Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	appear_v	lord_n	zion_n	52	3	9.3652	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89056	A further discovery of the mystery of the last times; as an addition to a little book, called Some discoveries of the mystery of the last times, bordering upon the coming of the Lord Jesus. Set forth for the good of all men; but especially of those who in these dissenting times (wherein Ephraim envieth Juda, and Juda vexeth Ephraim) know not where to settle themselves, or to what society of Christians to joyn themselves: wherein is (as simply and plainly, as the author was able to open those mysterious scriptures quoted in this following treatise) shewed the cause of all our divisions and contentions about matters pertaining to form and order in the church of Jesus Christ; and wherein is moderately proved from those scriptures these particulars. 1. The flourishing and building condition of the church of Jesus Christ in the time of the gospel. ... 7. Lastly, that the Lord Jesus will by himself destroy all those enemies, and deliver his people, when the restoration of all things shall be.	Mercer, Richard, fl. 1649-1651.; Mercer, Richard, fl. 1649-1651. Some discoveries of the mystery of the last times, bordering upon the coming of the Lord Jesus].	1651 (1651)	Wing M1732; Thomason E637_16; ESTC R206616	80,538	60

and upon her head a crown of twelve starrs now I think no man will deny but the Church which undoubtedly was the woman which was cloathed with the sun when she had such abundance of the spirit that it sat upon them as fire and they were filled with the holy Ghost and spake with tongues and were enabled with power to distribute the ordinances of the Gospel unto whom they did appertain and when the Church was crowned with twelve stars namely the twelve Apostles But it is yet objected Be it so that this is true yet is there no workings of the spirit are all things so dead as there is no appearance of God by gifts and ordinances I answer I do beleeve that there are some breathings of the Spirit in the Saints for it is not said the sun is wholly darkened but darkned that is doth not give that light as it did in the first Gospel times and this the very experience of times doth evince but for the ordinances which are likened to the moon they are in a manner wholly darkened from that they were in the first times and as for the stars the third part of them was darkned in the sounding of the fourth trumpet Rev. 8. 12. and 12. 4. and they which persisted in the faith are killed by the beast Rev. 11. 7. It is further objected that though it be said The powers of the heavens shal be shaken yet it follows not that they are removed no more then trees that are shaken of a mighty wind are removed To which I answer that shaking in Scripture sense is removing and this is cleer from that of Haggai 2. 6. where it is said for thus saith the Lord of hoasts yet once it is but a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land which shaking is expounded by the Authour to the Hebrews to be a removing Hebrews the 12. 27. And thus I hope I have fully answered these objections Another objection is made against that exposition which I make upon that text Luke 17. 34. where it is said In that night there shall be two men in one bed the one shall be taken the other shall be left which say they is meant when the Lord appeareth then shall one that is a Christian be at work with an unbeliever and where it is said There shall be two in one bed the one shall be taken the other shall be left say they it is meant the husband may be a believer and the wife an unbeleever as it was in the first Gospel times To which I answer That the text saith it is two men and two women and therefore it cannot be meant of that matrimonial coupling of man and wife and touching the two men being in the field together as it is Matth. 24. that it may be expounded at work together the one a beleever the other an unbeleever this the words going before will cleer for it is said Luke 17. 26. As it was in the dayes of Noe so shall it be in the dayes of the Son of man likewise as it was in the dayes of Lot they did eat and drink they bought they sold they planted they builded but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone and destroyed them all Now we all know there was no difference between Noe and the world and Lot and the Sodomltes in any outward worship but onely they were preachers of righteousnesse which is cleer by that speech of Abraham where he prayeth for Sodom Gen. 18. 24. and saith Peradventure there be found fifty righteous so likewise in the dayes of the coming of the Son of man those that are truly Christians and watch and pray cannot but be preachers of righteousnesse forasmuch as that man that is addicted to sin and uncleannesse cannot be said in reason to watch over his actions and he that is praying or prepared alwayes to pray cannot be voyd of righteousness towards man Another Objection is made touching the raising of the Witnesses for say they It is true the Witnesses are to lie dead but there is a time for their raising again and this is our practice sor we are raising the Witnesses from death to meet the Lord in Sion To which I answer That it is true that the Witnesses are to rise and to stand upon their feet but the question is when this should be which I beleeve upon examination will appear to be when the Lord appears from heaven which I shall prove thus as it is said Rev. 11. 11. and after three dayes and a half the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon all that saw them which compared with Ezekiel 37. and Rev. 20. 5. will appear to be that resurrection spoken of in those two places But it may be said Those places speak of the raising of the dead out of their graves to meet the Lord in Sion but this of Revel 11. must be meant of the raising the people of the Lord Jesus out of that darkness wherein they lay in the Antichristian state To which I answer It is true it seems to be so but mark well the sense of the place and you shall finde it is at the Lords appearing as to mee it seems cleer from the 12 verse where it is said And they heard a great voice from heaven saying Come up hither and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them which compared with 1 Thes. 4. it will appear to be when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven with a shout and the voyce of the archangel as it is in ver 16. besides mark the effects that did follow upon the rising of the witnesses for it is said verse 13. And the same hour there was a great Earth-quake and the tenth part of the City fell and in the earth-quake were slain of men 7000 and the remnant were affrighted and gave glory to the God of heaven so that I think no man will affirm there is any such effects wrought by any arising from death of the witnesses in these our days and thus I hope I have answered this objection It is yet further objected that the changes that are wrought in this nation are some tokens of the Lords hand for we may plainly see that there be many men that were before wicked persons both swearers and lascivious in their lives and conversations that upon their coming in are changed in their lives likewise there are many young men that were of no gifts and parts in the sight of the world are now able to dispense the word and to pray very heavenly somtime to the admiration of the hearers insomuch as they are forced to say God is in you of a truth and therefore this must needs be a testimony that the hand of God is in this work and that he will prosper it To this I answer

faith and therein they do admonish them as is cleer from the second of Peter 2. 1. and from the Epistle of Jude the 4. and this I do acknowledge was writ unto such men as were in gospel order and they are admonished to persevere and to continue in love unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But these Churches have since fallen asleep Mathew 13. 15. the ordinances are corrupted or changed as is acknowledged by these men now let themselves judge what is in these Epistles and verses aleadged for the restoring of them these Churches have lost their power the sun is gon down over the Prophers Micah 3. 6. and I looke for some place of Scripture for their raising again before the Lord appear And thus I hope I have fully answered to those Scriptures A fourth Scripture which is alledged is Revelation the 2. 23. where it is said speaking of the woman Jezebel which did teach and seduce his people he saith And I will kill her children with death and all the Churches shall know Thereby arguing that when the Lord appears and destroys Jezebel that then all the Churches that are in being shall know and see his judgements upon her To this I answer and desire all men to take notice of the contents of this second chapter which is to approve and to reprove sundry matters among the Churches unto whom St. John wrote and amongst the rest the Church of Thyatira is reproved for suffering the woman Jezebel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce his people and having spoken of the judgements which he will bring upon her he saith and all the Churches shall know that is say they al the Churches that are in being when the Lord doth appear shall know how he will punish this woman now pray take notice in the first chapter and 11 verse St John is commanded to write this Revelation in a book and send it to the seven Churches that are in Asia and so fulfilling his commission in his exhortation unto the severall Churches he still concludes with this admonition Let him that hath an ear hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches now what Churches are those that are exhorted to hear the Churches which shall be at the end of the world or those that St. John wrote unto I think it is unlikely that St John should write unto Churches in being then admonithing them to hear and this to be applied for the raising of Churches at the end of the world or neer that time and in this verse it is said and all the Churches shall know now what shall they know Why they shall know that if this Church of Thyatira will not restaine this woman Jezebel by her power while they have it that the Lord will execute his power himself and they shall know it And where it is aledged that those Churches here spoken of are those Churches that are in being when the Lord doth appear I answer where is the least colour for it in the text for these Churches are no other but those Churches which are writ unto which are the seven Churches of Asia which still are admonished Let him that hath an ear hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches Moreover he doth admonish this Church of Thyatira that if she did not exercise her power that then all the Churches should know that I am he that searcheth the reines and the heart and will give unto every one of you according to your works that is as I conceive if you do your duty while you have power and if you neglect your duty having power the time will come when you shall know that I will reward every one of you according to your works moreover experience teacheth us that those Churches have the candlestick removed from them and have no being and therefore in my judgment it is but a weake foundation to raise ordinances upon and to gather Churches upon when once they have lost their power and are polluted and Antichrist seated in them And so much for this Scripture A fist and last Scripture which is alledged is from Rev. 18. 20. where the destruction of Babylon is set forth and an exhortation given unto his people in these words Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her from whence is inferred that when the Lord doth destroy Babylon that then his people being in Church order having Apostles and Prophets shall rejoyce for the destruction thereof To which I answer First it is not said heavens that is Churches but heaven that is as I conceive the Church of God in all ages being now a triumphant Church their enemies being destroyed and is exhorted to rejoyce Secondly pray mind what the people of the Lord are incited unto namely to rejoyce which is fulfilled in the 11. chapter and 16 17 18 verses and in the 15. chapter 2 3 4 verses and 19 chapter 2 3 4 verses compared with Isaiah the 12. chapter In Rev. 11. 16. you have the foure and twenty elders mentioned and in ver 19. you have the four and twenty Elders and the foure beasts mentioned which cannot well be expounded the Churches and Apostles and Prophets which shall be in being when the Lord doth appear now let themselves judge whether here be any thing towards the raising of ordinances or gathering of Churches for which these Scriptures are brought for I professe with reverence to all just wayes of God that to me these Scripturs seem to be a weak foundation to build such a structure upon as is pretended namely that the raising of ordinances as is practised in these daies is the onely way by which the Lord will by degrees draw and deliver his people out of Babylon to meet him in Sion It is yet objected that is it the Lords own precept mentioned Matth. 28. saying Go and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost and the promise is annexed and lo I am with you unto the end of the world whereupon is concluded that his people are to practise the ordinances in their purity untill the Lord appear To which I answer first that it is acknowledged by these men that there hath been an interruption both in the succession of the Ministry and in the corrupting the purity of the ordinances and I look for some proof from Scripture Rule for their raising Secondly it is affirmed by Mr John Saltmarch who had knowledg in the Greek copies that the words unto the end of the world if truely translated is but to the end of that age or administration and he quotes the Greek text in his book called some beames of the morning starr in the margent of the same book page 134. But thirdly it is usuall in Scripture phrase that for End is meant but length of time and not to the end of the world or of all ages as is

Reason that all men should be deceived and you onely know the truth To those men I answer and do acknowledge the doctrine is strange and I do confesse I do not remember that I ever read of any such thing treated of and for the most part of the places I have opened in some measure I do not remember that I ever heard any exposition upon them yea I acknowledge that the matter seems sometimes strange to my self having nothing in me that deserves that the Lord should reveal any thing to me rather then to another I see in my self so much weakness and deadness to any thing that is good that it seems to the contrary but when on the contrary I consider the harmony and agreement which is among the prophets tending to the same things and when I consider the experience of the ages past confirming it and making it to appear a truth in part without contradictions and when I consider that the Lord hath in severall ages taught some of his people yea his prophets by men of inferiour parts to them as may be seen in Jethro's counsell to Moses and by Amos which was a herd-man of Tekoa which taught Amasiah the priest of Bethel and when I consider the Lord confounds the wisdome of the world by things of no esteem and brings to nought things that are by things that are not I then take encouragement and am constrained to beleeve that this is the meaning of the holy Ghost in those places and shall beleeve untill I do perceive a better sense given which being done I hope I shall not be so self-conceited as to prefer my sense before a better if it begiven It is further objected that we are commanded to come out of Babylon left we are partakers of her sins and so receive of her plagues which is a duty required of us and besides we have now an oportunity given us to come out for the States give us liberty to walk according to Gospel order and according to our conscience there in and to gather our selves into bodies To the first I answer That it is true that we are commanded to come out of Babylon but it is necessary to know the time when we are to perform that duty lest haply we should lose our labour and I could wish that some man that is so zealous for the performance of that duty would labour to demonstrate by the Scripture Prophesies that the time for the performance of this duty were fully come lest the practice of this duty have no better success then those men in Jeremy 29. 21. namely Ahab the son of Kolajah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah which were two false prophets which did perswade the people that they should speedily return from their captivity contrary to the prophesie of Jeremy which had prophesied their captivity to continue seventy years which were a duty necessary to be done for so much as the prophet Daniel did understand by books the number of yeers where of the word of the Lord came to Jeremy the prophet that hee would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem Dan. 9. 2. and accordingly did make his prayer for their return So likewise in the Revelation there are set times for the people of the Lord Jesus to lie in this and that condition as may be seen in the 11. 12. 13. chapters which I shall endeavour the Lord enabling me in the sequell of this treatise to make appeare not to be fully accomplished Besides take notice of those places which speake of the people of the Lord coming out of Babylon and you shall finde that Babylon is first fallen before the Lords people are exhorted to come out of her as may be seen Rev. 14. 8. and 18. 4. But we do not yet see Babylon fallen nay rather we see her as high as ever almost only we have seen one of his heads wounded to death but his deadly wound is almost healed neither do we see any glory like unto that glory which is spoken of in those two places to precede the fall of Babylon neither do we see the Lamb upon mount Sion with his hundred forty and four thousand neither an Angel come down from heaven having great power and the earth was lightned with his glory which are things which goe before the peoples deliverance besides pray marke that Babylon in the letter was destroyed before the people of God were dilivered and his people had a Leader to goe before them out of Babylon Even so likewise I conceive that the people of the Lord Jesus are to have a leader or diliverer to goe before them to call them out of Babylon in the mystery and to send his Angels to gather together his Elect from the four windes of the heaven according to those Scriptures Isai. 11. 11 12. and 52. 12. and 66. 19 20. Joel the 3. 11. Obadiah 21. Zechariah 2. 5 8. Matt. 24. 31. compared with Rev. the 14. 6 7 8 9. and 18. 1 2 4. In all which places is mention made of the Lords deliverance of his people by himself and of sending forth his Angels to declare the fall of Babylon and to exhort the people of the Lord to come out of her To the second branch of this objection I answer It is true that the State gives liberty to tender consciences for which they deserve much honour but these men must also remember that as the State gives them liberty so must they have liberty of God also which I desire to see proved for first if they will come out according to order they must have their Leader with them which is the Lord Jesus for it is said expresly Isaiah the 52. 12. for you shall not go out in hast nor go out by flight for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rereward But in this reformation which is profest in this nation in any profession I see no glory that comes neer the first Gospel times whereas the coming of the Kingdom of God with power did exceed the first glory as may be seen Mat. 17. 2. Secondly it must be granted that the nations of Christiandome are all of them at the least Christians at large as I may term them that is professing the name of Christ now if we follow order we must reform by the major or greater part as is the order in all assemblies as also in the Church of Christ whilst they had power as may be seen in the Churches of Asia but we cannot reforme that way because the major part will keep their customes still be they never so ill and therefore we cannot this way reform according to order because the best part is over-voted But thirdly seeing that all our reformers do acknowledg that the ordinances are corrupted touching Church discipline and if we will reform we must bring them to the first standard and because all our ministers have derived their office of ministry through