Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A51574
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The acts of the witnesses of the spirit in five parts / by Lodowick Mvggleton ..., left by him to be publish'd after's death.
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Muggleton, Lodowick, 1609-1698.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing M3040; ESTC R11186
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121,881
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188
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and he doth it not their Condision is worse than the VVicked Which thing I was afraid to think of 13. Also I was afraid to question or doubt of Gods Prerogative Power in raising the Dead at the last Day or performing his Promise to Abraham Isaack and Jacob and the rest of the Seed of the Lord But I could have been glad if there had been no Resurrection at all neither of the Righteous nor Unrighteous 14. But thought I what is that to me if I be raised to Hell-Fire Then I reasoned in myself saying It is above Five Thousand Years since the Creation of this World and perhaps it may last Five Thousand Years more then shall I ly still in the Earth a great while before I am raised So that I shall escape the Torments of Hell for a long time thinking to have Hope in this Argument 15. But I was thrown out here immediately and my Hope cut-off for the Answer said VVhat if it should be Five Thousand Years before thou art raised again consider it will not be a quarter of an Hours time before thou art raised again 16. For there is no time to the Dead all time is to the Living for it will not be thought a quarter of an Hour by Adam the first Man when he is raised from the Dead he shall not think he hath been in the Grave one quarter of an Hour 17. Then I conceived if a Man slept a sound Sleep three Days that is no time to him Time is known to him that was awake that three Days 18. So this yielded me no Comfort but increased my Fears of Hell the more 19. One Argument more I had arising in me thinking to have got some Ease and Hope here Thought I this World hath been so many Thousand Years already and may be as many more for ought I know 20. And there hath been many Millions of People since the Creation more than can be numbered and more than be numbered hath been drowned in the Sea and other places 21. Sure said I in myself God cannot remember every perticular Person since the Creation thereof Thought I perhaps God may forget me and not raise me again then shall I ly still and be quiet and be as happy never to be as those that are raised to eternal Joys 22. But the Answer to this speak with a strong motional Voice saying How wilt thou know whether any is missing when God doth raise the Dead How canst thou tell whether any perticular Person is wanting by Sea or Land that is not raised 23. But however said the Voice if there be any wanting that is not raised God will be sure to raise thee 24. Then had I no more to say nor to plead for myself but must yield and submit to the prerogative Will of God if he would save me he might if he would damn me he might I could no ways prevent his Will 25. And this was my Resolution seeing the Case in matter of Salvation so with me that it lay in God's prerogative Will only I was resolved to seek after him in Forms of Worship no more 26. But as I had been always kept innocent and upright in Heart towards that God I knew not and Just between Man and Man and never had committed any deadly Sin to trouble my Conscience so I was resolved to keep myself free from Sin to the end of my Life 27. Thinking that if I were damned meerly by Gods prerogative Will my Torment would be the more easy 28. Here a secret Voice said Tho thy Torment may be easier than others yet it is eternal 29. This Word Eternity caused my Heart to fail within me yet I resolved in myself to live justly and get as good a Livelyhood as I could in this World and let God do what he would with me after Death 30. All this Dispute which I have written before and a great deal more it was in one Day CHAP. XIII The Prophets submitting to Gods prerogative Power immediately wrought in him Peace and Quietness of Mind even to all admiration in Wisdom and ravishing Excellencies 1. IN the next place I shall give the Reader a little account of the Ephects of this Dispute as follows 2. When I had done this I was quiet and still in my Mind but very Melancholy and faint and sickly with the Trouble of my all Day in this Dispute which was in my Mind 3. Neither could I quiet my Thoughts untill I did submit to God's prerogative Power 4. There was abundance more of motional Voices spake in me that Day besides what I have here set down but these were the most remarkable to be taken notice of by the Reader yet it was a blessed Day to me as it will appear hereafter by that which followeth 5. After this that very same Night the Windows of Heaven were opened to me and the Fountains of the Water in Heaven were broken up and the Water of Life run down from Heaven upon me 6. And the Spirit of Faith in my Heart here on Earth did arise up with sweet Waters of Peace so that I said in myself as Peter did in another Case It is good for me to be here for I was in the Paradice of Heaven within Man upon Earth neither could I desire any better Heaven 7. Then was the Scriptures opened unto me so swiftly and more swiftly than my Understanding could receive it and the Waters of Life run down from the understanding of the Scriptures abundantly And the knowldge of the Scriptures flowed in upon my Understanding faster than I could receive it and yet I thought my Mind was very swift 8. Then was no saying of Scripture too hard for me to understand Then I saw that the assurance of eternal Life here on this side of Death it lay in understanding the Scriptures 9. Then I marvelled no longer at the Fathers of Old in their expressing their Faith in God and depending upon Gods Promises to them 10. Also I saw the Excellency of the Prophets Prophesies Neither did I wonder any more at Paul's Expressions when he was wrapt up into the third Heaven and saw things unutterable 11. Neither could I utter the Revelations of the Scriptures as was poured upon me at that time nor the Joy and Peace I received from the Revelation of the Scriptures 12. For it brought unto my Mind all my Experience I had formerly and shewed what did uphold me at that time even a single upright Heart before God and Man 13. Then the assurance of eternal Life cast out all Doubts and Fears of Condemnation neither did I ever doubt of that more after that day 14. Then I praised the Scriptures highly which I had laid aside several years before 15. Then did I see it was not in vain to submit to Gods prerogative Will and to wait in patience 16. Here was that saying of Scripture fulfilled in me Isaiah 42.16 And I will bring the Blind by a Way that they knew
yet we shall be sav'd by believing in John Reeve's Writings now he is Dead 14. This is just like the Faith of all the World that believeth the Prophets and Apostels that are Dead many hundred Years before they where Born but would not have believed them when they where alive No more then their Fathers did For it is the Nature of Reason to believe dead Prophets rather then living Prophets and it is the Nature of Faith to believe live Prophets rather then dead Prophets for a living Faith believeth a living Man but a dead Faith believeth a dead Man and thus the Seed of reason dealeth by me 15. But to this I say this Faith will not save you nor do you little good in the Day of Trouble why because God did not chuse John Reeve Singuler but God chose us two Joyntly so that there could be no seperation but by Death and seeing God hath Honoured me to be the longer Liver he hath given me a double Power as he did to the Prophet Elisha when Ely's Mantle fell upon him 16. So that God hath seated and established the Commission wholy upon me so that the Prophet now alive doth stand in God's place and doth Represent his Person to make Peace with Men neither can any Man have true Peace in his Soul but by casting himself by Faith wholy upon the Prophet that is now alive 17. Now if it where possible for this live Prophet to disown the Commission of the Spirit but it is not possible then should he be found a false Prophet and will be Damned then all that believes him will be Damned also this must be ventured by all Men and Women that are saved by Faith in a Commission 18. But as Christ spake many hard Words which made many forsake him So likewise the Prophet hath spoken many hard Words as those Assertions where by some that where his Disciples were offended at him and forsooke the Prophet and followed him no more this hath been the practice of some in all Commissions 19. But Woe will be to all that set the Hand of Faith to the Plow of Obedience to the Prophet and look back as Lots Wife did or draw back unto perdition whose Faith doth not hold out to the end that they might be said 20. And in this Sence if the Prophet should disown the Commission of the Spirit all those that believed him would be Damned 21. As to the Ninth Assertion in answer thereunto behold the Power of a Prophets blessing that though a Man walke contrary to the Commission his Faith is in Yet the Condemnation of his Conscience it shall not Reach unto Eternity but unto the Graves Mouth why because the Rememberance of the Prophets blessing is in him and doth uphold him else his Sin might make him despair of Eternal happiness and fear Eternal Torments 22. Also the Prophet cannot call back his blessing again though the Man doth walk contrary to the Commission whereby his own Conscience is Wounded and the Prophet Dishonoured Yet the Man keeping to the Prophets blessing not Rebeling against him the Prophets Faith and Love abideing in him will uphold him so that the fear of Eternal Death shall not surprise him 23 So that all his Condemnation he hath in his Conscience and disgrace he hath received in this World it shall end in Death and shall never be remembered in the Resurrection all his misdeeds shall be buried in the Grave and never rise again and that Faith he had in the Prophets blessing and the Prophets blessing shall be raised again to the Glorious Estate of Saints and Angels 24. And there shall be no Remembrance in the Resurrection of any Failings on this side of Death but the Faith he had in the Prophet's Blessing only shall uphold him and free him from eternal Torments and this is more than any legal righteous Man can attain unto though his Nature be ever so pure 25. So that a Prophet's Blessing is of no small weight nor of any small concernment but as the Blessing of Almighty God for whoever receiveth a Prophet that is true receiveth God and what is the Blessing of a Prophet but everlasting Life 26. And shall not this support and uphold a Man above all the Frailties of Nature 27. And in this Sence he that keeps the Prophet's Blessing tho he be subject to many Frailties of Nature which is contrary to the Commission yet his Condemnation of Concience shall extend no further than the Graves Mouth 28. Thus I have given Answer to all those Nine Assertions which VVilliam-Medgate hath drawn up as a Charge against me saying they are contrary to all Truth and against all Sober Reason The End of the Forth Part. The Fifth Part. CHAP. I. Of one Sr. John James's Opression of Widow Brunt and of her Death The Prophet left her Executor and how he would not sell his Birthright but Arrested Sr. John James's Tenants Of his great Troubles and Tryals 1. AFter this it came to pass that in the Year 1675 and 1676 that great Troubles did persue me both upon a Natural and a Spiritual Account through the Envy of wicked Men as will appear by what doth follow 2. There was a certain rich Man being covetous and cruel he was a Knight his Name was called Sr. John James he through his cruelty and covetousness did take away a matter of 30 Foot long and 4 Foot broad and a brick Wall that closed in this parcel of Ground and a Pump that stood in this Ground to considerable Vallue the Womans Name was Deborah Brunt and this he lett to another Tenant of his to make his Yarde wider 3. Also this Knight did lett another part of his Yarde to a Timber-Merchant and this Tenant of his did stop up the Light of the poor Widow's House with his Timber insomuch that it was a great Hindrance and Loss to the Widow in that no Tenant would live in it This rich Man did and she could no way deliver herself but her Right was clearly taken from her for ever for this rich Man had stated it upon his Two Tenants and they enjoyed it for a Season 4. It came to pass in a while after this Widow Brunt dyed and I was her Executor and I performed her Will in every particular according to the Laws of England and I knowing this rich Man had taken away these Things before mentioned from the poor Widow that was her Right which Widow I had been as a Father unto several Years before and did more for her than her Husband could do for her had he lived 5. So that I thought in myself I would not like prophain Esau to sell my Birthright for a Mess of Pottage but would gain that the poor Widow had lost wrongfully whereupon I did according to Law arest these two Tenants for Trespass and Damage 6. The Men I went to Law withal were Three one was Denis Swenye a notable wicked Devil the others were Charles