BU School of Theology Library - Richard Clerke and Christopher Love

Rickard Clarke/ Clerke was a former Anglican Rector. He served in Canterbury Cathedral as part of the First Westminster Company that was charged with translating the first twelve books of the King James Version of the Bible. A large folio volume of his sermons was published posthumously by Charles White, M.A., in London in 1637. This was one of the most widely printed publications of late colonial America called “The Prophetic Numbers of Daniel and John Calculated.” He postulated that 1758 to 1766 were prophetically important for “supernatural judgements” Clarke attempted to bolster the credibility of his dramatic conclusions by noting the close correspondences between his proposed dates and the prophecies contained in “The Strange and Wonderful Predictions of Mr Christopher Love” Love was a 17th century English Presbyterian minister who was executed by Cromwell considered a pious martyr. Supposedly Love had a divine revelation and believed the events of the Last Days were all scheduled to occur between 1756 and 1763. Under the heading “Short Work of the Lord’s in the latter Ages of the World” appeared the following timetable:

Great Earthquakes and Commotions by Sea and Land, in the Year of our Lord 1756

Great Wars in Germany and America, in 1757

Destruction of Popery, or Babylons fall, in 1758

The Anger of God against the Wicken, in 1759

God will be known, in 1760

This will produce a great Man; the Stars will wander, and the Moon appear as Blood, in 1761

Africa, Asia, and America will tremble in 1762

A great Earthquake all over the World, in 1763

God will be universally known by all in general, and a Reformation and Peace forever, when People shall learn War no more. Happy is the Man that liveth to see this Day 1763

There were wars and earthquakes that rocked Europe and America in the 1750s. For those who would seek apocalyptical signs of the times, the late 1750s offered amply opportunity for reflection. The widespread publication of such works broadcasting the arrival of the millennium within a few years suggests that the wars and earthquakes raised millennial expectations among a large number of American colonists. This is one contributing factor to why so many colonial sermons from various priests refer to the second coming of Christ as part of the American Revolution.

This library has many historic bibles.

What fruitage did these spiritual leaders produce? Mt 7:15-20. Consider John 17:16 vs Acts 20:29, 30. What would Jesus have said seeing this?

-Source Links-

https://archive.org/details/visionaryrepubli0000bloc/page/24/mode/2up Book Reference

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=evans;cc=evans;rgn=main;view=text;idno=n20733.0001.001#:~:text=Great%20earthquakes Christopher Love Prophecy

http://textus-receptus.com/wiki/Richard_Clarke

https://kingjamesbibletranslators.org/bios/Richard_Clerke/