Selected quad for the lemma: church_n
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A38778
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A voice from heaven to th[e] common-wealth of England with additions.
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Evans, Arise, b. 1607.
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1653
(1653)
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Wing E3470; ESTC R25074
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31,492
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57
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men privily conspire against the truth according to the word 2 Pet. 2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12. 2 Tim. 3. 6. Iude 1. 2 3 4 5 6. and from the conspiration of these men cometh the abomination that makes desolate and now reigneth and as the time of the Papists departing from the faith is called the latter times 2 Tim. 4. 1. So the time of these are called the last dayes 2 Tim. 3. 1. so that all comes to passe in order according to the Word and knowledge of Christ And if you consider how God is a God of Order and would have all things done by lawfull authority given by himselfe you may see upon the Papists departing from the Faith God removed the power from Rome to England First Luther falls out with the Pope writes against him endangereth the Faith and the Pope is not able to help himself Secondly upon this King Hen. 8. writes against Luther overthrows him and defends the Faith Thirdly upon this the Pope who should have defended the Faith because it was his proper office gives the title from himselfe to King Hen. 8. and calls him the Defender of the Faith Fourthly upon this the King would marry the Pope would not let him marry The King did marry the Pope excommunicates him for it The King by vertue of his Title Defender of the Faith defends himself against the Pope calls a Parliament casts out the Pope and begins to reform all things according to the Word of God and this Parliament are called good men 2 Tim. 3 3. Fifthly King Edw. 6. by vertue of the same title calls a Parliament and they give the form of godlinesse to the Church purely and perfectly according to the mind and word of Jesus Christ Sixthly Queen Mary takes in the Pope again then the Martyrs stand up and seale the true Faith with their bloud confessing the goodnesse of God to his Church and triumphing in the flames with joy over their enemies for the Elects sake Seventhly Queen Elizabeth comes out of her troubles lightens the earth with her goodnesse and glory as if the daughter of Sion were risen from the dead to the great comfort of Gods Elect Here you may see how God preserved the Faith removed the authority reformed the Church by a publique power for it was determined of Christ that when Princes were subjected to the Faith they must have care of his Church as nursing Fathers and reform it when need requires by their publike authority and whatsoever is done by private rebellious Subjects in private against authority though they pretend to follow Christ and his Apostles in it and think that a good warrant yet it is damnable condemned by Christ and his Apostles for saith he go not to the Desart nor to the secret Chambers nor here nor there to seek me for I will be of no such rebellious conspiring society For he saw that the abomination of desolation would begin in such private meetings And the Apostles say they shall privily bring in damnable heresies and in so doing oppose men dignified with the power of Christ and for so doing they shall be destroyed in eternall fire and have their wages in hell for ever Now concerning King Henry 8. some will say might not the Pope take the title again from him upon his revolting from the Pope I answer no for the chief gift once given cannot be recalled for God goes along with it And he that receives the gift is by vertue thereof made more able then he that gave it so that he that gave it hath no power to command him to give it againe and this I shall prove to you Esau parted with his gift as the Pope did and would have had it again but could not though he sought It of God with tears And though Jacob in a subtill way deceived his Father Isaac to get the power and blessing from him yet his Father Isaac could not help it though he trembled when he came to know what he had done Oh saith he to Esau I have made him thy Lord and done thus and thus unto him it must be so now what can I do for thee as if he should say I am disabled I have given all away from me and all was but a few words said by Isaac to Jacob yet there was such power in those words that Isaac nor Esau with all they could do could not help themselves against Jacob Thus much for a Preface But my matter intended is shorter and more powerfull For you shall see all things set down in the Scripture as they came to passe since the beginning of this Parliament to this very day and what is to come to passe hereafter upon this Nation And you shall see all this in the eighth and nineth Chapters of Amos who first speaks of the End that was the beginning of this Parliament and the ruine of the Kings Court then speaks of everlasting ruine to this State and the renewing of the Kings Court and inlarging of his power over all the earth and this you shall see verse after verse as all things things come to passe hitherto in order And now if you consider you shall find that the prophecy of Amos which he prophecied against Jeroboam the Son of Ioas was not fulfilled upon him for he prospered all his time but it was to be fulfilled amongst the Gentiles And therefore the Apostle Iames alledgeth this Prophecy as a thing belonging to the Gentiles and gives this note saith he Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world as if he had said to us The things that are now in doing amongst you were known to God of old as is declared by his Prophet Amos. For though this Prophet as others doth speak to Israel yet it belongs to the spirituall Israel as many more also did and the Apostle doth so interpret the Scriptures c. Now shall I shew you the meaning of these two chapters the eighth and nineth of Amos. AMOS 8. In ver. 1. 2. God saith to Amos what seest thou Amos answereth a basket of Summer fruit that signifies the harvest is come the generation of the world is ripe in sin fit to be cut down Then says God the end is come upon my people I will not pass by them any more as if he said I will cut them down now they are ripe In ver. 23. ye have the first work this Parliament did that is the taking down of the Bishops and Cathedralls signified by these words The songs of the Temples shall be howlings in that day Here you see Judgement begins at the house of God as ye have it in Ezek. 9. 6. the 1 Pet. 4. 17. and ye have also there the dealing of our Diurnalls which say many times we got such a strong hold and killed so many hundred men and we lost but five men but God
saith this is their policy they lost more and they concealed it and it is signified in these words there shall be many dead bodies in every place and they shall cast them forth with silence In ver. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. ye have the sins and cause why the judgment is come set down and that it is not for any fault found in the publique worship of God but for covetousnesse hardnesse of heart towards the poore and the deceit of the people and their neglect in the worship of God For the same cause there is a generall rising throughout the Land and the Kings party utterly overthrown In ver. 9. ye have the Kings untimely death signified by the Sun going down at Noon for the Sun signifies the King 2 Sam. 23. 3 4 5 6 7. Mal. 4. 2. Gen. 37. 9 10. In v. 10. ye have the great mourning for the Kings death and a wrathfull indignation declared by way of revenge upon the enemies at last In ver. 11 12. ye have the form or worship or Common-prayer book taken away so that the Elect cannot hear it read anywhere which book is called the words of the Lord and the word of the Lord and by this you may know that book to be the only true form appointed of God before hand the rule of the spirit of truth the which rule Jesus foresaw and promised to send the spirit to give it for he knew by this word that I do now open unto you that there was a rule to come forth and the forme of it in all things was a secret thing kown to none but the Father therefore Christ commits the directions of the Church in the true worship to the spirit so that untill this time the Church is tossed to and fro because there was no rule known till now Ioh. 16. 13. and now ye are come to a perfect rule given by a perfect man Eph. 4. 13 14. In ver. 13. ye have the constancy of the Kings party to their Religion and King Rev. 14. 4. and their thirsting for their Religion and King again In ver. 14. ye have the States party up signiby the sin of Samaria the God of Dan the manner of Bersheba all which were Idols But saith he they shall fall and never rise again implying thus much that the King and his party though now down shall rise again and stand for ever AMOS 9. In v. 1. the King is risen again and stands upon the altar that is the Scaffold where he suffered and offered himselfe there he triumpheth and commandeth to smite Lintell that is the Speaker of the House of Parliament and cut them all on the head and slay the last of them all this is said of the Parliament to shew that they shall not escape the hand of this mighty Lord In ver. 2 3 4. ye see there is no place in hell nor in heaven nor in the top of the mountains nor in the bottome of the Sea nor anywhere else for them to escape his hands but he pursueth them and takes them In ver. 5. ye have a generall rising caused by his hand throughout the whole land and the Parliaments party utterly overthrown In verse 6. ye have the glorious building of the King in the heavens above all the Kings of the earth and the power he obtained by his sufferings and his glorious name next to Jesus as being his most excellent servant of all others In the 7. verse ye have the wrath of God declared against the Parliament for their killing the King and destroying the Kingly power by which God delivered them from the bondage of Popery and he looks upon them as black children of Ethiopiaus for these ungratefull acts In verse 8 9 10. ye have Gods wrath upon the whole Kingdome he tells them that those who depend upon their power and think they can prevent the evill that it shall not overtake them saith he they shall surely perish but the rest he will save as wheat is winnowed and saved and taken from the chaff In verse 11 12. ye have the Kings Tabernacle or Court see up again and his Kingdome Inlarged over all the earth In verse 13. ye have the King and his party taking all again from the Parliament and their party signified in these words The plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him that draws forth that which is not his own For the King coms from the altar and gives commission to the treader of Grapes that is some one of his seed that shall reigne to cut down the Grapes that is the party now standing as you see both parties The Reapers first and the treader of Grapes after gets the victory Rev. 14. 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. In verse 14 15. ye have the King and his parties captivity ended c. Their building and planting and their enjoying of the fruits of their labour and the promise that they shall possesse their land without any molestation hereafter for ever and ever And now I beseech you look upon this Scripture and lay it to heart and consider how ye have seen before your eyes this 8. Chapter of of Amos fulfilled as I have interpreted it unto you and you see there the rule to worship God by all which is made plain for you to see as well as I that you may be saved I beseech you also to lay to heart and consider this nineth of Amos where you may see perfectly according to the promise of Christ the things to come Ioh. 16. 13. Never had people the like shewed them as ye have now so plain from these two Chapters O take heed that ye slight it not but make use of it for your salvation For if ye be cut down and cast into the winepresse of the fiercenesse of the wrath of God almighty ye are undone for ever and ye may see how to prevent it Rev. 14. 18 19. Rev. 19. 15. by what hath been spoken And this I say to the Parliament to the Army and to all others Do the work for it must be done Be ye valiant set up the King for if Forraigners do it ye are undone And you may see it will be done by a strong power I have also some things to shew you out of the first of Isaiah and it chiefly concernes this City of London which in regard of its action now is called Sodom and Egypt Isa. 1. 10. Rev. 11. 8. and that it was a faithfull loyall City in the time of Queen Elizabeth when she was received by the Citizens out of the Tower and with joy accompanied to Westminster and though now this City be an unfaithfull harlot yet she shall be restored againe to her former faithfulnesse Of this I shall in briefe shew you Isaiah 1. ver. 1. to ver. 10. ye have the King and his party signified with their condition that now they lye in brought upon themselves by their sins and this