Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	apostle_n	church_n	foundation_n	3,386	5	8.7283	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

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

that corrupt channel of the Church of Rome therefore it must needs follow that insomuch as the Scripture is acknowledged to be our director in all things by all Reformers and for so much as all that enter not by the door are theeves and robbers John 10. 1. and for as much as none can preach except they be sent according to the doctrine of Paul Romans the 10. 15. and for as much as the prophet Isaiah sends us to the Law and to the Testimony and saith If they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isaiah 8. 20. and the Apostle Saint Paul in the aforesaid text of the Romans alledgeth Scripture for his and others preaching the Gospel and saith As it is written how beautifull are the feet of them that preach the Gospel of peace and bring glad tydings of good things therefore I say If we will reform being the lesser part we must necessarily have some Scripture for our warrant to shew that the time is out for our deliverance and some mention made in Scripture of some Anoynting to reform the Church of Jesus Christ after the ordinances are corrupted or changed as is acknowledged which if it can be produced either by plain letter or by consequence that when once the ordinances are changed or corrupted that they are to be restored in their purity and that the people of the Lord Jesus are to gather themselves out of Babylon or the Antichristian state wherin they lay in captivity among all sorts of men in visible bodies with all those officers as Apostles Pastors Teachers and Elders as they were in the first Gospel times before the Lords appearing to restore his people I shall by the help of God subscribe unto them and confess my Errour yet nevertheless there are some texts alledged for the maintenance of it I shall name them as I go and examine them according to my understanding and leave them to the men that alledged them to judg The first text which is aleadged for the raising of ordinances is from Psalm 75. 2. where the prophet speaking in the person of God saith when I shall receive the congregation I will judg uprightly whence is inferred that when the Lord Jesus doth appear there will be a congregation To which I answer and do confess that the Psalmist in that place speaks of the appearance of Jesus Christ as is plain from verse the first where it is said for that thy name is neer thy wondrous works declare but touching that 2 verse from whence that inference is taken I conceive the true sense is no other but that before the Lord appeare the congregation is judged unrighteously by the men of the world or by such as Rule in the Church of Jesus Christ having no commission from him or as it is in Matthew the 24. 48. and Zechariah 11. 16. by that evill servant which saith in his heart my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken but when the Lord doth appear he will take the government of the congregation to himself and will judg uprightly Agreeable to those texts of Scriptures Isa. 11. 4. Micah 4. 3. The second text is from Isaiah 10. 27. where it is said And it shall come to passe in that day that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulders and his yoake from off thy neck and the yoake shall be destroyed because of the anyonting from whence is inferred that in the last dayes the Lord will anoynt his people by his Spirit so that they shall by degrees gather themselves out of Babylon or the antichristian state into bodies or single fellowships to meet the Lord in Sion For answer unto which pray note the text it self for it is not said thou shalt deliver thy self because of the anoynting but it is said In that day his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and the yoake from off thy neck and the yoake shall be destroyed because of the annointing which argueth thus much that the Lord will deliver his people by the hand of some extraordinary messenger that he wil appoint for that purpose which I conceive is the Lord Jesus for he alludes unto the deliverance of his people out of Egypt and to that deliverance from Midian at the rock Oreb as it is in the foregoing verse being the 26. Now it is known to all men that in those deliverances there was Moses and Gideon extraordinarily sent to deliver his people and can it be thought that in that great deliverance of all the deliverances that have happened unto the people of God that deliverance from sin and death only excepted wherin Ephrahim shall no more envy Juda nor yet Juda vex Ephrahim and that from thenceforth the wolf and the lamb shall feed together and that from thenceforth they shall hurt nor destroy no more in the mountain of Gods holinesse that the Lord will deliver his people by themselves contrary to his practice in all ages as may be abundantly proved from Moses Joshua Jeptha Deborah Barak unto Zorobabel which were all types of that great deliverer of his people as may be seen Haggai 2. 23. where Jesus Christ is set forth under the name of Zorobabel Beside pray mark the 33d verse of that 10. of Isaiah where it is plainly said Behold the Lord the Lord of bosts shall lop the bough with terrour and the high ones of stature shall be hewen down and the mighty shall be humbled and he shall cut down the thickets of the forrest with iron and Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one Now let any man judge if this be meant his people by themselves or else the deliverance to come by some extraordinary messenger The next two texts which are alleadged for the raising of ordinances I put them both together because I suppose they aime at one and the same thing are the 2 Pet. 2. 11 14. and the Epistle of Jude ver 20 21. where it is said Wherefore beloved seeing you look for such things be diligent that you may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse And then in Jude it is said But ye beloved edifie your selves in your most holy faith praying in the holy Ghost and keep your selves in the love of God looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternall life From whence is gathered that in the last daies the people of the Lord Jesus Christ must walk in Gospel order being baprized and gather themselves into visible bodies to meet the Lord in Sion To which I answer and desire all men to take notice of the scope of the Apostles in these two places namely to arme the Christians unto whom they wrote to take heed of false teachers which were crept in amonst them to beware of them and to be watchfull over themselves and that they should build up themselves in their most holy