upon the haters of it and gives the true distinction of the beginning and end thereof That judgement that begins with Gods people fals heavily in the end upon their enemies J may seeme in the middle of this Treatise to forsake my Text to seeke out the Commentary but J shall intreat my Reader for a favourable exposition of my minde and meaning The Text toucheth the sinne that ought to bee taught with all exactnesse and therefore J to helpe my Reader the better have bent my strength the more to deale thorowly with it in all the branches J shall easily render my account and by that other Text cleare my selfe of all unnecessary digressions and unprofitable searches of such secrets as that place J now mention will allow me Ioh. 16.7 8. It is a truth that Christ insists upon that his departure is as expedient and necessary as his comming into the world He came into the world to redeeme it and hee leaves the world that his Redemption may be preached and applyed This application is the worke of the Spirit and by conviction is to be wrought upon the world The things of which the world is convinced are all Evangelicall and essentially differ from things legall First in commands the Law commands us to doe and live the Gospel to beleeve and live The Law bids us looke to our owne righteousnesse The Gospel to the righteousnesse of Christ The Law does charge us with holinesse according to our own righteousnesse The Gospel with holines according to the Spirit Which being more exact is the cause that it is so much spurned at and contemned by the world Legall purity is not persecuted like Evangelicall purity A man may bee a Pharisee and favoured by the world but a strict Christian is out of hope to farewell even by the best worldlings Persecution hath waited more upon the Gospel than the Law The light of the one is farre too cleare for worldly eyes to behold it Jt is strange with the world to deny it selfe and beleeve in another Jt is hard to forsake a morall righteousnesse and seek to be justified by another Who can indure to have Satan so judged in him as quite to forsake all Lawes as to live by the new Commandement This is a large difference of legall and Evangelicall commands yet let them be accursed that so farre set at oddes Law and Gospel as either like Iewes doe reject the Gospel to defend the Law or like Familists renounce the Law to maintaine the Gospel Love and no Law is the lewd learning of our new Gospellers Duty say they is not worth the name of a Christian that must doe all of meere love Loose love that likes of nothing but free will offerings Such licences are not granted by Law or Gospel They both agree in the command of our lives and yeeld us liberty to obey no licence to live as wee list The Law will send us to Christ and the Christian being justied will be sent backe againe by the Gospel to walke unblameably by the Law Legall comminations follow our workes and curse us for our deedes but legall comminations follow our saith and where that is wanting tell us wee are condemned and as sure to goe to hell as if wee were there already Legall promises of life depend upon our merits and tell us we shall bee rewarded for our well-doing But Evangelicall promises depend upon our faith and Christs merit and tels us it shall be onely well with us in him Sinnes wee have against the Law and every booke intreats of them Sinnes wee have against the Gospel and it were well every Writer would in these dayes insist upon them J have ventured farre into their discourse and wish all Christians by the example of the Iewes in my Text to take heed of them There is one thing will bee admired at both for the Method and matter how J come to speake so much and in such a manner of the glorious kingdome of the blessed Trinitie My answer will be speedy having granted me the Commentary for my Text. The holy Ghost comes in the absence of Christ and by applying his redemption administers first in the kingdome of God taking possession of those subjects that God the Father hath chosen and whom JESVS Christ hath redeemed by his precious blood The Spirit workes for the Sonne and therefore returnes the Kingdome to him againe at his second comming The Son works for the Father and therefore so takes the Kingdome from the Spirit that in the end he gives it up to the Father for the full perfection of glory This mutuall working sends me in my discourse from one person to another and to all the world to let them see what may be gained or lost by obeying or disobeying the Gospell I have wondred in reading the most ancient Fathers what they meant by urging so frequently men to Martyrdome that they might not lose the honour of rising and reigning with Christ at his second appearing Surely they saw and beleeved that the Spirit of grace did not in vaine perswade them They shall have honour according to their hope and as above others they gave their lives for Christ so before others they seeme to live againe Rev 20.4 Let the meaning in that place be what it will for J will not determine thereof yet the age of the ten persecutions so conceived of it as by plentifull testimonies might appeare Jt is agreeable with Christs proceedings to honour them that honour him and as they are before others in their zeale and service so to be above others in their dignity and desert though not of merite and for their workes yet according to his mercy and their workes J could not well leave untouched with the comming of the holy Ghost upon Christs departure the returne of him againe and delivery up of all to the Father that the Family and Houshold in my Text might see their patience perfected in power and their power consummated in glory The Kingdome of God in the divers administrations of it will bee worthy the contemplation and Gods House shall bee most happy in their thoughts of it All their enemies most miserable in the losse and deprivation thereof Their ends shall be augmented in misery as many degrees as that Kingdome shall bee advanced in glory But J will stay my Reader no longer in the Preface but wish him good successe in the substance of that which followeth THE SAINTS Sufferings 1 PET. 4.17 For the time is come that judgement must beginne at the house of God and if it first beginne at us what shall the end be of them that obey not the Gospel of God WHen Samuel had finished his speech to Israel God himselfe secondeth the Prophet with a voyce from heaven and then the people tremble 1 Sam. 12.18 wee never have our hearers at an advantage till God make their eares to tingle with some judgement then they stoup with Samuel and say Speake Lord for
contrary to the world for so the world is conquered and hee that suffers becomes subject to another but we are slaine saith the Apostle and our slaughter is our victory nay more than victory in so doing we conquer the conquerours and command our oppressors More than conquerours is more than any Caesar achieved unto or ever Monarch effected in his greatest victories Who can say so but Christians Emperours have conquered with difficultie and lost with greater facility all their kingdomes They have beene lesse than conquerours and never gotten victory but left it to others to gaine it from them O the honour of this spirituall kingdome and excellency of grace that even thriveth best vnder oppressions and worldly violence The regression of the Kingdome All the honour of this Kingdome redoundeth unto Christ and shall then appeare when he appeares to take his Kingdome great dominion He should have had no subjects but for the Spirit and none so victorious but for Martyres who as they have first honoured Christ by death shall of him againe bee first graced with life Those that are alive and converted shall bee a glory to Christ as hee will bee a glory to them It is for the persons in the sacred Trinity mutually to raise glory one to another Wee are therefore ordine retrogrado come from the kingdome of grace to the Kingdome of power from the administration of the Spirit to the administration of the Son and seeke after three things as glorious as the former and yet more outward but not lesse spirituall for perfection in the Trinity is both wayes obserued and effected in progression the Father perfects his worke in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Spirit so in regression the holy Ghost perfects grace in power and the Son perfects power in glory We will speake of the Sons taking ruling and delivering up of this kingdome of power Christs taking of the Kingdome of power Heb. 2.5 mention is made of a world to come and the subjectioÌ„ thereof to Christ This wee see not saith the Apostle as yet accomplished but wee see Iesus Christ crowned and made a King in heaven His presence on earth as yet wee have not save in the holy Ghost But hee will appeare in his body and take this Kingdome and whole world to himselfe and turne out of it all the ungodly in the earth His enemies that would not suffer him to reigne over them by his Gospell are then to bee brought before him and slaine in his presence The taking of his great power Revel 11.17 At the last trumpet and the last woe all Kingdomes fall to Christ But how I pray you marke the text He shall take to himselfe his great power and reigne To himselfe immediately to himselfe for forme and manner of government He left it in the hands of the Spirit and now takes it againe to himselfe no more depriving the Spirit of the honour of it in the re-assumption than hee did himselfe when he deposed it into the hands of his Spirit Now the question will bee how this is done The answer is with great power greater than ever before for it destroyes them all that now destroy the earth How is it taken Daniel assoiâ—es this doubt and makes it glorious and wonderfull in his extraordinary description of it Dan. 7.9 10. c. First the Lord Iesus takes it from his enemies and casts downe their thrones and makes them seates for his Saints Rev. 20.7 he takes it from the last beast even because of the little horne and his blasphemous and bloody words Secondly hee takes it from the Ancient of daies who in a glorious and most illustrious manner installes the Lord Iesus into his kingdome Thirdly he is attended and waited upon by the innumerable company of Angels by whom hee is brought to the Ancient of dayes Reade the rest and admite at this inauguration and solemnization of the day of Christs coronation upon earth who now in heaven is crowned with glory and immortality When it is taken 2 Tim. 4.1 At the Epiphanie of his kingdome Marke 13.26 Luke 21.27 when the powers of heaven are shaken and the starres that shine in them are humbled to the ground Earthly potentates that are advanced above others shall bee made low The fall of such starres will not hinder the sight of Christ but honour it Other starres being bigger than the earth would overlay it and men and suffer no man to stand upon earth to see the Lord Iesus come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Hee must bee seene of all eyes and therefore it is most safe to give the sense of the Scriptures by the Scriptures and to say of this day as of the former shadowes of it in Babylon and Aegypt Isa 13.10 and 14.12 13. Ezek. 32.7 8. The starres of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light The Sunne shall bee darkned in his going forth and the Moone shall not cause her light to shine the bright lights of heaven are put out when Pharaoh falleth by the Babilonians and Lucifer sonne of the morning ascended into heaven above the heights of the clouds and starres themselves to bee like the most High comes downe to the ground when by the Medes and Persians Belshazzar is pulled from the orbe of his height and honour Christ the bright shining starre of Iacob and the advanced Scepter of Israe is risen and shall rise to smite all corners and subdue all Nations Let us therefore advance him from the taking of the kingdome to the ruling of it Christs ruling and reigning in his kingdome Dan. 7.14 On this day dominion is given to Christ Zech. 14.9 One Lord one name and that over all the earth In this day will hee reigne in and over all mankinde Rev. 11 15. Now the world does not acknowledge him for one Lord as being ruled by many neither does it worship him by one name as being distracted into many religions but this will Christ remove at his day and rule by a more equall power and uniforme worship Paul is our witnesse 1 Cor. 15.24 25 26. c. that the end and delivery up of this kingdome to God even the Father cannot be till rule authority and power of devils in hell men upon earth and even death the last of enemies be fully vanquished and subdued and for this purpose I might produce all the Prophets and holy Apostles speaking glorious things of Christs reigning and ruling at the sound of the last trumpet and comming of the last woe Rev. 10.7 All the Prophets are witnesses and St. Peter speaking of the same thing adds to them all the Apostles 2 Pet. 3 2. They have ill done that have muzled up the mouthes of the Prophets with a Consummation and conclusion in Christs incarnation The Iewes dispute Dan. 2.35 and 7.11 That Messiah must come when the Monarchies are as chaffe before the winde and quite blowne out of the world When the
have thoughts of fulnesse in themselves Their vertues and good actions are all they boast of and therefore these men prove barren under the Gospell With these full Pharisees wee have another sort of people in as great danger upon a contrary ground faith is their glory and they seare not to â—ee found with the best in Gods favour Aske thâ—se 〈◊〉 in good earnest 〈◊〉 they were convinced of sinne and they will bee briefe with you that they scorne but to bee lesse holy than the best and to reprove them is audacious slander Why but are you not sinners yes for fashion sake they will not deny that Are we not all sinners But what say you to want of faith in Christ to this they have a vulgar and grosse answer marry God forbid I should be so bad as not to beleeve in Christ I thanke God I love him with my very heart and so have done ever since I was borne But were you never soundly convinced by the Gospell and Gods Spirit of this great want What would you make us infidels wee abhorre to thinke of such questions goe and aske them the Turkes for we by the grace of God will never turne Turkes and take part against Christ But when came this perswasion into your hearts and by what meanes was it wrought I finde Iohn 16.8 9. a Spirit of conviction what say you Have you heard of this Spirit since you were baptized how and in what manner hath this Spirit wrought in you Truly we beleeve there is such a person in the Trinity for so we were baptized but for such a gift it is all one to us as if there were no Spirit at all Now poore soules you have put them besides all their divinity and convinced them of that for which they give God thankes blessing God they never wanted faith which assures them they never had it for to want it is the way to have it and to beleeve the contrary an undoubted testimony of their dangerous presumption God open their eyes and bring them to a better triall by the truth of his word I will therefore descend into a more strickt examination of the sinne and the judgement in my text and deale right downe in the whole worke of the conviction Iohn 16.8 and then againe repeate the judgements and summon up as many particulars as my memory and Gods mercy shall suggest unto mee I will reade this text alleadged and deale by faire and capitall titles for the more firme and faithfull remembrance of my Reader in all that followeth A glorious Kingdome Iohn 16.8 And when he is come c. There bee two great Doctors come from the Father into the world by whom he will convince the world before he judge it and these two succeed the one the other the first absents himselfe and the other comes in his roome To finde Christ a successor in man is the crime of the Church of Rome of which they are now ashamed and by correction mend their Authors and bid them say the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and Successor of S. Peter But by their leave they yet want an Index expurgatorius to expunge and wipe out the Pope and put in a more equall for Christ left by himselfe when he left this earth fitter to bee both Christs Vicar and Successous These two excellent Teachers undertake the conviction of the world before the condemnation of it So dealt Iesus Christ with the Iewes We will enlarge our selves in the worke of the Trinity and bee ample in the view of their Kingdome The excellent and admirable administration of Gods Kingdome There bee three persons in the Divine nature that worketh all things yet are all things wrought in a wonderfull and most distinct and unconfused manner The Father of himselfe and to himselfe worketh all things and so is the beginning and end of every action 1 Cor. 8.6 The progression from this beginning and regression to this end is the rarest and sweetest mysteries in the Bible In the progression the Father goes on by the Sonne and both Father and Sonne by the blessed Spirit and here beginnes the immediate administration of the Kingdome within the Spirit alwayes taking the possession of it I will open clearely this Divine and ravishing secret and set men on work with no new notion but an old truth for I abhorre to deflect from the wayes of Antiquity Of the progression and regression of the Kingdome from and to the Father St. Paul setling true religion upon the surest pillars pluckes downe the rotten and ragged pillars of Pagans and Papists 1 Cor. 8.6 To us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and wee to him c. Many gods confound themselves in their beginning and end and therefore if creatures were from them they should bee confounded in their originall this confusion would breed a greater they should not know whom to serve But wee saith the Apostle have this errour corrected in one God neither neede wee be confounded with many persons for they are our best helpe in religion Take the first person make him the beginning of all creatures and our end in speciall and we shall know both to whom wee are beholding and to whom we owe our thankes The Heathen have no such knowledge they neither know Author nor end of their actions praise In this wee agree with them that to goe to God without a mediator is presumption in both and therefore they have their many lords to goe by to their many gods and are here againe confounded in their praiers not knowing to what Saint to turne Fryer Teitis made a sermon that Saints might bee served with the Lords prayer for that it was a common question with the Romane Chanters to demand to whom do you say your Pater noster This is a straine of the old religion and many lords of the Heathen and therefore Christ being put out or shuffled in with the multitude it was no marvaile such a question should bee raised for to God must we goe by a mediator but Paul in the progression of our religion hath given us better direction that as the Father by one Lord Iesus Christ hath made all things so we if we will proceede aright must by the same Lord Iesus Christ and no other goe to the same Father and so in conclusion after a long and glorious perigrination upon earth we shal be brought to the Father that hee in us as Paul witnesseth 1 Cor. 15.28 may be all in all Of the Sonnes mediation in this Kingdome It was expedient for us that the Father should send his Sonne for wee which are the best of his creatures being lapsed cannot without Christ serve our end He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 8.6 Ephs 4.5 1 Tim 2.5 and 6â—15 c. the alone mediator and powerfull potentate with God for us For this end he is incarnate and to this purpose he lives and dies riseth from
of them in the I ather O ravishing Societie and blessed Communion wee shall enjoy in our Fathers house when all is given up unto him and yet in him all to be enjoyed In him we enjoy Christ and the blessed Spirit we are no losers but gainers by these wayes of Divine and deepe wisedome The regression of the Kingdome to the Father 1 Cor. 15.28 That God may be all in all v. 24. God even the Father God essentially shall blesse us but the Father in speciall shall be glorified in us This was Christs prayer upon earth Iohn 17.21 That we might be one in the blessed Trinitie as they are one in themselves and have all conspired to make us happy Christ prayeth they may be perfect in one that they may be where he is now c. The holy Ghost and the Sonne conclude in the Father and so must wee for our full happinesse Zech. 14.16 Why not the Passeover to be kept in the great day spoken of before this was the greatest feast in Israel but the feast of Tabernacles hath a more apt allusion to those times Our Mansions are in heaven as long as we stay upon earth though under assured safety and freedome from danger yet we are not at the best In the Kingdome of Grace we are well and happy In the Kingdome of power we are better and more happy but in the Kingdome of Glory we are best of all We have thus farre digressed and I hope transgressed no rule in Religion Wee can easily recall our selves to our first intention concerning the comming of the holy Ghost And when he is come he shall convince the world of sinne and of righteousnesse and of judgement Of Sinne. That is want of faith in Christ the signe of all sinne for we can expect no discharge without it All sinne in one sinne is convinced of the Law we are guilty in Adam and of this sinne wee are guilty in the Gospel The sinnes of the Law are strong enough to condemne us but this firme brings in our great condemnation Ioh. 3.19 the Law is not that light that containes life in it that light is Christ Ioh. 1.14 He came into the world both as the light and life of it and yet men loved darkenesse more than light not onely because their deeds were morrally evill but because they esteemed not to have them mended by this new principle of faith in Christ Infidels come not to the light of the Gospel because that does most convince them of sinne The Law is more sparing than the Gospel for it chargeth man no further than of originall and actuall sinne But the Gospel extends to his wants of such faith righteousnesse and holinesse as the Law leaves at liberty It commands us faith in God and is silent of faith in Christ It bids us bee righteous but not in another It bids us be holy but that is from our owne vertues and not spirituall graces The Spirits light is too strong for weake eyes to looke upon it It blunts and blindes him to thinke his deeds so ill as God does not approve the best of them It is strange to him to beleeve that without faith in Christ nothing that is done by him is accepted of God He conceives better of himselfe and trusts that his good meanings and vertuous actions are not so out of request with GOD but he shall gaine some favour and friendship at Gods hands to be esteemed of better then of the worst and most wicked man Hee must therefore know that if the Gospel prove him guiltie of the want of faith no sinne is spared or pardoned any more to him than the lewdest liver in the world Hee must therefore learne to love the truth of the Gospel and come to the light thereof that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God and the power of his Spirit and not in or by any of his good dispositions Let us in the holy feare of God looke to our lives and never applaud our selves by our owne vertues The whole world is guilty of a sinne it hath no sense or feeling of and even the best are in worst case let thē come to triall and by a conviction more than legall see what the Gospel reproveth let them thus reason with themselves It is too grosse and sottish to say I am a sinner I am worse I am an Infidell and wrapped up in the worlds condemnation It is high time for my soule to bee dealt withall and that by a more powerfull cause than the morrall Law or mine owne conscience I must to the Gospel and conviction of Gods Spirit and never rest till I finde the Spirit present and come home to my heart I shall afterwards intreat of all the heads of this first conviction I will first open the sinne secondly who are guilty of it Thirdly how they must be dealt withall Fourthly by whom Fiftly in what manner The same methode shall be observed in both the other convictions that by the instance in my Text of the Iewes disobedience and judgement we may learne to tremble and feare to live either without Evangelicall faith Evangelicall righteousnesse or Evangelicall judgement Three things in the Gospel inseparably lincked together He that beleeves in Christ hath righteousnesse imputed and hee that hath righteousnesse imputed hath holinesse infused to reject Satan and his service and receive the true judgement of the Spirit to bee at his command and Kingly government I shall wish every head propounded may have it's use and application Vse 1. Let the want of faith in Christ and righteousnesse from him and an holy subjection to Gods Spirit more perplex us than all earthly wants Let such especially as are profane thinke of it who beside the burden of the Law grosly abused have the Gospel to beat home their condemnation and beare them downe headlong to hell for contempt of great salvation tendred them in their sinnes But especially let the more morall men marke themselves if they were as forward as Paul to know none or little evill by themselves yet to thinke they are not so justified but the Gospel can bring upon them a greater condemnation than the Law and challenge them for more than ever was dreamed of by their owne account and reckoning by the Law Lastly let carnall Gospellers descend and see their presumption that will bee sure of faith without conviction They suppose it is soone gotten and lost and that to play at fast and loose with God is no danger They will have faith when they list and easie convictions leade them any wayes It is time for them to learne a better lesson and to bee soundly lashed from our Text that the convictions of Gods Spirit are no easie and morall perswasions fitted to our inclination but sound convictions taking from us all excuses be they never so witty and laying us low before God to be dealt withall at his pleasure Vse 2. These wants are
propagates Evangelicall faith or the want of it to his posterity It is personall both in the habite and privation No man is saved but by his owne faith or condemned but by his owne infidelity The want of faith in Christ is every mans proper sinne and can be imputed to none without the Gospel Wee make it the Churches sinne and not of all the world Gods preparation and donation of faith Leaving the power of Mans innocency and vniversall freedome to beleeve legally or Evangellically wee fall into the safe way and say that wheresoeâ—â—â— the Gospel is preached God gives or is prepared to give faith in Christ Hee mockes no man but is serious in the salvation of every soule to which the Gospel is sent Every hearer in the Church is zealously perswaded to repent The Ministers minde and Gods meet in his holy ordinances and the Word is earnestly spoken to every eare God himselfe goes with his message from seate to seate and from man to man with true and hearty desire of his conversion yet notwithstanding he gives not equall grace to all as shall appeare in our distribution thereof The donation of faith Act. 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternal life beloved To the Elect hee gives faith He is not onely prepared to preach unto them his Gospell but hee prepares their hearts to receive it He gives unto his chosen ones the blessed Gospel of peace and reconciliation and hee gives them faith to beleeve it We have all the same capacity but not the same conformitie Our powers are alike in understanding and will but that obedientiall and filiall subjection to God and his Gospel is peculiar to some God is prepared to give faith to all that heare his Gospel Matth. 23.37 I would yee would not It is the will of God by the Gospel that all should be gathered unto him Mans will resisteth Gods will and makes that Gospel of none effect that should be effectuall unto all God may adde further grace and give men hearts to receive as freely as his Gospell is offered unto them but such grace is a royall prerogative and reserved for some of many All are beholding to God but some finde and feele the very riches of his grace and are never able to be thankefull enough that they above others should receive so much Of the righteousnesse of God To require performance and give no power is as unequall in the command to al as it is in the gift to some To seeke where hee sowes not and to reape without labour is unreasonable if not unrighteous Man never had power to obey and therefore a heavy and harsh command is imposed upon him Mans power to obey the Gospel There is never a man but is guilty of that power that God hath given him and does lesse than he is inabled by his owne freedome There is no man but he may frequent the meanes and come to the place of Gods worship Secondly being come hee hath eares to heare Thirdly he hath an understanding to know the logicke and language of the holy Ghost Fourthly by that knowledge to come to an historicall faith Fiftly to affect reverence and regard both Ministers and message Sixtly to bring forth some fruits Seventhly to attend and wait daily for the regenerating Spirit that may convert and turne him truely unto God This power man useth not and is justly condemned for the abuse of it Want of faith in Christ simply no sinne If condemnation were absolutely and originally from faith a power were necessary to beleeve but in divers cases faith is found to be no sinne in the want of it Adam in the estate of innocency had no faith in Christ as a Mediatour and was blamelesse because no Law injoyned it Secondly men that need this faith and yet want the Gospell to convince them are guiltlesse of the sinne though in some sense they may bee said to bee guilty of the punishment Every curse and want of favour being due to every sonne of Adam It therefore remaineth that they onely are to be taxed that have the Gospell Sinnes of the Gospell are aggravations of the Law It must bee presupposed that a man is guilty of sinne and death before the Gospell charge him with a greater measure of evill and make him worse both in sinnes and sorrowes It is not the want of faith barely that turnes a man into hell for finde payment in thy selfe and satisfaction to the Law and God will challenge thee no further but that is impossible and therefore the Law casts the first stone at thee and beares thee over with the blow of death then comes the Gospel and buries thee under that stone without all hope of mercy A man is blind and rejects a cure his wilfulnesse hath made him the worse and more worthy of greater woes so the Gospell tenders thee a pardon thou contemnes it and for contempt deserves the sorer punishment It is not therefore necessary for God to give every man power to beâ—eeve but it is necessary for every man to be carefull he abuse not the power he hath and so double his terments and punishments in â—eâ—l Conviction is the worke of the Spirit The Father gives over the administration to his Sonne the Sonne to the Spirit and he is the first that argueth and disputeth with men of mercy and salvation In his hands is now the kingdome of the Father and the sonne and this kingdome is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 reggum violentiae the Kingdome that suffereth violence Mat. 11.12 13. Luke 16.16 In this kingdome the Saints in suffering are more than conquerors Rom. 8.37 This is more than ever any Emperour could utter who have gained and kept their conquests with hardnesse and hazzard Matth. 28.18 19. the power of Christ is to preach and proclaim that he will take his power and reigne in and over all men He is mercifull in giving warning before the execution and leaving his Spirit to make preparation for his kingdome which shall bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a kingdome of power Rev. 11.17 ruling and over-ruling all the world Christ having ended the subjection of the world shall give over his kingdome to his Father which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 15.24 O the divine administration of the Trinity The Father the first person passeth all to the Sonne the Sonne makes it descend againe to the holy Ghost The same is the order of regression that was in the progression as formerly we have declared The holy Ghost the first possessour of the kingdome returnes it into the possession of the Sonne and the Sonne leaves it in the hands of his Father where he first had it that he may be all in all From him was the proceeding and by good reason it must be to him againe The comming of the Holy Ghost The Gospel convinceth no man in the absence of the Spirit Wee must pray in hearing of the Word Come holy Spirit and visit our hearts
shall rule in it 5. to take away all doubt of a day it shall not consist of the parts of a naturall and created day not night and day which by the ordinances of heaven are perpetual but this shall be a voluntary and arbitrary day depending upon the will and motion of Christ and no measure of starres 6. contrary to all the dayes of the creation this shall bee light at the evening yea then shall bee the greatest light in the regression of the kingdome triumphantly from Christ to his and our Father The light of grace breaks forth into the light of power and the light of power into the light of glory What then shall be the glory of this day called the great notable and terrible day of the Lord Ioel 2.32 Iude vers 6. Rev 16.14 c. shall it vanish in the twinckling of an eye and that mystery Rev. 10.7 passe in a moment No assuredly wee are resolved by Christ that it shal be a day comprehending dayes Luke 17.22 26. many dayes that shall affoord times of refreshing and restitution Act. 3.19 dayes and times shall be upon this great day and reason is faire to favour this sense Christ takes his kingdome and power upon this day to reigne and rule and therefore it is reasonable to yeeld him some time before the delivery of it up to his Father to shew the glory and the excellency of it It agrees well with the regression to perfection that some stay should bee made for the honour of Heber and glory of the King Shall I offer other texts and tell you what they teach you to beleeve I will not command your faith where it is fit for me to suspend my owne It were presumption to resolve before the issue and reade the ridle before it be plaine in the action and event as well as in the prophecy and prediction Zech. 14.8 the Prophet seemes to describe unto us the day of judgement and to compute it by a day in summer and in winter and then the great day will mount to a yeere at the least Isa 65.20 If the new heavens and the new earth fall out upon this great day as Peter seemes to expound it 2 Pet. 3.13 then Isaiah will seeme to speake of an hundred yeeres at the least 2 Pet. 3.8 Rev. 20.4 If one day in Peter bee a day of judgement as the verse upon which it is inferred seemes to speake plainely then such a great day with the Lord Christ or to the Lord Christ as Zechary phraseth it is as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeares as such a day One day saies Zechary one day saies Peter and both seeme to say one thing But a thousand yeeres will be put for eternity and so no time is expressed but that which waits upon God and sheweth him to be eternall but yet S. Iohn will answer this and by an invincible argument take it from us if his thousand yeeres have relation with Peter to the same day for after eternity there is no history of time or relation of any succession but S. Iohn placeth a little season after the thousand yeeres and that wipes out the opinion of a thousand yeeres to be put for ever I will neither dispute nor relate any more wee have too many new opinions this is old enough and by carnall Chiliasts made both odious and erronious It is fittest wee bee silent and prepare for this great day let it bee of what sength the author pleaseth for to his liking must it last not in living to carnall lusts but heavenly joyes God give us grace to looke for it and inlarge our petition with calling for the perfection of grace in the perfection of power Wee live God knowes as if we were some seven months birth vitall but weake The kingdome of power will rouze us up for Christ takes it not onely to destroy our enemies but to stirre up our graces In the new heavens and new earth righteousnesse shall dwell it is now banished from kingdomes Chittim oppresseth it and a few sons of Iaphet are perswaded to imbrace it but the time shal come when it shall possesse mankinde plentifully and not Shem but all the sonnes of Seth shall imbrace it Numb 24.17 Moab as an enemy perisheth Sheth as a friend is subdued that Christ may have subjects I will touch the great change that Christs kingdome shall make in the world at his comming and so hasten the returne of it to the Father Alterations by Christs comming Isa 32.15 16 17. c. The Spirit that now is come to the Gentiles and departed from the Iewes must againe be powred on them then is wrought in the world wonderfull change 1. The field of Chittim that now flourisheth in the hands of wicked men shall bee turned into a forrest and made as barren and desolate as the wildernesse 2. The forrest of the Iewes shall alter into a fertile field and by Christ himselfe shall be made giorious Thirdly this goodly and flourishing field shall be planted and sowne with judgement and righteousnesse they shall even dwell in it and take up the whole possession of it Fourthly the fruit shall be peace and quietnesse no warre no molestation shall disturbe them Fiftly this Harvest of happinesse shall be with assurance for ever When Christ takes his power to reigne none shall any more rule over him or his Both hee and his Saints have suffered of this wicked world but the woe thereof commeth quickely and speedy vengeance will pay for all delayes Be admonished my brethren you are by the consent of Divines come to the second woe Rev. 9.13 above 300 yeeres agoe The next is the day of judgement and is ever delivered with this Item Behold it commeth quickely Rev. 11.14 adde to this Luke 18 8. Revel 3.7 and 16.15 and 21.12 Other woes linger and last long as being executed by men but this will be speedy as being immediately done by Christ himselfe who will not stand long about his enemies though his friends may enjoy a longer time of rejoycing in his presence The delivery up of his Kingdome to his Father 1 Cor. 15.24 compared with 2 Tim. 4.1 teach us the Epiphany and end of Christs administration and wee have heard what falls out betweene these two termes I must needs conceive it absurd till better reason convince me to conceive of an Epiphany of a kingdome and an end together let who will so conceive and conjecture I am not as yet of their minde some duration and succession of time will be from the Epiphany to the end when the end is come best knowne to Christ hee will returne all to the Father but you will object Revel 11.15 Hee shall reigne for ever and ever I answer the delivery up of the Kingdome is not an exclusion of Christ from reigning for as the Father reigneth in the Sonne and both of them in holy Ghost so in the regression the holy Ghost reigneth in the Sonne and both