spain, and Italy; and all of them of the same kind and species with the Bishop of Rome; differing from him, but gradu, in extent of ecclesiastic Dominion; usurping the same Ordinance of God, of the power of the keys; as he did; and did also put their usurped power to the same use, by oppressing Christs Saints for their godliness, praying, fasting, godly constant preaching, &c. I say, God left King Charles( though otherwise personally as good a Prince as hath been for most part of these 600 years in England) to entrench upon the Civil Rights of his People, thereby to raise a spirit in his people against him, to overthrow his power, because of an higher fault, which was, his giving his power to the Bishops, to oppress the Saints therewith  
And when he will set up any new Civil Power that shall stop the progress of this Reformation according to the first Century, and pull down that light, already so far held out to the world in Old and New England, I know not; but do guess he will not: or if he will, it will be but for a while; as Queen Mary did for a while, after blessed Edward's dayes; that so his highest Reformation to the first pattern and Century may be witnessed by the sufferings and blood of Martyrs for it, as Doctrine and Worship were, before.  
Hence I guess,  
1. That the old Cavalier Party shall not prevail, for all their hopes, unless for a season, while the truth is a witnessing and gaining the day, by the witness of those, whom Christ hath designed for the Martyrs of these ways. Cavaliers shall not prevail while England stands, unless as above; because then Bishops must up again; and they are fallen, as all Antichrists things do, as a millstone, never to rise again: but then also that Ministry, or rather those Ministers, must be replanted in England; and that cannot be, because of their former guilt; and because Christ hath spewed them out, as Laodicean, as blessed Brightman did, with a strange spirit of prophetical expounding the second and third of the Revelation, near fifty years ago, foretell: therefore their weapons formed against the Church, and their counsels taken, shall be in vain, and come to nothing. But the guess concerning this Party is not hard, to that of the Other, which is,  
2. The Presbyterian Party: for in them are found some of the old Non-conformists, who were the best and choicest people of Christ in this Nation, and were the Martyrs of true Worship, and won that into purity, by their sufferings under the Bishops: for that way also, it was a very great Reformation, begun by blessed Calvin, for which we are to bless God: and admirable was Christs power in carrying on so much in those first comings from under the yoke of the papacy; Christ was pleased to let that which was a way nearer the Bishops way, keep on, until the Church was stronger and fitter to enter upon this most difficult way, which is so contrary to the world, and the highest and last piece of Reformation.  
But on the other side, they are for the most part come out of the practise of conformity and subscription, and such other Yokes of Prelacy; and come out,( as 'tis to be feared) without conviction of their sinful subjection to their old Lords. But withal, here are many blessed godly souls, that are to be excepted from this number; as also, the godly young men that are since come into Gods Work, who are many, and have not been defiled with these old things. To give my guess of this party, is difficult: for on the one side, they are under deep guilt, more then they have patience to hear of; yea, guilty of much of the confusions in this Nation, these fourteen years, by a most unreasonable breaking the peace with their Brethren, by their rigour to them; which would have been so fierce, that they must have left their Country because of them, as well as formerly because of the Bishops; that party also necessitating the Army to stand upon guard, and do what they did, to prevent their driving them out of the Nation, after that their blood had helped to do the work: these things in them were unchristian, and a deep offence to Christ; especially in those who came new out of their sinful-conformity, of which, had they repented, they would not have been so high against their brethren; who though in number fewer, yet in uprightness and grace( through Christ) were their equals. And as the Breach was begun by them, so 'tis continued by their fault, and want of tenderness to bear with those that differ in small things from them. I desire not to uncover the nakedness of any, only I desire that they may be daily humbled for their sin before the Lord.  
Yet because it is a good Reformation, and many go no higher,( even where there is an higher Reformation afoot, and under their eye) as also because 'tis nearer the world, and so serves for a while to please men, and fit them for the other Reformation, which Christ intends, viz. the dividing world and Christ, and placing the Kingly power of Christ in the due place, the Community, where Christ hath placed it; it will stand, as a step to that, until by the light of the Truth, prevailing in a continuance of time, it be eaten out, and be overpowered by a more clean Reformation, which in length of time, will be accomplished; and so the new Jerusalem( i.e.) Reformed Churches, be fitted as a Bride for Christ the Bridegroom to delight in.  
As the peoples parting with their power, was the first step to make way to the usurped power of Antichrist; for he must be an Elder, usurping and abusing Christs power: had they kept the power,( as in Apostles times they did; and the holy Apostles never entrenched upon it, but were contented, as in Peters case, and Pauls admission to the Church of Jerusalem, to subject to it) Elders had not grown so high, nor out of Elders, one at last: so in the return from apostasy, power exercised by Elders, is permitted by Christ, to claim it, and carry it, till the world be better fitted to yield to Christs power and yoke, stated where it was before the apostasy began in the Apostles dayes.  
So you see my Judgement of the Presbyterian Party, that having good in it, will thus drive on, but shall not prevail over those that differ from them in things not fundamental, either non-baptizing of Infants, or denying them to be the seat of power; or if so, not longer then the witnesses of truth have born their Testimony to it, and then be slain, they shall quit it, and with Repentance shall yield to Christs highest Light and Reformation, which shall not stop, till it reach the first 〈◇〉 of the purest and first times; then is the apostasy at an end, and Antichrist also destroyed: for a full return from every piece of apostasy, and the full Destruction of Antichrist, must be together.  
Congregational men and ways, must therefore resolve in the grace of God, to suffer from the world and their Brethren: they have an hard piece of work to do; but Christ will stand by them, and the suffering will advantage them the while, and the Issue will crown the sufferings; and upon them will lye the last part of the sufferings amongst us( as I guess) save what always all that are godly suffer in general, from the world. I see no other piece more of the apostasy left, to be witnessed against, and suffered for, in England; and this being the last, and seeming least, and so not worth the while to suffer for, as men think, must be duly considered to be truly Gods will, yea, a chief piece,( for what is more then Government, and Christs Kingly Office?) and suffered for with a choicer spirit, that loves the least piece of truth more then our lives, and follows the Lamb wheresoever he leads: and so that party had need strengthen themselves in the spirit of Adoption and of a Son, which yields more Holiness, Love, Joy, Meekness; else they will not be fit to suffer for these things, which seem nicer and little.  
3. Thence I come to give a nearer guess at that which will please the People: What will be the issue of these unsettled times, and the seeming confusions and troubles of this Nation, for the present:( for to guess at many years hence, is useless, and foolish to expect or attempt, but in general.)  
And the guess for present is very difficult to be drawn from conclusions; and much of the reason of the difficulty is, from the solemn Covenant, formerly made by the Body of the Nation; which if broken, and that by the darling Nation of all Christendom, who knew Christ most, and therefore should have been most punctual in keeping solemn Vows, and broken before all the world, thereby causing the Name of the Lord to be blasphemed; which, I say, if it may be concluded broken by us, how far Christ will punish us, to avenge that quarrel, he only knows. It were well that point were well debated, viz. whether according to any Rule of Gods Word, the Kings Head was took off lawfully; that if so, there may be faith therein; if not, there may be due and solemn Repentance expressed before the World, and the Lord entreated therefore, and that Family provided with fit maintenance out of this Nation:( for that therefore his Son should be called in again, is no necessary consequence, no, not in the Court of Conscience; because some other just reason may in conscience be a lawful hindrance thereto, especially for the present.)  
In giving guess, I look not at a probability of Armies potency, diligence of counsel, ingagedness of Parties; these are nothing but second Causes, which are all under the command of Christ, the first Mover of them, whom he alters as he pleaseth; neither is there any certainty or dependence on second Causes at all, but on the first; from whose ways of Justice in his proceeding, which he will in the end express to the utmost, and of his truth in his Engagements and Promises, we must ground our guess. This is all I shall say:  
1. That Charles Stuart shall never be brought in upon Cavaliers shoulders, to the destroying of what is done, and undoing what Christ hath done in Reformation, for the Reasons above expressed: Antichrists things once fallen, never can be set up to stand again, especially where they fell the due way, after the sufferings of Christs Witnesses and Martyrs against them: Bishops old Liturgy, and those Ministers, shall never up again in England: let that party put their hearts at rest, of this I am very confident: for every injunction of Scripture will hold.  
2. Whether upon Presbyters shoulders, that Presbytery may be set up in power of Magistrates,( for without that, they dare not, or cannot set up; yet the Apostles durst set up Christs ways, without so much as connivance of the Magistrate; and if theirs be the way of God, so they may and ought to do, as well now; and God would be with them, and by their suffering, break in pieces all that oppose them.) I am apt to guess, not upon their shoulders neither: For Christ will not honour them, with a full setting up of their Ways, so as to crush the other now, as he did the blessed first Reformers, who opposed no higher Light set up in the world. But theirs must pull down that that is of Christ; and certainly, Christ will either not give it leave at all, or not long, no longer then the Truth is to be suffered for.  
3. Whether the Gentry of the Nation, aiming onely at civil settlement, will bring him in, not respecting nor meddling very deeply in Religion, I meddle not with: for as Government is Jure Divino, so this or that is but Jure Humano, and Christ, as Mediator, little concerned in it, whether by one, or one hundred, or one thousand: and as for my part, it is as little to me, but in subserviencie to the Kingdom of the Mediator, and that is more of the two in the Governours, then in the Government: so that as thus 'tis not worth while to guess, nor can I from conclusions of Scripture, from which the mind that hath wisdom is bid twice in the Revelations to draw up Gods mind. Either Charles Stuart will come in with a mind not to hinder the work begun, or not at all.  
This is all I shall say, That I cannot satisfactorily guess at Gods ways, as to his present dealings with England; that he will hereafter employ this Nation in pulling down the seat and power of Antichrist, I doubt not; that our Children shall be faithful to him, within fifty six or sixty years, to help to accomplish that work, to me is no question: I think that work will not be done under fifty six years hence; yet to speak positively of the time, I dare not, because so many have missed it so grossly, already; besides, to state the Epocha, when he is to be looked on as Antichrist, in Scripturesence, is very hard, because the apostasy did work long, even while Rome heathenish persecuted; but yet the departure from the power of Godliness and Truth, and mixture of World and Church, which was in Constantines time, and after, gave him first special advantage to get up; and the Northern Nations prevailing against the Emperour, and removing his power out of the Bishop of Romes way, as it raised them to be the ten Horns, so, it gave him opportunity to grow so great and strong, by his politic compliance with them; he strengthening them in their civil Kingdoms, newly raised out of the Empire, cut into ten pieces; they setting up him for their own ends, and giving their power to him, which was about Anno 456 or 460. sooner then which the Epocha cannot be begun: for that in Julians days, seemed ever to want ground from the Revelations, out of which only this can be concluded: for to conclude out of Daniel, as to this, seemed to me a great mistake; he prophesying almost onely of the time from the captivity, till the new Testament, wherein the ston cut without hands, ( i.e.) Christs Kingdom, began, and was set up, and began to fill the Earth as a great mountain, which is, the Fifth Monarchy,( i.e.) Christs Reign at Gods Right hand, and setting up his Empire in the World, by preaching of Apostles: so that all the saints in the new Testament have lived under the Fifth Monarchy truly and effectually, all this while, from Christs ascention, as much as they that shall live after Antichrists Destruction; when Satan shall be bound up, and the Kingdom of Christ, which carried it before under persecution, shall be free from persecution, and carry it with greater Glory of Grace and Peace, then ever before.  
And the Holy Ghost seems to point out this as the Epocha, Rev. 17.12. if we may conclude the Beast and Whore to syncronize; which is probable▪ which I heed the more, because the seventeenth Chapter is pointed at by God, as a Key to the rest, and wisdom called for there, ver. 9. Rationally to conclude of things therefrom, I say, No Epocha can be before the ten Horns days, which were about 456. plus minus. And if doubt be to be raised, it should rationally rather be, whether the Epocha be so soon, rather then whether so late; but it cannot be sooner, because the Emperors power was not till then removed out of the Bishop of Romes way, which it needs must be, as 2 Thes. 2. But let us leave the time to our Lord, when ever it will be: England, as it hath been an Horn of the Beast, on which the Whore sate, and a street wherein the Witnesses suffered,( and likely shall suffer again, if so be that be the meaning of that Rev. 11.( in which point I am wholly at a loss, and can guess nothing certain to myself; whereas in most that I have here written, I have more certainty of them in myself, then I expect to be in others) I say, England shall also be honoured with a good hand in the ruin of that Man of sin. Which leads me to all the guess that I can give of the present state of these troubles; wherein, as my Negative Guesses before, may encourage many, and direct others; so, no wise men will expect me to be so rash, as to venture upon particular positive guesses, very far. All Civils being( as before) but to wait upon the spiritual Interest, and Kingdom, and Business of Christ, especially when the great work against Antichrist is to be done in the world, and where Reformation was that for which's sake all this War hath been all this while. Could I guess of that about slaying the Witnesses, it would be easy to guess the end of our troubles: but 'tis not good for me to reach that; blessed be his Name, I am satisfied with his measure allowed me.  
1. The utmost that Christ will do to his Church in England, will be but chastising them, for an higher and further good afterwards, that he may honour himself in them the more afterwards: for the step of Reformation that is gained, shall never fall again, till the thousand years shall be entered upon, after Antichrists Destruction, and finished in their season: for 'tis a preparation to those thousand years, wherein Christ will reign no otherwise in his Church, then as he doth now in the godly Congregations, ( i.e.) in the same Offices and Officers, and more measures of light, and grace, and spirit in them; all will be the same then, as now; onely the grace and peace more, both extensive and intensive.  
But that he will chastise very far, I know not, but am apt to think the contrary, because the lashes of their last sufferings under the Prelates,( if it be with others, as it is with me) are scarce out of our flesh yet: he is pitiful; and whether he will call those old sufferers to any such new work, while that people last, I know not: for ought my guess reaches, he is not likely.  
2. Nothing shall be long, and it may be not at all admitted by Christ, that shall hinder the progress of the begun Reformation in England. The said Reformation is carried on by the raising up of choice spirits: the more high and spiritual the Reformation is to be, the more excellent will the spirits of the Saints be: and this being by the raising up of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, with assurance in Professors, the preaching of Gospel, and beating much on those points strictly so taken, which raiseth that spirit as in distinction from a legal spirit, shall not be pulled down; therefore neither prelacy nor Presbytery, as before, are like to carry England, as both expect.  
Whether God will leave the Nation unsettled as to what they would, of purpose, because there is no other settlement, but for Uniformities sake, and the name of it would put a stop upon Christs best work, which under settlement of some other Protestant Nations( as they say) goes on but slowly, witness much form and little power, in some Countries, where there are very complete and formal Presbyteries, of men inferior to none in the world for Learning.   

POST-SCRIPTS.  
THe dividing the World and Church,( the confusion of whose growing on, came in by propriety in Constantines days, and hath so continued ever since) is so hard, so offensive to the world, that if the Magistrate countenance, yet the Generality will hardly bear it; and yet done it must be: and now Christ hath set it on foot in England, and that first of any Nation that do it purely and sufficiently; be sure Christ is engaged in it, will stand by it; therefore in probability, the Magistrate also shall not be let loose, by Edicts to quell it, or so far to set up any other way that shall quell it.  
So also the truth of the seat of power in the Church being on foot, pleaded for, practised in the Churches, Christ will not suffer that truth to be quelled; and therefore Presbyters shall not have their will.  
As to that of the Witnesses, wherein I professed ignorance, should I speak freely what I guess, I hope the slaying in England is over: for what is there more to be suffered for, but Doctrine, Worship and Discipline? If there be any, it must be this latter, further to be testified: to suffer again in the rest, is actum agere, which Christ useth not to do. Again, the witness and slaying seem to be contiguous; then must Popery and prelacy be set up again, that that may be: All this hath been done, and the slain have heard the voice, Come up hither: also the Witnesses are slain( if general slaying at one time in all the streets of Rome, be meant) by the power of the Horns: As for the Pope, or Popish Party, with all the Horns at once, after so long breaking off from that Party, to fall to it again, so deeply, as to stay them, it not likely.  
That the Witnesses yet mourn in sackcloth still, I am satisfied; witness the Saints in Savoy, and in the Hereditary Dominions of the Emperour: if they are universally to be slain at one time in all places, then that time is yet to come: if at several times, in several places, by course, the case is otherwise. But let Christ do what he pleaseth with us; let us be ready and willing, and live by Faith the while; and the rather, be resolved to follow Christ fully, because our time is not long, and the issue will be glorious.  
That Satan will on the right hand labour to hinder the Reformation by a 'bout at Munster, all men that know truth, will easily guess, as well as I do: and I suppose our present Governours do look for it, and provide against it; and they had need: for on this hand Satan plays the maddest reaks of all other: I know already many a John able and fit to make a John of Leyden: These will be as bad as God will give the Devil leave to make them to be: the precedent at Munster hath given warning enough of this: but this is to be feared from none but those that exalt immediate teachings, prophetical Spirits, all fanatique: the sober godly Anabaptist, as Anabaptist, is not like to be found in this number; though it runs under their name, that opinion of itself carries no causability to any such things: but because most take up that opinion for want of sound natural logic, when other things that promise also are offered, they upon the same ground are put to receive them also, and so for want of that also will be found among the rest at Munster. This spirit of Delusion is of purpose gone out, to disgrace right spiritual light, by setting up this false, that pretends to it, to amuse people, as the shields in Rome, to harden the world, to deceive those that love not truth, and to prepare many sorts for Munster; among which the Quakers may led first, as being one of the most gross Impostures, that ever was in the world: with many other giddy people, who run on into Judgement: but the folly and madness of these, will quickly be made manifest to all, and stripped, and fully known.  
Thus I have given you conjectures and guesses only: and you will consider how these differ, as Opinion doth, both from Fides and Scientia: and though I am something positive in Negatives, yet I am not so in Positives: where I am positive, I give you my grounds, both from Faith and Science: and this being done from my own clearing my way, I have gained a certain rule thereby for my own direction, in my course I am to steer. My grounds are principally from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, which I diligently preached over for sure grounds for the Congregational way; the conclusions onely from clearest things in the Apocalypse: The Lord give his blessing thereunto, that the weak may be strengthened.  
FINIS.