from another but they make up the fulnesse of God and so this full God shall be manifested in the flesh of those Saints who shall live to the state of perfection and so the resurrection of this corporal body or flesh and blood as well in a spiritual sense as literal cannot inherit the kingdom of God neither can corruption inherit incorruption and so the Apostle saith Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all die but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump and in Isai it is called the great trump that shall sound and then the dead in Christ rise concerning which I have spoken in another place So you see that these Scriptures do not concern the resurrection of the body after death which death cannot properly be said to be death in that the body is called a Tabernacle now a Tabernacle cannot be said to die onely it is dissolved as the Apostle saith When this earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved we have a house not made with hands but eternal in the heavens And so natural death may be looked on as when a man puts off his clothes when he goes to rest and the Apostle could desire not to be unclothed that is to put off this natural body but rather to live unto that time when the Saints shall be clothed upon and mortality swallowed up of life And so likewise the Scripture speaking of Christ calls his flâ—sh a vail saying the vail which was his flesh And so the natural body is onely a vail and when this vail which is the flesh is put off then man may be said to die and then this vail which is the body returns to the earth and the spirit returns to God that gave it Now this shews that the reasonable soul which is in all mankinde is God himself who is in a wicked man as well as in the Saints as the Apostle speaking to the Athenians comprehends them amongst the off-spring of God Acts 17. 28 29. when he saith Forasmuch then as we are the off-spring of God we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver Now though God may be said to be in a wicked man Christ is not in any but those that are Christ's those who are the sons and daughters of God Almighty in whom God is manifested in the flesh however the Saints stand in the same relation to God their Father before the time of this glorious manifestation as the Apostle saith We are the sons of God but it doth not appear what we shall be but when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and when to us a childe is born to us a son is given the government shall be upon his shoulder and in Revel. 12. that manchilde which is brought forth as he is caught up to God and to his throne so likewise he is to rule all nations with a rod of iron Now this Son in Isai. 9. and this Man-childe in Revel. 12. and he that sits on the white horse in Revel. 19. 11. who is called Faithful and True I say that which is spoken of in these Scriptures concerning Christ it is to be applied to every particular Saint who are comprehended in the number of those that overcome Revel. 2. 20. where it is said He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the end to him will I give power over the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to pieces even as I have received of my Father and I will give unto him the bright morning-Star So likewise Psal. 2. which speaks of that power which is given to the Saints which is confined unto those which shall overcome which shall sit down with Christ in his throne as in Revel. 3. 21. where it is said To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne even as I also overcame and am set down with my Father on his throne Now when it is thus with the Saints Christ ceaseth to be a Mediatour in that the Saints are invested into the kingdom and so declared mightily to be the sons of God by the resurrection from the dead and so have overcome hell and death being risen with Christ as in Hos. 6. 2 3. and 13. 14. I will ransome them from the power of the grave I will redeem them from death O death I will be thy plague O grave I will be thy destruction Now this ransome is an overcoming in that it is said in the Revelation that the Saints did overcome by the word of God and the testimony of Jesus which is done in the glorious manifestation of Jesus Christ and so we are in a capacity to keep the works of God unto the end Now this may be understood divers ways concerning which I cannot speak at present But when the Saints shall thus overcome they shall sit down with Christ in his throne even as he overcame and sate down in his Fathers throne Now this Kingdom of Christ is distinct from the former which was the Kingdom of Christ in the flesh a Kingdom of Forms a power over us but this Kingdom throws down all forms and power over us and all powers that were over us also in respect of the Ordinances which vanish away when this Kingdom doth begin and so likewise this Kingdom shall throw down all powers on earth Dan. 2 44. speaking there of the last powers it is said In the days of these Kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed and the Kingdom shall not be left to another people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms and stand for ever Dan. 7 27 it is said The kingdom and dominion and the greatnesse of the kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey him which is the fulnesse of God which comprehends all the Saints departed which shall be manifested in flâ—sh which is that resurrection spoken of as before Now this Kingdom which I have formerly spoken of is begun in Babylon Now here I have made a digression from the matter in hand in that I must follow God but now I am returned again and so accordingly I shall speak further concerning these particulars according as God shall give in which is concerning the state of the body after natural death Now we all know as the tree falls so it lieth and never riseth again as to live and that seed which is sown it dieth and ceaseth to be as it was that same body never appeareth And so when man dieth his body returneth unto the earth as in Ecclesiastes and Gen. 3. 19 where it is said In the sweat of thy brows theu shalt eat bread
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
Scripture-Prophecies OPENED Which are to be accomplished in these last times which do attend the second coming of Christ In several LETTERS Written to Christian friends BY E. Avery ISAI. 29. 17 18 19. Is it not a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field and the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book and the eyes of the blinde shall see out of obscurity and darknesse The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord and the poor among men shall rejoyce in the holy One of Israel LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the signe of the black spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1647. To the Reader Christan Reader THese following Letters were intended onely for some particular Christians but seeing that which is contained in them is of general concernment I do here present it to the view of all and the rather because the power of God doth appear in it in respect of the weaknesse and contemptiblenesse of the instrument whom he doth here employ as formerly it hath been his course in doing great things by weakest means and so by such foolishnesse he doth bring to nought the wisdom of the wise that so no flesh may glory in his presence And as it hath been the manner of God's proceedings heretofore so likewise I finde the immediate acting of the Spirit in giving in and so accordingly in carrying me forth to communicate it to others And seeing it is thus I dare not conceal it in oblivion but I must hold it forth to the view of the whole world not fearing any thing in way of opposition from the creature for I fear not the prison having such enlargements in God I fear not reproach for I can wear it as my Crown I fear not want in that I do enjoy all in God And though I may be counted mad to the world I shall speak the words of sobernesse and if I am mad as the Apostle saith it is to God and if I am in my right mind it is for the benefit of others And I desire likewise that the Christian Reader should know though I question not the truth of that which I do here hold forth yet I am resolved not to contend for it with carnal weapons as by Argument but rather I shall witnesse the truth of it with my Blood if God shall call me to it for I have nothing to do but to hold it forth and so I must leave it to God who I know will witnesse to his own Truth and reveal it unto all his in his good time in the mean while so far as we have attained let us walk by the same rule and minde the same thing and accordingly wait for further discoveries And so I shall leave thee good Reader to the manifestation of Christ in thy flesh which doth begin to appear in some and we do likewise expect it in general unto all the Saints when God shall bring them out of darknesse into his marvellous light which is begun and shall increase until it be perfect day And with this I shall close up committing thee to God and to the power of his grace ever remaining Thine in Christ Elizabeth Avery The Contents The First Letter THe opening of the mystery both of the state and fall of Babylon Pag. 1. Some discovery of what is meant by the mystery of the feet and toes of the great Image Dan. 2. 34. p. 3. How the Saints are said to be slain in and by Babylon Jer. 51. 49. p. 4. Of Babylons fall p. 6. How the Lord shall gather his Saints out of Babylon before it be destroyed as God overthrew Sodom p. 7. Objections answered as touching local separation p. 8 9. Objections answered as to a further discovery of the mystery of the feet and toes of the great Image p. 11. Also the mystery of the head of gold c. p. 13 14 15. The Second Letter HOw the heavens and the earth shall be dissolved p. 17. What is meant by the Apostle Peter when he saith that the heaven and the earth are reserved to fire against the day of judgement p. 20. Question answered How it can be said that the Saints are slain by their iniquities seeing Christ hath satisfied for the sins of the whole world p. 23. Of the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven p. 25. What is meant by the heavens and earth that must passe away p. 28 29. The beginning of the glorious estate of the Church by the calling of the Jews and what those Jews are p. 30 31. Of a threefold wildernesse which the Saints are brought into p. 34 35. The Third Letter COncerning the Resurrection of the dead c. p. 36. The death natural cannot properly be called death p. 37. When the Mediatour ship of Christ ceaseth p. 39. Khrists Kingdom in Spirit throws down all dominion that is of the earth p. 39. The state of the natural body after death p. 41. What the lake of fire and brimstone is Ibid. Martha her conference with Christ about the resurrection of Lazarus opened Ibid. Of the state of the wicked after death p. 45. What is meant by the body being clothed upon Ibid. Spirits not capable of torment out of the body Ibid. When the judgement of the devil and his angels in the wicked doth begin p. 46. Christian Letters The First Opening the Mystery of the state and fall of BABYLON Dear Friend SEeing it is the greatest joy of the Saints to have communion one with another in the Spirit though distant in the Flesh which joy is much improved when the Lord doth carry us forth in communicating one unto another that which he is pleased to reveal unto us by his Spirit And here by the providence of God I am come forth to act in this kinde So in the first place I shall speak of Babylon as it is that vail of Darknesse which covers all flesh Isa. 25. 7. which God will shortly take away from all his Saints but at present this vail covers all flesh more then ever and Antichrist the spirit of Errour doth reside in the flesh more then ever even in the Saints themselves as well as others and so it shall be till God is manifested in the flesh of the Saints as he was in the Humanity of Christ and such a one in whom God shall be thus manifested shall confesse that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh 1 Joh. 4. 3. and when it is thus with any in such a one Babylon and Antichrist is fallen But at the present Babylon and Antichrist is fallen in a very inconsiderable number of the Saints who are enlightned with the light of Truth and these are the Watchmen that shall declare glad tidings Isa. 51. 14 15 16. and 52. 7 8 But howsoever Babylon and Antichrist which is Confusion and Errour doth remain in the generality of mankinde yea the Saints
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