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 Apostacy 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 Thus saith the Lord God Howle yee woe worth the day for the day is neer even the day of the Lord is neer a cloudy day Ezek. 30.2 3. The day of the Lord is darknesse and not light as if a man did flee from a Lyon and a Bear met him or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall and a Serpent bit him even very darke and no brightnesse in it Amos 5.18 19 20. I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now John 16.12 LONDON Printed for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head Alley 1656. TO THE READERS Whether Such as follow the Lamb or such as wonder after the Beast Love and Pity for the Lords sake OUR dear Lord in the dayes of his flesh spake many words privately among his Disciples to this effect viz. that they should be hated of the world that they should be hated of all men for his Names sake yea and in that last solemn Addresse to his father related John the seventeenth wherein he hath left upon record a pattern of his intercession on the Behalfe of his Disciples who did then or should afterward beleeve on him through their word he doth expresly mention this matter surely his heart was full of it and much affected with it I have given them thy word sayeth hee there to his father and THE WORLD HATH HATED THEM because they are not of the world even as I am not of the world And againe in a certaine place hee testifieth saying If the WORLD HATETH YOV yee know that IT HATED ME before it HATED YOV If yee were of the world the world would love its owne but because yee are not of the world but I have chosen you out of the world therefore THE WORLD HATETH YOU Now to beare up their hearts under this Burthen of the Hatred of the world he puts them in mind of that lesson which hee had formerly taught them Mat. 10.24 John 13.16 saying Remember the word that I sayed to you the servant is not greater then the Lord c. If they have persecuted mee they will presecute you also if they have kept my saying they will keepe yours also The spirit and life of the incouragement lyeth in this that the Son of God was their Brother and companion in Tribulation and in suffering the hatred of the world they should drinke out of the same cup with him in all the afflictions which they were to indure from the world Now if any Man that observes the considerablenesse of these and many other passages of this Nature should desire to know the particular reason why the Lord Jesus with his Disciples was allwayes thus hated persecuted and Abased by the world Did Hee and they give any just Cause of hatred and ill-will against them I answere no surely there were never a more innocent and harmelesse sort of people in the world then they But the true reason of this inveterate hatred is expressed by himselfe John the 7 and 7. in a Conference betwixt himselfe and his Bretheren which did not beleeve in him The world sayeth Hee cannot hate you but me it hateth because I testifie of it or concerning it that the workes thereof are evil Observe the matter seriously and you will well perceive that the world hath workes of its own the world is full of its owne proper workes doings and bufinesse which it is alltogether conversant about Things which it must mind and manage with all care and Industry then secondly consider these workes are such as are exceedingly beloved and delighted in by the world and the world cannot indure with any patience that any sort of men should account them evill workes but then thirdly if any should presume not only to Account but also to Call them evill workes and so testifie against them as evill workes and odious in the sight of God for such a Testimony though given by the Son of God himselfe who for this purpose came into the world that hee might beare witnes to the truth would the world hate him and persecute him even unto death if not hindred by the overruling power of God himselfe And therefore if the true Disciples of Christ himselfe who having his Spirit his Truth his Cause his Glory and all his precious Concernments dwelling and working in them mightily are constrained by the power of his love to second and confirme This his great Testimony against the world and the wicked workes thereof should incurr the same hatred indignation and wrath from the world which was measured out unto him they must by no meanes think it a strange thing but rather rejoyce exceedingly in their being thus made conformable to the fathers first borne among many Brethren And blessed be the Name of the Lord that there are any among us who are counted worthy to suffer shame and violent Dealing for his Name and for their Testimony concerning the world that the workes or Deeds thereof are evill But will it not bee well worthy your time and leisure to inquire into these two or three particulars first what doth the Lord Jesus understand in the Scriptures before mentioned by the word world Secondly what are those evill workes which our Lord testified against in the dayes of his flesh and Thirdly what is the nature of the Testimony of Christ and his Disciples that the world should be so much incensed with hatred and indignation against them for it Hearken oh yee Children of men and consider with all your might and with all speed for the time of Consideration is allmost spent and passed away To the First I shall return this Account undoubtedly by the word world in the Scripture mentioned a Certaine part of mankinde namely the degenerate part the worst part contra-distinguished from the Best namely the Church is here to be understood for the Church and the world are Contrary one unto the other evermore This degenerate part of the world or of mankind I distinguish thus some of them are such as having departed from the light and Law of Nature did afterward by degrees degenerate into Brutishnes and profannes as namely the nations of the earth which neither worship God nor love their Neighbour according to the written rule but live and walke after their own and their Rulers lusts and inventions in all things being full as of all ungodlinesse so
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
This Witnesse or Testimony whereof we are speaking from John 7.7 is not the witnesse of a man a mortall man but the witnesse of God the witnesse of one who is God and man and so it is most Authentick And how often Doth our Lord in his Ministry and Testimony inculcate this upon his hearers That he spake nothing of himself but as the Father gave him Commandement John 12.49 50. And again John 8.38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father So that when the Lord Jesus testified it was the highest Testimony which could have been given to the truth His Testimony was an unquestionable Testimony a righteous Testimony a witnesse which will carry the cause against the whole world for Let God be true but every man a lyar as it is written that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings The sayings of Christ from the father concerning this present evill world and the wicked works thereof will be made good at the last day Let no powers on earth think or hope to enervate his Testimony in the least by any pretences excuses or distinctions whatsoever Now as Christ Himselfe was in the world so ought those who are Christs Ministers and Witnesses to be in the world likewise Those whom he sendeth were born and anointed to this end viz. to bear witnesse to the truth in his sted and on his behalf and let the Princes of the world and the people of the world assure themselves The Lord never did nor ever will leave himselfe without witnesse Some of his Servants shall be stirred up by his Spirit to plead the Cause of their Lord against his adversaries altho they know before hand that through the hatred of the world they shall be exposed to a thousand dangers distresses deaths for the truths sake The Dragon the beast the scarlet Whore the false Prophet the Kings of the earth although by a complication of interests they are desperately ingaged and inraged against the Lamb and his followers against the Lord and his witnesses neverthelesse the wrath of God hath been and now is revealed from heaven to their very faces against all their ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse by those witnesses which he hath raised up and furnished with Heroick spirits to contend with the whole earth and that wrath so revealed by his Servants the Prophets shall be executed likewise for The Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy which the true Church is never destitute of altogether So that I am perswaded and I believe many others that Matters are carried at this day betwixt the Servants and Spirit of Christ and the Servants and Spirit of Antichrist as they were carried in those dayes betwixt the Spirit person of Christ and the Spirit and persons of the Priests and powers of the earth It is not to be expected that his Highnesses Court Chaplaines who are fed at his Table should lift up their heel against their Good Lord and Master in testifying openly that his Counsells are evill that his Instrument is an ugly Idol and an Image of Jealousie that his Government is evill that his workes in imprisoning the Servants of Christ without Just Cause are evil that his Extortion and Rapine in Imposing and gathering in all his Taxes by an Arbitrary power contrary to the Law of God and the Land is evill that his devouring whole families in sending thousands to the ends of the earth and multitudes against their wills upon a base and beggerly Designe that stinkes in the nostrills of God and good men is evill and abominable And which of his City and Country Clergymen fed and Cloathed by his Tyrannicall execution of the Popes Cannon Law will declare against him for maintaining the Relicts and Remainders of Popery and for his setting up New-Carnall spirituall Courts of Prelaticall Tryers or Comissioners to reigne over the Parish Ministers in the Byshops stead Which of those Inslaved Preachers Lecturers and Augmentation-Men who come cap in hand to their Inferiors or equalls for their Approbation and a box full of Orthodox Orders to preach in such or such a steeple House and to receive the ancient profits and perquisites of the parish for their paines dare to turn head upon their Ecclesiasticall Lords and joyn with Christ and his spirit to testify against these New invented Babylonish Abominations Alas poor wretches they have no heart no spirit for the Interest of Christ they are ashamed of the testimony of our Lord and of us his prisoners who by the most powerfull Illapses and influences of his spirit are inabled and Constrayned to bid Defyance to the scarlet coloured Beast and to all his 7 heads of Blasphemy and to all his ten homs of persecution to all the Kings of the earth which commit fornication with the mother of Harlots and with all her danghters But because these Men thus lamentably yoaked by their new Lords Spirituall and Temporall dare not particularly and couragiously in the power of the Spirit bear their Testimony for Christ against the world or world like Church that their deeds are evill therefore the Lord will raise up others to supply this defect And be it known to all the Kings and Princes which oppresse and persecute the Children of the free woman that the Lord will furnish himself with a sufficient Number of faithfull Servants who shall in his strength maintain that Conflict and Combate which is needful till the great of the Battel of the Almighty God As Christ told the Chief Priests and Scribes who were displeased that the Children cryed Hosanna to the Son of David If these should hold their peace the stones would immediately cry out so I say in words of truth and sobernesse seeing the Chief Preachers Pastors and Teachers are dumb and connive at the present Apostacy Hypocrisie Oppression Tyrannicall Government and going back to AEgypt the Lord is as it were compelled to furnish himself from among the private Christians and the weakest and meanest of the Brethren to bear a Testimony against this wicked Generation of Backsliders and if they likewise should hold their peace altogether the stones of the streetes and the very bruite Creatures would immediatly cry out for the Lord will not altogether and utterly leave himselfe without witnes This Insuing Treatise was not Composed by any of the University-scarlet Doctors nor by any Batchelour of Divinity or Master of Arts and sciences I am perswaded their Acadenicall Vnction will teach them to practice complyance and to sing Placebo But surely this is some Honest Sool who observing the Common Clergy to be as mute as Fishes when they should have cryed aloud and have lifted up their voyces as a Trumpet to shew the Apostatized Christians their transgressions and the Hypocrites their sins hath so far layed their Abominations to heart that he cannot for bear to speak a word for God against such an adulterous Generation and to encourage that little Remnant which speak often one to another and think upon Jehovah's
to finish let those who would follow Christ in the Regeneration or their Generation work sit down first and with serious spirits count the cost Take that word of Christ for your help Luke 14.26 If any man come to me and hate not father and mother and wife and children brethren and sisters yea and his own life also he cannot be my Disciple The Law and Testimony of the Lord is bound up and sealed with such Disciples-indeed who chuse rather to loose their ALL in this world than to doe any thing contrary to the mind of God contained therein As for others the Lord counts them unworthy and if they be enlightned they cannot but judge themselves unworthy of so great a trust But why doe I detain the Reader thus long from that discourse which may afford more profit and delight The work is before thee goe on to it in the fear of the Lord onely this I shall say further viz. That I doubt not but men who will reject a good work as the manner of some is for some small and it may be meerly supposed Errour may find whereat to be stumbled in reading this Book and so this as many other worthy works be rendred uselesse and an offence to them whilest honest hearts who having the love of truth cannot easily be prejudic'd against it Psal 119.165 are like to reap precious benefit hereby And here let it be noted also That God is not a little jealous for the glory of his great Name in the work he hath begun Though he will use man in his work yet so as that his Imperfection shall appear that we may cease from man and from glorying in men our selves or others and that we may give all the glory to him whose due it is Amen Blessing and glory and wisedome and thanksgiving and honour and power and might be given unto our God for ever Having thus far enlarged as being engaged to bear my Testimony in love to those truths contained in the ensuing worke I commend it to the Lord for his blessing adding this onely that I am Thine if thou rejoycest not in Iniquity but in the Truth JOHN PENDARVES The 10 day of the 6 Month. 1656. Errata PAge 2. line 14. for vissitudes read vicissitudes p. 9. l. 3. r. are not l. 36. r. heart-feuds p. 11. l. 8. r. they give him the honor p. 13. l. 40. r. as at p. 15. l. 36. r. is in Zion p. 16. l. 31. dele abide the day p. 17. l. 4. r. he tells us p. 64. l. 12. r. secondly p. 65. l. 8. dele of p. 77. l. 34. r. swiftnes Many other literall Mistakes have escaped the Press but these above written are some of the chief of which the Reader is desired to take notice The Prophets MALACHY and ISAIAH PROPHECYING to the Saints and Professors of this GENERATION Of the great things the Lord will do and bring to pass in this their day and time MAL. 3.16 17 18. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name And they shall be mine saith the Lord of hosts in that day when I make up my jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not THE State of the Nation and Common-wealth of Israel their Worship and the dispensation of their God towards them were Tipes of the better condition he would bring his Children into of those clearer discoveries the Lord would make of himself and his Glory and after what manner he would carry himself towards his Chosen in the Gospel-day And it 's as true that the backslidings and apostacies of that Tipical Common-wealth and people with their corrections bondages and captivities were Tipes also of the state and condition of the Church of God under that Gospel-administration yea their very Enemies were no less than Tippical pointing out to us those adversaries the Serpent would raise up against the seed of the Woman the true Church and people of God in that divident of time called the last dayes Their servitude and sore bondage in Egypt was a general Tipe of the malitious practises of the seed of the Serpent against the Womans seed all the Serpents day long til the appointed time comes wherein the Lord wil judge them and deliver his people with a mighty hand with signes and with wonders after the manner of Egypt But in a more particular way After many vissitudes and changes fals and risings backslidings and reformations wrought in this Common-wealth which also are not without their Tipical significancies when those two admirable excellent Tipes David and Solomon had run their race this people of one Nation became two which tipically is very significant to us For as those 10 Tribes who made the fraction presently turned aside from their God and through their backslidings and apostacies after many warnings from Heaven brought a destroying enemy upon them that their place and name was taken quite away they were a Tipe of those ten parts if I may so express it of the professing Gospel-Church who through their backslidings and apostacies a 2 Thes 2.3 falling away made way for the man of Sin the Babylonish power to exalt it self over them to their ruine And as the Lord for his servant Davids sake and for Jerusalems sake promised to preserve one Tribe that David might have b 1 King 11.36 a light before the Lord in Jerusalem notwithstanding their backslidings and apostacies yet upon the pure account of his Covenant with David the Lord preserves this one Tribe according to his promise til Shiloh came this Tribe was a Tipe of that smal part of the professing Gospel-Church which the Lord will preserve for David his Sons sake and for Jerusalem his true Churches sake that the seed of the Woman may not be quite extinct nor our Lord Jesus the Son of God left without his Remnant in the world notwithstanding all the deviations backslidings and apostacies of Kings Rulers and people yet there is a cluster in the midst of it that hath such a blessing in it that it shal be preserved and continue til he comes the second time whose right it is to Reign But for the iniquities backslidings and Apostacies of this one Tribe the Lord delivers them for a season into the hand of the King of Babilon and after a certain term of time by a Cyrus he opens away for their coming out of Babilon and return to their own Land to Worship the Lord God of their Fathers at Jerusalem in the true Church now they apostatising after this super-abundant grace and favour stopping their ears against the Lords Messengers he withdraws God leaves them to themselves their Prophets cease
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
silver purifying and purging the true seed from all their drosse and tin that they may be able to offer up an Offering to the Lord in righteousnesse sit to serve him in that great and glorious worke he hath to do in the world 2. Because the worke of our Lord at this time the Prophet speaks of is to bring his people into to cloath them with that glory they have lost the glory of the day of their espousal that they may be as in the dayes of old as in antient yeares but when our Lord shall come in person he will bring a greater glory then that with him even r Mat. 16.27 Luke 9.26 his own glory and his Fathers glory and the glory of his holy Angells 3. Because I finde the Prophet Isaiah who as hath been sufficiently proved speaks of the same time and worke calling this a coming in spirit the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning By which the Lord will wash and purge Syon 4. Because the great designe of our Lord at this his coming as hath been already proved is to sitt and prepare his Syon for the doing that great worke of his in and upon the world he hath decreed she shall carry on before he comes himselfe in person even the breaking Dan. great Image to pieces and powering out Vials of his wrath upon the rebellious world by giving his Spirit to them and causing it to rest upon them Read what the Prophet Isaiah saith in his 28. chapter the 5. and 6. verses In that day shall the Lord of hosts be for a Crowne of glory and for a Diadem of beauty unto the residue of his people And for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate In that day wherein the Lord will in judgment tread under foot the Crowne of Pride the Drunkards of Ephraim and all their glorious beauty shall be as a fading flower wherein God will judge the apostatising wickednesse wherewith the people are become drunken with the promoters of it in the midest of a professing people In that day will the Lord of hoasts be for a Crowne of glory and for a Diadem of beauty unto the residue of his people those that keep their garment pure and clean from this apostacie in this their day But the sword of the Lord of hosts is not to abide upon the back of his people but now judgment beginning at the house of God hath run its course there and the Lord of hosts hath magnified himselfe gotten glory and honor exalted himselfe alone there by the righteousnesse of his Judgments He will be for a spirit of judgement to him that sitteth in judgment and for strength to them that turn the battle to the gate The sword of the Lord of hosts must be removed and the battel must be turned to the gate to what gate s Gen. 22.17 the gate of his enemies which the father hath promised that blessed seed of Abraham our Lord Jesus shall possesse And my thinks the reason is strong for this interpretation for after the Lord hath judged this wicked though professing generation bringing a destroying woe upon the Crowne of Pride the Drunkards among them and made himselfe a Crowne of glory and a Diadem of beauty to the residue of his people whether those that kept themselves clean from the pollutions of the day or those that he had left as his Jewells a people to shew forth his praise he will then be for a spirit of Judgement to them that sit in Judgment and for strength to them that turn the battel to the gate The battle of the Lord must now be turned hence to another place to the gate which cannot be the gate of this professing people for it hath been there already the mighty and strong one of the Lord hath already been as t verse 2. a tempest of haile and a destroying storme as a stood of mighty waters in their gate before the residue of his people set themselves to this worke And the persons to whom these promises are made are those that the battle of the Lord in the gate of this wicked-professing-people hath left the residue of the people so that it cannot be meant of their gate And what gate can this then be But that gate of his enemies which the Father hath promised shall be the possession of his Sonne the seed of Abraham Judgment begins at the house of God and ends in that gate and all this must be done by the Spirit of the Lord he will be for a spirit of Judgment and the same spirit shall be strength to them that turn the battle to the gate The Prophet speaks not a word of any other coming of the Lord than in spirit so that all the worke there spoken of must be done by the spirit of the Lord in and by his people before the coming of the Son of God in Person the second time And the same Prophet Isaiah in his fifty nineth Chapter the nineteenth verse speaks further of this truth When the enemy shall come in like a stood the spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him clearly holding forth thus much to us that the worke of God in the last day's to repay fury to his adversaries and recompence to his enemies that combine together against him shall be carried on by the spirit of the Lord as the great agent in and amongst his people he speaks of his personal comming in the next verse as succeeding this And the Holy ghost in the fourteenth of the Revelation further confirms us in this truth there we finde the Lord bringing his purged and refined number upon Mount Zion martialling them for his work But how comes he As a Lamb A Lamb stood on Mount Zion with one hundred forty foure thousand The Lord comes to avenge the blood of his own person and all the blood of his u Luke 18.7 Mistical body that hath been shed upon the world as a Lamb But when he comes in person he appears after another manner as a King x Mat. 24.30 in power and great glory 5. When the Lord comes himself in person he will do his work himselfe alone by his great power and glory he brings with him he will stain all his Rayment with the blood of his enemies y Isa 63.3 treading the winepress alone and of the people there will be none with him But at this comming of the Lord he makes use of Syon as his battle-ax and instrument of warre of their feet to tread down his enemies as ashes under foot 2. This Tipe cannot represent THE WHOLE OF THE PROFESSING GOSPELL-CHURCH I conceive because the whole house of Israel the twelve Tribes being the tipe of that this one Tribe MALLACHY prophesied to was but a tipe of some small part of the professing-gospel-church which runnes parrallel to it For the illustrating of
this particular think upon what hath been already said in the beginning of this discourse 3. THAT IT HATH SPECIAL AND PECULIAR RELATION TO THE PROFESSING-GOSPEL-CHURCH IN ENGLAND WITH ITS TERRITORIES AND DOMINIONS will plainly appear if we consider First That the Lord hath done these things for ENGLAND and for none other that answer and are equivolent to what he did for that one Tribe of old He hath delivered them from under the Antichristian tyranical power of Babilon given them Liberty Power Authority and Opportunity to BUILD THE TEMPLE to returne to their first Love to their God and Father and their Brethren to the purity and glory of the day of their espousals as it was IN THE DAYES OF OLD AS IN ANTIENT YEARES in their Offerings to the Lord in the Worship and Ordinances of the Lord Jesus And the CITTY JERUSALEM to do and carry on the Lords worke to the praise and glory of his holy name in this their day and time And Secondly ENGLAND hath followed her Tipe step by step in all her Deviations and Apostacies Building CEILED HOUSES getting large Possessions the curious Mansions and Honours of this world for themselves and letting the HOUSE OF GODLY WAST neglecting the present worke of God Apostatising from that blessed worke of his they once engaged in and falling to work of their own insuring to themselves CEILED HOUSES their large and honorable acquisitions of the Mammon of this world Instead of exalting the Lord alone rendering him those honours due unto him for so many matchlesse expressions of an infinite love they exalt themselves and seek their own honour to get a great name of renowne in the world Yea she is gone back even to Babilon again to this the new inventions of the times bear witnesse and were it not that the faithful God hath engaged his Word his Promise him self all his glorious Attributes z Mich. 4 10. that at this time Syon being in this condition he will now deliver his true seed from the hand of their enemies they would be surrounded again and brought under the Iron yoke by a Babilonish power And Thirdly she comes not behinde her Tipe neither in devout and religious hypocrisies All her doings though never so unworthy must be cloaked over with the service of God carrying on the worke of the Lord and the glory of God and the honour of God and the good of the Lords people and a multitude of Sacrifices must be offered and somtimes they will walke mournfully before the Lord But because they smite with the fist of wickednesse hidden under these coverings these their Sacrifices are iniquity in the sight of the Lord he cannot away with them his soule hateth them they are a trouble to him he is really a weary to bear them and he will be a swift witnesse against them These things are all written in very faire characters in ENGLANDS forehead at this day and look round the world and see if you can read them in any other forehead I cannot think they will be found any where but here And if so and at such a time of the day as this about the ending time of Babilons forty two monthes which here I shall take for granted and refer you for the proof of it to those elaborate discourses already extant upon that subject it is to me an infallible argument that these prophesies with the interpretation given of them fall directly upon these miserable Islands And to shut up this part of the Answer that VERY MUCH the Lord speaks in his Word concerning THE ISLANDS as an introduction to the comming forth of his great worke in the world is no small confirmation of the truth of the assertion Obj It may be further Objected that it doth not appear that England is delivered from under Babilons power as you affirm for is not England at present in a far worse state and condition as is the censure of the most prudent wise considerate Judgements than it was in at least under three or four of the last of her antichristian Kings whether we look upon her in her civil or Religious state Ans I Answer It is true that the course of England at present steers wil undoubtedly lead her into the midst of Babilon both Civil and Religious it wil hurry her into a civil bondage and Religious slavery irrecoverable this wil be the inevitable effect of her wayes if an Almighty providence prevent not but yet this makes nothing against the position that once she had Babilons yoke broken from off her neck and was delivered from under the Tyrannical power thereof did enjoy that never to be too much valued liberty those blessed opporrunities to become everlastingly happy by following her Lord whithersoever he would lead her that she wil never enjoy again until the Lord hath made bare the arm of a creating power to redeem her from the hand of her enemies even those her unnatural Children who have suckt the milk of her breasts whom she hath tenderly nourisht and brought up that now inhumanly would pul her very Vitals out of the midst of her body and leave her dead carkase a continual Feast for the Birds of Prey to feed upon And although our condition be thus sad and calamitous at present we are running a pace back again into Egypt and Babilon yet I conceive we are not yet entred the Lists of Babilons borders though we are gone back even to Babilon become very Babilonish yet into Babilon I trust the Lord wil not suffer us to enter but according to his promise wil visit and deliver his people for his own names sake Qu But if any honest heart should ask how may I get clear of the danger I am in of possessing the sorrows of this day of the Lord Ans I Answer Learn that great and good lesson of self denial taking up your Cross and following your Lord get to be of the number of those that fear the Lord that speak often one to another bearing their testimony for the name of God and the inter st of their Lord against the evils and wickednesses of the Times then shal you possess the gratious promises they are under of the sparing love of your Father which belongs to none of those though never so good and righteous in the esteem of the professing world who are guilty of and defiled with the evils of the Times saith the Lord to Isaiah Say unto the righteous that it shal be wel with him for they shal eat the fruit of their doings But woe unto the wicked it shal be ill with him for the reward of his hands shal be given him and the Lord wil spare those that think upon his name and speak often one to another about the concernments of his glory and interest as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him vvhile their brethren are burning in the Refiners fire and smarting under the Fullers sope In the last place somewhat I would
Name Wherefore let all Men who shall read search the Scriptures whether those things which he hath written and brought together from the holy Oracles be so yea or no and accordingly embrace what they find of the Spirit and truth of God and what they meet with that savours of humane frailty and mistake for which of the Learned Orthodox Doctors of the Church as they are called are not full of them let them reflecting upon their own insufficiency and imperfections passe by in brotherly love or rectifie according to the measure of their attainments in Christ For undoubtedly the Aime of the Author and the scope of his discourse is no way unworthy the Name and profession of a Disciple of Christ A plentifull portion of the Spirit of Wisedome and Revelation in the knowledge of Christ be given to every such Disciple in this day for the Lords sake Amen So prayeth One of the Servants of Christ and your Servant for Jesus sake CHR. FEAKE From mine own Hired House where a Souldier is appointed to keep me this 14 day of the 5 Month 1656. TO THE READER GOD who in times past left not himself without Witnesse Acts 14.16 17. hath in the dayes of the Gospel compassed us about with a aloud of Witnesses Heb. 12.1 A Remnant of whom notwithstanding that great Apostacy spoken of 2 Thess 2. hath the Lord reserved and by wonderfull providence hath preserved during all the bloody rage and reigne of the man of sin to bear a Testimony for Jesus with the hazard of their lives Rev. 17.6 And in this our Generation O how eminently hath God appeared witnessing to the truth Rev. 12.11 17. against all the unrighteousnesse of men as by many signal paovidences and dreadsull judgements Chap. 6.9 so also by raising up diverse Witnesses in his behalfe The number of those hath he augmented of late and prospered their Testimony to a great encrease of light and still the Lord holds them in his right hand and makes them like the Pen of a ready Writer bearing a swift Testimony against the most refined abominations of Professors declaring the mind of the Lord in divers dark sayings of Scripture bringing that light out of obscurity that many ages past have never seen 1 Pet. 1.12 showing plainly how the Prophets of old did Minister to the Saints and Professors in the last dayes Behold how these at this day are revived as from the dead to witnesse for God and Christ against a sinfull and adulterous Generation It rejoyceth me to behold how the Lord doth spirit instruments and instruct them to promote their Testimony by expounding and sitly applying their words for Reproof and instruction in Righteousnesse as once he did Ezra and others with him to hold forth the Law of Moses when that work which typed forth much of this now in doing was upon the wheele But as the Lords Witnesses of old were the main object of the hatred of those whom they witnessed against as Amos Jeremy and others who were threatned imprisoned and reproached even so are the Children of the Prophets those who through their word are brought forth to witnesse against evill doers now hated and misused by the men of this Generation I know men are ready to say with the Pharisees Mat. 23.30 31 32. If we had lived in the dayes of our fathers we would not have persecuted the Prophets whilest in the mean time they seek to suppresse those who in the same Spirit of faith doe with their words explained bear witness against such yea the self same evills by other persons committed now Obj. But some may Object saying This is the duty and work of extraordinary Prophets only to bear a Testimony against the evills of the Times ordinary Ministers have little to doe ordinary Saints much lesse with such matters Ans The Prophecies of old and the Testimonies of the Prophets are gathered up into the Prophesie and Testimony of Christ the Great Prophet of the New Testament the faithfull witnesse and by him having received of the Father The Promise of the Spirit in the fullnesse of it committed to his Seed even the faithfull believers as believers being made to partake abundantly of the same Spirit which was not given at least so generally and ordinarily untill Jesus was exalted John 7. 38 39. by them to be declared and held forth from Generation to Generation each word in its season according to their measure of Grace and of the gift of Christ as these Scriptures here inserted with many more doe sufficiently prove Rev. 1.4 5 11. Rev. 12.10 11 17. Isa 59.21 Psa 145.4 Isa 43.3 5 8. Isa 8.16 2 Tim. 2.2 And as it is the concernment of Saints in generall qualified for the worke to witnesse for Christ against Antichrist so is it in a speciall manner the worke of Gospel Ministers orderly called to that Office to bear their Testimony against all Antichristian Abominations And if these things be so may we not conclude that men ought to take heed that they be not found despisers when God comes forth by the words of his Servants though Babes and Sucklings with stammering tongues and pens Psal 8.2 to witnesse against the evills of the times O Yee that are called by the name of Saints Is it a time for you to dwell at ease in your cieled houses Is it not high time to awake and to consider your wayes to enquire into to lay to heart to sigh and cry for all the abominations of such as professe to be the Lords people whereby the grace and praise-worthy name of God is reproached at home and abroad Oh how gloriously is this duty rewarded and how severely are professors even the ancient of them punished for the neglect hereof Ezek. 9.4 5 6 7. If love to God and Christ doth not constrain yet let the just judgements of God breaking forth upon a professing yet sinfull secure people provoke you hereunto In this weighty work the ensuing Treatise will afford thee no small help for by it if the presence of the Lord accompany the reading thou mayest dig through a wall as Ezekiel was bid to doe Ezek. 8.7 8 12. and mayest behold with him an open door whereat entring in thou mayest see greater abominations then probably thou hast hitherto observed vayled over with spetious pretences and a large profession Herein is the wisedome of God to be seen and justified in bringing his truths to light in their proper time whilest men are working in the darke Isa 29.15 saying Who seeth us How hath the Lord lighted Candles wherewith to search Jerusalem visiting the men that are setling Zeph. 1.12 or willing to setle on their Lees. Reader This worke serves not only to present unto thee as it were in a Glasse the face of the Times but thine own face use it as a Touchstone to try thy heart whether it be right for the Lord and for his work Behold how the Lord comes and
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