Fifthly if Christ comes personally out of Heaven to reigne a thousand yeares this incongruity will follow that either the Saints and Angels must come or not come with Christ if they must come with Christ then it is a losse to them for them to leave the immediate presence of God and come upon the Earth where wicked men shall bee amongst them or if they must not come with Jesus Christ yet it is a loss to them to remaine there they shall lose for a thousand yeares the bodily presence of Christ if Christ bee on the Earth â—ee cannot bee in Heaven the same time Therefore it would be a losse to the Saints and Angels for them to bee a thousand yeares in Heaven without the company of Jesus Christ not to have the person of Jesus Christ with them A Sixth Incongruity will follow that if Christ shall come to reigne upon the Earth then Christs Kingdome must bee a worldly and terrene Kingdome then it will bee against the word of God hee must be a visible King to the Jewes and a visible King to all the world besides this would follow then that Christs Kingdom must not be aspirituall Kingdome but a Terrene a worldly pompous Kingdome John 18. 36. Jesus answered My Kingdome is not of this world if my Kingdome were of this world then would my Servants fight that I should not bee delivered to the Jews but now is my Kingdome not from hence Luke 17. 20. And when hee was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdome of God should come hee answered them and said the Kingdome of God cometh not with Observation Would not all the world observe this for Christ to come bodily from Heaven and in the Majesty of a Monarch Now Christs Kingdome doth not come with Observation When the Disciples looked after an Earthly Kingdome No saith Christ my Kingdome is for to Rule and Reigne in your hearts you shall never see me for to be an outward Pompous King in the world for Christs Kingdome it is a spiritual Kingdome Seventhly that if Jesus Christ shall come to take a Kingdome on the Earth for a thousand yeares then this would intimate as if Jesus Christ had not a Kingdome and were not a King on Earth all this while hee is in Heaven they deny that place in Daniel and all those phrases in the new Testament that the Kingdome of the world is become the Kingdome of the Lord they deny that Christ is a King in Heaven When hee was in the Cratch and borne in the Stable he was a King at that very hour Psalme 2. The Apostle referres it to Christs Birth and Christs Resurrection Christ when hee arose from the Dead hee was a King then and the Gospell under Christs time is called a Kingdome It is remarkable in John 18. 37. Pilate therefore said unto him Art thou a King then Jesus answered thou sayest that I am a King Christ was a King though hee would not bee an Earthly King to destroy Earthly Governments therefore when the people in a tumult would have made him a King yet hee would not Zech. 9. 9. Rejoyce greatly O Daughter of Zion shout O Daughter of Jerusalem behold thy King cometh unto thee hee is just and having Salvation lowly and riding upon an Asse and upon a Colt the fole of an Asse Hee was King when hee was on that slow contemptible creature so that now to say Christ shall come to reigne as King it is to intimate to the world as if Christ were not a King at this day and whereas he is King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Heaven therefore he cannot come a thousand years to reigne upon the Earth Now I will deale fairely to shew you the strongest Scripture that hath most shew of reason for the maintaining of this Opinion and shall labour to take them off and cleare it to you There are multitudes of quotations that varieties of mens thoughts fasten upon to prove this poynt yet those they most stand to I shall fasten upon their chiefe Pillar is in Revel 20. 2 3 5 6. And hee laid hold on the Dragon that old Serpent which is the Devill and Satan and bound him a thousand yeares And I saw thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given uuto them and I saw the Soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the word God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his marke upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand yeares But the rest of the Dead lived not again untill the thousand yeares were finished This is the first Resurrection blessed and holy is hee that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall bee Priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand yeares Now from this Text which is the chiefest in the Scripture they seeme to build these two things upon First That Jesus Christ shall live upon the Earth and the Saints reigne with him for a thousand yeares Secondly Those that were Martyrs by Antichrist shall rise from the Dead and come upon the Earth these thousand yeares to continue with Jesus Christ This they build much upon That Christ shall come to reign a thousand yeares upon the Earth But I shall shew you this cannot bee the sense of it and I shall give you Six Answers First that though the Scripture doth say that the Saints that were beheaded should live with Christ a thousand yeares yet the Text doth not say that Christ shall come to reigne with them a thousand yeares Secondly though the Text saith that they should live and reigne with Christ a thousand years yet the Text doth not say that they shall reigne with him here upon the Earth Thirdly that though it bee said that the Saints shall live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares yet living and reigning with Christ doth not necessarily imply to bee in the same place where Jesus Christ is for then you would pervert many Scriptures For loe saith Christ I am with you to the end of the World it doth not therfore follow from that time hee will bee upon the Earth to the end of the world but Christ being with us or wee with him it is by his spirit Romans 8. 17. And if Children then Heires of God and joynt Heires with Christ if so bee that wee suffer with him that wee may bee also glorified together The Text it doth not denote the sameness of place and the oneness of scituation I give this to take off that which is made of this Text. Fourthly it is evident that this Scripture cannot bee a Foundation to build on that Christ shall come to reign a thousand yeares upon the Earth because then it will not onely follow that men shall live so long but shall reigne with Christ so long on the Earth Methuselah
the time that the Roman persecution was curbed by Constantine that was a Resurrection and that they reigned with Christ at that time Answ For Answer first in Scripture phrase the word rising doth not carry a reference to the body rising from the Grave onely but of a man rising from a state of affliction and of sinne they are expressed in Scripture by a Resurrection Roman 10. 10 11. Let their Eyes be darkned that they may not see and bow down their back alway I say then have they stumbled that they should fall God forbid but rather through their fall Salvation is come unto the Gentiles for to provoke them to jealousie Isaiah 22. 19. And I will drive thee from thy Station and from thy state shall hee pull thee down The men that are as it were low men in captivity in Babylon they shall rise it doth not referre to the resurrection from the Dead at the last day so a rising from sinne Coloss 2. 12. Buried with him in Baptisme wherein also you are risen with him through the Faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the Dead Wee are risen with Christ not bodily but out of our sinnes Coloss 3. 1. If yee thâ—n bee risen with Christ seeke those things which are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God So that here this is the first Resurrection the meaning is this that those that did escape the rage and cruelty of the ten Persecutions and did come to live in Constantines daies and did all the while of the former Persecutions keep themselves from the Idolatry of the Heathens and Corruptions of Antichrist they are said to have the first Resurrection blessed are they that were raised up by Christ from the sinnes and from the Errours Superstition and Idolatry both of Antichrist and the Heathens I but then it is said they live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares Beloved that Phrase living and reigning with Christ though some Interpreters reâ—erre it to Heaven yet with Brightman and others I concurre and alâ—o Bernard that it doth denote thus much that those in Successive Ages who enjoyed Liberty in the Christian Religion under Constantine the great who lived to a thousand years and were delivered from former afflictions that kept by Christs Power from the Idolatry of the times and from Antichrist they were said to live with Christ a thousand yeares for they lived to him and depended on him and were not plunged into the wickednesse of the times and thus with consulting of many Authors I finde this to bee the truest account in a few words in defending this Text from giving any foundation to Christs personall reigne for a thousand yeares upon the Earth The second Scripture that they doe urge for Christs personall reign upon the earth for a thousand years is the 2 Peter 3. 7 10 11 12 13. But the Heavens and the Earth which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire untill the day of judgement and â—erdition of ungodly men But the day of the Lord will come as a Theefe in the Night in the which the Heavens shall passe away with a great noyse and the Elements shall melt with fervent heate the Earth also and the workes that are therein shall bee burnt up Seeing then that all these things shall bee dissolved what manner of persons ought yee to bee in all holy conversation and godlinesse Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God wherein the Heavens being on fire shall bee dissolved and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat Neverthelesse wee according to his promise looke for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse Here is mention of a coming of Christ wee looke for and hasten to his coming at Christs coming wee looke for a new Earth Now say they to what purpose were there to bee a new Earth if Christ were not to come down on this Earth and the Saints with him for a thousand yeares as the Scripture doth seeme to give warrant for a thousand yeares reigne this Scripture seemes to give warrant that hee shall be on the Earth they say that the righteous shall onely have benefit of Christs personall reign upon the Earth To take off this First marke the scope and the context how this Scripture is brought in and it will something cleare the Text. it is brought in against some Epicurean Principles that some scoffers had taken up in those times ver 3 4. Knowing this first that there shall come in the last daies scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming For since the Eathers â—ell asleepe all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation Wee see no change in providence therefore where is the promise of Christs coming they scoffed at Christ that Christ was a contemptible man in this world this is the answer in the 7 vers But the heavens and the earth which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of judgement and Perdition of ungodly men Peter speakes directly that the time of Christs coming which they scoffed at was not the time of the thousand yeares but of the day of judgment therefore this coming here that Peter speaks of cannot be meant of a thousand years before the day of judgement Secondly observe that the day of Perdition of ungodly men they say themselves that Christ doth suffer the wicked of the world to live in the world the thousand yeares though not to rule as they had done Thirdly observe that it is said here that before this new Earth is the world shall bee burnt with Fire the Heavens shall passe away with a noyse c. Now before a thousand yeares there is no such thing as it is before the day of Judgement The burning of that world is reserved against the day of Judgement therefore this coming cannot be referred to Christs personall coming on the earth to reign a thousand years Fourthly it is said here that Christ should come as a Thiefe But the day of the Lord will â—ome as a Thiefe in the Night in the which the Heavens shall passe away with a great noyse c. That Epithet is referred to his coming to judge the world to his last coming and not to any other coming 1 Thess 5. 2. For your selves know perfectly that the day of the Lord cometh as a Thiefe in the Night But if Christ should come to reigne upon the Earth then he cometh visible and observable Mat. 33. 44. But know this that if the good man of the house had knowne in what watch the Thiefe would come hee would have watched and would not have suffered his house to bee broken up Therefore be ye also ready for in such an houre as you thinke not the Sonne of man cometh Rovel 16. 15. Behold I come as a Thiefe Blessed is hee that watcheth and keepeth
his garments lest he walke naked and they see his shame Fifthly and this Divines stand much upon it is said wee according to his promise looke for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwels righteousnesse That the dwelling of a righteousnesse here doth not imply that such a thing shall bee on the new Earth but the dwelling of righteousnesse referres to righteous men not to heaven or earth the Greeke word cleares it plainely it is a word in the Plurall Number Therefore it is referred to the Earth which is in the Singular Number Therefore Divines say from the Originall 2 Peter 3. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—e in whom â—wels righteousnesse look for a new Heaven and a new Earth So that the dwelling of righteousnesse it is not to be interpreted as referring to the Earth but that righteousnesse should dwell in men wee read of none being on the Earth wherein dwells righteousnesse Thus much for that other Scripture Wee looke for new Heavens and a new Earth A third Scripture and that they deeme to have some strength in too In Daniel 2. 44. And in the daies of these Kings shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdome which shall never bee destroyed and the Kingdome shall not bee left to other People but it shall breake in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms and it shall stand for ever Now beloved to give you the scope of the Text take these answers First It is true that a Kingdome is given by God to Jesus Christ and that Kingdome was given by God to Christ while hee was here upon the Earth in the forme of a servant and this Luke tells you Chap. 1. vers 32 33. Hee shall bee great and shall bee called the Son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and hee shall reigne over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end So that Jesus Christ had a Kingdom and he is now King of Kings and Lord of Lords in heaven Secondly it is said here that this Kingdome it was begun in the daies of those Kings Now whose daies doth this Text speake of It speakes of those that divided Alexanders Kingdome who overcame the Medes and Persians it was divided betweene Ptolomy Lagides King of Egypt Zeleuchus King of Assyria In that time Jesus Christ did set up a Kingdome for he was born King of the Jewes Thirdly it is apparent that this cannot bee referred to Christs Kingdom in this world for a thousand yeares Because it cannot bee said that it should bee a Kingdome for ever and ever for a Kingdome for a thousand yeares cannot bee said to bee a Kingdome for ever and ever but it is said in Daniel It shall bee for ever and ever A fourth Scripture is in Eph. 5. 5. For this yee know that no Whoremonger nor Uncleane person nor Covetous Man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ and of God And this Text Gerrard quotes and doth well resolve it they say there is not only a Kingdome of God that is Heaven but the Scripture doth make mention of a Kingdome of Christ as a Kingdome of God Therefore they build on this Christs reigne and of having a Kingdome here upon earth First I answer it is true Christ hath a Kingdome but hee saith expresly that his Kingdome is not of this world John 18. 36. Jesus answered my Kingdom is not of this world c. Secondly though it be said here that there is a Kingdome of Christ yet it is not expressed to be upon the Earth for a 1000 yeares Thirdly this Kingdome of Christ Interpreters refer it to the same with the Kingdome of God and to bee meant exegetically A fifth Text they have is in Mat. 26. 29. But I say unto you I will not drinke henceforth of this fruit of the Vine untill that day when I drinke it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome Alsted quotes from thence they gather it cannot bee meant of Heaven why because there is no eating and drinking there here is a promise by Jesus Christ to come to them no more till he would drinke with them Wine in his Fathers Kingdome and it cannot bee unlesse Christ doth come in person amongst his people and have a Kingdome to eat and drinke with his people in this World This they stand much upon Take these clear answers to these Quotations First this cannot be meant of a Kingdome in this world for a thousand yeares my reason is this because the Kingdome which is Christs personall reigne should bee called Christs Kingdome and not his Fathers Kingdom it should have been called my Kingdome and not my Fathers Kingdome that is one Answer that Divines give Secondly observe this that this may referre to that time between Christs Resurrection and Ascension for after Christ did rise from the dead you know hee did continue forty daies upon the Earth and the Scripture telleth you in Luke 24. 42. And they gave him a piece of broyled Fish and of a hony-combe and hee tooke it and did eat before them So he may as well drinke and eate but that to me is somewhat uncertaine Thirdly which is the true scope of this place I will not drinke henceforth of this fruit of the Vine untill that day when I drinke it with you in my Fathers Kâ—ngdome he was taking the Lords Supper and was drinking the cup of Wine saith hee I am going away and will drinke no more till wee meet in Heaven not that there should bee Eating and Drinking in Heaven but when you and I meete wee shall have sweet fellowship and communion together as is in Eating and drinking together As Feasting is a badge of communion and of Love so there shall be endeared love and endeared communion with Christ in Heaven you shall drinke it new not new Wine nor eat new Bread but after a new manner of Love and communion they should expresse Love each to other and have everlasting communion one with another They say likewise that there shall bee no sinne in the world and that the Earth shall bee restored to its primitive fruitfulnesse as it were before the fall but I shall not middle with these And thus according unto my poore measure I have laboured to lay down the grounds from Scripture why Christ cannot come to reigne personally upon the Earth a thousand yeares and have vindicated those Scriptures that seeme to patronize that Opinion Use Is it so that the Scripture doth not determine of any coming of Christ out of Heaven till his last and great coming to judge the world O then labour to make it your worke to have Jesus Christ as King to reign in your hearts by mortification to rule in thy Heart by his Spirit to mortifie thy head-strong lusts that are in thee Secondly Seeing there is no coming of Christ as King in this world then labour to have Christ
you captive Christ alluded to the custome among the Romans when the Roman Conquerour rode to the Capitol of Rome to rejoyce in his victory over his enemies the Conquerour did use to tie his Captives to the Chariots wheels So Christ did carry his captives by his wheeles as it were he led captivity captive Colos 2. 15. And having spoyled Principalities and powers he made a shew of them openly Triumphing over them in it So that beloved here is one great comfort that Christ by going up to heaven doth manifest and declare to all the world that he hath overcome the Grave Death Devill and Sinne. Secondly Christs going bodily to heaven It is a pledge to you that Christ will one day bring your bodys to heaven I go to heaven that I may receive you to my self that you may be bodily in heaven where Christ is In Joh. 14. 19. Yet a little while the world seeth me no more but ye see me because I live ye shall live also As if he should say wel I must leave you and I must goe to Heaven before you but because I live in heaven and live there bodily you shal also live with me in heaven with your bodies Tertullian doth make this use of it to comfort the Christians in his dayes saith hee Jesus Christ did carry our flesh into heaven with him and he is of our flesh and of our bone Now saith Tertullian Jesus Christ hath carried flesh into heaven and this is a good pledge unto us that our flesh shall be in heaven where Christ is also Therefore O flesh and bloud doe thou rejoyce that hast possest heaven in Christ already And Christ would be imperfect in heaven should not the bodies of beleevers come there also because he lives in heaven you shall live there also Thirdly Christs going bodily to heaven it is a ground of comfort to you in this because Christ is gone bodily into heaven to performe and accomplish his Sacerdotall Office that is as a high Preist hee is now in heaven to performe the Office of a high Priest to make intercession to God his Father in your behalfe that your sinnes might be pardoned that your soules might bee saved that your bodies might he raised and received into heaven with him in Glory Heb. 9. 24. For Christ is not entred into the Holy places made with hands which are the Figures of the true but into heaven it selfe now to appeare in the presence of God for us Christ is entred into the very heavens that he might appeare before God for us so in Heb. 7. 26. For such an high Priest became us who is holy harmelesse undefiled separate from sinners and made higher then the heavens It became us to have a high Priest in Heaven Therefore observe though it was a great benefit to the Disciples to have Christs bodily presence yet Jesus Christ could never have fulfiled the office of the Priest-hood to make intercession for all the Elect if Christ had not gone bodily into heaven Will you observe one Text in Heb. 8 4. For if he were on earth hee should not be a priest seeing there are Priests that offer gifts according to the Law Christ must goe to heaven and there hee is a Priest now if hee were upon the earth hee could not be a Priest for us therefore we have great advantage by CHRISTS going into heaven O beloved then looke on this as a great comfort that our Lord Jesus Christ is now in heaven in his body flesh and bloud appearing before God making Intercession for all his people this was typified out under the Law Exod. 28. 9 10 11 and 12. verses And thou shalt take two Onix stones grave them on the names of the children of Israel Six of their Names on one stone and the other six Names of the rest on the other stone according to their Birth With the work of an ingraver in stone like the ingravings of a signet shalt thou ingrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel thou shalt make them to be set in Ouches of Gold And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the Ephod for stones of memoriall unto the children of Israel And Aaron shall beare their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memoriall This is a type of Jesus Christ our high Priest who is gone into that which is so in it selfe the Holy of Holiest and there he hath not onely the names of al the elect of God throughout the world on his breast but hath them in his heart and there he makes intercession for them to his father This is a third ground of comfort that they have of Christs going bodily into heaven A Fourth ground of comfort you have by Christs going into Heaven is this That Jesus Christ is gone into heaven to convey to you a fuller communication of the gifts and graces of his spirit which was bestowed on his people whilest he was upon the Earth Ephes 4 ver 8. Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave giftes unto men It is an allusion to the Roman custome that when the conquerour rode in Triumph towards the Capitoll he did not onely lead the Prisoners by the Charet wheeles but likewise scattered mony to the Spectators that saw him ride along in triumph so the Lord Jesus Christ having by his Ascension spoiled death and the Devil thus Jesus Christ doth cast his gifts unto men dispenseth his graces in a greater measure into the hearts of his people not that we are to run into the Sociâ—ian errour because of this text they gather that before Christs Ascension into heaven there was no saving gift of the spirit and they ground it on that text Ioh. 7. ver 38 39. He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water But this spake he of the spirit which they that beleeve on him should receive For the Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus was not yet glorified The Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Jesus Christ was not yet glorified but this Text is not to be taken simply then it will follow that Abraham Isaac and Jacob had not the spirit and then they could not bee in Heaven but the meaning is that the gifts of the Holy Ghost in that abundant measure was not given because Christ was not yet ascended Christ did reserve the full giving of the Holy Ghost to the time of his Ascension and untill he was glorified therefore the Apostles soon after his ascension received the Holy Ghost in a greater measure then was given to the people of old and beloved not onely gifts to bring you to Heaven but also Ministeriall gifts to qualifie men fit for the Ministery you are to looke on this also as the fruit of Ascension Ephesians 4. 10 11 12. vers He that descended is the
same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying of the body of Christ. So that you are to looke upon not onely your own Christian gifts whereby God brings you to Heaven but all Ministeriall gifts are the fruits of Christs going to heaven Fifthly Christ is gone to Heaven It is to comfort us in this that Christ being bodily in Heaven it might make thee holy and bold and fiducially confident when ever thou comest to God in prayer when thou dost come to God in prayer come to him as one that hath Jesus Christ at his Right hand in Heaven presenting thy prayers to God for thee observeth it comfortable advice given Heb. 4. 14 16. Seeing then that we have a great high Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to help in time of need Jesus Christ being in Heaven it should work a holy boldnesse in us to keep out fear and distrust when thou prayest because we have an high Priest that is past into the highest Heavens Jesus the Son of God Who would not come boldly to the Court when he knows that the Kings Eldest Son is his friend and is assured of his love that he will intercede for him to his Father Jesus Christ is the King of Heaven the eldest Son and he is bound by office to represent all our supplications and make Intercession for us Sixthly that Christ is gone bodily into Heaven it may be of comfort that yet he hath the same relation towards a Beleever which he had to them whilest he was upon the Earth When hee was on the Earth Christ did say go tell my Brethren that I am to ascend and after he was taken up into heaven he cals them his brethren Heb. 2. 11. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren Though Christ was crowned with glory and gone up to Heaven yet he was not ashamed to call beleevers brethren Now in Heaven Christ is thy God there and Christ is thy Father there Christ is thy Prince there and Christ is thy friend there and this may administer much comfort to thee that Jesus Christ retaines the same relation now hee is in Heaven that he had with thee in the world therefore Iob could speak in a vision I know that my redeemer liveth I know my Kinsman liveth for so the word signifieth I know my kinsman liveth Christ did call his Disciples Brothers when he was in the flesh and so he calleth them brothers now he is in heaven Suppose thou art a poor woman that dost marry a man that is mean and poor in the world why suppose this man should come to the dignity of a King it would be a great comfort to thee that thou who wast but a beggar art now become a Kings wife so though thou art mean in the world yet Jesus Christ doth preferre thee to be his brother Seventhly and lastly it may serve for comfort in this regard that Christ is gone to Heaven for this very purpose to prepare Heaven for thee I goe to prepare a place for you Heb. 6 20. Whither the foreruner is for us entred even Jesus made an high Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec Christ is our forerunner gone to Heaven for us Christ did not onely dye for us but Christ did go to heaven for us Heb. 10. 19 20. Having therefore brethren boldnesse to enter into the holâ—est by the bloud of Iesus By a new and living way which hee hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh That is having hopes to come to enter into Heaven by the bloud of Christ through Christs flesh as dying on the Crosse And thus much be spoken for the Doctrinall part of this point the point was this That Christs Ascensionor going up bodily to Heaven is a ground of great comfort to Gods people whilest they live here upon the Earth I shall now draw out some instructions from some circumstances in Christs going to heaven There are five circumstances from which you may gather some instruction First from the time when Christ did leave the world and ascend up to goe to Heaven if you read the Evangelists they will tell you it was abote the 33 year of his Age he left this world and goeth up to Heaven Learn thus much from thence that if Christ would leave the world in the flower of his Age a young man then this should be fastened to the Meditation of you young men that you should not have your hearts too much glued to the world to hanker after a long life Suppose God should take thee away now in the flower of thy age bee willing and submissive for God tooke Christ away so Secondly you may learne some what from the place whence Christ did ascend it is very observable It was Mount Olivet Acts 1. 12. Then returned they unto Ierusalem from the mount called Olivet which is from Ierusalem a Sabbath days Iourney Luke saith it was from Bethany Luke 2. 50 51 And he led them out as far as to Bethany and he lifted up his hands and blessed them And it came to passe while hee blessed them hee was parted from them and carried up into heaven It was all one but there is much of Gods minde in this of all places in the world Christ did make choyce of Bethany by Mount Olivet to go up to heaven Beloved the reason was because that was the place where Christ was taken when Judas came with the Scribes and Pharisees to apprehend him from that place he was taken to be crucified and seeing it was from that place he would make choyce of that place from whence hee would take his rise to go up to Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bethany in Hebrew signifies a house of affliction Christ made that which was the house of his affliction that Bethany to be the place of the translation of him into glory I would give you thence to note that God doth oftentimes make our sufferings to be Inlets to our glory So it was with Christ from Bethany hee was taken a Prisoner and from that place hee would ascend up into Heaven so if you suffer with him you shall also bee glorified with him you may be carried to Heaven sometime in ways of sharpe afflictions therefore be not daunted at persecution for the Lord makes Bethanics the houses of our afflictions to have a trap-doore in them to let us into our Father Mansion Thirdly from the circumstance in Christs ascension that just as
THE Penitent Pardoned A TREATISE Wherein is handled the duty of confession of Sin and the priviledge of the pardon of Sin Together with a Discourse Of Christs Ascension into Heaven and of his coming again from Heaven Wherein The opinion of the Chiliasts is considered and solidly confuted Being the sum and substance of several Sermons preached by that faithful servant of Christ Mr Christopher Love late Minister of the Gospel at Lawrence Jury LONDON 1 John 1. 19. If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse Heb. 9. 28. Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation Qui dat peccanti poenitentiam dat poenitenti veniam Veniet judicaturus qui venit judicandus London Printed for John Rothwell at the Bear and Fountain in Cheapside and for Nathanael Brooks at the Angel in Cornhil 1657. To the Christian Reader THE extraordinary acceptance which Mr Love's books have found with sober and solid Christians as it hath occasioned the publishing of more treatises of his then was at first intended so it hath imboldned some without our knowledge and consent to thrust forth some imperfect Copies under Mr Love's name concerning which we will only say that the want of our attestation to whose care the publishing of his sermons were intrusted is ground enough to render them as suspected and suppositious to the serious and deliberate Reader Amongst some other Sermons of Mr Love 's which have been printed by imperfect Copies These two Treatises had the unhappinesse to be very hastily and unhandsomely published being never perused by any of us or compared with his own Notes Now that these two very useful tracts may be fit to be joined with the rest of Mr Love's works the Reader is desired to know that they have been diligently compared with the Notes written with Mr Love 's own hand and have been corrected from very many faults with which the former Edition abounded and most of them materiall We will add no more but this that in the Polemicall part of these discourses as we approve the authors judgement to be sound and orthodox so we beleeve that had he lived to publish his own labours this and other books had come forth more answerable to the learning piety and vigorous parts of the Author We commend thee to God and the word of his Grace which is able to build thee up and to give thee an inheritance amongst those that are sanctified London April 27. 1657. Edmund Calamy Simeon Ashe William Tailor William Whitaker The Table AFflicted people fit to confesse sin pag. 9 10 Aggravation of sin 16 Antinomians confuted 24 Aggravation of sin by circumstances 85. 109 Austins confession and aggravation of sin ibid. Godly afflicted for sin 94 95 Antinomians confuted 96 All sins not alike 108 Christ ascended into Heaven 116 117 Time of Christs Ascension 126 What we gain by Christs Ascension 134 B. BEnummed conscience 55 Boldnesse in sin 57 Christs body in Heaven and why 119 120 Hereticks confuted that denied Christs body to be in Heaven 121 Believers went to heaven before the incarnation of Christ 131 132 Bodies of Saints shall go to Heaven 197 Endowments of a glorified body 199 Of sin against the body 208 C. God loves to have his people confesse their sins 7 Confesse our bosome sin to God 12 Small sins must be confessed 14 We must confesse sin to God 19 We must confesse our sins to God 20 35. and our particular sins 22 Of auricular confession 19 24 In what cases we must confesse our sins to men 21 23 Cofession of sin must be affectionate 36 We must confesse all sin 39 Confession must be free 37. and voluntary 38 Confession is not needlesse as to God 41 Conscience checking for sin 53 54 Of a sensless sleeping Conscience 56 Comfort against the fear of death 123 Comfort from the consideration of Christs comming to judgement 137 Manner of Christs second comming 173 of Communion with Christ it Heaven 210 D. DEfects in our confession 33 Greatnesse of Davids sin 65 We must not feare Death 196 E. SOul eased by confession 6 Extenuation of sin 87 F. FEar of the godly to sin 24 47 Christs comming the dread and fear of wicked men 180 G. GOD pardons great sins 61 62 Of grosse and heinous sins 80 Directions to great and heinous sinners 82 Great sins great humiliation 86 How God makes the sinnes of his people turn to their good 92 93 Christ ascended to give the Holy Ghost 123 The glory of Christs second comming 176 177 H. HOpe of pardon 17 Humbled sinner amiable to God 40 Christ in Heaven his Heart on Earth 125 The Godly die and go to Heaven 188 I. IUstified persons must confesse sin 5 Impenitency exempts from pardon 89 Infants and grown people not under the same necessity of repentance 101 Christ will come to judge the world 137 L. LAw of God discovers sin 37. of little sins 73 74 Love of God to penitent sinners 87 88 Limbus Patrum confuted 129 Of Christs comming at the last day and not before 151 M. WE must confess our Master-sin 34 Mortification of sin 46 50 51 52 Infinite mercy in God 70. merit in Christ 71 72 Meditation of Christ 123 Millenaries confuted 150. unto 172 VVhat scriptures those Millenaries urge 160 166 169 O. OLd sins 18 Gods children have fallen into the same sin oftner then once though this is not usuall 102 103 104 Comfort against Oppression 141 P. PUblick sins publick confessions 22 Of good and wicked purposes 32 of pardon of sin 33 Pardoned sinners love God 45. and they forgive aâ—â—thers ibid Pardon and repentance joined ibid VVhat a pardoned sinner shuns 61 62 Peters sin aggravated in denying Christ 67 Aggravation of Pauls sin 68 69 God pardons and yet punisheth 96 Pardon not before faith and repentance 97 98 99 Saints justified must pray for pardon 107 Prophesies of Christs ascension 117 Christ prepares heaven for believers 127 VVe should prepare for heaven 133 Comfort against persecution 140 Paradice a type of Heaven 189 R. AFter reproof for sin we must confess sin 11 Remorse of conscience 20 Of those that are angry at reproof 36 Remembrance of sin 38 Remission of sin and renovation of the heart join'd together 44 Relapses into sin dangerous 105 Of the reproches of ChristiaÌ„s coÌ„fort against theÌ„ 140 Resurrection of the body proved 204 S. Confession works sorrow for sin â— Sorrow for sin T. 17 49 5â— T. TYpes of Christs ascension 11â— Christ triumph over our enemies 10â— Transubstantiation confuted 128 Time of Christs comming unknown 148 W. Witnesses of Christs ascension 11â— SERMON 1. Text PSALM 32. latter part of Vers 5. I said I will confesse my transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin THis Psalme treats of the blessednesse of a justified of a pardoned sinner touching which
he hath confest but yet he retains a fear and awe upon his heart that it shall not prevail over him in his practice Wicked men confess sin they have committed yet they are bold and adventurous to commit the same sin again which they have confest And thus the Harlot did Prov. 7. 14. I have peace-offerings with me this day I have payed my vows Paying the vow is a confession that I am in debt to God for my sin and I owe God homage and service yet she made the confession of sin to be a means to provoke her to be more bold and adventurous in her wickednesse To confesse drunkennesse and afterwards to be drunk to confesse profaneness and afterwards to be profane this is the bold adventurousness of wicked men Thus Pharaoh in Exod. 9. confest his sin and afterwards when the plagues were over runs into the same sin he did confesse and this is the badge and portraiture of a wicked man And thus I have done with this fourth particular I now come to the use Vse First by way of reproof there are three sorts of persons in whose breasts the arrow and dart of reproof must justly stick If so be justified persons are bound to make confession of sin unto God then it reproves Sort 1 First The Antinomists who account it a legal and a servile work for believers to be bemoaning themselves unto God and confessing sin unto God And therefore in their prayers when you may be cast to hear them in publick all their expressions in prayer are either extolling the Majesty of God the excellency of Christ the glory of Heaven the riches of Grace but not a word of laying low the creature in prayer but raptures in prayer and the extolling of divine Majesty these are all the dials of expressions which they use in prayer Now to overthrow this vain conceit of the Antinomians consider First Confession of sin to God hath been practised by all the godly under the Old Testament and therefore why should it not be used under the New Dan. 9. He made a praher to God and it consisted of 16. verses and 14. of them verses were spent in confessing of sin And thus the godly in Nehemiah ' s daies made a prayer to God and the whole prayer consisted of 32. verses and 31. of them verses were spent in confession of sin Nehem 16. Let thine ear be attentive and thine eyes open that thou mayst hear the prayer of thy servant which I pray before thee day and night for the Children of Israel thy servants and confesse the sins of the children of Israel which we have sinued against thee both I and my Fathers house have sinned Thus David 2 Sam. 24. 10. And Davids heart smote him after that he had numbred the people and David said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly That is one thing to confute this practise Secondly Not onely Believers under the Old Testament but also Converts under the New Testament did make conscience of confessing of sins unto God John 3 6. And they were baptized of him in Jordan confessing their sins Acts 19. 18. And many that believed came and confessed and shewed their deeds Luke 15. 17. And when he said How many hired servants of my Father have bread euough and to spare and I perish with hunger Verse 18. I will arise and go to my Father and will say unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee It is an Embleme of a Convert if so be it be a Parable In the instance of the Publican that Christ declares was uniustified rather then the Pharisee And the Publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes to Heaven but smote upon his breast saying God be merciful to me a sinner Verse 14. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather then the other c. Now beloved when you have instances in the Old Testament and many examples in the New why then should we blot out so useful a part of Gods worship as this of confession to God in secret Thirdly God doth command confession of sin unto him Jer. 3. 12 13. Goe and proclame these words towards the North and say Return thou back-sliding Israel saith the Lord and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord and I will not keep anger for ever Onely acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God c. Fourthly God both in the Old Testament and in the New hath annexed many gracious promises to a sincere confession of sin unto him in the Old Testament Lev. 26. 40. If they shall confesse their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers with their trespasse which they trespassed against me and that also they have walked contrary unto me Vers 41. And that I also have walked contrary unto them and have brought them into the land of their enemies if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity Then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob c. If they confesse their iniquity I will remember them And there are gracious promises made to such as confess their sins and it is certain that a man cannot have a promise to any thing which is a duty Prov. 22. 13. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy Iob 33. 27. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not c. And in the New Testament in 1 Iohn 1. 9. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all uurighteousness Now beloved put all these four together the godly have practised this under the Old Testament and converts under the New God hath commanded it and he hath recompenced it therefore those that account confession of sin to be but a legal and servile work deserve reproof A second reproof is to those of the Popish Religion who in stead of secret confession of sin to God in prayer doe presse vehemently Auricular confession in the ear of the Priest Touching this Auricular confession they spend many volumes to make good the divine right of it the Councel of Trent do lay an Anathema on any that shall not count Auricular confession to be necessary to salvation There are these several mistakes and errours in the Popish Doctrine of Auricular confession First They urge the necessity of it that you must not expect salvation without it Secondly Confession against whom and when you did it all the circumstances of your sins you must acknowledge to the Priest Thirdly That the Priest upon your confession hath power from Christ to give you pardon
of his comming againe verse 3. And if I goe and prepare a place for you I will come againe Sixthly By this that he will receive us to himselfe verse 3. And receive you unto my selfe that where I am there ye may be also and we shall ever be with the Lord. I shall explaine the Phrases when I come to handle them as they lie in order This Text contains in it the most materiall and fundamentall points of all the Doctrine of Christianity as Doct. 1 First the great doctrine of Christs bodily ascension into Heaven If I go Doct. 2 Secondly the fruit and benefit of Christs going into Heaven I go to prepare a place for you Doct. 3 Thirdly here is the great Doctrine of Christs second comming to judge the quick and the dead but I come againe Doct. 4 Fourthly here is the great Doctrine of the Resurrection of the body Christ shall come to receive them again from the dead and all the Elect with them Doct. 5 Fifthly here is the great Doctrine of that everlasting Communion that the Saints shal have with Christ in Heaven that where I am there ye may be also The first clause If I go it s a good note that Calvin hath on these words this conditionall Particle ought to be resolved into an Adverb of time If I go It is not a note of dubitation if Christ should go to heaven or no or a supposition peradventure he may go to Heaven peradventure not but it serves for limitation of time when Christ doth go to Heaven A like phrase you have John 12 32. And I if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me This he spake of what death he should die if he be lifted on the Crosse he should save many by his death The word if doth not note a dubitation or a supposition it may be or it may not be but it notes an Adverb of time when I am lifted up and so in my Text And if I goe and prepare a place for you I will come againe and receive you unto my selfe that where I am there ye may be also There is no difficulty in the first expression If I go and prepare a place for you from which words there are two observations If I go First that Christs Ascension or going up to Heaven is a ground of great comfort and great advantage to all his people while they dwell here upon the earth The second observation is from the end and benefit of his going up to Heaven If I go I go to prepare a place for you That the great end of Jesus Christs going bodily to Heaven is to prepare Heaven for all the Elect. Doct. 1 The first Doctrine That Christs Ascension or going up to Heaven is a ground of comfort and great advantage to all Gods people whilst they dwell here upon the earth In the handling of this point there are three particulars First I shall prove it to you by Scripture that Christ is bodily gone into Heaven I prove it by these five arguments in Scripture First by the Types that were before the Law Enoch was translated and taken up bodily into Heaven where now he is Gen. 5. 24. And Enoch walked with God and he was not for God took him this is confirmed by the Apostle Heb. 11. 5. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death and was not found because God had translated him for before his translation he had this testimony That he pleased God And under the Law Elijah was taken up in a fiery Chariot 2 King 2. 11. And it came to passe as they still went on and talked that behold there appeared a Chariot of fire and horses of fire and parted them both asunder and Elijah went up by a whirlewind into Heaven So Christ makes a third under the Gospell taken up to Heaven also Second Argument to prove this Doctrine is by Prophesies in the old Testament that Jesus Christ was to be taken up into Heaven bodily three prophesies one in the 68 Psalm there David prophesi'd of Christ in the 18. verse Thou hast ascended on high c. Now we should not have known so full that this had reference to Jesus Christs Ascension if Paul had not expounded this in Heb. 4. and the 14. verse Seeing then that we have a great high Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our profession The Prophesies that were long before Christ was born did declare this that Jesus Christ should ascend up into Heaven and in the 110. Psa 7. verse He shall drink of the brook in the way therefore shall he lift up the head what is that It is spoken of Christ I will set him upon my right hand first hee shall drink of the brook by the way he shall crie I thirst upon the Crosse he shall die and be crucified then afterwards he shall lift up his head he shall rise againe and ascend up into Heaven a full Prophecie in Daniel 7. 13 14. I saw in the night Visions and behold One like the Son of man came with the Clouds of Heaven and came to the ancient of daies and they brought him neer before him And there was given him dominion and glory and a Kingdome that all people Nations and Languages should serve him His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not passe away and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroied This cannot be spoken of Christs comming to judgement but then the Text saith he shall deliver them to his Father 1 Cor. 15. But the comming of Christ in the clouds here is Christs going up into Heaven as it is in the 1. Acts verse 9. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight And thus you have it by Prophesies confirmed Thirdly the Doctrine of Christs going up to Heaven is confirmed to you by Christs promises Christ upon the earth did promise that he would go up to Heaven John 6. 62. What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before In John 20. 17. Jesus saith unto her Touch me not for I am not yet ascended to my Father but go to my brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God Christ did promise that he would ascend John 16. 5 7. But now I go my way to him that sent me and none of you asked me whither goest thou Neverthelesse I tell you the truth it is expedient for you that I go away for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you but if I depart I will send him unto you John 16. 16. A little while and ye shall not see me and again a little while and ye shall see me because I go to the Father I could quote you many Scriptures that Christ promised he would
go away Fourthly the Doctrine of Christs going up to heaven is confirmed by the Testimony of the Apostles who were eie-witnesses of Christs Ascension Gerrard notes saying Jesus Christ did rise invisible none saw him Rise the Scripture telleth you that the Souldiers that watched were asleep yet Christ gathereth all his eleven Apostles that they might be eie-witnesses of his ascension that they saw him ascend to Heaven Acts 1. 9 10. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight And while they looked stedfastly towards heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white apparell and so the Apostle Peter in 1 Pet. 3. 22. Who is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God Angels and Authorities and Powers being subject unto him So Paul tels you in Ephesians 4. 10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things So in Hebrewes 9. the Author of that book tels you that Jesus Christ is not gone into the holy place but is gone into Heaven it selfe In verse 24. For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the figures of the true but into Heaven it selfe now to appeare in the presence of God for us 1 Tim. 3. 16. And without controversy great is the mystery of Godlinesse God was manifest in the flesh justified in the spirit seen of Angels preached unto the Gentiles believed on in the world received up into glory And in Mark 16. 19. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them he was received up into Heaven and sate on the right hand of God I take the more pains to prove this because of what ancient Heresies there have been to overthrow this great comfortable doctrin of Christs going bodily into heaven having our flesh in heaven this very day Fifthly it may be proved by the concurrent Testimonies of the Angels who were witnesses of this truth Acts 1. 10. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up behold two men stood by them in white apparell These two men were Angels the Angels did give in their concurrent Testimonies that Jesus Christ did goe into Heaven and the same Jesus Christ that did go shall come againe Beloved I know not any one point in all the Bible that is so proved and strengthened as Christs personall and bodily going up to Heaven and thus much for the strengthning of you in the proof of the point I lay that for the foundation because if the proof of it be not well grounded then the fruit of it will not be well regarded Secondly what is the reason that Christ must have his body and soul go up to heaven First Christ in his bodilie presence must goe to Heaven lest his Disciples should be taken too much with his bodily presence and never look after the Communication of his Spirit Therefore they ask Christ Lord when wilt thou restore the Kingdome to Israel They expected that Christ would take away the Roman Emperour which was a heathen and expected that he would be King himselfe Acts 1. 6. When they therefore were come together they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdome to Israel It is for this reason say Interpreters because the Disciples should not dote on Jesus Christ as to look on him as a temporall King and look on him for a temporall Kingdome but that they might look after the Kingdome where he is therefore Paul hath a passage in 2 Cor. 5. 16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh yea though we have known Christ after the flesh yet now henceforth know we him no more As if he should say it may bee those that lived in Christs time that knew him according to the flesh as a lovelie person but saith Paul we know him in a spirituall way to look after heaven by Christ to look after salvation by Christ Secondly Christ must be taken up into Heaven in his body to make a compensation and a recompence to himselfe for his sufferings in his body Phil. 2. 8 9. And being found in fashion as a Man he humbled himselfe and became obedient unto death even the death of the Crosse Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a Name which is above every Name Therefore God did exalt Christ and raise him from the dead and bring him to Heaven because he obeied to the death of the Crosse and took on him the form of a servant Psal 110. last verse He shall drink of the brook in the way thersfore shall he lift up the Head Because thou diedst and sufferedst therefore thou shalt lift up thy head therefore thou shalt ascend up to Heaven Heb. 2. 9. But we see Jesus who was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor that he by the grace of God should tast death for every man For suffering of death hee was crowned with Glory and Honour and translated bodily into Heaven that is a second Argument Thirdly Christ was taken up bodily to heaven it was manifest to the world that Christ was God as well as man to manifest the God-head of Jesus Christ therefore taken up bodily to heaven Eph. 4. 9 10. Now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all Heavens that he might fill all things There the Apostle proves that Christ going up to Heaven it was an Argument that Christ came down from heaven So in John 6. 62. What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before That shews that Christ was in Heaven before therefore must he be God Coequall and Coeternall with God the Father and thus you have the second point dispatched to you shewing the reasons why Jesus Christ must go bodily into Heaven The third point is I but what benefit and comfort is that to us that Jesus Christ is now bodily in Heaven what comfort was this to the Disciples that Jesus Christ should leave them that he must go from them unto his Fathers house There are seven particulars that it is great ground of comfort to all the people of God that Jesus Christ is gone bodily to heaven The first ground of comfort is this Christs going to heaven bodily it assures you of Christs full Triumph and compleat conquest over all your spirituall Enemies This the Apostle lays down as a ground of comfort upon Christ Ascension Eph. 4. 8. Wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men That is the Devill and sin that carried you captive Christ by his going up to heaven hath led them captive that is hath led your spirituall enemies that carried
Christ did ascend hee was speaking to his Disciples things that did appertaine to the Kingdome of God and as he was blessing of them he was taken up before their eyes Acts 1. 9. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up and a Cloud received him out of their sight Whilest he was blessing of his Disciples and whilest he was speaking to them things appertaining to the Kingdome of God hee was taken away I would give you this note from thence that when you come towards the time of your departure out of this world make Christ your example Christ as hee was going away he spake of things appertaining to the Kingdome of God so let your hearts be full fraught with Divine contemplation do you leave good counsell behinde you when you come to dye that so some body may say these are the last words of a dying Friend I might extend this example of Christ before his departure out of the world unto Master of families that when you come towards your end leave good counsel behind you Let not your speech be filled about worldly affairs but let them bee setled before but leave good counsell with your children Jacob when he was to die he called all his children about him gave good counsel unto them blessed them Likewise David 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my Son know thou the God of thy Father serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde for the Lord searcheth all Hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seeke him hee will be found of thee but if thou forsake him hee will cast thee off for ever And thus wee see in the instances of Isaac and many other Servants of God Moses to Joshua when he was to dye I but especially take Christs example that when you are to leave the world you may have your minds possessed with nothing else but with things appertaining to the Kingdome of God as Christ was Fourthly there is instruction to be gathered from the manner of Christs leaving the world the manner was in Act. 1. 9. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld hee was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight they saw him by degrees ascend into Heaven this must not passe our Meditation that a cloud should take Jesus Christ out of our sight it is for a reliefe to your Meditations that when you see the clouds to thinke that these clouds that I see hover in the Heaven they are Christs Chariot that did once carry him to Heaven and they are the chariots that shall carry Jesus Christ to judg the world O labour to have your Meditations on Divine things he went up in a cloud therfore the clouds are called Gods Chariots Fifthly note that circumstance in Christs ascension that he would call all his Friends about him it is expresly said all the eleven Apostles were with him Acts 1. And an Interpreter doth think that there was an hundred and twenty with Jesus Christ when he ascended up into Heaven and he gathered it from Acts 1. 15. And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the Disciples and said the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty Now learned men doe thinke that there was an hundred and twenty that did see Jesus Christ ascend up to heaven it is clear that there were the eleven Apostles there and if this be so that Christ gathered about him his friends when hee was to leave the world I gather thence that when you are drawing towards your end and departing out of the world Labour to have your friends about you that you might give them the advice of a dying friend and it is a great blessing for to dye amongst your friends Christ before that he would goe up to Heaven and leave the world hee would have his friends about him and then he was taken up from them I now come to draw out more practicall application of this point If it be so that Christs going up bodily into Heaven bee a ground of such great comfort unto the people of God upon Earth the use that I shall draw it shall be to deduce four doctrinall and four practicall inferences from this point First this point confuteth the opinion of the Selucians and Hermiani that hold that Christs Body is not in heaven but that it is in the beautifull and splendent body of the Sun and they say that is the reason the Sun doth cast such a glorious light o're that the Moon doth and truly this old Heresie is again revived amongst us and I have seen it in a booke called Divine Light when indeed it is nothing but darknesse but Christ is above the Sun Christ is above all the visible Heavens Christ sits in the third Heaven as Paul calls it therefore if Christs Body bee gone into Heaven they are in an errour Secondly this point will confute those who hold that Christs Body hath been on Earth since his ascension into Heaven some in Germany held that they were the very Christ and thus in King Henry the Eights days there was one held that hee was the Christ and his side was pierc'd and there was the print of Nayles seen in his hand c. I but if men say lo here is Christ and there is Christ believe them not for Christ was never on the Earth since his ascension Thirdly that Christs Body is now in heaven it overthrowes the Doctrine of the Popish Religion touching Transubstantiation or the reall presence that Jesus Christ is bodily present at the Sacrament say the Papists we bodily eat Christs flesh and drinke Christs bloud that Christ is as bodily present at the Sacrament as hee was on the Crosse If there were no other argument to overthrow this opinion but this that the body of Christ is now in Heaven it were enough then that opinion of Transubstatiation is hereby confuted Christs body cannot be in Heaven and on the earth both at one time Fourthly the ascension of Christ it overthrowes the opinion of the Carpacratiami that hold that onely his soule did goe to heaven and his body perished as others and this cannot be for the Disciples said that they saw Christ ascend and this must bee his body for they could not see his soule for the soule is a spirit Now you see the reason why I spent so much time in the morning in giving you many Texts of Scripture to prove this point because there are so many Hereticks that doe oppugne this Doctrine of CHRISTS Ascension I now come to give you three or four practical deductions First is Christs body now in heaven then I infer O thou that canst lay a well-grounded clayme for an interest in Jesus Christ O be not thou afraid to dye because thy Christ is in heaven and when thou diest death is but a Trap-doore to let thee into endlesse joy where Christ
is why should wee bee as children to looke on death as a Bugheare but looke upon death as being a passage unto thy fathers house as being a Trap-doore to let thee in where Jesus Christ is Gen. 45. 25 27. And they went up out of Egypt and came into the Land of Canaan unto Jacob their father and they told him all the words of Joseph which hee had said unto them and when hee saw the waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him the spirit of Jacob their father revived Did Jacob rejoyce to see a waggon or a chariot that would carry him into Aegypt to see his Son Ioseph and wilt not thou rejoyce to think that death is a chariot to carry thee to Jesus Christ to carry thee to heaven O therefore let not thy heart bee troubled to dye because death is but a chariot to carry thee to heaven Is Christ gone into heaven Then secondly labour thou whilest thou livest on the earth to ascend to Christ in divine and holy Ejaculations and Meditations Is Christ in heaven then why should not thy heart be where thy head is why shouldest thou bee grovelling on the earth seeing thy Christ is now in heaven It is a speech of Christ Canticles 3. 6. Who is this that cometh out of the wildernesse like Pillars of smoke perfumed with Myrrhe and Frankincense with all powders of the Merchant Thou shouldest ascend up to Christ though thou beest in trouble in the Wildernesse of this world O ascend up to Christ in Holy Meditations this use the Apostle makes of it Colos 3. 1. If yee then bee risen with Christ seeke those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right Hand of God The argument is where Christ sits at the right Hand of God set your affections there and so in Phil. 3. 20. For our conversation is in heaven from whence also wee look for the Saviour the Lord Iesus Christ Christ is in heaven thereâ—ore our conversation must bee where our head is It is a notable Text Mat. 24. 28. For wheresoever the Carkase is there will the Eagles be gathered together That Christ is in heaven it should make you ascend in your hearts heavenward It is true there are some that wrest these words and give this sense of them that they make the carkase to be the Jewes and the Eagles to be the Romans because the Romans did use the Eagle in their Banner and Ensigne of War therefore they say where the Jewes were the Romans should come though this was a truth yet not the scope of the Text it is generally overthrown by most Interpreters but Gerrard doth chiefly referre these words to the day of judgement where the carkase is thither will the Eagles resort that is where Jesus Christ is in heaven as the Eagles doe follow after the carkase to feed upon that so the people of God shall be gathered about Jesus Christ and this I doe confesse is the chiefe scope of the place and doe beleeve it is the chiefe intendment of the holy Ghost but Gerrard hee makes another use of it too and referres it to the power and efficacy of the Gospell in this life Christ is now in heaven saith Gerrard and the Gospel shal be so powerful on men in the world that it shal make men as eager to come after Christ into heaven as the Eagle is after the prey Thirdly I inferre hence that before you presume to apply the benefits and the comforts of Christs ascension into heaven labour to feele in your own hearts the efficacy of Christs Death and ascension every man applies the benefit of Christs Death and Resurrection and Christs ascension before they find the efficacy of his Death the efficacy of his resurrection It is the Apostles word saith he I labor to find the power of his resurrction so do you labor to find the power of his Death and the power of his ascension before you find the comfort of it It is to make thee lesse Earthly-minded more passionately eager and importunatly earnest after the Lord Iesus Christ dost thou feele the power of the ascension to make thee more heavenly minded and lesse earthly minded O labour to feele the efficacy and power of it else I might say to you as Iacob said to his mother in Genesis 28. 12. My father peradveuture will feele mee and I shall seeme to him as a deceiver and I shall bring a curse and not a blessing Nay without peradventure God will feele and try whether you are the men or no that have right to the blessing that shall have any reall advantage and benefit by Christs Death by Christs ascension God will try whether you doe not seek to deceive your Souls and deceive God himselfe if so you will rather have a curse then a blessing if you seeke to apply the comfort of Christs ascension before you feele the efficacy of it on your own hearts Ques How did Christ ascend Answ 1 First Christ went to heaven visibly in Act. 1. It was no transient glance of the Eye but they stedfastly beheld Jesus Christ they saw him when he went away Again Secondly Christ went to heaven bodily therefore those doe erre that hold that onely his soule did go to heaven and his body perished as other do Thirdly hee went to heaven locally hee ascended locally there are some men that hold that every place is heaven where God is that is a truth but heaven is a distinct place from the Earth and Hell Christ had a mutation of place from the Earth to the third Heaven therefore saith hee the earth shall hold me no more Fourthly hee did ascend into heaven powerfully Indeed other men went to heaven bodily not by their own strength but it was by a borrowed strength Elias had a fiery chariot to carry him to heaven but Christ had none for he went to heaven by his own strength Lastly Christ went to heaven eminently and singly There are three bodies in heaven there is the bodie of Enoch the body of Elias and the body of Christ all else in heaven are onely Saints and Angels Enoch went to heaven bodily as a type of Christs ascension before the Law and Elias unde the Law and Christ under the Gospell Divines say that this shewes there was salvation by Christ before the Law and salvation by Christ under the Law and salvation by Christ in the time of the Gospell but there is difference between their going to heaven First Enoch and Elias went to heaven but they did not die and rise from the dead and then ascend into heaven but first Christ dyed and then Christ was raised out of the Grave and then within forty daies hee did ascend into heaven there was one difference Again they did not ascend to heaven by their own strength but by the power of God they did ascend into heaven but we have got no good by their ascension no benefit nor merit accrues unto us by
their being in heaven but there is great benefit redounding to us by Christs being in heaven for saith Christ I goe to Heaven to prepare a place for you Again Enoch went to heaven but he could not give the spirit so Elias went to heaven but hee could not give the spirit I but our Lord Iesus Christ hee is gone bodily into heaven hee hath ascended up on high and hath given gifts unto men Again they went to heaven saith Polanus onely as Citizens of heaven but Christ went to heaven as the Lord of heaven who is there in his body and in his person and these are the short and transient hints that I have given you on the first part of my Text. I come now to the second thing in the Text to the benefit that believers have by Christs going bodily into heaven I go to prepare a place for you Doct. 2 The observation is this the fruit and benefit that all the Elect of God have by Christs going into heaven is to prepare a place for them there I go to prepare a place for you Now in the handling of this Doctrine there are three particulars First I shal shew you in what sense Christs going bodily into heaven prepares heaven for believers Secondly I shall shew you how can this scripture say that by Christs Ascension heaven was prepared for us when other Scriptures say that heaven was prepared for us from the beginning of the world Thirdly whether did the Patriarks and righteous holy men of God that lived before Christs ascension goe into heaven whither went they when they dyed therefore the Church of Rome gather from this Text that before Christ went to heaven there was none went into heaven but all went into a place called Limbus Patrum First in what sense may it bee said that Christ by his going into heaven prepares a place for believers there I answer in these three regards Christ by going into heaven prepares a place there First By way of Representation Christ is not gone to heaven as other men as a single and a private person but Christ is gone into heaven as a common and a publique person Christ is gone up to heaven with flesh and blood and with our natures hee is gone to heaven and hee is gone there as a Representer of all the Elect Jesus Christ is gone to heaven representing the persons of the Elect of God upon the earth Hence it is that you have a passage Eph. 2. 6. And hath raised us up together in heavenly places into Jesus Christ Wee are not in heavenly places wee are in earthly places but we doe sit in heaven because Christ is now in heaven hee being gone to heaven as a common and a publique person a Representer of all the elect Heb. 6. 20. Whither the forerunner is for us entred even Jesus made an high Priest for ever after the order of Melchesodec Hee did not goe there for himselfe but for us Christ did dye as a publique person representing all the elect of God and Christ did goe to heaven as a publique person and hath taken possession of heaven in our stead Christ keepes our inheritance there saith Grotius Christ is said to prepare a place for us in heaven just as a company of Travellers when they are going a journey they send one man before to be their harbinger to take up lodging in the Inne and make provision for them against they come to the Inne our Lord Jesus Christ is gone to heaven before to prepare a place for the elect there Secondly Christ prepares a place for the elect by way of intercession Heb. 9. 24. For Christ is not entred into the holy places made with hands which are the Figures of the true but into heaven it selfe now to appeare in the presence of God for us That as the Priest under the Law when hee went to the holy places hee had the names of all the Tribes on his breast so the Lord Jesus Christ our great high Priest having the Names of all the elect not onely on his breast but in his heart prayeth to his Father that we might come there and this Intercession is another way that heaven is prepared for the elect Thirdly Christ is said to prepare heaven for us by way of Operation in us hee prepares heaven for us by preparing us for heaven and this is the sence that Austin gives of these words Jesus Christ prepares a Mansion for us in heaven when hee prepares us the Inhababitants for heaven here is the great evidence for heaven are your hearts prepared then you may bee assured that heaven is prepared for you Col. 1. 12 13 14. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in Light who hath delivered us from the power of darknesse and translated us into the Kingdome of his deare Son In whom wee have Redemption through his blood even the forgivenesse of sins An unconverted man is not a meet man for heaven now when Christ makes you meet for heaven hee then prepares a place for thee 1 Peter 1. 3 4 5. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the Resurrection of Iesus from the Dead to an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you Who are kept by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation ready to bee revealed in the last time So that beloved if you be kept for heaven and made meet for heaven that is a demonstration that heaven is prepared for you I now come to the second Quere which is this how can this scripture say that by Christs ascension Heaven is prepared for us when other Scriptures say that heaven was prepared for us from the beginning of the world Mat. 25. 34. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my father inherit the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world Now if a Kingdome was prepared for them from the beginning of the world how doth this Scripture appropriate a preparing of the Kingdome of Heaven onely from the ascension of Christ Divines do answer that you must distinguish between the decrees of God and the clear manifestation and full execution of those decrees Now if you respect the decrees of God then the Scripture is true that the Kingdome of heaven is prepared from the beginning of the world for the decree and purpose of God was before the world was that the elect should have heaven as an Inheritance but if you expect the clear manifestation of it then it was not till Jesus Christ Ascended and the distinction this Scripture allows of especially in the point of Justification in this point the Scripture doth clear this distinction Heb. 9. 8. The Holy Ghost this signifying that the way into the holiest of all was
Gospell onely theirs is darke for the ceremoniall Law was Gospell meerely Types and Shadowes of Christ to come Shadows of Salvation by Christs Bloud Nay they had the same Christ as wee have 1 Cor. 104. And did all drinke the same spirituall drinke for they dranke of that spirituall Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ And in the Wildernesse it is said let not us tempt Christ as they also tempted him they sinned against Christ in the Wildernesse and they enjoyed Christ in the Wildernesse so that they had the same Christ as wee have Againe they are under the same covenant that wee are Jeremiah 31. It is the same covenant with ours in Hebrews 8. Is there not then the same reason why Beleevers under the old Testament should goe to the same place as Beleevers under the new for they had the same Spirit the same Faith the same Gospell the same Christ and under the same covenant therefore they must needs goe to the same place though heaven be prepared by Christs Ascension yet heaven was opened before yet not so manifested before as since Christ dyed rose and went up to Heaven Use I now come to the Application the use is to draw out a few practicall inferences from this Doctrine which are four If it be so that Jesus Christ by his going into Heaven hath prepared a place for the elect there then learn by way of recompense by way of compensation and gratification to Jesus Christ O prepare thou a heart for Christ who hath prepared a heaven for thee Shall Christ go to heaven to prepare a place for thee and wilt thou afford Christ no corner in thy heart thou lettest thy lusts sit on the Throne of thy heart yet you doe not give Christ any roome there We read in Revel 19. 7. Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the Marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made herselfe ready O bee thou as the Bride make thy selfe ready for the Marriage day the betrothing day was when Christ went up to heaven thy Marriage day is thy dying day O against the Marriage day of the Lambe doe thou who art his Bride make thy selfe ready doe thou prepare a heart for Christ who hath prepared heaven for thee Origen hath a good passage on Luke 22. 12. And hee shal shew you a large upper roome furnished there make ready though hee doth much abuse the scope of the Scripture There were three properties of the Room wherein Christ are the possover a large upper and a furnished Roome hee makes this Allegory of it I doe not give it to you as the sense of it but take his glosse that if thou wilt come to sup with Christ thou must make thy heart as the upper Roome a heart raised in Divine contemplation and not onely an upper Roome but a large Roome a large Heart a furnished Roome a Heart adorned with grace O do thou prepare a large Room an upper Roome and a furnished Roome for Christ Secondly if Christ be gone into heaven to prepare a place for the Elect then we are rather gayners then losers by the want of Christs bodily presence wee should bee lesse happy to have Christ upon the Earth then now Christ is in heaven for wee are greater gainers by Christs now being in heaven then if hee were in person with us upon the Earth Divines illustrate this say they the body of the Sun is fixt in the Firmament and giveth light over all the world now should the body of the Sun bee taken from the Firmament and bee upon the Earth amongst us it would not bee of that availe to us as now it is the Sun of Righteousnesse now hee is in the heavens hee is of greater availe to us then if he were upon the Earth for if hee were on the Earth all the World could not see him at once so that we are greater gainers by Christs going up to Heaven then if hee were in person here amongst us as God saith in John 14. 28. Yee have heard how I said unto you I goe away and come againe unto you If yee loved mee ye would rejoyce because I saed I goe unto the Father for my Father is greater then I. Truly it was matter of joy and not of griefe that Christ left this world and went to heaven because he went there to prepare a place for us I would faine know whether Jacob would have been troubled for his Son Joseph if Jacob had known this that his Son was gone into Aegypt to prepare a place for him and all his brethren against the famine surely it would never have troubled him Truely your Joseph your Jesus hee is gone to Heaven to prepare a place for you there therefore let it not trouble you seeing you are more happy by Christs presence in heaven then if you had his bodily presence upon the earth Thirdly if Christ be gone Bodily into Heaven it is a ground of comfort to thee that though thou hast no place to put thy head here in this world yet remember Christ is gone to prepare Heaven for thee It may be many of you have poor cottages smoaky houses why for all that lift up thy heart with joy that Christ is gone to prepare a large place in heaven for thee Valens the Arian Emperour when hee did threaten Basill and said that neither by Sea nor Land he should be safe from his power yet saith Basil for all the Emperours rage I shall be either in Heaven or under Heaven Why so though thou mayest be driven to and fro by Sea and Land and having no abiding place of safety to put thy head in yet maugre the malice of Men and Devils thou shalt bee either in Heaven or under Heaven A Cardinall threatned Luther with this that there should not bee a place left for Luther in all the empire O saith Luther smilingly if Earth cannot keepe mee yet Heaven shall Beloved beare up your hearts that though thou mayest not have an abiding place on Earth yet thou hast one prepared for thee in Heaven Fourthly is Christ gone into Heaven to prepare a place for Beleevers then all Christlesse and gracelesse men have no benefit by the passion or Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ Christ dyed but not for thee Christ rose again but not for thee Christ is gone up to Heaven but not for thee he will prepare no place in Heaven for thee therefore thy case is as was spoken of Judas Acts 1. 25. That hee may take part of this Ministery and Apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell that hee might goe to his own place It was to no place of Christs preparing it was to a place prepared of old for condemnation In the phrase of Jude Tophet is prepared of old it is a place prepared of an angry God and not a place prepared by a Mediatour This therefore should bee matter of astonishment to all Christlesse and
Gracelesse men what though Christ bee gone into Heaven yet thou shalt never follow after him What though Christ prepareth a place for all his Elect yet hee prepareth none for thee thy place is prepared by an angry God thou goest to Hell and not to a place prepared by Jesus Christ And thus I have done with the second Doctrine to wit that the fruit and benefit that all the Elect of God hath by Christs going into Heaven it is to prepare a place for them I goe to prepare a place for you The third main Doctrine is the Doctrine of Christs coming againe I goe and prepare a place for you but I will come again Christ may stay long but hee will not stay ever but Christ that said hee would goe away also said hee would come again To explicate the phrase I will come again what is meant by Christs coming again Beloved there are foure sorts of Interpretations of these words neither of which are true but the last First by coming again some understand Christs first coming so the Jewes understand it for some of them do study the Evangelists though they study to confute it they doe not beleeve that Christ is come they make it of his coming in the flesh John 4. it was the womans sence of the coming of Christ in the 25. verse The woman saith unto him I know that Messias cometh which is called Christ when he is come hee will tell us all things why he was come but shee thought that hee had not been come O saith Jesus Christ I am hee I am come already so that the Jewes and the Samaritans did ever take the phrase of Christs coming not to Judge the world but of the coming in the flesh Secondly it cannot be understood of the coming of Christ by his spirit so some Interpreters doe understand the words but I will come again by my Spirit and they make it agreeable to that phrase loe I goe away but I will bee with you to the end of the world but Calvin rejects it because the next words say I will come againe to receive you to my selfe Thirdly it cannot bee meant as the Millenaries understand it of Christs coming again to remaine a thousand yeares upon the Earth and for that I shall give you severall demonstrations from Scripture when I come to handle it Fourthly by Christs coming againe it is to bee understood as Calvin and most Interpreters take it of Christs coming to Judge the world as if hee should say I go to prepare Heaven for you and I promise you to come again that though your bodies die and rot in the Graves yet I will come again and raise you up another day and receive you unto my selfe It is to bee understood of his last coming And thus much for the explication of the phrase Obser 3 Christ doth here give them a promise of his coming to comfort their troubled hearts From thence observe that Christs coming again to judge the world is a Doctrine full of comfort to every Beleever whilest they are here upon the earth for the proofe of this see 1 Thess 4. 15. To the end For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord that wee which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleepe For the Lord himselfe shall descend from Heaven with a shout with the voyce of the Archangell and with the Trumpe of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first Then wee which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Ayre and so shall wee ever bee with the Lord Wherefore comfort one another with these words In the handling of this there are four Queries to be answered The first is by way of Objection what comfort is this to us that Christ should bid them they should not bee troubled that hee might come againe when between the making of this promise and this time promised it hath run above 1600 hundred years already Answer First that Tract of time can neither interrupt the accomplishment of a promise nor the comfort of a promise it is comfortable that what is promised shall sooner or later come to passe Daniel 10. 1. In the third year of Cyrus King of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel whose Name was called Belteshazzar and the thing was true but the time appointed was long and hee understood the thing and had understanding of the vision It is a promise made by Christ to comfort you against all the troubles of the world hee will come againe and though the time bee long ere hee doth come yet the time appointed will bee true it is certaine though it be long Secondly that the godly in ages before us could rejoyce in promises being made to them though the accomplishâ—ment thereof was not fullfilled till many years after and why should not the Disciples doe so then and why should not wee doe soe now I will give you two or three instances John 8. 56. Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and hee saw it and was glad The promise was made to Ahraham above a thousand years before he saw him and yet he was glad Heb. 11. 13. These all dyed in Faith not having received the promises but having seen them afarre off and were perswaded of them and embraced them They did embrace the promises though they were farre off in their accomplishment An excellent Text you have in Isaiah 9. 6. For unto us a child is borne unto us a Sonne is given and the government shall bee upon his shoulders c. Behold this is matter of joy for to us a childe is borne and unto us a Sonne is given they might have said Lord what is that to us wee heare of garments rowled in blood and of the confused noyse of Warriers and dost thou tell us of that which shall not bee till many yeares after and yet the Prophet doth thinke no fitter a promise to give them then the the promise that a Virgin should conceive a Sonne I mention it for this that though promises were made long since yet bear up your hearts for that it will be sure and certain though it be long and so much for the first particular The next particular is I but how doth it appeare that Christs coming to judge the world is a Doctrin so full of comfort to beleevers First it appears by the beleevers longing and looking for Christs coming to judge the world it is the people of Gods property to long for the appearance of Christ when it makes the heart of a Felix to tremble it is a Doctrine of Great comfort to a Beleever it is called the day of Redemption and called by Peter the day of refreshing and this made the Church say Come Lord Jesus come quickly this shews that to the People of God there is no Doctrine so comfortable as the Doctrine of Christs
your determinations about the time of Christs coming nor about the place where for neither is revealed in Scripture Christ did deny his Disciples when they asked him where hee should come Luk. 17. 37. And they answered and said where Lord And hee said unto them where the body is thither will the Eagles bee gathered together Christ told them of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the end of the Woâ—ld then said the Disciples but where Lord wilt thou come Christ onely gives them this answer that where the carcasse is thither will the Eagles flee that is where Christ is all the Elect shall bee gathered as Birds of prey flock together after a carcasset o feed upon so that Christ would neither tell the place where nor the time when and this should bee a check and a controle to mens curious pryings about that which the Scripture is silent in Lastly take heed of bold and adventurous conjectures about the manner of Christs coming to judge the World by vaine and carnall corruptions of a temporall Kingdome of Christ Many are very peremptory about it and there bee strange Books at least in their own expressions that they can descry the very maner of his coming that Christ shall come from heaven and dwell a thousand yeares upon the Earth and the Dead shall rise and live in the World but these are such things which the Scripture doth never take notice of I am to handle on this promise of Christ but I will come again A perplexed Quere which is this whether Christ Jesus in promising to his Disciples to come again did meane to come to Reigne upon the Earth here a thousand years or whether it bee to bee meant of Christs last coming to judge the world this Scripture and others are made use of and brought to prove that Christ shall come from heaven in person and live upon the Earth for a whole thousand years they fancy that Jesus Christ when hee shall come to this personall Reigne then hee shall raise all the Martyrs that have lost their Lives in his cause and the Divell shall bee bound up that hee shall tempt Men to sinne no more and wicked Men shall be ty'd up that they shall not persecute the Church of God this is an Antient Opinion and almost since the Apostles dayes Before I shall come to give you my thoughts from the words touching Christs coming as they pretend to Reigne a thousand years upon the Earth I shall shew you the rise of this Opinion First from Eusebius and others they give us the rise of this Opinion from Cerinthus which had it who lived in the time of John This Cerinthus who was a pestiâ—ent Heretick in those times who held that Christ was borne by the conjunction of a man and a woman Christum ex congressu maritali genitum esse and not born by a Virgin and was borne as others are and so must be a sinner Hee was the Man that was the first author from whom this Opinion had any life or being Eusebius saith Papias Bishop of Hieropolis did also hold this Opinion but not in so grosse a way as Cerinthus did but rather spiritually and there was some spice of this in the Apostles for they did dream of a temporal Kingdome therfore they askt Christ when hee was going to Heaven Lord when wilt thou restore the Kingdome unto Israel there was in the time of the Apostle a fancy that Christ must bee an Earthly Monarch and destroy all the Kings of the Earth and all the Enemies of the world and must come here to Rule and Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth it was brought over into Germany and there was taken hold on by John of Leydon in westphalia and handed over to us in England by men of late Now for the confutation First I shall quote expresse Scriptures that Christ shall not come in person out of heaven till his last coming to judge the world Secondly I shall give you some reasons from the Scripture why Christ cannot come out of Heaven Bodily and in person to Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth Thirdly I shall shew you some absurdities and incongruities that would follow if Christ should come to Reign a thousand yeares upon the Earth First for expresse Scriptures which are four the first scripture Act. 3. 21. Whom the Heavens must receive untill the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began There the Apostle telleth you directly that the Heaven must receive and keep Jesus Christ how long till the restitution of all things The Millenaries hold that the restitution of all things may be at the time of Christ Personall Reigne but I shall shew you that this restitution of all things cannot be til Christs judging the world First there cannot be a totall abolition of sin in the world at the thousand yeares end there shall bee a number of men and wicked during the thousand yeares all things cannot bee restored for sinne bringeth the creature under a curse it is apparent that it cannot bee till Christs last coming to judge the world because other Scriptures tell you that the time of restitution cannot bee till our bodies bee raised from the Dead Rom. 8. 23. And not onely they but our selves also which have the fruits of the spirit even wee our selves groane within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our body That is the creatures doe as it were groane being used by man as an instrument to Gods dishonour so that till the bodies of all the Elect bee redeemed and glorified till that time the creature lies under a curse by reason of mans sinnes and mans abuse And they themselves that plead fâ—r Christs personal reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth though they doe hold that the martyrs shall bee raised at at that time yet doe not hold that all the Elect shall bee raised at that time therefore the Apostle saith expresly that the Heavens must keepe the person of Christ till the restitution of all things 〈◊〉 the bodies of the Elect come to bee raised from the Dead Again it is apparant from the context in Acts 3. That the restitution of all things can intend no other time then the time of Christs coming to judgement First because it is said that the time here spoken of is when the Jewes were to bee refreshed from the Lords presence vers 19 20 21. Repent yee therefore and bee converted that your sinnes may bee bloted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And hee shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you Whom the Heaven must receive untill the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began And they cannot bee refreshed by the Lords presence till Christs coming to Judgement and their
resurrection Secondly it was the time that God did solemnly declare pardon of sinne for all the elect Repent yee therefore and be converted that your Sinnes may bee blotted out Thirdly it is said of which all the Prophets doe beare witnesse those that doe plead for Christs personall Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth they cannot say that all the Prophets did speake this for Moses Daniel and others nay none of the Prophets speake of Christs Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth therefore this cannot have a reference to Christs Reigne for a thousand yeares upon the Earth A second Scripture is in Psal 110. 1. The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right Hand untill I make thine Enemies thy Foot-stoole That Scripture tells you that Jesus Christ who is ascended into Heaven and sits at Gods right Hand there shall so sit till hee hath made all his Enemies his Foote-stoole That the Apostles tells you that all Christs Enemies are to be made his Foot-stoole cannot bee till Christ coming at the last time will you marke that Scripture where the Apostle telleth you directly 1 Cor. 15. 23 24 25 26. But every man in his owne Order Christ the first Fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end when hee shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father when hee shall put down all rule and all authority and all power For hee must reigne till he hath put all his enemies under his Feet The last enemie that shall bee destroyed is Death Here is the coming of Christ that hath reference to all the Just and Unjust Marke now Christ therefore must reigne in Heaven till all enemies bee under his Feet now these thousand years all enemies are not under his Feet why because death will bee then death is not to be destroyed then when the end comes hee must give up his Kingdome to his Father what is more clear then this that the Heavens must keep Christ till all things be restored and that cannot be till the day of Judgement Againe Christ must reigne so long till the end of the world The third Scripture is in the 1 Cor. 15. 23 24. But every Man in his own Order Christ the first fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end when hee shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father when hee shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power This Scripture telleth you that when Christ cometh out of Heaven upon Christs coming three things must bee done First every man must rise vers 23. Now that cannot bee at the thousand yeares because they themselves hold this that there shall onely be a Resurrection of the Martyrs and here the Scripture saith that every man shall rise which cannot bee till the day of Judgement Secondly when Christ comes then comes the end the Apostle tells us of his coming and the end of the world to note that Christs coming and the end of the world shall be together Thirdly hee delivers his Kingdome up to his Father whereas if Christ should reigne a thousand years here it could not bee said to bee the giving up of a Kingdome but the taking of a Kingdome into possession hee must resigne all to God the Father When the Scripture is so expresse it is a wonder that men can receive such fantasticall thoughts that Christ must come as an Earthly Monarch to reign here a thousand yeares A fourth Scripture is in Heb. 9. 28. So Christ was once offered to beare the sâ—nt of many and unto them that looke for him shall be appeare the second time without sin unto Salvation From that Scripture I will argue against Christs coming to reign upon the Earth for a thousand yeares First it is expresly in the Scripture that Christs coming there spoken of referres to the day of Judgement in v. 27. And as it is appointed unto all men once to dye but after this the judgement There Christs second coming it doth referâ—e unto the day of Judgement Now if the Scripture doth 〈◊〉 that the second coming which is his coming to judgement Then Christ cannot come before that time to reigne upon the Earth for if hee should come to reigne upon the Earth then the Apostle must call that his third coming there hath been but one coming which was from Heaven to the wombe of the Virgin and there is no other coming to follow but a second coming that is to judgement Secondly it is said Christ shall come the second time to our Salvation it cannot bee said to our Salvation if his coming were to reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth that were onely some temporall good but Christs coming must referre to the last and great coming wherein the world shall bee judged and the soules of the Elect shall bee saved Beloved these Scriptures are very clear unto mee The reasons are two that Christ shall not come personally out of Heaven to reigne upon the Earth for a thousand yeares First because the Scripture doth manifest that when Christ comes personally out of Heaven there are such Concomitants of his coming that can bee referred to no other time then his last coming to judge the world First when Christ is said to come out of Heaven the Scripture telleth you this concomitant that the Saints shall come along with him Jude 14. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam Prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints So that when Christ comes from Heaven he must come with his Saints with him nay he must come with his Angels 2 Thess 1. 7. And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus Christ shall bee revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels Put these two Scriptures together Christ must come with his Saints and Angels But those that fancy Christs coming a thousand yeares they cannot prove that Christ shall come with his Saints and Angels for the scripture that seemes to carry it that way doth not speak of Angels Saints coming Secondly it is said when Christs comes from Heaven that good and bad shall bee gathered together and all shall bee judged by Jesus Christ now this cannot bee of Christs personall reigne on the Earth this you have in 2 Thess 2. 9. Now wee beseech you Brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him So that the coming of our Lord and our gathering together to bee judged by Christ they are both coupled together because when the Lords coming is then is our gathering time Mat. 25. 31. 32. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him then shall hee sit upon the Throne of his glory And before him shall bee gathered all Nations and hee shall separate them one from another as a Shepheard divideth his sheepe from the Goats And in 2 Tim. 4. 1. I
charge thee therfore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the Quick and the Dead at his appearing and his Kingdome The Scripture telleth you that when Christ appeares to judge the world hee shall have this concomitant of his coming he shal gather all together to judge both the good and the bad Those that pretend that Christ shall come to reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth they cannot prove that then all shall bee gathered together they onely plead for the Matryrs and none else therefore it cannot be referred to his coming to reigne a thousand yeares Thirdly when Christ comes then the end of the world is a period is put to this world 1 Cor. 15. 24. Then cometh the end when he shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father c. When Christ comes then comes the end now those who hold for Christs personall reign they hold that the end of the world shal not be till a thousand yeares after because Christ must Reigne a thousand yeares Fourthly the resurrection both of the just and the unjust is a concomitant of Christs coming 1 Cor. 15. 23. But every man in his owne Order Christ the first fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming So that at Christs coming the generall resurrection of the just and unjust is to be Lastly there is to bee the Salvation of the Soules of all the Elect that is a fifth concomitant of Christs coming Heb. 9. 28. Christ was once offered to beare the sinnes of many and unto them that looke for him shall hee appeare the second time without sinne unto Salvation This cannot be referred to Christs Personal coming upon the earth to reign a thousand years because he doth not come then to save the soules of all the Elect that is the first reason why Christ cannot come to reigne upon the Earth because when the Scripture speaks of Christs coming out of heaven it doth annex five concomitants with it which belong not to any coming of Christ upon the Earth but to come to judge the world A second reason is this that Christ cannot come to reigne upon the Earth because if it should bee so it would bee worse for Christ and it would bee worse for us then now it is it would be worse for Christ for to leave Heaven and come to the Earth for Christ to leave Saints and Angels and Heaven for to live upon the Earth among the wicked and the good for they themselves confesse that wicked men shall live upon the Earth then Then besides they fancy Earthly delights that the fruit of the Vineyard shall not fade as now it doth yet they would lessen Christs Glory because hee sits this day at his Fathers right Hand againe for to fancy this that Christ must come to reigne upon the Earth it would bee a great losse to all the Elect for wee have the benefit of Christs everlasting Intercession and were Christ upon the Earth wee should lose that benefit Heb. 8. 4. For if hee were on the Earth hee should not bee a Priest seeing that there are Priests that offer gifts according to the Law So that if hee were upon the Earth wee should lose the benefit of his Priest-hood therefore it would it bee a great wrong to us to have Christ here on the Earth because the benefit of his Priestly Office would not bee so availeable to us as it is in Heaven Thus I have laid down scripture and given you reasons why Christ cannot come before his last coming Now there be eight Incongruities and Absurdities that would follow in case you should grant that Christ should come to Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth First by those mens Principles this inconvenience will follow that people may exactly know the punctuall time of Christs last coming to judge the world for those who hold Christs personall Reigne they doe as well hold the time as the thing they doe as well maintaine when this Reigne shall begin Therefore some have maintained that Christ should come to Reigne on the Earth in the year 1650. One saith if it shall not be in the yeare 1650 it shall bee in the yeare 1694. They that go furthest guess at that time if so bee they hold the thing and maintaine the time also when it shall begin then of necessity wee must know exactly when the day shal be that Christ shall come to judge the world for they grant it shall be immediately after the thousand yeares Now beloved that Opinion that carries this absurdity to know the day of Christs coming to judge the world which Christ saith none in the world can tell of that houre and day knoweth no man Mark 13. 32. But of that day and houre knoweth no man no not the Angells which are in heaven neither the Son but the Father is a false Opinion Secondly this incongruity will also follow that it will bee a great disadvantage to Christ in coming to reigne a thousand yeares on the Earth to leave his Father and Heaven and come and onely possesse Earth Now Christ hath more happinesse in the immediate enjoyment of his Father in Heaven then hee can have here upon the Earth Then it will bee a losse to us that wee should lose the benefit of his Priestly Office but Christ the Sonne of righteousnesse being in Heaven is more available to Beleevers then if he were upon the Earth Thirdly observe this that if Christ should come on the Earth for a thousand yeares then Christ would leave the Church after that thousand yeares for a while in a worse condition then hee found it and I draw it from that Text which they pretend to bee the strength of their Argument Revel 20. 5 7 8. But the rest of the Dead lived not again untill the thousand years were finished This is the first resurrection and when the thousand yeares are expired Satan shall bee loosed out of his Prison And shall go out to deceive the Nations which are in the four quarters of the Earth Gâ—g and Magog to gather them together to Battell the number of whom is as the Sand of the sea So that after the thousand yeares the Devill shall bee let loose again and there shall bee an innumerable company of enemies and they shall destroy multitudes of the godly Therefore Christ would leave his Church in a worse condition then hee found them if this were true that Christ should reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth Fourthly if Christ should come to reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth then this incongruity will follow that there must bee three personall comings of Jesus Christ for his first coming was his Incarnation Second coming to these thousand yeares And his third coming must bee to judge the world that is the last coming but the Scripture makes but two comings of Christ First his coming from heaven when hee was borne his second coming when he comes to judge the world again
lived but nine hundred sixty and nine yeares and David saith the life of man is cut shorter The Text saith they shall live and reigne with Christ in that sense taking living properly and all the phrases properly they must necessarily say that men shall live when that time comes a thousand yeares together Againe it cannot bee the sense of this Scripture because that cannot bee the sense of this Scripture which crosseth the sense of other Scriptures to make this Scripture to affirme that Christ shall reigne on the Earth a thousand yeares and other Scriptures tell you that Christ shall stay in Heaven in person till all men shall rise from the Dead every man shall rise then cometh the end 1 Cor. 15. 23 24. But every man in his owne order Christ the first fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end c. 2 Thess 2. 1. Now wee beseech you Brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him Then besides it doth crosse the Scripture to say that at Christs coming onely some men shal rise but not all Job 14 10 11 12. But man dieth and wasteth away yea man giveth up the ghost and where is hee As the waters faile from the Sea and the Flood decayeth and dryeth up So man lieth down and riseth not till the Heavens bee no more they shall not awake nor bee raised out of their sleepe Job telleth you expresly That the Dead shall not bee raised till the Heavens bee no more and that cannot bee the thousand yeares for there will bee a Earth and a Heaven then and in Peters phrase The Heavens shall melt away like a scrowle c. Now to make a Resurrection before a Resurrection it is that which the Scripture doth no where mention John 5. 28 29. Marvell not at this for the houre is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall heare his Voyce and shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of life and they that have done evill unto the Resurrection of damnation The judging of the just and unjust shall bee the same houre and upon Christs coming all men shall bee judged 2 Tim. 4 1. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quicke and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdome So that Christs appearing and Christs coming is a judging of the quick and the dead Now beloved then to make this Scripture to say that Christ shall come on the Earth before his last coming this is to crosse other Scriptures then of necessity therefore it cannot bee the scope of thâ—s for there is no jarring between one phrase of the Scripture and another Fifthly when the scripture saith here That they live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares it is not spoken whether it bee a reigning with Christ in Heaven or on Earth so the phrase neither carrieth it one way or another Sixthly John doth not say that hee saw the bodies of men that were beheaded and they reigned with Christ but he dâ—d in a vision see the Souls of them that were beheaded now to say they must come to reigne on the Earth for a thousand yeares it were a great inconveniency to them it is said I saw the soules of them The thousand yeares cannot bee applied to Christs Personall Reigne For so Jesus Christ hath an eternall Kingdome he doth not reigne a thousand yeares on Earth or in Heaven but everlastingly Kingdomes and States of this world have lasted a thousand yeares and to make Christs Kingdome to last no longer it is to give Christs Kingdome too narrow a confine I have consulted with many Authors and I finde the current of Interpreters generally runne this way though some doe fancy that Text speakes of the binding of the Devill for a thousand years and during this time the Saints should live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares The sense and scope of this place is this The period of time when this time began that the Devill was bound Interpreters doe unanimously give this Opinion that it began in the reigne of Constantine the Great hee being the first Christian Emperour in the World hee coming after 300 yeares Persecution by the Roman Emperours who made great massacre and havock in the Church of God in so much that in the booke of Martyrs wee reade that there may bee for every day in the yeare five thousand Christians slaine this is a dreadfull Persecution and the Devill raged and stirred much Now upon Constantines reigne the Devill was bound up that is the Roman Emperours who were acted by the Devill to all this cruelty when Constantine a Christian Emperour came to reigne hee gvae out imperiall Edicts and Lawes for establishment of the Christian Religion and that put an end to the Persecution of the Roman Emperours and to this Opinion many Interpreters give in their consent Brightman Napier Gerard and these thousand yeares when the Devill was bound did end 300 yeares ago and more and this is given to be the scope and sense of the Scripture Object I but then you will say though the Devill was bound how comes the Devill to be loose againe Answ They answered this that in the yeare 1300 the Turkish Emperour began to beare sway Gog and Magog called the Turke prevailed and hath gotten the greatest part of the world within his power and hee was the Gog and Magog that did persecute the Saints and did spread almost over all the Earth and truly comparing Scripture and story together this seemes to be the neerest and the truest sense of this place and this interpreters doe generally concurre in Two Objections by those who plead for a thousand yeares First is this we read in the Century of the Church that the Church of God was pestered by Valens the Emperour after these 300 yeares and of Julian the Apostate that did greatly persecute the Christians and how can this be true when we read of so much persecution after the Devil was bound up Answer that when it is said the Devil is bound up it is not meant simply that there should bee no temptation to sinne for that there should bee Valens the Emperour did establish Arrianisme and troubled the Church of God One answereth it was nothing like the persecution of the Roman Emperours it was nothing so long nor so tedious as the persecution under the Roman Emperours for for every day in the year 5000 Christians were put to death In Dioclesians reigne there were 17000 Christians killed in one Moneth there was some sprinkling persecution in the time of Valens and Iulian the Apostate but it was nothing to that of the Roman Emperours Object Another Objection is this I but the Scripture saith that this is the first Resurrection that the Saints living and reigning with Christ a thousand yeares this is the first Resurrection how can it bee said that after
to reign in his Church by a well-ordered Discipline that the Government of Christ may be established in the places where you dwell Thirdly Seeing there is no coming of Christ as King in this world then doe not trouble your selves with Niceties and Obscurities about his coming upon the Earth but labour to be fitted and prepared for his last and great coming Fourthly if Christ should come to reigne upon the Earth which the Scripture no waies speakes of then certainely the Saints of these times do make but a bad preparative for Christs reigne that doe impale Saintship and monopolize Saint-ship unto themselves and say they are the people of God the church of Christ and the Saints of Christ and they make but a bad preparation for Christs coming to live in sensuality as they doe and commit such wickednesses as they do upon the Earth This is but a bad preparation and but poor encouragement to Jesus Christ to come and reigne amongst such Saints as these are which indeed are a scandall to Saints a scandall to Religion and would bee a scandall to that thousand yeares of Christ if he should come to reigne but Christ will have better Saints then these are to reigne with him In treating of the Doctrine of Christs coming againe the other Quere is this how or after what manner shall this coming of Christ be But I will come again Now in the resolving of this question I shal confine my answers to these six particulars First he shall come certainly Secondly he shall come personally Thirdly he shall come visibly Fourthly he shall come gloriously Fifthly he shall come terribly And sixthly he shall come unexpectedly These wayes the Scripture doth furnish you with severall hints touching his coming First the Lord Jesus shall come certainly Christs coming is to bee numbred among poeticall Fictions or with the delusion of Mahomet the certainty of Christs coming againe is built on these three foundations First it is built on the immutability of Gods decree Acts 17. 31. Because hee hath appointed a day in the which hee will judge the World in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained wherof he hath given assurance unto all men in that hee hath raised him from the Dead The immutability of Gods decree doth prove the certainty of Christs coming God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world Secondly the certainty doth stand upon the infallibility of Christs promise Mat. 26. 64. Jesus saith unto him Thou hast said neverthelesse I say unto you Hereafter shall yee see the Sonne of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of Heaven there is Christs promise to which three of the Evangelists doe concurre Thirdly the certainty of his coming is grounded upon the impartiality of his Justice here every man hath not right and in Solomons phrase a just man perisheth in his uprightnesse and a wicked man prolongeth his dayes in wickednesse therefore to shew Gods impartiality there must bee a coming of the Sonne of man to judge the world righteously The Doctrine of Christs coming is impugned by Atheists therefore you read what Peter tells you 2 Peter 3. 3 4. Knowing this first that there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming For since the Fathers fell asleepe all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation And wee read of the men of Athens they questioned this and would not beleeve this For Christ coming to judge the world Acts 17. 32. And when they heard of the Resurrection of the dead some mocked and others said wee will heare thee againe of this matter Of old time in the times of Jesus Christ or soone after men did mocke at this Doctrine that the dead shall rise and Christ should come to judge both the quick and the dead Herein Gerrard reckons up abundance of Sects as the Floriani the Dosithiani the Symmachiani and many others Indeed there is one Scripture that these Atheists do abuse in making it to deny the coming of Christ to judgement Joh. 8. 15. Ye judge after the flesh I judge no man But Beloved to this Text that they make use of to to shake this great Pillar of our hopes the coming of Christ againe take these two Answers when Christ saith I judge no man that is I judge no man with a rash and heady judgement as you judge men that are not of your Opinion you judge things rashly and inconsideratly but I judge no man as you doe so Austine in his 36. Tract on John gives it to bee the sence of the place it doth not exclude Christ from judging the world at the last day but from judging of men as the Pharisees to wit rashly and inconsideratly Secondly Christ doth here speake what was not the end of his first coming in the flesh but the end of his second coming was to judge all men but I judge no man that is it was not the intent or the end of my first coming in the flesh to judge men John 3. When God sent his Sonne to bee borne of a Virgin hee did not send him to judge the world but to save the world hee reserved his judging of the world till his last coming John 12. 47 48. And if any man heare my words and beleeve not I judge him not for I come not to judge the world but to save the world Hee that rejecteth mee and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the words that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day The end of my first coming was not to judge it was to bee judged and to be condemned by Pontius Pilate and to dye the cursed death And that is the end of Christs first coming that is the first particular hee shall come certainly Secondly Christ shal not only come certainly but he shal come personally It was the great mistake of Origen though hee holds for the coming of Christ againe that hee pleades for the coming of Christ in spirit therefore that Text where it is said you shall see the Sonne of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven Origen understands by the Cloudes to bee the Saints because it is mentioned in Scripture that the Beleevers are called a cloud of witnesses Now this is to pervert the whole letter of the Bible and turne all the Scripture into an Allegory and Metaphoricall sense Now in opposition of that I lay downe a second property that Christs coming shall bee a personall coming out of Heaven but the Scripture doth not speake of Christs coming on the Earth but no further then the Aire Christ in his Body shall come personally out of Heaven Now to prove this second property or second manner or way of Christs coming there are two Texts of Scripture to confirme it 1 Thess 4. 17. Then wee which are alive and remaine shall bee caught up together with
them in the clouds to meete the Lord in the Aire and so shall wee ever bee with the Lord vers 16. For the Lord himselfe shall descend with a shout from Heaven c. If it had been Christ in his spirit then it would have been said the Lord by his spirit shall descend But the Lord himselfe shall descend from Heaven with a shout it notes his personall coming out of Heaven that whereas Jesus Christ had a personall translation and as Christ had a visible Elevation he was in the eyes of his Disciples lifted up so Christ shall bodily descend and come out from Heaven the Lord himselfe c. Therefore it cannot bee the Lord by his spirit Acts 1. 11. Which also said yee men of Galilee why stand yee gazing up into Heaven This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as yee have seen him goe into Heaven The same Jesus that you saw Ascend shall descend so that it cannot bee Christ in his spirit but in his person I onely mention this to confute those that follow the conceit of Origen meerly to make Christs coming to be but a spiritual coming a coming in the hearts of Saints Thirdly his coming it shall be visibly Acts 1. 11. This same Jesus which is taken up from you into Heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven That as Christs going up to Heaven bodily was visible so Christs coming out of Heaven shall be visible Mat. 26. 64. Hereafter shall yee see the Sonne of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds Indeed Christ did rise invisibly for no man saw Christ rise from the dead but Christ shall descend visibly you shall see the Sonne of man c. Mat. 24. 30. And then shall appeare the signe of the Sonne of man in Heaven and then shall all the Tribes of the Earth mourne and they shall see the Sonne of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory All men shall see the glory of Jesus Christ the wicked shall see him to their Amazement and consternation and the godly shall see him to their joy and consolation Fourthly Christs coming shall bee gloriously and there shall bee many things that shall make the coming of Christ to bee a glorious coming hee shall come in the clouds these glorious bodies shall bee the triumphant and swift Chariots of the sonne of God wherein hee will come to judge the world and his Atendance shall make him glorious Daniel 7. 10. A fiery streame issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgement was set and the bookes where opened Jude 14. and Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints And in 2 Thess 1. 7. And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels O then behold the clouds to be the Triumphant Chariots of Christ the Innumerable company of Saints and Angels to bee attendants on the person of Christ to come to judge the world and that is the reason that hee is called so glorious Mat. 24. 30. And they shall see the Sonne of man coming in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory Mat. 16. 27. For the Sonne of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his Angels Luk. 9. 26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words of him shall the Sonne of man bee ashamed when hee shall come in his own glory in his Fathers and of the Holy Angels And that is the reason of that Epithet given to Christs coming Titus 2. 13. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Now beloved Christs coming to have this property or this manner the reason must bee to distinguish his second coming from his first coming to take off the contempt and reproach that was on Jesus Christ in his first coming and he shall come in glory in the second coming First wee read in Scripture that Christs first coming it was in the forme of a servant Phil. 2. 7. But made himselfe of no reputation and tooke upon him the forme of a servant and was made in the likenesse of men Now in the second coming hee comes with that glory and Majesty of a King In the first coming hee had no reasonable creature to attend him at the second coming hee shall have all the Saints and Angels in Heaven to attend him At his first coming hee was swadled with swadling bands but at this second coming he shall be as it were cloathed with the Clouds of Heaven Againe his first coming it was in dishonour and contempt every Traveller had more honour then Jesus Christ for the Inne was for every Traveller but there was no roome for Christ there hee was borne in an out-house but his second coming shall bee in great glory Againe in his first coming Christ representing the persons of the Elect came with sin imputed to him and was the greatest Beggar in the world as Luther saith and the greatest sinner in the world not by way of inherence but by way of imputation therefore Luther calleth him Peccator maximus the greatest sinner Christ incoming into the the world had all the sinnes of the Elect of God imputed to him so hee came as a sinner as an evill person though hee was not so yet hee was looked upon as so But the second time hee shall come without sinne hee shall not have our sinnes by imputation cast on him because when hee comes againe hee shall make a totall Abolition of sinne Therefore there needs no impution of our sinnes upon Jesus Christ Thus you have a fourth way of his coming he shall come Gloriously A fifth way of Christs coming againe is this he shall come terribly In Isaiah 13. 9. Behold the day of the Lord cometh cruell both with wrath and fierce Anger to lay the Land desolate and hee shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it Revel 6. 17. For the great day of his wrath is come and who shall bee able to stand the coming of Jesus Christ it is a terrible coming that is a fifth way of his coming Sixthly and lastly Christ shall come unexpectedly though it is true there shall be immediate warnings of his coming as the powers of Heaven shall be shaken the Sun Moon and Starrs shall bee darkned but that shall bee but a little before his coming but beloved the coming of Christ shall bee when men are not aware of it as in the dayes of Noah men were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage when the flood come and destoyed them so shall the Sonne of man come Christs coming shall then bee to burne all with fire
bodies unto himselfe at the last day The Event shall bee this an everlasting enjoyment of Christ that is the result and consequent of Christs coming to bee ever with him that where I am there you may be also I shall open the words for there is some difficulty in one Expression where I am you see it is a word in the present sense where I am and though it bee a word of the present Tense it doth not denote thus much that that they should bee at Jerusalem with Christ for Christ was then at Jerusalem but as Grotius saith that here the word of the present Tense is to be understood of the suture Tense that is where I shall be shortly after I leave this world where I shall be there you shall be and so hee doth bring that Text to prove it Joh. 7. 34. Ye shall seeke me and shall not finde mee and where I am thither yee cannot come It cannot bee taken in the present Tense for he was then 〈◊〉 Jerusalem but it is to bee understood in the future Tense where I shall bee I goe but I come againe that where I shall bee when I come to my Fathers House in Heaven I may have all your companies to be personally present with mee in Heaven that is the scope of the word Obser Observe that when ever Christ speakes of being in Heaven though hee was on the Earth yet he speakes in the present Tense as if hee were in Heaven already John 3. 13 And no man hath ascended up to Heaven but hee that came downe from Heaven even the Sonne of man which is in Heaven Christ was not in Heaven hee was speaking on Earth to them in his Person in his Humane Nature so likewise in John 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given Mee be with mee where I am that they may behold my Glory which then hast given mee for thou lovedst mee before the Foundation of the World Gerrard doth raise this Question here Why doth Christ say that he is in Heaven when yet he was in his body on the Earth First that Christ saith I am denotes the certainty of Christs going to Heaven that hee should bee there as sure as if he were there Babylon is fallen why the the Popedome is not fallen yet it shall be as sure as if it were fallen It is to note Secondly the suddennesse of it Christ was shortly to bee in Heaven there was but one day betweene Christ and his being in Heaven things suddenly to bee done they are said to be done things that are neer a doing are said to bee done Thirdly which is the reason the Gerrard gives Christ doth expresse it in the present Tense where I am though hee were on Earth to shew that Christ was truly God as well as man and in regard of his Divine Nature hee was truly in Heaven as in regard of his Human Nature hee was on Earth Thus much for the manner of expression that where I am there you may bee also the latter part is this that they might be with Christ where hee is One thing observe that in Scripture Language there is a great difference between Christs being with us and our being with Christ That Christ is said to be with us doth not denote a personall presence but a presence by his Spirit Mat. 28. last vers Teaching them to obserâ—â— all things whatsoever I shall command you and loe I am with you alwaies even unto the end of the World It was not in person for hee left them but I am with you in my blessings in my Spirit but when the Scripture speaketh of our being with Christ it notes a personall presence a being with Christ in person Therefore Paul saith I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ Christ was with Paul because Christ converted him but Paul was not with Christ but desired to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ our being with the Lord it notes a personall presence an enjoying of the presence of the Lord. Obser The Observation is this That Christ at his second coming receives the Elect unto himselfe in body and soule that they might bee for ever present where Jesus Christ is in Heaven that where I am there you may be also This Doctrine it is out of the common place Here in setting out to you that this shall bee the consequent of Christs great and last coming to receive the Elect unto himselfe that where Christ is there ye may be also I shall shew you the great blessednesse in this condition in these eight or nine particulars First that you will be more happy in being present with Jesus Christ in Heaven then if you had been present with Adam in a state of Innocency wee should have thought our selves happy to be as Adam was to have had the immediate presence of God wee should have thought this a very happy and glorious Estate Indeed so it was but now to bee present with Christ in Heaven thou art more happy ten thousand times then if thou hadst been made when Adam was made to have lived with him in Innocency First Adam when hee was made by God in Innocency hee was instated only into an earthly Paradise but now thou being with Christ art stated into an everlasting kingdome Againe Adam was placed in Innocency yet so as to bee lyable to lose that blessed and glorious condition hee was in and did lose it though he were a perfect Creature yet hee lay under a capacity to lose all his excellency but when God brings thee to bee present with Jesus Christ thou art instated into a Kingdome that cannot bee shaken into a happy condition that cannot bee lost Againe thirdly when hee was made by God Innocency hee enjoyed onely the society of Beasts on the Earth and Birds of the Ayre but when God brings thee where Christ is hee doth instate thee into a condition where God the Father God the Son and all the Saints and Angels are thy companions Secondly here is another part of thy happinesse by being where Christ is that thou shalt enjoy the society of Christ in his Humane Nature where Christ is thou shalt bee the meaning of that expression is John 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given Mee bee with Mee where I am that they may behold my Glory Beloved this is the Beatificall vision this referres to seeing the Glory of Christs person in his Humane Nature not the glory of his God head but the Glory of his Man hood that they may behold my glorified body the Glory of my Humane Nature that was so contemned and so despised when I was on the Earth I beseech thee let all the Elect that long for mee and for to bee with mee I beseech thee that they may bee with mee where I am to behold my glory It was a solemn wish of Austine a little before his Death he wisht that he might see three
things and then if he might die he did not care I wish saith hee First that I might see Rome in its beauty and to see Paul in the Pulpit and to see Christ in the flesh every Beleever shall see the Lord Jesus in the flesh Iob tells you of his confidence long before Christ was borne I know my Redeemer liveth and with these eyes I shall see my Redeemer here is thy happinesse that being where Jesus Christ is thou hast a society with Christ in his humane Nature 1 John 3. 2. Beloved now wee are the Sonnes of God and it doth not yet appeare what wee shall bee but wee know that when hee shall appeare wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is Wee do not know what Christ is wee shall know him then we shall see him as he is glorified in Heaven A third thing that makes much for the blessednesse of the Elect that in thy being present with Jesus Christ God gives thee more honour then ever thou couldest bee capable of in former time God gives thee Glory by vertue of thy being with Jesus Christ a notable Text Joh. 1. 26 verse If any man serve mee let him follow mee and where I am there shall also my servant bee If any man serve mee him will my Father honour That is where I shall bee in Heaven Beloved the time is now of giving honour to God and giving Glory to God but thy being where Christ is God then gives thee Glory and gives thee Honour Fourthly thy happinesse in being present with Christ where hee is is that thou shalt stand in no need of Ordinances beloved here the highest growne Christian and the strongest Beleever in the World doth stand in more need of Ordinances then a lame man doth of Crutches to goe by but when thou comest to have this accomplishment that thou shalt bee where Christ is thou then standest in no need of Ordinances then what needs the Candlestick of Sermons what needs the Candlestick of Preaching and the Candlestick of Praying when thou art present with Christ the Sun of righteousnesse there is no need of conduit pipes when thou art by the Fountain head thou needst no Ordinances the conduit pipes are the Ordinances there is no need of Ordinances any longer then thou art absent from the Fountaine which is Jesus Christ the ceremoniall Law is all Gospell it is a darke Gospell the Evangelists are the explained Gospel the ceremoniall Law is a darke Gospell Exodus 25. Meaning the holy place There was to be golden Candlesticks which Typified the Preaching of the Word In the Holy place there was the Incense Dishes to wit Christs Intercession this was only in the holy place but in the holy of holiest there was no Candlestick no Incense Dishes there to shew that whilest you are on this side Heaven in the Church of God you need the Candlestick you need Preaching and praying but in the holy of holiest there was none of this to shew that it was a Type of Heaven and when Christ beings thee there then thou art above Ordinances and never till then this is a Fourth particular A Fifth Priviledg of thy being where Christ is is this that thou shalt have a full communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ in Person Beloved here wee have our communion with Christ but it is a communion far different from that which we shall have in Heaven First it shall bee different in regard of the manner of its enjoyment in this world thou enjoyest Christ mediately by Ordinances thou doest but see him as in the Apostles phrase in a glasse darkely but in Heaven thou shalt enjoy Christ personally and have communion immediately with Christ in Heaven Secondly in regard of the measure of your enjoyment here you enjoy but a parcell of Christ you here enjoy Christs spirit by drops you shall then enjoy the fullness of the Ocean Thirdly it differs in regard of its time and duration Here you doe enjoy Christ it is true but it is by fits and starts you injoy him now in an Ordinance but you have interrupted fellowship and communion with Christ but when thou art with him in Heaven there is no interruption in thy communion with Christ Fourthly it is different in regard of its expectation herein Heaven thou enjoyest Christ by way of of possession Fifthly in regard of place here there is a great distance of place betweene Christ and us here wee enjoy Christ hee in Heaven and wee on Earth but then we shall enjoy Christ in one place hee in Heaven and wee in Heaven here thou mayest thinke much of Christ but if thou wert nearer Christ thou shouldest see and know more of his glory Sixtly there shall bee a difference in regard of thy companions and those that are in fellowship with thee in Heaven they are saints and Angels but on Earth though thou doest enjoy Christ yet thou art inforc'd to discourse and commerce with wicked men A sixth particular is this thy being present with Jesus Christ there is this to attend thee there shall bee gladnesse and rejoycing among all the Angels in Heaven If the Angels in Heaven shall rejoyce at a sinners conversion they shall much rejoyce at a sinners inauguration in Heaven they and we shall make but one fold to glorifie the great Shepherd of our soules the Lord Jesus what great joy shall there bee among Angels Archangels Thrones c. Singing Hallelujah to God making you partners of their glory Seventhly our being with Christ shall put us into a state of exemption from sin from the causes of sin and from the punishments of sin First from sinne here thy beautifull soule is bespoted with the spots of Leprosie I mean with foule and deformed lusts but when thou art with Jesus Christ thou art exempted from sin no more sin Secondly thou shalt be exempted from the causes of sin the Divel shall deceive no more there but here thou lyest exposed to all temptations Thirdly there shall bee no more punishments for sin here thou art punished in thy body by Diseases and the like here punishments by trouble of Soul but in Heaven thou art freed from internal punishments and externall punishments this was prefigured under the Law 1 Kings 33. The Palme-tree is an Embleme of victory Therfore the victorious are said to wear Palmes in their hands triumphing Revelation 7. to shew that you can never bee compleat Conquerours to wear signals of triumph and signals of conquest in your hands till you come to enter into the holy of holiest Then you have conquered over sin and over Temptation to sinne and conquered over all punishments for sinne The Morall Philosophers say that Raine Haile Storme and Tempests are engendred in the middle Region but above the middle Region there is no Winde no storme or Tempest whilest thou art here below there are stormes Winde and blustring Temptations but when God takes thee above this middle Region there is
no storm nor tempest to disturb thee but thou shalt be quiet there Eightly in being present with Jesus Christ those who have â—uffered most and doe most for Jesus Christ shall have most glory with Jesus Christ all shall have glory enough he that hath least in Heaven shall have enough every vessell of glory shall bee full yet some shall containe more then others as thou hast had more grace in this world thou shalt have more glory There are degrees of glory in Heaven and there are degrees of torments in Hell there are degrees and orders among the Angels in Heaven not onely Angels but Archangels not onely Cherubins and Seraphins but distinct orders among Angels there surely is an order and degree among glorified Saints that those that have done most for Christ and suffered most for Christ they shall have most glory from Jesus Christ It is the saying of one that as God doth communicate his Graces in an unequall manner in this Life so hee shall crowne them in an unequall manner in the Life to come as thou hast gone beyond some men in graces so thou shalt be beyond some men in glory in enjoying the bodily presence of Jesus Christ thou shalt know all the bodies of all thy well-beloved friends that thou knowest here in the world this most Divines doe concurre in Bolton is very strong for it all our Moderne Authors are for it and some of the Ancients too I onely give it as a probable advantage and comfort then a man shall say Here is the Child that I sought God for and may the Minister say Here is the People that I have Preached to and the people say Here is the Minister now in Heaven that I have heard take these probable grounds for it First that the wicked knew the godly in Heaven Dives in Hell knew Lazarus in Heaven Then wee read likewise in Luke 13. 28. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Iacob and all the Prophets in the Kingdome of God and you your selves thrust out Now if the damned in Hell see Abraham Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of God why shall not the Godly know one another there Then againe Peter James and Iohn knew Moses in the transfiguration Mat. 13. Then againe the godly they knew the damned in Hell Therefore certainly they may know one another in Heaven It is said in Mat. 8. 11. And I say unto you that many shall come from the East and West and shall sit downe with Abraham and Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdome of Heaven I doe not give you this for certaine I am loath in things controversall tossed to and fro by learned Men rashly to determine but there are strong Hints to build hopes on that in thy knowing of Christ in Person and when the bodies of the Elect shall be raised thou shalt know the bodies of thy Elected Friends Bolton here thinks it should detract much from the happinesse of every Saint in Heaven if every Saint should not know one another which knew one another here upon Earth this addes much to this happinesse in that they shall have a sociable Communion in being with Christ in Person where he is And thus much for the Adjuncts of this Condition that where Christ is there ye may be also 〈◊〉 Use The use then If it be so that where Jesus Christ is that place where he is gone to Heaven there ye shall bee also then I inferre take it well at Christs hand whatsoever thou hast here below suppose thou livest in a smoky Cottage Suppose thou hast not a place to put thy head in O thinke what a place Christ is gone to prepare for thee he is gone to prepare no worse a place for thee then Heaven Nay bee content with a Prison be content with a Dungeon The place in Heaven shall make a recompence for all the obscure places in the World Suppose thou beest as Christ was in the World that the Foxes have holes and the Birds of the Ayre have nests but the Sonne of Man hath not whereon for to lay his Head but he hath a house in Heaven a House not made with hands a building of God he hath his Fathers House in Heaven there you may goe you must be patient though the places you dwell in are not so comfortable as you may desire you shall be where Jesus Christ is Secondly if it be so that it is the great benefit of Christs coming againe to take us to himselfe to be in the same place where he is Then take heed that thou beest not foolish to lose a place in Heaven for worldly profits and preferments for Earth to lose Heaven it is the great baite of these times to have places and preferments and Advantages take heed they doe not make you to lose the place in heaven where Christ is Historians that write of Tâ—iberius stigmatize him for a very foole that would for a drop of drink â—ell his Kingdome and so was called of Tiberius Biberius O there are many such Biberius's in the world â—hat for a draught of drink will venture the danger of drinking down shovels full of fire to their own damnation many in the world that will rather then lofe their places and possessions here upon Earth venture to lose that place where Jesus Christ is Thus I have in ten Sermons finished Five maine Points of Religion And if I goe and prepare a place for you I will come againe and receive you unto my selfe that where I am there ye may bee also FINIS Febr. 24. 1649. Psalm 85. 2. Psalm 14. 1. Psalm 30. 6. Psalm 119. 57. 1 Kings 5. 5. Psalm 39. 1. Multi confitentur iniquitatem suam sed non adversus se sed adversus Deum qui dicunt non hoc feci aut hoc Deus voluit fatum mihi hoc fecit stellae c. Aygnanus in loc Exod. 34. 7. Mic. 7. 18. Levit. 16. 21. Job 13. 13. Et raatum c. poeaam Psalm 32. 3. Spiritualis vomitus Psalm 119. 25. Jer. 31. 18 Cant. 2. 14. Psalm 119. 26. 1 Kings 20. 31 Psalm 32. 6. Dan 9. 20. Psalm 38. 18. Josh 7. 19. Oculos quos culpa claudit poena apeâ—it Greg. Gen. 41. 21. Psal 38. 5. 2 Sam. 12. 13. Multi amane veritatem lucentem not redanguentâ—â— 2 Sam. 12. 13. 1. Sam. 15. 26. S Iam 12. 19. 1 Chron. 21. 17. Psalm 90. 8. Psalm 19. 12. Gen. 4. 13. Act. 26. 10 11. Dan. 9. 5. Dan. 9. 9. Ezra 10. 2. Luke 18. 18. Psal 38. 18. Psal 51. 3. Zach. 12. 12. Exod. 9. 27. 1 Sam. 15. 24. 30. Job 7. 20. Acts 2. 37. Hos 12. 4. Job 32. 18 19 20. Exod. 9. 1. Matth. 27. 3. 2 Sam. 18. 29. Dan. 2. Judg. 10. 10. Luke 18. 13. Dr. Vsher Compare Josh 7. 19. with Josh 22. 20. 10 Defects Hildersham on Psal 51. Psal 51. 5. Rom. 7. 24. Lam. 8. 40. Jer. 8. 6. Thus did Paul 2 Tim. 1. 14. 15. Psal 50. 17. Mehem 9. 17. Revel 18. 21. Job 7. 21. Gen. 3. 21. Revel 3. 18. Esta spiritualis vomitns Bern. Causa sine quâ non Ovid Metamorph lib. 15. Mos erat antiquus inveis atrisque labellis His damnare nos illis absolvere culpa Luke 4. 19. Luke 24. 45. 46. 47. Act. 8. 22. Act. 2. 38. Micah 7. 19. Psalm 38. 18. compared with Psalm 39. 1. Job 10. 14. Psalm 32. 1. 2. Levit. 11. 36. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simile Omne animi vitium tantò conspectius in se Crimen habet quantò major qui peccat habetur Rom. 5. 15 16 17. Five considerations concerning lesser sins Peccâ—ta minor is infaminae possunt esse major is culpae reatus Rom. 5. 12. Considerations concerning grosse sins Direction to great sinners Aug. in his confession Use 3. Consolations against great sins Cases of Conscience This cavill is brought by the Papists against justification by faith Rom. 10. 15. Mat. 10. 16. Jud. 15. 6. Heb. 11. 32. Luk. 17. 4. 1 Kin. 11. 9. 1 Thes 5. 19. Eph. 4. 30. Mat. 11. 31. Beneficia Christi valent non solum antrorsum sed retrorsum Ger. loc com Aut precantem aut predicantem