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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A26260 Scripture-prophecies opened which are to be accomplished in these last times, which do attend the second coming of Christ : in several letters written to Christian friends / by E. Avery. Avery, E. (Elizabeth) 1647 (1647) Wing A4272; ESTC R2586 37,649 53

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so after that the glorious state of the Church follows Others likewise do conceive that the Jews shall be converted to the Faith before the end And so concerning the glorious state of the Church most conceive it in a spiritual sense yet some do not deny but that there shall be a temporal power which shall go forth from the Saints as in Revel. 2. 16 17. and Psal. 2. which is the Kingdom of the Saints that is begun even here in Babylon amongst their implacable enemies as Mic. 4. from vers. 8. unto the end Dan. 2. 41. Now I shall not undertake to confute any of these particulars by force of Argument but I shall shew how far I can joyn with them and where I differ Now in the first place Whereas the Saints do expect a dissolution of all things at the last day when the Son of man shall come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and all the Saints with him in like manner who shall be gathered together by the sound of a trumpet as in 1 Cor. 15. and 1 Thess. 4 and 5 Chap. concerning which time the Scriptures are as follow Isai. 2. towards the end Isa. 13. Isa. 51. 6. Isa. 66. Psal. 50. Revel 6. 13. unto the end Reve● 20. all which Scriptures and many more speak of the day of Judgement and unto this I will assent in that I do verily believe that the glorious state of the Church shall not be until all these things be fulfilled which are spoken in these Scriptures as our Saviour saith Heaven and earth shall passe away but my word shall not passe away for that cannot be shaken because it is the foundation of the new heaven and the new earth as Isa. 51. 16. which is not to be understood of the written Word for that shall passe away when all things are fulfilled Now that Word of God which continues for ever is God himself as Joh. 1. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and that Word was God so that as God was from all eternity so this Word of God continues to all eternity and sure this Word begins to be manifested in the Saints 1 Joh. 4. though it hath been a long time hidden Howsoever though I do joyn in this that the glorious state of the Church shall not be till these visible things are passed away yet I differ from them in the matter which shall passe away and in the manner how it shall passe away and by what means it shall passe away Now that matter which shall passe away is generally conceived to be this visible heaven and earth at the last day and by what means by fire and in what manner it is made forth at large 2 Pet. 3. where it is said that the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night wherein the heavens shall passe away with a great noise and the element shall melt with fervent heat and the earth with the works therein shall be burnt up Now I say I do differ in all these particulars in some sense for I differ First in the matter which shall passe away for I do not conceive that these visible heavens shall be dissolved and so consequently of that which follows Unto this some may reply Doth not the Apostle Peter speak plainly that the heavens and earth are reserved to fire against the day of judgement and perdition of wicked and ungodly men To this I answer If you do observe the Apostle Peter in the words foregoing you shall finde that he makes distinction between the world that perished by water and the heavens and earth which now are which are said to be reserved to fire whereas this visible heaven and earth as it is understood in the letter to be the firmament and the earth that we live in as it was distinguished in the Creation it is the same as it was from the beginning as the mockers say vers. 4. Now whereas the Apostle makes this distinction between the heaven and earth which was before the flood and the heaven and earth that now is whereas it is the same in the letter none will deny I say from this distinction of the Apostle in this Scripture and many other Scriptures which joyn in this I do conclude that these Scriptures which we have formerly conceived to concern the dissolution of this visible heaven and earth do onely concern the passing away of the Ordinances which is that heaven wherein God hath appeared gloriously unto the unspeakable consolation of the Saints and this earth here spoken of is the best part of man as his natural wisdom and humane learning and gifts not onely common gifts but spiritual gifts whereby they are enabled to speak unto edification which may be comprehended under the same notion for the Apostle speaks as if the wicked may have the common gifts of the Spirit Now those gifts that the Saints have been carried forth in of late do evidently appear to be that element which melts with servent heat But here you may observe that though heaven in our sense is thus on fire 2 Pet. 3. 12. yet it is but dissolved and the element is but melted onely here is a difference between heaven and the element for heaven onely ceaseth to be in that manner as it was in grosse yet there is no alteration in the nature of it as when we say the Parliament is dissolved the men continue the same onely it ceaseth to be a body Politick and likewise our precious Cordials as Bezer are not effectual to our good untill they be dissolved into some liquid matter so God who is our heaven in the Ordinance for there can be no heaven without him And so when God which is our heaven shall be thus dissolved and cease being covered with a vail then this vail shall vanish away like smoke which vail is the Ordinance and heaven being dissolved the Saints are in a capacity to contain this heaven in the flesh and surely God who is our heaven shall appear in the flesh of all his Saints shortly in his glorious manifestations for as the Apostle Peter saith We according to his promise look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse which is not a heaven without us as before in the Ordinances and the teachings of men but it is a heaven within us even God manifested in the flesh of his Saints as in the humanity of Christ Now the Saints stand in the same relation to God as our elder brother Christ whilst they are in the state of imperfection as John saith We are the sons of God but it doth not appear what we shall be but when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and then are the sons of God manifest Now we see that we are no losers though our heaven being on fire hath been dissolved for now we have our heaven within us that cannot
standing still he dieth But what saith God I will ransome him from the power of the grave I will redeem him from death O death I will be thy plague O grave I will be thy destruction repentance shall be hid from mine eyes Howsoever all his former fruitfulnesse shall be blown away as in the words following in the next Chapter where those which are thus ransomed as before take unto themselves these words and say They shall no more look unto Idols they shall no more seek unto Ashur nor any carnal confidence but they shall wait on the Lord and in him shall they trust And those who have attained unto a resurrection with Christ if they go on to know the Lord he shall return as the rain and as the later rain upon the earth And those that shall attain unto this resurrection as before spoken shall grow up as calves in the stall as Mal. 4. And those likewise which are thus risen with Christ shall be secured in the chamber spoken of in Isa. 26. in respect of the spiritual man whilst the Lord comes out of his place to destroy the works of the flesh in us which are the inhabitants of the earth in a spiritual sense and the chamber is God himself wherein the spiritual man liveth in security and peace even that man-childe spoken of Revel. 1. who is caught up to God and to his throne which man-childe shall rule all nations with a rod of iron even this spiritual man shall be secured when the heavens are shaken and the earth is removed out of its place yea the spiritual man in those who are living at the coming of Christ which never died in respect of the spiritual desertions even that part of the Church which doth remain when two parts are cut off and die as in Zech. 18. from vers. 8. to the end I say the spiritual man both in those that are risen at the coming of Christ with those that are risen from the dead shall be caught up into the clouds to meet the Lord in the air Now these clouds are not the clouds of the air but the clouds of heaven which are the Saints themselves which shall witnesse that all this is done Christ's being taken up into the clouds of this visible firmament did typifie the taking up of the Saints spiritually unto God concerning which we have a cloud of witnesses in the Saints and accordingly do expect Christ coming in glory spiritually and all his Saints with him as the Scripture speaks Now having spoken at large concerning the heavens being dissolved which remains the same in nature though it ceaseth to be in that manner as before and having likewise spoken of the Saints being dead and risen with Christ spiritually Now in the next place I shall make forth so far as God shall reveal that which followeth And in the first place concerning those elements which melt with fervent heat which certainly is to be understood to be the glorious truths which are held forth in Babylon in which there is great mixture of Errour that may very well be compared unto that head of gold and the brest and arms of silver of the great Image Dan. 2. which shall be tri●d by the fire of the Spirit and though the truths cannot burn yet they shall be melted and the fire shall try every mans work whether it be of God or no and I am sure if any man build on the foundation wood hay or stubble it shall be burnt up with this fire which tries and refines the Truths and the Saints and so the melting of these elements which are the Truth shall but refine them as silver and purifie them as gold and so it loseth nothing but drosse which is the earth and the works thereof that shall be burnt up as follows in this Scripture which burning we have formerly conceived to be the utter consummation of this visible earth in which we live but now we finde it otherwise in that the books which were sealed begin now to be opened even that which was hidden from the Prophets and Apostles and Christ himself as man who speaks concerning the end of the world that of that day and hour knoweth no man but the Father onely but when God shall appear in his glorious manifestations in the Saints and the enemies of God shall behold the glory of the Saints when the Lord shall make bare his holy arm in the sight of all the Nations and all the ends of the earth shall behold the salvation of the Lord Isa. 52. but unto their horrour and amazement Zech. 13. So you see that the earth before spoken of which shall be burnt up is not the earth we live in which is harmlesse in it self for sure it can do no evil but by the blessing of God it doth much good though not of it self yet according to the providence of God who maketh the sun to shine and the rain to fall that the earth may bring forth fruit and sure every creature of God is good in its kinde and therefore the earth cannot be said to be evil nor her works evil and accordingly it shall not be burnt up for the curse is taken from the earth in that redemption that was in Christ and in that the earth is not fruitful but brings forth briars and thorns and the like it is not because the earth is evil but onely a just judgement of God to make a fruitful Land barren for the sins of them that dwell in it and so we cannot finde in Scripture that this visible heaven and earth are to have an end for we finde to the contrary that they are to continue as in Jer. 33. 25. and 35. 36. and likewise it is said in the Psalms and in Ecclesiastes that the earth endureth for ever and so where it is said that the heavens and earth that now are are kept by the same word in s●ore reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of wicked and ungodly men this ye see is to be understood otherwise then hath been formerly Now I shall make forth in brief concerning those things which do remain according as God shall reveal the meaning of this Scripture Now in the first place where it is said that the heavens and earth which now are in distinction from that heaven and earth which were before the flood which if you do understand it in the letter is the same as it was from the Creation and therefore as I have before spoken the heaven and earth which now is is to be understood in a spiritual sense as the heavens to be the glorious Ordinance wherein God hath appeared and the earth to be wisdom and gifts and the like these heavens and earth are to be reserved to fire against the day of judgement of wicked and ungodly men Unto this some may object How can this heaven and earth you speak of be reserved to fire for the destruction of wicked