even so amen But who will abide the day of his coming and who will stand when he appeareth Mal. 3. and this I desire to minde you by the way that as at or in the beginning work of your deliverance You must come in by weeping cross not onely in the sight and sense of your sin Jer. 5. 4. Looking on him whom you have peirced and mourning for him Zach. 12. but likewise in relation to the great trouble you are like to meet with also from the world that as you have been scattered among the nations and Israel hath been kept in obscurity so the nations will rage in your gathering together and then will be the first war of Gog and Magog mentioned in Ezek. 38. and 39. and it will go hard with you for a time see Zach. 14. 1 2. to this that agreeth Rev. 16. 12. when the River Euphrates is dryed up that the way of the kings of the earth may be prepared vers 13 14. on their appearance three unclean spirits like frogs went out of the mouth of the dragon the beast and the false prophets which are the spirits of devils working miracles which go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole world to gather them together to the battel of the great day of God almighty that is the great battel of Gog and Magog mentioned before called the great battel of God almighty because it is that great battle appointed of God where he will destroy both his and your enemies And in this great distress by reason of the nations fury called Gog and Magog then shall Michael the great prince of his people stand up for your deliverance Dan. 12. 1. Then will the Lord send a fire upon Magog and he shall know that there is a God in Israel and the Lord will make his holy name known in the midst of his people Israel and he will not let them pollute his holy name any more c. Ezek. 39. 6 7. And then shall that prophesie be fulfilled Isa 2. and Micah 4. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war any more onely after the glorious reign of Christ and his Saints Satan shall be loosed for a little season Rev. 20. and shall gather together Gog and Magog that is those that were left of the nations in the first destruction Ezek. 39. 2 and they shal compass the campe of the Saints about the beloved City fire shall come down from God and destroy them this shall be the last encamping together of Gog and the last destruction and final judgement in this day of glory shall all believing Gentiles be gathered in with you for he is given as well to be a light to the Gentiles as to be the glory of the people Israel Isa 49. 6. Thus have I in tenderness and faithfulness both to the Lord and you discharged this as my duty in commending these few lines unto you the Lord grant that it may finde acceptance with you Here are many prayers presented for you at the throne of grace by those who clearly see and believe Gods intention of good to you for my self I trust my heart is so much set at liberty towards you that I could not onely prostrate my pen and prayers for your good but my person likewise if I saw a clear call from the Lord to serve you In a word to conclude I do believe that you have some of those remembrancers in this nation spoken of Isa 62. 6 7. That will give the Lord no rest till he have made Ierusalem a praise in the earth which is the earnest and daily prayer of him who is both yours and the truths servant as far as he may though unworthy T. C. THE POSTSCRIPT MY Friends to whose hands this Epistle may come The estate of the Jews having been a long time sad and indeed as once the Gentiles were and all unbelieving Gentiles are without Christ in the world and so without hope in themselves as in relation to the true Messiah the Lord having given me some apprehension concerning his purpose both of grace and glory towards them I could not with good conscience altogether hold my peace at this time without writing these preceding lines unto them it being translated into French that being a language that they are exercised in and so sent unto them the work being done the issue I leave to the Lord who I know doth usually honour himself in working by weak means and being desired by some friends I have likewise got it printed in English thereby not onely to provoke others who perhaps may be more inlarged in this work toward those poor dark despised people but likewise that all whose hearts are truely Zion-ward may be instant with the Lord in prayer for them and so much the more because their coming in will be to us life from the dead and their fulness will be our glory Oh therefore let all be warned not to be wise in their own conceit and know that blindness is happened to Israel but in part but that till the fulness of the Gentiles is come in and then Israel shall be saved I have a few words my brethren and friends to present you farther with concerning the reign of Christ and that is that he shall have a kingdom upon the earth and shall reign with his people upon the earth manifesting his power and glory amongst them and over the world But before I proceed any further I shall answer one objection that is some may say It was not long since that your self was against this principle c. Answ It s true in part I was being much informed in the truth of the reign of Christ but judging it to be a glorious reign in the spirits of his people over the world and this is the apprehension of many precious sons of Zion at this day but the Lord opening the seals by degrees unto his people he gives them to see farther into the mystery of his will concerning his kingdom and as light shines in their darkness doth flye away I could not but judge it my duty to give some hints concerning my farther apprehension of the kingdom of Christ in which I shall be very brief That his kingdom shall be manifest on earth will appear from these ensuing grounds 1. It was and is the great design of the Father to exalt the Son here on earth before the sons of men this was his design before he made the world and ever since all things hath doth and will concur to the bringing about of this great design therefore he at first made the world by him and for him Eph. 4. 9. Col. 2. 16. Joh. 1. 1. afterwards man being faln and the curse come in upon the whole creation Gen. 3. God did by him and for him recover the world again Col. 1. 20. that so he might have a selected people to himself that might enjoy his grace and glory Col. 1.
reign with him that you might know who it is you look for one that hath suffered and been tempted that so he might be your king in his humiliation a little before he come in his glory Oh it will be your joy and crown of rejoycing one day if you have hearts to own him truly in his humiliation Well your duty is and its that which the Lord calls you to to repent and believe the Gospel to be baptized after believing in the name of the Lord Jesus wherein is represented the washing away of sin both in conscience and conversation through faith in his blood it s onely the duty of believers to be baptized we own no national Church under the Gospel before the day of Christs glorious appearing but whosoever liveth and believeth in him shall be saved the nations delude themselves with the form of godliness without the power Oh it s the life and power of godliness that will stand us instead at the last it s your duty to own him in every part of his word and will for God hath raised him up a Prophet to you and it s your duty to hear him in all Dcut. 18. 15. with Act. 3. 22 23. Moses gives up all to him if Moses were upon the earth he would willingly submit himself to this prophet therefore stand it not out with him remember that word of Christ Luk. 19. 27. but those mine enemies that would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me The Lord Jesus in his glorious appearing will render vengeance to them that know him not to them that obey him not but will be admired in all those that have believed in him in that day 2 Thess 1. 8. 9 10. Oh therefore fear and tremble to stand it out with him any longer he is that stone that whosoever falls on him will be broken but on whomsoever he shall fall he will break them to pieces you have been stumbling at him a long time Oh take heed lest he fall on you he is not onely a Lamb full of meekness patience and forbearance slain for the sin of sinners but he is the Lyon of the Tribe of Iudah and when the Lyon roareth all the beasts of the Forest will then tremble Oh then blessed are all those that put their trust in him To conclude this word remember I bessech you these three things 1. That without him there is no life there is no other name given among men whereby you may be saved but by the name of Jesus viz. through faith in his blood 2. Consider the grievousness of your sin in rejecting him so long as you have consider of that word of the Prophet if it had been an enemy I could have born it but it is thou O man my acquaintance Psal 45. 13. it is his own and they have not received him Oh thats it will cause you to weep bitterly every family apart Zach. 12. when you shall come to look upon him whom you have peirced and shall mourn for him Oh it s that will break your hearts when you shall see and say he that is our king hath been our reproach we it is that have wounded and peirced him we it is that have rejected him and trampled him under our feet and accounted the blood of the covenant an holy thing yet know that if the Lord make you sensible of your sin he is gracious he is yet a Lamb full of meekness his blood shall cleanse you from all your sins for the promise is to you as many as the Lord our God shall call For this cause he is the Mediator of the New Testament that by means of death for the redemption of the transgressions under the first Testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9. 15. 3. Consider that notwithstanding your rejecting of him yet he shall be your King at last and he it is that shall be manifest to be the Lord of lords and King of kings that one Lord Jesus Christ who hath been so much set light by you see Hos 13. 10. I will be thy King Where is any that may save thee in all thy Cities and this leads me to the fourth particular SECT IV. THe fourth particular that I shall present you with is that this Jesus shall reign on earth and the twelve Tribes of Israel shall be gathered by him to their own land in peace 1. That this Jesus shall have his kingdom and dominion here on earth manifest among the sons of men Having had his day of humiliation among the sons of men He shall have his day of glory on earth among the sons of men that as he hath been abased in person on earth so shall he in person reign on earth In the confirmation of this glorious truth I shall present you with many Scriptures both in the old and new Testament Psal 2. throughout Where the Lord hath said it that notwithstanding the heathen rage and the people imagin a vain thing for they imagine that Christ shall not reign which is a vain thing vain imaginations c. yet verse 6. Have I set my King upon the holy hill of Sion And verse 8. He shall have the heathen given him for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession what shall he do with them he shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel This is a clear prophesie of the reign of Christ the anointed I have set mine anointed upon Zion the hill of my holiness and all the rage of men on earth shall not hinder it or prevent God in his great designe of the exaltation of the man Jesus to this fully agreeth that glorious prophesie Psalm 72. throughout though it may be supposed that the Prophet in this Psalm intendeth Solomon which I do not altogether deny yet he intendeth Solomon no otherwise than as he was a type of Christ but in the Messiah the man Jesus shall this prophesie be truly and fully made good in the day of his glory vers 2. He shall judge thy people with righteousness and thy poor with judgement vers 4. He shall judge the poor of the people and shall save the children of the needy and shall break in pieces the oppressor vers 5. they shall fear thee so long as the Sun and Moon endureth throughout all generations This was never made good in Solomon nor in any man else but it shall be in Christ Dan. 7. 27. all dominions shall serve and obey him but to return vers 7. in his dayes the righteous shall flourish and abundance of peace till there be no Moon vers 8. he shall have dominion also from sea to sea and from the river unto the ends of the earth and so to the 17. verse are many glorious prophesies of his kingdom and his name shall be for ever he shall be a son to continue his
THE Day-Dawning And the DAY-STAR Arising to the Dispersed of JUDAH ISRAEL Wherein is briefly handled Their CALL AND CHRISTS Second coming whose day is neer at hand By THO. COLLIER LONDON Printed by H. Hills for T. Brewster at the three Bibles neer the West end of Pauls 1655. 〈…〉 It may seem strange that I at such a distance from you and not of your nation should trouble my self so much about your estate being a people now despicable in the worlds eyes scattered and dispersed among the nations and upon a rational account unlikely to be a people beloved for the Fathers sake and that shall be honoured of God when the nations shall fall before you and confess you a people sought out and saved and not forsaken but I have had several prevailing arguments in mine own heart which have occasioned me to present you with this Epistle and I intreat and beseech you for the Lords sake and for the love of the truth that you do read this Epistle and ponder it well in your hearts desiring the God of Grace to give you an understanding in the truth herein presented to you for with much bowels of tenderness and love have I written to you the reasons moving me thereunto are these 1. That cleer discovery God hath given me by his Spirit from the Word of truth of his intention to do you good and that although you have been a long time rejected and scattered for your own sake yet you are beloved and shall be gathered for the Fathers sake Secondly being thus instructed in the truth of your calling it lay much as a duty upon my heart and I am confident from the Lord to write unto you that I might perform my duty to you in my generation leaving the blessing to the Lord. Thirdly Likewise being assured that the time of your gathering is at hand Fourthly knowing likewise that your fullness will be the time of the deliverance of all believing Gentiles now dispersed and trampled under foot for their Lords sake for he was given to be a light to the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel Fifthly and last I finde it to be the desire of Manasseh Ben Israel in his book titled The hope of Israel in his Epistle to the Reader That if any to whom his book came had any thing worthy of posterity that they would give him notice of it I have not here presented you with any thing of History or outward learning but have indeavored according to the grace received in the plain evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and power of truth to present you with such things as may through the blessing of God tend to your eternal good The first principle of truth I have to present you with is that the true and promised Messiah was according to the counsel of God to suffer death for the redemption of sinners and this I shall clear unto you by convincing grounds from the Scriptures Moses and the Prophets whom you know and own and my earnest desire for you at the throne of grace is that the God of grace may give you an understanding in the knowledge of this truth This I shall confirm unto you from three grounds 1. Promises 2. Types 3. Prophesies First Is that Promise of grace Gen. 3. 15. I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and hers it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel This promise hath a special relation to the Messiah and clearly presents us with his suffering that by his death he should break the Serpents head viz. the head of Satan though he himself were bruised though he suffered in the flesh yet he should overcome in suffering I do not deny but that this hath been and is accomplished in all that truely know the Lord Satan sin and evil men oppose but the seed of the woman hath and will bruise the head of all in and for his people though he himself was appointed to be bruised by the Serpents seed to this agreeth Isa 53. 5. He was bruised for our iniquitiès c. Secondly see it clearly and fully presented in types and shaddows first the Paschal Lambe or Passeover mentioned Exod. 12. was a lively representation of the crucifying of the Lamb of God the Messiah who was to come and by his blood to make attonement and peace for sinners that as the children of Israel were then made partakers of a deliverance out of Egypt by that means the killing of a Lamb eating the flesh and sprinkling the door-post with the blood c. so must the Messiah give his life and blood for the redemption of his people out of spiritual Egypt darkness oppression both of Jews and Gentiles 2. All the sacrifices offerings by the Priests commanded in the law of Moses were clear types and representations of the sufferings of the Messiah the offering of Lambs Rams Bullocks c. to be sin-offerings burnt-offerings and peace-offerings c. all presentations of Christ the Messiah in English the anointed who was to be the alone peace and sin-offering for his people the Priest was to offer sacrifice for sin as is exprest at large Levit. 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 and 9 Chapters and Chap. 16. 34. they were to make an attonement once a yeer both for themselves and the people All these offerings could not do away sin but as it had a relation to the true offering he that was to offer himself once for all that he might by one offering for ever perfect them that were by him sanctified this truth you shall see when the Lord taketh away the veil that is spread over your faces that clearly under all these offerings is represented the offering up of the true Messiah once for all c. 3. This truth is likewise clearly prophesied that he that runs may read There is scarce any prophet of God but did foresee and foretell of this truth the sufferings of the Messiah Moses the servant of the Lord and great prophet and type of the anointed as you may see Dcut. 18. 15. he by the inspiration of the Lord presents him much as hath been minded In his suffering estate the prophet David likewise in Psal 22. presents him a sufferer particularly in vers 16. They peirced my hands and my feet a clear prophesie of the Messiah I beseech you weigh it in your hearts David was never peirced in his hands and feet See likewise the prophet Isaiah chap. 53. throughout describing the Messiah that he was wounded and bruised rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with griefs and that God laid upon him the iniquity of us all And Zach. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they have peirced all which confirms the truth that the Messiah which you look for was to come forth first in his humiliation in contempt in suffering c. SECT II. THe second principle of truth that I have to
till the day of his appearing in glory that will be their uniting Jer. 23. 5 6. Ezek. 37. 22. Qu. Will the raising of the dead and the calling of the Iews to their fulness be at one time Answ To me it so appears those Scriptures considered 1 Cor. 15. 44 45. with Hos 13. 14. the prophet Hosea clearly prophesying the coming in of Israel and particularly the ten tribes the Apostle applieth it there to the resurrection of the dead c. Rom. 11. 15. what shall their coming in be but life from the dead that is if their rejecting was an occasion of so much mercy to the world What miracle of mercy at their receiving or coming in even the resurrection of the dead To this prophesie fully agreeth Isa 26. 19. speaking throughout that Chap. of the the glory of Jews thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust c. Quest If so how will those Scripture be reconciled that of Christ Mat. 22. 30. in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are as the angels of heaven and that of the propbets which seems to hold forth building of houses and plainting of vinyards and procreation of children c. Isa 65. 2. Answ Why may not both these stand together as a truth what if we should suppose that after the the coming of Christ and the raising the dead in him for they must be first raised 1 Cor. 15. and changing the believing Gentiles that raised and changed may be ever with the Lord that the Jews then brought in in their fulness may remain in a glorious estate Satan being shut up yet not changed and so the prophesies may be fulfilled concerning them and those that are raised and changed likewise and so much the the more because its evident that the resurrection and their coming in in fulness will be at one and the self same time And what if we should suppose according to the Scripture that the new Ierusalem spoken of Rev. 21. that must come down from God out of heaven be a material City now above according to Gal. 4. 26. Ierusalem which is above is the mother of us all it is above but it shall come down c. and what if we should suppose this new Jerusalem which is so full of excellency probably may be the place now where the Father doth most manifest his glory though the heaven of heavens cannot contain him and where Christ and the spirits of just men are Heb. 12. when it comes down from God out of heaven and the tabernacle of God is with men and that doth dwell among them I say that this City may be the head place of residence for Christ and the changed Saints and the twelve tribes to inhabit without the City according to Ezek. 48. which is the prophesie and discription of the same City and if so God may have a seed among them to be brought forth in the world in the time of the reign of Christ and if so they shall be all righteous Isa 60. 21. with chap. 59. 20 21. which is applyed by the Apostle to the calling of the Jews and coming in of the ten tribes Rom. 11. 26. Quest Shall this new heaven and new earth be before or after the destruction of the world by fire spoken of by Peter 2 Pet. 3. Answ I do believe that it will be before the dissolution my reasons are though Peter mentions the dissolution first yet never theless we according to his promise look for new heavens and a new earth c. 1. Because that promise is clearly to the Jews and shall be made good to them when their redeemer doth come to take away their sin 2. Because that holds forth a destruction of the world by fire as once it was destroyed by water 3. Because after the dissolution and judgement the kingdom shall be given up to the Father and God shall be all 1 Cor. 15. Quest Will not Christs coming be the day of Iudgement Answ It will be the beginning of Judgement 1. The glorifying of his people 2. A great judgement and destruction to the world Ezek. 38. and 39. 3. He shall all that time with his Siants judge the world 4. At the end will be the final judgement Rev. 20. 11 12 13 14. Quest What shall be the condition of the world at that time Answ The men of the world shall on condition enjoy peace and plenty the condition will be they shall own and honour Christ and the Saints and come up to Ierusalem doing homage there and bring presents thither as an acknowledgment not for any need of it there but as Christ and the Saints have been at the feet of the world now shall the world be at their feet according to those Scriptures Ps 72. 9 10 11. Isa 60. 24. ch 66. 23. Zach. 14. 16. Rev. 3. 9. Chap. 27. 26. Quest If this be truth that Christ and the Saints shall reign on earth what advantage will it be to the Saints in the knowledge of it more than to believe his coming and kingdom at the end of time Ans It must needs minister consolation in the knowledge of the truth of things there is no truth of God but the knowledge of it ministers joy much more this about the kingdom and glory of Christ that the place of suffering shall be for a time the place of glory and liberty 2. It will keep us more to a constant expectation of his coming and not to put it far away as of necessity we must if we suppose a state of glory and liberty for the Church here on earth before his coming as almost all do expect when Paul onely mindes the Appostles to be first 2 Thess 2. 3. and that hath been and I believe is almost over and the day of his glory is at the doors 3. It will tend to the establishing of the Saints in the truth in opposition to all false wayes and false Christs knowing it to be their duty to wait upon him in his appointment untill the day of his appearing thereby manifesting not onely their owning of him by vertue of their being owned by him but also that they do indeed look for him for none durst to look for him indeed but those who upon a right account do serve him What advantage hath Satan had in our dayes for want of souls being principled in this truth one saith here another there is Christ and all because we turn his reign all into a mystery viz. in the Saints but hold right here and you shall be able to discover all false and Antichrists be they never so deceivable own Christ thy justification thy king to serve him according to the Scriptures the resurrection his personal coming and reign and look for it and thou shalt live above all those false notions that are in the world able to judge them all in the light of this truth 4. It will keep the Saints in peace and quiet in their mindes though under persecution till the time come the contrary an imaginary that the Saints shall reign makes them vex when things go not to their minds fills them with trouble and unquietness if not turbulency of spirit thinking now is the kingdom of Christ going up but if the Saints knew that their day must be a day of suffering till Christ come they would not trouble themselvs about the kingdoms of the world till that time come for all powers set up in the world before Christ come are but members of the fourth Monarch even the most righteous c. must be broken when he comes therefore let the Saints wait with patience for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh Amen FINIS