Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
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A29711
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The temple opened, or, The great mystery of the millennium and the first resurrection revealed and found to be different from all the accounts that have been given thereof by any who have hitherto wrote on the same subject : more fully and plainly opening the nature of the death humbly presented to the King and Parliament by Thomas Brookhouse.
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Brookhouse, Thomas.
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1696
(1696)
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Wing B4972; ESTC R18149
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52,493
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72
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objected It cannot be in a literal sence because of the Inestimable Materials This makes little for the Richness and Sumptuousness of the Materials is not so much to be understood literally as to set forth that most admirable Beauty and Harmony it will introduce and to make it a more proper Representative of Heaven of which it is really and truly a Type and nothing else John was set upon a Mountain to see this glorious sight and he tells us It came down from Heaven and therefore cannot be Heaven it self He might be set on a Mountain to see as far as Judea he being in Patmos but I rather think it was to see as far as Britannia where this happy State should first dawn and where the First Pillar in this Temple of God or of the New Jerusalem should be erected which is a peculiar Promise to the Philadelphian Church which we really and in truth have amongst us Jerusalem in Palestine will be the Tower of the Flock or the Cupola of this most Magnificent Structure and all other Cittadels will be as Pillars to support the Main Fabrick It will be like St. Peters at Rome and all the rest answering our Cathedral 〈◊〉 Further John saith He saw no Temple in it which plainly sets forth the changing the Temple-Administration for that of a City And how excellently is this Dispensation suited to the Age of the World The World is now Adult and come to its Manhood and what more proper Scenes can we have than Cities which are the Discretional and Political parts of her Furniture But further The Body of Jesus Christ is the Grand Pattern of things in Heaven and in Earth and were we but well-instructed in our own Frame we might almost know any thing The last expired Dispensation has been only a Fermentation in the Stomach or a preparing of the Juyces to convert them into Blood which this City-Heart disperses and makes to circulate through all the Body The Circulation of the Blood being found out the Gospel which is the Blood of the World could not be long a Mystery and the Blood coming to the Extream Parts reverts as I hinted before proving thereby the Church to be Re-born or the Witnesses to have their Resurrection in the West The Increment of Christs Natural Body is the Great Rule of all our Dispensation or Cause of Alterations of all the Political Affairs in the World As the Flesh grows the Politicks of the World change The Flesh is the Incremental or Changeable Part and the Spirit the Firmamental or Immoveable Part being God himself That common measure of Prophetick Time of Time Times and Half a Time has a peculiar respect to the Age of Christ And the Three Grand Dispensations by Father Son and Holy Spirit have a peculiar Regard to his Childhood Youth and Manhood In the dark shadowy Dispensation of the Jews He was growing in the Womb and to Constantine's time a Child and the last 1260 years he was a Youth and what Aestuations and Fermentations there are in Youth is well known and 't is as well known how Youths are corrupted and imposed upon who are Heirs to great Estates But now he is Adult and come to his Manhood and therefore as is usual for Heirs makes claim to his Estate which is no less than the whole World Hitherto he has been as it were in his Nonage But Now as the Apostle expresses it his Body the Church is come to the Measure of the Fulness of his Stature which is not well Translated for 't is Christi Adulti in the Latin which ought to be rendred of Christ come to his Manhood or grown a Man Before Other Lords Ruled over his Heritage But Now in the Millennium being his Manhood he will Rule Himself He Now Claims all Power and Authority and gives and bestows the Kingdoms of this World to whom he pleases And whosoever henceforward Exercises any Power or Authority on Earth if not delegated by him 't is either Permission or Usurpation for all Power and Dominion belongs to Him And when Kings come to their Kingdoms 't is usual to prefer some City before others for their Residence Therefore Jerusalem in Palestine is the place He will reside and put his Name there The Text saith The Name of the City shall be THE LORD IS THERE 'T is also speaking Spiritually usual for Men who come to Age to Marry and take a House Jerusalem is this House and the Church Regenerate is the Bride and blessed are those that are called to the Wedding Saith John Blessed are they which are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb That is Blessed are those that are Members of the Church regenerate Blessed are those that live in the times of this happy Administration of the New Jerusalem for they if they be Holy shall be Sharers of the First Resurrection or be invested with the First Fruits of his Power They shall enter into and have the Priviledges of this Holy City if they are cloathed in their Wedding Garments the white Linnen of Holiness but if not they must stand without The Text saith And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that Defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a Lye but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life And Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the Tree of Life and may enter in thorow the Gate into the City For without are Dogs and Sorcerors and Whoremongers and Murderers and Idolators and whosoever loveth and maketh a Lye And all these things are to be understood in a Literal as well as in a Spiritual sence No indigested crude stuff must come to the Heart but pure and rarified Blood And what can Men object against this most happy Administration I know they will say It will make strange Alterations and overturn all their Old Constitutions in the World I allow this 'T is said Old things are passed away and behold I make all things New And Men may thank themselves for this for if they had not built with Wood Hay and Stubble it had not been pulled down If they had made due Provision for the Infant Bride she had not turned Prostitute and so had now had no occasion to have been washed and purified she had been ready long ago and had not now occasion to make her self ready Christ set the World a Blessed Pattern but they would not follow it The Text saith And it came to pass that He went throughout every City and Village preaching and shewing the Glad Tidings of the Kingdom of God and the Twelve were with him And another saith And Jesus went about all the Cities and Villages teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the Doctrine of the Kingdom This was the way which our Saviour took and had it been continued hitherto there had been no need of a New Administration The Way and Method a Doctrine was first planted is the most
ease in their Possessions and had rather things should run on in the old corrupt Account than to have a New and Just Reckoning But since these things must of necessity come to pass for Gods Prophecies are not Poets Fables they may as well fend off the Blow by a due Provision as to encrease their Misery by an unexpected stroke The Ark is open and they may enter in if they please and prevent being destroyed by the Deluge This Prophecy now no more remains a sealed Book God has opened a door and no man shall shut it This Mystery which has been hid from Ages is no more a Mystery being now clearly revealed and so it will stand to all Generations Great and Marvellous are thy Works Lord God Almighty Just and True are they Ways thou King of Saints Who shall not fear and glorifie they Name for Thou only art Holy All Men shall come and worship before Thee for they Works are made manifest Of the Death and Resurrection of the WITNESSES THe Death and Resurrection of the Witnesses is a Truth almost of as great Importance as the Death and Resurrection of our Saviour They being the Counter-part of that Great Scene All the Empires in the World are interessed in this Great Truth 'T is the Pole-Star by which they ought to steer and in not observing it they run great hazard of splitting their Vessels I therefore take the liberty of addressing my Enquiry into this weighty Affair to our present Powers as before which may give them much Light in all their Counsels and Consultations 'T is well known what Alterations and Changes the Birth of our Saviour made throughout the World how it overthrew all the then-existing Powers upon Earth and what Method there was used to do it This is but the same thing acted over again in another part of the World That by a simple Birth and This by a complex Birth The same Methods of Conquest will be used viz. Nothing but Predication and Vociferation And we that live at so great a distance for us to have the same Scenes renewed and the same Actions re-acted amongst us is a singular kindness from Heaven Hitherto we have taken things upon Credit and Hearsay But now we our selves shall see with our Eyes and hear with our Ears the wonderful things of God To have things brought to our own Home is a wonderful Condescention for which we cannot be too thankful to Heaven And since we know on what Rock the Eastern Nations split This is a Blazing Beacon for us and we shall be doubly guilty if we split on the same I cannot err in my Enquiry so long as I take Christ along with me for my Guide For He is the Way the Truth and the Life The Grand Pattern of all things in Heaven and in Earth These Witnesses are his Body which ought to be conformable to their Head in all things Christ saith Except a Man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Now Christ is a Man and to fulfil all Righteousness He ought to be born again But our Nicodemus's will say How can that be He is in Heaven and cannot enter a second time into the Womb of Mary 'T is true but He has a Body here below his Church which is himself and this may be renewed or born again and ought to be so before it can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven or the Millennium which is a Shadow of it We are to come from strength to strength from an imperfect Dispensation to a more perfect until we come to God in Zion Christ Racks off his Truth from Vessel to Vessel till it be perfect Spirits till Man becomes an Angel whose place he is to supply Now what reason his Church has to be purified and made clean is plain The Sun is coming to the Tropick her Lord is to make her a Visit and she is but in a filthy pickle to recive Him In her long Voyage from the East she has contracted a great many Pollutions passing through many polluted Cities and Countreys over-whelmed with Superstion and Idolatry There is the greatest reason imaginable that she should wash her self in the Waters of Purification that being found without Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing her Lord may take delight to dwell with her In the Scriptures there is mention made of The Times of Refreshing from the presence os the Lord and of the Time of Restitution of all things which can only be meant of an Accidental Change and not a Substantial as some would have it The Times of Restitution are Accomplished by Changing all things chengeable by making every thing New which can be Renewed or in the Scripture-phrase by SHAKING those things which can be SHAKEN that those things which cannot be shaken may REMAIN Now before I can well proceed further I ought to divide the things of this World into Two Classes viz. of Changeable and Vnchangeable and this will tell me not only When God has renewed all things according to his Promise but How For his Work will of necessity fall in the Changeable Class as it has done in every Dispensation hitherto Christ in one place is said to come with the Clouds which may very well be understood in the Changeable Class in which all the Thunders and Tempests are formed But the Vnchangeable Class is the Firmament which is to Remain or not to be moved And the Instruments He will use in changing all things changeable will be the Church Regenerate or New-Risen-Witnesses and this by a New Predication as Soldiers of the WORD with their Swords in their Mouth Predication and Vociferation are the only Artillery the Lamb uses to beat down the strong holds of Satan But as to Those Two Classes The Immutable I divide into Seven Heads and the Mutable into Five as follows Things Immutable to Remain 1. Religion or the Worship of that God which made the World being an indispensible Duty is Immutable Under this Head I mean the Christian Worship 2. Truth Being the Attributes of the Immutable God are 3. Justice both Immutable and must remain to the end of the World 4. Power or Government without which the World would be a Chaos and therefore Immutable 5. Pleasure and Pain Being the two great Wheels on which all Humane Actions run And I can by no means consent to his opinion who saith Men must live without Pain in the Millennium 6. The Common Effects of things Natural and Moral As of the four Elements That Fire will burn Water quench c. That Industry Piety and Frugality will advance single Persons Families and Kingdoms and that Luxury Sloth and Profaneness will always have the contrary Effects What accidental Alterations or differing Effects the said Causes may at any time have come not into this Account 7. Eating and Drinking Marrying and Giving in Marriage Buying Selling Building and Planting will continue to the End of the World Necessity making them Immutable