ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's Seed and heirs according to the Promise Now by all this we see that every true Christian comes into the Covenant to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ Now we know that both the Seeds of Abraham which came of Isaac were both Circumcised the which was â—he Seal or Sign of the Covenant So the Roâ—ans receive the Sign of Baptism as well as the â—rue Christians who take the word of God for â—he Rule of their Lives to which Christians is 〈◊〉 Promise made That unto all them that obey him â—hrist is become the Author of Eternal Salvaâ—on Now the Romans though they have the sign of Baptism yet wholly renounce Obedience to the will of God in his word the which he hath given both to Jew and Gentile as a rule to walk by Now Moses knowing by the Spirit of Prophesy that there would come in strangers to be joyned in Covenant with Israel in and through Christ and so become the Seed of Abraham of whom also there would be a Seed the which should prove an Esau Generation who would fall off from the true ways of Godliness and fall into Wickedness Pride and Cruelty and therefore when he speaks of the Jews miscarriage he hath joyned the miscarriage of these with them that is these degenerated Christians the which time and the event hath made clearly evident by the Destruction that he pronounced against their Land the which was never threatned against the Land of Canaan that that should become Brimstone Salt and Burning Neither hath any such thing ever falleâ— upon any part of the aforesaid Land But now God has made it plainly appear to whom these Prophesies did relate since in Sicily and Naples the threatned Judgments are evidently broken forth among them And Moses in Deut. 29.16,17,18 saith For ye know how we have dwelâ— in the land of Egypt and how we came through thâ— Nations which ye passed by And ye have seen their abominations and their idols wood and stone silvâ— and gold which are among them Lest there should be among you man or woman or family or tribe whose Heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the Gods of these Nations lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood By which we see that this has not its reference to the Body of Israel in that he mentions Man or Woman or Family or Tribe by which words the Body of Israel cannot be comprehended And whereas he saith lest there should be among you a root that beareth Gall and Wormwood Now a root doth signify one of the Tribes or the major part of a tribe for in the Scripture the greater number is taken for the whole and a Man or Woman or single family is but a bough or branch of a root Now a root hath its springing increasing and continuance and we know that the Tribes when spoken of singly are termed as one Man as Judah and Benjamin Manasses and Ephraim the which each of them signifies a Tribe Now those that are brought in to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ come in as of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah from which Tribe there was a root of Gall and Wormwood to spring forth of which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.3 Except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the Son of Perdition Ye see also that the Apostle here terms the Beast to be a Man And he also forewarneth the Hebrews of him c. 12.15 Bidding them looâ— diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you and thereby many be defiled 16. Lest there be any fornicator or prophane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright By these words we find also that out of this root of Bitterness would spring up trouble and thereby many should be defiled which by sad experience has been made evident And the Apostle also here compares him to Esau whose representative he is or Figure of him altho many degrees worse therefore for him is reserv'd the worser Punishment who as Esau parted with his Birthright so this Man here spoken of parted with the promised Blessing which was for Eternity for this World's morsel Now Moses in the forementioned verse at which I left off wherein he speaks of the root that beareth Gall and Wormwood of which he saith Deut. 29.19 And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this Curse and he blesseth himself in his Heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine Heart to add drunkenness to thirst 20. The Lord will not sparâ— him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to aâ—… the Curses of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law 22. So that the generation tâ— come of your Children that shall rise up after you and the stranger that shall come from a far Land shall say when they see the Plagues of that Land and the sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it 23. And that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt and burning that it is not sown nor beareth nor any grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath Now we are to take notice what are the sins against whom God did by Moses pronounce these Ireful Judgments as in Deut. 29.18,19 Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst Now we are to consider what the Scripture calls Dunkenness besides that excess of drinking good Liquor In the first place God mentions another sort of Drunkenness by Moses Deut. 32.42 I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood And this Drunkenness which Moses speaks of is mentioned by St. John Rev. 17.6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration Now this Woman that was thus Drunken is mystical Babylon as in the 5. v. of this chapter and in the 3. v. she is termed Babylon the great the mother of harlots and the abomination of the earth The Beast that beareth her that is beareth her up in her Grandeur and Greatness is the Pope which sets himself up as a God And this is the man that addeth Drunkenness to his thirst for he first thirsteth
there committed and in that it is termed Egypt is because Egypt was the place where the Children of Israel was so cruelly oppressed and in that it is termed the place where the Lord was Crucified is not only because he was Crucified by the Roman Power but their daily Crucifying of him in that they say it is the real Body and Blood of our Lord that they continually distribute amongst themselves So this Edom is not the real Land of Esau but the figurative one for as I before shewed you that the real Land of Esau is to be inhabited by them of the South but these figurative ones made a desolation And why it is said for their violence against the Children of Judah Now it was the real Egypt an Idumea which did most afflict the Natural Seed of Jacob. Now it is evident that the true Christians that are taken in to be of the Seed of Abraham must come in through Crist who is of the Tribe of Judah And it is these of Judah also that this Egypt Idumea and Babylon have been the Afflictors and Murderers of And the Prophet Joel saith in Joel 3.10,21 But Judah shall dwell for ever and Jerusalem from Generation to Generation V. 21. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed for the Lord dwelleth in Sion Then shall Jerusalem be rebuilt and continue from Generation to Generation by which we see in this glorious time there will be Marrying and giving in Marriage by the continuance of Generations here spoken of And then the Lord at that time when he comes again will cleanse their Blood which he hath not cleansed at which time the Lord will dwell in Sion which Sion may be comprehended under at wofold meaning as the glorious Tabernacle where he will dwell from which he will descend to the real Mount Sion And at that time will the Lord make the place of the Soles of his Feet glorious as it is said Isa 60.13 And then it is that the Promise will be made good to Abraham That in thee and thy Seed all the Families of the Earth shall be called blessed Now they are not so but at that time it will be so Now whereas the Lord in the same chap. of Joel speaketh of the Enemies of the Children of Judah and the Children of Jerusalem that they sold them to the Grecians that they might remove them far from their Borders The Lord saith of the Enemies of Judah in V. 8. I will sell your Sons and your Daughters into the Hands of the Children of Judah and they shall sell them to the Sabeans to a people far off for the Lord hath spoken it Now the Sabeans are of Sheba the which People is foretold of by the Prophet from the Lord Isa 60.6 That they should find Mercy at that time when Israel is again restored Now these that have been the Oppressors of Judah although they themselves that are left unconverted till the coming of the Lord are to be destroyed yet their Children we here see are not to be cut off with their Parents but are said that then they should be sold to be Servants to a People whom the Lord will then receive into Mercy Now these are to be servants to them that are servants to Israel for God saith in Isa 6.12 The Nation and Kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted And the Lord saith in Zeph. 3.7 I said surely thou wilt fear me Thou wilt receive instruction so their dwellings should be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings Here we see God had not forsaken Israel if they had not first forsaken him and therefore now they must wait until it is his time to be gracious unto them as in v. 8. of the before-mentioned Chapter Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce Anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the Fire of my jealousie 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent 10. From the Rivers of Ethiopia my Supplicants even the Daughters of my dispersed shall bring mine Offering 11. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me for then will I take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride and thou shalt be no more haughty And I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor People and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their Mouth for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid Here the Lord telleth Israel that he will take out from the midst of them them that rejoyce in their Pride that is he would take their enemies out of their Land and their City which was the Glory of all Lands and therefore termed Israel's Pride And the Lord saith I will leave in the midst of them an Afflicted poor People which shall trust in the name of the Lord and be partakers of the immediate Blessedness and Glory as the following words make appear Zeph. 3.14,15 c. Sing O Daughter of Sion shout O Israel be glad and rejoice with all the Heart O Daughter of Jerusalem The Lord hath taken away thy Judgments he hath cast out thine Enemies the King of Israel even the Lord is in the midst of thee thou shalt not see evil any more In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem fear thou not and to Sion let not thy hands be slack The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over thee with Joy he will rest in his Love he will joy over thee with singing I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assemblies who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was a burden Behold at that time I will undo all that Afflict thee and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame At that time will I bring you again even in the time that I gather you for I will make you a name and a Praise among all the People of the Earth when I turn back your captivity before your Eyes saith the Lord. Here we see that at the Time that the Lord will deliver Israel his Determination is to gather the Nations and assemble the Kingdoms that he may pour upon them his fierce Anger Now as to what the Lord saith to the Prophet Ezekiel concerning the building of
saith 13. c. 15. v. Let my Soul bless God the great King 16. For Jerusalem shall be built up with Saphires and Emeralds and Precious Stones thy Walls and Towers and Battlements with pure Gold 17. And the streets of Jerusalem shall be Paved with Beril and Carhuucle and Stones of Ophir 18. And all her streets shall say Alleluja and they shall praise him saying blessed be God which hath extolled it for ever Now in this Earthly Jerusalem there is said to be a Temple as in Ezek. 47.1 Where the waters are said to come from under the Threshold Now when the Lord cometh to Judg the world and to deliver Israel then will his Elect be gathered to the Holy Land And it is said in Isa 32.19 When it shall hail coming down on the Forrest the City shall be low in a low place Here the People is term'd the City according to that in Isa 62.12 where Israel is treated A City sought out and not forsaken This Hail is the horrible Tempest spoken of Psal 11.6 Vpon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest shall be the portion of their Cup. Now altho the Wicked are for some time left upon the Earth after the Lord comes to receive the Punishments the Lord has appointed them upon the Earth and to behold the Glory of the Saints as it is said Psal 112.10 The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his Teeth and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish Thus after the Wicked have received part of their Punishment here this forementioned horrible Tempest will sweep away all the refuge of Lies as in Isa 28.17 and in the 29. c. 20,21 v. It is said The terrible one is brought to nought and the Scorner is consumed and all that watch for iniquity are cut off That make a man aâ— offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the Gate and turn aside the just for a thing of naught And it is said Mal. 4.1 For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven all the proud yea and all that do wicked shall he stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of Hosts and it shall leave them neither root nor branch 2. But unto them 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 Now in the time of the utter Destruction as I have show'd you then will the City be low in a low place as in Isa 32.19 When it shall Hail coming down on the Forrest and the City shall be low in a low place Which City is the People as I have elsewhere proved to you Now where this place will be the Prophet Zachary tells us Zach. 14.3 Then shall the Lord go forth and Fight against those Nations as when he fought in the day of Battle 4. And his Feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the East and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof towards the East and toward the West and there shall be a very great Valley and half of the Mountain shall remove toward the North and half toward the South 5. And ye shall flee to the Valley of the Mountains for the Valley of the Mountains shall reach unto Azal Now here by these words it doth evidently appear that Israel with the rest of the Promised Elect that will be called in at the coming of the Lord which then also will be gathered to the Holy Land and secured from the Judgments that will fall on the wicked before the sweeping Tempest cometh that carrieth them all away For when the Lord descends so far down as his Feet to stand on Monnt Olivet the mountain then cleaves asunder and then it is they fly into the Valley of the mountain For as Noah was secured in the Ark when the world was destroyed by the Flood So it doth appear that the Elect will be secured in this Valley whilst the World is destroyed by the horrible tempest of Hail Fire and Brimstone then as it is said the City shall be low in a low place And as concerning the Destruction of this World Esdras saith 2 Esd 7.29,30,31 The World shall be turned into the old silence seven days like as in the former Judgment so that no man shall remain And after seven days the World that yet awaketh not shall be raised up and that shall die that is corrupt Now whereas it is said that the world shall be turn'd into silence seven days like as the former Judgments by which it doth appear that as by the former judgments of the Rains from Heaven and with the Fountains of the great Deep being broken up from beneath by which the old World became silent and at the Destruction of this World by the words it doth appear that this will remain silent for seven days as the old World did for many more for the Waters did continue upon the Earth for some considerable time Now whereas it is said that no man should remain the which words may be taken in a twofold sence First That no man of this wicked World shall remain The second is That the Elect fleeing into Mount Olivet may there sleep whilst the Earth is destroyed and again renewed to that perfection as it was in the first Creation and Canaan made like to Eden the Garden of God And after the world has lain wast God can renew it by the Eighth and our Sabbath being on the eighth day it doth thereby seem to signify as much and the blessing was not given to the name of the Seventh day but to the Sabbath Day And altho those that are chosen for the Glorious Tabernacle are said to be changed in the twinkling of an Eye and so caught up in the Clouds but Israel and the other Elect have no such sudden Change and therefore it doth likely appear these may have their Earthly infirm Bodies Renewed at that time as the Earth is and their heart so changed as it is said in Esdras to another meaning the which is according to the word of the Lord in Rev. 21.5 And he that sate upon the Throne said behold I make all things new and he said unto me write for these words are true and faithful Here we see that the Lord will make all things New Now as some of the Chapters in Revelations are misplaced So some of the Verses of this Chapter in Esdras do certainly appear to be misplaced because the World is said to be destroyed and the Dead Raised before the most high is said to sit upon the Throne of Judgment Now after this World is thus Renewed and Restored and Jerusalem again Built then as it is said in Zach. 14.11 And men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but
of Mercy when the door was open to them for the Mercy will then be distributed according to the Election of Grace which with the Believers is the Promised Elect which will be called in at his coming And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 9.17,18 For the Scripture saith Vnto Pharaoh even for this same purpose have I raised thee up that I might shew my Power in thee and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will he hardneth Now as I before told you St. Paul hath here his reference to the time to come And the Scripture makes mention that as the Children of Israel was at first delivered by Signs and Wonders so will their deliverance again be with Signs and Wonders The which Signs and Wonders will be before the coming of the Lord who will be their great deliverer And therefore what God said to Moses I will here set down as touching the hardning of Pharaohs heart The which is in Exodus 4.21 Where God saith I will harden Pharaohs heart that he shall not let the People go Not that then God had hardned the heart of Phaaaoh but that it was then to do as from the Lord. For his Cruelty to the Children of Israel proceeded from his own wicked Nature being stirred up thereto by the Devil who is always an Enemy to the Children of God And in the fifth chap. it does appear that God would further prove Pharoah as touching his Cruelty to the Children of Israel before it is said he hardned his heart For in the fifth Chapter of Exodus ver 1,2,6,7,8,9,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharoah Thus saith the Lord God of Israel let my people go that they may hold a feast unto me in the Wilderness Verse 2. And Pharoah said who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go Verse 6. And Pharaoh commanded the same day the Taskmasters of the people and their Officers saying Verse 7. Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick as heretofore let them go and gather straw for themselves Verse 8. And the tale of the bricks which they did make heretofore you shall lay upon them you shall not diminish ought thereof for they be idle therefore they cry saying Let us go and sacrifice to our God Verse 9. Let there be more work laid upon the men that they may labour therein and let them not regard vain Words Verse 12. So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the Land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw Verse 13. And the Taskmasters hasted them saying Fullfil your Works your daily Task as when there was straw Verse 14. And the Officers of the children of Israel which Pharaohs Taskmasters had set over them were beaten and demanded Wherefore have ye not fullfilled your Task both yesterday and to day as heretofore Verse 15. Then the Officers of the children of Israel came and cryed to Pharaoh saying Wherefore dealest thou thus with thy Servants Verse 16. There is no straw given to thy Servants and they say to us make brick and behold thy Servants are beaten but the fault is in thine own people Verse 17. But he said Ye are idle ye are idle therefere ye say let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Verse 18. Go therefore now and work for there shall no straw be given you yet shall you deliver the Tale if your Bricks This horrible Cruelty and inhuman Slavery was he stirred up to by his own evil Heart and the Devils and not by God For that which God did harden him in was in his unbelief by reason of his Cruelty therefore God hardened him in unbelief that he might accomplish his fierce Anger upon him which unbelief was That he regarded not the Miracles done by Moses And the Lord is not said to harden him till the 13th verse of the 7th chap. For in the 3d verse of the same chap. The Lord again repeateth the words and saith he will harden him by which we may plainly see that his hardning was not then by his blessed Majesty for in the 2d verse of the 7th chap. the Lord said unto Moses Thou shalt speak all that I command thee and Aaron thy Brother shall speak unto Pharoah that he send the Children of Israel out of his Land V. 3. And I will harden Pharoah's Heart and multiply my signs and my wonders in the Land of Egypt V. 4. But Pharoah shall not hearken unto you that I may lay my hand upon Egypt and bring forth mine Armies and my People the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt by great Judgments Now in the 10th v. Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh and they did as the Lord had commanded In shewing the signs and wonders that he had appointed them And Aaron cast down his Rod before Pharaoh and before his Servants and it became a Serpent V. 11. Then Pharaoh also called the wise Men and the Sorcerers Now the Magicians of Egypt they also did in like manner with their inchantments V. 12. For they cast down every man his Rod and they became Serpents but Aaron's Rod swallowed up their Rods. And then it is in the 13th v. And he hardened Pharaoh's Heart that he hearkned not unto them as the Lord had said V. 14. And the Lord said unto Moses Pharaoh's Heart is hardned he refuseth to let the People go Here is the first time wherein it is said that God hardned Pharaoh's Heart The which we may plainly see That as to what God hardned him in was in his unbelief that he should not believe the Miracles done by Moses and Aaron And also that God did suffer the Magicians to go so far was to carry on the Council of God in that they should be a means to help on the delusion of Pharoah That these Conjurations and Inchantments whereto he trusted should be a means to help forward the accomplishment of his destruction the which for his sin and cruelty was determined of God for him For when Man is wicked God chuseth his delusions by that which he is most prone unto As for Example When God would make good his wordby the Prophet Elijah 1 Kings 22.20,21,22 against Ahab for his Cruelty and Abominable Idolatry the Will of God was That he should be deluded to his Destruction by those Prophets in whom he trusted for they were the Men that perswaded him to go up to Ramoth Gilead to Battle where he was slain and the word of the Lord fulfilled on him Now as to what God said unto Moses concerning the utter Destruction of Pharaoh is in the 9th chap. begining at the 13th verse And the Lord said unto Moses rise up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh and say unto him thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews let my people go that
relating to us and the present time has occasioned our falling into great mistakes For whereas the Lord said to his Disciples Matth. 17.20 If ye have faith as a grain of Mustard-seed ye shall say to this Mountain Remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be unpossible unto you Now tho' at that time the Disciples faith was but weak yet afterwards according to the promise of the Lord they did greater Miracles than that of removing Mountains but this promise belongs no more to us than that of sitting upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel But as much as we can do the Miracles so much the Promise belongs to us Likewise the Apostle speaking of the Gentiles which had received the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. v. 2,3 Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb Idols even as you were led Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Now he spake this of those that were convinced by the Holy Ghost that Christ was the Son of God For the others that were not then thus convinced would not own him But now all the Christians have learned by rote to say that Christ is the Son of God without the assistance of the Holy Ghost Now the persons of the first Churches were in a more particular manner chosen to be Heirs to the promised everlasting Covenant because unto them was given the Holy Ghost as the earnest of their Inheritance so as they must wilfully disinherit themselves if they mist of the promised blessedness but to the succeeding Generations of the Gentile Churches to them the Promises belonged as they before did to Israel And tho' they were not given the Holy Spirit to be in them as he was in the first Churches but to be with them as he was with Israel yet none can come in as Heirs to the promised Mercy without bringing their wills and affections into subjection unto Christ for he must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in the heart for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8.9 That is so as to have their minds brought into subjection to the will of Christ Therefore St. Paul saith Rom. 8.13,14 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye thro' the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God That is whosoever will not be led by the Spirit of God to obey the revealed Will of God are not the Sons of God Therefore St. Paul when he related who they were that were in Covenant he there declares it is the Believer that is in Covenant and therefore saith If one of the Parents be a Believer then are the Children holy 1 Cor. 7.14 Whereby we see all that come in as Heirs to the Covenant are included as Believers And the Believer is no longer a Believer than he believes Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel But when the Everlasting Covenant is establisht with Abraham and his Seed together the which will be at the Resurrection of the Just which is at the restitution of all things then it is that God will never turn away from them neither shall they then any more depart from him Jer. 32.40 God saith I will make an Everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me This is that which crowns life to the Soul This promise is not only to the natural Seed of Abraham but to all the adopted Seed that shall be found true Believers in that day then it is that the Lord will perform his promise as in the 39th I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their Children after them This is clearly evident that this promise was never made good to the Children of the Gentile Churches and therefore this promise remains to be made good in time to come for his faithfulness cannot fail for hath he said it and shall he not do it no let God be true and every man a lyar Now Israel when they were first brought under the Covenant then was the time when God saw them in their sin and said unto them live For when God brought them out of Egypt they were then polluted in their blood the which time was the time of love the Lord then taking them into Covenant with himself and thereby he said unto them live But Israel not obeying the voice of the Lord in living according to his Commands and Precepts therefore they were cast off of God So when God first took into Covenant the Transgressors of the Gentiles they were then polluted in their blood whom God then renewed by his Spirit and took them into Covenant with himself and put them into a capacity of obedience And the Believers Children were sharers in the promised Mercy until such time as they grew to have no love to the truth but like Israel took pleasure in unrighteousness Then God left them to strong delusions that they might believe lyes That all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.12 But God hath promised all to be with them whilst they keep the way and to the remnant of whom the Disciples sprang which were his Fathers before and given to Christ it was those of whom Christ said None shall pluck them out of my hand but that he would be with them to the end of the World Now when Christ first came the Spirit was shed on Believers abundantly Titus 3.6 Yet notwithstanding St. Paul terms it but night to that approaching day which is at hand and therefore saith The night is far spent the day is at hand let us walk honestly as in the day c. Rom. 13.12,12 Thereby shewing that in that day there will be no disorderly walking amongst them for then it is that both the natural and adopted Seed of Jacob will be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them so as they shall no more teach every man his Neighbour and his Brother For then it is The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea I shall not here insist upon the Everlasting Covenant because I intend fully to explain it in another Treatise Chap. XVI A Belief in Christ further Explained NOW whereas Christ saith He that believeth in me or on me shall be saved And the Apostles also Saying He that Believeth in Christ shall be saved Which is no other than in short to declare that Christ had said and manifested the way and
the Lord Behold the Whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with fury a continual Whirlwind it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return until he hath done it and until he have performed the intents of his heart in the latter days ye shall consider Jer. 30.23,24 These Whirlwinds are the continual afflictions wars and commotions which are upon the Earth which will not cease till the Lord hath performed the intents of his heart These things also are set down for them that have the Scripture to consider of that thereby they may know what the Lord is going about to do as to understand the time of their visitation And again it is said Come near ye Nations to hear and hearken ye my people let the Earth hear and all that is therein the World and all things that come forth of it For the indignation of the Lord is upon all Nations and his fury upon all their Armies Isa 34.1,2 And of this time the Lord saith in Esdras For the Lord knoweth all them that sin against him and therefore delivereth he them unto death and destruction For now are the Plagues come upon the whole Earth and ye shall remain in them for God shall not deliver you because ye have sinned against him 2 Esd 15.26,27 This being according to that in Jeremiah That these Whirlwinds of trouble shall not cease in the world until the Lord have performed the intents of his heart Which is in making his Enemies his Footstool and in coming to take his own great Power and Reign and to restore his People And the Lord saith to his people concerning this present time 2 Esd 16.39,40,41 Even so shall not the Plagues be slack to come upon the earth and the world shall mourn and sorrow shall come upon it on every side O my people hear my word make ye ready to the battel And in those evils be even as Pilgrims upon the Earth He that selleth let him be as one that fleeth away And he that buyeth as one that will lose He that occupieth Merchandice as he that hath no profit by it And he that buildeth as he that shall not dwell therein c. And it is said in the 47. v. And those that occupy their Merchandice with Robbery the more they deck their Cities their Houses their own possessions and their own persons the more I will be angry with them for their sins saith the Lord. By this robbery is meant all unjust gain and unlawful dealing with one another And the Lord saith Isa 2.11,12 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day For the day of the Lord of Hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty and upon every one that is lifted up and he shall be brought low And the like the Lord saith in Malachy Chap. 4.1,2 For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be as 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 unto them 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 the Lord saith Mat 7.19,21 Every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire And he also saith Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven But he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven For when the Lord comes it will not serve our turns to say that we believed in his Righteousness for Salvation But how we have obeyed him in doing the will of his Father which is in Heaven that thereby his Righteousness may be imputed to us Who is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 For now it is not with us as it was with the Gentiles at their first Calling in who had never heard of Christ nor what he required of them But it is with us as it was with Israel from whom God expected an improvement of their day and season of Grace the which for their not doing they were cast off Therefore St. Paul saith Rom. 11.20,21 If God spared not the Natural branches take heed lest he also spare not thee Thereby shewing that we stand no surer than Israel did Therefore he saith ver 20. Be not high minded but fear Therefore let all that desire to have an interest in him humble themselves under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt them in due time And the Lord speaking of his second coming saith 2 Esd 6.23,24 The Trumpet shall give a sound which when every man heareth they shall suddenly be afraid This every man here doth but signifie the greater part for it will be a time of rejoycing to Saints 24 v. At that time shall Friends â—ight one against another like Enemies and the Earth â—hall stand in fear with those that dwell therein the â—prings of the Fountains shall stand still and in three hours they shall not run Which accordingly has been fulfilled concerning the Fountains oâ— Waters they have already stood still when the great Earthquakes were in Cisily And also iâ— was given as a Sign of the Lordâ—s coming that there should be monstrous Children brought forth 2 Esd 5.8 Which accordingly in these last years hath been in several Nations fulfilled Chap. VII Signs in England AS God hath at this time shewed forth part of his wrathful indignation in those â—…tions that worship the Beast and false Prophet So in this limited time God hath shewed to us marvelous things in Token of mercy and â—indness thereby to awaken us that his coming is just at hand Whereby we might improve our Day and Season of Grace so as to make preparation for his coming that by so doing we might not be condemned with them that will not And God in a wonderful manner has given us time and space of Repentance in that he hath given us a King who hath continued to us our liberty opportunities of seeking God which had it been otherwise we might have been cut off before these awakening Judgments came by which the Lord calls to the Inhabitants of the Earth to learn Righteousness Isa 26.9 So that thereby many might be awakened and come out of their gross darkness And also all of us from a vain and wicked and loose Conversation Now as the other Nations have had awakning providences of God's displeasure by the Earthquakes and Fires that have broken out of the earth amongst them so God in a wonderful manner hath appeared amongst us in the miraculous Cure of four women which the like was never heard of since Christ's time Who in thinking and being
it is not hid from thee neither is it far off 14. v. But the Word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it 15. v. See I have set before thee this day life and good and Death and Evil. The Covenant we see here in the 6. v. was the promised Covenant in which God would Circumcise their heart and the heart of their Seed that they should love the Lord their God with all their Heart and with all their Soul that they may live and do all his Commandments As it is said in the 8. v. But now it is the knowledge of the Covenant is put into our mouths and in our hearts And therefore he saith that they and we may do it For he saith I have set before thee Life and Good Death and Evil. 16. v. In that I Command thee this Day to love the Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Statutes and his Judgments that thou mayest live And when a Lawyer asked our Saviour Christ what he should do to inherit Eternal Life Luke 10.26,27,28,29 He said unto him what is written in the Law How readest thou 27. v. And he answering said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy Neighbour as thy self 28. v. And he said unto him thou hast answered right this do and thou shalt live And the Lord saith in Mat. 22.40 On these two Commands hang all the Law and the Prophets And when the young Man in the Gospel came to our Saviour and asked him What he should do to inherit Eternal Life The Lord said unto him â—eep the Commandments as in Matth. 19.17 By all which we see that the Law of God should 〈◊〉 the Rule of our Lives in all things And Moses in his Song Deut. 31.30 also goes on in his former way of speaking in that he includes the adopted Seed with the Natural Seed of Abraham And in the 31. chap. and last ver it is said Moses spake in the ears of all the Congregation of Israel the Words of this Song until they were ended Wherein he saith Give ear O ye Heavens and I will speak and hear O Earth the words of my mouth We also here see that Moses terms the Princes of Israel and the People to be the Heavens and Earth To whom the Words of this Song to the half part of the 21. ver do particularly belong In which he makes mention of those things which were to come upon them as tho they had been already past And from the half part of the 21. verse to the 25. verse he speaks of that degenerate Root of Gall and Wormwood of whom God said in the latter part of the 21. v. to Israel I will move them to Jealousie with those that are not a people I will provoke them to Anger with a foolish Nation Now St. Paul directeth these very Words in his Epistle to the Romans Rom. 10.19 as knowing they were the foolish Nation vvith vvhom Israel should be moved to Jealousie and provoked to Anger vvithal First moved to Jealousie in that the Messias vvas preached and offered to them to bring them into covenant vvith God Secondly Anger in that they brought on them that miserable destruction vvhich remains to this day Novv vvhen St. Paul vvrote this Epistle to the Romans but sevv of them had received the Gospel But he to bear vvitness to the truth and knovving that it vvas that Nation vvhich by God vvas termed to be the foolish Nation A foolish Nation in that vvhen they had received the Knovvledge of the Truth they abode not in the commandment delivered to them by vvhich Christ and the Promises are attainable The which was made with their Fathers at Mount Sinai when they came out of the Land of Egypt that they should not worship other Gods nor make unto themselves any Graven Images that they should not commit Idolatry nor Blasphemy Murder Breach of the Sabbath Adultery Fornication and Theft all which and much more is their continual practice And their Theft is in taking the peoples substance for their Pardons and Indulgences for there is none that can forgive sins but God only These horrible crying sins with their unsatiable blood-thirsty cruelty to the Saints and Servants of God By which their willful and abominable Disobedience excludes them from the mercy promised in and through Christ and will bring upon them all those intolerable Curses which are here pronounced against their Land and themselves they being that Root of Gall and Wormwood against whom those worser Curses did particularly belong Novv that this Foolishness vvas meant by their falling off Paul makes it further evident by vvhat he vvrote to the Galathians In vvhich he says O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth Novv vve see here that he terms these Foolish upon the same account as the other vvere so termed But here he rehearseth not the Words of God by Moses because they related not unto them but unto the former For in the follovving Verse of Moses his Song God saith of this Foolish Nation Deut. 32.22,23,24 For a fire is kindled in mine Anger and shall burn unto the lowest Hell and shall consume the Earth with her increase and set on fire the Foundations of the mountains 23. v. I will heap mischiefs upon them I will spend mine arrows upon them 24. v. They shall be burnt with hunger and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction I will also send the Teeth of Beasts upon them with the poyson of Serpents of the dust Now we know that these Judgments here set down were not inflicted on Israels Land but we see them evidently made out in this Roman Esaus Land vvhich is that root of bitterness And vvhereas God saith a Fire is kindled in mine Anger vvhich shall burn to the lovvest Hell by vvhich vve may plainly see that there is more than one Hell And this Word of his gives us fully to understand vvhence this Fire comes that does thus consume the Foundations of the Mountains that it is the Anger of God vvhich causes it vvhich Fire extends it self dovvn to the lovvest Hell and riseth upvvard into the Earth the vvhich conumes the Earth vvith her increase by those Torrents or Rivers of Fire the vvhich proceed from the Foundations of those Mountains the vvhich Mountains God hath set as Signs for these several hundred years as a mark for the fulfilling of these Prophesies and to inlighten the thinking Christians that they might know to vvhom these Judgments did appertain and also that they might make preparation for the Lord. Novv vvhereas God saith in the 24. v. I will also send the Teeth of Beasts upon them with the Poyson of Serpents of the Dust The meaning of which vvords is much like to vvhat Isaiah saith
Light of the Heaven as the Sun and Moon And as for the Elements we know that man's body is made up of the Four Elements Now St. Peter in his way of speaking doth make it a figurative Speech as to the burning the Heavens and Earth And when we can bring several places out of holy Writ to prove it to be so and places of Scripture to prove our assertion then we go upon good grounds but when we make figurative Speeches or Allegories where there is none and where there is for them to make an Assertion of that which they cannot bring good Proof for out of the Word is of very dangerous consequence and as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 3.16 wrest the Scripture to their own destruction But this of St. Peter is easily proved a figurative Speech not only by his own manner of speaking but also by the Three Evangelists wherein our Lord makes no mention of the burning of the Heavens and Earth when he comes to judge the World Nor St. John in Rev. 6.14 mentions not any such thing as to the burning of them Neither in any of the Epistles of St. Paul is there any mention made of their being destroy'd at the coming of the Lord Nor doth any other place of the Bible speak of their being burnt but St. Peter And whereas the Apostle Peter makes mention of fire it is to set forth the fierce Anger of the Lord against sinners For as there is nothing so terrible to our Natures as fire so there can be nothing so insupportable as the Anger of the Almighty Lord and therefore he is said in 2 Thes 1.8 to come in flaming fire to take Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ The weight of Whose Anger being more intolerable than we are able to imagine it Therefore God saith Jer. 23.29 Is not my Word like as a fire saith the Lord and like a Hammer that breaketh the Rocks in peices And therefore it is a usual Phrase in Scripture to express the Anger of the Almighty God by Fire Zeph. 1.18 where God himself saith with the Fire of my Jealousie And it is said of God Deut. 4.24 That he is a consuming Fire That is he is an unresistable Power Heb. 12.23 And as the Thorns cannot resist the Powerful Flames neither can we his ireful Judgments when he doth inflict them on the sinner And here had St. Peter in the plain Letter of the Word pronounc'd those Judgments against the Powers and People the then present Age could not have born it neither indeed the succeeding Generations And as for the Beast or Pope he found so much in the Scriptures against himself and his Crew that he made it Death for the Laity to read them that thereby his Falshood and Villany might remain undiscovered to the people Now the Pope did not rise till several hundred years after the Apostles And St. Paul in 2 Thes 2,3 Declareth that the day of the Lord shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the son of perdition v. 4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he is as God sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God v. 9,10,11,12 Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonder v. 10. And with all deceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved 11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lit 12. That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but have pleasure in Vnrighteousness By which we may plainly see that God never leaves a people till such time as they forsake him by taking pleasure in Unrighteousness And therefore as to what hath been said of the Beast and the seven hill'd City and of the Reign of the Beast has been in a figurative way For the Pope's Design with his Crew being wholly to deceive the Will of God is that they might be deceived And it is said in Rev. 13.2 when the Beast arose The Dragon gave him his power and his Seat and great Authority And now as the Apostle saith 2 Thes 2.4 he opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped So that he is as God sitting in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God And now he sitting in the Temple of God and takes the Power of a God to him in that he saith the revealed will of God is no farther to be accounted of than to what he approves of in it And also he with his pretended Keys le ts into Heaven those whom God by his Word shuts out and them out of Heaven whom God by his Word permits in Thus they are filling up their Iniquity that they may come to their deserved end And little better success must no Sect or Church expect that has used the Word of God deceitfully nor their hypocritical Hearers As for this Babylon and Countries adjoyning to it is figured our to us in the former Idumea or Edom For Esau looking on himself as the Elder brother therefore his Envy was always towards Israel although he sinfully and foolishly did sell his Birthright unto shis Brother in the time he was distressed being faint for want of Food he then said if I die for hunger what good then will this birth right do me And so not regarding the promises of God and therefore in the day of tryal parted with his birthright for a mess of pottage And almost all this world being like unto him that in the day of tryal either for some lust or some profit or to deliver themselves out of some trouble they part with the blessing which God in Christ has promis'd which is eternal salvation if they walk according to the rule God has set before them And so for these uncertain momentary injoyments like Esau embrace this present world And when the time comes for the righteous to inherit the blessing these worldlings will then like Esau be rejected although they may then seek the blessing earnestly with tears as he did yet was rejected But as it is in our days the more emptiness and want of knowledge the more pride and malice So was it with the seed of Esau for it is said of him in Obed. 1. v. 3.4,8,10 The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee Thou that dwellest in the clefts of the Rock whose habitation is high that saith in his heart who shall bring me down to the ground 4. Tho thou exalt thy self as the Eagle and the thou set thy nest among the Stats thence will I bring thee down saith the Lord. Verse 8. Shall I not in that day saith the Lord even destroy the wise men out of Edom and understanding out
is the Covenant set down that the Lord will make with the House of Israel in Ver. 31,33 After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people v. 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know ye the Lord For they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord For I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more v. 35. Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the Ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roar the Lord of Hosts is his Name V. 36. If those Ordinances depart from before me saith the Lord then the Seed of Israel also shall cease from being a Nation before me for ever V. 37. Thus saith the Lord if Heaven ahove can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the Seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord. V. 38. Behold the days come saith the Lord and the City shall be built to the Lord from the Tower of Hananiel unto the gate of the Corner V. 40. And the whole valley of the dead Bodies and the Ashes and all the Fields unto the Brook Kidron unto the corner of the Horse-Gate toward the East shall be holy unto the Lord it shall not be plucks up nor thrown down any more for ever Now whereas the Lord saith behold the days come that the City shall be built Now the Lord does not here say the day is come but the days come by which the Lord comprehends the days of two thousand years or thereabouts and then their City shall be built for it is said a thousand year is with the Lord as one day and therefore the Lord speaking in many places of things that are to come as tho they were present Of which Divine Duhartus speaking of God saith that his mighty Voice speaks in the midst of thunder causing the Rocks to Rock and Hills to Tear calling the things that are not as tho they were Now what is spoken of this City of certain is not ment of that which was built at the return out of the Babilonian Captivity First That the dimentions of it is far larger than ever Jerusalem was yet built Secondly That this Jerusalem shall be called Holy unto the Lord. Thirdly It shall not be pluckt up nor thrown down any more for ever And therefore it is to be rebuilt at the restitution of all things At which time all these wonderful promises shall be made good to Israel And the Lord also saith in Jerem. 32.37 Behold I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath and I will bring them again into this place and cause them to dwell safely 38. And they shall be my people and I will be their God 39. And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their Children after them 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me 41. Yea I will rejoice over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole Soul Jer. 33.14 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah 15. In those days and at that time I will cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David and he shall execute Judgment and righteousness in the Land 16. In those days shall Judah be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely Here you see in those forementioned verses is contained Gods everlasting covenant with Israel after they are again re-establish'd they shall never more be cast off Whereby we see they stand with greater security then our first parents did in paradice And therefore the making good of these promises must be at the restitution of all things At which time they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and his brother but that they then shall be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them And God also tells them in Isa 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous They shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified 22. A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in its time And it is said in v. 14. of the same Chap. The Sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despise thee shall bow themselves down at the Soles of thy Feet and they shall call thee the City of the Lord the Sion of the holy one of Israel Now whereas God saith in Isa 4.5 And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Sion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Now by these words it does appear to have its meaning at the coming of the Lord that those that then are found written among the living shall there continue alive and remain in Jerusalem the which will be as it is inhabited with several sorts of people And the words that are in the following verse makes it so out where 't is said v. 4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Judgment and by the Spirit of burning v. 5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon all her assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence v. 6. And there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the the day time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from the storm and from the rain By these following words you see that Jerusalem was not then purged from her filthiness when the Lord said they should be called holy that were written among the living in Jerusalem And also there may then be some Achan in the Camp of Judah the which may be taken off before they come to their glorious settlement as never to be cast out of the favour of God any more over whom God hath promis'd there should be this glory that is before mention'd a Tabernacle
Father is not in him For all that is in the World the Lust of the Flesh and the Lust of the Eyes and the Pride of Life is not of the Father but is of the World And the World passeth away and the Lust thereof but he that doth the will of God abideth for ever Which World is the People as I before shewed you And the same Apostle saith John 5.19 We know that we are of God and the whole World lyeth in Wickedness Now all these Warnings and Admonitions were given us by the Apostles in the height of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom when there was such wonderful pourings forth of the Holy Ghost speaking with Tongues Healing all manner of Diseases casting out Devils and on whomsoever they laid their Hands they received the Holy Ghost And St. Paul saith in the Collosians The Gospel had been Preached through the World Yet Satan was not then bound up for he saith He sent a Messenger of his to Buffet him All which is to inform us his Power will continue to the end of this World That is till Christ comes to Judg the World And then he shall be bound up and the wicked receive their Condemnation and all things restored to their first purity And not that he was bound up in the Apostles time till after the Reign of Constantine the great For the Emperor turning Christian had so loaded the Church with Honours and Riches whereby they abounded with Pride whereupon their Contentions grew so hot one with the other that the good Emperor could not allay their Feuds so that he removed his Throne to Constantinople by which removing his Court from Rome made way for the Rise of the beast which is made mention of by St. Paul whereas he saith in 2 Thes 2.7 The mistery of iniquity doth already work only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way By which words we may plainly see that the Devil was not bound for he tells us the Mystery of Iniquity was already working in carrying on his design to set the Beast upon the Throne altho it was not fully accomplisht till about two hundred years after the Departure of the Emperor from Rome and he was daily increasing in his Power and the more by the Vacancy of the Throne which was one cause of his getting up into that Pestilential Chair And St. Paul saith in the forementioned Chapter 8. v. Then shall the wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his Mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his Coming 9. v. Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and signs and lying wonders 10. v. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they receceived not the Love of the Truth that they might be saved Here we are fully inform'd when the Beast shall be destroyed That is when the Lord cometh to Judg the World whom he then will destroy with the Breath of his Mouth and with the brightness of his coming And John saith Rev. 19.20,21 The Beast was takes and with him the false Prophet that wrought Miracles before him with which he deceived them the had received the Mark of the Beast and them the Worshiped his image these were both cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with Brimstone And the Remnant were slain with the Sword of him that salt upon the Horse which Sword proceeded out of his Mouth and all the Fowls were filled with their Flesh And he saith Rev. 20.1,2,3 He saw an Angel come down from Heaven having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a great Chain in his hand And he laid hold on the Dragon that old Serpent which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the Bottomless Pit and shut him up and set a Seal upon him that he should not deceive the Nations no more till the Thousand years should be fulfilled after that he must be loosed a little season The next verse treats of the Raising of the Saints by which we see the Prophets and Apostles as I before shewed do all agree that the destroying of the Beast the Judgment of the World the binding of Satan and the raising of the Saints to be all at one and the same time and that time will be at the coming of the Lord And it is said that the Beast and the False Prophet these both were cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning with Brimstone whilst the others that are Slain their Carkasses lay for the Fowls to be filled with their Flesh all this is set down to be done when the Lord again comes Now the Thessalonians apprehending the Day of the Lord was near whereupon the Apostle informs them 2 Thes 2.3 That that day shall not come except there came a falling away first And St. Peter doth plainly speak much to the like Effect 2 Pet. 3.3 of the Christians declining and falling from their Purity and not of an inlargement before the Coming of the Lord Luke 20.21 And our Lord being demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God should come he answered them and said the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation That is appeareth not with Grandeur or Greatness For they shall not say lo here or lo there for behold the Kingdom of God is within you As much as to say I have no other Throne or Kingdom here but where I am Inthron'd in the Heart is all the Throne I have in this World And in John 16.33 The Lord saith In the World ye shall have Tribulation but be of good cheer I have overcome the World And the Apostle to the Hebrews tells us Heb. 11. what dreadful Afflictions the Church suffered in the old time knowing here they had no continuing City but they sought one that was to come And the same Apostle saith Heb. 6.7,8 Whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and Scourgeth ever Son whom he receiveth If ye endure chastning God dealeth with you as with Sons for what Son is he whom the Father Chastneth not But if ye be without Chastisement whereof all are partakers then are you Bastards and not Sons And St. John in his Revelations tells us what dreadful Afflictions the Church of Christ would suffer even to the end Rev. 12.13,14 And when the Dragon saw that he was cast into the Earth he Persecuted the Woman And to the Woman were given two great Wings of an Eagle that she might fly into the Wilderness where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time from the face of the Serpent And the Serpent cast out of his Mouth waters as a Flood after the Woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the Flood And the Earth helped the Woman and the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed up the Flood which the Dragon cast out of his Mouth And the Dragon was wrath with the Woman and went to make
many more as I before shewed you And that in those Prophesies there are great distances of time between their accomplishment although it is set down as though they were so near together Now Christ having left it clear to us by the Event that the World was not destroyed when Jerusalem was whereby it makes it plain to our apprehensions that those Prophesies had a farther meaning than what the first part made out and what has not been made good it remains to be made good 2 Esdras 13.29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37 Behold the days come when the most High will begin to deliver them that are upon the Earth 30. v. He shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the Earth 31. And one shall undertake to fight against another one City against another one place against another one people against another one Realm against another 32. v. And the time shall be and the Signs shall happen and then shall my Son be declared whom thou sawest as a man ascending 33. v. And when all the people hear his Voice every man shall in their own Land leave the Battle they have one against another 34. v. And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together as thou sawest them willing to come and overcome him by fighting 36. v. But he shall stand upon the top of Mount Sion and Sion shall come and shall be shewed to all men being prepared and builded like as thou sawest the Hill graven without hands 37. v. And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked Inventions of those Nations which for their wicked Life are fallen into the Tempest Now without all doubt this fighting is so term'd as Jacobs Prayers were Wrestling when he prevail'd with the Angel but these will not have such success But when they see the glory they will immediately leave the Battle they have one against the other thinking to overcome the Lord by their Prayers but then it will be too late for them for then they must be judged according to their Deeds done in their body For then he will lay before them all their wicked Inventions Now it does certainly appear that this is the Battle that was to be fought by every particular And also this War that is now is produced by those that are set down in Rev. 16 13. And I saw three unclean Spirits like Frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the False Prophet 14. v. For they are the Spirits of Devils working Miracles which goeth forth unto the Kings of the Earth and the whole World to gather them to the Battle of that great Day of God Almighty 15. v. Behold I come as a Thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his Garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Now this War proceedeth from the Devil the Beast and false Prophet who have drawn in the Kings and Princes of the Earth with them so as the Devil by his Unclean Spirits hath set all the World in an Uproar as in Esdras Now we are to take notice of the words of the Lord in Joel where he saith Joel 3.2 I will also gather all Nations and will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my People and for my Heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the Nations and parted my Land Now in Scripture as I have proved to you all does not signify the whole and so the word here makes out in that the Lord saith He will plead with them there for his People and for his Heritage Israel whom they have scattered and parted his Land Now we know that it was but part of the Nations that was guilty of so doing therefore just at that time there may be but that part Judged And the words in the 12. v. makes it further so appear for the Lord there saith Let the Heathen be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to Judg all the Heathen round about That is thus All the Heathen round about that has Israel's Land in possession and doth Lord it over them For those of the Heathen that are here Judged are all condemned as it is clear in the two following verses And it is Evident by other places of Scripture they shall have a time of Torment here before they are cast into Hell Now in that they are all here termed Heathens is according to that of the saying of St Paul He is not a Jew that is one outwardly so they are not Christistians that only outwardly bear the Name of Christ as Papists do neither do they know God which the Turks pretend to do yet in works deny him and Worship Mahomet Therefore these in the sight of God appear as the worst of Heathens Neither could thâ—se 〈◊〉 be expressed so well under any other 〈◊〉 being a multitude of incorrigible sinners but some times comprehended under the title of Esau Now by these Heathens there is none of those Nations comprehended which the Lord will call in at his coming because that they are all condemned but I hope the Almighty God hath at this time set our King amongst them that he might be the awakener of ten thousand times ten thousand of them And I hope every thinking Soul will consider what God is going about to do so as to prepare for his coming And since we have been all in great mistakes we may the better pity and pray the one for the other now the Time is just at hand For this being the Exact Battle that is described with the Earthquakes that have been in divers places and the Cities of the Nations falling with the continual Whirlwinds mentioned in Jeremiah 30.23,24 At the time that Israel is to be restored God saith in the 23. v. Behold the Whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with Fury a continuing Whirlwind it shall fall with pain upon the head of the Wicked 24. The fierce Anger of the Lord shall not return until he have done it and until he have performed the intents of his heart in the latter days ye shall consider it And now it is these Whirlwinds of the Lord are gone forth for War and Afflictious are by the Lord termed Winds as in Jer. 51.1 And also the great stupidity that is at this day upon the People according to the Word of the Lord in Isa 29. the which is wholly directed unto the Christians as all the following part of the Chapter from the 4th ver makes appear And the Lord at this time by weak means making good that Promise in Daniel 12.4 But thou O Daniel shut up the Words and seal the Book even till the time of the End Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Now the Lord having opened his Word whereby Knowledge may be increased and this he hath done by weak means that his glory might the more eminently appear and
the Work to be his own And as for most of the great Judgments spoken of in the Revelations they will be upon the Earth after the Lord comes And as for the drying up the River Euphrates it was never given us by Christ or his Apostles as a sign before his coming Neither was the Fall of Babylon given us as a sign before the coming of the Lord. But if Babylon does fall before the coming of the Lord it will be upon the Discovery of the great Delusions that is now made manifest being accompanied with the Angry Face of Heaven in the Earthquakes and fiery Mountains that have been amongst them But if the City as well as the Beast do remain till the Lord come at which time Dan. 7.11,12 The Beast will be destroyed and given to the burning flame and then the rest of the Beast or Kings will have their Dominion taken away Yet their Lives will be prolonged for a Season and a Time Then may the Kings that gave their Power to the Beast when they become sensible of the intolerable Vengeance that they are fallen under then may they make good that which is said in Rev. 17.16 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 Now in the destruction of this City there is no other mentioned but them that had given their Power to the Beast And what is faid here and in Daniel and what the Lord in Matth. 22.8 where he speaks concerning his Invitation to us by the Gospel it doth not appear to be after the Lord comes for it is said in the 5. v. They made light of it and went their ways one to his Farm another to his Merchandise 6. v. And the remnant took his Servants and intreated them despightfully and slew them 7. v. But when the King hear'd thereof he was wrath and sent forth his Armies and destroyed those Murderers and burnt up their City Now we here have had the Call of the Gospel and neglected it But it has and is the Roman Power that does take the Servants of Christ and use them despightfully and slay them for which it is said that the King sent his Armies and destroyed those Murderers and burnt up their City Now the Murderers being said to be destroyed when the City is burnt up whereby it doth more clearly appear to be after the Lord comes And the Lord hath inform'd us of this City by St. John in Rev. 17. That it is mistical Babylon as in the 5. v. And upon her forehead was a Name written Mistery Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth Here the Lord mentions this City under the Name of a Woman And in the following verse it is said And I saw the Woman Drunk with the Blood of the Saints and with the Blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration And in Rev. 18.1 I saw an angel come down from Heaven 2. And he cryed mightily with a strong Voice saying Babylon the great is fallen is fallen and is become the habitation of Devils and the hold of every foul Spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird This being the same as Isaiah saith in Isa 34.10 and so to the end And in the forementioned Chapter of the Revelations 3. v. For all Nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her Fornication and the Kings of the Earth have committed fornication with her And in the 4. v. And I heard another voice from Heaven saying come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues 5. v. For her sins have reached unto Heaven and God hath remembred her iniquity 6. v. Reward her even as she rewarded you and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double 7. v. 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 8. v. 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 Now that we might not be mistaken as to the City her Merchandise makes it clearly out where it is said in Rev. 18.13,17,18 She makes Merchandise of the Souls of men And in the 17. c. by the Angels words we are fully assured which this City is For in the 18. v. he saith The Woman which thou sawest is the great City which reigneth over the Kings of the Earth Now by this demonstration here it is fully made evident that this City here mentioned is Rome in that no City under the face of the whole Heavens can be said to Reign over the Kings of the Earth but Rome and she doth by her Pope and Cardinals and the rest of her Crew which are there situated And also of this City or Woman it is said in Rev. 17.4 She was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet Colour and decked with Gold and Precious Stones and Pearls having a Golden Cup in her Hand full of Abominations and the filth of her Fornications This Cup being another clear proof that it is Rome that is here ment for it is said in the Cup is the abomination and the filth of her Fornications The which she sets up as a God and Worships and with which she commits Spiritual Fornication And now having shewed you who this City is I leave her to her near approaching Judg. Now as to what is said in Zachariah chap. 12.7 v. The Lord also shall save the Tents of Judah first that the Glory of the House of David and the Glory of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnifie themselves against Judah Now the house of David came of the Tribe of Judah and they were the Chief of that Tribe and yet here 't is said that they should not magnifie themselves against Judah and therefore underneath these Words appears there 's something veil'd and the true Christians come in by the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah and therefore it does appear to be these of Judah that will de saved first of whom Christ saith Two shall be in one Bed the one shall be taken and the other left two Women grinding at the Mill the one shall be taken and the other left whilst Israel and the promised Elect come in Multitudes And in Zach. 12.8,9,10 verses it is said In that day shall the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them 9. v. And it shall come to pass in that day that I will seek to destroy all the
which Gloriously was made true on Luther for in the year 1515 he began to sing and so Powerfully Preached and Wrought and Fought as since the Apostles times none hath done the like yet notwithstanding in despight of the Papists whom valiently in open fight he Encountred he lived many years afterwards and in the year 1546 departed in Peace on his bed Now in that God terms the Wicked to the Heavens and Earth and the World thereby he leaves man scope to come to Repentance whosoever so does they are then neither termed the Heavens nor the Earth nor World that is here spoken of that is to be destroyed 〈…〉 So I hope 〈…〉 by the breaking forth of the Light of Knowledg of the Coming of the Lord and by the fresh publication of the Gospel there may be Millions of Souls brought home so as to prepare for the coming of the Lord so that it may be only those that have hardned themselves in all Iniquity are to be left of God to hardness of heart and blindness of mind which may chiefly prove the Heavens Earth and World which will be destroyed by whom is chiefly included the incorigible Babilouians or Romanists whereas the Lord saith Should he find Faith on the Earth I could wish the Earth here spoken of by the Lord did only as will chiefly include those cruel Babilonians which have acted their Cruelty to the Servants of Christ and such as have given themselves up to wilful sin whereby they are left of God to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind but that all the rest of Mankind and especially them that bear the outward Name of Christ may depart from iniquity or otherwise they being they that will else fall underneath the severest Judgments And that all Mankind would seek unto God as Nineveh did and that also all them that fear his Name would stand in the gan for the People and so the 〈◊〉 of People that is to be destroyed may be â—…minished and the servants of Christ 〈…〉 creased So that Darkness might only fall on that Earth of People that hath excluded themselves from his Mercy but that the 〈…〉 mankind may keep off the Judgments 〈◊〉 against them by their Repentance as Nineveh did so that the Destruction which was threatned to be in forty days was turned to forty days of years in which Time those who were the chief Mourners were remov'd by Death and so now if we by the fresh breaking forth of the clear light of the Gospel with the Voice of the Bridegroom 's coming we so awake as to prepare for it we shall have as good success as Nineveh had for thereby the Earth of the Wicked will be decreased and the Servants of Christ increased And in that Luther doth say There shall be a Voice of the Bridegroom 's coming according to what the Angel said to Daniel altho not in the same words but to the same effect as in Dan. 12.4 But thou O Daniel shut up the words and seal the Book even to the time of the end many shall run to and fro and knowledg shall be-increased This fully shows that knowledg shall be increased at the time of the end which end is now just approaching and knowledge breaking forth at the Coming of the Lord thereby to make preparation for his coming But my Soul is troubled when I think of the Words of the Lord concerning the willful miscarriage of the Christians after they have Notice of his Coming for he saith in Luke 14.17 He sent his Servants at Supper-time to say to them which were bidden Come for all things are now ready 18. v. And they all with one accord began to make excuse being eager after the advantage of this World Here we see these might have came had they not been wanting to themselves for which the Anger of the Lord was kindled against them And here we see by the Lord as well as by Daniel and Luther that there would be notice given at the end of the time of his Coming of which the Lord saith is just at Supper-time And the Lord also said Dan. 12.9,10 And he said go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end Which plainly shews there was a Secret in it which was not to be revealed till now the end of the time And also the Lord saith in the tenth verse Many shall be purified and made white and tried but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand And whereas it is said none of the wicked shall understand that is those that have given themselves to work iniquity shall be left of God to hardness of heart and blindness of mind And whereas it is said the Wise shall understand it is meant by them that truly fear the Lord for the fear of the Lord is said to be the beginning of Wisdom and these are those that shall not be in darkness at that day but that the signs with the opened revealed Will of God in his Word shall now alarm them to prepare for his coming Now between these there is a third sort which by the Watchmans Warning they might have the advantage of making preparation For the Watchman is set upon the Watch-Tower to warn all And if the Wicked Man die without Warning although he die in his iniquity yet his Blood will God require at the Watchmans hand according to the Word of the Lord in Ezek. 33.6,7,8 14,15 But if the Watchman see the sword come and blow not the Trumpet and the people be not warned if the Sword come and take any person from among them he is taken away in his iniquity but his blood will I require at the Watchmans hand 7. So thou O Son of Man I have set thee a Watchman unto the House of Israel therefore thou shalt hear the Word at my mouth and warn them from me 8. When I say unto the Wicked O wicked man thou shalt surely die if thou dost not speak to warn the Wicked from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand For the Lord saith in the 14th verse When I say to the Wicked thou shalt surely die if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right 15. v. he shall surely live he shall not die By this we also see that if God doth say to the Wicked thou shalt surely die yet that threatning was of force no longer than the man remained sinful But as for those sinners who by their continual custom in sin God has left to hardness of heart and blindness of mind they cannot come to amendment of Life And God saith according to this in Ezek. 33.13 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembered but for his iniquity that he
having slighted his mercy Therefore this is no incouragement to us that live under the call of the Gospel to deferr repentance For the day of grace and the day of life have not one and the same date For if we will go on frowardly in the ways of our own hearts God will leave us to blindness of mind and hardness of heart Now God said that David was a Man after his own heart and why because his heart immediatly answered the call of God by his Word or Messengers as the Psalmist saith Psal 27.8 When thou saidst Seek ye my face my heart answered unto thee thy face Lord will I seek This is the voice which God requires of us The which he found not in Israel As saith St. Paul Rom. 10.21 To Israel he saith all the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying People And also in Proverbs Prov. 1.24,26 Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh By this we may plainly see God complain'd of them because they were wanting to themselves in not improving the season of grace which he had put into their hands Therefore God saith in the 32. v. Prov. 1.32,33 The turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them But whosoever shall hearken unto me shall dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil What is here spoken is to the foolish and wise Christians and of the near approaching time to come Now the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul sent presently after their conversion when as dayly there were new converts brought over to the Church for their comfort to let them understand that if they should immediatly after their conversion be taken away by a natural death or a violent one upon the account of their faith that they should no ways be startled or dismayed because they had not time after their conversion to do any good action even so much time as to be baptized but only believed as the Thief did and thereupon called upon the Lord for mercy and so departed this life yet they should be saved upon which occasion they were baptized for the dead as the ancients say and of which St. Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 15.29 What shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead Now that they that call upon God so as to have salvation his following words make out where the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed By which we see their calling is insignificant without believing and if they savingly believe it must be according to the tenor of the Gospel Which requires of us repentance from dead works and love to and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and if we live amendment of life for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked 1 Joh. 2.6 And as St. Paul to the Romans saith Rom. 8.1,8 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit 6. v. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace By which we may plainly see St. Paul's meaning was not that they might remain in their own natural state and so call upon God and be saved but that his meaning was as I before shewed you for what is set down here and what is set down in the 10. Ch. was writ at one and the same time being one and the same Epistle And the Jews wisely tell us that we must look to the words which go before and the words that follow after if we intend to come to a right understanding of the Scripture Now God by the Prophet Jeremiah makes mention of the miscarriage of Judah and how she did but feignedly call upon him as in the 10. v. Jer. 3.10 And yet for all this her treacherous Sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. And the Apostle saith Rom. 6.16,17,18 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you Being then made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousness The which is an evident token that we have no share in Christ's righteousness if we our selves walk not in the ways of righteousness And also we sin our sins over again if we do but delightfully think on them And the Apostle relates to Titus what they were before they were converted Titus 3.3,4,5,6,7,8 For we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his grace should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life This is a faithful saying and these things I will that you affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works The Apostle having here set down what they were before the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared And whereas he said Not by the works of righteousness which they had done but according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost Here we see was an inward change wrought in them from whence did arise their hopes of salvation And whereas he said that the Spirit was shed on them abundantly it was for the establishing the Gospel And as to what he saith as to their being justified by his grace they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life That is as I before told you upon their first conversion and resigning themselves up to Christ to be wholly guided and governed by him according to the rule of his word then it is the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them whereby they become justified in sight of God And whereas he saith I will that they affirm constantly that they that have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works The which he said to let them understand that if they did not persevere in a holy life they might be cast off According to what the Lord saith Joh. 15.2.6,8,9,10,14 Every
Lord is my Helper Now Moses rehearsed the Covenant of the Lord to Israel before his Death Where he saith in Deut. 30.10 If thou shalt hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to keep his Commandments and his Statutes which are written in the Book of the Law and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine Heart and with all thy Soul V. 11. For this Commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off V. 12. It is not in Heaven that thou shouldst say who shall go up for us into Heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it V. 13. Neither is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldst say who shall go over the Sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it V. 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy Mouth and thy Heart that thou maist do it This you see was spoken to the Church that was Elected Called and Chosen out of the whole World and so far Renewed and Inlightned as to be put into a Capacity of Obedience so as they might have done it as Moses saith If they had used their Diligence therein and with Prayer sought to God for his Assistance then the Lord according to his Promise would not have fail'd them nor forsake them Now the Heathen had neither the word in their Mouth nor in their Heart and some of them must have crossed the Seas if they would have had it Now Moses saith in the 15th v. See I have set before thee this day Life and Good Death and Evil. V. 16. In that I command thee this Day to Love the Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Statutes and his Judgments that thou mayest live and multiply and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the Land whether thou goest to possess it V. 17. But if thine Heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear but shalt be drawn away and Worship other Gods and serve them V. 18. I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the Land whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it V. 19. I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you that I have set before you Life and Death a blessing and a Cursing therefore choose Life that both thou and thy Seed may live Now this was said to the whole Jewish Church that God had brought out of Darkness and given them the knowledg of himself and his Law Upon which Moses absolutely saith that he hath set Life and Death before them which he could not have said had their Destruction been absolutely decreed before the foundation of the Material World was I do not deny a fore-knowledg in God that Man mightmiscarry but I absolutely deny that God made a Decree for Mans Damnation before ever man was Created or the World in which they Transgressed but that the Decree was passed according to the saying of the Angel after Man had offended Neither do I deny but that some particular persons are so chosen or their Election to be such so as they shall not be cast off But that which I deny is That the Jewish Church was not so chosen or Elected but that by their sinning they might be cast off For it was but a conditional Covenant that then God made with them But as to that New Covenant the which God hath promised to make with them to give them a New Heart and a New Spirit that they should not sin against him and that they should be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them and that he would never leave them nor forsake them nor leave them so as to forsake him but then he will rain down Righteousness and shower down blessings upon them Hos 10.12 Isa 65.22 Ezek. 24.34 Jer. 31.33,34 Jer. 32.40,41 Isa 60.21 But this Promised Covenant still remains to be made with them which God has Promised by his Oath shall be made with them and confirm'd unto them the which Promise will be made good to them at the Restitution of all things which will not be till Christ again comes to which St. Paul's Epistles do most of them drive at wherein he speaks of Election And as to that of Esau and Jacob whom God hath set as the Figure of both Worlds Esau being the Figure of this World and Jacob of that which is to come therefore it is said I have loved Jacob and hated Esau because the Glory was intended for the other World which is Jacob and that they of this World that are of Esau will part with their Birth-right rather than withstand a Temptation or wrestle with Affliction in the day of Tryal which Birth-right is the Promise of Salvation if they hold out to the end for which we must all Pray Wrestle and Run or else we shall not receive the Prize For now the Body of the Christian Church stands on no other Conditions than Israel then did as to their Calling and Election That is they are so far renewed as to be brought into the knowledge of God and put into a capacity of Obedience in which as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.10,11 We are to use all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure For if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And St. Paul to the Philippians saith Phil. 2.12,13,15,16 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling And in the next Verse it is said For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure That is it is so far the good will and pleasure of God as to call us renew us and enlighten us in the knowledg of himself whereby he hath put us into a capacity of working out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling And he saith in the 15th Verse That ye may be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in she midst of a crocked and perverse Nation among whom ye shine as Lights in the world Verse 16. Holding forth the word of Life that I may rejoyce in the Day of Christ that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain Now he knew there was a possibility of their miscarriage by the Admonition that he gave them which if they did it would take away his rejoycing in the Day of Christ in that he had laboured for them in vain And the same Apostle to the Hebrews saith Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and your bodies washed with pure water And here the Apostle tells us what is required of us if we are made partakers of
Nourish thy Children O thou good Nurse stablish their feet That is pray for them instruct them exhort them reprove them rebuke and chastise them For the Lord saith in the 2 of Esdras 9.11 They that have loathed my Law while they had yet liberty And when as yet place of repentance was open unto them understood not but despised it V. 12. The same must know it after death by pain And Eby for not Chastising his Sons but onely reproving them therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against him 1 Sam. 2.30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever but now the Lord saith be it far from me for them that honour me I will honour and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed V. 31. Behold the day is come that I will cut off thine arm and the arm of thy fathers house that there shall not be an old man in thine house Here we see it was sin that did disappoint them of a promised blessing And also the good King Josiah did forfeit his Temporal promised blessing the which was That he should die in peace But he unadvisedly went out to Fight with the King of Egypt when he was forewarn'd by the same King from the Lord to forbear as is said in Chron. 34.27 Because thine Heart was tender and thou didst humble thy self before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the Inhabitants thereof and humblest thy self before me and didest rend thy Clothes and weep before me I have even heard thee also saith the Lord. 28. Behold I will gather thee to thy Fathers and thou shalt be gathered to the grave in peace neither shall thine Eyes see all the Evil that I will bring upon this place and upon the inhabitants of the same Now in the 2 Chron. 35.20 It is said that he went out to Fight against the King of Egypt 21. But he sent Embassadors to him saying what have I to do with thee thou King of Judah I come not against thee this day but against the House wherewith I have war for God commanded me to make hast forbear thee from medling with God who is with me that he destroy thee not 22. Nevertheless Josiah would not turn his face from him but disguised himself that he might Fight with him and hearkned not unto the words of Necho from the mouth of God and came to Fight in the Valley of Megiddo 23. And the Archers shot at King Josiah and the King said to his servants have me away for I am sore wounded of which he dyed And also St. Paul in Acts 27.22 saith to them that were in the Ship And now I exhort you to be of good cheer for there shall be no loss of any mans Life among you but of the Ship 23. For there stood by me this night the Angel of God whose I am and whom I serve 24. Saying fear not Paul thou must be brought before Caesar and lo God hath given thee all them that sail with thee 25. Wherefore Sirs be of good cheer for I believe God that it shall be even as it was told me Now when the Ship-men were going to make their escape out of the Ship St. Paul in the 31. v. saith to the Centurian and to the Soldiers except these abide in the Ship you cannot be saved Now all these things are set down for our Instruction and Example and to admonish us that through our own default we may miss of the Promised blessing For we must take to the way and use the means or else the blessing promised is not attainable Therefore St. Paul saith Heb. 4.1 Let us therefore fear lest a promise being left us of entring into his rest any of you should seem to come short of it All these things being fair warning that as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.10 We should use all diligence to make our calling and election sure And St. Paul saith Rom. 11.7 What then Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for but the Election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded Wherefore were they blinded Because they hardned themselves in disobedience unto God as I before shewed you Now there is a threefold hardness of Heart First There is a natural hardness or unbelief Secondly There is a wilful hardness or unbelief that is when we wilfully harden our selves against God and his word And then it is that God gives them up to a judicial hardness of Heart and blindness of mind Therefore the Lord saith in Isa 65.2 The which place is also mentioned by St. Paul in Rom. 10.21 But to Israel he saith I have spread out my hand all the day unto a rebellious People which walked in a way that was not good after their own thoughts And in Rom. 11.11,8 he saith According as it is written God hath given them the Spirit of Slumber Eyes that they should not see and Ears that they should not hear unto this day That is as I before shewed you in Isa 6.9 The which Judgment was pronounced against rhem by reason of their great wickedness the which is set down in the foregoing chap. of Isaiah to which I have already spoken and therefore shall here pass it by But as for the other quotation that is put down in the margin which is Isa 29.10 The which is not meant by St. Paul because that place hath its special reference to the Christians by reason from the 5. v. downward it treats of the Destruction of the World and Israel's Enemies the which is said to be at an instant suddenly that is when the Lord cometh At which time also there will be a great stupidness upon the Relapsed Christians occasioned by their sin of which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.10 Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved 11. And for this cause God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie 12. That they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness For as I before shewed it is said in Rev. 13.2 That the Devil gave the Beast his Power of whom came strong Delusions so as they believed Lies Besides all the other Delusions that the Devil has sent abroad in the World the which God suffers to take with them that have no love to the Truth but have pleasure in unrighteousness The which makes sin exceeding finful By which we are also shewn that the day of Grace and the day of Life hath not one and the same period That is that the day of Grace may be taken away long before our natural Life is Ended Of which the Apostle saith Heb. 3.7 Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith to day if you will hear his Voice 8. Harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the day of temptation in the wilderness 9. When your Fathers tempted me proved
the words of the Apostles make out But I shall here only mention the words of St. Paul what he saith in Heb. 6.4,5,6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly Gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the Powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renue them again by repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame By these words of the Apostle it is fully evident although they were thus sealed with the Spirit of Promise which is the Holy Ghost yet it was not impossible for them to fall off again And therefore he useth all those Admonitions and Exhortations to them that they might persevere in Holiness and in the fear of the Lord. And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance Now these words were in a more particular mannet spoken of Israel when the Lord again comes as in Rom. 11.25,26,27,28,29 where he saith For I would not Brethren that you should be ignorant of this mystery lest ye should be wise in your own conceits that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in 26. And so all Israel shall be saved as it is writteu there shall come out of Sion the deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. 27. For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins 28. As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes but as touching the Election they are beloved for their Fathers sakes 29. For the Gifts and calling of God are without Repentance This blindness we see happened to Israel not from any Decree in God before their own default occasioned it for the word happened makes it appear it was not designed for them These Words are concerning the wonderful Promises made to the Fathers concerning 〈◊〉 which will be made good to them whe◠〈◊〉 Lord again come at which time he will give them a New Heart and a Now Spirit so as they shall not sin against him and then 〈◊〉 â—hat he shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. So as it is said that then he will not be angry with them nor rebuke them any more Now as to what reference the gifts and calling of God has to us or chiefly to the first Christian Churches was in giving Christ and the Holy Ghost and in calling the then Churches out of the Darkness of Heathenism and in forgiving them all their past sins and that through the imputed righteousness of Christ they were accepted as perfectly righteous in the sight of God as it is said he not imputing their iniquities And after they or we are regenerated the sins that are not wilfully committed are not imputed Therefore St. Paul faith That if he did that he would not then it was no more he that did it but sin that dwelleth in him Now the then gifts and callings of God to them and us did exrend no farther then thus renewing us again as to set them and us upright Therefore the Apostle wisely cautions them and us that he that standeth must take heed lest he fall But the first Churches being thus regenerated and renewed by the Holy Ghost the Apostle might well say that they were chosen to salvation since God had put them into such a Capacity and made them fit for it if they did not again fall away the choice being absolute in God But because the frail or sinful nature of man was not removed therefore there remained a defect in them and our selves and therefore we are continually to go to God to beg renewed strength from him And if we take to the rules that he hath set before us he will perfect â—he work that he hath begun in us according to the saying of the Psalmist Psa 84.11 The Lord will give grace and glory No good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly For God doth not withdraw from his people on purpose to damn them For the Apostle Peter saith 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance The like St. Paul saith in Timothy 2 Tim. 2.2,3.4 But it may be said how is it then that all are not saved The reason why Christ himself tells us Mat. 13.25 There is several sorts of ground Thereby giving us to understand that we are not naturally all alike For by the words of the Lord it appears that he had done alike for all which is the generality of all but that we cannot bring forth fruit alike according to what the Lord saith in Mat. 13.18.19 Hear ye therefore the parable of the Sower 19. V. When any one heareth the word of the Kingdom and understandeth not then cometh the wicked one and catcheth away that which was Sown in his heart This is he which received the Seed by the way side We see this sort of ground or people were wanting to themselves by reason they did not consider their ways to be wise And therefore are destroyed for lack of knowledge And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 13.20,21,22,23 But he that received the Seed in stony places the same is he that heareth the word and anon with joy received it yet hath he not root in himself but dureth for a while for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word by and by he is offended Here is great defect in the ground or Man himself And he saith in 22. V. He also that received the Seed among the Thorns is he that heareth the word And the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becometh unfruitful Here the diligent husbandman might root out most part of these Thorns which makes his ground unfruitful or his heart barren of faith and love to God And the Lord saith in 23. V. But he that received the Seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word and understandeth it which also beareth fruit and bringeth forth some an hundred fold some sixty some thirty By this we may clearly see it was the ground which the Lord here declares did differ for as it is said the Lord dyed for all and the promises are made to all that will receive him according to the Tenor of the Gospel But we see they cannot all alike receive him For we read that the same Seed was Sown but the ground could not bear alike but in that they brought forth no fruit was because they were wanting to themselves But although God may give to some more and to some less yet he requireth of all an improvement according to what he hath given them As witness to whom he gave the Talents Now me thinks of all the ground the stony seems to be in the worst condition being that in which man can be least helpful
Well-doing and to take to the Rules that he has set before us that we may so do According to which Christ saith in John 8.51 Verâ—…y verily I say unto you if a man keep my saying he shall never see death That is he shall never see Hell And the Lord saith John 10.14,15,16 I am the good Shepherd and know my Sheep and am known of mine Here the Lord seems in a more especial manner to signifie the very Elect. And in the following Words the Lord includes all the Sheep as in the 15. v. As the Father knoweth me even so know I the Father and I lay down my Life for the Sheep Here is all the Sheep included And the Lord saith in the 16. v. And other Sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also must I bring and they shall hear any Voice and there shall be one Fold and one Shepherd Here the Lord plainly declares to us that he hath two sorts of Sheep and that they are not now of one fold That is the one does not now stand so securely in him as the other does but he saith He must bring them into one fold at which time they shall hear his Voice And then it is there shall be one fold and one shepherd And this will be when the Lord comes again to Mount Sion at which time the Lord will make the promised New Covenant with the House of Israel And then all Israel will be so fixed in him that they shall never more fall away For God saith Isa 40.17 Ezek. 36.24,25,26,27,28 For I will take you from among the Heathen and gather you out of all Countries and I will bring you into your own land Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new Heart also will I give you a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony Heart out of your flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your Fathers and ye shall be my people and I will be your God So it is said Ezek. 11.19,20 and in Jer. 32.37 Behold I will gather them out of the Conntries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath and I will bring them again into this place and will cause them to dwell safely And they shall be my People and I will be their God And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their Children after them And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their Hearts that they shall not depart from me Yea I will rejoyce over them to do them good I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole Heart and with my whole Soul And the Lord saith Jer. 31.33.34 But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my Laws in their inward Parts and write it in their Hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People They shall teach no more every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know ye the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more And God saith Jer. 30.9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their King whom I will raise up unto them And Ezek. 34.22 Therefore I will save my flock and they shall no more be a prey and I will judg between cattle and cattle And I will set up one Shepherd over them and he shall feed them even my servant David he shall feed them and he shall be their Shepherd And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David a Prince among them I the Lord have spoken it And I will make with them a Covenant of Peace and will cause the Evil Beasts to cease out of the Land and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods And the Lord in John having fully declared to us that he hath two sorts of Sheep And that they are not now of one Fold with those that are the very Elect but that he must bring them into one Fold and then there shall be but one Fold at that time when there is but one Shepherd And that will be when the Lord maketh the Promised New Covenant with the House of Israel Now when this New Covenant is made with Israel we see by the oft repeated words of God that then Israel will be so secured as the very Elect are now whom God hath set as his standing Witness in this World So as it remaâ—ns a thing impossible to deceive them And then sâ—all Israel no more fall into sin arâ—er this New Covenant is made with them And as for us we now stand on the same terms as Israel did the which is we have a promise of Everlasting Life if we concinue in well doing Heb. 5.9 For he is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him And as it is said in Rom. 2.7 And to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality and eternal Life So it is by our continuance in well-doing after conversion that we shall be made partakers of Eternal Life Or if otherwise we shall be cut off For the Apostle saith Rom. 2.9,10 Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile 10. v. But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile That is as many of the Christians as are brought in by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and so became the seed of Abraham For it is said Gal. 3.29 and Gal. 3.9 If ye be Christs chen are ye Abrahams Seed and heirs according to the promise So when this promised New Covenant is made with the Natural and with the Adopted Seed of Abraham And although the rest of the Elect that are to be called in at the coming of the Lord have not that Everlasting New Covenant made with them as to secure their Off-spring so as they shall never more fall away yet they will stand secure whilst the Eminent Glory is among them and Satan bound up from them and the glorious Tabernacle in their View then they will all be of One Fold so as none for that time shall fall off according to which is the saying of the Lord
of God by halves as to the threatnings and mercy which is contained in the word which is the promise of Salvation to the obedient and likewise punishments to the disobedient But they like us believing the word of God by halves performed the lesser matters of the Law but left the weight ier undone for which Christ was laid in Zion as a stumbling stone so as they should not believe in him but this their disobedience was appointed them for their former rebellion and the stroke fell upon their Children that were alike partakers with them in iniquity Now the Faith that had been so long wanting in them was that which Christ in a more particular manner spake to In that they believed the word of God by halves is clear by the parable which he put forth concerning Lazarus and the rich Man in his request to Abraham that he would send Lazarus to his Brethren to warn them that they might escape that place of torment but Abraham said They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them but he still persisted Saying If one went to them from the dead they would repent But Abraham said If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded tho' one rose from the dead Luke 16.27 c. Whereby it clearly shews that they did not believe Moses and the Prophets as they should have done so as to have lived a holy life Saint Peter saith of Christ Acts 10.43 To him give all the Prophets witness that thro' his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins That is such as believe in him according to the tenour of his Word and Gospel in which he requires our observing to do whatsoever he commands us Matth. 28.20 And upon the will 's consenting to these conditions they received remission of sins And whereas it is said in the following verse While Peter spake these words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word Now these that at this time heard the word on whom the Holy Ghost thus suddenly sell were before proselytes of the Gentiles who truly feared God wrought righteousness as in ver 34. and 35. But others that believed of the first Churches which had before lived in sin were to repent and be haptized before they could receive the Holy Ghost Chap. V. Such as have Believed may afterwards fall away SAINT Peter saith Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come from the persence of the Lord. By these words he sheweth that upon Repentance and Resignation of themselves to Christ for him to have the ruling power in the heart at which time it is that such receive the remission of their sins Yet their sins according to the text are not blotted out until the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. So as if they again wilfully yield to Sin their former trespasses will again be required of them The like the Lord saith in the parable concerning the Servant that owed ten thousand Talents who besought his Lord for Pardon and his Lord forgave him the debt But for the Cruel usage of his Fellow-Servant his Lord again required his former debt for which he delivered him to the tormentors for that debt which he had before forgiven him Matth. 18.24,26,27,30,34 And the Lord saith Ezek 33.13,14,15 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit iniquity all his righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Again when I say to the wicked thou shalt surely die if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die Here we see that the promise of life is no longer to the righteous man than he continues to do righteously Neither is the threatned death to the wicked any longer than he continues to do wickedly So likewise neither is the eternal life promised the believer of any longer continuance than he persists believing that Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel In which Gospel is required our love and sincere obedience Matth. 10.37 Christ saith He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me And he also saith Mark 8.34,35 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it Whereby it clearly shews that we must part with the delights advantages and pleasures of this world for Christ as well as life it self when call'd for And Christ saith of some that they receive the word with Joy and for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away Luke 8.13 Whereby the Lord fully declares the promise is no longer to the believer than he remains believing in him and his word Which word requires our practical obedience The which if we perform then are we his Disciples indeed For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2.13 But the first Churches being in a particular manner chosen and called unto whom the holy Ghost was given whereby they generally stood tho' some fell away by making shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 but to the succeeding generations of the Gentile-Churches that came in by the call of the Gospel with the assistance of the good motions of the Spirit of God of whom Christ saith Many are called but few are chosen because of their not improving of their day of grace which God had put into their hands Matth. 20.16 Chap. VI. The Conversion of the Jaylor COncerning the Jaylor Acts 16.30,31,32,33 when after he was awakned by the Miracle he saw he then said Sirs VVhat must I do to be saved And they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house And they spake unto him the words of the Lord and to all that were in his house The which words of the Lord was that which he commanded his Disciples to teach Which was the condition upon which Christ had offered Salvation Mat. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you The which upon their wills consenting to yield their love and obedience in a belief that Christ was able to save them they were baptized And concerning Philip and the Eunuch Acts 8.35,36,37 Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached unto him JESUS And as they went on their way they came to a certain water and the Eunuch said See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized And Philip said If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest and he answered and said
method of Salvation which if accordingly be lieved they should be saved Therefore Christ saith to the Church Rev. 3.3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Here we see the Lord calls upon them to put in practice what they have heard Which if they do not he will come upon them at an hour they are not aware of And as the Thief comes to destroy so the Lord will come to the destruction of them that have his word and will not according thereunto wait for him with a prepared heart in love to receive him For he saith If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love John 15.10 and in the 14. v. Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you And also the Lord saith John 8.31 If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And the offer of mercy by Christ is to all that will take his Yoke upon them Matth. 11.29 And the Lord saith Mark 8.34,35,36 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own Soul This losing of the life for Christ is to be taken under a twofold head Not only when we are called to lay down our life for the defence of the Gospel but also in denying our selves the pleasures delights and advantages of this world for this is spoken in general to all that will save their lives to life eternal According to this the Lord saith John 12.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal And Christ saith Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 7.24 Christ saith Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them is like to a wise man that built his house upon a rock So if we lay hold upon the promise of life according to the conditions offered by Christ we build upon that rock that will never fail us So as when the greatest storm ariseth that man will securely stand because he is faithful that hath promised But if we believe in Christ for justification yet walk according to our own imaginations and not according to his Commands it is building upon a sandy foundation for which they will have damnation According to the word of the Lord when he sent his Disciples to teach the Doctrine of the Gospel which was the conditions of the Covenant of grace He then said He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16 That is it was the Gospel which then Christ sent forth his disciples to teach which they that heard were to believe Accordingly the Lord saith Matth. 28.19,20 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you and lo I am with you to the end of the world That is with the race of the Disciples which is of the remnant he will be with to the end of the World for they are those that none can pluck out of his hand And of whom it is said they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth And also he will never forsake any whilst they keep his way in observing to do whatsoever he Commands them Now the Belief in Christ that is saving is to be grounded upon the words of Christ that his righteousness is to be applied for the justification of the sinner according to the conditions as it is tendred by him which is in the observing to do whatsoever he commanded them For tho' at the first receiving of the Gospel by his free grace they were saved from their sins by yielding to the conditions that Christ required Yet all of them that were not immediately taken away by death were to be judged according to the performance of those conditions before they could be thought meet to partake of the Crown of life And in every believer is required the faith of God's Elect that in the way of their love and obedience they shall become Heirs to the promise Zacheus desired to be a Disciple of the Lord and he knew in being so his Obedience was required Therefore he said Lord half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any by false accusation I will restore him fourfold Luke 19.8 But many of us like the Jews of old by their Tradition made the Commands of God of no effect So many with us by their half-faith or believing but half way in that they leave out the conditions upon which life and salvation is offered by Christ have made their faith in Christ of none effect to the saving of their Souls because the promise of life is upon condition of our Obedience In which whosoever remains faithful to the death shall have the Crown of life But for any to think that Christ dyed to give them a liberty to sin it is of such God saith Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.21,22 This forgetting God is forgetting their duty as to yield Obedience unto his Commands But for our having Faith in the righteousness of Christ separate from good works is dead standing alone James 2.20,21,22 But wilt thou know vain man that faith without works is dead Was not Abraham our Father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Seest thou how faith wrought with his work and by works was faith made perfect Thereby shewing that a lively and perfect Faith always includs good works As first the inward work upon the will and affections and afterwards good works put in practise Therefore he saith in the 26 verse For as the body without the Spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also And Chap 1. v. 25. But whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed Now why is it term'd the Law of Liberty Because such as walk in obedience thereunto are by Christ set free from the condemning power of sin and death 26. v. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth
shall further prove in a Treatise concerning forgiveness in the world to come But as for those Gentiles of old spoken of by St. Paul Rom. 2.14,15,16 Which having not the Law do by Nature the things contained in the Law these having not the Law are a Law unto themselves Which shew the work of the Law written in their hearts their conscience also bearing witness and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel And the Gospel saith that all shall be judged according to their deeds Now Conscience is a true witness which God hath set up in the Soul therefore whom that excuseth in judgment those will find mercy as by the Apostles foregoing words he doth fully make appear But as for all the Heathen whom we have mistakenly thought went to everlasting fire by the example of St. Paul we have not been permitted to judge them but to leave them to the judgment of the all-wise God 1 Cor. 5.12,13 For God hath secret places for Souls in that great pit which we know not of And some goes to the water and some to the fire and some to prison-houses As will be proved But to him that ordereth his conversation aright God hath promised to shew his Salvation Psal 350.2 And the Lord also saith Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy c. Mat. 5.3,4,5,6,7,8,9 And God hath promised he will give grace and glory to them that walk uprightly Ps 84.11 And the like God saith Isa 33.15,16 Ps 15. and Ps 24.3,4,5 Who shall ascend into the Hill of the Lord and who shall stand in his Holy place He that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul to vanity nor sworn deceitfully He shall receive the blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his Salvation This is the man that is sure to have the perfect Righteousness of Christ imputed to him from the God of his Salvation And by an upright conversation in complyance to a chief good the Noble Heathen gropt after Christ in the dark And when all are judged according to their works they then of a certain shall have their Reward Rev. 22.12 Behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be and ch 20.12,13 ch 2.23,26 Matth. 7.21 Matth. 25.35 Rom. 2.6,13,14,15 James 1.22 1 Pet. 1.17 1 Tim. 6.18,19 Psalm 58.11 Pro. 11.18 c. 25.22 Mat 5.12 Now when we find in appearance an absolute contradiction in the Word then it is certain we do not rightly understand the true meaning of it For when rightly understood it all agrees in a holy harmony one with the other by which mercy Truth and Justice kiss each other Chap. XVIII The Eternal purpose explained I Shall here further speak concerning those places we have mistaken Saint Paul in And first of the eternal purpose fully proving that the Apostle spake only of the eternity that was to come Eph. 3.11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. Here he doth not say that God had from all eternity a purpose in Christ But the word is only according to the eternal purpose as looking forward to the eternity that lies before us In which in and thro' Christ after the fall of man there was a purpose in God as to man's Salvation According to this St. Paul again saith Heb. 5.9 Christ is become the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey him That is looking forward to the eternal Salvation that lies before us the which in time Christ became the Author of Chap. XIX God's working all things after the Councel of his own will explained SAINT Paul saith Eph. 1.11 In whom we also have obtained an Inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will That we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ Now whereas St. Paul saith God worketh all things after the Counsel of his own will That is he here speaks as to all the great works that God worketh that he worketh those things after the counsel of his own will According to which St. James saith Known unto God are all his works Acts 15.18 Here both the Apostles speak concerning the method and way of God's carrying on of man's Salvation with the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow shewing that the first Churches were predestinated according to the will or purpose of God that they should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ and therefore they were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise for the establishing of the gospel and for the more security of their standing that God might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards them in the ages to come Eph. 2.7 and also set a door of mercy open to all that should believe in him according to his word with the determined punishments to them that should remain in their disobedience and the intended glory that should follow to the righteous These being God's works which he worketh according to the counsel of his own Will And St. Paul had no other meaning for the word all in Scripture doth not include the whole And St. Paul speaks also in the like manner in that he saith Every man when it doth but include a very small number as in the 1 Cor. 4.5 He saith when the Lord comes he will make manifest the counsels of the heart and then shall every man have praise of God This all or every man does but signifie those whose counsels of their hearts are agreeable to the will of God And I fear they will be but a small number that will receive this praise of God compared with the whole I could here recite many places but having already proved in another book I shall not insist much upon it But we not rightly understanding the way of Scripture-speaking therefore did not rightly apprehend the meaning of St. Paul So as we have taken his words to the contradiction of that God that cannot lie And who hath said and sworn that he delighteth not in the death of a sinner but rather that he should return and live Yet notwithstanding we have so mistakenly believed St. Paul as to think that by afore-sight in God of Adam's miscarriage he did predestinate a few to Salvation and left all the rest under a necessity of damnation decreeing them Reprobates before they were created or the world in which they offended And these opinions we have taken up with through the mistake of the words of St. Paul Notwithstanding the Oath and word and all the declarations of God to the
of the Crown of righteousness till at his departure when the end had crown'd his work 2 Tim. 4 7,8 Neither was the Crown of life any otherwise promised But the Apostle in this place had his reference to the general Callings as of Israel and the Gentile Churches But more peculiarly to the time when Israel will again be called in at the time of the Restitution of all things For when the Lord comes again to Zion it is then he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob Rom. 11.25,26 And then it is God will see no iniquity in Jacob when he hath purged all iniquity from them For they are the elect unto whose persons the promise is made to as Rom 11.28 For they are beloved for their Fathers sake And then the believer in Christ will partake with them of the Eternal Inheritance that is but in this time promised Unto which Inheritance the persons of the first Gentile Churches were chosen and had given them the Holy Ghost as the earnest of that Inheritance which they should be heirs to world without end if they did not disinherit themselves For the Seed that is in Christ and Isaac is them that have the Spirit of Christ and them that have a mind and will brought into Subjection unto the mind and will of Christ without which they are none of his Rom. 8.9,14 But when Israel is restored God will give them one heart and one way that they may fear him for ever Jer. 32.39 for the good of them and their Children after them Chap XXIII Adding to the Church and ordaining to Eternal Life explained And Christ dying for the world ST Peter said to the Jews Acts 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved This he said to the Jews because the generality of them were excluded the then mercy so that such of them as were not left to blindness were daily added to the Church For Christ in Zion was laid as a stumbling stone And as for those Gentiles that were ordained to eternal Life they were called in by the convincing power of the Spirit which went with the word of the Disciples whereby they did yield their assent to be obedient to the truth which they no sooner did but God justified them by his grace and glorified them by his giving to them the Holy Ghost to be in them whereby he did abound to them in all wisdom and prudence and in divers miracles and gifts This is that in which God did manifest himself to them as he did not unto the world These are they which Christ prayed for with his Disciples that should believe in him thro' their word Which was by the word preached by the mouth of the Disciples by whom the first Churches were gathered For the word of God and Christ was never term'd the word of the Disciples But the first Churches receiving the word from the mouth of the Disciples therefore said by Christ to believe in him thro' their word But when the Holy Ghost was shed forth abundantly on the first Churches then the Holy Ghost became an evident witness to the world that God had sent Christ So as the world did not believe thro' the Word of the Disciples but through the convincing signs and wonders and mighty power of the Spirit of God that was seen amongst the Churches The which did bear witness it was the word of God that was taught amongst them For had we had no other witness than the word of a few Disciples that Christ was the Son of God there had been little reason for the world to have believed it But the visible witness of the Holy Ghost bearing witness to the truth of what the Disciples taught was the convincing argument to the world that God had sent Christ as thereby they might take hold of the offered mercy by him on the condition as it is tendred And if we are found in our duty according to the capacity God has put us in we then shall not want his assistance to enable us to do that which he requires of us But as for the Disciples and first Churches Christ in a particular manner prayed for as he did not for the world John 17.21 That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they all may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me Now whereas the Lord saith that they may be one in us That was in that they were made partakers of the Holy Ghost which both them that were first given to Christ of the Father and the first Churches that should believe in him thro' their word received from the mouth of the Disciples were also partakers of that one Spirit with God and Christ and thereby became one with them in being united by one Spirit For the Spirit that was before with the Disciples was given to be in them John 14.17 That they should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ Eph. 1.12 And this was evident to the world when the Holy Ghost was thus given And the Lord here prayed that by this clear manifestation to the world the world might believe that God had sent him For when the world believed that God had sent Christ by the Convincing Signs and wonders miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost that was then given part of the world embraced the Faith as St Paul declareth and the word brought forth fruit in them as it did in the Church of Collosse Chap. 1.6 For according to the Command of Christ The Gospel was preached to every Creature under Heaven Col. 1.23 And by the mighty signs and wonders that accompanied the Word they were under a conviction that Christ was the Son of God And then there was a power in them to go to him for the offered mercy But when God for sin withdraws from a Person People or Nation he then leaves them to blindness as he did Israel and Christ so died for the World that all that have not disinherited themselves will reap benefit by it Now the first Churches were as a Candle lighted up by the Lord to enlighten the World who lay in Wickednesss and Darkness And they being to withstand all the fury of the Enemy at the Publication of the Gospel Therefore they had so great a portion of the Spirit given them And it was them whom the Disciples taught that received the Word from their mouth and so believed in Christ thro' their Word to whom Christ made these promises Mark 16.15,16,17 Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature And these signs shall follow them that believe In my Name shall they cast out Devils They shall speak with new Tongues they shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them They shall lay hands on the Sick and they shall recover By these words we see nothing can be more plain than
that hath promised and his faithfulness cannot fail And the invitations and drawings of God are with the Cords of a man and with the bands of Love Hosea Ch. 11. ver 4. So as the will is left either to chuse or refuse the same And tho' God may sometimes go out of his usual way of working and as it were pluck a brand out of the burning yet that person no longer securely stands than he willingly devotes himself to his Makers Service But when he will have none of his Counsel but despises his reproof then will the Lord laugh at the Calamity of such and mock when their fear cometh Pro. 1.25,26,27 Which as a whirlwind will come suddenly and now is very nigh at hand But yet the door of mercy is open to all that will repent and turn from their evil ways so as they may escape the wrath to come Jer. 18.7,8 FINIS THE Near Aproach of CHRIST's KINGDOM Clearly proved by Scripture With a certain Account of the Signs of the present Times relating thereto As also That the Conversion and Restauration of Israel will be after the Lord's coming That after the Lord 's coming most of the great Plagues mentioned in the Revelations will be poured out upon the Earth and the Wicked That the Beast and the False Prophet will be then taken alive That all the Christians that came in by Christ of the Gentile Race were termed Heathens in the Old Testament And that the Law and Gospel speaks but to them that are under it That after the Fiery Tempest the Heavens and Earth will be renew'd and all things restored as in the beginning LONDON Printed for M. M. and are to be sold by Tho. Fabian at the lower end of Cheapside in Mercers Chapel And divers other Booksellers about London 1696. Advertisement The most material points that we are in controversie about are already answered which Books are to be sold at the same Booksellers and of a small price that thereby they may be the easier had by all There will other Books come forth in a short time so as by Gods assistance all the disputable places and most of the figurative speeches will be by the word it self fully and clearly explained ERRATA Page 48. l. 27. from the top r. 1 Pet. 4.12 TO THE KING AND Parliament THIS Treatise giving an Account of the Certain Signs of the Times and the near approach of the coming of the Lord is humbly presented That they may know what God is going about to do so as to prepare for the coming of Christ 'T is therefore most humbly hoped our most Gracious King with the Great Council of the Nation who have so wonderfully appeared for the Defence of the Protestant Religion may be further instrumental to the Glory of God in encouraging the knowledge of the Truths hereto contained God make His Majesty and Great Council to be a Blessing to the Nations TO THE READER Christian Reader WHEN I heard of those often repeated Earthquakes the like whereof the World never produced and that it is according to the Word of the Lord that there should be Earthquakes in divers places with distress of Nations c. when these things come to pass the Lord hath bidden such as have an Interest in him then to look up and to lift up their heads for their Redemption draweth nigh Luke 21.28 The thoughts of which set me on a fervent longing desire for the coming of the Lord and drew out my heart in more ardent desires after him whereupon I took to the Lord's direction resolving to search the Scriptures with more diligence than ever I had done the which I no sooner had performed but I found the certainty of the coming of the Lord and that it was very nigh at hand but still I was to seek how and in what manner for I could then no ways make the Old and New Testament agree neither did I then rightly understand any of the figurative speeches and finding it too hard for me I was much troubled thereat but as I had taken to the Lords direction in the search of the Scripture whereby I came to the assured knowledge of his coming so I also would according to the advice therein seek to the Lord for knowledge to understand the secrets therein contained as Prov. 2.3,4,5,6 for he is the wonderful Counsellor and the mighty God Isa 9.6 The which when I so did the Lord more and more inlightened my understanding in his Word So as I do wholly acknowledge the discovery of these great and hidden Mysteries was from the Lord and attained according to the way directed in his Word which is by prayer and diligence This small Treatise being an Essay containeth the plain Heads easie to the apprehension of any that thereby all these great things might the better be registred in their memory so as to sink down upon the heart The other Book being somewhat more difficult for them to understand that are not well vers'd in the Word and understand not the way of Scripture speaking For therein is most of the figurative speeches opened by the Key of the Word that is by joyning Scripture to Scripture and in not leaving any other Scriptures to contradict what is said whereby the true meaning of the Word is clearly explained But these great Mysteries were to remain a secret to the time of the end according to the Word of the Lord in Daniel chap. 12.4 And in Zech. 14.7 It is said It shall come to pass that at evening time it shall be light And in that God has made choice of so weak an Instrument it is that his power might the more eminently appear therein and that the Infinite God hath now at this evening time caused the true meaning of his Word to be discovered it is an infallible Sign of the certain near approach of the coming of the Lord for whose coming if we prepare we shall be certainly happy but if you will put the day far off it will then come on you as a snare Luke ch 21. v. 34,35 in which you will be destroyed but if you will be as earnest with God for your selves and so continue as I have been earnest with the Almighty for the generality of you all I make no question but you will be for ever blessed for if we will not be wanting to our selves God will not be wanting to us Now that we and the generality of the Christian World would seek the Lord whilst he is to be found and that the Warnings he gives us to prepare for his coming might so awaken us as that we may be found with our Lamps trimmed and our Lights burning is the earnest prayer of Your Friend and Servant in Christ Jesus M. M. A certain Account of the Signs of the Last Times The Coming of the Lord. The Destruction of Babylon With the Christians that remain in their Wickedness Also the Calling in of the Jews And the Restoration of all
times Matth. 16.3 The which became destructive to them but St. Paul saith Ye are not in darkness that that day should come upon you at unawares 1 Thes 5.4 And blessed will they be that upon the warning the Lord gives them will so prepare for him as to have their Lamps trimed and their lights burning For the Lord compareth himself to a man that took a long journey and gave to every man his work and commanded the Porter to watch And the Lord saith watch ye therefore lest coming suddenly I find you sleeping Mark 13.34,35,36,37 These places shew the dreadful condition those Christians will be in that will not take warning by the Signs given by him and the Lord also saith If the good man of the house had known what hour the Thief would have come he would have watched and not have suffered his house to have been broken through Luke 12.39 For as the Thief comes to destroy so the Lord will come to the destruction of them that profess they know him yet will not make preparation for him Chap. V. The Signs of the Times NOW as concerning the Time and the Signs of the Time that is that the time of the Signs and Wonders to the time of Christ's coming and afterwards till such time as the Wicked are taken off from the Earth it doth clearly appear will be forty five years according to which time Israel lay in the Wilderness and were Conquering their Enemies in the Land of Canaan before they were peaceably setled there for in numbers it is said According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel what hath God wrought Numb 23.23 The like is said in Micah According to the days of thy coming out of the land of Egypt I will shew unto him marvellous things the nations shall be confounded at all their might Mich 7.15,16 And it is said in Zechary 14.3 Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battel And in Daniel there is just forty five days difference in the number of the days and he is said to be blessed that comes to the last number Dan. 12.12 And that we are now far gone in this forty five days of years is certain by the Signs of the Times and if they began in 1663. when the great Blazing Star appeared which the Astronomers said was a Rod to whip the Earth withal And since we have had Signs in the Sun and in the Moon and oft repeated Blazing Stars according to the Word of the Lord Luke 21.25 or whether the beginning of the limited time was when the Evil Spirits mentioned in the Revelations Chap. 16.13,14 came out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet which has gathered together the Kings of the earth to the battel of the great day of God Almighty And by these the World is now in an uproar as in 2 Esdras 9.3,4 and also the Lord saith in Luke Chap. 21.25,26,27 There shall be distress of nations with perplexity the sea and the waves thereof roaring mens hearts failing them for fear and looking after those things which are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken By which is meant the ruling powers of the earth which in Scripture is also called the Heavens And then it is the Lord will come as in ver 27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory And it is also given us as a Sign of the Lord 's coming the often breakin gs forth of fire out of the earth altho' History gives us an account that the Mountains were fired before Christ came The Romans being formerly the afflicters of the natural Seed of Jacob as since they have also been of the adopted Seed of Jacob for which with their other abominable sins the anger of the Lord has been kindled against them yet before the coming of the Lord it is declared by the Angel to Esdras There shall be confusion in many places and fire shall be oft sent out again 2 Esd 5.8 which hath lately in a wonderful manner been fulfilled Now all along in the Scripture the Afflictions of the Natural and of the Adopted Seed are joyned together so here in Isaiah 5. from the beginning to the 14. verse in a particular manner treats of the miscarriage and punishment of the natural Seed of Jacob. And beginning at the 14th verse to the 24th treats of the punishment of the adopted Seed of Jacob. For in the 16th verse he saith The Lord of Hosts shall be exalted in Judgment At which time the Lambs shall feed after their manner Therefore this is to be fulfilled when the Lord again comes Against which time it is said Isa 5.14 Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth wide without measure and their glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it This doth evidently appear that Hell hath enlarged her self by these often torrents and rivers of Fire Pitch and Bitumen which God hath lately sent out thence According to the Word of God in Deuteronomy Chap. 32.22 For a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn to the lowest Hell and shall consume the Earth with her increase and set on fire the foundations of the Mountains By these words we are to understand that the fire of Hell and the fire in the Foundations of these Mountains extendeth it self from the one to the other This is further treated of in a Book that is to come forth And it is also said in Isaiah 30. v. 30. For Tophet is ordained of old yea for the King it is prepared he hath made it deep and large the pile thereof is fire and much wood the breath of the Lord like a stream of Brimstone doth kindle it This Tophet here spoken of is Hell the King for whom it was prepared is the Devil but Man that is insnared by him does also fall into it For the Lord saith Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Matth. 25.41 But all Hell will not be fired till the last and final Judgment when all the dead will be judged Rev. 20.14 And whereas it is said The pile thereof is fire and much wood That is much combustible matter fit for fuel as Brimstone Pitch Sulpher Bitumen Coperas and the like These things the Lord hath so placed and by his breath and command he hath kindled it And it is said of the Beast and false Prophet that after the Lord comes they were both taken and cast alive into a Lake of fire burning with Brimstone Rev. 19.20 which Lake is already kindled into which they shall be cast which reacheth to the lowest Hell Chap. VI. Whirlwinds from the Lord. NOW are the Whirlwinds of the Lord gone forth according to the Word of
fore-mentioned promised new Covenant will not be made with the rest of the Nations that then will be called in as God by the Prophet hath declared Ezek 16.61 And after the thousand years when Satan is again loosed and the eminent glory of the Lord is not so visible among them then Satan will again draw off some of them that are spared of those Nations which are not secured by the everlasting Covenant and fire shall come down from Heaven and destroy them And then the Devil that deceived them will then be cast into the lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Beast and false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and for ever Rev. 20.3,9,10 From which words we are to take notice the Lord here declareth the continuance of day and night as also in Psa 89.36 â—7 And after the Devil is cast into Hell we read of no other than a temporal punishment inflicted on them of the Nations that will not go up to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and keep the feast of Tabernacles Zec 14.16,17 And how many thousand years it will be after Satan is cast into the fire of Hell before the final judgment the Lord best knoweth But by the word it is clear it will be many thousand years For God hath said He will keep Covenant and mercy to a thousand Generations Deut 7.9 And from Adam to this time we cannot well reckon above a hundred Generations For where St. Luke counts the Genealogy from Adam to Christ he reckons up but about three score Generations Luke 3. And this fore-mentioned Kingdom is the Kingdom of which the Angel told the blessed Virgin that Christ should Reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Luke 1.33 This ever chiefly includes the ever of the world to come in which time Christ will have his Reigning Power and at the time of the last Judgment when the Heavens and Earth are said to fly away Re. 20.11 The fore-mentioned Book explaineth the meaning thereof fully making it appear by the word there is two sorts of Heavens and Earth whereby it is clearly proved that the Kingdom of Christ will have no end according to the word of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin and according to the word of the Lord in Daniel But the Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever even for ever and ever Dan. 7.18 And God saith in Isaiah For as the New Heavens and the New Earth which I will make shall remain before me saith the Lord so shall your Seed and your Name remain Isa 66.22 For then it is God will give Israel a place of their own so as they shall move no more 2 Sam. 7.10 But we not apprehending there is three Evers three Times three Generations and three Worlds spoken of in Scripture thereby we have been much in the dark concerning this world to come And this world to come being the time that is chiefly comprehended in Psal 89.2 For I have said mercy shall be built up for ever thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very Heavens I have made a Covenant with my Chosen I have sworn to David my Servant Thy Seed will I establish for ever and build up thy Throne to all Generations Chap. X. The Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles being again kept NOw in that the feast of Tabernacles is again to be kept when all the other great Feasts are laid aside Zech. 14.16 it doth thereby appear that when Israel and those of the Nations which are saved are first gathered they will then again for some time dwell in booths as Israel did when they came out of Aegypt And therefore this feast to be kept for a remembrance in the ever of the time to come But some may say How can the Nations come up yearly to Jerusalem the Journy being so far distant from some But none need Question but God will make them of ability to do what he requires of them And whereas it is said That every one that is left of all the Nations That is every one of the Nations that were left should go up yearly to Jerusalem but not that it is there meant that every individual person of the Nations will be required to go up year by year unto Jerusalem but some of the heads of the Nations And therefore said in the 18 verse If the Family of Aegypt go not up c. Then a National punishment is threatned Now what we find written in the old and new Testament and nothing therein to contradict the plain meaning thereof that will of certain be fulfilled in the plain and clear way as it is expressed But that is a figurative Speech and not to be taken in the letter of the word where we find other Scriptures in contradiction to it There God hath a secret vail'd in it which he reserves until such time as he will have it revealed But what God commands to be done And what God declares he will have done And what God hath sworn he delights not in And what God hath absolutely promised to do And what God hath sworn he will do These things are to be taken as they are exprest or we are apostatized from the truth And it is at the Restauration of Israel that the Everlasting Covenant will be established as to which time God has sworn to Israel That he will not be wroth with them nor rebuke them any more Isa 54.8,9,10,11,12 For then God will put his fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Jer. 32.39,40,41 And concerning that time The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his Strength that he will no more give their Corn to be meat for their enemies neither shall the Sons of Strangers drink the Wine for which they have laboured Isa 62.8 This promise will be fulfilled when Jerusalem is made the praise of the earth as in the 7th ver Which is at the time of the Restitution of all things when the Lord again comes Acts 3.20,21,22,23,24 And then it is There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob Rom. 11.26 Isa 59.20 Then shall the Lord rore out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and Earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his People and the Strength of the Children of Israel Joel 3.16 This Zion or Jerusalem is meant of the glorious Tabernacles spoken of Heb. 8.2 But we all coming out of the Darkness of Popery have lost the right apprehension of this Kingdom or World to come whereby we are involved in great mistakes so as to think the promised everlasting Covenant is now established and that such as belong to it may fall foully but not finally but when that Covenant is established then it is that God will put his fear into their hearts so as
after the Blood of the Saints of which he hath taken so much with her that they are become Drunken with it And in Rev. 16.6 It is said They have shed the Blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy And whereas Moses saith God would blot out that Mans Name from under Heaven So it is said in Rev. 19.20,22 That he was cast alive into the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone And as to what Moses saith in the 22. v. we are in especial manner to take notice of in that he saith The Generation to come of your Children in that he doth not here in the plural number say Generations but Generation Speaking after the manner of our Lord Christ David and others in that they mention this Wicked World as one Generation And the Elect with their Generations in the Glorious time another Generation And whereas he saith the stranger that shall come from a far Land up to Jerusalem he saith When they see the Plagues of that Land and the Sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it Here we see Moses does not term it Israel's Land or the Land they were going to possess or Canaan but that Land whereby it is plain it was not meant their Land Now after the Lord again comes and the Judgment of this World is past 't is said Zach. 14.16 Every one shall go up from year to year to Worship the King the Lord of Hosts And then it is those strangers that in their journey pass by that Land up to Jerusalem and see that the whole Land thereof is become Brimstone and Salt and Burning nor any Grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his Anger and in his Wrath Deut. 29.24 Even all the Nations shall say wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of his great Anger 25. Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt Now as I before shewed you the Covenant included strangers that were to be brought in for time to come which by Christ should become the Seed of Abraham And so also the Covenant was made with our Fathers when they came out of the Land of Egypt But you may say that Christ came out of one Tribe and therefore the Covenant not made with our Fathers which words include more than one Father To which I Answer That whilst Judah was in Egypt from him sprang many Fathers of Families But peradventure you may say that Christ could not come of all the Families of Judah To which I Answer That by the Father and Mother's side of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came there was then when this Covenant was made many of our Fathers also considering that then they lived to see the fourth Generation of their Children Now in the 26. v. forward Moses seems also to intermix Israel vvith this Degenerate Root for in the 26. v. he saith They went and served other Gods and Worshipped them Gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given unto them 27. v. And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against this Land to bring upon it all the Curses that are written in this Book That is This Land which he before had been speaking of on vvhich shall be made out all the severer Curses that are Written in this Book of the Lavv. And as many of the Curses as have not been inflicted on Israel and their Land will be inflicted on that Root that beareth Gall and Wormwood and their Land to whom the severest of them doth particularly belong as I before shewed you And Moses saith in the 28. v. The Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day 29. v. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God But those things which are revealed belong unto us and our Children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law Now whereas Moses saith in the 28. verse That the Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger in wrath and in great indignation The which words also have a reference to Israel because God for their Sins did cast out the Seed of Jacob out of their Land But whereas he saith The Lord cast them into an other Land as it is this Day But now when this question is said should be asked and this Answer return'd it was after the time of Restitution and to them of that Generation that are partakers of that blessedness which then will be revealed And whereas he saith cast them into another Land which was quite different from Judah's Curse for they were to be scattered into the Four Winds and from one end of the Earth to the other Therefore I fear the Land here spoken of that these are to be cast into will be that which is mentioned Job 10.22 A Land of Darkness as Darkness it self For the time when these words were spoken would not admit him more clearly to mention them Now Moses in Deut. 29.29 to let them understand that there was something here interwoven or that his words had a Two-fold meaning that Israel might not be too much discouraged and that also the true Christians might thereby be enlightned as concerning this Root of Bitterness when God shall open their Eyes to see it in that he saith to them Deut. 29.29 That secret things belong to God but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our Children Now there are a great many secret things in the Book of God which this Word may have some Reference to but to assure us here was a Secret and therefore to this place is this Word Secret linked only So in the following Chapter Deut. 30. he treats of Israel's repenting and returning and in the 6. v. he saith God will circumcise their heart and the heart of their Seed to love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul that they may live And he saith in the 7. v. The Lord thy God will put all these Curses upon thine Enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee 8. v. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments which I command thee this day 9. v. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy Fathers Now from the 10. v downward Moses speaks of the then time how they should walk with God For in the 11. v. he saith This commandment which I command thee this day
in it that cannot be by reason in the Bowels or Heart of the Earth will be the Devils and all the Damned And man is now said to dwell on the Face of the Earth and not in it And therefore this New Earth wherein is said will dwell Righteousness is as I have here shewed you but as to the outward Fabrick of Heaven and Earth they will be wholly renewed and we know what the Word calls a New Creature is but a Renewed Creature So this Heaven and Earth will be renewed except that part unto which God has denounc'd that dreadful Curse against the which will stand as a Remembrancer of the Ages to come as the Lake of Sodom has been a standing Witness in this our World of God's sore displeasure against Sin But the Prophet Isaiah in the 30th Chapter informs us how the Excellency of the Heavens and Earth will appear in ver 25. he saith There shall be upon every high Mountain and upon every high Hill Rivers and Streams of Waters in the Day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall 26. Moreover 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 if the seven days in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroke of their wound Now he here tells us again when the Earth is to be so replenished or renewed that it is in the day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall He also tells us That it is the Day in which the Lord will bind up the breach of his People and heal the stroke of their wound And then will the Light of the Moon be as the Light of the Sun and the Light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the Light of Seven Days Isa 30.27,28,29,30,31 Behold the Name of the Lord cometh from far burning with his Anger and the burden thereof is heavy his Lips are full of Indignation and his Tongue as a devouring fire 28. And his Breath an overflowing stream shall reach to the midst of the Neck to sift the Nations with the Sive of Vanity and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people causing them to err Because they have no delight in the waies of the Lord therefore they will be snared that they may be taken 29. But Israel shall have a Song in the night as when a holy solemnity is kept and gladness of heart as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord to the mighty one of Israel 30. And 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 31. for through the voice of the Lord shall the Assirian be beaten down which smote with a rod. By the Assirian here is comprehended Israels enemies which now holds them in bondage as the Assirian did formerly And Isa speaking of Israel in the 29 Chap. v. 5 c. Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like the small dust and the multitude of thy terrible ones shall be as chaff that passes away Yea it shall be at an instant suddenly v. 6. Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of Hosts with Thunder and with Earthquake and great noise with storm and Tempest and Flame of devouring fire v. 7. And the multitude of all the Nations that fight against Ariel even all that fight against her and her munition and that distress her shall be as a dream of a night vision v. 8. And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his Soul is empty Or as when a thirsty man dreameth and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint and his Soul hath appetite So shall the multitude of all the Nations be that fight against mount Sion v. 9. Stay your selves and wonder Cry ye out and cry they are drunken but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drink v. 10. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the Spirit of deep Sleep and hath closed your eyes the Prophets and your Rulers and Seers hath he covered 11. v. And the Vision of all is become unto you as the words of a Book that is sealed which when men deliver to one that is learned saying read this I pray thee and he saith I cannot for it is sealed v. 12. And the book is delivered to him that is not Learned saying read this I pray thee and he saith I am not Learned Now of certain this Scripture doth in a particular manner point to us Christians that are now in the latter day for the beginning of the Chapter treats of the Destruction of Jerusalem And the 5. v. downward speaks of the Destruction of the World and Israels Enemies with the extraordinary Stupidity that they should then lie under And the Prophet in v. 11. hath hinted it fully to us Wherein he tells us the vision of all is become as a book that is sealed That is wherein is comprehended the destruction of the world the restoration of the Jews and the Glory of Christs Kingdom And Isa Saith in the 65. Chap. v. 17. For saith the Lord Behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind v. 18. But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create For behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy Whereby you may see plainly that this new heavens and earth will be at the restoration of the Jews And in the 19th Verse the Lord saith I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the Voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying V. 20. There shall be no more thence an Infant of Days nor an Old Man that hath not fill'd his Days for the Child shall die an hundred Years old but the sinner being an hundred Years old shall be accursed V. 21. And they shall build Houses and inhabit them and they shall plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them V. 22. They shall not build and another inhabit they shall not plant and another eat for as the days of a Tree are the days of my People and my elect shall long injoy the work of their hands V. 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 v. 24. And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and whilest they are yet a speaking I will hear Now we must not take this sinner here spoken of neither to be in Jerusalem nor one of Israel but of some of those Nations that were saved which afterwards their Seed may fall off For in Jer. 31.33,34,35,36,37,38,40 There
of the Great City That is they are compassed about with their Enemies of them it is said They ascended up in a Cloud and their Enemies beheld them as in Rev. 11.12 They being chose for the Glorious Tabernacle as the first Churches were For it does appear that all that are raised are not raised to the Glorious Tabernacle as I shall elsewhere prove And also when St. Paul wrote this Epistle and that of the first of the Thessalonians they were in a continual expectation of the coming of Christ insomuch that they thought he would return in their Day But when St. Paul by further Revelation found that the coming of Christ would not be so sudden he then acquainted the Church therewith as in 2 Thess 2.2,3 That ye be not soon shaken in mind nor be troubled neither by Spirit nor by Word nor by Letter as from us though the Day of Christ were at hand 3. Let no man deceive you by any means for that Day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the Son of Perdition Now by what is here said it is evident that the Lord was daily expected of them till after this time that the Apostle acquainted them with the contrary Now that there will be a Spiritual Change upon all the Elect when Christ comes is certain by all the New Covenant Promises And also Esdras saith chap. 6.26 And the men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their birth and the heart of the Inhabitants shall be changed and turned into an other meaning Now whereas the Lord said in Mat. 24.40 Then shall two be in the Field the one shall be taken and the other left two women shall be grinding at the Mill the one shall be taken and the other left but he does not here tell us how But in Verse 31. he saith He shall send his Angels with a great Sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather together his Elect from the Four winds But the Lord saith nothing in the Three Evangelists of their being caught up in the Clouds but only where the Carcase is there will the Eagles be gathered together Now this gathering together from the Four Winds doth comprehend all the Elect that will be upon the Earth at Christ's coming As the faithful Christians whom the Lord shall so find and the twelve Tribes of Israel and those other promised Elect whom the Lord will call in with them Now into these Four Winds was Judah Levy and Benjamin scattered And from these Four Winds will the Lord gather them As for the Ten Tribes they will come out of one place as in Esdras 13. where it is said they went into a far Countrey where never man dwelt Verse 45. For through that Countrey there was a great way to go namely of a Year and an half and the same Region is called Arsareth Then dwelt they there until the latter time Which in the fore part of the Chapter is when Christ comes Now in that Christ and his Apostles spake of these things darkly it was because there was a Secret in it which by this manner of speaking it has remain'd veil'd to us that the calling in of Israel should be at his second coming At which time all the wicked Christians will be cast out for as there was a secret under the Law that was veiled from the Jews so this has been a secret vail'd under the Gospel from the Christians that Israel were comprehended under the Elect. And by the Heavens and Earth that are to be destroyed is meant the wicked Powers and People and then will the material Earth be restored and renewed And whereas the Lord saith in Luke 17.31 In that day he which shall be upon the House top and his stuff in the House let him not come down to take it away and he that is in the Field let him likewise not return back Remember Lot 's wife Now the will of the Lord is such that all his should by his word and the signs be inlightned of his coming And the Lord here gives warning that they should not hanker at that day after their stuff So as to setch any thing out of the house by which words it doth appear they might have knowledge they should use such things but that they should not then regard them but to keep on praying till they are delivered out of the danger by the Angels as Lot was out of Sodom And that we should not be unmindful so to do we have given us the sad remembrance of Lots wife This warning is only to the believers for them that believe not and them that have not the word it signifies nothing to them Therefore it is said of Israel and the promised Elect Isa 66.20 Isa 60.6 That they shall be brought to Jerusalem otherways as upon Horses Camels Litters and the like and these are said to come in multitudes and to bring their Silver and Gold with them But Christ saith of the others there shall be two in one bed the one shall be taken the other left two grinding at the mill one taken and the other left Luke 17.44,45 That is the true Christians must be thus taken and the Elect being all gathered to the holy Land but the wicked are left to partake of those dreadful Judgments which the Lord will pour upon the Earth after he comes As in Rev. 9. Chap. Now there was a necessity of a secresy in these things as to the Heavens and Earth and of the calling in of Israel and Christs second coming And the Lord foreseeing that the apprehensions of the suddenness of his again coming would be a means to keep the Christians in obedience to him and love and affection one to the other and from being greedy of the lucre of this world but that they should alwaies live as waiting for their change for the Lord foretold us that when they should begin to think he delayed his coming they would then eat and drink with the drunken and smite their fellow Servants which in a dreadful manner they have already done but the Lord after his Ascension gave to St. John a certain knowledg of his return which was comprehended under two Heads The time of the Witnesses Prophesying and the Beasts Reigning For the Lord saith v. 11.3 I will give Power to my two witnesses and they shall Prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days cloathed in sackcloth And in Rev. 13.5 There is mention made of the Beast to whom the Devil gave Power and he was to continue forty and two Months Now by this Beast it doth not only appear to be the Pope but also it may be meant by the first great Councils that did Afflict the Church Now the Witnesses Prophesying a thousand two hundred and sixty days cloathed in Sackcloth is exactly the two and forty Month the Beast is to Reign For two and forty Months Reckoning thirty days to
and lying wonders in that they say Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works All which does fully make out it is those that makes a profession of Christ but in their Works deny him which are here in a more particular manner shut out And in the Revelations it is said The Vine is first trod in the Wine-press of God's wrath Mat. 25.30 VVhere the Lord in the parable of the three men to whom the Talents were given it was he that improved not his Talent whom the Lord commanded should be cast into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth The Lord also saith in Luke 19.12,14,15,27 A certain Nobleman went into a far Countrey to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return 14. But his Citizens hated him and sent a Messenger after him Saying we will not have this man to reign over us 14. And it came to pass when he was returned having received the Kingdom The Lord saith Verse 27. But those mine Enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Now as to whom this Sentence of Condemnation is passed it doth also in a particular manner figure out the Christians to us in that they have the knowledge of the Lord and would not have him to reign over them And the Lord doth not here make mention of the crying sins of the Times for the Scriptures do fully make manifest that they shall have their part in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21.8 But the Lord to undeceive them that think they shall be happy when indeed they shall be miserable Therefore it is said That it is not him that confesseth the Lord with his mouth and in his works deny him and that it is not onely the shuning the doing evil Which so few does now adays But we must also learn to do well for if we Christians are not found ready with grace in our hearts at his coming we shall be shut out like the foolish Virgins from those heavenly nuptials with the Lord the Bridegroom of Souls Now whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 13.34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables and without a parable spake he not unto them 35. That it might be fullfilled which was spoken by the prophet Saying I will open my mouth in parables I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world And in the 36th Verse 't is made mention of the Disciples coming to the Lord saying Declare unto us the parable of the Tares of the field 37. He answered and said unto them He that soweth the good Seed is the Son of Man 38. The Field is the world the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom but the Tares are the Children of the wicked One. 39. The Enemy that soweth them is the Devil the Harvest is the end of this world the Reapers are the Angels 40. As therefore the Tares are gathered and burnt in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world 41. The Son of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity 42. And cast them into a Furnace of Fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of Teeth 43 Then shall the Righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Now here we see this is the Interpretation of the Parable wherein we are to take notice that the Tares are the Seed of the Wicked One and according to the saying of St. Peter the World that is to be burnt Pray take notice where this Kingdom is from whence all things that offend and do Iniquity is to be pluckt out you see it is here upon this Earth Now by this you may more clearly see which are the Heavens and Earth which are to be destroyed by the fiery indignation of the Lord's Displeasure And we ought to take notice of the Words of the Lord in that he saith he would open his Mouth in Parables and he would utter things that have been kept secret from the Foundation of the World Which is That the Glory of the Righteous shall be when the Wicked World shall be destroyed Whose Executioners are said to be the Angels For although these things were hinted to them in Old Time by the Prophets yet Israel apprehended them not no more than that of Christ coming to suffer And like us that have been ignorant in these great matters as to the Sayings of Christ and his Apostles And whereas the Lord saith The Righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of his Father he also saith in John 10.30 I and my Father are one Now seeing that Christ and the Father are One the Kingdom that is the Son 's must be the Father 's also And it is said Rev. 11.15 The The Kingdoms of the world are become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ And in Psal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Verse 17. The wicked shall be turned into Hell with all the Nations that forget God Verse 18. For the needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Now Christ by these words Wheat Sheep and Elect thereby leaves himself scope for to take in whom he pleases at his coming the which will be those people which the Prophets have prophesied of with the poor that are said to be fetch'd in at the coming of the Lord. But by what the Lord saith it is evident that there will be something found in them to distinguish them from the Wicked of the World But as for the Christians that forget God they must look to be turned into Hell as it is said Now it is these and the like places that have cast a Veil over our Faces or Apprehensions in taking the Elect which is to be called in at the coming of the Lord for the Saints which attend him from Heaven and for the Witnesses that meet him in the Clouds of Glory the which then will descend from Heaven and is the place which the Lord said he would prepare for them and then come again and receive them to himself Joh 14.3 This being the Tabernacle which the Lord shall pitch and not man 1 Pet. 1.4,5 Of which I shall speak more in another place But as for those that were before mentioned The Lord there saith it is all the Nations that shall be gathered before him And it is evident that the Saints in Henven are not termed the Nations neither the Damned that are in the infernal Regions And also the Wicked is to be gathered out of this Kingdom of his And therefore this Kingdom of his must be upon the Earth
shall live together with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew is as the dew of Herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past 21. For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain That it is as well those that are Spiritually Dead in Sin wherein by the Lord 's saying Men is comprehended the whole Man both Soul and Body The Soul being already Dead and the Body daily dying Now when these dead Men shall Live he farther tells us it shall be when his dead body shall arise which is in the first Resurrection as I have proved by Scripture And as to the Body of the Saints you see they are not termed Men because the better part of them is alive and united to the Lord of Glory Upon which the Lord terms the dead Bodies of the Saints to be his dead Body And that this rising is at the first Resurrection is further cleared in that he then tells us the Earth shall cast out the Dead In the following verse the Lord instructeth his People that then shall be on the Earth to hide them for a little moment until the indignation be over past that is not to appear much in the World either in pompous splendor Action or Labour But in a more particular manner to secure themselves in himself and that the more we see the day approaching At that time when the Lord cometh to Punish the Inhabitants of the Earth he also then will punish the Leviathan and slay the Dragon that is in the Sea By this we see that Isaiah gives us the same account as St. Paul and St. John does as concerning the destruction of the beast and the binding of Satan And God speaking to Ezekiel of the Restoration of Israel and of the Resurrection saith in the 37 c. where he shewed him the Valley of dead bones which were very many and very dry and they are represented to him how they came together all in figurative way after which the Lord opens to him the meaning thereof as in v. 11. God said unto him Son of Man these bones are the whole House of Israel Behold they say our bones are dryed and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts V. 12. Therefore Prophesy and say to them thus saith the Lord God behold O my people I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves and bring you into the land of Israel V. 13. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your Graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves V. 14. And shall put my Spirit in you and ye shall live and I shall place you in your own Land then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it saith the Lord. V. 15. The word of the Lord came again unto me saying V. 16. Moreover thou Son of Man take thee one stick and write upon it for Judah and for the Children of Israel his companions then take another stick and write upon it for Joseph the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions V. 17. And joyn them one to another into one stick and they shall become one in thine hand V. 21. Say unto them thus saith the Lord God behold I will take the Children of Israel from among the Heathen where they be gone and I will gather them on every side and bring them into their own Land Now here you see again by this what was the meaning of the dry bones the which the Lord declared to him was the whole House of Israel that is the whole of them that are to be saved for St. Paul saith they are not all Israel that are of Israel But this Promise was made to them that then said we are cast off that they were a part of the whole Body which should arise out of their Graves and be made partakers of the Resurrection and be united to their Head and Husband at which time the two Families of Israel should be gathered together from among the Heathen and be made one People for ever And Isa saith in the 66. c. 8. v. Who hath heard such a thing who hath seen such a thing shall the Earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a Nation be born at once for as soon as Sion Travelled she brought forth her Children V. 9. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord shall I cause to bring forth and shut up the Womb saith thy God v. 10. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that Love her rejoyce for joy with her all yâ— that Mourn for her v. 11. That ye may suck and be satisfied with the Breasts of her Consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abnndanâ—… of her Glory v. 12. For thus saith the Lord behold I will extend peace to her like a River and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream then shall ye suck ye shall be born upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees v. 13. As one whom his Mother comforteth so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem v. 14. And when you see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like an herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his Servants and his indignation towards his enemies v. 15. For behold the Lord will come with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebukes with flames of Fire v. 16. For by fire and sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many Here you see that a Nation shall be born at once and at that time Israel shall rejoyce in Jerusalem When they are again re-established they nor their Seed shall never more be cast off But be the inheritors of Eternal Life Now that some will enter into this Kingdom but not by this Everlasting Covenant is evident by what God saith in Isa 19.24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assiria even a blessing in the midst of the Land V. 25. Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless saying blessed be Egypt my people and Syria the work of my hands and Israel mine inheritance And in Ezek. 16.59 Thus saith the Lord God I will even deal with thee as thou hast done which hast despised the Oath in breaking the Covenant V. 60. Nevertheless I will remember my Covenant with thee in the days of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an Everlasting
should wholly fall off And by what Dan saith of his Children in his last Testament is to the same effect For he saith I am sure in the latter days ye shall depart from the Lord and walk in naughtiness working the abominations of the Gentiles and haunting wicked Women in all lewdness by the Working of deceitful Spirits in you For I have read in Enoch that Satan is your Prince and that all the Spirits of Fornication and Pride shall ply themselves in laying Snares for the Children of Dan to make them sin before the Lord. Here we may see what was the reason that none of Dan was of that Number which was to be Sealed for the Glorious Tabernacle when the Lord again comes which is the Sion that shall be revealed and then shall Jerusalem again be built having twelve Gates as in Ezek. 48. from the 31. v. to the 35. called after the Names of the Tribes of Israel according to that of the New Jerusalem which comes down from Heaven of which it is said There is no Temple in it Rev. 21.22 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it But as to the New Earthly Jerusalem there is said will be a Temple for from under the threshold of which shall issue forth the Waters spoken of Ezek 47.1 Now that these Waters here spoken of are real Waters is certain in that there is nothing in the whole Book of God to prove it a figurative speech and we are not to makefigures and that there shall be by these Waters real Fruit Trees as is said and also abundance of Fish in the River For the Lord hath declared that then the Earth shall abound with all good things And then of Jerusalem it shall be said from that day the Lord is there as in Ezek. 48.35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures and the name of the City from that day shall be The Lord is there And then it is the saying of the Apostle will be fullfilled in the Manifestation of the kindness of the Lord to them in the Ages to come as in Eph. 2.6,7 And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding Riches of his Grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus Now in Heaven we neither read of Ages nor Generations and were the Ages here spoken of meant of them that are in Heaven he would have said That the Ages that are past might see the exceeding Riches of his Grace in his kindness towards them because that they being in Heaven would sooner behold the exceeding Kindness of the Lord toward them than those that are afterward to go to Heaven of the following Generations or Ages Therefore the kindness here spoken of must be manifested here when the New Jerusalem shall descend out of Heaven when that Glorious Tabernacle shall be Revealed which the Lord shall pitch and not Man over the Land of Canaan And the Land that is given by the Lord in Ezek. 47.14 appears to be far larger than what Israel has had in Possession Now as to what Obadiah saith in the first part of the Chapter where he treats of the Real Seed of Esau and from the 15. v. downward of the Day of the Lord being near upon all the Heathen by which he comprehends the Wicked of the World that their reward should then be given them At which time there should be deliverance on Mount Sion as it is said in the 17. v. But upon Mount Sion shall be deliverance and there shall be Holiness and the House of Jacob shall possess their possessions 20. And the Captivity of the Host of the Children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites even to Zarephath and the Captivity of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall possess the Cities of the South 21. And Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion to Judg the Mount of Esau and the Kingdoms shall be the Lords Here you see this Prophet with Esdras comprehends all the Wicked World under the Name of Esau And this Prophet also gives us to understand when the Kingdom shall be the Lords That is when Saviours come upon Mount Sion and the World is Judged By which words we see that now the Kingdom is not termed the Lords not till such time that he comes to Judg the World and to restore Israel's Inheritance to them And then at that time the Kingdom will be the Lords St. Paul Terms this World as it is now to be ruled by the Devil Whereas he saith 2 Cor. 4.4 The God of this World hath blinded the minds of them which believe not And in Eph. 6.12 he saith We wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers and against the Rulers of the darkness of this World and against Spiritual Wickedness in high places And the Devil boasting to our Saviour of his Power Luke 4.6 When he shewed him all the Kingdoms of this World in a moment of time and the Devil said unto him all this Power will I give thee and the Glory of them for that is delivered unto me That is after mankind again became wilfully wicked God left them to Satan's Delusion And although the Devil is the Father of Lies yet he would scarce have told them to the God of Truth who knew how far his Power did extend And the Lord himself saith John 14.30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you for the Prince of this World cometh and hath no part in me But you may say I thought God had ruled all things in Heaven and Earth God doth invisibly over-rule the Devil or else he would destroy all the Righteous from off the Earth were not his Power limited by the most high but the visible rule as is declared by the Apostle is in the Devil who carries on the Darkness of this World Eph. 6.12 by himself and all his adherents for it is said That he ruleth in the Hearts of the Children of the Disobedient but you may say the Lord did say to his Disciples Mark 9.1 Verily verily I say unto you that there be some of them that stand here which shall not tast of Death till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with Power Which was made out in his Transfiguration in 2. v. Six days after Jesus taketh Peter James and John and leadeth them up into an high Mountain apart by themselves and he was transfigured before them 3. v. And his Raiment became shining exceeding white as Snow so as no Fuller on Earth can white them 4. v. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses and they were talking with Jesus 7. v. And there was a Cloud overshadowed them and a voice came out of the Cloud saying this is my beloved Son hear him Now the other Evangelists say a bright Cloud Which makes it out to us where the Heavenly Powers
1.7,8,9,10 Heb. 9.28 but unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation and so come Lord Jesus Amen A Definition of a true Soul-saving Faith according to the Rule of God's Word which the Lord requireth of us to interest us in himself is this FIrst that all those that come to God must believe that God is and that he is such as he hath declared himself to be in his Holy Word three Persons Father Son and Holy Spirit these Three to be but one God from everlasting to everlasting Isa 40.27,28 Isa 40.23,24 Jer. 23.24 1 Joh. 5.7 Psal 90.2 Rev. 1.8 Psal 90.2 Ps 41.13 John 10.38 of one Will one Mind one Power and one Glory and dwelleth in that light that no mortal Eye is able to approach unto and beyond the Apprehension of Man to comprehend the height of his glorious Excellency this is that God blessed for ever from all Eternity to all Eternity and he is a rewarder of all them that diligently seek him and that through the alone Merit and meritorious Satisfaction and Intercession of the Lord Christ Jesus Heb. 11.6 2 Cor. 5.18,19 Rev. 1.5 1 Pet. 1.18,19,20,21 Mark here what the Apostle saith It is he that diligently seeketh the Lord is promised the reward and he that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy Heb. 11.6 Prov. 28.13 1 Joh. 3.3 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 5.17 this is the Faith which the Apostle saith purifieth the Conscience from dead Works to serve the living God for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked as much as in us lies 1 Joh. 2.6 Mat. 7.17 Luk. 6.44 Gal. 5.6 2 Tim. 1.10 1 Joh. 4.18 for the Tree is known by its fruit saving Faith worketh by Love and draweth out our hearts and affections after the Lord in the apprehensions of his bringing us to life and immortality which removeth from us the slavish Fear and the Lord hath bidden us take hold of his strength for of our selves we are not able to overcome the Evil of sin the Snares of the World the Wiles of the Devil nor the Treachery of our own Hearts Isa 27.5 Joh. 15.5 Therefore the Lord hath invited all them that are weary and heavy laden to come unto him and he will give them rest Matt. 11.28 Isa 41.3 promising that he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax therefore in and through Christ we have boldness to the throne of grace through that new and living way the Blood of the everlasting Covenant Heb. 4.16 Heb. 10.29 Heb. 12.24 Heb. 13.20 Col. 1.10 whereby the Lord hath made reconciliation in nailing our sins to his Cross and justifying us if we have an interest in him with his righteousness Isai 53.4.5.12 1 Pet. 3.18 2 Cor. 13.5 but be sure let us take the advice of St. Paul with us in that he bids us examine our selves and prove ourselves whether we have the fruits of the Spirit as love joy peace long-suffering temperance meekness gentleness brotherly-kindness charity being easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits doing to others as we would they should do unto us for he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit and therefore whether you have given up your will to the will of God in sincerity to be guided thus by him and to order your course of life thus for him for it is the love and the heart God requireth and if he has that he will never leave us nor forsake us when we leave all this World it is our love will lanch with us into eternal happiness and bring us into the injoyment of that God beloved of us and there we shall be put into a capacity never to offend him and ever to sing Hallelujah to him Gal. 5.22.23 2 Pet. 1.5,6,7 Jam. 1.22,25,26,27 Jam. 3.17 Jam. 4.7,8 Mal. 7.12 1 Cor. 6.17 1 Cor. 19.20 1 Cor. 8.3 Mat. 10.37 Luk. 10.27 2 Cor. 4.14 Joh. 14.21 Joh. 12.26 Joh. 14.2 Rev. 14.13 Rev. 3.12 Rev. 22.7.12 A Covenant made with God MOst great and glorious Lord my God in all thy attributes infinitely above what I am able to apprehend or comprehend of thee who art glorious in holiness rich in grace transcendent in loving kindness and mercy although a severe judge to the incorrigible sinner but unto the repenting sinner that loves and fears thee Lord thou hast promised to shew thy salvation and therefore in the sence of my own unworthiness and misery I lay hold on the offer of thy mercy according as Lord thou hast tendred it in thy Gospel which is by faith and repentance love and new obedience and accordingly thereunto I here unfeignedly resign up to thee my whole heart with its will and affections my Lord and God to be guided and governed by thee begging Lord that thou wilt graciously accept me and make my heart thy habitation by the indwelling of thy Spirit in me so as I may be enabled by thee to love all that thy Majesty loveth and hate all that thou my Lord hatest and also desiring more strength of thee whereby I may be enabled by thee O my God to walk more suitably to thee in all things so putting my whole trust and confidence in thy mercy herein resting upon thy word that Lord thou wilt not forsake the Soul that puts her trust in thee therefore my God leave me not nor forsake me neither leave me so as to forsake thee the fountain and foundation of my eternal happiness but as I here in truth and sincerity do resign up my self my God to thee to be thy servant and spouse in the way of thy Gospel covenant let this Lord be registred in Heaven with thee so as I may be washed in thy Blood from all my filthiness and that I may be covered over with the garment of thy righteousness and here fully regenerated by thy Spirit so as I may find eternal acceptance with thee my God through thy beloved and that my interest in thee my Lord may be more and more clear'd up to me day by day so as I may be brought more into the knowledge of thy love which passeth knowledge and enabled by thee my Lord to live in the flames of love with thee who wilt be glorified in thy Saints and admired in those that do believe and O my God that thou wilt uphold me by the right hand of thy righteousness through this valley and shadow of tears and keep me in or from the hour of temptation and give me a part with thee in the first resurrection O my God be not angry with me for the largeness of this my request since thou hast bidden us open our mouths wide and thou wilt fill them therefore my Lord and God say Amen to these Petitions of thy Unworthy Servant Of a false Faith and Instructions as to the true one THere is a new found
Wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the law for they stumbled at that stumbling stone That is they sought it by the righteousness of the works of the ceremonial Law which consisted in sacrifices washings and often purifications Of which the Apostle saith Heb. 10.1,2 For the law having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect For then would they have ceased to be offered because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sin Now this was the Law to which Israel trusted to take away their sin Of which Law or Statutes God saith Ezek. 20.25 they were not good Because as it is said in the Hebrews they were but a shadow of the good things to come and therefore could not make the comers thereunto perfect But had Israel employed their utmost diligence in their obedience to the moral Law they had not been left to stumble at that stumbling stone as God by the Prophets hath declared And also Christ himself saith Matth. 23.23,24 Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the law judgment mercy and faith these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Ye blind guides which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel And again he saith Matth. 19.16,17 One came and said unto him good Master what good thing shall I do that I may inherit eternal life And the Lord said unto him if thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments And again Luke 10.25,26,27,28 Another came unto the Lord saying Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life He said unto him What is written in the Law how readest thou And he answering said thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy neighbour as thy self And he said unto him Thou hast answered right this do and thou shalt live And St. Paul saith Rom. 10.6,7,8,9,10,11 The righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thine heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation For the Scripture saith whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed The which word of faith mentioned in the 8. v. comprehends all that is contained in the Gospel relating to man's salvation Wherein is declared Christ coming from Heaven his rising again from the dead with the conditions on which Christ and Salvation is offered The knowledge of which he saith was in their mouth and in their heart it being that which he had preached to them And whereas he saith in the 9. v. Rom. 10.9 If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Now this verse as they have parted the words is a contradiction to all the Scripture but the words that go before and the verse that follows after explain the Apostles meaning Where he saith in the 10. v. Rom. 10.10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness The which we no sooner are converted but we resign up our selves to him desiring in all things to walk suitably to him the which if we so do we may believe that the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us For it is only the sincerity of the heart as to the truth of their belief which will produce a holy life according to the will of God For it is said Heb. 11.12,14 Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. Now what the Apostle here said in the 9. v. was to the Church that he had before instructed and of whom he had had proof of their sincerity and therefore incouraged them to go on in the open acknowledging and confessing of the Lord although they were but a few People amongst a multitude of Heathens And that their faith might not flag as to God's raising Christ from the dead he lets them understand it was a great point of their Salvation according to what he saith 1 Cor. 15.14,16,17 If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your faith is also vain For if the dead rise not then is not Christ raised and if Christ be not raised your faith is vain ye are yet in your sins By which we see it is one of the material points of our Salvation And St. Paul saith Rom. 10.12,13,14 There is no difference between the Jew and the Greek for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed Here we see in these verses he speaks in general to all but in the 9. v. he speaks to a particular People or Persons to whom he wrote Now in the 12. v. Whereas he saith there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek That is salvation was alike common to all that did alike call upon him And whereas he saith in the 13. v. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved I hope that you do not here apprehend that it was only with a vocal voice that if they so call that they shall be saved No it is the voice of the heart that there may be a suitable frame of Spirit whereby we may call upon God as is required for it is the tongue that expresseth but the meaning or voice of the heart and the tongue is not the man but a small member of him And had we no tongue to express our desires yet the sincerity of our heart in our affections towards God and being sensible of our own unworthiness is that voice which the Lord will hear And like unto this was the voice of the Malefactor that was crucified with Christ who in the sence of his own unworthiness and of Christ's righteousness called on the Lord for mercy Luk. 23.40,41,42,43 faith in him being strong when the Lord was most afflicted and eclipsed which made his believing on him at that time more wonderful but it was the Lord look'd in upon his heart he not before
is done to the Figtree but also if ye shall say unto this Mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the Sea and it shall be done 22. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer believing ye shall receive This Christ spake to his Disciples unto whom he afterward gave as great power to as that of the removing of Mountains when he sent upon them the Holy Ghost and the Power of working Miracles and there is no doubt but if they had said to the Mountain be thou removed into the Sea but it should have been done as well as when Elijah called for Fire to come down from Heaven But these promises belong not to us but those that find they have Power to do these Miracles may believe they do belong to them Now here is some difference betvven vvhat is said in these Verses and vvhat is said in the former for there it is said that they shall say to this Mountain be thou removed and it shall be done but in these last Verses it is said if you shall say to this Mountain be you removed and it shall be so In the former there should be nothing impossible for them to do But in these vvhatsoever they should ask believingly they should receive Now as St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 13,2 And tho I have the gift of Prophecy and understand all Misteries and all knowledg And tho I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have no Charity I am nothing 3. Altho I bestow all my goods to feed the Poor and tho I give my hody to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing Now these Mountains that St. Paul here speaks of doth appear to be some inbred Corruption which a man might find some inconvenience in And so for fear of Hell he becomes terrified and therefore no longer willing to live in them having all Faith as to believe the whole Revealed Will of God in his Word And therefore when he finds that he in his own strength was not able to overcome them then he goes to fetch strength from the the Lord in making his Addresses to him for his Assistance and having thereby gain'd power to remove these Mountains yet if his Heart is not drawn out in the Love of God and Christ thereby he is still nothing for it is our Love that God requireth and it is that which will launch with us into the World that is to come As to that word which in these new Translations is termed Charity is in the old Translation Love as in the Original For by Love vve extend our selves to God as vvell as to our fellovv Creatures vvhich by Charity vve cannot do Now as for those places of Scriptvre vvhere Christ and his Apostles saith he that believeth in me or he that believeth in Christ shall be saved is only in short to remember them of the Lord 's Revealed Will in his Word vvhich if they do so believe in the Lord as to make his Commands and Precepts the rule of their Lives to live according thereunto they shall be saved The vvhich is a clear demonstration that the Lord hath by himself and his Apostles left us Instructions vvhich vve are to believe by vvhich Salvation is attainable The vvhich St. Paul's vvords does farther clear 1 Cor. 15.1 Moreover Brethren I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand By which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I Preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain And St. Peter faith 1 Pet. 1.21,22 Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the Dead and gave him Glory that your Faith and Hope might be in God Seeing ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit see that ye Love one another with a pure Heart fervently We here see this Faith purifieth the Soul and extendeth it self in Love for God is Love And St. Peter saith in Acts 15.9 That God put no difference between us and them purifying their Hearts by Faith By vvhich vve see if vve have a saving faith it vvill vvork the same effect in us This is spoken of the Election 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of those that were Christ's standing witnesses thro' the World of whom the Lord faith in John 10.27,28 That none can pluck them out of his hand Concerning the Indwelling of Christ in us NOW as to Christ's being in us and as to the indwelling of the Spirit with us I shall here set down what St. Paul saith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be roprobates Now we are to take notice what he here saith in the former part of the verse the which was that we should examin our selves whether we are in the Faith and that we should prove our selves as much as to say that is the way to know whether Christ is in us or no And in the Ephesians he tells us plainly how it is Christ is said to dwell in us where he saith in Ephes 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your Hearts by Faith that ye being rooted and grounded in Love By which we may clearly see it is by Faith and Love that Christ is said to dwell in our Hearts And therefore St. Paul saith in 1 Cor. 16.22 If any Man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him him be Anathema Maranatha The which is let him be Accursed and if accursed besure he is a Reprobate Now if the indwellings of Christ in us is by Faith and Love then the best way to know whether Christ hath such an Indwelling in us or no is by our Obedience to him in our close walking with him according to his Revealed Will in his Word And if so we shall have the Spirit which is the Comforter more or less bearing Witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God And St. Paul here speaks of the Works of the Flesh where he saith Rom. 8.5 to the 10. v. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit For to be carnally minded is Death but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace Because the carnal mind is entirely against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And if Christ be in you the Body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is Life because of righteousness We see that the Spirit here spoken of is no other but a Spirit of Complaiscency to God and Christ in that their Wills are brought over into the Love
that ye walk not in the ignorance of Youthfulness and Fornication wherein I over shot my self and defiled the Bed of my Father Jacob. For I assure you that the Lord did therefore strke me with a sore Plague in my Flanks the space of seven Months and I had perished if my Father Jacob had not Prayed to the Lord for me because he was minded to have slain me I was thirty years old when I did this evil in the Sight of the Lord and seven Months was I sick to Death and with a free heart did I afflict my self seven years before the Lord I drank no Wine nor Strong Drink no Flesh came within my Mouth I tasted not any fine Bread but I mourned fot my Sin for it was great and there shall none such be done in Israel And my Sons hear me that I may shew you what I saw concerning the seven Spirits of Error in my Repentance Belial giveth seven Spirits against a Man which are the Well-Springs of Youthful Works seven Spirits are given a Man in his Creation whereby all his Works are dore the first is the Spirit of Life wherewith is Created his Being The second Is the Spirit of Seeing wherewith cometh Lusting The third The Spirit of Hearing wherewith cometh Learning The fourth The Spirit of Smelling wherewith cometh delight by drawing of the Air and breathing it out again The fifth I the Spirit of Speech wherewith Knowledg is made The sixth Is the Spirit of Tasting whereof comes the feeding upon things that are to be Eat and Drank and through them is ingendred strength The seventh Is the Spirit of Seed and Generation wherewith entereth in the Lust of Pleasute Fot this cause it is the last of Creation and the first of Youth because it is full of Ignorance and Ignorance leadeth the younger sott as a blind body into the Ditch and as an Ox to the Stall Amongst all these is the Eight which is of Sleep with whom is Created the wasting away of Nature and the Image of Death With these Spirits are mingled the Spirit of Error whereof the first is the Spirit of Lechery who lieth within the Nature and Senses of a man The Second Spirit of unsatiableness lieth in the belly The Third Spirit of Strife lieth in the Liver and in Choler The Fourth Syirit is of Bravery and Gallantness that the party may seem comely by Excess The Fifth is the Spirit of Pride which maketh a man to mind over-great things or to think well of himself And the sixth is the Spirit of Lying or vain-gloriousness in boasting a man's self and in desire to fill his Talk concerning his own Kindred and Acquaintance The Seventh is the Spirit of Unrighreousness which stirreth up the Affections that a man should perform the lustful pleasures of his heart for Unrighteousness worketh with all the other Spirits by taking Guile unto him Unto all these Spirits is matched the Eighth Spirit which is the Spirit of sleep or sluggishness in Error and Imagination and so the Souls of Young Folks perish because their minds are darkned and hidden from the Truth and udderstand not the Law of the Lord neither obey the Doctrine of their Fathers as befell me in my Youth But now my Children love the Truth and that shall preseve you For Fornication is the destruction of the Soul separating it from God because it leadeth the mind and understanding into Error For Whoredom hath undone many men And although a man be Ancient or Noble yet doth this make him a Laughing Stock But Joseph because he kept himself from all Women and cleansed his Thoughts from all Fornication found Favour both before the Lord and Men. Therefore my Sons fly Fornication charge your Wives and Daughters that they trim not their Heads and will them to chasten their Looks for every woman that dealeth deceitfully in these things is reserved to the punishment of the World to come That is to the Sentence of Judgment which will be in the World to come Now since it was Woman that was first in the Transgression therefore Women and Gentlewomen imploy all your Diligence to escape the near approaching Judgment of the World to come Now whereas Kuben saith had not his Fathers Prayers prevailed with God that God would have killed him Yhe which had the Lord then taken him off where would then have been the Twelve Tribes To which I answer God could raise up Two Tribes out of One Stock as there was of Joseph or God could have given Jacob another Son in his stead For Ruben did at time lose his birthright And Eve said when she had born Seth that God had given her another Seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew Gen. 4.25 And God said unto Cain before he committed that Murder Gon. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door And also the rest of the Patriarchs that was guilty of that sin against Joseph they at their Death declared what terrible Afflictions they fell under for that sin of theirs and the great Repentance they had for it And Judah likewise gives an account of his Affliction and Repentance for the sin that he was overtaken in And where the Old World is spoken of Gen. 6.3 The Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man The which words argue the striving of the Spirit of God with Man that had not Man been wanting to himself but had used his utmost endeavour he might have obtained salvation For although after the Fall of Adam the Entrances into Life were made strait yet not so strait but with Labour and Diligence thro' the promised Messiah it was and is attainable But it is said in the fifth verse God saw the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the Face of the Earth both Man and Beast and the creeping things and the Fowls of the Air for it repenteth me that I have made them But Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man Now whereas the Lord doth express that it repented him that he had made man and that it grieved him at his heart the which shews a concern in God that man had not then lived up to his Decree whereby his Mercy was attainable Numb 23.19,20 Now whereas it is said That God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of Man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it Now whereas it is said that God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of
they may serve me V. 14. For I will at this time send all my Plagues upon thine Heart and upon thy Servants and upon thy People that thou mayest know there is none like me in all the Earth By which words it does appear that God had not fully determined all the Plagues that he sent on him not till that time For in the 15th verse God says Now will I stretch out my hand that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence and thou shalt be cut off from the earth Verse 16. And in very deed for that cause have I raised thee up for to shew in thee my power and that my Name may be declared throughout all the Earth Which word raised thee up in the Hebrew is no other than made thee stand The which you may see in the Margin of your Bibles And as to the meaning of the words making thee stand is that thou shalt stand in that place of Power till my appointed time is come for the delivery of my people Israel For God foreknowing the evil heart that was in him and that Satan had made him an Instrument of cruelty therefore God hardned him in Unbelief that he might shew forth his Power in him that thereby the Name of the Lord might be declared throughout all the Earth Now as touching the Root of Gall and Wormwood the which St. Paul terms the Root of Bitterness and the man of sin And by St. John he is term'd the Beast in Rev. 13.1 And I stood upon the Sand of the Sea and I saw a Beast rise up out of the Sea having seven Heads and ten Horns and upon his Horns ten Crowns and upon his Heads the Name of Blasphemy Verse 2. And the Beast which I saw was like unto a Leopard and his feet were as the feet of a Bear and his mouth as the mouth of a Lyon and the Dragon gave him his Power and his Seat and great Authority In the first place St. John saith that he saw a Beast rise out of the Sea and the Sea in Scripture doth signifie the common people from whence this Beast did arise The Horns the Scripture tells us they are Ten Kings and here the Crowns on them signifie as much by which Horns the Beast is defended and maintained in his Power And in that he is like unto a Leopard which seems to signifie to us the several Badges of his Idolatrous Worship that he hath set up and therefore appeareth like a spotted Leopard And it is said he hath Feet like a Bear that seems to set forth to us how he doth trample down the Saints of the most High and tear them in peices It is said he hath a mouth like a Lyon the which as the Lyon's mouth is the Destruction of all that cometh near it so the Mouth of this Beast destroyeth them that do adhere to it And whereas it is said that the Dragon gave him his Power and Seat and great Authority the which is to let us understand that this Power of his was never given him of God but that he received it from the Dragon which is the Devil who making him a fit instrument for himself to carry on his Hellish designs by therefore he gave him his Power and Seat great Authority and put him on a Throne And the Lord will there keep him standing that is make him stand that he shall not be taken off by any of the Judgments which the Lord doth send before his coming But as God did make that Pharaoh stand in his place till his appointed time was come for the delivery of his People as chusing him to harden in unbelief that had hardned himself in all iniquity and cruelty And therefore the Lord reserved him till himself was in the Clouds before that Pharaoh was destroyed in the Sea So the Lord again chuses this Beast to harden in unbelief as to the Miraculous signs that he has and will send on the Earth because this Beast has hardned himself in all manner of Cruelty and Mischief and Blasphemy Therefore the Lord chuseth him to shew the fierceness of his wrath upon when he comes to judg the World and deliver Israel And then it is that this Beast is taken alive Rev. 19.20 And cast into a lake of Fire burning with Brimstone which is the Second Death Now whereas it is said the Lord will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy The which Mercy will again be Distributed to the Believers and Promised Elect when the Lord comes as it was when God said those words to Moses at the time when he brought them out of the Land of Egypt Exodus 33.18 Moses said I beseech thee shew me thy glory V. 19. And he said I will make all my goodness pass before thee and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy Which mercy was then shew'd to the Seed of Abraham according to his promise to their forefathers And whereas St. Paul saith in Rom. 9.19 Thou wilt say unto me why doth he yet find fault for who hath resiste his will V. 20. Nay but O Man who art thou that repliest against God shall the thing formed say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus V. 21. Hath not the Potter power over the Clay of the same Lump to make one Vessel unto Honour and another to Dishonour That is the Potter hath Power according to his pleasure of the same Clay to make a Vessel unto Honour and another to dishonour but when he maketh a Vessel to honour out of one and the same lump as he maketh the other there is more of his labour bestowed upon it and more of his proper cost and charge or else it would be unfit for a Vessel of Honour Therefore God sometimes to shew forth his Power plucks some as a brand out of the burning and also God of the worser Clay can make a Vessel unto Honour for God chose Nebuchadnezzar to be a Vessel of Mercy who was of the seed of Ham which was more Estranged from God than the Seed of Shem or Japhet was And by that Miraculous Judgment mentioned in Daniel 4.31,32,33 God brought him home by Repentance And also by other great Miracles God would have brought home the Babilonians by Repentance but they neglecting the opportunity of Mercy therefore God said in Jer. 31.9 I would have healed Babylon but she was not healed We see here was an absolute Election or Choice that God made of Nebuchadnezzar and when he was in his Unregenelate Stare God generally termed him his Servant which God never did the great King of Assiria But as for Cyrus before he had a Being he was Prophesied of that he should be a chosen Servant of God and also that he should build him a Temple as in Isa 45.1 2 Chro. 36.23 But he is no where said to
be Chosen before the Foundation of the World Now as I said before there is an absolute Election the which the Lord terms the very Elect. And there is a conditional Election in which we are to labour in to make our calling and Election sure There is also an opportunity or a day of Grace given the which was offered to those Babilonians as in Jer. 51.9 but it was a prize put into the Hands of Fools But you may say that their Destruction was before declared by the Prophet from God and therefore they Repented not To which I Answer God by his all seeing Eye as knowing their Wickedness and foreseeing their Cruelty to Israel Upon which the Prophet did from the Lord foretel their destruction But however God did offer them Mercy and if they had embraced the Opportunity God would have defer'd his Judgments to have been Inflicted upon the miscarriage of their following Generations As for Example God sent the Prophet Jonah Jonah 3.4,5,6,7,8,9 To Nineveh to Proclaim the Destruction of that great City But they believing the word of the Lord and Repenting God staid off the threatned Judgment which Jonah proclaimed should be within 40 days which upon their repentance God made it 40 days of years In which time most of them that was capable of that Repentance were taken off by Death Now as to the lump or clay that Israel came of when the Lord maketh a Vessel of that Clay without any Addition of the renewing of his Spirit it will prove but a Vessel of Dishonour But God saith in Jer. 2.21 That he made Israel a choice Vine and he looked that it should bring forth Grapes and it brought forth wild Grapes Yet I had planted thee a Noble Vine an Holy and Right Seed How then art thou turned into a degenerate plant of a strange Vine unto me By which we see that God had distinguished Israel from the rest of the World and put them all in a Capacity of Obedience but they would not use their utmost endeavour to walk in his ways therefore he gave them up to blindness of Mind and hardness of Heart for they all being put into a Capacity of Obedience in which had they done their utmost endeavour and also lookt to the Promised Messiah for their Justification they should have obtain'd salvation but for want of so doing the generality of them were cut off However from among them God did chuse part of his Special Elect the which were Vessels of Honour of which St. Paul speaks of Rom. 11.5 At this present time also there is a remnant according to the Election of grace The which were so absolutely chosen in Christ that they should not fall away And as to what St. Paul saith in the 9th chap. after he had made mention of the Potter and the Clay In the following Verse which is the 22d he saith What if God willing to shew his wrath and make his Power known endured with much long suffering the Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction That is God is willing to shew his Wrath and make his Power known on them which he hath endured with much long suffering whilst they were fitting themselves for destruction by which way they became the Vessels of his Wrath. Of whom St. Peter also saith in 1 Pet. 2.7 Vnto you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the Builders disallowed the same is made the Head of the Corner and a stone of stumbling and a Rock of Offence even to them which stumble at the Word being disobedient whereunto also they were oppointed But you may say What were they from the beginning appointed to be disobedient To which I answer No. God put them into a capacity of Obedience and required Obedience from them but they refused to obey and hardned their Neck and refused to return as almost the whole History of the Bible gives us to understand therefore God left them to blindness of mind and hardness of heart so as to stumble at the stumbling-stone to the which disobedience they were appointed because they had been before very sinful as in Isaiah we are given an account what the Lord had done for them And of their Wickedness before the Prophet from the Lord did denounce this Judgment against them that he would lay in Sion a stumbling-stone And therefore as to what the Lord said he had done for them and of their miscariage before this Judgment was declared against them I will here set down as to what God hath done for his Vineyard As in Isaiah 5.2 c.. He fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine and built a Tower in the midst of it and also made a wine-press therein and he looked that it should bring forth grapes and it bronght forth wild grapes 3. And now O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah Judge I pray you betwixt me and my Vineyard 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes it brought forth wild grapes 5. Now go to I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break down the wall thereof and it shall be trodden down V. 6. And I will lay it wast it shall not be pruned nor hedged but there shall come up briers and thorns I will also command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it V. 7. For the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel and the men of Judah is his pleasant plant and he looked foâ— Judgment and behold oppression for righteousness and behold a cry That is God put them in a Capacity of doing Justice and Judgment the which they might have done but they would not Now as I before told you that the sins of the Natural Seed of Israel and the Adopted Seed are joyned so also the Punishment of the Natural Seed and of the Adopted Seed are joyned together for from 11th v. of the 5th chap. to the 16th v. it doth appear to declare the Punishments of the back-sliding Christians because the next verse speaks of the Lord of Host being exalted in Judgment and that then the Lambs should feed together And in the following part of the Chapter the sins of the Adopted Seed are intermix'd with them of the Natural Seed But by the foregoing verses that are here set down we are given fully to understand wherefore the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel the which was in that they did not make a good improvement of the opportunity of Grace put into their Hands but cast away the Law of the Lord and despised his word therefore was the Anger of the Lord kindled against them After which it is said in Isa 8.13 Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and
let him be your dread v. 14. And he shall be for a Sanctuary but for a stone of Stumbling and for a Rock of Offence to both the Houses of Jacob for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem V. 15. And many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken Here you see this Judgment which was mentioned by St. Peter That they were appointed to it after they had sinned that they should stumble at that Stumbling Stone so as not to be obedient to him And it is said in the 16th v. Bind up the Testimony seal the Law among my Disciples V. 17. And I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his Face from the House of Jacob and I will look for him The which words also signifies the exclusion of the major part of Israel and Judah with the Powers thereof for they being most guilty of the miscarriage of the rest But yet the binding up of the Testimony and the Sealing of the Law among the Disciples seems that it had a larger extent among them of Jacob than as to the very Elect that was chosen from amongst them For the Lord saith in Matt. 11.12 And from the Days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence and the violent take it by force Now if the Kingdom of Heaven suffered Violence and the Violent took it by Force the which shews us for certain that there were more made partakers of the Kingdom than those that are said to be the very Elect for those were so Elected or Chosen as they could not possibly through mistake or deceit miss of the Kingdom for Christ himself saith in Matt. 24.24 If it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect by which words it does appear impossible to deceive the very Elect. And since all the Christian Churches have been deceived except that of Piedmont according as it is said in the Revelations That all the world wandered after the Beast or great Harlot with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed Fornication and who with her Wine made the Inhabitants of the Earth Drunk the Churches of Piedmont only followed Jesus Christ and inviolably adhered to his Doctrin as it is Written of them so as the Valleys had intirely for their Arms a Toarch inviron'd with thick Darkness with this Motto Lux lucet in tenebris Light shines in Darkness by which it does in a more especial manner appear that these are the very Elect spoken of by the Lord by reason that they have stood ever since the Apostles time undeceived by the Beast or false Prophets as the Lord foretold And by which words of the Lord it remains also that it is impossible to deceive the very Elect. Now by these words these very Elect are with Violence secured from the Evil deceit of this World and taken for the Kingdom whilst the other is said to take the Kingdom of Heaven by Violence and that is There was an opportunity of Grace and Mercy put into their Hands in which they did imploy their utmost endeavour to secure the Kingdom of Heaven to themselves and by so doing they are said to take the Kingdom of Heaven by Violence But unto them that did not so the Lord saith in Matt. 23.37 O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy Children together even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings and ye would not Here the Lord speaketh of the Offers of Grace and Mercy that was tendred to Israel aforetime by the Prophets by whom he would have gathered them as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but they would not Of which also the Lord told Esdras 2 Esd 1. c. 28. to the 32. v. Now whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 13.13 Therefore spake I to them in Parables because they seeing see not and hearing they hear not neither do they understand That is altho they did see and hear they did not give their minds to understand 14. v. And in them is fulfilled the Prophesy of Isaiah which saith By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive 15. For this Peoples Heart is waxed gross and their Ears are dull of Hearing and their Eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and should understand with their Heart and should be Converted and I should heal them The which Prophecy was ordered by the Lord in Isa 6.9 after the woful miscarriage of his people The which is partly set down in the foregoing Chap. of Isa And after Israel had been exceeding sinful the Prophet Jeremiah saith in Jer. 13.22 And if thou say in thine heart wherefore come these things upon me for the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discover'd and thy heels made bare Whereas it is said V. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his Spots Then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil V. 24. Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the Wilderness Now we see when man wilfully revolteth and giveth himself up to a custome in sinning by which he becomes forsaken of God then for him that has so accustomed himself to do evil he cannot learn to do well for in so doing they provoke the Lord to leave them to blindness of mind and hardness of heart and then they are past all hope But the Lord saith of Abraham in Gen. 12.19 For I know him that he will command his Children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him Here by these words it shews a foreknowledge in God that Abraham would command his Children and houshold after him and they should keep the way of the Lord. That the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him The which shews that the Covenant was but conditional with Abraham himself but yet the forekowledge in God of Abrahams obedience and thereupon it became absolute to him And there was a foreknowledge in God of Israels miscarriage and therefore the miscarriage of them was foretold what would hereafter come to pass concerning them For the Covenant being conditional the breach of the Covenant was their destruction the which default in them was foreknown of God But not that God did make a decree that they should sin and then for their sin be cast off of him and so to become accursed The which is a very great sin in us to think as being against the word and Oath of God And the Lord saith in 2 of Esdras 2.15 To the mother or Church Embrace thy Children and make their feet as fast as pillars And in V. 25.
me and saw my works forty years 10. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation and said they do always err in their Heart and they have not known my ways 11. So I sware in my wrath they shall not enter into my rest By these words we again see when it was that the Lord sware that they should not enter into his rest That it was when they sinned in the Wilderness at which time they provoked him to wrath Whereof also it is said in the 17. v. But with whom was he grieved forty years Was it not with them that had sinned whose carcases fell in the Wilderness 18. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest but to them that believed not By which we may see that some of them were excluded the Promise above thirty years before their Natural Life was ended And St. Paul speaking of David Rom. 11.9 where he saith Let their Table be made a snare and a trap and a stumbling block and a recompence unto them 10. Let their Eyes be darkned that they may not see and how down their back alway Now it may be said wherefore did David curse them To which I answer David was a tipe of Christ and a Prophet and by the Prophetical Spirit he foresaw the Sufferings of his blessed Lord and that it would be the Jews from whom he should receive his Afflictions and therefore as his own Afflictions he did express them that were done to the Almighty Lord which was the reason that he thus Curst those that should be the Afflictors of the Lord Christ as in Psal 69.6,9,28 v. wherein David intermixes his Sufferings with those of the Sufferings of Christ wherein it does seem in a more especial manner to signify the sufferings of the Lord Christ and as to what related to his Enemies For in the 21. v. he saith They gave me also Gall for my meat and in my thirst they gave me Vinegar to drink Which thing was done to the Lord Christ as in Mark 15.23 having before spoken of the Sufferings of the Lord he closes with this which was done to him on the Cross After which David proceeds to Curse them as is before set down And St. Paul says Rom. 11.11 I say then have they stumbled that they should fall God forbid But rather through the fall Salvation is come to the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousie Here St. Paul starts the question in that he saith Have they stumbled because they should fall He fearing lest they should fall under that dangerous mistake to which he answers himself God forbid as much as to say it is not so and have a care you think not so And also we see that the Scripture doth fully make it appear to the contrary in shewing us how they first fell And after which God said He would lay in Sion a stumbling stone So as that which should have been for their welfare became a Trap. At which stone they stumbled as they then mist of the Salvation purchased by him And Christ saith Matt. 21.44 That whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken but on whomsoever it shall fall it will grind him to powder Now it was the Jews that fell upon the Lord which was this Stone but they did it ignorantly through unbelief and their ignorance was occasioned by their sinfulness and for want of a desire to him when they heard of his coming the which had they had a longing after him the extent of his mercy would have been larger amongst them But it is said Matt. 2.23 When the wise men came to inquire saying where is he that is born King of the Jews for we have seen his Star in the East and are come to Worship him 3. When Herod the King had heard these things he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him We here see that they desired not the coming of Christ And Christ did not manifest himself unto them So if we desire not the coming of the Lord it is a sign that we shall have no share in him and to desire his coming without preparing our Hearts for him there is no hopes of mercy for us But as the Jews fell on that stone and so were broken to pieces So when Christ again comes who is this Stone it is the relapsed Christians that he will fall upon so as to grind them to Powder Now whereas St. Peter saith of the wicked c. 2. v. 11,12 Whereas Angels are greater in power and might bring not a railing accusation against them before the Lord but these as natural brute Beasts made to be taken and destroyed speak evil of the things they understand not and shall utterly perish in their own Corruption and shall receive the reward of unrighteousness as they that counted pleasure to riot in the day time spots they are and blemishes sporting themselves with their own deceivings That is as natural brute beasts which are made to be taken and destroyed understand not how to give honour neither to God nor man and so these speak evil of the things they understand not but are sporting themselves with their own deceiving whereby they came to be destroyed And whereas St. Jude saith 4. v. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ Now whereas he saith they were before of old ordained to this Condemnation That is there was in old time a decree ordained that such and the like offenders should fall under the condemnation which then was determined for them but not that there was before Ordain'd of God that there should be such and the like offenders on purpose because that they should fall under the Condemnation that was of old determined No but as our Kings knowing that there will be offenders therefore make Laws for their punishment And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 9.22,23,24 That God might make known the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of mercy which he had afore prepared unto Glory 24. Even us whom he hath called not of the Jews only but also of the Gentiles Whereas St. Paul saith That God might make known the Riches of his Glory on the Vessels of Mercy By which words we may plainly understand that then the Glory of God was not manifested on them And also St. Paul in another place saith that they were made the Off-scouring of all things And whereas he saith Vessels of Mercy which God had prepared unto Glory Heâ—e he lets us understand that it is God that fits the Saints for Glory But in the foregoing words of the same Chapter he did not say it was God that fitted Man for destruction And God himself saith thy destruction is of thy self O Man And that he delights not in the death of a sinner And whereas he saith which he had afore prepared unto
imagination of the Thoughts of his Heart was only evil continually Then the Lord said in the 6. v. It repented him that he had made man on the Earth And therefore for Man's sinfulness God destroyed them from off the Earth only saving Noah whom God had found to walk uprightly before him Gen. 6.9 And after the Flood from Noah's three Sons sprang three seeds And Saran getting footing into the Heart of Ham so as to make a mockery of his Father as in Gen. 9.22,25 For which he Cursed him and so his Off-spring taking after him proved a Viperous Brood and thereby became more estranged from God than the other two Seeds although afterwards they all almost fell from God yet still the Race of Ham was the worst because of their second Fall in their Father Ham and the Prince of darkness got farther footing in them and so they became the more forsaken of God And so when God chose Israel to bring them into the Land of Canaan they were to drive out the Cananites out of that Land and they were not to make any mixt Marriages with them But when Israel did break the Command of God by their mixt Marriages with them contrary to the command of God they were drawn away by them to their Abominations And when Israel became guilty of the like sins they also became forsaken of God Now we see that these two Worlds had each of them three Seeds And St. Paul faith Rom. 11.25,26 Blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodlinss from Jacob. And then it doth appear the mercy shall return to the Seed of Shem. As to those Heathen Nations which are the Promised Elect spoken of in Isaiah And the third Seed will be the young Children of the Wicked Brood which shall be left to remain as in Joel 3.8 where I have already shewed you that Israel shall then sell them for Servants This being clear by the word of God And Noah in his Blessing and Cursing his Children had his reference to the World to come and not to this present time for it is said Gen. 9.24 And Noah awoke from his Wine and knew what his younger Son did unto him 25. v. And he said cursed be Canaan a Servant to Servants shall he be unto his Brethren 26. v. And he said blessed be the Lord God of Shem and Canaan shall be his Servant 27. v. God shall enlarge Japhet and he shall dwell in the Tents of Shem and Canaan shall be his Servant Now the History of the Bible makes it appear that all along the Seed of Ham was those that bore the greater sway and was the most flourishing People as in Gen. 10. And so on to Nebucadnezâ—…er they of that stock of Ham being still in great Power At last they were the People that destroyed Israel and therefore were not servant of Servants to Israel only those few that were taken off in the Land of Canaan whilst the rest remained Lords of the World till Cyrus his time And in the Prophesy of their Destruction by the Medes The Lord there terms them to be the Heavens and Earth which Heavens the Lord said he would shake and remove the Earth out of her place Isa 13.13 to 17 v. The which was when the Earth of that People was removed out of their place which Earth was the People And afterward they became a scattered People Now neither the People or Mahomet did come of the Loyns of the foregoing Kings of their Country And by the Prophesy of Noah they are some of the stock of that old Root Ham for their Priests Friers Monks Jesuits Cardinals and Popes are chosen from among all the World And the Prince of Darkness knew where to raise part of his old stock to play a new game with And Mahomet also appears to be one of the same Race And by these Two Satan hath corrupted almost the whole Christian World But the wonderful Subtilty of the Devil was in obliging the Followers of that False Prophet and Impostor Mahomet to Morality Whilst the pretended Vicar which the Devil set up for the Vicar of Christ gave liberty to all manner of Wickedness which either Man or Devil could invent either by his Licenses Pardons or Indulgences if money were in the case And the Devil knowing that Christ was to come but not knowing that he was to come to suffer therefore said Mat. 8.29 Art thou come hither to torment us before the time By these words it is clear the Devils knew that the Lord was to come to torment them but that it was then before his time and they receiving not their torment then they know that he is to come again But the Devil has caused the Pope and his Adherents to deny it which is the Reason we have all been so involved in Darkness coming out of the dregs of Popery And the Prince of Darkness causing Mahomet to tell the people that he would return the more to take us off from the expectation of the coming of the Lord by the false Impostors pretending thereunto and by the Pope's denying of it For the Devil carrieth on his Kingdom by a Mystery in iniquity And now when the Lord cometh the Children of these forementioned will not be taken away with their wicked Parents but will as I have elsewhere shewed you then be saved to be sold for Servants to those Nations that are said by the Prophet Joel 3.8 shall be Servants to Israel And then will the blessing and cursing of Noah be fulfilled concerning his Sons When this Ham is become servant of servants then also shall those of Japhet which are found in Christ dwell in the Tents of Shem and so be made partakers of the promised New Covenant with Israel whilst some others of the Heathen Gentiles are spared to see the Glory and partake of the Mercy but the great Mercy will then return on that Race that Abraham came of for Egypt and Syria are then taken into Covenant and given to Israel for Daughters though not by the same Covenant Now there being these Three Seeds part of them left again for the other World with some of the Gentile Race of whom comes Mesheth and Tubal and it is these will prove the Gog and Magog when the Devil again is loosed and the Glory of the Lord not so visible amongst them Then he will perswade them and what others he can deceive with them to go up and plunder Jer usalem of the wonderful Riches that then will be there for which Attempt every one that will be in the Conspiracy shall be utterly cut off as in Zech. 14.12 And this shall be the Plague wherewith the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem Their Flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet and
their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth Of certain this is the Battle that is to be fought after Satan is loosed for it is after Christ appears upon Mount Olivet after the Mountain cleaved in the midst for a Receptacle for them that are saved whilst the Earth is renewing after the wicked are destroyed and after Jerusalem is again built After which it is said in the 11th verse There shall be no more utter destruction but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited because none shall make any attempt against them till after the Thousand Years After which Gog and Magog whom the Devil will gather together will come up against Jerusalem whom God will destroy as in the 38th Chapter of Ezekiel and in Rev. 20.9,10 and them that escape the Fire and Hail that comes from Heaven shall pine away as in Zachariah Now having fully proved how some became to be more estranged from God than other some the which was as St. Paul said of Israel that it hapned to them so may it be said of these that it hapned unto them first through the subtle Insinuations of the Devil to them and secondly by their own willful miscarriage when they were again restored to mercy by Christ and again renewed in him And in that Israel will have the preheminence it also was through the Faithfulness of Abraham in his service and in the patient waiting for his promise after the Lord had chosen him And also in that Abraham did offer up his Only Son Isaac for the doing of which the Lord did inlarge his promised blessing to Abraham which was That in him and his Seed all the Families of the Earth should be blessed Gen. 22.17 And had Israel walked in the steps of Abraham according to the Capacity God had put them in their Kingdom had never been destroyed Isa 48.18,19 Jer. 25.5 But God foreseeing they would be wanting to themselves in not keeping his Covenant therefore their destruction was foretold by the Prophets And also because David patiently waited upon the Lord till it was his time to bring him to the Kingdom bearing all his Afflictions till it was the Lord's time to bring him out of them And when he was on the Throne he persisted in his desire of Advancing the Glory of the Lord therefore God made that great Promise to him and his seed as in 2 Sam. 7.14 Now God likewise chose Jeroboam and Jehu to be Kings but they acting contrary to his Commands therefore they were Accursed of him And also they that suffer for God in well doing shall in time to come receive the greater Glory as those that have been most wicked shall receive the greater Punishment And whereas God saith Ezek. 33.13 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely Live If he trust to his own Righteousness and commit Iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Now God here saith when he shall say to the Righteous That he shall surely live yet if he upon the promise of God for Life and for his past Obedience does take a Liberty to do iniquity his past Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity he shall die And so is our Callings and Elections to Life and Salvation that are absolutely promised to us by God Yet if we are wanting to our selves they prove of no effect to us And the case stands so with the wicked For the Lord saith in the 14. v. Again when I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die If he turn from his sin and do that which is Lawful and Right 15. v. If the wicked restore the Pledg give again that he hath robbed walk in Statutes of Life without committing iniquity he shall surely Live he shall not die That is without wilfully committing iniquity By this we also see that if God doth say to the wicked Thou shalt surely die Yet that threatning was not of force no longer than the Man remained sinful of which the Lord in Jer. 36.3 It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the Evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin And also the Lord saith in Jer. 25. from the 3. to the 9. v. But as for those sinners who by their continued custom in sin God has left to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind they cannot come to amendment of Life And God saith in Ezek. 18.21 to the 31. v. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked shall die saith the Lord God and not that he should return from his ways and live Now while the Lord calls to a sinner to Repentance there is power in the sinner to turn from his ways and to seek to God that he may live 25. v. Yet ye say the way of the Lord is not equal Here now O House of Israel is not my way equal are not your ways unequal 30. v. Therefore I will judg you O House of Israel every one according to his ways saith the Lord God repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruin 33. v. Cast away from you all your Trangressions whereby ye have Transgressed and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O House of Israel 32. v. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord wherefore turn your selves and live ye Now whilst God calls to a People to come to Repentance there is a door open to them for Mercy and then they are not left of God to hardness of Heart and blind ness of mind so as if they do but use their utmost diligence in indeavouring to forsake their sins and go to God by Prayer they shall not want his assistance Now whereas the Apostle saith Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more So for all other sins there remains a power in us to withstand and make resistance against till such time that through the often refusing obedience to his word and resisting the good motions of his Spirit God leaves them to hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind Now whilst the door of Mercy is open we may cast away all our Transgressions That is take up Resolutions against them and continually beg of God for his Assistance in our Performance And Cant. 1.4 cry out with the Church Lord draw me we will run after thee God hath left us a sure rule if we will take to the means therefore let us walk in the ways of God and keep to our constant duty in Praying and we shall never be
forsaken of him For the new Heart and the new Spirit which God requireth we should make us is that they should desire Holiness and Righteousness as they did heretofore sin and wickedness and also to use their utmost diligence for attaining unto an Holy Life desiring God's Assistance for he will never leave us nor forsake us if we so do for God withdraws not the good motions of his Spirit from any of his People till such time as they fall away from him And this new Heart and new Spirit in the Capacity he hath put us and by the means set before us we are able to make us by his promised assistance but this is not the new heart which he hath promised to give Isa 45.19 By which we may see it is our slothfulness and slugishness and also in our giving way to Temptations and to our own inclinations and affections whereby Satan for our want of bridling them hurries the Soul which way he pleaseth and so for want of watchfulness diligence and labour in the service of the Lord They lose the promised blessing which is Eternal Life and so come to have their Portion in Hell it self but if we are found in the ways of God as St. Paul tells us God doth not forget our Work and Labour of Love And twice in this foregoing Chapter of Ezekiel God saith I have no pleasure in the Death of him that dieth Now after the fall of Man the decree was that the entrances into life should be made strait so as those that will not wrestle for the blessing cannot have it And whereas St. Paul saith in Rom. 11.13 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all That is Israel also being sinful and therefore God left them to blindness of mind and so concluding them all in unbelief that is the greater part of them that they might taste the fruit of their own doings in the weight of his displeasure and that afterward he might make some of all sharers of his mercy And the Lord saith in Amos 3.6 Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not afraid Shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it This is spoken of the Evil of Punishment as all the Chapter makes appear For as man is the committer of the Evil of sin so God is the inflictor of the Evil of punishment And also the like is said in Isaiah 42.24 And St. Peter speaking of Christ saith in Acts 2.23,24 Him being delivered by the determined Counsel and fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it This being most certain that the Jews could have had no power to crucifie the Lord of Life had it not been done by the determined Counsel and Foreknowledge of God But by these words there is not one syllable from whence we may gather that this Counsel was before the material Heavens and Earth but rather the contrary in that he mentions them not And as to what St. Peter saith Acts 4.27,28 For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together 28. For to do whatsoever thy Hand and thy Counsel determined before to be done Now God eclipsing the Glory of Christ and Christ taking upon him the Form of a Servant and he speaking against their Wicked Ways the which the Jews could not bear and thereupon Satan made them his Instruments to accomplish his Hellish Design by which he thought to have conquered the Lord of Life but he thereby wrought his own eternal perdition and thereby the determined Counfel of God was brought to pass in Satan's Overthrow and man's salvation Now whereas it is said by the Angel where he mentions the Beast and the Kings Rev. 17.17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will and to agree and give their Kingdom unto the Beast until the words of God shall be fullfilled Now we may say Wherefore was it the Will of God to put in the Hearts of these Kings to agree in giving their Power to the Beast until his Word should be fullfilled The Reason is this There was a Foreknowledge in God of their miscarriage And upon that foreknowledg of their miscarriage God did determine to leave them to delusion till such time his Words should be fullfilled according to which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.9,10 where he speaks of the Beast Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders 10. v. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved We see this was so determined of God by reason God foreseeing they would have no delight in his Ways nor receive the Truth in the Love thereof Therefore they were given up by God to follow the delâ—sions of the Beast and the Devil Now whereas it is said in Acts 13.46,47,48 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judg your selves unworthy of everlasting life lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us saying I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles that thou shouldest be for Salvation unto the ends of the Earth And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed Now by the Ordaining here spoken of if we take it for granted that there was a certain number of the Gentiles as there was of the Jews so absolutely given to Christ as they should never fall away and that they were here so chosen at Antioch where St. Paul spake this for Antioch was an eminent place for Believers insomuch that they were first there called Christians Yet however this does no way prove that all believers are so Ordained to Everlasting Life so as they shall never finally fall away for by the word of God it is absolutely the contrary as I have here proved But as to the Ordaining here spoken of when explained according to the Tenor of the Gospel it does appear to be no such thing for the Believer upon his believing that Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 by which his Heart is drawn out in thankfulness love and obedience to Christ Gal. 5.6 for it is a Faith that worketh by Love is required the which the sinner no sooner so believeth but that all his past Sins are then forgiven him and the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him so as the Believer becomes compleat in him for God by
saith That they were then made the ofi-scouring of all things Now from among the scattered Church was God's special Elect which were so secured in Christ that they could not fall away and therefore in time to come will be a chosen Generation a Royal Priesthood an Holy Nation who were at that time but a scattered People Now whereas St. Paul saith 2 Tim. 2.11,12 It is a faithful saying For if we be dead with him we shall also live with him If we suffer we shall also reign with him if we deny him he also will deny us That is Dead to all the â—inful pleasures and injoyments of this World In the 15. v. of the same Chapter he saith Study to shew thy self approved unto God a workman that needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the word of truth Here the Apostle lets us understand the word is so joyn'd as there must be skill in the Dividing of it And the Apostle speaking of Hymeneus and Philetus saith in the 2. chap. and the 18. v. Who concerning the Truth have erred saying that the Resurrection is past already and overthrew the Faith of some 19. Nevertheless the Foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from Iniquity Now in the 18. v. he saith That the Faith of some was overtheown and that by the false Brethren But in this verse he saith The foundation of God standeth sure The which foundation is those which are so absolutely given to Christ as they should not fall away Whilst the other Elect were but called renewed and put into a capacity of Obedience Now whereas he saith in the 20 verse But in a great House there are not only Vessels of Gold and of Silver but also wood and earth some to honour and some to dishonour if a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a Vessel unto honour Sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work That is the Gold and Silver are those that are more absolutely chosen of God but the wood and stone if they improve the benefits that God gives them and purge themselves from an evil Conversation they shall become meet for the Master's use shewing that there is a power in our selves to reform and amend till such time that by often resisting they exclude themselves from his mercy And by the words of Christ we may receive certain Confirmation of this by what he saith to the Church of Ephesus in Rev. 2.3,4,5 And hast born and hast patience and for my sake hast laboured and hast not fainted Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first Love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent This shews that their Candlestick was in the right place but if they did not Repent and do their first works then Christ said he would remove their Candlestick out of his place And also the Lord saith to the Church of Sardis Rev. 3.1,2,3 I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Be watchful and strengthen the things that remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and Repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Now this doth shew that one part of the Church was become dead through sin and so become forsaken of God and therefore left off to hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind but to the other part that was ready to die the Lord calls to them to come to Repentance whereby we may know that when we have had the knowledg of God and his ways and he hath not withdrawn the good motions of his Spirit from us There is a Power in us to come to Repentance and amendment of Life For God calls not the People to come to Repentance after they have no Power in their Hand to do it but then he saith let them alone Hos 4.17 When he will no farther shew mercy to them Now in this Church there was three sorts one part Dead another part ready to die and another part alive and well as it is said Rev. 3.4,5 Thou hast a few Names in Sardis which have not defiled their Garments and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy He that overcometh the same shall be clothed in white Raiment and I will not blot his name out of the Book of Life but I will confess his Name before my Father and before his Angels From which words it remains certain that some names are blotted out of the Book of Life And St. James saith James 4.8,9,10 Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you cleanse your Hands ye sinners and purify your Hearts ye double minded Be afflicted and mourn and weep let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy into Heaviness Humble your selves in the Sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up And St. John saith Matt. 3.8 Bring forth therefore Fruits meet for repentance For we shall all be judged according to our works and God doth not require of us that which he hath not put us in a Capacity to do Rom. 2.12 And the Heathen that have not the Law shall not be judged by the Law As to what Moses saith in his Song That their Feet shall slide in due time hath a quite contrary meaning to what we have apprehended it the which is fully explained where I speak of the Covenant and Song As for the Promise made to David mentioned in Psal 99. is Answered where the special Election is Treated of Now all these Controversal Points being fully opened to the bottom whereby we may plainly see that the words of the Apostles had no such meaning as hitherto we have apprehended them to have and having the Oath and Word of God again and again to assure us the contrary And also Christ hath told us that whosoever comes to him he will in no wise cast out so that we need not fear to be forsaken of God if we do not forsake him and that God does not withdraw from the Soul on purpose to leave them to fall into Sin that he might Damn them but God does try all his to see if they will follow him and if they so do he is their exceeding great Reward Now if any would have greater assurance than the Words and Oath of God and the Word of Christ must look to have it in their last Punishment I bless the Eternal God by his opening his Word unto me he hath brought me out of that dangerous mistake the which did so take off from
Faith which some take up with now-a-days which is no other than of the Devils coining and his Accomplices in that they say he that believeth through the merits of Christ that he shall be saved therefore they shall be saved If they do but also confess their sins leaving out repenting and forsaking them Which is contrary to the holy Word of God And as St. Peter saith they wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.10 I hope the Prince of Darkness hath not so blinded their minds but that they will own that those did believe that they should be saved when they said to the Lord Christ in Matth. 22. vers Mat. 7.22.23 Have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderful works Then will the Lord profess unto them that he never knew them depart from me ye that work iniquity And also that the foolish Virgins did believe they should be saved when they say in Matth. Mat. 25.11,12 Lord Lord open to us But he shall answer and say verily I say unto you I know you not And whereas the Lord saith in John 47. v. Joh. 6.47 Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life And whereas St. John saith vers 12. 1 John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life And also the Lord saith in John 6.40 Joh. 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day I hope upon serious considerations none will say they believe in Christ for Salvation when they will not believe what the Lord saith concerning the conditions upon which Salvation is tendred by him the which conditions are repentance love and new obedience And the Lord saith in John 8.31 v. To the Jews which believed on him John 8.31,47,51 If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And again in the 47. vers He that is of God heareth Gods word ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God And the Lord saith in the 51. vers Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death That is he shall never see Hell in Esdras Esd 2.39 And the Lord also saith in John 21. vers John 14.21,24 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him And again in the 24. v. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings and the word which you hear is not mine but the Fathers which sent me And Christ saith in the Gospel of John Joh. 15.10 If ye keep my conmandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love And again the Lord saith Joh. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day And he saith in the 25. v. Joh. 12.25,26 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this World shall keep it unto life Eternal If any man serve me let him follow me and where I am there shall also my servant be if any man serve me him will my Father honor And the Lord saith to the Jews 34. v. Joh. 8.34,44 Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin And in the 44. v. he saith to them ye are of your Father the Devil and the lusts of your Father ye will do But the Lord saith to them that would have an interest in him in the 34. v. Mark 8.34,35,36,37,38 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospels the same shall save it For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own Soul or what shall a man give in exchange for his Soul whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels We here see by all this that it is a belief in Christ and his Word that is required of us unto which we are to shew our love and obedience and St. John saith 1 Joh. 4.15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God and he farther saith in the 5. c. and 5. v. Joh. 5.5.13 Who is he that overcometh the World but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God And again in the 13. These things have I written to you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God Can they think it is here meant only a verbal confession with their mouths is required when in their works and practice they deny him No it is the confessing of him always is required as in our words and actions wills and affections in suffering unto death it self By which we see this word confessing him hath a larger extent than some People are aware of Who like unto the Jews that thought Adultery was only in the action but the Lord gave them to understand that it had a far larger extent when he said to them in Matth. Mat. 5.18 that every one that looketh on a Woman to lustafter her hath committed adultery already with her in his heart And whereas it is said to believe on the name of the Son of God That is to believe that he is that Seed that shall bruise the Serpents Head and make reconciliation for all that should with love and thankfulness receive him For although all are freely invited by Christ in the call of the Gospel to come to him but it is none but them whose wills are brought over to him as to become obedient can receive him or the Blessing purchased by him Now all are willing to receive the benefit but all are not willing to perform the conditions whereby they might be made partakers of the Blessing but like Balaam say O that I might die the Death of the Righteous they being unwilling to forego this present evil World Of whom the Lord saith in Isai 13. v. Isa 29.13 This People draweth near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart far from me and their fear towards me is taught by the
precepts of men Is not this like building on the Sand of which the Lord speaks in Matth. Where he saith in the 26. v. Mat. 7.26,27 Every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and whom the Lord forewarns that their building shall not stand in the day of trial And the Lord also saith in 21. v. Mat. 1.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven And also St. James saith Jam. 1.22 But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves And he farther saith Jam. 2.20,21,22 But wilt thou know O vain Man that faith without works is dead was not Abraham our Father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar seest thou how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect So the Lord saith unto Esdras in the 7. v. 2 Esd 9.7,8 And every one that shall be saved and shall be able to escape by his works and by faith whereby ye have believed shall be preserved from the said perils and shall see my salvation in my land and within my borders And in Matth. 20. Mat. 20.2,4,6,7 The Lord did not call any into his Vineyard without putting them to work therein And in Matth. 26.41 The Lord bids them watch and pray that they enter not into temptation And St. Peter bids us 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Therefore we had need watch continually over our own hearts thoughts words and works For the evil one in all our ways does lay traps nets and gins to insnare us Therefore St. Paul bids us Eph. 6.11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand Stand therefore having your loyns girt about with truth and having on the breast-plate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints Praying always that is praying dayly Which is as if any one gives us our dayly food as long as we live we say that they continually give us our food Praying all Prayer That is upon all occasions for our selves and for the Saints and for all Men that have not excluded themselves from his mercy And St. John tells us 1 John 2.4,5 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby know we that we are in him That is if our wills are brought over to be truly obedient and if so there will not want an earnest endeavour to persevere in a holy life Which is unlike those that Paul to Titus speaks of That Tit. 1.16 profess that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate How think you it will then prove with such in the great day For St. Paul saith 2 Thes 1.7,8,9 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 I hope this dreadful sentence will awaken many sleeping Christians before it is too late Therefore to day whilst it is called to day harden not your hearts but make preparation for the Bridegroom of your Souls Now as to what St. Paul saith Rom. 9.30 What shall we say then that the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith That is the Gentiles that were first brought home to Christ by the call of the Gospel no sooner savingly believed in the Lord Jesus as to accept him as he is tendred in the Gospel but the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them as though they had never sinned For St. Paul saith That Col. 2.10,11 ye are complete in him which is the head of all principality and power In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the â—…ns of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. And again he saith Eph. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Now whereas he â—aith that they were created in Christ Jesus to good works That is they are â—o sooner taken into mercy but that the â—ghteousness of Christ is imputed to â—hem whereby they appear in the sight â—f God as though they had never sinned â—…om their Creation But when he told â—hem they were created in Christ Jesus to good works you see also in the same ver he tells them that God had ordained that they should walk in them And he saith likewise Col. 2.6,7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving And he saith farther Col. 3.1,2,3,4,5,6 If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth For ye are dead and your life is had with Christ in God When Christ who is your life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousness which is Idolatry For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the Children of disobedience For we are not only to shun the doing evil but we must also learn to do well And whereas the Apostle saith Rom. 9.31,32 But Israel which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness
that St. Paul might have his special reference to the promise made to Abraham which was before the Foundation of the World to come which afterward was laid in his Seed For God saith in Gen. 17.7 And I will establish my Covenant between me and thee and thy Seed after thee in their Generatione for an everlasting Covenant to be a God to thee and to thy Seed after thee And St. Paul saith in Ephes 1.21 That God hath set Christ far above all Principality and Power and Might and Dominion and every Name that is named not only in this World but also in that which is to come And he also saith Heb. 2.5 For unto the Angels hath be not put in subjection the world to come whereof we speak By which we may plainly see that all along what he saith was tending to that World which is to come and of those that are chosen and are designed to be chosen for that World Now as to what Christ saith in Mat. 22.14 many are called but few are chosen That is there is many called but there are few that have used all their diligence to make their Calling and Election sure and therefore the Lord will not chuse them For although the calling in of the Gentiles was not because of their Works but according to the Riches of his Grace they not having had the tender of Mercy But as to Israel that had before the knowledge of God they were excluded from Mercy because there was not good Works found in them as God by his Prophets and Christ himself saith And as it was with the Jews so it will be much worse with the Christians when the Lord again comes if we do not walk in Obedience to his revealed Will in his Word and so be found ready As for Example by the Parable the Lord put forth concerning those that were bid to the Wedding Supper as in Luke 14.16,17,18,19,20,21 where they all make Excuses For they being not willing to forego this present World and to wrestle for the blessing therefore at his coming they will be excluded his Mercy in that they shall not taste of his Supper Now whereas St. Paul saith Acts 16.6,7 They were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia 7. After they were come to Mysia they assayed to go into Bithynia but the Spirit suffered them not Now although they were not at that time suffered to go into Asia yet God did not withhold the Gospel from them for in Rev. 1.4 the Lord biddeth St. John write to the seven Churches in Asia And St. Paul saith the Gospel had been Preached to all People Col. 1.23 Altho they did not alike receive it for the ground was not in it self alike capable to bear the Seed of God's word as the Lord in the Parable hath declared it And also when they had received the Seed they could not alike retain it because some of their Natures were more estranged from God And the major part of Israel and Judah was then Excluded the mercy by Christ by reason of their sin And also it is said Nehe. 13.1,2 That an Ammonite and a Moabite should not come into the Congregation of God for ever 2. v. Because they met not tha Children of Israel with bread and water but hired Balaam against them that he should curse them howbeit our God turned the Curse into a Blessing By which we see what was the reason God excluded them from his Congregation for ever The meaning of ever includes this present World by all which we see what was the cause they could not all alike receive Christ which was not that they were Reprobated before the foundation of the Material Heavens and Earth But as St. Paul saith of Israel it happened to them the which was after they had sinned And so it was with Moab and Ammon after they had sinned And also the Seed of Ham became accursed First from the mockery of his Father Afterwards from the building of Babel And last of all for their Destroying of Jerusalem Now Satan having twisted himself more into the Natures of these therefore they became more abhorred of God And also this root of gall and wormwood which the Apostle terms the Root of Bitterness He also brings in a false Seed with him according to the Parable of the Lord that there would an Enemy come and sow Tares with the Wheat which is the false seed which God also speaks of in Isa 57.3 But draw near hither ye Sons of the Sorcerers the seed of the Adulterer and the Whore The which is but a Viperous Brood and a false Seed God saith they are unprofitable Children And in Deut. 23.2 A bastard shall not enter into the Congregation of the Lord even to the Tenth Generation And the Lord also saith in Ezek. 18.20 The Soul that sinneth it shall die The Son shall not bear the iniquity of the Father neither shall the Father bear the iniquity of the Son the righteousness of the Righteous shall be upon him and the wickedness of the Wicked shall be upon him Now the Bastard is more begotten in Sin And the Patriark Ruben saith in his last Testament that Lust is one of the Spirits of the Devil 's giving and being begot in the breach of the command of God they are more estranged from God and thereby Satan may have a freer entrance into his Heart as to draw them into the ways of Sin But if he does see all the evil of Sin and live a very Holy Life there is hopes of Mercy for him altho it doth not appear that he shall have a part in the first Resurrection Now the Pope allowing all these things brings in a false Seed among them which by the word is more estranged from God for both Spiritual Adultery and Bodily Adultery are both abhorred of the Lord. Now the old World consisted of three sorts of People First They that sprang from Kain for Kain wilfully sinning and maliciously Murdering his Brother which was one fall farther from God then that he was fallen in Adam for which he became accursed of God as in Gen. 4.11 And so his Seed became all along more estranged from God he bringing forth a Viperous Brood like himself And from Seth sprang another Seed which he not falling as Kain did but keeping his ground in which God had set him by the promised Christ because he did not wilfully corrupt himself his Seed was termed the Sons of God as in Gen. 6.2 And also there was other Children proceeded from Adam the which was another Seed which we do not read of their miscarriage whilst they and the Children of Seth did not Marry with the Children of Kain which were the twice fallen Children of Man but then when they did the Mass of Mankind became wholly Corrupted so as the imagination of Mans Heart was only evil as in Gen. 6.5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the Earth and that every