Transcribed from the 1812 S. Holemberg edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org

SCRIPTURAL
AND
Hieroglyphic Observations

which were foretold in
THE Years OF
1750 & 1792.

By
Francis Moore
alluding to the present
TIMES.

To which is added a singular Account
of the Emigration of the Jews in
1812.

Published by S. Holemberg No. 14 Belton S^t. Long Acre &
Sold by M^cTOZER, Chapel Place, Duke Street.
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p. 3POPES OF ROME.

Once on a time Rome’s Church had lost her Head,
Princes and Cardinals in no Pope agreed;
At length the wearied Faction, with one voice,
To Card’nal Dossa left the sacred choice:
He nam’d himself, defeated all their hopes,
And taught ’em a new way of making Popes.
Urban and Clement did the world divide;
Scarce forty years could the dark right decide:
Councils and Card’nals both their titles damn’d,
And Alexander a third Pope was nam’d.
Where, all this while, was Rome’s unerring Guide?
Did he in none, or in all three reside?
If Popes be doubtful, who can their priesthood trust?
For if they fail, their long succession must;
Since then false Popes, as well as true ordain’d,
How can Rome’s holy orders be maintain’d?
St. Peter could no successor declare;
Clement he nam’d; but Linus took the chair;
We find some priests to gain the sacred chair;
They can usurp, kill, poison, yet not err.

Printed by J. Briscoe, Junior, Angel-Street, London.

p. 4PROPHECIES.

The Spirit of God is now performing great wonders in all nations, in order to bring about the great work of reformation; and that it is the opinion of many good Christians, that the call of the Jews will be in this age, and that too very suddenly; and that it is very probable, from a numerous train of deductions, that in this very year, 1750, we may expect some more than ordinary appearances and motions in most parts of the world, especially in the Northern and Eastern parts thereof, tending to the overthrow and destruction of Antichrist.  “Tidings out of the East and out of the North shall trouble him, (says Daniel, chap, xi.) yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.”

That the time of the Jews’ restoration and commencement of the Millennium is near at hand, is certain; whether so near as the time above mentioned, is as yet uncertain.  But this uncertainty arises from the many historical, and chronological difficulties to be found among historians; some authors making the time of the same event sooner, others later.  Archbishop Usher, and other chronologers since his time, place the birth of Christ just four thousand years from the creation.—Scaliger, Petavius, and some others, not so much; but the Septuagint and Josephus much more; the like difference in accounts is to be found amongst them in many other historical facts.

There is a tradition among the Jews, that the world shall continue six thousand years; (viz.) two thousand years void, two thousand years under p. 5the law, and two thousand years under the Messias; and at the end of this six thousand years will commence the Millennium, or one thousand years of rest for the people of God, and particularly for his chosen people the Jews.—Lactantius says wherefore,—because all the works of God were completed in six days, it is necessary that the world continue in this state six thousand years; which six thousand years, Cyprian says, are already almost complete since the devil attacked mankind.  Mr. Whiston observes, that this notion of a Millennium is universal; and it is derived from the earliest tradition, both among the old heathen Philosophers, the ancient Jews, the Apostles, and the primitive Fathers of the Church, and is an undeniable and most important portion of Divine Revelation.  In his Sacred History, lately published, Vol. II. p. 343, he says, that by the exactest chronology, the first six thousand years from the creation end about A.D. 1766; that is for certain supposed the beginning of the Millennium, when the Jews will be restored to their own country, and rebuild their temple, upon the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet.

A trumpet is the symbol of war; and in the Revelations we find that all the seven trumpets were to be attended with woes and lamentations; six of which are already past; and the seventh, which is yet to come, denounceth the third and last woe.  Under it, the seven vials of God’s wrath are to be poured out, both upon the Eastern and Western Antichrist; that is, the Turk and Pope.  It is said, Revelations, chap. viii. verse 13, “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, by reason of the trumpets that are yet to sound;” and chap. xv. verse 8, it is said, “No man was able to enter into the temple till the seven plagues of the seven p. 6angels were fulfilled;” which intimateth that the holy city and temple cannot be prepared to receive the righteous part of mankind, till the power of the Turk and Pope are both destroyed, or that the seven vials are poured out.

A famous French author, in his account of the non-effusion of the seven vials, says, the first vial poured on the earth, intends the loss of church revenues, and so falls upon the worldly interest of Antichristian men; the second vial, poured upon the sea, which he says is the Papal kingdom in its greatest extent, which will become as the blood of a dead man; so that every soul which liveth in it shall die; for as fish cannot live in water turned into blood, neither can mankind any longer endure the yoke of Popish Priests and Governors; the third vial, which is poured on the rivers, denotes the destruction of Popish doctrines.  The fourth vial, which is poured forth on the sun, threateneth the Ottoman empire and religion.  The fourth trumpet raised that empire, and the fourth vial shall destroy it.  The fifth vial is poured out on the seat of the Beast, or the city of Rome, which predicts her destruction.  The angel represents the Pope’s kingdom as full of darkness, and his subjects gnawing their tongues through despair.  The sixth vial is poured on the great river Euphrates; that is, on the great river of the Turks and their religion; after which there will be nothing to hinder the princes and people of the East, who shall be enlightened or converted, or the Jews, who are there dispersed in great numbers, from marching into the West, to help on the destruction of the Beast.  The seventh and last vial is poured into the air, and denotes the clearing of all places from the fog and superstition, and Antichristianism, after which will be manifest the p. 7mystery of God in reuniting all nations, and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of righteousness.

I have already observed that the precise time when all these mighty revolutions will happen is doubtful; however, there is no doubt but we are arrived near to the time of their manifestation, and when the scene of affairs, both in Asia and Europe, will be very much changed: of this we are assured from computation of Scripture Prophecy, and the concurrent testimonies of the Sybils and other heathen oracles, the signs whereby you may know when will be the end of all these things that shall happen on the earth; (viz.) when (the likeness of) swords shall be seen in the heavens towards sun-rising or sun-setting; and the prophet Joel says (chap. ii. verse 30,) “The Lord will shew wonders in the heavens, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.”  Every body knows that upon the first appearance of the Northern Lights, [7] they were by all sorts of people compared to swords, lances, and other military weapons, or else to blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, in the very expressions of the prophet Joel; and indeed they do greatly resemble all these things; and in fact are fires and pillars of smoke, or vapour, which do frequently in their colour represent blood, and by their form and motion, swords, lances, and other military ensigns; but these appearances, (as also Comets) you will say, may be accounted for, from natural causes—Allowed, they may so; yet as their appearances are so universal, and uncommon (except of late years) and are exactly such as we see were to happen some short time before the commencement p. 8of these extraordinary revolutions, preparatory to the Millennium, we may and ought to look upon them as ominous, and sent in a peculiar and wonderful manner, to presage the approach of those wonderful and tremendous times.  Let us then not be ignorant of the signs of the times, but look suddenly for that great and fearful earthquake mentioned in the Revelations; for it will come, and cannot be far off; but I fear it is with us as with the Jews when our Saviour came into the world, or with the Christians when Antichrist stept upon the stage.  Christ was both come and gone before the Jews knew that he was the Messias; and Antichrist was grown old in the world before the world took any notice of him; so it may be, that Antichrist is going apace to perdition, before the people of God begin to discern it.

There seems to be such a concurrence of causes and predictions centring in this time, that it looks very much like the approach of those days before spoken of, out of divine writ.  To those before mentioned, I will add part of a prophecy, as it is given us by the author of the Turkish Spy, who says that he met with a person at Astracan, called the Travelling Jew, who positively asserted in the open streets, that after the year 1700, the Turks shall overflow Christendom like a mighty torrent, when there will be a great desolation in Hungary, Germany, France, and other regions in the West; but above all others, Italy will be made a perfect wilderness; that England shall become the refuge of all that escape the calamities overwhelming the adjacent countries; and there (he says) they will be shewn a new pattern of the Law of Jesus, or rather the old and true one, freed from the corruptions and errors which have been superinduced for many ages, when the p. 9Jews will be convinced of their infidelity, and chase away darkness and superstition from the earth.  In those days (says this Jew) foreign princes shall send their ambassadors to the king of Great Britain for holy and pious teachers to instruct them.  Mighty armies shall be raised in the North, which shall be joined by a prodigious army, collected in other parts of Christendom, which shall drive out the Turks, recover from them the Holy Land, and gloriously rebuild the city of Jerusalem, and make a worthy and excellent Englishman Patriarch of the same.  Then shall the eyes of us Jews (says he) be opened; and we shall all acknowledge Jesus to be the true Messias.

Moore in his observations says, that these times look something like a preparation for the destruction of Antichrist.  We know his destiny is near at hand; and it is with good reason expected, that great advances will be made towards that good work this very year (viz.) 1750.

The Turks have a traditionary prophecy among them which says that they are at last to be destroyed by a Northern nation, which have a white and yellow hair.

The pious Archbishop Usher was of opinion, that the last persecution would fall upon all the Protestant churches in Europe, but with this difference: in the former, the most eminent Ministers and Christians did generally suffer; but in this last persecution, these shall be preserved by God; which shall immediately follow as soon as the storm is over, which shall take away the hypocrites and formal professors of Christianity.

p. 10STATE OF THE WORLD IN 1792.

Perfidious Mars long plighted leagues divides,
And o’er the wasted world in triumph rides;
The peaceful peasants to the war are prest,
The fields lie fallow in inglorious rest,
The plain no pasture to the flock affords,
The crooked scythes are straighten’d into swords;
Now impious arms from ev’ry part resound,
And, like a deluge, cover all the ground.

The time does not yet appear arrived when the nations of the world shall learn war no more, nor beat their swords into plowshares, nor their spears into pruning hooks.

“How pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” was the observation of the Psalmist of old.  And the command of the great Lawgiver is, “Hear, O Israel; the Lord thy God is one Lord:” and “Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul; and the second is like unto this: thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”  Was this practical truth observed more, we should then soon see what most people are so earnestly desiring; namely, better times; the world would soon bear another aspect, and all would be harmony and peace.

The Almighty God of all principalities and powers, by his infinite wisdom and all-seeing providence, hath intended and proposed, and by these his glorious and powerful instruments, declares and presignifies such notable events and transactions, p. 11such unexpected commotions and various mutations to happen to many of the principal kingdoms and nations in the world; for the affairs thereof seem to be in a hurry and confusion, and to be acted by such a ferment as is not usual; their passions and fury rise higher; and the ill success of the advocates of power and tyranny is an encouragement to the friends of liberty, both civil and religious, to go on.  In the Eastern part of the world, a nation or country is near being swallowed up more fatally than Jonas in the whale’s belly.  The Turks are eminently pointed at by these celestial messengers.  War and desolation has already invaded their territories.  The Ottoman empire must be weakened, and Antichrist must be destroyed; France and Italy, more especially Lorrain and Naples, will meet with new troubles.  New troubles and misfortunes arise in the North.  The King of P— will suffer by sickness, or some other calamity; but however he will gain some military honours and advantages this year.  A great General stoops to fate.  Death alone convinces us, that all men are vanity.  Some losses or misfortunes seem to threaten Portugal; and Spain is not past the vortex of ill fortune.  One loss comes upon the back of another, which at last brings her to reason, and will pave the way to liberty.  Here now follows one of Michael Nostrodamus’s Prophecies, which is now fulfilling, or near these times.

On the left hand over against Vitry,
The three Red ones of France shall be watched for;
All the Red shall be knockt dead, the black not murdered,
By Britain set up again in security.

p. 12MOORE’S OBSERVATIONS.

Reason, certainly, if it is but permitted to employ the powers with which it is capacitated, not only instructs us that man lives after death, but also that he lives more; that is, that he then comes into the essence and spirit of his life, before imprisoned.

Nam si aspexerit Mars ad Saturno opposito aut quarto tunc convertetur mundus in bellorum capium.  Thus writes Avenaris, which, Englished, is, that when Mars beholds Saturn by opposition, or quartile, the world will be involved in wars and bloodshed; and this configuration between sullen Chronus and angry Vulcan we see made this month (viz. August, 1792.)  Opposite appearances also of an exceeding mild and amicable nature present themselves to our view; there being no less than three friendly Trines, and three Sextiles also of a pleasing nature, as well as four Conjunctions, bearing good will to mortals below.

In a prophecy written six or seven hundred years since, taken out of the library of St. Victor, at Paris, which is to this effect—“Woe to thee, thou seven-hilled city (Rome) when liberty spreads in France; for then the fall and destruction of thy mighty men is at hand.  Woe to thee, thou city of blood; the voice of the scourge, and of warlike horses and chariots, shall not depart from thee; thy gold is darkened; rust hath consumed it, and spoiled it; that is, the gold of p. 13God’s word is obscured, and religion is corrupted, &c.

“The Pope’s power will receive a very great shock, civil and religious, before the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred, or near that time.”

See winged Time as swift as lightning flies:
Redeem each moment, and be timely wise.

AN OLD PROPHECY,
PRINTED 1686.

When New England shall trouble New Spain,
When Jamaica shall be Lady of the Isles and the Main;
When Spain shall be in America hid,
And Mexico shall prove a Madrid;
When Mahomet’s ships on the Baltic shall ride,
And Turks shall labour to have ports on that side;
When Africa shall no more sell out their Blacks,
To make slaves and drudges to the American tracts;
When Batavia the Old shall be contemn’d by the New;
When a new drove of Tartars shall China subdue,
When America shall cease to send out its treasure,
But employ it at home in American pleasure;
When the New World shall the Old World invade,
Nor count them their lords, but their fellows in trade;
When men shall almost pass to Venice by land,
Not in deep water, but from sand to sand;
p. 14When Nova Zembla shall be no stay
Unto those who pass to or from Cathay,
Then think strange things are come to light.
Whereof but few have had a foresight.

From the BEACON, October 25, 1812.

THE
GATHERING OF THE JEWS,
OR THE
Approach of the Millennium.

Letters from various parts of Germany state, that great sensations have been excited among various classes of the inhabitants of Germany by several preachers having held forth to their congregations that the approach of the time of the Millennium had arrived, and this doctrine has been illustrated from the departure of a great number of Jewish families from different parts of Germany on their way to the Holy Land.  The following letter from Mr. Niety, a merchant in Riga, has been published, on this subject:—

“My son was last summer in the Crimea, and returning towards the end of autumn by way of Odessa, he heard a report that many Jewish families emigrated through that town.  During his journey through Poland, he met himself many p. 15travelling Jews.  When he afterwards lodged in a town inhabited by Jews, and met there with a German Jew, he entered into conversation with him, and asked him, to what country the emigrating Jewish families went.  He replied, to Palestine, to settle in the country of their Fathers, having a presentiment that the Messiah would now soon come.  The rich of the nation, scattered in different parts of the world made collections for the journey expences of the poor.—This account of my son excited my attention.  I wrote to one of our friends at Wilna, as Poland is the chief seat of this people, and asked him concerning these movements, and the probable causes of them, to which I received, within these few days, the following answer:

“‘I have also received interesting accounts concerning the Jews.  There is among them a general desire to return to the land of their Fathers.  Many of them are probably impelled by need, as there is a stagnation of all trade here: but many are moved by the expectation of the coming of the Messiah in about eight years.  The same persons, from whom I accidentally heard this, told me, on another occasion, that fifteen years hence probably no Jew would be left in this country.  In the present times of confusion this memorable people, scattered in all the world, is little noticed; but if the above information is confirmed in process of time, and more generally, that impulse among them is certainly one of the remarkable signs of the times.’—Thus far from this letter.

“This intelligence excited my attention; and as I undertook another journey to the German colonies in Poland, in the months of May and June of 1811, I resolved to ascertain the foundation of these facts.  In two towns which are inhabited by many Jews, I received from their leaders the p. 16following account: That it was certainly true, that for two years, some hundreds of Jewish families had emigrated from Poland into Palestine.  Enquiring into the purpose of their emigration, I was answered, that they hoped the promises of the Prophets would now soon be accomplished, that the Lord would gather the people of Israel, from all parts of the earth, where they were scattered, into the lands of their Fathers, and that they would there wait for the appearance of the Messiah; for after their Rabbies had often been mistaken in fixing the time of his coming, they now were persuaded that he would come at length.  When I replied that they might again be mistaken, they said—No matter; if those who now go to Palestine should not live to see the coming of the Messiah, they, however, are gathered in the Holy Land with their Fathers, and whenever the Messiah comes, they will be raised from their graves.  The places from whence these emigrations are most frequent, they said to be Brody in Volhinia, and Wilna in Lithuania.  Though I was led to many observations by this statement, yet the proper aim of my journey did not permit me to pursue the subject.”

FINIS.

Printed by J. Briscoe, Junior, Angel-Street, London.

FOOTNOTES.

[7]  First appearance of the Northern Lights, 1718.