An humble attempt to promote explicit agreement and visible union of God's people in…

Ans. It is an Opinion that seems pretty much to have obtained, that before the Fulfilment of the Promises relating to the Church's Latter-day Glory, there must come a most terrible Time, a Time of extreme Suffering, and dreadful Persecution of the Church of Christ; wherein Satan and Antichrist are to obtain their greatest Victory over her, and she is to be brought lower than ever by her Enemies. Which Opinion has chiefly risen from the Manner of interpreting and applying the forementioned Prophecy of the slaying of the Witnesses. This Opinion, with such Persons as retain it, must needs be a great Restraint and Hindrance, with Regard to such an Affair as is proposed to us in the Memorial. If Persons expect no other, than that the more the glorious Times of Christ's Kingdom are hastened, the sooner will come this dreadful Time, wherein the Generality of God's People must suffer so extremely, and the Church of Christ be almost extinguished, and blotted out from under Heaven; how can it be otherwise, than a great Damp to their Hope, Courage and Activity, in praying for, and reaching after the speedy Introduction ⟨p. 102⟩of those glorious promised Times? As long as this Opinion is retained, it will undoubtedly ever have this unhappy Influence on the Minds of these that wish well to Zion, and savour her Stones and Dust. It will tend to damp, deaden and keep down, Life, Hope and joyful Expectation in Prayer; and even in great Measure, to prevent all earnest, animated and encouraged Prayer, in God's People, for this Mercy, at any Time before it is actually fulfilled. For they that proceed on this Hypothesis in their Prayer•, must, at the same Time that they pray for this glorious Day, naturally conclude within themselves, that they shall never live to see on the Earth any Dawning of it, but only to see the dismal Time that shall proceed it, in w•ich the far greater Part of God's People, that shall live 'till then, shall die under the extreme Cruelties of their Persecutors. And the more they expect that God will answer their Prayers, by speedily bringing on the promised glorious Day, the more must they withal expect, themselves, to have a Share in those dreadful Things, that Nature shrinks at the Thoughts of, and also expect to see Things that a renewed Nature shrinks at and dreads;

Ans. It is an Opinion that seems pretty much to have obtained, that before the Fulfilment of the Promises relating to the Church's Latter-day Glory, there must come a most terrible Time, a Time of extreme Suffering, and dreadful Persecution of the Church of Christ; wherein Satan and Antichrist are to obtain their greatest Victory over her, and she is to be brought lower than ever by her Enemies. Which Opinion has chiefly risen from the Manner of interpreting and applying the forementioned Prophecy of the slaying of the Witnesses. This Opinion, with such Persons as retain it, must needs be a grea Restraint and Hindrance, with Regard to such an Affair as is proposed to us in the Memorial. If Persons expect no other, than that the more the glorious Times of Christ's Kingdom are hastened, the sooner will come this dreadful Time, wherein the Generality of God's People must suffer so extremely, and the Church of Christ be almost extinguished, and blotted out from under Heaven; how can it be otherwise, than a great Damp to their Hope, Courage and Activity, in praying for, and reaching after the speedy Introduction