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B09926 An epistle written (dated the 30th of the 11th month 1659,) and sent from London into the countrey. By a friend to the glorious (though at this day despised) cause of Christ, in answer to a letter sent up to him (dated the 16th of the same month) wherein the following things are treated of, (viz.) 1. The fifth kingdom it self, which the God of Heaven sets up in the latter dayes. 2. The kingdom of the beast which is to be destroyed. 3. The instruments that are to be used in destroying the one and erecting the other; with the way or manner how they are to be used. 4. The time of the beginning of this work. [bracket] First, before Christs personal comming. Secondly, before the call of the Jewes. Thirdly, that it is already begun, and hath taken place in this nation and that Cromwel with the army, hath apostatized from it, and that all the powers, or governments that have been set up since that time, have been, and still are upon the foundation of the apostacy. As also, severall of the particular evills which the army, and others abetting the apostacy are guilty of. Together with, some considerations tendered to the favourers of Christ's righteous cause, wherein is laid down, their duty of separation from Babylon, and from all the parts and branches (both in church and state) of the forementioned apostacy. N. S. 1660 (1660) Wing S119B; ESTC R183121 59,145 52

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and Imprisoned and deep Designes and Plots laid to take away their lives the Great Apostates having even been thirsting for their Blood but such hath been the Wisdome and Over-ruleing hand of God that to this day all their Plots have been disappointed and not one of the Remnant hath suffered to the loss of Life by them and though those now in Power or some that may Succeed them may be permitted to come so high as to take away the Lives of many of Gods people as a judgment from the Lord upon them for their turning aside from the Cause of Christ and joyning in affinity with and pertaking of the Sins of Babylon yet surely the Lord that hath hitherto will still preserve the lives of his Faithfull Remnant whom he shall please to keep for his Son in this evil day In former days the lives of Gods faithfull ones were taken away by the Enemies when according to their own Laws they could not lay so much to their Charge as may be Charged upon the Remnant at this day who according to the VVicked Lawes may be adjudged guilty of the Highest Treason in VVitnessing for and Proclaiming Christ the King in opposition to the Usurpers and yet their lives have been and still are preserved and the reason I understand is not that these Usurpers are better then the Cruell Persecutors in former days but they being in that day when Babylon was filling up her measure and making her self Drunk with the Blood of the Saints and these comming upon an Apostacy after Babylons Cup was full and the Vengance of the Lord by the pouring out of his Vialls being begun upon her though the former were permitted to persecute the Faithfull People of God to death yet these are not suffered so to do because the Dispensation is altered and this Work having taken place though great Tryalls and Deaths are come upon it and a great Apostacy from it yet the Lord suffers not the Work to be so farr turned back as that Babylon should drink any more of Zions Blood the streame being now turned upon Babylon but if Gods people abide in and share of Babylons sins let them not think that because they are the People of God they shall escape her Plagues Rev. 18.4 And though Zion must reward Babylon and the Vialls must come forth of the Temple yet the Lord for wise ends and best known to himself may permit the most VVicked and grosser part of Babylon to execute that part of the Vengance that is to come upon such of his Own People who remaine in and pertake of Babylons sins thereby prevent his Own People from doing that part of the VVork which might be unpleasant to them There are many Objections made against this Truth to wit That the Work of the Fifth Kingdome is begun some of them I have already occasionally spoken to in the forementioned Grounds But the great Stumbling Block that lyeth in the way of many is the Apostacy from and so the Death that is come upon this VVork which makes them ready to say with the Disciples Luke 24.21 VVe trusted it had been he c. When this Cause was publickly own'd by the Lord in the High places of the Field there were many that would cry Hosanna to the Son of David and with much rejoyceing imbrace his Cause but since a Death is come upon it the Number of the true Favourers that publickly own it is become very Small When Christ was upon the Earth in the Days of His Flesh shewing and doing great Signes and VVonders there were many own'd and follow'd him but when he comes to the Judgment Cross and Sepulcher very few continued with him severall eminent Disciples were stumbled not understanding the Scriptures till Christ being risen comes and opens them Luk. 24 25 26 27.45 46 and as the Disciples in that so many of the Professing Generation in this day are through ignorance surprised not understanding or at least not so considering that after the Fifth Kingdome hath taken place in the world there must be such an Apostacy from and Death upon it Now if there be an Apostacy from a VVork the VVork must needs take place before the Apostacy without which there could be no such Apostacy That there must be such a Revolting from and Death upon the Work of this Fifth Kingdome Consider First The several Types thereof contained in the Old Testament as Israels coming out of Egypt to Canaan in which were many Revoltings Turnings back and Deaths upon the Work yea Forty Years was the Tryal upon them before they came to Canaan and for ought we can find from the Scriptures the Lord had not before given them warning or told them of this Death in the Wildernes though he had told them exactly how long they should be in Egypt and given them great grounds for sence to say Is the Lord among us and many might cry out as at this day What Scripture ground is there to believe that such a Death should come upon the Work of the Kingdom and if we had no more ground then we find Israel had to expect such a Death yet as it was theirs so it would be our sin after such wonderful Works of God as he hath wrought among us to say as in Exod. 17.7 Is the Lord amongst us or hath the Lord begun to bring us to the promised glory though God had wrought many wonderful VVorks in the sight of Israel of old yet they understood not his wonders no doubt but they knew that such things were done but they understood not the great Design of God in them Psal 106.7 The Second Typical example is from Davids Kingdom which did clearly Type out this Fifth Kingdom according to Luk. 1.32 If we read 1 Sam. 16. to 2 Sam. 6. we may find many Deaths upon the Work of Davids Kingdom after it was begun First whilst he was pursued by Saul and then after Sauls death he obtains but one Tribe to follow him for Seven years and six Moneths 2 Sam. 2.11 There was War betwixt him and the House of Saul long after Sauls death 2 Sam. 3.1 and in most of the time of that Seven years War his Kingdom was under a great Death also there came a great Death upon his Kingdom when his son Absalom conspired against him and all Israel from Dan to Beersheba followed Absalom and David fled from Jerusalem which was the Kings Seat 2 Sam. 15.16.17 Chapters The Third Typical example is Israels return from the 70. years captivity in Babylon to Jerusalem and their building of the Temple great Deaths and Interruptions did attend that Work both from the enemies of Judah who endeavoured to block up the way and from Gods own People who cryed the time is not yet come though they thought it a time for themselves to dwell in their cieled houses and this may be observed by the way that though the enemies of Judah by force did cause the Work to cease
yet that doth not excuse the neglects and backwardness of Gods People who ought to be valiant for the Truth These things contained in this third Particular being written at large in the books of Ezra Nehemiah Zechariah and Haggai I shal refer you to the reading and comparing of them and shall come in the next place to cite some Prophesies of Scripture which relate to this Fifth Kingdom and do clearly hold forth that there must be such an Apostacy from and Death upon the Work after it hath taken place The First Scripture is Psal 2.1.2.3.4.5.6 The Heathen rage the Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take Councel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us c. By the Bands and cords I understand the Government and Laws of Christ and the breaking in sunder or casting off its Government and Laws must needs hold forth a Rebellion against and a turning from them after they had taken place in the World and then the Lord doth vex them by setting his King c. and after this as in verse 8.9 Christ must have the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for his possession and must break them with a Rod of Iron c. The next Scripture is Hab. 3.2 O Lord revive thy Work c. if we consult the Scope of the words they will appear to be a Prayer for or a Prophesie of the Latter day Work and doth clearly hold forth a Death to come upon it after it hath been begun also he saith O Lord remember mercy which shews that the Work and People of God at that time when this Prayer takes place are very low also Psal 94.15 But Judgement shall return unto Righteousness c. This word doth relate to the time of Gods coming forth in the execution of vengeance as the scope of the Psalm doth manifest and to that part of the time when Gods People are low and the enemies high as verse 16. Who will rise up for me against the evil doers c. also verse 20.21 Now Judgement being to be understood of Rule and Government and by its being with Righteousness I understand the Rule and Government to be upon Christs shoulders in whom alone there is true Righteousness and in the possession of the Saints for and under him and by this Rule and Government returning to Christ and his Saints must imply First that it hath already taken place and Secondly that there is a turning or an Apostacy from it There is another Great objection or stumbling block that I find is laid in the Way at this day about the Two VVitnesses mentioned in Rev. 11. which is this Obj. That the VVitnesses are not yet slain and therefore the VVork of the Fifth Kingdom cannot be begun neither hath the Active dispensation taken place but the Saints must be preparing for and in the expectation of sharp sufferings even to Corporal death as the fulfilling of their Staying Answ First If it should be granted that the Slaying of the VVitnesses must be accomplished in this Island yet If there Two following things be considered it will rather confirm the Truth viz. that the Work is begun then prove a Stumbling Block in the way of it And the First thing is what the VVitnesses are and what their Testimony is and The Second what their Slaying is To the first If the Scriptures be weighed the VVitnesses cannot be understood of Two particular Persons as some have supposed because they are to Prophesie a thousand two hundred and threescore Dayes or Years for the Dayes must be Prophetical a Day for a Year according to Num. 14.34 Ezek. 4.6 All must grant that the Latter Number to wit the Three Dayes and a Half mentioned in Rev. 11 9. must be Prophetically understood and no doubt the Former must in that agree with the Latter and if they must Prophesie so long they cannot be Two Persons for no such singular extraordinary Persons have yet been found in the world since Johns Dayes and there is much ground from the Scripture to believe that the Beast which in verse the 7. Slaves the VVitnesses when they have finished the 1260. Dayes or Years hath not so much time to come of his Reign Much more might be spoken Both from the VVar that is made with them and from the Time of their Lying Dead to shew that they cannot be Two Persons neither can they be understood of the Church of the Jewes and the Church of the Gentiles as Two distinct Churches First because ever since Johns Dayes the Church of the Jews as a Church have been cut off and not in a capacity of bearing VVitness for Christ Secondly when they shall be Called they are not to Come in as a distinct Church but both Jew and Gentile being all One in Christ makes but one Gospel Church but they must be understood of the Faithful People of God who through his Spirit are kept alive in a Testimony for Christ against Antichrist during the time of the Beasts Reign That the People of God or such of them as are kept alive by him are his VVitnesses see Isai 43.10 Chap. 44.8 And they are here called two First because two according to Scripture is a competent Number for VVitness and Secondly their Testimony is two fold viz. for the Magistracy and the Ministry of Christ against the Civil and Ecclesiastical Part of Babylon or Antichrist these being the great Truths Witnessed too and contended for by those that have been enlightned and kept alive for Christ and also the Truths which Antichrist hath most struck at and endeavoured ever since his Reign to Race out if possible from the Face of the Earth that so Himself might Reign alone and this agrees with the Two Anointed Ones to wit Joshua and Zerubbabel the High-Priest and the Governour Zech. 4.11 To the Second thing viz. the Slaying It must either be a Spiritual or a Corporal Slaying It cannot be a Corporal Slaying First because they were so Slain in the time of their Prophesie in Sackcloth but this Slaying being distinguished and taking place when they have finished their Testimony appears to be such a Slaying as they did not partake of before 2ly It cannot be a Corporall Slaying because their Dead-Bodies lie in the streets three Dayes and a Half which must be Prophetical Dayes a Day for a Year for the Rejoycing and sending of Gifts to one another cannot be Accomplisht in so many natural Dayes and if it must be Years then the Slaying cannot be Corporal for none may suppose that such Dead Bodies should lie so long in the streets 3dly it cannot be a Corporal Slaying If we consider the Resurrection of them for it is not the natural life or spirit that enters into them but the Spirit of life from God and if it be considered that there is a space of Time in which they are