speak concerning this matter for in Chap. 34. 12. speaking of this condition of the people of God he compares the time therof to a cloudy and dark day wherin the people of the Lord were scattered so likewise in his 37. Chapter and 11. verse the Prophet brings the people of God complaining saying behold our bones are dry and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts They acknowledged that they had lain so long in captivity and scattered among the nations that they began to doubt of the promises of God for their restoring And then in the 12. verse he saith in answer to their complaint Behold I will open your graves and cause you to come out of your graves which shews that they were in a dead condition and also it shews plainely that all this time they were out of order as touching the worship or else as touching any Gospel order Thus far Ezekiel Daniell in Chapter 7. 25. speaking of that little horn which I take to be Antichrist that he should think to change times and Lawes and they should be given into his hands that is as I conceive he should have power to change the times and lawes which are the ordinances of the Gospel and to sit in the temple of God shewing himself as if he were God and to deaden all the outward worship of God by changing the ordinances of God the like to this effect the same prophet speaking of the prevailing power of Antichrist over the Church of Jesus Christ in the last times in chap. 11. 45. saith He shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain And thus much for the prophet Daniel to confirm this thing Now for the prophet Hosea in Chap 2. 3. of his prophesie where in the person of God he expostulating with his people threatens to strip her naked and set her as in the day in which she was born and make her like a wilderness and set her like a dry land and slay her with thirst and then in the 14. verse compared with Ezekiel 20. 35. and Rev. 12. 14. the judgment is fulfilled upon her for her sins Where pray mark in the Judgment which is threatned upon this people if they did not repent the Lord tels them by his prophet that he would make her like a wilderness and dry land and it is added and set her as in the day when she was born now how was it with the people of God in the day before they were born I mean that new birth being born by their calling out of the world being applied to Israell after the flesh or Israel after the spirit As for Israel after the flesh the prophet Ezekiel sets forth their condition in Chapter 16. 3 where he saith thy birth and thy nativity was of the land of Canaan thy father was an Amorite and thy mother an Hittite shewing that there was little difference between the gentiles and them untill they were separated asunder by his love towards them and by that outward order as Circumcision and Sacrifices and the worship of the law So likewise in respect of Israel after the spirit there was no difference between the beleevers and unbeleevers untill the Lord called them out by the preaching of the Gospel as is cleer by all the Epistles of the Apostles unto the severall Churches And thus much for Hosea touching this thing The like hath the prophet Amos speaking of this sleepy or dead condition in respect of outward order in his 8. chapter and 9 10 11 12 verses where in the former part of the chapter having set before the people their sins and wickednesses and their oppressions of the poor he saith in the 9. verse And it shall come to passe in that day speaking of the bloudy day saith the Lord God that I will cause the Sun to go down at noone and I will darken the Earth in the cleer day and I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentations and then in the 11 verse it is said Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will send a famine in the Land not a famine of bread or a thirst of water but of hearing the word of the Lord and they shall wander from sea to sea and from the North even unto the East they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord and shall not find it Lo here friends what can be more plainly spoken then this prophet speaks of that cloudy day and dark wherein as the prophet Micah in chapter 3. 6. and the Sun shall go down over the prophets and the day shall be dark over them Implying thus much that in the last ages of the world during the death of the witnesses and the time and times and half time there shall be no appearances of God by gifts and ordinances but all things in respect of the outward administrations shall be dead and in a barren condition about the woman that is the Church in this dead and sleepy condition of the Lords people To the like matter the same prophet saith in chapter 9. 9. where he saith For loe I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations as corn is sifted in a sieve which sheweth their dispersion and captivity among the nations without any order in respect of Kingdome and Priesthood or injoying God in his ordinances in the purity of them And so much for the prophet Amos. Now for the Prophet Micah pray hear what he saith concerning this condition of the Lords people in cha 2. 10. where speaking in the person of God saith Arise and depart for this is not your rest Why what is the matter he saith because it is polluted it shall destroy you with a sore destruction shewing that their polluting of the ordinances of God was the cause of their destruction and captivity for he saith in the 12. verse I will surely assemble O Jacob all of thee I will surely gather the remnant of Israel The like is said to the same effect in chap. 3. 12. speaking of the cruelty of the Princes and falsness of the Prophets he saith Therefore shall Sion for your sake be plowed as a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forrest thereby shewing the desolations which should lie upon all the face of the outward administrations So likewise the same Prophet in his 7. chapter and first verse speaking in the person of the Church in her complaint saith Woe is me for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits as the grape-gleaning of the vintage there is no cluster to eat my soul desired the first ripe fruit thereby shewing that in the last times the people of God should be like the summer gatherings and that there should be no cluster that is no assembly or Church congregated together in any Gospel order but that they
and the Calf the young Lion and the fatling together and a little Child shal lead them and then there will be such a judg as shall not execute Judgment after the sight of the Eyes neither reprove after the hearing of his Eares but with righteousness shall he judg the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the Earth and he shall smite the Earth with the Rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked Isaiah the 11. 1 3 4 5 6 9 13. untill which time the defenced City shall be desolate and the habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness there shall the Calfe feed and there shall he lie down and consume the branches thereof Isaiah 27. 10. Now to both the wise and unwise I say First what I have done is in love to the truth and to all men not envying the happiness of any in their wayes of worship if they find what they professe but I fear they build again the things which God will have destroyed and secondly to be true to the principles within me that is to discover the talent which God hath lent me and put it out to profit that when the Lord comes he might have his own with vantage And to cleer my self that I have done it in love I appeal to the men of every profession that have any commerce with me if they find any spirit of evill against them in my carriage towards them but alwayes loving the Image of God in any of them I write not this to advance my reputation but to take off all prejudice from my person that so my worke may take the better effect Thirdly in the following Treatise I have not built upon another mans foundation that is discoursed of things made ready to my hand but I have for the most part opened such Scriptures as I never met with any exposition to my best memory of them and though I could have wished some abler pen might have opened them that had been better furnished with gifts and learning and time convenient for the performance of so weighty a task being exceeding unfitting for such a labour yet nevertheless considering the great necessity of the matter being a thing of great weight and not looked into namely how the Lord would have his people walk in their waiting for his coming in the last times wherein I beseech thee to consider that I have not laid down my grounds and Reasons as infallible verities but propounding them to the Judgment of all men to examine with all the meekness I could fearing to give offence either to God or to the Christian in any dispensation and I hope it will be accepted accordingly Thus I have made an Apology for my person and practise Now I come to make an Apologie to the entrance of the matter of my Treatise therfore Christian Reader I desire thou wouldst seriously consider these few particulars First that the Lord having establish'd Circumcision in the generation of Abraham and upon this penalty that the soul whose foreskin was not circumcised should be cut off from his people Gen. 17. 14. yet nevertheless in case of necessity the Children of Israel were tolerated touching this duty during their travell in the wilderness for the space of forty years as may be seen Joshua 3. 5. So likewise though the Lord Jesus did establish the ordinances to be continued in his Church by way of succession yet nevertheless they being polluted and in case of necessity he will doubtless bear with his people though they cannot practise ordinances in their purity especially there being no word for their restoring in that pure way wherein they were delivered Secondly the Lord having commanded Moses to make all things after the pattern shewed to him in the mount touching the sanctuary Exodus 25. 40. And also the pattern of the temple unto David 1 Chron. 28. 11. and commanded the practice of the worship unto the Children of Israel in their generations yet in case of necessity when the temple was destroyed and the people captivated he bears with them touching those things even now doubtlesse though the Lord did command his people to walk in Gospel order untill his Appearing yet nevertheless they being captivated and having lost their power to Reform he bears with them though they cannot practise ordinances in their purity Thirdly that as the fews in the time of the standing of the temple did presume upon the promise of Gods presence unto that place yea though their works were most wicked Crying the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord Jeremiah 7. 4. Even so it is well known how the Catholicks have boasted of the Church of Jesus Christ that the gates of hell should not prevail against it applying it to the Church of Rome yea though their works were most wicked And I fear me in all our Reformations we are apt to stick too much to outward order contenting our selves if we have but the form and want the substance and so suddenly fall to loosnesse as the experience of these few years have made apparent Fourthly as the Jews in the time of the standing of the temple were exceeding zealous of their outward ceremonies and neglected the weightier matters of the law as Judgment and mercy as may be seen Mat. 23. 23. Even so it is to be feared that in the time of the Gospel we are more zealous of form and order then of that great commandment of love which is the fulfilling of the Law Fifthly that as the Jews were reproved by our Saviour Mat. 16. 3. Saying O ye hypocrites you can discern the face of the skie and cannot you discern the signes of the times Even so we in this age are better able to discern what was done in the first age of the Church in respect of outward order yet neglecting the inward graces of the spirit as it was then but noting the order that was among the Christians in that time and contending for it now unto bloud and never regard the diverse dispensations wherein the Lord is pleased to shew himself unto his people in these last ages nor once to examine the prophesies of the last times what shall be done then but still urging for forme and order in outward things till we endanger losing the life of Religion namely Faith and a good Conscience Sixthly that as the Jews in contending to keep up their Sacrifices and Ceremonies and temple when the glory was departed from that ministration and in striving so long about it untill their City and Temple was destroyed and themselves scattered among the nations the prophesies being fulfilled upon them Even so we in this age strive so much for form and order in outward things when we may plainly see the glory to be departed from it as it was in the first Gospell times until we shall give such an encouragement to the rising of the beast out of the Earth For we not being
should be scattered amongst the Antichristian state as is cleer in the 2 verse where it 's said The good man is perished out of the Earth and there is none upright amongst men they all lie in wait for bloud they bunt every man his brother with a net And thus much for the Prophet Micah Now pray hear what the Prophet Zephaniah saith touching this day or the time of this dispensation of the Lords people in his first chapter and 15. verse he saith That day is a day of wrath a day of trouble and distresse a day of wastness and desolation a day of darkness and gloominesse a day of clouds and thick darknes and then in the 17. verse he saith I will bring distresse upon men that they shal walk like blind men and the reason is given because they have finned against the Lord. Now heare what the Prophet Zechariah saith touching this dead time of the Lords people in chapter 14. 5 6. he saith speaking of the last times And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal yea ye shall flee as ye fled from before the earth-quake in the dayes of Uzziah King of Juda And then in the sixth verse it is said And in that day the light shall not be cleer nor darke but it shall be one day known unto the Lord not day nor night but it shall come to passe that at Evening time it shall be light Thereby shewing that in this gloomy day the people of God shall be in darkness in respect of the light of the spirit compared to the sun as it was in the first Gospel times and all outward administrations shall in that day be darkened upon them And thus much for proofe from the Prophesies in the old Testament of this sleepy or dead condition of the people of the Lord Jesus in the last times in which I have quoted but few of the many places which speak of the desolating of the outward administrations of the Lords people and the withdrawing of his spirit and captivating of his people among the nations and antichristian state before that bright day of the Lords appearing to deliver them out of their bondage and captivity in which the Earth shall be filled with the knowledg of the Lord as the waters cover the sea I shall now proceed as the Lord shall enable me to prove the truth of this sleepy or dead condition from the new Testament therefore pray mind our Saviour Mat. the 25 in the parable of the ten virgins saith While the bridegroome tarried all slumbred and slept thereby shewing that when the bridegroom should appear the people of the Lord Jesus should be asleep as touching any outward worship distinct from other Professors The like also doth the Lord Jesus foretell Matth. 24. 15. where he saith When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place then let them that be in Judea flee unto the mountains that is as I conceive when you see all the outward worship polluted then shift for your selves into the mountains as the Jews were to shift for themselves into the mountains of the earth or among the nations of the earth and those mountains unto which those Christians are exhorted to flee unto I conceive to be the mountains of the Protestant Churches for as Rome may be accounted a great mountain so the Protestant Churches may be termed lesser mountains unto which the people of the Lord are exhorted to flee So also he saith in ver 29. speaking of the darkness of the last times before his appearing The Sun shall be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light the Starrs shall fall from heaven and the powers of heaven shall be shaken thereby shewing the darkness which shall be upon the outward Administrations of the Gospel So likewise in the 37 38 39 40 41 verses speaking of the dark times at his appearing As it was in the dayes of Noe so shall it be in the day when the Son of man shall be revealed then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken the other shall be left Implying thus much when the Lord shall appear all things shall be in a mingled condition and the people of the Lord Jesus in the same work with the world and no such difference as is pretended by gifts and ordinances So in Luke 18. 8. Our Saviour in his exhortation unto his disciples to watch and pray foretels that the darknesse will be such before his bright appearing that he puts this question for saith he Neverthelesse when the Son of man cometh shall he finde faith on the earth And if faith be so scanty then doubtless the ordinances in their purity So in Luke 17. 22. our Saviour tells his disciples 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 which shews that his people should desire to walk in Gospel order but saith he you shall not see it So the Apostle Paul 2 Thess. 2. 3. where he saith Let no man deceive you by any means for that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he sitteth in the temple of God shewing himself as if he were God That is as I conceive in sitting and ruling in the Church of God and defiling all the whole worship of God so that by degrees the Son or Spirit forsakes that worship and so the people of the Lord Jesus are asleep or dead in respect of that outward order which was in the first Gospel times by gifts and ordinances in their purity which is cleer from the 7. verse where it is said For the mystery of iniquity doth already work onely he who now letteth will let untill he be taken away that is as I conceive untill the Lord have called back all the outgoings of his Spirit from the outward administrations of the Ordinances And for the cleering of this to be a truth pray look back unto the Prophet Ezekiel chap. 10. 18. where it is said Then the glory of the Lord departed from off the threshold of the house and stood over the Cherubims And then in the 23d verse of the 11th chapter it is said And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the City and stood upon the mountain which was on the East side of the City So that the glory of the Lord was now departed for the sins of his people from all that outward worship which is that sleepy or dead condition which we are now treating of The like we have to the same purpose Rev. 9. 1. when St John saw a starr which was
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
Reason that all men should be deceived and you onely know the truth To those men I answer and do acknowledge the doctrine is strange and I do confesse I do not remember that I ever read of any such thing treated of and for the most part of the places I have opened in some measure I do not remember that I ever heard any exposition upon them yea I acknowledge that the matter seems sometimes strange to my self having nothing in me that deserves that the Lord should reveal any thing to me rather then to another I see in my self so much weakness and deadness to any thing that is good that it seems to the contrary but when on the contrary I consider the harmony and agreement which is among the prophets tending to the same things and when I consider the experience of the ages past confirming it and making it to appear a truth in part without contradictions and when I consider that the Lord hath in severall ages taught some of his people yea his prophets by men of inferiour parts to them as may be seen in Jethro's counsell to Moses and by Amos which was a herd-man of Tekoa which taught Amasiah the priest of Bethel and when I consider the Lord confounds the wisdome of the world by things of no esteem and brings to nought things that are by things that are not I then take encouragement and am constrained to beleeve that this is the meaning of the holy Ghost in those places and shall beleeve untill I do perceive a better sense given which being done I hope I shall not be so self-conceited as to prefer my sense before a better if it begiven It is further objected that we are commanded to come out of Babylon left we are partakers of her sins and so receive of her plagues which is a duty required of us and besides we have now an oportunity given us to come out for the States give us liberty to walk according to Gospel order and according to our conscience there in and to gather our selves into bodies To the first I answer That it is true that we are commanded to come out of Babylon but it is necessary to know the time when we are to perform that duty lest haply we should lose our labour and I could wish that some man that is so zealous for the performance of that duty would labour to demonstrate by the Scripture Prophesies that the time for the performance of this duty were fully come lest the practice of this duty have no better success then those men in Jeremy 29. 21. namely Ahab the son of Kolajah and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah which were two false prophets which did perswade the people that they should speedily return from their captivity contrary to the prophesie of Jeremy which had prophesied their captivity to continue seventy years which were a duty necessary to be done for so much as the prophet Daniel did understand by books the number of yeers where of the word of the Lord came to Jeremy the prophet that hee would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem Dan. 9. 2. and accordingly did make his prayer for their return So likewise in the Revelation there are set times for the people of the Lord Jesus to lie in this and that condition as may be seen in the 11. 12. 13. chapters which I shall endeavour the Lord enabling me in the sequell of this treatise to make appeare not to be fully accomplished Besides take notice of those places which speake of the people of the Lord coming out of Babylon and you shall finde that Babylon is first fallen before the Lords people are exhorted to come out of her as may be seen Rev. 14. 8. and 18. 4. But we do not yet see Babylon fallen nay rather we see her as high as ever almost only we have seen one of his heads wounded to death but his deadly wound is almost healed neither do we see any glory like unto that glory which is spoken of in those two places to precede the fall of Babylon neither do we see the Lamb upon mount Sion with his hundred forty and four thousand neither an Angel come down from heaven having great power and the earth was lightned with his glory which are things which goe before the peoples deliverance besides pray marke that Babylon in the letter was destroyed before the people of God were dilivered and his people had a Leader to goe before them out of Babylon Even so likewise I conceive that the people of the Lord Jesus are to have a leader or diliverer to goe before them to call them out of Babylon in the mystery and to send his Angels to gather together his Elect from the four windes of the heaven according to those Scriptures Isai. 11. 11 12. and 52. 12. and 66. 19 20. Joel the 3. 11. Obadiah 21. Zechariah 2. 5 8. Matt. 24. 31. compared with Rev. the 14. 6 7 8 9. and 18. 1 2 4. In all which places is mention made of the Lords deliverance of his people by himself and of sending forth his Angels to declare the fall of Babylon and to exhort the people of the Lord to come out of her To the second branch of this objection I answer It is true that the State gives liberty to tender consciences for which they deserve much honour but these men must also remember that as the State gives them liberty so must they have liberty of God also which I desire to see proved for first if they will come out according to order they must have their Leader with them which is the Lord Jesus for it is said expresly Isaiah the 52. 12. for you shall not go out in hast nor go out by flight for the Lord will go before you and the God of Israel will be your rereward But in this reformation which is profest in this nation in any profession I see no glory that comes neer the first Gospel times whereas the coming of the Kingdom of God with power did exceed the first glory as may be seen Mat. 17. 2. Secondly it must be granted that the nations of Christiandome are all of them at the least Christians at large as I may term them that is professing the name of Christ now if we follow order we must reform by the major or greater part as is the order in all assemblies as also in the Church of Christ whilst they had power as may be seen in the Churches of Asia but we cannot reforme that way because the major part will keep their customes still be they never so ill and therefore we cannot this way reform according to order because the best part is over-voted But thirdly seeing that all our reformers do acknowledg that the ordinances are corrupted touching Church discipline and if we will reform we must bring them to the first standard and because all our ministers have derived their office of ministry through
faith and therein they do admonish them as is cleer from the second of Peter 2. 1. and from the Epistle of Jude the 4. and this I do acknowledge was writ unto such men as were in gospel order and they are admonished to persevere and to continue in love unto the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But these Churches have since fallen asleep Mathew 13. 15. the ordinances are corrupted or changed as is acknowledged by these men now let themselves judge what is in these Epistles and verses aleadged for the restoring of them these Churches have lost their power the sun is gon down over the Prophers Micah 3. 6. and I looke for some place of Scripture for their raising again before the Lord appear And thus I hope I have fully answered to those Scriptures A fourth Scripture which is alledged is Revelation the 2. 23. where it is said speaking of the woman Jezebel which did teach and seduce his people he saith And I will kill her children with death and all the Churches shall know Thereby arguing that when the Lord appears and destroys Jezebel that then all the Churches that are in being shall know and see his judgements upon her To this I answer and desire all men to take notice of the contents of this second chapter which is to approve and to reprove sundry matters among the Churches unto whom St. John wrote and amongst the rest the Church of Thyatira is reproved for suffering the woman Jezebel which calleth her selfe a Prophetesse to teach and seduce his people and having spoken of the judgements which he will bring upon her he saith and all the Churches shall know that is say they al the Churches that are in being when the Lord doth appear shall know how he will punish this woman now pray take notice in the first chapter and 11 verse St John is commanded to write this Revelation in a book and send it to the seven Churches that are in Asia and so fulfilling his commission in his exhortation unto the severall Churches he still concludes with this admonition Let him that hath an ear hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches now what Churches are those that are exhorted to hear the Churches which shall be at the end of the world or those that St. John wrote unto I think it is unlikely that St John should write unto Churches in being then admonithing them to hear and this to be applied for the raising of Churches at the end of the world or neer that time and in this verse it is said and all the Churches shall know now what shall they know Why they shall know that if this Church of Thyatira will not restaine this woman Jezebel by her power while they have it that the Lord will execute his power himself and they shall know it And where it is aledged that those Churches here spoken of are those Churches that are in being when the Lord doth appear I answer where is the least colour for it in the text for these Churches are no other but those Churches which are writ unto which are the seven Churches of Asia which still are admonished Let him that hath an ear hear what the spirit saith unto the Churches Moreover he doth admonish this Church of Thyatira that if she did not exercise her power that then all the Churches should know that I am he that searcheth the reines and the heart and will give unto every one of you according to your works that is as I conceive if you do your duty while you have power and if you neglect your duty having power the time will come when you shall know that I will reward every one of you according to your works moreover experience teacheth us that those Churches have the candlestick removed from them and have no being and therefore in my judgment it is but a weake foundation to raise ordinances upon and to gather Churches upon when once they have lost their power and are polluted and Antichrist seated in them And so much for this Scripture A fist and last Scripture which is alledged is from Rev. 18. 20. where the destruction of Babylon is set forth and an exhortation given unto his people in these words Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her from whence is inferred that when the Lord doth destroy Babylon that then his people being in Church order having Apostles and Prophets shall rejoyce for the destruction thereof To which I answer First it is not said heavens that is Churches but heaven that is as I conceive the Church of God in all ages being now a triumphant Church their enemies being destroyed and is exhorted to rejoyce Secondly pray mind what the people of the Lord are incited unto namely to rejoyce which is fulfilled in the 11. chapter and 16 17 18 verses and in the 15. chapter 2 3 4 verses and 19 chapter 2 3 4 verses compared with Isaiah the 12. chapter In Rev. 11. 16. you have the foure and twenty elders mentioned and in ver 19. you have the four and twenty Elders and the foure beasts mentioned which cannot well be expounded the Churches and Apostles and Prophets which shall be in being when the Lord doth appear now let themselves judge whether here be any thing towards the raising of ordinances or gathering of Churches for which these Scriptures are brought for I professe with reverence to all just wayes of God that to me these Scripturs seem to be a weak foundation to build such a structure upon as is pretended namely that the raising of ordinances as is practised in these daies is the onely way by which the Lord will by degrees draw and deliver his people out of Babylon to meet him in Sion It is yet objected that is it the Lords own precept mentioned Matth. 28. saying Go and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost and the promise is annexed and lo I am with you unto the end of the world whereupon is concluded that his people are to practise the ordinances in their purity untill the Lord appear To which I answer first that it is acknowledged by these men that there hath been an interruption both in the succession of the Ministry and in the corrupting the purity of the ordinances and I look for some proof from Scripture Rule for their raising Secondly it is affirmed by Mr John Saltmarch who had knowledg in the Greek copies that the words unto the end of the world if truely translated is but to the end of that age or administration and he quotes the Greek text in his book called some beames of the morning starr in the margent of the same book page 134. But thirdly it is usuall in Scripture phrase that for End is meant but length of time and not to the end of the world or of all ages as is
degrees ordinarily ceaseth either by length of time according to the old proverb being but 9. daies wonder as we are apt to speak or else by the multitude which come in and professe it which makes it cease to be persecuted which proved true in Constantine and the Roman empire becoming Christians or else by the loosnesse of the practice of those that professe it which causeth wicked men to cease to hate them but for equity justice goodnesse sincerity righteousnesse holinesse these never want persecution in some measure and this the Apostle Peter seems to intimate unto us in his first Epist. 4. 3 4. where admonishing them what their conversation was in times past which saith he may suffice you to have walked in those lusts which he there names wherein they think it strange that you runne not with them to the same excesse of riot speaking evill of you where he shews plainly that the cause of their evill speaking was because they were not so loose in their lives as the common multitude It is further objected that if the people of the Lord Jesus must wait for their Masters coming by watching and prayer without gathering themselves into bodies and must lie in captivitie among all sorts of men then how shall the people of the Lord Jesus edifie themselves and build up one another and gather people unto God by preaching and administring the Sacraments without some Church-order I answer first all the posture that I can find by a most serious search in the word of God is watching and prayer after the abomination which maketh desolate is set up they being spiritually captivated under mysticall Babylon as the Jews were temporally captivated under literal Babel and as the Jews were to remember and pray unto God in their temporall captivity so also are the beleeving Gentiles to remember their Lord and to pray unto him in their spirituall captivitie Secondly As the Jews in their captivitie waited without order in respect of their temple and worship in the time of the seventie years and also do now in their scattered condition even so the people of the Lord Jesus must wait without order in their spirituall captivitie by watching and prayer untill their Lord appear to deliver them Thirdly Let no man in this condition misdoubt the providence of God for his hand is not straitned Isaiah the 50. 2. although the Lord suffer his people to lie in a scattered condition without the outward means of Church order in its puritie for the same God which fed the children of Israel in the wildernesse with quailes and Manna from heaven and suffered not their raiments to wax old upon them nor their foot to swell for forty years and preserved Moses in the wildernesse to an 120 years of age yet his eyes were not dim nor his naturall strength abated Deuteron 8. 4. and 33. 7. can preserve his people if they wait upon him according as he hath prescribed in his word although they want the outward means of ordinances in their puritie And this is no more than he hath promised his people in their wildernesse condition Hosea the 2 14 15. Revel 12. 14. Fourthly Let men be answered that though the ordinanees cannot be practised in their puritie yet neverthelesse the name of Christ will be taught in the world and people converted unto him by this means for this is most certain let men be never so wicked yet they will professe the religion of Christ and some will be converted unto him by that means for Saint Paul rejoyceth that there were in his time some that preached Christ through envie which I suppose he would not have done if there had not been people converted unto him by this means The last and grand objection which is brought against the people of the Lord Jesus waiting by watching and prayer for their Lords appearing without the benefit of ordinances in their purity is this For say they as the Jews were captivated under literall Babylon and did at the 70. years end return and build the second temple so the beleeving Gentiles having been captivated under mysticall Babylon are to return when the 42 months are at an end To which I answer that it is true that the Jews were to lie in bondage and did return at the end of 70. years and this is according to the prophesie of Jeremiah for he had prophesied their captivitie the time how long and when they should return and be delivered and the prophet Isaiah points at the king by name which should destroy Babylon and deliver his people Isaiah 45. and the Prophet Daniel in chap. 9. ver 2. doth acknowledg that he did understand by books that the time was fulfilled in which Jeremy had prophesied the desolation of Jerusalem and accordingly doth direct his prayer for their return Now if there can be brought any such cleer proof as this amounts to for the time of the believing gentiles to be delivered out of mysticall Babylon or the Antichristian state yea if it may be gathered by consequence then I say the people of the Lord ought to endeavour their deliverance And I suppose that those that are most zealous for their delivery should labour to demonstrate the time to be neer or fully accomplithed for their deliverance lest they should go about that great work before the time were fully ended and so fall short of their expectation Secondly pray mind this people were to have a leader and conductor which should be as a governour to go along with them which was of the Kingly stock of David and he did lay the foundation of the second Temple as is cleer from Zec. 4. 9. and Hag. 1. 14. Now what leader or governour is there of the Kingly Stock of David to deliver his people at this time whereof this first deliverer was a type neither is there any glory in this restoring that is pretended like unto that first glory which was in the first Gospel times notwithstanding the Lord Jesus speaks of his second coming to be like lightning nor like unto that appearance of the Lord Jesus in the holy mount mentioned the 2 Pet 1. 17. 18. compared with Mat. 17. 2. But it may be objected that the prophet Haggai saith Who is left amongst you that saw this house in his first glory and how do you see it now is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing Haggai 2. 3. And the prophet Zechariah puts the question in chapter 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things So who is this that despiseth these days of small things in this building of the second mysticall Temple To which I answer That it is true the people were reproved for despising those poor beginnings in the building of the second temple and good cause neither do I despise any poor beginnings in this restoring but this I admonish those builders of this mysticall temple at this time that they be sure the time is fully out
shepherd to rule over them which should destroy them and of evill shepherds you may read fully in Jerem. the 23. and Ezek. the 34. I shall in the fifth place come to prove the people of Gods posture to be watching and prayer without the benefit of ordinances in their purity during the dead condition from the Churches owne confession walking in outward order which I prove from Isaiah 26. 19. where it is said we have been with child we have been in paine wee have as it were brought forth wind we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen as much as if the Church should have said we have strived to deliver our selves out of our captivity by walking in that order which we have set up but we have brought forth nothing but wind neither have we wrought any deliverance in the earth neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen we have desired to destroy Babylon and to deliver our selves but it comes to nothing and to no effect And then in the next verse The Lord Jesus as I conceive answereth her saying Thy dead men shall live together with my dead bodie shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust as much as if he should have said although that you now seem dead and lie in the dust in respect of outward order according to the first Gospel times yet when my dead body that is the Church shall arise why then awake and sing Now if any should ask any of our professours if they did not travell to bring forth our Lord Jesus and to destroy antichrist by their walking in those professions doubtlesse they would answer yea for it is the principle of every profession Sixthly I shall prove the people of Gods posture to be watching and prayer during the dead condition from the condition the people of God shall be in when he appears and destroyes all their enemies and restores them they being like a wildernesse and all false waies in a flourishing condition this is proved from Isaiah 29 19. where it is said Is it not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitfull field and the fruitfull field shall be counted as a forrest compared with Revelation the 12. 14. and Isaiah the 32. 15. where it is said Vntill the spirit be poured out upon us from above and the wilderness be a fruitfull field and the fruitfull field be counted as a forrest now what can be more cleerly spoken then this touching this thing for it is the principle of every profession at this day for they say that the waies we now practise are the waies by which the Lord Jesus will more and more draw out his people into Gospel order untill he have fully brought them out of Babell and prepared them to meet him in Sion and this is the saying and tenent of every profession whereas contrariwise he saith by his Prophet that at the time when the spirit is poured out from on high his people shall be like a wildernesse and the false worships be counted as a fruitfull field and then is that great change wrought But it may be objected that before we tooke upon us the profession of the Gospel we were like a wildernesse but since we came into Gospel order we have been like a fruitfull field and this change is now a working To which I answer that this change shall not be wrought untill the Lord destroyes Babylon or the antichristian state and this is cleer by Isaiah the 35. and the first and so forth for in the foregoing chapter being the 34. the Lord sets before us the destruction of all nations but especially of Idumea which I conceive in the mystery to be antichrist or false brethren as Edom was to Israel and in the 14. verse he comes to say as it were that now the people of God are delivered out of her The wild beasts of the desart shall also meet with the wild beasts of the islands and the satyr shall cry to his fellow which compared with Revelations the 18. 2. doth fully agree now mark what followes in the 35. chapter where it is said The wilderness and the solitary place shall he glad for them that is for their destruction and the desart shall rejoyce and blossom as a rose So that I conclude from this text if there were no more that before the Lord destroys antichrist with the spirit of his mouth and the brightnesse of his coming the people of the Lord Jesus shall be in respect of outward order and discipline like a wildernesse and desart and Babylon and all false waies shall be in a flourishing condition like a fruitfull field And thus much to this proofe While my cogitations were exercised about this Treatise there came to my hand a little book written by Thomas Vane Doctor of Divinity and sometime Chaplain to the late King of England intituled A lost sheep returned home or the Motives of the Conversion to the Catholich Faith of Thomas Vane penned in Paris in the yeer 1648. Which book having read and diligently considered I found that he did propound to consideration severall marks of the true Church where in the 17 and 18 chapters he makes conversion of Kingdoms and Monarchs and sanctity of doctrine and life to be marks of the true Church and applyes it to the Church of Rome which having diligently considered I was at a pause but weighing well what this sanctity of doctrine and life was I found it was chiefly in instructing her children in not onely confessing themselves to God but also confessing to the priests not onely sorrow for sin but also doing penance for the same and such as the Church injoyneth obliging to set times of fasting and prayer and magnifying the merit of good works commending the sublime acts of voluntary poverty chastity and obedience and the exercising of other great acts of austerity for to subdue sin in the sleth and to professe our love to Christ in these things which having diligently considered mee thought he had almost forgot the true duties of christian Religion mentioned in those two places Isai. 58. 6 7. and James 1. 27. where the Prophet saith thus Is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness to undoe the heavie burdens and to let the oppressed go free and that you break every yoak Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that is cast out to thy house when thou seest the naked that thou cover him and that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh Where note one of the duties of Christianity is to do good to our own flesh which cannot well be done by afflicting our bodies by unnecessary fastings and great austerity And the Apostle St. James saith Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widows in their affliction
such gifts as they professe that they do enjoy and have such abundance of the spirit as that they are perfect as is boasted of really and indeed I do acknowledg I come short of them for I feel no such thing in my selfe in the mean time God assisting me I shall not envy their happiness but nevertheless I advise them that they look diligently about them and be sure on their hand that they be so indeed lest they prove to be such as our Saviour forewarneth us of Matthew the 24. 24. where he saith For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders that if it were possible they should deceive the very Elect. And I suppose it is contrary to those Scriptures I have alledged and many more Eightly I shall prove that the people of the Lord Jesus must wait by watching and prayer out of Gospel order in its purity during their captivity for their deliverer by the Lords own speech where he wondereth that there was no intercessor and saith he I looked and there was none to help Isaiah the 59. 16. and 63. 5. thereby shewing the scarcity of such as should intercede for their deliverance and how few there should be of such as should lay to heart the judgments of God now if it be so that the Lord when he comes puts a question whether he shall find faith on the earth Luke 18. 8. and that there will be none of the great ones which are as shepherds upon the earth to be an intercessor for his peoples deliverance and that he that departeth from evill maketh himself a prey Isaiah 59. 15. Then how comes it to passe that we do vaunt of such Revelations and of such perfection and of such Church order as is pretended Which if the principles of those men be true which say that the order which we practise is the way by which the Lord will draw by degrees his people out of Babell into hodies or single fellowships to meet the Lord in Sion which if so there will be abundance of intercessours and many to help forward the work which the Lord professeth in those two places he is left to do alone namely to deliver his people Ninthly I shall prove the people of the Lord Jesus must wait by watching and prayer without the benefit of ordinances in their purity during the sleepy and dead condition by the Lords promising to bring the blind by a way that they knew not and I will lead them in paths that they have not known Isaiah the 42. 16. now the wayes that are now practised are not wayes which have not been known but they are such wayes as the people of the Lord did walk in in the first Gospel times or at the least an imitation of them and these may be in a sense called old wayes but the wayes which the Lord will deliver his people by at that great restoring will be new wayes and such as have not been known therefore according to this text these are not the wayes the Lord will deliver his people by Tenthly I shall prove by way of probability that it is the will of the Lord Jesus that his people must wait by watching and prayer for their Lords appearing during this dead condition without the benefit of ordinances in their purity from that evill successe and those sad effects which have befallen the people of God in all their reformations since the rise of Antichrist I shall begin with the evill successe As first where is that Reformation begun in Bohemiah in that Kingdome is it not come to nothing or at the least wise growne to a customary performance and much short of that perfection which we now talk of and strive so diligently to obtain Secondly what is become of the reformation begun by Waldus of Lions of whom came the Waldenses and Albigenses which spread abroad in the country of France Tholouse Piedmont and other places of Germany is it not come to the bare name of Protestants and though they are something refined from Rome yet do they fall short of that true reformation which we do see apparently to be necessary if we could attain unto it Thirdly if we look upon that reformation begun by Martin Luther which was the most excellent of all other being as I conceive that wound which was given unto the beast Revel the 13. that did arise out of the sea which nevertheless did live of which reformation we in this nation have had proof that it was growne to nothing a most but formality and we are returning back with hast to Rome again as is witnessed by many godly men observing it and complaining of it in our dayes Fourthly I appeal to any mans experience what is become of that reformation which was pretended for in the beginning of our troubles how zealous were our Ministers for a Reformation in stirring up the Parliament and people for a Reformation by displacing our popish and Episcopall Ministers which being in part performed and those Ministers got up in their places how soon did the generallity of them grow cold and negligent in their duty how busie have they been to look after their profits and preferments and what hunting of men for tithes and other duties and what complaints put to the Committees against such men as would not answer their demands in things pertaining unto this life I leave it to the magistrate and to any godly man to judg Fifthly Notwithstanding that I honour and love the image of God in men of every profession yet should the State take part with any one of our severall professions and set it up as a State Religion I much doubt lest in compass of an age or two it would decline and grow into formality as hath been seen by the foregoing Reformations I write not this to undervalue mens persons or religion that they professe but lamenting the miseries we lie under and grieving to see the little trust that is in man and how few there be that having attained to that they desire stand steady in their profession without wavering I mean not in their profession of outward discipline belonging to outward order but that Essence and life of Religion I mean faith and a good conscience Secondly I shall prove it by the sad effects which have followed upon all our Reformations as 1. What miseries did befall that Reformation begun in Bohemia what cruel wars and bloud-shed did follow upon it in that nation and the Germanes in opposing them is best known unto those that are acquainted with their history Insomuch as their captain Scisca doth boast unto his souldiers that he had led them to eleven battels and in every of them he went away victor and yet after his death those Bohemians were overcome not without much bloud-shed on either side 2. What miseries did befall the people of the Waldoys or Waldenses in the valleys of Angrogne Luscerne St. Martin Perouse and others in
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
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 pettaining 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 2. The slumbring or declining condition of the state of the said Church 3. The sleepy or dead condition in respect of outward order of the said Church with an Answer to all the objections the Author hath met with touching this subject 4. That there is to be a most glorious Restoring of the said Church by the Lord Jesus himself 5. That this Restoring will be most sudden and unexpected 6. Is shewed the severall forms of Governments which have been enemies unto the people of the Lord Jesus in these severall dispensations viz. the Dragon the Beast which did rise out of the sea the Beast that did rise out of the earth with the time of prevailing of each Government 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 Hos. 2 2. 3. Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife neither am I her husband let her therefore put away her whoredoms out of her sight and her adulteries from between her breasts Lest I strip her naked and set her as in the day that she was born and make her as a wildernes and set her as a dry land and slay her with thirst Rev. 2. 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first work or else I will come quickly unto thee and will remove thy Candle stick out of his place except thou repent Ezek. 16. 3. And say Thus saith the Lord unto Jerusalem thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan thy father was an Amorite and thy mother an Hittite Eph. 2. 12. That at that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world Hos. 2. 14. Therefore behold I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speak comfortably unto her Rev. 12. 14. And to the woman were given two wings of a great Eagle that she might flee into the wilderness unto her place where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the Serpent Rev. 16. 15. Behold I come as a thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame London Printed for W. Roybould at the Unicorn in Paul's Church-yard 1651. The Epistle to the Reader Christian Reader THou shalt know that some twenty months since there came out under my name a little Book intituled Some Discoveries of the Mysteries of the last Times which coming into the hands of the men for whom principally it was intended they in stead of giving moderate Reasons against it that so the Truth might be found in these disputing times wherein every man almost shews his judgment in one sort or other and was the thing I aimed at in publishing of it began some of them at the least to vilifie both me and the work that I had set forth that it was a weak and simple thing and not worth the reading and for my person as I was credibly informed it was said That they thought I did it against my Conscience a sin if in me indeed against the holy Ghost so uncharitable were they towards me Again there was another sont of men which seemed to approve of the Work But say they You have laid down your judgment so darkly and obscurely that we are not able to reach your meaning Which things considered there came into my thoughts two main ends for which man was created the one was to glorifie God his Maker the other to be serviceable to all men in his generation Upon the account of which two ends but especially of the later I began to consider that I was a debter both to the wise and unwise Therefore to the wise I thus say that if there be any thing in this following Treatise that is worth taking notice of as it is much there should be nothing that they would esteem it not according to the worth of the Author or the manner of the delivery of it which are both mean and of no esteem but according to the truth of the thing Especially insomuch as Moses being indued with an extraordinary spirit did not despise the counsell of Jethro which was a stranger to the Common wealth of Israel and forasmuch as it pleased God to reveal to shepherds those things which were hid from the great Rabbins and learned men of that time as may be seen in the Gospel And to the unwise I say If there be any more unwise then my self that it pities me to see how we contend for the body untill we well nigh lose the spirit how earnest we are for shadows which must in their due time passe away untill we endanger to lose the substance how we quarrel for form and discipline yea unto bloud in destroying one another as hath been seen in this nation and ought to be lamented untill we almost forget that great and new Commandment which is the law of Love and all under pretence of Reforming the Church of Jesus Christ which upon due consideration made me stand amazed to see such offences committed amongst Christians in profession and as seemed zealous on both parts until entring into a most serious search into the prophesies of the last times not without the outward means of prayer and humility and sincere desire to find out the cause and knowing that the Lord had promised to reveal his secrets to the humble upon which I found and I trust by some breathings of the Spirit of God that these things were foretold and that Ephraim should envy Juda and Juda vex Ephraim and that by negative consequence they should hurt and destroy in the mountain of Gods holiness and that until there come a Rod out of the Stem of Jesse and a branch grow out of his root at which time the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea and then the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid
content with the Earths helping the woman that is in swallowing the floud up which the serpent had cast out of his mouth to carry the woman away which is now well aswaged blessed be God therefore that it is to be feared that our Contentions will be a means to ruine our selves and so the beast rise and bring us into bondage to worship his Image or else to be killed for the Lord may for a punishment unto us for our dissention in matters perteining to outward order stir up such as may give power to the Image of the beast that the Image of the beast may both speak and cause that as many as would not worship the Image of the beast should be killed Seventhly gentle Reader If none of these Scriptures move thee which I have quoted in this following treatise to believe the people of the Lord Jesus must lie in these severall dispensations before the generall Restoration of all things by the Lord Jesus himself then let the experience of the times perswade thee For if thou diligently consider of the times thou shalt find that the Church flourished for a time it then declined or slumbred for another time the servants have been awake for another time and for the Jews they have been asleep or dead in respect of any temple and worship for many ages and there is a time for the people of the Lord Jesus to be asleep or dead Matthew 25. 5. in respect of Gospel order before the great restoring which we ought with much earnestness to cry unto the Lord for and this the Scriptures which I have alledged do abundantly prove in my sense which I am forced to believe untill I see a better given Eightly all that I shall desire of thee will be but this all those Reasons considered in this following Treatise that it may but worke some moderate conformity among Christians or at least that enmity and bitterness may be laid aside among Christians in profession and the edge of hatred abated amongst them in resisting one another unto bloud for matter pertaining to form and discipline in the Church of Jesus Christ and let Christians remember that if what they profess be truth that it is of a prevailing nature and will stand when Errour falls and let them remember that Gamaliels Counsell will prove true that if it be of God it will stand in spite of all opposition and if it be not it will fall though we strive never so much to hold it up Ninthly Christian Reader I shall desire thee that if thou find any thing of God in this following treatise then let him have the glory which is worthy of it and let me have thy prayer that have need of it and if in this worke God be but so much glorified as it be but to the setling of our soules that were distracted by means of our distempers and contentions about Religion I have my reward Lastly I desire thee Christian Reader whosoever thou art though the greatest lover of order in this time of disorder that if thou see that I have erred in the body of this Treatise or in any branch thereof that if thou know my face or canst with conveniency come to the knowledg of me that thou wouldst admonish me of it and if thou know me not that thou wouldest make it appear wherin I have erred and if it arise to such a sum as thou thinkest is worthy of an answer I promise thee by the word of a Christian that I will to use Job's expression in Job 31. 36. take it upon my shoulder and bind it as a Crown unto me and if it weigh too heavy for me that is if I be not able to reply to it by arguments drawn from Scripture Rule then I promise thee by the same word that I wil God assisting me as publickly revoke what I have done as I have now publickly divulged this in print however I shall take thine admonition as an oyntment to my head and count the stripes of a friend better then the kisses of an enemy And so leaving thee to the protection of the Almighty and wishing thee as much happiness both of body and soul as I would wish my self I remain thine in the Lord in the duties of Christianity RICHARD MERCER A further Discovery of the Mystery of the last Times c. THat great Creatour and Governour of all things the mighty God which hath in diverse manners and Administrations spoke unto the fathers by the Prophets hath in this last age spoken unto us by his Son this Son which is the Lord Jesus hath also spoken unto us by himself and by his Apostles in these last ages in divers manners and administrations which is that Prophet which we ought to hear in all things Deut. 18. 15. and to observe his word revealed unto us and to follow him in all his wayes and dispensations in which he delivereth himselfe unto his people For the cleering of which and to shew the divers wayes of the Lord in his making out of himselfe unto his people I shall propound these severall particulars unto the consideration of all men First That there is a building and flourishing condition of the Church of Jesus Christ in the time of the Gospel Secondly That there is a declining and falling off or slumbring condition of the said Church Thirdly That there is a sleepy or dead condition of all the outward face of the said Church Fourthly That there is to be a most glorious restoring of the said Church by the Lord Jesus himself Fifthly That this Restoring will be most sudden and unexpected Sixthly I shall shew according to the light I have received the severall formes and goverments in severall ages which shall be enemies unto the people of the Lord Jesus in these severall administrations which the Lord Jesus doth suffer his people to ly under Lastly That the Lord Jesus will by himself destroy all those Enemies of his people at his next appearing without the help of any humane power Now for my more orderly proceeding in the cleering of the truth of these particulars I shall handle them as they ly in order and shall answer all the objections I have heard made against any of them And therefore of the first That there is a building and flourishing condition of the Church of Jesus Christ in the time of the Gospel is a truth so cleer as it needs no cleering for all men know that it did abundantly flourish in the first Gospell times but for time how long it will be necessary to treat of therefore pray note I conceive the Church did flourish and spread during the time of our Saviour and his Apostles and during the time of the ten persecutions untill the time of Constantine the first Christian Emperour in all which time notwithstanding the Church was persecuted and afflicted with sundry miseries yet by the grace of Christ Jesus she did continually flourish to the spreading of her self to
prove the nations or the governments of the nations either temporall or spirituall to be mountains To which I answer that the Prophets usually apply the name of mountains to the nations or government and magistracy of the nations as may be seen Psalm 72. 3. Zechariah 4. 7. Daniel 2. 45. Rev. 6. 15. with divers the like places now it being so that the Jews were permitted to flee unto the mountains of the nations when their City and Temple were destroyed to hide themselves from the fury of the Romans their Enemies in like manner I conceive the beleeving Gentiles have the like permission to flee to the mountains of the protestant Churches to shroud themselves from the fury of their oppressing Enemies the Christian Romans when once the Abomination makes the whole worship of the Lord Jesus desolate of the Spirit of God and they cannot in conscience submit unto it and the fury of the beast being such as they that did not submit unto his worship they were to lose their lives as the Jews were sure to be cruelly handled if they did not submit to the government of the heathen Romans And so much to these objections Another objection is made against my exposition of Mat. 24. 29. of the sun moon and stars with the powers of the heavens some saying that there is meant those created lights of the heavens which guide the times and by the providence of God enlighten the Earth naturally others say the sun signifies Magistracy and the moon the Ministry To which I answer and say that the Scripture is full of such expressions as the sun moon and starrs and for the cleering of this figurative speech I shall be forced to set forth the severall Acceptions wherein the sun moon and stars is taken in Scripture First sometime the sun moon and stars is taken for those glorious lights of heaven as Josuah 10. 13. and Isa. 38. 8. with divers the like places where the sun is taken for the light of heaven Secondly somtime the sun moon and stars are taken in a figurative sense as that which is most excellent amongst men as the sun signifies that spirit of government which naturaly al men that have any excellency of nature fit for government are indued with as the spirit of counsell prudence and fortitude and the like which are vertues fit for government and may be in a naturall man the moon to figure out the laws of the nations which are divers according to the policy of every nation and are changed according as the state of things require like unto the moon and receive their light from that spirit of counsell that is in those law-makers which are indued with it the stars to signifie those eminent counsellers which shine as starrs in any common-wealth the powers of the heavens to be that Rule of government which is especially exercised in any nation where those lights are applied unto and of those sort are these Scriptures Isaiah 13. 10. and 34. 4. Ezekiel 32. 7. Joel 2. 31. and 3. 15. Rev. 6. 12 13 14. with divers other the like places and for proof of this that this is the meaning of the holy Ghost in these places pray take notice of Isaiah 34. where the same figurative speech is used in ver 4 5. it is said my sword shall be bathed in heaven behold it shall come down upon Idumea and upon the people of my curse to judgment And then in the 12. verse it is said They shall call the Nobles thereof to the Kingdome and none shall be there and all her Princes shal be as nothing Which shews plainly what is meant in the 4 verse where the like figurative speech is used And observe also Isaiah 13. 10. Rev. 6. 12 13 14. in which places there is mention made of the destruction of the nations but especially of Babylon Thirdly sometime the like figurative speech is used and applied unto the people of God and then the sun signifies the Spirit of God which his people are indued with the moon the ordinances of God as the tabernacle temple and sacrifices of the law in that standing and to the ordinances of the Gospel in the time of that standing and hath been changed according to the change of times which the Lord hath been pleased to alter in his Church in severall ages the starrs to those eminent Saints of God which as stars did shine in severall ages in the Church of God the powers of the heavens to be that Ruling power of the Lord Jesus which his people did act by his Authority in the time of the Gospel which was in the Church of Jesus Christ wherein they did receive in and cast out all such as were meet to receive or unmeet for their spirituall society and of this sense are these places of Scripture Isai. 5. 10. Joel 2. 10. Micah 3. 6. Matt. 24. 29. Rev. 8. 12. and 9. 2. In which places it is to me evident that those things are meant But it may be objected that this is but my exposition without any Scripture proof for it To which I answer and desire all men to weigh diligently those places of Scripture as Isaiah 60. 19. 20. where the prophet speaking of the glory of the Church in her Restoring saith The sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee meaning as I conceive when the Lord restores his Church and people they shall need none of those secondary means to enlighten them with but the Lord shall be unto them an everlasting light and thy God thy glory and then in the 20. verse it is said Thy sun shall no more go down neither shall thy moon with-draw it self in which texts are two things considerable to this purpose first that the Church hath a sun and moon secondly that this sun hath gon down and this moon withdrawn her self and I think that no man can find out any fitter exposition to the sense of the text then this is and to the order of the Church in all ages which some time hath been flourishing with abundance of the Spirit of God and the laws of the Administrations touching outward order especially kept and the Church being crowned with her twelve stars which abundantly did shine in her and encrease her glory Sometime again she hath been in captivity and her temple and ordinances destroyed and made desolate of the spirit of God and the glory of God in respect of outward administrations by degrees leaving her for her sins as it is plainly set forth Ezekiel 10. and 11. chapters besides the experience of things in all ages doth confirm this truth as is cleer unto us in these dayes and explained by me in my book of some discoveries of the mystery of the last times page the 14. Secondly pray take notice of Rev. 12. 1. where Saint John saw a wonder in heaven a woman cloathed with the sun and the moon under her feet
for their restoring and to shew some proof from Scripture Rule for their practice lest haply they may lose their labour and their work prove but a spark of their own kindling and this is profitable counsell unto them besides the Lord did not build the second Temple under the law immediatly by himself but stirred up Cyrus and Zorobabell for to perform that work which were men of infirmities besides they had many Enemies which did resist and discourage them as it is cleer from Ezra and Nehemiah but for the deliverance of the beleeving Gentiles out of mysticall Babylon the Lord Jesus hath promised to do it by himself when he comes to destroy Babylon by the Spirit of his mouth and with the brightness of his coming of whom literall Zorobabell was a type as is cleer from Haggai 2. 23. where it is said In that day saith the Lord of hosts will I take thee O Zorobabell my servant the son of Shealticl which speech hath reference to the foregoing verse where the Lord saith And I will overthrow the throne of the Kingdomes of the heathens which was not at that day performed therefore it remains to be preformed when the Lord Jesus shall appear from heaven with his mighty Angels to destroy Antichrist and all those nations which have been enemies unto his people Rev. the 6 12 13 15 16 17. Thus I have answered all the objections I have met with to my best memory touching those Scriptures I have alledged to prove the people of God to be in no other posture in respect of ordinances in their purity but watching and prayer untill the Lord appear and deliver them out of their spirituall captivity under the Antichristian State after the abomination that maketh the ordinances desolate is fully set up and the sun darkened Therefore I shall now come to prove this truth namely their watching and prayer during this sleepy and dead condition from certain promises of God unto his people they being out of order As first the Lord promises his protection unto all such of his people as during this desolate condition did sigh and mourn for all the Abominations that were committed which is cleer from Ezekiel 9. 4. compared with Revelation 7. 3. where the Apostle seeth in a vision a man with a writers Inkhorn by his side and the Lord said unto him Go through the midst of the City through the midst of Jerusalem and set a mark upon the forcheads of the men that figh and cry for all the Abominations that are done in the midst thereof where pray note he doth not say go and set a mark upon al those or some of those that walk in outward order which the Lord himself hath set up and appointed his people to walk in but upon all those that sigh and cry for all the abominations that are committed by those that did walk in the order or should have done which the Lord hath appointed as is cleer from verse the 6. where he saith And begin at my Sanctuary Now if it be objected that we do acknowledg that the Church in all ages have had such as have done abominations in the midst of her and therfore this makes not but those men that did sigh and mourn did walk in the outward order of God in his Temple and worship To this I answer that this people which the Prophet speaks of had corrupted the Temple of the Lord as is cleer from Ezekiel 43. 8. and 44. 8 9 10. and that the glory of God was departed from his Temple and worship as is plain from the 9. chapter and 3 ver where he saith And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the Cherub whereupon he was unto the threshold of the house And from chapter 11. 23 where he saith And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the City and stood upon the mountain which is on the East side of the city where pray note the glory of God notwithstanding it was departed from his whole worship and from his people being departed out of the city yet notwithstanding the Lord is pleased to call it his Sanctuary and that also although the high Priest and such as were leaders of the people had corrupted his ordinances as it is in chap. 44. 8. where he saith and ye have not kept the charge of my holy things but ye have set keepers of my charge in my Sanctuary for your selves which I suppose bears a fit resemblance in the Church of Rome Secondly the Lord promiseth his people that he will not reprove them when he comes to judg them although they did not at all times perform his outward worship in offerings and sacrifices as is plain from Psalm 50. 8. where he saith I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices and thy burnt offerings to have been continually before me as if he should have said notwithstanding thou hast at somtimes neglected my commandments in respect of outward order in regard of the ceremonies and sacrifices therof so as thou hast offered God thanksgiving and paid thy vowes unto the most highest and call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me in the same Psalm 14. 15. verses Much more then I suppose the Lord will not reprove us in this sleepy and dead time of the Gospell wherein all things are corrupted and changed in respect of outward order and not so much as one text to be found for their restoring if we walk without the ordinances in their purity by watching and prayer keeping Faith and a good Conscience waiting for the Bridegrooms coming Thirdly the Lord threatens all such as walke in outward order and are wicked Psalm the 50. 16. and promiseth salvation unto such as without order walk uprightly in the same Psalm verse the 23. Where he saith whoso offereth praise glorifieth me and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God I shall now proceed as the Lord shal direct me to prove that the people of God must wait for the Lord Jesus by watching and prayer without order in the purity thereof in this sleepy and dead dispensation from the Lords dehortation of his people from setting up any temple and worship during their captivity and desolate condition wherin they lay scattered among the nations which to me is cleer from Isaiah 66. 1. where it is said Thus saith the Lord the Heaven is my throne and the Earth is my footstoole where is the house that you build unto me and where is the place of my rest for all these things hath my hand made and all these things have been saith the Lord. Where pray note this people are disswaded from building again any Temple or house of God when once the glory of God is departed from it for he saith all these things have been now what can be more plainly spoken then here it is for you had a Temple and it
mystically commanded to fly to the mountains Matthew the 24. when speedily followed the waking of the servants in which they did desire to deliver themselves and began to see the grosse and wicked idolatry which was committed and began to fly and avoid it and did hope to gather thetares from the good seed or at least to separate them and to draw themselves out from amongst them but alas too late for antichrist had goten possession then immediately followed persecution in such a measure as I think there was more bloud shed for cause of conscience then there was in any time of the persecution of the Empire heathen as it is yet fresh in memory and may be abundantly seen in the Acts and Monuments of the Church of England Now sixthly as the servants began to wake and to look about them and to increase in knowledg and the time of the prosperity of the beast began to be at the height and should decay Martin Luther steps forth and fulfils that prophesie Revelation the 13. 3 for he gives a wound unto the beast for whereas the doctrine of merits by works was one of the principal heads of the beast and the greatest of all his power this Martin Luther did oppose with great might and with much successe insomuch as he gave a deadly wound unto the beast but we have sinc eseen by experience this deadly wound healed and all the world wondreth after the beast in a manner for they see order in the Church of Rome though by a wrong power but amongst us nothing but disorder and this we may speak with grief of heart and there is reason for it which I have abundantly proved already and may further God assisting me cleer it hereafter besides the loosnesse of Protestants at large as I may term them and our divisions and loosnesse in our practices makes him get heart and to hope to gaine all againe of what he hath lost or at least to hold that which he hath and this St. John seems to intimate unto us in Revelation the 17. 8. where he saith When they beheld the beast that was and is not and yet is shewing as I conceive that at the change of the beast he should so lose his power as he should as it were seem not to be and yet after he should recover strength againe and have a being untill the Lord destroy him with the spirit of his mouth and with the brightnesse of his coming Isaiah the 11. 42 Thes. 2. 8. which can in reason be expounded to be no other but Rome under the Pope as I have proved by ten reasons Now forasmuch as there is one principal text Matthew 24. 15. upon which text dependeth almost all the following part of the chapter as an exhortation of the Lord Jesus unto his disciples how they should carry themselves when once the abomination which makes desolate is set up and therefore I shall shew what I take this abornination to be and therefore pray mind I take this abomination not to be the destruction of Jerusalem which did follow within 40. years after the passion of Christ as I have already proved But I take this abomination of desolation to be that Idol of the bread which in the Church of Rome is transubstantiated into the reall body of Christ as the Papists teach or in short the real presence of the sleshly body of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar as they call it which Idolatry I take to be the grossest Idolatry that ever was committed by any civill or religious nation or nations and about which there hath so much bloud of the Saints of Jesus Christ been spilt in the kingdome of the Pope as the like hath not been seen in any age for one thing But because this is a matter of much consequence I shall produce severall reasons for the proofe thereof Wherefore my first reason shall be from the text it self where it is said When you shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet standing in the holy place that is something that standeth in the holy place which drives the presence of Gods spirit out of that place that was once holy A second reason I take from that text Daniel the 11. 31. which is the place of the prophet as I conceive which our Saviour meant where it is said speaking of Antiochus And armies shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the Sanctuary of strength and they shall take away the daily sacrifice and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate Which text was fulfilled the first of Maccabees the first chapter 54. ver which was a type of that abomination which our Saviour speaketh of meaning as I conceive that of Daniel the 11. 31. now as Antiochus by his power did pollute the temple of the Lord by commanding the daily sacrifice to cease and did set up the Idol of abomination upon the Altar of God where by the spirit of God departed from that worship even so in the mystery the Pope hath changed the communion into the sacrifice of the Masse and real presence in the Sacrament and caused the people to worship it so that by reason of that idolatry the spirit of God is departed from that administration Thirdly that whereas the Lord Jesus having instituted his last supper to be practised in Remembrance of his death till he come and made no mention of worshipping it the Pope contrarily maketh it a sacrifice and commandeth the people to worship it thereby forcing the spirit of God from that worship Luke 22. 19. 1 Corinthians 11. 24. Fourthly That whereas the Lord hath commanded Exodus the 20. that his people should make no graven image nor the likenesse of any thing in any place thereby to worship it the Pope contrary to his command maketh the reall presence in the Sacrament daily under the form of bread and commandeth the people to worship it without any warrant from the word for their practice thereby forcing the people to commit Idolatry and so driveth the spirit of God from that dispensation Fifthly That as the Jews in time of the standing of the Temple by their Idolatry and by their setting up the image of jealousie in the temple did cause the spirit of God to depart from that worship Ezekiel the 8. 5 6. even so the Pope and his clergy in the mystery hath set up the image of jealousie in the Church in turning the communion of the Lords supper from its first Institution into the real presence of Christs fleshly body in forme of bread in the Sacrament and commanded the people to worship it thereby grieving the Spirit of God and causing it to depart from that worship Sixthly that as the pastours or shepherds of the Jewes in the time of the standing of the Temple did eat up the good pasture and drank the deep waters which I conceive was the ordinances of the Temple with the sacrifices and did tread