Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
kingdom_n	earth_n	glory_n	great_a	2,131	5	2.9800	3	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89056	A further discovery of the mystery of the last times; as an addition to a little book, called Some discoveries of the mystery of the last times, bordering upon the coming of the Lord Jesus. Set forth for the good of all men; but especially of those who in these dissenting times (wherein Ephraim envieth Juda, and Juda vexeth Ephraim) know not where to settle themselves, or to what society of Christians to joyn themselves: wherein is (as simply and plainly, as the author was able to open those mysterious scriptures quoted in this following treatise) shewed the cause of all our divisions and contentions about matters pertaining to form and order in the church of Jesus Christ; and wherein is moderately proved from those scriptures these particulars. 1. The flourishing and building condition of the church of Jesus Christ in the time of the gospel. ... 7. Lastly, that the Lord Jesus will by himself destroy all those enemies, and deliver his people, when the restoration of all things shall be.	Mercer, Richard, fl. 1649-1651.; Mercer, Richard, fl. 1649-1651. Some discoveries of the mystery of the last times, bordering upon the coming of the Lord Jesus].	1651 (1651)	Wing M1732; Thomason E637_16; ESTC R206616	80,538	60

he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth and if we in outward carriage towards men do watch over our own corruptions and order our lives and conversations aright and in our worship towards God use prayer and praises from a pure heart which is the only sacrifice he accepts we have his promise which cannot ly that unto such he will shew the salvation of God Psalm the 50. 23. And so much for this sleepy and dead condition of the people of the Lord Jesus Christ. It hath been a question put by some to me how I proved the four beasts which did give glory to God upon which I grounded my book called Some Discoveries of the mysteries of the last times to be four dispensations of the people of God under which they ly in severall shapes or conditions which to satisfie all men that doubt of the truth of that exposition I desire such men to look Revelation the 5. 8 9 10 verses where it is said And when he had taken the book the four beasts and the four and twenty Elders fell down before the Lamb having harpes and golden viols full of odours which are she prayers of the Saints and they sung a new song saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seales thereof for thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the Earth which proof through a mistake was left out which now I have inserted to satisfie all men which doubt the truth of it I shall now in the fourth place speak of the fourth particular in order That the Lord Jesus will appear most gloriously to deliver his people by himself And this all the prophets bear witness unto As first the prophet David in the 50. Psalm and 2. verse where speaking of the Lords glorious appearing saith Out of Sion the perfection of beauty hath God shined Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestuous round about him The like in Psalm 45. 3. he saith Gird thy sword upon thy thigh ô thou most mighty withthy glory and majesty and in thy majesty ride on prosperously The like he saith in Psalm 72. speaking of the peace and righteousness which should flourish in Christs kingdome in the type of Solomon the 9. verse And blessed be his glorious name for ever and ever and let the whole Earth be filled with his glory amen amen So in the 97. Psalm the prophet saith speaking of the glory and majesty of Christs Kingdome The Lord raigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof clouds and darkness are round about him righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne a fire goeth before him and burneth up all his enemies his lightnings lightned the world the earth saw and trembled The like Isaiah speaking of the glory of Christs kingdome in chapter 4. 2. and 22. 22 23. and 63. 1 2 3. in all which places of the same prophet mention is made of abundance of glory at the Lords appearing to deliver his people So likewise Ezekiel chapter 43. 2. and Daniel chapter 7 14. Hosea 6. 3. Micah 4. 1 2 3. Nahum the first and 3. Habakuk 3. 2 3. in all which places there is mention made that when the Lord appears and restores his people there will be abundance of glory Secondly I shall proceed to speak of that glory that is set forth in the new Testament as Matthew 17. 1. Mark 9. 2. Luke 17. 24. Matthew 24. 27. 2 Thessalonians 2. 8. Rev. 14. 15. and 14. 1. and 18. 1. and 19. 11 12 13. In all which places there is mention made of that glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus when he comes to deliver his people Now it being so that the next appearing of the Lord Jesus will be with abundance of glory according to his own speech unto his disciples Matthew the 16. 28. which was performed unto Peter James and John in Matthew 17. 2. and according as those texts before mentioned do abundantly prove It will be therefore necessary to see and consider whether there be any glory at present any way answerable to these texts of Scripture above quoted or any way coming neer unto it among the severall professions of this age as for those single congregations which go under the name of Independent or Baptist or any other which profess to walk in the way of the Gospel no nor yet the Seekers they ascribe unto themselves no such thing But for those men which go under the vulgar name of Ranters they do ascribe unto themselves a great perfection namely that they are come to Sion and enjoy God perfectly and that God is all in all unto them and that the Son in them hath delivered up the kingdom unto God the Father as may be seen in their books therfore let us examine what sign of glory is so excellent amongst them As first to begin with their persons as they are men I am not able to discern as yet but that they are men subject to the like passions as other men and therefore in that respect no such glory as for those miseries which are incident unto mans life as hunger thirst cold heat sicknesse and diseases which are common to men they have their part as other men for ought I can yet see and therefore no such glory As for those gifts and graces of the spirit as faith hope love self-deniall meeknesse temperance patience I see no greater measure in them then in other Christians and therefore no such glory As for perfection and a life free from sin and uncleannesse I see no such excellency in them more then in other sorts of Christians as it were boasting that they can do such and such things which are in themselves wicked and yet unto them without sin therefore in that respect no such glory As for any spirit of infallibility in them speaking as the oracles of God more in them then in other Christians I see no difference nay what prophesies of theirs are come to passe therefore no such glory in the least degree Therefore I conceive I may conclude with this argument against them that the first appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ both in himselfe and in his Apostles was glorious witnesse the spirit descending like a dove upon him and also upon his Apostles there did appeal unto them cloven tongues like unto fire and sat upon them and they were filled with the holy Ghost Acts 2. 3 4. But the second appearance of Jesus Christ will be with much more glory as may be seen Mathew 17. 2. But that perfection and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ in those men as they pretend comes short of the glory of the first times as experience witnesseth therefore I conceive I may safely conclude

in the Church of God as have been but outward professors and therefore this makes not but that there may be a Church of Jesus Christ distinct from the world or that of antichrist and so his people may be in a Church order notwithstanding those proofes you have brought to the contrary To which I answer that there was as many foolish as wise but marke the posture they where in during this time which was that while the Bridegroome tarried all slumbred and slept Now if it be said they were asleep in spirit that is in such graces of the Spirit as love to the Lord Jesus as faith hope humility selse-deniall and all the graces of the Spirit wherein they were inwardly alive unto God in this sleepy condition if so then sure there was no difference between the wise and the foolish and then the wise must be in the number of those upon whom the day of the Lord did come and find them sleeping that is unprepared which sense being granted will overthrow the text it self for it is said that their lamps were not out whereas it was otherwise with the foolish for it is said that their lamps were out so that it must needs follow that the true sense of the place must be this That both wise and foolish were asleep in respect of outward order according to the first Gospel times or pattern and so lay together mingled under the bondage of Antichrist and so in that sense the wise were asleep as well as the foolish ut in respect of those inward graces of the Spirit as faith hope love selfe-deniall humility meekness and all those graces of the Spirit they were before the foolish virgins and this exposition is made good from Canticles 5. 2. where the Church professeth that she is asleep but her heart waketh And thus much to this objection Another objection is made against the abomination of desolation spoken of Mat. 24. 15. for say some men that the abomination spoken of in that place is the destruction of Jerusalem which fell out some forty years after our Saviours ascension for say they it is an answer to his Disciples which made the question touching the temple and besides it is said Luke 21. 20. when you shall see Jerusalem compassed about with armies then know that the desolation thereof is neer To which I answer and say that this objection seemeth to have some weight for I do believe that the destruction of the City and temple is there meant but that there is another thing meant I do also affirm which I shall thus prove Therefore pray mind in the beginning of the same chapter there are three questions demanded by the disciples one of the destruction of Jerusalem and temple a second of the signes of the Lords coming and a third of the end of the world and in the same chapter there is an answer given to either of them but in Luke the 21. there is but one question demanded by the Disciples touching the destruction of the City and temple and an answer given unto it by our Saviour and some little hint of the signes going before the Lords second coming And then look into the 17. of Luke and 20 and you shal find a question propounded by the Pharisees and an answer given unto them that is That the Kingdome of God is within you and that the kingdome of God cometh not with observation neither shall they say lo here and lo there for behold the kingdome of God is within you As much as if he should have said unto them think not that the kingdome of God cometh with the vain pompe of the world or with the observation of the Sacrifices of the Temple or the Ceremonies thereof which are now ended but saith he the Kingdome of God is within you when you do justice and love mercy and walk humbly with your God and when you fulfill that great commandment which is to love God above all and your neighbour as your self as it is cleer from all the Prophers which call upon them to do Justice and to love mercy Psalm 51. 16 17. Isaiah 33. 15. and 66. 2. Micah 6. 8. Zechariah 8. 16. 17. And likewise ver 23. there are instructions given unto his Disciples how they should behave themselves unto his second coming when once the abomination was set up for he saith The dayes will come when you shall desire to see one of the dayes of the son of man and you shall not see it Implying thus much You shall desire to return unto the wayes of the Lord Jesus but you shall not for they are polluted And you shall have such as shall say unto you see here and see there but he gives the warning saying Go not after them nor follow them for as the lightning that lightneth out of one part of heaven shineth unto the other part under heaven so shall the son of man be in his day which compared with Mat. 24. 24 25 26 27. veries fully agree together So that to me it seems cleer that there is some other thing meant besides pray look in my booke called Some Discoveries of the mysteries of the last times and you shall find five Reasons given why the polluting of the ordinances is there meant It may be further objected that in regard the Lord Jesus gives warning when his Disciples shall see the abomination set up that they should flee to the mountains how I can give it a mysticall meaning seeing the words are plaine compared with Luke 21. that it is the besieging and destruction of the Temple and City For answer unto which that there is a mystery in the words I have partly declared already and shall further cleer it as first I desire it may be considered that the Gospel as touching the believing part is altogether in a mysterie secondly consider that all the Prophesies and predictions of the Gospel are mysteries and not to be fulfilled in the letter which is cleer from those places in the same chapter as verses 26 27 28 29. with the whole following chapter Thirdly consider it had been to little purpose for our Savionr to have exhorted his Disciples and the Jews to have fled into the mountains of the Earth for they must then have perished for want of subsistence or else have fell into their Enemies hands for the Romans would not suffer the Jews to inhabit any part of Judea until they had submitted themselves un to them for Josephus Of the Wars of the Jews makes mention of a part of the Jews which were fled into a wood for succour and the Romans made warr against them and destroyed almost all of them as may be seen in the history of their Wars which place having not the book in my hands I cannot direct the Reader unto therfore it must necessarily follow that it was to the mountains of the nations unto which they were exhorted to flee It may yet further be objected how I can

down the residue of the pasture with their feet and foul the water with their feet and caused the people to eat that which they had trodden and to drink of the water which they had fouled with their feet Ezekiel the 34. 18 19. Even so I conceive the Popes Clergie have defiled the ordinances of Jesus Christ by altring them from their first constitution and polluting them with their ceremonies and causing the people to back them and use them as they are pleased to command and to commit Idolatry by them and especially about the reall presence in the Sacrament Seventhly that as Antiochus having set up the Idol of abomination that maketh desolate in the temple of God and commanded the people to offer upon the Altar and those that refused he put to death even so the Pope of Rome having placed the abomination of desolation that is as I conceive the reall presence in the Sacrament did persecute and put to death all those that would not worship it and confesse this doctrine to be truth Eightly that as when Antiochus having placed the abomination that maketh desolate in the Temple of God and in the cities of Juda that then Matthias and his sons fled unto the mountaines for succour the first of Maccabees 2. 28. Even so the Lord Jesus adviseth his disciples that when ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place whoso readeth let him understand then let them that be in Judea fly unto the mountains Matthew 24. 15 16. likewise I conceive the people of the Lord Jesus in the mystery are at this present to come out of the Romish Church and to fly into the mountaines of the protestant Churches where though in respect of the purity of the ordinances they come short of the perfection of the first times having lost their power and their greatest number being Christians at large that is having little else but the bare profession of Jesus Christ yet in doctrine which are things to be beleeved they come neer to the first times and I do conceive they are the earth as I shall hereafter shew God assisting me when I come to speake of the beast which did arise out of the Earth unto which the woman fled Revelation 12. 16. Ninthly that as Antiochus after he had set up the Abomination which maketh desolate in the Temple of God had such as resisted and withstood him and did exploits as Matthias and his sons and brethren with such as regarded their God even so when the Pope and his Clergie having corrupted the ordinances and set up the abomination which maketh desolate and commanded the people to worship it had such as did soon resist and withstand him with the losse of their bloud and that not a few but many as may be seen in Acts and Monuments at large treated of Tenthly and lastly that as Antiochus when he did defile the Temple of Jerusalem and set up the abomination that maketh desolate had armes to stand on his part which were the nations that were Enemies unto the Jewes and had such as did wickedly against the covenant to joyn with him Daniel the 11. 31 32. 1. Maccabees 1. 50. Even so the Pope when he did defile the Church of God by setting up the abomination that maketh desolate in the Church I mean the reall presence in the Sacrament and command the people to worship it had armes to stand on his side and doubtless all that forsook the covenant being many of the order of Monks that were the first devisers of transubstantiation for in a councell which was held in Laterane at Rome under Pope Innocent the third were gathered together through the christian world of severall nations to the number of 1300. Bishops which inacted transubstantiation as a Law to be set up throughout the whole Church in the year 1215. and then in the year 1220 Pope Honorius the third in another Councell inacted Elevation and Adoration of the Sacrament and thus was the Abomination of desolation set up in the Church of God as a law and all men commanded to worship it and so the Spirit of God forsook that Administration as you may see at large Acts and Monuments the second volume page the 457. 460. So that from these foregoing Reasons I supose I may safely conclude that it is somthing in the mystery in the church of God which the Pope is prossessed with that is the abomination that maketh desolate and drives the Spirit of God from his own worship and I know nothing in the church of Rome whereunto this may be applied so fitly as to the reall presence in the Sacrament or the fleshly body of Christ under the form of bread and if this in particular may be applied unto the abomination that maketh desolate then much more when all the ordinances of Jesus Christ in that Church are corrupted from their first purity either in substance or in form by adding many ceremonies unto them and the people forced to receive them as they command Thus having finished the description of the Beast which did arise out of the sea and spoken of the time of his standing and prevailing in the Church we wil now come to speak God assisting something of the beast which is to arise out of the earth and because I am not certain whether this beast be up or not I shall not speak much of him only I shall speak somthing of the earth from whence this beast doth arise It is a principle amongst men that earth in Scripture phrase signifies men of earthly condition being flesh and not guided by the spirit of God or if you will by earth you may take men of the meanest rank and quality in the world that is the vulgar multitude whom Mr. Prin in his Soveraignty of Parliaments and Kingdoms makes to be the originall of Authority in temporall things Reasoning thus that there was a people before there was a King And this people did originally chuse their King Now according to this principle If the Soveraignty of Authority remain in the people from whence the government ariseth and this Authority be it a King or common-wealth which you will have power to make Lawes in the church of Christ and have derived their Authority from the multitude and ascribe unto themselves the title of Head of the church of Christ it will come to passe that the multitude in generall originally and the King or state derivatively will be the head of the church of Jesus Christ which hath come to passe already in the severall nations of the protestants and this Saint John seems to intimate Revelation the 16. 19. where it is said And the cities of the nations fell where note I conceive Saint John doth not treat in this place of the civill government or state of the nations which may be applied to the nationall cities nor yet of the materiall cities of the nations as London Paris