the praiers of all Saints were offered upon the golden Altar that then the Angel took the Censor and filled it with fire of the Altar and cast it into the earth and there were voices and thunderings and lightnings and an earth-quake So that this is the power that Saints have to devour their enemies and though their enemies be never so high and potent yet they are not so high nor so potent but they can reach them either to kill or destroy them or to binde and imprison them And this is further witnessed unto by the Psalmist Psalme 149. 6 7 8 9. where speaking of the Saints saies he Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the Gentiles and punishments upon the people to binde their Kings with chains and their Nobles with fetters of iron to execute upon them the judgement written This honour have all his Saints Here the Psalmist speaks of executing vengeance upon the Gentiles and punishments upon the people of binding Kings in chains and Nobles in fetters of iron Why Who must doe thus Must it not be some great and mighty Potentate No but this is to be done by Saints and that not only by some Saints but as well by the weakest of Saints as by the strongest For this honour have all his Saints All Saints doe execute vengeance upon their enemies If any man will hurt them fire proceedeth out of their mouth from their praiers proceedeth a fire of wrath and devoureth their enemies And if any man will hurt them he must in this manner be killed As a fire proceedeth out of their mouth that devoured their enemies in general so if any man will hurt them he must in the same manner be killed that is by the fire that proceedeth out of their mouth Verse 6. These have power to shut heaven that it rain not in the daies of their prophesie As the fire mentioned in the former verse was not material fire but it was mystically spoken so the rain here mentioned is to be mystically understood as it is in severall places of Scripture I will cite but only two places for they will be sufficient and in both of them what is to be understood by water or rain is declared As Isa 44. 3. I will pour water upon him that is thirstly and flouds upon the dry ground Now would we know what is here meant by water and flouds it follows in the next words I will pour my spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring So that here the Spirit and the blessings of heaven are expressed by water and by flouds The other place is Joh. 3. 38 39. He that beleeveth on me as the Scripture hath saâ—d out of his belly shal flow rivers of living water The next verse explains this This he spake of the Spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive So that we see what the Scripture means by water when it speaks mystically of it so that it is in this sence that the Saints are said here during the prevalency of the Beast to shut heaven that it rain not for it cannot be understood of materiall rain for that hath been extended to the unjust as to the just and if materiall rain should be with-held the Saints and Witnesses might have as well suffered by the with-holding of it as others no it is not the with-holding of materiall rain but a greater judgement then that for as the Saints had power to bring a fire of wrath upon their enemies so to shut up the rain of spirituall blessings that the flouds of the spirit do not descend upon them But whereas the Saints are like the tree that is planted by the rivers of water that is alwaies green and flourishing their enemies are for want of these waters as a dry tree that brings forth no fruit and must be hewen down and cast into the fire That it rain not in the daies of their prophesie We see what the daies of their prophesie is at the third verse where they are said to prophesie cloathed in sackcloth a thousand two hundred and threescore daies which hath been shewed to be so many years which is the tearm of time which the Gentiles the Beast is to prevail and the holy City the Saints are to be troden under foot these we see are said to be the daies of their prophesying cloathed in sackcloth not but that they might prophesie after that time is expired but those were the daies of their prophesying in sackcloth because they are troden under foot and they are given to the Beast the Babylonians and during these daies of their prophesying in sackcloth they have power to shut heaven that it rain not spirituall blessings upon their enemies And hath it not been even thus Hath not the Beast and all his adherents been as dry trees and have they not continued to be so without ever obtaining a drop of spirituall grace Have they not been as the dry ground obdurate and hardened in their hellish waies insomuch as it is to be admired that they should so continue without any relenting or returning for so many hundred years although they have had the Scriptures and many of them great outward parts and abilities and the writings of many precious Saints which are means by which God uses to worke but none of these means could work any thing because they had the Heaven so shut that none of the waters of the Spirit did descend upon them Therefore it was that the letter of the Word and all other advantages could doe nothing for they are all nothing without the Spirit And have power over waters to turn them to bloud This is another plague distinct from the former but it is also mystically expressed therfore these waters are not those that are said to be shut up from them for it is not possible for them to be turned into bloud that is to be made uselesse as waters are when they are turned into bloud but they are those waters which their enemies the Babylonians made use of in stead of the waters of the Spirit And what were they It were their Canons and Decrees and Constitutions which they gave forth as equivalent unto the very dictates of the Spirit it self and they declared them to be of as great authority and of these waters they made all that did adhere to them to drinke and with these waters they contented themselves never caring for the waters of the Spirit Now the Saints had power over these waters to turn them to bloud which they did by the Spirit of prophesie which they had whereby they did so hold forth the Testimony of Jesus Christ in the purity of it as all the Romish Doctrines and Popish Canons were turned to bloud rendered uselesse unto others and discovered to be corrupt And this is that which was done by those Angels or Saints that poured out the second and third viols
THE RESURRECTION OF The Witnesses AND ENGLANDS Fall from the mystical Babylon ROME Clearly demonstrated to be accomplished Whereby Great encouragement is administred to all Saints but especially to the Saints in England In the handling of a part of the eleventh Chapter of the REVELATION By M. Cary a Minister or Servant of Jesus Christ and of all his Saints PSAL. 126. 1 2 3. When the LORD turned again the captivity of Sion we were like them that dream Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with singing then said they among the heathen The LORD hath done great things for them The LORD hath done great things for us whereof we are glad London Printed by D. M. for Giles Calvert at the black-spread-Eagle at the west end of Pauls 1648. To the Honoured FRANCIS ROVSE AND Thomas Boon Esquires Members of the Honourable House of COMMONS in PARLIAMENT Honoured Sirs IT being the great designe of God the Father to set up his Son our Lord Jesus Christ as his King upon the holy hill of Sion and though the Heathen rage and the people imagine vain things saying Come let us break their bonds in sunder and cast away their cords from us to give him the Heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession I say this being Gods design he hath for the effecting of it given all power and authority in heaven and in earth into his hand and accordingly Jesus Christ hath undertaken to execute all Gods Decrees which are mentioned in the Prophesie of the Book of the Revelation where we finde that God had decreed that for an appointed terme of time his Church his Temple his Saints should be in an afflicted persecuted depressed low condition and that the Beast and the Babylonian enemies of his Church should have power to grow great and to flourish and to make war against the Saints and to blaspheme God and his name and his Saints for an appointed time also and that after that time was expired that then Jesus Christ should improve that power that was for that end given to him in giving a glorious Deliverance to his Church and ruining totally the Beast great Babylon and all his enemies That so the Kingdomes of this world may become his Kingdoms and that in such a manner as they were not before even so as all that are in authority that will not cast their Crowns at his feet shall be broken in peeces for he the Lord alone must be exalted in that day there must be one Lord and his name one in all the earth Now as it most clearly appears to me from the divine Oracles of the Scripture having compared the works of God and his Word together I have in the ensuing Discourse held it forth for the encouragement of all that wait for the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ for the overthrowing of his enemies and the deliverance of his people from their persecutions that the time is already come wherein the appointed time of the prevailing power of the Beast over the Saints is come to a period and accordingly Jesus Christ hath begunne to bring downe the power of the Beast and to lift up his Saints out of that low afflicted persecuted condition in which they have beene and that in order to the perfecting of these things England is already fallen from the mysticall Babylon Rome Now Honoured Sir You having been glorious Starres shining with a great deal of splendour in Your Countrey both in the publikenesse of Your spirits and the holinesse of Your conversations wherein You have been eminent Examples and speciall encouragements unto others and knowing that it is the desire of Your souls to see the Lord Jesus alone advanced who-ever be thrown down I have presumed to present this little Treatise unto You not doubting of Your ingenuous and favourable acceptance of it But though I publish it under Your name and favour yet doe I not thereby desire You to patronize any thing in it if there should be any thing that is not truth and for the truth that is in it I need desire no Patron For great is the truth and it will prevail Yet notwithstanding the sonnes of truth as farre as the truth appears to them in truth will own it and contend for it and doubtlesse so will You. I am Sirs A Petitioner to heaven for Sions this Kingdoms and your prosperity M. C. TO THE READER OUr Lord Jesus Christ in the eighteenth Chapter of Luke from the first to the eighth verse from the example of the importunate widdow stirring up his Disciples to importunate praier he there assures them That God will surely hear the praiers of his own elect that cry to him day and night and avenge them of their adversaries and this he will doe for them though he make them tarry long And hereby Saints may be assured That God will hear their frequent importunate praiers which night and day they have put up against the man of sinne the Beast and their Babylonian enemies who have troden the Saints under feet and made warre against them and overcome them and dealt cruelly with them above this twelve hundred years and that he will at last avenge them on these their enemies But saies our Saviour at the eighth verse Neverthelesse when the Sonne of man cometh shall he finde faith on earth Whereby he implies That when hee cometh his people shall scarce have faith to beleeve that hee will thus avenge them on their enemies But when he shall come to doe it it will be beyond their faith And even thus is it with Saints now they have scarce faith to believe that the Lord Jesus hath now begun and is going on to avenge his own elect on their adversaries the mysticall Babylonians Now for the strengthening of the faith of Saints concerning this thing I doe present them with this ensuing Discourse wherein as the Lord hath discovered it to me to the strengthening of my faith concerning the prosperity of Sion henceforward and giving me great joy and pleasure therein I have made it to appeare from the Scriptures That the Lord hath already lifted up his Saints from under the vassalage of their enemies and hath begunne to put the cup of trembling into the hands of them that afflicted them Which I desire that all that love and honour the Lord Jesus may diligently observe For the most high God of whom and through whom and to whom are all things and for whose pleasure they are and were created both whose wisdome and knowledge are unfathomable tels his people of old by the Prophet Isaiah as wee have it in the fourty eighth Chapter of his Prophesie at the third and the fifth verses That he declared from the beginning the things hee would bring to passe and that he shewed it them before it came to passe and he gives the reason why he did so in the fourth and fifth verses Because said hee I knew
indeed the Lord Jesus Christ that doth order and dispose all things in and concerning his Church and all things in the world and therefore it is that all power is given unto him in heaven and earth Mat. 28. He is the King of the holy hill of Sion Psalm 2. And he must rule the Nations with a rod of iron and break them in peeces like a Potters vessel and he must raign untill he have put all his enemies under his feet Rise and measure The Lord Jesus doth not leave his people in the hand of enemies nor under the rod of the wicked in a carelesse manner as if he did not care how much they were given up to the hand of the enemies no but they are measured out to affliction and so far as they are measured out unto it so far shall they be under affliction and no farther So God measured Job to affliction All that he hath is in thy power only upon himself put not forth thine hand Job 1. 12. and again Behold he is in thine hand but save his life The wicked shall not goe a hairs-breadth beyond the measure Jesus Christ hath such a tender respect unto all his people in their sufferings that they shall have no more then need 1 Pet. 1. 6. Measure the Temple The word Temple in the old Testament is used only for that House that Solomon built in Jerusalem unto the Lord which was called the Temple of the Lord it being the place wherein God was in a speciall manner present and wherein he would in a speciall manner be worshipped But in the new Testament it is used first for the Church the Saints of God of which that Temple was a figure for as God was in a speciall manner present in that Temple so he is in a speciall manner present in his people And so we have it 2 Cor. 6. 16. For ye are the temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people 1 Cor. 6. 19. What know ye not that your bodies are the Temple of the holy Ghost which is in you c. and thus the word Temple in the new Testament is used for the Saints as the Temple was a figure of them as they have a speciall presence of God in them Which is likewise spoken of Isay 66. 1 2. Thus faith the Lord the Heaven is my Thron and the Earth is my foot-stool where is the house that ye build unto me and were is the place of my rest for all these things hath my hand made and all these things have been saith the Lord but to this man will I look even unto him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and that trembleth at my word So that he that is of a poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at the word of God shall be the house the Temple of God As we have it also Isay 57. 15. But secondly The word Temple in the new Testament as it is used for those in whom there is a speciall presence of God so it is used to signify that means by which knowledge and instrustion is given out as the Temple of old was the place where people were to receive instruction and knowledge And in this sense it is used Rev. 21. 22. And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it This is spoken of the new Jerusalem of that glorious state the Church shall be in when they shall be all taught of God from the greatest to the least Now the word Temple heer in the Text doth signify these Eirst It signifies the Saints of God as they are they in whom God in a speciall manner dwels And Secondly It signifies the Ordinances and means whereby knowledge is dispensed and instruction is received for it is the Saints that are as lights in the World and they both instuct the ignorant and edify one another especially when they are congregated assembled together to worship God according to his own will and to prophesy to edify one another The Temple of God and the Alter and them that worship therein It clearly appears in these words that the word Temple heer includes the Saints both as they are an habitation of God through the spirit and so are his Temple and as they are being assembled together the means of instruction and increasing knowledge and doe worship God aright For least the word Temple should not be full enough to expresse this it is added And the Altar which in the Temple was the place where they worshipped God and them that worship therein Not only the place of worship but the worshippers So that this takes in all Saints as they are a Temple as their assemblies are the place wherein God is worshipped and instruction is given and received and as they are worshippers as Saints worshipping God and possessing God Verse 2. But the Court that is without the Temple The Court is said to be without the Temple as of old the Court was without the Temple and was a more common place not so holy as any part of the Temple was so that the Court heer being without the Temple it is some outside thing it is no part of the Temple Now it being apparent that Saints onely are the Temple of God this Court heer mentioned though it seem to be neer the Temple yet is not the Temple is none of the Saints but some outside professors that seem to the outward eye to be near to Saints as the Court was near to the Temple yet they are not of that holy place they are but an outside they are without the Temple But the Court that is without the Temple leave out or cast out and measure it not Though Jesus Christ have a tender care of his Saints under affliction and they are measured out to the chastisement appointed to them yet hath he no such respect unto such as are not his Though they are professors Though they seem to be near the Temple yet if they be not the Temple though they do professe him yet if they do not possesse him as the Temple doth they must be left out cast out of the care of Jesus Christ But the Court that is without the Temple cast out and measure it not Jesus Christ will not own that as his and therefore it must not be measured For it It was the Temple and the Altar and them that worshipped therin that was measured out to chastisement So then it was it that was to be given unto the Gentiles by measure so that this word for it may be read thus for the Temple Is given unto the Gentiles The word Gentiles in the old Testament when the Temple was in its glory was used to expresse such as were not of the Church of God for the Israelites only were accounted the Church all others were looked upon as
Revel 16. 3 4. And to smite the earth with all plagues as often as they will How Saints may be said to smite the earth or earthly men with all plagues doth in part appear page 72. where it appears That they doe it by their praiers for when the praiers of the Saints ascended up before God then it is said Revel 8. 5. That fire was cast upon the earth or earthly men and produced dreadfull effects as voices and thundering and lightnings and an earthquake Thus Saints doe smite the Earth with all plagues by their praiers But they doe not only smite the Earth by their praiers but also by their prophesying and holding forth the Testimony of Jesus Christ for by the earth here spoken of is peculiarly expressed those earthly men that in a more especial manner trod the Saints under foot Now they as before appears were the Beast the Pope and his Complices the Babylonian Romans and all that were of that faction Now these the Saints do smite with all plagues by their holding forth the Testimony of Jesus Christ against them as well as by praying against them for thereby is their Doctrine discovered to be a pack of abominable lies and this proves a plague unto them and this pains them at the very heart for by this plague they are like to die it is like to prove a mortall disease unto them and therefore is very grievous Revel 12. 11. The Saints are said to overcome the Dragon by the bloud of the Lamb and by the word of their Testimony for they loved not their lives unto the death Whereby it is evident That by holding forth the Testimony of Jesus Christ and sealing it with their bloud the Saints doe smite the devil in the Beast so as to overcome him And thus by their praiers and by the word of their Testimony Saints doe smite the earth that is their Babylonical enemies with all plagues as often as they will Verse 7. And when they shall have finished their testimony It is but a prefixed terme of time as appears in the third verse That Jesus Christ will have his people prophesie in a despicable sad and low condition cloathed in sackcloth and that is so long as the Beast is to continue as appears by comparing the third verse of this Chapter with the fifth verse of the thirteenth Chapter and that tearm of time which the Beast was to continue and the Saints to be troden under foot and to prophesie in sackcloth is a thousand two hundred and threescore years as appears page 62. Now this 1260. years being added to the year wherein the Beast received his devillish power and seat and great authority in the raign of Phocus the Emperour which was as say Historians in the year 404. I say adding to this 1260. it makes up 1664. And this year 1664 should be the year wherein the Witnesses should finish their giving Testimony Cloathed in sackcloth If this 1260 years should be computed according to the rule of Astronomers allowing 365 daies to a year and to every fourth year adding a day more But we finde that the holy Ghost in this prophesie not observing that rule doth allow but 360 daies to a year and according to that rule 1260 daies to three yeares and an half And therefore in computing the time of the Witnesses prophesying in sackcloth we are to observe the rule which the holy Ghost here laies down to allow 360 daies to a year and so the time of the Witnesses prophesying in sackcloth is to expire eighteen years and almost an half sooner then as by the other account and so the beginning of the year 1645. was the time when the Witnesses prophesying in sackcloth and of being troden under foot of the Beast and his adherents did expire And when they shall have finished their Testimony the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit That the Pope is the Beast that ascended out of the bottomlesse pit is made evident in p. 49 c. And therefore it is the Pope that is expressed here also by the name of the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomlesse pit The Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomles pit shall make war against them This warre which is here mentioned that the Beast was to make against the Witnesses the Saints of Jesus Christ is the late warre that hath been by him made in Ireland and England as will perspicuously appear by comparing it with that description of it which is given in this and the following verses And first that this warre was made by the Beast that ascended out of the bottomlesse pit that is by the Pope is most evident For First What is done by any of the ten Kingdomes that are of his hornes is his act And Secondly Whatever is done by his instigation is done by him Now in both these respects the warre late in England and in Ireland is the Beasts warre For First All that have acknowledged any Kingdoms to be the horns of the Beast have acknowledged England to be one of them Therefore this warre being made by the authority of one of the ten horns of the Beast was made by the Beast But it may be objected But England was fallen from Rome before the warre which was begun in 1641. for Queen Elizabeth long since cast off the Popes Supremacy and it was never since acknowledged by the Kings of England and together with the Popes Supremacy was the Popish Canons and Decrees rejected and for matter of Doctrine the Doctrine embraced in England was purely refined from the dregs of mens inventions And how could England then be said these things being done to be one of the horns of the Beast and a part of the Babylonicall City of Rome Answ Although England had done these things yet England was still one of the horns and a part of that City And this will appear if we consider what it was that made the Bishop of Rome to become the Beast and what made the City of Rome to become the mysticall Babylon Now the Bishop of Rome did then become the Beast when he did receive from the devil for Jesus Christ never gave it him a power to exercise authority over the consciences of all that did professe Christianity and by this power he did oppresse and trouble and afflict the precious Saints of Jesus Christ by this means also did Rome become the mysticall Babylon for heerby did it enslave and vassalize the Saints as Babylon of old did the Church that then was and then consequently all the ten Kingdomes that did exercise this authority over the conscience did thereby become a part of Babylon and the horns of the beast by which he did push and gore and destroy the Saints of Jesus Christ And hereby was the holy City troden under foot Now then though Queen Elizabeth cast of the Popes supremacy and a great part of his devilish doctrine yet England did notwithstanding remain one of the horns
into them did hear a voice from the Churches of Christ from most of the Saints wherein they expressed their great affection to them and owned them and embraced them in their societies They said unto them Come up hither and they again mutually embraced them they went into the Heavenly societies of the Saints they ascended up to that Heaven but it was in a cloud it was not clearly seen of men but though not clearly yet it was seen by them for their enemies beheld them their enemies beheld them though in a cloud in an obscure manner And thus it was with those Saints that were in the Army on the Parliament side as before they stood upon their feet and prevailed against their enemies they had the praiers of all other Saints so afterward were they with great affection received into the societies of Saints and embraced by them and this did appear to their enemies though not very clearly Vers 13. And the same hour was there a great earth-quake The Kingdome of the Beast being called the earth it is that earth of whom this earth-quake is spoken Now this earth-quake is said to be the same hour when the Witnesses being risen from the dead did ascend into the societies of the Saints and were by them received and embraced in that same hour there was a great earth-quake The state of the Beast hath been shaken before The Witnesses have made a former earth-quake in the Kingdom of the Beast which was mentioned Chap. 7. 5. but that is not said to be a great earth-quake but this is said to be a great earth-quake And indeed this was a greater earth-quake a greater shaking to the Kingdome of the Beast then any that hath been before it as doth appear by the effects of it mentioned in this verse Though it is true this is not the greatest earth-quake that shall come on the Kingdome of the Beast for there shall be a farre greater earth-quake that shall come upon it as appears Chap. 16. 18. yet this was a very great earth-quake a very great shaking to the Kingdome of the Beast For in this earth-quake The tenth part of the City fell This word The City hath reference unto a City formerly mentioned in this Chapter and that is vers 8. and it is there so plainly described as it doth evidently appear to be the mystical Babylon And the tenth part The ten Kingdomes that were the ten horns of the Beast were ten severall parts of mysticall Babylon which did raign over them So that England being one of them was a tenth part of mystical Babylon And a tenth part of the City fell This was one of the effects of the earth-quake which was occasioned by the resurrection of the Witnesses the Saints in England it did so shake the great Babylon of the Beast as a tenth part of it fell And this most exactly came to passe in the year of the Resurrection of the Witnesses 1645. for then did the Kingdome of England which was a tenth part of great Babylon fall from Rome for then was that removed from it whereby it had continued to be a part of Babylon the place of Saints slavery namely the power of men over the consciences of Saints For after the Army which was for the Witnesses stood upon their feet in 1645. they so cast of that power that men had had over their consciences and over their persons and estates for their conscience sake as it was not possible for the Beast nor any of his Adherents to recover that power again over the consciences of the Saints in this Kingdome though they did with all their strength and greatest industry endeavour it afterwards for the Witnesses then standing upon their feet there was such an earth-quake great Babylon was so shaken as England fell from it the yoke of bondage which was upon the consciences of Saints in England was then cast off And this was one effect of the great earth-quake which there was in mysticall Babylon at the resurrection of the Witnesses that England fell from it Thus England is fallen from the great Whore mystical Babylon and is become a president to the other Kingdoms who must all in time cast off the yoke of bondage under which they are and hate the Whore and make her desolate and naked c. Revel 17. 16. And in the earth-quake were slain of men seven thousand This was another effect of the earth-quake that as a tenth part of the City fell so there were slain of men seven thousand What is meant by the fall of the tenth part of the City is already apparent and it is not the material falling of a tenth part of any material City but the mystical falling of the tenth part of a mysticall City And sutable to this is the meaning of this slaying of seven thousand men not by the material falling of any part of a material City But the earth-quake being a mysticall shaking of mystical Babylon this is a mystical slaying of seven thousand men whereby they die mystically that is cease to live any longer to mystical Babylon being by beholding the great victory which the Saints had over the Beast converted and fallen off from the Beast which seven thousand men were before either secretly or openly lovers and worshippers of the Beast But it may be objected How doth it appear that seven thousand men or persons were so converted by the resurrection of the Witnesses Answ Though it doe not visibly appear to the outward eyes of any yet it is sufficient to perswade me and should be to perswade all Saints to believe it in that this Scripture this oracle of Heaven saith it When there was no true worshippers of God in Israel that were visible to Elijah the Prophet and that then the Lord telling him that he had left seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal nor had kissed him with the mouth it was sufficient to perswade Elijah to believe it although not one of those seven thousand did visibly appear to him Therefore much more ought Saints now not to question the truth of this that seven thousand are in this mysticall earth-quake mystically slaine though it be not altogether so visible to us as other things are because this Scripture saies it And besides what the Scripture saies in it there is a probability of it for it is very probable that many are convinced that the Witnesses the Saints are Gods people and those that sight against them are enemies of God and doe fight against God I say it is probable that many are convinced of this because God hath so owned his people and given them such victory over those vile wretches that did oppose them and formerly reproach them and say Where is your God And now God appearing to be for them when the enemy were come to such a height of impiety and insolency there is no question but that many were convinced by it and fell from the Beast
Bishops to watch over the souls of the flock which are committed to them for they must give account of them to God and this the Elders or Bishops of the Church of Ephesus are enjoined unto Acts 20. 28. Take heed saith the Apostle unto your selves and unto the flock over which the holy Ghost hath made you over-seers for I know saies he that after my departure there shall grievous wolves enter in among you So that the Elders of the Church ought to look to the flock to keep them from the pernicious Doctrines of wolvish men and Heb. 13. 17. saith the Apostle Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may doe it with joy So that it is evident that it is the duty of the Elders of the Church to watch over the souls of the people But this is not their duty only but the duty of all believers to watch over one another Thus the Scripture declaring that Bishops are ordained by the laying on of hands declares what things are to be done by Bishops as Bishops and not by other Saints and what things are to be done by them which is to be done by others also Now the Scripture speaks but of one Office more to which persons are ordained by the laying on of hands and that is of Deacons Now the Office of a Deacon the Scripture expresses distinctly also namely that they are to receive the collections for the poor and to distribute it to the poor to widows and to such as are in want and to all according to their necessities And this appears Act. 6. 1. 2 3. and 4. verses compared together this was the work which Deacons were ordained to doe and which is to be done by them only and not by others in the Church But we finde that Stephen and Philip being Deacons were such as did feed the flock preach the Word opposed gainsaiers were Teachers and did the work of Apostles and Evangelists and wrought miracles and wonders among the people as appears in the sixth seventh and eighth Chapter of the Acts but these are the duty of Deacons but not their duties only but the duties of all the brethren in which they are to act according to the measure of grace received And now since the Scripture speaks but only of Bishops and Deacons that were ordained by the laying on of hands and declares it is the duty of the rest of the brethren in the Church to prophesie as 1 Cor. 14. 31. Ye may all prophesie one by one and that it is the duty of others in the Church to doe the work of Evangelists Pastors and Teachers It is hereby clear that they may be Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastours and Teachers that were never ordained by the laying on of hands And so much for answer to that query And since it is made so evident that Prophets Apostles Evangelists Pastours and Teachers have continued all the while the Beast hath continued I hope hereby they that thorow darknesse have been of the contrary minde will be hereby convinced of their errour herein And now be ye exhorted to frequent the Assemblies of Saints and come to those meeting places where such as are precious Saints doe hold forth the word of truth and by the Spirit of Prophesie doe sprak unto men to edification exhortation and comfort O come you and partake of those gifts of the Spirit whereby some are inabled to hold forth the glad tidings of the Gospel to publish peace and grace and mercy thorow Jesus Christ and to doe the worke of an Evangelist and partake you of those gifts whereby others are inabled to unfold the mysteries of the Gospel and to teach and instruct the simple and to doe the work of a Teacher In a word Come and partake of Apostolicall Propheticall and Pastorall gifts of all the particular operations and manifestations of the Spirit of Christ in his Saints which are given to profit withall Consider that Jesus Christ saith I will give unto my two Witnesses and they shall prophesie It is the gift of Jesus Christ unto his people which he gives not only for the good of the persons in whom it is but for the good of others also Saints have an interest in one anothers gifts and therefore Paul speaking of such as were Prophets as himself and Peter and Apollo saith he to the Saints 1 Cor. 3. 21 22. all are yours whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas c. Thus the gifts that are given to others are given to them for me and the gifts that are given to me how weak soever are not altogether for my self but for others also for Jesus Christ hath so disposed of it to give several gifts to several Saints to this end to maintain Communion among Saints O therefore you that are Saints have Communion one with another that you may receive benefit from one another as Christ hath appointed For he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastours and Teachers What to do For the perfecting of Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ Now doe you desire to be edified Doe you desire to presse forward toward perfection that you may not be as children carried about with every winde of doctrine Then frequent the Assemblies of the Saints that you may partake of their gifts Jesus Christ hath given them to effect these things in you and all his people and for the keeping a spirit of love among Saints that they receiving benefit one from another may not say one to another I have no need of you as those seem to doe that forsake the Assemblies of Saints but that all being joyned and knit together may encrease with the encrease of God And so much shall suffice to be spoken to this Deduction 6. Sixthly The next instruction that I shall come to though it be not the next in order yet I shall place it here because of the affinity it hath with this is this That since the Witnesses the Saints of Jesus Christ have had a spirit of praier all the while the Beast hath continued whereby their enemies have been devoured as by a spirituall fire then hereby they may be convinced of their errour that say they are in Babylon and therefore doe not joyn with any in pouring out their fouls to God in praier nor yet doe it themselves Now let such consider that in the darkest mid-night of Popery Saints have had a spirit of praier and indeed it is not possible to be a Saint and not to have a spirit of praier It is the very nature and constitution of the spirit of a Saint to ascend upward to God in praier at all times and upon all occasions The truth is that though the Saints may be without other Ordinances as baptism and breaking of bread though I know no rule they have willingly to neglect
them neither yet they cannot be without the use of praier and prophesying and therefore we see that Saints have alwaies enjoyed them during all the time they have been troden under foot the spirit of praier and prophesie hath been still upon them And herein they have appeared to be both living Christians and waking Christians a dead man cannot breathe nor can a sleeping man speak but when a man breathes and speaks he is discovered to be both a living and a waking man Now if Christians be not dead Christians then sure they will both breathe and speak as soon as the breath of spiritual life is in a man he is a man that breaths toward God in praier continually and when he is grown up a little he is able to speak to edification exhortation and comfort though some are more fluent in speaking and have better utterance then others yet all in whom there is true spiritual life in some sort or other doe so speak as to edifie exhort and comfort one another Let such therefore as are in this errour beware how they entertain principles so contrary to the very life of Christianity And O do you not stop your breath what though you be in Babylon yet you must breathe there otherwise you are stifled Beware therefore of being stifled breathe freely toward thy God whereever thou art Thou maist have Communion with him in any place Though thou art with Daniel in Babylon and in a Lions den yet the breathings and the pantings of thy soul after God are acceptable to him Object But perhaps some may say When I goe about to pray I finde much deadnesse fleshlinesse carnality and coldnesse in my self both when I am to pray publikely with other Saints and when I am privately retired and I look upon this as an effect of Babylonish darknesse I question therefore whether I may pray until it be wholly done away Answ The Apostle when he bids us In all things to make known our requests to God and to pray without ceasing and to continue in praier and to pray continually Phil. 4. 6. 1 Thess 5. 17. Col. 4. 2. did very well know That Saints did carry flesh about them which would be opposing the Spiritâ— and therefore he himself saith When I would doe good evil is present with me and The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other so that ye cannot doe the things that ye would Gal. 5. 17. I say the Apostle knew this That the flesh would oppose but he would not have Saints upon that ground to neglect spirituall duties for that were to suffer the flesh to get the victory but rather to be the more frequent in spirituall duties and to be the more incessant in holy performances especially in praier that so they might overcome the flesh that so opposeth Again secondly When the Apostle presses Saints to spirituall duties he speaks to them as knowing that though they carry flesh still about them yet that they have a spirit in them in which they are to act toward God and that though flesh be acting in them yet at the same time that spirit may act in them And therefore when Saints come to pray though the flesh doe endeavour to put out the life of the Spirit yet the Spirit strives to mortifie the flesh and though both act at the same time yet God is able to distinguish between what cometh from his own Spirit which is alwaies in his Saints and what comes from flesh in them And though the flesh doe act its part yet Jesus Christ having by one offering done away all the corruptions of the flesh in his people God can notwithstanding the flesh in them smell a sweet savour in those performances in which there is much weaknesse and flesh and but little of the Spirit appearing there being an attonement already made for the sins of their holy things So that Saints you having Spirit in you as well as flesh you are not to neglect to performe spirituall duties because you doe not see flesh wholly subdued for that was never yet done in any Saint while he remained in this tabernacle but in that spirit to act especially in praier even when you finde flesh also acting for if you have but a spiritual desire to have that flesh subdued that desire cometh from the Spirit and that spark being neglected may seem to die but if according to the rule of Paul to Timothy we stirre up that gift of the Spirit we have received how weak soever it may seem to be that spark may grow up into a flame and get strength in a great measure to burn up that corruption that so troubles and burthens us Therefore the Apostle gives this rule To continue in praier Saints doe you desire to have flesh subdued then continue so desiring and be continually lifting up your spirits to your God in praier against it and that you may doe so take all opportunities to retire your self from other imploiments that you may lift up your souls unto God in praier and doe not content your selves with barely having these desires and so be continually plunging your selves in worldly imploiments in conversing with sublunary things but improve all opportunities to retire your selves from conversing with these things for the enlivening and enflaming of your spirits and doe not perswade your selves that while you are discoursing of your bargains and tradings and lands and livings and cloathing and I know not what that you pray as well as when you retire your self into a private place to lift up your souls in secret to God in praier For our Saviour gives you this direction When you pray enter into your closets and shut your doors and pray to your Father which is in secret c. Matth. 6. 6. And our Saviour himself observed the same rule for it is often said of him That he went apart into a mountain to pray and continued whole nights in praier unto God the night being the time in which he was free from other imploiments And so Act. 10. 9. it is said That Peter went upon the house to pray And truly if Saints did improve more opportunities and take more advantages thus to retire themselves to converse with God so much coldnesse and lukewarmnesse worldlinesse covetousnesse pride and contention would not appear in them But it hath been the designe of the common enemy to take off Saints from these warrantable profitable and advantagious retirements wherein they might enjoy Communion with God to the end they may continue in a more loose and carnal frame to the sading of their spirits and to the scandal of their most holy profession But another may say I finde that our Saviour saith unto his Disciples Whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name that will I doe Joh. 14. 13. And John saith We have confidence toward God and whatsoever we ask we receive of him 1 Joh. 3.
21 22. And again This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us and if we know that he hear us whatsoever we ask we know that we have the Petitions that we desired of him 1 John 5. 14 15. And by these passages it appears That Saints in the Primitive times before the great falling away and the rising of the Beast when they praied had assurance that they should have the Petitions they desired But when I pray I have no such confidence in many things and many times it is a long time before my Petitions are answered and in some Petitions I have a plain denial and therefore I question whether it be not sinfull for me so to continue praying until I am fully come out of Babylon and then I conceive that I shall have such a spirit of praier as the Saints had in the Primitive times and have confidence that whatsoever I ask of God I shall receive of him Answ First That the Saints while they have been under the bondage of Babylon have had a spirit of praier and have had their petitions heard is evident For their praiers have brought judgements upon their enemies being presented upon the golden Altar And if it have been no sin for these to continue praying though they were in Babylon then doubtlesse it would be no sin for thee to pray though thou shouldest be in Babylon But Secondly Whereas thou saist That in some things thou hast no confidence that thou shalt be heard and sometimes it is long before some Petitions are granted and other Petitions are plainly denied Let me tell thee That if in those things in which thou hast no confidence thou doe pray for them with the submission of thy will unto the will of the Father it may be no sin for thee so to pray for the things that thy soul desires though thou hast no confidence of them if they be such things as be not sinfull in themselves as such as these are not viz. to be delivered from bodily distempers to be kept from dangers in travelling whether by sea or land to be delivered from the tyranny of unreasonable men that seek to doe thee hurt or to have parents or children or wife or husband or brethren or sisters or any other friend delivered from bodily distempers or dangers in travelling c. or to have them brought to the knowledge of the truth from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God or to have them kept from errours and seducing spirits I say these and such like things which are not sinfull in themselves if thy soul desire them it will be no sinne for thee to pray for them though thou hast no confidence that they shall be granted so thou pray for these with the submitting of thy will to the will of the Father And this is clear in that the Lord Jesus himself in whom was no sinne did pray so with submission to the Fathers will for deliverance from that bitter cup which he was to drink of though he had no confidence that 〈◊〉 Petition should be granted So that Saints may pray for those things which thâ—y doe not infallibly know to be according to the minde of God and yet it may be no sinne so to pray if they doe pray with submission to the Fathers will And in so praying they may be acceptable to the Father who many times doth grant some of those Petitions as soon as they are put up and at other times after he hath made his people to wait long and to pray importunately for them And if some of them be denied yet their persons and praiers may be accepted and may be and sometimes are granted another way God giving them in that which is better then the thing desired But Thirdly All Saints may have and doubtlesse many Saints have as much confidence now in praier as the Saints had in the Primitive times for what was the confidence that Saints then had Saith John This is the confidence that we have in him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us This was the primitive Saints confidence and what Saint hath not this confidence now that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Saints are now confident That the things they pray for which God wils and intends to give unto them shall be granted only they have not an infallible spirit so as to know in all things what it is the will of God to bestow upon them But many things they doe know and others they have strong perswasions of when God in a more then ordinary manner moves their spirits to pray for them Thus Saints have a holy boldnes and confidence in approaching to the throne of Grace by the mediation of Jesus Christ coming to God in the spirit of Adoption being confident of having every good thing that a gracious and loving Father sees good for them all their Petitions are heard They are confident that if they ask any thing according to his will he heareth them And no Saints in the Primitive times had other confidence So that Saints it is no sinne for you to continue praying making known your requests to God but it is your duty so to do But Fourthly Though flesh doe break out and in some things Saints doe not pray aright yet they are not therefore wholly to neglect praying knowing that God still delights in the breathings of his owne Spirit in them although they have many weaknesses and infirmities in them And Fifthly If they finde their faith is not so high nor their confidence so strong as some Primitive Saints were then ought they to pray for the increase of faith If they be weak in faith let them have recourse to him who is the authour and finisher of faith for the strengthening of it who will give liberally and will not upbraid his people though they be weak Though a man that is altogether faithlesse hath no promise sure to him yet the man weak in faith hath as many promises made to him as he that is strong in faith So that though it be weak yet if it be a true faith in him that praies for the increase of faith he shall finde accesse to the throne of grace And so much for the clearing of this Deduction 7. Seventhly The next Deduction is to discover the excellency and preciousnes of Saints from the 4 5 verses they are discovered to be excellent in that they are said to be Olive trees they are not as the dry tree who is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned He. 6. 8. But blessed and happy is the condition of Saints For they have an unction from the holy Ones they stand in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth They are precious in the eies of God and profitable to men for they empty the golden oil they have received from the
to lose much of these outward things the things of the world which at best are but vanity for it is far better to be without these and have a good conscience than to enjoy much of these either with a troubled or seared conscience and a hardened heart It is better to be at emnity with the Beast heerin and lose much of the world then to enjoy abundance of the world and soon after to perish with the Beast Again This let me tell you with all that if you shall persist in endeavouring to get such an imposing power it being that by which the Beast raigns in any place where it is it is in vain for you to endeavour it in England for England is fallen from Rome and is no more a part of Rome and therefore it is in vain to seeke to exercise a Romish power any longer in it And England being thus fallen is become a president to the other Kingdomes so to doe and shall not return to Rome again for England and all the other Kingdomes must hate the whore and make her desolate And thus much I cannot but speake to you that endeavour to take such a power upon you whether you will hear or whether you will forbear Deduction 16. 16. The next particular arising from these verses thus opened is an exhortation to all the Saints in England to dwell together in unity O you precious sonnes and daughters of the Almighty the Saints and Witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ that are in this Kingdome of England Consider you what your condition was about seven or eight year ago at what time you were trampled upon by the Bishops which was a treading under foot of the Beast Call to minde how some of you were pillored and had your eares cropt and many of you imprisoned and fined and by severall other waies were persecuted and troubled by the members of the Beast your adversaries and that onely for acting that which in your conscience you were parswaded was according to the minde of God and which if you had for fear of men or for any other reason left undone your conscience told you that you should in so doing be disobedient to your heavenly Father I say call these things to minde and what a great pressure it was to your spirit that you could not with liberty and freedome follow the Lamb but men did what in them lay to enforce you to worship the Beast and to embrace for doctrine the commandments of men O how grievious was this oppression to you And what a burden was it And how did you groan in your spirits to be delivered What a grief was it to you to see precious Saints cruelly and ridgedly dealt with by the enemies of Iesus Christ And how many frequent prayers did your souls breath out and lift up to heaven against your enemies and for deliverance from their yoake of bondage I say call these things to minde and remember that this was the condition of you all whether you are such as are commonly called Presbyterians or Independents or Anabaptists if you were Saints if you loved the Lord Iesus Christ in sincerity you were all a like hated of and opposed by the Beast and it was a grief and burden to all your spirits to see the enemies of Iesus Christ to prevail so much and you all both Presbyterians Independents and Anabaptists did pour out many effectual fervent praiers against the Beast and the Bishops his adherents in England Again Consider as the Beast was thus an enemy to you all alike so it was a mercy to you all alike when in the year 1645. God gave you all a full victory over the adherents of the Beast in this Kingdom for then the Bishops and them that fought for them and in them the Beast was overcome And this I say was a mercy to you all alike and it was alike answer to all your praiers and alike joy to all your spirits to see your enemies and the enemies of Jesus Christ overcome And now since you are all children of the same Father and have all one Lord Iesus Christ and have all one Spirit and have all drank of one cup of affliction and had all one common enemy that hated you all and persecuted you all because you had all the one holy Spirit of the Father and of the Son in you and since your Father in love to you all and in answer to the praiers of you all gave you all alike deliverance from that enemy of you all O unite unite unite since your God hath made you one in his love O be you one in your love one to another and let it appear that you dwell in God by dwelling in love What a low unworthy thing is it for you that dwell in God to grow cold in love towards your brethren the children of your Father for differing from you in judgement in some circumstantiall things only What if some be weak and doe not know so much of the minde of God in some circumstantial things as you whether you be Presbyterians Independents or Anabaptists conceive you doe Will you therefore not love your weak brother for whom Christ died and who is beloved of your Father because your Father in his wisdome hath yet with-held that light from him which he hath given to you What a weaknesse is this in you thus to doe Doe you not know that it is not for your merits that you have more then him but it was from grace from free favour that you have it And doth what you have received from grace worke such an effect in you as to make you grow cold in love toward your brethren O let it be far from you And what though some are Presbyterians and some Independents as they are commonly distinguished Though I could wish that these distinctions of difference might be all laid aside and that all that belong to Jesus Christ might only be called Saints and the servants of Jesus Christ and by such generall expressions as include them all though they still differ in circumstances for there were no such distinctions used among Saints in the primitive times though there were differences in some circumstances But I say What though some are Presbyterians and some Anabaptists c. Yet if they are such as you judge to be in Christ Jesus and to be beloved of the Father resolve you in the strength of Christ to suffer none of their differences from you in judgement to with-draw your affections from them but since you love your God and Father love you his beloved children and your brethren and since you sincerely love the Lord Jesus Christ let it appear in loving of those upon whom his image is stampt For there is no reason why you should not love Presbyterians as well as Independents and Anabaptists as well as Presbyterians c. unlesse you look upon them as no Saints as such as are no lovers of the Lord Jesus but if you