then shall the virgin rejoyce in the dance both young men and old together for I will turne their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoyce from their sorrow Though these words do more particularly and peculiarly concerne the seed of Abraham after the flesh or the naturall Israelites who shall againe be received into the love and favour of God which shall be to them and others as life from the dead Ezek. 37. 5. Rev. 11. 15. and be pardoned and cleansed from all their sins Ezek. 36. and become very glorious yet in generall do they also concerne all the Saints and people of God and must be applied to them and whereas they have for many hundred of yeares been oppressed and devoured and spoyled and as captives imprisoned and afflicted the Lord here assures them that they that thus dealt with them shall be devoured and spoyled and captivated and destroyed themselves and that his fury and fierce anger that hath been so provoked by the unjust malicious and cruell dealings of those wicked ones with his own deare precious and beloved people shall go forth like a whirlewind and fall with paine with a witnesse upon the head of those wicked ones and not returne untill he have performed the intents of his heart and this must be in the latter daies And is this all God will then do for his people to avenge them upon their enemies and to bring down their power and pride No this is not all but at the same time will he lift up his people and build them and gather them and make them glorious and fill them with joy and rejoycing and turn their mourning into joy so that they shall not sorrow any more at all Thus this Scripture also speakes the same truth with the rest foregoing and by all these is this truth sufficiently confirmed And though I am sure that multitudes of faithfull and judicious ones are fully acquainted with these truths yet knowing that some yet are not and that those that are will be rather delighted than wearied by taking a review of these Scriptures compared together and considering the wilfulnesse of some in shuting their eyes against the light breaking forth both from the word and works of God in clearing these things I shall therefore add some other Scriptures in which this is further manifested and the next shall be thaâ— Dan. 2. 37 38. and so on where Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzars dreame declares that after the foure Monarchs the Golden the Silver the Brasse and the Iron Monarchs have been set up in the world and continued their appointed times that then the God of heaven shall set up another Kingdom which shall as a stone cut out of the Mountaines without hands break in peeces this last Monarch of Iron and clay and stone and shall it selfe become a great mountaine and fill the whole earth and this Kingdom shall never be destroyed nor be left to other people but it shall stand for ever This is that Kingdome that Christ and his Saints must possesse whose rise and beginning may seem small but as a little stone cut out of the mountain and that without hands without the help of the strength and power of the Kings and great ones of the earth and yet this seeming small rising of Christ and his Saints shall be hard enough and potent enough to break in peeces the Roman Iron legs that last and worst Beast and to make the Iron and the Clay and the Brass and the Silver the Gold to be as the chaffe that is carried away of the wind and this is undoubtedly that which is now a doing Another confirmation of this we have Joel 3. 1 3 c. For behold in those daies and at that time when I shall bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem I will gather all Nations and wil bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat and I will plead with them there Proclaime yee this among the Gentiles prepare war wake up the mighty men let all the men of war draw neer let them come up beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hookes into speares Let the weak say I am strong assemble your selves and come all yee Heathen and gather your selves together round about put yee in the sickle for the harvest is ripe get ye downe for the presse is full for the wickednesse is great multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is neer in the valley of decision The Lord also shall roar out of Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and the Earth shall shake but the Lord wil bee the hope of his people and the strength of the Children of Israel So shall yee know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Sion And it shall come to passe in that day that the Mountaines shall drop downe new Wine and the Hils shall flow with milke and all the Rivers of Judah shall flow with waters and a Fountaine shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Shittim In these words here is a very great war proclaimed for what end To bring againe the Captivity of Gods people ver 1. or to inlarge and set them at liberty and bring them out of all their troubles and to this end the Lord saies that hee will plead with all Nations that have afflicted his people ver 2. And being determined to shew forth his great power and glory and his tender love to his people he proclaims a War and summons all the Nations to gather themselves together and to prepare for War and to awaken all their mighty men all their most puissant and valiant men of War and to make the greatest provision of men and ammunition that 't is possible for them to make To that end to beat their instruments of Husbandry into instruments of War and to gather together the greatest strength imaginable and when they have done this then will he sit to judge the heathen and thither cause his mighty ones to come to bee as a sickle to cut downe this ripe harvest of wicked men whose wickednesse is great and then by destroying their multitudes to decide the controversie between them and his owne people which shall be an occasion of calling the place where it is done the valley of decision for there the Lord will marvellously shew himselfe to the causing of the whole earth to shake but to the joy and consolation of his people for he will then be their hope and their strength and then it shall be knowne that the Lord dwelleth in Sion and they shall abundantly enjoy the blessings of the Lord and bee delivered from all their troubles for evermore Another Scripture which speakes of these same times though it doe not so fully declare particulars is that in Act. 3. 19 20. c. Where Peter speaking unto the Jews charges this upon them that they had denied the
also of which Paul speaks Heb. 12. 26. And therefore this is called Joel 2. 31. The great and terrible day of the Lord. But who shall live when God doth this When the Heavens and Earth shall shake c. Why it 's answered in the same 16. vers But the Lord shall be the hope of his people and the strength of the children of Israel Of this day also Paul speaks 2 Thes 1. 7 8 9. Where he says that the day is coming when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Thus doth Paul render this as a most terrible day and as the Prophet Isaiah in the forementioned place says the Lord will then render his anger and his rebukes with flames of fire So Paul here says that the Lord Jesus shall in flaming fire take vengeance on them that know not God c. punishing them with everlasting destruction from his presence But who shall live when God doth this The Apostle tells us that then the Lord Jesus shall come to be glorified in his Saints to be admired in all them that believe in that day v. 10 The Saints shall then live and glorifie him and admire him Of this day also speaks th Prophet Malachi Chap. 4. 1. For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud yea all that do wickedly shall be stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch But who shall live when God doth this It follows in vers 2. 3. But unto you that fear my Name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall And ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this saith the Lord of hosts Thus in a terrible manner is this day here also represented being a day that shall burn as an Oven Of this day also speaks the Apostle Peter and represents it in the same terrible manner 2 Pet. 3. 7. But the Heavens and the Earth which are now saith he by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and perdition of ungodly men or as Isaiah says the day in which the Lord will plead with all flesh rendering his rebukes with flames of fire But says Peter vers 10. This day will come suddenly upon men as a thief in the night And indeed this numerous Army that shall be gathered together against the Saints shall little dream of such an overflowing scourge as shall overtake them but rather promise themselves a victorious overcoming of the Saints but alas Miserable creatures this day of their destruction and perdition says Peter shall come as a thief in the night in which the Heavens shall pass away with a noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat The whole world shall be on fire about their ears on a sudden and there shall be an utter destruction of them and their corrupt and filthy courses shall perish with them The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up And vers 12. The Heavens being on fire shall be dissolved But what might some say shall the Elements melt with fervent heat and the Heavens being on fire be dissolved and the Earth with the works that are therein be burnt up Who shall live when God doth this Peter in the very next words seems to prevent this question and says Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness As if he had said it is the perdition and destruction of ungodly men onely that I speak of take notice of that And this day that shall burn as an Oven shall burn up onely such as do wickedly but it shall not in the least manner touch nor trouble the Saints But we when these wicked men are burnt up shall have new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness It shall be a new time to us when these corrupt men shall be burnt up And this we have a promise for And this promise they had in Isa 65. 17. where this day is spoken of the promise runs thus For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde but be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy c. And so he goeth on to declare the happy estate that Saints shall live in in these new Heavens and new a rth But this terrible day to wicked men is again mentioned Isa 33. 14. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire Who amongst us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Here are the same expressions or expressions to the same purpose with those we have already mentioned where Malachi says The day that cometh shall burn as an oven and Paul and Peter speak of the Lords taking vengeance in flaming fire on wicked and ungodly men The Prophet having this in his eye cries out Who shall dwell with devouring fire who shal dwell with everlasting burnings When the Lord comes to render his rebukes with flames of fire who shall dwell in those flames But lest the Saints should be discouraged he presently addes That though the sinners in Zion are afraid and fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites yet verses 15 16 c. he that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly he that despiseth the gain of oppressions that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes that stoppeth his ears from hearing of bloods and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil he shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty they shall behold the land afar off c. Thus the righteous upright man that is free from dissimulations is no hypocrite that will not oppress though he may gain much thereby is so far from so doing as he disdains he despises such gain and he that not onely refuses a bribe when it is offered to him but when it 's put into his hand will not keep it shakes his hand from holding of it and he to whom the cruel and corrupt courses of men are irksome even to hear of it or see it and therefore he stops his ears and shuts his eyes from it This man shall hold proof in these times and he shall dwell on high he shall have as sure a defence in these times as the munitions of rocks for he is fixed in the
Rock Christ Jesus that cannot be moved and sure provision shall be made for him And he shall see the King in his beauty The Lord Jesus who shall then appear in his glory and his excellent beauty as I shall shew by and by shall this mans eyes behold and these new heavens and new earth that shall then come which in the Prophets days was very far off shall this mans eyes see which land is described vers 20 c. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken and the inhabitant shall not say I am sick and the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity But to proceed Of this terrible day that shall come upon wicked men there is a large description in the whole 24 Chapter of Isaiah but I shall mention but some of the passages of it as vers 1. Behold the Lord maketh the earth empty and maketh it waste and turneth it upside down and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof Here the Prophet shews how the Lord will depopulate the earth making it as it were empty so great will be the slaughter of wicked men and then he shews what changes and mutations he will make in the earth in that he will turn it upside down make it appear no more as it was before but make it a new make new heavens and a new earth But how shall this be done That the world shall be made new and emptied of wicked men Doth the Prophet declare as Peter doth that it shall be done by fire Yes At vers 6. The earth is defiled therefore hath the curse devoured the earth and they that dwell therein are desolate therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned and few men left Thus the Prophet speaks of the destruction of the wicked of the earth by fire There are several other expressions in this Chapter that shew the dreadfulness of this day as vers 19. The earth is utterly broken down the earth is clean dissolved the earth is moved exceedingly As Peter expresses himself Seeing that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons c. so doth the Prophet here say The earth is clean dissolved c. But if any should ask the Prophet Why what is the meaning of all these expressions in the declaration of what shall come upon the earth What is to be done Wherefore will the Lord do all these things The Prophet at the first verse tells ye and says That in that day the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high and the kings of the earth upon the earth So that this is the time when he shall wound the Heads over many Countries when he shall strike thorow kings in the day of his wrath when he shall rule them with a rod of iron that will not stoop to the golden scepter of his grace Thus terrible and dreadful will this day be to wicked men And if it should be said to the Prophet Who shall live when God doth this He tells ye in the midst of this declaration of the desolations that are to come upon the inhabitants of the earth vers 16. We have heard songs even glory to the righteous implying that this great day which is the day of wicked mens greatest distress shall be the time of the Saints greatest glory joy and exaltation Now is the time of their singing for joy of heart come But again there is another description of the terribleness of this day in the 50 Psalm which Psalm is a clear Prophesie of this day wherein God will call that wicked crue that have nothing to do to take his Word into their mouthes to an account where the Prophet speaks in the same language with the Prophets and Apostles already mentioned and says vers 4. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence a fire shall devour before him and it shall be very tempestous round about Here also is this day represented to the terrour of wicked men But at the same time the Psalmist says that to him that ordereth his conversation aright he that is the Lord will shew the salvation of God Such a man shall be saved when the wicked shall be devoured Again the terribleness of this day is set out in several other Scriptures But having produced so many already I shall onely mention one more and proceed to what I have further to say and that is Isai 30. 30. The Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard and shall shew the lighting down of his arm with the indignation of his anger and with the flame of a devouring fire with scattering and tempest and hail-stones Thus the Prophet here sets out the terrour of that day when the Lord shall at last be fully avenged on his enemies he shall then shew the lighting down of his arm it shall then appear to be his arm indeed by which his enemies shall be overcome And he shall cause his glorious voice to be heard and manifest his indignation and anger against the enemies of his people with a flame of a devouring fire with scattering and tempest and hail-stones But who shall live when God doth this The Prophet vers 26 27. tells us that this day shall be the day when the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroke of their wound and that in it unto them the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold as the light of seven days So that though it shall be terrible to their enemies yet it shall be the most glorious and happie day to his people that ever was since the beginning of the world and because it shall be so it 's said Isai 24. forementioned that they shall lift up their voice they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord they shall glorifie the Lord in the fires even the Name of the Lord God of Israel in the Isles of the Sea And thus I have laid down that description which is given in several Scriptures of this great day of the Lord wherein he will by fire and by his sword and by tempest and hail-stones manifest his indignation and wrath against the enemies of his people so as multitudes multitudes shall be slain So as the earth shall be emptied of them So many shall be slain as there shall be few men left And that when it 's thus the earth shal be turned upside down and there shall be new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness For the wicked and the wickedness of the Earth shall be so burnt up as in that respect iâ— shall become a new earth and new heavens wherein righteousness shal remain and flourish And now having thus done I should now proceed to shew that immediately upon this day when
shall be seen upon thee And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings to the brightness of thy rising And v. 19 20. The sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the moon give light to thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God thy glory Thy sun shall no more go down neither shall thy moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended How glorious shall the Church be when thus the glory of the Lord shall be seen upon them in such fulness It is true there is in every true Saint and hath been in the darkest times of Popery in the times of their greatest weakness and darkness some true glory But how hath it been besmeared and eclipsed with their weaknesses and corruptions that have appeared in them But now the Spirit shall be poured so abundantly upon them as they shall arise and shine Now the Sun and Moon shall be no more their light those means and appointments wherein formerly they received light and saw some brightness they shall now be no lights comparatively for being compared with those full pourings out of the Spirit that they shall then have and those immediate inlightnings they shall then receive from God they shall be no lights and be of no use unto them because the Lord will be their everlasting light and their God their glory And it being so their Sun shall no more go down nor their Moon withdraw its self and the days of their mourning shall be ended They shall no more have a midnight of Popery overspreading them nor no more be burthened and bowed down by corruptions nor no more be afflicted by their enemies Their mourning dark days are past away and they shall live in joy light and glory for ever But thus having spoken in the general of the happy condition in which the Saints shall be in regard of the fulness of the Spirit which shall be poured out upon them I shall now proceed to the particular effects which the Spirit shall then work in them as the Scripture declares that the Saints in these days shall be filled with the Spirit 1 By which they shall be filled with knowledge 2 By which they shall be in an humble frame 3 By which they shall be filled with love 4 By which they shall be filled with a holy filial fear 5 By which they shall be enabled to worship the Lord acceptably 6 By which they shall be all united 7 By which they shall be enabled to act justly and righteously 8 By which they shall be put into a meek and sweet frame 9 By which the weak shall be made strong 10 By which they shall be enabled to speak a pure language 11 By which their minds and affections shall be raised and made heavenly 12 By which their wills shall be swallowed up in the will of God 13 By which they shall walk in the integrity and singleness of their hearts 14 By which they shall be enabled to mortifie all corruptions 15 By which they shall appear very glorious in the eyes of all 16 By which they shall be enabled to make a holy use of all the creatures And 17 By which they shall abundantly be filled with divine joy I shall begin with the first That the Saints having an abundant measure of the Spirit shall then be filled with knowledg * How Saints shall be fil'd with knowledge And this appears cleerly in that known place Isa 11. 9 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea This whole chapter is a cleer Prophecie of this time when there shall be new Heavens and a new earth and an universal rectitude shall appear in all the world as appears in that chapter Then shall knowledge abound in the world the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. It is not said With humane knowledge but that knowledge which is infinitely transcendent unto all humane knowledge the knowledge of the Lord yea so full of divine light and knowledge shall they then be as they shall have no cause to complain that they have but little and they want more for if the Sea may be said to want waters then may they complain but they shall have no cause for they shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea in this day when Jesus Christ and his Saints shall gloriously reign on earth And then in a most eminent manner shall that part of the new Covenant be made good which saith they shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord Jer. 31. 34. Though it is true that in a sence this is now made good to the Saints for the least of Saints hath a true knowledge of God though but in a weak degree but then most eminently shall this promise be made good Again Isai 54. 13. in which Chapter the Lord makes many glorious promises of what he will do for his people in this time wherein he will put more glory upon them then ever he hath yet done At the thirteenth verse it's said And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children Thus with an abundant measure of divine knowledge shall Saints be filled in that time But secondly being thus filled with the Spirit they shall be thereby made fully sensible of their own unworthiness and so walk humbly * That Saints shall be in an humble frame in those times before the Lord. For when they shall consider in that time what great and glorious things God hath done for them how he hath magnified his grace to them in giving of them full deliverance and times of peace and joy for all their times of sorrow and doubling their joys for their sorrow as Isai 61. 7. so as they never underwent so many sorrows but they shall partake of double joys and that everlastingly and when they shall consider that all this is from free love and tender mercy to an unworthy people it will put them into a very humble posture And this is clear Ezek. 16. 60 61 c. where the Lord having promised that notwithstanding all the unworthinesses of his people which are there enumerated yet he will do glorious things for them but he tells them that when he doth so for them that then they shall be ashamed of their ways and remember them and be confounded and never open their mouth any more because of their shame when he is pacified toward them The consideration of the grace of God to such as were unworthy shall so melt and humble their hearts before him the Spirit being abundantly in them as they shall never be lifted up in the pride of their hearts
it and the Lamb is the light thereof They shall then have no need of those men that shine as the Sun and Moon to the Church to inlighten others no but then as I have said They shall be all immediately taught of God and they shall not need to teach one another saying Know the Lord but the glory of the Lord and the Lamb shall lighten them And thus as far as I have been enabled and the Scripture giving clear testimony have I answered that Question What Ordinances shall be used at that time and how shall Saints then worship God I proceed Sixthly The Saints being filled with the Spirit they shall then be enabled to worship the Lord with one * The Saints shall then all worship the Lord in one way minde and one heart and in one way It shall not be then as now in these dark times it is wherein one is of this minde and another of that minde and a third of a third minde about several parts of the Ordinances of God and these divisions in Opinion rest not there onely but make divisions in Affection also But then it shall not be so and therefore we finde mention made but of one street in the New Jerusalem Rev. 22. 2. implying that they shall all walk in one way And Zeph. 3. 9. the Lord says that he will turn unto the people a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord and serve him with one shoulder And this appears also in that fore-mentioned place Zech. 8. 20 21. where it is said that the inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will go also Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts Where it is clear that all people in all Cities and Nations shall be of one minde in the Worship of God And Jer. 32. 39. the Lord there says that in that time he will give his people one heart and one way And seventhly The Saints being thus in that time abundantly filled with the Spirit all * Justice and righteousness shall flourish in those days just and righteous things shall be done by them And this is clear Isai 60. 18. Violence shall no more be heard within thy land nor wasting nor destruction within thy borders Though there hath been violence in the Land formerly yet then there shall be no more but vers 21. Thy people shall be all righteous they shall inherit the land for ever the branch of my planting that I may be glorified And so full of the spirit of judgement and righteousness shall the Saints then be as it is said Isai 32. 16. that judgement shall dwell in the wilderness and righteousness remain in the fruitful field In the verse before it is said that the Spirit shall be so poured out as that those that had been as a barren wilderness should now become as a fruitful field and in this verse it is said that in all whether they were such as had been a wilderness or such as had been a fruitful field judgement and righteousness should dwell And to this same purpose is that Isai 1. 26 27. Afterward thou shalt be called the citie of righteousness the faithful citie The like is said of it Jer. 31. 23. They shall use this speech of thee The Lord bless thee O habitation of justice and mountain of holiness How full are these expressions shewing how glorious for holiness this new world shall be And for this cause it is that when these new heavens and new earth are promised they are distinguished from the old or former heavens and earth by this character WHEREIN DWELLETH RIGHTEOVSNESS Thus the Saints in these times shall be so full of righteousness and judgement as they shall receive their very denomination from it And as it is said of the Lord God Almighty that his Name is holy so is it said of them They shall be called The city of righteousness the faithful city the habitation of justice the mountain of holiness so gloriously shall they then shine in righteousness and justice Eighthly By this abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon the Saints in that time they shall be put into a very * The meekness of the Saints in those days meek and sweet frame of spirit In Psal 149. which is a place I have already cited shewing that it is a Prophesie of these times at vers 4. it is said that the Lord will beautifie the meek with salvation whereby it is clear that they shall be meek spirits that shall then be beautified with salvation that shall be members of that kingdom And indeed it must needs be so for their Saviour is so they do learn and shall learn of him to be meek and sweet and lowly in in their hearts and carriages but not so but as that this meekness shall be consistent with courage stoutness and valour also when God calls them to exercise it And therefore as our Saviour is a Lamb and a Lion so they shall be as meek as * How a Lamb-like and a Lion-like nature may be consistent Lambs and yet as bold as Lions and not fear to do the work about which they are set as appears vers 6. 7. where it is said They shall have the high praises of God in their mouthes and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people to binde their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron Thus meek and sweet in spirit shall the Saints be and withal full of life and courage Again that the Saints shall be full of meekness at that time appears by that speech of our blessed Saviour Matth. 5. 5. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth Now the Saints could never be said so fully to have this promise made good to them as they shall in that time for many of the Saints in a sence never inherited the earth And as their Saviour spake of himself in the days of his humiliation so may it be said of them in these days of their humiliation That they have not many of them where to lay their heads And for the most part wicked men have possest the earth but many of them never had any inheritance in it And I am perswaded that our Saviour had this time in his eye when he said Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth So that though yet this promise was never fully made good yet there is a time coming wherein it shall be clearly and fully made good And of this time also speaks David when he says Psal 37. 11. But the meek shall inherit the earth shal delight themselvs in the abundance of peace He had said in the two former verses that evil doers should be cut off and that though the wicked did flourish for a
people who are in this frame and to none but such whose hearts are thus spiritual and who so little regard these things in comparison of spiritual even to such will God in these times we are speaking of abundantly give not onely these spiritual injoyments and priviledges but all other things shall be added unto them that so their joy may be compleat and nothing may interrupt it And now I come to declare how comfortably and if I may so say how happily the Saints shall live in this new world in respect of outwards Concerning which hear how the Lord expresses himself Isa 60. 15. For I will make thee an eternal excellency the joy of many generations It is a short but a full word for speaking of the external glory that he will confer upon his Church he says that his Sion shall have as much outward glory as ever any people had nay he says not onely so but that they that excel others he will make them an external excellency The outward glory that was conferred upon Solomon the type of our King of peace was very great but this shall excel it and excel all kingdoms that ever were before it for outward things as well as spiritual It shall be an exâ—…rnal excellency and it shall be the joy of many generations such outward glory and such excellency above all others shall be conferred upon it as shall be the joy as shall glad the hearts of all that live in those generations or that shall be brought forth in those times while these thousand yeers shall last And what the outward glories of it shall be is in part exprest in the following words For brass I will bring gold and for iron I will bring silver and for wood brass and for stones iron These are the things wherein the external glory of a land consists and he says withal that they shall suck the milk of the Gentiles and suck the breasts of Kings Which imports that the treasures and outward glory of the Nations and of the Kings and great men of the world shall be all drain'd together and brought in to them they shall suck the sweetness of them and shall injoy them all And thus will the Lord make his Sion an eternal excellency in outward respects as well as in inward or spiritual respects But now more fully to declare what this external glory of this new world shall be thus There shall be no outward thing wanting to the Saints that may make their life outwardly comfortable for what is it that can be desired or that heart can think of that ever at any time maketh the lives of people comfortable but the Lord hath promised that his people shall enjoy it in these times And first * Saints shall then have that outward blessing of long life and a comfortable enjoyment of all their relations until they come to a good old age Doth the enjoyment of neer relations without losing of them make the life comfortable Are children outward blessings in which men take much outward content and delight And is it a very desirable thing to have our children the Lords children to be the blessed of the Lord And is it a bitter thing to lose an onely son a sad thing to lose children and neer relations and is the contrary a desirable mercy And is long life a blessing and an outward favour lawful to be desired According to that Psa 91. 16. With long life will I satisfie him and shew him my salvation Why all these things hath the Lord promised to his people in these days when these new Heavens and new Earth shall be as we finde in these Scriptures Isai 65. 17 18 c. Behold I create new heavens a new earth and then what follows I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying But if they should lose their children lose their relations before they come to a ful age there would be mourning and weeping for these things usually prove sad afflictions to the best Saints even to Jacobs and Davids But they shall not lose these then for vers 20. it is said There shall be no more thence an infant of days nor an old man that hath not filled his days for the childe shall die an hundred yeers old So that this is clear No infant of days shall die none shall die while they are young all shall come to a good old age They shall not be afflicted for the loss of their children for they shall live till they be an hundred yeers old and not an old man shall die that hath not filled his days Again Zech. 8. 3 4 c. Thus saith the Lord I am returned to Sion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and Jerusalem shall be called A city of truth and the mountain of the Lord of hosts the holy mountain wherein the Lord will dwell And what follows Thus saith the Lord of hosts There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem and every man with his staff in his hand for multitude of days and the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof Thus shall the Saints in those days enjoy those desirable blessings of children and of long life they shall have a numerous issue The streets shall be full of boys and girls and old men and old women shall live till they come to a good old age till they walk with a staff in their hand for age But me thinks as I am speaking of these outward blessings I cannot too often insert this as a caution by the way That to a holy heart these things are but secondary comforts under-comforts their chief comfort consists in spirituals But I proceed In Jer. 33. the Lord speaks of the great things he will do for his people in that day and vers 9. he says They shall be for a name of joy and praise and honour before the nations which shall hear of the good that he will do unto them And vers 11. There shall be heard among them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness and the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride and the voice of them that shall say Praise the Lord of hosts c. Thus shall they comfortably enjoy children and all relations and praise the Lord. Nay and to make their children which they shall enjoy a complete blessing and mercy to them indeed it is said that they shall be all holy unto God Isa 65. 23. They shall not labour in vain nor bring forth for trouble for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them Their children being thus blessed with them shall be a joy unto them whereas otherwise they might be a grief and trouble to them Again to the same purpose is that Isa 54. 13. and Isa
And that when that time is the Saints must possesse the Kingdome and reigne on earth so Dan. 7. 22 27. and Rev. 5. 10. The first of these passages mentioned in the Revelation is that Chap. 5. 9 10. which runs thus Thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne on the earth These words are a part of a song sung by Saints wherein they praise the Lambe and herein they have in their eye as matter for which their hearts are ingaged to honour and glorifie Christ both that which he had already done for them and also that which he had not yet done but would doe for them That which hee had done for them in these words Thou wast slaine and thou hast redeemed us and thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and that which should bee done for them by Christ in these words and wee shall reigne on the earth this being that which they knew hee would doe hee having declared it by the mouth of all his Prophets therefore they sing it out we shall reigne on the earth The other passage which is Rev. 11. 15 16 17 18. runnes thus And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reigne for ever and ever and the four and twenty Elders which sate before God on their seates fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying We give thee thankes O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned and the Nations were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that feare thy name small and great and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of his Testament and there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail This Scripture being so pertinent unto the present purpose and having already in another Treatise opened the former part of this Chapter from the first to the 15 verse I shall therefore be the more copious in opening of this part which is from the 15 verse where I left unto the end of the chapter Verse 15. And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying the kingdoms of this world are become c. The declaration of this truth that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of the Lord Christ is here held forth unto us to bee that great and glorious part and portion of the providence and counsell of God that is to be manifested under the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which brings in the seventh and last and greatest judgement of God upon that wicked as the Apostle termes him or that man of sinne That great Saint opposer the Roman Papall Beast and his adherents For by the seven Angels which were to sound the seven Trumpets is to be understood 7 severall remarkeable and great judgements that in so many severall periods of time by so many severall passages of the providence and purpose of God should be brought upon that beast and his associates whereby they should bee gradually ruined The first of them being one degree of bringing them down and the second bringing them lower then the first had done and the third bringing them lower then the two former and the fourth breaking down another part of their greatnesse and glory which was not broken by the three former but the three latter are to bee more terrible and dreadfull unto them then any of the former and therefore they are said to be three great woes which were to come upon that crew Chap. 8. 13. which are there stil'd the inhabitants of the earth for all along in this Prophesie they are cal'd the earth to distinguish them from the Saints who are all along cal'd heaven and as these are said to be woes so they prove woes indeed unto that miserable crew but it is to them and them onely and not to any others As for the Saints all the seven Trumpets produce matter of joy to them because therein Christs enemies and their enemies are from time to time brought low And indeed these seven Trumpets or seven severall judgements of God upon the Beast and his adherents were obtained from God in a great measure by their prayers being offered up by the Lord Jesus their blessed Mediator who perfumed them with the incense of his own righteousnesse and worthinesse in which they are acceptable For upon the offering up of the prayers of Saints with that incense these Judgements were powred out upon the earth that is upon that crew and these angels prepared to sound as appeares Chap. 8. 2 3 4 5 6 c. So that the Saints had cause to rejoyce when these judgements came upon that faction and they indeed did rejoyce and their hearts have been made glad in all these severall Judgements which have come upon them As in that their Doctrines and Doctors Bishops Jesuits and Priests and much of their power and authority which they had over the people have been brought down and laid in the dust in those six severall Trumpres sounding or glorious dispensations already past wherein that party have been troubled perplexed and pained at the heart and now this great and glorious dispensation we are treating of is to bee the seventh and last which is of greatest terror to them and greatest joy to the saints as it followes And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying the kingdoms c. There were great voices in heaven that is there were many in heaven that is in the Church or among the Saints that in the Prophesies of this Book are stiled heaven that did trumpet forth sound forth or clearely hold forth and confidently speake out this truth that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever They were voyces it was not only the single voice of one but they are voices it is the voice of many in heaven many among the Saints And they are not the whimsicall notions of unsound and rotten men but they are voices in heaven voyces of reall Saints Great voyces in heaven Being great voices argues first that they are not some poore weak suppositions or may be 's Nor secondly are they some weake faint sayings but they are great that is effectuall convincing and unquestionable speakings such as shall be heard and be received and be beleeved among the Saints they shall be spoken with such
hundred and ninety but to the one thousand three hundred and five and thirty days So then the full and compleat deliverance of the Church when this great day will come when all the enemies of the Church will be subdued will be at the period of the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days Now if to the yeer 0366 there be added 1335 it makes up just 1701 And in this year or neer this yeer one thousand seven hundred and one I am perswaded that day will be having my ground of this perswasion from this Scripture as I have laid it down which I leave to the consideration of prudent Christians I shall now proceed And now I come to speak of those things which are to follow immediately upon this great day of which first a word in general and then I shall descend unto particulars But in general thus Immediately upon the ruining of the enemies of Christ and his Saints in the manner we have spoken of and upon the passing away of the old Heavens and the old earth shall be fulfilled that which is spoken in Rev. 21. 1 2 3. And I saw a new Heaven and a new Earth and the first heaven and the first earth were passed away and there was no more sea And I John saw the holy city new Jerusalem come down from God out of heaven prepared as a bride adorned for her husband And I heard a great voice from heaven saying Behold the tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself shall be with them and be their God c. That which I take notice of in these verses of which to speak a word in general before I descend to particulars is this That the new Jerusalem here is said to come dome down from God out of Heaven This glorious state and condition in which the Saints shall be put after this great day is to be here on Earth and therefore it is said to come come down from God out of Heaven First in that it is said to come down it argues that it is not above but below for it is to come down from above And secondly In that it is said to be from God out of Heaven it speaks plainly that it is not to be taken for that Glory which the Saints shall have in the * By the Heavens above I mean that place which is far above all Heavens to which the Apostle saies Jesus Christ ascended Eph. 4. 10. Of which Heaven the Lord says it is his Throne and the earth his footstool Isa 66. 1. The height and glory of which place the thoughts of men are alas too shallow to apprehend But the Heaven above it is called in respect of the height and transcendency of the glory of it above the earth that now is or above the new Heaven and the new Earth that shall be in the time we are speaking of which shall come down from God out of Heaven from that inaccessible glory and that unapproachable splendor that none eye hath seen or can see in the beholding of which the Angels do veil and cover their faces 1 Tim. 6. 16. Isa 6. 1. Heavens above to all eternity with God but a glorious estate which comes down from God out of Heaven unto them which they are to injoy for a thousand yeers here below in which time the Tabernacle of God shal be with men and they shall be visibly seen to be his people and God himself shall be among them and be their God and the effects therof shal be glorious as appears by what follows But this onely is that in general which I here take notice of that this new-Jerusalem-glory is to be on earth when there shall be a new molding and a new making of the Heaven and of the earth and of the particular mutations and changes that there shall then be I shall now speak Of the personal appearance of CHRIST And Of the Resurrection of his Saints to Raign with him on Earth ANd in the first place I shall speak of the personal appearance of Jesus Christ and the Resurrection of his Saints to raign on earth with him That Christ shall personally appear is a point that is I know much controverted and is very much doubted by many Saints who are eminently godly and whom I do very much honour and reverence who yet are confident that he will very gloriously appear in the treading down his enemies in the ruining of the Beast and the setling of his people in peace and filling of them with his Spirit but they question whether our Lord Jesus shall any otherwise appear then to be their spiritual eyes and then as now for now they spiritually discern him in his present footsteps in the world And it being thus dubious to many I was inclining to be silent in it but that the light shining so clearly to me in the following Scriptures which I shall mention hath such power and force with me as I cannot but hold it forth leaving it to the more serious consideration of intelligent Christians And the Position that I shall lay down is this That our Lord Jesus Christ having subdued his enemies shall personally appear on earth and shall raise up the Saints before departed out of this world to come and reign with him on earth To prove this we have several Scriptures and I shall begin first with that known clear place Revel 20. The description of the total overthrow of the Beast and all the Armies that were gathered together with him to make war against Jesus Christ and his Saints being laid down in the preceding Chapter in this Chapter follows a declaration of what things will succeed it and that which is to this purpose is in the 4 5 6 verses And I saw thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given unto them And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the beast neither his image neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand yeers But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand yeers were finished This is the first resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection 〈◊〉 such the second death hath no power but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand yeers In these verses this is laid down That the Saints of God which had been Martyrs and sufferers under the Beast should be raised from the dead and be advanced to sit upon thrones and judgement should be given unto them and they should live and reign with Christ a thousand yeers But though the Saints should be thus raised that yet this is not the General Resurrection wherein all the just and unjust shall be raised no for
had seen him go into Heaven and as Angels then attended him so will Angels much more at his appearing attend him and he shall come with power and great glory Now we know that as the Apostle says of the Resurrection of the body that it 's raised spiritual it 's sown a natural body it 's raised a spiritual body it 's sown in corruption it 's raised in incorruption it 's sown in dishonour it 's raised in glory it 's sown in weakness it 's raised in power So we know was the body of Christ after his resurrection it was not a natural body but a spiritual it was not corruptible but an incorruptible it was not mean nor weak but glorious and powerful and being thus a spiritual body and incorruptible c. it was quick in motion upon a sudden appearing to his Disciples and suddenly gone from them again And it was passable to all places it appears to the Disciples when the dores are shut and asccnds up into the Heavens in their sight These things a natural body cannot do but a spiritual and a glorious can And therefore he is said to come as the lightning that quickly shineth from one end of the Heaven to the other so can the body of Christ when he appeareth quickly pass from one end of the Heaven to another to be visibly seen of all his Saints to their joy but to the terrour of their enemies and so he will come in the clouds and every eye shall see him with power and great glory And as the Scriptures speak thus of Christ in his coming so there are Scriptures which speak of the Saints in their appearing with him As Col. 3. 4. When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory Thus the Saints then were fully perswaded of the appearing of Jesus Christ and spake often of it and knew that at his appearing as he should appear in power and great glory so they should appear with him in glory And so again 1 Joh. 3. 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And so again Phil. 3. 20 21. For our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself Thus in this manner shall the Saints that come with him appear with him in glory and their bodies being raised shall be fashioned like unto his glorious body And now I shall conclude all that I have said touching this glorious appearing of Christ on earth and the Saints raigning with him on earth with that precious Counsel of our blessed Saviour worthy the dayly observation of all Saints as the use which is to be made of all that which is in Scripture spoken of this appearing and kingdom of Jesus Christ which we have Luke 21. 36. Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of man Knowing what he hath said Rev. 22. 20. He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so Come Lord Jesus Of the ceasing of wars and the perfect peace and tranquility that shall be enjoyed for a thousand yeers I now proceed in the further description of this new world the new Heavens and the new Earth which is to follow upon that great day we have spoken of And in the next place shall shew how that after this time and during this thousand yeers of the Saints raigning with Christ on earth all wars shall cease All the enemies of the Church being thus gloriously overcome as hath been shewed there shall be no enemy left that shall ever stir so much as to prepare to make war against the Saints any more And this is cleer Micah 4. 3. and Isa 2. 4. Where it is said that in the last days when the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains that then they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more There shall be such peace and tranquility and this peace so firm and they so certain of the abiding of it as that they shall see that they shall have no need of using swords and spears any more And therefore they shall beat these instruments of war which they shall no more use into instruments of husbandry which they then living in peace shall have occasion to use For they shall sow seed and reap it and plant vineyards and drink the fruit thereof And therefore Micah thus expresses the peace they shall have Mic. 4. 4. They shal sit every man under his vine under his fig-tree and none shall make them afraid They shall have no fear of war none shall make them afraid Such peace shall they have And Isa 33. 20. the Prophet speaking of these peaceful times speaks thus Thine eys shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shall not be broken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken Which fully manifesteth what security or rather what stability there shall be in these times of peace Again Isa 32. 18. the peace of these times is thus exprest And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places And Isa 60. 17 18. it is further exprest thus In that day saith the Lord to his Sion I will make thy officers peace and thine exactors righteousness violence shall no more be heard in thy land wasting nor destruction within thy borders thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy gates praise Thus with full and emphatical expressions is the peace and tranquility of the Church in these times set forth There are many other passages to this purpose but these being sufficient I shall adde no more in this place but proceed Of the binding of Satan for a thousand yeers And the next thing I shall speak of as that which is to be done immediately upon this great day of the overthrow of the Saints enemies and the setling of them in peace shall be this That not onely the external and visible enemies of the Saints shall be subdued and put under the * Mal. 4. feet of Christ and his Saints but that also their internal and invisible enemies shall be chained up for now the Saints wrestle not onely with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers and spiritual wickednesses in high places and now their adversary the devil goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour
while yet it was but for their time and after that they should be no more And in vers 13. that though the wicked plot against the just yet the Lord shall laugh at him for he seeth that his day is coming In all which he speaks of a time and a day when the wicked shall be wholly cut off but saith he the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace And vers 18. The Lord knoweth the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever So that it 's clear that those that shall inherit the earth at that time and be delighted in the abundance of peace shall be of meek and sweet spirits And again ninthly When the Spirit shall be thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints in these times there shall be then no such complaining among Saints as there hath been formerly and yet is That Oh they are weak * Saints shall then have no cause to complain of weaknesses and they are ignorant and they are foolish and they are dull and slowe and lame in duties and many times they are dumb or at least stammerers when they come to pray or prophesie but the Spirit then shall be so abundantly poured out upon them as it shall remove all these impediments from them as appears Isai 35. 1. The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad and the desart shall rejoyce and blossom as a rose This is spoken of the pouring out of the Spirit upon those that were as a barren wilderness which shall make them thus to blossom as a rose Well but what follows Vers 5. Then the eyes of the blinde shall be opened and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped then shall the lame man leap as an hart and the tongue of the dumb shall sing Here then we see that all these complaints shall be removed They that complained of ignorance their complaint shall be removed the eyes of the blinde shall see They that complained of deadness and dulness their complaint shall be removed the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped They that complained of weakness and lameness in duties their complaint shall be removed then shall the lame man leap as an hart A hart is a swift creature they shall have more then ordinary abilities and strength and activity which before were lame and weak The lame man shall leap as an hart And answerable to this is that passage Isa 32. 3 4. And the eys of them that see shal not be dim and the ears of them that hear shall hearken The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge and the tongue of the stammerers shall be ready to speak plainly Thus all these weaknesses and infirmities shall be removed and Saints shall be compleatly furnished with abilities whereby they shall be enabled to serve and worship the Lord and they shall no more do it stammeringly and brokenly as formerly they did And this is to be done as appears vers 1. at that time when a King shall reign in righteousness and Princes shall rule in judgement When the Lord Jesus Christ shall be King and of his Saints he shall make * Ps 45. 16. Princes in all the earth Then then it is that all these infirmities shall be removed from all his people This likewise is that which is spoken of Zech. 12. 8. In that day he that is feeble among the Saints shall be as David and the house of David as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Such strength and power will he put upon all his people Tenthly When the Spirit shall be thus abundantly poured out upon his people they shall all speak * They shall speak a pure language a pure language a spiritual language having a holy heavenly stile For as in their actions and doings there will be a glorious reformation so also in their words and therefore Zeph. 3. 9. the Lord saith That in that great day when all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of his jealousie that then He will turn to the people a pure language or a pure lip as the word is which implyeth pure speech There shall be no foolish defiled speech coming from them No they shall have a pure lip and call upon the Lord and this pure language or this pure lip is that which is called The language of Canaan Isa 19. 18. Where it is said That the Egyptians being converted unto the Lord they that are in the Land of Egypt shall also speak the language of Canaan or the lip of Canaan or with this pure lip or this pure speech which the Lord shall give to his people And that by a pure lip is meant a pure speech is cleer Prov. 22. 11. Where Solomon hath this expression He that loveth pureness of heart for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend Implying that from a pure heart proceedeth gracious language such a man hath grace in his lips a pure lip Thus in an eminent manner shall Saints then have grace in their lip have a pure language when the Spirit shall be so gloriously poured out upon them Eleventhly When the Spirit shall be thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints their mindes and affections shall be raised and put into a * The Saints shall be in a rais'd high and heavenly frame heavenly posture It will be much below them to have their mindes set upon vanitie and though it be certain that they shall injoy all outward injoyments to the full yet they shall not manifest that vanity in the use of them as now appears in most people as to observe the fickle nice phantastical and foolish customs or fashions of the time in their cloathing househould furniture and deportments towards each other wherein much vanity and foolery oft-times appears No these things will be far below them * It will be fabelow the Saints to minde vain fashions and fooleries to have such unsetledness and such vanity in these respects appearing in them But they being filled with the Spirit will manifest more gravity sobriety and composedness of Spirit and will not minde such vanity Not that the wearing rich apparel or having rich furniture and utensiis in the house is a sin or unbecoming a Christian for riches they shall then plentifully injoy But deforming apparel and the fickleness of the minde and fancie about these things is I fear the sin of I am sure it is very unbecoming to Saints For Saints to be thus light and vain and every day to be minding the new fashion and altering their apparel several times before it is worn out How uncomely is it And how unsuitable to their high calling as if they had not things of a higher nature to minde Not that in speaking thus I do commend those that keep themselves in such fashions as wherein they appear ridiculous to all others being altogether out of use nor do I say that it
is an evil to come into a fashion after it hath been some time used if it be sober No I say not so for I know no Scripture that so says But I say that it becometh Saints to be more composed then others and not to be so forward as others in minding such vanities and not to put themselves into immodest habits but to do what in them lies to restrain the exorbitances of the times in such things And this I say That they do discover that they have very little of the Spirit that are not able to deny themselves not sometimes in very fooleries in this kinde Not but that rich apparel may be worn and comely ornaments may be used Holy women * Gen. 24. 22 30 47. have been and may be adorned with Bracelets and Rings and Jewels But fooleries and immodest apparel c. must be avoided and when the Spirit is more abundantly poured out it will be so And they will be very regardless of these vanities and be more grave composed and discreet in their carriages For then in all their clothing furniture and necessary utensils shall appear not vanity but Holiness to the Lord. They shall be so clothed and have such furniture as shall manifest that they are not a vain people but a holy people As appears Zech. 14. 20 21. For they shall make an holy use of all the blessings which God shall multiply upon them They shall no more abuse them but they shall be sanctified to their uses so as all shall have this inscription upon them in respect of their holy use of them HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD Thus Saints shall not minde vanity in these times But shall have their Spirits raised and lifted up into an heavenly and holy frame Again twelfthly Another effect of this more abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon the Saints will be this that they shall be more fully centred in the will of God and it shall be their resting place his * How Saints shall will the will of God Will will be their Will and be the satisfaction of their spirits This the Spirit always works in the hearts of the Saints where he comes and the more of the Spirit a Saint hath the more of this appears in him But in those times we are speaking of when the Spirit shall be thus gloriously seen upon the Saints then in a most eminent and full manner shall this appear in them all the will of God shall be sweet unto them And this is intimated in that excellent pattern of Prayer which our Lord and Saviour hath communicated unto his people in these words Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Where our Lord would have us to pray for the coming of this his Kingdom and for the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven which will be when that his Kingdom cometh For though now many know their Lords will and do it not yet it shall not be so then but knowing his will they shall do it and delight in the doing of it for his will is their will and theirs it is because it his so that they shall all pray and say Thy will be done and shall have strength to do it His will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven in that day Again in the thirteenth place The Saints in this time being filled with the Spirit shall * Saints shall then walk in the integriâ—y and singleness of heart all walk in the uprightness of their hearts Integrity and singleness of heart shall appear in them and hypocrisie and double-mindedness shall be loathsome to them and be utterly contrary to their natures They are children that will not lye and none but such shall be inheritors of this kingdom as appears Psal 24. 4. where the Psalmist says that none shall enter into this holy hill but he that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully And so also Psal 15. 2. the Psalmist again saith that he that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesses and speaketh the truth in his heart shall dwell in it So that such and none but such shall possess this Kingdom And Psal 37. 18. this is again confirmed The Lord knoweth saith the Psalmist the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever they shall possess this inheritance And of the upright ones is it said Isai 33. 15. that they shall dwell on high and shall see the King in his beauty This is their Character They that walk in righteousnesses and speak uprightnesses v. 15. And in the fourteenth place The Spirit being thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints they shall thereby be enabled to mortifie all corruption so that it shall not at * Corruption shall not at all break out in the Saints then all break out in them for though it be true that all that is born of the flesh is flesh and those that are in the state of mortality shall carry flesh about them yet they being all new born shall be then so filled with the Spirit as that they shall mortifie all the deeds of the body and the Spirit alone shall live and act and sway and bear rule in them and they being born of God shall not sin but shall hate every false way and not suffer the least evil motion to take place for indeed it is not possible it should they being so full of the Spirit for Saints do experiment this now that when the Spirit in the power and life and glory of it doth abide in them as some tastes of it some Saints sometimes have O then not the least evil motion will take place in their hearts there is an utter antipathy in their spirits at that time to every thing that is not pure But when this is withdrawn then they are often foiled with temptations and vanity hath too much place with them until a fresh supply of the Spirit come and mortifie it But when the Spirit shall be so abundantly poured out upon the Saints as the Scripture declares What a wide difference will there be between their condition now and their estates then Then shall they always walk up and down in the strength and power of the Spirit and never want its presence and then it shall be their continual delight to walk in the paths of holiness and nothing will be more irksome and more loathsome to them then any sin or sinful thought And though by the first Adam sin came into the world so that all are born sinners yet being new born the second Adam shall save them from all sin and that not onely from the guilt of sin but sprinkle clean water upon them pour out the waters of the holy Spirit upon them and they shall be clean from all the filth of sin in a more eminent and glorious manner then ever they have been so that corruption
61. 9. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles and their off-spring among the people All that see them shall acknowledge them that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed Again secondly * The noysomness and hurtfulness of wilde beasts and hurtful creatures shall be then taken away Is deliverance from the noysomness of destroying and hurtful wilde creatures a desirable mercy Is it a thing which may tend to the outward comfort of the people of God to have the offensiveness of offensive creatures taken away This also hath God promised and shall be granted in this time to his people And this is the meaning of Paul Rom. 8. 21. where speaking of this glorious time of the glorious liberty of the children of God he says that the creature shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption And this is that which is clearly also laid down Isa 11. 6 7 8 9. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together and a little childe shall lead them and the cow and the bear shall feed their young ones shall lie down to gether and the lion shall eat straw like the ox and the sucking childe shall play on the hole of the asp and the weaned childe shall put his hand on the cockatrice den They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain And Isa 65. 25. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock and dust shall be the serpents meat They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain saith the Lord. Thus do these Scriptures declare how the creatures shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption For what put an enmity between some of these creatures and Man but Mans corruption Before man fell he was Lord of them all and they were all in subjection to him and offered him no violence But now are these creatures in enmity against Mankinde and many times they prove hurtful and destructive to men women and children by reason of that corruption that is upon Mankinde but when men shall be cleansed from corruption then this bondage shall be taken away and the creatures shall appear in their primitive beauty and goodness wherein they were created being all in subjection and useful to man and they shall be in no case hurtful neither one to another or to mankinde the wolf shall not destroy the lamb nor the leopard the kid nor the lion the calf nor the fatling but they shall all feed together and all these shall be so far subjected to Mankinde as that a little childe shall lead them And though the sucking childe do play upon the hole of the asp and the weaned childe put his hand upon the adders den which are wont to sting and hurt them yet they shall then do them no hurt at all But if it be objected What shall not the lion destroy nor hurt any How can that be since the lion uses to feed upon the prey that he gets and not upon the grass as other beasts do This is answered in these words The lion shal eat straw like the oxe Thus none of the creatures shall be offensive any more to mankinde And for this cause is it said Ezek. 34. 25. That evil beasts shall cease out of the land because there shall be then no evil or destroying beast So that it follows in that place They shall then dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods But again thirdly * * Saints shall then have a plentiful injoyment of all the fruits of the earth Is it an outward mercy which conduces to our comfortable living to have seasonable weather for the bringing forth of the fruits of the earth And doth it conduce to our outward comfort to have a plentiful injoyment of all the fruits of the earth All these things also will God grant unto his people in that day as appears in these Scriptures Isa 30. 23. Then shall he give the rain of thy seed that thou shalt sow thy ground withal and the bread of the increase of the earth and it shall be fat and plenteous And Joel 2. 23 24. Be glad ye children of Sion and rejoyce in the Lord your God for he hath given the former rain moderately and he will cause to come down for you the rain the former rain and the latter rain in the first month And the floors shall be full of wheat and the fats shall overflow with wine and oyl And Isa 62. 8 9. I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine for which thou hast laboured but they that have gathered it shall eat it and praise the Lord and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness And Amos 9. 13 14. Behold the days come saith the Lord that the plow-men shall overtake the reapers and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt And they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof and they shall make gardens and eat the fruit of them And Mic. 4. 4. They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree and none shall make them afraid And Jer. 31. 12. They shall come and sing in the height of Sion and shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord for wheat and for wine and for oyl and for the young of the flock and of the herd c. And Ezek. 36. 30. And I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the increase of the field c. And Isa 41. 18 19. I will open rivers in the high places and fountains in the midst of the valleys I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water I will plant in the wilderness the Cedar the Shittah-tree and the Oyl-tree I will set in the desart the Fir-tree and the Pine and the Box-tree together And Zech. 8. 12. For the seed shall be prosperous the vine shall give her fruit and the ground shall give her increase and the heavens shall give their dew and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all these things Thus plentifully do the Scriptures declare how that in that time the Saints shall comfortably enjoy all the fruit of their labours in the fields and in their gardens and their vineyards And that to that end they shall have always seasonable showers of rain and profitable springs of water in all places to water and refresh the ground and make it fertile in bringing forth of corn and trees of all sorts and all desirable fruit They shall have no more dry and barren yeers
them in deceiving of them as he did Eve that he will it's likely perswade them to believe that they shall by their power overcome the Saints and as he perswaded Eve to believe that in eating the forbidden fruit they should be as gods knowing good and evil so he will perswade these that in making war they shall overcome the Saints though Jesus Christ be with them Thus this old deceiver and lyer shall deceive the unconverted miserable people among the Nations of the world who during all the time of the thousand yeers will be quiet and never dare to attempt any such thing and yet then they shall gather togetner against the Saints and think to overcome them but when they shall attempt to do it the Saints shall then have no need of swords nor spears to defend themselves against that brunt that one assault for the text says Fire shall come down from God out of heaven and devour all these wicked men Thus is declared what will be done after Satan is loosed and what his reward for this work shall be is declared vers 10. And the devil that deceived the nations was cast alive into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever And now comes to be declared what shall follow immediately upon this and that follows in vers 11 12 13 14 15. And I saw a great white throne and him that sate upon it from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them And I saw the dead small and great stand before God and the books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works And the sea gave up the dead which were in it and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them and they were judged every man according to their works and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire This is the second death and whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire In these verses is declared that immediately upon the ruining of all the wicked of the Nations the last and general day of judgement is to follow When comes the Resurrection of all both just and unjust I say the last and general day of judgement and resurrection of all for in this twentieth chapter of the Revelation it is cleer that here is a mention made of two Resurrections and the one to be a thousand yeers before the other and the first is treated of in the 4 5 and 6 verses and is there called the FIRST RESURRECTION and the second is laid down in these verses where it is said that the Heavens and the earth are then to be annihilated to flie away at the presence of the Lord who upon his white throne of righteousness after these thousand yeers are finished is to appear and to judge all the dead small and great who are to stand before him being all raised out of the Graves and out of the Sea and all places where the dead have been laid and to be judged righteously according to the Gospel and according to their works and they being so judged it will follow that whosoever is not found written in the book of life shall be cast into a lake of fire And this general day of judgement here treated of is also treated of in several other Scriptures as in Mat. 25. 31 32 c. Where our Saviour thus describes it and says that in that day he shall sit upon the throne of his glory and before him shall be gathered all Nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats and he shall set the Sheep on his right hand but the Goats on the left Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was c. And then shall he say also unto them on the left hand Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels for c. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal Thus in this Scripture is this general day of the final judging of all spoken of also wherein to every one is to be rendred according to his works Again another Scripture to this purpose is that in the first of the Corinthians at the fifteenth chapter where Paul more largely discourses of the doctrine of the Resurrection in some particulars of it then it is any where else in Scripture treated of where in the first part of the chapter he makes it his work to prove the certainty of the Resurrection of the body against those Pharisaical spirits that denyed it And having proved the Resurrection by many undenyable and unanswerable Arguments he comes to declare at the twenty third verse and so on in what order the Resurrection shall be he having before said that all shall be raised But says he it shall be every man in his own order Christ the first fruits and afterward they that are Christs at his coming Here is the Order of the Resurrection Christ the first fruits Well Christ was to be raised first in order of time and that was done already Christ was raised when the Apostle writ this Epistle But who are to be raised next The Apostle tells us It must be they that are Christs And when must they be raised The Apostle answers At his coming Afterward they that are Christs at his coming This is the first Resurrection wherein the Saints must at the coming of Christ be raised to reign with him spoken of Revel 20. 4. But then the general Resurrection and the last great day he speaks of in vers 24. 25. and 28. Where he says Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God even the Father when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet the last enemie that shall be destroyed is death And when all things shall be subdued unto him then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all Here he declares that Jesus Christ being come and having received his kingdome and his Saints being raised at his coming to reign with him that after his coming and reigning and ruling and putting all enemies under his feet and death it self Then cometh the end when he shall deliver up the kingdom to his father and the Son also himself shall be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all That is there shall be a cessation of the
and their deliverance as he gives them to overcome him and his complices that thought to overcome them And in this worke hee hath thousand thousands ministring unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him hee hath all his Saints all men else and all his holy Angels at his beck to execute his will and doe his pleasure And as once the stars in their courses fought against Sisera so God in doing this great work for his Saints deliverance and making way for the setting up of the Kingdom of his beloved Sonne hath multitudes multitudes both of Celestiall and terrestiall creatures to attend him And certainly such great things could never have been done if the Ancient of daies had not most gloriously and wonderfully appeared for the help and support of his people How could they which are so few in number and in the eies of the world despised and despicable creatures have carried on that work so effectually as to have cut off the late King though it was verily beleeved and it is very probable there was at that very time twenty to one in this Nation of England that were against it had not the Lord assisted them with thousands of Angels and evidently manifested himselfe to bee with them Thus it is evident that by the appearing of the Ancient of daies mentioned in this Chapter is meant his appearing in his people in that spirit of judgement and justice that he gives unto them and his appearing for his people to own and defend and deliver them and to lay their enemies in the dust while hee raises them up and makes them sit in high places Secondly whereas I said that this position was likewise the sense of this verse together with those other verses which I compared with it viz. That a certain number of Saints should be convened together and have a spirit of judgement given unto them by the most High together with power and authority whereby they should take away the dominion of the little horn to consume and to destroy it unto the end I shall illustrate that thus In the 10 verse its said that thousands thousands ministred unto the Ancient of daies and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgement was set and the bookes were opened and because of the voice of the great words which the Horn spake the Beast was slaine Here it is evident that the beast or horne was slaine by some that did sit in judgement before whom the books of his evill deeds were opened because of which his evill deeds and sayings he was adjudged to be slaine And at the 22 verse it is plainely declared who they were that did sit in judgement That they were not Angels but Saints the Saints of the most High for there it s said that the horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill the Ancient of daies came and judgement was given to the Saints of the most high and then was his power taken off for then the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome And that those Saints that have judgement given to them and that are said to sit in judgement that they are the instruments by whom the beast was to be judged and slaine is further cleare in this 26 verse where it having been declared in the former verse how evilly the horne should deale with the Saints it s said But the judgement shall sit and THEY shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end Thus it is also evidently the sense of these verses compared together that by the judgment sitting is meant a certaine number of Saints that by the wisdome providence and power of the most High were convened together and invested with power and authority and a Spirit of Judgement for this end to judge this little Horne and do justice upon him and to take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end And this need not seem strange that the Saints should thus sit in judgement and do such things as these for do ye not know saies the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 2. that the Saints shall judge the World And verse 3. Know ye not saies he that we shall judge Angels This being a known truth it is no wonder among those that know truth that God should put such power and authority and such a spirit of judgement upon Saints whereby they should be enabled to do these things And to this purpose that passage of the Psalmist is also very considerable Psa 149. 4 5 6 7 8. The Lord taketh pleasure in his people he will beautifie the meek with salvation Let the Saints be joyfull in glory let them sing aloud upon their beds Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings with chaines and their Nobles with fetters of Iron to execute upon them the judgement written this honour have all his Saints praise yee the Lord. Now I say since it is certaine that the Saints shall one day judge not only the world but the wicked Angels the Devils also and it being most certaine that this Prophesie of the Psalmist wherein he speaks of a time when God will beautifie the meek of the earth with salvation and put his high praises in their mouths and a two edged sword into their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings and Nobles in Chaines and Fetters of Iron and to execute upon them the judgement written Marke it the judgement written these things being so it is no wonder that this written judgement should be thus executed upon this horne or King Thus it is cleare that a company of Saints convened together by the wise providence of the most high and invested with power and authority and a spirit of judgement were to do this work upon the horne And what particularly they are is by providence now made very conspicuous the things that are here spoken of being now in a great measure accomplished for all prophesies are best understood in the fulfilling of them Namely that they are those precious and gracious ones that by the wise and gracious disposall of the most high have been called to sit in Parliament and the high Court of Justice which they erected who have had a spirit of wisdome of judgement and faithfulnesse put upon them whereby they have acted faithfully and zealously for the glory of God and the peace and welfare of all their brethren I say it is the Parliament and those imployed by their Authority who have hazarded all that was deare unto them rather than to suffer the free people of this Kingdome and amongst them the Saints and people of God to be betrayed or given up to the power of those that would have ruled tyranically and cruelly over them But here let me not
they shall in these daies abundantly have above all the treasures of the whole world No their hearts shall not Zach. bee set upon the world but their 10. 7. hearts shall rejoyce in the Lord. Fourthly that the advanced saints of God shall not in these daies seeke the wealth of the Nations but the Nations themselves as Paul expresses himselfe 2 Cor. 11. 14. we seek not yours but you that is not their wealth but their weale not their treasure but their safety not their riches but their happinesse not their outward things but the salvation of their souls and they that seek not these things to wit the publike weale and safety and happinesse and salvation of all but that doe covet to treasure up most riches for themselves and to poll and rob and cheat the people to inhance their owne estates and make themselves great in the world and their children gay and splendid amongst men as doe Kings Princes and evill Governours not to mention some sorts of Committee-men these shall become the basest and the vilest among men and their children be despised and contemned for their sakes especially if they walk in their steps Fiftly and lastly it is heaven and not the earth It is the kingdom of God and Math. his righteousnesse that Saints will 6. 33. seek after and these things shall bee added unto them And now having thus premised I shall come to mention those Scriptures which do so cleerly demonstrate that which is here asserted and the truth is the Scripture is so pregnant and so full of such passages as it would be very tedious to mention them all and doubtlesse many saints are very well acquainted with them but for satisfaction to others I shall mention some of them and the first shall be that known place in the second Psalme where it is cleerly asserted that all the kingdomes of the world shall in a most eminent manner be subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and that hee should rule over Kings Princes and Judges which would not obey him with a rod of Iron and break them in pieces like a potters vessell if they cast not their Crownes at his feet and kisse him with the kisse of faith and obedience In the three first verses of that Psalme the Prophet seemes to have in his eye the rage of the heathen and the fury and the madnesse of the Kings of the earth at that time when God shall set up the kingdom of Jesus Christ over the whole world as if that as soon as they see preparation unto such a thing that their spirits should be presently inraged and they their Kings and rulers especially should set their whole strength consultations and counsels against the effecting hereof as being being resolved not to suffer it and therefore when they see that God is setting up of his Christ or anointed they say among themselves Come let us break their bonds and cast away their cords from us But alas poore wormes what doe they He that sit in the heavens shall laugh saies the Psalmist * vers 4 5 6. The Lord shall have them in derision Yea he shall speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure when they shall so doe and notwithstanding hee will set his King upon his holy hill of Sion and shall give him the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession some of which being pertinacious and obstinate opposers he shall breake with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessell And therefore the spirit exhorts all those Kings Rulers and Judges of the earth to bee wise and receive this instruction even to kisse the Sonne and and to serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling lest the Sonne bee angry and they perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little But for the comfort of others who long to see that day of the King the Lord Christ his exaltation hee addes Blessed are all they that wait for him Thus this Scripture fully concurres with the present Text in asserting this thing That all the Kingdomes of the world shall bee subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and as it s said here that all dominions or as the word may be more rightly rendred all Rulers must serve and obey him so the same is cleerly declared in this Prophesie of the Psalmist also The next Scripture which I shall quote for the clearing of this point shall be that in the 110 Psalme which is also very full to this purpose for there the Psalmist speakes of a time when the Lord Jesus Christ there stiled a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck should be set up and exalted above all the Kings and Potentates of the world and when he should rule in the midst of his enemies and should have his enemies made his footstoole and should judge among the heathen and wound the heathen and wound the heads over many Countries and fill them with the dead bodies and his people should be willing in that day of his power so that hence it is cleare also that there is a time coming when Jesus Christ shall have the Kingdomes of the world subjected to him And because it is and will be so that when he comes thus to rule and raigne that many people but especially the great ones Kings Princes Rulers and Heads of Kingdomes shall endeavour to oppose the Lord Jesus in so doing therefore it is said here that he shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath and wound the heads over many Countries The third Scripture which I shall cite for the confirming of this truth shall be that in the 149 Psalme a place already mentioned upon another occasion where it is said That the Lord taketh pleasure in his people and he will beautifie the meek with salvation and that the high praises of God shall be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people to bind their Kings in Chaines and their Nobles in Fetters of Iron to execute upon them the Judgement written This honour have all his Saints Now true it is that almost hitherto since the Primitive times the Saints have been as it were trodden under feet of the Gentiles that is of heathen or profane men and they have trampled upon them and sorely afflicted them For they have both imprisoned them and chain'd fetter'd and whipt and cropt and mangled and rackt and burnt them what not For all the cruelties that wit sharpened with malice could either invent or inflict have the meek the precious ones of God undergone at the hands of their cruell raging enemies BUT here they have a promise that the Lord who taketh pleasure in his people will at last beautifie the meek with salvation And what shall the issue thereof be It shall be this That whereas for thus long time
they have been in a mourning and a sad condition wearing sackcloath for a time times and halfe a time Now the high praises of God shall be in their mouths and whereas the heathen viz. profane men have trampled upon them and made them as the filth of the world and as the off-scouring of all things Now they shall have together with the high praises of God in their mouth a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people to bind their Kings in Chaines and their Nobles with Fetters of Iron to execute upon them the judgement written This honour have all his Saints Thus Kings and Nobles and mighty men are to be subjected to his Saints This honour have all his Saints The fourth Scripture which I shall produce for the illustrating of this truth shall be that in Isa 51. 21. c. which is a promise to this purpose also in these words Heare now this thou afflicted and drunken but not with wine Thus saith the Lord the Lord and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people Behold I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling even the dregs of the cup of my fury and thou shalt no more drink it again But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee which have said to thy soule bow down that we may go ever and thou hast laid thy body as the ground and as the street to them that went over Here it is expressy said that the cup of trembling and fury should be so taken out of the hand of the Church as they should never any more drink it againe and not only so but that it should be put into the hands of them that afflicted her So that those great and wicked ones that most ragefully and most bitterly have afflicted and destroyed the Saints of God must now drinke off the dregs of that cup both that scarlet Beast the Pope and all those Kings Princes Prelates and inferiour persons that continue implacable enemies of his Saints Another cleare passage to this purpose is in Isa 51. 8 c. in these words Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice with the voice together shall they sing for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring againe Sion break forth into joy sing together ye wast places of Jerusalem for the Lord hath comforted his people he hath redeemed Jerusalem The Lord hath made bare his holy arme in the eyes of all the Nations and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God Here then its cleare that not only some but all the Nations shall see the glory and all the ends of the earth the Salvation of our God He will make bare his holy arme in the eyes of every Nation and People under heaven and they must all stoope to the Scepter of his Son Another clear confirmation of this truth we have Isa 60. 1 2 3 c. in these words Arise shine for thy light is come for the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee for behold the darknesse shall cover the earth and grosse darkness the people but the Lord shall rise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee and the Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesle of thy rising Then thou shalt see and flow together and thine heart shall feare and be inlarged because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee They shall bring Gold and Incense and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. Surely the Isles shall wait for me and the ships of Tarshish first to bring thy Sons from far their silver and their gold with them unto the name of the Lord thy God and to the holy one of Israel because he hath glorified thee and the Sons of strangers shall build up thy walls and their Kings shall minister unto thee and the Nation and Kingdome that will not serve thee shall perish yea those Nations shall bee utterly wasted The sonnes also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet and they shall call thee the City of the Lord the Sion of the holy one of Israel whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated I will make thee an externall excellency the joy of many generations Thy people also shall be all righteous they shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting that I may bee glorified a little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in his time These words are a Prophesie of the glorious estate which the Church must in these latter daies after all her sufferings be advanced unto And first it is said of the Church that is the saints of the most high that the Light of the Lord shall rise upon them and his glory shall bee seen upon them and that so evidently and cleerly as that the Gentiles i. e. the prophane men of the world shall come to that light And not onely the poore and the mean among the Gentiles but some of their Kings and great ones shall be converted and imbrace the light and come to the brightnesse of the saints rising And secondly as abundance of the heathen shall bee converted so those of them that have formerly afflicted the saints of the most High shall come bending unto them and those that despised them shall bow themselves downe at the soles of their feet and that out of pure love to them because they shall see that they are the people of the Lord and the Sion of the holy one of Israel And thirdly those converted Gentiles shall further manifest their love to the saints of the most High by bringing in their wealth their riches their treasures their silver and their gold to them and by building their wals for them in this also their Kings ministring unto them And fourthly the Church the saints of God seeing these things and being thus favoured and blessed of the Lord shall be in in a sweet frame of spirit being filled with joy and therewith inlarged and heightned and this joy mixed with a holy feare and trembling walking altogether in the paths of righteousnesse And fifthly the Church or saints at this their rising shall grow so potent as that a little or despised one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong nation And sixthly The Nation and Kingdome that will not serve Sion i. e. the saints shall perish yea those nations shall bee utterly wasted And seventhly whereas the saints have been during the time of the prevalency of the Beast a despised and a contemned people they shall now be an eternall excellency and the joy of many generations Thus in this Scripture is this truth most evidently demonstrated That there must be such
a time when the saints must bee so lifted up out of the dust as they must be the top and the head of all Nations and whatsoever Kingdome and Nation will not serve them must perish which yet hath not been accomplished the Kings and Princes of the Nations bringing in their treasures to Sion the redeemed of the Lord. And as full to this purpose also is that passage Esa 65. 8 9 c. Thus saith the Lord As the new wine is found in the cluster and one saies destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I doe for my servants sake that I may not destroy them all and I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountaines and mine elect shall inherit it and my servants shall dwel there and Sharon shall bee a fold of flockes and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie downe in for my people that have sought me But ye are they that forsake the Lord that forget my holy mountaine Therefore thus saith the Lord behold my servants shall eate but ye shall be hungry my servants shall drink but yee shall be thirsty Behold my servants shall rejoyce but yee shall bee ashamed behold my servants shall sing for joy of heart but yee shall cry for sorrow of heart and shall howle for vexation of spirit and yee shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen For the Lord God shall slay thee and shall call his servants by another name that he who blesseth himselfe in the earth shall blesse himselfe in the God of truth and hee that sweareth in the earth shall sweare by the God of truth because the former troubles are forgotten and because they are hid from mine eyes For behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde but be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy and I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying There shall bee no more thence an infant of daies nor an old man that hath not filled his daies for the child shall die an hundred yeeres old but the sinner being an hundred yeeres old shall be accursed and they shall build houses and inhabite them and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them They shall not build and another inhabit they shall not plant and another eate for as the daies of a tree are the daies of my people and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands They shall not labour in vaine nor bring forth for trouble for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them and it shall come to passe that before they call I will answer and whiles they are yet speaking I wil heare The Woolfe and the Lambe shall feed together and the Lion shall eate straw like the Bullock and dust shall bee the Serpents meate they shall not hurt nor destroie in all my holy Mountaine saith the Lord. This Scripture also fully concurres with the former in clearing this truth most sweetly holding forth that Christ who was to come of the seed of Jacob and of the tribe of Judah and his Saints here stil'd Gods elect shall inherit the Mountaines or Kingdomes of this world which are the Lords verse 12. And that when that time comes the saints former afflictions and sorrow shall be so done away as they shall be as forgotten and hid from their eyes verses 16. 19. And to make them joyfull yea full of joy they shall have all the good things that their hearts can wish for For first they shall be filled with the spirit and blesse themselves or see themselves blessed in the God of truth and the Lord will rejoyce in them and joy in his people verses 16 19. And secondly all their prayers shall bee speedily heard and answered ver 24. And thirdly as they shall bee the blessed of the Lord so shall their of-spring be also that so their joyes may be without mixtures of sorrow ver 23. And fourthly they shall inhabit the houses which they build and eate the fruite of the vineyards which they shall plant none shall take them from them but they shall long enjoy the work of their hands and they shall have abundance of flockes and herds and eate and drink and rejoyce in the Lord and sing for joy of heart verses 10 13 14 21 22. And fifthly they shall live till they come to a good old age and be blessed verses 20 22. And sixthly no ravenous or hurtfull or devouring creature shall then do any hurt to man or beast verse 25. And because the condition of the Saints shall be so happy and the Kingdomes of the world shall be put into such a new posture and be so changed from what they were therefore the spirit of God here calls them new heavens and a new earth ver 17. and the holy Mountaines of the Lord verses 9 25. for so they will bee when these things are accomplished and the confusions and combustions and oppressions and troubles that were in the old frame of the world shall be forgotten verses 16 17. Againe This is also cleared Jer. 30. 16 c. and 31. 1 2 c. in these words They that devoure thee shall be devoured and all thine adversaries every one of them shall go into Captivity and they that spoile thee shall be spoiled And ye shall be my people and I will be your God behold the whilewind of the Lord goeth forth with fury a continuing whirlewind it shall fall with paine upon the head of the wicked and the fierce anger of the Lord shall not returne untill he have done it and untill he have performed the intents of his heart in the latter daies ye shall consider it at the same time saith the Lord will I be the God of all the Families of Israel and they shall be my people Againe I will build thee and thou shalt be built a virgin of of Israel thou shalt againe be adorned with thy tabrets and go forth in the dances of them that make merry For thus saith the Lord sing with gladnesse for Jacob and shout among the chiefe of the Nations publish ye praise ye and say O Lord save thy people the remnant of Israel Heare the word of the Lord O ye Nations and declare it in the Isles afar off and say he that scattered Israel will gather him and keep him as a shepheard doth his flock therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Sion and shall flow together to the goodnesse of the Lord for wheat and for wine and for oyle and for the young of the flocke and their soule shall be as a watered garden and they shall not sorrow any more at all
authority of Scripture and such demonstration of the spirit and power going along with them and these great voyces shall have a double effect first they shall minister joy and gladnesse to the Saints and secondly they shall minister terrour to the Popish party for it speakes and works their ruine and third woe that comes upon them The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever The Kingdoms of this world are become so why were they not so before this seventh Angell sounded or this seventh dispensation Is not the earth the Lords and the fulnesse thereof whose were the Kingdomes of this world but our Lords and his Christs Answer Though it is true they were his yet they were not so visibly the Kingdoms of God and of Christ as they shall then be For they seemed rather to be the Kingdomes of the evill one they were so universally inslaved to the Devill among the Indians and Heathens that professed not Christ and they seemed rather to be inslaved to that man of sin that wicked one that sate in the Temple of God and blasphemed among such as professed Christianity But at this time they shall in a most visible and glorious manner become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ for he shall break down the power of other Kings even of all that will not stoope to him and cast their Crowns at his feet yea he will breake them in peeces as a Potters vessell and that great Papall Beast shall be destroyed with the fire of his wrath and his glory shall be manifested to all people and nations and languages who casting off all other Lords shall willingly be subjected to him and rejoyce in his glorious reign according to that of the Psalmist The Lord * Psal 97. 1. and 96. 10 11 12 13. reigneth and let the earth rejoyce and let the great “ England is one of the great Isles Isles be glad thereof Yea the Kingdomes of this world shall be universally so subjected to our Lord Jesus Christ as they shall all serve and obey him only and other Lords shall not have Dominion over them but they shall have one Lord and his name one in all the earth Thus in a most visible manner shall the Kingdomes of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ * Zach. 14. 9. And he shall reign for ever and ever He having once subjected the Kingdomes of this world unto the obedience of himselfe it shall not be with him as it hath been with all the great and potent Monarchs that have formerly ruled the world that one of them have thrust out and destroyed another and one hath taken the Dominion from another No none shall take the Dominion from him But as Daniel saies His Kingdome shall be an everlasting Kingdom and all Rulers shall serve and obey him So John here saies He shall reigne for ever and ever And the foure and twenty Elders which sate before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty c. What those foure and twenty Elders are will appeare in the fourth and fifth Chapters of this Prophesie They are first mentioned Chap. 4. 4. where they are thus described And round about the throne were foure and twenty seats and upon the seats I saw foure and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white rayment and upon their heads were Crownes of Gold Now that we may know what these be we must observe what the Angell saies to John in the first verse of that Chapter in these words Come and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter whence it appeares that these Elders as well as the other things which John saw were representatives of some things that were to be after that time Now Chapter 5. we may see what they were that were to be hereafter which these foure and twenty Elders did represent and that is that they were Saints that were redeemed to God by the bloud of the Lamb out of every kindred and Nation and people as appeares in the 8 9 10. verses of that Chapter Now here in this 11 Chapter these foure and twenty Elders that is these Saints and redeemed ones of Christ do upon the sounding of these voyces that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ fall upon their faces that is they lay themselves low before God and worship him being exceedingly affected with this great work of God and with his great grace toward them in bringing them out of their suffering condition to reign with Christ They fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned The Saints whatever others do herein yet they if their eyes be open to see it they cannot but give thanks yea solemnly lay themselves low before God in thanksgiving for the great and signall manifestations of the Lord God Almighty and eternall his taking to him his great power in ruling and raigning and laying of such as are indeed his enemies in the dust and yet withall at the same time their hearts may be very much affected with this that any godly men should be so deeply engaged with Gods enemies and consequently do partake of their punishments Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned Because thou hast not suffered thine enemies alwaies to boast and to triumph but hast begun to lay them low before thee and now hast taken to thee thy great power which thou seemedst to have laid aside when thou sufferedst so long the rod of the wicked to rest upon the lot of thy righteous ones but now dost thou take to thee and shew forth thy great power in punishing and bringing down the power of thine enemies for these things we give thee thanks and because that now more generally universally and evidently thou appearest to reign over men in thy just and righteous deciding of Controversies and in justifying them that in the integrity of their hearts give up themselves to glorifie thy great name and to do that which may be for the good of all thy Saints even of every one that feares thy name small and great laying aside all by and selfe respects yea we give thee thanks for that thou now so evidently appearest to reigne over men in condemning and blasting those that pretending other things force themselves against their judgements to contend for some things which are but a seeming ground of that quarrell against others which was primarily occasioned by their selfe ends which selfe-love hath so blinded them as they could not or would not see but shall see and be made to acknowledge them to thee and to thy Saints by thy righteous judgements This and
now severall queries that may be made about severall things which are such as these How and by what meanes shall the kingdomes of this world come to bee possessed by Christ and his Saints Whether at all the material sword shall be made use of in the cutting downe the power of men When Christ shall begin to take the kingdoms of the world into his possession Whether or no he shall take them into his possession all at once or when shall the time be when the work shall bee compleatly finished Whether multitudes of the Gentiles shall not bee first brought into the beliefe of the Gospel and the obedience of Christ and when the Jews shall be called Whether at the time of Christs taking the whole world into his possession hee shall not personally appeare on earth Whether his saints that have been sufferers for his sake shall not then be raised and reign on earth Whether or no the world shall then bee burnt with fire Whether temporary enjoyments shall bee enjoyed by saints when Christ shall take the world into his possession Whether the Saints shall then practice any ordinances How long this Kingdome of Christ is to continue and what is to succeed it Now to all these questions I shall give full and cleere answers which that I may do the more cleerely and without confounding of one thing with another I shall not observe that method of answering them particularly as they are laid downe but which will bee more cleare and pleasant and satisfactory when it is done I shall give a generall description of the state of the Church from the Yeere 1645 already past unto the day of the last generall resurrection In which description all these Queries and many others which might be made shall bee answered Now the description or map of this new world from the first entrance into it unto the utmost borders of it as farre as I have yet discovered or rather hath been discovered to me from the Scripture in my weake travels inquiries searches into it followes after this short preface The Preface When the Lord shall build up Sion saith the Psalmist then * Psal 102. 16. hee shall appeare in his glory Implying as if the Lord did never appeare so gloriously as then he doth when he standeth forth to build up his Sion And indeed it is very true that when the Church of God is in a desolate afflicted condition when the enemies of the Church triumph over them and make them as vassals and slaves to them and tread them under their feet as if they were the off-scouring of the world then is the glory of God much obscured and the world cannot at all see it nor is it so visible to his Saints as it shall be But when God arises to shake terribly the earth and to visit the inhabitants thereof for their iniquity especially for the cruelty and malice and inhumanity they have exercised against his own people his peculiarly beloved ones who bear his owne stampe and image and name and nature of whose soules he is the beloved and who are the beloved of his soule Then when he commeth to visit wicked men for these things and to owne his owne people as he did the Israelites of old when hee brought them out of Egypt and to manifest to all the world that they are indeed his people and that hee will avenge their quarrell and when hee comes to rebuke destroy and scatter the Kings and the great ones of the earth for their sakes and when he sets his people at perfect liberty and crownes them with gracious blessings and destroyes all the Nations that indeavour to injure them or disturbe their peace Then I say when the Lord doth these things doth hee appeare in his glory and so hee did when he brought the Israelites out of Egypt and so in a more glorious manner then ever will he do when he buildeth his Sion now in these latter daies wherein hee hath spoken of doing greater things for them then ever hath been done from the beginning of the world as wil appear in the following discourse The description of the new JERUSALEM THat I may set out the more cleerly what the condition of the Church shall be in these glorious times it will bee requisite that I briefly take notice of the condition the Church before this time hath been in as the Holy Ghost hath declared it in Scripture of which having already spoken in my discourse on the former part of the eleventh Chapter of the Revelation and also hinted at it in the beginning of this Book I shall therefore here but nominate some particulars to which I will referre the Reader that so I may avoid unnecessary prolixity Onely necessity compels me for the cleere and orderly proceeding in this present discourse to recapitulate some particular heads of that of which I have already more largely discourst as thus I have shewed that the beloved people of God stiled by the Holy Ghost The Holy City The two witnesses The Olive trees and The two Candlesticks who witnesse too and prophesie the truths of Christ have for above 1200 yeares by divine appointment and decree been kept in a low condition in a despicable sackcloath mourning wildernesse-condition and that so long they have been warred against and overcome by the Beast the Pope and his crew I have shewne and that the ten Kings under the Popes Jurisdiction have been of one mind with him in this trampling upon and persecuting the Saints and that for this end have the ten Kings given their power to the Beast I have also shewed that the King of England was one of those that was of one mind with the Beast and that having one mind with the Beast he persecuted the saints and made war against them and overcame them for a season as the Beast did I have shewed also that the time of this prevalency of the Beast and the Kings under him over the Saints and making war against them and overcomming them was a limited prefixed time and that beyond it they could not go nor have power to overcome the Saints after that time was expired I have also shewed how long time it was that the Scripture declares that the Beast and his Associates should have power to persecute the Saints and prevaile over them and that was 1260. years after which terme was expired they were to prevaile no more I have also shewed when that time expired and that was in the yeare 1645. And now I proceed from this yeare to describe the state of the Church In this yeare as I have said did the time of prevalency of the Beast and his Associates over the saints cease and though those enemies of the Saints do not cease to be after this yeare but they do and shall remaine yet longer yet they cease to overcome the Saints and instead of prevailing they shall be prevailed against and instead of overcomming they shall be overcome by the
hate the Popish crew But when the Lamb shall have overcome the ten Kingdomes and shall have put them into a new frame and posture and when his glory shall be wonderfully seen among his people and all the world shall heare how gloriously he shall manifest himselfe among them in giving of his people miraculous victories over and unheard of successe against the Beast and his Associates and that in such a wonderfull manner as the like hath not been heard of and when the Jews shall heare of this and heare how the Kingdomes are fallen from the Beast and how they loath those abominable practises with a perfect hatred and how that they do all set themselves against that cursed company and intend to make them desolate and utterly to destroy them as the enemies of him who is the true Christ At this time I say way will be made for the bringing of them in and then the Gospel in the purity of it shall be preached unto them being wholly freed from the imbasing mixtures of Romes inventions and the pure Gospell of Jesus Christ shall in the preciousnesse and sweetness and glory of it be cleerly heldforth unto them and they then will begin to be convinced seeing that our Lord Jesus Christ doth manifest his wrath and displeasure against that prophane sort of men and ruines them and destroyes them and takes vengeance on them for all their abominations that they have committed and all the murthers and cruelties that they have exercised upon his holy people whom now he ownes and gloriously goes on to save them with outward and externall salvation as well as inward and giving of them to tread upon the necks of their enemies and to be exalted above the Nations Then I say cleere way will be made for them to be brought in and to beleev the Lord Jesus to be indeed their King and Saviour and Prophet and to give up themselves to him and to his protection and when they shall thus do they shall have the spirit abundantly poured out upon them and they shall bemoane themselves for their folly in that they have so long rejected Jesus Christ and shall then look upon this Jesus whom they have pierced and shall mourne for him as for an only son as appeares Zach. 10. and that Scripture seemes to import that such shall be the spirit of grace and supplication and so strongly shall that spirit work in them as they shall therein exceed us for grace shall be so powerfull and love shall worke so wonderfully in them and so melt their hearts as that they shall be so deeply afflicted for their having rejected Jesus Christ as they shall be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne and being so in good earnest it is said that each soule shall mourne apart * Of the admirable manner in which the Jews shall be converted And for the manner of this their unfaigned conversion the Holy Ghost speakes as if this worke should be done very suddenly and very admirably as appeares Isa 66. 7 8. Before Sion travelled shee brought forth before her paine came she was delivered of a man child who hath heard such a thing Who hath seen such a thing Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day shall a Nation be brought forth at once For as soon as Sion travelved she brought forth her children Here it is clearely implyed that the work shall be very admirable and be very suddenly strangely and unexpectedly done It shall be done as it were before any work is visibly begun and before those ordinary preparations to such a worke that do use to precede the same work in others at other times when others have been begotten and borne to Christ there hath been a long travelling in birth for them before they have been brought forth and the paines and the pangs of the new birth do ordinarily precede the bringing of it forth in some more in some lesse in all some but here it is said Before she travelled she brought forth before her paine came she was delivered O what a wonderfull what an admirable thing is this and therfore in the next verse it followes by way of admiration who hath heard such a thing who hath seen such a thing as if it had been said this is a thing which hath not been heard of these are things that never have been seen and can ye beleeve such things Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day Shall a Nation be borne at once And shall these things be so indeed Yea they shall for it follows As soone as Sion travelled she brought forth her Children The worke of the birth of a Nation shall be very sudden The earth shall bring forth in one day Zion no sooner travelled but she brought forth her Children it was so soon and her travell so quickly over as it may in comparison of others be said to be no travell but to be done before travell and before paine came a paralell place to this we have Isa 49. Where the Lord saies that though Sion said my Lord hath forsaken me and the Lord hath forgotten me that yet he had not forgotten them but they were graven upon the palmes of his hands and that their wals were continually before him and that the time should come when he would wonderfully enlarge them and therefore saies in the 20. verse The children which thou shalt have after thou hast lost the other shall say againe in thine eares the place is too straight for me give place to me that I may dwell And at the 21. verse Then shalt thou say in mine eares who hath begotten me those I have lost my children and am desolate a captive and removing to and fro and who hath brought up these behold I was left alone these where they It is a broken expression for thsre is no other word added in the Heb to where they shewing amazedness at the miraculousnes of the thing It shal be of such a sudden that those multitudes shall be brought in after the Churches being desolate a Captive and being removed to and fro up and down at the pleasure of tyrants when her children seemed to be all lost and none of the Sons of Sion could as it were visibly appeare that she shall say in her heart who hath begotten me these Or how came I so suddenly to have so many Children Who hath brought them up Or what shall I say Where they What a miracle is it that I should have such a multitude of Children on such a sudden after my desolated captivated and wandering condition Thus in these Scriptures it appeares that this worke shall be very sudden in a very short time it shall be done a Nation shall be borne at once and the Earth shall bring forth in a day which implies a very short time but to consine it to a naturall day consisting of 24 houres I see no reason nor necessity
the Lord their God and will hear them and they of Ephraim shall bee like a mighty man and their heart shall rejoyce as through wine yea their children shall see it and be glad and their heart shall rejoyce in the Lord I will hisse for them and gather them for I have redeemed them and they shall increase as they have increased and I will sow them among the people and they shall remember mee in farre countries and they shall live with their children and turn again and I will bring them again out of the Land of Egypt and gather them out of Assyria and I will bring them into the land of Gilead and place shall not bee found for them And I will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall wal up and down in his name saith the Lord. Here are cleer promises that they should be brought out of Egypt and Assyria and from the far Countries whither they had bin carried and brought into their owne Land again and there should be strengthned in the Lord and walk up and down in his name that is his name and feare and Spirit should bee upon them all which shall come to passe in his due time And now by these severall witnesses it is evident that the Jewes in particular shall be converted and bee distinct from the Gentiles under that notion of the anciently beloved people of God the seed of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and that they shall possesse their owne land even the land given to their fathers to possesse the which very many other Scriptures do affirme which I forbear to multiply as conceiving it needlesse And thus having made it cleer how that the Jewes shall bee called I should now come to speak more fully of the calling of the yet unconverted Nations of the Gentiles also But there is one remarkable thing which concernes the Jewes which when they are converted shall be done of which a word or two in this place and it is this That when the Jewes shall be converted and returne to their owne Land as the Lord of old when hee wrought deliverances for them caused them to passe through the red Sea Exod. 14. 22. and through that mighty river the river Jordan Josh 3. 17. on dry ground wherein hee gloriously appeared unto them so will hee now also dry up the tongue of the Egyptian sea to make way for them as appears Isa 11. 11 12 c. And it shall come to passe in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left from Assyria and from Egypt and Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Shinar and from Hamath and from the Islands of the Sea and hee shall set up an Ensigne for the Nations and shall assemble the out-casts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the foure corners of the earth And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea and with his mighty winde shall shake his hand over the river and shall smite it in the seven streames and make men go over dry-shod and there shall bee an highway for the remnant of his people which shall bee left from Assyria like as it was to Israel in the day that hee came up out of the Land of Egypt Here it is plain that thus the Lord will utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian Sea and smite it in the seven streames for this very end that his people the people of Israel and Judah whom he intends to gather out of the four corners of the earth where they have been scattered may have way made for them at least those of them that must come that way who are in Assyria that they may come into their owne Land again This is plainly asserted likewise in Isa 27. 12 13. And it shall come to passe in that day that the Lord shall beat off from the chanell of the river unto the stream of Egypt and yee shall bee gathered one by one O yee children of Israel and it shall come to passe in that day that the great trumpet shall be blown and they shall come which were ready to perish in the Land of Assyria and the out-casts in the Land of Egypt and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem This is also a cleere Prophesie of the calling of the Children of Israel to the obedience of Christ their Lord and ours and of the bringing of them when they are thus converted into their owne land for which end the river of Egypt is to be beaten off that so clear way may be made for them to go over dry shod for when God will work who shall let it and when he will bring his people to any place it is not vast and great rivers that lying in the way shall hinder it But wee finde that when the Nation of the Jews and all the seed of Jacob shall again be converted unto the Lord that that great worke shall not be too hard for God to do but he will do therein that which shall be too hard for men to beleeve As that a Nation shall be born at once That they shall come to the birth be brought forth in one day And that before Sion travelleth before the Church doth any thing considerable in order to the converting of a Nation to Christ it shall be done * It may bee before any considerable numbers of Gospel Ministers are sent to preach the Gospel to them many thousands may be converted by the preaching of one or few and the the spirit be richly poured out upon them she travelled she brought forth These are things too hard for men to beleeve but not too hard for God to doe for when the Lord undertakes the worke all obstructions shall bee removed and the Lord will suddenly and wonderfully convert these Nations and being converted they must be brought into their own land and if he will have it done who or what shall let it If the river of Egypt even the tongue of the Egyptian sea be in the way he wil beat off from the Chanel of the river unto the stream of Egypt yea he wil utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea and with his mighty winde shall shake his hand over the river and shall smite it in the seven streames and men shall go over dry-shod So that as the red sea and the river Iordan could not hinder the passage of his people that were to passe that way when he brought them out of Egypt so neither shall the river of Egypt hinder his people now from their passage into their own Land But it may bee queried why should the river of Egypt bee dried up to make way for the Israelites comming into their own Land rather then any other river that may lie in their way I answer first That though the Scripture mention not the drying up of any river but the
and having salvation and he shall speak peace unto the heathen and his dominion shall be even from sea to sea and from the river even to the ends of the earth And Zech. 8. 21 22 23. The inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will go also Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and pray before the Lord. And in those days men shall take hold out of all languages in the nations even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew saying We will go with you for we have heard that God is with you Thus the Spirit of God in Scripture hath cleerly set forth the conversion of the Gentiles together with the Jews in these several Scriptures that I have mentioned And as it is cleer in these Scriptures so there are several other Scriptures wherein it is as cleer but I shall adde onely one more and it 's a Scripture that speaks of the conversion and turning to God of two particular Nations which at this day are yet Idolaters as well as many others and in the state of gross darkness and unbelief and they are the Egyptians and Assyrians Isa 19. the Prophecy hereof begins at vers 18. In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the language of Canaan and swear to the Lord of hosts one shall be called the city of Heres or of the Sun or of shining glory In that day there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar at the border thereof to the Lord and it shall be for a signe and for a witness unto the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt for they shall cry unto the Lord because of the oppressors and he shall send them a Saviour and a great one and he shall deliver them and the Lord shall be known to Egypt and the Egyptians shall know the Lord at that day Yea they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and shall perform it and the Lord shall smite Egypt he shall smite and heal it and they shall return unto the Lord and he shall be entreated of them and shall heal them In that day there shall be a high-way out of Egypt to Assyria and the Assyrians shall come into Egypt and the Egyptians into Assyria and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria even a blessing in the midst of the land whom the Lord of hosts shall bless saying Blessed be Egypt my people and Assyria the work of mine hands and Israel mine inheritance In this Prophecy it is very cleer that there is a time to come wherein the Jews shall again be the beloved people of God for never yet was there a time when Israel Egypt and Assyria were all together at one time acknowledged to be the people of God but the time is coming when it shall be so when not onely the Gentiles alone but the Jews also and not onely the Jews alone but the Gentiles also shall be the people of God and when in particular the Egyptians and the Assyrians which are now so deeply involved in darkness and blindness and have no knowledge of God shall be a people blessed of the Lord. For there are in these verses such expressions as do very plainly and cleerly speak the conversion of these Nations As that the Lord shall be known to the Egyptians and the Egyptians shall know the Lord and that they shall engage themselves to the Lord which is expressed under the terms of swearing to the Lord and vowing to the Lord which do cleerly hold forth the engaging of their hearts to the Lord. And again it is said that the Egyptians being oppressed shall cry unto the Lord but they shall not cry in vain for in answer unto their crying he shall send them a Saviour and a great one and he shall deliver them And besides it is said that the Egyptians being smitten of the Lord shall return even to the Lord and he shall be intreated of them and heal them and that the Egyptians being thus converted they shall then and therein be in fellowship with the Assyrians and the Assyrians with them and they both with Israel And thus now is it cleer in these several Scriptures as well as in many others which I forbear to mention to avoid prolixity that the Gentiles shall be plentifully and abundantly brought in to the obedience of Christ whose dominion must be from sea to sea from the rivers unto the ends of the earth and that not onely some Nations but all Nations shall seek after the Lord And that not onely the mean and inferiour sort of the people of the Nations but some of their Kings and Queens and the greatest among them shall come and see the glory of the Lord and become his servants and be supports under him to his people Kings shall be their nursing fathers and Queens their nursing mothers and bring their forces to their support and they not weak ones but many people and strong Nations saith Zechariah in the place forementioned shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts And now having shown that the preaching of the Gospel to all Nations is to follow upon the Lamb his overcoming the ten Kings and that this will probably be the time of the bringing in of Jews and Gentiles because that by the Lord Jesus his so gloriously appearing for his own people and against that scarlet whore Rome and the beast and all that crew way will be made for the coming in of Jews and Gentiles But this by the way I desire may be taken notice of That as many of the Nations as the preaching of the Gospel shall not prevail with to bring them in to the obedience of Christ for multitudes as I have made it evident must come in that way them shall the sword of Justice subdue both before and at and after the ruine of Rome Those whom the grace of the Gospel the tenders of love and the offers of peace win not them vengeance and wrath shall overtake If they will not listen to that voice of the Spirit that says to the Kings of the earth Be wise now therefore O ye Kings and be instructed ye Judges of the earth kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish c. then shall he speak unto them in wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure and he shall break them with a rod of Iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessel Thus he will do with the ten kings and thus he will afterwards do with the other Nations But if any of these ten kings that yet stand out shall be overcome by his love and by receiving the cleer light of the Gospel for there is no question but those his called
is their General said to come ver 11. But it is no wonder for he always walks in the midst of his golden Candlesticks his Witnesses his Saints his Churches Rev. 1. 13. But again these Armies in Heaven are said to follow their General upon white horses As he is upon a white horse which shews his purity so also are they upon white horses which shews their purity For he hath put his own Frame and Spirit upon them which further appears in that they are also said to be clothed in fine linen white and clean which also imports purity and undefiledness And thus we have the Description of the Lord General and his Army on the one side On the other side The chief among them is called the Beast which shews his unworthy filthy beastly nature and with him are the Kings of the earth they are not of heaven but of the earth and of the earth they may be said to be in opposition to the heavenly nature of those whom they oppose And for the Armies that are under them they are said to be Their Armies implying that they were earthly corrupt Armies because they did belong to those that were of the earth And this is all the description that we have in this place of the other General and his Army Now these being thus described It is said that the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their Armies were gathered together to make war against him that sat upon the horse and against his Army It seems they have hopes to overcome him and his Army because they gather together against them The event of the Battel But what is the event of the battel The Beast and his Army are overcome and the Beast and the false Prophet is that with him are taken What this false Prophet is is doutful for there is no mention made of him before this at least not under this Title * The false Prophet not in all the book of the Revelation but it may be it is some new sort of deceiver which he will make use of to deceive the Nations by false miracles when he draws them to ingage in this battel But whether so or no whatever he be when this battel is sought the Beast and the false Prophet that wrought miracles before him are both taken and of them is it said That they particularly were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimston and the remnant are slain with the sword and their flesh is given to the fowls of the aire even the flesh of Kings and Captains and mighty men c. And this is the success of this battel or the event of it as far forth as it is in this place spoken of But because the day of the battel is to be such a great and terrible day to wicked men being that great and terrible day of the Lord so much spoken of by all the holy Prophets and Apostles and Saints of God which day is represented unto us in such a dreadful terrible and glorious manner as if it were the General day of judgement but that it is cleered not to be that day by the declarations of the things that must follow it which are laid down in the several Scriptures which speak of this day I say seeing it is represented unto us in a dreadful and wonderful manner and since so many wonders shall be shewn at that that time and so much of the glory and majesty of God shall then be seen and such strange changes shall then be made in the world I say these things being so wonderful and so glorious I shall be the larger in giving the description of this day from several other Scriptures Thus Of the great day of the Lord. This day is that great day which is called the day of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompences for the controversies of Sion Mentioned Isa 34. 8. That day of which he speaks when he says The day of vengeance is in my heart and the yeer of my redeemed is come Isa 63. 4. For though it be true that he hath already begun to take vengeance upon his and his peoples enemies and to plead the cause of his people and though he hath begun to recompence his wrath upon these enemies for the controversies his Sion hath against them yet the compleatment hereof is reserved unto that day which of all days shall be the most terrible to wicked men because it shall utterly overthrow them and they shall not escape nor avoid it for then he will tread them in his anger and trample them in his fury yea they shall be troden in the wine-press of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God And their blood shall be sprinkled upon his Garments and he will stain all his rayment As Isa 63. 3. But who shall live when God doth this was Balaams expression when he spake of the ruine of several Nations Numb 24. 23. for let all wicked men look to it when this day comes for to them it will be very terrible For this is the day which is spoken of Isa 66. 15. For behold the Lord will come with fire and with Chariots like a whirl-wind to render his anger with fury and his rebukes with flames of fire for by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many How terrible will this day be when the Lord shall thus plead with all flesh by fire and sword and render his anger with fury and his rebukes with flames of fire Who shall live when God doth this It is answered by the Prophet in the same Chapter that at the same time The hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants and his indignation toward his enemies and their hearts shall rejoyce and their bones shall flourish like an herb They shall be so far from being quailed or discouraged or amated or terrified when this terrible day comes as they shall then flourish most and be most joyful at heart Again this day is spoken of Joel 3. 9 10. where the Lord summons all the Gentiles to gather together and make themselves as strong as they can for war and says that when they are gathered together round about in ver 11. that thither he will cause his mighty ones to come down at v. 12. That there he will sit to judge all the heathen round about then declares that the Sickle shal be put in to cut down this harvest of wicked men for the wickedness is great and that multitudes shall be cut down when the Lord shall thus judge these men and decide the controversies of his people for which cause it shall be called The valley of decision And then vers 16. The Lord shall roar out of Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the heavens and the earth shall shake This is that once more wherein he will shake not the earth onely but the heavens
the text expresly says that the rest of the dead were not raised until this thousand yeers were finished and therefore this resurrection which shall be when Christ and his Saints must reign on earth is called The first resurrection and it 's said that no wicked one shall have part herein but onely they that are holy and blessed and who shall never die the second death but shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand yeers and others are not to be raised till the end of the thousand yeers What can be more clearly asserted or what is more clearly asserted in Scripture then this truth is in these three verses It is so clear as I must profess that for my part had I no other Scripture to back it yet having no Scripture contradicting I am perswaded that I should not dare to deny it But we have besides this several other Scriptures to this same purpose The next I shall mention shall be that Rev. 5. 9 10. where we finde that the four Beasts and the Elders which were the representatives of the Churches of the Saints and which were redeemed unto God by the blood of the Lamb out of every kindred and tongue and nation and people that they singing to the Lamb praise him saying For thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth This is spoken in the future tense as being to come We shall reign on the earth which that they may do they must be raised from the dead as it is clearly said in the fore-mentioned place they shall And it is likewise as clear Dan. 12. 2. where it is said that when Jesus Christ shall stand up to save his people and to perplex and destroy his enemies it is said that at that time many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake Observe this is a time when many of them shall be raised but not all But whereas it follows that some of them shall be raised to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt whereas there is no such thing mentioned Rev. 20. that any shall be raised to shame and contempt but it 's said Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power the truth in both these Scriptures may very well consist together For though John there mention onely the resurrection of Saints yet doth he not say that others are not raised to shame to be sent into shame and confusion presently as doubtless they shall For some particular persons may be raised to be judged and condemned for their wickednesses and cruelties and outrages against Saints and sent presently into the place of torment as the Beast and the False Prophet are said to be though there be no mention of it Rev. 20. but the Saints onely are said to live They lived and reigned with Christ c. And whereas it is said that blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection that crosses not this in Daniel for if some of the wicked be then raised to be judged yet have they no part in the first resurrection for the dead in Christ shall be raised first and it 's they onely being blessed and holy that shall then live and reign with Christ but none others shall and so have not others any part in this resurrection And another clear place that speaks both of the personal appearing of Christ to reign on earth and to judge those that shall then be raised is that in 2 Tim. 4. 1. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom Here the Apostle speaks expresly of a time coming wherein Jesus Christ must appear and take his kingdom Now he always hath his kingdom in the hearts of his people and appears to them always in the Spirit but this is another manner of appear and another manner of taking his kingdom which Paul here speaks of for at this appearing and at this kingdom he must judge the quick and the dead Those his enemies that are then alive he will judge and some of those that were then dead he shall judge but the rest shall not live again until the thousand yeers are finished and his Saints that were dead he shall raise and give them everlasting life and grant them to reign with him a thousand yeers Again Zech. 14. 5. The Prophet in that Chapter speaking of that time when the Lord shall be King over all the earth and there shall be one Lord and his Name one says he there And the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee This is to be at that time when all the Nations must yeeld obedience to Christ and whosoever of all Nations refuses to worship him shall be plagued with a fearful plague as appears in that Chapter Thus is the Position that I have laid down in these Scriptures clear That Jesus Christ shall come with his Saints to reign on earth But again we have Paul speaking of it 1 Thess 3. 13. where he prays that the Thessalonians may be established in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints Here the Apostle expresly speaks of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his Sains which confirms what is said That there is a time to come for it is not yet come wherein Jesus Christ will come on earth and bring his Saints with him And this is that which is also hinted at Isa 26. 19. Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead This is brought in as a comfortable promise to the Saints who are complaining in the former part of the Chapter that though they have laboured yet have they not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither have the inhabitants of the earth fallen which seems to look like the times that were before the yeer 1645 when Jesus Christ began to set his people at liberty from their enemies then they laboured but all in vain to free themselves from being under the power of the Beast they laboured but they had not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither were the inhabitants of the world fallen but now this is brought in as a comfortable promise to the Church who are complaining of these things Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust c. implying that though these were their complaints for a time that yet it should not be so always there should a time come when their dead men should live and together with the body of Christ should be raised he being the first-fruits of
the resurrection from the dead and they that slept in the dust should awake and sing and the earth should cast out the dead and this should be a joyful and comfortable time which should make amends for all their sufferings And about this time he speaks of the Lords coming out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity and for all the blood of his Saints which they have spilt as appears vers 21. And it 's certain that the raising of the Saints to live and reign with Christ will soon follow upon this Again of this appearing of Christ it is that the Prophet speaks Isai 33. 17 18. when he speaks of him that is fire-proof that shall dwell with devouring fire and everlasting burnings and says he to such a one Thine eye shall see the King in his beauty This is the time when he shall appear in his glory and beauty indeed and his Saints shall visibly see him and then their eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation c. as it follows in that Chapter And further of this visible and corporeal coming of our Lord Jesus doth the Angels speak Acts 1. 10 11. when that our Lord being with his disciples upon the mount called Olivet while they beheld he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight and saith the text While the disciples looked stedfastly toward heaven as Jesus went up behold two men stood by them in white apparel and said unto them Why stand ye looking up into heaven this same Jesus which is taken from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven Now they visibly and corporeally saw him go into heaven and in the same manner did they and we are to expect that he shall come again And what but this doth our Saviour himself mean when he says to Philip who wondered that he should know him when under the fig-tree Thou shalt see greater things then these for I say unto you Hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man Certainly there is a truth in all these things and we shall see greater and more glorious and admirable things then yet we have seen And though the time be not yet come yet certainly it will come Again in Act. 3. 19 20. 21. Peter tells us that when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord which time Saints have long waited for that he shall send Jesus Christ whom the heavens must receive until the time of the restitution of all things That is until he make new Heavens and new Earth restore all things The Heavens says he must retain him until these times which were spoken of by all the holy Prophets which have been since the world began But then Jesus Christ shall appear in that presence which the heavens now do retain which is his corporal presence for it cannot be said of his spiritual presence which is alway with us for which appearing his Saints wait And thus have I laid down the several Scriptures which do cleer this truth wherein it is abundantly proved by several testimonies whereas two or three Scriptures might have been authority sufficient to prevail But the Scripture is full in speaking of it and indeed it was much in the hearts of the Saints in the primitive times as appears by their frequent expressions of it upon all occasions even of this coming of Christ As 1 Thes 5. 23. And the very God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ And 1 Tim. 6. 14. I charge thee to keep this commandment without spot unto the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ which in his time will appear who is the onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords c. And 2 Cor. 1. 14. Ye also are our rejoycing in the day of the Lord Jesus And 1 Thes 1. 9 10. And how ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living and true God and to wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead even Jesus which delivered us from the wrath to come And 1 Thes 2. 19. For what is our hope or joy or crown of rijoycing Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming And 2 Thes 2. 1 2. We beseech you by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him that you be not soon shaken in minde c. And 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but to them also that love his appearing Thus these Saints had much in their eye the day of Christ the coming of Christ the appearing of Christ And the Apostle makes it a principal piece of Religion For speaking of the Thessalonians when they were converted he says They turned from Idols what to do To serve the living and true God and what To wait for his Son from heaven Though that day was far off as the Apostle himself elsewhere informs them yet they did so firmly believe this his coming from Heaven and their being gathered unto him as they might truly be said to be waiters for it Of the manner of the coming of Christ and his Saints and with what bodies they shall come But now this Question may be propounded It being granted to be an undoubted truth thaâ— Jesus Christ shall personally appear on earth and that the Saints departed shall be raised from the dead to raign with him in that day With what bodies shall Christ and his Saints come And how shall they be raised up Doth the Scripture say any thing to that I answer Yes For hitherto I have quoted the Scriptures that speak onely of his coming and the Saints being raised but there are other Scriptures which speak of the manner how as that Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him c. And Luke 21. 26 27. For the powers of the heaven shall be shaken and then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory And Mat. 24 30. 31. And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory And he shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet and and they shall gather together his elect c. And v. 27. As the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the West so shall also the coming of the Son of man be So that it is cleer that as the Angels told his disciples when they saw a cloud to receive him out of their sight that he should so appear out of the clouds in like manner as they
one of a thousand cannot be said to be All. But when was the Spirit poured out so much as upon one of a thousand Again when was the Spirit so abundantly upon all ages degrees and sexes as that all might prophesie that is in the lowest sence be able to speak to edification exhortation and comfort How few of those that are Saints have the spirit of Prophecie in this sence to any purpose upon them carrying of them forth to publish the Gospel for the edifying comforting or conversion of others The number of those is very small witness the complaints of many Country-towns and Parishes even within this Kingdom which they make for the want of faithful able men to preach the Gospel among them And if there be very few men that are thus furnished with this gift of the Spirit how few are the women Not but that there are many godly women many who have indeed received the Spirit but in how small a measure is it how weak are they and how unable to prophesie for it is that that I am speaking of which this text says they shall do which yet we see not fulfilled Indeed they have tasted of the sweetness of the Spirit and having tasted are longing for more and are ready to receive from those few that are in any measure furnished with the gifts of the Spirit for prophesying but they are generally very unable to communicate to others though they would do it many times in their families among their children and servants and when they would be communicating to others into whose company they come though sometimes some sprinklings come from them yet at other times they finde themselves dry and barren But the time is coming when this promise shall be fulfilled and the * That all ages sexes degrees shall have the spirit of Prophecie in these later days Saints shall be abundantly filled with the Spirit and not onely men but women shall prophesie not onely aged men but young men not onely superious but inferiours not onely those that have University-learning but those that have it not even servants and handmaids For this by the way let me say There is nothing absolutely necessary to the making of a convert and of a convert a publisher of the Gospel which a soul that is but furnished onely with Understanding and Reason is not capable of if the Spirit be poured out upon it whether it be a Heathen so called for distinction sake or one brought up in the profession of Christianity or whether it be learned or unlearned or whether it be male or female I say a soul indued with Understanding and Reason is capable of Religion and all religious performances if it be indued with the Spirit and there is no other thing absolutely necessary thereunto And when the Spirit shall be more abundantly poured out upon Saints this shall be made evident so that according to this gracious promise sons and daughters servants and handmaids old men and young men shall prophesie But some may say This promise was fulfilled in the Apostles times and the Apostle Peter expresly cites it Acts 2. 18. when the Spirit was theu poured out upon them But to that I answer It is true the Apostle Peter cites it there but it doth not therefore follow that this promise was then fulfilled neither was it but the Apostle cites it upon this occasion The twelve Apostles having then received the promise of the pouring out of the Spirit it carried them forth powerfully and wonderfully and in an extraordinary manner to speak forth the things of God which when those that were in Jerusalem both strangers and others saw and heard they began to marvel at it and to say that they were full of new wine But the Apostle Peter understanding this stands up and tells them that they were not drunken as they supposed but cites to them this Scripture whereby he would have them to understand that this need not be so strange to them which they then saw and heard in them if they considered what was promised long ago in the Prophet Joel That the Spirit should be abundantly poured out upon all flesh and considering this they need not wonder thus to see the Spirit now poured out upon a few men But though the Apostle thus to this end there cites this Scripture yet was it not then in the largeness of it fulfilled For in those times though some men young and old and some women some of their sons and daughters did prophesie yet were it very few in comparison of those that did not and therefore it could not be said that the Spirit was then poured upon All flesh but that time is to come and is to be in that day we are speaking of wherein indeed the Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh in an abundant manner and come no whit short of what this Scripture imports So that though for the time which hath been ever since the Apostles days to this present time it may be said of the Church of the Saints of God that they have lien among the pots that I may allude to that of the Psalmist Psal 78. 13. in respect of that obscurity and deformity in which they have been for want of that spiritual glory which the abundant pourings out of the Spirit will put upon them yet at this time to use the Psalmists expression they shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold that soil filthiness corruption and deformity that hath appeared in them wherein in many respects they have seemed to be as worldlings are covered over with earth and sullyed with the blackness of corruption as having lien among the pots all this shall be done away and as innocent doves they shall mount up and and shine in splendor and purity when more abundantly the Spirit shall be poured out upon them And this time it is that is spoken of Isa 52. 1 2. Where the Lord is speaking thus to the Church Awake awake put on thy strength O Sion put on thy beautiful garments O Jerusalem the holy city for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircucised and the unclean Shake thy self from the dust arise and sit down O Jerusalem and loose thy self from the bands of thy neck O captive daughter of Sion It 's the presence of the Spirit in the fulness of it that beautifies the Saints and cloaths them with beautiful garments and is their strength and by it they arise and mount up above the world and shake themselves from the dust and are losed from all their bonds and are made free This time is also spoken of Isa 60. 1 2. Where the Lord speaks thus to his Church Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee for behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory
his ways and we will walk in his paths For out of Sion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Here it is evident that he will then clearly discover his will about his Worship to his people and that his people shall purely worship him A parallel place to this we have Zech. 8. 20 21 22. And there shall come people and the inhabitants of many cities and the inhabitants of one city shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts I will go also Yea many people and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to pray before the Lord. What is meant by Jerusalem here spoken of Whether it may be mystically or literally taken I will not here dispute but whether it be taken mystically or literally this is cleer that in this time the multitudes of the Saints of God in all Nations shall cleerly know the minde of God about his worship and by the Spirit shall be enabled purely to perform it But here some may question what Ordinances shall be used at that time And how shall Saints then worship God To which in answer I say That what Ordinances there shall then be used is hard to be determined in regard the Scripture speaks not directly and particularly what the Ordinances are that shall then be used but as the practice of some of them is to be referred for those times onely so likewise is the cleer knowledge of them not to be had till those times And for my part I shall not dare not presume to speak any thing about the Ordinances or manner in Worship that shall be in these times but what the Scripture cleerly holdeth forth which is doubtless sufficient for us to know And first to speak of what shall not then be practised I finde it implyed by Paul 1 Cor. 11. 26. * That the Ordinance of the Supper shall then cease that the Ordinance of breaking bread shall not be then practised for he says there that in that Ordinance they do shew forth the Lords death till he come implying that when he cometh and is present with his people it shall not be then practised they shall not need to do that in remembrance of him as now they are commanded to do But whether any other Ordinance shall cease or not the Scripture is silent And the Scripture being silent who dares say that any other shall cease Though on the other hand there be no ground to say that such or such an Ordinance shall continue if the Scripture say it not But secondly This the Scripture cleerly speaks that that part of the worship of God which consisteth in * How God shall then be worshipped in prayer and praises Prayer and Praise shall continue So that it concerns all to beware how they say that it shall cease for that these shall continue is cleer in the forementioned place Zech. 8. 20 21. Where it is said that many people shall go to seek the Lord of hosts and to pray before the Lord. And Isa 12. 1. 45. In that day thou shalt say O Lord I will praise thee and ye shall say Praise the Lord call upon his name declare his doings among the people make mention that his Name is exalted Sing unto the Lord for he hath done excellent things this is known in all the earth Cry out and shout thou inhabitant of Sion for great is the holy One of Israel in the midst of thee And Isa 65. 24. In that day it shall be that before they call I will answer and while they are yet speaking I will hear And Jer. 33. 11. In that day there shall be heard the voyce of them that rejoyce and say Praise the Lord of hosts for the Lord is good for his mercy endureth for ever and of them that shall bring the Sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord. Thus is it cleer in these Scriptures that this part of the worship of God which consisteth in Prayer and praise shall then continue But thirdly There are some things about the worship of God that shall be in these times which the Scripture speaks of but not cleerly as that there shall be an observation of * That there shall then be an observation of new Moons and Sabbaths and a keeping a feast of tabernacles wherein God shall be worshipped new Moons and of Sabbaths wherein God shall be worshipped and a keeping of a feast of tabernacles As Isa 66. 23. And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to another and from one Sabbathto another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. And Zech. 14. 16. And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from yeer to yeer to worship the King the Lord of hosts and to keep the feast of tabernacles Here it is expresly said that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another all flesh shall come to worship before the Lord. But what Sabbaths these shall be and what worship shall be performed on these Sabbaths the Scripture speaks not cleerly of And here it 's said that there shall be an yeerly keeping of the Feast of Tabernacles wherein they shall worship the King the Lord of hosts but what feast of Tabernacles this shal be and for what particular end it shall be observed is doubtful We know that under the Law the Feast of Tabernacles was kept at the ingathering of all the fruits of the fields wherein they were all to rejoyce before the Lord. But this rejoycing Feast that shall then be kept may be for higher things then these but positively to say this or that we may not for the Scripture is therein silent But fourthly The Scripture cleerly declares That in that time they shall have the Lord himself to be to them * That Saints shall then have no need of a Temple no need to be taught by others the Lord shall be in stead of a Temple to them in stead of a Temple As Revel 21. 22. And I saw no Temple in the new Jerusalem for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it The Temple in this place is to be understood as the place where they were wont to resort for knowledge for in the Temple was the Ark of the Testament there the Will of God and the Laws of God were to be understood And therefore David Psal 73. 16 17. professes his ignorance until he went into the Sanctuary and there received knowledge But in this time there shall be no need of a Temple for this For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it And it follows vers 23. And the city had no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten
outward mercies which we have spoken of So that there is no creature-comfort no outward blessing which Saints shall then want but as the earth which is * Psal 24. 1. the Lords shall be then given to them so also all the fulness thereof all that which may conduce to the making of them fully outwardly comfortable as well as those inward comforts already spoken of So that in all respects the * Psal 118. 15 voice of rejoycing and salvation shall be heard in the tabernacles of the righteous I should now proceed to speak of other things but before I do there will be one Objection and three Queries to be answered An Objection And first some may say It is true they do expect that God will do great things for his people but they expected not these outward things that have been spoken of For how can it be a mercy to the Saints to enjoy these seeing the world and worldly enjoyments usually prove a snare unco them And therefore the Apostle says 1 Tim. 6. 9. That they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition And it is too evident how the world hath choaked the growing of grace in those hearts where eminently it shined before they did possess so much of the world and since they have had much of the world they seem to be more proud and are not in that humble posture as before and they appear to be more cold and formal and can swallow those things which before they condemned in others And it being so though the Lord will do great things for his people yet it is doubtful say some whether it shall be in outward respects which do thus usually prove snares to Saints and did prove so in Constantine the Great his time and afterward when the godly Emperours bestowed great outward possessions upon the godly Bishops then they began to decay and grow cold and corrupt and loose in their lives which made S. Augustine utter this expression Religio peperit divitias filia devoravit matrem that is Religion brought forth riches and the daughter hath devoured the mother whereby he imports that riches had proved a great snare to religious people and eaten out the power of godliness And how then shall we expect these outward enjoyments which have proved and do prove such snares in these glorious times we are looking for The Answer to the Objection To which I answer first That God will do great things for his people in outwards as well as in spirituals is very clear the Scripture being so plentiful and full in the declaring of it And since it is his pleasure in these later days to deliver the creature from the bondage of corruption and to restore all these outward things to their primitive goodness and glory that his people may see how good these lefthand-mercies if I may so term them are which for their use were appointed that so they may be fully sensible of his goodness therein I say since he hath thus appointed and the Scripture fully declares he will do it why should it be doubted But secondly Whereas it is said that these outward enjoyments do prove and have proved snares let that be considered which I have already said how that it shall not be with the Saints in these times as it hath been formerly but that the Spirit shall be more abundantly poured out upon Saints then it hath been and if thou that so objectest considerest that then thou wilt see that the Spirit being so gloriously enjoyed will preserve Saints from being so snared overtaken with the temptations of the world as too many formerly have been And thirdly Whereas thou sayst that many now are snared with the world I desire thee to consider first Whether such as are so snared and carried away with the world from their first love had ever any love to the Lord Jesus in sincerity whether they were not as the thorny ground or the stony ground that never had good rooting never had indeed the Spirit of the Son in them but seemed to receive the Word but it was but with outward flashes of joy Or secondly If they truely had the Spirit of Jesus whether it were not in a weak and a lowe degree for thou shalt finde that those that have a higher measure of the Spirit they though they are great in the world are as full of life and vigour and of fervent love to Christ as those that are mean and walk as humbly as any of them nay some of those that God hath given great outward preferment unto and have much of the world in their possession do far exceed many of those Saints that are of more inferiour rank in the world and go beyond them in zeal and fervencie of spirit and being exemplary in a holy humble and unspotted conversation Therefore if some be corrupt and cold and carnal that have much of these outward things impute it not to those outward things which simply considered in themselves have no evil in them but impute it to that corrupt heart that so abuses these enjoyments Again fourthly Consider what I have already said viz. that the chiefest of the Saints comforts in these times will consist in their inward enjoyments and those that are truely spiritual and shall indeed be accounted worthy to stand before the Lord Jesus in that day shall be such whose hearts are set upon desiring the spiritual enjoyments of this Kingdom above all things else and to such these things shall be added But let such who more desire outward comforts then spiritual enjoyments and manifest it by their present unjust scraping of these outward things together know that they shall in that day enjoy neither the one nor the other comfortably as appears Isai 65. 13 14 20. And so much in answer to this Objection A Querie But secondly It may be queried Whether when the Saints shall enjoy all these things they shall not follow their several employments and vocations as now they do An Answer to the Querie To which I answer Yes it is clear they shall follow several employments as now they do but doubtless in a more regular and more excellent and comfortable way then many now do i. e. some shall not labour and toyl day and night scarce allowing themselves any time to spend in the performance of holy duties or for lawful and convenient recreations to maintain others that live vitiously in idleness drunkenness and other evil practices I say It shall not be thus then such idle and profane creatures shall then have no allowance or sufferance to live such lives as now they do But to the Question That men shall then follow their several employments and callings is clear in these Scriptures Amos 9. 13. Behold in that day saith the Lord the plowman shall overtake the reaper and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed
all the enemies of Christ are made his footstool that at this very time shall Jesus Christ appear with his Saints to raign on earth Of the time when the full deliverance of the Jews and Gentiles shall be compleated But first a word or two about the time when it shall be that Jesus Christ will work this full deliverance for his Saints from their enemies when this great day of his appearing shall be Now in general the time when this last great overthrow of wicked men and this wonderful glorious and compleat deliverance of the Saints shall be after the Lamb hath overcome the ten Kings And after the Gospel hath been preached to all Nations for the bringing in of Jews and Gentiles and after Rome is burnt as we have already said But some may say But how many yeers may it be before these things shall be done If it might be we would know the direct time for it may be long before all these things may be done before the ten Kings are overcome and before the Jews may be converted and the Gentiles fulness come in and before Rome is destroyed and long before that great day come and according to reason it will be a very long time if we should judge according to sense but that we know that beyond sense and reason the Lord can make a short work of it and cut it short in righteousness But if the Scripture do give any hint of the time we desire to know it To this I answer first that I believe this is enough to satisfie a Saint and to make his heart joyful to know that the time of the prevailing power of the Saints enemies over them is come to an end and that they shall never overcome them any more but the Lamb is already seen to be come upon mount Sion where he hath called out his called chosen and faithful ones with which he will go on conquering and to conquer and by whom he will ruine Rome and execute upon his enemies the judgement written I say this is matter of joy to a Saint to know that Christ is a doing these things though they do not know when he will finish this or that particuler work But secondly and more particularly For the yeer in which or neer to which this great day shall be wherein the enemies of the Saints both Jews and Gentiles that shall be converted shall be I shall here propose my apprehensions and leave them to the judicious wise and intelligent Christian to judge of them * Dan. 12. 10. And for this I must have recourse to Dan 12. a chapter which speaks plainly and particularly of this great day of the final deliverance of the Saints in general though particularly it mention but the Jews for the one cannot be without the other as in v. 1. At that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation This is that great day we have spoken of wherein there shall be such a dismal terrible time to wicked men in general as never was since the world began But it shall be as I said to wicked men but not to the converted Jews nor Gentiles not to the Saints And therefore it follows in this verse And at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the book When Michael the Prince i. e. Jesus Christ the great Prince of Israel even of all the Israel of God shall stand up for them in this great day then will he vex their enemies put them to such trouble as there never was the like But all his own people who have given up their names to him who are listed in his book shall be delivered This shall be the work of that great day and that which shall follow immediately upon it follows in v. 2 3. of the chap. whereby it is evident that this chapter speaks of this great day of the deliverance both of Jews and Gentiles Though to Daniel being a Jew there is no mention made of the Gentiles but of his people onely Well this being a prophecy of this great day let us now see what in this chapter is spoken of the time Now I finde that this Chapter speaks of three distinct periods of time in which three distinct remarkable things shall come to pass in order to the deliverance of the Saints And the first time mentioned the 6 and 7 verses speak to and in the 6 verse this question is made How long shall it be to the end of these wonders To which in the 7 verse a double answer is given which is confirmed with a very solemn Oath first that it should be for a time times and a half and secondly that when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people all these things shall be finished Now for the first of these answers because I have had occasion already to open the meaning of it * In my book intituled The Resurrection of the witnesses and have shewed that the same expressions in the Revelation and this here agree in one and point at one and the same thing namely the flourishing time of the Beast the prevailing time of the Beast wherein he shall have power to overcome the Saints and to trample them under foot even fourty two months or a time times and half a time And having cleared this and shewed when that time did expire and that after that time neither the Beast nor the little Horn prevailed any more I say having spoken of these things already I shall refer the Reader thereunto where they shall finde that in 1645 the Beast ceased to prevail against the Saints and the time wherein he should tread the holy Citie under foot then came to an end and neither he nor his associates shall ever prevail more And then this is the effect of the first answer to the question That there should be a time times and an half and then an end should come in which time times and half the Saints should be kept under by enemies but then an end should come and deliverance come And the second branch of the answer makes this clearly to be the meaning of the former which is in these words And when he shall have accomplished to have scattered the power of the holy people all these things shall be finished In which first is clear that there should be a time when the power of the holy people should be scattered the Saints should be destitute of power to oppose an enemy and consequently should be kept under by an enemy Secondly This is clear in these words that there should be a time when this should be accomplished or compleated I mean their power being scattered there should be a time when it should be fully done for then a thing is accomplished when it is fully done as much as