of Earth but this Earth was marvelously refined and purified And this is implied if not express'd in Adam's Name and in the word which is used in the Original for the EARTH out of which he was taken For the import of the Hebrew Verb Adam whence is the Noun Adamah is not only rubuit he was red or ruddy and so Adam is as much as Edom rufus which was Esau's Name because he was ruddy when he was born Gen. 25. 25. but it is of a larger signification and is as much as splenduit That it bears this sense may be gathered from the word Adamdameth Levit. 13. 19. where it must be rendred shining or glistering or else the same thing there spoken of must be very white and very red as Bochart hath noted Hieroz P. 2. l. 5. c. 6. Sometimes Adam is as much as formosus fuit Thus of the temperate and healthful Nazarites it is said Lam. 4. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they were ruddy i. e. they were fair whence Arias Montanus renders it nitidi fuere And so the word Admoni which comes from the Verb Adam is taken in this sense as in 1 Sam. 16. 12. where 't is said of David that he was ruddy i. e. beautiful as is explain'd in the following words Thus Edom of the very same extraction is understood in Cant. 5. 10. where the Spouse saith of her Beloved that he is ruddy i. e. he is comely he is one of a beautiful Aspect And I could here add that the Verb Adam in other Languages bears this meaning thus Bochart acquaints us that in Arabick it is as much as splendere And by Ludolphus we are ascertain'd that in Ethiopick it signifies formosum pulchrum esse In the Latin I could observe something like this for rutilare in its more general signification is splendidum esse So purpureus is the same with splendidus pulcher whence purpureus capillus and purpurei olores I know no Oriental word that comes so near to this as Chur which is both albus fuit and erubuit And the reason I conceive is this both these colours white and red have a great deal of light mixed with them therefore the signification of them is alike and they both of them denote that which is fair and bright And as it is thus with the Hebrew Verb Adam so proportionably the Substantive Adamah doth not only signify red Earth as if it were so called from its red Colour because it is said that that was the native hew of the Earth in the East Country And Iosephus the learned Iew speaking of Adam's Make relates that the natural Mould call'd Virgin-Earth is of a red or yellow Complexion So we have a small County in England that carries Red Earth in its Name because the Soil is generally reddish but the word is of a larger extent and signifies that Earth which is bright and shining and is of the best and purest sort So that when it is said that Adam was form'd out of Adamah there is meant by this word that Earth which was of the purest and finest Composition And to this purpose it may be further observ'd that whereas other Animals are said to be made out of aretz common Earth Gen. 1. 24 25. it is particularly recorded that the first Man was made out of Adamah a peculiar and choice sort of Ground ex meliâ—re luto as the Poet speaking of this very thing fitly expresses it yea out of the dust of this ground Gen. 2. 7. i. e. the finest and most agile part of it All which is an eviction of what I at first asserted concerning the Materials of Adam's Body This was the true Terra Sigillata this was the Earth which God set his Mark and Image on that it might be known whose it was Adam in his Body as well as in his Soul outvied all his Race I attend not to the prodigious Stories which some fanciful Rabbies and Talmudick Doctors tell us of the strange Beauty and Elegancy and of the vast Proportions of Adam's Body Rabbi Solomon Iarchi avers that Adam was so tall that standing on the Earth he could touch the Heavens with his hand And several other such romantick Passages in the Writings of these fond Men I disregard nay those that are sober among themselves give no credit to it but understand it in a mystical manner for some of them tell us that when it is said Adam's Stature reached from one end of the Earth to the other it is to be understood of the Perfection of his Mind that he knew and comprehended the Nature of all things contained in the World but it is certain that as Adam's Soul was made a Transcript of God himself so his Body was framed in a most exquisite manner and the Divine Art and Skill were wonderfully discovered in the shaping of it For as Philo saith We are begot of Men but God himself made Adam The Author being better the Work must be more excellent Yea this must be said that all of us having been in Adam's Loins are part of that excellent Workmanship and have the same Image stamped upon us that Adam had We are all marked and sealed by the Divine Hand his own Impression and Signature are upon us even upon our corporeal part tho 't is true it was much defac'd by the Primitive Aopstacy Secondly The Body of Adam was God's Image as it was made Immortal He was created in full Strength and as a Person of a just Age healthful sound and flourishing For his Body was not like those of Beasts weak and corruptible but was made to be of perpetual Duration obnoxious to no Decays Diseases or Changes If Man had stood entire and kept his Innocence this had been his condition But this Image was restored to him and us who are his Posterity and not only our Souls but Bodies shall everlastingly subsist Thus by their Immortality and eternal Continuance they partake in some measure of the Divine Nature and Likeness Thirdly In the Body of Man as well as in his Soul the Image of God consisteth because the Soul worketh on the Body and by it Hence the Members of the Body are said to be Instruments of Righteousness Rom. 6. 13. As they are instrumental to so excellent a purpose as they are subservient to Grace and Holiness and as the Virtues of the Holy Spirit are exerted by them they are part of the Image of God For it is not to be questioned that the whole Man is God's Image Therefore tho the Divine Likeness doth not equally shine in all Parts yet this corporeal Part of Man in some degree shareth in that Image For which reason the Bodies of good Men are stiled the Temples of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 19. Fourthly God's Image is on the Body of Man as it is of that particular erect Figure which no living Creature else partaketh of Aristotle was so much
them And these Envoys of Heaven were sent not only to God's own People but sometimes to others as the Ninivites Thus Revelation was made by Voice God spake himself or by others audibly and this was no uncommon way of divulging and discovering his Will Again God spake i. e. communicated himself heretofore not only by the sense of Hearing but by that of Seeing He was pleased to make known his Divine Pleasure by some visible Appearances which most vigorously struck on that Sense and gave more evident Testimony of the Will of Heaven Thus God discovered himself 1. by Angels Appearing for tho it was not the Appearing of these Messengers but their Speaking to persons which gave them the discovery of God's pleasure yet the former was no mean Confirmation of what was delivered because those Glorious Spiâ—â—ts could not appear to Mankind unless they were commission'd by God When he thought fit to send them then and not else they descended from Heaven and shew'd themselves to Men. 2. Writing was another manner of Visible Revelation Thus the Law was deliver'd to Moses and afterwards this way of Revelation grew frequent the Sacred History of Moses and other Histories and Prophecie being committed to Writing Thus the Antient Church before Christ's coming had the Written Word of the Holy Scriptures to inform them 3. God spake to the Sight by those Representations which in Holy Writ are so usually stiled Visions for these properly belong to the outward Sense of Seeing they are either Real Spectacles exposed to the eye as the Burning Bush which Moses saw Exod. 3. 2. and the Pillar of a Cloud which went before the Israelites in the day and the Pillar of Fire which conducted them in the night Exod. 13. 21. and the Cloud in the Temple 2 Chron. 5. 13 14. call'd the Glory of the Lord 2 Chron. 7. 1 2. And this Expression is used in other places of the Old Testament to signifie that Visible Glory and Majesty whereby he manifested himself to Mankind in those times Or else Visions in Holy Scripture are certain Images of things represented by God to the Eye as those Strange Appearances and Signs mention'd in the Books of Ieremiah Ezekiel and Daniel Whether these things may be said to be real Objects or whether they be mere Apparitions we need not as some solicitously inquire If they be Resemblances caused by God and there be such an Impression made on the Sense of Seeing that the Organ be affected as if there were such an Object before it it is sufficient to denominate it Vision But this is not to be doubted of that these external Representations and Figures pointed out Real things either present or to come From this sort of Manifestation call'd Vision the Prophets who were most conversant in this way of Revelation were stiled Seâ—rs 1 Sam. 9. 9 18. 2 Chron. 35. 15. Thus I have distinctly spoken of Voices and Visions but it must be observed also that these two are joyned together sometimes This you may see in some of the foregoing Instances and in others not named the Revelation by Voice was mixed with that by Vision so in the New Testament Saul saw a Light and heard a Voice But I am confined at present to the Old Testament for I speak now only of the variety of Revelations which were before the Gospel-Dicd\sspensation It is to be observed moreover that sometimes Vision and Voice were accompanied with an Extasy tho the persons were awake yet they were cast into a Trance Lastly under this head it is remarkable that all the outward and sensible ways of God's revealing himself especially those that are visible are call'd by the Jewish Masters the Shekinah i. e. the Divine Presence and Majesty whereby the doth as it were dwell and is constantly present with his Church for the word Shakan signifies to inhaâ—â—â—â— or dwell whereby he doth gloriously discover himself to his Servants With reference to this the Apostle saith to the Israelites pertaineth the Glory Rom. 9. 4. i. e. the Glorious Presence and Habitation of God with them not only by Angels but all those other ways before spoken of in which he appear'd and manifested himself in the times of the Law This St. Paul stiles the Glory because this Visible Appearing of God is so stiled as you have heard in the Old Testament and because the Seventy Interpreters whose way of speaking this Apostle is wont to imitate used the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to express the Glorious Presence of the Divine Majesty in any kind of Sensible and External manner 2. There are Inward as well as Outward Revelations These are made more immediately to the Soul as the other were to the Body First God spake or reveal'd himself to the Fancies of Men by Dreams He thought good to communicate his Will to persons by a powerful Influence on their Imaginations whilst they were asleep as well as by presenting things to their Senses when they were awake Thus God reveal'd himself to Abraham Abimelech Iacob Ioseph Pharaoh Solomon Nebuchadnezzar In their Dreams their Fancies were impress'd with such and such Representations they verily thought they beheld this or that Object as Iacob thought he saw a Ladder that reached from Heaven to Earth And because these Representations seem to be offer'd to the eye therefore they are sometimes call'd Visions in Scripture I saw a Dream saith Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4. 5. And so we read of a Dream of the night Vision Isai. 29. 7. But if you speak of Visions in the proper sense then it is certain Visions and Dreams are two distinct Species of Revelation and so I have made them having before spoken of Visions strictly so call'd But this is a thing not consider'd sometimes by Writers on this Subject and so they confound Visions and Dreams Secondly God speaks to the Soul not only by working on the Imagination in Sleep but by immediate Inspiring the minds of the Prophets when they are awake This way of revealing his Will to Men is call'd Inspiration and sometimes Illumination but there is a gradual difference between these the former being of a higher degree than the later and the later being as it were a Preparative to the former This Inspiration which is made by an inward Afflatus and Excitation of the Spirit is signally call'd the Holy Spirit by the Jewish Writers A man say they is said to have the Holy Spirit when being awake and having the full use of his Senses he speaks by the Incitement of the Spirit Thus the Prophets of old spake as they were stirr'd up by this Inward Afflation and Instinct The Jewish Doctors think that this degree of Divine Revelation is especially in the Psalms of David and the Proverbs of Solomon and the Book of Iob c. the Writers of which are termed by way of Excellency Chetubim Scriptores by the Hebrews and their Writings are distinguish'd from other Books of
comprised in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Time of Reformation mentioned by the same Apostle Heb. 9. 10. for he uses this Expression with reference not only to the Mosaick Law which was to be corrected and retrenched but in regard of the Gospel itself which was designed to amend and reform the World and to set it right Now this was not to be a Mock-Reformation but it was to be to Purpose and throughly to be carried on which I call the Heighth and Perfection of the Evangelical Dispensation This may have been signified when St. Paul would have the Corinthians and with them all Christians in future Ages wait for the Revelation of our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 17. And when St. Peter exhorted the Converted Iews whom he wrote to and with them all holy Men in succeeding Times to hope for the Grace that is to be brought unto them at the Revelation of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 13. He had been speaking in the foregoing Verses of the former Dispensations in the Church of God together with the Evangelical one which was then present and now he acquaints them that there is to be a higher Degree of this last Dispensation The Time shall come when the Effects and Fruits of the Gospel shall be more Conspicuous and Eminent when the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation shall produce greater Things in the World to the Astonishment of all the Enemies of the Church and to the Amazement even of Holy Christians themselves This is the Revelation of Iesus Christ. This last Condition of the Church is also expressed by New Heavens and a New Earth 2 Pet. 3. 13. For this is the Style of the Evangelical Prophet Isa. 65. 17. 66. 22. where by New Heavens and a New Earth he sets forth the State of the Gospel and therefore the Heighth of it deserves these Titles much more Whence it is probable that this is the New Heaven and the New Earth which St. Iohn saw Rev. 21. 1. For it is observable that he frequently makes use of the same Expressions and Phrases which are found in the Prophetical Writers And though it is true some Learned Expositors understand this New Heaven and New Earth in the Revelation of St. Iohn concerning the Church Triumphant the State of the Blessed in Heaven yet if any â—an narrowly scans this Chapter he will not be backward to acknowlâ—dge that this can't be the Meaning of it For the New Heaven and the Nâ—w Earth are the same with the Holy City the New Ierusalem in the same Chapter into which the Kings of the Earth bring their Glory and Hâ—nour ver 24. they come with all their Honourable Retinue to submit to the Scepter of Iesus to own themselves his Converts and they are ambitious to be Members of this Glorious Church upon Earth Next I will produce those Plaâ—es of Scripture where this Full and Final Settlement of the â—hristian Church in the last Times of the Gospel is call'd a Kingdom and set forth by Reigning It is not to be question'd that David's Temporal Kingdom was a Type and Earnest of this And those sure Mercies of David Isa. 55. 3. are the Faithful Promises made by God to David concerning the Messias and his Kingdom which are not yet fully accomplished and therefore are to be in this Reigâ— of Christ which I am speaking of Of this we often read in the Prophet Daniel as in Chap. 2. ver 44. In the Days of those Kings viz. the Monarchs mentioned in the Verses before among whom 〈◊〉 was one under whom Christ was born shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed That is Christ's Kingdom then began to be erected which afterwards shall more eminently deserve that Name viz. when it shall arrive to its Perfection It is said here expresly that it shall break in pieces all these Kingdoms that is the Four Monarchies Of which we are further ascertain'd in the next Verse for Christ 〈◊〉 is that Stone which was cut out of the Mountains without Hands and was to break in pieces the Iron the Brass the Clay the Silver and the Gold This Famous Stone was to beat down all the Four Metals Christ was to destroy the Four Monarchies that is when these cease Christ's Kingdom immediately succeeds It is true it did succeed in part when the Pagan Roman Empire expired and so in some measure this Prophecy was fulfilled but there shall be a more illustrious and eminent Succession than this upon the compleat expiring of the Fourth General Monarchy Wherefore when we see this quite at an end we may conclude that Christ's Reign approacheth i. e. that the happy Condition of the Christian Church in this World draws near This Fourth Monarchy the Roman is now wearing off being translated to the Germans it is but a meer Name and Title The Wings of this Imperial Eagle have been plucked its Plumes are fallen its Feathers are gone its whole Body almost consumed Rome itself and Italy are not so much as the poor Remains at this Day of the Roman Empire This Image is now on its last Legs and those are infirm for the Holy Spirit tells us that the Feet are of Clay and Iron which Two Materials will not well cement and hold together long Therefore another State of Things is approaching viz. the Fifth Monarchy or Empire here prophesied of the Reign of Christ Jesus here on Earth or which is the same a more illustrious Manifestation of Christianity a more Visible and Glorious Displaying of its Vertue and Power than ever yet was in the World Of this Kingdom of the Son of Man you have another express Prediction in Dan. 7. 14. There was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroy'd Again ver 22. The Time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom Agreeably to what was said ver 18. The Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever This Kingdom is again delineated ver 27. There is a great Number of Texts in Isaiah Ieremiaâ— Ezekiel and the Lesser Prophets which speak of this Kingdom of the Messias but they are it is true generally interpreted by Expositors of Christ's Coming in the Flesh and the prevailing of the Gospel afterwards and even to this very Day but they are not thought by them to reach any further This I conceive is a Mistake from the narrow Thoughts which Men are apt to have of those great Things spoken of by the Prophets which we shall find upon diligent comparing of Things to have a very large and comprehensive Meaning Most of the Prophetick Expressions of this Nature have reference not only to the first Times of the Gospel and these at present but to those that are to come Ultimately and completely and in their highest
were the first Fathers that writ against this Millennary Reign and soon after this it was generally Condemn'd by the Fathers of the Roman and Greek Church and hath ever since been look'd upon as an Heterodox Opinion excepting that some Anabaptists have made bold to revive it If we consider things aright we shall see sufficient reason to condemn and explode this Doctrine for there are these two gross Errors in it 1. That Christ shall Personally Reign upon Earth 2. That the Saints shall come from Heaven and Reign with him First The Chiliasts are palpably mistaken in this that Christ shall come from Heaven and Personally Reign here and that before the General Resurrection and Day of Judgment as they also hold This is contrary to express Words of Scripture which saith concerning our Saviour That the Heaven must receive him until the times of the restitution of all things i. e. as I conceive till the finishing of those times of the restitution of all things which will be a little before the Day of Judgment We are assured that Christ from his Ascension to that time remains in Heaven From thence he shall come to Iudge the Quick and the Dead therefore he shall not come down on Earth before that time and consequently he will not Reign here in Person as those Milleâ—naries imagine It is incongruous and against reason that he should be said to come to Iudge the Men upon Earth and yet at the same time be on the Earth Nor is there any thing in this 20th Chapter of the Revelation which favours this Fancy of theirs Had a Personal Reign been intended here it would have been said that Christ shall Reign with the Saints a Thousand Years which Words might fairly intimate that Christ would descend from Heaven and come among them and Reign in the midst of them so long a time but instead of this it is only said that they shall Reign with him a Thousand Years Or suppose it were expresly said Christ shall Reign yet this doth not prove that he shall Reign in Person How often doth the coming of the Lord in Luke 12. and in other Places signifie Christ's Coming in way of Judgment and Vengeance not his Personal Coming Why then may not Christs Reigning be meant not of a Personal Reigning but of his Reigning in the Hearts and Lives of the Faithful He is with them Spiritually and they Reign with him after the same manner and no other Therefore the Inquisitive Mr. Mede who founds the Future Reign of Christ upon Earth on his Chapter in the Revelations saw no Ground here for his Visible and Corporal Reigning Whence he hath left us these Words The presence of Christ in his Kingdom shall no doubt be Glorious and Evident yet I dare not so much as imagine that it shall be a Visible Converse on Earth for the Kingdom of Christ ever hath been and shall be a Kingdom whose Throne and Kingly Residence is in Heaven I quote this Passage the rather because some have entertain'd another Opinion of this Learned Author Besides in this Chapter v. 8 12. we read that Gog and Magog intervene between the Thousand Years and the Day of Judgment Therefore the Personal Reign of Christ is not before that Day for the Heavens retain him till then Nor is it after that Day for Gog and Magog who come after the Millennium go before the Day of Judgment I conceive this is an Unanswerable Proof And as for the several Quotations of Scripture which they bring to assert the Personal Reign the Answer in brief is this that theywrest those Places which speak of Christ's First Coming and others which speak of his Last Coming to Iudgment and apply them to a Second Personal Coming of Christ before the General Resurrection and Day of Judgment From this perverting of those Texts they set up the Corporal Reign of our Saviour which they so much talk of Secondly That is another unpardonable Error that the Bodies of the deceased Saints shall be raised from below and their Souls be dismissed from above and that both shall be united here that they may Reign with Christ on Earth First this is against the constant Discovery which is made to us in Scripture that Heaven and signally the Highest Heavens are the Place of Glory and the Seat of Blessedness prepared for the departed Souls of the Faithful Those Regions above not this Earth below are the Receptacle of Glorified Spirits Yet these Men are pleased to alter the Constitution and Appointment of the All-wise God and to make the Earth the Habitation of Blessed Spirits and the Seat of Happiness This is to abrogate the Laws of God's Kingdom this is to anticipate the State of Glory this is to confound Heaven and Earth Again How absurd and ridiculous is it to assert that the departed Saints shall come to be subject after all the Joys and Ravishments of another World to Calamities and bodily Evils For Gog and Magog shall besiege them as they must needs grant from v. 9. of this Chapter Shall the Saints not only quit their heavenly Mansions and come down here on Earth but also turn Soldiers and put themselves into a Military Posture For you read there of the Camp of the Saints Shall immortal Saints fight after they have been in Heaven Yet the Chiliasts must hold this because they assert that the Reigning of the Saints a Thousand Years is meant here of their leaving of Heaven and coming down to Reign on Earth They pretend to prove this from several Passages in this Chapter as where it speaks of the Souls of them that were Beheaded and of their Living and Reigning and of the first and second Resurrection which argues say they that this Reigning is to be understood of the Saints that were before in Heaven and that there is one Resurrection a Thousand Years before the Last Judgment and another when that comes In the former the Saints rise to Reign and in the latter all other Men shall be raised But St. Iohn's Words in this Chapter signify nothing of this Nature as will appear from setting before the Reader the entire Text with a brief Comment upon it I saw the Souls of them that were Beheaded for the Witness of Iesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast nor his Image nor had received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands and they lived and Reigned with Christ a Thousand Years But the rest of the Dead lived not again until the Thousand Years were finished This is the first Resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no Power ver 4 5 6. It is generally agree'd that by the Souls of them that were Beheaded are meant the Persons that were Beheaded for that is the known way of speaking among the Hebrews whom St. Iohn who was one himself here imitates And by them
Judgment shall be chiefly Effected by the Preaching of Enoch and Elias So far we may allow it to be true that such Holy and Zealous Men as they were shall be the Instruments of this Great Work and you may be certain it will easily be brought to Perfection when such Persons are raised up by God to act in it And with Pathetick Instructions Invitations Admonitions and Convictions shall be joyned most Ardent Prayers for at such a time the Christian Church will be stired up to pity the forlorn state of this miserable People and to solicit Heaven with importunate Addresses in their behalf The Devout Mr. Herbert may be a Pattern in this particular who when he had express'd his sense of there Condition in these and the like Words Poor Nation whose sweet Sap and Iuice Our Cyens have purloyn'd and left you dry Compassionately adds O that my Prayers mine alas Oh that some Angel might a Trumpet sound At which the Church falling upon her Face Should cry so loud until the Trump were drown'd And by that cry from her dear Lord obtain That your sweet Sap may come again Moreover the wonderful Conversion of the Gentiles which shall be a forerunner of that of the Iews shall be another cause of the coming in of these latter and of their accepting the Gospel This is suggested to us by our Apostle v. 11. of the 14. to the Romans Salvation shall come for so we may read it because there is no Verb in the Original to determine the time to the Gentiles to provoke them i. e. the Jews to jealousie And this is yet more clear from 25 and 26. v. of the Eleventh Chapter before insisted upon which not only assert the General Calling of the Iews but that it shall be after the Fulness of the Gentiles i. e. when the Gentiles are Converted Blindness in part i. e. for a certain time is happen'd to Israel untill the fulness of the Gentiles be come in And when this is come in then the Jews shall no longer be blinded I take this to be a clear Text for the Priority of the Gentiles Conversion before that of the Iews though I find it opposed by several and particularly by our Learned Hammond who attempts to distort the Words and by the Author of The State of the Church in Future Ages Chap. 6. where he contends that the Apostles Words are to be understood in a qualifi'd sense and that is this Blindness in part is befallen Israel for so long as until the time come in which the Gentiles shall come in in their fullness that is they shall come in then more generally than ever before But whatever this dark Gloss drives at this is a plain obvious and intelligible Truth that though there was a great and notable Conversion both of Gentiles and Jews in the Apostle's time yet that could not be meant here because the Apostle speaks of something to come in Future Ages viz. a Compleat and Vniversal Conversion of those two And as to the Order of them he lets us know that the Gentiles shall be first Converted and then the Iews for saith he the Blindness and Hardness of these latter shall not be taken away until the fulness of the other comes in i. e. until the full number of Gentiles be come into the Church of God by a hearty imbracing and professing of Christianity Can any thing be plainer than this Could the Apostle have used any clearer Words to express this matter viz. That the Conversion of the great Multitude of the Heathen World will preceed that of the Jews that it will be a means to remove their Blindness and Hardness and to cause them to own the Christian Faith Wherefore I can't submit to this Authors qualifi'd sence and that for a Reason which himself assigns in another Place To force an unusual Signification upon a Word where the Scope of the Place and Nature of the Matter where it is used does not necessarily require it hath little Authority in it to procure assent But this Sence which I offer is further evident from what the Apostle adds in the forenamed Place So all Israel shall be saved The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is very Emphatical and Remarkable here for it acquaints us that the General Conversion of Salvation of the Iews shall be such shall be so that it shall be the Effect and Consequence of the Gentiles foregoing Conversion SO they shall be Converted in this Manner they shall be Saved and no otherwise The Jews shall behold that strange Revolution and sudden Change in the Pagan World and thence be stirr'd up to make an Alteration among themselves A holy Emulation shall possess their Minds which shall push them on to this great Work So i. e. in this Manner and Method all Israel shall be Saved the whole Body of the Jews shall be received into the Church Perhaps this Universal Call may be promoted by some extraordinary Appearance or Spectacle in the Heavens Some would infer from that Place before-cited They shall look on him whom they have pierced that our Saviour will come and be seen at that Grand Change of Affairs but from what I have said already on that Passage it is manifest that it is not capable of the Sence As for Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with Clouds and every Eye shall see him and even they which pierced him and all Kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him which is thought by some to be a parallel Place with that which I last named because there is some likeness in the Words in both Places I rather think it is spoken of the Last Day the Day of Judgment when they shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven Matth. 24. 30. which is generally acknowledged to the meant of Doomsday Then all impenitent Sinners and more especially they that pierced and crucified Christ and died in their Sins shall see him to their unspeakable Sorrow But those Words if any in Dan. 7. 13. may seem to be some proof of Christ's Appearing himself in the Clouds when his Kingdom on Earth is to be set up anew One like the Son of Man came in the Clouds of Heaven and there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom c. for I have shew'd before that these Words are a Prediction of the Millennium Though I cannot be positive here for it may be this coming in the Clouds of Heaven may only refer to the Manner of the Vision which Daniel had I saw in the Night Visions saith he one like the Son of Man who appeared as if he came in the Clouds yet I must needs say I am rather enclined to think that this Place speaks of a visible Appearance of our Saviour at the Entrance of the Millennary Reign especially in order to the rouzing and alarming of the Hardned Iews who will be looking after Signs from Heaven And therefore at such a time it
by what proper Methods and Arts we can Let us lay the Axe to that Root of Bitterness which hath spread it self among us and taken such hold of some Men's Earthly Natures Let us compose our selves into a quiet posture and effectually promote Peace and Good Will in the World Let us bring out and make use of our Juleps to check that fierce that Feverish Distemper which reigns among too many Let us endeavour by mild and cooling Applications to accommodate Differences to reconcile disagreeing Parties especially in Matters referring to Religion but so as not to betrary the Truth to allay all passionate Heats and to discountenance all wilful Authors of Division And as the Word Peace in Scripture signifies according to the Usage of the Hebrews all manner of Outward Blessings so here in the present Case it is to be taken in that comprehensive way In that Kingdom of Christ on Earth there shall no kind of Earthly Conveniences and Advantages be wanting which shall be useful to the great Ends and Purposes of that Blessed State But as for any other viz. such as are serviceable to Undue Pleasures to Lust and Wantonness to Vanity and Pride to Effeminacy and Luxury no Man of sober Thoughts can reckon them in the number of those Worldly good Things which the Pious shall hereafter enjoy And therefore we must condemn that Narrative which some have given of the Millennium as too sensual and fulsome But we may with Truth and Soberness assert this That there shall be a concurrence of all those things which render Men's Lives truly pleasant comfortable and joyful It is part of the Description of that Millennary Jubilee that they shall come to Sion with Songs and everlasting joy upon their heads They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away Isai. 35. 10. And again Ch. 65. v. 17. Behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth which questionless is meant of this Glorious Renovation and might have been alledged among the other Texts as a Proof of it and then it follows I create Ierusalem a rejoicing and her People a ioy The voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying v. 18 19. And if we go back to Ch. 9. v. 3. we shall find that this rejoicing and this joy shall be entire Thou hast multiplied the Nation and not increased the ioy i. e. heretofore Joy and Sorrow were mingled sometimes that Nation of the Jews was visited in Mercy at other times it tasted of God's Judgments They ioy before thee according to the ioy in Harvest and as Men rejoice when they divide the Spoil i. e. there was in the times past a Medley of Joy and Trouble of Gladness and Fear as in the Services of War and Harvest but when a Child shall be born to us when a Son shall be given and the Government shall be upon his Shoulders v. 6. then there shall be Joy without any allay then there shall be such a perfect State that nothing shall be able to impair it I know most Interpreters expound the Place otherwise and make the Ioy in Harvest to be exceeding Great Joy surpassing all other But I crave leave to dissent from the common Exposition and to understand this Passage after the manner before-mentioned viz. that whereas heretofore they joy'd according to the Ioy of Harvest i. e. their Joys were mix'd with Hardships they were accompanied with Sweat and Toil And besides the Joy of Harvest doth not last long for the Husbandman as blith and cheary as he isâ— must soon return to his wonted Circle of Pains and Labour Whereas under the preceding Dispensations there was no Entire and Undisturbed Joy now it shall be otherwise there shall be a Continued and Uninterrupted Serenity without any dashes of a contrary Nature for as Christ's Government increases v. 7. so as it follows there the Peace i. e. the Success and Prosperity of it shall increase and have no end This is the Happiness of the Subjects of that Blessed Kingdom who are under the Sceptre of the Prince of Peace as he is stiled v. 6. This in general but more particularly the Safety and Security of their Habitations their Success in all their Labours and their lasting Fruition of them are mentioned as the Attendants of this Happy Time v. 21 22 23. They shall build Houses and inhabit them And they shall plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them Mine Elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands They shall not labour in vain c. These are the Blessings of that Adult State of the Church Farther there will be greater Strength and Soundness of Body than ordinarily I will not be positive that as in the first Ages of the World so now there will be some of a Gigantick Stature but this is not to be doubted of that there shall be bodily Strength and Vigour in an unusual degree It is one of the Privileges of the New Ierusalem for in the large and extensive sense it is spoken of that Place and State that the Inhabitants shall not say I am sick Isai. 33. 24. Many Exorbitancies before were frequently the Cause of Corporal Weakness and divers sorts of Maladies and Diseases But now those shall generally be removed and a sound and hale Temper shall be given them for their Bodies shall answer to their Souls The whole Tour of the Blood shall be laudably performed There shall be a due and regular Exercise of the natural vital and animal Functions And all Persons shall be healthful and vivacious brisk and sprightly This will be the more credible if we consider that the Curse brought upon the Earth by Adam's Fall and afterwards continued shall be revers'd The Soil every where shall become fertile and give its increase freely and plentifully and all the Fruits and Products of the Earth shall be not only numerous but wholesome God made all the Creatures Good at first as we expresly find in the repeated Approbation of this their Goodness Gen. 1. And they shall be Good at last for the World shall be restored to its Premitive State and the Earth it self shall be renewed And as for those Living Creatures which are Food for Mankind they shall arrive to greater degrees of Perfection than formerly and consequently shall yield more laudable and generous Nourishment than heretofore Besides that the continued Health of those Times will depend much upon the excellent Temper of the Air which shall then be agreeable to humane Bodies and have no ill Ferments from the continual Vicissitudes and Successions of too much Heat or too much Cold. To which may be added that the Heavenly influences as well as the Temper of the Earth shall be meliorated And so even in a literal sence there shall be New Heavens and a New Earth As the consequence of all this the People of those days shall be long-liv'd Which I gather from Isai. 65. 20. There shall be no
which the Apostles were falsly accused for viz. that they turned the World upside down may truly be attributed to our first Parents they have by their wilâ—ul disobedience perverted the Order of Nature and disturbed the Course of the World It is by their means become a Place of Disorder and Confusion a Stage of Affliction and Misery a Scene of Sorrows Losses Disappointments Poverty Reproach Diseases Pains Tortures and Plagues of all sorts This is Man's portion till he returns unto the Ground for out of it was he taken and unto it he shall return ver 19. Death is the last of all outward and bodily Evils this was threatned in Gen. 2. 17. In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Which place alone is sufficient to refute the Socinian Conceit that Man was mortal in his first state of Innocence and that thâ— he had not fallen yet he should have died We find here Mortality pronounc'd the Effect of Adam's Transgression In the day that thou eatest of the foâ—bidden Fruit and thereby â—innest against thy Maker thou shalt surely die i. e. thou shalt immediately become subject to Death and afterwards it shall actually be inflicted on thee So we are to understand these words according to that of Theodoret God here callâ—th the Sentence of Mortality Death And so Chrysostâ—m on the place Man is said saith he to die in that the Sentence of Death is pronounc'd against him It was God's Mercy to reprieve him that he might have time to repent But he was a dead Man at first as a condemned Malefactor is reckon'd a dead Man tho his Execution be respiâ—ed for a time So is it with the whole Race of Adam they are obnoxious to Death they have the Sentence of it upon them and they daily incur that Penalty by their Sins The Great Judg is pleas'd to spare them for a time but at last the Sentence is executed on them Their Nature being corrupted and poison'd by the Fall at length the Venom and Virulency of it break forth the contrary Qualities which have been long fighting within them destroy them in the close or in some other manner their Bodies sink into the Grave and stench and rottenness are their Portion The Inward and Spiritual Evils which are the Consequences of the Fall are yet more grievous and direful Not only the Bodies but the Souls of all Adam's Race feel the cursed Effects of his Apostacy from God Hereby the Rational and Divine Moiety of Man which was the chief and noblest part of his Constitution was corrupted its original Rectitude and primitive Righteousness were defaced and all the Powers and Faculties of his Mind miserably depraved First His intellectual Powers are impaired by Ignorance and Error the Notions of Good and Evil are much obliterated Reason is weakned and can hardly do its office Man understanding not must needs be like the Beasts for it is this Faculty which differenceth him from that rank of Beings It was said of old that Man is a wise Creature And he was so questionless in the state of his first Creation and Primitive Innocency but since his vile Defection he is sunk into folly and sottishness He confutes all his Pretences and baffles all his Boastings of Knowledg and Wisdom for when he should give experiment of them he discovers plainly that he is possessor of no such thing but that his rational part is much enfeebled and that he hath very â—alse and erroneous conceptions of things especially of those which relate to the Kingdom of God Thus Man's Head is hurt by the Fall His Heart likewise his Will and Affections are exceedingly endamag'd by it There is a strange Impotency in our elective Faculty we are not only disabled in a great measure from chusing Good but we have an aversion in us to God and Goodness and an inclination on the contrary to comply with Satan and to do whatever is displeasing to our Marker We are taken captive by Satan at his will for we have lost our Liberty and we have not so much sense as to bemoan our loss This is our condition by Nature abstracted from the blessed Remedy which we have by Christ Iesus and the powerful Influences of the Holy Spirit As for our Affections and Passions they are miserably disâ—orted and dislocated they continually sally forth to undue Objects they are unruly and extravagant and put us into great disorder and disâ—raction And indeed we cannot wonder that they are very refractory and headstrong when they have slipt off that Bridle which right Reason had put upon them Our Love and Hatred our Desires our Fears our Hopes our Joys our Anger our Sorrows are all unbridled and ungovern'd they hurry us into mischief they fill us with perturbation they make us uneasy restless and unquiet and they end in vanity and vexation of Spirit These disorders in the Understanding Will and Affections make way for more visible ones in the actions of mens Lives Hence proceed Idolatry Prophaneness Blasphemy Perjury Injustice Theft Rapine Violence Slaughter Murder Drunkenness Luxury Whoredom and all kind of Lasciviousness in short Sins of all degrees Vices of all dimensions Thus it was rightly said by the Royal Prophet that Man in his lapsed condition is become like the Beasts he is sunk below his own Species He that listned to a Brute the Serpent is become like one Man the Flower and Glory of the Creation resembleth the Beasts He is as sly and crafty as a Fox as lustful and salacious as a Goat as fierce as a Lion as savage as a Bear as ravenous as a Wolf as gluttonous as a Swine as angry and barking as a Dog and sometimes as stupid and dull as an Ass. Thus Man is become like the Beasts which this Psalmist takes notice of in other places likewise where you find him representing wicked Men as fat Bulls devouring Dragons roaring Lions ravenous Dogs And this good King acknowledgeth even concerning himself that so far as he had acted sinfully against God he was not only foolish and ignorant but even as a Beast before him So Agur i. e. as some think Solomon who had been a notorious Offender confesseth that he was more brutish than any one Prov. 30. 2. The New Testament also speaks after this manner Christ calls false Prophets ravenous Wolves and Herod a Fox And Iohn Baptist stiles the wicked Jews Vipers St. Paul calls his Adversaries whom he grappled with at Ephesus Beasts he stiles false Teachers grievous Wolves and Dogs and he thanks God that he was delivered out of the Mouth of the Lion meaning Nero. And the Apocalyptick Beast is to be understood of the vilest and wickedest Body of Men under Heaven This too was the Notion and Phrase of the best Moralist among the Platonists and Stoicks They held that wicked men are a kind of Brutes that Vice transforms them into mere sensitive Animals
of the true Reasons of this part of the Legal Dispensation viz. why after so long a time from the Creation these Ceremonies and Observations some of which were very irksome and burdensome were imposed by God on the Hebrew People and lasted till Christ's coming It may be expected I should treat in the next place of the Iudicial Law which was for preserving of Civil Peace and Justice among the Iews This was the Common or Municipal Law of that Nation It contain'd Precepts concerning the ordering of that People in the matter of Judgement Punishments Contracts Division of Lands and Inheritances making of War and the like These Precepts may be distinguish'd according to the different Ranks of Men and so 1. they have a regard to the Relation between the Prince or Magistrate and the People there you have the Injunctions which concern Governours and their Office and likewise the Duty which is to be paid to them 2. They have respect to the Relation and Commerce which People have with one another and there you have Precepts concerning Buying and Selling c. 3. They direct the Iews as to their Behaviour towards Strangers here are Rules concerning entertaining of Strangers going to War against their Enemies c. 4. They take notice of Domestick Relations and accordingly give directions as to the behaviour of Husbands Wives Children Servants c. It is not of this Law that I am concern'd at present to speak because it is Secular rather than Religious and so doth not properly fall under my consideration when I treat of the Dispensations of Religion Only as we observ'd before of some of the Ceremonies enjoyn'd by the Mosaick Law that they were in use before that Dispensation so here it may be noted that some of the Iudicial Laws were in force before Moses's time as punishing Adultery with death only with this difference that before the Law Adultery was punishâ—d with Fire but now with Sâ—oning Killing of a Man or Woman was punish'd with death marrying the Brother's Widow was enjoyn'd Cutting off from the People was a Sanction among the Patriarchs The Right of Primogeniture obtain'd before the Law of Moses Moreover I will remark that some things in this juncture pass for Laws which are rather and more properly may be call'd Dispensations or Permissions Thus Poligamy which was practis'd by Lamech first then by Abraham and Iacob is now permitted under the Law as in Elkanaâ— David Solomon c. And thus they permitted a Man to put away his Wife for Fornication or Adultery As for the Degrees of Consanguinity and Affinity within which the Iews were forbid to marry the 18 th Chapter of Leviticus gives us a full account of them and I shall afterwards have an opportunity of discoursing of them Therefore I will not insert any thing of them in this place for what I have said is sufficient for my purpose which was to give you some account of this distinct Administration and to let you see wherein it differeth from the rest Only here I will inquire what obligation these Iudicial Laws have upon Christians It was the opinion of Castalio and some others that these are to be perpetually retain'd in Christian Commonwealths but it is not reasonable to pronounce this in the gross for we ought rather to distinguish concerning this matter I could observe then to you that as Moral Laws viz. concerning the Poor Forgiving of Injuries Equity in Contracts Duty towards Strangers were mixed with the Ceremonial ones in Levit. 19. So several Moral or Natural Laws such as oblige all Nations were delivered on Mount Sinai mixed with Iudicial ones Such was the Law against Homicide the Duty of Men to Widows and Orphans the Reverence due to the Magistrate and others mention'd in the 21 and 22. Chapters of Exoduâ— These belong not to the Mâ—saical Polity or the Iudicial Law but concern all Persons at all Times and in all Places In the inquiry then proposed there are these two kinds of Laws 1. Such as have respect to the particular Condition and Circumstances of the Iews and concern their individual Polity and State 2. Such as are not appropriated to the State of the Hebrew People but were given to them as Men rather than Iews and consequently may be serviceable and useful to other Nations As to the former of these they do not oblige Christians in the least but expired with the State of that People but the latter are obligatory under the Gospel so far as they are of common Equity and as they may be made use of now as well as then And tho what our Church in her Seventh Article saith is to be granted namely that the Civil Precepts of the Mosaick Law ought not of necessity to be receiv'd in any Common-wealth yet where Reason and Equity commend those Civil Constitutions to any Commonwealth or Kingdom they are to be embraced and made use of For there is some Reverence to be given to those Politicks which were the Invention and Appointment of Heaven and so far as they were not appropriated to the condition of the Iewish People they may be practised among Christians without offence Thus the Law of Tithes is lawfully adopted into our Constitutions in this Nation So likewise if you look to their bodily Punishments you will see that some of them are made use of in Christian Kingdoms if not all of them in one place or other But here it will be asked May Christians inflict severer Punishments than the Iewish Law prescribed To which Sr. W. Raleigh answers thus Christian Magistrates may abate of the severity of Moses's Law and mitigate the punishment of Death but they can't make it more heavy for it becomes not the Gospel to shew more rigour than the Law But why then is a Capital Punishment iâ—flicted on Thieves and Robbers not only among our selves but in other Christian Countries whereas such Offenders were only to make Restitution or to be Sold according to the Mosaick Law I answer Law-givers have â—ound that a less punishment than Death is not a sufficient Restraint and therefore think it necessary to make use of this And as to what is alledged we return this that Thieves sometimes had a greater Punishment than a Mulct even under the Law We read that they might have been kill'd by those that found them breaking up a house in the night time Exod. 22. 2. And it appears from that Judgment and Decision of King David in 2 Sam. 12. 5. that Theft in some cases was Capital And we read that two Thieves were Crucifled with Christ which was no Punishment for Theft among the Romans and therefore we may probably think the Execution was Iewish and had â—ome foundation in the Mosaick Law according to which some kind of Theft was Felony and in this as in several other things the Christian Laws diffeâ— not from the Iewish ones It is probable that the Jewiâ—â— Cherem or Cuâ—â—ing off gave occasion to the
Christ's coming were acquainted with but these Precepts and Duties are chiefly the result of the Evâ—ngelical Spirit and they are mosâ— improved by Christianity and they are ofâ—ner inculcated and press'd upon us in the Evangelical Writings than in those of the Old Testament 7. The Grounds and Motives of Evangelical Obedience differ from those of the Legal one as will appear from these three Particulars First There are more deterring Punishments under the Gospel than under the Law It is true the Penalty of Sin unrepented of under the legal Oeconomy was the Eternal Wrath of God call'd by Daniel everlasting shaâ—â— and contempt and by Isaiah everlasting burnings but there was not so full a discovery and so great a certainty of these at that time as there hath been since which should be a mighty disswasive to us from sinning against the Light of the Gospel especially when we consider that our Guilt is unspeakably aggravated by sinning in defiance of the extraordinary means vouchsafed to us by the coming of Christ. If the Word spoken by Angels i. e. if the Law which was given by the ministry of Angels was stedfast and every Transgression and Disobedience receiv'd a just recompence of Reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great Salvation which was at first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed afterwards to us by them that heard him Heb. 2. 2 3. And to the same purpose in Heb. 10. 28 29. He that despised Moses 's Law died without Mercy Of how much sâ—rer Punishment shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under-foot the Son of God The Penalty of disobedience to the Gospel is more grievous than that which was inflicted upon Offenders against the Law Secondly There are more prevailing Rewards The Law dealt in Temporal Blessings and Earthly Promises chiefly the very mold and make of their Religion being earthly and grovelling but their terrene and temporal Promises figured a Celestial Felicity and were Umbrages of a Future Inheritance Spiritual and Heavenly things were exhibited to the Church of old under Sensual and Earthly Representations and Eternal Life was included in the Promise of the Land of Canaan Yea it cannot be denied that Immortal Life and Endless Happiness were expresly made known and promis'd by God to the Faithful among the Iews This is very fiercely contradicted by Sâ—cinus and the generality of his Party The Racâ—vian Catechism is positive that none of the Pious Men and Holy Patriarchs before the coming of Christ knew any thing of Heaven and Everlasting Life These were not known say they because they were not promis'd to those under the Old Covenant The same thing is asserted in one of Smalcius's Disputations against Frantzius Indeed Volkâ—lius grants that the Iews might have some desire and expectation of Eternal Life tho there was no promise of it but he confutes himself in saying before that such a Discovery was not proper and convenient for that Dispensation He maintains that it is peculiar to the New Covenant under which Christians are and that this is one main thing wherein it excels the Old Covenant To say otherwise saith he were to mix and confound the Covenants and Dispensations And therefore he peremptorily determines that there were no Promises of Eternal Life under the Old Testament they knew nothing of an Immortal State they were tied down to the Earth Canaan was their Heaven He spends a whole Chapter and that one of his longest upon this very thing The Remonstrants are partly of this Opinion as you may see in their Apology and in Grâ—tius and Episcopius who hold that Eternal Life was not promis'd by God to Adam and the Old Patriarchs neither did they know any thing of it Tho Sâ—crates and Platâ— who were Heathens make some mention of a â—uture and endless State yet the People of God the Chosen Generation to whom were committed the Oracles of God had no apprehension of any such thing Abraham Moses David and all the Inspired Soulâ— whom the Writings of the Old Testament speak of had scarce any notice of it All the Antient Worshippers of God all the Religious Patriarchs were ignorant of Future Happiness poor grovelling Creatures they look'd no higher no further than this present Life This is the Doctrine of Sâ—cinus's Followers and Friends but certainly he that hath carefully perused the Old and New Testament cannot but pronounce it false For God tells the Iews that if they will do his Commandments they shall live in them Levit. 18. 5. Which Promise you will find to comprehend in it Eternal Life if you compare that place with Rom. 10. 5. and Gal. 3. 12. And that Life Everlasting was known to those of the Old Testament is manifest from Dan. 12. 2. where it is said Many of them that sleep in the Dust shall awâ—â—â— to Everlasting Life This one place is a sufficient conâ—utation of the Secinian Writers who deny that there was any such thing revealed and known under the Law I might take notice how Iob expresses his sense and belief of this Future State Chap. 19. 25. which without doubt he learnt from the neighbouring Iews But I will pass to the New Testament where it is farther evident that this endless Blessedness was not unknown to the Iews It was one of that Nation that came to our Saviour and ask'd him What â—e should dâ— that he might have Eternal Life Matth. 19. 16. Which shews that Eternal Life was made known to that People and that the Mâ—sâ—ick Law promis'd no less to the Keepers of it Again this is clear from our Saviour's words in Iohn 5. 39. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life He speaks here to the Iews Ye think and believe and that most truly saith he that there is an Eternal State hereafter it being revealed in the Sacred Writings which are committed to you We read that the Pharisees a considerable part of the Iewish People believed a Resurrection to a Future Life Acts 24. 15. Nay this was the ground of the hope of the Promise made of God unto the Fathers Chap. 26. 6. viz. the Promise of Eternal Life founded on the Resurrection from the Dead And that the Fathers of old rested not in Temporal and Earthly Promises is evident from that very plain Text Heb. 11. 14 16. The Patriarchs those Holy Pilgrims sought and desired a better Country that is an Heavenly viz. a State of Immortal Glory and Happiness in the highest â—eavens From all these places of Holy Writ we may 〈◊〉 in the words of our Church That the Old Testament is not centrary to the New for in both of them Everlasting Life is offered to Mankind by Christ. Wherefore they are not to be heard who â—eign that the Old Fathers did look only for transitory Promises This Fiction as the Learned Dr. Hammond rightly faith is caused by not distinguishing between leâ—s clear Revelation and none
Câ—nditiâ—ns and so do we because it is the Grace of God and the Satisfaction made by Christ that give us right and title to Pardon and Life and Eternal Glory But none of the Refâ—rmed Churches ever doubted whether Faith and Obedience are Conditions of the Evangelical Covenant in the sense above propounded viz. that they are such things without the performance of which we shall never obtain the Blessings promis'd to us And this is ingenuously confess'd by one who is thought by some to encline wholly to the contrary Opinion speaking of the true acception of the word Condition in this present matter he hath these express words If it be intâ—nded that these things viz. Faith and Obâ—dience tho promised in the Covenant and wrought in us by the Grace of God arâ— yeâ— Duties required of us in order to the participation and enjoyment of the full end of the Covenant it is the Truth that is asserted i. e. they are properly conditions And thus in some respect the Covenant of Grace may be said to be a Covenant of Works i. e. so far as it requires certain Conditions to be performed by us tho not in the same manner that the Covenant of Works required them for they are not to be look'd upon as a meritorious and impulsive Cause as they were then but only as an Instrument or Means in order to Eternal Happiness But otherwise as hath been said there is a vast difference between the Covenant of Works and of Grace for the tenour of the former was that our First Parents and in them all Mankind should without the least defect and transgression perform the Law which God gave them and that upon the sole account of this performance they should purchase Happiness But if they were deficient in their Duty they should perish without any hope of Mercy There was no provision of Forgiveness in case they should break God's Law there was no promise of being receiv'd into God's Favour again But the terms of the latter were that God would not be exact with us and require an Obedience void of all sin but that for the worth of Christ's sinless Obedience for the value of his perfect Righteousness we should be rewarded with Life and Bliss And this Covenant allows of hearty Repentance after we have transgress'd the Divine Law and assures us that we shall be reconciled unto God and be restored to his Favour For the sake of our Blessed Mediator our Sins and Failings shall be forgiven us if we sincerely repent of them and betake our selves to the practice of the contrary Duties This is the way and method of Salvation under this Covenant Instead of exact Righteousness i. e. wholly living without Sin God accepteth of our doing according to the utmost of our capacity and our acting with sincerity and uprightness And the defect of this personal Righteousness and Obedience is supplied by the meritorious Righteousness and Obedience of Christ Jesus Thus you see how these two Covenants differ and that they answer to the different states of Man's Innocence and of his Fall and that the Second Covenant was made because we cannot observe the strict Conditions of the First The Second Covenant or Covenant of Grace made with Adam first was a long time after that repeated to â—â—raâ—am Gen. 22. 18. and afterwards renewed and in a solemn manner confirmed to the Isrâ—â—liâ—â—s at the giving of the Law on Mâ—â—nt Sinai There was then this Covenant made between God and them God promised Life and they Obedience therefore Moses who transacted this on the Mount is said to be a Mâ—diâ—tâ—r between God and them It is said Mosâ—s took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the ears of the people Exod. 24. 7. which refers to all the words of the Lord which Moses wrote ver 4. i. e. all those Laws Precepts and Judgments which God gave to the People and which they unanimously accepted of and promis'd Obedience to But the Decalogue was the Sum of this Covenant as appears from Deut. 4. 13. God declared to you his Covenant which he commanded you to perform even ten Commandments Some hold that this Covenant made with the Israelites was the Covenant of Works the same as to the main which was made with Adam before the Fall I grant there was a kind of a going back as I have observed before a seeming reviving of the Old Covenant of Works and so the Covenant of Works was as it were after the Covenant of Grace or rather the Covenant of Grace and Works seem'd to be at the same time But this was not so in reality but only in appearance There was an Evangelical Promise to Adam and Abraham viz. that they should be justified by the Messias and there was a Promise also to the Iews that they should live i. e. be saved if they performed the Law But these two Promises were not inconsistent neither did the latter of these abrogate the former as the Apostle speaketh in Gal. 3. 17. The Covenant of Grace which was confirmed before of God in Christ the Law which was four hundred and thirty years after could not disannul that it should make the Promise or Covenant of none effect But as the Apostle subjoins The Law which look'd something like the Covenant of Works was added to it because of Transgressions until the Blessed Seed should come ver 19. The Law was to be serviceable to the Covenant of Grace and to be a Schoolmaster to bring them to Christ. Hereby they were to be convinced of Sin and of their inability to keep the Commandments And the same Law denouncing Wrath and a Curse stir'd men up to fly to Divine Mercy and to beg Forgiveness and the Assistance of the Spirit and so prepar'd them for the Gospel God gave that People Precepts about External Rites of Divine Worship and also Judicial Laws for their Commonwealth And besides these he writ in Tables the Moral Law and caused it to be promulged All which he closed with those solemn Sanctions This do and live and cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written Here was a very great resemblance of the Covenant of Works and the Law of Faith seemed to be laid aside Or there might seem to be two Covenants on foot together But the Design of Heaven was only this that hereby the Iews might be brought to see their great Guilt and their deplorable State that they might be sensible that they lay under Wrath and a Curse and that thence they might be provoked to look for a Remedy or when it was ofâ—eâ—ed to them to accept of it This was the Reason why they were under the Law which had some affinity with the Covenant of Works But the Covenant of Grace made with Adam soon after his Fall was not laid aside but still prevailed and no other but that Even under the Law they were not justified by Works but by Faith they obtain'd not
Christ and Christianity And here I will shew 1. That this sort of Testimony is frequently made use of and appealed to in the New Testament as a sufficient Argument and Proof of Christianity 2. That the Testimony of the Apostles and other Christians who lived in our Saviour's time was the Testimony of credible Persons and therefore ought to be reckoned by us a valid and substantial Proof of Christianity 1. The Testimony of credible Persons who have heard and seen what Christ did is oâ—ten made use of and appealed to as a good Argument of the Truth of Christianity Thus St. Luke in the beginning of his Gospel to conciliate a Belief of what he was to deliver declares he design'd to record nothing but what was delivered to him by such as from the beginning were Eye-witnesses and Ministers of the Word i. e. not only those who saw Christ and what he did but were personally and actually concerned in many of those things as walking on the Sea casting out of Devils c. those who had a part in these great and miraculous Actions those who were not only Spectators but Actors These I take to be the Ministers of the Word here meant as the Original importeth So you see this Evangelist lays his Foundation on the Testimony of Sense he deems it good Ground of Satisfaction that what he writes concerning Christ and his miraculous Doings is attested by those who were Eye-witnesses of them and who most sensibly convers'd with our Saviour and shared in some part of the things done by him This he knew would cause them to be most surely believed among the Christians ver 1. So to the Testimony of Sense St. Peter and St. Iohn appeal'd Acts 4. 20. When the Rulers of the Iews sent for them and commanded them to preach no more in Christ's Name their peremptory Return was this we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard As if they had said Gentlemen what is this that you require of us It is most strange that you would have us to deny our Senses and to give no Credit to our Ears or Eyes All of you as well as our selves can attest the things that have been said and done by Iesus of Nazareth Our Ears have heard his heavenly Doctrine and our Eyes have seen the Wonders he wrought in Confirmation of that Doctrine Would you have us believe and act contrary to our Senses This was never required by any reasonable Men for they always thought that the Evidence of Sense is valid and fully satisfactory St. Peter likewise in his Sermon in Acts 10. builds upon this Rock We are Witnesses saith he of all things which he i. e. Christ did both in the Land of the Iews and in Jerusalem whom they slew and hang'd on a Tree Him God raised up the third Day and shew'd him openly not to all the People but to witnesses chosen before of God even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead ver 39 40 41. We Apostles accompanied Christ our Master when he went about doing Good and working Miracles we were no idle and remiss Spectators of the marvellous things he did in all places where the Jews inhabited And tho they maliciously put him to death and thought that then they had made an end of him and that he should never appear again yet we are Witnesses that the same Iesus who died on the Cross rose again within three Days and appear'd publickly to us all we familiarly convers'd with him we saw him and we heard him and when one of our number was backward to believe his miraculous Return from the dead he bid him approach nearer to him and feel and handle him that by that as well as other Senses he might be satisfied of our Saviour's Resurrection We are certain therefore of it and by consequence of all the other Doctrines which we preach We appeal to sensible Demonstration This clears us of all Imposture And hear what the same Apostle saith in one of his Epistles We have not followed saith he cunningly devised Fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Iesus Christ but were Eye-witnesses of his Majesty 2 Pet. 1. 16. i. e. l and Iames and Iohn saw such things at Christ's Transiguration which are an undoubted Proof of his Divinity And in the next Verse but one he adds that they were Ear-witnesses also for speaking of the Voice which came to Christ from the excellent Glory he saith This Voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount ver 18. As much as to say you have no cause Brethren to fear any Imposture from us you may be easily convinced that we come with no Fables and Forgeries because we give you assurance of what we say from our own Eyes and Ears we go upon sure Ground our very Senses report to us what we declare to you therefore you may be confident of the truth of it St. Paul as well as St. Peter makes his Appeal to the Verdict of Sense in the matter of Christ's Resurrection He was seen of Cephas and then of the Twelve After that he was seen of above five hundred Brethren at once after that he was seen of James then of all the Apostles and last of all he was seen of me also 1 Cor. 15. 5 c. He proves that Christ rose from the dead because the bodily Sight gave Evidence of it This is one good Argument or rather Demonstration of the Certainty of the thing Many other places there are to the same effect but I will mention but one more and that is of St. Iohn 1 Epist. 1 chap. 1 2 3. ver That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our Eyes which we have looked upon and our Hands have handled of the Word of Life for the Life was manifested and we have seen it and bear witness and shew unto you that eternal Life which was with the Father and was manifested unto us that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that ye also may have Fellowship with us Take this short Gloss upon the whole That which was from the beginning those things that were destined from Eternity and were of old all along prefigured shadowed and foretold by Mosesâ— and the Prophets concerning Christ and the Gospel which we who are Apostles have heard from God the Father testifying and audibly speaking from Heaven and by the preaching of his Son Christ Jesus which we have seen with our Eyes viz. Christ's many Miracles and all the strange and wonderful things that happen by his coming these we have beheld with our bodily Eyes with our own Eyes not relying on others which we have looked upon what we have narrowly pried into what we have often viewed and not slightly and perfunctorily and our Hands have handled Here the third Sense the Touch
and Death St. Luke had St. Matthew and St. Mark 's Writings to direct him And he professes moreover chap. 1. 1 2. that he receiv'd all he writ from those very Persons who were Eye-witnesses Besides he was a constant Companion of St. Paul who had all those things revealed to him by God in Heaven which is as much as if he had seen and heard them As for the Acts of the Apostles St. Luke could not but give a full and perfect Account of the Actions related there because he was an inseparable Attendant and Associate of St. Paul about whom most of that Book is spent The Epistles contain chiefly holy Doctrines divine Counsels seasonable Reproofs and pathetick Exhortations but they are not wholly destitute of Matter of Fact They were writ either by those that were properly stiled Apostles as St. Peter St. Iames St. Iohn and St. Iude who therefore could not be ignorant of what they delivered concerning Christ and the things he did or they were writ by St. Paul who was an Apostle extraordinary immediately called and sent by God to preach the Gospel being first fully instructed in all Matters relating to Christ and it by divine Revelation It might be yet further made evident that the Writers of the New Testament had perfect knowledg of what they writ and that they were sufficient Witnesses of what they relate because the Matters of Fact were so frequent and so often repeated as also because they were done near them and not far off and so they could easily know the truth of them moreover because they were done publickly and in the open Light and not in a Corner because they were done before so many Witnesses before Apostles and Disciples and thousands of the People who were Spectators and Auditors of what happen'd I might add that the Evangelists publish'd the Stories of Christ and his Doings when thousands were alive who knew the Facts and might have oppugned them if they would but they did not Especially St. Matthew publish'd his History while yet the Persons lived on whom Christ's Miracles were wrought and innumerable others who were Witnesses thereof were then surviving Hence it appears that it was difficult for the Evangelical Writers to conspire and combine together in a Lie and to deceive the People if they had had a mind to it They might soon have been confuted if the things they attested had been false The Cheat was easily to be found out amongst so many Witnesses and in things so often acted and in the Face of the World Therefore it is morally impossible that there should be a Cheat and Delusion these things being thus 2. The Personal Qualities of the Evangelical Writers and other Christians who attested these things argue that they were credible Witnesses and that their Testimony was worthy of all acceptation This is clear from such Considerations as these viz. that most of them were simple and unlearned Men and so were not fit Persons to devise these things It is no ways probable that they could invent such high and mysterious matters yea indeed no humane Wit was able to do it This shews that they were not deceivers and that they did not voluntarily deliver a falshood Likewise it is to be remembred that they were no idle and loose Persons but were of an honest condition and way of Life they were poor Tradesmen and Fishermen that lived on their work and lawful callings and therefore it is altogether improbable that they were designing Men and that they made it their business to cheat and impose upon the World Again their Integrity Candor and Simplicity appeared most signally in their Writings seeing they relate their own failings and impartially set down the grossest miscarriages of their Brethren as Thomas's Infidelity Peter's denying of his Master the Apostles flying from Christ at his Passion and many other things which none but Honest Plain and True-hearted Men would have recorded and transmitted to Posterity Further what they did was not out of Ambition and Love of Honour for Pride self-seeking vain Glory over-valuing of Men crying up Paul and Apollos and Cephas were Vices and Practices which they both preach'd and writ against And to let you see that this was not counterfeit their Lives answer'd to what they professed in their Carriage and Behaviour none were more humble and self-denying which proves that they acted not out of Applause and Affectation of Honour from the People but were sincere and faithful in what they did Nor could they speak or act for Gain and Wordly Profit for they were Men that despised Riches as much as Honour They lived meanly and poorly and were beholden to the Charity of others for a subsistence Which shews that they had no design to enrich themselves and to grow great in the World They foresaw and knew and perswaded themselves of this before-hand that their Profession would expose them to the greatest Dangers and Hazards and that Bonds and Imprisonment and Death it self would attend them yet notwithstanding this they resolved to preach the Gospel and to follow their Master whatever befel them And lastly to give you an irrefragable Demonstration of their Integrity and Sincerity most of them laid down their Lives to testify and confirm what they had deliver'd they sealed the Gospel with their Blood they died for what they preach'd and writ This is a sign they were in earnest Thus if you consider the Personal Qualifications of the Apostles and Evangelists who were Witnesses of Christ's Actions you must necessarily grant that they were Persons to be believed that their Evidence is authentick and we have no reason to think they were deluded themselves or deluded us For the Proof of Fact consisteth chiefly in Witnesses who must be knowing and honest Men. This makes them to be credible Persons and such were the Relators of those things which concern our Saviour Wherefore to have them attested by a sufficient number of Persons of that Character is enough to assure the Truth of them We have no cause to dispute whether those things were so or no but on the contrary we have good Foundation for a firm Assent to them But tho the Disciples and Apostles did not cheat us yet perhaps we are deluded by thâ—se that came after them It may be they have not truly deliver'd things to us How can we depend on their Words Reports are oftentimes false There are untrue Representations of things which are very near to us much more may there be of Actions which are so far off and were so long ago How then shall we credit History and Tradition i. e. the Church's delivering these things to us I answer we may and we ought to believe the Persons who receiv'd these things from the Apostles viz. the pious Teachers Fathers and Bishops of the Primitive Church and the Godly and Faithful Christians of those days we ought I say to credit these as well as the Apostles themselves for we have the most
Prayer was heard and the People that stood by and heard it said that it thunder'd others said an Angel spake to him John 12. 28 29. Thus Christ was signally glorified by his Father and declared by him to be the Messias the Son of God by a Voice from Heaven attended with a kind of Thâ—nder To this we may annex God's speaking in a rushing mighty wind on the day of Pentecost Acts 2. 2. And Christ Jesus himself being in Heaven spake to Saul thence by a Voice saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Acts 9. 4. St. Iohn in the Apocalypse makes frequent mention of a Voice speaking to him and revealing great things to him where it is observable that Thunders and Voices go together chap. 4. 5. and 8. 5. Thus the New Testament as well as the Old had the benefit of that Divine Oracle which the Iews stiled the Daughter of a Voice i. e. a Voice from Heaven declaring the Will of God to Men. Afterwards we are told in Ecclesiastical History that those who were set on work by Iulian the Apostate to rebuild the Temple at Ierusalem were defeated by Thunder and a TERRIBLE VOICE that accompanied it from Heaven thereby bearing witness to the Cause of Christianity 2. The Iews had the Testimony of Angels and so have Christians to confirm this Oeconomy By these Heavenly Messengers Zacharias had notice given him of the approaching Birth of Iohn the Baptist and the Virgin Mary had tidings brought her of the miraculous Conception of the Holy Babe Jesus in her Womb and these were the Heralds that proclaimed the News of his Birth to the Shepherds One of this Celestial Order appeared to Ioseph and warn'd him to flie into Egypt with the Blessed Infant These glorious Spirits gave notice of Christ's Resurrection and when he ascended up to Heaven another of this Celestial Hierarchy address'd himself to the Apostles and assured them that in the like manner Jesus should come again to Judgment Another of these Ministring Spirits came to the devout Cornelius and bid him send for Peter that he might be the great and happy Instrument of converting him to the Christian Faith The Angel of God stood by St. Paul in the Night when he was on his dangerous Voyage and ascertain'd him of his safety Acts 27. 23. And sundry other instances there are of Angels making known the will of God unto Men in those early times of the Gospel and thereby attesting the Truth of Christianity 3. The Iews had the Mosaick Dispensation attested by Visions and we have the same way of Revelation to ascertain us of the Truth of Christianity Thus Zachariah saw a Vision in the Temple relating to the forerunner of Christ Luke 1. 22. The Apostles who were at our Saviour's Transfiguration had the same manner of discovery Mat. 17. 9. The Lord spake to Ananias in a Vision Acts 9. 10. You read of St. Peter's Vision whereby he was taught not to despise the Gentiles Acts 10. 10 c. A Vision appeared to Paul in the Night Acts 16. 9. And again the Lord incouraged him in a Vision Acts 18. 9. Of St. Stephen it is said that he looked up stedfastly into Heaven and saw the Glory of God the Divine Shekinah and Iesus standing at the right hand of God Acts 7. 55. And we read in the Book of the Revelation that St. Iohn had frequent Visions And hither may be refer'd those visible representations spoken of in the New Testament as the Holy Ghost's descending on Christ in the shape of a Dove after he was baptized The appearance of Cloven Tongues like as of fire over the Apostles heads The Light from Heaven which shone round about St. Paul at his Conversion All these appertain to the Shekinah the Glorious Presence and Lustre of theâ— Heavenly Majesty And hither may be refer'd the Radiant Presence of Christ the bright and glorious Manifestation of his Person which is often mention'd by the Evangelists Mat. 17. 2 5. Mark 9. 3. and Rev. 1. 16. He dwelt among us he was the true Shekinah and we behold his Glory as the Glory of the only begotten of the Father John 1. 14. 4. Dreams were another sort of divine Revelations among the Jews and these also were not wanting to confirm the Truth of Christianity For we read that Ioseph was warned once and again in a Dream concerning Mary whom he had espoâ—sed and concerning the blessed Babe Mat. 1. 20. chap. 2. 12 13 19. And Pilate's Wife suffer'd many things in a Dream because of Christ who was then standing at the Bar before her Husband Mat. 27. 19. But because these Operations on the Imagination by Dreams are more liable to mistakes than Visions and other kinds of Revelation we have but few Instances of this However we are not wholly destitute of this Testimony under the Gospel 5. There was among the Jews that which they signally call'd the Holy Spirit viz. when Men were wonderfully and extraordinarily stir'd up to deliver the Will of God to make some divine Discoveries to the World and to assert their holy Religion This was in Christ himself Luke 4. 1. Acts 1. 2. 10. 38. and in the Apostles Acts 2. 4. 5. 8. 6. 3 5. 7. 55. 11. 24. 19. 6. and in all the holy Men that were sent by him to preach the Gospel By this they were enabled to speak without any premeditation before Rulers and Kings Mark 13. 10 11. for our Saviour tells them it is not ye that speak but the Holy Ghost With this the Apostles were all fill'd when they met together on the Day of Pentecost and utter'd such divine and heavenly things By this Prophetick Afflation or Inspiration the Evangelists penn'd the Scriptures of the New Testament for tho these Writings may be said to be humane Testimony as they were writ by Men yet these Persons being inspired by the Holy Ghost and not speaking of themselves but by extraordinary Assistance their Writings and Testimony are Divine This is part of that more sure Word of Prophesy spoken of by St. Peter Ep. 2. ch 1. ver 19. which in the next Verse he calls the Prophesy of the Scripture By this Divine Inspiration the Prophets and Apostles saw and foretold what should come to pass afterwards By this inward Afflation the Apostles tho mean and illiterate Persons preached the Gospel with that Authority and Evidence which some of their most implacable Enemies were not able to resist These are the Divine Witnesses of the Truth of the Gospel-Dispensation and of the Christian Religion Yea even at this Day and to the Worlds end this last Testimony viz. of the Spirit is useful and necessary I do not mean any Miraculous gift of the Spirit but a special and peculiar assistance of it such as all regenerate Persons have experience of That we may be throughly certain that this or that was deliver'd by God that we may assuredly know that such things were of Divine
the Ear. If I would go abroad and observe what hath been found out for the Use and Benefit of Mans Life I might take notice of that so Pleasant and Profitable Commodity of Sugar For whereas former Ages knew the use of Honey only as the Universal Sweetner there is now discover'd a more convenient one by which a great part of our Food is made more delicious and many things in Physick are prepar'd and by which the whole work of Confectioning is maintain'd It is true Pliny speaks of Sugar Saccharum as it was taken out of the Canes and saith it was used in Medicines but it was rare and in small quantities and in Galen's time it was scarcely known and then it was used raw and indigested and was unserviceable to many Purposes But at last this useful Condiment was Boyl'd and Bak'd Dried and Condens'd and made up as now we see it This is an Invention not above 200 Years old And the first Confectionerâ— or Comfit-maker in England was one Baltazar Zanches a Spaniard A. D. 1596. I might mention the many Ingenious and Artificial Contrivances about Planting Agriculture ordering of Bees Architecture Painting which last is in some respects much better and more exact than it was of old as Monsieâ—r Perault hath shew'd And in several other things the Moderns have made great and worthy Improvements and very considerable Additions to what was before But I will confine my self to some of the Arts and Sciences and briefly recount some of the Improvements which have been made in them To begin with Medicks unto which Anatomy belongs it is true Pliny tells us that the Egyptian Kings caused Dead Bodies to be cut up to find out the Situation and Structure of the Parts of Man's Body and the Causes of Diseases But another tells us that Hierophilus was the first that Diffected the Bodies oâ— Men he was Contemporary with Phalaris and practis'd this on Malefactors that were sent to him out of the Prisons Democritus of old used Dissections by the same token that he was thought by the Abderites to be made for doing so i. e. for cutting up Cats and Dogs But it doth not appear that he or Hippocrates or Galen or any of the Famed Physicians open'd Humane Bodies But we have of late ventured to search frequently into these as well as those of Brutes and from both we have found out several things worth our search The Circulation of the Blood may justly pass for a New Invention even the Discovery of this Age for though some and even a Physician too have thought that Solomon meant this by the Wheel as the Cistern Eccl. 12. 6. Though Plato in his Timaeus seems to have had some knowledge of this according to others and though a late Writer before mentioned affirms very confidently that the Chinese were no Strangers to it above 4000 Years ago yet we are not certain that the Wise Man's Words are to be understood with reference to this thing and Plato's Words can much less be understood so and that Relation concerning the People of China as well as their extravagant Computation is disbelieved by most of the Learned Or say that this was not first found out by Dr. Harvey yet if we consider that he was the Person who so plainly Illustrated this matter and set down the true way and method of it and clearly demonstrated how this Operation in the Body is perform'd and fully answer'd all the Arguments and Objections which were brought against it we may justly stile him the first Inventor of it Not to speak of the Infusion or Injection of Blood into the Veins of Animals first used by Dr. Wren which afterwards was advanced into Transfusion and first practised by Dr. Lower I might mention several New Passages and Conveyances in the Body lately found out as the Valuae of the Veins by Fabricius ab Aquapendente the Lymphatick Vessels by Bartholine the Lacteal Veins dispers'd through the Mesentery by Asellius the Common Receptacle of the Chyle fastned to the Vertebrâ— of the Back a little above the Reins and the Lacteal Veins of the Breast or the Ductus Thoracicus which go from the Receptaculum to the Subclavian Veins found out by Pecquet Glisson hath nobly search'd into the Liver Wharton into the Glandules Willis hath discover'd several things in the Brain And what plenty of useful Inventions do we meet with in the Writings of Sylvius Bilsius De Graeff Diemerbroek Malpighius Vesâ—ingius Densingius Steno Highmore c. Indeed Physick and Anatomy have had the greatest Improvements of late of any Faculty whatsoever Medicks are exceedingly Cultivated the Nature of Diseases is more narrowly enquired into and understood the Signs and Symptoms of them are daily more manifested and the Therapeutick part is infinitely more inlarged and advanced by a mixing of Galenical and Chymical Medicines by the vast variety of Observations and Experiments and by the Skill and Sagacity of those that have lately labour'd in that Art so that this Age is grown Famous for Great and Wonderful Cures and the Health and Long Life of Man are marvellously promoted In Astronomy there are New Discoveries also The late Ages have been more knowing in the Heavens than those that went before Now we are acquainted with the Suns Spots i. e. the Filth and Scum which it sometimes contracts the Mountains and Shadows of the Moon the Lunulae or Satellites of Iupiter mutually Eclipsing one another and the Ansulae Saturni So that whereas heretofore there were but Seven Planets known now Six more are added 4. about Iupiter and 2. about Saturn We have found Mercury and Venus to be Horn'd and to be subject to the other Aspects of the Moon The Stars are grown into Suns in our Days for there are as many Suns as Fixed Lights and there is on difference between these and that Luminous Body which we call the Sun but that they are further off from us than this There are New Hypotheses of the Heavens and the Earth and of the Rest and Motion of either which if they be not adjusted to exact Truth yet serve to illustrate and better set forth the Doctrine of the Celestial Bodies and their various Phaenomena and thereby to lead us to admire the Wonders of the Creation and to extol and praise the Great and All-wise Contriver of this Mundane Fabrick Nor is Astronomy yet come to its Zenith to its Meridian We on good Grounds expect that by the benefit of the Optick Tubes and Telescopes which are every day growing more perfect we shall penetrate farther into the Nature of the Heavenly Bodies and have a more compleat insight into them And it is not to be doubted that we shall in time have a more correct Account of the Suns Course and consequently a Reformation of the Calender and then that Complaint will cease that the present Computation is not exactly agreeable to the Natural Motion of the Sun or Earth Arithmetick is mightily
come the Kingdom of our God which is explained by the next Words The Power of his Christ his effectual Reigning whereby he shews his Power in the Church more than ever We have not yet seen the Consequences of the Seventh Angel's Sounding when it was proclaim'd with a loud Voice from Heaven The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall Reign for ever and ever Rev. 11. 15. which in v. 17. is call'd his taking to him his great Power and his Reigning Which gives us to understand that he doth not at first exert his great Power in the Evangelical Dispensation he doth not fully Reign but that he will afterwards and upon Earth This is taking to him his c. There is one Text more which I will add and I request the Reader to consider of it He i. e. Christ must Reign till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet 1 Cor. 15. 25. The Apostle had mention'd the Resurrection of the Saints at Christ's last coming v. 23. and thereupon adds in the next Verse then cometh or then is the end viz. of this World and Present State of things when he that is Christ shall have deliver'd up the Kingdom the Saints who are the chiefest part of his Kingdom to God even the Father when i. e. after he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power which oppose him and his Kingdom For he must Reign i. e. in his Church till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet Now it is plain and undeniable that this time is not yet come therefore it shall be hereafter There must be a time here on Earth when Christ shall have put all his Enemies under his Feet when he shall Reign without opposition And this is the time I am speaking of viz. the Third Exertment of the Evangelical Dispensation But the most Signal Eminent and Renowned Place on which may be Founded and Built the Future Glorious State of the Christian Church on Earth is the 20th Chapter of the Revelation where is expresly foretold the Binding of Satan a Thousand Years and the Saints Living and Reigning with Christ a Thousand Years I know full well this Chapter hath been miserably perverted not only of late but at the first setting out of Christianity Some from this place asserted a Terrene Millennary Kingdom of Christ consisting chiefly in Corporal Pleasures and Carnal Delights as if they design'd to revive the Epicurean Happiness or to antedate the Mahometan Heaven Cerinthus is said to be the Author of this Opinion for being a Man addicted to Sensuality and Pleasure he founded an Happiness here on Earth of such a Nature viz. abounding with all Delights relating to Meats and Drinks Concupiscence and Effeminacy So saith an Antient Ecclesiastical Writer Dionysius of Alexandria 1. 2. de Promis And Eusebius saith the same Eccl. Hist. 1. 7. c. 19. But this savours too much of the Flesh besides that it contradicts our Saviour who said His Kingdom was not of this World John 18. 36. and consequently the Reigning of the Saints is not Worldly and Sensual but Spiritual and Heavenly And besides these Men held that this Reign of Christ here on Earth was to be after the Resurrection yea and after the last Iudgment which renders this Opinion yet more Improbable if not Absurd as if the Saints who had enjoy'd the Pleasures of Heaven would count it a Happiness to be entertain'd with those that are Sensual and Carnal There were Others of Old who had a more Tolerable Notion of the Millennary Reign for they placed it not in Sensual and Earthly Pleasures and mere outward Peace and Prosperity though they held it was not without these There Opinion in short was this that after Six Thousand Years in this World were compleated the Saints should all rise their Bodies should ascend out of their Graves or where ever else they were and their Souls should come down from Heaven and Christ also should descend from thence and keep a Jubile with them and Reign with great joy a Thousand Years here upon Earth and that all Kingdoms should be made subject to him and that the Righteous should be Bless'd with an abundance of the Good Things of this World but without any Intemperance Excess or Immoderation whatsoever This they call'd the First Resurrection from which all the Ungodly are excluded After this Seventh Millennary of Years is compleated all Men shall rise from the Dead which is the Second Resurrection This was the Sentiment of most of the Ancient Fathers yea of all Christians who were accounted Orthodox as Iustin Martyr acquaints us He and Irenaeus and Ierom and others tell us that this Doctrine came first from Papias Bishop of Hierapolis who pretended he had it from St. Iohn whose Scholar he was and from the Disciples of the Apostles with whom he was acquainted So that the Pedegree of the Millennary Opinion is this It was first broach'd by Cerinthus then reâ—ined by Papias and others and afterwards transmitted to the Latin and Greek Fathers Or if we will be more exact in the Lineage and Descent of it we must begin it higher and say that the Apostles set it on foot first for they dreamt of an Earthly Kingdom of Christ in this World as I have shewed before Or rather we may trace it up to the Iews before Christ the Millennium was borrowed from an Antient Tradition and Perswasion among that People that the Messias should Reign a Thousand Years on Earth in all Pomp and Grandure The Babylon Talmud in Sanhedrim in the Chapter Helek doth shew this to be the Opinion of the Hebrew Doctors about the Days of the Messias And Aruch mentions it as a thing of undeniable certainty and so speaks R. Eliâ—zer in Midrash Tillim The Days of the Messias are a Thousand Years So our Learned Lightfoot The Opinion of his Personal Reign in the affluence of all Sensual and Worldly Delights was an old Iewish Error saith St. Ierom once and again And several other Writers testifie that it was a received Notion among them That the Messias after Six Thousand Years of the World were expired should Reign in Person all the time of the next Millennary with his Elect on Earth in perfect Peace and Prosperity and hence the Christians converted from Iudaism borrow'd and retain'd this Notion And truly it was kept up a long time in the Church it was almost universally believ'd no less than the first Three Hundred Years after the Apostles At last the credit of Papias who was thought to be the first Broacher of this Doctrine was call'd in question Though he was a Man oâ— great Simplicity Honesty and Integrity yet he was one of small Judgment and mean Learning saith Eusebius And he adds in another place that this Papias spoke Strange and Fabulous things and did not understand the Apostles Arguings St. Ierom and St. Augustin
is likely Christ may appear in the Skies with an amazing Splendor and Glory to these gazing Spectators I conceive he may Personally Appear above though he will not Reign Personally on Earth After he hath shew'd himself he soon retreats and remains in Heaven till the Last and Final Day Mr. Mede who once thought that our Saviour would make a visible Appearance in the Clouds in order to the Jews Conversion afterwards retracted this Opinion as may be seen in one of his Letters because there is no good Foundation for it viz. in Mat 24. 30. which he had formerly quoted for that purpose But whether there is any Foundation for such an Apprehension in that Place of Daniel I leave to the Reader to judge I only offer'd it as probable but am perswaded that no Man can Absolutely determine any Thing in this Case and therefore he is very presumptuous that attempts it Chap. XXI Universal Righteousness is another Attendant of this Last Dispensation An Objection doubly answered It is not a Sinless State Greater Knowledge than ever shall be at that Time Religion shall then appear in its Native Purity The Influence of the Holy Spirit on Mens Lives shall be more effectual than formerly Jesus shall in a more eminent Manner be exalted Other Fruits of this happy Reign How these great Things shall be wrought Civil Magistrates shall be made use of Christ's Reign is not inconsistent with that of Kings and Princes Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Rulers shall be Instruments in this great Work All Persons are some Ways capable of promoting it Universal Peace is another Blessing that attends this Kingdom of Christ. On what account it must needs be so Scripture attests it An Objection obviated A Concurrence of all manner of Temporal Blessings in this happy State More especially Bodily Health and Long Life Also a vast Increase of the Poeple of that Time The Savage Brates shall become Tame and Gentle These Earthly Blessings are but Appendages of this Dispensation They are Inconsiderable in respect of the Divine Blessings which constitute this State The Author's Doubtings and Reluctancies He is not positive as to Particular Circumstances He cannot determine concerning the Fore-runners of this Revolution The Freedom which he uses in a Point that is highly Probable He follows not some late Writers in assigning the particular Time when the Millennary Reign shall commence The punctual Date is not to be known The Thing discoursed of is certain though the Time as to us is not so The Degeneracy of the present Times is no obstacle to this The Author leaves a Testimony of his Wishes and Desires HAving spoken of Three of the Grand Concomitants of the Reign of Christ I proceed now to the Fourth which is Vniversal Righteousness and Holiness You might have observed that in some of those Places of Scripture which I alledged to evince the Future calling of the Jews and Gentiles and you may observe in several others besides which speak of this happy Revolution and the consummation of the Messias's Kingdom that there is some mention all along made of the Holiness which shall abound in that Time This is reckon'd among the Blessings of Christ's Kingdom in several Places of the Prophetick Writings Thy People shall be all Righteous Isa. 60. 21. I will sprinkle clean Water upon you and ye shall be clean Ezek. 36. 25. I will save you from your Uncleanness ver 29. which is the same with cleansing them from their Iniquities ver 33. They shall not defile themselves any more with their detestable Things or any of their Transgressions Ezek. 37. 23. In those Days HOLINESS TO THE LORD must be engraved on the Bells of the Horses Zech. 14. 20. There shall be such a Catholick Reformation that every Thing even the meanest and commonest shall share in it We find it to be the Office of the Messias to bring in everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9. 24. not only that of his Own whereby we are to be justified but an Inherent one in our selves though produced by the Holy Spirit whereby we are sanctified If it be said that this and some of the other Texts refer to those Times which are past viz. when Christ came in the Flesh or when the Apostles made so many Converts to our Holy Religion or even to the present Times of the Gospel and therefore they have no respect to what is to come I answer That the Consequence is not valid for though these Prophecies were partly and initially fulfilled before yet it doth not follow thence that they shall not be Completely fulfilled hereafter I grant that they are in part come to pass for there never was more Holiness than since the Rise of the Gospel but I assert withal that the Full Accomplishment is yet behind for there shall be a larger Effusion of Holiness in the ensuing Dispensation Or the former Answer which I gave in the like Case may be Satisfactory here viz. that this kind of Prophetick Passages have a Double Meaning and therefore must have a Double Accomplishment Many of these Predictions which foretold what should be at Christ's first setting up the Kingdom of the Gospel do also foretel what shall happen at his Coming in the Millennium This is a safe way of interpreting those Place and giving an Account of those Prophecies yea this solves the Difficulties which occur in this Controversy This is no groundless Notion but built upon the Interpretation of Scripture dictated by the Holy Ghost himself as I have proved in another Discourse where I have shew'd that this is the peculiar Excellency of the Sacred Writings to have a First and a Second or if you will a Direct and a Collateral Meaning which we find in no other Books whatsoever that are Historical This is applicable here those Passages in the Prophets concerning an extraordinary Measure of Sanctity and Righteousness are to be understood not only of the Primitive Times of Christianity but more especially of those that shall be towards the latter end of the World viz. in the Blessed Reign of Christ. It is not to be doubted but that the Prophetick Words reach to these Two times so that they are fulfilled twice In the Sacred Writings not only different Persons and Things but different Times and Seasons are contain'd in the same Words And as this Holiness of the future State on Earth is foretold in the Holy Scriptures so it naturally follows from what hath been said before For when Babylon shall fall and the Mystery of Iniquity with it when those whose grand Design and Business it was to extirpate the Purity of Religion shall themselves be rooted out when both Iews and Gentiles shall universally abandon their evil Opinions and wicked Practices and jointly set themselves to the Study of God's Will and the observance of their Duty you cannot but think there will follow upon this an Universal Sanctity in the World I do not mean a Sinless State for this is so like
Heaven that I can't be induced to think that we shall have it here on Earth Those High-fliers who represent the Millennary State as such lash out too far and remember not that our Heaven is not to be here The binding of Satan which is spoken of is not such a Binding as if the Devils were all shut up and none of them had the least Liberty to solicite and entice us to Sin I observe that it was the Chief of these Infernal Spirits that was bound by the Angel Rev. 20. 1. which I gather from the several Names that are here given him viz. the Dragon that old Serpent who is the Devil and Satan which are heap'd up on purpose to distinguish this Arch-Daemon from the rest This is that very Apostate Ghost it is probable who wrought the First Mischief in the World the Fall of the First Man and Woman by assuming the Shape of a Serpent or rather by entring into and acting a Real Serpent whence he is called here the old Serpent He being the Subtilest and most Malicious of all the Diabolical Crew is bound and cast into the bottomless Pit and shut up and a Seal is set upon him that he should deceive the Nations no more He who was the Head and Ring-leader of the rest and by whose order they generally acted is secured and thereupon their Power is extremely abated though they are not chain'd up in the same manner that He is It is not likely that they forget their old Employment but they do what they can in it though it be but little They shall not be totally absolutely and fully bound till the Last Day and therefore they will not cease to tempt and deceive Men till that time but they shall be Restrained in a very great Measure and Degree However if we suppose the whole Body of Evil Angels so confin'd that they are utterly uncapable of Tempting yet as long as Men are on this side of Heaven Corruptions will adhere to them The Best will Sin to the Worlds end because they are a Compound of Flesh and Spirit Their Make and Frame being such there can be no intire Freedom from Sin in this Life But this high Degree of the Evangelical State shall set them at as great a Distance from it as they can be capable of in this lower Region of the World For First in that happy Restauration Men shall be Blessed with a greater Knowledge than ever which is the Ground-work of true Holiness The Inspired Prophets who speak of those Days assure us That the Earth shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea Isa. 11. 9. And perhaps this is intended in Isa. 65. 20. The Child shall die an Hundred Years Old i. e. all Persons shall grow up to maturity of Understanding even before they have attain'd to any considerable Number of Years The Children shall have such Knowledge that if they die in their Childhood they shall be as Knowing as some of those heretofore that were very Old that lived an Hundred Years This is the Privilege of those that are reserved for the New Heavens and the New Earth or the New-created Ierusalem which the Prophet speaks of there as we learn from ver 17 18. There will be more Knowledge because there will be a more General Commerce according to that of Daniel who prophesied concerning these Times Many shall run to and fro and Knowledge shall be increased Dan. 12. 4. viz. by that free and peaceable Travelling by Sea and Land from one Part of the World to the other which will be the uninterrupted Privilege of those Days For I am not inclined to submit to that New Hypothesis That the Earth in the Millennium will be without a Sea Which is founded on a wrong Bottom for the supposes the 〈◊〉 will be after the Conâ—â—agration which â—e imagines will burn up the Sea or his Comet which he fansies will drink it up For according to this Gentleman 's New Philosophy as a Comet procured the Universal Flood so it will bring on the Final Conflagration and so he makes the Drowning of the World and the Burning of it up to be from the same Cause But leaving this Theorist to his own Inventions I think we may rationally assert that the Eâ—rth shall not be destitute of Sea in the foresaid Thousand Years because I shall prove afterwards that the Firing of the Earth will not happen till after those Years be expired And consequently we may be perswaded of the Truth of what I before suggested that a Commerce by Sea as well as by Land shall be mightily increased and improved in that Millennary State In order to this it is probable that there will be a Common Language for all the World a kind of a Lingua Franca but much larger that may be used by all whereby all Nations will be enabled to hold correspondence with one another at the greatest Distance Travelling is uneasy now because we must have a Druggerman to interpret between us and the Foreigners we converse with but then they will be incourag'd to visit one another when the Conversation between them is become so easy By this means the great Principles of Christianity will be soon propagated and known in the World especially when I add that now Mens Minds shall be better disposed than ever to understand the Truth and to entertain the Doctrine of Iesus The true Notions of Things shall bear sway and Men shall not take Pains to Cheat and Delude themselves as well as others as hath been their constant Course through all Ages Secondly in this remarkable Renovation of the World which we expect Religion shall appear in its Native Purity and Simplicity and Men shall see and understand the Real Worth of it Indeed Religion like the Sun at its first Rising made long Shadows it abounded with Obscurities and Dusky Representations and Men were imployed chiefly in external Formalities and Ceremonies But when it shall be in its Meridian at its greatest Height there will be none of these Things but it shall be chosen for its own Sake and loved for its intrinsick Value Even at the first founding of Christianity itself many imbraced it because it was attested by such Extraordinary and Miraculous Occurrences as then every Day shew'd themselves so that they were in a manner thrust upon Christianity and they were compell'd as it were to receive it But it shall not be so afterwards it shall commend itself to the World by its own Natural Excellency by the Worthiness of its Noble Principles which it is furnished with and thence Men shall serve God Freely and out of Choice and the Christian Religion shall then appear more eminently to be a Reasonable Service This must needs promote a more than usual Holiness in the Hearts and Lives of Men for when Religion is esteem'd for its Self and its inward Excellency it will cease to be measured by mere Words and outward Shews