A39663:2214
The Fountain of Life Opened
The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carried on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...The fountain of life opened, or, A display of Christ in his essential and mediatorial glory wherein the impetration of our redemption by Jesus Christ is orderly unfolded as it was begun, carryed on, and finished by his covenant-transaction, mysterious incarnation, solemn call and dedication ... / by John Flavell ...
London: printed for Rob. White, 1673
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, It will be a great and awful day, It's called the Judgement of the great day, Jud. 6. Three things will make it so, the manner of Christs coming. The work he comes about. And the issues or events of that work. The manner of Christs coming will be awfully solemn, For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the Trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, &c. 1 Thes. 4.16.17. Here Christ breaks out of Heaven with the shouts of Angels [Greek or Hebrew], it signifies such a shout (saith one) as is to be heard among Seamen,1 when after a long and dangerous voyage they first descry Land; crying with loud and united voices, A shore, A shore. ⟨p. 593⟩As the Poet describes the Italians when they saw their native Country, lifted up their voices, and making the Heavens ring again with Italy, 2Italy; or as Armies shout when the signal of Battle is given. Above all which (as some expound it) shall the voice of the Archangel be distinctly heard. And after this shout, the trump of God shall sound. By this Tremendous blast, sinners will be affrighted out of their Graves, but to the Saints it will carry no more terror than the roaring of Cannons, when Armies of friends approach a besieged City, for the relief of them that be within. The dead being raised, they shall be gathered before the great Throne on which Christ shall sit in his glory; and there divided exactly to the right and left hand of Christ, by the Angels. Here will be the greatest Assembly that ever met. Where Adam may see his numerous off-spring, even as the sand upon the Seashore which no man can number. And never was there such a perfect division made (how many divisions soever have been in the world) none was ever like it. The Saints in this great Ecumenical assize (as the same Author stiles it) shall meet the Lord in the air, and there the Judge shall sit upon the Throne; and all the Saints shall be placed upon bright clouds, as on Seats or Scaffolds round about him; the wicked remaining below upon the earth, there to receive their final doom and sentence.