the Saints in this life which may very well be rendered as a wildernesse-condition two of which are to be accomplished in spiritual Babylon as Babylon may be rendered a State and a National Church both which particulars concerning this wildernesse are to be understood in a spiritual sense Now the Scripture to prove is Hosea 2. 3. where God doth denounce his judgements against his people in case they do not put away their adulteries from between their brest and because they do not the judgement follows which is to be stript naked and sit as in the day wherein she was born in being made as a wildernesse and set as a dry land and slain with Christ and so it goes on to vers. â—4 Now in this Scripture the condition of the Church of God is remarkably set forth in respect of us who have committed spiritual adultery as it is here spoken of at large And so the first wildernesse condition is accomplished in the last and dreadful desertion of the Church immediately before her great and glorious deliverance out of mystical Babylon which deliverance is as well temporal as spiritual even from the bondage of the creature as in Isai. 9. 4. and 10. 27. and then follows the wildernesse-condition Hos. 2. from vers. 14. to the end We may see the like in Isa. 32. Jer. 30 and 31 Chap. I pray compare these Scriptures which speak of the wildernesse-condition that doth befal the Saints in this spiritual desertion when God hath bereft them of all Now there is another wildernesse-condition in reference to the Saints whilst they are in Babylon which is of another nature as in Revel. 12 where there is mention made of the womans fleeing into the wildernessâ— before she hath wings given her as is spoken in vers 14. to flee into the wildernesse in respect of a local separation which hath been the condition of the Saints ever since the defection from the Faith for the space of one thousand two hundred and threescore days but now it is accomplished in the condition of the Saints which have brought forth a man-childe which man-childe is caught up to heaven unto God and to his throne which shews that the spiritual man in those who are enlightned with that light of God in whose light we see light I say the spiritual man in such a one lives in God though as we are in the flesh we are in Babylon amongst our hateful enemies And so our being in God in this sense may be understood to be that wildernesse into which the woman flees immediately after she hath brought forth a man-childe where she is kept in respect of her spiritual subsistence And this we may likewise observe she is fled into this wildernesse before she is persecuted by the dragon and so hath wings given her to flee away And so I see that this wildernesse in a spiritual sense may be said to be God himself as in Isai. 33. when the Spirit shall be poured down from on high even that wildernesse spoken of in Hos. 2. which we were made in our spiritual desertion shall be a fruitful field and the fruitful field a forest Now having spoken of the wildernesse in the spiritual desertion and after the resurrection into which the woman flees now the main businesse is to prove that the Lord will gather his people into a wildernesse as a wildernesse is to be understood in the letter when the Lord shall gather away his Saints in respect of a local separation from Babylon Now the Scriptures to prove this are as followeth Isa. 35. thorowout Isa. 48. 20 21. Isa. 51. at the beginning Jer. 31. 1 2. Ezek. 34. 25. you may take notice of the whole Chapter Hos. 2. from vers. 14. to the end Revel. 12. 14. I pray compare these Scriptures And so with this I shall close up nothing doubting but that the Lord will in his good time reveal unto his people those things which have been hidden from the beginning of the world whilst that others shall promise to themselves peace and safety when sudden destruction shall come upon them as travel upon a woman with childe but the Saints shall foresee the evil and have an escape The Third Letter Concerning the Resurrection of the dead Dear Friends IT is the will of God to call me forth to heark what he shall say and so accordingly to communicate it in the same giving forth of the Spirit in that here I must make it known to you before I can conceive it in my self Now the main thing that God will speak by me at present is concerning the condition of mankinde after natural death and so likewise of the Resurrection of the body and in this God doth condescend unto my weaknesse in that some few hours since I did retain sad thoughts concerning the state of the Saints departed with those who shall before the glorious manifestation of Jesus Christ in the flesh and so likewise of the redemption of the body which redemption shall be as well temporal as spiritual Now the faithful who are departed this life already with those who shall before this glorious manifestation it doth not appear that they do partake of that glory which they do who shall live unto that time and if that we do not expect the resurrection of the body after the natural death Unto this I answer Though we do not expect such a resurrection as formerly yet we do expect a resurrection of the body mystical for when some of the people of God as in 1 Cor. 15. might object according to their conceiving as the Apostle speaks in that place Some may say How are the dead raised and with what bodies come they forth Thou fool saith he that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die as in vers. 35. and that which thou sowest thou sowest not the body which shall be but bare grain it may be of wheat or some other grainâ—â— but God giveth a body as it pleaseth him and so he goes on to vers 42. so also is the resurrection of the dead it is sown in corruption and it is raised in incorruption it is sown in dishonour and raised in glory it is sown in weaknesse and raised in power it is sown a natural body and raised a spiritual body There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body as it is written The first man Adam was made a living soul and the second Adam was made a quickning spirit And so it follows unto vers 47 where it is said As we have born the image of the earthly so we should bear the image of the heavenly that is as we now bear the image of the earthly that is the image of Christ in the flesh so we shall bear the image of the heavenly Christ who is said to be a quickning spirit and here we are raised a spiritual body for the body is Christ and so the spiritual bodies of the Saints are not distinct one
priests to God to offer up spiritual sacrifice when the Lord shall have thus purified the sons of Levi by this anointing that they may bring an offering to him in righteousnesse as in Mal. 3. Here I have made a digression But now if God will put words into my mouth I shall speak as concerning the resurrection of the body and the state of mankinde after natural death Now in the first place it is clear in Scripture that there is no resurrection of the natural body but that resurrection spoken of is the resurrection of the body mystical which is to be understood in two particulars First a resurrection in this life out of a spiritual desertion as I have formerly spoken of at large Now there is another resurrection of the mystical body in respect of the Saints departed concerning which Christ speaks to Martha when she did answer to our Saviour according as the people of God do now adays as they do conceive of spiritual mysteries But when our Saviour said unto her Thy brother shall rise again she replied I know that he shall rise again at the resurrection at the last day But here we may observe though our Saviour doth not contradict Martha in plain terms yet he speaks quite contrary to her conceivings for saith he I am the resurrection and the life whosoever believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die So that from this it is clear that death natural is not death and the resurrection of the natural body is not life because we know by experience that the people of God that live and believe in Jesus do die a natural death And so this resurrection spoken of in Scripture is to be understood in a spiritual sense as in the first place a resurrection out of a spiritual desertion which the death and resurrection of Christ did typifie as now that Christ suffered as our surety and so as a sinner and though he was put to death in the body yet he did not die as other men but onely lay down his body for it was said of him that God would not leave his soul in grave neither suffer his body to see corruption for he laid down his life to take it up again Now as Christ was slain by our sin as our surety so we are slain by our iniquities in a spiritual sense as it was spoken of Ephraim Hos. 13. 1. to the 15. And not onely doth the resurrection of Christ typifie the resurrection of the Saints out of spiritual desertion as in Isa. 26. and Hos. 6. but the resurrection of Christ did typifie the resurrection of the whole mystical body after natural death as before spoken And likewise it is said when Christ comes in glory all the Saints are gathered together from the four windes which shews a general resurrection as well of those that are departâ—d as those which shall be alive at that time And in Dan. 7. it is said when the ancient of days did sit thousands and thousands stood before him and ten thousand times ten thousand did minister unto him Now as I have formerly said this is not to be understood of the natural body but the resurrection of the mystical body compleat in one Now having spoken of the resurrection of the Saints after their natural death I shall now God assisting speak concerning the state of the wicked according as God shall give it in to me As the glory and joy of the Saints in heaven is unspeakable concerning which Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither hath it at any time entered into the heart of man to conceive which now is revealed to us by the Spirit though it cannot be apprehended in the carnal sense as we are flesh so on the contrary that horrour of conscience and torment which shall be in the wicked is likewise unspeakable For when a wicked man dies in respect of his natural death that spirit of God which is in a wicked man returns to God again and so God and the wicked man is separated for ever and ever and so God ceaseth to be Love as to them and the creature is given up unto the devil to be tormented to all eternity which torment begins in the day of judgement and perdition of wicked and ungodly men and so it is clear in Scripture the wicked are not to be tormented until that time for a spirit is not capable of torment but when it is in the body and so the spirit of the devil that is in a wicked man shall remain unto all eternity And as in the day of judgement and perdition of wicked men there shall be a separation between the sheep and the goats the Saints and the Wicked even so likewise shall Christ appear and all his Saints with him which make but one incomprehensible God one Body which is Christ so this incomprehensible God this Christ the manifestation of the Father shall appear in those living Saints who shall live successively and so this glorious manifestation shall come in more and more until the incomprehensible God be comprehended in the Saints And then when it is thus the body shall be clothed upon and mortality shall be swallowed up of light and these very bodies of flesh shall be annihilated and brought to nothing Now as this glorious manifestation of God shall appear in the flesh of the Saints which is that resurrection spoken of in that we are raised a spiritual body so on the contrary all the infernal spirits which have acted in the spirits of the children of disobedience from the beginning of the world shall be comprehended in one body which is a spiritual body likewise the spirit of the devils and so all these infernal spirits being comprehended in one shall be manifested in the flesh of the wicked when God shall say Go ye cursed into utter darknesse where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth world without end For the worm shall never die and the fire shall never be quenched And so it is clear from Scripture that all the infernal spirits shall be tormented in the bodies of the wicked who shall live until the day of Judgement because as I have formerly said a spirit is not capable of torment but a spirit is capable of joy concerning which we have a cloud of witnesses in the Scriptures in what God hath revealed to his people And now to this we shall finde that the devil speaks to Christ in those who were possest which came out of the graves very fierce who cried out What have we to do with thee O Jesus the Son of God art thou come to torment us before the time And from this Scripture the bodies of the wicked whose time of torment shall be when God hath destroyed death and hell in his Saints which is all darknesse all fear and terrour all vexation of spirit which the Saints are subject to before the glorious manifestation but when God shall appear thus in his Saints then hell and death which remain yet in the flesh after the beginning of this manifestation though the spiritual man be destroyed shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death and so the Saints may be said to torment the wicked as the devil spake to Christ which time of judgement is not yet begun but when the Lord shall give a deliverance unto all his people both from the spiritual bondage and out of the spiritual desertion then begins this hell to the devil and his angels which shall be in the bodies of the wicked as in Zech. 14. 12. Isai. 66. last With this I shall close up this Discourse committing both you and this unto that God who will bring to light those things which have been a long time hidden in darknesse nay he will make known that which hath been kept secret from the beginning of the world not onely that which was made known to the Prophets of old and the Apostles who saw no further then the letter onely that which God did reveal unto them by the Spirit which was to be accomplished in that age for they did onely see Christ in the flesh and so they did see Christ as thorow a vail and accordingly they did expect more glorious manifestations which should appear to them who live unto the time of the glorious appearing of the second coming of Christ which manifestation doth now begin to some in whom the day-Sâ—ar doth appear So I shall ever remain yours in Christ Elizabeth Avery FINIS
be shaken but our heaven without us hath been shaken which is the Ordinance and hath likewise been taken away for when God withdraws and doth not appear in it then all is gone But howsoever here is matter of unspeakable comfort to the Saints even at this time wherein the powers of heaven are shaken and shall likewise vanish away because that which remains cannot be shaken though it be dissolved ceasing to appear in that manner as formerly as covered with a vail but now we shall see face to face Now having spoken at large concerning the heavens being on fire which is dissolved to some and shall be dissolved to all when the Saints shall see God as he is because the Ordinance which is that vail that hath hid the glory of God from us whilst we live so lowe in the earth is taken away because we could not see God and live except he had been so covered but when this vail shall vanish away like smoke Isa. 51. and be rolled together like a scroll Revel. 6. 14. and every mountain and hill shall be removed out of his place and heaven shall be shaken and the earth shall be removed out of his place in the wrath of the Lord Isa. 13. 13 14. Heb. 12 God saith that once more I will not shake earth onely but also heaven Now this once more signifies the removing of those things which are shaken that the things which cannot be shaken may remain And our Saviour saith Heaven and earth shall passe away but my word shall not passe away which is God himself Now that which vanisheth and passeth away and is shaken and taken away as in these Scriptures here quoted heaven which is here spoken of is the Ordinances which shall passe away when God appeareth in his glorious manifestations when he comes into his Temple Mal. 3. 1 c. But it is said Who can abid his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth Heaven passeth away now with a great noise there is great trouble in the Saints when this shall be Now heaven which is the Word of God in distinction to that heaven which passeth away with a great noise v. 10. though this heaven which is the word of God shall be dissolved it remains the same in nature though not in such a grosse substance Now when it is thus dissolved there is more spiritual efficacy in it then before in that this Word shall become flesh as is spoken of Christ 1 Joh. 1. And so as the Word of God did become flesh in Christ our elder brother so this Word shall become flesh in all the Saints when God shall be manifested in their flesh and they likewise shall be declared mightily to be the sons of God by the Resurrection from the dead not the Resurrection of the body natural which we do not expect in that manner as formerly we conceived but the resurrection from the dead in a spiritual sense Now concerning the resurrection of the bodies of the Saints which is expected after their natural death it is to me a mystry as yet and so I conceive it is to most of the Saints As for that resurrection which is held forth commonly in the Scripture it is in part made known unto me 〈◊〉 to be dead with Christ and so to be risen with him Now to be dead with Christ the Apostle saith is to be dead unto the Ordinances and all vails and shadows and to be risen with him is to live in God in seeing eye to eye when God shall bring again Sion Isai. 52. And so that resurrection which we do expect is not the resurrection after death but a resurrection in a spiritual sense whilst we are in the flesh before the state of glory and it is a resurrection out of a spiritual defection which we have been brought into being slain by our iniquity as Hos. 13. where God saith O Ephraim thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help Onely here is a difference in the cause of the death of Christ and the cause of this death in the Saints in a spiritual sense Now the cause of the death of Christ was the sin of mankinde as the Scripture speaketh but the Saints are slain by their own sin Now here will arise a Question How can it be said that the Saints are slain by their iniquities seeing Christ hath satisfied for the sins of the whole world Answ. It is true the satisfaction which was in Christ it was a sufficient ransome for in that the whole Creation is redeemed from the curse of the â—aw and if all did believe all should have benefit by this redemption for it is evident that none are damned but for the sin of unbelief as the Scripture declares in divers places So howsoever though there be such a sufficient ransome yet none have benefit by it but those who do believe and unto them the guilt and malediction of sin is taken away but though the guilt and malediction of sin be taken away by this redemption and so the Saints cannot be slain by their iniquity in respect of the spiritual man yet they are slain in their own apprehension when they are bereft of all joy and comfort in the spirit in that God hath withdrawn himself from them And here it may be said they are put to death with Christ in that they are conformable to his sufferings in respect of the spiritual desertion that Christ was in who in the days of his flesh did pour out strong prayers with crying and tears as in the Hebrews and so likewise the Saints are to be conformable to Christ their Head in being slain by the cruel hatred of the wicked in respect of reproach c. And so the Saints may be said to be slain with Christ when they are slain by their iniquities as in the first Chapter of Hosea When Ephraim saw his sicknesse and Judah his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to king Jareb yet could be not heal nor cure him of his wound for saith God I will be unto Ephraim as a lion and as a young lion to the house of Israel I will tear and go away I will take away and none shall rescue And then God returns to his place until they do acknowledge their offences in their afflictions they will seek him early And so the resurrection of Christ follows in the sixth Chapter where those which are thus slain in a spiritual sense take unto themselves these words and say Come let us return unto the Lord for he hath wounded and he will heal after two days he will revive us and the third day we shall live in his sight So in Hos. 13 it is said that Ephraim had destroyed himself as we may see in the words following in that death follows for it is said that Ephraim was an unwise son for he should not have stood still in the breaking forth of children but he doth stand still and in