when it was in its glory and in the earth-quake not in the fall of the City for the earth-quake is to shake down the whole Kingdome of the Beast throughout the world in the earthquake I say were flaine of men seven thousand that is thousands upon thousands and so the second woe made up of Popiâ—h idolatry and Turkish cruelty passeth away ver 14. Now immediately upon this the seventh Angell sounds a Jubilee and then there be great proclamations and acclamations in Heaven that the Kingdomes of the World indefinitely set downe that is all the Kingdomes are become Christ's Kingdomes And whereas before the Divell Dragon Beast his hornes have reigned now Christ takes to himselfe his great power and reignes for which the whole Church under the type of 24. Elders praise him though the Nations be angry as they ever are when Christ puts forth his just power ver 15 16 17 18. He now gives rewards unto his servants the Prophets c. and destroyes them that destroyed the earth that is he ruines the wicked and idolatrous generations of Antichrist who wasted his Church before ver 18. His Tabernacle is now opened in Heaven and the Arke of his Testament seene ver 19. that is Christ represented by the Arke is clearly manifested before that wicked generation had forbidden men to read the Scriptures had kept them in unknowne tongues had involved the mysteries of Christ in Masses and rude heaps of other superstitions and ceremonies but now he and all his excellencies shall be fully manifested to the Nations The other place is Rev. 16.17 c. where Antichrist having by his emissaries that is the uncleane spirits like Frogs drawne the Kings of the earth into (a) A militiae or confoederation subiect to the divine Anathâ—ma Hormageddon i. e. into a cursed and crafty warre for herein I assent to Graserus sodainly the Angell finding them in that state powrs out the seventh Viall upon them upon which follow thundrings lightnings and an earth-quake such as was not since men were upon earth so mighty an earth-quake and so great it is called the greatest earth-quake that ever was haply in regard of the sodainnesse and violence of it or either else in regard of the extent of it as being to shake all the world 1. The effects are the great City is divided into three parts by which understand probably that the Kingdome of the Beast shall be rent in peeces by fractions and devisions ver 19. 2. The Cities of the Nations or Gentiles fall by which no doubt we are to understand the false Christians that filled the visible Church all Antichrists reigne that is Papists and false professors for it is said that these Gentiles or Nations for the word is the same should tread down the holy City that is the visible Church Rev. 11.2 Peradventer these two effects of the earth-quake are now in fulfilling ver 19. 3. Unto great Babylon the cup of God's wrath is given c. now shee shall be remembred and destroyed 4. Yea all parts of Antichrists monarchy shall fall Object Some Kingdomes are strong and invincible like mighty mountaines they will stand others are remote like the Islands they cannot be come at they will continue No saith the Text every Island fled away and the mountains were not found ver 20. nothing so remote as the Iland nothing so mighty as the mountains could stand And because this ruine of the Beasts Kingdome is one of the greatest things that ever did or ever shall fall out in the world and shall have the strangest consequents therefore the holy-Ghost is pleased after a description of the Beast and the Whore chap. 17. that we may know who they are the Beast to be the Pope and the Whore Rome The holy-Ghost is pleased I say to set downe these things particularly and at large First the destruction of the Whore chap. 18. then the destruction of the Beast himselfe and all the Kings his partakers chap. 19. after which followes the binding up of Sathan with its consequents chap. 20. and then the glorious restauration of the Church both of Jewes and Gentiles under the type of the new Jerusalem in the two last chapters In the next place let us consider such grounds and reasons as the Scriptures lead us unto why the Lord in the course of his administration and providence doth cause such great shakings of Nations before he doth reforme and refine his Church and we shall find these three in speciall First Reason 1 that he may plague and punish the persecutors and oppressors of his Church and so deliver his people from persecution and oppression I joyne these two together and we shall find them to be things the Lord hath alwayes aimed at in his concussions of States and Nations if there were a Church there Why did the Lord so terribly shake Aegypt but that he might plague the oppressing Egyptians and enlarge his persecuted people of Israel And why Babylon but that he might destroy the Babylonian tyrants and deliver captivated Judah These things the Lord Intended when he ruined the Dragons Kingdome the persecrting heathen Empire and which he now intends being about to destroy the Kingdome of Antichrist take one place for all Jer. 50.33 34. The Children of Israel and the Children of Judah were oppressed together and all that tooke them captives held them fast they refused to let them goe their Redeemer is strong the Lord of Hosts is his name He will thoroughly plead their cause that he may give rest to the Land and disquiet the Inhabitants of Babylon Marke here Gods people were oppressed their enemies held them hard as never minding to let them goo and deliver them no more did the enemies of God's Church now well who can help it B. L. in his Epist Ded. before his ans to Fâ—sheâ— they have no such strong assistance to back them for so one hath written Yes saith the Phophet they have a strong Redeemer what may his name be the Lord of Hosts is his name what will he doe for them He will thoroughly plead their cause and give rest unto them how will he doe that by disquieting the Inhabitants of Babylon it is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he will disquiet that is he will destroy them Observe it wherefore would the Lord bring such a devastation upon Babylon but that he might redeeme his people by oppressing their oppressors That he may take away the impediments of his Churches restauration and namely these three Reason 2 That he may take away the scandall of great sinnes Imped 1 The visible Church is like a draw-net that takes in Fishes good and bad it so falls out often times that this Church is filled with grosse sins committed and permitted with blasphemy swearing cursing lying stealing Hosea 4.2 3. prophanation of Gods Ordinances and Sabbaths persecutions of the godly and all kinds of licentiousnesse open sins against the very letter of the Law and
Angels c. Pharisees Essenes what they were may be doubted They had put many false glosses upon the law morall as we may see Mat. 5.21 c. They stood stiffely for the ceremoniall law as a thing that was to be perpetuall as appeares by our Saviours telling them that He came not to destroy it but to fulfill it Mat. 5.17 by their stoning of Stephen upon that false accusation Act. 6.13 14 15. Yea the converted Jewes were very tenacious of it Act. 21.20 The false Apostles urged some part of it as circumcision c. upon the Churches of the Gentiles Act. 15.1 Insomuch as the Lord at length shakes downe Temple Priests service ceremoniall government and all and almost the whole Nation and then was Christ made the desire of the Nations c. unto this shaking of the Church and the antiquating the old administration and forme of worship doth the Apostle apply this Text of Haggai in part Heb. 12.26 27. He hath promised saying yet once more I shake not the earth onely but also heaven And this word yet once more signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken as of things that are made that is of the ceremaniall Ordinances and Law that those things that cannot be shaken may remaine that is the Ordinances of Christ as the Word and seales of the Word under the Gospell A second instance we have in the planting the people of Israel in the land of Canaan In Aegypt they were under great oppression and it seems had no publique service of God for when they desire leave of Pharaoh to goe out of the land they told him they must serve the Lord as he should command them Ex. 8.27 and they knew not how that must be till they came thither where he appointed them Exod. 10.26 The Lord therefore would have them out of Aegypt into Canaan but before that he was forced first to shake Aegypt terribly with many sore plagues and at last when it would not otherwise be he tumbled Pharaoh and all his Army into the midst of the Sea he destroyed six hundred thousand Israelites in fourty years space in the Wildernesse and after that twenty or thirty Kingdomes of the Canaanites and then plants in his people and sets up his Tabernacle and Glory in the middest of them A third instance we have in the people of the Jewes after the captivity of Babylon before Religion was come to a low ebbe the land was full of prophanenesse idolatry and contempt of God and his Word 2 Chron. 36.14 15 16. Ezek. 22. Jer. 6.10 The Lord therefore doth as a man useth to doe with an old house that is too bad to patch and repaire he puls it downe that he may build it fairer from the ground Thus did the Lord he puls downe all the Ecclesiastik civill State too destroyes the Temple Priests Sacrifices the Princes and Nobles of the Land carries the Kings one after another into Babylon suffers Nebuchadnezzar to put out the eyes of Zedekiah having first slaine his Children before his sace that that might be the last sight that ever he might see 2 Kin. 24. 25. 2 Chron. 36. Jer. 39. captivates the people also and beslaves them to the Chaldeans for the space of seventy years when those were over wholy overthrowes the Babylonian Kingdome and then brings back their captivity settles them againe in the land of Judah restores his glory to them makes them take rooting downward and bring forth fruit upward Let us looke into the Christian Church under the new Testament and there we shall find predictions of such earth-quakes one is already past another is to come The Church you know was after our Saviours time almost 300. yeares continually molested with dreadfull persecutions under the heathen Empire at length the Lord upon the humble supplications of his people and the cryes of their blood Rev. 6.10 was pleased to grant peace and liberty to his servants but before this could be done there must be a great earth-quake which makes a mighty confusion in all estates as if heaven and earth were mingled together the Sunne is darkned the Moon is turned into blood the Starres fall c. which is interpreted afterwards the Kings of the Earth the chiefe Captaines the great men c. doe call to rocks and mountaines to fall upon them and hide them from the face of the Lamb who now is like a Lion Rev. 6.12 13. c. the meaning is the heathen Emperours when God stirred up Constantine the great who was the Churches first masculine child to undertake the quarrell of Christ and of his Church against them and being overcome in many dismall battels were so amazed and confounded together with their great Captains and Commanders as that divers of them confessed Christ had overcome them as Galerius Maximinus Licinius happy was he that could first make an end of himselfe Maxentius a cruell enemy of Christ after he had bin overcome in fight was drowned or did drown himself in Tyber Dioclesian is said to have poysoned himselfe Maximinianus to have hanged himselfe or to have been strangled by Constantine's command as was afterward Licinius Maximinus having in a rage slain many of his Idol-priests that stirred him up to warre against the Christians and revoked his decrees being sodainly stricken with Gods hand was eaten away peece-meale and so his eyes leaping out of his head he breathed out his cruell Ghost Galerius was eaten up with vermine and rotted above ground All of them extreamly frighted with Christs victories over them in feare and tormert together with multitudes of their Souldiers ended their dayes What was this but rocks and mountaines fall upon us and hide us from the presence of the Lamb After followed peace and liberty to the people of God These and many more are already past and gone there is one earth-quake to come that is the greatest that ever was in the world and shall be followed with the most notable Reformation of the Church that ever was I call it the greatest that ever was because the Text cals it so Rev. 16.18 and it is very probable Daniel meanes the same Dan. 12.1 where he speaks of a time of trouble that should be such as never was since there was a Nation even to that same time We read of it first Rev. 11.13 the Beast hath long persecuted the Prophets at last besides many former he got an unexpected victory over them triumphed over them for three dayes and an halfe but now in the middest of his jollity and his whores also spoken of Rev. 18.7 8. an earthquake comes upon them both Rev. 11.13 and utterly ruines them for this fals out at the end of the Prophets prophecying in sack cloath ver 7. and consequently 〈◊〉 Mead at the end of the Bâ—asts reigne and the tenth part of the City fals by which we may understand the City of Rome that now is being but the tenth part of that which it was
their fore-fathers that kept them from blood which they did also shed in part and we see what they doe now But because they durst not it is I take it agreeable to the word it should be so besides there was a fatall concurrence of subordinate causes to hinder them therefore wonder not if you see an earth-quake begin upon it Signe 2 When the enemies of Religion make an attempt upon the whole Church together to ruine it It is with the Church as with a great City it is very molestious to have an Enemy-King lyes loofe off with a mighty Army to hinder all trade and traffique and to catch up and kill now one Citizen then another but if he hath once begirt it with a strong siege made many great breaches threatens to kill man woman and child if the King to whom that City belongs intend to save it he must now appeare to their rescue Even so the Lord can endure the enemies and persecutors of his people for a long time to destroy row one then another of his Saints though they shall at last heare of him for it but when once they determine and endeavour to cut them off from being a Nation that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance now the Lord must of necessity and will eft-soon's appeare for if he should suffer all his Church and people to be destroyed what should he doe to his great Name Josh 7.9 he must needes have a people to beare up his Name before the world Doth Pharaoh to all his other cruell persecutions adde this that he will destroy all the male-children of Israel for that strikes at the root of the Church why now have at Pharaoh you shall heare of some mischiefe upon Aegypt ere it be long Doth Hamon get a cruell decree against the Jewes to destroy them altogether upon one day and so to cut off the necke of the whole Church as it were at one blow and that upon a pretence that their lawes differ from all other Nations and that they keepe not the Kings lawes and that it was not for the Kings profit to suffer them an ordinary accusation against the Saints Hester 3.8 9. Well now beware Hamon if we read forward we shall find him hanged anon upon his own gallow's made for another Hest 7.10 When Gog will needs come against the Land of Israel then shall Gods fury come up in his face Ezek. 38. from the 18. ver to the end Surely in that day the Lord will make a great shaking in the Land so that all Creatures shall shake at his presence the mountains shall be thrown down and every wall shall fall to the ground he will call for a sword against him throughout all his mountain every mans sword shall be against his brother he wil plead against him in pestilence blood hailstones fire and brimstone c. When Gog and his Armies doe compasse about the Campe of the Saints and the beloved City intending to ruine all for that I take to be the Emphasis of this word compasse about and this by the way is the last enemy that ever the Church of Christ shall conflict withall here upon earth then suddenly fire comes down from God out of heaven and devoures them Rev. 20.9 The adversaries of Religion have now of late made desperate attempts upon the whole Church plotted the ruine of it every where and had as they imagined a compleat victory both here and else-where they rode in triumph The great Whore began to sing and to say shee was now a Queen againe was no widow and should see no sorrow c. but whilest the meat was yet in their mouthes the heavy wrath of God fell upon them Loe even in the middest of their triumph an hand-writing upon the wall that tels them God hath numbered their Kingdome and finished it An earth quake takes them and hath already shaken thousands of them downe into the pit themselves had digged for others and the earth at this present doth terribly tremble under their whole Kingdome When the Lord ariseth to the succour of his people upon their sufferings and supplications Signe 3 For the oppression of the poore and the sighing of the needy I will now arise saith the Lord. I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him Psal 12.5 and these words are as pure and true as refined silver ver 6. When the blood of the Saints cryed Rev. 6.10 and their prayers also Rev. 8.3 4 5 6. instantly the Censâ—r that brought up their prayers is filled with fire â—ed that cast down upon the earth and immediatly follow thunderings lightenings and an earth-quake fâ—ure Angels with Trumpets sound a desiance against the World and upon that follow foure plagues that utterly ruine the Roman Empire Now God is risen upon the prayers and teares of his people groaning under the intollerable oppressions of Hierarchy Praelates High-commission c. who Lorded it over their faith and consciences and tyrannized over their bodies and estates crying unto him day and night for helpe For I am confident there was scarce ever the like crying of that nature in the world as of late yeares there hath been in England why should it not still be continued The Lord therefore being up will not sit downe againe till he have done his worke and hath made his enemies his owne and his peoples footstoole And whereas the enemies doe consult with hell digging deepe and in the duke for Gods people in these quarrels doe not wrestle with flesh and blood onely but with principalities and powers and spirituall wickednesses yea and whereas they doe with force and fury with fire and sword goe about to propugne their idolatries and persecutions and to withstand the Lord comming with power for the vindication of his inheritance they in so doing doe nothing else but accerse and draw downe upon themselves the more certaine utter and irrecoverable destruction even as the Canaanites of old were hardned in their hearts of the Lord to come against Israel in battell that they might have no favour but be destroyed utterly Jos 11. â—0 For the Lord will not be alwayes bearded and out-braved by man but will even strike through Kings in the day of his wrath he shall iudge among the heathen he shall fill the places wâ—th the dead bodies he shall wound the heads over many Countries he shall drinke of the brooke in the way like a chafed Conquerour pursuing his flying enemy unto perdition therefore shall he lâ—fe up his head Psal 110.5 6 7. When God causeth judgement to be heard from heaven he makes the earth feare and be still when he ariseth to judgement to save all the meeke of the earth sarely the wrath of man shall praise him the remainder of wrath shall he restraine Psa 76.8 9 10. If the unjust Judge that neither feared God nor man would avenge the Widdow because of her troublesome importunity and our Saviour bids
first houre after they were risen for therein is a difference of many yeeres it being almost sixty yeeres from the first breaking of the Empire before ten Kingdomes were set up in it That the word that is here translated one is used also to signifie first we may see in many instances as in that for one Luke 24.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is word for word one day of the Sabbaths or weeke but is generally rendered and so the meaning is the first day of the weeke the women came to the Sepulcher Now if the Kings and the Beast began their reigne together so long since as abovt An. 400. plus minus then is the earth quake that is to ruine him and them also if they persist in his service Dan. 2.44 45. Rev 19 18 19. c. neer at hand Qu. Quest What reason have we to thinke that the Pope about that time began to be the great Antichrist Ans Answ For answer We are to know that there are two particular characters of the Beast as some Divines have observed out of the text the former the cause of the later viz. 1. Blasphemy for he is full of names of blasphemie Rev. 17.3 by which understand haeresie and Idolatry 2. cruelty for he is a skarlet-coloured heast and makes warre with the Saints ibid. ch 13.7 But both these flow from an higher principle which is as I may say proprium quarti modi and a more convertible character of the beast and that is his primacy or supremacy This supremacy hath in it two things that make it up one is a claiming of authority over the consciences of men and so over their faith and worship secondly the extending of this power to all Churches in all Nations I will not say that these two are the same thing nor that they issue both from one and the same root but surely this I may say they are neer a kinne have their roots not farre asunder because they are generally still found in one and the selfe same person That both these meet in the grand Antichrist will appeare First he arrogates authority over the soule so much I take to be intimated in those words of Daniel speaking of him Dan. 7.25 He shall speake great words against the most high and thinke to change times and lawes that he shall arrogate power to himselfe to change Gods lawes as in coyning and altering Articles of Faith apointing worship for God c. high words great words against God so the Apostle 2 Thes 2.4 He as God sits in the Temple of God shewing himselfe that he is God How does he that viz. by Lording it over the consciences of Gods people as if he were God and thereby he deprives Christ of one of the principall Flowers of his Crown which is to have dominion over the Faith see more for this Rev. 13.5 6.15 16. Secondly the great Antichrist is to extend this power at least presumptively and intentionally where he cannot doe it actually over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations Rev. 13.7 It is Antichristian to claime such authority though but over one man or one Church It is more Antichristian to claime such authority over many Churches as the Hierarchicall Bishop useth to do it is yet more Antichristian to claim this authority over whole Provinces as the Hierarchicall Archbishop useth to do it is yet stil more Antichristian to claim it over many Provinces Kingdoms as the Hierarchicall Patriarch useth to do but yet all these do not amount to the grand Antichrist why because there may be a greater but now he that claims such soveraignty over all the Churches of the world is the grand Antichrist indeed for there can be no greater Now this the Pope doth yea that he may be sure to challenge as large a Dominion as Christ hath he doth not onely arrogate authority over all the world but also in heaven and hell where Christ hath power yea even in purgatory where Christ hath no power He that shall but looke upon the sentence condemnatory of Pope Leo the tenth in his his Bull against Luther will find this true wherein he doth not labour to convince Luther of errour by solid demonstrations out of the Word of God but mainly because his doctrine was contrary to the decrees of Popes c. He doth also charge and command all Patriarchs Metropolitans Primates Arch-bishops Bishops and all other ecclesiasticall orders downwards even to the begging Fryars and then all Kings Electors of the Empire Princes Dukes and so on and at last all men throughout the Universall world the very voyce proper and native language of the grand Antichrist upon paine of the great Excommunication that they doe not embrace Luther's doctrine nor adhere to or favour his person Now the Popes have challenged this supremacy in some degrees for above these 1240. yeares Not to speake of their claiming the title of universall Bishop nor yet their assuming the title of Pontifex Maximus the name of the chiefe heathenish Priest among the Romans which dignity many of the Emperours had annexed to their imperiall greatnesse which Gratian the Emperour first renounced about An. 380. and the rest after him they did about that time plainly arrogate and usurpe a judiciary power over the Churches To omit their authoritative excommunications some whereof had been long before they did then claime this Prerogative that appeales aught to be made to the Bishop of Rome from all Churches and he to give the last definitive sentence yea so zealous were they about this that An. 418. and 419. three Popes Zosimus Boniface Coelestine did in the sixt Councill of Carthage in which St. Augustine was present in the Cause of one Appiarius who had appealed out of Affricke unto Rome as many had done before not onely challenge the receiving of Appellations from all Churches but also forge a decree of the great Councill of Nice which had been almost an hundred yeares before to support it This was by the Fathers of the Synod indeed then rejected and the pretended Canon found to be forged and spurious Yet was this as a right by the Popes then challenged I never thinke upon these things but methinks I see the grand Antichrist as a great big Embryo swelling in the wombe ready to come forth or rather as a child lately borne lying in his cradle so that it is probable if not more then probable that between 390. and 420. Antichrist began Daniel speaking of these horns Object intimates that the little horne Antichrist that grew so great should come up after the rest Dan. 7.24 He speakes as it was in his perception and observation Answ the little horne râ—se with the rest but he did not nocdiscerne it Answ untill he considered the hornes as it were with a prying eye ver 8. and as it was in the Virion so it was in the accomplishment indeed he rose imperceptibly because the world mistooke what manner of creature he should
can detect and discover many blasphemies of the Beast and foedities of the Whore as justification by workes the propitiatory sacrifice of the Masse c. Yea not onely discover them but in an holy zeale denoâ—unce grievous judgements against the authors and fomenter of them according to the Word These doctrines and denunciations thus breathed out will prove even a sword of the Spirit for so they are being put into mans spirit by the Holy-Ghost to cut and kill slash and slay the Antichristian generation see Revel 2.16 19.21 Yea not onely a sword to kill the enemy that stands neere but an arrow also to kill the enemy that stands a farre off Psal 149.6 7 8 9. an axe to hew downe Hosea 6.5 Mat. 3.10 a wine cup of fury which they shall be forced to drinke and then grow mad spue and fall and rise no more Jer. 25.15 16.27 28. Lastly this Word shall be a fire to burne them up and they shall be as wood to it and it shall devoure them Jer. 5.14 For God will execute upon them the judgements threatned It shall be an hot even to the wicked and proud and they shall be as stubble easily and utterly burnt so it shall leave them neither root nor branch Mal. 4.1 This fiery weapon of the Word is one of those wherewith the poore sackcloath-Prophets have defended themselves against Antichrist and his gentiles all his long reigne and wherewith they have offended them Rev. 11.5 and therefore still proper to be used against him the great wild Beast for fire they say is the best weapon and of most excellent use against wilde Beasts Breathe out therefore this fire of the Word into their faces run with these flaming torches and thrust them into the dry thatch of Antichrists house that will set all on a light fire it hath done it in a great measure already the enemies feele the heat thereof to their great paine Rev. 16.2.9 10 11. They cast on all the cold water that hell can afford them to quench it as cruelties treacheries but every thing proves oyle to encrease the flame this Word at last will prove unto them unquenchable fire utterly to consume them Shake the Beasts Kingdome by prayer Vse 2 David shook Saul and all his enemies downe by this meanes see Psal 18.6.7 8. compared with the title of the Psalme which David composed when the Lord had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul In my distresse saith he I called upon the Lord and cryed unto my God he heard my voyce out of his holy temple and my cry came before him even into his eares Then the earth shooke and trembled the foundations also of the hils moved and were shaken because he was wroth God upon Davids cry laid about him and overthrew all his adversaries for the more the Saints pray the more they accelerate plagues upon their wicked enemies which is often the meanes of the Saints deliverance By this the two Witnesses did shut the heavens against the Antichristian brood Rev. 11.6 And therfore our fight being with their armie 's we are to be instant in prayer against them that is a weapon they have no skill at they can blaspheme and curse c. but not pray Moses and Eliah to whom that text alludes by this weopon and the Word overcame whole Nations alone Moses did but speake to God spreading out his hands and then as a God could tell Pharaoh that a plague would come to morrow shall be such a plague or to morrow shall such a plague be removed Eliah could but pray to the Lord that it might not raine and then confidently tell Ahab that there should be no raine but according to his word 1 King 17.1 Open therefore O you servants of the Lord the heavens by this Key open Gods Armory and get from thence the best dayes for the Church the helpe of God the Father the Mediation of the Sonne the Spirit of strength the assistance of Angels Seas rivers windes c. get from thence wisdome courage stratagems successe shut the heavens against the enemies that they may not get one good looke from thence not so much as one arrow but if they have any plot in hand get the heavens open for wisedome to discover it if any enterprize get from thence power to defeat it make it appeare to the enemies that Gods people have power with God Execute judgement for God Vse 3 every one as farre as his power will stretch First doe judgement upon thine owne selfe for thy sinnes in all wayes of godly revenge as by Fasting c. Sing mercy and judgement to thy Family as David Psa 101. Doe thy best that judgement that hath beene turned into Wormewood and Hemlocke may run downe like a mighty streame in publique and where thy hand cannot reach a blow or cast a stone at an idolater blasphemer persecutor c. let thy heart at least doe it For if a mans consenting to or approving of an act of injustice may inguilt hâ—m as I may say in it as it was with the Jewes whose state was ruined for killing Christ and the Prophets though most part of them had never seene any of them Mat. 23.37 why may not a mans executing judgement with his heart when he can proceed no further be accepted in respect of him for an act of justice by him that is pleased both in good and evill actions to accept the will for the deed This duty is principally incumbent upon the Magistrate who is to execute the judgement of the Lord not arbitrarily as himselfe pleaseth but according to the rule of the Word both for matter and manner For the Matter man hath no warrant either to leave grosse and horrid sinnes unpunished in the committers of them such as are the ring-leaders in idolatry and persecution nor yet to commute or change the nature of the punishment As by the way I question whether a pecuniary mulct especially if it be alone be a proper punishment for a sweater or blasphemer but it rather ought to be personall And here I cannot choose but with griefe take notice of a miserable failing in our first Reformation that the Maise priests were suffered still to continue in their places for he that had said or sung Masse the last Lords day and if he were a Preacher had Preached for Popery if he would but take the new Oath of Supremacy and read the Service-Booke this Lords-day was accounted a sufficieâ—t reformist aâ—d admitted to the Ministry So that of twenty thousand Prelates and Pâ—iests at least in England and Ireland very few were cast out of their places and searce any of them unlesse it were Boner for any thing they had done Oh wofull I confesse I thinke the State did then want due information in that point But this hath been one thing that hath undone the Church viz. those that have all along and do still infest the Church
REYNER BABYLONS ruining Earth-quake and the restauration of ZION Haggai 2.6 7. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with glory saith the Lord of Hosts THE Prophet Haggai lived and flourished after the returne from the Captivity of Babylon His prophecy is spent partly in reproving the people of the Jewes for their negligence in not building the Temple of the Lord appointed for his worship partly in declaring Gods hand against them for the same in their Corne Cattell and otherwise because they came to build and even to siele their owne house and let Gods House lye waste partly in exhorting and encouraging them unto the building This last he doth diversly First he tels them the Lord was with them chap. 1. ver 13. chap. 2. ver 4. And that therefore they need not feare the oppositions of their enemies who formerly so often as ever they began to build did by their complaints to the Kings of Persia still stop the worke and that his spirit did remaine among them now this was to be done not by might not by power but by the spirit of the Lord as Zec. his contemporany Prophet tels them Zech. 4.6 even against might and against power and this according to the Covenant he made with them when they came out of Aegypt chap. 2. ver 5. Next he assures them that the disire of all Nations should come to this house and that he would fill it with glory And whereas this house might seem to be a despicable and contemptible thing compared with the sumptuous Temple of Salomon that was before it which made the old men weepe when they saw the foundations of it first laid Ezra 1.12 he comforts them against that and tels them that the silver and gold are his so that if true glory had consisted in them he could have given them in aboundance for the adorning of this second Temple but he had a greater glory to bestow upon it namely Christ and in this place he would give peace viz. by Christ the Prince of peace unto his people The words may be divided into two parts First a Commination against the Nations as an antecedent or a thing that in act and execution should goe before Secondly a consolation unto the Church as a consequent or a thing that in accomplishment should follow after the Commination The Commination is in these words I will shake the Heavens and the Earth c. I will shake all Nations the Consolation in the words following and that consists of a double promise First The desire of all Nations shall come Secondly God will fill this house with glory Both these are set out by two circumstances First of the person that saith these things secondly of the time First the person Who is it that saith this Answ He that is able to make good what he saith thus saith the Lord of Hosts and this to make all more sure is put both before and after the Commination and Consolation Secondly we have the circumstance of time and that is double First Quoties how often shall this be before Christ come Answ Once Secondly Quando or quam diù when or how long is it before it be Answ ere it be long yet a little while The sense of the Words The Prophets living in the Easterne regions did frequently use the phrase and stile of the Easterne Nations they did not alwayes in a plaine down-right manner declare things as they be as we for the most part doe but did use many high phrases tropicall speeches and other figurative exornations many continued metaphors or allegorie's aenigma's and darke riddles hyperbolees and excessive speeches many emblematicall and hieroglificall expressions these puzzle us when we read them but were familiar to the people of those times and places Heavens were used not onely for the coelestiall bodies above but sometimes to set forth a State of dignity and prosperity Earth a state of mediocrity hell of adversity Againe sometimes heavens were used to set forth things appertaining to the Church or ecclesiastick State earth things appertaining to the Common-Weale or civill State as we shall heare afterwards Seas and dry Land making up the whole Orbe of the universe are put comprehensively and extensively to signifie the extent of this shaking so as it should be of all the world round about as it is interpreted even in the next Words I will shake all Nations see further verse 22. By shaking we are to understand the raising of great stirres in those Nations among all estates whereby great alterations should follow and desolations That such a sense is not insolent in the Scriptures we may see in an instance or two Isa 14.12 13 14 15. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer sonne of the morning c. Thou saidest I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Starres of God c. Yet thou shalt be brought downe to hell c. Who was this Lucifer Answ None other but the King of Assyria as appeares by the context What were the Heavens and Starres he exalted himself above Answ The great estates and Princes of the world compared thereto What Heaven was he fallen from Answ from his high Soveraigne Dignity and Majesty To what hell was he brought downe Answ To utter confusion and ruine for not long after this an hundred eighty five thousand of his Army were slaine by the Angell of God in one night himself shortly after killed by his owne sonnes in his Idols Temple and a little while after this his whole Kingdome brought to destruction and the Soveraignity transferred to another Family viz. that of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and that Kingdome at length also ruined Look upon another instance Jer. 4.23 24. I beheld the earth and be hold it was without forme and voyd and the Heavens and they had no light I beheld the Mountaines and loe they trembled and all the Hils moved lightly c. Did the Prophet Jeremy indeed see any such thing was the earth like an old confused Chaos without all forme and voyd so as no Grasse nor Tree did grow upon it had the Heavens so lost their light as that neither Sun Moon or Startes did shine Did Jeremy see the Hils to skippe and leap No such matter surely but this was all the meaning that there was a great confusion in the Land among all estates both in Church and Common-weale as appeares in the verses following which tell us that the fruitfull places were even become a Wildernesse the Cities broken downe and the whole Land desolate Let us goe on in the interpretation And the desire of all Nations shall come Some understand this of Beleevers the desirable people of all Nations others of other things but no doubt
enjoyment of certaine priviledges Answ such as the Church hath not at other times at least not in the like degree The Priviledges are of two sorts Privative and Positive The Church shall be freed from the inundation of prophanenesse with which it hath beene miserably annoyed leavened and infected before Such shall be the piety and strictnesse of the government Ecclesiasticall and Civill that there shall not enter into the Church in any wise any thing that defileth Rev. 21.27 She shall be purged from errors superstition idolatry false and formall worship It is sufficient to prove it that we finde no such thing mentioned in the Scriptures that speake of the state of the Church in the last times besides what hath beene said already and shall be by and by During Antichrists reigne men have beene and still are so zealous and tenacious of their old mumpsimuses they can in no wise indure to heare of parting with them like Micah of mount Ephraim Judg. 18.23.24 that followed after the Danites crying and complaining they turned about and asked him what he ayled Ye have taken away my gods saith he which I made and my priest which he himselfe had consecrated for a priest who should have blessed me and doe you aske me what I ayle What have I more I protest I had as live you had taken away all that I have So it is with the men of our generation from these things shall the Church then be freed She shall have exemption from oppression and persecution both Civill and Ecclesiasticall God shall wâ—pe away all teares from the Saints eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying c. Rev. 21.4 That must needs be ment of the Church in this world as appeares by the cortext Then shall the Lyon and the Lambe lye downe and feed together and the Tygar become tame the Childe shall play with the Aspe and Cockatrice Isa 11.6.7 65.25 Rev. 7.16 There be two reasons of these privative priviledges The earth-quake going before shall shake downe these evils and all their supporters as we have heard the Beast his Hierarchy his hornes the Kings of the earth that shall defend him to the last And as the Lord did destroy not onely the heathen Empire guilty of so much blood cruelty and idolatry but would not let so much as that very forme of government to stand so it is probable if not more that all theâ—e dignities that have so desperately opposed the Scepter of Christ shall be taken away Dan. 2.34 5.44 Rev. 19. from ver 17. to the end God will purge out rebels Ezek. 20.38 that at last none shall dare so much as to speake for false worship formall worship c. Then and I doubt not till then will all these Sects and Divisions have an end Sathan shall then be bound and chained up that he shall not seduce the Nations to idolatry and persecution as he hath alwayes before done Rev. 20.2 He hath beene cast downe before as Rev. 12.9 but never bound nor shall be till Antichrist's fall And so this prevents that which might be objected though the wicked be taken away with the Earth-quake yet sinne will revive againe Answ No Sathan shall be tyed up from seducing that he cannot play such reakes in the world as before mans corruption wanting those bellowes to blow it up which did formeâ—y inflame it The positive priviledges of that reformed State are divers The first consists in the purity and plenty of the Ordinances of God and meanes of grace which that Church shall enjoy Thus Râ—â— 11.19 After the 〈…〉 the Beasts Kingdome the Taberraâ—â— or Temple of 〈…〉 in Heaven in the Church and the Arke of his 〈…〉 Chrâ—â—â— represented by the Arke was before kept hid and the Temple shut true preaching forbidden men were not acquainted with the natures and effects of Christ set forth by the Arke as now they shall be the wood of the Arke a â—â—pe of Christs humane nature the gold â—verlaying it wholly a type of the divine to which the humane was hypostatically united the Tables of the law in the Arke setting forth the fulfilling of the law in Christ and in the Saints by union with him and power from him the Mercy-seat or cover of the Arke representing Christs righteousnesse covering the sinne of man and the Tables of testimony wherein the curse was contained so as no curse could be seene This purity of the meanes is intended in those expressions Rev. 21. that Gods Tabernacle is with men ver 3. new Jerusalem hath the glory of God ver 10 11. no Temple therein ver 22. There is no need of any such fixed place as the old Temple was but every where his people should have communion with him in his Ordinances Joh. 4.21.23 they shall have no need of the Sunne nor Moone c. ver 23. meaning the spirituall light and glory shall farre exceed all externall and chap. 22.1 2. they shall enjoy a pure River of water of life cleare as chrystall proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb the tree of life also with his twelve manner of â—â—â—its c. The second priviledge consists in the multitudes of converts in Antichrists time but a few Witnesses two but an hundred fourty foure thousand sealed ones a man should not need any great art of Arithmeticke to count them but now a great multitude that no man could number Rev. 7.9 then shall those promises in their height be fulfilled the Church shall wonder at her owne fruitfulnesse and aske who begat her those Children seeing she had lost so many being life alone that is a Widow without any earthly protector Isa 49.18 19 20 21 c. Yea her children shall aske her more roome to dwell in ibid. Shee is bidden to lengthen and enlarge the place of her tent c. and promised that shee though a Widow shall breake out on the right hand and on the left and abound in Children for her maker is her husband c. Isa 54.1 2 3 4 5. The Children proceeding from the wombe of the Church shall be like the dew of the morning lying thick upon the ground Psal 110.3 Christ's flock shall not then be a little flock compared with the times which were before the Devill was bound In the excellency of the converts Where the Sunne shines most clearly it heats most fervently The City of the new Jerusalem hath a light like unto a stone most precious even like a Jasper-stone cleare as Chrystall it is of pure gold Rev. 21.18 God is in it dwels with his people he and the Lamb are the light of is Rev. 21.3.22 in this and other respects it is named the Lord is there Ezâ—k 48.35 the people of it shall be all righteous Isa 60.21 What an admirable Reformation was that which followed the storme in the Wildernesse when all Israel both the ten Tribes and the two of Gad and Ruben and the halfe Tribe of Manasseh abhorred