Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n
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A20795
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An alarum to the last iudgement. Or An exact discourse of the second comming of Christ and of the generall and remarkeable signes and fore-runners of it past, present, and to come; soundly and soberly handled, and wholesomely applyed. Wherein diuers deep mysteries are plainly expounded, and sundry curiosities are duely examined, answered and confuted. By T.D. Bachelor of Diuinitie.
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Draxe, Thomas, d. 1618.
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1615
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STC 7173; ESTC S118448
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31,210
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144
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and the Apocalipse touching the continuance of Antichrist doth hold that the imaginary Antichrist which hee and his followers yet expect to come shall raigne iust three yeares and an halfe and that iust in the end of them Christ shall come to iudgement or at the vtmost there shall bee a distance of 45 daies for warning and preparation so that by this account a man may know the very day of the last iudgement which Christ in his humility knew not and which the heauenly Angels are ignorant of Let vs content our selues with the knowledge and practise of things reuealed and and in other matters be wise to sobriety otherwise if wee come too neere to the Arke of Gods secrets wee shall bee consumed if wee come too neere to this Flame wee shall bee burned Let vs not approach too neere this bottomelesse pit least wee bee drowned III. Vse The meditation of the comming of Christ of the neere approach of it and of the terrour of the last iudgement must awaken vs from the slumber of security and spurre and stirre vs vp to amendment of life to prayer sobriety and watchfulnesse that we be not taken tardy nor found vnready but waking and wel-doing And the lesse that the point of Christs comming is knowne vnto vs the more let vs watch and prepare our selues Let vs liue well and we shall die well and as we die and make our last end such shall our iudgement bee at the last day Finally let Saint Hieromes holy and blessed meditation bee ours also that euery one of vs may say with him Quoties diem illum considero c. that is As often as I consider that day I tremble in all my body for whether I eate or drinke or what else souer I doe me thinkes I alwaies heare that terrible Trumpet alwaies to sound in my eares Arise yee dead and come to iudgement IIII. Vse Seeing that our Lord in his loue towards vs hath left vs certaine Herbingers and Fore-runners of his second comming for our full redemption and for our inauguration into the Kingdome of heauen let vs search the Scriptures and take due notice of these Signes and the accomplishment of them and the neerer that that day approacheth so much the more let vs hold vp our heads For the glory happinesse triumph and immediate fellowship with the blessed Trinitie the Father Sonne and Holy Ghost wee shall then enioy shall infinitely exceed whether wee respect quantity quality or continuance all the troubles and trials of this mortall and miserable life And the serious meditation hereof will make vs hopefull and patient in all afflictions and when death approacheth make vs willing to goe to God and to cry come Lord Iesus come quickly Amen Amen An effectuall Prayer according to the argument and containing the Summe of the whole Treatise O LORD our God and most mercifull Father thou art indeed great and terrible of pure Eyes and canst not behold euill Hardning blinding forsaking punishing and in thy Iustice taking vengeance on thy aduersaries and art in thy wrath a consuming fire and art notwithstanding in thy onely begotten and most deerely beloued Son IESVS CHRIST a most louing gracious and kind Father to all thy Church and children not wishing much lesse working their misery ruin and destruction but calling iustifying sanctifying directing protecting and glorifying them yea thou dost most louingly fore-warne them of the euils to come and in the midst of their miseries and distresses assist comfort sustaine support and deliuer them This sweete Ointment perfume of thy mercies doth draw vs after thee these thy high and altogether vndeserued fauours wee confesse and acknowledge with all thankfulnesse and acclamation And more particularly seeing that thou in thy wisedome to check and correct our vaine curiosity rash presumption doth conceale keep from vs the knowledge of the set houre day yea yeare when the Sonne of man shall come to iudgement that wee should be ready and prepared at euery moment and withall that we after the manner of the wicked thy enemies should not bee suddenly surprised nor distressed and perplexed with feare and astonishment but bee encouraged in wel-doing And that wee should gather certaine signes of the Summer of solace and Haruest of Happinesse at hand and that we should be preserued from all atheisme doubting mis-beleefe thou hast in thine vnspeakeable mercy left vs in the sacred Scriptures sundry generall and vndoubted Signes tokens and Fore-runners of the last Iudgement Wherof diuersare already past as the destruction of the foure mighty Monarchies the desolation of Iudaea and Ierusalem the extinguishing of the large Romane Monarchie whose power Maiesty hindred the comming of the Romish Antichrist the vniuersall and solemne Preaching of the Gospell by the Apostles and their Assistants and Successours vnto all Nations Finally the reuealing yea generall weakning wounding of Antichrist And whereof some are yet in continuall motion and progresse as the reiection and dispersion of the Iewes the invndation and deluge of all impiety and iniquity the vanity abuse corruption and decay of the creature And whereof certaine remaine yet to bee accomplished namely the ruin of Rome the ouerthrow of Mahomet and his Alcaron the generall calling and conuersion of the Iewes vnto the Christian faith that which is the plague and poyson of the declining apostaticall contemptuous and vnthankfull world in the last age of the world the arising of False Christs and false Prophets their instruments that shall shew great Diabolicall Signes and Wonders insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceiue the very elect Lastly neere the point of Christ his glorious appearance the strange sudden and fearefull dimming and darkning of the Eyes Lamps Lights of heauen therefore bee thou entreated most mercifull Lord to enlighten all our blind vnderstandings to mollifie purge prepare all our hearts and effectually to stir vp and rectifie all our wils desires affections that wee may make true godly and seasonable vse of all these soundings of the trumpets and fore-running signes Grant vs grace that by the due obseruance of the signes expired and in continuall act wee may certainely expect and waite for the performance of those that are promised and yet for to come Heauen and earth shall passe away but thy words shall not passe away And because thy Church on earth is in such continuall trouble and warfare thy Saints and seruants so much oppressed wronged yea massacred and Martyred and the world of the Atheists Idolaters Hypocrites profane and wicked ones liue in so dreadlesse security and thriue in all manner of sin and vngodlinesse wee therefore thy poore and vnperfect children doe so much more humbly and earnestly beseech thy good Maiestie to hasten the comming of thy Son to shorten for thy Elects sake these daies of sin bondage corruption and in
Therefore that the truth of these Signes may more manifestly appeare and that we may more orderly proceed I thus by warrant of Gods Word and waight of inuincible arguments euince and proue these three maine principles of Faith and Religion First that there shall bee an vniuersall Iudgement wherein all reasonable creatures shall be called to an account Secondly that IESVS CHRIST the Son of God is appointed of God to bee the Iudge of the Iudge both of the quick and the dead Lastly that this world in respect of the fashion forme and corruptible qualities thereof shall haue an and and come to destruction That there is a set and prefixed day of Iudgement though vnto vs profitably vnknowne and that there shall bee a generall Iudgement I thus declare First the sacred Scriptures are pregnant and plentifull in this point Iob 19.25 Psalm 9.8 Isa. 66.15 Dan. 12.2 Math. 25.31 Luke 18.17 Iohn 5.28.29 and chap. 12.44 Act. 17.31 Rom. 2.16 1. Thess. 4.16.17 and chap. 5.2 1. Pet. 4.8 Tit. 2.13 Apoc. 20.11 12.13 Heb. 9.27.28 Secondly the doctrine of the last Iudgement is a very ancient and principall Article of the Apostles Catechisme and therefore no person vnlesse hee bee a meere Athiest or Infidell can or will deny it Thirdly the Generall Resurrection the necessary and immediate antecedent of the iudgement and those that shall arise and appeare in iudgement who are the proper obiect of it do enforce it yea and what arguments serue to proue the Resurrection the same iustifie the last iudgement Fourthly the generall and particular iudgements calamities and punishments both in the old and new Testament and in all succeeding ages are Types Similitudes and Fore-significations of it Of this kind were Noahs Floud or Deluge wherein the world was drowned the ouer-whelming of Pharoah and the Aegyptians in the red Sea the burning of Sodom and Gomorrah the destruction of Ierusalem the ruin of the foure great Monarchies of the world that afflicted Gods chosen and of late time the sinking and dispearsing of the Spanish inuincible Armado Anno Christi 1588 in the English Seas and by the coasts of Ireland Fiftly vnlesse there should be a finall iudgement wherein euery man is to receiue a reward according to his workes God could not declare himselfe perfectly iust For all sinnes in this world committed come not to light neither are all punished that are apparant Tyrants and Oppressours yea Christs Arch-enemies the Turke and Pope c. liue long and prosper in their wickednesse And if God should censure all sinnes that are done in the earth then no other iudgement would bee expected wherefore the Lord beareth long with sinners and suffereth the offences of the Reprobate to grow rotten ripe that hee may fully and finally punish and plague them at the last day Forbearance is no quittance Christ commeth with woollen feete i. faire and softly but striketh with Iron hands that is deadly Sixtly vnlesse there come a day of generall release and absolution for the godly yea a day of full deliuerance and glorious triumph God cannot declare himselfe completely and infinitely mercifull For it seemeth to goe well with the wicked in this world and ill with the good The godly are oppressed and persecuted troubled and tormented molested martyred massacred and both inwardly and outwardly afflicted therefore the iust Lord cannot but at length reward the patience and pietie of his seruants Great shall their reward be in heauen Hee shall recompence the lightnesse of their momentany afflictions with an exceeding and super-excellent weight of glorie Seuenthly the feare trembling astonishment horror of conscience and dreadfull despaire in many malefactors specially persecutors and murderers euen of those that escape the iudgement of the Magistrate doth euidently argue that there will come a day of reckoning and that there is an hell fire whereof these are certaine flashings and fore-runners Lastly to be briefe the children of God look and long for groane and pant for this day and time which is the day of their Marriage of the bodies ascent into heauen and of their entrance and inauguration into the Kingdome of Glory These spirituall sighes and sobs are speciall effects of Gods spirit infallible characters of Gods children and the very earnest of our inheritance Inward desires make a lowder sound in Gods eares then bare words vttered with the tongue and therefore cannot misse the marke viz. eternitie of blessednesse Now that Iesus Christ not onely as he is God whereby in the decree efficacie and authority of the iudgement hee is equall with God the Father and the Holy Ghost but also as he is man in regard of the sentence to bee pronounced and the visible execution of the iudgement is and shall be the Iudge both of the quicke and dead the Scriptures put it out of question Dan. 7.9.10 Ioh. 5.27 Act. 10.42 2. Cor. 5.10 2. Tim. 4.1 Secondly it is an Article and foundation of faith firmely to be beleeued Thirdly it is one end and that a principall one of Christs Resurrection Ascension It is a part of his Kingly Office which hee shall then most openly and eminently execute Fourthly it standeth with all equity that Hee that when hee liued on earth and was most vniustly iudged accused indicted condemned and executed should at length gloriously and in the view of all the world iudge arraigne condemne and fee execution done vpon his enemies Lastly to stop the mouths of and to put all Atheists to silence the Heathenish Prophetesse Sibylla testifieth as much saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Christ shall come in the cloudes In glorie with his sinlesse Angels And that this miserable and corruptible world with all the contemned creatures shall not in respect of matter and substance but outward forme and accidentall qualities haue an end and consumption thus I compendiously make it manifest First by expresse Scripture Secondly by Argument Heauen and earth shall passe away The fashion of this world passeth away The heauens shall passe away with a great noise the elements shall melt with heate the earth also and the workes that are therein shall be burnt vp I saw saith Saint Iohn a great white throne and him that sate on it from whose face the heauen and earth fled away and there was found no place for them Secondly by argument I thus make good my assertion The world being but a creature had a beginning and therefore it shall haue an end Omnia orta intereunt The world as in the seuerall parts so in the whole daily fadeth decayeth weakneth and is in an irrecouerable consumption therefore it must needs at length come to an end A ruinous house will in tract of time fall and a sick body cannot hold out long The world must bee renewed at the last day for there shall be a new heauen and a new earth Ergo the old heauen and earth must of necessitie