Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
heaven_n	creature_n	earth_n	power_n	6,909	5	4.7275	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A42414	A resolution of three important questions (premis'd as a foundation to an intended exposition of the fourth and fifth chapters of the apocalypse) in answer to the late reverend and learned Dr. H. M. Wherein is shewed, I. That the fourth and fifth chapters of the Revelation, are properly a prophecy of things to come to pass after St. John's receiving of the vision of them. II. That by opening of the book, Rev. v. is meant, of prefigured the explaining of it. III. That by the throne in both the said chapters, is meant a throne of God on Earth, and not in the highest heaven. By W. G. V. T.	Garrett, Walter.	1688 (1688)	Wing G271A; ESTC R200685	23,074	29

when it shall be thought fit by those that are the Judges of what is fit in such cases I shall now only endeavour to prepare the way by shewing that which the Reverend and Learned Dr. M. is forced to deny at any rate as being utterly inconsistent with his own and the common Hypothesis viz. That the Vision of the fourth and fifth Chapters of the Revelation is properly a Prophecy and consequently that the design of the fifth Chapter is not to represent God's giving to his Son the Revelation That the fourth and fifth Chapters of the Revelation are a Prophecy This appears so plainly from the Preface that the Spirit himself has prefixt to them that one would think it impossible for any Man to be mistaken in this Point After this I looked says St. John Chap. iv 1. and behold a Door was opened in Heaven And the first Voice which I heard was as it were of a Trumpet talking with me saying Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter Is not this as plain an Indication as can be desired that the things which St. John was now about to see were things to come and consequently that the seeing of those things is prophesying But what were those things which the Voice shewed him What can they be if not those which immediately follow of which St. John gives this Relation ver 2 3 c. And immediately says he I was in the Spirit and behold a Throne was set in Heaven and one sat on the Throne c. And round about the Throne were four and twenty Elders sitting c. and out of the Throne proceeded Lightnings and Thundrings and Voices And there were seven Lamps of Fire burning before the Throne c. And in the midst of the Throne and round about the Throne were four Beasts c. who rest not day and night saying Holy Holy Holy c. And when those Beasts magnify him that sate on the Throne the four and twenty Elders with profound humility give God the Glory of the Works of his Creation Then in the fifth Chapter he proceeds to tell us how that the Sitter on the Throne had a Book in his right-hand written within and on the back-side sealed with seven Seals Whereupon a strong Angel is seen proclaiming with a loud Voice Who is worthy to open the Book c. vers 1 2. None in the whole World is found worthy vers 3. Wherefore St. John weeps ver 4. One of the Elders comforts him ver 5. Whereupon St. John espies in the midst of the Throne a Lamb standing as if it had been slain c. ver 6. who came and took the Book out of the right-hand of him that sate on the Throne ver 7. Upon which the said Beasts and Elders fall down before the Lamb and sing a Song to him congratulating his taking the Book and opening the Seals ver 8 9 10. Then the Prophet hears the Voice of many Angels round about the Throne and the Beasts and the Elders applauding the Lamb ver 11 12. And next he hears no less than every Creature in Heaven Earth Sea and under the Earth giving Blessing Honour Glory and Power to him that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb. The four Beasts saying Amen and the Elders doing most profound reverence also ver 12 13. Then he proceeds in Chap. vi 1 2 c. to tell us what he saw in the Book when the Lamb had opened it And I saw says St. John when the Lamb opened one of the Seals and I heard as it were the noise of Thunder one of the four Beasts saying Come and see And I saw and behold a white Horse and he that sat on him had a Bow c. And in like manner he goes on describing what he saw at the opening of each Sea. Now the thing which I affirm is this That whether the things which St. John saw in the Book be a Prophecy of future things or not yet it must needs be that the many other things which he saw and heard before the opening of the Book are a Prophecy The reason is plain because those words of the Voice Chap. 4.1 I will shew thee things that must be hereafter do most plainly and immediately affect the things which he saw in the fourth and fifth Chapters but not those things which he saw in the Book Chap. 6. Nor does this only appear from the order of Narration but also from the reason and nature of the the thing it self For those words of the Voice Come up hither and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter must necessarily refer to the things which the Voice shew'd him viz. those things which he saw by virtue of his being call'd up into Heaven which things are plainly the Throne with the Sitter on it together with the other things afore-spoken of But as for the things that were contained in the Book he was not shew'd them by the Voice but by the Lamb that opened the Book and the Beasts that called him to see them as appears most evidently from Rev. 6.1 2 c. Besides the Title of things that must be hereafter is not adequate to the Visions of the sealed Book whose Events even according to Dr. M's own Exposition begin as soon as those of the Epistolar Prophecy As therefore the Title to the Epistolar Prophecy is things that are and things that must be hereafter Rev. 1.19 because as the Doctor truly affirms the Epistles concern the state of the Church then present as well as that which was to come why should not the Prophecy of the sealed Book have the same Title since the reason in all points is the same So plain is it every way that those words of the Voice Come up hither and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter respect not the Visions of the Book Chap. 6. but those that immediately follow the said words in Chap. 4.2 3 c. viz. the Vision of the Throne and the rest that follow If therefore the Vision of the Throne with the Sitter on it the Elders and Beasts praising him the Book in the Sitter's Right-hand the strong Angels proclaiming c. I say if these things be not some of those which the Voice points at Vers 1. telling the Prophet he would shew him things that must come to pass hereafter it will be impossible to prove that any part of the Revelation is a Prophecy Come up hither says the Voice and I will shew thee things that must be hereafter And immediately says the Prophet I was in the Spirit and saw such and such things And are not they the things then which the Voice said he would shew him Which things since the Voice says they are future things or things that must be hereafter it is plain the Vision of them is a Prophecy But notwithstanding this mighty Evidence of Truth the Reverend Dr. M. is pleased to express his

exhibited only in a Play or Show and need no more to be fulfill'd than the Vision of the strong Angel we are speaking of The other thing which makes the literal sense of opening the Book in St. John's time impossible to be the ultimate sense of that Phrase is that which is said Rev. v. 13. where St. John says he heard every Creature in Heaven in Earth in the Sea and under the Earth saying Blessing and Glory and Honour and Power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever In which Hymn since every Creature was to be concern'd if it had been said in St. John's time we should certainly have had some footsteps of it in History But there is no such Passage any where to be found and yet it was to be before the Lamb 's opening of the Seals as plainly appears from the uninterrupted order of Relation Rev. v. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 c. Therefore the true opening of the Seals was not in St. John's time To this the Doctor answers as strangely as to the former Par. Proph. Chap. xxxiv Resp ad 10. not resolving whether it was to have any Completion or not as being Dramatical too but if it ought to be fulfill'd at all he says it is not to be till the Millennium as neither that before it at ver 9 10. where the Beasts and Elders say they shall reign upon the Earth Reply 1. The Text it self says That that Hymn of the Beasts and Elders was sung upon the Lamb's taking of the Book which Dr. M. makes to be in St. John's time Rev. v. 8. And when the Lamb had taken the Book they sung c. according to which account it should have been past these 1600 Years Likewise the Hymn sounded forth by every Creature is put before the Lamb's opening any one of the Seals as is evident to any one that reads And is it not very strange that in the same uninterrupted Series of Relation the Lamb 's taking the Book Rev. v. 7. should have been done 1600 Years ago but that the Song said in the next Verse to have been sung thereupon should not be fulfill'd till the Millennium as neither the Gratulation of the Angels ver 11 12. nor the Hymn said by every Creature ver 13 14. And that in the very next Verse viz. Chap. vi 1. there should be a regression to things past 1600 Years ago as the opening of the Book is said by Dr. M. to be 2. Whereas the Doctor makes it an Argument that the Song of the Beasts and Elders Chap. v. 8 9 10. shall not be fulfill'd till the Millennium because they say they shall reign upon the Earth it is plain from those words shall reign that their Reign was not then begun and consequently that the Hymn was to be sung before the Millennium 3. The ●octor himself on Rev. xi 16. makes these Elders to be our noble Reformers who are already dead and gone Also upon Rov xv 7 c. he expounds the seven Angels to whom one of the 〈◊〉 Beasts is said there to give seven Vials to be half path 〈…〉 Wherefore the Beast that gave them their Vials must 〈…〉 something before the Millennium which is not yet come 4. ●ow arbitrary is it to make in the same Vision the Beasts and Elders Chap. v. 8. to sigure something to come but the strong Angel proclaiming ver 2. to figure nothing at all altho in all the Epistles and in many other places the Angels of the Churches are by the current of Interpreters expounded Men and ought to be so in all places of the Prophecy for ought I see yet to the contrary nor the opening of the Seals to sigure any thing here tho it be never us'd but figuratively in any other place But lastly If the Hymn said by every Creature Rev. v. 13. and that by the Beasts and Elders ver 9 10. be not to be sung till the Millennium it is certain from the unquestionable Order of the Relation that the Seals are not to be open'd till then neither For when that is soon after the Lamb had taken the Book that Hymn which was sung by the Beasts and Elders is expresly said to have been sung ver 8. And the Seals were not opened by the Lamb till he had taken the Book therefore the opening of the Bock was to be much about the same time with the Song sung by the Beasts and Elders and cannot by any means be thought to have been fulfill'd 1600 Years before it Whence it follows That that Phrase of opening the Book cannot be understood literally i. e. it can't be understood to signify no more than what was done in the Vision presented to St. John 1600 Years ago And thus much to prove that by opening the Sealed Book Rev. v. is meant explaining it As to the other Point viz. That by the Throne in the Vision I am upon is meant a Throne of God upon Earth because I cannot bring the proof of it within the compass of this Sheet of Paper I reserve it to another if God permit Tho it may seem to be prov'd already in that 1. The Throne is plainly one of those things which the Spirit expresly calls things future Rev. iv 1 2 c. Come up hither says the Voice and I will shew thee things that must be hercaster i.e. things which are not yet in being much less things which have been the same from all Eternity And immediately says the Prophet as the result of the Voice's calling to him I was in the Spirit and behold a Throne was set in Heaven and one sat upon it Wherefore since it is evident that this Throne was not in being at the time of the exhibiting of this Vision to St. John what can be more plain than that it is not the Throne of God in the highest Heaven 2. If by opening the Seals be meant explaining the Book to the People of God as I have prov'd it is then it must needs follow that the Lamb with seven Horns and seven Eyes that opens the Book is not Christ himself in Person but the Church of Christ as the Lamb Rev. xvii 14. is expounded Rev. xiii 7. and even by reason it self For since the time of his conversing with us in the Flesh we are not to expect that he should come in Person to explain any Book to us And consequently the Throne in the middle of which the Lamb is represented is some earthly Throne A Corollary If by opening the Book Rev. v. be meant explaining it then most certain it is That the time of the Church prefigur'd in that Chapter is that wherein the Book we speak of has been or shall be first explain'd For whereas it is said That upon Proclamation made no Man in the World could explain it ver 2 3. and when St. John wept because no body was found able ver 4. Presently thereupon an Elder is