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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91075	The prophets Malachy and Isaiah prophecying to the saints and professors of this generation of the great things the Lord will doe in this their day and time. Shewing (amongst other things) the nature and quality of the apostachy. The judgement of the Lord upon the leaders of the apostacy. How the Lord will deale with, and carry himself towards, others guilty of the apostacy. The certainty of deliverance at hand for the true seed. / By a wel-wisher to the kingdome of our Lord Jesus. To which is prefixed two very useful epistles, by Christopher Feak, and John Pendarves, ministers of the Gospel.	Wel-wisher to the kingdome of our Lord Jesus.; Pendarves, John, 1622-1656.; Feake, Christopher, fl. 1645-1660.	1656 (1656)	Wing P3687; Thomason E888_2; ESTC R207362	83,871	109

But to hasten to the second Question What were those EVILL WORKS which our Lord did testifie against or for which he did bear witness against the world and for doing whereof he was hated of the world I answer Without Controversie THOSE EVILL WORKS may be reduced to two or three generall Heads Either such as were wrought by them in the way of an ECCLESIASTICALL BODY or such as were brought forth in the Manner and Method of a CIVILL STATE or else such as were done by the confusion and mixture of ALL together as the Holy Spirit in that notable Prayer of Peter intimates where all sorts of Interests Civill Ecclesiasticall Military are declared to Combine together against our Lord. Acts 4.27 Of a truth against thy holy Servant Jesus whom thou hast anointed both HEROD and PONTIVS PILATE with the GENTILES and the PEOPLE of Israel were gathered together Here is a Combination in the Church in the Court in the CAMP against the Saviour of the world And upon examination of the works and workings of all these parties we shall find cause to say they were to be testified against as Evill But more particularly to reckon up some of them as we find them occasionally recorded by the foure Evangelists and as we goe along to compare them with those evill works which are now carried on in these parts of the earth as done by the High Priest by Herod by Pontius Pilate by the Gentlemen of the long Robe of both professions c. First let us begin with their Counsells against Christ those works of darknesse they are evill works within doores Mat. 12.14 The Pharisees went out and held a Counsel privately how they might destroy him Here were consultations held against the life of Christ So Mat. 27.1 All the chief Priests and Elders of the people tooke counsel against Jesus to put him to death We shall have an exact account of all their wicked murtherous Consultations against the Person the Doctrine the Honour of the Lord Jesus in that day when he shall Judge the secrets of all men according to his Gospel But in the mean time we know that these Deeds of Darknesse were some of those evill workes which our Lord did testifie against And in like manner at this day we know in that light of truth which will not faile us that there are many close cunning consultations to destroy that Cause of Christ which not long since was in shew highly honoured and contended for by him who is known by the name of his Highness the Lord Protector c. but who gave him that Name I leave to him to Answer when he shall be called to a strict account for all the evil counsel given against the Lord and his followers because of their righteous reproofs of the Army and their Generall for the Hypocrisie Apostacy Oppression and Persecutions whereof they are guilty in the sight of the Sun Another kind of evill works was their watching of the Lord Jesus and sending forth Spies which should feign themselves just men that they might take hold of his words that so they might deliver him to the power and Authority of the Governour Luke 20.20 And the Scribes and Pharisees Luke 11.53 urged him vehemently and provoked him to speak of many Things laying wait for him and seeking to catch something out of his mouth that they might accuse him Certainly every man who loves the Lord Jesus will easily grant these were very wicked workes But are not such practises frequently used by the Spies which are Imployed from the Court and Council at White Hall I am sure before our Imprisonment Many who came to catch our words feigned themselves to be Just men to be good men whereby they were capeable to intangle us in our talke The same Spirit which wrought effectually in those children of disobedience doth work in these as effectually and we doubt not but we shall prove these Spies to be guilty of the same evill workes with those Spies which watched Christ and their Masters to be of the same conspiracy with the Pharisees and Herodians namely at that Day when his Highnesse shall stand before the Judgement seat of Jesus Christ without either his Clergy or his Lawyers to plead his Cause We shall then understand what Instructions they were which he or his Secretaries gave his Catch poles when he imployed them and what conference he had with them when they read our Sermon Notes in his hearing and all those works of darknesse and secrecy shall be brought to light and Our Lord Himselfe shall second our Testimony That their Deeds were evill Again Other evill workes of the world and the men of the world which the Lord Jesus did testifie against was Their devouring widdowes houses while for a pretence they made long prayers Mat. 23.14 Surely this was a double evill worke and therefore He tells them they shall receive greater Damnation Not only widdowes Houses have been devoured by the new Rulers but whole Families in pressing and forcing or else inticing men to the ends of the earth for Gold and Silver thousands having perished in the Enterprize but while these Families were devoured by Sea and Land what frequent fastings and long prayers were made at White-Hall The Lord beholds this Hypocrisie and it will one day appear how abominable this project was in the sight of God as it doth in part already not withstanding all their long prayers to colour it over as a Designe against Antichrist and his Kingdome Besides these evill works before Mentioned the Lord declares against them because of their extortion and excesse as it is in Matthew because of their ravening and wickednesse as it is in Luke yea he speaks of their Binding of heavy Burthens and grievous to be borne and laying them on mens shoulders but they will not move them with one of their fingers For my part I am verily perswaded that the same evill workes are Done to the Innocent people by this present Sword power and their cryes enter into the ears of the Lord of Hoasts though they pity them not who Doe thus oppresse them Many more might be added which in the Judgement of all the true Disciples of Christ will be accounted evill workes but I must not inlarge a Preface beyond its proportion this therefore shall sufface for the second Point what kind of evill workes they were which Christ testified against and how like unto them the evill workes of this present Generation of Rulers will be found to be when they are examined by the Righteous Judge of all the world Now as for the Nature of the Testimony given by Christ concerning the evill works of that world or worldly Church which hated both him his doctrine and his followers which is the third generall Head to be spoken to it 's plain that it is no lesse then a Divine Testimony As saith the Apostle If we receive the WITNES of men THE WITNES OF GOD is greater Now

may be able by scripture light to know to whom this Prophecy relates in a more special manner than to others and that the door of our hearts might be opened if possible to receive the following truth let us consider 1. The Time of this apostacy 2. The Quality of this apostacy 3. The People thus apostatising For the Time it self we have three Characters of it 1. It is after their coming out of Babilon as is acknowledged on all hands that Malachy was the last of the Prophets and Prophecied after Haggai and Zachary's time who Prophecied at the time of their return from Babilon after the Lord had delivered them out of the hands of the Babilonians their enemies and put them into a capacity to serve him in his own appointments according to his wil they turn their backs upon their God and apostatise from the Truth 2 It s that time of Apostacy in Zyon which the Lord will take to visit his people in with a spirt of Judgement and a spirit of burning by a fiery refining dispensation making up his Jewels after the manner of purifying gold and silver the Lord doth not suffer their enemies to carry them back into Babilon he takes not that former course with them but he takes them into his own hand to make them a fit and a suitable instrument to do that great wonderful and strange work he hath to do in and upon the world that this is such a time my thinks there needs no other proof then what the Prophet saith in the 5th verse of this 3d Chapter And I will come near to you to Judgement and I will be a swift witness against you that fear not me saith the Lord of hosts you Who why those to whom the Prophet had spoken before it signifies thus much in that day wherein I shal thus purge and purifie the sons of Levi my chosen that they become beautiful and glorious pleasant unto me I wil be a swift witness against you and judge you that have thus without any fear of me played the Apostates turned aside and gone backward the day of Sions purifying is the day of the Lords judging these leaders of apostacy therefore these Times are contemporary so joyned together as none can put them asunder 3. It s that time of apostacy immediatly preceding the stones smiting the great Image that day wherein the Lord wil burn up the wicked leaving them neither root nor branch when the Lord by turning his hand upon his people at the concluding time of this apostacy hath refining them made up his Jewels fitted and qualified them they fall to the work of the burning hot day mentioned in the 4th Chapt. which hath been proved to be all one with that day of breaking Daniels great Image there is no interval of Time between these two dispensation 2. For the Quality of this Apostacy it s a refined hypocritical apostacy These men wil seem religious although indeed their hearts are most irreligious d Mal 1.13 snuffing at the Ordinances and true worship of the Lord an offering they wil bring though it be but the blind and the torn and the lame and the sick though it be a wearisom burden to them yet worship they wil though they be under a e Verse 14. curse for their blinde and torn and lame and sick and corrupt performances yet they wil seem outwardly to the world to be the worshippers of God the blessed people of the Lord crying the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord yea they have such cloaks and coverings for their actions that their backsliding and apostacy is not observable for a while by the vulgar eye none are sensible of it but a company of dispicable souls that fear the Lord they indeed see this apostacy and speak often one to another about it but the rest are blinde yea so hypocritically cunning are these men that let the Prophet charge them with what he wil they answer him with a wherein have we done it doth he charge them with robbing God of his honour and of his f Ch 1.6.12 sear due unto him and with dispising and prophaning the great name of the Lord of hosts their answer is Wherein have we despised thy name and wherein have we robbed thee doth he charge them with poluting the g Verse 7. Altar of God saying the Table of the Lord is contemptible despising and contemning the true Worship of God that those that fear the Lord exercise themselves in at this time they reply Wherein have we done it doth he charge them with h Ch 2.13 Covering the Altar of the Lord with tears with weeping and with crying out through their oppressions and violence that his people cannot serve the Lord with a cheerful and free spirit they answer him with a wherefore doth the Prophet charge them with speaking stout words against the Lord saving its vain to serve God and i Ch 3.13 14 what profit is it that we have kept his Ordinances and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts their answer stil is What have we spoken so much against thee yea though they call the k Verse 15. proud happy and set up workers of wickedness and deliver them that tempt God yet they dare put the Prophet upon the proof of all that he saith knowing their coverings are able to stave off a present clear proof in this dark day so that the Prophet himself is forced to fly to the Lord of hosts to witness to the truth of his words to prove the charge l Verse 5. the Lord of hosts wil be a swift witness against you and lastly doth the Prophet to manifest the infinite riches of the love and mercy of God to backsliders exhort them to return to the Lord holding forth his gratious promise that then he wil return to them m Verse 7. Return unto me and I will return unto you saith the Lord of Hosts their answer is wherein shal we return they are so confident in the neatness and largeness of their coverings that they dare tauntingly put the Prophet to shew if he can wherein they should return implying that they would have him and all those that found fault with them to know that they are in the way of the Lord as near to him as they can be and that they have not backsliden nor retreated from the Lord in any thing by which any such distance should be made between them and the Lord that they need to be exhorted to return to him it signifies thus much further to me that their pride and hypocrisie is grown to such height that they think it an eclipse to their vain glory a disparagement to them to have the free and rich grace of God tendred to them their answer is a kind of profession that they need it not upon these termes for say they Wherein should we return they have nothing to return from nor nothing to

sits as a Refiner in and through those discoveries of soule-searehing truths Jer. 23.29 which he brings to light daily His word that goeth forth out of the mouth of his witnesses is like fire refining the precious Sons of Sion Rev. 11.5 who are compared to Gold but consuming Lam. 4.2 or threatning to consume the wicked who are like stubble The Sword that proceedeth out of the mouth of Christ Rev. 2.12 is sharp and two-edged if it doe not convert from sin it will condemne for continuing in sin Such as are disobedient to his word are inexcusable fitted for ruine as stubble fully dry And have not some cause to fear that if after many reproofs Exod. 23.28 they goe on hardning their necks their fall will be sudden 1 Pet. 2.7 8. and their sad condition remedilesse Prov. 29. 1. Isa 30.10 11 12 13. Yea and then shall the Lords people who have testified against them rebuking in the Gate Jer. 7.16 and exhorting to repentance keep silence in that day Jer. 11.14 ceasing to plead with them or with God for them Amos 5.13 thereby justifying the hand of God in bringing his judgements on them And whoso is wise let him observe That when those backsliders spoken of Isa 29.20 21. proceeded to that degree of imimpiety to watch for iniquity to make a man an offendor for a word and lay a snare for him that reproved in the Gate by such acts as these they perfected their iniquity and filled up the measure thereof The following Discourse sets forth in a Type by comparing together many remarkable words in the Prophecy of Malachy and Isaiah A most refined Apostacy of a professing people after a Reformation begun Their words though first spoken to others are declared to light on us the Saints and Professors in this Generation who having greatly sinned num 32.23 may justly say Our sins have found us out Now as relating to this Apostacy or Backsliding with the cause and cure thereof I shall offer these things to be considered As this backsliding is either totall and finall in those who perish or partiall in the Saints so also is the cause thereof two-fold First Hypocrites who fall away in time of temptation have no root in themselves Luke 8.13 They are not partakers of the Divine nature neither are they regenerate wherefore such Professors notwithstanding for a time they may appear with clean outsides are fitly compared by the Spirit of the Lord to the Sow which being washed turns again to her wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2.22 Secondly That Backsliding which is not totall ordinarily springs from Saints forgetfullnesse of Gods great love in Christ revealed to them and his wonderful works done in them and for them as also the love of their espousalls their first love to God their relations vowes and engagements to him Of this Backsliding both of sinners and Saints and the judgements thereunto belonging doe these Prophets treat The Saints themselves Gods Children and his Jewells shall not escape a trying refining day which will be terrible to them yea and as they are or may be found in unbelieving earthly sensuall forms of Spirit consulting with flesh and blood unsufferable Who shall stand when he appeareth Mal. 3.2 3. His presence to the carrying on of this work of reforning will be to some who may be judged good men no lesse grievous but rather more then fire is the flesh of a man As for Hypocrites and Sinners in Syon their dreadfull doom and just sentence that goeth forth out of the mouth of those two Witnesses is that they shall be consumed Isa 1.28 Mal. 4.1 The fiery day shall burn them up that it shall leave them neither root nor branch According to that word of God to Jer. 15.19 If thou take forth the precious from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth This Prophet Malachi speaking as the mouth of God puts a difference as also doth the Prophets and Apostles generally between the two Seeds The Seed of the Woman and of the Serpent between whom God did by his own mouth first put the difference Gen. 3.15 To all which agrees that clear distinction between the Son of the bond woman and of the free Gal. 4.22 23 which things saith the Apostle v. 24. are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants viz. The one of Works the other of Grace The two grand Characters whereby the two Seeds are here distinguished are 1 A true filiall fear of God 2 A sincere love and respect unto the name of God above all things These two choyce effects of a lively faith are such things as Hypocrites are strangers to such singular things as doe infallibly accompany salvation In these things the carnal seed under the Law and the formall Professor under the Gospel come short of the Israelite in deed and being weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary are found wanting And although such may be in a Pallace with King Belshazzar if they look narrowly into this Prophecy of Malachy as here explained and presented to their view it may be with them if they be not miserably hardned no better than with him when beholding the writing on the wall his countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so that the joynts of his loines were loosed and his knees smote one against another Dan. 5.6 As for the former of these viz. A filiall fear of God upon the account of their lack of this one thing the Prophet Malachy reproves the people saying Chap. 1.6 If I be a Father where is mine honour And if I be a Master where is my fear saith the Lord of Hoste whereas on the contrary he commends his beloved Remnant for their fear of him Chap. 3.16 and of his Name Chap. 4.2 Yea Christ himself the everlasting father of that chosen Generation is extoll'd and found worthy to be entrusted with the greatest of Gods work on the account of this blessed qualification viz. the fear of God Chap. 2.5 My Covenant was with him of life and peace and I gave them to him saith God for the fear wherewith he feared me and was afraid before my Name These things well weighed may through the blessing of the Lord give some check to that unseemly lightness which often appears in the shamelesse foreheads of many noted Professors Oh! where will such appear if they repent not seeing God hath not entred them on his Book of Remembrance which is written for those only who fear the Lord Chap. 3.16 and tremble at his word How shall they escape that dreadfull day mentioned Chap. 4.1 Seeing then our God is a consuming fire let us then take hold of his grace in Christ Jesus whereby to serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear He who is risen up to shake hereby the Earth and also the Heavens will certainly ere long shake off and cast out as it were out of his lap a Generation of light and

When I have brought you to cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils by letting you see through the glass of experience that he is not at all to be accounted of when you can cease vvholly from man that you care for and look at no man any otherwise than in me and trust to and rely upon me alone 6 and lastly THEN when you know the way to exalt me alone to give all the honour and the glory of the vvonders I bring to pass in the world to me vvithout any competitor though of the best of men for I wil be exalted alone in that day THEN shal ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not and the day shal come wherein you shall be delivered out of the hands of your enemies and you shal tread them as ashes under your feet and burn them up leaving them neither root nor branch and in your going forth in the performance of this vvork ye shal grow up as Calves of the stall be ful fed with the love and fulness of your Lord and Saviour HAving opened the words and supposing it in sufficiently evident that the interpretation given is according to truth let us with a truly religious sericusness observe the lessons the Holy Ghost would teach us from them 1 That the time of the Lords arising to work DELIVERANCE for his people is a dark day yea a black midnight of apostacy then wil the Lord come to his Zion as a Refiner to purifie it vvhen the professing vvorld are running back again even to Babilon then and there shal deliverance be vvrought for the true seed Mic 4.10 Thou shalt go even to Babilon there shalt thou be delivered there the Lord shal redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies this is the state and condition of Sion immediatly before the time vvhen the Lord wil make her horns iron and her hoofes brass wherein she shal thresh and beat in peices many people consecrating their gain unto the Lord. In the e Mat. 29 midnight of the Virgins sleep shal the cry be heard the Bridegroom the King the Lord of hosts is coming when professing Zion comes into a Laodicean Church-state Rev. 3.20 then the coming of our Lord is at hand he is f at the door The apostacy here is so universal and so gross notwithstanding all their curious coverings to hide it from the eyes of men yet the Lord sees it that the Magistracy the Rulers are Rulers of g Isaiah 1.10 Sodom h Mal. 3.15 proud workers of Wickedness the Princes are i Isaiah 1.23 rebellious and companions of Theeves every one loveth gifts and followeth after reward they judge not the Fatherless neither doth the cause of the Widdow come unto them the Ministry the Priests k Mark 2.8 depart out of the way of the Lord corrupt the Covevenant of Levi to the causing many to stumble at the law the Worship and commands of God become l Verse 9 contemptible and base before all the people because of their straying from the wayes of God by an irreligious partiality in the law or accepting of Faces as the margent of some Bibles hath it making the Law by their uncouth forced and private interpretations to seem to countenance the designe of those whose designs are not suitable to the design of God but are against the Lord and guilty of so much hypocritical unrighteousness to the provoking the eyes of his glory that he wil not forgive them seeking their own interest not the interest and honour of him whom they profess to be their Lord and master Jesus Christ and the multitude of this professing people grow up prophanely wicked snuffing m Mal. 1 13 at the Ordinances of the Lord as at a wearisom burden behold what a weariness is it the true Worship of God true Religion becomes a weariuess to these outside professors who n Isai 1.11 13 14. fil the Lord with the multitude of their sacrifices and weary him with their new Moons and their appointed Feasts their Sabboths and calling of Assemblies with their Fasts they o Mal. 1.14 polute the Altar of the Lord the Worship of God with their blinde and sick and torn and lame and corrupt performances their cursed deceit yea they are Idolaters in the sight of God p Isai 2.9 the mean man boweth down and the great man humbleth himself to their Idols that they are become to God as q Mal. 3.5 Sorcerers an adulterous Generation in this sad day of apostacy wil the Lord come to his Sion as a refiner and purifier of silver and as Fullers sope now wil the day of the Lord of hosts come upon professing Zion and lay all low before him teaching them by a smart and dreadful dispensation the way to exalt the Lord alone in this day wil the Lord come as a swift Witness against and avenge himself on his adversaries in Zion those vvho are profest friends members of professing Zion but in deed and in truth are his real enemies enemies to the righteous and holy designs of God and deliver his remnant and pick out his Jewels from amongst the professing rubbish of defiled Zton 2 That notwithstanding the gross wickedness of this day yet Sathan transforms himself into an Angel of light clothing his Children and followers in his best livery they have notable coverings to hide it whereby they deceive the multitude of the professing world and themselves to boot so that they dare not only assert their innocency in putting the Prophet to prove his charge against them but when the Prophet preaches to them the long-sufferance and tenderness of the heart of God towards them the grace and love of God in that promise r Mal. 3.7 Return unto me and I wil return unto you saith the Lord of hosts they scorning to acknowledge their guilt throw it back in his face with a wherein shal we return impudently asserting their righteousness to be such as they know not nor none can tel them wherein they should return and do better 3 That the leaders of this apostacy that cause the people to err notwithstanding their curious outside coverings of religious performances and good aims and ends for the good of the Church people and glory of God wil be the subject of the sore displeasure and wrath of the Lord of hosts the Lord wil be a s Verse 5. swift Witness against them and come neer to them to Judgement t Heb. 6.4 5 6 If those who were once inlightned and have tasted of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come fall away it is impossible to renew them again to repentance at the hand of this hypocritical oppressing and persecuting Generation wil God require the blood of his Prophets and Witnesses that hath been shed u Isai 1 24. Ah saith the Lord I will ease me of

again though you may be saved because of the grace and love of your father which is unchangeable yet it will be as by fire and the dreadfulnesse of that dispensation is such as deliverance from it is worth a world of Gems Look back upon the dread and terrour of the day of the Lord of hosts and if you believe the word of the Lord you will be of my opinion in this matter 2. That all that pelf drosse and dung this worlds good which now blindes your eyes and stops your mouths that you cannot stand up for the dishonoured name and interest of your Lord and Saviour at this day will stand you in no stead in the day of the Lord that will come upon Syon you will then be forced to throw away all those foolish Idols of gold and silver with which you now commit folly 3. That your sacrifices and offerings your worship and religious performances at this day are hatefull to the Lord as very dung unto him i Mal. 2.3 The dung of your solemne feasts they are a trouble to him and he is weary to bare them because of that hypocritical Apostatising guilt that cleaves to them Think on that word of the Lord k Is 66.3 He that killeth an Oxe is as if he slew a man he that sacrificeth a Lambe as if he cut of a Dogs neck he that offereth an oblation as if he offered swines blood he that burneth incense as if he blessed an Idoll Here are glorious outward performances but behold how abominable and loathsome your offerings are to the great Jehovah What 's the matter Why it s the offering of an hypocriticall spirit * The sense of the Prophet in this 5. verse prove this That oppresse and persecute those that tremble at the word of the Lord yet can tell how to cloak their doings over with aims at the glory of God crying out Let the Lord be glorified but the Lord shall appear to their joy and you shall be ashamed Again * Amos 5.22 23 I hate I dispise your feast dayes and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies though yee offer me burnt-offerings and your meat-offering I will not accept them neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs for I will not hear the melody of thy Viols Who are these whose worship and service is thus rejected by the Lord verse 18. they are such as in a high profession desire the day of the Lord Why what 's the matter the guilt of an hypocriticall Apostacy cleaves to them notwithstanding all their glorious outward performances and their large professions yet they want those more weighty things as is implyed in the 24 v. Judgment and righteousnesse chap 4.1 they oppresse the poore and crush the needy Your silent by standing makes you abettors and guilty Heare what our Lord himself saith p Mat. 12 30. He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me seattereth abroad your Lord admits of no moderate indifferent medium of spirit in this matter your sacrifices are not offered up in righteousnesse therefore are they not pleasant unto the Lord And because of this he will cast you into a Furnace that you may learn to offer up an offering in righteousnesse that your offerings may be pleasant unto him as in the daies of old as in aneient years So that 4. The best and purest standing any of you can brag of under this Apostacy will not abide the trial but the day that cometh will throw you off your ground the Earth quake shall rend it up that it shall not be found Who shall be able to stand in that day None no not one and if it be so what will become of those oppressing stations many who I hope have grate in their hearts run their feet into out of too much love to gold and silver the Idols of the age 5. As a natural consequent of the rest behold your exceeding folly that for love of your ceiled houses the convenient accommodations of this life you forsake the interest of the name and honour of your Lord and connive at and cleave to the evils and apostacies of this your day and time Have you not left and forsaken your discipleship Our Lord saith that except a man take up his crosse and follow him he cannot be his disciple every disciple of Christ carries his crosse at his back now where is your crosse have you not lost it in your too eagen pursuit after the profits and pleasures of this present evil world and what will this unchilde-like carriage of yours cost you the refiners fire and fullers sope will be your portion God will call thy terrors about thee as in a solemne day that in the day of the Lords angen none may escape terrors by reason the sword shall come upon thee Lam. 2.22 compared with Ezek. 21.12 Quest If it should be askt wherein our times are thus guilty of back-sliding and Apostacy as in charged upon them Answ Look upon our dayes through the glasse of these Prophecies of Malachy and Isaiah with the interpretation given which I am perswaded will be found according to truth and you will behold them of the same countenance and colour those times were of Isaiah pointed at and in which the Prophet Malachy gave forth his Prophecy differing in nothing but in many aggravating circumstances Obj. But perhaps some may object you hint to us that the state of the Jewish Church was a type and representation of professing Zion in England and truly you seem to me to put a restriction upon the text which it will not boor For put the case the paralel be true that that time of Apostacy in the Jewish Church Malachy Prophecied in was a type and representation of the state of this Professing Gospel-Church imediately before our Lords coming why may it not as well have relation to any other part or to the whole professing-Gospel-Church as to that part of the professing Gospel-Church in England and as that was the state of the Jewish Church imediately before our Lords first coming in the flesh so may it not rather be a tipe of the state of the Professing-Gospell-Church imediately before our Lords coming again in person Answ I conceive a due weighing what hath been already said would sufficiently answer all objections but for their sakes who have not the patience to take that paines I shall offer some further satisfaction This Objection consists of several parts and requires a distinct Answer to each 1. I conceive that this cannot have relation to the time imediately before our Lords coming againe but must relate to the time wherein it hath been already fixed 1. Because I finde the Prophet speaks not of the personal comming of Christ the second time but of a dispensation of the Lord wherein he will be as Fullers sope and as a refiner and purifier of