and and Government This Kingdom will come with observation For as the Lightning shineth from one part under Heaven to the other so shall the Son of Man be in his day Then Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets shall be seen in the Kingdom of God and they shall come from the East and the West and North and South and shall sit down with them in that Kingdom Matth. 13.28 29. which hints a Kingdom on Earth for the East West North and South-parts of the Earth are not so called in relation to Heaven but with reference to some place on Earth For the farther clearing of this we may observe That there are in the Government two eminent prefigurations of this Kingdom The first is Christ's riding in triumph into Jerusalem Matth. 21.8 The Multitude spread their Garments and cut down Branches from the Trees and cried Hosanna to the Son of David blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Mark 11.10 Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David that comes in the Name of the Lord It came then in a small degree of it And when Christ shall come in his Kingdom at last then the Jews shall see him and say as the Multitudes did then Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord Matth. 23.39 And that which Christ did then seems to foretell two things which he shall do at his coming 1. He shall purge his Temple When he rode into Jerusalem he went to the Temple of God and cast out those that bought and sold in it Christ will throughly purge his Temple when he comes and make it the House of Prayer The Church shall be a Mountain of Holiness and that new World the Habitation of Justice 2. Christ will heal Infirmities v. 14. The Blind and the Lame came to him in the Temple and he healed them At his first coming he healed all manner of bodily Infirmities At his next he will heal not only bodily but spiritual Infirmities more eminently than at his first coming The second prefiguration of Christ's coming was his transfiguration of which we read Mat. 17.2 Christ said Chap. 16.28 There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom And we may observe to whom Christ spake this It was to his Disciples v. 24. Jesus said to his Disciples and so continues his Speech to them till he spake these words Now although Mark saith that he called the People to him with his Disciples yet he directs his Speech to the Disciples especially and therefore we may conceive that when he said there be some standing here c. he means some of his Disciples and not all of them and then it follows After six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John So they were the same here meant And his transfiguration before them was a type of his coming in his Kingdom This sense hath a great confirmation from 2 Pet. 1.16 17. We have not followed cunningly devised Fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of Christ but were Eye-witnesses of his Majesty As if he had said the power and coming of Christ was that which was shewn us for when we saw him on the Holy mount with his Face shining and his Rayment glistering we saw his power and coming and the glory in which he shall appear This is meant of his second coming of which we read Chap. 3. where he speaks of the Scoffers that should ask where is the promise of his coming Many look upon this glorious truth of Christ's coming to reign upon Earth as a cunningly devised Fable but saith Peter it is not so for that which we have seen with our Eyes declare we unto you How and when did they see it When they were with him in the Holy Mount and saw him transfigured before them Then they saw it in a Praeludium of it So when Peter spake of the power and coming of Christ and of the new Heavens and new Earth 't was that which he was an Eye-witness of at his transfiguration Hence three things may be concluded 1. When Christ shall come he shall come in his Kingdom 2. The raised and changed Saints shall then appear with him in glory of which the appearing of Moses and Elias was a type 3. When Christ shall come in glory and the raised and changed Saints shall appear with him in glory then there shall be other Saints in an inferiour state who may sometimes see Christ and the glorified Saints and have some converse with them Thus was it when Peter and James and John saw as Christ so Moses and Elias and why may it not be thus after the coming of Christ We may the better conceive it seeing those Saints which shall be in an inferiour state to the glorified ones will be much better capacitated for converse with them than Peter and James and John were at that time Arg. 6. The last argument shall be taken from Rev. 20. where Satans binding Christs reign and the resurrection of the dead Saints to reign with Christ and all for one thousand years are plainly declared Take the particulars in their order 1. The binding of Satan for one thousand years Concerning which observe First the description of him that shall be bound who is set forth under several names He is called the Dragon to set forth his cruelty being full of rage and wrath and the old Serpent to note his subtilty and cunning craftiness to deceive then the Devil a caluminator the accuser of the Brethren and lastly Satan the adversary the great Enemy of God and godliness of Christ and Christianity the hater of all men but especially of the houshold of faith 1 Pet. 5.8 Your adversary the Devil Now from this variety of Names we may conclude that this binding will not be partial and in some respects onely as they say who hold that he was bound at Christs Passion or at Constantines time but total and absolute from deceiving or doing mischief in any kind whatsoever He shall be bound as a Dragon and not be able to devour persecute cast into Prison or to cast a flood out of his mouth to swallow up the Saints He shall be bound as a Serpent and not tempt or beguile As a Devil he shall not accuse the Brethren and as Satan for though he shall continue an adversary yet he shall not be an adversary going up and down as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour In a word he shall be bound up as God of this world and Prince of the power of the Air and as a spirit working in the Children of disobedience This total binding will appear by considering Secondly the manner of his binding and the restraint which will be put upon him He shall be bound and cast into the bottomless pit and a Seal set upon him his Prison will be made sure he shall not break Prison
these things to babes so at this Feast will he say Father I thank thee for my Kingdom and that these are with me in it having been brought out of great tribulation I thank thee that all mine Enemies being made my Footstool these are with me on my Throne And for a close of this particular consider how Christ shall prepare for himself as well as for the people of the Land a Sin-offering and Burnt-offering c. This doth not intimate that Christ hath sin of his own to expiate but because he shall as hath been shewn eat this Passeover with the Saints in the Kingdom of God therefore he is said to prepare for himself as well as for the people of the Land Christ prepares joy and gladness for himself when he prepares good for the Saints Thus much of the Passeover We read also of the Feast of seven days chap. 45.25 but nothing of Fasts This will be a time of joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing will flie away The Bridegroom will be with the Saints and therefore they shall not fast But as we read Zech. 8.19 The fast of the fourth moneth and the fast of the fifth moneth c. shall be joyful feasts And this shall be when many and strong nations shall seek the Lord in Ierusalem verse 22. Now it being shewn how a spiritual Passeover will be kept in the Kingdom of God it may not be judged impertinent to adde something for the opening of another Scripture which hath near affinity with this and that is Matth. 26.29 I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine till I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom Of this Fruit which doth not intimate that the Fruit of the Vine taken in a proper sense shall be drunk in that Kingdom of God which shall be in the New Ierusalem but that which shall have some analogy or likeness with it For clearing this consider that 1. Christ is called a Vine and he is the true vine as he saith Iohn 15.1 2. The Church is called a Vine Psalm 80.8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt thou preparedst room for it and didst cause it to take deep root And when the Jews shall be called they shall be planted a noble Vine God shall prepare room for it and its Boughs shall spread and be as the Cedars of God The Foxes shall be taken that would spoil it and no wilde Bore out of the Wood shall waste it and the Lord will not onely look upon but come down and visit this Vine Thus we see that Christ is a Vine and the Church is a Vine and this is a Vine in a Vine a Vine planted in Christ the true Vine having its life strength and sap from him and when he shall look for Grapes from it 't will not be in vain it shall not bring forth wilde Grapes And next consider how Christ and the Saints shall drink of the Fruit of the Vine new in the Kingdom of God 1. The Saints shall drink and drink abundantly of the Fruit of the true Vine which is Christ for he appearing in glory and the Saints seeing him as he is they shall be abundantly refresh'd and satisfied in those times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. The Saints drinking now of this Fruit of the Vine by Faith have joy unspeakable and full of glory When they shall drink in the New Jerusalem by vision full fruition and participation of the benefits of Christ how full of glory will that joy be Psalm 36.8 Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures A River of Wine shall flow from Christ then the streams whereof shall make glad the City of God 2. As the Church is a Vine so Christ shall drink of the Fruit of it For 1. The Memory of what Saints now do and suffer for Christ will be very grateful and pleasing to him for what shall Christ say then Come ye blessed inherit the Kingdom prepared for you for I was hungry and ye fed me I was thirsty and ye gave me drink and what ye gave me then to drink is sweet Wine to me now And this is the Fruit of the true Vine Christ 2. The then holiness and happiness of the Saints and their peace and prosperity will be Christs great delight all is the Fruit of the true Vine being purchased by his Bloud and of his Fulness Saints receive as Branches from the Vine And then Christ shall rejoyce in the glorious effects of his Sufferings for the Saints and take pleasure in their prosperity procured by his being a man of sorrows And once more let Psalm 36.8 be considered Thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures There will be in the New Jerusalem a River of pleasures and these shall be not onely the Saints pleasures but Christs pleasures also for that River the streams whereof make glad the City of God shall make Christ also glad And lo here is the Wine which cheareth God and Man such an expression there is in Jothams Parable Jud. 9.13 It cheareth the heart of Christ who is God and Man and it cheareth Saints too Christ beholding the Saints shall see of the travel of his Soul and be satisfied this is the Wine which he shall drink And Saints shall delight themselves in the Lord and be satisfied in seeing him and have the desire of their hearts and this is the Wine which they shall drink And thus as a Passeover will be kept in the Kingdom of God so shall also the Lords Supper but among the glorified Saints in the New Jerusalem not in signs but in sight of Christ And as at the first Institution of the Lords Supper Christ was personally present with his Disciples so when it shall be eaten and drunk in this more excellent way in the Kingdom of God Christ shall be personally present with the Saints for he saith I will drink it new with you And this shall be done 3. In the Fathers Kingdom which is taken two ways 1. As distinct from the Kingdom of Christ as Mediator which shall then have being when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdom to God the Father 2. As the same with Christs Kingdom for Christs Kingdom is the Fathers though at last the Fathers Kingdom shall not be Christs as Mediator but as God equal with the Father I say Christs is the Fathers for 1. The Father gives it to him Christ is the Fathers King I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion Psalm 2.6 And he hath given him power over all flesh John 17.2 And hath committed all judgment to him 2. The Father governs the World in and by Christ as Mediator 3. The Son rules to the glory of the Father for he is said to be Lord Phil. 2.11 And every tongue ought to confess it to the glory of the Father So Christs Kingdom is the Fathers which is here meant as thus appears 1. What in
Matthew is called the Fathers Kingdom Mark 14.25 and Luke 22.18 is the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of God in the Gospel most usually is taken for Christs Kingdom Luke 11.21 The Kingdom of God is within you or among you which must be understood of Christs Kingdom It is to be observed also that what is called the Fathers Kingdom in Matthew is called Christs Kingdom Luke 22.30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom 2. Christs Kingdom is included in the Fathers in that Petition Thy Kingdom come The Prayer is made to the Father Thy Kingdom c. Now in this Petition the coming of Christs Kingdom is first desired and after the Fathers when Christ shall have finished the work given him to do as Mediator Consid 6. This House with the whole Limit thereof and every thing belonging to it shall be most holy Chap. 43.12 This is the Law of the House upon the top of the Mountain the whole Limit thereof round about shall be most holy And 't is added to shew the certainty of it This is the Law of the House Q. But how a Law A. The Law of this House shall not onely be a Law shewing what ought to be For thus 't is a Law now and at all times that all things in the Church should be holy 1 Cor. 3.17 The Temple of the Lord is holy That is ought to be so But also a Law shewing what shall be There is a Law commanding and a Law causing that to be which is commanded like the Law of the Creation Let there be Light and there was Light So God will say Let this House be holy and it shall be so There is the Law in the Word and the Law in the Heart and in relation to this time especially God promises I will put my Laws in their inward parts and write them in their hearts c. The Law in the Scriptures requires obedience the Law in the Heart inclines to it and makes it natural and pleasant Paul said of Timothy I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state So when the Law is in the Heart it will make Men to care naturally for the things of God I mean with respect to the Divine Nature which Saints partake of Rom. 8.2 Mention is made of the Law of the Spirit Now such will be the Law of this House The Law of the Spirit which is mighty in Christ Jesus shall make the whole Limit of this House holy Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them And here let this farther be taken notice of and it will be a very comfortable consideration Not onely the Temple and Altar and those that worship therein are to be measured but also the Courts both inner and outer and the Gates and Chambers thereof all are to be measured and made according to their Pattern and so most holy Now compare with this Rev. 11.1 2. Where the Temple and Altar and those that worship therein are to be measured But the Court without was not to be measured because it was to be given to the Gentiles c. This sets forth the time of Antichrist's Reign who was to possess the outer Court But when the Gentiles thus tread down the Court which is without there is still a Temple and Altar and there are those that worship therein even a true Church holding Christ the Head and holding forth the truth as it is in Jesus and such who worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth And in this time the holy City must be troden down fourty and two Moneths Jerusalem in the Letter was trodden down of the Romans and Mystical Jerusalem hath been trodden down also As that by the Power of Rome when Heathenish so this by the Power of Rome Antichristian but Heathenish still Papists being but Heathens to the true Israel of God This Court trodden down of the Gentiles is cast out and not measured being cut off and separated from the Temple that is the true Church of God by the Reed of the Word as not belonging to the same Thus in John's Vision the outward Court is not measured but Heathens possess it But Ezekiel in his Vision sees the outward Court also measured with the Gates Thresholds Posts and Chambers thereof and all most holy What may be concluded hence but that 1. The State of the Church as it shall be after the Destruction of Antichrist is here set forth when the fourty and two Moneths shall be ended the Witnesses raised and the Jews called for so long as Antichrist remains he possesses the outward Court and it is not measured But being measured as we see in Ezekiel's Vision the Gentiles will be then cast out and Christ will tread in his anger and trample in his fury those who did tread down the Holy City And this measuring of the outward Court shews that the times of the Gentiles will be then fulfilled and the Jews inwardly and in the Spirit even a true Church shall be in the outward Court 2. Churches at this time will be pure yea most holy even the Churches of the outward Court for all will be measured The Wall on the outside of the House chap. 40.5 the Stairs the Gates the Thresholds and every little Chamber v. 6 7. all agree with their Pattern and so there will not be any Antichristian Church left but all will be holy yea most holy How will this be Churches will be as true so pure and in a degree of purity above what they have been at any time yet in the World The Church of the Jews in the Wilderness was holy the measured Churches which have been in the time of Antichrist's Reign have been holy And the Primitive Church gathered by the Apostles was more holy than any before or since But that Glorious Church which shall be after the Calling of the Jews being compared with the former shall be the most holy of all As Christ said of Iohn Baptist A greater than he hath not risen notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he So there hath not been a more Glorious Church in the World than the Primitive was but the least in the time here meant will be greater than that The least of Churches in the time of the New Heavens and New Earth will be greater and more glorious than the best in the times of the Old Heavens and the Old Earth And why may we not conceive that God is pleased to make use of the Names of the Types and Figures in setting forth this Glorious Church to declare that this Spiritual House will be framed as exactly according to an Heavenly Pattern as the typical House was and that true holiness will be as perfect and exact in this as typical was in that We know that Moses his Work was according to the Pattern
Babylon came into remembrance before God Thus we see it manifest that there are two Babylons mentioned in the Revelations Yet let it be considered that Babylon may be taken two ways 1. Locally for a particular place and Seat So Rome is Babylon and after its destruction some other place may be so 2. Politically for the Antichristian state or fourth Kingdom under Antichrist as having the Supreme Rule in it And thus as the two Beasts are but one Antichrist so the two Babylons are but one and the same Antichristian State and Kingdom An Empire may remain the same when the Seat is changed as when Constantine removed from Rome to Byzantium Q. But where will the second Babylon or Seat of this second Beast be A. This cannot be determined but it may be probably conceived that it shall be some where in the East For First this Beast will have great power and shall deceive many by his feigned Miracles and shall force obedience for he causeth all to receive his Mark. Secondly It is not likely that he shall have power to deceive and persecute among the Gentile Saints who had been so long under the power of the first Beast in this Antichristian part of the world For at the end of the one thousand two hundred and sixty days the Woman that is the Church of the Gentile Saints comes up out of the Wilderness and not to return again for the voice from Heaven is Come up hither They therefore are to be above and not beneath Thirdly we may conceive that this Beast will chiefly act his part among the Jews when they shall be brought to their own Land and will be an Antichrist or Man of Sin raging amongst them and raising Persecution and trouble to them And thus as the first Beast hath acted his part amongst the Gentile Saints so this second will against the Jews when they shall be called and called they must be For the River Euphrates is to be dried up to make way for the Kings of the East that is the Jews so called because the Kingdom shall be restored to them and that by the King of the East are meant the Iews may be proved from Isa 11.15 When the Lord shall shake his Hand over the River there shall be an High-way for the remnant of his People from Assyria And Zach. 10.10 11. I will bring them again from Egypt and Assyria and all the deeps of the River shall dry up Which doubtless is the same with the drying up the River Euphrates And the following words shew that we are to understand thereby The Pride of Assyria shall be brought down and the Scepter of Egypt shall depart Which signifies the wasting and destruction of the Turkish Empire and the bringing down the Pride of the Turk for he rules in Egypt and Assyria and by this means way shall be made for the Jews these Kings of the East to return to their own Land and then will this Beast be their persecuting Enemy and shall prevail much against them at last and cause such trouble to them as never was since there was a Nation by his feigned Miracles shall draw in the Kings of the Earth to his assistance as we see Rev. 16.13 And the place of their gathering will be Armageddon which being an Hebrew name gives ground to conclude that this gathering will be in Judea which also appears Ezek. 39.4 Gog and Magog the same with that great Army we read of Rev. 19. being headed by this Beast shall fall upon the Mountains of Israel This is also manifest from Joel 3.12 where it is said They shall come up to the Valley of Jehosaphat and the Command is Put in the Sickle for the Harvest of the Earth is ripe and here 't is that the Beast will be taken so that we may well conclude that he will be the great Enemy to the Jews And it being so we may conceive farther that this second Beast will be the little Horn The King of fierce Countenance the vile person spoken of by Daniel the Prophet 1. The little Horn. It 's manifest that the fourth Kingdom will be last of all under the power of this little Horn. Dan. 7.23 The fourth Beast is the fourth Kingdom the ten Horns are ten Kings and another shall rise after them In the Greek Translation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 behind them and unawares and he shall speak great words against the Saints of the most high and shall wear out the Saints and think to change Times and Laws and they shall be given into his hands until a time times and the dividing of time Compare Dan. 12.6 7. How long shall it be to the end of these wonders The Answer is For a time times and an half and then the end shall be The end of the Beasts Reign and of the Jews trouble For then the Judgment shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion that is the Dominion of the little Horn to consume and destroy it for ever and then the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most high Now as for the first Beast he can't be this little Horn because he is to be destroyed long before the fourth Kingdom will end and no one of the ten Horns can be this little Horn for he riseth after them Therefore the second Beast must be this little Horn. And as the Gentile witnesses shall lye dead three days and an half and then shall rise and shortly after the first Beast shall be destroyed so the Jews great trouble will be in the last three years and half of their suffering time and then they shall be delivered and this second Beast will be taken and the fourth Kingdom destroyed for ever 2. The King of fierce Countenance Dan. 8.23 In the latter end of their Kingdom that is of the Grecians when the fourth Kingdom into which theirs was to run shall come near its end then a King of fierce Countenance shall stand up understanding dark sentences and his power shall be mighty but not by his own power He shall destroy the holy and the mighty People that is the Jews and through his policy shall cause craft to prosper in his hand And lastly he shall stand up against the Prince of Princes Now observe how well these things agree to this Beast He may be said to be a King of fierce Countenance Rev. 13.11 He spake as a Dragon He causeth all to receive a Mark and endeavours to slay all that will not worship the Beast's Image V. 16 17. He doth great wonders making fire to come down from Heaven in the sight of Men and he causeth craft to prosper in his hand for by his subtilty he perswades the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World to come in to his assistance which shews him to be very subtle and a King understanding dark sentences And he is also mighty but not by his own power
I would not be thought to be positive in all things but as propounding some things to the Prophets that they may judge If any thing of Error shall appear yet I presume not that which will be destructive to the Faith once delivered to the Saints in any part of it For Matter of Faith and Worship and what concerns Gopel-Ordinances and Magistracy and Ministry are throughout asserted and justified That good thing which God hath said he will perform held forth in this Prophecy and the Revelation of Christ's Personal Presence and Reign upon Earth was not a little disparaged by the Carnal Imaginations and Conceits of some about it which were no other than the Smoak of the bottomless Pit which arising thence did darken the Glory of a very precious Primitive Truth and exposed it to that Contempt under which it hath long lien buried But what was by the subtilty of the Old Serpent sown in dishonour begins now to be raised in glory I shall add no more by way of Preface but those Two Petitions of the Lord's Prayer Thy Kingdom come and thy Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven Thy Kingdom is come and is within and among thy Disciples let it come and be over all Now one of a City two of a Family are brought to Sion and make a little Flock Let the time come when all the ends of the Earth shall turn to the Lord and all the Kindreds of the Nations shall worship before him Now thou dost Govern among the Saints be thou Governour also among the Nations And thy Will is done by some few Calebs and Josuahs that follow thee fully yet the Best are far short of doing thy Will as 't is done in Heaven 'T is done by some few on Earth in the sincerity and uprightness of Heaven let it be done in the exactness of Heaven Thus shall it be done when the King of Glory shall come from Heaven and all the Saints with him EVEN SO COME LORD JESUS AMEN The Mystery of the Nine last Chapters of Ezekiel in part made manifest IN these last Chapters of this Prophecy of Ezekiel we have a description of a Temple and City which in the Visions of God were represented to the Prophet by which we are not to understand a material Temple or City built after the return of the Jews from Babylonish Captivity For 1. The Temple and City here described are far different from the City Jerusalem and the Temple there both for situation and largeness The Temple in the description of it is as large as a City and the City as large as a Country For the Temple with the Courts thereof being a perfect Square each side contained five hundred Reeds Chap. 42.16 and the circumference of the City is said to be eighteen thousand Measures which is judged by Interpreters to be a vast circuit 2. A River is said to issue from under the Threshould of the House Chap. 47.1 which is not any where affirmed of the Temple at Jerusalem 3. This evidently appears from Chap. 41.12 where there is mention made of a separate place and a Building before it which is distinct from the Temple before described for the Building in the separate place is not so large as the Temple the breadth thereof being seventy Cubits and the length ninety Cubits so that this Building with the separate place is but equal with the Temple that is an hundred Cubits each way And farther this Building cannot be the Holy of Holies for the Dimensions are different the Holy of Holies is but twenty Cubits long and twenty Cubits broad verse 4. Now we do not read of such a Building and separate place near the Temple of Jerusalem 't is true 1 Kings 6.27 mention is made of an inner house which was the Holy of Holies joyning to the Temple and was not in a separate place from it 4. This Temple and City shall not have being on Earth till the twelve Tribes shall be brought back from their Captivity for they that serve the City serve it out of all the Tribes of Israel chap. 48.19 and the Land is to be divided by lot unto the Tribes of Israel verse 29. which are all named and the Gates of the City have also the Names of all the Tribes upon them These reasons make it evident that somewhat else must be meant Now as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 1.4 5. Ye are built up a spiritual house and Gal. 4. ◠Paul speaks of a Jerusalem which is above and John of that Jerusalem which cometh down from God out of Heaven So this is here understood and the Temple is the Church of the living God made of lively stones and the Church in that pure and glorious state which it shall be brought into when Antichrist shall be destroyed and those things which may be shaken being the things made by men shall be removed The Temple and City of Jerusalem were Types hereof And this glorious Church will be the substance of those shadows and is set forth by their names And what is here foretold had the beginning of its accomplishment in the Gospel-Church gathered by the Apostles and since continued in the world and shall have its perfect accomplishment when the new Jerusalem shall come down out of Heaven and the Jews shall be called and the Fulness of the Gentiles shall come in So that we may conclude with Rabbi Solomon quoted by Cornelius à Lapide Omnia quae in Ezekiele de Jerusalem scribuntur de sancta civitate supernâ Jerusalem absque dubio intelligenda sunt All is to be understood of the Heavenly Jerusalem but chiefly of this Heavenly Jerusalem as it shall come down out of Heaven and of that estate which it shall be then in Now that somewhat of the Mystery of this Prophecy may be made known I shall propose several things to consideration not proceeding therein according to the order of the Prophecy but shall endeavour to bring the main things of it to several heads And truly I may say to the praise of him that teacheth Man knowledge that by running thus to and fro in this Prophecy Knowledge hath increased and haply some hints may be given which may provoke others to search further into it The first thing to be laid down shall be for an Introduction to the rest which are to follow which is this Prop. 1. What is here represented should with all seriousness and diligence be lookt into and considered chap. 40.4 Son of man behold with thine eyes and hear with thine ears and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel This Command so vehemently urged in so many expressions belongs to all Christians but especially to the Ministers of the Gospel The external and internal Senses are called upon and stirred up to attend to what is made known to the Prophet in this Vision and to take an exact view of it and
shall at last be a close Prisoner himself And for what end must he be thus shut up That he should deceive the Nations no more till the thousand years be finished In this time he shall not be suffered so much as to enter into an Herd of Swine Now these things being well considered we may conclude that these thousand years are not past already they did not begin at Constantines time For when did Satan deceive the Nations more than within that thousand years by bringing forth Mahomet the false Prophet in the East and by the revelation of the Man of Sin in the West Surely these so many expressions signifie little or nothing if the thousand years be past already Thirdly Take notice of the time how long he shall be bound one thousand years The time of the Beast's reign and of the Witnesses prophesying in Sack-cloth is given out by Days and 't is concluded that a Day is put for a Year according to Ezek. 4.6 I have given thee a Day for a Year but the time of Satans being bound and of the Saints reign is set forth by years And we may conceive this reason why the time of Saints sufferings is given forth in a mystery God had in this respect to his Servants weakness If it had been given forth plainly it might have been some matter of discouragment to the Saints to think that the Beast should reign so long in the World The time of Satans being bound and the Saints reign is plainly declared to be for a thousand years that the People of God might have the more joy in the expectation of it God would not that his People's Sorrow should be a full Sorrow but would have their Joy to be a full Joy Fourthly observe what follows the thousand years of Satans being bound v. 3. He must be loosed a little season v. 8. He shall deceive the Nations Gog and Magog who being gathered shall be destroyed by Fire from Heaven and all must be done in a little season Now if the thousand years be past when was the Prophecy of Gog and Magog fulfilled Besides when Gog and Magog shall be destroyed then next the last Judgment of the wicked follows Rev. 20.12 Thus much of Satans being bound 2. Christ's Kingdom is here foretold they reigned with Christ So Christ reigns he will at this time take to himself his great power and reign and at the sounding of the seventh Trumpet the Kingdoms of the world shall become his Kingdoms and his reign will be personal and thence the Name of the City shall be The Lord is there 3. The dead Saints shall be raised to reign with Christ v. 3. They lived and reigned with Christ That is by a resurrection as after follows and this is called the first Resurrection Now the great question is what Resurrection is here meant For the clearing of which consider that 't is not a spiritual Resurrection which is here meant For First this is a Resurrection of Saints who before had past through a Spiritual Resurrection For who are they that shall live and reign or be raised and reign Those that were beheaded for the Testimony of Jesus and word of God and would not worship the Beast c. These live and reign and of these is the first Resurrection Now are not these to be judged Saints have not they part in a Spiritual Resurrection before they thus stand it out against the Beast and before they have part in the first Resurrection Shall we so much offend against the generation of these just ones as to account them to be a company of persons dead in Sins when they bear such a Testimony for Christ against Antichrist and seal it with their Blood it's therefore most evident that this first Resurrection is of dead Saints and not of Sinners dead in Sins And in this sense we may take those words Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection 'T is a Resurrection of holy ones 2. Those that were dead before they had part in the first Resurrection and the rest of the dead who have no part in it after mentioned are to be conceived to be under the same kind of Death So that if those that have part in the first Resurrection were such who were spiritually dead then the rest of the dead must be such And if those that live again live by a bodily resurrection then those that do not live again are such who remain under the power of a bodily death And if such as live again shall be such as shalâ— be raised from a civil death as the witnesses will be then those that do not live again will be such who shall remain under a civil death so that the first and second resurrection must be of the same kind Hence then it will follow First If those that live and reign be such as live spirituall then those that do not live again must be such who remain spiritually dead and sâ— then it follows that in the time of the thousand years there will be no Conversion For the rest of the dead lived not again till c. Secondly If the living again be meant only of a Civil Resurrection of Saints from a persecuted condition into a quiet and ruling state Then the rest of the dead that live not again must be other Saints in a low and afflicted state So some Saints shall live and reign for a thousand years and others shall be afflicted and persecuted all that time which is directly contrary to Scripture for the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the Saints What remaines then but that we conclude this first Resurrection to be of dead Saints from a bodily death at the begining of the thousand years and the living again of the rest of the dead to be meant of the resurrection of the Wicked after the finishing of them 4. All the dead Saints shall be partakers of this first resurrection and not onely the Martyrs who suffered a bodily death For Abraham Isaac and Jacob who died a natural death and did not suffer Martyrdom shall be raised and be in that Kingdom of God Matth. 8.11 Luke 13.28 Again Rev. 11.18 The time of the dead is come that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward to thy Servants the Prophets and to all that fear thy Name So this First Resurrection must be of all Saints even as many as fear the Name of God And this shall be when the Seventh Angel sounds his Trumpet and the Kingdoms of the World shall become the Kingdoms of Christ Therefore when 't is said the beheaded Saints shall live and reign all are hereby meant that have been liable to persecution and trouble for all the Saints from the beginning have suffered one way or other None have been free from Satan's temptations and few from Persecution in one kind or other Those that have not been persecuted as Abel to death
haply have been persecuted as Isaac was by Ishmael Satan hath been bruising the Heel of the Church from the beginning and will do it till his Head be bruised which will be at the beginning of the thousand years and so bruised that he shall not recover any thing of Dominion till the end of them and then he shall deceive the Nations but not hurt the Saints 'T will be but a vain Attempt against them He shall not touch them and there shall not so much as an hair of their head perish Thus far concerning the Arguments for the Personal Reign In the next place some Objections against it shall be answered Object 1. John 18.36 My Kingdom is not of this World A. The meaning can't be that Christ shall not have the Government of the World for he is King over all the Earth de jure and shall be de facto He hath Right to rule and shall at last rule according to his Right That we may the better understand this place let some other Scriptures in the first place be compared with it and then let this Scripture it self be considered For other Scriptures see Psa 96.11 12 13. Let the Heavens rejoyce and the Earth be glad let the Field be joyful and all that is therein then shall the Trees of the Wood rejoyce before the Lord for he cometh he cometh to judge the World in righteousness and the People with truth Whence is it that the Creatures shall thus rejoyce with the Saints Because they shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God and Satan and Antichrist shall not have dominion over them but all will be in subjection to Christ See also Psal 97. The Contents of which in the Syr. Version are these David foretels the coming of Christ and his last appearance and the Sept. gives it this Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Psalm of David Quando terra ejus restituta est vel quando stabilita est When his Earth was restored or established It is a Psalm fitted for the time of Christ's coming to reign and of the restitution of all things v. 2 3. Righteousness and Judgment are the habitation of his Throne a fire goeth before him and burneth up his Enemies round about him Which may well be judged to have reference to the Battel of Armageddon and the Conflagration which Peter foretels This Title is the more to be taken notice of because it agrees with what is said of Christ Isa 44.8 He is given for a Covenant to establish the Earth or to raise it up Christ's Throne shall be established in the Earth and then the Earth shall be established in a peaceable and prosperous estate Before it reels like a Drunkard Isa 24.22 and Nimrods will fill it with violence But Christ reigning he shall establish it upon a Foundation of Righteousness the effect of which shall be Peace Rev. 11.15 The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of Christ Though Christ saith My Kingdom is not of this world yet the Kingdoms of the World must at last be his If it were of this world and now to be set up then would my Servants fight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now my kingdom is not from hence At this time it is not to be set up over the World neither is it now to be from hence I shall not my Servants will not contend for it But the time will come when I will in my Majesty ride prosperously because of truth meekness and righteousness Next let this place it self be considered and first What was the occasion of these words Pilate asks Christ Art thou the King of the Jews this Christ doth not deny but asks another Question Speakest thou this of thy self And then Christ replies My Kingdom is not of this world As if he had said I am indeed the King of the Jews but they now reject me and will not that I should reign over them they will have no King but Caesar therefore let them suffer from Caesar and let their City be destroyed and left desolate till the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and then the Kingdom shall be restored to Israel Secondly what follows There was a Providence ordering that Inscription Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews A time must be when Christ shall be the King of the Jews Hos 2.5 The Children of Israel shall seek the Lord and David their King Pilate asks him again Art thou a King He answers Thou sayest that I am a King Thou savest that which indeed I am which he witnesseth in the next words For this cause was I born and came into the world that I might bear witness to the truth And if Christ was for this end born then the Saints are new born and Ministers called to bear witness to this truth And 't is observable that after all this Pilate justifies Christ thus far I find no fault in him Surely as the High Priest spake not of himself but being High Priest prophesied That it was expedient that one should die for that Nation so Pilate prophesied in the Inscription which was set over him that Christ should be the King of that Nation and as once Balaam and Saul were among the Prophets so was Pilate also when he wrote that Inscription and would not yield to an alteration of it Christ's great Enemies bear witness to his Priestly and his Kingly Office Thus much for answer to this Objection and for the clearing of this place which now appears to be not against but for this truth of Christ's Kingdom Object 2. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution A. Other Scriptures and those not a few do plainly declare a state of freedom from persecution at last They shall sit under their Vines and Fig-trees and have none to make them afraid Their Enemies shall come bending to them and bow themselves down at the soles of their feet How shall these Scriptures be reconciled with the former Acts 14.22 We must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdom of God As Saints now must look to go to Heaven through tribulations so the Church must for a long time endure tribulation but at last it shall get through it into the Kingdom of God which shall be upon Earth in which Christ shall reign and the Saints with him then time shall be no more that is troublous times persecuting suffering-times shall be no more but then shall be the day of the Son of man So distingue tempora concordabunt Scripturae state the times aright and Scriptures will agree In the day of the Man of Sin Saints suffer in the days of the Son of Man they shall have rest Obj. 3. Satan being loosed out of his Prison shall deceive the Nations and gather them to Battel and compass the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City Now can it be thought that they shall dare to do this if
Cubits before the Temple and he said unto me this is the most holy place Not that which was the Figure but the true And this affords a strong Argument to prove that this Name The Lord is there intimates a personal presence For Christ must be personally present in the most holy place to make intercession which will be at last upon Earth Thirdly The Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in this City Rev. 22.3 And Christ on this his Throne sitting at the right hand of God and making intercession Under the Law there was a two-fold Throne 1. A Throne above upon the Ark called the Mercy Seat Exod. 25.17 There the Lord promised to meet and commune with the High Priest This was a Figure of the true which is called the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.16 This Throne will be in the New Jerusalem and Christ a Priest upon it Zachar. 6.13 praying for and dispensing Grace from it to the Saints 2. A Throne of Judgment Solomon made a great Throne of Ivory there was not the like in any Kingdom 1 Kin. 10.18 And this was a part of Jerusalem's Glory of old Psa 122.5 There are set Thrones of Judgment the Thrones of the House of David and upon David's Throne must Christ sit Now when 't is said the Throne of God and and of the Lamb shall be in it this also is meant And here let this one thing be observed As Christ shall give to the Saints to sit with him upon his Throne so this is not meant of the Throne of Grace where Christ is High Priest True they may go boldly to it to obtain Mercy because Christ is there making intercession But Saints shall not sit there as joynt Mediators with Christ though they are said to be Priests yet not Priests upon a Throne But the Saints shall sit with Christ upon his Throne of Judgment to whom they shall be Servants in executing Justice and Judgment in the Earth Psal 149.9 To execute upon them the Judgment written Christ shall write the Judgment and they shall execute the Judgment written by him This honour have all his Saints Having thus laid down some Arguments to prove the personal presence of Christ in the beloved City and some Objections against it being answered that this great truth may be the better evidenced let the last words of David be a little considered These we find in 2 Sam. 23. and Psal 72. In the former place v. 1. 't is said These be the last words of David and the Preface to what he had to utter shews that they were things of very great weight and very glorious truths David the Son of Jesse said and the Man who was raised up on high the anointed of the God of Jacob the sweet Psalmist of Israel said The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his Word was in my Tongue the God of Israel said the Rock of Israel spake to me He that ruleth over Men must be just ruling in the fear of the Lord. As these words were a direction to Solomon so chiefly a Prophecy concerning Christ which may be thus rendered Be thou ruler over Men just ruling in the fear of the Lord. Davids Sons succeding him in Government were not all such But Christ who was made of the Seed of David and is to sit upon his Throne shall be such a Ruler He shall be as the light of the Morning when the Sun ariseth even a Morning without Clouds as the tender Grass springing out of the Earth by clear shining after Rain v. 4. Christ the Sun of Righteousness shall arise he shall shine forth as the light of the Morning after the long Night of Antichristian darkness and then there shall be a Morning without Clouds Christ shall come in Clouds but being come the Clouds shall pass away and the tender Grass shall spring out of the Earth they of the City shall multiply and flourish like the Grass of the Field David did not expect it should be thus in the Generations then immediately following True in the beginning of Solomon's Reign there was a short Morning without Clouds but in his latter days he declined and after him things grew much worse Hence he saith Although my House be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure As if he had said I see by a Spirit of prophecy that my successors will not be all just yet the Covenant made with me stands sure and shall be made good in him who is my Lord and shall be my Son And here is all my Salvation and all my desire I see his day and long for the great Salvation of it and all my desire is that he may have a name above every name and be exalted and extolled and be very high I see the defections and desolations of my House but look beyond these and do well know that a Rod shall come forth of the Stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his Roots and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him and he with Righteousness shall judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the Earth In the latter place which is Psal 72. there is a Prayer added to this Prophecy and the conclusion of these last prophetick words of David The contents given of it are these David praying for Solomon sheweth the goodness and glory of his in type and in truth of Christs Kingdom Several passages in it shew that it must be meant of Christ chiefly as v. 5. They shall fear thee as long as Sun and Moon endure throughout all Generations v. 7. In his days shall the Righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the Moon endureth v. 17. His Name shall be for ever and men shall be blessed in him This was the promise made to Abraham In thy Seed shall all Nations be blessed that Seed was Christ Gal. 3.16 Glorious things are spoken of Christ's Kingdom in this Psalm He shall judge the people with Righteousness The Mountains that is Rulers shall bring peace to the people They shall not be the Mountains of Prey but the Mountains of Peace His Kingdom shall be universal even to the ends of the Earth An absolute Victory will be gotten over his Enemies they shall lick the Dust and the greatest shall be made to bow to him The Kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring Presents the Kings of Sheba and Sebah shall offer Gifts yea all Kings shall fall down before him all Nations shall serve him And then will be the Churches full Redemption v. 14. He shall redeem their Soul from deceit and violence Now the fore-sight of this glorious Kingdom and of the happy Estate of the Church in it makes David to break forth into Praises v. 18. Blessed be the Lord God the God of Israel who onely doth wondrous things and blessed be his Glorious Name for ever and ever and let the
of what sort they are and the Word preached shall be Fire to burn up Wood Hay and Stubble And then shall Popish Priests appear to be but as the Priests of Baal Now by this means Unity shall be restored to the Church For this Elias will be a blessed Peace-maker among the Saints and shall make Brethren to dwell together in Unity so that one shall not be of Paul another of Apollo Now sometimes Fathers begetting and Children begotten through the Gospel have fallen asunder But this Elijah shall turn the hearts of Fathers to their Children and the hearts of Children to their Fathers And that Promise will be fulfilled Phil. 3.15 If in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you And thus the Multitude of the Disciples will be as in the Apostle's days of one Heart and of one Soul Secondly To the Jews in particular For they shall be called and be the Children of the living God And so the Adoption Glory and Covenants and giving of the Law shall be restored to them and more than they had under the Law And we may well suppose that the Elijah spoken of in Malachy will be the means of the first calling of the Jews For he shall turn the hearts of Fathers to their Children and of Children to their Fathers Through his Ministry the Jews shall come to have the same Hearts with their Fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Abraham believed God and his Faith was counted to him for Righteousness and he was obedient to the Commands of God He saw Christ's day and rejoyced And at last the Children shall have the same heart with Abraham their Father They shall believe unto Righteousness and rejoyce in Christ's day And when Abraham Isaac and Jacob shall be in the beloved City then their hearts will be to their Children So this Elias will be as the Instrument of turning the Childrens hearts to their Fathers so the occasion of the Fathers turning their hearts to their Children And now the disobedient will be turned to the wisdom of the Just that is of just Abraham 'T is to be observed that the Jews great disobedience was in refusing to hear Christ and to obey the Gospel which he preached which was after John Baptist was beheaded Now Elias must turn these disobedient ones to the wisdom of the Just which shews that there is an Elias yet to come to restore all things And when he comes the Kingdom of the Spirit which was so evident and eminent in the Apostles days shall be restored And then the Spirit in and by the Word shall mightily convince the World wondering after the Beast of their great Error therein whereby they shall be made to hate the Whore and to eat her Flesh and burn her with Fire Thus much of the restoring all things by an 〈…〉 et to come 2. Christ at his coming shall restore all things Acts 3.21 The Heavens must receive him till the time of the restitution of all things Christ will come and set all things right Elias will restore all things of the Primitive Apostolical Estate Christ will restore all things of the Primitive State of Innocency and Uprightness Elias all lost through Antichrist's Apostasie fore-told 1 Tim. 4.1 Christ all lost by Adam's Apostasie and shall set the Saints in a better Estate than Adam had in Paradise A particular description of this Restitution is not to be expected but we must rest satisfied with those generals which we have in Scripture about it Rev. 21.5 He that sitteth upon the Throne shall make all things new The Works of Antichrist yea all the Works of the Devil shall be destroyed All Babels will be thrown down and all Idols be utterly abolished The New Heavens and Earth will be created in such Glory and Beauty that the former shall not be remembred And as Light Grace and Peace shall be most plentifully and abundantly restored to the Church so Righteousness Judgment and Quietness to Civil States No Inhabitant of the Beloved City shall say I am sick None of the New Earth shall complain of violence or wrong then the Kingdom shall be restored to Israel yea the Kingdom lost by the First Adam shall be restored to the Second And a Paradise will be restored with the Tree of Life in it In a word all the dead Saints shall be restored and shall live and reign with Christ. 3. A description of the two Beasts mentioned Revel 13. As there hath been occasion to mention the Beast in the fore-going discourse so 't will be requisite to consider the description given of him in the Scriptures Two are described in the place last cited The first riseth up out of the Sea having seven Heads and ten Horns and upon his Horns ten Crowns Some are apt to conceive that the Roman Empire as Heathenish was this Beast But this can't be because this Beast is said to continue Fourty and two Moneths And besides the Roman Empire as Heathenish is that Dragon we read of Rev. 12.3 A great red Dragon appeared having seven Heads and ten Horns and ten Crowns upon his Heads And this Dragon gives to the Beast rising out of the Sea his Power and Seat which is Rome and great Authority And 't is to be observed that the Dragon hath Crowns upon his Heads but this Beast on his ten Horns which are the ten Kings which give up their Power to the Beast Now for the better understanding of what we find in this Chapter about these two Beasts we may consider that in Prophetical Style sometime by Beast is meant the Fourth Kingdom which was to be on Earth Dan. 7.23 The fourth Beast shall be the fourth Kingdom Revelat. 17.7 I will shew thee the Mystery of the Woman and of the Beast that carrieth her which hath seven Heads and ten Horns Here the Beast is the Fourth Kingdom and the Woman riding the Beast is the Ruler of this fourth Kingdom And as sometimes by Beast is meant the fourth Kingdom so sometimes the Head thereof is called the Beast Revel 11.7 The Beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless Pit shall make war c. Where by Beast the Pope or Papal Head of this fourth Kingdom the Slayer of the Witnesses is meant This first Beast then is the fourth Kingdom as becoming Papal or as under Popes as the Head thereof having Rome which is Mystical Babylon for a Seat This is the Beast with seven Heads and ten Horns that is ruling in that City which was built on seven Mountains and which hath had seven sorts of Government having in himself the Monarchical Power of the Beast which before had been in the six preceding Kings or Regiments and to whom ten crowned Kings gave up their Power which continue one hour with the Beast v. 3. John saith I saw one of his Heads as it were wounded to death and his deadly wound was healed That is taking this Beast with seven Heads for the fourth Kingdom so
For the Kings of the Earth give up their power to him and so he is mighty by their power And lastly which makes the thing most clear as the King of fierce Countenance shall stand up against the Prince of Princes even Christ so this is plainly said concerning this second Beast Rev. 19.11 Christ hath this name upon his Vesture and his Thigh King of Kings and Lord of Lords The same with Prince of Princes And v. 19. I saw the Beast with the Kings and their Armies and they make War against him that sate on the white Horse And lo here we find that King of fierce Countenance standing up against the Prince of Princes viz. the second Beast making War against him that had a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords The vile Person Of him 't is said Dan. 11.21 He shall obtain the Kingdom by flatteries appearing as a Lamb meek and peaceable but having gotten the Kingdom shall do according to his own will v. 36. And shall exalt himself above every God And shall prosper till the Indignation be accomplished He shall enter into the glorious Land and then Michael shall stand up and at that time the Jews shall be delivered and this Beast this vile Person with his false Prophet shall be taken Now these things being considered we may judge it probable that this second Beast will have his Seat somewhere in the East In the next place I shall offer this to consideration whether what is added about the Number of the Beast may not be chiefly meant of this second Beast Some things may be observed which make it probable 1. This is added in the close of the description of this second Beast And seeing this comes up after the other is destroyed we may judge that what is spoken of the Number of his Name should belong to this Beast 2. 'T is said to be the Number of the Beast not of the Beasts which doth shew that it belongs to one and not to both 3. By the knowledge of the Number of his Name and Mark the Beast is known Let him that hath understanding count the Number of the Beast Why Because thus he may be known Now as for the first Beast if we had not other ways of knowing him than by the Number of his Name we should be much at a loss For what hath been discovered hitherto of this Mystery True Men have found out the Number 666 in some Names But what is this for the discovery of the Beast And hath it been a matter of so great wisdom to find out this Number in the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or in some other Names Surely there is much more in it seeing a Victory is to be gotten over it Rev. 15.2 Now for the first Beast there are evident Characters given of him by which he is known and whereby we may come to a certainty and say we know that we know him but yet the Number of the Beast remains a Mystery These Characters we have 2 Thess 2.3.4 The Man of Sin opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God and sitting in the Temple of God sheweth himself that he is God And 2 Tim. 4.1 2. In the latter times Men shall depart from the Faith giving heed to Doctrines of Devils speaking Lyes in Hypocrisie forbidding to Marry and commanding to abstain from Meats And lastly in Rev. 17.7 I will tell thee the Mystery of the Woman and the Beast which carrieth her which hath seven Heads and ten Horns 'T is evident that Rome is here meant which was the great city reigning over the Kings of the Earth So the first Beast is known sufficiently by other Characters though we have not found out the Mystery of the Number of his Name Therefore it seems most probable that this respects the second Beast who as he shall be in a better form and do lying Wonders and more powerfully deceive so it would be more difficult to discern him but the Elect shall discern him for he shall not be able to deceive them but they shall look through his lying Wonders and shall have understanding to count the number of his Name 4. Observe those expressions Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count Which implies that this is a very aenigmatical and obscure thing and 't will be an excellent piece of wisdom to find out the Number of his Name It implies also that this wisdom may be attained For to some it shall be given to count If none shall have it in vain 't is said Here is wisdom let him that hath understanding count This shews that such an understanding shall be given to some But where is this Wisdom now and who hath the Understanding to count What is there of satisfaction given by any for the discovery of this Mystery Wherefore it seems that this discovery is reserved for the time of the second Beast and God will then give an Understanding to some to know him and they shall have this Wisdom to discern the Number of his Name For a conclusion of what shall be said concerning this second Beast let these three Particulars be observed 1. This second Beast will be of very short continuance in comparison with the former for he will not much exceed fourty and five years For first under the fifth Vial the Seat of the Beast and consequently the first Beast will be destroyed Secondly under the sixth way will be made for the Kings of the East and the Jews shall be called and return to their own Land Thirdly from the time of the first calling of the Jews till the Battel of Armageddon where the second Beast shall be taken and after which the Jews shall have rest will be fourty and five years Which appears Dan. 12.11.12 From the time that the daily Sacrifice shall be taken away shall be One thousand two hundred and ninety days and at the end of these days the Jews shall be called And then it follows Blessed is he that cometh to the one thousand three hundred and thirty five days Why blessed Because the Jews Enemies will then be all cut off and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the Most High Now the latter Number is Fourty and five years more than the former and at the end of them this Beast will come to his end 2. This Beast will have his false Prophet workking Miracles before him The Beast and false Prophet are not one person but must be taken as two distinct persons and so are they still set forth There will be one in whom the Devil will be a Lying Spirit who shall preach up this Beast and cry up his Authority and shall work Miracles before him causing Fire to come down from Heaven in the sight of Men and by this means shall wonderfully deceive and draw many after the Beast As an Elias and true Prophet of Christ shall come so
God may suffer a false Prophet to withstand him even as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses And as Elias shall perswade the Elect to follow the Lamb so this false Prophet shall seduce the Vessels of Wrath and draw them after the Beast And that Elias which shall come may have the gift of working Miracles and then as the Magicians of Egypt did seemingly some Wonders which were done by Moses and Aaron so may this false Prophet do somewhat in appearance like the Miracles of Elias 3. This Beast and false Prophet will have a most remarkable and strange Judgment executed upon them Rev. 19.20 These both were taken and cast alive into the Lake of Fire that is Hell Rev. 20.10 The Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and the false Prophet are So the Lake of Fire is Hell and these both were cast into it Which doth not only shew that the Antichristian State and Kingdom and so the Antichrist and Man of Sin shall be destroyed but it shews that the particular Person which shall then have Supream Power and Command in the fourth Kingdom and shall stand up against the Prince of Princes and that false Prophet which shall then be so active for the Beast even these two persons shall be cast alive c. Now that we are to take the Beast and false Prophet for two Individual Persons may be gathered from Rev. 20.10 The Devil was cast into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and false Prophet are This is above one thousand years after the taking of the Beast So that when the Antichristian State and Kingdom shall be wholly abolished the Beast and the false Prophet will be in torment Now this being cleared we may observe farther that they are said to be cast alive into this Lake That is destroyed Body and Soul in Hell For as this will be such a Beast as never was since there was a Beast causing such trouble to the Jews as never was since there was a Nation so he and his false Prophet shall have such Judgment as never was before Korah Dathan and Abiram went down quick into the Pit Numb Chap. 16. ver 30. For the Earth opening swallowed them up and so they were buried alive But this Beast and false Prophet shall be cast alive into Hell For at this time God's fury will come up in his Face Ezek. 38.18 And the anger of the Lord will be so exceeding hot against them for their most daring wickedness in standing up against the Prince of Princes a greater Sin than that of Korah's standing up against Moses and Aaron that he will not respite their full torment till the resurrection of the wicked above one thousand years after but then immediately shall they be cast Body and Soul into Hell and be under full torment in both And as Enoch and Elias persons so eminent for Godliness were translated that they did not see Death and were carried alive to Heaven so this Beast and false Prophet persons so eminent in wickedness shall be cast alive into Hell This sense is somewhat favoured by what follows The remnant were slain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the rest therefore these were not slain by a bodily Death but both in Soul and Body were under the power of the Second Death Thus much of these two Beasts 4. The Day of Judgment and the Worlds perishing by fire For the better understanding of what we find in Scripture concerning the Day of Judgment take notice of two things 1. Christ will begin the work of Judgment at his next appearing 2 Tim. 4.1 The Lord Jesus Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and kingdom When Christ shall appear and the New Jerusalem shall come down and Christ shall take to himself his great Power and Reign then he shall judge the quick and the dead Q. What shall Christ then do as a Judge or what shall be his judging-work at the beginning of the thousand years A. 1. The dead Saints shall be raised and judged at this time which is evident from Rev. 11.15 The seventh Angel sounds his Trumpet and there were Voices saying The Kingdoms of the world are beeome the Kingdoms of the Lord and of his Christ This is at the beginning of the thousand years Now observe what is said verse 18. Thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged And what dead are meant the following words declare And that thou shouldest give reward to thy Servants the Prophets to the Saints and to all that fear thy Name small and great So by dead in this place are meant the dead Saints and all the dead Saints even as many as fear God's Name All these shall be judged by a sentence of Absolution and shall receive he Kingdom which was promised to them 2. Christ's work at this time as a Judge will be to destroy them that destroyed the Earth Rev. 11.18 Whence we may gather that this will not be the time of raising the Wicked but of destroying them not of raising them out of their Graves but of sending them to their Graves Which is also evident from 2 Pet. 3.7 The Heavens and Earth whieh are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto Fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men Here the day of Judgment is mentioned and this will be a day of perdition of ungodly men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of killing not of making them alive again And lastly The Heavens and Earth which now are shall then perish by Fire And here I shall insist a little upon these words and shew what we are to understand by the Heavens and Earth which now are and how they shall perish by fire and by this we shall see farther what the judging work of this day will be Consider then The Heavens and Earth which are now do signifie the World which now is both with respect to that which was before it and perished by Water and also to that which shall be after it and is to come even the new Heavens and the new Earth wherein Righteousness shall dwell And if we consider what World it was that perished by Water we shall the better know what World it is that shall perish by Fire Now the Heavens taken in a proper sense did not perish neither did the Body of the Earth perish but all the Men upon the face of the Earth perished except those in the Ark and all other living Creatures without the Ark in whom was the Breath of Life and also the Fruits of the Earth 2 Pet. 2.5 Bringing in a Flood upon the world of the ungodly This World of the Ungodly perished by water And together herewith there were Analogical Heavens and Earth which also perished by water Analogical Heavens there were which perished and those both Political and Ecclesiastical 1. Political Heavens that is the Superiour Sovereign and Ruling part of that World for as
after shall be shewn thus Heaven is sometimes taken And 't is to be observed that the Ruling part of that World was exceeding corrupt For those that were highest in power were most eminent in wickedness The great Men were the greatest Sinners and did fill the World with Violence Rapines Oppressions and all manner of unrighteousness Gen. 6.11 And therefore God brought a Flood in which these Heavens perished For all the Principalities and Powers of that wicked and ungodly World were swept away by the Flood 2. Ecclesiasticall Heavens Churches on Earth are sometimes called Heaven the Kingdom of Heaven frequently in the Evangelists signifies the Church Rev. 12.7 There was war in Heaven That is in the Church Now the Ecclesiastical Heavens that is the Churches of that World perished by Water even all except that in the Ark. 'T is said Gen. 4.26 Then began men to call upon the Name of the Lord. There were Churches of Seth's Posterity which worshipped God But these did at last exceedingly apostatize as we see Gen. 6.2 The Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men and took them Wives of all that they chose And thereupon the Lord says My Spirit shall not always strive with Man for that he also is flesh Observe these words He also the Sons of God were spoken of immediately before this He also therefore is meant of the Church-member even he that was called the Son of God was also flesh Not onely those without but also those within the Church not onely the Posterity of Cain but also the Posterity of Seth had corrupted their way and all the imaginations of their hearts were also evil continually Now these Heavens did also perish by water because of the great wickedness found in them There was an Analogical Earth also which perished by water that is as Superiours so Inferiours as Masters so Servants as the Mighty men so the mean men as the Giants so the Dwarfs the Flood swept all away and one as easily as the other And here we may do well to observe what kind of wickednesses they were which brought the Flood there was desperate Apostasie of the Sons of God there was Pride amongst them they became men of Renown and also cruelty and oppression they filled the world with voilence The Giants in stature were Giants in wickedness The old world was an Atheistical and desperately debauched world and when God gave space and warning to repent by Noahs preaching they repented not In a word 't is to be observed that the world of the ungodly then was become wholly arbitrary every one would be sui juris and not be subject to or act by a Law The mighty men and Sovereign part of it were absolute and arbitrary They would be arbitrary in ruling others and exercised what violence they pleased and arbitrary in ruling themselves giving themselves up to the lusts of uncleanness not only taking Wives of the Daughters of men but as Gen. 6.4 also after that they went in unto the Daughters of men to others that is besides their Wives and they took of all that they chose and therein the arbitrariness of that world appeared they chose by Lust and not by Law from their own wills and not according to the will of God The People of God will have God to chuse for them Psal 47.4 He shall chuse our Inheritance for us But these would chuse for themselves This was the first transgression Adam would become arbitrary he liked not Gods choise but he himself would chuse what Fruit to eat and we may observe how displeasing this was to God Behold the man is become like one of us Gen. 3.22 to know good and evil that is as God is absolute and his Will is the rule of good or evil what he wills is good and what he nils is to be lookt on as evil So now Adam would become absolute to know good and evil and have his own Will the rule of it this highly provoked God 'T is his incommunicable Prerogative to be absolute This arbitrariness God did avenge and that speedily upon him 1. He must not eat of the Tree of life 2 He was cast out of Paradise He that would be all and absolute loses all thereby And when the old world became arbitrary a Flood came and swept all away Thus we see what world it was that perished by water In the next place let it be considered what Heavens and Earth are to perish by Fire And now I shall endeavour to make it manifest that there are as natural so analogical Heavens and Earth and Heavens both Political and Ecclesiastical Isa 34. we have a Prophecy of the Judgments wherewith God will at last avenge his Church v. 2. The Indignation of the Lord is upon all Nations and his fury upon all their Armies V. 4. All the Host of Heaven shall be dissolved and the Heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole and all their Host shall fall down and the next verse shews what Heavens are meant My Sword shall come down upon Idumea and upon the People of my curse to Judgment The Unicorns shall come down and the Bullocks for it is the Day of the Lords Vengeance and the Year of Recompenses for the Controversie of Sion So that by Heaven here are meant the Churches Antichristian Enemies who have been in Power and above and long have had the upper hand in the World This will appear also from Hag. 2.6 7. I will shake the Heavens the Earth the Sea and the dry Land This shaking is to make way for the coming of Christ That it looks beyond his first coming is evident from Heb. 12.27 where 't is spoken of as a thing then to come And why shall these Heavens and Earth be shaken 'T is for the removing of things that may be shaken as of things that are made Not things as made by God for this is no reason for their removal that they are made by God therefore by things made are meant the things made by Men. For as there are Heavens and Earth made by God so there are Heavens and Earth of Mens making and that both in a Political and Ecclesiastical sence There are many Babels of Mens building The Turkish Religion and frame was made by Men. The Pope both in his Civil and Ecclesiastical Power was made by Men. The Popish Religion and that Antichristian Form of Worship and frame of Government which Popery doth establish is of Mens making Now this shaking will be to remove things made contrary to the Mind of God And this agrees well with Peter The Earth with the works therein even all Antichristian Works shall be burnt up And with Mat. 13.14 The Angels shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity There are now many things which offend God and good Men but at last all will be gathered out of the Kingdom This appears also from Rev. 6.12 13. I beheld when he opened the
sixth Seal and lo there was a great Earthquake and the Sun became black and the Moon as Blood and the Stars of Heaven fell and the Hevens departed as a scrole when it is rolled together By Heaven is meant the Roman Empire as heathenish and under the Power of Heathen Emperours 'T is well observed by Mede that Vniversitas Romana hic à spiritu sancto assimilatur systemati mundi c. That great and large Empire of Rome is likned to the frame of the World Heaven Earth and Air are the parts of the World in the Heaven are Sun Moon and Stars and here below Sea and Rivers Now the Roman Empire had its Political Heaven of Power and Sovereignty and Sun and Stars in it and all these were rolled together as a scroll the Heathenish Power did pass away And that Empire which at first was Heathenish is now Antichristian and must pass away as the former did This World must Perish by Fire For 't is observable that the Roman Empire both as Heathenish and Antichristian is called the World in Scripture Luke 2.1 There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the World should be taxed that is the people of the Roman Empire Rev. 13.3 All the World wondered after the Beast Here 's an Antichristian World And this World even the fourth Kingdom as now under Antichrist must pass away The Sun Moon and Stars all the Host of this Heaven must perish by Fire and all the Elements thereof must melt with fervent heat For the Plagues of the Vials shall be poured out upon the Antichristian Earth Sea and Rivers and Fountains of Waters and upon the Sun so that the World wondering after this Beast shall perish And the last Vial being poured into the Air shews the utter destruction of Satan's Kingdom who is Prince of the Power of the Air. And then the great City Babylon falls and with it the Cities of the Nations and every Island must flee away and the Mountains shall be no where found neither Mountains of Pride nor Mountains of Prey Thus we see it manifest that there are Heavens and Elements both Civil and Ecclesiastical which must perish Heavens the Sovereign part of the Antichristian World Earth the Subjected part all are to be burnt up In the next place it is to be considered by what Fire For there is as Natural so Fire in an Analogical sense Now. 1. It 's not to be doubted but that Fire in a proper sense will be made use of to help forward the Judgment of that great day For as the old World perished by Water so the World which now is must by Fire Babylon which is the Seat of the Beast must be utterly burnt with Fire Rev. 18.6 Reward her as she haâ—h rewarded you Giue her blood to drink for she is worthy give her burning for she is worthy Give her blood for blood burning for burning For as she hath destroyed many of the Saints by Fire so therefore let her perish by Fire as she is spiritually called Sodom so let her be consumed by Fire like Sodom And as Elijah called for Fire from Heaven so Fire will be called for from Heaven to destroy those that destroyed the Earth And thus as Analogical Heavens perished by Water so may Heavens and Earth both Political and Ecclesiastical perish by Fire 2. Analogical Fire will be made use of for destroying the Heavens and Earth which are now And so the Fire of the Word and Spirit and judicial Fire First the Fire of the Word and Spirit Of which we read 1 Cor. 3.13 The day shall declare every Mans work of what sort it is and it shall be revealed by Fire The Gold and Silver and precious Stones shall be revealed by Fire and the Wood and Hay and Stubble shall be burnt up Antichristian Doctrine Discipline Ordinances Traditions and Forms of Worship shall be all burnt up The Tares shall be known Hypocrites shall be discovered and gathered out of the Kingdom of God and there shall be neither persons nor things in it any way offensive to any of the sincere Servants of God Secondly Judicial Fire The great Judgments of that day will be a consuming fire to the Enemies of Christ the Light of Israel shall be for a fire and his Holy one for a flame and shall consume the Bryers and Thorns fury and fiery Indignation shall then devour the Adversaries Heb. 12.29 Our God is a consuming fire In that great Day of Judgment he will so appear And then Angels as Instruments in executing Wrath will be as fire to burn up the wicked Psa 104.4 He maketh his Angels Spirits his Ministers a flame of Fire These flames of fire will be at work to burn up as the wicked ones of the Earth so their works in the Earth at that day Thus Fire in each of these kinds will help to dissolve the Heavens which are now and to burn up the works of the Earth So that we are not to restrain or limit the Fire here mentioned to any one sort but to take it in the largest and most comprehensive sense For as there will be work for Fire in each of these kinds so all will be at work in that Day of Perdition of ungodly Men. And when the Heavens and Earth which now are shall be dissolved then will new be created wherein pure Religion and Righteousness shall dwell which will constitute that World to come which is ordained for Christ to reign in And what shall be done with these Material Heavens and Earth after the thousand years and the finishing of Christ's Judging-work none is able to determine I shall conclude this particular of the Worlds perishing by Fire with some thoughts which I have had upon Rev. 15.2 3. I saw as it were a Sea of Glass mingled with Fire and them that had gotten the Victory over the Beast c. stand upon the Sea of Glass having the Harps of God and they sing the Song of Moses c. As the Plagues of the Vials are foretold in the general verse 1. So in the next place is shewn what great Joy will be amongst the People of God because of the great and marvellous works of God in destroying their Enemies by these Plagues and delivering them from the greatest trouble and danger that ever they were in And then follows a particular description of the Plagues of the Vials and the order in which they are to be poured out Now the second and third Verses shew that the Saints were represented to John in this Vision as being in the like condition with the Israelites when they beheld the Egyptians dead upon the Sea-shore and rejoyced over them For when the conquering Saints are said to stand upon the Sea of Glass and to sing the Song of Moses what doth this singing the Song of Moses intimate but that such a wonderful deliverance will be wrought at last for the People of God as that of the Israelites
days here as well as in many other of his Prophecies even to the time when Jerusalem shall be a quiet Habitation a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down v. 20. Q. What then shall we understand by this Fire A. It is such a Fire as the Righteous shall dwell with and not be hurt by and therfore not Hell-Fire so they shall not dwell with it Why should not the Fire which Peter speakes of be here meant That Fire to which the World that now is in Being is reserved called everlasting Burnings because as to the wicked which will be consumed by them they will be the beginnings of everlasting burnings For the ungodly ones who shall perish by them shall never be out of the Fire afterwards Now who shall dwell with those burnings who shall live when God doth this and when this dreadful Conflagration shall be who shall be like Moses on the Mount that burned and not be consumed The Answer is He that walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly And 't is farther promised Thine Eyes shall see the King in his beauty That is Hezekiah say Interpreters who as in the time of the Siege he did rend his cloaths and covered himself with Sackloth so when that great Deliverance was wrought he was seen in his beauty again but the Chaldee Paraphrase gives a better sense which in Latine is thus rendered Gloriam Majestatis regisâ— seculorum in decore suo videbunt oculi tui Thine Eyes shall see the King eternal as he is called 1 Tim. 1.17 in the glory of his Majesty Even that King spoken of v. 22. The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King And 't is farther promised They shall behold the Land that is very far off That is say some Senacheribs Siege shall be raised and then the Jews shall go abroad in the Land again But what reason was there to call any part of Judea the Land very far off from Jeurusalem Surely somewhat else seems hinted and why may we not think it to be meant of a Land very far off in respect of the time of its being For as we read of times afar off so there was a Land far off in regard of the time of its existence even the new Earth which is to be created in which Righteousness shall dwell and upon which the Saints shall reign with Christ This was in Isaiah's time The Land very far off but now very near which they that walk in Righteousness shall behold 6. Pray earnestly that this Kingdom may come God delights much in such Prayers We may see what a large Commission is given for praying for these things Isa 45.11 Ask me of things to come concerning my Sons I have spoken much of them and do you ask me of them Ask and you shall know much of them Ask and they shall come ask me of them and you shall have a share in them when they come And concerning the works of my hands command ye me 1. Command ye me God hath put himself under a Law by his gracious Promise Covenant and Oath He that Commands all yields to be Commanded by the Prayer of his People 2. Concerning the works of my hands command ye me Which may either look back to works already wrought or forward to works to be wrought First to works already wrought My Sons are the works of my hands created to good works and formed for my praise Now do you command me concerning them and then I will command their Enemies to let them go free I will say to the North give up to the South keep not back bring my Sons from far and my Daughters from the ends of the Earth Secondly to works to be wrought I will create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a joy I will make the new Heavens and the new Earth and concerning these works which my hands shall make command ye me Those that would at last reign must now overcome First within there is an Old Man to be overcome and you must get the Rule of your own Spirits which is better than to rule a City Let Grace reign over Corruption Spirit over Flesh Let Faith Love and the Fear of God rule in patience possess your Souls Let there be a Kingdom of Patience and then shall there be at last a Kingdom of Power Secondly you must overcome without There is a World to be overcome and that both the good and the evil of it The good thus All things are lawful but I will not be under the power of any Covetous Men are under the power of Riches let it not be so with you do you through Grace rule them and use them as you ought and let not them rule you And as for the evil things of the World meddle not with them but keep your selves unspotted of the World Save your selves from the Sins and so shall you from the Plagues of an untoward Generation There is a Satan also to be overcome 1 John 5.18 He that is born of God keepeth himself and that evil One toucheth him not Tactu qualitativo that is by a touch altering the Nature he shall not destroy the Divine Nature or Seed of God in the Regenerate He touched Adam and he died but he can't so touch a true Saint There is lastly a Beast to be overcome There is a twofold overcoming the Beast First In his temptations and endeavours to subject the Hearts and Consciences of all to him So Saints choosing to suffer from him rather than to serve him do overcome There is a Victory gotten over his Mark and over the Number of his Name when many do adore him and reverence and honour his Name as a Name above every Name as exalting himself above all that is called God they have his Name in greatest contempt when some call him the Vicar of Christ the Head of the Church and when he shews himself that he is God The faithful Witnesses overcome all these high Titles and great Names and call him by his right Names the Antichrist the Man of Sin and Son of Perdition Secondly In his Power and Kingdom Overcome him in the first sense and 't will not be long before the Saints shall see him overcome in this latter sense Great Promises are made to Overcomers in the Second and Third Chapters of the Revelations and they look to the Day of Christ's Personal Reign as the special time for their accomplishment Not but that the Spirits of Just Men have the substance of them in Heaven but when their Bodies shall be raised then will be the eminent time of fulfilling them For then shall they rule the Nations with a Rod of Iron and sit with Christ upon his Throne Be Overcomers then and you shall be able to say at last as Joshua did Not one thing hath failed of all the good Word which the Lord hath spoken Written by William Alleine Minister of the Gospel FINIS Some Discovery OF THE NEVV
Kingdom which he should have even all Liars but in the end the word came And next 't is said The word of the Lord tryed him The tarrying Word is a trying word It tries Faith and Love and other Graces which holding out and enduring the trial are found unto praise And the word having had its work in trying him Then the King sent And loosed him even the ruler of the People and let him go free He made him Lord of his house and ruler of all his substance to bind his Princes at his pleasure and to teach his senators wisdom 3. The worse the bondage grows the nearer the Sons of God are to Glorious Liberty Isa 9.1 At first he lightly Afflicted the land of Zebulon and Napthali afterwards more grievously such is the Lords dealing with his People first more lightly 't is that he afflicts them at last more grievously The Churches last trouble is thus set forth in Scripture such trouble as never was since there was a Nation Now that the hope of this Glorious Liberty may be the more confirmed 1. Have an Eye to the All-sufficiency of God When God made Promises to Abraham that he should have a Son and that his Seed should be multiplyed and that Kings should come out of him these things being hard to be believed God sets himself forth in his All-sufficiency Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God and therefore able to make good my Promises Isa 49.23 They shall bring thy Sons in their arms Kings shall be thy Nursing-fathers and Queens thy Nursing-mothers they shall bow Down to thee with their faces to the Earth and lick up the dust of thy Feet But v. 24. a doubt is raised shall the Prey be taken from the mighty or the Lawful Captive delivered rather as in the Magin shall the Captivity of the just be delivered Is this any way likely But thus saith the Lord even the Captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered for I will contend with him that Contendeth with thee and will save thy Children and I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh and they shall be drunken with their own bloud as with sweet wine and all flesh shall know that I am thy Saviour and thy redeemer the mighty one of Jacob. Though Satan be mighty and Antichrist be mighty yet all flesh shall know that the Lord is more Mighty and therefore the prey shall be taken from the mighty and the Lord will turn the captivity of the just as the streams in the South 2. Have an Eye to the Faithfulness of God for he is faithful who hath Promised God hath spoken by the mouth of all his Prophets of these thing Acts. 3.21 And is not this enough to stop all contradicting Mouths who ask where is the promise of these things The Scripture is most copious and abundant in foretelling and declaring these things Paul in all his Epistles hath spoken of these things and all the Prophets have spoken of them So then great ground there is for Faith in this that glorious liberty shall come And 't is observable that these Promises are not barely propounded and held forth but they have a Sealing and confirming Word added to them As Rev. 19. After the prophecy of the Lambs Marriage 't is farther said These are the true sayings of God and John was commanded to write that is for the Generations to come Rev. 21.5 He that sate upon the Throne said Behold I make all things New and he said unto me Write Doth God give a Command that this be written for our learning and shall not we read and then 't is again added These words are true and faithful Rev. 22.6 The Angel said to John after some promises given These sayings are faithful and true and the Lord God sent his Angel to shew to his Servants the things which must shortly be done Should not then all the Servants of God endeavour to know and wait for these things v. 16. I Jesus have sent mine Angels to testify these things in the Churches Is it not then the duty of Churches and all believers in them to know these things and to set their Seals to them that they are true and should not these things be taught among the Churches thus Daniel having foretold the destruction of the four Monarchies in his interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars dream concludes all thus The dream is certain and the intepretation thereof sure 3. The Sons of God even because they are Sons shall have this Glorious Liberty Exod 4.23 Let my Sons go that they may serve me Isa 43.6 I will say to the North give up to the South keep not back bring my Sons from far and my Daughters from the Ends of the Earth Jer. 31.20 Is Ephraim my dear Son I earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him Now by this which hath been thus briefly Layed down concerning the New Heavens and New Earth somewhat of the glory of them doth appear which is well worth the waiting for and the glory being so great so desirable there is reason sufficient that we should be ready to do and contented to suffer what the Will of the Lord is in order to our sharing in the happiness and glory of that blessed time and state A right to enter into that City is incomparably better than all the riches and glory of this world which is to perish And when we hear these glad-tidings of great joy to come why should it not be with us according to that of Solomon Prov. 25.25 As cold waters to a thirsty Soul so is good News from a far Countrey As cold waters to a thirsty Soul so should the good News be of this better Countrey and World to come This may be a Well for the Sons of God to refresh themselves at when they are going through the valley of Baca. But let two things be considered that none may be ashamed of their Hope of these things 1. Gracious Liberty is the way to Glorious Liberty Liberty from bondage to the flesh to our own Wills and lusts to Satan and the World and the having of a heart inlarged toward God and his Commands is absolutely necessary to this that we may have a Lot in these things Except a Man be born again he shall not see the Kingdom ef God As not the Kingdom of God in Heaven so not that which shall be when Christ comes from Heaven 2. We must be ready to take up a Cross and to chuse sufferings for the sake of Gracious Liberty to serve God so are we in the way to Glorious Liberty This was Moses his choice for himself and the Israelites Exod. 8.27 We will go into the Wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord our God as he hath commanded us They went into the Wilderness to have Gracious Liberty to serve God and God led them through the Wilderness into Canaan where they had as
1260 days will also end together The grounds of this conception I shall after lay down in the distinct handling of these Numbers and 't will be of great Use to clear this because if we can't find out the right Epocha of every one of these numbers yet if we can find the Epocha of one of them by that we shall know when all the rest will end I shall take notice of these numbers distinctly but chiefly insist upon one of them viz. the 1290 days and endeavour to find out the Epocha of it for I think the great mistake hitherto hath been about its Epocha First of the Number 2300 days Dan. 8.14 some would understand days here in a proper sence and so take them as setting out the time of Antiochus Epiphanes his Persecutions but this is very improbable for seeing that the other numbers mentioned in Daniel are taken by general consent for so many years why should not these be so taken also And besides Antiochus his Persecutions were but for six years as Pererius hath shewn out of the First Book of Macchabes But 2300 days make six years three Months and twenty days This appears farther by considering who is meant by the little Horn Dan. 8.9 who should tread down the Sanctuary and host till the 2300 days should be finished Now Antiochus Epiphanes was not this little Horn seeing the Characters do no way agree to him For 1. 'T is a little Horn at his first Rise and afterward waxes great But it 's evident that Antiochus was great at first being the Son of Antiochus Magnus who left him a great Kingdom 2. This little Horn was to wax great to the South and to the East and to the Pleasant Land but Antiochus did not so not to the East for he was put to flight and expelled out of the East by the Citizens of Elamis in Persia Not in the South for he had a repulse in Egypt by the Captains of Ptolomeus and was forced thence by the threats of Popilius the Romane Ambassador and after his Cruelties in Judea his Armies were overthrown and put to flight by the Jews and their Captain Judas Macchabaeus 3. The acts of this little Horn are extended to the time of the end yea the last time of Indignation v. 17. At the time of the end shall be the Vision That is its fulfilling And I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the Indignation the same end with that Chap. 11.35.40 Chap. 12.4.9.13 by this it is evident that Antiochus Epiphanes was not this little Horn and therefore the days are not meant of the time of his persecution Neither was the fourth Monarchy when it first became so this little Horn. For the Roman Power was very great before the Grecian Monarchy was subdued by it so great that it awed much Antiochus as appears by what was said of Popilius Neither was the first Beast or Antichrist in his first estate as Pope and as being in his Seat at Rome this little Horn for he never did wax great to the East and to the South and to the pleasant Land but onely in the West therefore we must conclude that the second Beast spoken of Rev. 13. shall be this little Horn which shall wax great to the East and to the South and to the pleasant Land 'T is said v. 24. He shall destroy the mighty and holy people and also he shall stand up against the Prince of Princes he shall not onely stand up against Christ in his Members but also which shews it to be another distinct standing up he shall stand up against the Prince of Princes that is Christ in person Rev. 19.16 Obj. This little Horn must arise out of one of the four notable Horns of the Grecian Monarchy how then can we judge this little Horn to be the second Beast which rises up when the fourth Monarchy draweth very near to its end A. The little Horn will come forth in the last time of the fourth Monarchy and be the Head of it and as heretofore so then that which was under the Grecian Monarchy in part at least will come under the fourth Monarchy again and this little Horn will then arise out of one of the four Horns that is out of one of those Kingdoms or Countries which before made one of the four and we have most reason to conceive that in Graecia will be that Horn because 't is said that he shall wax great to the East and to the South and to the pleasant Land Obj. But it 's said Dan. 8.23 In the latter end of their Kingdom when the Trespassers are come to the full then shall the little Horn arise Their Kingdom what is that but the Graecian A. To this I spake somewhat formerly that this is to be understood so as that it shall be fulfilled in the time of the fourth Kingdom and 't is called their Kingdom because theirs did run into the Fourth and was in it Now to clear this more fully consider first That these Four Kingdoms in the first representation of them are set forth as one body appearing as a great Image of a Man the Head whereof was Gold the Breast and Arms of Silver the Belly and Thighs of Brass the Legs of Iron and the Feet part of Iron and part of Clay When the time of its destruction comes the Stone breaks all even the whole Image in pieces Dan. 2.35 Then was the Iron the Clay the Brass the Silver and the Gold broken to pieces together and became like the Chaff of the Summer Threshing-floors and the Wind carried them away that no place was found for them So then the latter end of the Fourth is the latter end of the Third yea and of the Second and first also Hence thirdly we may gather That all the Kingdoms all the Dominions and Powers which shall be in any of those Nations and Countries which formerly were or now are under any of the four Kingdoms represented in that Image standing in opposition against Christ shall be all smitten by the Stone and thus broken in pieces This will be the first work of the Stone which after this will become a great Mountain and fill the whole Earth Fourthly The smiting will begin at the Feet of Iron and Clay so 't is said Dan. 2.34 The Stone smote the Image upon the Feet that were of Iron and Clay and brake them in pieces The Head was in the East and other parts were in the East or towards the East the Legs Feet and Toes came down to the West Now they are the Feet and Toes that are first broken in pieces that is the Fourth Kingdom as in this Western part of the World in the destruction of the first Beast at Rome and the extream parts of the Toes will first be broken in pieces and then will the Stone proceed to the Legs Thighs Belly Breast Arms and Head till all be destroyed together And therefore as this great
heed given to it And did not this tend to the taking away of the daily sacrifice and was it not an abomination making desolate 3. Touching Prohibition of Marriage It was endeavoured in the Council of Nice A. 326. to make a Decree That Bishops and Elders should refrain from their Wives But Paphnutius opposed himself to the whole Council urging that of the Apostle Marriage is honourable among all men and so far prevailed that a Decree of Liberty was brought forth But in An. 396. the second Council of Carthage was held saith Helvicus which made a Law against their Marriage and this was confirmed in the Council of Toledo in Spain with an Allowance to have Concubines A. 400. and likewise Siricius who was Bishop of Rome from A. 385 to 398. as saith Alfred in Chron. Paparum imposed single life upon the Clergy endeavouring to justifie it by abusing those words of Paul They that are in the flesh cannot please God Thus we see when forbidding to Marry came in viz. A. 396. 4. As for a Command to abstain from Meats which is the last thing mentioned by the Apostle Socrat. lib. 5. saith That about the year 396. Laws were made about Meats and other things were instituted which he called Jewish Rites which made Augustine complain That about this time Religion was so corrupted with Traditions and Humane Rites that the very condition of Jews under the Law was much more easie than that of Christians under the Gospel And Dionysius Bishop of Corinth did in an Epistle admonish another Bishop not to load Christians with heavy burthens Ceremonies and Traditions nor obtrude upon his Brethren single Life Thus we have seen somewhat that History doth afford touching the Apostasy foretold by the Apostle These things before mentioned and more may be seen in Wolfeus his Centenaries Now seeing the great things of the Apostasy foretold by the Apostle appear to have been commanded and practised in and about the year 396 therefore that year is most likely to be the Epocha of that Number 1290 dayes and that then the daily Sacrifice began to be taken away and if so then we may easily conclude about what time the Jews will be called Thus much of the Second and Third numbers And lastly touching the 1260 days I would have it considered 1. That the 1290 dayes and the 1260 dayes will end together for we may observe Rev. 16.10 12. that the fifth Angel poured out his Vial upon the Seat of the Beast and so destroys that and consequently the Beast as in that Seat then the sixth Angel pours out his Vial upon the River Euphrates that a way may be made for the Kings of the East These Kings of the East are the Jews and chiefly the ten Tribes Now we may well suppose a calling of the Jews before this it may be a considerable time They are called Kings at the time of the sixth Vial which supposes their calling before and getting into such power as to be called Kings as the Israelites when brought out of Egypt and gathered into a body then were a Kingdom of Priests And besides 't is said he shall save the Tents of Judah first therefore their calling is before the sixth Vial and so we may suppose it will be at the end of the 1260 dayes For my part I conceive that the Jews first Call at least the Call of those of the Tribe of Judah will be at the time of the Witnesses being raised Which seems hinted Ro. 11.15 If the casting away of them be the reconciling of the World what shall the receiving of them be but Life from the dead Life to the dead Witnesses a civil Life and Spiritual to them in a far more eminent degree than before and also a Spiritual Life to many of those that were dead in sins and then the fulness of the Gentiles wil begin to come in 2. The first appearence and Rise of the Man of Sin or first Beast is not to be reckoned for the head of this Number 1260 dayes It 's evident he did begin to appear about the time of the great Apostacy and the taking away the daily Sacrifice 'T is observable in the year before mentioned 196. There was a division of the Empire upon the death of Theodosius and division was the way to ruine and in few years after Alaricus took Rome and the Bishop of Rome begâ—â— to usurpe the power of the Keys as appeaâ—â— by a saying of Augustine The keys are delivered to the whole Church and not to one Peter and then a little after the Horns of the Beast appear 3. If we would pitch upon the right time for the beginning of the 1260 dayes let 's consider two places which give us two eminent marks of that time the first is Rev. 11.2 his having such power as that he thereby treads down the Holy City the other is Rev. 13.5 power was given him to continue Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to make War 42 Moneths we may well conceive he might have his Being some time before his making War and before he was able to tread down the Holy City Now upon that supposition that the 1290 and 1260 days will end together and that the head of the former number being reckoned to be about 396 it doth Appear that the head of the latter must be 30 years lower 4. At the Rise of the Witnesses the 1260 dayes will end and then the Beast's time also will be run out But we must consider in what sense this is to be taken that is then the time of his Treading down of the Holy City and his making War so as to prevail therein will have an end for so 't is said That he shall tread down and make War so long Now when the Witnesses shall be raised they shall begin to grow into a City and considerable body For then 144000 are said to be upon Mount Sion They get out of the Wilderness and afflicted estate and begin to be a Mount Sion and to tread down that wicked City Babylon for the tenth part of it then will fall and soon after the other parts and Rome it self and at this time the Witnesses will be able to make War with the Beast and first shall slay 7000 Names of Men and then shall overcome and kill him For he that killeth with the Sword must be killed with the Sword when the tenth part of the City falls and the 7000 Names of men are slain then a deadly Wound not to be healed will be given to the first Beast True he may doe somewhat towards his defence but all in vain So that his warring time so as to conquer and prevail by it will then be ended and his 42 Monthes compleated at the rising of the Witnesses And thus Although I had declared some resolutions not to medle with the times farther than to give some signes of them yet being earnestly prest to it I have adventured to doe somewhat in this matter which
Lord is there and this shall be its Name from that day Which doth intimate such a Presence of Christ with the Saints which was not before He hath been present in Spirit from the beginning of the Gospel-Church but at this time the Church shall have another kind of Presence even his Personal Presence Here 's a new Name for a new Presence the Name of it from that day shall be The Lord is there Chap. 43.2 The glory of the God of Israel came from the East his voice was as the noise of many waters and the earth was lightned with his glory Haec Dei gloria est Christus saith one Surely this Glory of the Lord is no other than the Lord of Glory who is the brightness of the Fathers Glory Solomon's house was filled with the glory of the Lord that was a typical House and had a typical Glory that is some glorious sign of Gods Presence and his owning that House Here will be the true Temple into which the King of Glory shall come The Ark was a sign of Gods presence with the Iews which is therefore called the Lord Josh 3.11 Behold the Ark of the Covenant even the Lord of all the earth c. As the Jews had the typical presence so when they shall be called they shall have the true presence of the Lord in the New Ierusalem Rev. 11.19 In the Temple was seen the Ark that is the Lord of all the earth typed by the Ark. This Temple shall be the place of Gods Throne and of the Soles of his Feet chap. 43.7 Now he is upon a Throne in Heaven but when Ierusalem shall come down in it shall be his Throne Ier. 3.17 At that time they shall call Ierusalem the throne of the Lord. At what time When all the Nations shall be gathered to the Name of the Lord to Ierusalem and when the House of Iudah shall walk with the House of Israel verse 18. Observe also what is said verse 16. They shall no more say The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to mind The presence of the Lord with the Israelites is no way to be compared with that his presence which is to be in the New Ierusalem for the Ark shall not then come into mind 'T is well observed by Cornelius à Lapide Hoc nomen valde congruit cum illo quod Christo imponitur Isa 7.14 Immanuel This Name hath very near affinity with the Name Immanuel God with us now as Christ was Immanuel by a personal presence on earth so the City will be called Iehovah Shammah from his Personal presence Now for the better clearing of this great truth of Christs personal Presence and Reign and of the Saints reigning with him two things are to be done 1. Scripture-Arguments for it shall be produced 2. Objections against it shall be answered For the first As Christ took our Nature and therein did execute his Prophetical Office by teaching and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God and also his Priestly Office by offering himself without spot to God so he hath a Kingly Office also which as he hath been executing providentially and spiritually he shall so do it personally and where he preached and suffered there will he reign and execute justice and judgment even in the earth Arguments to prove the Personal Presence of Christ in the New Jerusalem and his Reign upon Earth Arg. 1. REv. 3.21 To him that overcometh will I give to sit with me on my throne as I overcame and am set down with my Father upon his throne Christ was at this time in Heaven sitting upon the Fathers Throne which is his also as God He reigns as Mediator but sits on the Fathers Throne where he must sit till all his Enemies be made his Footstool Psalm 10.1 Sit at my right hand till I make thy foes thy footstool We may observe that there is Christs sitting at the right hand of God upon the Fathers Throne and his sitting at the right hand of God upon his own Throne In the former respect he sits upon a Throne in Heaven in the latter he shall upon Earth The Scripture gives ground for this distinction for the former see Heb. 8.1 Who is set at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the Heavens that is at the right hand of the Father upon his Throne in Heaven Heb. 12.2 And is set down at the right hand of the throne of God Then for the latter his sitting at the right hand of God upon his Throne see Zech. 6.13 He shall sit and rule upon his throne His as distinct from his Fathers And he shall be a Priest upon his Throne two things are here manifest First as he sits and rules upon his Fathers Throne so he shall sit and rule upon his own Throne Secondly as he is now a Priest upon the Fathers Throne so he shall be a Priest upon his own Throne and there make Intercession and whilest he is a Priest making Intercession he is at the right hand of God Rom. 8.34 Who is at the right hand of God making intercession for us Thus we see that there is the Fathers Throne and Christs own Throne but where is the place of his Throne Not in Heaven for there he sits on the Fathers Throne therefore it must be on Earth of which we have a clear proof Mat. 25.31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory then and not till then upon his own Throne and his own Throne is that which is called the Throne of his Father David Isa 9.7 Luke 1.32 33. The Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David and he shall rule over the house of Jacob. First he shall rule over the House of Jacob which he did not at his first coming for then the House of Jacob rejected him Secondly when he shall reign over the House of Jacob his Kingdom will be of long continuance of his Kingdom there shall be no end his Kingdom shall not be destroyed as those that go before it This Kingdom over the House of Jacob is doubtless that which the Disciples thought should immediately appear and 't is observable that Christ doth not deny the appearance of it in its time but the immediate appearance He shall sit upon the Throne of David David was in the old Jerusalem where he had his Throne and Christ who is David shall be in the new Jerusalem and have his Throne in it Then shall that Prophecy of Daniel be fulfilled Dan. 7.13 I saw one like the son of man which is expounded to be Christ verse 27. All Dominions shall serve him He came in the clouds of Heaven which in Scripture sets forth his personal coming and there was given him Glory and a Kingdom which is meant of a Kingdom on earth for it 's given him that all People Languages and Nations
should serve him so as that the Lord shall be King over all the earth and his Kingdom shall be the stone which shall break in pieces the great Image and become a great Mountain and shall fill the whole Earth Thus Christ shall reign sitting on his own Throne Next let it be considered how the Saints shall sit with him upon his Throne and reign with him This is not meant of the state of Glory in Heaven for Christ doth not there sit upon his own Throne and therefore they do not sit with him upon it but behold his Glory Consider the Saints own sense Rev. 5.10 The four beasts and four and twenty elders say We shall reign upon the earth This is the sense of the Saints in Heaven and shall any on the Earth contradict the sense of Heaven This is confirmed Dan. 7.26 The Judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it to the end and then the Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the Saints Rev. 2.26 To him that overcometh will I give power over the Nations and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron even as I received of my Father The Saints shall judge the World and govern the Nations yea the Saints shall judge Angels also Mar. 16.17 In my Name shall they cast out Devils This Paul did Acts 16.18 I command thee in the Name of Jesus that thou come out of her Such a power some have had in the time of the Old Heavens and Earth much more may it be conceived of the Saints of the New Heavens and Earth And as the Saints have been cast into Prison by Satan Rev. 2.10 So why may not Saints have power to cast him into Prison suitable to that promise They shall take them Captives whose Captives they have been and rule over their Oppressors And therefore as Saints shall have this honour to bind the Nobles of Babylon with Links of Iron so it 's possible they may have a farther honour eved to bind evil Spirits with Chains and to clear the Earth and Air of them and to command them in the Name of Jesus out of the World into the bottomless Pit and there shut them up and keep them close Prisoners during the One thousand years Observe farther this promise was made to the overcoming Saints in John's time They must rule the Nations and be raised to reign Arg. 2. It 's most evident from Scripture that the Church shall have in the last Days a very Peaceable and Glorious Estate upon Earth The Prophesies concerning it are so many and so manifest that it can't be denied Isa 54.11 and Isa 60. It 's also evident that this State will be of long continuance Peace so long as the Moon endureth Mine Elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands As the new Heavens and new Earth shall remain before me so shall your Seed and your Name remain Isa 66.22 It 's also evident that Ancichrist must be destroyed the Beast and the false Prophet must be taken and Satan bound up before the Church shall have its Liberty and Peace for whilst they have power they will be troubling the Saints Lastly It 's evident that there will be a personal coming of Christ when these things shall be accomplished For 1. There will be a personal coming of Christ when Antichrist shall be destroyed 2 Thess 2.8 The Lord shall consume him with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy him with the Brightness of his coming Which is not meant of a Spiritual coming for this is included in the former expression of consuming with the Spirit of his Mouth therefore it must be meant of a Personal coming 2. When this Glorious time shall begin Christ will come the second time This is evident from two places the first is Matth. 24.30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun shall be darkned c. What tribulation is this v. 21. There shall be great tribulation such as was not since there was a Nation This is the great Tribulation spoken of by Daniel and Zachary now when this Tribulation shall end and the Glorious State shall begin then shall they see the Sign of the Son of Man and immediately after the Son of Man himself From hence it 's most evident that the second coming of Christ will be at the beginning of this blessed time For immediately after the tribulation of those Days Christ comes So that if there shall be a quiet and peaceable estate of the Church as 't is most evident there shall be then the personal Presence and Reign of Christ must be acknowledged The second place is Acts 3.19 20. Repent that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. This is his Personal presence In the worst of times the Saints have had refreshing from his Spiritual presence but the great refreshing times will be from his Personal presence and the following words do evidently set forth this sense For as he is now in Heaven so shall he be on Earth The Heavens receive him personally and therefore when the times of Restitution come the Earth shall receive him personally 3. When Christ shall come his Kingdom shall come 2 Tim. 4.1 Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and Kingdom Then a King shall reign in righteousness Isa 32.1 Arg. 3. When the time of the Marriage of the Lamb shall come then the Lamb himself shall come the Bridegroom must be present at the Marriage Hence we find mention made of the Bridegroom 's coming and their going in with him to the Marriage who shall be ready Matth. 25.6.18 which must be understood of his Personal coming Here four things are to be considered 1. Who is to be the Bride the Lamb's Wife Now the New Jerusalem-Saints will be the Bride Rev. 21.2 I saw the holy City New Jerusalem prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband So those that shall come with Christ and be gathered to him at and after his coming shall be the Bride the Lamb's Wife 2 Thess 2.1 I beseech you by the coming of Christ and our gathering to him That is To be with him in the holy City Then that will be fulfilled Two shall be in the Field one shall be taken and the other left And the raised Saints and those that shall be taken into the holy City will be the Lamb's Wife 2. What is meant by the Lamb's Marriage For this we may consider that when any are converted they are espoused to Christ and take him for their Husband and Christ loves and cherisheth them No man hateth his own flesh but loveth and cherish it as the Lord the Church Ephes 5.29 So all true Saints on Earth are espoused to Christ in Heaven 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one Husband that is Christ But though espoused 't is to an Husband absent from them As for this