shall rule in it 5. to take away all doubt of a day it shall not consist of the parts of a naturall and created day not night and day which by the ordinances of heaven are perpetual but this shall be a voluntary and arbitrary day depending upon the will and motion of Christ and no measure of starres 6. contrary to all the dayes of the creation this shall bee light at the evening yea then shall bee the greatest light in the regression of the kingdome triumphantly from Christ to his and our Father The light of grace breaks forth into the light of power and the light of power into the light of glory What then shall be the glory of this day called the great notable and terrible day of the Lord Ioel 2.32 Iude vers 6. Rev 16.14 c. shall it vanish in the twinckling of an eye and that mystery Rev. 10.7 passe in a moment No assuredly wee are resolved by Christ that it shal be a day comprehending dayes Luke 17.22 26. many dayes that shall affoord times of refreshing and restitution Act. 3.19 dayes and times shall be upon this great day and reason is faire to favour this sense Christ takes his kingdome and power upon this day to reigne and rule and therefore it is reasonable to yeeld him some time before the delivery of it up to his Father to shew the glory and the excellency of it It agrees well with the regression to perfection that some stay should bee made for the honour of Heber and glory of the King Shall I offer other texts and tell you what they teach you to beleeve I will not command your faith where it is fit for me to suspend my owne It were presumption to resolve before the issue and reade the ridle before it be plaine in the action and event as well as in the prophecy and prediction Zech. 14.8 the Prophet seemes to describe unto us the day of judgement and to compute it by a day in summer and in winter and then the great day will mount to a yeere at the least Isa 65.20 If the new heavens and the new earth fall out upon this great day as Peter seemes to expound it 2 Pet. 3.13 then Isaiah will seeme to speake of an hundred yeeres at the least 2 Pet. 3.8 Rev. 20.4 If one day in Peter bee a day of judgement as the verse upon which it is inferred seemes to speake plainely then such a great day with the Lord Christ or to the Lord Christ as Zechary phraseth it is as a thousand yeares and a thousand yeares as such a day One day saies Zechary one day saies Peter and both seeme to say one thing But a thousand yeeres will be put for eternity and so no time is expressed but that which waits upon God and sheweth him to be eternall but yet S. Iohn will answer this and by an invincible argument take it from us if his thousand yeeres have relation with Peter to the same day for after eternity there is no history of time or relation of any succession but S. Iohn placeth a little season after the thousand yeeres and that wipes out the opinion of a thousand yeeres to be put for ever I will neither dispute nor relate any more wee have too many new opinions this is old enough and by carnall Chiliasts made both odious and erronious It is fittest wee bee silent and prepare for this great day let it bee of what sength the author pleaseth for to his liking must it last not in living to carnall lusts but heavenly joyes God give us grace to looke for it and inlarge our petition with calling for the perfection of grace in the perfection of power Wee live God knowes as if we were some seven months birth vitall but weake The kingdome of power will rouze us up for Christ takes it not onely to destroy our enemies but to stirre up our graces In the new heavens and new earth righteousnesse shall dwell it is now banished from kingdomes Chittim oppresseth it and a few sons of Iaphet are perswaded to imbrace it but the time shal come when it shall possesse mankinde plentifully and not Shem but all the sonnes of Seth shall imbrace it Numb 24.17 Moab as an enemy perisheth Sheth as a friend is subdued that Christ may have subjects I will touch the great change that Christs kingdome shall make in the world at his comming and so hasten the returne of it to the Father Alterations by Christs comming Isa 32.15 16 17. c. The Spirit that now is come to the Gentiles and departed from the Iewes must againe be powred on them then is wrought in the world wonderfull change 1. The field of Chittim that now flourisheth in the hands of wicked men shall bee turned into a forrest and made as barren and desolate as the wildernesse 2. The forrest of the Iewes shall alter into a fertile field and by Christ himselfe shall be made giorious Thirdly this goodly and flourishing field shall be planted and sowne with judgement and righteousnesse they shall even dwell in it and take up the whole possession of it Fourthly the fruit shall be peace and quietnesse no warre no molestation shall disturbe them Fiftly this Harvest of happinesse shall be with assurance for ever When Christ takes his power to reigne none shall any more rule over him or his Both hee and his Saints have suffered of this wicked world but the woe thereof commeth quickely and speedy vengeance will pay for all delayes Be admonished my brethren you are by the consent of Divines come to the second woe Rev. 9.13 above 300 yeeres agoe The next is the day of judgement and is ever delivered with this Item Behold it commeth quickely Rev. 11.14 adde to this Luke 18 8. Revel 3.7 and 16.15 and 21.12 Other woes linger and last long as being executed by men but this will be speedy as being immediately done by Christ himselfe who will not stand long about his enemies though his friends may enjoy a longer time of rejoycing in his presence The delivery up of his Kingdome to his Father 1 Cor. 15.24 compared with 2 Tim. 4.1 teach us the Epiphany and end of Christs administration and wee have heard what falls out betweene these two termes I must needs conceive it absurd till better reason convince me to conceive of an Epiphany of a kingdome and an end together let who will so conceive and conjecture I am not as yet of their minde some duration and succession of time will be from the Epiphany to the end when the end is come best knowne to Christ hee will returne all to the Father but you will object Revel 11.15 Hee shall reigne for ever and ever I answer the delivery up of the Kingdome is not an exclusion of Christ from reigning for as the Father reigneth in the Sonne and both of them in holy Ghost so in the regression the holy Ghost reigneth in the Sonne and both
bring home the convictions of Grace that we may not with these stubborne Iewes disobey thy Gospel and bring upon us and our habitations their end and misery And thus much of their first sinne I will speed on in the rest and spend lesse time in my discourse It was needfull to beate this sinne home and make the greater stay because the greater stirre hath beene made about it The denyall of righteousnesse Morrall and civill men never knew the meaning of Evangelicall and Christian righteousnesse What Law acknowledgeth a man just by another mans justice or wise by another mans wisedome Papists deride it and the world hath not learned how to conceive of it It is a great sinne to live in this ignorance and an assurance to a man hee wants wisedome to know his own justification Hee rests in hope he is righteous and wanting the knowledge of Christ perisheth in his own pride and presumption Christ is both righteous in himselfe and for us and so is no man in the world A world of unrighteous men We have a world of wicked men that are destitute of common honesty but if we adde to them even another world of honest men that know no more than good neighbourhood what a vast heape and confusion have we of men and women unrighteous before God and destitute of Iesus Christ A world is heere condemned for want of righteousnesse and alas how did the blinde Iewes oppose this righteousnesse and seeing themselves just by another Law than the Gospel are now frying in hell for their disobedience Conviction of righteousnesse It is pitty the world should perish without reproofe of this sinne It is that which Christ and all his Apostles laboured to bring the Iewes unto They condemned Christ for a malefactour and by his resurrection and ascension hee prooved plaine that he was both just and the justifier of sinners Here is strong conviction by reason and force of argument No man can goe to God the Father that is unrighteous There is no acceptation of such into heaven Now I have many witnesses saith Christ of my ascension You shall see me ascend and see mee no more upon earth You are my faithfull ones to you I make demonstration of my righteousnesse that you may demonstrate the same to others The office of the Spirit in this conviction The world lies in sinne and is held by Satan in strong condemnation It was a lie at the first that murthered himselfe and all mankind Iohn 8.44 Hee stood not in the truth it was that which he opposed from the beginning First by a question Hath God said c. Secondly by a contradiction Yee shall not dye at all c. Thirdly by disputation God knowes and yee may know that to eate and feare no death will make you wise and worthy to be like God himselfe c. Thus was man murthered and by a lye deluded of his happinesse and became a loser of that righteousnesse that God imprinted in his soule when he first breathed it into his body This losse can never be repaired by another of the same stampe and therefore the Spirit of God beginning with feare to put a man beside himselfe and his own presumption openeth unto him his bondage and basenesse in sinne and from the very bottome of hell recovereth him by the righteousnesse of Christ and puts into him a more ingenuous Spirit to looke up to God in Christ and call him Father and by adoption and grace to finde himselfe the childe of God heire of righteousnesse and inheritour of the Kingdome of God Rom. 8.15 His comming for this end The great Doctour CHRIST IESVS absenting himselfe sends another to be present with us both for counsell and comfort He counselleth us to seeke the best righteousnesse and comforteth us with the fruition of it Hee perswades us to deny our selves and make sure to be found in Christ cloathed with his righteousnesse I wonder not to see civill honest men to wander naked of this cloathing in the nasty ragges of their owne rotten righteousnesse they have no better spirit than the spirit of the world to teach them a morall lesson and to grow proud to see themselves before their neighbours in the honour of their owne vertues This is the applause the best men of the world seeke for and rest in it as their summū benū Such were the Pharisees the Iewes here in my text that disobeyed the Gospel because they saw in their own thoughts a better way of justification than Christ by his Spirit taught them But all their supposed comfort is a poore and beggerly payment in the praise and applause of men with their comming short of heaven I disgrace not morality and civilitie in the world I wish there were more of their ranke so they rested not in that righteousnesse but reached at an higher price even the invaluable treasure in Christ willing in humility to let all goe for the gaine therof Yet I must conclude against the underlings of moral honestie that all such as are inferiours to them must needes come short of heaven because they come short of them that by Christs verdict are before them Now the best moralists come short of heaven and therefore must they needs come short that are left many leagues behinde them Gaine the Spirit and grace that in holinesse wee may exceed them all as we shall doe in righteousnesse by Christ Want of judgement This is the great sinne of the world in advancing against Christ Satans soveraignty and superioritie He reigneth and ruleth the world and is a speciall enemy to Christs kingdome Holinesse is the companion of righteousnesse we may not grow wanton because the grace of justification hath abounded God hath not left us to our liberties as if by the way of hell wee might advance to heaven Iudgement and spirituall government is appointed to order us in our wayes and to waft us by safe conduct over the Sea of this world to our harbour and haven in heaven A world of people without grace and sanctification The subject that the Spirit is to season is the unsavory world Holinesse is a by-word amongst men and derision hath banished it by the conceit of precise and strict walking with God A Saint is the worlds spectacle and a very gazing-stocke as if hee were as much runne out of himselfe and madde as he is runne from the world and his merry company But the wonder is in the world it selfe wilde in wickednesse and wretched in the hands of Satan His judgement is followed and government extolled in all places and persons Wee can but exempt a few from being followers of him no more than Saint Iohn exempts the world from guilt in this place Hee is plaine and chargeth the world with the Divels government and freeth none but by the Spirit from this misery Conviction of the best government The setting up of the Lord Iesus in the hearts and soules of men is the best
have thoughts of fulnesse in themselves Their vertues and good actions are all they boast of and therefore these men prove barren under the Gospell With these full Pharisees wee have another sort of people in as great danger upon a contrary ground faith is their glory and they seare not to â—ee found with the best in Gods favour Aske thâ—se 〈◊〉 in good earnest 〈◊〉 they were convinced of sinne and they will bee briefe with you that they scorne but to bee lesse holy than the best and to reprove them is audacious slander Why but are you not sinners yes for fashion sake they will not deny that Are we not all sinners But what say you to want of faith in Christ to this they have a vulgar and grosse answer marry God forbid I should be so bad as not to beleeve in Christ I thanke God I love him with my very heart and so have done ever since I was borne But were you never soundly convinced by the Gospell and Gods Spirit of this great want What would you make us infidels wee abhorre to thinke of such questions goe and aske them the Turkes for we by the grace of God will never turne Turkes and take part against Christ But when came this perswasion into your hearts and by what meanes was it wrought I finde Iohn 16.8 9. a Spirit of conviction what say you Have you heard of this Spirit since you were baptized how and in what manner hath this Spirit wrought in you Truly we beleeve there is such a person in the Trinity for so we were baptized but for such a gift it is all one to us as if there were no Spirit at all Now poore soules you have put them besides all their divinity and convinced them of that for which they give God thankes blessing God they never wanted faith which assures them they never had it for to want it is the way to have it and to beleeve the contrary an undoubted testimony of their dangerous presumption God open their eyes and bring them to a better triall by the truth of his word I will therefore descend into a more strickt examination of the sinne and the judgement in my text and deale right downe in the whole worke of the conviction Iohn 16.8 and then againe repeate the judgements and summon up as many particulars as my memory and Gods mercy shall suggest unto mee I will reade this text alleadged and deale by faire and capitall titles for the more firme and faithfull remembrance of my Reader in all that followeth A glorious Kingdome Iohn 16.8 And when he is come c. There bee two great Doctors come from the Father into the world by whom he will convince the world before he judge it and these two succeed the one the other the first absents himselfe and the other comes in his roome To finde Christ a successor in man is the crime of the Church of Rome of which they are now ashamed and by correction mend their Authors and bid them say the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and Successor of S. Peter But by their leave they yet want an Index expurgatorius to expunge and wipe out the Pope and put in a more equall for Christ left by himselfe when he left this earth fitter to bee both Christs Vicar and Successous These two excellent Teachers undertake the conviction of the world before the condemnation of it So dealt Iesus Christ with the Iewes We will enlarge our selves in the worke of the Trinity and bee ample in the view of their Kingdome The excellent and admirable administration of Gods Kingdome There bee three persons in the Divine nature that worketh all things yet are all things wrought in a wonderfull and most distinct and unconfused manner The Father of himselfe and to himselfe worketh all things and so is the beginning and end of every action 1 Cor. 8.6 The progression from this beginning and regression to this end is the rarest and sweetest mysteries in the Bible In the progression the Father goes on by the Sonne and both Father and Sonne by the blessed Spirit and here beginnes the immediate administration of the Kingdome within the Spirit alwayes taking the possession of it I will open clearely this Divine and ravishing secret and set men on work with no new notion but an old truth for I abhorre to deflect from the wayes of Antiquity Of the progression and regression of the Kingdome from and to the Father St. Paul setling true religion upon the surest pillars pluckes downe the rotten and ragged pillars of Pagans and Papists 1 Cor. 8.6 To us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and wee to him c. Many gods confound themselves in their beginning and end and therefore if creatures were from them they should bee confounded in their originall this confusion would breed a greater they should not know whom to serve But wee saith the Apostle have this errour corrected in one God neither neede wee be confounded with many persons for they are our best helpe in religion Take the first person make him the beginning of all creatures and our end in speciall and we shall know both to whom wee are beholding and to whom we owe our thankes The Heathen have no such knowledge they neither know Author nor end of their actions praise In this wee agree with them that to goe to God without a mediator is presumption in both and therefore they have their many lords to goe by to their many gods and are here againe confounded in their praiers not knowing to what Saint to turne Fryer Teitis made a sermon that Saints might bee served with the Lords prayer for that it was a common question with the Romane Chanters to demand to whom do you say your Pater noster This is a straine of the old religion and many lords of the Heathen and therefore Christ being put out or shuffled in with the multitude it was no marvaile such a question should bee raised for to God must we goe by a mediator but Paul in the progression of our religion hath given us better direction that as the Father by one Lord Iesus Christ hath made all things so we if we will proceede aright must by the same Lord Iesus Christ and no other goe to the same Father and so in conclusion after a long and glorious perigrination upon earth we shal be brought to the Father that hee in us as Paul witnesseth 1 Cor. 15.28 may be all in all Of the Sonnes mediation in this Kingdome It was expedient for us that the Father should send his Sonne for wee which are the best of his creatures being lapsed cannot without Christ serve our end He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 8.6 Ephs 4.5 1 Tim 2.5 and 6â—15 c. the alone mediator and powerfull potentate with God for us For this end he is incarnate and to this purpose he lives and dies riseth from
the dead conferreth forty dayes of this Kingdome Act. 1.3 and so departeth into heaven and makes further way for progresse in this kingdome and to perfect this sends his Spirit telling us of a truth how expedient this is for them that are now to bee left to preach his kingdome to have him depart that the second Doctor may come Expedient and necessary for all that are to be saved for Christ being risen againe had all power and iudgement from his Father Mat. 28. c. The present execution of this power had beene a woefull thing with the world being both unrighteous and unholy Christ redeemed it and therefore will not presently destroy it but commands in the same place that proclamation of his power bee made and being with his Heraulds unto the end will in the end call the world to an account and shew both his power their iudgement This great Embassage into all the world had need of some noble Agent to leade the way and bee present with the holy Apostles and their successours and this honourable person is the third person in the blessed Trinity in whose hands and administration Gods Kingdome is for this present age and of which wee are now to speake The Kingdome of Grace In the Lords prayer wee petition Thy kingdome come our understandings at this day abbreviate this petition and are defective in the expression of it and so consequently our prayers come short of their dutie deale with God for no more than they know We wil God assisting inlarge our thoughts in the regression of the Kingdome from the Spirit to the Father againe and shew First the administration of the Spirit Secondly of the Sonne Thirdly of the Father and so teach you plainely to pray for the Kingdome of grace Kingdome of power and Kingdome of glory when all is returned to the Father The Kingdome within and seated in mens hearts Luke 17.20 21. The Pharisees would have a Kingdome by observation but Christ knowing the Kingdomes administration first to rest in the Spirit and grace thereof takes away that error and according to the nature of the Kingdome sets and seates it within for such as is the government such must bee the Kingdome The government spirituall therefore the kingdome spirituall Grace and the Spirit of grace carry no outward pompe and externall state but are all glorious within And this is that kingdome that suffereth violence without and is oppressed by rebels and traitours to the Lord Iesus and their owne soules The Kingdome of violence The Kingdome of Gods Spirit is the most pious and peaceable Kingdome in the world yet suffereth more than all kingdomes as shall now appeare Math. 11.12 Luke 16.16 Gods kingdome under the Law and the Prophets suffered violence and so shall it under Iohn Christ his holy Apostles and Ministers doe for the time of the Gospell I know these texts are strained to another sense and so my selfe have beene a follower of this violence till that man of God M. Ioseph Meade cleared my sight by his industrious and judicious observation of the text It may bee we are both deceived it becomes humble men not to bee peremptory in crossing and controlling others We all agree of the violence offered to the Kingdome of grace and disagree in the proofe of it by these texts Heare then mine arguments and reasons which I subject to the spirit of the Prophets 1. Christs answer by the Law the Prophets sheweth the conformity betweene the old and the new Testament the ancient and surrogate Israel of God Violence waited upon the Church before Christ and so will it now and after him It is your error O foolish Iewes to looke now for a kingdome by observation and to see your selves more redeemed from the Romines and men than from devils your sleves more deadly enemies You have more neede to have Sathan displaced than your selves placed in a temporall Monarchy I am come to save your soules from sinnes and not your bodies from bondage Secondly Iohn that now preacheth the new Kingdome is in prison Math. 11.2 and must lose his head I looke for no greater favour my Apostles will succeede mee and by succession it will last till I come and take the Eagles off the carkeise Luk. 17.37 3. The Kingdome is preached a thing that the world hateth and therefore will every man have a blow at it and violent men will prey upon it this reading the texts will render without all renting and tearing the phrases 4. The word signifying violence or violent men was never taken by any Author for inward violence or motions free and voluntary but for outward force and externall power putting others to be patients of their persecutions and punishments The Spirits conquest God is not wanting to his poore servants but gives courage and consolation in all their oppressions The Spirit sets up such a Kingdome in the heart and soules of Gods people that no paine or perill can prevaile to conquer their faith and confidence They are resolved to carry their lives in their hands rather dye than deny that truth that the holy Ghost hath taught them This spiritual I Kingdome subdues all Kingdomes yea more than all Kingdomes for it gaines that victory over our selves which is more than any earthly conquest Conquest by convict on The greatest opposition to the Spirit of grace is in our selves It were easie to ruine all the world and in such conquests and conversions men have shewed their might and manhood but to enter the house held by the strong man both of corruption in our selves and suggestion of Sathan out of our selves is a potent and powerfull worke of grace Gods Spirit alone is able to beate downe these holds helpe in the conquest of our selves and subjection to the Kingdome preached and offered vs in the Gospell He it is that brings in faith to beleeve and excludes infidelity That raiseth up in us the comfort of Christs righteousnesse and rejecteth our owne That teacheth us holynesse and how to deny all ungodlinesse and every worldly lust and to live soberly in our selves righteously to others and godly to our King and Commander of the severall branches of conviction we shall intreate afterwards and shew what sinnes are convicted and controuled in us and how wee ought to see them and sorrow for them c. Conviction by supportation The Spirit in this Kingdome of grace worketh effecteth another strange worke and operation upon the world in giving his subjects power of conquest in trials and to triumph over the world and all its workings and mischiefes Rom. 8.37 In all these things we are more than conquerours What things even the worst that the world can doe unto us and that is to make us Martyres and themselves murtherers yea even to murther themselves to see us so little affected with their torments We stand still and do nothing and see our salvation of God To conquer by passion is cleane
contrary to the world for so the world is conquered and hee that suffers becomes subject to another but we are slaine saith the Apostle and our slaughter is our victory nay more than victory in so doing we conquer the conquerours and command our oppressors More than conquerours is more than any Caesar achieved unto or ever Monarch effected in his greatest victories Who can say so but Christians Emperours have conquered with difficultie and lost with greater facility all their kingdomes They have beene lesse than conquerours and never gotten victory but left it to others to gaine it from them O the honour of this spirituall kingdome and excellency of grace that even thriveth best vnder oppressions and worldly violence The regression of the Kingdome All the honour of this Kingdome redoundeth unto Christ and shall then appeare when he appeares to take his Kingdome great dominion He should have had no subjects but for the Spirit and none so victorious but for Martyres who as they have first honoured Christ by death shall of him againe bee first graced with life Those that are alive and converted shall bee a glory to Christ as hee will bee a glory to them It is for the persons in the sacred Trinity mutually to raise glory one to another Wee are therefore ordine retrogrado come from the kingdome of grace to the Kingdome of power from the administration of the Spirit to the administration of the Son and seeke after three things as glorious as the former and yet more outward but not lesse spirituall for perfection in the Trinity is both wayes obserued and effected in progression the Father perfects his worke in the Sonne and the Sonne in the Spirit so in regression the holy Ghost perfects grace in power and the Son perfects power in glory We will speake of the Sons taking ruling and delivering up of this kingdome of power Christs taking of the Kingdome of power Heb. 2.5 mention is made of a world to come and the subjectioÌ„ thereof to Christ This wee see not saith the Apostle as yet accomplished but wee see Iesus Christ crowned and made a King in heaven His presence on earth as yet wee have not save in the holy Ghost But hee will appeare in his body and take this Kingdome and whole world to himselfe and turne out of it all the ungodly in the earth His enemies that would not suffer him to reigne over them by his Gospell are then to bee brought before him and slaine in his presence The taking of his great power Revel 11.17 At the last trumpet and the last woe all Kingdomes fall to Christ But how I pray you marke the text He shall take to himselfe his great power and reigne To himselfe immediately to himselfe for forme and manner of government He left it in the hands of the Spirit and now takes it againe to himselfe no more depriving the Spirit of the honour of it in the re-assumption than hee did himselfe when he deposed it into the hands of his Spirit Now the question will bee how this is done The answer is with great power greater than ever before for it destroyes them all that now destroy the earth How is it taken Daniel assoiâ—es this doubt and makes it glorious and wonderfull in his extraordinary description of it Dan. 7.9 10. c. First the Lord Iesus takes it from his enemies and casts downe their thrones and makes them seates for his Saints Rev. 20.7 he takes it from the last beast even because of the little horne and his blasphemous and bloody words Secondly hee takes it from the Ancient of daies who in a glorious and most illustrious manner installes the Lord Iesus into his kingdome Thirdly he is attended and waited upon by the innumerable company of Angels by whom hee is brought to the Ancient of dayes Reade the rest and admite at this inauguration and solemnization of the day of Christs coronation upon earth who now in heaven is crowned with glory and immortality When it is taken 2 Tim. 4.1 At the Epiphanie of his kingdome Marke 13.26 Luke 21.27 when the powers of heaven are shaken and the starres that shine in them are humbled to the ground Earthly potentates that are advanced above others shall bee made low The fall of such starres will not hinder the sight of Christ but honour it Other starres being bigger than the earth would overlay it and men and suffer no man to stand upon earth to see the Lord Iesus come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory Hee must bee seene of all eyes and therefore it is most safe to give the sense of the Scriptures by the Scriptures and to say of this day as of the former shadowes of it in Babylon and Aegypt Isa 13.10 and 14.12 13. Ezek. 32.7 8. The starres of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light The Sunne shall bee darkned in his going forth and the Moone shall not cause her light to shine the bright lights of heaven are put out when Pharaoh falleth by the Babilonians and Lucifer sonne of the morning ascended into heaven above the heights of the clouds and starres themselves to bee like the most High comes downe to the ground when by the Medes and Persians Belshazzar is pulled from the orbe of his height and honour Christ the bright shining starre of Iacob and the advanced Scepter of Israe is risen and shall rise to smite all corners and subdue all Nations Let us therefore advance him from the taking of the kingdome to the ruling of it Christs ruling and reigning in his kingdome Dan. 7.14 On this day dominion is given to Christ Zech. 14.9 One Lord one name and that over all the earth In this day will hee reigne in and over all mankinde Rev. 11 15. Now the world does not acknowledge him for one Lord as being ruled by many neither does it worship him by one name as being distracted into many religions but this will Christ remove at his day and rule by a more equall power and uniforme worship Paul is our witnesse 1 Cor. 15.24 25 26. c. that the end and delivery up of this kingdome to God even the Father cannot be till rule authority and power of devils in hell men upon earth and even death the last of enemies be fully vanquished and subdued and for this purpose I might produce all the Prophets and holy Apostles speaking glorious things of Christs reigning and ruling at the sound of the last trumpet and comming of the last woe Rev. 10.7 All the Prophets are witnesses and St. Peter speaking of the same thing adds to them all the Apostles 2 Pet. 3 2. They have ill done that have muzled up the mouthes of the Prophets with a Consummation and conclusion in Christs incarnation The Iewes dispute Dan. 2.35 and 7.11 That Messiah must come when the Monarchies are as chaffe before the winde and quite blowne out of the world When the
feete and foundation even the ten divided toes in the bottome of that terrible image are crushed and conquered by the victorious stone whose kingdome becomes a mountaine filling the whole earth Hee must then take place when the last beast is slaine his little horne having eyes to watch the ten hornes and to speake blasphemies against God is consumed Vtter ruine must befall all Christs enemies before he take from the Ancient of dayes his dominion and universall command over all the world Hence they would conclude against Christians that their Messiah is not come for they urge us by our owne confession that hee came in the dayes of Augustus Caesar when the last beast flourished most was farre enough from chaffe or clay it was not then come to the tenne toes or ten hornes in which it hath held to this day and therefore as yet Messiah is not yet come Stay stubborne Iewes wee will not take these texts from you but grant them and yet deny your consequent for Messiah by the testimony of the same Prophet must first come to redeeme Dan. 9.24 Your weekes are gone and might assure you Messiah is come and hath made reconciliation for you us He is gone to heaven and hath left his kingdome in the hands of his Spirit against him you have rebelled and brought upon your selves the end in my text repent and hee will returne to you and you shal see him as Daniel hath delivered unto you and witnessed by an Apostle of Christ Act. 3.19 20 21. and is the onely and last reason of the stay and slackenesse of his comming and performance of his promise to you in special 2. Pet. 3.9 Would God you were at as good agreement with our holy Apostles as wee are with your Prophets we should soone and suddenly both meete in this kingdome of power Balaams prophecie Numb 24.15 to the end Of this kingdome Balaam is forced to speake and by a starre and his shadowes gives in parables an excellent prospective for the view of things a farre off but not nigh at a great distance of time but not present in this age The star smites Moab in the shadowes of it but it shall unwall all the sonnes of Seth immediately by it selfe and last appearance Amalecke the first of Nations is destroyed by the prayers of Moses and sword of Ioshua true types of Christ and Chittim the last of Nations shall by Christ himselfe immediately perish Of both these it is said more than of all the rest They shall perish for ever The reason is plaine Amaleke was the first that fought with the ancient Israel in the wildernesse to hinder their passage into Canaan and therefore must be smitten for ever Now is the surrogate Israel of God in the like wildernesse Rev. 12.6 14. and Chittim onely makes warre with it and therefore as Amalek of old must perish for ever To Ashur all Nations were smitten by the shadowes of the rising starre but from Ashur to Chittim the starre Christ by conjunction and secret influence makes one Starre smite another and as he sets the. Egyptians against the Aegyptians Isa 19.2 so be sets Ashur against Ashur Chittim against Chittim both against Heber till his honour come by Christ Ashur is the land of Assyria Chittim is put for the Iles of the Gentiles Ashur begins with Nimrod Gen. 10. a sonne of cursed Cham. He is the first mighty hunter after honour and begins his kingdome with Babylon the building of confusion both for religion language and love From Babylon hee hunts into Ashur or the land of Assiria and builds Nineveh and at length fils the great Continent of the world with his Monarchy The Babylonians take it and hold it till the Medes and Persians become Lords of their kingdome and Continent Thus the Lord dasheth kingdome against kingdome and like a potters vessell breaketh them one upon another From the Continent to the Iles of the Gentiles the same Christ translateth the Monarchies and ends them in the Sonnes of laphet Chittim a sonne of Iaphet Gen. 10. being divided from the Continent by the Seas finds posterity in time to passe the Seas and by ships from his Coasts carrieth Alexander the Great Dan. 2.32 and 7.6 and 11.3 1 Maccab. 1.1 with his Army who killeth Darius and from Ashur to Chittim translateth his kingdome The rising starre knowes how by his secret opperation to stirre up Chittim against Chittim and to punish the Iles for Idolatry and tyranny he sets the inhabitants thereof together by the eares for their sinnes and by the Romanes at length brings the Monarchy from the Graecians to us and settles the glory of it in Rome where it slourished to the birth of Christ and long after At length this massie monarchie drencht in blood even the best blood the blood of Saints began to reele and totter and from one Caesar fals to ten Kings from yron legs strongly united to ten toes weakely divided they hang upon the same feet of the Image but their division is fatall to the Empire These toes in the Image and ten hornes on the head of the last beast are the last of Chittim and remaine to this day for perdition by Christ as farre as Iaphet is not perswaded to dwell in the tents of Shem Gen. 9.22 what now remaines but that the third Sonne of Noah alwayes chosen of God for his chiefe servant should obtaine the kingdome and that Heber hitherto afflicted by Ashur and Chittim should be made glorious at the comming of the Lord Iesus The promise of the new heavens and the new earth is made to them Isa 65.17 18. and 66.22 this quoted by S. Peter 2 Pet. 3.13 applyed by him to the Iewes and by them to be expected in the day of judgement when hee takes his great power to reigne The same is repeated Rev. 21.1 and applyed to Ierusalem vers 2. of this as a mystery S. Paul speakes Rom. 11.25 and quotes Isaiah who Isa 59 18. brings it in with the subversion of Chittim or the Ilands What shall I say more let Peter expound Isaiah and Isaiah Peter and we shall quickly resolve of this mystery Of the length of the day of Iudgement Zech. 14.7 Having spoken of Ierusalems desolation as Christ did Math. 24. comes in the like manner to their consolation and saies The Lord my God shall come and all the Saints with thee then describes the day of judgement 1. by light to manifest all deeds of darknesse 2. by the purity of this light it shall not be cleare and darke that is one part light and another darke like a day of creation but it shall be light without darknesse 3. the unity of this day it is to be one how long soever Christ will not be interrupted in his kingdome or stayed in his judgement 4. the knowledge of this day both when it shall begin how long it should continue and when it shal end is onely belonging to the King that
death is a sad symptome of some severe and unspeakeable sorrow Passe we to his prayer and see with submission how hee intreateth for the departure of it Father if there be any possible meanes to redeeme man without mee and save me from the sorrow I am in let the bitter Cup escape my taste It is not a thing I sue for once but againe and againe I continue my fuite and seeke more earnestly than ever formerly in any prayer I expressed my selfe unto thee It was no small burden that Christ would have shifted from his shoulders and setled upon some other meanes and mediation Hee will not shrinke to have man saved but it would glad him to see himselfe eased If it be possible my will is to bee eased but thy will bee obeyed what ever I suffer From sorrow Christ fals to prayer from prayer into an agony and then he prayes more earnestly as the burden is increased Now he sweates and drops with bloud It passeth through the veines flesh skinne not like some thinne dewie sweat by an ordinary transsudation that Physitians discourse of for cause and cure but it breakes violently out by great lumpes and leapeth forcibly from his veines and with a strong current is cast from them to his upper garments rumbling to the ground To talke of diseases when veines burst breake open their mouthes or have their coates and containers thinned to sweat out the bloud is idle to tell us of examples of the like blasphemous Never was there sickenesse sorrow or example like this meerely from apprehension and true consideration of his owne sufferings to be thus perplexed no cause antecedent or conjunct but what passed betweene Christ our Saviour and Suretie and his Father angry and displeased for our sinnes This first combate had beene enough to have annihilated or swallowed up a meere creature Angel or Man His Passion upon his Crosse His preparation in the Garden brings him better armed to his Crosse he passeth by the wrongs of men and Angels yet the one with the power of the hand and the other with the hand of power doe to him their worst for divers houres The power of darkenesse after mans malice was ended laid at him and left him not for many encounters Hee that in the Wildernesse assaulted him thrise and often afterwards in the course of his life brings now all the power of hell and for his farewell to the world hopes to have successe in his and all our ruines and destructions But these are light skermishes and meane affronts to that which followed All these are not worth the speaking of he never opens his mouth to complaine of such dealings and deeds of darkenesse enough to plunge the best of us into hell but after these troopes of wickednesse shaken off he fals to the greatest shocke and meetes with his match His Father now takes him to taske and turnes him to another tune He is compelled to cry out and utter words of complaint fearefull for despaire if that word My Father had not supported his faith My God my God why hast thou forsaken me here is apprehension of dereliction and desertion there is nothing that keepes Christ to God but faith On his Fathers part he complaines of desertion on his owne he will not despaire as long as God is his in application The Father leaves the Sonne cleaveth and claspeth close about him Suppose the case had beene mans in either of these assaults hee had upon the first apprehension been not onely dismayed but confounded Yet this would have put him into desperation and despaire for ever He had not been able to lispe one word of a better life or laid the least of his thoughts upon God In stead of my God he would have blasphemed and gnashed his teeth at his tormentor Deare Christians dread this fire that fastened upon the Innocent Sonne of God and thinke what extremity it would be to you but to touch the most utmost flame Learne for ever to obey his Gospel and bee thankefull for his mercy and deliverance Viter darkenesse The greatest comfort of the fire is light heate without it is an hell in our bodies and we see a burning Ague how it scorcheth us and sends forth nothing but smoake and poyson It distracts men with rage and madnesse Poore soules we never felt such a fire in the sharpest Ague as we shall find in our soules when hell fire entreth us and we it Vtter darkenesse is but a privation yet the losse will make it a sensible torment The Father of lights is God that will bee gone The Fountaine opened to us is Christ but he will not visite us The light of Grace and Glory vanish with the Spirit No inward or outward light to comfort us will shew it selfe Heaven and earth will curse us wee shall be blind in our selves and burne without sight of our owne miseries Sense shall not be wanting nor sorrow to our senses Let darkenesse dismay us to disobey and let the light whiles we have it stirre us up to follow it The never-dying Worme The worme that gnawes upon the living man and eates him up being dead may both be killed and consumed with us but this Worme is as immortall as our selves Wee may desperately send our soules from our bodies but sinne and conscience cannot be dismissed We may sooner part with our selves than with our tormentors It were well a man might be as a flint in a rocke of stone which as it findes no pleasure so it feeles no paine but this will not be granted his wounded Spirit will never leave him Prov. 18.14 A man sustained by the Spirit of God may beare any infirmitie but when his owne spirit is as much wounded by God as himselfe what man shall beare it Once againe remember the Gospel and let it helpe and heale this misery Vtter perdition Wee often pitty men when we heare Briefes of utter undoing and we commonly complaine of lamentable losses as if all were gone when we have parted with no more than our worldly goods Never thinke men of being undone in spirituall losses There is not the poorest Begger in the world but in losing his soule he leaveth more than a King that is cast out of his kingdome nay his losse is greater than to lose the whole world Better the soule bee saved than a world purchased and yet sottish sinners to seeke wealth upon earth will hazzard their soules I lose my goods yet I am not utterly undone as long as I have friends I lose my friends yet I am not utterly undone as long as I have my selfe I lose my life yet still I am farre from being undone as long as God stands by me But then I am undone indeed when I have lost God then have I lost my selfe And all good Christians once more heare me friendly and favourably feare God love his Gospel live well and never feare to dye ill Many wretches feare to suffer ill that never feare