Seven dispensations in a Brakel?

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SolaScriptura

Puritanboard Brimstone
I was under the impression that the notion of seven dispensations was an invention of John Nelson Darby. However, this evening I was reading Vol. 1 of Christian's Reasonable Service, and a Brakel, writing ~100 years prior to Darby, says (p.79 of the RHB edition):

"The second practice to avoid is that of forcing everything into a framework of seven dispensations, as the entire concept of seven dispensations is erroneous..."

Two questions:

1. Is the "seven dispensation" framework referenced by a Brakel the same as that which later became popularized by Darby?

2. If it is the same as that which was later taught by Darby, then when exactly did the seven dispensation model first come about?
 
The French Reformed (mostly) scholar Pierre Poiret, wrote a popular seven volume work, The Divine Economy; Or, an Universal System of the Works and Purposes of God Towards Men, Demonstrated , which was published in 1687 and translated into English in 1713 (unavailable on the web as far as I can find). In it he proposed seven general dispensations; Creation to the Deluge; the Deluge to Moses; Moses to the Prophets; the Prophets to Christ; Manhood and Old Age; the Christian Era; the Renovation of All Things. I would guess this is what a'Brakel was likely referring to.
 
I wonder if these "dispensations" just roughly corresponded to the CoW and to the "sub-covenant" progressive revelation of the Covenant of Grace.

At an early stage in the development of Covenant Theology, it would be one of the first things that would be observed by a simple soul starting to study the Bible with divine covenants in mind.

1. Covenant of Works
2. Proto-Evangelium
3. Noahic Covenant
4. Abrahamic Covenant
5. Mosaic Covenant
6. Davidic Covenant
7. New Covenant.

I wonder if Darby had ever come accross Reformed Covenant Theology, or was he reinventing a very poor wheel of his own.

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