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
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
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
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
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
But secondly To answer the ground of the Objection thus I see no reason why any should conclude that mans making use of the creatures in a reasonable and a moderate manner is that bondage of corruption that Paul speaks of For it is cleer that â—t is no burthen to the creatures to be in subjection to man and to serve man when men are not unmerciful to them as we may see by the readiness of some creatures as it were by a natural instinct to serve man willingly But if any thing in or about mans using the creatures may be said to be a part of the bondage of corruption it is in regard of mens unmerciful dealing with many creatures in laying more burthen upon them then they can well bear and putting of them to do more then they can well do but this bondage will then be removed from them But thirdly What most properly may be said to be the bondage of corruption that now is upon the creatures I have already spoken of and that is that enmity which is in many creatures each to other and to mankinde or that hurtfulness that is in them and this they shall be delivered from in that day And that this is the genuine sense and meaning of the Apostle when he says that the creatures shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption in that glorious time of the manifestation of the sons of God is cleer my ground is this Because I finde the Scripture declaring that in that day this enmity and hurtfulness shall be removed from them as appears in those places I have already quoted viz. Isa 11. 6 7 8 9. And Isa 65. 25. And this is the main if not the onely thing in which the Scripture declares that the changed condition of the creatures in that day shall appear and nowhere it is said that the creature shall not then be for the use and service of man but the contrary is cleer But fourthly That some creatures are killed for the use of man what bondage is it for them For what other burthen is it for one creature to be killed then for another creature to die a natural death Is it not a silly thing to conceive that a violent death should be worse to them then another death is because it is so to man seeing these creatures that are not reasonable the thoughts of death are not terrible to them as to man they be for they fear it not nor know not what it is in regard they are not rational Doubtless it were a weak thing to conceive that this kinde of death should be more burdensome to them then a natural death and consequently to think this to be the bondage of corruption spoken of by the Apostle But fifthly As to that of Adam's eating fruit in Innocencie Who can say that Adam in Innocencie did eat onely herbs and fruit For though there be no mention of his eating flesh yet might he not eat flesh though the Scripture be silent in the mentioning of it But if it should be granted that Adam continuing but a little while in innocencie did not feed upon flesh but upon herbs and fruits at that time Doth it therefore follow that if he had continued longer in innocencie that he would not have eaten flesh at any time Was he at all forbidden to eat flesh Would it have been a sin to eat flesh We know that all creatures were made for his use and put in subjection to him and we know that of his two eldest sons the one was a tiller of the ground and the other was a keeper of sheep And why was Abel a keeper of sheep if they were not of use unto them for food as well as the fruit of the ground But doubtless the sheep which Abel kept were of use for food unto them Thus is there nothing of force in that supposition that Adam did eat no flesh in Innocencie Neither may it at all be argued that these creatures shall not be made use of in this time of the restitution of all things But it remains clear as the Scripture declares it that in that time the Saints shall have a comfortable use of all creatures in a more pure mannder then ever And thus much in answer to this Querie And thus having shewn as briefly as I could what the glorious condition of this New Jerusalem shall be both with respect to its internal and external glory which is to continue for a thousand yeers * A declaration of what is to follow after the thousand yeers are expired I shall now come to shew as far as it is revealed unto me from the Scriptures what shall follow after this thousand yeers are finished In which I shall be very brief for the Scripture is but brief in speaking of these things they being things that are very far off But doubtless more may be revealed of them before that time come but for the present thus the Scriptures declares That after these thousand yeers are expired Satan which as we have shewed during this thousand yeers must be bound and shut up in the bottomless pit must be loosed again for a little season and this appears Rev. 20. 2 3. where it is said that he was shut up for a thousand yeers and after that he must be loosed for a little season and being loosed we shall see what work he does in the world vers 8 9. And he shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to battel the number of whom is as the sand of the sea And they went up on the breadth of the earth and compassed the camp of the Saints about and the beloved citie and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them Thus it is here declared what work Satan is to do after he is loosed viz. He will go up and down again in the world among the Nations that are in the four quarters of the earth that is those of the Nations that are unbelievers that are said to be without the holy City being none of them but being subjected to them and put under them and of these there will be in the whole world at that time a very great number for although all Nations shall be converted to Christ yet all persons in all Nations shall not but many of them shall be those that are said to be without the holy City Rev. 22. 15. For without are dogs and sorcerers and whoremongers and murderers and idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye And these shall Satan after he is loosed go up and down among and deceive them gathering them together to battel perswading them to joyn all their forces together and once again to make a desperate attempt against the Saints but in so doing says the text he will deceive them for they shall be drawn to their own destruction and such fools will the devil make of
spring as the grasse and when all the workers of iniquity doe flourish It is that they may be destroyed for ever but thou Lord art most high for evermore A new AND MORE EXACT MAPPE OR DESCRIPTION OF New Ierusalems GLORY when Jesus Christ and his Saints with him shall reign on earth a Thousand years and possess all Kingdoms WHEREIN Is discovered the glorious estate into which the Church shall be then put both in respect of externall and internall glory and the time when And also What hath been done these eight yeares last past and what is now a doing and what shall be done within a few years now following in order to this great work Wherein also That great Question whether it be lawfull for Saints to make use of the materiall Sword in the ruining of the enemies of Christ and whether it be the mind of Christ to have it so is at large debated and resolved in the Affirmative from clear Scriptures and all others answered By M. Cary a servant of Jesus Christ Rev. 22 6 7. And he said unto me These sayings are faithfull and true and the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angell to shew unto his Servants the thing which must shortly be done Behold I come quickly LONDON Printed by W. H. and are to be sold at the sign of the Black spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1651. A description of new Jerusalems GLORY when Jesus Christ and his Saints with him shall reign on earth a thousand yeares and possesse all Kingdoms Dan. 7. 27. And the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given unto the people of the Saints of the most high whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him THe Spirit of God in the former verses having declared the rise actions and end of the little Horne that was to afflict the Saints and shewing how that at last the Saints should overcome him Saies expresly They shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end and then saies in this verse that the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most high c. The assertion which is laid down in these words is plaine and cleare and needs no explanation at all which is this That not only this Kingdom of England and some few others but all the Kingdomes and Dominions in the whole world shall in a more peculiar and more eminent manner than yet they have been be subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and by him given to his Saints to possess This same truth likewise is positively asserted in the 13 14 18 21 and 22 verses of this Chapter in the 13 and 14 verses where the Vision it self of which these verses are an interpretation is declared there it is thus exprest I saw in the night vision and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of daies and they brought him neere before him and there was given him Dominion and glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroyed So that this is clearly asserted here also that the Dominion not only of some but of all people Nations and Languages should be given to the Lord Jesus Christ who is here exprest by this appellation The Son of man by which he is often exprest in the New Testament and this is to be done after the Beast is destroyed as is here exprest And what is in these verses said to be given to the Lord Jesus Christ is in the 18 20 21 and 27 verses said to be given to his Saints for in the 18 verse it is said that the Saints of the most high should take the Kingdome and possesse the Kingdome for ever even for ever and ever and in the 21 22 verses that the Horne prevailed against the Saints untill the Ancient of daies came and Judgement was giuen to the Saints of the most high and the severall beasts having had the Kingdomes of the world for their appointed times the time then came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome and in this 27 ver that the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heauen should be given unto the people of the Saints of the most High Thus what was in the 18 verse said to be given to the Lord Jesus there called the Son of man is in these severall verses said to be given to his Saints The truth is that which is given to the head is given to the members that which is given to the Husband the wife must partake of for there is nothing that he possesses which she hath not a right unto And the Saints of Christ are the members of Christ they are the Lambs wife and having given himselfe unto them he will not with-hold any thing that is his from them but when all the Kingdomes and Dominions under the whole heaven are given to him they shall possesse them with him Thus is this assertion that is laid downe in this verse confirmed in severall other passages in this very Chapter namely That all Kingdomes all the Nations and Languages and People under the whole heaven shall be in a more peculiar and a more eminent manner than yet they have been be subjected to the Lord Jesus and by him be given to his Saints to possesse And as it is cleare here so there are very many other Scriptures wherein it is as clearly asserted severall of which Scriptures I shall here produce that out of the mouth of many witnesses it may be confirmed against all contradictions which I shall the rather do because this Doctrine is so much despised by profane men who jeering at Saints say these are the meek that must inherit the earth But first let me premise That though it be unquestionably true that the riches of this world which hath been hitherto equally dispensed alike to all shall in a very short time be abundantly given to the Saints of the most High as Canaans Land was to Israel of old which was but a shadow of what shall come to passe in the latter daies that yet First they that are indeed the Saints of the most High and that walke most with God will be the least seekers of this worlds wealth and Secondly They that seeke it least and least desire it shall have more than they that seek it eagerly and also shall injoy it most comfortably and with greatest joy in God Thirdly that those saints that God will most honour though they shall have abundance of the world yet they shall not set their hearts upon it but shall prefer the least degree of the flowings of the spirit of God which
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
have done or suffered doth merit a reward but he will freely give them a glorious reward for all that they have suffered and done for him And shouldst destroy them which destroy the earth This being the time in which he comes to do righteousness and justice in the earth he will render a just reward to the enemies of his people and cause his wrath to go forth against them to their destruction but this is further spoken of in the 19. verse as it follows And the temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in his temple the Arke of his Testament and there were lightnings and voyces and thunderings and an earthquake and great haile This verse containes a declaration of two great effects the first of which concernes Saints and the latter concernes the enemies of Christ and his Saints That which concernes Saints is in these words And the Temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in the Temple the Arke of his Testament and that which concernes the enemies is in these words And there were lightnings and voyces and thunderings and an earthquake and great haile of this latter effect of the sounding of this Trumpet I shall speake by and by in its place but first of the first effect mentioned in this verse which concernes the Saints which is contained in these words And the Temple of God was opened in heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Arke of his Testament The Temple and the Arke of his Testament are both Old Testament-phrases and for the opening of these things we must first enquire what is meant by these phrases here in the New Testament Now this may be made cleare by comparing Scripture with Scripture for the spirit of God ordinarily cleares that in one Scripture which he leaves more doubtfull in another Now generally in the New Testament our Lord Jesus Christ and his Disciples to whom he opened the * Luk. 14. 22. Scriptures of Moses and all the Prophets do make use of such phrases as the Temple and Jerusalem and Sion and the Priesthood and the Sacrifices and the like to expresse those things by them which the outward things in use under the law did type out and they never spake of these things as they are litterally understood as to be so understood in the times of the Gospell but as being now abolished and those spirituall things which they typed out are alwaies to be understood by such phrases in the New Testament and so the spirit of Christ in the Apostles expresly declares as for instance the Churches of God are now said to be the Temple of God as 2 Cor. 6. 16. for ye saith Paul to the Church of the Corinthians are the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people and so also the Church of God is in the New Testament called the heavenly Jerusalem and Sion as Heb. 12. 22. and Gal. 4. 26. and Rev. 21. 2 3. and in the New Testament the title of High-Priest is given to Christ as Heb. 8. 1. and the title of Priest is given to Saints as Rev. 1. 6. and the spirituall services of Saints are termed sacrifices for with such sacrifices saies the Apostle God is well pleased So that these words in this verse The Temple of God and the Arke of his Testament are to be mystically understood and not literally since such things are abolished Now by the Temple of God we are to understand here the Church of God the Saints the people of God which in the New Testament are stiled the Temple of God And as the Arke of the Testament was of old that wherein the Book of the Law was put in the Temple of old so in this New Testament Temple that is to say in the Church of God there is the Arke of his Testament there is the new and spirituall Laws and Ordinances of God contained Now then this follows upon the sounding of the seventh Trumpet That the Temple of God is opened in heaven that is that the Church of God which before seemed to be shut up and to lye in obscurity now it shall be opened that is be more fully discovered and manifested openly it shall no longer remaine shut up and in obscurity but it shall be visible and in it is seene the Arke of his Testament among the Churches the saints of God is to be seen the Law and Ordinances of God set up in Majesty and purity I say it is to be seen it no longer remaines in doubt what the Laws and Ordinances of God are but in his Temple in his Church they are to be seen under the sounding of this 7th Trumpet Thus much concernes and is peculiar only to saints but that which followes concernes the enemies of Christ which is in these words and there were voices and lightnings and thunderings and an earthquake and great haile these words are to expresse terrible things to come upon the opposers of Christ the like words are used Rev. 8. 5. To expresse the terrible Judgements of God that were to come upon his enemies in the sounding of the trumpets in answer to the prayers of Saints which are there mentioned to be presented before God and wee know that thundrings and lightnings and haile is usually very sad and dreadfull weather and earthquakes and voices are very sad and amazing things Now such terrible dreadfull and amazing things doe come upon Antichrist and his adherents upon the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which will prove exceeding dreadfull distracting and destructive to them and this shall be when the saints shall be in greater freedome and liberty and glory and splendor then ever they were and when nothing shall disquiet them for these tempests must come upon the wicked To them there will be earthquakes but there shall be none among the Saints no earthquakes in heaven the Saints and their societies are heaven but Antichrist and his crew and conclave is earth and upon these come these stormes and these earthquakes but the saints are above the reach of them And thus much for the opening of this latter part of the eleventh Chapter of the Revelation which I have the more fully and distinctly opened as it now came in my way in the cleering of this truth in hand because I have already opened all the former part from the first verse to the fifteenth where I now began so that now I have opened the whole Chapter And now in all these thirteen severall Scriptures which I have produced and opened as there was need is this truth which in this twenty seven verse of this seventh of Daniel is asserted or made as cleare as the Sun And having thus cleared this truth in generall which I have done the more fully to be a foundation to what I have in the following part of the discourse to discover There are
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
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
c. Here is mention of four several employments for several men 1. the Plow-man 2. the Reapers 3. the treader of grapes 4. the Sower of seed And Jer. 33. 12 13. In that day in the place where it had been desolate there shall be habitations of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down and the flock shall again pass under the hand of him that telleth them And Isa 61. 5. And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks and the sons of the alien shall be your plow-men and vine-dressers Thus in these words is it clear that men shall then follow several employments Again Isa 62. 8 9. I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies and the sons of the stranger shall no more 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 gathered it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness Here it is clear that labour they shall and each man shall enjoy the fruit of his own labours they shall not be unjustly deprived of it as now many be And so again Isa 65. 21 22. They shall build houses and plant vineyards and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands Mark this They shall long enjoy the work of their hands By the work of their hands they shall purchase estates and they shall be long enjoyed by them and their children no strangers shall deprive them of them But now by these several Scriptures it is clear that several employments men shall follow as plowing sowing and planting and reaping and treading the vines keeping and feeding flocks and herds and building houses c. But now though the Scripture mention not expresly the following other employments as Handy-craft-employments working in gold and silver and brass and iron and silk and linen and woollen c. yet is it clearly implied that they shall use such employments in those Scriptures that speak of their building houses in those times and of having gold and silver and apparel in great abundance c. So that it is clear that Saints shall labour in several employments in those times But whatever the lawful employments be in which they labour whether in Husbandry or Handy-craft-employments strangers shall not drink the wine nor eat the food nor inhabit the houses nor wear the apparel for which they have laboured but they and their children shall comfortably enjoy the work of their hands So that all of them by their labours and employments not toylsom and burdensome employments but by their employments which shall be as recreation to them as some employments are to ingenious men now for it is irksome to them to be always idle I say All of them by their pleasant easie and well-regulated employments shall get a plentiful * If the diligent hand by the blessing of the Lord do now make rich much more shall it then store of all those outward things which shall tend to the comfortable subsistence of them and theirs with which they shall have no grief nor vexation at all but sorrow and sighing shall flee away and everlasting joy shall be unto them And so much for answer to this Querie A Querie But thirdly Another Querie may be How the raised Saints that shall come to reign with Christ on earth shall walk and act here in the world An Answer to the Query To which I have no other answer to make but this having already shown that they shall be raised spiritual bodies that they shall not act with respect to their bodies as those other Saints that shall live and shall be born in those times who have not laid down their mortal bodies and been raised again for as our Saviour speaks expresly that in the Resurrection They shall neither marry nor be given in marriage but they shall be as the Angels of God so it shall be with them So that the actings and walkings of the raised Saints here on earth may be much like the actings of the Angels of God But to declare how they shall act more particularly and how and in what manner they shall reign on earth with Christ I dare not undertake to describe any further the Scripture being silent as to particulars and I think that enough for us to know in these matters which the Spirit of God thinks enough to declare of them in Scripture But so much as the Scripture declares we may not onely safely but as our * Deut. 29. 29. duty search into Rom. 15. 4. Therefore so much as I finde the Scriptures declaring thereof do I here exhibit and shall no more A Query But fourthly Some may be apt to enquire Whether all creatures shall be made use of by us then the sensitive creatures as well as the vegetive This Querie is occasioned by that saying of the Apostle which we have Rom. 8. 21. which hath been already mentioned where the Apostle says that in that day of the manifestation of the sons of God that then the creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption Now will some say Is it not a bondage to the sensitive creatures to be killed for the use of man And we do not finde that Adam in innocency made use of any of the sensitive creatures but of herbs and fruits of the trees and of the ground for food And is it not therefore probable that the Saints shall do so in the new Jerusalem-times An Answer to the Query To all which I answer first It is cleer by what I have already said that the Saints shall then be blessed with the enjoyment of all sorts of creatures in abundance as with corn and Wine and Oyl and all the fruits of the earth so also with flocks and herds and Camels and Asses from whence also it is cleer that they shall make use of these sensitive creatures as well as the vegetive for why else should they be promised as outward blessings to them if they should not make use of them And what should they keep flocks and herds for if they did not use them for food But it is not to be doubted but their flocks and herds are to be for food unto them and so likewise are their Camels and Asses and other creatures of that kinde to be for other uses to man kind as for labouring in the ground and carrying burthens and journying and all other things wherein men have occasion to make use of them As appears Isa 30. 23. Thine oxen likewise and the young asses that ear the ground shall eat clean provender c. And Isa 66. 20. And they shall bring your brethren out of all Nations upon Horses and in Chariots and in Litters and upon swift beasts c. And by this in mans making use of all these creatures it will be manifested that man is Lord of them all in that they shall be all subject to him and be useful for him
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
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
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
much more is the Saints meaning in these words when they say Wee give thee thankes because thou hast taken to thee c. Wherein they expresse how they are affected with and doe rejoyce in these things Wee know how David expresses himselfe upon such an occasion Psal 98. 7 8 9. Let the Sea roar and the fulnesse thereof the world and they that dwell therein Let the floods clap their hands and let the hils be joyful together before the Lord for he commeth to judge the earth with righteousnesse and to judge the people with equity David is so affected with this great and glorious dispensation when God comes to reigne and even for to judge the earth with righteousnesse and to decide with justice and equity the controversies of the people as that he cannot be content to onely rejoyce and be exceeding glad thereof himselfe but he also excites the whole Creation to rejoyce in this most glorious dispensation And if these that are still of the world so they be not the desperate and implacable enemies of his Saints shall have such cause to rejoyce when the Lord reigneth because they shall not be at all oppressed nor unjustly dealt with as they had bin before but shall have justice done them I say if these and the whole Creation shall rejoyce when the Lord reigneth much more shall Saints when hee shall come to Judge their cause with righteousnesse and destroy the man of sinne and shall lay all his supporters though Kings and Princes notwithstanding whosoever labours to prop or beare them up in the dust And the Nations were angry When God comes to take his great power and to reigne himselfe the Nations are angry because their vaine customes which they have doated upon must bee laid aside and this great man must be brought downe and that King and 'tother darling and favourite of the Nations for opposing of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Saints must bee destroyed even the * Psal 110. heads over many Countries And thy wrath is come When Jesus Christ comes to reigne hee will breake forth in wrath against his and his Saints implacable enemies and this is that which he speakes of when hee speakes of the yeere of recompences for the controversies of Sion And when he saies the day of vengeance is in his heart * Isa 63. 3 4. and the yeere of his redeemed is come having suffered his adversaries a long time to go on unpunished in afflicting and martyring and oppressing his Saints hee will at last have a time to reckon with them and hee will avenge his Saints quarrell for vengeance is his recompencing all the blood and cruelty of their enemies on their owne heads And he will shew that hee hath not been regardlesse of all the sufferings and sad pressures which his people have undergone from the hands of wicked and cruel men but when the yeere of his redeemed is come then will he recompence his enemies for all their controversies with Sion and as it is Jer. 30. 23. His fierce anger shall goe forth as a whirlewinde and shall fall with pain upon the heads of the wicked For thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged When Christ thus comes to avenge his people on their enemies he doth therein give judgement for them for in that those enemies have slain and martyred his Saints long before he herein judges his people that they have slaine with righteous judgement when he passes the sentence of condemnation and executes it upon those that have thus destroyed and had a hand in the destroying of so many innocent and so many righteous soules for all the bloud of all the innocent soules from righteous Abel to the bloud of the many innocents lately shed in Ireland and elsewhere must be charged upon the Pope and that Generation * And thus God judgeth the dead Saints cause for so saies the Text Rev. 18. 24. that in them will be found all the bloud of all the Prophets and Saints and of all that were slaine upon earth And that thou shou dst give reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to thy Saints and to them that feare thy name small and great The time of Christs reigning will be the time of Saints rewarding for all their love and all the labour and sufferings of it There is none that ever did any thing for God or that suffered any thing for God but shall be abundantly rewarded for all their doings and sufferings and for all their shame and sufferings shal have a reward of double joy according to that passage Isa 61. 7. For your shame you shal have double and for confusion they shal rejoyce in their portion therefore in their land they shall possesse the double everlasting joy shall be unto them And the reward which Christ will give when he hath thus brought down his enemies shall be universall to all his Saints not only as some have conceived unto those Saints that have been Martyr'd for Christ but to all his Saints which are here exprest under various denominations that so all Saints may see themselves here included and therefore first it is thus exprest That thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the Prophets by which in generall is meant all Saints for all Saints have in a measure a spirit of Prophesie For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of Prophesie saies the Angell Rev. 19. 10. but more peculiarly by Prophets is ordinarily understood the great preachers and publishers of Gospell-truths those that are gifted and inabled to hold forth publikely to edification exhortation and comfort Gospell truths for this is prophesying as 1 Cor. 14. 3. and now if there had in this place been no other description given of the Saints which should have been rewarded by Christ but only this his servants the Prophets there might have been some question made whether this did include all Saints and it might be taken only for publike officers but it therefore follows and to thy Saints this is a more generall word and herein all saints might be satisfied though they be not so eminently gifted as others are since this word is added and to thy Saints but if any should yet conceive that they are not here included seeing some that are Saints are sometimes under some doubtings of their Saintship therefore it follows And to them that feare thy name so that if they have but a true filiall sonlike feare of God they may hereby be encouraged but yet further that there may not be any discouraged for their weakeness because they are lookt upon as little ones as babes or because they are low in the world it therefore followes and to them that feare thy name small and great all Saints from the most eminent Prophet and Teacher to the meanest and tenderest babe that waites upon and loves and feares the Lord Jesus shall all be rewarded at his comming not that any thing they
his and their enemies in these words Come out of her my people and reward her even as she hath rewarded you and double unto her double according to her workes in the cup which shee hath filled fill to her double how much she hath glorified her selfe and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her And thus much in answer to this objection Thus have I shewne that the Lambe having raised his Saints hath in part overcome and is going on to overcome the ten Kings in which he will make use of his saints as his instruments And now I am to go on to declare * How the ten Kings shall so imbrace Christ as they shall hate the whore that as the ten Kings or Kingdomes for it is not the Kings alone but the Kingdomes also that hee will overcome shall be subdued by the Lambe and his saints So will he so poure out his spirit upon the people of those Kingdomes as they shall not unwillingly I meane many of them or at least such a part as shall rule the rest in those Kingdomes but willingly yeeld obedience to him that hath subdued them and that in love to him And this appeares in the sixteenth verse * Rev. 17. And the ten hornes which thou sawest upon the Beast these shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and shall burne her with fire Thus those that were once one with the Beast when they are overcome by the Lambe shall have such cleer light given to them to discover truth and shall be so freed from the smoake of the bottomlesse pit which is in the Beasts Kingdome and shall have such cleere light given to them as they so cleerly see the delusions and the abominable filthy practises of the Babylonish crew as their hearts shall rise against them and they shall loath and hate them and then shall willingly and freely yeeld obedience to the Lamb that overcame them and ruine that cursed City Rome which is stil'd the Whore the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth Of this destruction of Rome I shall speake more fully in its place But first I must declare what things must precede it for about these daies when the Kings or Kingdomes are thus overcome and also converted and enlightned and before the ruine of Rome the Gospel shall be preached universally unto all Nations and Kindreds and Tongues and People which doubtlesse will bee effectuall to the bringing in of multitudes both Jews and Gentiles the manner of which I should here proceed cleerly and particularly to describe but before I proceed any further therein I shall make a little necessary digression For first I must make it to appear * Jesus Christ in the yeare 1645. began to take his Kingdome that Jesus Christ in the yeare 1645. began to take his Kingdome and this I shall cleare to the end we may the more orderly proceed in describing what is to follow Now that it is so appeares Rev. 11. where it is said that when the witnesses are raised that then the seventh Trumpet was sounded and then it is expresly said that the kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Thus expresly is it said to be done upon the resurrection of the witnesses and before all his judgements are powred out upon his enemies some of which are mentioned in the following verses And so in this 27. verse of this seventh Chapter of Daniel it is said that when the time times and halfe a time are come to an end and the little Horn is overcome by the Saints that immediately upon this the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome and all Rulers shall serve and obey him But it may be objected how can this be said to be so seeing that we see the great Monarchs of the world or the toes of the 4 Monarchs mentioned Dan. 2. among whom the world is divided do yet possesse most of the severall Dominions under the whole heaven these only of England and Ireland excepted and they do not any of them stoope to the Scepter of Christ nor to his Government but they do exclude it wholly and rule according to their own tyranicall wils and pleasures To this I answer That although we see not yet those many Kingdomes and Dominions of the world subjected unto Christ yet this may be true notwithstanding and will appeare if we consider that the Kingdome of Christ in the beginning of it in the second of Daniel is said to be a stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands that should smite the Image upon his feet and breake them to peeces which stone was to become a glorious Kingdome and fill the whole earth by which it appeares that the beginning of this Kingdome should be so small as it should not appeare whence it came it should be a stone cut out of the Mountaine it should not appeare to be any Mountaine but to be a stone at first but afterwards to become a great Mountain and fill the whole earth Againe at first it should appeare as a stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands it should so miraculously appeare at first as it should seeme to be done without hands without the power or strength or help of the Kings Princes or Monarchs of the world and when the witnesses were first raised what help of the strength and power of the Kings and Monarchs of the world had they What hands assisted them Were they not a company of poore weake despised people in the eyes of the world that were indeed but as a little stone cut out of the Mountaine of the whole world without hands and yet this little stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands must and undoubtedly shall smite the Image upon his feet and break in peeces the Iron and the Clay and the Brass and the silver and the Gold together and not cease untill its selfe become a Mountaine filling the whole earth Jesus Christ having begun to take to him his great power and to reigne will not cease untill he have subjected every Dominion to his Royall Scepter and made them to serve and obey him which he is going on apace to do and will doubtlesse go on swifter yet and the neerer he is to the end of his worke the swifter is his motion like to be Thus have I digrest from what was in hand being to describe the manner of bringing in of multitudes to the obedience of Christ to this end that notice might be taken of this along as I go that what Christ doth herein is in order to the becomming a great mountaine according to the phrase of the Prophet but now to return I was shewing * When the Gospell must
be preached to all nations how that when the Lambe had overcome the ten Kings that then before the ruine of Rome the Gospell should be universally Preached unto all Nations and this is cleer Rev. 14. In the five first verses of that Chapter we have a declaration of Jesus Christ his standing upon mount Sion his appearing for to own his people and of his peoples being gathered unto him which are described to be pure and undefiled and redeemed ones to God and to the Lord Jesus and they are said to be the first fruits and to follow the Lambe wheresoever he goeth implying that they are the first of those that were called to waite upon the Lambe in the services that he hath to do for them in order to the setting up of his Kingdome They were brought in to him before the everlasting Gospel was generally preached and before the fall of Babylon They were the first fruits Now who are these first fruits that now stand upon mount Sion with the Lamb and follow him whithersoever he goeth Doubtlesse those whom he hath now called forth to follow him and those that he will call out of the rest of the ten Kingdomes Well what follows In the 6 7 and 8. verses And I saw an Angell flye in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospell to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his judgement is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters and there followed another Angell saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City c. Here we see that before the fall of Babylon and yet after the first fruits are come in to the Lambe the Gospell must be preached to all Nations and doubtlesse glorious and wonderfull will be the proceedings of Jesus Christ in the world now that he hath begun to take the Kingdomes and Dominions thereof into his possession he hath done great things in some Kingdomes already and he will do the like in others shortly and will powre out his spirit withall upon them and so cause the light to appeare unto them as shall effectually discover unto them the basenesse the viciousnesse the filthinesse and the abominablenesse of the cursed Doctrines of the Beast and the whore and cause them to loath them and to publish and manifest their dislike and hatred of them to all the world and with much zeale and fervency of spirit will all such as shall bee enlightened and thereunto qualified preach and publish the cleare truths of the Gospell in opposition to the false Doctrines of Antichrist in all parts of the world and unto all nations discovering also unto them the glad tidings of the Gospell to the saving of their soules and the turning of them from Idols and vanities to serve the true and living God Of the Jews Conversion ANd by this meanes way will be made for the bringing in of the Jewes who are at this day earnestly expecting of and waiting for the comming of the Messias Christ the anointed to bee their King their Saviour and their Prophet But before the ten Kings doe hate the Whore and before they manifest to all the world a detestation of her they cannot come in but then shall the everlasting Gospell be preached to all Nations Jewes and Gentiles and a spirit of zeale for Christ will bee then upon the Saints so as they shall not bee able to withhold from preaching the Gospel more generally in all the world But if now any faithfull and able Minister of the new Covenant which is the Ministration of life and the Ministration of the Spirit should goe and preach Jesus Christ unto the Jewes and publish glad tidings to them and tell them that the Messias is come and that Jesus Christ is he who will bee their King and Lord and Prophet and Saviour and will save them from all their sinnes if they beleeve in him and that he will restore all things to them and do glorious things for them alas they would scarce now say of such Blessed is hee that commeth in the Name of the Lord and why because they cannot beleeve that the Lord Jesus Christ in whom we beleeve and rejoyce and glory and who is our light and life and peace and joy and strength and all in all is indeed the Messias and the Saviour of all the ends of the earth as we know and beleeve he is and why cannot they beleeve it because that great Whore the City of Rome who pretends to have power over all that are called Christians is such a filthy abominable hatefull strumpet such a mother of harlots and abominations * What is the present let of the Iewes cunversion Whereas the Jewes keep close to the Old Testament and to the Law contained therein which is holy just and good And they know and are assured in the Old Testament that when the Messias comes hee will turne away ungodlinesse from Jacob he will cleanse them from all their corruptions and all their waies that are not good and that they that are his shall be a holy people a people taught of God and therefore they cannot beleeve him to be the true Messias whom such polluted openly profane and impudently filthy creatures as the Romanists are professe to bee their Saviour For besides many others there are five things especially which the Jews take offence at in the practises of that cursed crew as First their worshipping of Images and statues and crosses and crucifixes and such like trumpery Secondly their loathsome hatefull and excessive giving up of themselves unto uncleane lusts tolerating and allowing themselves and others in them as in fornication adultery sodomie and beastiality practises which the very heathen abhor and yet these abominable sins the Popes Cardinals Bishops and Priests and others of all ranks are frequent in the practice of granting liberty to all that are under their jurisdictions to live in the practice of them if they do but purchase a pardon with mony from the Pope for them Thirdly frequent murthers teaching it to be no sin to murther an Hereticke and tolerating such as are murtherers Fourthly Their tolerating of drunkenness and oaths Fifthly Their allowing of sorcery and witchcraft most of their Priests being sorcerers For these things especially but for many others also are the Jewes offended and cannot beleeve him to be the true Messias that shall be the Saviour of such prophane persons for they are assured that such persons cannot be the people of God They know that Adulterers and Idolaters and Sorcerers and Murtherers and Swearers and Lyers shall not enter into the Kingdome of God None shall come into his holy * Ps 15. 1 2. and 24. 2 3. Hill saies David but such as have cleane hands and a pure heart and this they know and therefore do
and chosen and faithful ones those first-fruits whom he hath now called forth and engaged in his works shall having the Spirit of their Lord upon them do according to his ensample first * What course the Armies of the Saints under Jâ—sus Christ first will take with the Nations or ten Kingdoms offer peace and publish the cleer light of Gospel to them that if possible they might be that way won I say if any of the ten Kings shall this way be brought in they wil doubtless be very acceptable to Christ And who knows whether or no the Lamb may overcome some of them this way Whether Spain and other kingdoms may not be so gained to Christ and made to hate the whore But if not so then will he deal with those that are implacable of them in the way of his justice and overcome them I mean those of them that are implacable for some of them shall hate the whore when they are overcome in his wrath and sore displeasure as he hath already done with those that in maintenance of the beast stood it out against him making his people to execute upon them the judgement written for overcome them he will Of Romes ruine And thus having shewn how that the Lamb will overcome the ten Kings and that about that time when some or all the ten Kings or kingdoms are overcome and made to hate the whore the Gospel shall be universally preached all the world over I now come to shew that when the Lord Christ hath thus in larged his kingdom and diminished the kingdom of the beast he shall then go on to cause his people those especially of the ten kingdoms to go on in their work of breaking down the strength of the beast and bringing it to nothing that the Lord Christ may be all And in order thereunto they shall be the instruments of the utter ruining of Rome which is that whore mentioned Rev. 17. 1. As appears vers 18. The woman or the whore which thou sawest is that great city which raigneth over the kings of the earth which Rome then did I say the Saints of the ten kingdoms about this time when these things are done shall then be instruments of ruining this whore And this appears Rev. 17. 10. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast these shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Where it is very cleer that the ten Kings being overcome by the Lamb they shall have such a cleer sight of the light of the Gospel as shall not onely cause them to forsake the principles of darkness that are imbraced by Rome but they shall hate those principles and hate Rome for her filthiness and cursed lewdness and shall manifest their hatred in disrobing her of her strength and glory and pomp with which the text says she is decked Rev. 17. 4. All which they shall take from her and make her naked And shall that be all they will do No for they will not onely make her naked but will eat her flesh will make her destitute not onely of her outward robes of pomp and glory but will eat her very flesh that is they will devour and consume that without which she can as little consist as a man can whose flesh is consumed So that they shall so far manifest their hatred to Rome as they shall reduce her to the greatest straights that can be imagined And shall they leave there No but they shall burn her with fire And that the Saints shall deal thus with her is again expressed in chap. 18. vers 6 7 8. Where the people of God are bid to reward Babylon that is Rome even as she hath rewarded them and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double how much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her For she saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her Thus it 's cleer that the Saints in the ten kingdoms shall so hate Rome as they shall plague her make her desolate expose her to great misery and utterly burn her with fire And when this City is thus burnt with fire * Rev. 18. 6. because she hath made her self drunk with the blood of the Saints and the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and because she hath made all Nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication * vers 2. and the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and because that when she comes to be destroyed * vers 24. in her will be found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth therefore when she comes to be destroyed she shall be made a monument of vengeance as being the most cursed City in the world and therefore it is said that when Babylon is fallen she is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird Rev. 18. 2. And the voice of harpers and musicians and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee no crafts men of whatsoever craft he be shall be found any more in thee And the sound of a milstone shall be heard no more at all in thee and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee for thy merchants were all the great men of the earth for by thy sorceries were all Nations deceived Thus Rome when it is destroyed shall be no more inhabited by the sons of men it is such a cursed City but on the contrary it shall become the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird and the wild beasts of the desart shall lie therein and it shall be full of doleful creatures Owles and Satyrs and Dragons as it is at large exprest Isa 34. 9 10 11 c. And Isa 13. 19 20 c. Thus Rome shall be ruined and over it's ruines shall the Saints rejoyce as Rev. 18. 20. Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her But her confederates will greatly lament and bewail her As vers 9 10 c. Thus much for Romes ruine Of what is to follow Romes ruine But the enemies of Jesus Christ and his Saints are not wholly ruined when Rome is thus destroyed but many will be left to bewail it and amongst the rest it appears that the Beast viz. the Pope still remains undestroyed for he is one of the last that shall be
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
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
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
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
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
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
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