Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	ecclesiastical_a	government_n	great_a	48	3	2.1033	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66683	The breaking of the day of God wherein, four things are manifested : I. That the two witnesses are not in ki[ll]ing, but in rising from death, II. The three dayes and half, or 42. months of the saints captivity under the beast, very near expired, III. Christ hath begun to reign in his saints, and to tread their corrupt flesh under his feet, IIII. Christs dominion over the nations of the world, near the approach / by Gerrard VVinstanley.	Winstanley, Gerrard, b. 1609.	1649 (1649)	Wing W3042; ESTC R40126	79,141	154

own invention in stead thereof and would not suffer the practicall directions of Jesus Christ to have a Being on earth but turnes the Scriptures that testifie of Christ up-side down advancing the Mysterie of Iniquity that is the Serpent in the flesh in stead of the mystery of godlinesse God manifest in the flesh and hath drawn a dark veil over the free grace of Gods absolute workings as the witnesses testifie God to be all in all and carries sinners back again to a ceremoniall Jewish and legall way of worship to seek salvation not by faith onely but as it were by the workes of the law As for instance in 8. particulars 1. Jesus Christ said Wee should bee all taught of God and that he would send the Spirit of truth to lead us into all truth But the Beast saith we must be taught by men and calls the teachings of God without mens teachings a delusion 2. Jesus Christ sends forth his servants to preach the Kingdome of God that is to speak of what they have heard and seen of the indwelling and in-working of God in themselves and in the man Jesus Christ But the Beast will suffer none to preach though they be taught of God unlesse they come out of her Schools of learning first and so speak what they have seen and heard from Commentaries Books and ancient Authors 3. Jesus Christ commands his servants to love their enemies and pray for such as doe despitefully use them But the Beast though she pretend love to God by outward profession will not onely oppresse and kill despiteful enemies but such as are peaceable men under the name of factious and men of errors if they cannot conform to her principles and practices 4. Iesus Christ calls his Church out of the world makes them to beleeve in God by his own almighty power but the Beast will have a whole Parish a whole kingdome and so the whole world to be his Church in her time or else she wil suffer him to have no church at all 5. Iesus Christ speakes honourably of the Saints and calls them his sheep his little flocke his peculiar ones But the Beast speakes bitterly of them evill intreats them prisons whips oppresses and murders them and thinks she doth God good service in so doing 6. Jesus Christ commends the Communion of Saints such as worship the Father sincerely in spirit truth The Beast commends the communion of bare professors for Saints whose worship lies in forms and customes onely 7. Jesus Christ declares that his Sabbath or day of rest to a Saint is his indwelling in the soul and the souls indwelling in him which is continuall and not an observation of one seventh day in the week after the Jewish type But the Beast being unacquainted with the substance observes one day in seven after the manner of the typicall worship and condemnes the soules continuall resting in Christ and Christ in it for an error 8. And so for Bapti●me breaking of Bread and Saints communion Ministers maintenance as Jesus Christ left direction the Beast by her usurped authority and fleshly inferences quite altered and practices clean contrary things of her own invention and hath deceived the whole earth that all the world wonders after the Beast and judges her wayes more wise more holy more orderly and more decent then the Directory of Jesus Christ And thus we see the Beast hath killed one of Gods Witnesses Jesus Christ both in his humane Body and in his testimony and Christ hath lain like a dead body under the power of the Beast three dayes and upwards of the halfe And then for the Saints in whom the same Anointing dwels who are Gods second Witnes for they hold the testimony of Jesus to acknowledg the Lord their God and him onely will serve First the Beast hath killed the bodies of their flesh by martyrdom in several ages of the world by-past in her three dayes that are by-past And so all along since the Beast hath slain them in their actings and testimony and would not suffer them to receive Christ and his testimony And whereas the Anointing teaches them to worship the Lord their God only acknowledge him all in all in binding and loosing the Conscience The Beast hath usurped this power which she got by craft from the Kings of the earth to appoint directories Ordinances and Ecclesiastical Governments to inforce every one upon pain of prisons and death not to deny these but to own them to submit to them as Gods Directories Ordinances and Government to the binding and loosing of Conscience when the plain truth is they are but the thresholds of the Beast laid equal with Gods thresholds and the Posts of the Beasts house set equal with the Posts of Gods house and brought in on purpose to pollute Gods Sanctuary for which God will consume the Beast and all that worship both him and his Image CHAP. VI The Witnesses were slain long agoe have lien dead in the street of the great City three dayes and almost the half and are now upon their rising NOw consider that this slaying of the two Witnesses is past long agoe and they are lying in the street of the great City like dead bodies three dayes and an half but I believe they have lien dead well nigh their full time if not compleat for I believe they are upon their rising But are the Witnesses then slain for certain I answer by the experience that we have of the fulfilling of Johns Vision and Prophesie it appears clear to me that they are slain And that the troubles of the world at this very day is but the Cloud in which the Witnesses doth ascend up to God after that the spirit of life from God was entered into them This is partly seen by some already but for the time and season when God will make this manifest to the view of the world I am silent God hath the times and seasons in his own power yet I have perswasions in me from experimentall grounds of Gods own working that ere long within few years God will make this visible to the world but they shall be filled with great feare and be offended at it A mans own sight and perswasion will not satisfie others therefore I shall add a few things more that lies in my spirit to confirm this grounded upon Johns Vision for the fulfilling of a Prophesie shews the meaning of a Prophesie In Revel. 8. 13. There are three woes denounced to the Inhabitants of the earth the first woe is past already and I have nothing to speak of it but only this That when the bottomlesse pit or corrupt flesh was opened made manifest and had a liberty to act it self it brought forth woe and sorrow to the Inhabitants of the earth that is to such as lived below God meerly in the use of creatures of this world such as lived seemingly

Anointed into bondage and will not allow him a liberty to worke where and upon whom he pleaseth but would restrain him to their scanty measure the principles of the flesh and so though the world allow Christ the name of King Priest and Prophet yet they will act ●hese Offices themselves both over him and over his body the Church Ey but Gods two faithfull witnesses shall not only prove that Christ is King Priest and Prophet in name only but that he is those in ●ule in operation and powre proving it in ●heir own experience which in time the world ●hall see and be ashamed though for the present they will not see nor be ashamed for ●heir envy to Christ and his fellowes And ●hen shall the glory of the Father be advanced ●nd the song of the Saints shall set the Crown of glory upon the head of him that sits upon the Throne and upon the Lamb for evermore For then all Nations shall see the word ●nd councel of the Father fullfilled that the ●erpents head is bruised by the seed of the woman This is their testimony which I lay ●own generall but the witnesses prove their Testimony by particular experiences as here●fter I shall relate some CHAP. III. Who these two Witnesses are that God speaks of to whom he will give power to Prophesie in sackcloth a thousand two hundred and sixty daies NOw the second thing is to shew who these two Witnesses are which God speaks of I will give power to my two witnesses And these are the word of God and the Spirit of God or Christ in flesh and Christ in Spirit or the Anointing in the person of Christ after the flesh or the Anointing in the flesh of Saints And these are but one in respect of nature one Spirit and one flesh one body as I have shewed But they are two in respect of their appearance or manifestation in or to the world The man Christ Jesus who was borne of the Virgin and dyed by the hands of the Jewes at Jerusalem he is the one Witnesse And the body of Saints in whom the Spirit of Jesus Christ dwells who are persecuted for the same testimony that Christ held they are the other witnesse And my understanding herein is built up as followes ☞ There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven The Father the Word and the Spirit and these three are one But one Witnes though three names or denominations By Heaven I understand the Church or the City Zion in whom the Anointiug dwels and in ●hem and to them the witnesses of those three ●n one is satisfaction enough and the Saints ●ife is bound up in that divine manifestation and ●hey live in that life and see light in that light The son of righteousnes the Lamb the Anointng is the light of that City which makes it Heaven The Testimony of men to the Saints is no●hing they have no peace nor joy in their hearts till God himself do witnesse to them by ● lovely manifestation of himself taking them ●p into his own rest And this is God in three discoveries which make up but one witnesse both in and to Zion the Church not to the World first but to them first and afterward to the World Then there are three that bear witnes in earth The water bloud and Spirit and these three ●re one but one witnesse though 3 denomina●ions making one perfectman Now by Earth understand either the Saints before they have a cleare manifestation before their filthy garments be quite taken off them For then they look upon Christ after the flesh and seek for testimonies of the Fathers love and promise in a ●itterall way and God condescends to the weaknes of their flesh for in the fulnes of time God ●ent his Sonn made of a VVoman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law that we might receive the adoption of Sons according to the promise Gen. 3. 15. Or Secondly by Earth I vnderstand mankind all sects and Nations as they are considered one flesh or one earth of which all of us are made even one created humanity And unto this earth God sends water bloud spirit in two appearences to witnesse this his faithfulnesse that what he spake shall come to pass● That the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpents head God cals these his two witnesses because they are two discoveries of his own wisdom and power For first By water bloud and spirit I understand to be our Lord Jesus the seed of the woman a perfect man according to the flesh who 〈◊〉 the first faithfull and true witnes the humane ●ody of Christ and the eternall spirit that dwelt ●herin or that power which God gave I wil give power to my two witnesses c. And God gave this is power when the holy Spirit descended like a Dove upon Christ Jesus when he was baptized and came straight-way out of the water This power God gives to both his witnesses but to his humane body first If you look into the Evangelist Iohn you shall find that one of the Souldiers with a spear pierced Christs side and forthwith there came out water and blood now the water and blood declared Jesus Christ to be a true and reall man the seed of the Woman according to the word and Councell of God and so the VVord was made flesh and dwelt among us and we saw the glory thereof as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God full of grace and truth Now Physitians say and it is a truth that the heart of man hath adjoyning to it a bladder or skin of water which cools the heat of the bloud Which they call the Pericardium And the Spear piercing Christ to the heart did break that skin of water and so there came out that water and blood that was in his heart this shews he was a man the seed of the Woman And then for the spirit or power that was in Jesus Christ declares him to be one faithfull witnesse for though hisfufferings were so great that he sweat drops of blood yet there was no sin or murmerings against God found in him but he was still full of the sprrint of humility and patience of love and of faithfulnesse to God his Father who had assigned him that cup to drink And likewise was still full of the spirit of love to poor lost sinners that flood in need of this his death or else they could not have bin reconciled to God and this unbsameable spirit of his gives testimony to Heaven and Earth that Christis the great power of God and so the world to the councel of his Father For indeed no son of man besindes him could be found to suffer the like intolerable burden of wrath and yet beare it with such a patient understanding loving faithful and pittiful spirit towards others as Christ did Now this humane body of

in the Earth-quake which are these very master-builders and upholders of the Beast as I shall shew anon Well here is a great Cloud of trouble arises nay it is risen And these four evil Angels subtilty hypocrisie malice and cruelty are very bitter in the spirits of men whom they torment day and night and kill And they have condemned to death all the Saints of God in the Kingdom under the name of Round-heads and they are boldly confident they shall compasse their murther-intent but they shall never do it For the day of the Beast is ended his reign is done and the Saints shall sing that Song in experience Babylon is faln is faln For the spirit of life appears in some already and will appear in more ere long when the showre of hayl falls And God takes up his Saints to himself for the Witnesses are not in killing bnt in rising from death and ascending up to God in this Cloud the Cloud of woe shall not now fall upon them but upon the Inhabitants of the earth who have no other hope or comfort but in this life There are a few words more mentioned in Johns Vision in that eleaventh of the Revelatiticons which being fulfilled declare that the witnesses are not in killing but in rising from death It is said That they of the Nations Kinred Tongues and People shall see their dead bodies lie in the street of the great City three dayes and an half c. These two appearances of God in flesh which testifie of God that is The appearance of God in the man Jesus and the appearance of God in the Saints are said to be dead bodies when they do not act and operate like themselves in the view of them whose names are not written in the Lambs book of life so long as the Beast hath a time to fit in the Temple of God and to shew himself as God no more then the dead bodies of men can do the actions of living men God the Father hath made Christ his Anointing the King Priest and Prophet to bring sinners to God but these Offices of Christ have been trampled upon by the Lawes Canons Acts and Ordinances of the Beast and have not visibly appeared to the world but the anointing of the Father in Jesus and the Saints have been like dead bodies in respect of such operations and have not acted publikely like themselves but have lain all the time of the Beast dead in the eye of the unbelieving world who have rejected them and stumbled at them till the spirit of life from God rayses them up and sets them upon their feet that is till God subdue all enemies under Christs feet the Anointing and give all rule and all authority to him But though the Beast have allowed Christ the name of King Priest and Prophet yet he hath denied Christ both the operation and honour of these three Offices and hath set the Crown of these upon his own head For whiles the Beast declares himself to be so quick-sighted that he can presently discerne what is truth and what is errour and take upon him by his usurped power to punish errours with plundering prisons and death Does he not thereby declare himself to be as God in knowledg knowing good and evil And as God likewise in Majesty by punishing every one that opposes his beastly being and so he declares himself to be an absolute infallible prophet to teach men A King to rule and punish men and a Priest to save men from death by his skil and operation And thus the Beast hath a long time acted these three Offices of Christ as himself pleased and the Anointing in Jesus and the same in the Saints have lain like two dead bodies killed under the hand of the Beast And these two dead bodies were to lie dead three dayes and an half that is the whole reign of the Beast in his three ages and an half As first the time and age of the Dragon which was Majestracy out of joynt that persecuted Christ and his Saints by open violence before the universal Bishop was lifted up by the Dragon and this is the first shape or time or age in which the Serpent appeared to kill the Witnesses Secondly The time and age of the Leopard which is that we call grosse Popery when the universall Bishop bare rule by the authority of the Dragon before there was any Church reformation And this was not so down-right violent but kils the Witnesses by a pretended Law under the names of error for indeed the appearance of God in flesh is far different from the appearance of the Serpent in flesh And the Serpent having a time to act himself and to maintain his being labours to destroy the being of God and calls the appearance of God an errour or deceiver Thirdly The time and age of the Beast with two horns like a Lamb but spake like a Dragon And this is that we call reformed Episcopacy which was of the same nature and had the same authoritive power from the deceived Kings of the earth to make war with Christ his Saints as the former had though a little more hypocritical for it came in sheeps cloathing but it spake like a Dragon for it devoured the sheep by his common Lawes Ecclesiasticall power and high Commission Courts And these two shapes of Popery and Episcopacy are called times because they are two ages or dayes of the Beast maintaining one and the same nature and compulsive and coersive power the one being more grosly abominable the other more hypocritically abominable so that here is time the Dragon and times Popery and Episcopacy faln in the world or three dayes which are visibly past and gone already in this one tenth part of the Citie England c. Here remains in being the dividing of time or halfe day which is called the Image of the Beast because it hath not the Authority of the Beast though it have the Nature and Spirit of the Beast in it And this halfe day or this dividing of time is the age of the Beast under which England Scotland and Ireland doe now groan and it may be a very hot time for the length of it but it will be but short And I have some hopes that God will make this three-fold kingdome being under one Magistracy the tenth part of the City Babylon that shall fall off first from the Beast And this is called the dividing of time because the witnesses are neither under an absolute bondage by Ecclesiasticall Lawes as formerly neither in absolute freedome because the boylings of the foure evill Angels mentioned before in mens spirits both in Magistrates common people and such as they call Ministers are so opposite against them And I beleeve that Gods two witnesses do yet lie dead publickly under the heart-burning power of discontent both of out-side professing