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A63155 The Trial and condemnation of the two false witnesses unto the late Midnight-cry published by Mr. Mason, the author of that great present assembly in Buckinghamshire who are met together under a deluding expectation of Christ's coming to judgment on Whitsunday approaching : shewing of what dangerous consequence this may prove to the present government ... 1694 (1694) Wing T2156; ESTC R37897 23,791 34

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his fellow Witness comes after and tells us he is sure none will ever have a Warrant from God to speak or write against these things And takes upon him very proudly and arrogantly to determine that Satan hath transformed himself into an Angel of Light in Mr. Baxter's appearing against them with a pretence to vindicate the Truth Ex Vngue Leonem c. Surely it becomes these extraordinary Prophets as they would have us take them to be to shew themselves to be Men of God by Meekness and Gentleness even to those who oppose them and in modesty to mention so great a Subject as the Immediate and irreconcilable Destruction of a Kingdom for which God hath but very lately manifested his miraculous Goodness and Power and his infinite patience and long-suffering convincing the most indocible that he is even yet exceeding unwilling to give us up a Victim to the Fury of the Adversary and a Prey unto their devouring Teeth How ought this Consideration to check if not to ●radicate the most bold presumptuous Confidence and self-Opinion ●f our Two new-raised Prophets who if they knew what a godly ●ealousie meant would fear lest they be left by God to the Judgment ●f spiritual Pride lest the Devil hath transformed himself in them act●●g by the delusory Impressions and Impulses of their own Imagina●●on and tempting them in this manner unto such dangerous and almost unparallel Presumption as they seem guilty of in sober and understanding Persons thoughts and how greatly doth it become them ●o lie prostrate in Dust and Ashes lest God in his Judicial Anger ●mite them dead for daring in such a confident manner to enter into the Secret of his Decree and with the Bethshemites to look into the Ark 1 Sam. 6. 19. Their Delusion may evidently appear to any who will please to weigh the following Considerations CONSIDERATION I. Touching God's Predeterminate Will Decree or Purpose concerning Judgment on any Person City or Nation although it be threatned most positively and expresly in Scripture yet they always carry with them a secret or tacit Condition or Limitation and are never to be understood as Irrevocable MANY famous Instances hereof we have in SCRIPTURE 1. God seemed most positive that he would drown the old World repeating his purpose many times without once expressing his Resolution to spare them if they repented at least that we read of but plainly threatning to wait no longer than One hundred and twenty Years Gen. 6. 7 15 17. compared with ch 7. 4. and at the end of that period then to destroy them Yet this had a secret Condition in it with a Resolution to have spared them upon Repentance and God's Patience and long-Suffering towards them in bearing and forbearing so long had a direct tendency unto this great End 1 Pet. 3. 20. compared with Rom. 2. 4. 2. God seems most positive for Pharaoh's Destruction and several Texts plainly tell us God hardned him Exod. 4. 21. 7. 3 13 14. 9. 12 15 16. And S. Paul sets him forth as a famous Figure of that which we call Reprobation Rom. 9. 17 c. Not that God is Active in hardning any Sinner or in tempting any unto Evil as Jam. 1. 13. but only is pleased to deny to some his sanctifying Grace for their abuse of the Strivings of the Spirit in his common Grace or in a Word for sinning unto high degrees against the Light and Conviction of their Illuminating Conscience And because this most just denyal is the Antecedent of that Infallible Consequent viz. Hardness of Heart and Impenitency and bears such an Analogical resemblance of the Cause and it's Effect therefore the Scripture so frequently expresseth it as if God was Active in it as the simple or Physical Cause of hardning wicked Men which in reality is no other than his leaving those self-hardning Sinners who resolve to persist in Sin without fear and trembling against the checks and wounds of their Enlightned Conscience unto the Lusts and Corruptions of their own Hearts which without his Sanctifying Grace will assuredly arise daily unto greater and stronger Rebellions and end in final Obduracy Unbelief and Impenitency Pharaoh was left by God to the liberty and freedom of his own Will for who questions but he had the power to let Israel go as appears plainly from Exod. 3. 19. Chap. 9. 30 34. but he first hardens his own Heart against God before God in his Just Judgment left him to himself as Ex. 5. 3. 8. 15 32. 9. 30 34. And the Heathen Philistines had learnt so much Divinity that the grand Cause of Pharaohs Destruction was to be layd at his own Door and not at Gods in that Famous Text of 1 Sam. 6. 6. God really desir'd Pharaoh should Obey him and had rather he should have Turned and Lived for ever in his Favour then to have perished in his Sin if we dare credit the Scripture and take it in its own express words without Mens Glosses and Coments Exod. 4. 5 8 9. 6. 13 29. 7. 1 2 8. 10. 9. 20. And Chap. 10. 3. puts it yet more clearly out of doubt How long wilt thou yet refuse to humble thy self before me And to make it yet more evident we are to consider that the First Threatning God sent him was The Death of the First-born throughout Aegypt and this Judgment was the same that after all made him bow by force Exod. 4. 23. compared with Ch. 11. 1 4 5. Thus Gods Patience and Long-suffering waited on this self-destroyer to bring him unto Repentance and Salvation as 2 Pet. 3 9. And thus it waiteth at this day on the great Enemies or Oppressors of his Church 3. What more positive than the Destruction of the Canaanites several times Sentenced to be all cut off Exod. 23. 24. Deut. 7. 2 16 20. and if any of them remained it 's expresly forbid to make any Covenant with them Exod. 23. 32 34. 12. 15. Deut. 7. 2. and yet repenting Rahab is preserved and the crafty Gibeonites famous League with Josuah was such a Heavenly Mystery that the Sun and Moon was made to stand still a whole Day while Josuah fought for their defence Josh 9. 15. compared with Ch. 10. 12 13 14. whereby all the World were invited to take Cognisance thereof 4. What more plainly foretold and threatned than the Destruction of the Jews Deut. 29. 28 29. and of Jerusalem by the Babylonians Ezech. 21. 7. 2 Kings 20. 17 18. Ch. 23. 26 27. The last Text telling us this should come to pass for the Sins of Manasse Nor did Hezekiah and Josia the two most Pious Kings of Judah prevail to alter Gods resolution herein notwithstanding their great zeal in Reformation And yet for all this if Zedekiah had gone forth to meet the King of Babylons Princes then he should have lived and Jerusalem had not been burnt notwithstanding all the Predictions of the Prophets from God himself threatning the same as by an Irrevocable Decree Jer.