I would not be thought to be positive in all things but as propounding some things to the Prophets that they may judge If any thing of Error shall appear yet I presume not that which will be destructive to the Faith once delivered to the Saints in any part of it For Matter of Faith and Worship and what concerns Gopel-Ordinances and Magistracy and Ministry are throughout asserted and justified That good thing which God hath said he will perform held forth in this Prophecy and the Revelation of Christ's Personal Presence and Reign upon Earth was not a little disparaged by the Carnal Imaginations and Conceits of some about it which were no other than the Smoak of the bottomless Pit which arising thence did darken the Glory of a very precious Primitive Truth and exposed it to that Contempt under which it hath long lien buried But what was by the subtilty of the Old Serpent sown in dishonour begins now to be raised in glory I shall add no more by way of Preface but those Two Petitions of the Lord's Prayer Thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Thy Kingdom is come and is within and among thy Disciples let it come and be over all Now one of a City two of a Family are brought to Sion and make a little Flock Let the time come when all the ends of the Earth shall turn to the Lord and all the Kindreds of the Nations shall worship before him Now thou dost Govern among the Saints be thou Governour also among the Nations And thy Will is done by some few Calebs and Josuahs that follow thee fully yet the Best are far short of doing thy Will as 't is done in Heaven 'T is done by some few on Earth in the sincerity and uprightness of Heaven let it be done in the exactness of Heaven Thus shall it be done when the King of Glory shall come from Heaven and all the Saints with him EVEN SO COME LORD JESUS AMEN The Mystery of the Nine last Chapters of Ezekiel in part made manifest IN these last Chapters of this Prophecy of Ezekiel we have a description of a Temple and City which in the Visions of God were represented to the Prophet by which we are not to understand a material Temple or City built after the return of the Jews from Babylonish Captivity For 1. The Temple and City here described are far different from the City Jerusalem and the Temple there both for situation and largeness The Temple in the description of it is as large as a City and the City as large as a Country For the Temple with the Courts thereof being a perfect Square each side contained five hundred Reeds Chap. 42.16 and the circumference of the City is said to be eighteen thousand Measures which is judged by Interpreters to be a vast circuit 2. A River is said to issue from under the Threshould of the House Chap. 47.1 which is not any where affirmed of the Temple at Jerusalem 3. This evidently appears from Chap. 41.12 where there is mention made of a separate place and a Building before it which is distinct from the Temple before described for the Building in the separate place is not so large as the Temple the breadth thereof being seventy Cubits and the length ninety Cubits so that this Building with the separate place is but equal with the Temple that is an hundred Cubits each way And farther this Building cannot be the Holy of Holies for the Dimensions are different the Holy of Holies is but twenty Cubits long and twenty Cubits broad verse 4. Now we do not read of such a Building and separate place near the Temple of Jerusalem 't is true 1 Kings 6.27 mention is made of an inner house which was the Holy of Holies joyning to the Temple and was not in a separate place from it 4. This Temple and City shall not have being on Earth till the twelve Tribes shall be brought back from their Captivity for they that serve the City serve it out of all the Tribes of Israel chap. 48.19 and the Land is to be divided by lot unto the Tribes of Israel verse 29. which are all named and the Gates of the City have also the Names of all the Tribes upon them These reasons make it evident that somewhat else must be meant Now as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 1.4 5. Ye are built up a spiritual house and Gal. 4. ◠Paul speaks of a Jerusalem which is above and John of that Jerusalem which cometh down from God out of Heaven So this is here understood and the Temple is the Church of the living God made of lively stones and the Church in that pure and glorious state which it shall be brought into when Antichrist shall be destroyed and those things which may be shaken being the things made by men shall be removed The Temple and City of Jerusalem were Types hereof And this glorious Church will be the substance of those shadows and is set forth by their names And what is here foretold had the beginning of its accomplishment in the Gospel-Church gathered by the Apostles and since continued in the world and shall have its perfect accomplishment when the new Jerusalem shall come down out of Heaven and the Jews shall be called and the Fulness of the Gentiles shall come in So that we may conclude with Rabbi Solomon quoted by Cornelius à Lapide Omnia quae in Ezekiele de Jerusalem scribuntur de sancta civitate supernâ Jerusalem absque dubio intelligenda sunt All is to be understood of the Heavenly Jerusalem but chiefly of this Heavenly Jerusalem as it shall come down out of Heaven and of that estate which it shall be then in Now that somewhat of the Mystery of this Prophecy may be made known I shall propose several things to consideration not proceeding therein according to the order of the Prophecy but shall endeavour to bring the main things of it to several heads And truly I may say to the praise of him that teacheth Man knowledge that by running thus to and fro in this Prophecy Knowledge hath increased and haply some hints may be given which may provoke others to search further into it The first thing to be laid down shall be for an Introduction to the rest which are to follow which is this Prop. 1. What is here represented should with all seriousness and diligence be lookt into and considered chap. 40.4 Son of man behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel This Command so vehemently urged in so many expressions belongs to all Christians but especially to the Ministers of the Gospel The external and internal Senses are called upon and stirred up to attend to what is made known to the Prophet in this Vision and to take an exact view of it and
should serve him so as that the Lord shall be King over all the earth and his Kingdom shall be the stone which shall break in pieces the great Image and become a great Mountain and shall fill the whole Earth Thus Christ shall reign sitting on his own Throne Next let it be considered how the Saints shall sit with him upon his Throne and reign with him This is not meant of the state of Glory in Heaven for Christ doth not there sit upon his own Throne and therefore they do not sit with him upon it but behold his Glory Consider the Saints own sense Rev. 5.10 The four beasts and four and twenty elders say We shall reign upon the earth This is the sense of the Saints in Heaven and shall any on the Earth contradict the sense of Heaven This is confirmed Dan. 7.26 The Judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it to the end and then the Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the Saints Rev. 2.26 To him that overcometh will I give power over the Nations and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron even as I received of my Father The Saints shall judge the World and govern the Nations yea the Saints shall judge Angels also Mar. 16.17 In my Name shall they cast out Devils This Paul did Acts 16.18 I command thee in the Name of Jesus that thou come out of her Such a power some have had in the time of the Old Heavens and Earth much more may it be conceived of the Saints of the New Heavens and Earth And as the Saints have been cast into Prison by Satan Rev. 2.10 So why may not Saints have power to cast him into Prison suitable to that promise They shall take them Captives whose Captives they have been and rule over their Oppressors And therefore as Saints shall have this honour to bind the Nobles of Babylon with Links of Iron so it 's possible they may have a farther honour eved to bind evil Spirits with Chains and to clear the Earth and Air of them and to command them in the Name of Jesus out of the World into the bottomless Pit and there shut them up and keep them close Prisoners during the One thousand years Observe farther this promise was made to the overcoming Saints in John's time They must rule the Nations and be raised to reign Arg. 2. It 's most evident from Scripture that the Church shall have in the last Days a very Peaceable and Glorious Estate upon Earth The Prophesies concerning it are so many and so manifest that it can't be denied Isa 54.11 and Isa 60. It 's also evident that this State will be of long continuance Peace so long as the Moon endureth Mine Elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands As the new Heavens and new Earth shall remain before me so shall your Seed and your Name remain Isa 66.22 It 's also evident that Ancichrist must be destroyed the Beast and the false Prophet must be taken and Satan bound up before the Church shall have its Liberty and Peace for whilst they have power they will be troubling the Saints Lastly It 's evident that there will be a personal coming of Christ when these things shall be accomplished For 1. There will be a personal coming of Christ when Antichrist shall be destroyed 2 Thess 2.8 The Lord shall consume him with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy him with the Brightness of his coming Which is not meant of a Spiritual coming for this is included in the former expression of consuming with the Spirit of his Mouth therefore it must be meant of a Personal coming 2. When this Glorious time shall begin Christ will come the second time This is evident from two places the first is Matth. 24.30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun shall be darkned c. What tribulation is this v. 21. There shall be great tribulation such as was not since there was a Nation This is the great Tribulation spoken of by Daniel and Zachary now when this Tribulation shall end and the Glorious State shall begin then shall they see the Sign of the Son of Man and immediately after the Son of Man himself From hence it 's most evident that the second coming of Christ will be at the beginning of this blessed time For immediately after the tribulation of those Days Christ comes So that if there shall be a quiet and peaceable estate of the Church as 't is most evident there shall be then the personal Presence and Reign of Christ must be acknowledged The second place is Acts 3.19 20. Repent that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. This is his Personal presence In the worst of times the Saints have had refreshing from his Spiritual presence but the great refreshing times will be from his Personal presence and the following words do evidently set forth this sense For as he is now in Heaven so shall he be on Earth The Heavens receive him personally and therefore when the times of Restitution come the Earth shall receive him personally 3. When Christ shall come his Kingdom shall come 2 Tim. 4.1 Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and Kingdom Then a King shall reign in righteousness Isa 32.1 Arg. 3. When the time of the Marriage of the Lamb shall come then the Lamb himself shall come the Bridegroom must be present at the Marriage Hence we find mention made of the Bridegroom 's coming and their going in with him to the Marriage who shall be ready Matth. 25.6.18 which must be understood of his Personal coming Here four things are to be considered 1. Who is to be the Bride the Lamb's Wife Now the New Jerusalem-Saints will be the Bride Rev. 21.2 I saw the holy City New Jerusalem prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband So those that shall come with Christ and be gathered to him at and after his coming shall be the Bride the Lamb's Wife 2 Thess 2.1 I beseech you by the coming of Christ and our gathering to him That is To be with him in the holy City Then that will be fulfilled Two shall be in the Field one shall be taken and the other left And the raised Saints and those that shall be taken into the holy City will be the Lamb's Wife 2. What is meant by the Lamb's Marriage For this we may consider that when any are converted they are espoused to Christ and take him for their Husband and Christ loves and cherisheth them No man hateth his own flesh but loveth and cherish it as the Lord the Church Ephes 5.29 So all true Saints on Earth are espoused to Christ in Heaven 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one Husband that is Christ But though espoused 't is to an Husband absent from them As for this
high-way and the wayfaring-men that go in this way shall have an unerring Spirit to guide them in it for the wayfaring men though Fools shall not err therein Isa 54.11 12. They shall be a holy flock Ezek. 36. ult I will lay thy stones with fair colours and thy foundations with saphires I will make thy windows of agates and thy gates of carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones What doth this signifie but that there shall be a Church at last exceeding pure which shall be called the beauties of holiness Isa 60.2 The Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall be seen upon thee The Light of the Glory of the Lord shall shine to the Saints and shall shine from them both for the glorious Works of God wrought for them and upon them and in the Works wrought by the Saints in which the Image and Glory of God shall be seen upon them Rev. 22.4 They shall see his face and his Name shall be in their foreheads Their Professions their Lives their Actings and Conversations shall be a discovery of God Vpon the bells of the horses shall be holiness to the Lord much more upon the foreheads of his people 3. In the time of the New Heavens and New Earth the Sons of God shall have Glorious Liberty And this brings me back again to Rom. 8.21 The Creature shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God Now for this we may consider that there is Gracious Liberty and Glorious Liberty there is a Liberty wherewith Christ hath made the Saints free as Gal. 5.1 and a Liberty wherewith he will make them free as in this place which is also called the redemption of the body There is a redemption of the Soul from sin and of the Body from sufferings It hath been for the most part with the Saints as Christ said to Peter Another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not But in the time of Glorious Liberty it shall not be so Gracious Liberty is a Liberty from Evil and a Liberty in relation to that which is good Liberty from Evil is from the evil of sin and of punishment Liberty from the Evil of Sin is when a man is made free from the Reigning power of sin as in regard of the Outward committing so from the inward love of it Rom. 6.18 Being made free from sin ye became servants of righteousness There is a Liberty also from the Evil of Punishment Rom. 8. 1 There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus There is now correction to them and therein God dealeth with them as with sons but no condemnation to them they meet with crosses but have escaped the curse die they must but the sting of death is taken away As they look not for life from the Law so they need not fear death by the Law There is a liberty also in relation to that which is good Saints have liberty to go where they are sure to receive that good which they want they may go and that boldly to the Throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in a time of need They can go to Christ to receive of his fullness grace for grace Jam. 1.17 Every good and perfect gift is from above some gifts are good but not perfect others are good and perfect and able to make those perfect who have them Creatures are a good gift for every Creature of God is good but Christ is a good and perfect gift Knowledge is a good gift but the Spirit of wisdome and grace of love and fear of supplication and adoption is a perfect gift Earth is a good gift Heaven is a good and perfect gift Now what a precious liberty is this to have free access to him who gives liberally good and perfect gifts to those that ask them and upraideth not There is a liberty also to the doing of good though there is not free will and power in Nature to do that good which is acceptable to God yet there is by grace when any are made free from sin thereby those that are partakers of the Divine Nature and have the seed of God in them will be free ready and willing to do good I will run the ways of thy Commandments when thou shalt inlarge my Heart Jam. 25. the Law is called the Law of liberty to men in the flesh 't is a Law of bondage to men in the Spirit 't is a Law of liberty The Law in the Head only may be but a Law of bondage so the Law in the Lips but the Law in the Heart which hath the Law of the Spirit with it is a Law of liberty I go bound in the Spirit said Paul 'T is gracious liberty to go bound in the Spirit both to the doing and suffering the will of God and to be constrained by the love of Christ to live to him Thus much of Gracious Liberty for some introduction to what is to be said of Glorious Liberty And as for Glorious Liberty that the spirits of just men have in Heaven going to God the judge of all to Jesus the Mediator to the General Assembly and Church of the First-born But the glorious liberty mentioned by Paul is that which the Saints shall have in the New Heavens and the New Earth For 't is that which the Creatures long for and look to have some benefit by and therefore is not meant of the State of Glory in Heaven Now that some discovery may be made of this let some few particulars be observed 1. To be free from War and the evils and mischief that attend it is a Glorious Liberty And this shall be the Saints happiness at last when all things shall be made New Isa 40.1 Comfort ye Comfort ye my people speak comfortably to Jerusalem tell her that her Warfare is accomplished In the times of restitution after the destruction of the Man of Sin and the calling of the Jews there shall be no learning of War any more Isa 2.4 but swords shall be beaten into plow-shares and spears into pruning-hooks Now there is War Nation against Nation and Kingdom against Kingdom And Saints are called to sight the good fight of faith But when the Beast and false Prophet shall be taken God will make all Wars to cease to the ends of the earth 2. Glorious Liberty will consist in being free from temptations Adam was at first free from sin but not from temptations There shall be at last a better Paradise for the Saints than that in which Adam was placed in which there shall be no Serpent to tempt Satan is now following the Saints with his temptations and he hath his Messengers to buffet them but in the time of Glorious Liberty he shall be bound and cast into Prison and never suffered to tempt one Saint any more for when he shall be loosed out of his Prison he shall deceive the Nations Gog and
gracious so Glorious Liberty In like manner the Woman the Church of Christ and his faithful Witnesses go into the Wilderness for Gracious Liberty and prefer that before buying and selling in the great City Babylon and these must come up out of the Wilderness leaning on their Beloved and stand with the Lamb upon Mount Sion and at last they shall have Glorious Liberty in the great and Holy City Jerusalem And thus having handled Peter's Doctrine of the New Heaven and the New Earth let the Use which he makes of it be in the next place considered by us and put in practice this we have 2 Pet. 3.14 Wherefore seeing ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless Here are two things to be observed 1. Saints in the Primitive times did and Saints now ought to look for the New Heavens and the New Earth 2. Those that look for these things should with all diligence look to this that their present state and carriage in this World be suitable to the hopes of such glorious things in the World to come For the first we shall do well to consider that the Doctrine of the New Heavens and New Earth was Apostolical Doctrine and the looking for them was an Apostolical practice In the Primitive times this Doctrine was more taught and better known than now it is Saints at so much a greater distance from these things did more generally expect them than now they do when they are so much nearer And we have not onely an Apostolical example and practice for it but if we look higher even to Heaven we shall find a Pattern there which calls for our imitation for as we should do the will of God as 't is done in Heaven so we should expect the accomplishment of the Will and Word of God as 't is expected in Heaven Let 's consider then what example Heaven doth afford us now this is the example of Christ himself Heb. 10.12 13. This man after he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down at the right hand of God from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool When Christ was upon Earth he expected Glory in Heaven which he hath and being in Heaven he expects Glory on Earth which he shall have He looks to have all his Enemies made his Footstool and to be King over all the Earth and to have the Saints reign with him Christ knows that thus it shall be and the thoughts of it are pleasing to him Isa 63.4 The day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my redeemed shall come Christ knows that day and hath it in his heart 't is a day of joy and gladness in his heart And thus as the Creatures have an earnest expectation of that day so hath Christ himself and he hath been expecting it ever since he went to Heaven for 't is said From henceforth expecting that is from the first time of his sitting down He is upon the Father's Throne in Heaven and expected to be upon his own Throne in the New Jerusalem which shall come down out of Heaven And Christ will expect till it be done For as 't is from henceforth even ever since he went to Heaven so till his Enemies be made his Footstool Now seeing Christ expects these things ought not we to expect with him 2. The Angels do expect these things for if Christ doth then we may conclude the holy Angels do also seeing they are to come with him wich they do well know for they understand Scripture-Prophecies and the time also which is revealed in Scripture for the fulfilling of them for an Angel made Daniel understand a Prophecy and the time of its accomplishment Dan. 9.22 As there are things which the Angels desire to look into so also which they look for as the passing away of the World which now is and the creating of the New Heavens and the New Earth 3. Saints in Heaven do expect these things Saints on Earth do long to see these things of Heaven and the Saints in Heaven do long to see the things of the New Heavens and the New Earth For if it be not beneath Christ to expect them then it is not beneath glorified Saints to look for them Now that glorified Saints do know and expect these things we may conclude thus We read Luke 9.31 that Moses and Elias being with Christ on the Holy Mount they spake of his Decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem Now if his Decease was known by them before its accomplishment we may as well conceive that his Victory over his Enemies the New Heavens and the New Earth and his Kingdom in them are made known unto them and expected by them and not onely the Things but the Time also when all shall be done My ground is this Both their Things and the Times are revealed in Scripture as we see by the several numbers of years mentioned in Daniel and the Revelations Now what is revealed in Scripture concerning Christ the Saints in Heaven do know as in particular the things concerning the Kingdom of Christ and the time of its coming which I conclude from 1 Cor. 13.12 Now I know in part then shall I know as I am known That is I shall know that perfectly then which now I know in part This is an evident Truth the Saints know that of Divine Mysteries perfectly in Heaven which here from the Scriptures they know in part and so we may suppose that they know when the 1260 Days began and when they will end Thus we see how these things are expected in Heaven by Christ by the Angels by the Saints and it being so these things follow hence 1. The things which are to be done on Earth are very great things the subduing of all Christ's Enemies will be a very Glorious Work for Christ hath a great earnest and constant expectation of it the New Heavens and the New Earth will be very glorious for they are the expectations of Heaven Isa 11.10 't is said His rest shall be glorious and when shall this be verse 11. When the Lord shall set his hand the second time to recover the remnant of his People c. The first recovery was from Babylon this second will be when the Jews shall be called and when the Outcasts of Israel and the dispersed of Judah shall be gathered from the four Corners of the Earth 2. The expectations of Christ's Enemies on Earth are but a vain thing for there are expectations in Heaven quite contrary to these and which think we shall be performed surely the expectations of Heaven Babylon expects to continue in her Pomp and Power and looks that Sion shall be her Footstool but Christ expects till Babylon be made his Footstool I sit a Queen saith Babylon but what saith the Lord to her Come down and sit in the dust there shall be no more Throne I am no
of restitution of all things shall keep a Sabbath how much more is it now to be done when Saints have so much need of it The Sabbath is made for man that is for man's benefit and advantage secondarily as principally for God's glory that he might be praised for the Works of Six Days And the Christian Sabbath is to be kept that God may be glorified for the work of Redemption and of a new Creation And when the New Heavens and the New Earth shall be created there will be a New Command for it like that New Command of Love John 13.34 And then the Saints shall say Thou art worthy O Lord to receive Glory and Honour and Power for thou hast Created all things In the beginning the Heavens and Earth and all the Host of them And now the New Heavens and Earth are finished and all the Hosts of them And for thy pleasure they are and were created Rev. 4.11 All things in the beginning were created and now he that sits upon the Throne hath made all things new And as a Sabbath will be kept by the Jews so in a most strict manner If thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight Many keep a Sabbath now but do not call it a delight But then it shall be the Saints delight Next The Holy of the Lord. The Jews shall acknowledge it to be Jure Divino They shall not look upon it as a Humane Institution and call it the Holy of Men but the Holy of the Lord because made Holy by him And also holy to the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own works nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words which now even the best are too apt to do Consid 5. A Passeover will be kept in the Kingdom of God Ezek. 45.21 In the first moneth in the fourteenth day of the moneth ye shall have the Passeover a feast of seven days and in that day shall the Prince prepare for himself and the people of the land a sin-offering and a burnt-offering and a meat-offering verse 22 23 24. Christ and the Saints shall keep this Passeover and Feast together Compare herewith Luke 22.16 where after Christ had declared his earnest desire to eat of that Passeover he adds I will not any more eat thereof till it be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God 'T is observed by Ainsworth on Exod. 12.11 that seven famous Passeovers are recorded in Scripture The first that which Israel kept in Egypt Exod. 12. The second in the Wilderness Num. 9. The third when the Israelites first entered into Canaan in the Valley of Achor Josh 5.10 The fourth in the Reformation of Israel by King Hezekiah 2 Chro. 30. The fifth under Josias 2 Chro. 35. The sixth by Israel returning out of Babylon The seventh by Christ and his Disciples And we may observe how the true Gospel-Passeover came in the room of the Legal Passeover and what times and occasions answerable to the former there have been and will be for keeping a spiritual Passeover 1. The true Passeover hath been slain in Egypt 1 Cor. 5.7 Christ our Passeover is sacrificed for us And as the Israelites having the Bloud of the Lamb upon their Door-posts the destroying Angel passed over them so Believers having the Bloud of sprinkling upon them may be sure that wrath and vengeance shall pass over them and they may and ought to keep the Feast by rejoycing in the Grace of God towards them and in their Peace with him and also in hope of the Glory of God and should abundantly bless God for giving Christ for them so should they keep the Feast Q. But how was Christ our Passeover slain in Egypt A. There is that which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified Rev. 11.8 The great City there spoken of is Rome and by a Synecdoche is put for the Roman Jurisdiction which then did extend it self over Iudaea and by the Roman Power was Christ crucified for the Romans way of putting to death was crucifying So Christ was slain in Egypt spiritually so called that is in the Roman Dominion 2. A spiritual Passeover hath been kept in the Wilderness for the Church hath been driven into the Wilderness by Antichrist and there hath been preserved and nourished being fed with Angels food and much experience of Gods goodness hath been given for meat to the people inhabiting the Wilderness So that even here the Saints have had the great privilege of keeping the Feast and eating their spiritual Passeover whereby the Woman hath been nourished in the Wilderness 3. There have been some times of Reformation and of the Gospels prevailing and some enlargement of the Church from Antichristian Tyranny and Bondage and thereby a ground of keeping the Feast as in the times of Hezekiah and Josiah all being the fruit of Christ their Passeover sacrificed for them 4. The calling of the Jews and the glorious estate of the Church in that time is believed and waited for and not in vain for the Valley of Achor shall be given them for a Door of Hope and Vineyards from thence and then there will be a time for the Iews keeping this Passeover and Feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth 5. Babylon must fall and be destroyed for ever and the Churches Redemption which draws nigh will come The man of sin hath been consuming by the Spirit of Christs mouth and will shortly be destroyed by the brightness of his coming and Christ shall take to himself his great power and reign And then shall the Passeover be fulfilled in the Kingdom of God and the Prince and People of the Land shall eat it together And as Christ and his Disciples had a personal communion in eating the Typical Passeover so shall they in eating the true Passeover Q. But how shall Christ being the Passeover eat it A. The Saints shall eat this Passeover and keep the Feast and Christ with them Saints shall eat it by looking on Christ as once slain for them They will rejoyce in what Christ hath done for and is to them even Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And then Christ also will keep the Feast that is he will rejoyce with the Saints as having been their Passeover slain for them and as having by his Spirit made them new creatures The benefits of his Death and Mediation and blessings of his Kingdom which then the Saints shall be partakers of will be his great delight and as a Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride so will Christ over the Saints They shall eat and rejoyce in what they receive from Christ and he in what he gives to them And as he said 't is more blessed to give than to receive so shall he rejoyce more in what he gives to the Saints than they can in what they receive from him And as Saints shall offer praise so Christ with them Once he said Father I thank thee that thou hast revealed
all did meet in him So then his Sin-offering might be for himself as made Sin but in the benefit of it for the People of the Land Christ gave himself for himself in this respect even to discharge himself from that guilt which he had taken upon him that so he might save the People of the Lord from their sins Thus much concerning the Temple Concerning the Frame of the City represented in this Vision Consid 1. THis City is the same with that which was shewn to John Rev. 21. even the Holy City New Jerusalem of which such glorious things are spoken by the Prophets This will appear by comparing Ezekiel and John Ezek. 36.27 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean Chap. 37. There is a promise that Judah and Israel shall be one Nation and one King shall be to them all even David who is Christ And observe how Ezek. 37. agrees with John My Tabernacle also shall be with them Rev. 21.3 The tabernacle of God is with men The Gates of Ezekiels City chap. 45.31 have the Names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel upon them so also John's Rev. 21.12 And the Vision of the Waters is alike in both as is to be seen by comparing chap. 47.12 with Rev. 22. In Ezekiel 't is said Vpon the bank of the river grow all trees the fruit being for meat the leaves for medicine Rev. 22.2 On either side of the river was the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and that every moneth and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations Observe Ezekiel saith all trees John the tree of life the Tree of Life is indeed all Trees Consid 2. There is a City of God partly on Earth and partly in Heaven Partly on Earth Heb. 12.22 Ye are come unto mount Sion and unto the city of the living God Mount Sion is the Church on Earth said to be the Joy of the whole Earth the best part of it the Saints therein being the excellent ones of the Earth and partly in Heaven Ye are come to the Heavenly Jerusalem 'T is said that Jerusalem in the letter was distinguished into the higher and lower City this is Mystical Jerusalem and as Eph. 3.15 we read of the whole Family in Heaven and Earth a part of it being on Earth and a part in Heaven which make one whole Family so the Church in Heaven and the Church on Earth make one whole City And upon this account the Saints on Earth are said to be come to the Heavenly City because the Church on Earth and in Heaven make one City Gal. 4.26 Jerusalem which is above and the mother of us all Heb. 11.16 He hath prepared for them a city that is for those that died in Faith verse 13. Those that die in Faith who had here peace by Believing enter into the City prepared for them which is the Ierusalem above and there they have the Vision of Peace In the Ierusalem above is Jesus the Mediator and an innumerable company of Angels and the Spirits of Just Men made Perfect with those that have been raised and changed all these being associated make one body mystically and an heavenly City and this is the Mother of us all 1. Of particular Saints in that they are born from above for as this City is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 above so are Saints 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from above born of the Spirit which is given forth from this City 2. This is the Mother of Churches on Earth the Metropolis or Mother City and Churches on Earth are her Daughters Rome would be the Mother Church which is a Mother indeed but of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth Jerusalem above is truly the Mother Church out of it came Laws and Ordinances to be observed on Earth The baptism of John was it from heaven or of men Ordinances from Heaven coming out of this City from Jesus the Mediator who hath all power in Heaven and in Earth are to be received and observed Whatsoever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven Hence is the Power of the Keys and what is done in Churches on Earth is examined in Heaven and there ratified when there is a due execution of that Power which is from above Consid 3. That Ierusalem which is now above shall come down out of Heaven and so the whole City and Family of God shall be on Earth Rev. 21.9 10. 't is twice affirmed to shew the certainty of it I saw the holy city new Ierusalem coming down from God out of heaven Which we may understand thus 1. Those that are mentioned Heb. 12. as making up this City shall come down for Christ shall come down Zech. 14.5 The Lord thy God shall come down then the innumerable company of Angels shall come down with him Matth. 24.31 He shall send his Angels and they shall gather the elect Dan. 7.10 Thousand thousands ministred to him c. And lastly all the Saints shall come with Christ The Spirits of just men shall be united to their raised Bodies for them that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 2. These shall descend as a City I saw the City descending They shall come as a Body Politick The whole Heavenly City shall come together Christ the holy Angels and all the Saints with him and so shall be on Earth For the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour into it and the Nations of them which shall be saved shall walk in the Light of it and Gog and Magog shall gather against it to their own utter ruine and not to the least hurt of the Saints Like the Men of Sodom who compassed the House round where the Lord was who first smote them with blindness and after rained Fire and Brimstone upon them from the Lord out of Heaven Even so will these compass the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City and then shall be destroyed by Fire from Heaven which evidently shews that the New Jerusalem shall be then on Earth And Saints coming down from Heaven lose no Glory thereby because Christ will be with them and they with him to behold his Glory Yea there will be rather an addition to than a diminution of their Glory For 1. They shall have opportunity of doing some Works on Earth which they have not in Heaven They shall be as the Angels ministring Spirits for the good of Saints And as Christ after his Resurrection spake of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God so may the raised Saints 2. They shall reign upon the Earth exercise such a kind of Dominion which they do not in Heaven 3. The Saints of the New Jerusalem shall know and acknowledge the Saints in their Portions in the Land and those of the saved Nations which cannot be said of the Saints in Heaven Isa 63.16 Thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us c. But when Abraham shall be
be his to the year of Liberty after it shall return to the Prince But his Inheritance shall be his Sons for ever Observe 1. The Servant hath but a Gift of Christ's Inheritance the Sons have his Inheritance 2. The Sons shall have an eternal the Servants a temporal Reward even but till the year of Liberty Two things are to be taken notice of for the better understanding of this 1. During the One thousand Years Reign of Christ and of the Saints with him the Servants shall peaceably and quietly enjoy their Gifts As they shall at this time submit to Christ's Government so shall they enjoy their Reward without disturbance Which we may conceive to be hinted Chap. 46.18 The Prince shall not take of the Peoples Inheritance by oppression to thrust them out of their possession By People the Servants are meant because they are set up in opposition to the Sons Now neither the Prince nor the Sons of the Prince shall take away the Peoples Inheritance that is those Gifts of Christ's Inheritance which he shall give them As the Servants in this time shall not rise up against the Sons or disquiet them so the Sons shall not disquiet the Servants nor thrust them out of their possessions 2. When the one thousand years shall be expired Satan shall be loosed out of his Prison and shall go out to deceive the Nations in the Four Quarters of the Earth and gather them together in Battel c. So then the Servants will rebel against the Prince and rise up against the Sons and hereby shall forfeit and lose all before given them And those of them thus gathered shall be destroyed by Fire from Heaven And now will the Year of Liberty come and the Nations out of which Gog and Magog shall arise ceasing at this time to keep the Feast of Tabernacles shall be smitten with the Plagues which are mentioned Zach. 14.17 18. Consid 6. The Saints shall reign with Christ the Saints glorified and not glorified 1. The glorified Saints of the New Jerusalem Matth. 19.28 Ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel saith Christ to his Apostles This shall be in the Generation when he that sits upon the Throne shall make all things new Q. Shall some Saints rule over other Saints in the New Jerusalem A. We do not find any ground to judge thus But the glorified Saints shall have rule over not glorified Ones and also over the unconverted Nations 1. They shall judge the twelve Tribes of Israel If any will say that this is meant of Saints sitting with Christ in Judgment over the Dead raised to Life Let it be considered First it 's said They shall judge the twelve Tribes of Israel And if this be meant of their sitting with Christ to judge them then some Saints must be Judges of other Saints against which may be urged that of Paul Rom. 14.10 Why dost thou judge thy Brother we shall all stand before the Judgment-Seat of Christ All the raised Saints and Brethren shall stand together to be judged There seems little force in the Apostle's Argument if some Saints shall then be Judges of other Saints nay some ground would be from hence for judging now if they shall judge them then So that somewhat else must be meant hereby And for this Secondly consider some other places of Scripture as Luke 19.17 Have thou Authority over ten Cities So the Apostles shall judge that is Have Authority over the Tribes of Israel in the Land Luke 22.29 30. I appoint to you a Kingdom So by Judging is meant Reigning 2. They shall Reign upon the Earth amongst the Unconverted 1 Cor. 6.1 2. Know ye not that the Saints shall judge the World That is such as are not Saints and this not onely by approving and justifying the Sentence of Christ against them Go ye cursed c. But the Saints shall order and regulate the great Affairs of the World and therefore might well be judged fit to determine small matters of difference then among Brethren Rev. 2.26 To him that overcometh will I give power over the Nations and he shall rule them So by Saints judging is meant Ruling the Nations The Saints in John's time had this Promise which must be made good to them Q. But in what manner shall the raised Saints reign A. This is not so easie to determine I shall onely mention one place and leave it to consideration whether it may not afford some hints as to this thing Heb. 2.5 Vnto the Angels hath he not put into subjection the World to come But what is man c. By the World to come we are to understand The New Earth or the State of the Earth which is to come wherein Righteousness shall dwell For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being a Participle of the Feminine Gender understands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the inhabited Earth Matth. 24.14 The Gospel shall be preached 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the whole World And the Septuagint hath the same word for the habitable parts of the Earth Prov. 8.31 This then is not meant of a state of Glory in Heaven but of a new state of the Earth to come Q. And to whom is it to be put in subjection A. 1. Negatively 'T is not put in subjection to Angels There is now an Invisible Government which Angels have over this World There are Principalities and Powers to whom are made known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God Ephes 3.10 And they are Ministring Spirits for the good of the Heirs of salvation But it seems by this place that when the New Heavens and New Earth shall be created this their Ministration shall cease and being then Friends of the Bridegroom and Attendants on him they shall joyn in singing that Song Rev. 5.12 Worthy is the Lamb c. And as when God was perfecting the Work of the First Creation so when he shall make all things new these Morning Stars shall sing together and these Sons of God shall shout for joy Job 38.7 And we may not think the Angels will lose glory by this for their Ministry to the Saints being fulfilled they shall have a full Reward yea their glory will be the greater for their Ministry before was immediately to the Saints but then it will be immediately to the Person of Christ himself Even as some persons who are Servants to a great King are called home from negotiating abroad to wait on their Kings person in his Royal Court. So that what the Queen of Sheba said of Solomon's Servants may much more be said of the Angels then 2 Chron. 9.7 Happy are thy Men and happy are these thy Servants which stand continually before thee c. And Christ himself shall deliver the Kingdom to the Father but shall lose no glory thereby And we may conceive some reason of the ceasing of this Dispensation of Angels Government the evil Angels
will be all bound and cast into Prison and not be suffered to walk to and fro in the New Earth As in this World there are evil Angels tempting to Sin and hindring the doing of much good causing trouble to the Saints So there are holy Angels withstanding them which are fit and proper Instruments to be imployed against them And as Saints have invisible Enemies so invisible Friends Dan 10.13 The Prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days Which saith one must be understood De daemone quodam Aulico c. Acting in Cambyses and his evil Counsellors and inkindling hatred against the Jews Now saith the holy Angel This Prince withstood me Here 's Angel against Angel But in the World to come 't will not be so because evil Angels will be all shut up in the Bottomless Pit and so no need of the Ministration of holy Angels to withstand them Thus then the World to come is not put in subjection to Angels 2. Affirmatively 'T is to man What is man 1. To the man Christ Jesus who took the Seed of Abraham and was by the suffering of death crown'd with glory and honour He will be supream Lord of this World to come 2. To the Saints who as they now suffer so then shall they reign with Christ Rev. 5.10 We shall reign upon the earth First The glorified Saints we shall reign of whom 't is said Rev. 24.4 They lived and reigned with Christ This shall be so that God may have a time for honouring the Saints Why shall the Saints execute the Judgment written That it may be said This honour have all his Saints Psa 149.9 So why shall the Saints succeed the holy Angels in their Government that it may be said This honour have all his Saints And seeing God hath such regard to their honour how dear should His honour be to them Q. But how shall the glorified Saints rule in the World to come A. For the How take this hint As the glorified Saints shall succeed the holy Angels in their government so shall they reign after such a manner as the Angels did before and so as in the Resurrection they shall be like the Angels in not eating and drinking and not marrying so also in matter of rule and government And therefore as Angels have been sent to make known the mind of God to his Servants 2 Kin. 1.3 15. Dan. 10.14 Rev. 22.16 So may the glorified Saints be the Messengers of the Mind of God to Saints not glorified The Law was given by Angels and 't is said The Law shall go forth from Sion and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem In which may be the Ministry of glorified Saints Angels ascend and descend upon the Son of Man They are at Christ's command and come and go when he bids them They ascend to know and descend to do In like manner shall the glorified Saints go and come at Christ's command And lastly when Saints die Angels carry their Souls into Abraham's bosom Luk. 16.22 So when the time shall be for the Translation of any Saint into the New Jerusalem some glorified ones may be sent to bring them in For a conclusion of this particular consider 2 things 1. As Angels lose no glory by coming out of Heaven to do their work on Earth so shall not glorified Saints by going out of the New Ierusalem to Saints not glorified 2. If the Angels of Heaven and Saints on Earth might have any converse together so as that the Saints could bear the Access of Angels as Abraham did then much more may the not-glorified Saints of the World to come be able to bear the Access of the glorified ones to them and that because Saints glorified and not-glorified will be of the same nature and also the Saints not-glorified will then be better capacitated in respect of Purity and Spirituality to bear the Access of the glorified Saints than any were heretofore to bear the Access of Angels to them And lastly glorified Saints may appear in such a form which the not-glorified ones may be able to bear This seems hinted Ezek. 44.19 When they go to the people they shall lay aside their garments in which they ministred and put on other garments Thus much of the Reign of the raised Saints Secondly the Saints not-glorified that is those of the twelve Tribes in their portions in the Land and also those of the saved Nations shall reign Dan. 7.27 The greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most high and all Dominions shall serve him Not that all Saints shall be Rulers but all Rulers shall be Saints Magistracy and Government will be then in the hands of Saints Rulers shall as Men live soberly as Magistrates righteously as Members of Churches godlily They will be as David men after Gods own heart doing all his wills as Solomon having wisdom to go in and out before the people and Nehemiah seeking the welfare of the people of Israel Ier. 30.21 Their Nobles shall be of themselves and their Governors shall proceed from the midst of them Ezek. 45.8 My Princes shall no more oppress my People Thus shall it be in that glorious Commonwealth of the Jews which is to come Princes in it shall be the Lords Princes and the People the Lords People and none but the Lords Princes shall rule over the Lords People and none of them shall be oppressing Princes to them Verse 9. Let it suffice you O Princes of Israel remove violence execute judgment c. Isa 60.18 Violence shall be no more heard in thy land and wasting and destruction within thy borders And as verse 17. I will make thine officers peace and thine exactors righteousness Ezek. 43.9 Let them put away the carcases of their Kings c. What were Ahaz and Ahab and Jeroboam and Manasseh also before he repented but as abominable to God as Carcases are to Men But when the Jews shall be called their Rulers shall not be such but Davids Hezekiahs c. doing that which is good in the sight of the Lord. Q. What need will there be of Rulers then seeing God hath promised he will put his Law into the mind and write it in the heart of all his People and cause them to walk in his statutes and they shall keep his judgments which promises shall be eminently fulfilled then A. Rule and Government may well consist with that pure and glorious state for 1. If Adam had continued in innocency there would have been Rule and Government as we may well suppose for he should have begotten Children and so have had rule over them as a Father The Law of Nature would have taught Children to honour a Father 2. Christ in his childhood and growing estate was under the rule of Joseph and his Mother Luke 2.51 He went down with them and was subject to them Consid 7. There will be during the one thousand years a
HEAVENS AND THE NEVV EARTH ALSO OF The Earnest Expectation of the Creature to be delivered from its Bondage into the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God TOGETHER With some Hints wherein it will consist Gathered out of Holy Scriptures AS ALSO A Guess at the Time wherein it may probably be expected Together with the Profitable Uses to be made of it As in 2 Pet. 3.14 By WILLIAM ALLEINE Now with the Lord. LONDON Printed for Benjamin Harris 1679. Some Discovery OF THE NEVV HEAVENS AND THE NEVV EARTH IN the former TREATISE the passing away of the Old Heavens and Earth was handled and their perishing by Fire And now I shall adde somewhat concerning the New Heavens and the New Earth which are to succeed them as we read 2 Pet. 3.13 Nevertheless we according to his Promise look for New Heavens and a New Earth c. And certainly 't is not a state of glory in the Heaven of Heavens where Christ is and where the Spirits of just Men made perfect are which is here meant For the New Heavens of which Peter speaks are not yet in Being but are Promised we according to his Promise look for New Heavens this Promise is in Isa 65.17 Behold I create New Heavens and a New Earth these are yet to be created Isa 66.22 As the New Heavens and the New Earth which I will make shall remain before me c. I have not made them already but I will make them And the time is hinted when they shall be created Isa 65.13 my Servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry my Servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty my Servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed c. And the former troubles shall not be remembred this Promise hath not been already fulfilled for the People of God have not been yet in such an estate as to leave all their troubles behind them and to forget them but such a time shall be for saith the Lord I creat New Heavens and a New Earth A New Earth as well as New Heavens which Intimates a great change here below Neither is it the Gospel-state of the Church which was to succeed the Legal state which is all here meant for this was in Being when Peter wrote but the New Heavens and Earth were lookt for And lastly These New Heavens and New Earth must be created when the World which now is shall perish by Fire and that will be at the day of Judgment 2 Pet. 4.12.13 Thus we see what we are to rest in as meant by the New Heavens and the New Earth In the next place to shew what they are consider in the general those words of Peter 2 Pet. 3.15.16 As our beloved brother Paul hath written unto you as also in all his Epistles speaking of these things What things Doubtless the New Heavens and Earth are these things for of these Peter last spake therefore when Paul speaks of the manifestation and glorious liberty of the sons of God and the creatures earnest expectation of it Rom. 8. and also of the Saints judging the World 1 Cor. 6.2 These are the same things of which Peter speaks but most plainly the New Heavens and New Earth are spoken of in the Epistle to the Hebrews and because Peter saith Paul had written of these things this is conceived to be one of the best Arguments to prove that Paul was the Author of that Epistle now Heb. 2.5 he speakes of a World to come the same with the New Heavens and the New Earth and Heb. 12.26 27. of a Kingdom which cannot be moved and of the removing of things which may be shaken and in relation to the purifying and consuming work of that day 't is said Our God is a consuming Fire And somewhat might be gathered out of every one of Pauls Epistles touching these things except that to Philemon Thus in the general Now to come to a more particular unfolding of this Mystery we are to consider that the Heavens and Earth may be taken these three ways First in a Natural secondly a Civil thirdly in an Ecclesiastical respect 1. In a Natural respect And thus we may conceive that all things below the Heaven of Heavens which is the Throne of God and Seat of the Blessed are to be in some respect made new Indeed the Heaven of Heavens is called the high and Holy place and no change was made in it by Mans sin it is so Glorious already that we have not ground to conclude it will be made better but as for the inferiour Heavens and Heavenly Bodies in them as Sun Moon and Stars there is this to be said concerning them As they sometimes send down some malignant and hurtful Influences upon this inferiour World which may be reckoned amongst the Fruits of Adams sin so in the times of Restitution these shall cease I shall mention some places of Scripture which afford us some ground thus to conclude it Psa 11.6 there is this promise The Sun shall not smite the by day nor the Moon by Night when 't is said The Sun and Moon shall not smite this doth intimate that sometimes they do smite Men and surely 't is Sin which hath been the cause of this smitting And if this promise of their not smitting shall be made good to any in the time of the Old Heavens and Old Earth then much more shall it be made good in the times of the New Heavens and the New Earth The Sun did once beat upon the Head of Jonah that he fainted and wisht in himself to die Jonah 4.8 Certainly it shall not be thus in the times of restitution and refreshing the Sun shall revive and strengthen and not cause fainting and make Men wish to die Deut. 3.3.28 His Heaven shall drop down Dew Whilst Israel did keep Covenant with God the Heavens were his Heavens much more when all Israel shall be called and saved the Heavens shall be their Heavens the Sun Moon and Stars shall be theirs so as that their influences shall not be hurting and smiting The Stars in their courses shall not fight against them as once they did against Sisera Their Heavens shall not be as many times now they are Brass over their Heads but shall drop down Dew and the former and the latter Raine that is Rain in season shall descend and there shall not be a Sweeping Rain which shall leave no Food behind it And 't is not at all to be doubted that when the Jews shall be all effectually called and enter into their rest Joseph's Blessing shall be the Blessing of all the Tribes of Israel and that in a more ample and eminent manner than when Joseph had his Lot in Canaan Deut. 33.13 c. of Joseph he said Blessed of the Lord be his land for the precious things of Heaven for the Dew and the deep that coucheth beneath and for the precious Fruits brought forth by the Sun and for the precious things put forth by the
Matthew is called the Fathers Kingdom Mark 14.25 and Luke 22.18 is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God in the Gospel most usually is taken for Christs Kingdom Luke 11.21 The Kingdom of God is within you or among you which must be understood of Christs Kingdom It is to be observed also that what is called the Fathers Kingdom in Matthew is called Christs Kingdom Luke 22.30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom 2. Christs Kingdom is included in the Fathers in that Petition Thy Kingdom come The Prayer is made to the Father Thy Kingdom c. Now in this Petition the coming of Christs Kingdom is first desired and after the Fathers when Christ shall have finished the work given him to do as Mediator Consid 6. This House with the whole Limit thereof and every thing belonging to it shall be most holy Chap. 43.12 This is the Law of the House upon the top of the Mountain the whole Limit thereof round about shall be most holy And 't is added to shew the certainty of it This is the Law of the House Q. But how a Law A. The Law of this House shall not onely be a Law shewing what ought to be For thus 't is a Law now and at all times that all things in the Church should be holy 1 Cor. 3.17 The Temple of the Lord is holy That is ought to be so But also a Law shewing what shall be There is a Law commanding and a Law causing that to be which is commanded like the Law of the Creation Let there be Light and there was Light So God will say Let this House be holy and it shall be so There is the Law in the Word and the Law in the Heart and in relation to this time especially God promises I will put my Laws in their inward parts and write them in their hearts c. The Law in the Scriptures requires obedience the Law in the Heart inclines to it and makes it natural and pleasant Paul said of Timothy I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state So when the Law is in the Heart it will make Men to care naturally for the things of God I mean with respect to the Divine Nature which Saints partake of Rom. 8.2 Mention is made of the Law of the Spirit Now such will be the Law of this House The Law of the Spirit which is mighty in Christ Jesus shall make the whole Limit of this House holy Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them And here let this farther be taken notice of and it will be a very comfortable consideration Not onely the Temple and Altar and those that worship therein are to be measured but also the Courts both inner and outer and the Gates and Chambers thereof all are to be measured and made according to their Pattern and so most holy Now compare with this Rev. 11.1 2. Where the Temple and Altar and those that worship therein are to be measured But the Court without was not to be measured because it was to be given to the Gentiles c. This sets forth the time of Antichrist's Reign who was to possess the outer Court But when the Gentiles thus tread down the Court which is without there is still a Temple and Altar and there are those that worship therein even a true Church holding Christ the Head and holding forth the truth as it is in Jesus and such who worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth And in this time the holy City must be troden down fourty and two Moneths Jerusalem in the Letter was trodden down of the Romans and Mystical Jerusalem hath been trodden down also As that by the Power of Rome when Heathenish so this by the Power of Rome Antichristian but Heathenish still Papists being but Heathens to the true Israel of God This Court trodden down of the Gentiles is cast out and not measured being cut off and separated from the Temple that is the true Church of God by the Reed of the Word as not belonging to the same Thus in John's Vision the outward Court is not measured but Heathens possess it But Ezekiel in his Vision sees the outward Court also measured with the Gates Thresholds Posts and Chambers thereof and all most holy What may be concluded hence but that 1. The State of the Church as it shall be after the Destruction of Antichrist is here set forth when the fourty and two Moneths shall be ended the Witnesses raised and the Jews called for so long as Antichrist remains he possesses the outward Court and it is not measured But being measured as we see in Ezekiel's Vision the Gentiles will be then cast out and Christ will tread in his anger and trample in his fury those who did tread down the Holy City And this measuring of the outward Court shews that the times of the Gentiles will be then fulfilled and the Jews inwardly and in the Spirit even a true Church shall be in the outward Court 2. Churches at this time will be pure yea most holy even the Churches of the outward Court for all will be measured The Wall on the outside of the House chap. 40.5 the Stairs the Gates the Thresholds and every little Chamber v. 6 7. all agree with their Pattern and so there will not be any Antichristian Church left but all will be holy yea most holy How will this be Churches will be as true so pure and in a degree of purity above what they have been at any time yet in the World The Church of the Jews in the Wilderness was holy the measured Churches which have been in the time of Antichrist's Reign have been holy And the Primitive Church gathered by the Apostles was more holy than any before or since But that Glorious Church which shall be after the Calling of the Jews being compared with the former shall be the most holy of all As Christ said of Iohn Baptist A greater than he hath not risen notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he So there hath not been a more Glorious Church in the World than the Primitive was but the least in the time here meant will be greater than that The least of Churches in the time of the New Heavens and New Earth will be greater and more glorious than the best in the times of the Old Heavens and the Old Earth And why may we not conceive that God is pleased to make use of the Names of the Types and Figures in setting forth this Glorious Church to declare that this Spiritual House will be framed as exactly according to an Heavenly Pattern as the typical House was and that true holiness will be as perfect and exact in this as typical was in that We know that Moses his Work was according to the Pattern
Such as are dead in some sort to Sin and take up a profession of Godliness of themselves doing it from Self-love or slavish fear or aiming at profit or praise or because they are willing to escape Hell and to get to Heaven at last These may be reckoned among the Righteous but not being truly of them may go out from them For they that forsake Sin out of slavish fear may turn to it out of fear Those that follow Christ for Loaves may forsake him for Loaves 2. Such as are under a force in the profession of Religion and have their Sins as it were torn from them Some by religious Magistrates or Masters may be with-held from Sin and be brought to some outward conformity in the matter of Godliness these are the torn which if admitted to Church-communion may break off from it For those that are torn from Antichrist and but seemingly joyned to Christ may be torn from Christ and so go back to Antichrist again 3. There are such who through the Spirit do mortifie the Deeds of the Body not being under a force but are made a willing People to follow Christ and are no otherwise constrained but by the Love of Christ judging that they ought to live to him who died and rose again and of such will all the Churches of the Saints at last consist These three sorts seem hinted John 1.13 Christ gives to them power to become the Sons of God who believe in his Name being born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Some are born of the will of the flesh taking up a Form of Godliness from a carnal principle and fleshly will Others are born of the will of Man being religious because Men that have Power over them will have it so The former are the Dead of themselves these the torn There are others born of God who can say as Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth that we should be a kind of First-fruits of his Creatures Now at the time of Jerusalems being made a praise in the Earth such as are born of the flesh which are the Dead of themselves and such as are born of the Will of Man which are the torn shall not be in that Kingdom but such as are born of God shall enter into and be of that Kingdom of God The Priests shall then kill and eat kill and keep company with them and so not eat of any thing which is dead of it self or torn and that in the next place whether it be Fowl or Beasts Beasts are called Beasts of the Earth and Fowls the Fowls of Heaven By Beasts of the Earth are meant Men of a worldly temper who mind earthly things and under a Form of Godliness are Lovers of Riches more than Lovers of God But the Priests shall not eat of such then No covetous man who is an Idolater shall have any Inheritance in that Kingdom of God By the Fowls of Heaven are meant such who seem to fly high in the profession of Religion but do it for praise and applause and trust in what they do that they are righteous thereby The Pharisee that boasted God I thank thee that I am not as other men are or as this Publican I fast c. He seemed to fly so high as to be dead to Sin and to the World but he was but a Fowl dead of himself and therefore unclean Now the Priests in that glorious state shall not eat of such Beasts or Fowls But what temper those of that Church shall be of these following Scriptures declare Isa 60.4 All they gather themselves together they come to thee v. 5. Then shalt thou see and flow together thine heart shall fear and be enlarged Filial fear enlargeth the heart to run the way of God's Commandments The Forces of the Gentiles shall come to thee These Forces shall not be forced but shall come v. 8. Who are these that fly as a Cloud very swiftly and in great abundance and as Doves to their windows very freely and willingly Psa 102.18 When the time to favour Sion shall come the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord or the new created people All of the Church then will be a new created people Isa 54.11 12. O thou afflicted tost with tempests and not comforted I will lay thy Stones with fair colours and thy Foundations with Saphires I will make thy Windows of Agates and thy Gates of Carbuncles and all thy Borders of pleasant Stones Isa 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous the Branch of my planting the works of my hands that I may be glorified By this we see how much better it will be with the Church every way than now it is better in state and better in frame better within and better without Purity Peace and abundance of Light within and none to make it afraid without Such as it should be within and such as it should be without 9. They shall not do their work for hire or reward but a work done as it ought to be shall be its own reward Chap. 44.28 In the day that he goeth into the Inner Court he shall offer c. And it shall be to them for an Inheritance Their Sanctuary-work and Ministry shall be their reward Verse 29. Every dedicate thing in Israel shall be theirs and the first of all the Fruits When any by their Ministry shall be dedicated to the Lord these shall be their Glory and Joy and Crown of rejoycing and shall be better to them than the First-fruits were to the Priests under the Law Thus much concerning the Ministers of the House 4. This Temple shall never be destroyed as the Temple of Jerusalem was Chap. 49.19 The Priests shall take of the Blood and put it on the Posts of the House and on the four Corners of the Settle of the Altar The meaning is As the Bloud of the Lamb being on the Israelites Door-posts the destroying Angel did not enter so this House being sprinkled with the Blood of Christ no Destroyer shall come near to hurt it No Nebuchadnezzar shall burnt it with Fire v. 20. So shall ye reconcile this House This House will be a reconciled House here 's every where reconciling Blood and there the Lord will not be angry with it to destroy it There hath been a time in which Judgment began at the House of God but from thence it shall go to Babylon and there rest and never come near this House again Chap. 41.18 The Building was made with Cherubims and Palm-trees shewing the Church to be Triumphant and Victorious First Cherubims whereby Angels are meant of whom an innumerable Company will be with the Saints in the New Jerusalem And sometimes Men are called Cherubims as appears by comparing Rev. 4.6 with Ezek. 1.5 The four living Creatures are Cherubims but such as were redeemed to God by Christ's Blood Rev. 5.8 and therefore Men. And
in the New Jerusalem then he shall not be ignorant of the People of the Land but as the holy Angels know the Saints on Earth so shall the New Jerusalem glorified Saints know those not glorified Rev. 4.1 c. We have a Representation of this City as now in Heaven but chiefly as it shall be on Earth for 't is said I will shew thee things which shall be hereafter And what was shewn him A Throne set in Heaven and one that sat upon it like Jasper with a Rain-bow about his head To assure the Saints that there shall be no more any Deluge of trouble and adversity There are Four and twenty Seats and Four and twenty Elders which are glorified Saints in the Mansions prepared for them they have Crowns of Gold they Reign with Christ in the New Jerusalem And as Christ will have Work for them so they shall be fitted for it The four Beasts have the Face of a Man that is Wisdom and Understanding Of an Ox Strength for Work Of a Lion that is Courage And of a flying Eagle they shall make haste and not delay to do the Will and Work of God Then the Kingdom so long prayed for will come and the Will of God shall be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Consid 4. This City is to be taken two ways more strictly and more largely 1. More strictly as distinct from Suburbs and the portions of land without it having twelve Gates c. 2. More largely as comprehending all that belong to it and shall be under the Government of it and shall walk in the Light of it and partake in its Liberties and Priviledges Thus the Tribes and Strangers with them in their Lots and Portions shall belong to the New Jerusalem and be reckoned to be of it As the Great City Babylon more strictly taken is Rome which is said to Reign over the Kings of the Earth But as more largely taken it comprehends all the Nations that walk in the Darkness of it which wonder after and worship the Beast and are under his Power So the New Jerusalem more properly is that which cometh down from Heaven but comprehends also all that walk in the Light of it And as Babylon hath ten parts so New Jerusalem twelve parts even a Portion for each Tribe Consid 5. the Dominion of Christ the King in this Great City shall be extended over the whole World For as he shall Reign in the New Jerusalem and there have his Throne so he shall in that Day be King over all the Earth Zachar. 14.9 And all even Saints and not Saints shall be subject to him although in a different manner Chap. 46.16 The Prince is said to have Servants and Sons which two Names will take in all The Sons are such as shall be born of God and made after God and all besides will be comprehended under the Name of Servants who shall be under the Dominion of Christ and be made to submit to such Laws which Christ shall give for the Government of the unconverted Nations who from slavish fear at least and haply from some taste they will have of the benefit of his Government shall become Servants to him as King of Nations Jer. 7.10 he is so called There shall be a time in which all shall fear him either filially or slavishly The Sons out of an awful respect shall with Love and Delight serve Christ as King of Saints the Servants because they must shall submit to his Government See Psa 18.44 Psa 66.3 See the Hebrew For the farther Illustration of this let Zach. 14.16 be considered Every one left of the Nations who shall escape the destruction of that Day for all found in actual opposition against Christ in that Day will be cut off shall come up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and shall keep the Feast of Tabernacles Here are large Expressions taking in all For all shall worship Christ either as Sons or as Servants and keep the Feast of Tabernacles And to know what is meant hereby we must consider on what ground the Jews kept this Feast Now we find first 1. That in this Feast the Israelites were to dwell in Booths and to rejoyce before the Lord who had brought them out of Aegypt Lev. 23.43 Now in answer to this the Nations shall acknowledge a great benefit in Christ's taking off the Antichristian and all other Tyrannical Yokes from them and by his reigning in Righteousness whereby every Man shall sit under his Vine and Fig-tree The Servants under their Vines and Fig-trees of outward Peace Plenty and Prosperity and the Sons under their better Vines which shall yield them abundance of Spiritual Blessings they shall abide in Christ the true Vine under whose shadow they shall sit with great delight 2. The Feast of Tabernacles was kept to acknowledge the Goodness of God in blessing them in all the Works of their Hands and in all their Increase Deut. 16.15 Thus the Lord shall wonderfully bless the Nations in the works of their Hands and give them great Increase which they shall acknowledge to be a benefit of his Government and thus they shall keep this Feast 3. In the Feast of Tabernacles the Law was to be read that they might observe to do all the works of it Deut. 31.11 Thus the Nations shall own all the Laws of Christ for their Government in Righteousness and shall submit to them All therefore shall keep this Feast but in different manner The Servants shall worship the King the Lord of Hosts but the Sons shall worship the Lord their God and David their King Hos 3.5 The Servants shall fear the Lord and his wrath and justice The Sons shall fear the Lord and his Goodness The Servants shall serve the Lord and the King The Sons their Lord and their King And here it may be farther observed That as all shall be subject to Christ so he will give Rewards to all though not in like manner but suitably to their Service The Servants shall have an outward and temporal Reward for external Subjection the Sons a Spiritual and Eternal Reward The Servants like Abraham's Children by the Concubines shall have Gifts for a time The Sons an Inheritance for ever The Servants shall have an Esau's Portion the Dew of Heaven and the Fatness of the Earth The Sons a Jacob's Portion the Lord or their God an exceeding great Reward The Servant shall have such a Reward of outward Peace Plenty and Prosperity as to be able to say as Esau I have enough The Son such a Reward as to be able to say as Jacob I have all This may be gathered from Chap. 46.16 17. If the Prince give a Gift to any of his Sons the Inheritance thereof shall be his Sons they shall have it as joynt Heirs with Christ and it shall not be taken from them But if he give a Gift to one of his Servants of his Inheritance then it shall
Lord is there and this shall be its Name from that day Which doth intimate such a Presence of Christ with the Saints which was not before He hath been present in Spirit from the beginning of the Gospel-Church but at this time the Church shall have another kind of Presence even his Personal Presence Here 's a new Name for a new Presence the Name of it from that day shall be The Lord is there Chap. 43.2 The glory of the God of Israel came from the East his voice was as the noise of many waters and the earth was lightned with his glory Haec Dei gloria est Christus saith one Surely this Glory of the Lord is no other than the Lord of Glory who is the brightness of the Fathers Glory Solomon's house was filled with the glory of the Lord that was a typical House and had a typical Glory that is some glorious sign of Gods Presence and his owning that House Here will be the true Temple into which the King of Glory shall come The Ark was a sign of Gods presence with the Iews which is therefore called the Lord Josh 3.11 Behold the Ark of the Covenant even the Lord of all the earth c. As the Jews had the typical presence so when they shall be called they shall have the true presence of the Lord in the New Ierusalem Rev. 11.19 In the Temple was seen the Ark that is the Lord of all the earth typed by the Ark. This Temple shall be the place of Gods Throne and of the Soles of his Feet chap. 43.7 Now he is upon a Throne in Heaven but when Ierusalem shall come down in it shall be his Throne Ier. 3.17 At that time they shall call Ierusalem the throne of the Lord. At what time When all the Nations shall be gathered to the Name of the Lord to Ierusalem and when the House of Iudah shall walk with the House of Israel verse 18. Observe also what is said verse 16. They shall no more say The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to mind The presence of the Lord with the Israelites is no way to be compared with that his presence which is to be in the New Ierusalem for the Ark shall not then come into mind 'T is well observed by Cornelius à Lapide Hoc nomen valde congruit cum illo quod Christo imponitur Isa 7.14 Immanuel This Name hath very near affinity with the Name Immanuel God with us now as Christ was Immanuel by a personal presence on earth so the City will be called Iehovah Shammah from his Personal presence Now for the better clearing of this great truth of Christs personal Presence and Reign and of the Saints reigning with him two things are to be done 1. Scripture-Arguments for it shall be produced 2. Objections against it shall be answered For the first As Christ took our Nature and therein did execute his Prophetical Office by teaching and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God and also his Priestly Office by offering himself without spot to God so he hath a Kingly Office also which as he hath been executing providentially and spiritually he shall so do it personally and where he preached and suffered there will he reign and execute justice and judgment even in the earth Arguments to prove the Personal Presence of Christ in the New Jerusalem and his Reign upon Earth Arg. 1. REv. 3.21 To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me on my throne as I overcame and am set down with my Father upon his throne Christ was at this time in Heaven sitting upon the Fathers Throne which is his also as God He reigns as Mediator but sits on the Fathers Throne where he must sit till all his Enemies be made his Footstool Psalm 10.1 Sit at my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool We may observe that there is Christs sitting at the right hand of God upon the Fathers Throne and his sitting at the right hand of God upon his own Throne In the former respect he sits upon a Throne in Heaven in the latter he shall upon Earth The Scripture gives ground for this distinction for the former see Heb. 8.1 Who is set at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens that is at the right hand of the Father upon his Throne in Heaven Heb. 12.2 And is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Then for the latter his sitting at the right hand of God upon his Throne see Zech. 6.13 He shall sit and rule upon his throne His as distinct from his Fathers And he shall be a Priest upon his Throne two things are here manifest First as he sits and rules upon his Fathers Throne so he shall sit and rule upon his own Throne Secondly as he is now a Priest upon the Fathers Throne so he shall be a Priest upon his own Throne and there make Intercession and whilest he is a Priest making Intercession he is at the right hand of God Rom. 8.34 Who is at the right hand of God making intercession for us Thus we see that there is the Fathers Throne and Christs own Throne but where is the place of his Throne Not in Heaven for there he sits on the Fathers Throne therefore it must be on Earth of which we have a clear proof Mat. 25.31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory then and not till then upon his own Throne and his own Throne is that which is called the Throne of his Father David Isa 9.7 Luke 1.32 33. The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David and he shall rule over the house of Jacob. First he shall rule over the House of Jacob which he did not at his first coming for then the House of Jacob rejected him Secondly when he shall reign over the House of Jacob his Kingdom will be of long continuance of his Kingdom there shall be no end his Kingdom shall not be destroyed as those that go before it This Kingdom over the House of Jacob is doubtless that which the Disciples thought should immediately appear and 't is observable that Christ doth not deny the appearance of it in its time but the immediate appearance He shall sit upon the Throne of David David was in the old Jerusalem where he had his Throne and Christ who is David shall be in the new Jerusalem and have his Throne in it Then shall that Prophecy of Daniel be fulfilled Dan. 7.13 I saw one like the son of man which is expounded to be Christ verse 27. All Dominions shall serve him He came in the clouds of Heaven which in Scripture sets forth his personal coming and there was given him Glory and a Kingdom which is meant of a Kingdom on earth for it 's given him that all People Languages and Nations
and and Government This Kingdom will come with observation For as the Lightning shineth from one part under Heaven to the other so shall the Son of Man be in his day Then Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets shall be seen in the Kingdom of God and they shall come from the East and the West and North and South and shall sit down with them in that Kingdom Matth. 13.28 29. which hints a Kingdom on Earth for the East West North and South-parts of the Earth are not so called in relation to Heaven but with reference to some place on Earth For the farther clearing of this we may observe That there are in the Government two eminent prefigurations of this Kingdom The first is Christ's riding in triumph into Jerusalem Matth. 21.8 The Multitude spread their Garments and cut down Branches from the Trees and cried Hosanna to the Son of David blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Mark 11.10 Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David that comes in the Name of the Lord It came then in a small degree of it And when Christ shall come in his Kingdom at last then the Jews shall see him and say as the Multitudes did then Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord Matth. 23.39 And that which Christ did then seems to foretell two things which he shall do at his coming 1. He shall purge his Temple When he rode into Jerusalem he went to the Temple of God and cast out those that bought and sold in it Christ will throughly purge his Temple when he comes and make it the House of Prayer The Church shall be a Mountain of Holiness and that new World the Habitation of Justice 2. Christ will heal Infirmities v. 14. The Blind and the Lame came to him in the Temple and he healed them At his first coming he healed all manner of bodily Infirmities At his next he will heal not only bodily but spiritual Infirmities more eminently than at his first coming The second prefiguration of Christ's coming was his transfiguration of which we read Mat. 17.2 Christ said Chap. 16.28 There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom And we may observe to whom Christ spake this It was to his Disciples v. 24. Jesus said to his Disciples and so continues his Speech to them till he spake these words Now although Mark saith that he called the People to him with his Disciples yet he directs his Speech to the Disciples especially and therefore we may conceive that when he said there be some standing here c. he means some of his Disciples and not all of them and then it follows After six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John So they were the same here meant And his transfiguration before them was a type of his coming in his Kingdom This sense hath a great confirmation from 2 Pet. 1.16 17. We have not followed cunningly devised Fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of Christ but were Eye-witnesses of his Majesty As if he had said the power and coming of Christ was that which was shewn us for when we saw him on the Holy mount with his Face shining and his Rayment glistering we saw his power and coming and the glory in which he shall appear This is meant of his second coming of which we read Chap. 3. where he speaks of the Scoffers that should ask where is the promise of his coming Many look upon this glorious truth of Christ's coming to reign upon Earth as a cunningly devised Fable but saith Peter it is not so for that which we have seen with our Eyes declare we unto you How and when did they see it When they were with him in the Holy Mount and saw him transfigured before them Then they saw it in a Praeludium of it So when Peter spake of the power and coming of Christ and of the new Heavens and new Earth 't was that which he was an Eye-witness of at his transfiguration Hence three things may be concluded 1. When Christ shall come he shall come in his Kingdom 2. The raised and changed Saints shall then appear with him in glory of which the appearing of Moses and Elias was a type 3. When Christ shall come in glory and the raised and changed Saints shall appear with him in glory then there shall be other Saints in an inferiour state who may sometimes see Christ and the glorified Saints and have some converse with them Thus was it when Peter and James and John saw as Christ so Moses and Elias and why may it not be thus after the coming of Christ We may the better conceive it seeing those Saints which shall be in an inferiour state to the glorified ones will be much better capacitated for converse with them than Peter and James and John were at that time Arg. 6. The last argument shall be taken from Rev. 20. where Satans binding Christs reign and the resurrection of the dead Saints to reign with Christ and all for one thousand years are plainly declared Take the particulars in their order 1. The binding of Satan for one thousand years Concerning which observe First the description of him that shall be bound who is set forth under several names He is called the Dragon to set forth his cruelty being full of rage and wrath and the old Serpent to note his subtilty and cunning craftiness to deceive then the Devil a caluminator the accuser of the Brethren and lastly Satan the adversary the great Enemy of God and godliness of Christ and Christianity the hater of all men but especially of the houshold of faith 1 Pet. 5.8 Your adversary the Devil Now from this variety of Names we may conclude that this binding will not be partial and in some respects onely as they say who hold that he was bound at Christs Passion or at Constantines time but total and absolute from deceiving or doing mischief in any kind whatsoever He shall be bound as a Dragon and not be able to devour persecute cast into Prison or to cast a flood out of his mouth to swallow up the Saints He shall be bound as a Serpent and not tempt or beguile As a Devil he shall not accuse the Brethren and as Satan for though he shall continue an adversary yet he shall not be an adversary going up and down as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour In a word he shall be bound up as God of this world and Prince of the power of the Air and as a spirit working in the Children of disobedience This total binding will appear by considering Secondly the manner of his binding and the restraint which will be put upon him He shall be bound and cast into the bottomless pit and a Seal set upon him his Prison will be made sure he shall not break Prison
haply have been persecuted as Isaac was by Ishmael Satan hath been bruising the Heel of the Church from the beginning and will do it till his Head be bruised which will be at the beginning of the thousand years and so bruised that he shall not recover any thing of Dominion till the end of them and then he shall deceive the Nations but not hurt the Saints 'T will be but a vain Attempt against them He shall not touch them and there shall not so much as an hair of their head perish Thus far concerning the Arguments for the Personal Reign In the next place some Objections against it shall be answered Object 1. John 18.36 My Kingdom is not of this World A. The meaning can't be that Christ shall not have the Government of the World for he is King over all the Earth de jure and shall be de facto He hath Right to rule and shall at last rule according to his Right That we may the better understand this place let some other Scriptures in the first place be compared with it and then let this Scripture it self be considered For other Scriptures see Psa 96.11 12 13. Let the Heavens rejoyce and the Earth be glad let the Field be joyful and all that is therein then shall the Trees of the Wood rejoyce before the Lord for he cometh he cometh to judge the World in righteousness and the People with truth Whence is it that the Creatures shall thus rejoyce with the Saints Because they shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God and Satan and Antichrist shall not have dominion over them but all will be in subjection to Christ See also Psal 97. The Contents of which in the Syr. Version are these David foretels the coming of Christ and his last appearance and the Sept. gives it this Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Psalm of David Quando terra ejus restituta est vel quando stabilita est When his Earth was restored or established It is a Psalm fitted for the time of Christ's coming to reign and of the restitution of all things v. 2 3. Righteousness and Judgment are the habitation of his Throne a fire goeth before him and burneth up his Enemies round about him Which may well be judged to have reference to the Battel of Armageddon and the Conflagration which Peter foretels This Title is the more to be taken notice of because it agrees with what is said of Christ Isa 44.8 He is given for a Covenant to establish the Earth or to raise it up Christ's Throne shall be established in the Earth and then the Earth shall be established in a peaceable and prosperous estate Before it reels like a Drunkard Isa 24.22 and Nimrods will fill it with violence But Christ reigning he shall establish it upon a Foundation of Righteousness the effect of which shall be Peace Rev. 11.15 The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of Christ Though Christ saith My Kingdom is not of this world yet the Kingdoms of the World must at last be his If it were of this world and now to be set up then would my Servants fight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now my kingdom is not from hence At this time it is not to be set up over the World neither is it now to be from hence I shall not my Servants will not contend for it But the time will come when I will in my Majesty ride prosperously because of truth meekness and righteousness Next let this place it self be considered and first What was the occasion of these words Pilate asks Christ Art thou the King of the Jews this Christ doth not deny but asks another Question Speakest thou this of thy self And then Christ replies My Kingdom is not of this world As if he had said I am indeed the King of the Jews but they now reject me and will not that I should reign over them they will have no King but Caesar therefore let them suffer from Caesar and let their City be destroyed and left desolate till the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and then the Kingdom shall be restored to Israel Secondly what follows There was a Providence ordering that Inscription Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews A time must be when Christ shall be the King of the Jews Hos 2.5 The Children of Israel shall seek the Lord and David their King Pilate asks him again Art thou a King He answers Thou sayest that I am a King Thou savest that which indeed I am which he witnesseth in the next words For this cause was I born and came into the world that I might bear witness to the truth And if Christ was for this end born then the Saints are new born and Ministers called to bear witness to this truth And 't is observable that after all this Pilate justifies Christ thus far I find no fault in him Surely as the High Priest spake not of himself but being High Priest prophesied That it was expedient that one should die for that Nation so Pilate prophesied in the Inscription which was set over him that Christ should be the King of that Nation and as once Balaam and Saul were among the Prophets so was Pilate also when he wrote that Inscription and would not yield to an alteration of it Christ's great Enemies bear witness to his Priestly and his Kingly Office Thus much for answer to this Objection and for the clearing of this place which now appears to be not against but for this truth of Christ's Kingdom Object 2. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution A. Other Scriptures and those not a few do plainly declare a state of freedom from persecution at last They shall sit under their Vines and Fig-trees and have none to make them afraid Their Enemies shall come bending to them and bow themselves down at the soles of their feet How shall these Scriptures be reconciled with the former Acts 14.22 We must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdom of God As Saints now must look to go to Heaven through tribulations so the Church must for a long time endure tribulation but at last it shall get through it into the Kingdom of God which shall be upon Earth in which Christ shall reign and the Saints with him then time shall be no more that is troublous times persecuting suffering-times shall be no more but then shall be the day of the Son of man So distingue tempora concordabunt Scripturae state the times aright and Scriptures will agree In the day of the Man of Sin Saints suffer in the days of the Son of Man they shall have rest Obj. 3. Satan being loosed out of his Prison shall deceive the Nations and gather them to Battel and compass the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City Now can it be thought that they shall dare to do this if
God may suffer a false Prophet to withstand him even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses And as Elias shall perswade the Elect to follow the Lamb so this false Prophet shall seduce the Vessels of Wrath and draw them after the Beast And that Elias which shall come may have the gift of working Miracles and then as the Magicians of Egypt did seemingly some Wonders which were done by Moses and Aaron so may this false Prophet do somewhat in appearance like the Miracles of Elias 3. This Beast and false Prophet will have a most remarkable and strange Judgment executed upon them Rev. 19.20 These both were taken and cast alive into the Lake of Fire that is Hell Rev. 20.10 The Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and the false Prophet are So the Lake of Fire is Hell and these both were cast into it Which doth not only shew that the Antichristian State and Kingdom and so the Antichrist and Man of Sin shall be destroyed but it shews that the particular Person which shall then have Supream Power and Command in the fourth Kingdom and shall stand up against the Prince of Princes and that false Prophet which shall then be so active for the Beast even these two persons shall be cast alive c. Now that we are to take the Beast and false Prophet for two Individual Persons may be gathered from Rev. 20.10 The Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and false Prophet are This is above one thousand years after the taking of the Beast So that when the Antichristian State and Kingdom shall be wholly abolished the Beast and the false Prophet will be in torment Now this being cleared we may observe farther that they are said to be cast alive into this Lake That is destroyed Body and Soul in Hell For as this will be such a Beast as never was since there was a Beast causing such trouble to the Jews as never was since there was a Nation so he and his false Prophet shall have such Judgment as never was before Korah Dathan and Abiram went down quick into the Pit Numb Chap. 16. ver 30. For the Earth opening swallowed them up and so they were buried alive But this Beast and false Prophet shall be cast alive into Hell For at this time God's fury will come up in his Face Ezek. 38.18 And the anger of the Lord will be so exceeding hot against them for their most daring wickedness in standing up against the Prince of Princes a greater Sin than that of Korah's standing up against Moses and Aaron that he will not respite their full torment till the resurrection of the wicked above one thousand years after but then immediately shall they be cast Body and Soul into Hell and be under full torment in both And as Enoch and Elias persons so eminent for Godliness were translated that they did not see Death and were carried alive to Heaven so this Beast and false Prophet persons so eminent in wickedness shall be cast alive into Hell This sense is somewhat favoured by what follows The remnant were slain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rest therefore these were not slain by a bodily Death but both in Soul and Body were under the power of the Second Death Thus much of these two Beasts 4. The Day of Judgment and the Worlds perishing by fire For the better understanding of what we find in Scripture concerning the Day of Judgment take notice of two things 1. Christ will begin the work of Judgment at his next appearing 2 Tim. 4.1 The Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom When Christ shall appear and the New Jerusalem shall come down and Christ shall take to himself his great Power and Reign then he shall judge the quick and the dead Q. What shall Christ then do as a Judge or what shall be his judging-work at the beginning of the thousand years A. 1. The dead Saints shall be raised and judged at this time which is evident from Rev. 11.15 The seventh Angel sounds his Trumpet and there were Voices saying The Kingdoms of the world are beeome the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ This is at the beginning of the thousand years Now observe what is said verse 18. Thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged And what dead are meant the following words declare And that thou shouldest give reward to thy Servants the Prophets to the Saints and to all that fear thy Name small and great So by dead in this place are meant the dead Saints and all the dead Saints even as many as fear God's Name All these shall be judged by a sentence of Absolution and shall receive he Kingdom which was promised to them 2. Christ's work at this time as a Judge will be to destroy them that destroyed the Earth Rev. 11.18 Whence we may gather that this will not be the time of raising the Wicked but of destroying them not of raising them out of their Graves but of sending them to their Graves Which is also evident from 2 Pet. 3.7 The Heavens and Earth whieh are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto Fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men Here the day of Judgment is mentioned and this will be a day of perdition of ungodly men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of killing not of making them alive again And lastly The Heavens and Earth which now are shall then perish by Fire And here I shall insist a little upon these words and shew what we are to understand by the Heavens and Earth which now are and how they shall perish by fire and by this we shall see farther what the judging work of this day will be Consider then The Heavens and Earth which are now do signifie the World which now is both with respect to that which was before it and perished by Water and also to that which shall be after it and is to come even the new Heavens and the new Earth wherein Righteousness shall dwell And if we consider what World it was that perished by Water we shall the better know what World it is that shall perish by Fire Now the Heavens taken in a proper sense did not perish neither did the Body of the Earth perish but all the Men upon the face of the Earth perished except those in the Ark and all other living Creatures without the Ark in whom was the Breath of Life and also the Fruits of the Earth 2 Pet. 2.5 Bringing in a Flood upon the world of the ungodly This World of the Ungodly perished by water And together herewith there were Analogical Heavens and Earth which also perished by water Analogical Heavens there were which perished and those both Political and Ecclesiastical 1. Political Heavens that is the Superiour Sovereign and Ruling part of that World for as
after shall be shewn thus Heaven is sometimes taken And 't is to be observed that the Ruling part of that World was exceeding corrupt For those that were highest in power were most eminent in wickedness The great Men were the greatest Sinners and did fill the World with Violence Rapines Oppressions and all manner of unrighteousness Gen. 6.11 And therefore God brought a Flood in which these Heavens perished For all the Principalities and Powers of that wicked and ungodly World were swept away by the Flood 2. Ecclesiasticall Heavens Churches on Earth are sometimes called Heaven the Kingdom of Heaven frequently in the Evangelists signifies the Church Rev. 12.7 There was war in Heaven That is in the Church Now the Ecclesiastical Heavens that is the Churches of that World perished by Water even all except that in the Ark. 'T is said Gen. 4.26 Then began men to call upon the Name of the Lord. There were Churches of Seth's Posterity which worshipped God But these did at last exceedingly apostatize as we see Gen. 6.2 The Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men and took them Wives of all that they chose And thereupon the Lord says My Spirit shall not always strive with Man for that he also is flesh Observe these words He also the Sons of God were spoken of immediately before this He also therefore is meant of the Church-member even he that was called the Son of God was also flesh Not onely those without but also those within the Church not onely the Posterity of Cain but also the Posterity of Seth had corrupted their way and all the imaginations of their hearts were also evil continually Now these Heavens did also perish by water because of the great wickedness found in them There was an Analogical Earth also which perished by water that is as Superiours so Inferiours as Masters so Servants as the Mighty men so the mean men as the Giants so the Dwarfs the Flood swept all away and one as easily as the other And here we may do well to observe what kind of wickednesses they were which brought the Flood there was desperate Apostasie of the Sons of God there was Pride amongst them they became men of Renown and also cruelty and oppression they filled the world with voilence The Giants in stature were Giants in wickedness The old world was an Atheistical and desperately debauched world and when God gave space and warning to repent by Noahs preaching they repented not In a word 't is to be observed that the world of the ungodly then was become wholly arbitrary every one would be sui juris and not be subject to or act by a Law The mighty men and Sovereign part of it were absolute and arbitrary They would be arbitrary in ruling others and exercised what violence they pleased and arbitrary in ruling themselves giving themselves up to the lusts of uncleanness not only taking Wives of the Daughters of men but as Gen. 6.4 also after that they went in unto the Daughters of men to others that is besides their Wives and they took of all that they chose and therein the arbitrariness of that world appeared they chose by Lust and not by Law from their own wills and not according to the will of God The People of God will have God to chuse for them Psal 47.4 He shall chuse our Inheritance for us But these would chuse for themselves This was the first transgression Adam would become arbitrary he liked not Gods choise but he himself would chuse what Fruit to eat and we may observe how displeasing this was to God Behold the man is become like one of us Gen. 3.22 to know good and evil that is as God is absolute and his Will is the rule of good or evil what he wills is good and what he nils is to be lookt on as evil So now Adam would become absolute to know good and evil and have his own Will the rule of it this highly provoked God 'T is his incommunicable Prerogative to be absolute This arbitrariness God did avenge and that speedily upon him 1. He must not eat of the Tree of life 2 He was cast out of Paradise He that would be all and absolute loses all thereby And when the old world became arbitrary a Flood came and swept all away Thus we see what world it was that perished by water In the next place let it be considered what Heavens and Earth are to perish by Fire And now I shall endeavour to make it manifest that there are as natural so analogical Heavens and Earth and Heavens both Political and Ecclesiastical Isa 34. we have a Prophecy of the Judgments wherewith God will at last avenge his Church v. 2. The Indignation of the Lord is upon all Nations and his fury upon all their Armies V. 4. All the Host of Heaven shall be dissolved and the Heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole and all their Host shall fall down and the next verse shews what Heavens are meant My Sword shall come down upon Idumea and upon the People of my curse to Judgment The Unicorns shall come down and the Bullocks for it is the Day of the Lords Vengeance and the Year of Recompenses for the Controversie of Sion So that by Heaven here are meant the Churches Antichristian Enemies who have been in Power and above and long have had the upper hand in the World This will appear also from Hag. 2.6 7. I will shake the Heavens the Earth the Sea and the dry Land This shaking is to make way for the coming of Christ That it looks beyond his first coming is evident from Heb. 12.27 where 't is spoken of as a thing then to come And why shall these Heavens and Earth be shaken 'T is for the removing of things that may be shaken as of things that are made Not things as made by God for this is no reason for their removal that they are made by God therefore by things made are meant the things made by Men. For as there are Heavens and Earth made by God so there are Heavens and Earth of Mens making and that both in a Political and Ecclesiastical sence There are many Babels of Mens building The Turkish Religion and frame was made by Men. The Pope both in his Civil and Ecclesiastical Power was made by Men. The Popish Religion and that Antichristian Form of Worship and frame of Government which Popery doth establish is of Mens making Now this shaking will be to remove things made contrary to the Mind of God And this agrees well with Peter The Earth with the works therein even all Antichristian Works shall be burnt up And with Mat. 13.14 The Angels shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity There are now many things which offend God and good Men but at last all will be gathered out of the Kingdom This appears also from Rev. 6.12 13. I beheld when he opened the
sixth Seal and lo there was a great Earthquake and the Sun became black and the Moon as Blood and the Stars of Heaven fell and the Hevens departed as a scrole when it is rolled together By Heaven is meant the Roman Empire as heathenish and under the Power of Heathen Emperours 'T is well observed by Mede that Vniversitas Romana hic à spiritu sancto assimilatur systemati mundi c. That great and large Empire of Rome is likned to the frame of the World Heaven Earth and Air are the parts of the World in the Heaven are Sun Moon and Stars and here below Sea and Rivers Now the Roman Empire had its Political Heaven of Power and Sovereignty and Sun and Stars in it and all these were rolled together as a scroll the Heathenish Power did pass away And that Empire which at first was Heathenish is now Antichristian and must pass away as the former did This World must Perish by Fire For 't is observable that the Roman Empire both as Heathenish and Antichristian is called the World in Scripture Luke 2.1 There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the World should be taxed that is the people of the Roman Empire Rev. 13.3 All the World wondered after the Beast Here 's an Antichristian World And this World even the fourth Kingdom as now under Antichrist must pass away The Sun Moon and Stars all the Host of this Heaven must perish by Fire and all the Elements thereof must melt with fervent heat For the Plagues of the Vials shall be poured out upon the Antichristian Earth Sea and Rivers and Fountains of Waters and upon the Sun so that the World wondering after this Beast shall perish And the last Vial being poured into the Air shews the utter destruction of Satan's Kingdom who is Prince of the Power of the Air. And then the great City Babylon falls and with it the Cities of the Nations and every Island must flee away and the Mountains shall be no where found neither Mountains of Pride nor Mountains of Prey Thus we see it manifest that there are Heavens and Elements both Civil and Ecclesiastical which must perish Heavens the Sovereign part of the Antichristian World Earth the Subjected part all are to be burnt up In the next place it is to be considered by what Fire For there is as Natural so Fire in an Analogical sense Now. 1. It 's not to be doubted but that Fire in a proper sense will be made use of to help forward the Judgment of that great day For as the old World perished by Water so the World which now is must by Fire Babylon which is the Seat of the Beast must be utterly burnt with Fire Rev. 18.6 Reward her as she haâ—h rewarded you Giue her blood to drink for she is worthy give her burning for she is worthy Give her blood for blood burning for burning For as she hath destroyed many of the Saints by Fire so therefore let her perish by Fire as she is spiritually called Sodom so let her be consumed by Fire like Sodom And as Elijah called for Fire from Heaven so Fire will be called for from Heaven to destroy those that destroyed the Earth And thus as Analogical Heavens perished by Water so may Heavens and Earth both Political and Ecclesiastical perish by Fire 2. Analogical Fire will be made use of for destroying the Heavens and Earth which are now And so the Fire of the Word and Spirit and judicial Fire First the Fire of the Word and Spirit Of which we read 1 Cor. 3.13 The day shall declare every Mans work of what sort it is and it shall be revealed by Fire The Gold and Silver and precious Stones shall be revealed by Fire and the Wood and Hay and Stubble shall be burnt up Antichristian Doctrine Discipline Ordinances Traditions and Forms of Worship shall be all burnt up The Tares shall be known Hypocrites shall be discovered and gathered out of the Kingdom of God and there shall be neither persons nor things in it any way offensive to any of the sincere Servants of God Secondly Judicial Fire The great Judgments of that day will be a consuming fire to the Enemies of Christ the Light of Israel shall be for a fire and his Holy one for a flame and shall consume the Bryers and Thorns fury and fiery Indignation shall then devour the Adversaries Heb. 12.29 Our God is a consuming fire In that great Day of Judgment he will so appear And then Angels as Instruments in executing Wrath will be as fire to burn up the wicked Psa 104.4 He maketh his Angels Spirits his Ministers a flame of Fire These flames of fire will be at work to burn up as the wicked ones of the Earth so their works in the Earth at that day Thus Fire in each of these kinds will help to dissolve the Heavens which are now and to burn up the works of the Earth So that we are not to restrain or limit the Fire here mentioned to any one sort but to take it in the largest and most comprehensive sense For as there will be work for Fire in each of these kinds so all will be at work in that Day of Perdition of ungodly Men. And when the Heavens and Earth which now are shall be dissolved then will new be created wherein pure Religion and Righteousness shall dwell which will constitute that World to come which is ordained for Christ to reign in And what shall be done with these Material Heavens and Earth after the thousand years and the finishing of Christ's Judging-work none is able to determine I shall conclude this particular of the Worlds perishing by Fire with some thoughts which I have had upon Rev. 15.2 3. I saw as it were a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire and them that had gotten the Victory over the Beast c. stand upon the Sea of Glass having the Harps of God and they sing the Song of Moses c. As the Plagues of the Vials are foretold in the general verse 1. So in the next place is shewn what great Joy will be amongst the People of God because of the great and marvellous works of God in destroying their Enemies by these Plagues and delivering them from the greatest trouble and danger that ever they were in And then follows a particular description of the Plagues of the Vials and the order in which they are to be poured out Now the second and third Verses shew that the Saints were represented to John in this Vision as being in the like condition with the Israelites when they beheld the Egyptians dead upon the Sea-shore and rejoyced over them For when the conquering Saints are said to stand upon the Sea of Glass and to sing the Song of Moses what doth this singing the Song of Moses intimate but that such a wonderful deliverance will be wrought at last for the People of God as that of the Israelites
shall it be to the end of these Wonders This is a great Question How long 'T was a Question once askt in Heaven The Angel said Zach. 1.12 How long O Lord And the Souls under the Altar cry How long And thus do the Followers of the Lamb on Earth How long When shall Antichrist be destroyed When shall the glorious Kingdom of Christ come The Answer is When he shall have accomplished to scatter the Power of the holy People all these things shall be finished When the holy People shall be very low and Babylon very high and say I sit a Queen c. then her Plagues shall come the Antichristian Sun must go down at Noon and in the Evening-time it shall be Light to the Saints We have great reason to take notice of this Sign for it is confirmed by an Oath Dan. 12.7 The Man clothed in Linen sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time times and an half and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people all shall be finished This indeed is spoken concerning the Jews Three years and an half must they lye under the power of a civil death after their being called and after their getting some power over their Enemies whereby the Pride of Assyria shall be brought down and the Scepter of Egypt shall depart even after this their power must be scattered and the power of their Enemies will grow very great as we see Rev. 16.14 But then in the midst of those swellings of Jordan when it shall overflow all its Banks shall Jordan be driven back and a way shall be made for the people of God to enter into their rest This is a sworn and therefore a sure Sign Now we may observe that the case of the Gentile-Saints will be the same with that of the Jews for the dispensations of God will be alike to both These as the Jews must be scattered and lie dead three days and an half for the Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless Pit will make war against them overcome and kill them Rev. 11.6 This same thing is set forth in another Vision Rev. 12. Where we read that the Woman is driven into the Wilderness to be there 1260 days and towards the end of these days the Woman thinks her self gotten out of the Wilderness and saith Salvation is come c. But then the Dragon persecutes the Woman and she flies into the Wilderness and is nourished there for a time times and the dividing of a time which is the same with the three days and half Now when such a scattering and killing happens this will be a sign of the fall of Babylon at hand as we see Rev. 11.13 The Witnesses have power to shut Heaven and to smite the Earth with all Plagues and then the scattering of Power comes 2. A second Sign is that which we read Rev. 12.15 The Serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood to carry away the Woman This is the last attempt against the Woman that is the Church of Christ before she gets out of her Wilderness-estate and before the rising of the Witnesses So that when it shall appear that the Serpent is about this work therein an evident Sign will be given of the very near approach of the Fall of Babylon For this is a work to be done in the time of the Witnesses lying dead and after the Woman is driven the second time into the Wilderness Now as for this Flood we may observe that the Serpent hath several sorts of Floods to cast out of his mouth He hath a Flood of Errors and Heresies to cast out and 't is to be observed that the Devil hath been gathering the Errors and Heresies of ancient times and hath been casting them out altogether in this time and many are carried away by this Flood but the Elect shall not He hath been casting out a Flood of Atheism of Prophaneness and Ungodliness and many have been carried away with this Flood There is another kind of Flood which we read of Isa 59.19 When the Enemy shall come in like a Flood c. Psa 18.4 there are Floods of ungodly men And by Waters in the Revelations are meant Multitudes of People over whom the Woman sits Now we may conceive that the Flood is of this kind because the Earth helps the Woman by swallowing up this Flood This Flood is to be cast out of the Devils mouth We may observe that all sin and so the consequents of it came originally out of the Serpent's mouth for the Serpent spake to Eve and so deceived her and drew her into the transgression So Sin entred and Death and all came out of the Serpent's mouth In like manner will the Serpent be speaking to the hearts of men and perswade them to gather together and make up this Flood and by his Instruments those unclean Spirits like Frogs mentioned Rev. 16.13 will speak in the ears of men And thus will this Flood come out of the Serpent's mouth Now when this Flood is cast out the Earth helps the Woman that is some of the Inhabitants of the Earth being led to it by their own interest swallow up this Flood And if such a thing happens after the killing of the Witnesses that is a Flood shall be cast out and the Earth shall be seen to help the Woman and to swallow it up then so plain and manifest a sign will be given of Babylon's sudden downfal that he that runs may read it and may say to Babylon Come down and sit in the dust yea sit thou silent and get thee into darkness for thy time is near to come and thy days shall not be prolonged and thou as well as old Babylon which was the Glory of Kingdoms and the Beauty of the Chaldee 's Excellency shall be as when God overthrew Sodom And here we may observe what matter of Consolation there is in these Prophecies when the troubles and dangers of the Church are foretold in them For when the Dragon persecutes the Woman two Wings of a great Eagle are given to the Woman and so she flies from the Face of the Serpent God will sufficiently provide for the Woman's safety and preservation when nothing but utter destruction seems to be coming upon her for the persecuting Dragon shall be no more able to overtake and devour the Woman flying into the Wilderness than a Beast running upon the Earth can catch and devour an Eagle flying in the midst of Heaven And then when the Serpent casts out this Flood to carry away the Woman the Earth helps the Woman Here 's this comfort for the People of God This last design against the Woman whilst in the Wilderness shall most assuredly be made void for though Babylon will be above all doubt of failing in it and her great confidence and raised expectations shall make her say I sit a Queen and shall not see sorrow yet her Plagues will
suddenly come and Babylon's hopes and Sion's fears shall not come to pass This Flood shall not cannot carry away the Woman but must be swallowed up in the Earth the Woman must have help and we see that rather than want it the Earth that hates shall help the Woman And that God which rides upon the Heaven in his People's help and in his Excellency on the Sky shall ride also upon the Earth for their help And what comfort is this for the threatned Woman that both Heaven and Earth will be against the design of this Flood and shall utterly make it void God hath said it and it must be done For verily till Heaven and Earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from this and other Prophecies which the Lord requires his People to give heed to till all be fulfilled 3. The last sign is the Dragon 's making War with the Remnant of the Woman's Seed Rev. 12.17 Which keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ For this consider 1. The Woman is the Church of God in this European part of the World where the Beast hath his Seat and where he hath great Authority The Church in the Wilderness persecuted by the Dragon but protected and nourished there 2. The remnant of the Woman's Seed are some who were the Seed of that Church which the Dragon would carry away with the Flood having been begotten in it by the Word of Truth but when the Dragon makes this War with them they are removed from it into some other part of the World which appears by this 't is said the Dragon went to make war with this remnant in the Greek 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abiit he went away He goes away from the Woman which must be the Protestant Churches which the Serpent would carry away with a Flood to make this War therefore this remnant must be elsewhere So he leaves his Work for afflicting this Woman to his invisible and visible Angels and goes away to afflict this remnant So that after the War against the Witnesses and besides the casting the Flood out of his mouth to carry away the Woman he makes War with this Remnant 3. This Remnant is known by these two Characters 1. They keep the Commandments of God and worship him according to his own Institutions 2. They have the Testimony of Jesus Christ They hold it yea and must maintain it and keep it up notwithstanding the War made against them Now when it shall be seen that the Dragon is gone to make War against such a Remnant of the Womans Seed this will be a great sign of a Day of Redemption from Antichristian Tyranny drawing nigh For the next thing which we read of concerning the followers of the Lamb is that the 144000 of the suffering and sealed Saints get out of the Wilderness and stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion Rev. 14.1 and then it follows v. 6. I saw another Angel flie in the midst of Heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach it to those that dwell upon the Earth Where observe that as the Earth did help the Woman so for a reward the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to those that dwell upon the Earth And then v. 8. we read Another Angel followed saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City because she made all Nations drink of the Wine of the wrath of her Fornication Now as for this Remnant this one thing may be observed That whoever and wheresoever they shall appear to be thus much may with much certainty and comfort be concluded that as the Lord takes such care of the Woman that she shall not be carried away of the Flood so he will have the like care of this Remnant that they shall not be destroyed by this War of the Dragon For this is all that is said he went away to make War with them 'T is not said he shall overcome and destroy them whereas when the War against the Witnesses is foretold 't is said the Beast shall make War against them and overcome them and kill them and we may well suppose that if God had intended the like effect of this War it would have been foretold also but their comfort will be this the Dragon shall make War with them and afflict them for a time which will work for their good he shall not overcome and destroy them But when the Lord shall have chastised and humbled them and done his whole work upon them by the Spirit of Judgment and Burning he will then deliver them and create upon Mount Sion and her Assemblies a Cloud and Smoak by Day and the shining of a flaming Fire by Night for upon all the Glory shall be a defence 6. Some Advantages by the Knowledge of these Truths If any shall ask as Paul in another case What advantage hath the Jew So what advantage hath he that knows these Mysteries What profit is there by speaking or writing of them I may answer much every way For 1. The knowledge of them may have a great Influence upon the Saints to make them better Saints and to promote Holiness and Godliness among them This is the use which Peter makes of this Doctrine 2 Pet. 3.11 Seeing these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness v. 14. Seeing ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless What things The New Heavens and the New Earth wherein Righteousness shall dwell This World will pass away and a better will come What should you do then but pray that you may be accounted worthy of that World and the Resurrection from the Dead even of a part in the First Resurrection and may stand before the Son of Man God hath left us these Truths amongst his Oracles and the Oracles of God are to be reckoned amongst the chief advantages which now the Saints have Doth the Scripture speak in vain saith James Chap. 4. v. 5. Why but if these truths which the Scripture speaks so abundantly of are not to be read studied and searcht into then it must be said that the Scripture speaks much in vain Surely the Scriptures do not contain any superfluities of truths and if such as preach the Gospel would be able to say as Paul I have not shunned to declare the whole Counsel of God then they should study and preach these things 2. The knowledge of these truths will be Meat to the People inhabiting the Wilderness if mixt with Faith in the heart They are some of the hidden Manna and Honey out of the Rock and a Well in the Valley of Baca. Psa 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living David being once amongst the Idolatrous Philistims was then in the Land of the Dead even among such who were dead in sins
and alienated from the life of God but then he believed that he should return to Judea the Land of the Living which is so called Ezek. 32.23 Judgments are threatned to the Jews Enemies because they caused terrour in the Land of the Living The Woman being in the Wilderness her hope and confidence is to see the goodness of the Lord in a Canaan And the dead Witnesses shall be in the Land of the living 3. The knowledge of these Truths will be matter of encouragement to the People of God to stand it out in an evil day When 't is known what Plagues are ready to come upon Babylon men will take the more heed that they partake not in her sins and that they be not found within the Confines of it If the great Truth of the first Resurrection were well improved what power would it have to keep men upright in apostatizing times Heb. 11.35 The Believers of old did not accept of deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection If the hope of a Resurrection at so great a distance was such a support how much more should it be so now being much nearer This expression of a better Resurrection in Hope did intimate that they might have had a present one then their Enemies that cast them down would have given them a Resurrection if they would have accepted it on their terms Even so the Beast that casts them down will give a Resurrection to the Witnesses of Christ if when risen they will fall down and worship him Now what will better encourage the Witnesses to endure to the end than the hope of a better Resurrection Two great Resurrections are spoken of in Scripture 1. That of the slain witnesses Rev. 11.11 After three days and a half the Spirit of Life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and after ascended to Heaven and their Enemies beheld them and that 's all they do they cannot kill them again If any in such time accept of a Resurrection from the Beast they must soon fall with him But let them keep the Commandments of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ so shall they stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion 2. That of the dead Saints at the coming of Christ they shall live and reign with Christ Here are two things much for the comfort of Saints 1. The godly shall be raised and be with Christ long before the wicked shall be raised and they shall be the Sheep at Christ's right Hand and after the wicked shall be raised and be the Goats at Christ's left Hand The godly and wicked dye alike and Worms devour their bodies Eccl. 2.16 How dieth the wise Man As the Fool. How dyeth the godly Man As the wicked But though they dye alike yet they shall not arise alike but Saints first and they shall be long in glory and at last the wicked shall be raised to shame and everlasting contempt 2. The Saints when raised shall have glorious Bodies the Wicked shall have immortal Bodies capable of everlasting torments but not glorious Bodies For their vile Bodies shall be raised vile and remain vile for ever Their Bodies are vile whilst they live more vile when they dye and shall be most vile when raised again For as the Souls so the Bodies of the godly and wicked shall be in a contrary State If then the Saints shall have glorious Bodies in the Resurrection the wicked shall have vile Bodies and according to the degree of glory which the Saints Bodies shall have will be the degree of vileness in wicked Mens Bodies What encouragement is this to follow the Lamb withersoever he goes that so you may have assurance of living and reigning with Christ 7. The conclusion of all in some Counsels and Directions 1. Receive Christ now and when he comes he will receive you to himself Open to him and he will open to you Receive him for Life and to be your Lord and then you may say when Christ who is our life shall appear we shall also appear with him in Glory Live in him and live to him so may you hope to live and reign with him If to you to live be Christ then to dye will be great gain and to rise will be greater 2. Look for and love the appearing of Christ To them that look for him he shall appear and give a Crown of righteousness to them that love his appearing If you deny your selves and take up the Cross of righteousness and follow Christ then you shall have the Crown of righteousness 3. Have your Conversations in Heaven mind heavenly things and drive a trade in Heaven buy Gold white Rayment and Eye-salve of Christ Get the Powders of the heavenly Merchant wherewith the Spouse is perfumed Walk by a heavenly Rule imitate an heavenly Pattern and aim at an heavenly End and so look for a Saviour from Heaven 4. Be of the number of wise Virgins be Virgins pure incorrupt espoused to Christ Take him as the Chiefest of ten thousand and altogether lovely and be wise Virgins in getting Oyle for your Vessels Let there be true faith joining you to Christ that you may receive of his fulness grace for grace Rest not in a Form but see that there be the Power of Godliness Thus shall you go in with the Bridegroom to the Marriage 5. Have a righteousness exceeding the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees For without this you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Mat. 5.20 This must be First The righteousness of Faith which is the righteousness of God laid hold on by Faith This the Pharisees would not submit to but went about to establish their own righteousness You can't be righteous before God but in the righteousness of God even of Christ God-Man Secondly A righteousness in your works which must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees in these two respects 1. You must be Servants to righteousness Rom. 6.18 Being made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousness The Pharisees made their reighteousness a Servant to them in that they sought their own praise thereby Let yours exceed theirs in being Servants of righteousness 2. You must love righteousness and be Servants to it out of love Baalam loved the wages of unrighteousness the Pharisees loved the ways of righteousness but Christ loved righteousness Heb. 1.9 and so do those that are Christ's and therein they exceed the Scribes and Pharisees And if you have this righteousness exceeding theirs consider what Promises are made to you Isa 33.24 Who among us shall dwell with devouring Fire Who among us shall dwell with everlasting Burnings He that walketh in righteousness and speaketh uprightness Interpreters look no farther than Hezekiahs time for a sense of this place as if this and what follows had its accomplishment when Jerusalem was besieged and Sennachrib's Army destroyed which may be part of the sense and somewhat that was typical But doubtless Isaiah looks to the last
days here as well as in many other of his Prophecies even to the time when Jerusalem shall be a quiet Habitation a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down v. 20. Q. What then shall we understand by this Fire A. It is such a Fire as the Righteous shall dwell with and not be hurt by and therfore not Hell-Fire so they shall not dwell with it Why should not the Fire which Peter speakes of be here meant That Fire to which the World that now is in Being is reserved called everlasting Burnings because as to the wicked which will be consumed by them they will be the beginnings of everlasting burnings For the ungodly ones who shall perish by them shall never be out of the Fire afterwards Now who shall dwell with those burnings who shall live when God doth this and when this dreadful Conflagration shall be who shall be like Moses on the Mount that burned and not be consumed The Answer is He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly And 't is farther promised Thine Eyes shall see the King in his beauty That is Hezekiah say Interpreters who as in the time of the Siege he did rend his cloaths and covered himself with Sackloth so when that great Deliverance was wrought he was seen in his beauty again but the Chaldee Paraphrase gives a better sense which in Latine is thus rendered Gloriam Majestatis regisâ— seculorum in decore suo videbunt oculi tui Thine Eyes shall see the King eternal as he is called 1 Tim. 1.17 in the glory of his Majesty Even that King spoken of v. 22. The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King And 't is farther promised They shall behold the Land that is very far off That is say some Senacheribs Siege shall be raised and then the Jews shall go abroad in the Land again But what reason was there to call any part of Judea the Land very far off from Jeurusalem Surely somewhat else seems hinted and why may we not think it to be meant of a Land very far off in respect of the time of its being For as we read of times afar off so there was a Land far off in regard of the time of its existence even the new Earth which is to be created in which Righteousness shall dwell and upon which the Saints shall reign with Christ This was in Isaiah's time The Land very far off but now very near which they that walk in Righteousness shall behold 6. Pray earnestly that this Kingdom may come God delights much in such Prayers We may see what a large Commission is given for praying for these things Isa 45.11 Ask me of things to come concerning my Sons I have spoken much of them and do you ask me of them Ask and you shall know much of them Ask and they shall come ask me of them and you shall have a share in them when they come And concerning the works of my hands command ye me 1. Command ye me God hath put himself under a Law by his gracious Promise Covenant and Oath He that Commands all yields to be Commanded by the Prayer of his People 2. Concerning the works of my hands command ye me Which may either look back to works already wrought or forward to works to be wrought First to works already wrought My Sons are the works of my hands created to good works and formed for my praise Now do you command me concerning them and then I will command their Enemies to let them go free I will say to the North give up to the South keep not back bring my Sons from far and my Daughters from the ends of the Earth Secondly to works to be wrought I will create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a joy I will make the new Heavens and the new Earth and concerning these works which my hands shall make command ye me Those that would at last reign must now overcome First within there is an Old Man to be overcome and you must get the Rule of your own Spirits which is better than to rule a City Let Grace reign over Corruption Spirit over Flesh Let Faith Love and the Fear of God rule in patience possess your Souls Let there be a Kingdom of Patience and then shall there be at last a Kingdom of Power Secondly you must overcome without There is a World to be overcome and that both the good and the evil of it The good thus All things are lawful but I will not be under the power of any Covetous Men are under the power of Riches let it not be so with you do you through Grace rule them and use them as you ought and let not them rule you And as for the evil things of the World meddle not with them but keep your selves unspotted of the World Save your selves from the Sins and so shall you from the Plagues of an untoward Generation There is a Satan also to be overcome 1 John 5.18 He that is born of God keepeth himself and that evil One toucheth him not Tactu qualitativo that is by a touch altering the Nature he shall not destroy the Divine Nature or Seed of God in the Regenerate He touched Adam and he died but he can't so touch a true Saint There is lastly a Beast to be overcome There is a twofold overcoming the Beast First In his temptations and endeavours to subject the Hearts and Consciences of all to him So Saints choosing to suffer from him rather than to serve him do overcome There is a Victory gotten over his Mark and over the Number of his Name when many do adore him and reverence and honour his Name as a Name above every Name as exalting himself above all that is called God they have his Name in greatest contempt when some call him the Vicar of Christ the Head of the Church and when he shews himself that he is God The faithful Witnesses overcome all these high Titles and great Names and call him by his right Names the Antichrist the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition Secondly In his Power and Kingdom Overcome him in the first sense and 't will not be long before the Saints shall see him overcome in this latter sense Great Promises are made to Overcomers in the Second and Third Chapters of the Revelations and they look to the Day of Christ's Personal Reign as the special time for their accomplishment Not but that the Spirits of Just Men have the substance of them in Heaven but when their Bodies shall be raised then will be the eminent time of fulfilling them For then shall they rule the Nations with a Rod of Iron and sit with Christ upon his Throne Be Overcomers then and you shall be able to say at last as Joshua did Not one thing hath failed of all the good Word which the Lord hath spoken Written by William Alleine Minister of the Gospel FINIS Some Discovery OF THE NEVV
yield a Juice like Honey and he after saith we may call that part of the Earth divine where whatsoever Fruit is most dear and precious is in most abundance Also in all other Fruits it surpasses all Countreys in the World for it multiplieth all things and increaseth them sooner there the cause whereof I judge to be the pleasant waters and warm nourishing Air which inviteth all things to spring and then increaseth them and the moisture causeth all things to take firm root and defendeth them from drought In Summer the Air of that place is so temperate that when it snoweth in other parts of Judea and is extream cold the Inhabitants in this place do onely wear a Linnen Garment Thus he declares the Fertility of Jericho caused by that Miracle and certainly a greater Miracle than this here will be wrought for there are promises in Scripture of a great Fertility that shall be after the Calling of the Jews Ezek. 36.30 I will multiply the Fruit of the Tree and the Increase of the Field so that ye shall receive no more reproach of Famine Verse 35. The Land that was desolate shall become like the Garden of Eden What a great Change will there be in the Earth when desolate and barren Land shall be like Eden And as we have ground to conclude that many of God's Works wrought among the Jews of old were typical of greater Works which shall be wrought for them at last for which see Jer. 23.8 So why may we not gather something from that work of God in giving them Water out of the Rock And that which I would especially hint is from Deut. 32.13 He gave them Honey out of the Rock and Oyl out of the flinty Rock The Water is called Honey and Oyl And why First Because it was a Supply flowing from special Grace and Mercy special Grace adds a great deal of Sweetness to common Mercies Secondly It was an extraordinary Supply in time of great need Water in that extremity was as Honey and Oyl Thirdly It was a Type of Christ for They drunk of that Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 An Eye of Faith looking unto Christ would make it sweeter and more pleasant than Honey and Oyl Fourthly It being Water given them by a Miracle might have sweetness and vertue beyond ordinary water For as the Bread given them by a Miracle has the taste of Honey and fresh Oyl so might this mirhculous Water When Christ turned Water into Wine that was far better than ordinary Wine the Governour of the Feast said Thou hast kept the good Wine until now The other in comparison with this did not deserve to be called good Wine Doubtless that miraculous Wine was the best Wine that ever was drunk and why may we not conceive the like of this miraculous Water which might be typical in relation to the times of Restitution in which even Water the most common mercy shall have much more vertue and pleasantess in it than now it hath 'T is said of Fire and Water that they are good Servants but bad Masters and theâ— have often been bad Masters in these times of the Old Heavens and Old Earth but in the time of the New they shall be good Servants alone and no more bad Masters to the Saints The Air also will be sweet wholesom and fructifying and what hath a spiritual meaning Cant. 4.16 will be then true in a natural sense also The North-wind shall awake and the South-wind blow that the Spices may flow forth No blasting-wind or that which will hinder the flowings forth of Fruits but that which shall farther their flowing forth and then the rough wind shall be stayed in the day of the East-wind 3. The Creatures shall be delivered from all their usurping and oppressing Lords Satan shall not Lord it over them neither the Man of Sin they shall be together in the Bottomless Pit and all Christ's Enemies will be made his Footstool whereby the Creature shall have its so-much longed-for Liberty and shall be in Subjection to him who is to be the desire of all Nations and of the whole Creation of whom 't is said Psa 8.4 What is man that thou art so mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him thou madest him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands and hast put all things in subjection under his feet Which must be fulfilled in that World which is to come as is evident Heb. 2.5 6. For as to the present state of things in the World as now it is the Apostle saith v. 8. We see not yet all things put under him 4. The Liberty of the Creature consists in the lawful Use of it 1 Cor. 7.31 They that use the world as not abusing it Here two things may be observed First The Creature is to be used and not enjoyed Life and Happiness doth not consist in it carnal men enjoy the Creatures the covetous man enjoyes his Wealth as Dives did Son remember that thou in thy life-time hadst thy good things Worldly men have their portion in this life and say 'T is good to be here Now such an enjoying of the Creature holds it in bondage its Liberty is to be used well insist Psa 110.7 't is said of Christ He shall drink of the Brook in the way and then men should lift up the head and heart to him in whose favour is their life Secondly The Creature should be used lawfully and not abused a lawful Use is its liberty There is a natural Use of Creatures which is for Food and Rayment and somewhat for Delight for Gen. 2.9 Out of the Ground God made every Tree to grow which was good for Food and pleasant to the eye In the times of Restitution it will be so Fruits both profitable and pleasant will be made to grow Hos 2.21 It shall come to pass in that day that is when the Jews shall be betrothed to the Lord I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the Heavens and the Heavens shall hear the Earth and the Earth shall hear the Corn and the Wine and the Oyl and they shall hear Jezreel When the Jews shall be Jezreel the Seed of God all the Creatures shall with one consent serve that Jezreel What is the reason that now 't is otherwise for many times the Heavens hear not the Earth the Earth hears not the Corn the Corn hears not men 'T is because for the most part instead of being a Jezreel they serve a Jezabel There is a Spiritual Use also to be made of Creatures and so in them as in a Glass we should behold the Glory of the Lord and we should praise him as the Creator of them and honour him with them The great Whore glorifies her self with what she hath this is the Creature 's bondage but when the Promise
shall take place Mic. 4.13 I will consecrate their gain to the Lord. And their substance to the Lord of the whole Earth then the Creature shall have its due and deserved Liberty Thus much for the Change which will be in the Natural State of Things 2. There will be a Change in the Civil State of Things there will be New Heavens and a New Earth in a political sence for in the New Earth dwelleth righteousness All Civil Government will be administred in a way of Righteousness for as Amos. 5.24 Judgment shall run down like Water and Righteousness as a mighty stream In Antichrist's Kingdom unrighteousness cruelty and oppression hath been a mighty Stream but that sinful Kingdom must be destroyed and after this Judgment shall dwell in the Wilderness and Righteousness shall remain in the fruitful Field and the work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of it quietness and assurance for ever Isa 32.16 there shall not be then any Throne of iniquity establishing mischief by a Law But that which above all doth commend the happiness of those Times in point of Government is this Government then will be Theocratical and Divine so that there will be another Divine Common-wealth more glorious than that of the Jews heretofore After the Jews were brought out of Egypt as God made them a Church in the Wilderness so also a Common-wealth and God himself was Supream amongst them and gave them as a Moral and Ceremonial so a Judicial Law so that he was their King and Law-giver and their Divine Common-wealth was not to end till the coming of Christ according to that Prophecy of Jacob Gen. 49.10 the Sceptre shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh come Jacob's prosperity was to grow at last into a Kingdom and Common-wealth and to continue till the coming of Christ The Scepter of this Kingdom was given to Judah now though the Ten Tribes revolted from the Scepter and after were carryed Captive and did not return and so were without a King and without an Ephod c. yet Judah did remain as a Divine Common-wealth till the coming of Christ and Judah had right to the Sceptre though sometimes it was violently wrested out of the hand of Judah yet of right it did belong to Judah till Shiloh came and then Judahs Sceptre did return to him that gave it and then the Jews Crucifying the Lord of glory God did suffer their City to be Trodden down of the Romans and then their Common-wealth till that time continued in the Tribe of Judah was utterly destroyed and they were carried Captive into all Nations till the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and when these shall be fulfilled then shall the Jews have again a Divine Common-wealth And Joseph and Judah being Joyned together they shall have one King as is evident Ezek. 37.22 24. I will make them one Nation and one King shall be King to them all David my Servant shall be King over them That is Christ who shall reign in Righteousness and give them Civil as well as Spiritual pastors even Judges as at the first and Counsellers as at the beginning Ezek. 34.23 I will set up one Shepherd over them and he shall feed them even my Servant David and how happy they shall be then is shewn I will make a Covenant of peace with them and the evil Beasts shall cease out of the Land and they shall dwell safely in the Wilderness and sleep in the Woods I will make them and the places round about my hill a Blessing there shall be showers of Blessings Now as Mr. Baxter once said It is this Theocratical polity or Divine Common-wealth which is the unquestionable Reign of Christ upon Earth which all Christians are agreed may be justly sought and the temporal Dignity of Saints which would undoubtedly much bless the World And he sayeth whether there be any other Reign of Christ to be expected that is by his visible personal Abode This controversy I do not now determine For my own part I reverence the Ancients that were of that mind and many latter that have followed them I am my self as meerly Neutral in it as in almost any point of so great moment so often propounded to my consideration I oppose them not in the least nor am I for them Now as for the Visible and personal Abode and Reign of Christ upon Earth having given some arguments for it already I shall here adde something more to see whether any contrary or Neutral Judgment may be more inclined to the owning of this Truth And 1. this truth doth clearly spring forth from 2 Pet. 3.13 Nevertheless we according to her Promise look for New Heavens and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Where we may take Notice of these particulars First there will be a great and blessed change wrought in the World so far as to make all things New even to the bringing in of a New World This is the Saints expectation we look c. the Apostles and other Saints did then and therefore we ought now to expect this New World consisting of a New Earth as well as a New Heaven Secondly this New World shall have Inhabitants in it for there shall be Men in it which may be gathered from those words In which dwelleth Righteousness If Righteousness then both the subjects and the Objects of it that is Men living and acting Righteously and these shall Dwell in this New Earth they shall not be as wayfaring Men that tarry but a Night but shall dwell in it They shall not be here after this New Creation but a day with Christ of twenty four hours and then ascend to Heaven not a day as Men count a day but a day as 't is with the Lord that is a Thousand years and a Thousand years as one day v. 8. which hath been taken as a Periphrasis of the day of Judgement This is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a World to dwell in and for Men to abide in so long as to be called Inhabitants And this Inhabited World is chiefly that which Christ is said to Rejoyce in Pov. 8.31 Rejoycing in the habitable part of his Earth and my delights were with the Sons of Men. This is the Land which shall be called Beulah Isa 62.4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken neither shall thy Land any more be termed Desolate that is without Inhabitants but thou shalt be called Hepzibah and thy Land Beulah For the Lord delighteth in thee and thy Land shall be Married to Christ that is Thirdly Christ shall come personally at his time when the World that now is shall perish and the New Heavens and the New Earth shall be Created For this Personal coming is that which the Scoffers derided asking where is the promise of his coming v. 4. Again this is that which the Apostle asserts v. 10. The day of the Lord will come and come as a Thief in the Night which Mat. 24.43 and 1
Thess 5.2 is affirmed of Christ's second coming and when the Battel of Armageddon shall be then Christ shall come as a Thief Rev. 16.15 and lastly the passing away of the Old Heavens and Earth and consequently the creating of the New will be at the day of Judgment v. 7. The Heavens and Earth are reserved to fire against the day of Judgment and all do grant that Christ will come personally at the day of Judgment and when he comes all the dead Saints shall be raised and appear with him Now put all these things together The Old Heavens and Earth must perish new must be created Saints and Righteouss Men must after this dwell in the New Earth and at this time will be the day of Judgment Therefore there must be a Visible and personal presence and reign of Christ upon this New Earth then to be called Beulah and Christ will not marry it and be presently after a day divorced again but as the Saints shall dwell in it so Christ with them If any shall Object that the Judgment shall not be till after the one thousand years and the destruction of Gog and Magog for then 't is said Rev. 20.11 Christ shall sit upon a great White Throne and the dead small and great shall stand before him and why may not this be the day of Judgment spoken of by Peter For answer to this I shall say that if this of Peter and the 20. Rev. be well considered and compared together it will evidently appear that there will be a day of Judgment begun at the time of Antichrist's destruction and the final fall of Babylon and the perishing of the World which now is which is called by some the Morning of that great day and will be at the beginning of the one thousand years And a day also after the end of them called the Evening of that day And as for the Judgment the Scipture gives evident ground to state it thus even by considering it in a threefold step or degree of it 1. There is a particular judgment which passes upon all Souls at their separation from their Bodies Eccles 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the Earth as it was and the Soul shall return unto God that gave it The Souls of all men do at their Death return to God but in a different manner some fall into the hands of the living God and that is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of revenging justice and wrath others having before committed their Souls into the hands of God are carried by Angels to Heaven where an hand of mercy receives them 2. There will be a Farther work of Judgment at Christ's second coming even at the beginning of the thousand years which as it is spoken of by Peter so by Daniel 7.26 When the Son of Man comes in the Clouds of Heaven then the Judgment shall sit and we may consider what shall be done by that Judgment then sitting in relation to the Wicked The Dominion of the little Horn will be taken away and so Antichrist's Kingdom will be wholly destroyed for the Judgment shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it even to the end And then also it will be as Peter sayth a day of Perdition of ungodly Men even of those who shall then be found standing up against the Prince of Princes And Farther in relation to the godly it shall be a day to give reward to them and what reward this shall be we see Dan. 7.27 The greatness of the Kingdoms under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High and all Dominions shall serve him they shall be judged to reign with Christ This we see also Mat. 25.15 and Luk. 19.17 What shall be said to those that improve their Talents and Pounds Well done good and faithful servant thou hast been faithful over a few things I will make thee Ruler over many things enter thou into the joy of thy Lord so as to reign with him Be thou Ruler over five Cities be thou Ruler over ten Cities At this time the Saints shall be judged to have an Inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ as it is distinct from the Kingdom of the Father of both which mention is made Ephes 5.5 3. The last step which Christ will take in the Judgment will be after the ending of the thousand years and this is that Judgment mentioned Rev. 20.11 Then the wicked shall be raised and brought to Judgment even such whose Names are not written in the Book of Life as there 't is said and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire At this time also there will be a Farther work of Judgment in Relation to the Godly For they shall be then judged to an inheritance in the Kingdom of the Father At the Judgment mentioned by Peter they shall have Judgment for an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and at that spoken of Rev. 20. Judgment for an inheritance in the Kingdom of the Father Mat. 25.31 When the Son of Man shall come in his glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when he shall have come and so after the time of his coming in Glory he shall sit upon the Throne of his Glory and all Nations shall be called before him and he shall set the sheep on his Right hand and the Goats at his Left hand and now although it hath been Stated thus that at the beginning of the Thousand years he shall set the Sheep on his Right hand and after the End of them the Goats at his Left hand yet it seems more agreeable to the expressions there to conceive that both sorts shall be set in this posture together and shall thus stand before Christ the Judge and then the wicked shall be judged to go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into Life eternal in the Fathers Kingdom And thus as at Peters day of Judgment Being the Morning of it the Saints shall be the blessed of Christ and receive an Inheritance in his Kingdom and reign with him so at Johns day of Judgment or at the Evening of that day they shall be the blessed of the Father and be admitted to the enjoyment of their Inheritance in his Kingdom Hence 't is the King shall say to the Sheep on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom that is take your Inheritance in my Fathers Kingdom 2. 'T is most evident from Scripture that there will be a time in which the Jews shall be called and delivered from their spirituall Captivity which is upon them by their blindness and unbelief and the vail which is upon their Hearts shall be taken away They shall be delivered from their outward Captivity and also be in a state of freedom Rest and Power and in this estate must long continue even for many generations as hath been shewen in the former Treatise Now that there shall be a personal
coming of Christ when the Jews shall be thus redeemed from their Captivity is most evident Luk. 21.23 24. c. There shall be great distress upon the land and wrath upon this people and they shall be led away Captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall be Trodden down of the Gentiles till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled The Gentiles Captivating the Jews and treading them down were the Romans these Gentiles have their time set how long they shall Reign The Roman Monarchy which did Tread down Jerusalem in the Letter and doth now Tread down the Mystical Jerusalem that is the Church as we Read Rev. 11.2 hath a period set to it thus far shall it come and no farther thus long it shall continue and no longer that is at the end of fourty and two Months reckoning them from the beginning of the latter treading down mentioned Rev. 11. Rome the seat of this Monarchy shall be destroyed And then will the Jews deliverance from their long Captivity begin Now what shall happen when these times of the Gentiles shall be very near their end This we see v. 25. there shall be Signes in the Sun In the Moon and in the Stars and upon the Earth distress of Nations Mens Hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things that are coming upon the Earth for the powers of the Heavens shall be shaken and these shew the day of their redemption to be drawing nigh v. 28. Now when these times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and there shall be such a shaking to remove quite away the power of the Gentiles that is to destroy for ever the Roman Antichristian Kingdom and State then at that time v. 27. they shall see the Son of Man coming with power and great Glory which is his Second personal coming If any deny this they will gratify those Scoffers much which Peter spakes of in giving up so clear a proof of Christs Second coming 3. A Third Argument may be taken from Mat. 24.29 Which hath been a little toucht but now shall be farther urged Immediatly after the Tribulation of those days that is when Tribulation comes to this height to be such as never was c. the Sun shall be darkned c. and then shall appear the signe of the Son of Man in Heaven and the Tribes of the Earth shall Mourn and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven with power and great Glory This shall be Immediatly after the Tribulation of those days what Tribulation this is the last Tribulation of the People of God which is said to be such trouble as never was since there was a Nation This is from the Devil when he shall have great wrath because his time is short 't is the Tribulation that Gog and Magog mentioned Ezek. 39. shall cause the same with those Kings of the Earth and the whole World which shall be gathered by the Beast and his Emissaries to the Battel of that great day of God Almighty This being the last Tribulation when this shall End then will the year of Christs redeemed come and the Saints will have rest and peace and shall sit under their Vines and fig-trees and have none to make them affraid Now if there shall be such a time here upon Earth that all the Saints troubles shall have an End and they shall enter into a state of rest and peace which shall have no End which if any will deny they must Write Apocrypha over a great part of that Scripture which was given by Inspiration of God I say if such a time shall be then Christ will appear personally at that time for immediately after this Tribulation shall appear the Sign of the Son of Man and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven and this his personal coming for at this time the dead Saints shall be raised v 21. He shall send his Angels with a great Sound of a Trumpet and they shall gather the elect c. that is the dead shall be raised 1. Cor. 51.52 1. Thess 4.16 The Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised and Observe by the way that at this time only the elect shall be raised for they shall gather the elect and besides 't is that coming of which Christ said none knows the day of it v. 36. which certainly is his second personal coming If the Church therefore shall have a glorious time on Earth Christ shall come personally even at the beginning of that time To this argument it hath been answered that this is the Tribulation which Gog and Magog shall cause after the thousand years shall be Ended But that this is not the Tribulation here meant these particulars sufficiently declare 1. At the time of this Tribulation there will be a great Apostacy of Men professing godliness For the love of many shall wax cold v. 12. and false Christs and false Prophets shall arise and deceive many v. 24. and the Stars shall fall from Heaven c. Now no such thing shall happen after the thousand years for the Devil shall only deceive the Nations Gog and Magog not any among the Saints and saved Nations much less any in the beloved City Shall the Sun in the New Heavens be darkned shall any of the Stars of that Heaven fall no certainly for Isa 60.20 Thy Sun shall no more go down and as the New Heavens so the Stars of those New Heavens shall remain 2. At the Tribulation here spoken of the powers of Heaven will be shaken which is not to be said of the New Heavens for these can't be shaken Heb. 12.26 yet once more I shake Heaven and but once This shaking will be of the Antichristian Kingdom and Heaven to remove it quite away that so way may be made for the New Heavens Gog and Magog when they shall gather at last shall not at all shake the New Heavens For the shaking is to remove the things that may be shaken But the New Heavens shall not be removed but remain Isa 60.22 Yea the Apostle saith plainly these cannot be shaken Heb. 12.27 That those things which cannot be shaken may remain wherefore we receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken c. The Mount Sinai Kingdom was shaken and removed that the Mount Sion Kingdome might be set up which is not to be shaken but stands fast for ever this is the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ under the Gospel which shall continue till the coming of Christ and then grow up to its perfection and then all the Enemies of it shall fall before it and be the Foot-stool of Christ and he shall be King over all the Earth and this his Kingdom is not to be shaken and removed It 's most evident then that this Tribulation will immediately precede the Thousand years and then Christ will come the second time to salvation and put an End to it And thus the Argument here stands like that Pillar
in the Porch of Solomon's Temple called Boaz in its strength and is not at all shaken by what is said against it 4. Another argument may be taken from 2 Thess 2.8 Then shall that wicked one be revealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Lawless one that will be above all Laws and not Subject to any The Cannon-Law tells us who this Law-less one is even the Pope who is Solutus ab omni Lege humana not bound by any Humane Law nay not by Divine Laws neither for he dispenses with those and binds and looses them at his pleasure now this Lawless one must be removed out of the way It may be well said of him what the Jews wickedly said of Paul away with such a fellow from the Earth for it is not fit that such a Lawless one should live God judgeth so of him and therefore hath said The Lord shall consume him with the Spirit of his Mouth that is by the Preaching of the Gospel The Word shall consume him and cast him into a bed of Languishing and at last he shall destroy him with the brightness of his coming that is at the day of Judgment as our English Annotators say well when Christ shall appear personally so that Antichrist will be destroyed by the brightness of Christ's Personal appearing Is it so and must not the Church have Being in the World long after the destruction of that Wicked One and be in that glorious pure and peaceable Estate of which the Lord hath spoken so much by the Mouth of all his Prophets since the World began Most evident it is that it must And shall not Christ then Reign upon Earth at that time The Scripture saith so The Lord shall be King over all the Earth 5. The last Argument which I shall now mention shall be taken from 2 Thess 1.5 where the Apostle speaking of the Saint's Persecutions and Sufferings comforts them with this It is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire and with his mighty Angels Now this must be meant of his Personal coming in that his mighty Angels shall come with him which argues a Personal coming as we see Matth. 25.31 The Son of Man shall come in his Glory and all the Angels with him And when he shall thus come then and not before shall the Church on Earth so long persecuted afflicted and tost with Tempests and not comforted have rest and freedom from persecution The Church must have a peaceable and glorious Estate upon Earth but this will not be till the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels and that in flaming fire to recompence tribulation to those that trouble the Saints and to the troubled Saints rest So this shall be at the revelation and appearing of Christ And observe farther what the Apostle saith Rest with us with us Apostles and with the Prophets that went before What doth this hint but that then the Apostles and Prophets and all the dead Saints shall be raised and come with Christ and then the living Saints the Church so long under persecution and trouble in the World shall have rest with them And thus I have endeavoured by Scripture to clear this Truth and little from Scripture 't is which I have urged against it but Reason steps in and declares its dissent from and dislike of it fancying some great Absurdities that will attend this Opinion and some Difficulties which will press it Shall Heaven come down and be upon Earth saith Reason But as the Apostle saith Who art thou O man that repliest against God So who art thou O man what is thy Reason that it should argue against God Doth not the Scripture say That Christ shall come from Heaven and all the Angels with him and the dead Saints shall be raised and come with him If this be for Heaven to come down and be upon Earth then so it must be for thus much is agreed upon on all hands All the difference is about the Time of Christ's Abode how long he shall continue some say but a day and that in that short time he shall dispatch all the Work of the last Judgment Others do conceive this will take up longer time and it may be well agreed If Christ and all the Angels and Saints may leave Heaven and be here on Earth one Day why not as well many Days and if Days why not Years and if Years why not a thousand Years as the Scripture saith Certainly Reason hath as much ground to argue against his câ—ming at all as against a longer stay upon Earth than one Day when he shall come Nay Reason may argue strongly from what hath been done that Christ may come and appear to his People on Earth For the second Person the Son of God came to Abraham and appeared in a humane shape and talked with him and told him he should have a Son And may we not as well conceive he may as well appear to the Seed of Abraham when they shall be called He went also to Sodom and led Lot out thence and destroyed Sodom by Fire and Brimstone And may he not as well come Personally to save his many Lots and destroy his Enemies as he shall at Armageddon And consider we farther that the first coming of Christ was foretold in the Old Testament Isa 7.14 A Virgin shall conceive and bring forth a Son whose Name shall be Immanuel And he was to be a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and to be cut off Now if these things should be weighed in the Balance of Reason what would it have said but as Reason did in Mary How can these things be and yet we know that all came to pass Now this may be well concluded that Reason might have more colour to have pleaded against the Prophecies of Christ's first coming and suffering death than it can have now to plead against his Personal Reign upon Earth But He came and suffered death and Reason may now argue If he came to be Humbled on Earth why may he not come to be Exalted on Earth If he came to appear in the form of a Servant upon Earth why may he not come and appear in the form of a Lord and of the King of Kings And if he was some years upon Earth in his state of Humiliation why may he not be for more years here in a state of Exaltation If he did come to suffer upon Earth why may he not come to reign upon Earth And 't is to be observed when Christ spake of his Death Peter 's Reason withstood it for Peter took him and began to rebuke him saying Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee Now I would not suffer my Reason to argue against his personal coming and reigning which the Scripture gives such great ground to
Kingdom which he should have even all Liars but in the end the word came And next 't is said The word of the Lord tryed him The tarrying Word is a trying word It tries Faith and Love and other Graces which holding out and enduring the trial are found unto praise And the word having had its work in trying him Then the King sent And loosed him even the ruler of the People and let him go free He made him Lord of his house and ruler of all his substance to bind his Princes at his pleasure and to teach his senators wisdom 3. The worse the bondage grows the nearer the Sons of God are to Glorious Liberty Isa 9.1 At first he lightly Afflicted the land of Zebulon and Napthali afterwards more grievously such is the Lords dealing with his People first more lightly 't is that he afflicts them at last more grievously The Churches last trouble is thus set forth in Scripture such trouble as never was since there was a Nation Now that the hope of this Glorious Liberty may be the more confirmed 1. Have an Eye to the All-sufficiency of God When God made Promises to Abraham that he should have a Son and that his Seed should be multiplyed and that Kings should come out of him these things being hard to be believed God sets himself forth in his All-sufficiency Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God and therefore able to make good my Promises Isa 49.23 They shall bring thy Sons in their arms Kings shall be thy Nursing-fathers and Queens thy Nursing-mothers they shall bow Down to thee with their faces to the Earth and lick up the dust of thy Feet But v. 24. a doubt is raised shall the Prey be taken from the mighty or the Lawful Captive delivered rather as in the Magin shall the Captivity of the just be delivered Is this any way likely But thus saith the Lord even the Captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered for I will contend with him that Contendeth with thee and will save thy Children and I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh and they shall be drunken with their own bloud as with sweet wine and all flesh shall know that I am thy Saviour and thy redeemer the mighty one of Jacob. Though Satan be mighty and Antichrist be mighty yet all flesh shall know that the Lord is more Mighty and therefore the prey shall be taken from the mighty and the Lord will turn the captivity of the just as the streams in the South 2. Have an Eye to the Faithfulness of God for he is faithful who hath Promised God hath spoken by the mouth of all his Prophets of these thing Acts. 3.21 And is not this enough to stop all contradicting Mouths who ask where is the promise of these things The Scripture is most copious and abundant in foretelling and declaring these things Paul in all his Epistles hath spoken of these things and all the Prophets have spoken of them So then great ground there is for Faith in this that glorious liberty shall come And 't is observable that these Promises are not barely propounded and held forth but they have a Sealing and confirming Word added to them As Rev. 19. After the prophecy of the Lambs Marriage 't is farther said These are the true sayings of God and John was commanded to write that is for the Generations to come Rev. 21.5 He that sate upon the Throne said Behold I make all things New and he said unto me Write Doth God give a Command that this be written for our learning and shall not we read and then 't is again added These words are true and faithful Rev. 22.6 The Angel said to John after some promises given These sayings are faithful and true and the Lord God sent his Angel to shew to his Servants the things which must shortly be done Should not then all the Servants of God endeavour to know and wait for these things v. 16. I Jesus have sent mine Angels to testify these things in the Churches Is it not then the duty of Churches and all believers in them to know these things and to set their Seals to them that they are true and should not these things be taught among the Churches thus Daniel having foretold the destruction of the four Monarchies in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream concludes all thus The dream is certain and the intepretation thereof sure 3. The Sons of God even because they are Sons shall have this Glorious Liberty Exod 4.23 Let my Sons go that they may serve me Isa 43.6 I will say to the North give up to the South keep not back bring my Sons from far and my Daughters from the Ends of the Earth Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear Son I earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him Now by this which hath been thus briefly Layed down concerning the New Heavens and New Earth somewhat of the glory of them doth appear which is well worth the waiting for and the glory being so great so desirable there is reason sufficient that we should be ready to do and contented to suffer what the Will of the Lord is in order to our sharing in the happiness and glory of that blessed time and state A right to enter into that City is incomparably better than all the riches and glory of this world which is to perish And when we hear these glad-tidings of great joy to come why should it not be with us according to that of Solomon Prov. 25.25 As cold waters to a thirsty Soul so is good News from a far Countrey As cold waters to a thirsty Soul so should the good News be of this better Countrey and World to come This may be a Well for the Sons of God to refresh themselves at when they are going through the valley of Baca. But let two things be considered that none may be ashamed of their Hope of these things 1. Gracious Liberty is the way to Glorious Liberty Liberty from bondage to the flesh to our own Wills and lusts to Satan and the World and the having of a heart inlarged toward God and his Commands is absolutely necessary to this that we may have a Lot in these things Except a Man be born again he shall not see the Kingdom ef God As not the Kingdom of God in Heaven so not that which shall be when Christ comes from Heaven 2. We must be ready to take up a Cross and to chuse sufferings for the sake of Gracious Liberty to serve God so are we in the way to Glorious Liberty This was Moses his choice for himself and the Israelites Exod. 8.27 We will go into the Wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God as he hath commanded us They went into the Wilderness to have Gracious Liberty to serve God and God led them through the Wilderness into Canaan where they had as
Widow saith Babylon but thou shalt know Widowhood and loss of Children saith the Lord. I shall not see sorrow saith Babylon but what is the Word of the Lord concerning her How much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much torment of sorrow give her Rev. 18.7 3. If these things be so much expected in Heaven how much more should they be expected on Earth If where there is no sin nor sorrow but perfect holiness and happiness then sure the Saints here in this present evil World have great reason to be much in the thoughts and expectation of these things As therefore 't is the duty of Saints to look for these things so let me give a few Directions for the right performance of this Duty 1. Expect the same things which Christ expects He expects till his Enemies be made his Footstool he expects the Fall of Babylon he expects to be revealed from Heaven and to be glorified in his Saints and admired in them that believe And these things should the Saints on Earth look for even the blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Thus we are sure our expectations shall not perish because they are Christ's also but the expectation of his Enemies shall perish and their hope shall be as the Spiders Web. 2. Expect because Christ expects he knows what he expects and hath sufficient ground for his hope and hath power to make good his own expectations Now when the Saints want some Stay and Support for their hope and their Hearts like Moses his Hands are heavy they should look to Christ's Hope and this will be to their hearts as Aaron and Hur were to Moses his hands they stayed them up and so they were steady till the going down of the Sun and till Amalech and his People were discomsited by Joshua with the edge of the Sword 3 Expect as Christ expects Hopes on Earth should bear the Image of Heavenly Hopes there 's no fear no taking thought in Heaven Hope deferred doth not make any heart sick there but there is joy of hope As Christ expects that his Enemies be made his Footstool so he laughs at their Imaginations and Contrivance against him and hath them all in derision Such should the Saints hope be here and so they shall be able to say of Babylon the Man of Sin and all that give up their power to him as Isaiah did of Sennacherib when he besieged Jerusalem Isa 32.22 The Virgin the Daughter of Sion hath despised thee and laughed thee to scorn the Daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee The Power and threats of the Romish Beast with all that take part with him should not shake the hearts of the faithful Witnesses but they should shake their Heads at him and laugh him to scorn Surely there is little cause to fear those who shall very shortly be Christ's Footstool Christ expects also with Constancy and Perseverance there is perseverance in the hope of Heaven Christ expects till his Enemies be made his Footstool Christ's hope is like himself The same yesterday to day and till all be accomplished which he hopes for Nothing on Earth weakens the hope of Heaven no changes no scattering of the Power of the holy people no Death of the Witnesses make any the least alteration in the hope of Heaven Now such should the Saints hope be on Earth even the same in all changes they should hope when the Beast kills the Witnesses and those that dwell on the Earth rejoyce over their dead bodies as well as when the Witnesses have power to shut Heaven and to smite the Earth with all Plagues as often as they will they should hope not onely when a deadly Wound is given to the Beast but when that deadly Wound is healed and when Babylon triumphs and glorieth most then may Sion hope the more and rejoyce most of all in her hope For when Babylon saith I sit a Queen am no widow and shall not see sorrow then her plagues shall come in one day Rev. 18.8 That is a very short time after this her vain triumph For when having been under great Fears and these passing away she saith The bitterness of death is past and comes forth delicately like Agag then if the Sauls that should do it will not some Samuels will be found that shall hew that great Whore in pieces And secondly when her plagues come quick dispatch will be made with her even in a day as it were yea in one hour so great riches and glory will come to nought Thus we see what the expectations of Heaven are which do call for such hope on Earth as that which Peter exhorts 1. Pet. 1.3 Be sober and hope to the End For the grace that is to be brought unto you at the Revelation of Jesus Christ And thus we see 't is the Saints duty to look for these things and how they should do it Q. But here it may be askt as the Disciples did of Christ When shall these things be Seeing we are to look for them we would gladly know when we may expect them at least when the time is near A. For answer to this it may be said as Elijah did to Elisha Thou hast asked a hard thing 'T is indeed a hard thing to tell when the time will be yet certain it is that the time is revealed in Scripture when the Jews shall be called when Babylon shall fall and the two Beasts shall be destroyed and why is it revealed but that first or last Men might come to the knowledge of it Daniel understood by Books the number of the years of the Jews Captivity in Babylon though it was but a very short time before the expiration viz. in that very year in which Babylon was taken Dan. 9.1 and why may we not hope it may be given to some beloved ones to understand by books the number of the years of the Churches desolations some little time at least before the accomplishment of them We may observe three numbers in Daniel and one in the Revelations which concern the times when these things shall be brought to pass The first is Dan. 8.14 How long shall be the Vision of the daily Sacrifice and 't is answered unto Two thousand and three hundred days that is years for so the rest of the numbers are interpreted and why should not these days be so taken also The other two are mentioned together Dan. 12.11 12. From the time that the daily Sacrifice shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up shall be One thousand two hundred and ninety days Blessed is he that cometh to the thousand two hundred and five and thirty days The fourth number is Rev. 11.2 3. Forty and two months and a thousand two hundred and sixty days being the same time Now it is upon good ground conceived that the 2300 days and 1335 will end together and that the 1290 days and the