Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...

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Title
Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ...
Author
Ambrose, Isaac, 1604-1664.
Publication
London :: Printed for Richard Chiswel, Benj. Tooke, and Thomas Sawbridge,
1680.
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Subject terms
Jesus Christ -- Person and offices.
Christian life.
Devotional exercises.
Link to this Item
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/A25241.0001.001
Cite this Item
"Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of Jesus as carrying on the great work of mans salvation from first to last / by Isaac Ambrose ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A25241.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed October 31, 2024.

Pages

SECT. III. Of Christ's summoning of the Elect to come under judgment.

3. FOR Christ's summons of the Elect to come under judgment: no sooner is he in the clouds, his Throne of judicature, but there he stands, and thence he sends his holy Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet,* 1.1 and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to another. Christ's summons are effectual, if he will have the elect to meet him, they must come; to this purpose he sends his Angels, and they return with his Saints back again to the judgement-seat. In the carrying on of this affair, we shall discuss these particulars. 1. His mission of the Angels. 2. The manner of the mission. 3. The resurrection of the world. 4. The collection of the Saints; wherein, 1. whence, 2. whither they are gathered.

1. For Christ's mission of his Angels; he shall send his Angels. This was their office from their first creation; they were still sent of God this way, and that way; and indeed herein is one difference betwixt Christ and the Angels, he was to fit on God's right hand,

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but they were sent abroad to Minister to the Saints and people of God;* 1.2 To which of the Angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot-stool? are they not all Ministring Spirits, sent forth to Minister for them, who shall be heirs of salvation? Now according to their office, Christ puts them upon imployment at this day. q. d. O my Angels! you that wait upon me, that excel in strength,* 1.3 that do my commandments, and hearken to the voice of my Word: go your wayes now into all the four winds of the World, gather all my Saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice; search into all the dusts of the earth, and leave not behind one dust that belongs unto any Saint; search into the bottom of the Sea; see what becomes of those drowned bodies of my dear ones; if either worms have eaten those in graves, or fishes have devoured them in the deep, why now restore them; am not I as able to recover them, as I was to create them? is it not as easie for me to raise the dead, as to make Heaven and Earth, and all of nothing? go then and gather together all those dusts and let every dust be brought home to its own proper body, and compact those dusts as soft as they are into solid bones; and prophesie upon those bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord; thus saith the Lord, behold I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live,* 1.4 and I will lay sinews upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live, and ye shall know that I am the Lord; why this is my will and pleasure, and therefore be gone, O my Angels, do your office, what? have not I commanded you?

2. The Mission, or commission, or dismission given, the Angels, swift messengers of his will fall on the execution; and to that purpose immediately they sound the Trum∣pet; so it follows, And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet. Here is the manner of their mission; they go, and as they go they give a shout; what this shout is, or how it is made, is a curious question, and sets many wits on work: in this Scripture it is set out by the sound of a Trumpet.* 1.5 Now some would have it to be a material Trumpet, because the Scriptures frequently call it a Trumpet; He shall send his Angels with the sound of a Trumpet, saith Christ; and in a mo∣ment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump we shall be changed (saith Paul) for the Trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised. And the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, and with the Trumpet of God: But whether this Trumpet shall be of Silver or of Brass, or of the Air, or of the Cloud and Meteors whereon Christ rides, they cannot agree:† 1.6 others more pro∣bably look upon this Trumpet as nothing else but a metaphor; or a sound formed in the Air, like the sound of a Trumpet. A voice it is without all controversie; and metaphorically it may be called a trumpet, both from the clearness and greatness of the sound; so loud shall it be, that 'twill pierce into the ears of the dead in their graves; It will shake the world, rend the rocks, break the mountains; dissolve the bonds of Death,* 1.7 burst down the gates of Hell, and unite all spirits to their own Bodies. An horrible ter∣rible voice shall it be: But how should Angels who are spirits make a voice? by a col∣lision of the Air which the Angels can move at their pleasure; and who can tell, say some, but there may be some new-created instrument trumpet-like, adapted for the An∣gels; at the sides of which, by a force, and collision of the air, this great shout may be, to convene all the World? or who knows (say others) but that the Lord Jesus may fill the Angels, even as trumpets are filled with a loud blast, and that through them this loud blast shall come rushing like a mighty wind upon the dead Saints, and so awaken their bodies out of the dust? we all know this was usual in all the Jews solemnities to convene the people by the found of a trumpet. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver,* 1.8That thou mayest use them for the calling of the Assembly; —And when thou shalt blow them, all the Assembly shall assemble themselves; and if ye go to war, then ye shall blow an a∣larme with the Trumpets; and in the same way (say they) Christ now will convene all the World with the sound of a trumpet, or with the sound of some such instrument of divine power and vertue, whereby the dead shall be raised, and their bodies and souls re-united. Amidst all those Authors, if I may deliver my opinion; I suppose the Text that will clear all to us above all that is written, is that of 1 Thessalonians 4.16. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,* 1.9 with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trumpet of God. Give me leave to insist on it, that we may come up yet to a more full and perfect knowledg of this passage. In these words is shewed, or held forth the coming of Christ in three

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particulars: with a shout, with a voice, and with a trumpet; some think this to be one and the same set out in variety of expressions; but I am of another mind. It is agreed by most that the transactions at the giving of the Law on Mount Sinai, were a re∣presentation of the proceedings which shall be at the great day of Judgment; now in that transaction we read of a three-fold voice, The voice of God, the voice of Thunder, and the voice of a Trumpet, (Exod. 19.16. compared with Exod. 20.1.) and according∣ly we find the Apostle speaking of a three-fold voice, Of the voice of Christ, of the voice of Thunder, and of the voice of a Trumpet.

1. The Lord himself shall descend with a shout: Arius Montanus, and the vulgar translate it with a command; Lyra and others think this to be the voice of Christ him∣self, saying,* 1.10 with a loud voice, Arise ye dead, and come to Judgment. Thus Jesus cry∣ed with a loud voice, Lazarus come forth; and with such a voice will he call on the dead at the last day.* 1.11 So much Christ himself hath taught us; The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live. The hour is, because by his voice he raised some at his first coming: and the hour is coming, because in the like manner he will raise up all men at the last day; Mar∣vel not at this (saith Christ) for the hour is coming,* 1.12 in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and they shall come forth. As at the creation of the World, he said, Let there be light, and there was light; so at the dissolution of the World, he will say, Let the dead arise, let the Sea give up the dead that are in it, and Death and Hell deliver up the dead which are in them; and it will be so.

2. The Lord shall descend with the voice of the Archangel. Two questions here; 1. Who is this Archangel? 2. What is this voice?

For the first, some argue this Archangel to be Gabriel, others Raphael, others Mi∣chael. The Jews have an antient tradition, that there are seven principal Angels that mi∣nister before the throne of God, and therefore called Archangels. The Scriptures seem to speak much that way,* 1.13 calling them, seven Lamps of fire burning before the throne: and seven hornes, and seven eyes of the Lamb; and the seven spirits of God sent forh into all the earth; and seven eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth; and yet more plainly, seven Angels that stand before God. Now which of these Seven is the Archangel, here spoken of, is hard to determine; only probable it is, that all the Archangels, and all the angels are hereby understood, as comprehended under that one; to which agrees, Matth. 24.31. Mr. Aynsworth observes, that when things are done by a multitude; where one is chief, that the action is frequently ascribed either to the multitude, or to him that is chief indifferently; as Jehoiadah brought forth the Kings Son, and he put the Crown upon him, 2 Kings 11.12. or they brought forth the Kings son, and they put upon him the Crown, 2 Chron. 23.11. so David offered burnt-offerings, 2 Sam. 6.17. or they offered burnt offerings, 1 Chron. 16.1. and so he shall descend with the voice of the Archangel; or he shall scend his Angels with a great sound, Matth 24.3.

That there are seven principal Angels, Master Mede affirms; and that there is one which yet eminently, is called the Archangel; some others affirm, as among Devils, there is one chief Devil,* 1.14 called the Prince of Devils; and therefore the fire is said to be prepared for the Devil and his Angels; so from this Text of 1 Thess. 4.16. and of Dan. 10.13. and of Jude v. 9. Some probably conclude that the good Angels have a Prince, even Michael, whom Jude calls the Archangel. But of this no more; the Lord keep me from intruding into those things which I have not seen.* 1.15 The day it self will discover it, and so I leave it, as having said enough to satisfie the sober minded.

For the second, what is this voice of the Archangel? I conceive that thereby we are to understand thunder: here is (as we have said) a manifest allusion to the proceed∣ings at the giving of the Law, now the voice there mentioned, besides the voice of God,* 1.16 and the voice of a trumpet, is the voice of Thunder; And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, there were thunders. In this sense some expound these words of the Apostle, where the Law is said to be spoken by Angels, because the Angels did raise up those extraordinary thunders, which happily were the matters of the ar∣ticulate voice, in which the Lord spake to Israel: or if the Law was spoken by Christ (as I have delivered my opinion elsewhere) he being the Angel of the Cove∣nant,* 1.17 Mal. 3 1, And the Angel of his presence, Isa. 63.9. Yet this hinders not, but that created Angels might speak the Law too, if not in respect of the articulate voyce,

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yet in respect of the voyce of thunders which attended on it; thus thunder is often cal∣led the voyce of God, and the voyce of his excellency, Job 37.4, 5. Psalm. 29.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.

3. The Lord shall descend with the trumpet of God. Such a voyce was used also at the giving of the Law, Exod. 19.16. and Exod. 20.18. and so it will be now when men are called to account for the keeping or breaking of it. For the understanding of this, our last translation tells us,* 1.18 that Christ shall send his Angels with the great sound of a trumpet; but in four Greek copies, as Beza confesseth, as also in the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, and in the Vulgar, and in the margent of our last translation, it is read, that Christ shall send his Angels with a trumpet, and a great voyce. And so the lat∣ter words are exegetical, q. d. with a trumpet, that is, with a great voyce, like the voice of a trumpet; so that this reading very provably proves, that the last trumpet is to be taken metaphorically. For the more full confirmation whereof I argue thus; when any thing is ascribed to the Angels which is not suitable to their spiritual nature, and which they have no need of for the work they are about, is it to be taken meta∣phorically; unless the context or some other Scripture force us to a proper acceptati∣on, but a material trumpet of Silver, Brass, or the like metal, is not suitable to the spiritual nature of the Angels; neither have they need of such a trumpet for pro∣ducing a great sound in the Air; it is evident that without a trumpet they can make a great sound like the noise of a trumpet; and there is nothing at all in the Scriptures that will force us, or probably lead us to a proper acceptation of the word; add yet to what hath been said, that sometimes a great voice is set out by the similitude of a Trumpet; I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Rev. 1.10. and the first voyce which I heard, was as it were of a trumpet, Rev. 4.1.

But why is this sound as of a trumpet, called the trumpet of God? I answer, for the greatness of it; for its usual in the Hebrew Language for the setting forth of great∣ness, excellency, or superlativeness of a thing, to add the Name of God to the word, whereby the thing is signified; as Gen. 23.6. A Prince of God, (i.e.) a Mighty Prince, Gen. 30.8. With the wrestlings of God, (i.e.) with great wrestlings, Psal. 36.6. Mountains of God (i.e.) Great mountains, Psal 80.10. Cedars of God (i.e.) very high Cedars. So here, the trump of God (i.e.) A very great sound, like the sound of a trumpet. It is said in the Law, there were thunders, and lightnings,* 1.19 and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voyce of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was in the camp trembled; and if there was trembling at the giving of the Law, oh what trembling will be at the general Assize, when sinners shall be condemned for breaking of it?

3. No sooner the shout made, but the Saints arise; it is true, the Saints that are alive need no resurrection, but upon them will this trumpet have its effect. Somthing like death shall ceaze upon them, and they shall be changed. The order of this is given in by the Apostle from the Lord; This we say unto you by the Word of our Lord,* 1.20 that we which are alive, and remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them which are asleep, for the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voyce of the Archangel, and with the Trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them into the clouds. The first that shall be called are the Saints that sleep, and then the Saints that are alive shall be immediatly changed. Oh what a day will this be? what a strange sight to see all the dead ever since the beginning of the World rise out of their graves? for the wicked I believe they shall rise like Toads from their holes, in a black, swarthy, ugly, colour: A question is amongst the Schools, whether Reprobates shall rise again with all their deformities which they had in this life? as some of them being blind, halt, lame, maimed, deaf, dum, &c. Whether now they shall rise in the self-same con∣dition? for my part I conceive that whereas God the author of nature, will at that day restore humane nature, that therefore there shall be no defects of natural parts; certainly nothing shall be wanting in the damned, which may impede the sense of torment in any part; now a defect of any member would hinder these universal torments that must ceaze on every part of the bodies of the damned in Hell; their bodies therefore shall be whole, onely the bodies of such shall be foul, ugly, heavy, lumpish bodies, as opposed to the glorious qualities of the bodies of Saints; why, what bodies (you will say) have they? I answer, glorious bodies: no sooner shall the bodies of the Saints arise, but they shall exceed with singular

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qualities;* 1.21 They were sown in corruption, but they are raised in incorruption; they were sown in dishonour, but raised in glory; they were sown in weakness, but raised in power; they were sowen natural bodies, but raised spiritual bodies. The Sun in its shinings, doth but shadow forth the glory of their bodies; and this will in some measure torment Reprobates, to see the difference of their bodies, and the bodies of the Saints. O (will they say) yond are they, whom we despised, and now are they honoured. See a world of Suns rising at once out of all parts of the Earth; sometimes we lived on Earth, and we never saw but one Sun rising in the East, but lo millions of Suns on East, and West, and North, and South; O those are the glorious Saints of Heaven: see with what swift and agile bodies they are pre∣paring to fly into the Air, to meet their Lord and Saviour there; whilst in the mean time we rise with such heavy, dull, and deformed bodies, that we cannot mount. O what will become of us? why this is the day of resurrection. The Angels have been here to unseal our graves to roll away the stones, and at their shout, and sound of the Trumpet, our scattered dusts have met together: and lo now we stand upon the Earth.

4. No sooner the Saints raised, and their souls and Bodies re-united with excellent Majesty, but then shall all the elect of God, from first to last be gathered together: if you ask whence? and whither? I answer—

1. To the question whence? from the four winds, from one end of Heaven to another. (i.e.) From all parts of the world, from East, and West, and North, and South, from one end of Heaven to another; a Vulgar term, in regard of our sight; for in it self Heaven is round, and hath no end: the meaning is, that not one Saint in all the world, from Adam to the last man shall be concealed, or lye hid; from the most hid∣den, inward, secret bosom of the earth all shall be gathered; howsoever their dusts may be scattered into a thousand thousand parts, yet the power of Christ shall restore all those dusts, and bring them together into their several compacted bodies.

2. To the question whether they shall be gathered? Some say to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,* 1.22 from that Text, Let the Heathen be weakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there, will I sit to judge the Heathen round about; but I believe this Text hath reference to a particular judgment of God upon Israels enemies which dwell round about Jerusalem, and not to the general day of Judgment. O∣thers say,* 1.23 to Mount-Olivet from that Text, This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven; then returned they unto Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet. But I believe this Text speaks onely of the manner how Christ shall come, and not of the place to which he shall come. Indeed 'tis not probable that either the valley of Jehoshaphat, or the Mount of Olivet can be sufficient places to contain all the men that ever were, are, and shall be; and therefore if such a thing can be determined, I should rather appeal to that Text,* 1.24 Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them (that are raised) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. When Christ was askt this very question, where Lord? whither shall the Saints be gather∣ed? where shall the general Judgment be? he answers, wheresoever the body is, thi∣ther will the Eagles be gathered together. By the body, Christ meant himself, and by the Eagles Christ meant his Elect, because their youth is renewed as the Eagles; now the elect must resort to Christ wheresoever he is; and the Apostle is express, that Christ is in the air, and in the clouds: and therefore thither must the elect be gather∣ed;* 1.25 they shall be caught up by the holy Angels into the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.

* 1.26O my brethren, what sights are these! what changes, wonders, strange face of things will be this day? how is it that we are not as frequent in the meditation of this Summons as Jerom was, who as he thought, heard dayly that sound, Arise ye dead and come to Judgment? methinks a sad and serious consideration of these passages might keep us close to Christ; come try a little, if in the hurryings of the day we are so distracted, that we cannot reach the spiritual part of a meditation, yet in the evening or morning when all is still, or in the night-season when all is quiet, then labour to prevent the day of doom; so realize it, as if then we saw Christ in the clouds, sending his Angels on this errand, Away, and bring hither all the men, and women in the world; and in the first place, gather my Saints together unto me, Adam and Abraham,

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those Fathers of the world and of the faithful, let them see all their children, and let all their children see them, and bring them all to my Throne; awaken the world, let them who have slept in their graves, some thousand of years be now rouzed, and raised. Imagine then, as if we heard the Trumpet of God founded by the Angels of God, and as the sound of it waxed louder and louder, that we saw the Mountains skip like Rams, and the little Hills like young Sheep. That we saw all the graves in Churches, or Church-yards, in Fields, or Plains, or Seas fly open, that we saw all the bodies of the dead beginning to stir, and to stand upon their feet, and presently the Angels coming, and taking all the Saints upon their wings, and so flying with them through the air till they came to the Throne, and judgment-seat of Christ: is it possible that such a meditation should pass without some tincture of it on our spirits? if my ears shall hear that sound, and if my eyes shall see these sights, is it not time for me to lay these things to heart, that I may be found faithful and well-doing? as sure as I have this Book in my hand I must be one of those that shall hear the sound of the Trumpet, and away I must from the mouth of my grave, where ever I shall be buried, to the cloud where Christ doth sit; come then, how would I rise? as foul as a toad? or as an Angel of God? O my God! set this home on my soul! O where's my Lamp? and where's my oyl? are all ready? and am I ready, furnished, and prepared to meet the Lord in the Air? Christians! if we have any life in us, let us act and realize this to the life; O this would keep us close to Christ, and to the Banner of Christ; who would not march under this Banner, and adhere to him, that but reads over these summons of souls at the last dreadful day.

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