against Christ and scattered to this day SECT V. The fifth place for Christs Personall appearance Zephan 3.14 to end of the Chapter Sing O Daughter of Zion shout O JSRAEL the Lord hath taken away thy judgement he hath cast out thine enemy the KING OF ISRAEL even the LORD is in the MIDST OF THEE In that day it shal be said to Jerusalem feare thou not the LORD THY GOD IN THE MIDST OF THEE IS MIGHTY he will save he will rejoyce over thee with joy I will gather them that are sorrowfull Behold at that time I will undoe all that afflict thee I will gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame c. NOw when was Christ ever so in the midst of Judah and Israel as to doe thus therefore this is yet to be fulfilled CHAP. VI. The close of the second Booke in a generall briefe Discourse of Christs visible appearance to the Saints on earth afore the ultimate Day of Judgement § 1 I Have spoken but briefly to the last Scriptures and shall no longer insist distinctly upon this Head of proving by peculiar places of Scripture the Personall visible appearance of Christ at the setting up of his Kingdome before the end of the World because we shall have many sprinklings of this in the prosecution of the whole of the point yet remaining about the Kingdome it selfe § 2 Only meane while I would have the Reader observe from the Scriptures that have been alleadged That Christ must be a King visibly it must visibly appeare he is a King or else men that are only sensible will never be convinced which is the maine intent of Christs visible appearance so that the Kings of the earth that of all men are drowned in sensuality shall come and submit to his Kingdome Rev. 21. and elsewhere as we have heard afore § 2 And is there not all reason that the King of Kings the Sonne of Man should be as compleatly and apparently King as the Kings that are under him They have not onely Authority by Writs Warrants Proclamations c. to punish or encourage by their Officers but they visibly are crowned sit in the Throne beare the Scepter and attended upon all just occasions with a visible power Then it is all equity that Christ also should not onely have sovereigne Authority but also a visible power so as he may visibly appeare to his very enemies to be King over all the earth § 3 Yea earthly Kings have as a providentiall care over all their subjects even to the punishing of the rebellious so also have they their secret way of insinuation and ingratiating towards their favourites and their manifest glorious presence at Court in the Metropolitan and most magnificent place of the Kingdome Therefore at least no lesse must be allowed to Christ viz. a providentiall power over all the world A spirituall efficacie over his Kingdome of grace or visible Church and a visible glorious reigning over all his true Saints § 4 Now Christ is not King in glory in the highest heavens with and over all his Saints for all shall not be there according to the common Tenet till the Lord Christ hath resigned all his power according to 1 Cor. 15.28 or at least when he hath brought all the elect soules to their bodies by a resurrection and changed them whom he findes alive at his coming and so brought them all to ultimate glory just then he layes downe all his authority So that he doth not reign with and over all his Saints in ultimate glory at all § 5 But he must be a visible King of visible glory over the Church made very glorious upon earth at his next appearance afore the ultimate judgement according to the Scriptures aforegoing A great comfort to the bodies in the grave that they shall not there lye so long as to the ultimate judgement when all the wicked shall bee raised as is evident by comparing vers 2. c. of Rev. 20. with vers 8. c. And a great comfort to them alive at his coming that have waited for him faithfully to the last and worst of the Tragedie of evill times § 6 I need not speake to the first two Kinglinesses of Christ viz. Providential of power and spirituall of grace But a word will do well here to the last viz. his visible glorious appearance before the ultimate day of judgement making all the world sincere or altogether seeming Saints and reigning over them as the alone Monarch He must as visibly succeed in government he foure mettals Dan. 2. and the foure Beasts Dan. 7. both signifying the foure Monarchies viz. the Chalde-Babylonian the Medo-persian the Grecian and the Roman as these foure did visibly precede him in government Dan. 2.44.45 The God of Heaven shall set up a Kingdome which shall never be destroyed and the Kingdome shall not be left to other people but it shall breake in peeces and consume all these Kingdomes and it shall stand for ever And all this comes to passe in that the stone Christ Jesus cut out of the mountaine without hands brake in peeces the iron the brasse the clay the silver and the gold Dan. 7.13 14. The rest of the Beasts had their Dominion taken away The Sonne of Man comes with the Clouds and the Ancient of dayes gave him dominion and glory and a Kingdome that all people and Nations and languages should serve him So that Christ at his next appearance is the fifth Monarchy § 7 When the Lord spake but little to Eve of his dominion over the seed of the Serpent and consequently his succour of the seed of the woman how did he anon and after and all along the New Testament begin to act in Types this visible Monarchy He appears to Moses in a burning bush to give a visible signe of his presence to deliver Israel out of Egypt And appeares to Israel in a pillar of a Cloud and of fire sensibly to signifie he was their convoy They are a Royalty as Peter calls them but God onely their Monarch Moses and after Samuel were onely Interpreters between them and their Monarch And therefore when they rebelled against Moses it is reckoned as a rebellion against God And when they refused Samuel it is charged upon them that they refused God to be their Governour The Arke is placed amidst the Camp Numb 2. as the pledge of God to be their Generall Accordingly they carried the Arke in battell with them 1 Sam. 4. as having that opinion of it So verse 4. The people sent for the Arke of the Covenant of the Lord of HOSTS which DWELLETH between the Cherubims And so the Philistims conceived For when the Israelites shouted at the coming of the Arke into the Camp of Israel the Philistims vers 7. are afraid and they said God is come into the Camp This Arke led them through Jordan as it did as it is
which at the ultimate day of judgement cannot be imaginable and therefore are yet to be fulfilled before that day SECT XXX THE fourth place in Jeremiah is in Chapter 50. the foure last verses viz. v. 17 18 19 20. The words are these Verse 17. ISRAEL is a scattered sheep the Lions have driven him away first the KING of ASSYRIA hath devoured him and last this NEBUCHADNEZZAR King of BABYLON hath broken his bones v. 18. Therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts the God of ISRAEL Behold I will punish the King of BABYLON and his land as I have punished the King of ASSYRIA v. 19. And I will bring ISRAEL again to his HABITATION and he shall feed on CARMEL and BASHAN and his soul shall be satisfied on mount EPHRAIM and GILEAD § 1 That this Prophesie is not yet fulfilled nor can it be fulfilled at the ultimate day of judgement and therefore to bee fulfilled on earth afore that day note first that he dittie is of ISRAEL which must at least comprehend the ten Tribes which appears not onely in styling God here in relation to this the God of ISRAEL but by severall passages after that all the twelve Tribes are here meant Now the deliverance of the ten Tribes was never yet performed to this day § 2 Secondly the deliverance must be in a hostile way viz. by the destruction of their enemies namely of Kings and Kingdomes expressed v. 18. in relation to which God is called the Lord of Hosts But as yet the Kings and Kingdoms who in a constant succession down to this day have been the enemies of the Jews are not destroyed § 3 Thirdly that God promiseth to come downe in a methodicall order to punish their enemies successively in time and place as successively as they afflicted the twelve Tribes First the King of Assyria had devoured Israel which can be no other then Salmaneser his taking Samaria c. captive 2 King 18.9 which Samaria was the Metropolis of the Kingdome of the ten Tribes And this is the King of Assyria's devouring Israel Nineveh being the Metropolis of that Kingdome whiles called the Kingdome of Assyria 2 King 19.36 Then secondly Nebuchadnezzar alias Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon came up against Jerusalem the Metropolis of the Kingdome of the two Tribes and took it and carried away all the considerable persons of that Kingdome and all their substance of any value captive to Babylon 2 King 25.1 c. And this was the King of Babylon his breaking of their bones called the King of Babylon because Babylon then was the Metropolis of the Kingdome of Chaldea the Chaldeans then ruling over the Assyrians And therefore the Monarchy was afterwards called the Assyrio-chaldean Now as God hath punished some of their enemies heretofore viz. Nineveh of Assyria according to the Prophet Nahum And Sennacherib their King and his Host 2 King 19. So he must according to his promise descend in order with destruction in an hostile manner upon Babylon and upon the Kings of Babylon whatsoever and whosoever that Babylon and those Kings be in the Scripture name and notion and extended in the promises of the New Testament And therefore as God did punish Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon with turning him as it were into a beast for certaine yeers Dan. 4. And after hee punished Belshazzar King of Babylon and that City by Darius the Mede invading it Dan. 5. and Darius the Mede then King of Babylon by Alexander the Greek and Alexanders successours then King of Babylon by the Roman and the Roman Emperour then King of Babylon both old and new that is Babylon and Rome by the Arabian Saracen or Turk the now King of old Babylon Dan. 7. so according to the explication and application in the New Testament of this promise made in this Text in the Old God must yet goe on corporally to destroy the Turk the present King of old Babylon and the Roman that once was the Tyrant of Old Babylon and after that continued to be the Tyrant of New Babylon viz. Rome first by Heathen Tyranny and after by Papal and Antichristian Tyranny down to this day acording to Prophesies in Dan. 7. and this must bee done by the power of Christ and his Church ibid. and Dan. 2. Now neither the Turkish King of Babylon nor his Kingdome is yet destroyed but rather mightily prospers and prevailes yea and God is behinde in arrears of judgements with New Romish Babylon for her heathenish ten bloody persecutions extending by intervals about three hundred yeers and hath not given her her present pay for her late Papal and Antichristian massacres inquisitions tortures and blasphemies as to the matter of destroying the supream power and the Kingdome of this Babylon according to the amplification of Revelation 17 18 and 19 Chapters § 4 Note fourthly that the successive punishing the enemies of the Jews in succeeding generations following this Prophesie must so succeed as to have this successe that ISRAEL and JUDAH may be delivered from their dispersion and restored to their own land and distinctly to their severall quarters there viz. Carmel Bashan Ephraim and Gilead One Carmel was a City of the Tribe of Judah some twelve miles from Jerusalem Southward Another Carmel was of the Tribe of Issachar about threescore and foure miles from Jerusalem Northward not farre from Prolemais toward the shore of the Mediterranean Sea Josh 19. Jer. 46. Bashan before the Israelites came up from Egypt to Canaan was of the Country of Og but after became part of the portion of the half Tribe of Manasseh Numb 21. Isa 2.13 Mount Ephraim is between Jericho and Jerusalem extending towards the Sea It was the portion of the sonnes of Joseph Ephraim and Manasseh Josh 13. and 17. And as one halfe of the Tribe of Manasseh stuck to Judah so Ephraim is an usuall expression to signifie the Kingdome of the ten Tribes or Israel Isa 7. Isa 9. Hos 5. Psal 59. Gilead was a Country that lay between the sea of Galilee and mount Gilead some sixty miles from Jerusalem It separates the Country of Galilee from Israel By this description of the scituation and owners of these places it evidently appeares that Gods minde in this Prophesie of Jeremy is that not onely the two Tribes but also the other ten and so all twelve are to be restored to their own land though it cost the ruine of all Kings of all Babylons whatsoever But this is not yet fulfilled as the present and long time past condition of those twelve Tribes sadly speak § 5 Therefore as sure as God is true these Prophesies of Jeremiah must be yet fulfilled on earth And that before the ultimate day of judgement as we said before the nature of the things necessarily requiring it Thus of Jeremiah SECT XXXI NExt wee come to the Prophet Ezekiel The first place is in Chapter 28. v. 24 25 26. Vers 24. There shall be NO MORE a pricking briar unto the house of ISRAEL
in opposition to both sorts of evils immediately afore recounted viz. not only to false Doctrines but to cruell persecutions and therefore a corporal as well as a spiritual salvation must be here meant and these to be performed on earth viz. in the inhabited world just where the Gospel preached converted them and where they endured to the end And unto which Christ doth gloriously appear FROM heaven ver 30 c. to make up the splendor of that state on earth we here speak of Now all these things cannot be fulfilled at the ultimate generall judgement nor are they hitherto fulfilled and therefore they remaine yet to be fulfilled which Mr. Mede solidly amplifies on Jer. 10. ver 11. thus Hitherto saith he we have spoken of the accomplishment of this prophecy for so much as is already past now let us see what that is which we expect as yet to come for though in regard of former times when Ethnicisme was so large and the worshipers of the living God so small a scantling the extent of the Church be now at this day a goodly and large portion of the world yet if we consider the number of Nations yet Pagans or not Christians it will seem too scant as yet to be the accomplishment of this and other prophecies concerning the largenesse of Christs Kingdome before the end of the world For one hath well observed that Christianity at this day is not above the sixth part of the knowne world whereas the Mahumetans have a fifth and all the rest are Ethnicks and Pagans So that if we divide the world into thirty parts Christianity is but as five in thirty Mahumetanism as six and Ethnicisme as nineteen and so is Christianity the least part of all and plain Heathenism hath far above the one half of the known world and the better part of the other is also Mahumetans And though Christianity hath been imbraced in former times where now it is not yet is it now spread in those places where in those times it was not And therefore all laid together we may account Christianity at this day as large I think as ever it was since the Apostles time But that this is not that universal Kingdome of Christ that flourishing and glorious estate of the Church which yet we expect hope for my reasons are these First These frequent places of Scripture which intimate that the Lord should subdue all People all Kingdoms all Nations and all the ends of the earth unto himselfe and that all these should one day worship and acknowledge him Psal 22.27 All the ends of the world shall turn unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him for the Kingdome is the Lords and he is governor among the Nations And Psal 47. Clap your hands all yee people for the Lord is a great King over all the earth he shall subdue the people under us and the nations under our feete And againe God is King of all the earth and reigneth over the Heathen Psal 66. Make a joyfull noise unto God all yee-lands through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee aâ— the earth shall worship thee and sing of thee they shall sing unto thy Name The whole Psal 67. which we read every day is as it were a prophecy and prayer for this great kingdome That the way of God may be knowne upon earth and his saving health among all the Nations let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee Then shall the earth yeeld her increase c. God shall blesse us and all the ends of the earth shall fear him And Psal 89. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy Name for thou art great and doest wondrous things thou art God alone And Isa 2. which is a prophecy of Christs Kingdome it is said That the Idols the Lord shall utterly abolish or as some read the Idols shall utterly passe away So Esay 54.5 speaking of the amplitude of the Church of the Gentiles Thy Redeemer saith the Prophet the holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth shall be called Certainly this constant stile of universality implies more then this scantling which yet is small being but one of the least parts of the whole earth Secondly The same conclusion may be gathered from 1 Cor. 15.25 26. compared with Heb. 2.8 Christ must reigne saith St. Paul in the first place quoted till he hath put all his enemies under his feet the last enemy which shall be destroyed is death Hence it followes that Christ shall subdue all his enemies whereof the Prince of this world is the cheife before the last rising of the dead for the subduing of death that is the rising of the dead shal not be afore the rest shall be done the vanquishing of death being the last act of Christs reigning which done he shall yeeld up the Kingdome unto his Father In the other place Heb. 2.8 the Apostle speaking of the same thing alleadgeth that of Psal 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet and then adds for in that he put all in subjection under him But now marke it we see not all things put under him If any say that the Apostle speakes here of the Kingdome of Glory in Heaven and not of the Kingdom of Grace on Earth I reply first out of the former place that he speaks of such a subjection whereof the rising of the dead shall be the last act of all and which shall be before he yeelds up the kingdome to his Father But neither of these can be affirmed of the kingdome of glory but the contrary viz. The rising of the dead is at the beginning and not at the end of the Kingdome of glory and so is also his yeelding up of his kingdom unto his Father Secondly I reply out of this place that the Apostle speaks of that kingdome and subjection of the earth or state of the earth which was to come For so he speaks v. 5. Unto the Angels he hath not put in subjection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the earth or state of the earth which shal be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which we speak Here he affirms that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that of whose subjection he meaneth If then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signâ—â—â—s onely the earth ' and the earths inhabitants and is no where in the Scripture otherwise used I cannot see how this place can well beare any other exposition First then to confirme this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so the Septuagint renders it whose use of speaking I doubt not but the Apostle followes But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most constantly signifies the habitable earth or the earth with the things that live and dwell therein whence the Septuagint though they commonly render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
spirit shall be removed farre away from the Church Zach. 13 2. Thirdly For the rest of the dayes works of Creation as in them were created the dry-land the Plants the Fishes and Fowls and Animals c. So in this New creation there shall be a perfection of all those then in being for of a resurrection of irrationals I know nothing and they shall be freed and set at liberty from all danger and hardship Isa 11.6 7 8 9. Rom. 8.19 20 21 22. I speak now short to these things because I am not yet come to the qualifications of this future glorious estate into which this Head would sometimes faine draw me but I will not be anticipated ¶ 4 This future glorious estate on earth is a creation in regard of the end viz. that as man was created last of all most perfect in soule and body as the subordinate end next under God for which God made it viz. that man might have the possession and use of all and dominion over all Gen. 1.26 So in this New creation Christ restores all things to their perfection and every beleever to his to that end that all beleevers being raised or changed as afore described may joyntly and co-ordinately rule over the whole world and all things therein next under Christ their Head I say All and not apart onely as some unwarily publish And I say joyntly not one part of the Saints to usurp authority over the rest as many dream And co-ordinately All upon equall tearms not some Saints to rule by Deputies made of the rest of the Saints as the practise of men seem to interpret And all to be true Saints not seeming Thus we read in Dan. 7. verse 14. and 27. And Rev. 20.4 And Chap. 21. verse 24.26 Study the places well and you will easily picke it out CHAP. III. Measuring out the DIMENSIONS of this glorious estate to be on Earth afore the ultimate universal Judgement § 1 HAving done with the Creation of it we come next to the Dimensions Quantity or Extent of the glorious Kingdome of Christ on Earth yet expected viz. That as the other foure Monarchies did over spread all the inhabited world as it is said of Nebuchadnezzars Assyrto-Chaldean Monarchy Dan. 2.37 that he was King of Kings and that WHERESOEVER THE CHILDREN OF MEN DWEâ—T the Beasts of the field and fowles of the Heaven GOD HAD GIVEN INTO HIS HAND and had made him RULER OVER ALL and of Caesars Roman Monarchy Luke 2.1 That there went out a decree from him that ALL THE WORLD should bee taxed So this fifth Monarchy of the Saints reigning on earth under Christ must be as large as those Monarchies as large as the whole world for ample Dominion though not for sincere conversion That is the generality of men in the time of this Kingdome being converted into true Saints they shall rule over all the whole world of men swallowing up the other former Monarchies So that if there be remaining a secret seed of hypocrisie in â—ome which shall at last God so foretelling Rev. 20.8 breake out in the Gogican War at the end of our THOUSAND yeers shall yet mean while all men all the time of the thousand yeers shall be demurely subject to the Dominion of the Saints Touching the latitude and largenesse of this Holy-Kingdome read Dan. 2.34 35. The stone cut out without hands smote the Image on his feet that were of iron and of clay and brake them to peeces Then was the iron the clay the brasse the silver and the gold broken in peeces together and became like the chasse of the Summerthershing floore and the wind carried them away so that NO PLACE WAS FOUND FOR THEM and the stone that smote the Image became a great Mountaine and FILLED THE WHOLE EARTH Dan. 7.26 27 And the judgement shall sit and they shall take away his the preceding Monarchies Dominion c. And the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN shall be given to the people of the Saints c. And Rev. 10.7 St. John having said In the dayes of the voyce of the seventh Angel when he shall BEGIN to sound the mystery of God shall be finished he goes on in the 11. Chapter verse 15. saying The seventh Angel sounded and there were great voyces in Heaven saying The KINGDOMES of this WORLD are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reigne for ever That is no Monarchy shall ever be on earth after his Adde Isa 2. In the second verse c. whereof yee have the propagation of the Gospel of Christs Kingdome and mens obedience to it In the 11 verse repeated againe verse 17. yee have the Lord Christ exalted and his overthrowing all worldly powers prostrate before him in these words The lofty lookes of man shall be humbled and the haughtinesse of men shall be bowed downe and the LORD ALONE shall be exalted Which words though covertly for feare of provoking worldly Monarchs are alleadged by the Jewes to the same end as you have heard afore at large To the same effect of the largenesse of Christs Kingdome is that notable place in Isa 24. verse 21 22 23. In that day it shall come to passe that the Lord shall punish the Host of the high ones that are on high and the Kings of the earth UPON EARTH and they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit and shall be shut up in the prison and after many dayes they shall be visited Then the Moon shall be confounded and the Sunne ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall REIGNE IN MOUNT SION and in Jerusalem before his Ancients gloriously His Ancients are his ancient people the Jews And as the material Sunne and Moon shall be then nothing in comparison of the light of Gods presence as afore-shewed so the metaphorical Sunne and Moon for the same Scripture may have two subordinate senses Rev. 17.9 10. I say the metaphorical Sunne and Moon of higher and lower humane Majesties shall be confounded with shame So Jacob a Prince in those times and his wife are called by the name and interpreted to be the meaning of that name of the Sunne and Moon in Josephs dream Gen. 37.9 even as we had but now in that 24 of Isa both name and thing metaphor meaning expressed And by the same rule and proportion we may admit of others annexing a metaphorical sense to that Revelation 21. verse 23 24. that in Christs Kingdome to come upon earth there shall be no need of the Sunne or Moon i. e. of Emperial Royal or Princely Potentates to keep the peace as we have expounded it also in a litteral sense of the obscuring of the glory of all the Stars by the paramount glory of Gods presence For God and the Lambs presence shall be in stead of and more then the Sunne and Moon in both senses One both learned and godly doth likewise to the
Position Sect. 1 Of the Saints living that thousand yeers Sect. 2 Of their reigning that 1000 years Sect. 3 Or their reigning with Christ Sect. 4 Of the thousand yeers BOOK II. 1 Chap. The general Position taken asunder into two parts 1 How Christ shall be with his Saints 2 How the Saints shall reign under him 2 Chap. Ten several Scriptures out of the New-Testament in relation to the first part to prove the visible appearance of Christ personally to the Church on earth at the time of her Restauration alleadged and explained Sect. 1. Joh. 19.37 They shall look on him whom they have pierced collated with that in Zach. 12 10. c. whence it is quoted Sect. 2. Rev. 1.7 Behold he commeth with clouds and every eye shall see him c. Sect. 3. Matth. 24.30 And then shall appear the signe of the Son of man in heaven c. Sect. 4. The 2 Thess 2.1 c. Now I beseech you brethren by the comming of our Lord Jesus Christ c. Sect. 5. Mat. 26.29 I will not drinke henceforth of this fruit of the vine untill that day when I drinke it new with you in my Fathers Kingdome Sect. 6. The 2 Tim. 4.1 I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus c. Sect. 7. Act. 3.19 20 21. Repent yee therefore and be converted that c. Sect. 8. Mat. 23.38 Your house is left unto you desolate c. Sect. 9. Mat. 24. When shall these things be c. Sect. 10. Luke 19.11 to 28. He added and spake a Parable c. 3 Chap. Five Scriptures out of the Old Testament to prove the visible appearance of Christ to the Church on earth at the time of her restauration Sect. 1. Dan. 7.11 c. to the end of the Chapter I beheld then because c. Sect. 2. Jer. 25.5 Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto c. Sect. 3. Zach. 2.10 11 12. collated with Zach. 14.4 5 6 c. Sing and rejoyce O daughter of Jerusalem for lo I come and I will dwell in the midst of thee c. Sect. 4. Mich. 4. v. 1. to 8. In the last dayes it shall come to passe that the mountaine of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains and many Nations shall come c. Sect. 5. Zephan 3.14 c. Sing O daughter of Zion the Lord hath cast out c. 4 Chap. A briefe Discourse upon Christs visible appearance to the Elect on earth BOOK III. 1 Chap. The partition of the ensuing discourse shewing that two things are to be done in relation to the second branch of the Position afore How the saints shall reigne under Christ viz. 1 To prove in general That there is such a Kingdome yet to bee on earth as aforesaid in the general Position 2 What this Kingdome shall be in the particulars The first is managed by four means viz. 1 By Texts of Scripture 2 By Arguments 3 By The common consent of all sorts of men as if a law of nature 4 By Solution of objections 2 Chap. Containing many Scriptures proving that there shall be yet on earth before the last judgement such a Reigning of the Saints such a visible Kingdom of Christ and a glorious state of all things as is before propounded Sect. 1. Largâ—ly discussing the 20 and 21. Chapters of the Revelation Sect. 3. falsely so printed for Sect. 2. and sutably the rest to the end of the third Book the usefulnes of the Old Testament for the point in hand wherein many considerable things for proof are produced Sect. 4. Gods promise to Adam Gen. 1. 26 27 28. paralleld with Psal 8. and that with Heb. 2.5 largely opened Sect. 5. Gods promise to Abraham Gen. 12. Gen. 17. Gen. 18. Gen. 22. paralleld with other promises to his posterity Gen. 26. Gen. 48. And those with the Apostles explications and applications Rom. 4 Gal. 3. Heb. 11. largely opened Sect. 6. Balaams Prophesie Num. 24. explained Sect. 7 Deut. 3.1 to 10. Sect. 8 Deut. 32.15 c. Sect. 9 Nehem. 1.8 c. Sect. 10 The Booke of Psalmes in three heads Sect. 11 Isa 2.1 c. Sect. 12 Isa 9.6 c. Sect. 13 Isa 11. totum Sect. 14 Isa 14.1 c. Sect. 15 Isa 24 23. Sect. 16 Isa 25. totum Sect. 17 Isa 33.20 21. Sect. 18 Isa 34.1 c. Sect. 19 Isa 45.14 c. Sect. 20 Isa 49. totum Sect. 21 Isa 54.11 c. Sect. 22 Isa 59. Sect. 23 Isa 60. tot Sect. 24 Isa 63.1 c. Sect. 25 Isa 65.17 c. Sect. 26 Isa 66.5 c. Sect. 27 Jer. 16.14.15 collated with chap. 23. v. 3 c. Sect. 28 Jer. 30 31 chap Sect. 29 Jer. 32.37 c. Sect. 30 Jer. 50.17 c. Sect. 31 Ez. 28.24 25 26 Sect. 32 corruptly printed 33. Ez 34.11 c. Sect. 33 Ezek 36. totum Sect. 34 Ezek. 37. tot Sect. 35 Dan. 2.31 c. Sect. 36 Dan. 7. All the ch Sect. 37 Dan. 11. 12 ch Sect. 38 Hos 1.10 11. Sect. 39 Hos 3.4 5. Sect. 40 Joel 2.28 c. Sect. 41 Joel 3.1 c. Sect. 42 Amos 9.11 c col with Ob. v. 17. c Sect. 43 Mich. 4. All. Sect. 44 Zeph. 3.9 c. Sect. 45 Zach. 2.6 c. Sect. 46 Zach. 6.12 c. Sect. 47 Zach. 8.20 c. Sect. 48 Zach. 10 3. c. Sect. 49 Zach. 12. All. Sect. 50 Zach. 14.3 c. Sect. 51 Mal. 4. All. All which places of the O.T. from Sect. 6. to the end of Sect. 51. are paralleld with several places of the New Testament 3 Chap. The inconsiderablenesse and inconsideratenesse of some ancient Authors verbal glancings against some of the prooss afore alledged Sect. 1. A general survey of the Authority of mens words and writings Sect. 2. Jeroms jerkings at the precedent proofs discussed Sect. 3. The words of Gaius seconded by Dionysius Alexandrinus both falsely fathering our opinion upon Cerinthus and weakly credited by Eusebius examined and confuted and our opinion of the thousand yeers is vindicated from voluptuous Chiliasme 4 Chap. Places produced out of the New Testament to prove the general Thesis or Position Sect. 1. Mat. 24.13 Sect. 2 Luke 1.31 32. Sect. 3 Luke 21.24 Sect. 4 Luke 22.28 c. Sect. 5 Act. 1.6 Sect. 6 Rom. 11.25 c.. Sect. 7 The 1 Cor. 15 21 c. Sect 8 The 2 Cor. 3. 15. c. Sect 9 Phil. 2.9 10. c. Sect 10 Rev. 2.25 c. Sect 11 Rev. 3.21 c. Sect 12 Revel 18 19 Chap. 5 Chap. Containing five Arguments in five distinct Sections to provethe future glorious state on earth BOOK IV. 1 Chap. Containing a Preface to the subject of this Book which is to shew the judgement of all sorts of men in favour of our main Position touching the future glorious state on earth viz. in 2 Chap. Of Heathens 3 Chap. Of Mabumetans 4 Chap. Of Jewish Rabbins
highten the spirituality of the Scripture giving a distinct and joynt accomplishment to letter and Spirit each in other the Letter in this state having its fulnesse in the Spirit and the fulnesse of the Spirit taking in the letter Those three principal points are these I The Testimony and entrance to Christs Kingdome shall be the indubitable evidence of our Lords appearance in his owne person whether this appearance shall be miraculous the Lord descending to vaile for a season his glorified body which being ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne cannot be seen by mortal eyes under a meaner form that it may be fitted to our natural senses or whether this appearance shall be mysterious the Lord in the same instant of his appearance transfiguring the dead and living Saints into a conformity to his glorified body that in the same twinkling of an eye they may see their King and he may see them in beauty eye to eye their glorified eye to his glorified eye or whether both these according to those several Scriptures Mat. 24.30 Act. 1.11 1 Cor. 15.51 Ph. 3.20 21. for these several ends of conviction to the world conversion to the Jews glorification to the Saints renovation to the creature The 2. principal point in this Book is That the state of the Saints Kingdom shal be the resurrection from the dead and a change in the living Saints equivalent to the resurrection of the bodies of those that sleep in the dust Thus each particular Saint and the whole Church being predestinated to be conformed to the likenesse of the image of Christ shall in this state answer that state of Christ in his owne particular person between his resurrection and ascension which seems to have been his Paradisical state his soul entring into Paradise at his death his body at his resurrection re-assumed into the same state with the soule The last head is That there shall be a New Earth to be theâ—seat of this New Kingdome If the Earth be made New with the Newnesse of the Spirit if that also be spiritulized then will it be fit for glorified Inhabitants The streets of the New Jerusalem are said to be as gold and glasse Behold the nature of the New Earth and the description of its spirituality It shall be as pure gold for its solid simple substance for its shining glory It shall be as pure glasse for its transparency cleernesse and through-lightsomnesse Octob. 19. 1653. PETER STERRY In pursuance of an Order bearing date the 6. instant for my perusal of this Treatise penn'd by Dr. Homes and to report my opinion concerning the same I certifie as followeth THat all the Saints shall reigne with Christ a Thousand yeers on earth in a wonderfull both visible and spiritual glorious manner before the time of the ultimate and general Resurrection is a Position which though not a few have besit ated about and some opposed yet have gained ground in the hearts and judgements of very many both grave and godly men who have left us divers Essayes and Discourses upon this Subject And having perused the learned and laborious travels of this Author I conceive that the Church of God hath not hitherto seen this great point so clearly stated so largely discussed so strongly confirmed not onely by the testimony of Ancient and Modern Writers of all sorts but by the holy Scriptures throughout as it is presented in this Book Wherein also divers other considerable points are collaterally handled all tending to set forth the Catastrophe and result of all the troubles and hopes of such as feare God as the preface to their eternal blisse And whereas some have been and still are apt to abuse this Doctrine by making it an occasion to the flesh and of beating themselves in the expectation of a carnall liberty and worldly glory I finde that this Author hath cautiously fore-laid and prevented all such abuses by shewing the exceeding spiritualnesse and holinesse of this state To which as none but the truly holy shall attain so having attained it they shall walke in the hight of holinesse And therefore I judge this Book very usefull for the Saints and worthy of the publick view Octob. 13. 1653. Joseph Caryll THE DAWNING OF THE DAY-STAR Largely discussed in Five Bookes THE DAWNING OF THE DAY-STAR QUOTATIONUM quaedam SPECIMINA nec non Epitome totius primilibri compendiaria pro extraneis praesertim Judaeis Latine reddita I. BOOKE Of the Generall and maine Position LIBER I. De generali summariâ Thesi CHAP. I. The Position propounded THe most Sacred Scriptures do frequently in many places affirm that All the Saints shall reigne with Christ a long time namely a THOUSAND yeares on EARTH SATAN the meane while being bound which yeares are not yet begun but do ere long and from thence are at length to be fulfilled in a wonderful both VISIBLE and SPIRITUAL glorious manner at the RESTITUTION of ALL THINGS and their NEW-CREATION before the time of ultimate and generall Resurrection SAnctos omnes diutinè cum CHRISTO regnaturos in TERRA scilicet MILLE annos SATANA tunc temporis ligato nondum incaeptos brevi incaepturos indeque implendos tam visibili quam spirituali mirandâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gloriâ ante resurrectionis ultimae generalis Epocham a Sacrosanctissimis Scripturis passim asseritur SECTION I. The Position expounded § 1 BY Saints I meane all the Elect from time to time extant afore that time effectually called whose characters that we may know them in relation to our Position are in the Revelation limbed to the life where both it and they are deciphered in one the same table or frame viz. Rev. 20.4 And I saw Thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given to them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his marke upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years § 2 In which words I minde at this time chiefly the three characters of them that shall reigne with Christ The first is Beheading synechdochically signifying all persecution either more particularly as it is here expressed for the Witnesse of Jesus that is for asserting the God-head as wel as the Man-hood of Christ for which many Martyrs suffered in the Arian persecution soon after Constantines time or more generally for the Word of God viz. the fundamental doctrines thereof for which they suffered afore the Arian persecution in the heathen-Roman tenfold persecution and after in the Antichristian-Roman persecution and of late times in severall Countries in the Arminian and Socinian persecution or for both § 3 The second Character is not worshipping the Beast no nor his Image Those that shall reigne with Christ reverence not either apparent grosse Idolatry or specious refined under the
up shall not return unto dust But if you inquire what shall be to the Just in that thousand yeares in which the holy and blessed God shall RENEW his World of which it is said AND THE LORD ALONE SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY Wee must know that the Lord will give them as it were the wings of Eagles that they may stye upon the faces of waters Jesch 40.31 THEY THAT HOPINGLY WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL HAVE THEIR STRENGTH renewed THEY SHALL BE CARRIED UPON WINGS AS EAGLES § 12 R. Saadias brings up the REARE gallantly thus on Dan. 7.18 The Saints of the most High God shall receive a Kingdome Because the children of Israel have rebelled against the Lord their Kingdome shall bee taken from them and shall bee given to the foure Monarchies which shall possesse the Kingdome in this world and shall lead Israel captive and subdue them to themselves Even TILL THE WORLD TO COME untill MESSIAH shall REIGNE § 13 Wee shall for a close of this Section awaken the Reader to have both eyes open upon this That this reigning of the MESSIAH or CHRIST so often mentioned by the aforesaid Rabbins cannot bee in the highest heavens after the ultimate day of judgement for then hee layes downe all and delivers up the Kingdome to God the Father c. 1 Cor. 15.24.28 Nor have these Rabbinicall predictions beene ever fulfilled on earth as experience can witnesse And therefore necessarily they must be in effect of the same judgement as is contained in our Position or Thesis which for that cause cannot be adjudged novel or singular 1. SECTIO De Hebraeotum Antiquitatibus § 1 HArum prima est Targumenica Targum seu Chaldaeus contextus celeberrima inter Judaeos Paraphrasis hinc desumpsit originem quò da Captivitate exolevisset lingua Hebraica neque eam ampliùs intelligerent Extat ab Onkelo in quinque libros Mosis a R. Jonathan in Josue Judicum quatuor Regum omniumque Prophetarum excepto Daniele Et a Josepho Caeco in Caeteros veteris Testamenti libros Plura complectitur quae Synagogae Judaicae faveant passim tamen eam jugulat dum luculentissimè de Méssiâ testatur Guid Mich. le Ja in praefatione seu instituti operis ratione Ad Bib. Reg. Lutetiae edita Multa sunt apud Targum Collatis praesertim exemplaribus ad nostram Thesin pertinentia Targum seu Chaldaea Paraphrasis manuscripta in Ester Cap. 1. ad hunc modum methodum cùm temporis tùm loci computat Monarchias Prima Dei fuit Illa purum putum Hebraismum prositebatur Nimrodus alteram tenebat Monarchiam Pharaonis Monarchia facit tertiam Huic Salomonis Monarchiasuccessit Eam Salomonis quinta subsecuta est nempe Nebuchadnezzaris Magni Huic Babylonici Tyranni Monarchiae sexta successit nempe Persarum Medorum imperium Alexandri Magni imperium facit septimam Alexandri Magni suorumque Satraparum imperium Julii Caesaris octava tandem excepit Monarchia Invadit hanc Julii Caesaris Monarchiam illud Messiae regnum quod nonum est imperium Haec Jacob Colerus S.T.D. in Eliae Hutteri in Biblia Ebraea praefatione Ita in terris hanc ut Caeteras post Romanam Messiae locat Monarchiam § 2 Targ. Babyl seu ordin Chald. Paraph. in Gen. 49. v. 10. Donec veniat Messias cujus est regnum ei obedient populi POPULI dignum observatu in plurali 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § 3 Quod Targum Hier osolimitanum ad literam magis latiùs seu universaliùs exprimit REX CHRISTUS venturus est cujus est REGNUM OMNES Reges se illi subjicient Ita ut quoscunque regum principumve illi non subjecturos interfecerit ad rubo rem fluminum ex sanguine interfectorum albedinem montium ex pinguedine potentum § 4 Paraphrastes demum Jonathan in Chaldaicâ sua paraphrasi in Hos 14.8 haec habet verba 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. Congregabuntur Israelitae de medio suae Captivitatis in umbrâ CHRISTI SUI habitabunt VIVENTQUE MORTUI BONUM ACCRESCET in TERRA Nec non erit memoriale bonitatis eorum fructificans indeficiens juxta ac memoria Clangoris tubarum super vino veteri quod libari solet in domo sanctuarii Quae res nunquam interris adhus impletae fuerunt Multò plus Targum habet quod ut inutilis vitetur repetitio in ventilationem Scripturarum Thesin probantium comperendinamus § 5 Huic Jonathani Concinit R. Eliezer qui paulò post Templum secundum floruit In Capitulis Magni illius Eliezer Cap. 34. haec comperimus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. Vivo ego dicit dominus quòd suscitabo vos in tempore futuro in Resurrectione mortuorum et congregabo vos cum universo Israel IN TERRAM ISRAEL § 6 Haec verò quae protulerunt Jonathan Eliezer ad hodiernum usque diem ut Judaeis universè UMBRAM imo personam CHRISTI sui rejicientibus Johan c. 1. v. 11. Jesch c. 53. v. 3. minimè impleta fuerint ita pars illa quorundam credentium nunquam vel revixerunt aut de praesenti eorum Captivitate sesquimillenariâ reduces BONUM ILLUD IN TERRA vel Caecutierunt § 7 Ex Antiquitatibus Hebraeorum TALMUDICIS Judaicis nimirum Babylonicis a Ducentesimo Nonagesimo post natum CHRISTUM ad annum saltem 120m. ascendentibus reliquisque Rabbinorum post-natis abundè si placet excipiatis De Talmudicarum aevo Consulite Bucholcerum Indic Chron. ad annum Mundi 4161. Christi 191. Helvicum Theatr. Histor seu Chron. ad annum quod mirum est Christi 500. Joh. Buxtorf in recensione operis Talmudici ejus libro de Abbreviaturis Heb. vulgo annexo M. Lightfoot in Miscellan Cap. 7. De Christo confutante saltem Traditionem Talmudicam Matth. 5. Christum ipsum Judaeos inscitiae arguentem ex suâ ipsorum scriptâ lege câ scilicet ut probabile videtur Talmudicâ in quâ veteris Testamenti authentiam agnoverunt Eâ autem ratione a CHRISTO dictum est Joh. 10.34 Nonne scriptum est in lege VESTRA 1. In Gemara Sanhedrin PEREK CHELEK ita legimus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Id est Dixit R. Ketina in UNO nempe ut intelligit ULTIMO mundi MILLENARIO vastabitur mundus de quo dicitur EXALTABITUR DOMINUS SOLUS DIE ILLO Jesch cap. 2. v. 11.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. Convenit Traditio R. Ketinae sicut è septimis annis septimus quisque est remissionis annus ita MILLENARIUS HIC remissionis erit MILLENARIUS quemadmodum dicitur EXALTABITUR DOMINUS SOLUS DIE ILLO PSALMUS scilicet 92. dicitur CANTICUM DE DIE SABBATI Id est de die qui totus est quies dicitur Psalmo nempe 90. MILLE ANNI IN OCULIS TUIS VELUT DIES HESTERNUS En lectores perspicacissimi veteres Judaei Prophetiam Jesch
Prophet is to point out that Dominion and that Glory c. which the other foure Monarchs had And ALL PEOPLES and NATIONS and LANGUAGES should SERVE him whose dominion is for ever c. that is as long as the world below lasts all which manifestly relate to a Kingdome of Christ on earth compare v. 23 and v. 27. Thus far the Kingdome is given to Christ as if in comparison hee had none afore The vers 17. c. it is said to be the Saints Kingdome in these words These great Beasts which are foure are foure Kings that is foure Emperial Monarchies under foure races of mighty persecuting Monarchical Emperours of foure several sorts namely First Assyrio-Chaldean Secondly Medo-Persian Thirdly Grecian Fourthly Roman which shall arise out of the EARTH that is by violence succeed one another in that inheritance of the world But the Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdome that is that very Kingdome of the world that the other foure former Monarchs had and possesse the Kingdome for ever and for ever and ever that is in all ages as long as time shall bee as the original signifies adding v. 23. c. to the end of the Chapter The fourth Beast shall bee the fourth Kingdome upon earth that is the Emperour of the Roman Empire which shall bee divers from al the Kingdomes namely in Rule in Conquest and Cruelty and shall devoure the whole earth and shall tread it down and breake it in peeces meaning that the Romans shall conquer the whole world utterly defacing all Kingly dominion in the same And the ten Hornes out of this Kingdome are ten Kings that shall arise to wit the Roman Empire at last is divided into ten Kingdomes as John hath it severall times in the Revelation as a tendency to the ruine of that Empire for it follows here And another shall rise after them and he shall bee divers from the first and he shall subdue three Kings That is the Easterne Saracen-Arabian Turkish power ascending to a monstrous height of strength differing from the former in Nation Religion and Tyranny shall take away three of the said tenne Kingdomes And he shall speake great words against the most High see the Turkish Alcoran and shall weare out the Saints of the most High that is in a great measure slaying so many Christians at one battel as the tippes of their right eares filled nine sackes and thinke to change Times and Lawes that is those of divine institution as appeares also in his Alcoran and they shall bee given into his hand untill a time and times and dividing of times meaning that the Saint◠shall by divine permission fall under the Turkish power three hundred and fifty yeers from his first invading the Jewish Countries to his full and finall fall But saith the 26. v. c. to the end of the Chapter The judgement shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it to the end that is to say The Ancient of dayes as fitting in judgement judgeth to vindicate the Saints and so gives them opportunity and virility to deprive the Turke of his Kingdome and utterly to consume his power and strength And so in the 27. verse The Kingdome and Dominion UNDER the whole HEAVEN shall bee given to the people of the Saints of the most High c. That is the same Dominions of the whole world below that the former tyrannicall Monarches usurped shall now be given into the hands of the converted Jewes and holy Gentiles adhering to them to reigne on earth with Christ to whom these Dominions were delivered in the former part of this Chapter This place of the seventh of Daniel hath beene so large touching the Saints reigning with Christ on earth that we shall adde but one or two places more and that very briefly Revel 11.15 c. The seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in heaven saying the Kingdomes of the WORLD are become the Kingdomes of our LORD and of his CHRIST or of him as CHRIST and hee shall REIGNE for ever and ever that is throughout all AGES from hence forward over the Kingdomes of the WORLD as if hitherto he had not in comparison reigned over them And the foure and twenty Elders c. fell upon their faces c. Saying we give thee thanks O Lord c. because thou hast TAKEN TO THEE THY GREAT POWER and hast REIGNED and the Nations were ANGRY which shewes this was not at the ultimate day of judgement and the time of the dead that they should bee judged is come that is the Saints should bee vindicated for so it presently followes that thou shouldest give rewards to thy servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that feare thy name which what should it bee but to reigne on earth as it is both before expressed in the Preface Rev. 5.10 and after in the Catastrophe Revel 20.4 in regard of which reigning on earth they may bee said to bee the FIRST-FRUITS to God Rev. 14.4 because this is but the beginning of Gods worke of glorifying his Saints Let us close this Paragraph with Heb. 2.5 c. to 10. The world to come the Greek is the INHABITED world to come must be put under man though not under Angels according to Psalme 8. quoted there by the Apostle which Psalme relates to Gen. 1.26 where God gives Adam dominion over all the Creation But saith the Apostle in his time Wee see not yet all things put under him onely Jesus as the pledge is crowned with glory Therefore say I there is such a thing yet to come Let not the Reader if I may intreat so much despise the allegation of these Texts for the present purpose which are little more then barely alleadged onely to hint the Saints reigning with Christ on earth I desire to ingage him upon this request but for a time till I come to critically scan if I may assume so much confidence to my selfe these and many other places of Scripture And then upon his serious joynt view of all all together if he can bee of another minde different from mee let him for mee abound in his owne sense § 4 But to wheele about from this digression to our owne post and businesse in hand viz. the Reigning of the Saints WITH CHRIST at this time and in this place aforesaid Before they reigned but sometimes over their corruptions and Satans temptations but never over men but now totally and finally over Sinne MEN and Divels as wee shall demonstrate afterwards Their living must be after a RESURRECTION as the word is twice mentioned in this 20. of Revelation Though they bee made but spiritual Kings and Priests as the Objecters will have it in those words Rev. 5.10 Hee hath made us Kings and Priests to God yet how shall the next words be figured off from their proper sense where the Crowne of Dignity is put upon the head of REIGNING UPON EARTH Hee
he is against Christ in the effect of his processe viz. in his Headship opposite to Christ the onely head of his Church in his Doctrine of Justification by workes enervating Christs merits and his Trentine Anathemaes cursing the fundamentall truths of Christ in the New Testament But these things wee leave as not the maine of our present businesse Now saith this Text in hand of the 2 Thessalon 2. The Lord shall consume Antichrist with the Spirit of his mouth and destroy him with the brightnesse of his coming And although these two Master-limbs of Antichrist should not fall together but that the Pope be first bowed downe as he that by his imagery Idolatry and impurity in his worship of Christ is the great stumbling blocke to impede the Jewes imbracing Christ whereby to contend with the Turke for freedome to owne our Messiah and the Turk bee ruined after him perhaps at the end of the five and forty yeers of the Jewes struggle with him Dan. 12 two last verses yet this text of the Thessalonians stands firme that Antichrist must fall by the Spirit of Christs mouth and by the brightnesse of his coming The Spirit of his mouth is his Word called Isa 11.4 The rod of his mouth and the breath of his lips with which he shall smite the Earth and slay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the wicked one for the settlement of his glorious Kingdom of peace on earth as the context in that 11. of Esa gives it in with this word Christ prefaceth and perfecteth the ruine of Antichrist That is first Christ destroyes him morally as he his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as this Text in the Thessalonians calls him that is exlex as Zanchy renders it the lawlesse one For he leaves Christs word and substitutes his owne viz. Alcoran Legends Traditions c. And by them sets up Blasphemy Idolatry Heresie Impiety and Tyranny and that over consciences as well as bodies Now Christ discovering and discarding confuting and confounding these by the breath of his mouth viz. his word he destroyes him morally Secondly Christ by animating men by the same Spirit in his Word to a corporall War against Antichrist destroyes him Physically that is with a corporall destruction By that Spirit of his mouth he rouseth up mens spirits to take up armes and fight down Antichrist with a corporal War So it is emphatically set forth Joel 3.9 to 17. inserted between two Prophesies the first immediately preceding v. 1. c. to v. 9. the other immediately succeeding touching the glorious Kingdom of Christ on Earth v. 17. to the end of the Chapter weigh the place with which compare Rev. 17.16 Rev. 18. the whole Chapter Rev. 19.17 to the end In which places the Holy Ghost with all endeavour as we may say after the manner of men by all circumstances fitted to humane capacity sets forth the corporal War that must personally destroy Antichrist The scruples of men about those places of Scripture wee shall remove when wee come after to the full discusse of the Quod sit viz. That there is such a glorious state to come I say Christ shall with a corporall Warre excited by his word destroy Antichrist personally For when notwithstanding that Christ hath rendred the wickednesses aforesaid of Antichrist odious to the generality of the world and hath dissected and cut them up by the roots with the sword of his mouth that they take not with the myriads of men enlightened yet Antichrist will act as Antichrist like himselfe opposing Christ in the power of his Gospel the purity of his Saints and worship and the glory of his Kingdome then I say shall Christs word the sword of his mouth put the sword of his hand into the hands of his people the rod of his mouth shall proceed to the use of his rod of iron in his hand Rev. 19.15 And then as the Prophet speakes touching the corporall destruction of the bodily enemies of the Church Jer. 48.9 10. The Cities of Moab shall bee destroyed Cursed is he that doth the worke of the Lord negligently and cursed is he that keepeth backe his sword from blood So that Christ with this breath of his mouth prepares or begins the ruine of Antichrist The Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is shall waste him as an estate is wasted or consume him as a body by a consumption pines away But by the brightnesse of his coming he shall make a full end of Antichrist as to the preparation for his glorious Kingdome on Earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall abolish as Beza renders it shall make him a nothing as the Greeke word is often used Which brightnesse of Christ coming to doe this is more closely to the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred by the manifest appearance of his coming And so our last Translators could finde the way to render 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in relation to Christs Kingdome by the word appearance 2 Tim. 4.1 I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quicke and the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 at or according to his APPEARING and his Kingdome So likewise 1 Tim. 6.14 Keep this Commandement c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 untill the APPEARANCE of our Lord Jesus Christ Sutably it is our common phrase to call the day of the appearance of the starre at Christs birth Epiphanie By all that we have said it is manifest that as the first Schene of the ruine of Antichrist is acted by the Spirit of Christs mouth so the second is performed by the appearance of his person or else what need that be added AND by the appearance of his COMING The breath or Spirit of his mouth doth not make an end of the worke without the appearance of his coming As in that of 2 Tim. 4.1 First is his appearance and then his Kingdome For Antichrist must bee downe ere Christ shall have an apparent Kingdome And Christ must have his Kingdome before the ultimate day of judgement or else he will have no Kingdome For then it is the Fathers Kingdome not his 1 Cor. 15.28 § 4 And most likely the method will be this The Pope shall bee destroyed by the breath of Christs mouth that will prevaile with Christendome as they call it that will be effectuall to all the Christian world that owne Christ to bee come already in the flesh to excite them seeing his mystery of Abominations afore-named to be discovered to pull him downe root and branch But to the Jewes that to this day doe not owne the coming of Christ in the flesh Christ must manifestly appeare at least in the Clouds as Zech. 12. Rev. 1.7 of which afore to convert them as at once and so are brought in as a Nation borne at once Isa 66.8 and thereby are stirred up as one man to set against the Turke from whence proceeds his ruine § 5 Nor may any man phantasie to himselfe that he can put off what
he that shall endure to the END the same shall be saved Of the other signes he said they did not signifie that the END was immediately at hand vers 6. These signs shall be saith Christ BUT the END is not YET But now hee comes to speake of the signe of the End of the world viz. that this Gospel of the KINGDOME shall be preached in all the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 published as by an Herauld And THIS Gospel of THE KINGDOME as pointing at this particular of the good newes of the Gospel that Christ should after all these darke clouds of the reigne of wickednesse have a Kingdome on earth And then saith Christ shall the END come which must of necessity import one of these ENDS and one of these wayes must be signified by the publishing of the Gospel in all the world That either the Gospel should be published in all the world to Jews and Gentiles as a signe immediately before the End of THIS present world that is before the thousand yeers of the great Restauration Or that the full and effectuall manifestation of the Gospel should be in the time of that Restauration in those thousand yeers which Paul calls Heb. 2.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That inhabited world that is to come of which place much after as a fore-running signe of the ultimate generall end of the whole world Let the Reader take which he pleaseth For either of them concludes for us that after this signe according as we interpret the sequel shall be the beginning or ending of Christs visible appearance to us on earth As it follows vers 29. Then shall appear the signe of the Sonne of man not for a meer short sentence of judgement but to gather his elect from the foure quarters of the earth Of which place much in Sect. 3. of this 2 Book § 4 To gather all into an apparent argument the summe and signes of all is this If Christ in shewing the signes of his coming the second time doth clearly distinguish between his next coming and visible appearing and the end of the world and for that end gives distinct signes of both then Christ must come before the end of the world and visibly appeare But so doth Christ clearly distinguish and distinctly signifie those two as we have shewed Therefore there is yet a time wherein Christ will come and visibly appeare before the end of the world At first we know by the Gospels he came in a state of humility for salvation to sinners that should believe The next time he comes in glory to reigne visibly to the comfort of them that doe beleeve Rev. 20. first six verses Third and last time for terrour to the wicked vers 12. Of that second coming the thing now under consideration Christ having given signes as hath been shewed he concludes in verse 30. They shall see the Sonne of man in the Clouds of heaven with great power and glory which cannot be meant of the finall sentence of the ultimate judgement because of that in the 34 verse bound with an asseveration and attestation before and behinde Verily I say unto you this generation shall not passe till all these things be fulfilled Heaven and earth shall passe away but my words shall not passe away Of which 34. vers much afterward SECT X. Of the tenth Scripture for Christs visible appearance at the great restauration of the Church Luke 19. ver 11. to 28. He added and spake a Parable because he was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the KINGDOME OF GOD should immediately APPEARE A certaine noble-man went into a farre Country to RECEIVE FOR HIMSELFE A KINGDOME and TO RETURNE and he called his ten Servants and delivered to them ten pounds and said unto them occupy till I come But his Citizens hated him and sent a Message after him saying we will not have this man to reigne over us And it came to passe when he was returned HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOME then he commanded these servants to be called unto him to whom he gave the mony c. Then came the first saying Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds And he said unto him well thou good servant because thou hast been faithfull in a little have thou authority over ten Cities and so proportionable to the rest But those mine enemies that would not have me reigne over them bring them hither and slay them before me § 1 THis Parable was spoken a little before Christs suffering as appeares by the order of the Story here and in Mat. 25. It is pend by Luke who wrote the Acts where he carefully reports Christs coming againe just as they saw him ascend in relation to the restoring of the Kingdome of which Christ spake and the Disciples enquired after Act. 1.3 4 5 6 c. to 12. only saith Luke Acts 3.21 The heavens must receive him for a time and then he shall come from heaven and cause the restitution of all things as hath been opened § 2 The Preface to this Parable is a golden key to open the curious Cabinet of the meaning of this Parable that we may not relye upon a meere Allegory Christ spake this Parable because he was night to Jerusalem and because they thought that the Kingdome of God should IMMEDIATELY APPEARE It doth not deny the appearing of the Kingdom Christ is for it only he is against the immediate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the suddaine appearance of it he must afore that as is the maine sence of the Parable goe away into a farre country viz. to Heaven and leave talents in trust with his servants giving them time to imploy them and to be so long absent that his enemies grow so bold as to send after him with this high affront they would not have him to reigne over them that is according to the direct sence Some seemingly professours by his long absence should grow quite carelesse of improving the talents or gifts of endowments to his honour and others by his delay as they counted it should become professed enemies against him § 3 But whatever these mistakers dreamed the truth was that as the diligent Talenters expected and accordingly acted Christ went away to Heaven not to returne no more but went thither to take to himselfe a Kingdome which phrase viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must signifie a Kingdome peculiar to himselfe as he is Christ else how doth he take it or receive it to himselfe And being installed into it he is to returne He had his Kingdome of grace before he went away as he oft mentioneth it in his Parables and Sermons adding that that his Kingdome was not of this world And he had the Kingdome of glory as his triumph over his Kingdome of grace having finished his conquest on the Crosse So hee needed not to returne to receive either of these Kingdomes It remains therefore that it is the Kingdome we speak of that he returnes to receive He went to Heaven
seats were put And so the last and best Low-Dutch Stoclen gesetteâ— werden So that by all it appears that this was a vision of material Thrones and of them set up set or setled for Divine power to sit upon which is exceedingly confirmâ—d by verse 10. and 26. where wee have the sitting of the Judgement or Judicature and the Ancient of dayes did sit and I saw and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven and came to the Ancient of dayes and they brought him neer before him And there was given him dominion and glory and a KINGDOM c. And the Kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole Heaven was given to the Saints of the most High c. Let us for the advantage of the generall worke in hand and the particular point now under consideration weigh these two places together in the semblance of both Visions in the circumstances of both and in the samenesse of intents in both ¶ 1 In the semblance or likenesse of both Visions in sundry particulars 1 Semblance I beheld till the Thrones were set And why Thrones in the plurall And for whom These many Thrones were set in the Vision ONE for the Ancient of dayes whose Throne was like a siery flame v. 9. ANOTHER for the SONNE OF MAN who came to the Ancient of dayes and they brought him neer before him and there was given him dominion and glory and a Kingdome and all people Nations and Languages to serve him v. 13 14. THE REST for the TEN THOUSAND TIMES TEN THOUSANDS THAT STOOD BEFORE HIM verse 10. viz. The PEOPLE OF THE SAINTS to whom the Kingdome and dominion c. under the whole heaven was given under Christ the aforesaid Son of Man vers 27. So Rev. 20.4 I saw Thrones The Second semblance is that in Dan. 7. v. 10. where it followes The Judgement or Judicature was set which confirmes that our reading of the former verse That is the Judges sate as in the great Sanedrim as after in vers 26. and 27. The judgement sitting the Kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heaven is given to the people of the Saints of the most high In like manner in Rev. 20.4 it is said by John I saw saith he those that sate on the Thrones viz. those that had been beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and those which had not worshipped the beast c. nor received his marke c. Third semblance is in Dan. 7.22 Iudgement was given to the Saints of the most High and the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome In like manner Rev. 20.4 it is said Judgement was given to them viz. to the Saints aforesaid that having opposed Antichrist sate upon the Thrones As Paul saith 1 Cor. 6.2 The Saints shall judge the world Fourth semblance in Dan. 7.22 it is said The Saints possessed the Kingdome viz. under Christ to whom it is first in order given vers 14. which cannot be at the ultimate day of judgement when hee resignes all and therefore the Saints then have no Kingdome subject to them Just so it is said Rev. 20.4 The Saints lived and reigned with Christ a thousand yeers which must be before the ultimate day of Judgement at which time Iohn saith Time shall be no more and Paul saith 1 Cor. 15. there is no more reigning by any but by God alone that then must be all in all Thus of the Semblance ¶ 2 The next thing is the Circumstances viz. 1 The signall or note when this shall be namely when the Sonne of man shall come in or with the clouds Dan. 7.13 In like manner the signall or note is in the Rev. Chap. 1.7 where it is said as the general proposition to the whole Prophesie Christ shall be seen in the clouds at his coming to set up this Kingdome which is explained according to our sense Rev. 20. v. 1. That Christ comes down from heaven when he restraines Satan and gives this honour to the Saints of reigning with him 2 The time it self The time is saith Dan. 7.25 after a time and times and halfe a time of the powerful prevayling of Antichrist whether ye understand one limb viz. the Iewish Eastern the Turk called vers 24. that same ANOTHER that ariseth and subdueth three of the ten Kings or both viz. the Western the Christians Antichrist also viz. the Pope expressed in the ten hornes or Kings of his Kingdome v. 24. it makes no matter if we minde our large discourse afore of the identity of both And sutably in the Revelation 11. it is said that after the witnesses have Prophesied in sackcloath one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes because the Woman the Church was persecuted by Antichrist Rev. 12.6 for the space of one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes which in vers 24. is called A time and times and halfe a time because Antichrist had power so long to prevaile viz. two and forty months Rev. 13.5 which is all one with the one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes or time and times and halfe a time as here meant in the Revelation I say after this time and times and halfe a time it is here said in that Rev. 11.15 That the KINGDOMES of this WORLD were become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ and of the Saints sharing in this Reigning vers 18. The third circumstance is the order of things in this time viz. That in Dan. 7. v. 3. c. to v. 9. There must be foure Beasts come up from the Sea 1 A Lyon 2 A Bear 3 A Leopard 4 A terrible one with iron teeth and ten hornes and out of the ten one little horne that brake off three of the ten The foure Beasts saith Dan. v. 17. are the foure Kings or Kingly-hoods Royalties Emperialties or Monarchies of the world vers 23. as by severall characters they are described in that Chapter The ten hornes of the fourth Beast are saith Dan. v. 24. ten Kings that is ten Kingdomes under him All these foure Beasts fall as the maine of the first by the second and of the second by the third so the maine of the third and the remainder of all the three former by the fourth Dan. 7.19.23 The meaning is that as the first the Assyrio-Chaldean Monarchy whereof Nebuchadnezzar was the Golden-head in Daniels time Dan. 2. was broken by the second the silver Medo-Persian so this second by the third the brazen Grecian and this Grecian and the remainders of all the other were utterly subdued by the fourth the iron Roman Monarchy From this Roman at the time when it was something weakned by a dividing of it selfe now the third time which was about An. Chr. 799. into the Easterne and Westerne Empire Constantinople being the Royall Seat of Metropolis of that and Rome of this the little horne that sprang out of the ten and became diverse from the rest
there cannot be an apter Proverb Ubi bene nemo meliùs Let us touch with their pen a little on every clause I shall see him or see it * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the person and thing he prophesies of following which Sol. Jarchi expoundeth I see the praise of Jacob and their greatnesse but it is not now but after a time Chaskuni addeth He prophesieth of David that is of him in his ultimate generation Christ as you shall see the Rabbins by and by in their Targum Talmud and Treatises harmoniously consent But not nigh that is as Jarchi said afore It is not now but after a time And as the Targum or Chalde Paraphrase expounds it It is not neer when a King shall arise out of the house of Jacob and CHRIST shall be anointed of the house of Israel and shall RULE OVER ALL THE SONNES OF MEN Marke that expression It follows There shall come a star out of Jacob. The Greek translate shall arise or shine forth which is applyed to Christ by Peter in the said 2 Pet. 1.19 afore-quoted and by Christ himself to himselfe in the above cited Rev. 22.16 Both places being penned since Christs ascention and therefore can import no lesse then that it is yet to bee fulfilled and that before the ultimate day of judgement at which time it is too late for Christ to shine as a day star to the Jewes if he shine not to them afore or for the consideration of Christs relation to David when hee layes downe all relations But of these things by and by in the inferences from the said place of Numbers Of which it follows And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel that is saith the Chalde Paraphrase A King shall arise the Messiah or Christ shall be anointed that shall RULE ALL THE SONS OF MEN. So that Christ must have his Scepter as well as David and other Kings And as his gracious Scepter of righteousnesse over his people Psal 45.7 Heb. 1.8 So his powerful constraining destroying Rod or Scepter of Iron over his enemies Psal 2.9 Rev. 12.5 which two last mentioned places are propheticall of future times not fulfilled should seem in the time of Johns penning the Revelation though that was long after Christs ascention And he shal smite the corners of Moab or through the corners of Moab The Greek is He shall break to peeces the Dukes of Moab †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Chalde is He shall kill the Princes of Moab †and shal unwal the children of Seth which the Chalde excellently expounds That Christ shall have dominion over all the children of men For Seth being the sonne of Adam given to him in the room of Abel slaine and Kaines posterity being drowned in the flood onely Seths posterity remaining in Noah all the world since that may be truly said to be the children of Seth as of a secondary Adam which dominion of Christ over all Kings and Nations is prophesied in Psal 72.11 All Kings shall fall downe before him and all Nation shall serve him And in Phil. 2.10 't is spoken in the future tense * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after Christs ascention and of all persons and things not onely of heavenly or spiritual but of earthly c. To this exposition Sol. Iarchi subscribes All the sonnes of Seth that is saith he ALL PEOPLES which doe ALL come of SETH the sonne of ADAM THE FIRST We have one Rabbin behinde viz. Maimony who in their Talmud †R. Maimony in Misn Tom. 4. Treat of King c. 11. sect 1. notably explaines the whole Prophesie of Balaam briefly thus I shall see him but not NOW that is DAVID I shal behold him but not NIGH this is THE KING CHRIST There shall proceed a star out of Jacob this is DAVID and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel this is the KING CHRIST and shall smiâ—e through the corners of Moab this is DAVID as it is written 2 Sam. 2.8 And he smote Moab c. And he shall unwal all the sonnes of Seth this is the KING CHRIST of whom it is written Psal 72.8 he shall have DOMINION FROM SEA TO SEA And Edom shal be a possession to David as it is said and all they of Edom became Davids servants 2 Sam. 8.14 And Seir shall be a possession this is unto THE KING CHRIST as it is said AND SAVIOURS shall come up on mount Sion to judge the mount of Esau and THE KINGDOME SHALL BEE THE LORDS Hobad v. 21. Thus Maimony who hath spoken so fully that I need not but give a light touch on the rest Verse 18. EDOM shal be a possession These Edomites the posterity of Esau became a possession to David 1 Chron. 18.13 After that they are to be a possession to Christ Isa 63.1 Who is this that cometh up from Edom with died garments from Bozrah Red with blood sprinkled on his garments intimating a corporall destruction of the Edomites by Christ SEIR also shal be a possession Seir that is Esau for there Esau dwelt Gen. 36. Therefore the Greek render Seir by Esau So that this clause is all one with the former Against whom and the rest of the enemies of the Church the Israelites as it follows shall doe valiantnesse as it is in the Hebrew that is valiant acts valiantly which in effect sometimes signifies victories in War 1 Sam. 14.48 sometimes getting wealth and riches Ezek. 28.4 Both here meant as both goe together in the case of victory in War though the Chalde expresseth rather the later which double sense well answers to the name Israel that signifies a prevailing as a Prince with God and men Gen. 32.28 And to Psal 60.14 Through God we shal do valiantnesse and he will tread down our enemies And Heb. 2.8 God will put all things in subjection under Christs feet who was the sonne of David of the seed of Israel And he shall have dominion that is one of the house of Jacob as the Chalde expresseth it So Targum Jonathan saith And a Ruler shal rise up out of the house of Jacob which Sol. Jarchi openeth thus And yet there shal be another Ruler out of Iacob and he shall destroy him that remaineth out of the City Of the KING CHRIST hee speaketh thus of whom it is said Psal 72. HE SHALL HAVE DOMINION FROM SEA TO SEA And shall destroy him that remaineth out of the City that is of all Cities as the Chalde expoundeth it viz. The Citie of the peoples Verse 20 21 22. are plain of themselves verse 23 Alas who shall live when God doth this The Chalde explaineth it Woe to the sinners that shal live when God doth this Targum Jonathan explaines it thus when the word of the Lord shal be revealed to give a good reward unto the just and take vengeance on the wicked verse 24 And Ships shal come from the coast of Chittim and shal afflict Ashur and shal afflict Eber and he shal
and he shall be to me a SONNE But when AGAINE to give it you as afore in termes and order of words close to the Originall * Thus Arias doth order them When the Apostle would say And againe he saÃd in verse 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in this sixth verse he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which last word is in the second Aâ—rist in the subj mood which sounds future and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But againe He SHALL bring his first begotten Sonne into the INHABITED world he saith let all the Angels worship him The sense is obvious That God never owned any one of the Angels to be his only first begotten Sonne but when againe he shall bring his first begotten Sonne into the world he hath given command that all the Angels shall worship him as his only begotten Sonne That this text speakes of Gods bringing his first begotten Sonne againe into the inhabited world now after Christs ascention when the Apostles wrote that we have afore largely discussed Book 3. chap. 2. Sect. 4. § id est sectiuncula 4. I only adde be heedfully mindfull of the Apostles expression in the future now after Christs coming in the flesh and that after the generall Iudgement Christ as Christ shall lay downe all his dominion over Angels and men and therefore it must be of some middle time between our present generation that these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendered here Angels must give Christ whiles he is Mediator a more ample and apparent homage then ever they have done according to the glorious state of Christ and of things at that time on earth 3 ¶ For this place of the Hebrewes Let all the Angels of God worship him is quoted by the Apostle out of Psal 97.7 which word for word according to the Hebrew * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Bow downe to him all yee Gods which as we said afore comprehends as all Angels so all Kings Potentates and Magistrates called by God himselfe Gods Psal 82. ver 1. ver 6. and so applied by Christ Joh. 10.34 Jesus answered them Is it not written in your Law I said YEE ARE GODS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if he called them gods to whom the Word of God came c. And indeed they can properly bow or crouch downe as the Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precisely signifie as the Angels can doe it only vertually And on the other side 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Angel is oft used in Scripture to signifie eminent men in Office Mal. 4.1 Rev. chap. 2.1 chap. 2. chap. 3. But granting that the Apostles designe being to prove Christ to be above Angels doth render the Hebrew Text according to the Septuagint Greek then a common Translation in frequent use throughout the world since the late Greek Monarchy over all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worship him all yee his Angels yet this is as true that as the Apostle closeth that his discourse in that first of Hebrews with a touch of Christs future dominion over all Angels and men on earth saying To which of the Angels said he at any time quoted out of Psal 110. sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstoole so that 97. Psalm doth really include and intend our position in hand viz. Christs visible glorious Kingdome over all the world yet to come For in the first verse of that 97. Psalm it is said The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof Or the Lord reigning the earth SHALL rejoyce and the many Islands SHALL * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be glad ** 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This LORD is Christ as the Apostle applyes it Heb. 1.8 9. Now Christ had reigned in his ordinary providence and power from the creation to the Psalmists time c. as appeared in overthrowing his and his peoples enemies and preserving his people in the flood in the fire on Sodome in his miracles in Egypt Wildernesse and the Red-sea in his victories over the several Nations in Canaan c. And after the last judgement it is improper to say Christ reignes in glory 1 Cor. 15.28 And Christ never yet so reigned as is described in this first verse of this 97 Psalm That ALL the EARTH without limitation shall rejoyce at that his reigning and the multitude of Isles shall be glad By Isles according to an ancient usuall Hebraisme and Jewish phrase is meant all the Nations of the GENTILES Isa 41. v. 1. Keep silence before me O ISLANDS and let the PEOPLES or NATIONS renew their strength * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And v. 5. The Isles saw it and feared and the ENDS OF THE EARTH were afraid Chap. 42. v. 4. The ISLES shall wait for his Law and so nine times in this Prophet three times in Jer. 9. times in Ezek. in Zeph. once viz. Chap. 2. v. 11. The Isles of the Heathen or Gentiles * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Gen. once Gen. 10.5 The Isles of the Gentiles The reason of the phrase is because the Jews dwelling in the continent of Asia they counted all the world Islanders that were divided from them by the Mediterranean Sea Whence is that phrase of Isles of the Sea Ester 10.1 Ahasuerus laid a taxe or tribute upon the land and upon the ISLES OF THE SEA And Isa 24.15 Glorifie the name of the Lord God of Israel in the ISLES OF THE SEA And Ezek. 26.18 Now shall the Isles tremble in the day of thy fall yea the ISLES THAT ARE IN THE SEA shall be troubled yea to make all yet plainer it is twice said viz. Jer. 2.10 Ezek. 27.6 The Isles of Chittim By which Chittim is oft understood the Roman Monarchy as Dan. 11.30 for one instance So that according to this sense of this 97 Psame vers 1 All the world of Jewes and Gentiles must be glad and rejoyce at the reigning of Christ as it follows in the sixth verse The Heavens declare his righteousnesse and ALL the people see his glory ALL without exception which two clauses cannot be aptlier applyed and expounded then by that Rev. 1.7 Rev. 20.1 Rev. 21.1 Christ comes in the clouds and every eye shall see him Christ as the great Angel descending from heaven binding Satan and causing his Saints to reigne on earth New Jerusalem a New Heaven and a New Earth being brought downe from Heaven wherein as Pet. 2 Ep. 3. chap. enlargeth dwelleth righteousnesse But ALL PEOPLE yet never saw that his righteousnesse and glory ALL the gods as in v. 7. all Kings and Princes Potentates Magistrates and Powers never yet worshipped him as Christ but generally in all ages from the Creation to this day have opposed him as such both of Jewes and Gentiles 4 ¶ But all must ere the last judgement either sincerely or seemingly worship him Psal 22.27 28 29. which Psalme is concerning
the whole of Christs passion as it is plaine First by the Title which is of the Canonical Hebrew Text. A Psalme * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning A jieleth Shahar that is the hind of the morning Christ being shut in the grave escaped away in the morning rising from death Secondly by the application of severall passages to Christs passion by the Evangelist Matth. 27. As that of the DESERTION My God My God why hast thou forsaken me v. 1. That of DERISION ' He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him let him deliver him v. 8. That of PIERCING They pierced my hands and my feet v. 16. That of division of his garments They parted my garments among them and upon my vesture cast lots v. 18. Now this Psalme touching Christ though in the first Scene sets forth Christs humiliation yet in the second holds forth his exaltation vers 22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren which the Apostle applies Heb. 2.9 10 11 12. to Christs manifestation of his samenesse of nature with the sonnes of men even as in that nature he tasted death for every man and at last would declare that salvation to all the world which clearly tends to our point And v. 27 28 29. we have the effect of his declaring Gods name to the world viz. ALL THE ENDS OF THE WORLD shall remember and turne unto the Lord and ALL THE KINDREDS OF THE Nations or GENTILES * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall worship before him For the Kingdome is the Lords and he is the Governour among the Nations or GENTILES All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship In all which we see the effect effectuall conversion The Generality and Universality in many ALL 's The time in generall viz. It is to be after Christs suffering upon the crosse The characters eat and worship which cannot be understood of the highest heavens And it hath not been fulfilled on earth according to that effect universality and character from Christs passion to this day Therefore it is yet to be fulfilled on earth 5 ¶ According to Psalme 86.9 ALL NATIONS whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and glorifie thy name A place mightily considerable So that so great a promise and prophesie as this by so great a Prophet as this with such a shrill emphasis in the ALL and in the Act worship and in the degree of the effect to glorifie his name must not bee ended with flams of humane glosses but must be really and truly and fully accomplished though as yet it was never compleatly fulfilled as it will be too late to think of those things at the ultimate judgement when Christ comes not for conversion but destruction Therefore yet before that finall Day of Doome this ALL must bee brought to ALL THAT of Worshipping and Glorifying Gods Name 6 ¶ Just as we have it in that little Psalme the 117. but greatly Prophetical Praise yee the Lord ALL NATIONS praise him ALL YEE PEOPLES * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How shall all these do this unlesse Christ convert all them but those refractory ones whom he confounds Surely therfore this is a Prophesie that God will in time before the ultimate day of judgement convert generally all Nations as Paul extends it Rom. 11.10 11 c. to the coming in of the fulnesse of Jewes and Gentiles rejoycing together as one Church Therefore according to Paul David had a most comprehensive and extensive sense when he spake these things and therefore shall be fulfilled according to its true latitude and elevation without the mincing distinctions of mens braine For a seale of assurance whereof the close of the Psalme hath three weighty clauses First That the MERCIFULL KINDNESSE of Jehovah to the sonnes of men is great Secondly The TRUTH of the same Jehovah is for ever 3 That by faith and hope in that mercy and truth to see these things fulfilled we should PRAISE that JEHOVAH with Hallelujah which is the word of praise all along the Revelation § 2 Having done with the first head contained in the Psalmes touching the universal power Christ shall have over the whole world afore the last judgement though most yet rebell against him Next wee come to the second head viz. The just time when Christ shall attaine this 1 ¶ That place Psal 97.7 Worship him all yee gods the Apostle tells us Heb. 1.6 shall be fulfilled When God shall bring again his Son Christ into the world which place though our Translators render it And again when he bringeth c. as if it were meerly a new proof of Christs superiority above Angels is most truly rendred according to our reading afore set downe againe and againe with reasons to justifie it so that in words and sense it is an Antithesis and Auxesis to the fifth verse thus He saith not to any Angel thou art my Sonne this day I have begotten theee but instead thereof he speakes a thing that doth much lessen the dignity of Angels and more dignifie Christ above them Let all the Angels of God worship him so that the first And must be turned into But proper to the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as there placed and that same Againe is not to signifie another proofe of Christs superiority above Angels but to signifie the time when that of ALL the Elohim Angels and Potentates whether of the Spirits in Heaven or men on earth both Angels and Elohim signifying both worshipping of Christ shall be fulfilled For this hath not yet beene fulfilled as to the ALL of the Magnificents and Great-ones of the earth who contrariwise for the generall have despised if not opposed Christ even as it will bee too late and an unseasonable time for them to do it at the ultimate judgement when no adoration or worship is then received from Christs enemies but sentence is given by him upon and against them The time therefore when this shall bee fulfilled is saith the Apostle in this first to Heb. penned after Christs ascension When God shall bring his first-begotten Sonne AGAINE into the INHABITED WORLD When he brought him into the world the first time by incarnation ALL the Potentates and Angels of men The Scribes and Pharisees Herod and Pontius Pilate the Roman Emperours and Senate of Rome did not worship him but refused him and persecuted him and his members most bloodily for neer three hundred yeers after whom the Arians and next to them the Papacy took their turnes to maintaine that stream of blood running downe to our times But when he shall bring his first-begotten Sonne againe into the world in his visible royal exaltation then they all shall worship him I say as the Text sayes ALL but they that are ruined for their refractorinesse The phrase When he bringeth againe if the Greek word were not of a future sense imports a future thing as the Hebrew imperative Psal 97.7 Worship ye
be changed in a moment in the twinckling of an eye at the lad Trumpet for it shall sound both the dead shal be raised incorruptible and we shal be changed * So according to the best Greek Copies howbeit the common translation holds forth effectually what we intend Saint John in the Revelation tels us that the last Trumpet is the seventh Trumpet according to the many instances wherein God delights in the number of seven so that six as it is exprest in the Revelation sounded afore this and saith That the last end of all is not till the last Trumpet But there is a great intervall and space within the time of the last Trumpet many things being to be done within that compasse so that at the first beginning of the last Trumpet the enemy so falls that the Kingdomes of THIS world become the Kingdomes of the Lord and of his Christ that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Lord his Christ in spight of all enemies and their anger the dead Saints are raised and a reward given to them Revel chap. 11. ver 15 16 17 18. which is a summary preface or a prefaciatory sum to the Catastrophe or upshot of the Revelation to follow unto the end as touching the Saints And in Revel 20. first seven verses is expressed how long this visible Kingdome of Christ on earth shall be and consequently so long is the space of the last Trumpet viz. a thousand yeares But the last end of all the ultimate period shall not be till the last end of the last Trumpet Revel 20. vers 12 c. Now let the Reader compare and consider all that Paul hath spoken in this quotation of and upon the one hundred and tenth Psalme touching the subduing of all things to Christ and the five notes of the time when it must be together with Johns explication and confirmation of Pauls last Trumpet and then let him tell me 1 Whether these things must not of necessity be fulfilled upon the earth 2 Whether these things are not yet to come yet to be fulfilled 3 Whether they must not be fulfilled afore the ultimate end of all when Christ resignes up his Kingdome to the Father 7 ¶ But there is yet one quotation more of this hundred and tenth Psalme insisted upon by the Apostle which gives us further light in Heb. 10. ver 11 12 13. Every Priest saith he standeth daily in ministring and offering oftentimes the same sacrifice which can never take away sin but this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes SATE DOWNE ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD FROM HENCE-FORTH EXPECTING TILL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE HIS FOOT-STOOL c. Two things are here at first sight evident before our eyes viz. 1. That the Apostle quotes the words of the one hundred and tenth Psalme And 2. That the Apostle applyes them to explaine the eminency of Christs Priesthood above the Leviticall in that the Leviticall Priests offered daily Christ but once they oftentimes the same Sacrifice he only once they tooke not away sinnes he did they stood as Servants he sate downe as Lord according to Psal 110. ver 1. Now observe how this suits to our purpose For it is expresse here that Christ did effectually attaine to reigne spiritually in overcoming Sinne and Satan witnessed in making perfect attonement for the sinnes of all that are sanctified and his overcoming death the wages of sinne And the Divel the Gaoler of death by his Resurrection Ascension and Assession at the right hand of God whereby in regard of the place he got above all his enemies And yet for all this to that very houre that the Apostle wrote this Christs enemies were not made his footstoole But saith he still there he sits from THENCEFORTH EXPECTING TIL his enemies be made his footstool as he doth to this day Plainly signifying that Christ must have another-gates Regiment and Government another manner or degree of subduing his enemies then that Which can be no other then a sensible visible subduing of them Which as we on earth expect so he in heaven saith the Apostle sits continually expecting the same For his enemies on earth continuing his enemies under that notion so to be subdued are never subject to him spiritually And further as the Apostle minds us Christ expects that further subduing of his enemies upon his Fathers promise made to him Psa 110. Now at the ultimate day of judgment there is no more subduing of any thing to Christ seeing then Christ layes down all and he the same himself is subject 1 Cor. 15. Therfore this being yet unfulfilled must be performed afore that day and according to the sense of the 110 Psalm of which all this while we have spoken but upon the first verse There are divers other passages more in this Psalme that much concurre to and explaine our point 8 ¶ Verse 2. The Lord shall send the rod of thy STRENGTH out of Zion Rule thou in the MIDST OF THINE ENEMIES Mr. Ainsworth and our New Annotationists parallel this with Psal 2. And withall assert that the Jewish Expositors generally doe acknowledge the second Psalme to be concerning the Messias and infer if that then there is as much reason for this Now as in Psal 2. it is said Christ shall rule his enemies with a ROD OF IRON and breake them incorrigible as a Potters vessel even so in this Psalme it is said the Rod of Christs STRENGTH * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not of authority or power which I should wonder if any dare to restraine to meer spirituall efficacy especially if we heedfully observe that which follows Rule thou as with that Rod * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the middest of thine enemies Now tell me how doth Christ rule spiritually in the middest of his enemies And if you grant with us that a sensible corporal rule must be here admitted then cast about and consider that Christ hath no rule at the ultimate day of judgement 1. Cor. 15. And before that to this day Christ hath not so ruled amidst his enemies in most Nations Therefore it is yet to come afore the ultimate day of judgement Verse 3. Thy people shall be willing or Voluntaries in the day of thy power or Armie as Ainsworth asserts Now Peter assures us that the great day of Christ is a thousand yeers 2 Pet. 3. And wee must of necessity yeeld that this day of power must signifie a distinct determinated time and then to be measured out when Christs power shall most eminently appeare above any former appearance Now whether we take this in a spiritual sense of acting grace after conversion or in an Ecclesiastical as our Annotationists that Christs people shall be assembled unto his Church whose increase shall be as it follows so abundant and wonderful as the drops of the dew falling from the womb of the morning or in a corporal sense that men shall bee willing to pull downe Christs
to compare Dan. 2.35 where all the foure Mettals are utterly broken to peeces and the little stone cut out of the mountaine became a great mountaine and filled the whole earth But I shall God assisting give you a more particular account viz. that both Iewes and Christians do understand the promises in this Chapter of a visible glorious estate of the Church yet to be on the face of the earth before the ultimate end of the world Of the latter sort wee will name onely the famous Piscator Alsted and Heurnius Of the former in briefe thus Their Talmud Gemara Sanhedrim pereck R. Ketina c. assert that this world doth continue six thousand yeers In one it shall be destroyed so as to be purified as gold and freed from the CURSE of which it is said Isa 2. The LORD ALONE SHALL BEE EXALTED IN THAT DAY And R. Scelomo quoting also this second of Isa saith The Lord shall arise and shake the earth terribly in the day of judgement when he shall breake the wicked It is usuall with the learned Iewes to call this glorious time of Christs visible Kingdome on earth a day of judgement not dissentaneous to the wont of Scripture to compellate and compare any great time of Reformation as a day of judgement Psal 50.1 c. 1 Pet. 4.17 And indeed as John shewes us Rev. 11. in the beginning of this most glorious visible Kingdome there is a beginning of the day of judgement in that the wicked alive that submit not to Christ are destroyed and the living Saints have a reward given them together with the resurrection of the deceased Saints which St. Iohn calls the first Resurrection R.D. Kimchi saith In that day in the dayes of Messiah when the Lord shall execute his judgement on the wicked THE LORD ALONE SHALL BE EXALTED Isa 2. The Lord alone shall be exalted saith he is as much as to say AND THE LORD SHALL BE KING OVER ALL THE EARTH We might quote more but for hast and brevity § 4 And this must be IN THE LAST DAYES saith the second of Isa or nearer the Hebrew IN THE LAST OF DAYES or UTMOST END OF DAYES Therefore if the Prophet had looked at no further time then that of Christs first coming in the flesh he would not have called that the last of dayes since which have passed above one thousand six hundred and fifty yeers The last of dayes properly signifies those after which Aeternity next and immediately follows As it doth after the compleating of the thousand yeers of this visible Kingdome § 5 These things being premised let us view whether the promises afore-quoted out of the second of Isaiah have been fulfilled to this day 1 ¶ Surely that in the second verse and part of the third That the mountaine of the Lords house shall be established on the HEAD of the mountaines c. and peoples shall come and say Come ye and let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord c. hath not been hitherto fulfilled and compleated For as yet neither the visible power and glory of Christ nor of his Church so as for Gentiles to say Come let us go up c. hath been established over the HEAD the Pope of the seven Hils of Rome or over the Turk the HEAD of the foure Hils of Ierusalem or over the height of power and glory of the Hils of the generality of the PEOPLES Gentiles or Nations of the world The Church at Ierusalem such as it was in Christs time was in Captivity under the Heathen Roman Empire and so continued till the rise of the Roman Bishops and immediately after that thraldome were subdued to the Turkes who keeps them in that thraldome to this day The Heathen Romans refused at the first the Lord Christ by vote of the Senate and after persecuted his Church for many yeers And the Turks blaspheme Christ in their Alcoran and hath warred against his Church from age to age since their rise And the rest of the world for the generality are Indians Barbarians and Semi-beasts that know neither God nor themselves nor what Christ is nor what a Christian is 2 ¶ Nor was the house of the Lord established in the top of the mountaines that is upon Zion the highest of the foure Hils of Jerusalem For presently after Christs death persecution scattered Christians from Jerusalem Act. 8. And within forty yeers or thereabout after Christs ascension the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed and after a while the City and for about three hundred yeers onward the Church of Christ was extremely persecuted by the Heathen Romans and anon after Constantines time onely excepted or little more they were sorely persecuted by the Arian Hereticks So that instead of all Nations going up to the house of the Lord on the top of the Mountaines for divine worship Christian Jews and Gentiles were scattered among all Nations And though Act. 2. there were a handfull of severall Nations at Hierusalem if they were Gentiles and not rather Jewes yet this was farre from ALL NATIONS FLOWING to it saying Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his pathes For the generality of those very men Act. 2. mocked the Apostles whiles they taught them the wayes of the Lord. And as at Ierusalem so in the Countries round about the Christians were every where persecuted as the history of the Acts doth all along give us a particular account 3 ¶ Nor is that fulfilled to this day which is prophesied in the fourth verse Christ hath not hitherto so judged among the Nations and rebuked many people that they have beaten their swords into plow shares and their speares into pruning-hooks so that Nation hath not lifted up sword against Nation neither learned war any more 4 ¶ Nor hath that been yet fulfilled which is in verse 10 11 12 c. to v. 17. That men have so dreaded the Majesty of the Lord that they have hid themselves That the lofty lookes of men have been humbled and their haughtinesse bowed downe That THE LORD ALONE HATH BEEN EXALTED That the day of the Lord of hosts hath been upon EVERY ONE that is proud and lofty upon all the Cedars of Lebanon and Okes of Bashan that are lifted up upon ALL the high mountaines and hills that are lifted up upon EVERY high tower upon every fenced wall upon ALL the ships of Tarshish and upon all the pleasant pictures to bow down and bring down low all these so that the Lord alone may be exalted in THAT DAY Alas ever since Christs comming in the flesh the whole world generally hath been very high proud against the Lord Christ Antichrist hath been much exalted and the Lord hath been least exalted his Honour his Cause his People have been trampled on In the time of Constantine the Great some little was done in the Roman Empire for a little time for the Church of
Christ but anon Arianisme arose then Papisme mounted up then the Beast did arise The Church is put into a Wildernesse-condition the witnesses prophesie in sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty yeares which are not yet expired for they have not yet laine dead in the Grave three dayes and an halfe 5 ¶ Nor is that in the 18 19 20. verses yet fulfilled That all Idols are abolished that God hath so shaken the earth that he hath made the inhabitants thereof to cast away all their Idols and to hide themselves for feare The Territories of the Papacie extending over France Spaine Italy part of the Low Countries part of upper Germany part of Polonia part of the Indies c. are full of Idols and doe openly worship them as they say in the sight of the Sunne The great shake of these is not till the Witnesses have laine dead in the Grave three dayes and an halfe Revel 11. and then is the great fall ibid. ver 11. and when those things are shaken downe then the things that cannot be shaken viz. pure worship purely Spirituall and pure Saints shall remaine unmoved Heb. 12.27 § 6 Nor can it be rationally imagined that these things shall not be done till the ultimate day of the generall Judgement for then there is no time of establishing of the mountaine of the Lords house upon the top of the mountaine no proceeding of the word out of Zion no running and hiding from the presence of the Lord for the Sea and Grave c. shall give up their dead And all good shall be turned into an eternity of absolute glory Therefore the time of fulfilling of the Prophesies and Promises of this second of Isaiah is yet to come afore the ultimate day of the last generall Judgement * The Diatribae pars 4. of Mr. Mede lately coming forth and come to my hands since I penned this eleventh Section I thought it convenient to insert into the Margine at least his judgement of this second of Isaiah ver 2 3 4. which I will give you in his owne words HILS or MOUNTAINES saith he are States Kingdomes or Societies of men which consisting of degrees rising unto an height one above another are compared unto Mountaines raised above the ordinary plaine and levell of the earth The MOUNTAINE OF THE LORDS HOUSE is that State and Society of men which is called the Church and People of God REGNUM CAELORUM the Kingdome of Heaven i. e. a Kingdome whose both King and Kings Throne have their place and residence in the Heavens These words therefore are a Prophesie or Propheticall promise of the GLORIOUS EXALTATION WONDERFULL ENLARGMENT and UNHEARD-OF-PROSPERITY of this Society of men called the CHURCH above all States and Societies of men whatsoever The glory and EXALTATION is expressed in the word THE MOUNTAINE OF THE LORDS HOUSE SHAL BE ONE DAY EXALTED yee mounted not only above the lesser hill but above the highest mountaine though at this time it were depressed and trampled under foot by the proud enemies thereof The ENLARGMENT is in the word ALL NATIONS SHALL FLOW INTO IT i. e. though at the time of this Prophesie it were reduced to a small remnant yet the time was to come when it should not only consist of one Nation of the Jewes as then it did but of all Nations under the whole Heaven The PROSPERITY thereof begins to be described from these words ver 4. THEY SHAL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOW-SHARES c. i. e though the greatest part of JACOB were already captive and Judah and Jerusalem in a continuall feare and no lesse danger of the Armies and invasion of the King of Babel yet the time should one day come that the People or Church of God should not only be the most exalted state upon the earth and the most ample and universall Dominion that ever was in the world but the most peaceable quiet and flourishing State that ever was since man was FIRST CREATED This is the Prophesie But now comes the Question Whether this as we have described it be and hath already been fulfilled or whether if already any wayes fulfilled whether it be not in part only performed and the full accomplishment reserved for time to come c. For here the Church is to be established on the tops of Mountaines c. so that no other State shal over-top or over-looke it much lesse trample it under feet Now whether there was ever such a time when this was compleatly fulfilled c. I leave it to any mans indifferent judgement who can compare the description of the Prophet with the stories of fore past and present times In the times immediatly after Christs PASSION I think any man will grant the Church then was neither VISIBLE nor GLORIOUS In the time of the PERSECUTING EMPEROURS when the Church had taken foot among the Gentiles and the Nations began to flow unto it it was a Society indeed VISIBLE but not GLORIOUS I am sure it was not in the TOPS of the MOUNTAINES but the Imperial Mountaine of ROME not only over-topped it but over trampled it under their feet In the time of CONSTANTINE and thereabouts after three hundred yeares cruell persecution the Sunne seemed as it were to breake forth of a Cloud but presently that glory was eclipsed and even the visibility of the Church in a manner covered with the thick and a Universally overspreading cloud of ARYANISME This ARIAN cloud was no sooner blown over but another great cloud of that fore-prophesied APOSTASIE of the Church begun to arise whereby the Churches glory was not onely eclipsed but at length againe the visibility thereof wholly overshaddowed with the thick darknesse of Idolatrous ANTICHRISTIANISME untill after a long day of darknesse it pleased God of late somewhat to dispel the cloud c. and we hope when the cloud shall be wholly consumed by the beams of the Sun of the Gospel the Church shall become not more visible then yet it is but far more glorious then ever hitherto it hath been WHEN THE FULNESSE OF THE GENTILES as St. Paul speaks SHALL COME IN. For we shall finde in the Prophesies of the Scriptures that there are two sorts and times of the CALLING OF THE GENTILES First that which should be in the REJECTION OF THE IEWS as St. Paul saith to PROVOKE THEM TO IEALOUSIE Such a calling as should be in a manner occasionall that God might not want a Church the time the Iewes were to be cast out So Rom. 11.15 The CASTING AWAY OF THE IEWS is the RECONCILING OF THE WORLD i.e. The CALLING OF THE GENTILES Whence we may see that the Apostles were not to preach Christ to the Gentiles untill being first offered to the Iewes they refused him And this is that calling of the Gentiles which hitherto hath been many yeares But there is a second and more glorious calling of the Gentiles to be found in the Prophesies of Scripture not a calling as this is
wherein the Jewes are excluded but a calling wherein the Jewes shall have a share of the greatest glory and to have a preeminence above other Nations when ALL NATIONS SHAL FLOW UNTO THEM and walke in their light for the calling of the remainder of the world which is not yet under Christ is reserved for the solemnizing of the Iewes RESTAURATION This is that calling and that time which hee calls the FVLNESSE of the GENTILES conjoyned with the saving of ALL ISRAEL Rom. 11.25 This is that time whereof he speakes That if the present FALL of the Iewes be the RICHES OF THE WORLD and their DECAY the RICHES OF THE GENTILES how much more shall their FVLNESSE be the fulnesse of the Gentiles This is that glorious time which the Prophesie of this text principally if not altogether intended which is not yet fulfilled While the Roman Iron part of Nebuchadnezzart Image stood a stone was hewne out of the mountaine without hands This is the first call of the world hitherto At length the time of the feet of the Image coming that the stone smote them the wind blowes the Image away wholly and there was no more place found for any part thereof which was no sooner done but the stone which smote the Image swelled into a great Mountaine and filled the whole earth This is the time of the fulnesse of Christs Kingdome the FULNESSE of the Gentiles This is the time when THE MOUNTAINE OF THE LORDS HOUSE shall be established on the TOPS of the MOUNTAINES namely when the small stone of Christs Kingdome which is now in being shall smite the brittle feet of the last remainder of the Romane State now subsisting in the Popedome in whom the divided toes of too many Kingdomes are united c SECT XII § 1 THe second place in Isaiah for our Thesis is chap. 9. ver 6. For unto us a childe is borne unto us a Sonne is given and the GOVERNMENT shall be on his shoulders and his name shall be called WONDERFULL Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace Ver. 7. Of the INCREASE of his GOVERNMENT and peace there shall be NO END upon the THRONE of DAVID and upon HIS KINGDOME to ORDER IT and to ESTABLISH IT with judgement and with justice from hence-forth and for ever The zeale of the Lord of Hosts will performe this Of this place we shall speake more briefly § 2 This text is very comprehensive apparently griping within its armes a large tract of Time from Christs Incarnation throughout all the processe of his Government untill the end of the ultimate Judgement as the words from hence-forth and for ever doe expresse therefore the Reader must not hang downe his head poring only upon the Birth of Christ as it is said in the beginning of this text To us a childe is borne but must lift up his eyes to the utmost of this glorious prospect here presented in the close upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdome he shall sit to order it and to establish it c. from henceforth and for ever § 3 It is not worth while for us to content with the late Jewish Rabbins that say this text is meant of Hezekiah we heard but now that the ancienter Rabbins and Talmud and their Targum or Chalde Paraphrase following them are contrary to that interpreting this text of the Messiah as they had an invincible reason so to doe in that the stile given to him here meant is incompatible and inconsistent with any but with God incarnate that is Christ Jesus the true Messiah And as little reason had those later Rabbins to interpret this Text of Hezekiah who was borne a good space of time before the date of this Prophesie yea and divers yeers before his Father Ahaz sate upon the Throne For Hezekiah was five and twenty yeers old at his fathers death whereas Ahaz his father had reigned in all but sixteen yeers 2 Kings 16.2 and chap. 18. v. 2. § 4 Leaving therefore all improbable and impertinent conceits of men let us come to the businesse to finde out the excellent state that shall be set up under the government of the Messiah before the ultimate judgement Our late Annotationists make for me a faire preface meetly conducing to the true sense of the words which we intend That the deliverances say they of Gods people and the pulling downe of such mighty POTENTATES whether SECULAR or SPIRITUALL mark their words may not seem impossible and incredible the Prophet now proceedeth to declare who it is and what manner of person by whom all that hath been said shall be effected even the Messias the eternall Sonne of God whom God shall raise up to be the King and Governour of his Church so they But we have a more sure word to confirme this interpretation Luke 1.31 32 33. And the Angel said unto Mary c. Thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a Sonne and shalt call his name Jesus He shall be great and shall be called the Sonne of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his FATHER DAVID and he shall reigne over the house of JACOB for EVER and of his Kingdome there shall be NO END § 5 Now lay this of Isaiah and Luke together and then read what they spell unto us Namely first That the meaning of this Text is not of spirituals onely but also of temporals The FOR in the beginning premised by Isaiah as a meet inference plainly sounds of a proof in this Text to demonstrate an assurance of the deliverance of Israel as is set forth in the fourth and fifth verses viz. Thou hast broken the yoke of his burthen and the staffe of his shoulder and the rod of his OPPRESSOUR as in the day of MIDIAN * Observe Gideons victories used to signifie this deliverance therefore not onely spiritual c. and it shall be as with battel and blood so with burning and fuel of fire But these words if weighed ** For close to the Hebrew the words run thus For every battle of the Warrier with noise and garments rowled in blood shall be also unto burning and fuel of fire cannot without violence be wrested to signifie only spirituall deliverances as our Annotationists also affirme with us whose words upon the fourth verse are these Having declared the greatnesse of their joy he proceeds to shew the ground of it their deliverance and freedome from the straits and thraldome of their enemies as well CORPORALL as Spirituall Therefore this Text is Gods giving security to his people of deliverance of them from temporall as well as spirituall oppressions troubles c. by Jesus Christ after that he hath finished the workes of his incarnation by passion resurrection ascention and assession at Gods right hand according to Psal 110. of which we have spoken plentifully afore Secondly That Christ was invested with these Attributes and Omnipotentiall Properties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. as it is the Hebrew of purpose to multiply his Princedome and for peace without end The Jewes observe that the close-shut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 mem in the middle of a word as here in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly is a finall letter signifies the stability of the thing spoken of as open 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the end of a word as in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nehem. 2.13 which 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly is a middle letter signifies the brokennesse of the walls there spoken of which observation I mention not as a foundation strong enough for me to build upon but as a sufficient Narrative to declare the opinion of the Ancient Jewish Rabbins concerning the stability of the Messiahs Kingdome Thirdly That the words Princedome Government and for peace and spoken in a way of Prophesie of what should be added to the Church above that they injoyed already cannot but signifie more then Spirituals Fourthly That this is yet more apparent by that which followes both here and Luke 1.32 of the Messiahs sitting upon the Throne of DAVID and upon his Kingdome and to establish it with Justice and Judgement speaking in the phrase of an excellent politick Government It needs not that Christ should sit on Davids Throne and Kingdome to Spiritually governe and keep in peace his universall Church Nor needed there a Promise that Christs Spirituall Kingdome shall be established with Justice and Judgement which are low things to faith hope love joy in the Holy Ghost and the rest of the Graces of the holy Spirit Nor was there need to assert the perpetuity of Christs Spirituall Kingdome that it should be for ever the Jewes having now been a Church so many hundreds of yeares Fifthly The close in a way of Gods great engagement the zeale of the Lord of Hoast will performe this must of necessity signifie something more then the ordinary thing of Christs having a Spirituall Kingdome on earth What need such high words solemne protests and most serious pawning of the zeale of God which is love in a flame to signifie the performance of that which had been long since done and as an ordinary thing was to continue viz. Christs having a Spirituall Kingdome on earth Sixthly Both this of Isaiah and that of Luke 1.31 doth import That after there should be an interruption of the sitting of Davids race upon Davids Throne it should sensibly appeare that Christ should possesse that Throne else why is it here Prophesied that the Messiah shall sit upon Davids Throne and that the Lord God shall give to the Messiah the throne of his father David and promiseth there he shall sit for ever The whole Earth long before Gen. 1.26 c. compare Psal 8. Heb. 2. ver 7 8. being given up to the rule of Christ to be governed by his invisible providence was never interrupted but in all Ages Christ hath continually powred downe his Judgements upon the wicked as Peter proves in his second Epistle Chap. 2. And the Church was also given to him from the beginning Gen. 3.15 compare Rom. 16.20 which without any possible impediment he hath ever preserved on earth in all Ages ever since by his Spirituall power and grace But the Line of Davids race hath been broken off from his Throne as we shall see presently Nor hath Christ been upon it at all in any visible manifestation therefore this last must be a great part of the meaning of Isaiah and Saint Luke as Piscator expresseth it In solio Davidis tanquam haeres regni filius Davidis sedebit Christus confer 2 Sam. 7.12 c. so he And that to be performed for ever that is so as no visible power must reigne after him Seventhly Isaiah Prophesies in the time of the division of the Kingdome of the Jewes into Judah and Israel see chap. 1. ver 1. c. And Saint Luke tells us chap. 1. ver 33. that this must be fulfilled by Christs reigning over the whole house of Jacob which containes all the twelve Tribes made up of Israel and Judah even as according to Isaiah Christ must sit upon the Throne of David who ruled over both Judah and Israel Eighthly That all these must be so fulfilled that Christ must appeare to be wonderfull and mighty and to increase in his Government as Isaiah speaks and to be Great as Luke speakes § 6 Having thus digged into the meaning of the Text let us next lift up our eyes and take a view of all the Transactions of Christ since this Prophesie and see what of this text hath been really fulfilled Surely this text was not fulfilled in the Jewes returne from Babylon for the ten Tribes did not then returne to make up the house of Jacob or the Kingdome of David And besides of that prosperity there was soone an end in the miseries of the Maccabean Warres and the Roman Conquest was over them afore Christ was borne § 7 Nor was it ever fulfilled since Christs coming in the Flesh for he never yet sate upon the Throne of David nor any other deputatively for him of that Tribe the Scepter being then and thence to this day departed from Judah The visible Government as the text imports was not all this time upon Christs shoulders the time was not come as Christ tells us Act. 1.6 7. Act. 3.21 The visible Government since Christs coming in the Flesh hath been upon the shoulders of the Roman Emperour or the Pope or the Turke When the time comes that the Government shall be on Christs shoulders he shall reigne as David as Isaiah speakes and over the house of Jacob as Luke speakes that is over all the twelve Tribes and that for ever that is none visibly ruling them after him But at Christs Incarnation only two Tribes were about Jerusalem and Judea but under the Romans visible Government and for the generall refused Christs spirituall Government Act. 13.46 8 Nor can this be imagined rationally to be fulfilled in Christs Spirituall § 8 government for this Spiritual government if we may so call Christs giving of Ordinances and grace into the heart extending it self equally to Gentiles as wel as to Jewes if not more for these one thousand six hundred and fifty years past to the Gentiles what priviledge or preheminence is given in this to Jacobs House or Davids Throne more then to the houses or thrones of Constantine the Great or Charles the Great or of Edw. the sixth or of Q. Elizabeth or of the Indian Sagamores or of the Turkish Emperours or Grand-Signiours or of the great Chams of Tartar or c. when they or their Nations are converted at the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles Besides who of Beleevers at the time of this Prophesie did not know that Christs Spirituall Kingdome of Grace should be for ever and full of more then Justice and Judgement viz. of all the graces of the
brightnesse of the Sunne shall be nothing to it At which time as it follows the Lord of Hosts in Christ Iesus saith Diodat shall reign on Mount Zion and in Ierusalem types of the universall Church and that in great glory before his Ancientours who were the Church of the Jews by blood as well as by Profession Christ being considered as man as the local circumstance of Zion and Ierusalem cals for that notion § 3 Calvin again cleerly intimateth in many circumlocutions that his sense of this Text is that Christ speaking in the future of time after Calvins time shall establish his Church on earth in a most glorious estate Ego non dubito quin persequatur Propheta c. That is I doubt not but that the Prophet prosecutes the consolation which he had touched in the former verse to this sense or effect when the Lord shall visite his people and shall purge his Church from their filthinesses he shall settle his Kingdome and that so illustrious that it shall obscure the Sunne and Stars with its splendor which kinde of speech is usuall with the Prophets as we have already seen But here Isaiah speaks of the BODY of the Church and not onely of the HEAD Seeing therefore the Lord will ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOME upon MOUNT ZION so great shall be the Magnificence thereof in the INSTAURATION of the People as that the things that otherwise shone in the sight of men shall now be as darknesse Which that he might expresse to the life be names these things that above all are most splendent The word RULING is improperly drawn to signifie Gods vengeance For although God be said to reigne when he acts the office of a Judge yet this speech so comprehending within it concerning THE KINGDOME of God in MOUNT ZION it alwayes hath the notation of mercy and salvation For hee speaketh of the RESTITUTION of the Church Whence it follows that this is not fulfilled but in Christ He making a precise mention of Elders or Ancients useth a Synecdoche which is exceeding usuall in Scripture For he taketh a speciall part of the Church for the whole body of the Church yet not without a consult purpose He calls by the name of Ancients as well the PRIESTS as other RULERS who were chiefe over Discipline and Manners by whose moderation and prudence the rest are to be governed Under their names he comprehends all the people not onely because they represent the whole body as under their shadow the people was covered but also that believers might conceive hope of a future ORDER For otherwise it would little or nothing profit that the multitude should be left dissipated in manner of a dis-membred body or confused Masse Neither is it impertinently added BEFORE the ANCIENTS that the Jewes might know that the power of God should be MANIFEST and ILLUSTRIOUS c. For SO HE REIGNES that wee may PERCEIVE HIM PRESENT WITH US For if it should be beyond our COMPREHENSION no COMFORT would redound to us thereby For GLORY others read GLORIOUSLY others GLORIOUS I had rather take it in the substantive GLORY although it makes no difference in the sense For it teacheth how great shall be the magnificence and glory of God by ERECTING THE KINGDOME OF CHRIST in that all splendor is obscured and ONLY the glory of Christ must be eminent and CONSPICUOUS Whence it follows that THEN at length God shall injoy HIS OWN RIGHT AMONG US and have his due honour WHEN ALL HIS CREATURES BEING GATHERED INTO ORDER he alone is RESPLENDENT IN OUR EYES Thus Calvin whose words and phrases here can bear no lesse then a sense favouring a visible glorious Kingdome of Christ on earth though something of it as he saith must be comprehended by faith above sense To which visibility of Christs Kingdome on earth the correlative in 22 and 23. verses answering to our relative THEN in our Text of punishing the Kings of the earth upon the earth c. doth strongly bear witnesse § 4 Now lay altogether and then judge when was this Text ever fulfilled Surely in a litterall sense as to corporall Transactions not at their returne from Babylon For then the Babylonians were not punished nor put in prison Nor were the Iews in an outward glorious condition but as in subjection still to Babylon and made a scorn by Sanballat Tobiah c. with the multitude of their adherents hindring their building discouraging their work raising lyes laying plots to indanger them So that they were as long neer upon in repairing the Temple and City of Ierusalem and setling the state thereof from the first that they began it as they had been in Captivity * See the book of Ezra Nehemiah and Haggi Nor was this Text of Isa litterally and corporally fulfilled to them at Christs being on earth being then also under captivity and reproach by the Romans †See the story of the Evangelists and Acts. and to this day in the same condition under them and all Nations in the world Nor hath this been yet fulfilled in a spiritual sense from that time to this day in that not one of ten thousand of the Gentiles admired their Levitical glory And their Ancients the Scribes Pharisees Elders and Rulers of the Synogogues and People generally opposed and persecuted Evanagelical glory And though for a spurt some few favoured the Gospel Act. 1. Act. 2. yet by and by they universally Act. 13. fell off from this Glory and so continued untill these our times § 5 Nor can these be fulfilled 〈◊〉 â—ltimate judgement For then Christ RULES not 1 Cor. 15. v. 24. v. 28. SECT XVI § 1 THe sixth place in Isaiah is that which followes at the heels of this viz. Chapter 25. throughout but especially from v. 7. to the end of the Chapter with some passages of the 26 Chapter being also a Song of praise for the glorious state of the Church to be especially those passages v. 14. v. 19. The late invention of Chapters may not hinder our prospect upon the continued sense of this Chapter inseparably depending on the former where in the last verse the Prophet having said THEN shall the Moon be confounded and the Sun ashamed WHEN the Lord of Hosts shall REIGN in Mount Zion and Ierusalem c. explained afore he now begins this Chapter with a solemne praise to God for his preparation to and manifestation of that his glorious Reign To give you the maine passages of the whole Chapter v. 1. O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee c. v. 2. For thou hast made of a City an heap of a defenced City a ruine a palace of strangers to be no City it shall never be built v. 3. Therefore the strong people shall glorifie thee c. v. 4. For thou hast been a strength to the poore and needy in distresse a refuge from the storme a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is a storme against the
on with this that I have now presented before you So that temporall and spirituall deliverances are here conjoyned in one and the same Prophesie to which in the first verse of the next Chapter he annexeth the glory of the Church of Jewes and Gentiles conjuctively of which in the next Section Now this present place the Apostle Rom. 11.25 26 27 referres unto the great call of the Jews upon the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles both making one glorious Church which the Apostle speaks of as a thing to come to passe after his time His words are that ye may see how fully they answer to those of the Prophet Blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles come in and so ALL ISRAEL shall be saved as it is written THERE SHALL COME OUT OF SION THE DELIVERER and SHALL TURNE AWAY UNGODLINESSE FROM JACOB FOR THIS IS MY COVENANT UNTO THEM VVHEN I SHALL TAKE AVVAY THEIR SINNES § 2 Now this was never yet fulfilled as we plainly see by the forlorne state of the Jewes both temporall and spirituall to this day And therefore this Scripture is yet to be fulfilled and that afore the ultimate judgement which is utterly inconsistent with this Prophesie SECT XXIII THe fourteenth place in Isaiah is in Chapter 60 the very next Chapter the summe wherof our last Translators have meetly given us in saying that the Chapter is concerning the glory of the Church of the Jews converted to Christ in the accession and addition of the Gentiles The passages of most concernment to our point are § 1 Vers 1. Arise shine for thy light is come and the Lord is upon THEE v. 2. Darknesse shall cover the EARTH and grosse darknesse the PEOPLE but the Lord shall arise unto THEE and his glory shall bee seen upon THEE vers 3. And the GENTILES shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising v. 4. Thy sonnes shall come from farre and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side v. 5. And thine heart shall be inlarged because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee v. 6. They of Midian and Sheba shall come they shall bring gold and incense and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. v. 7. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee the Rammes of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee c. and I will glorifie the house of my glory v. 8.9 Who are these that flye as a cloud and as doves to their windows Surely the ISLES that wait for thee v. 10. The sonnes of the strangers shall build up thy wals and THEIR KINGS shall minister UNTO THEE v. 11.12 Thy gates SHALL BEE OPEN DAY and NIGHT that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles and that THEIR KINGS may be brought For the NATION and KINGDOME that will not serve thee SHALL PERISH v. 14. The sonnes of them that afflicted thee shal come BENDING unto thee and all that despised thee shal BOW THEMSELVES DOWN at the soles of thy feet and they shall call thee THE CITY OF THE LORD the ZION OF THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL v. 15. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated I will make thee an ETERNAL EXCELLENCY a JOY OF MANY NATIONS v. 16. Thou shalt also suck the milke of the GENTILES and the breasts of KINGS v. 17. For brasse I will bring gold for iron silver c. and I wil make thy OFFICERS PEACE and thy EXACTORS RIGHTEOUSNESSE v. 18. Violence shal be NO MORE heard in thy Land but thou shalt call thy wals SALVATION c. v. 19. THE SUNNE shal be no more THY LIGHT by day neither for brightnesse shal the MOON GIVE LIGHT unto thee BUT THE LORD SHALL BE THY EVERLASTING LIGHT and thy God thy glory v. 20. Thy Sunne shal no more go down neither shal thy Moon withdraw it selfe for THE LORD shal be thy EVERLASTING LIGHT and the daies of thy MOURNING SHALL BE ENDED v. 21. Thy PEOPLE also shal be RIGHTEOUS and they shal inherit the Land FOR EVER i. e. none after them v. 22. the close of all I the Lord wil hasten it IN HIS TIME § 2 Now I put the question to all the Learned and Libraries in the world when was ever any such estate of the Church since the Jewes going into captivity in Babylon If any are so heavy headed as falling fast asleep shall dream that all these passages concerne not a visible glorious estate of the Church on earth or that these all are already spiritually fulfilled let such know that they would be hard put to it so to expound this Chap. congruously and to tell us the time and manner and make all handsomely hang together And therefore St. John a surer Commentator having prophesied in Rev. 20. v. 4. compared with Rev. 5.10 of the Saints reigning with Christ on earth and in the 21 Ch. having given us his vision of a New EARTH and of New Jerusalem coming downe FROM heaven with many more passages of the future glory of the Church on earth of which abundantly afore severall times he goes on in that 21 Chapter to apply many of the passages of this sixtieth of Isa to that future glorious estate of the Church on earth yet to come after the fall of Antichrist which is not as wee see yet performed For example The third verse of this sixtieth of Isaiah but now presented afore your eyes is exactly so applyed Rev. 21. v. 24. And the Nations of them that are saved shal walk in the light of it that is the light of the glory of God and the Lamb as it is in the former verse and the Kings of the earth doe bring their glory and honour into it So that in the 11. and 12. verses of this sixtieth of Isaiah as you see it afore is likewise applied to that future glorious state of the Church on earth afore the ultimate judgement Rev. 21. v. 25 26. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shal be no night there And they shal bring the glory and honour of the Nations into it So the 19. v. of this sixtieth of Isaiah is in like manner applyed in Rev. 21. v. 23. And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the MOON TO SHINE IN IT Mark to shine in it intimating that though those Planets continue in being yet there shall be no need of their shining for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof The same is to be seen in the application of the 20 v. of this sixtieth of Isaiah in Rev. 21. v. 3 4. Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he wil dwel with them c. and God himselfe shal be with them c. And shal wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorrow nor
them again into their folds and they shall he fruitful and increase vers 4. And I will set up shepherds that shall feed them And they shall FEARE NO MORE nor be DISMAYED neither shall they be LACKING saith the Lord. verse 5. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a RIGHTEOUS BRANCH and a KING shall reign and prosper and shall execute justice and judgement upon the earth In his dayes JUDAH shall be saved and ISRAEL shall dwel safely And this is his name whereby be shall be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE verse 7. Therefore behold the dayes come saith the Lord that they shall no more say the Lord liveth which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt verse 8. But the Lord liveth which brought up and which led the seed of the house of ISRAEL out of the NORTH COUNTRY and from ALL COUNTRIES whither I had driven them and they shall dwell in THEIR OWN LAND § 3 Mark now what the Hebrew Doctors and Jewish Rabbins as opposite as they be to Christ in their writings since the returne of the two Tribes from Babylon It is written in the book Berochoth Benzuma saith It shall come to passe that ISRAEL shall not remember their departure out of the land of Egypt in the WORLD TO COME speaking just as the Apostle Heb. 2.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the dayes of MESSIAH by which last clause you may see what the Rab. means by the world to come And saith the Rabbin how doth this appear That which is written in Jer. 23. saith he will prove it Behold the dayes come and they shall say no more the Lord liveth which c. which saith this Rabb wise men interpret thus not as if the name of Egypt should be blotted out but because the wonders which shall be effected in the dayes of the KINGDOME OF THE MESSIAH shall be principal and the Egyptian lesse § 4 Observe next the phrases and circumstances of the place As first That here is mention not onely of Judahs reversion and conversion but of Israels too And secondly that they shall returne not onely from the land of the NORTH but from all Countries whither they were driven which Countries are mentioned Act. 2.9 10.11 and 1 Pet. 1.1 And being compared with ancient and moderne Histories and experience doe shew that they are now scattered into all parts of the world and are so acknowledged to bee by the learned Jew R.M. Ben Israel in his SPES ISRAELIS And thirdly that at the time the Prophet intends there must be a sweet compliance between Jews and Gentiles in matters of Religion And lastly that these things must be when Christ the RIGHTEOUS BRANCH springing from David shall be KING and reign and PROSPER and execute justice and judgement in the EARTH § 5 All which duely weighed doe cleerly demonstrate without multiplying of words that they were never yet fulfilled nor can the transaction of them consist with the ultimate day of judgement And therefore are yet according to the truth of God to be fulfilled afore that day SECT XXVIII § 1 THe second place in Jeremiah is Chapter 30. and Chapter 31. * This 31 Chap. hath been alleadged before Jeroms time for the glorious state of all things in the thousand yeers of which we speak Omnes hujusmodi repromissiones juxâ—a Judaeâ—s nostros Judaizantes in mille annorum regno putanâ—â—â— esse complendae c. Hieâ— on Jer. 31. v. 27. v. 38. both being one continued discourse of one and the same thing as the connexion in verse 1. of Chapter 31. plainly shewes In which are many things which of themselves upon bare reading of them without all glosses shew themselves never to have been fulfilled to this day since the time of that Prophesie For example marke the words well § 2 That in Chapter 30. was never yet fulfilled viz. verse 3. Lo the dayes come saith the Lord that I will bring again the CAPTIVITY of my people ISRAEL and JUDAH naming distinctly both Kingdomes containing all the twelve Tribes and cause them to returne to their own land Nor was that ever yet fulfilled in verse 8. In that day saith the Lord of Hosts I will break his yoke from off thy neck and will burst thy bonds and strangers SHALL NO MORE SERVE THEMSELVES of him but they shall serve the Lord their God and DAVID THEIR KING †The Chaldee is very remarkable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is They shall obey the Messiah or Christ the Son of David their King whom I will raise up unto them Nor was that ever fulfilled in verse 10. Fear thou not O my servant JACOB saith the Lord nor be dismayed O ISRAEL for lo I will save thee from a far and thy seed from the land of their captivity and JACOB shall return and shall be in REST and QUIET and NONE shal make him AFRAID repeated again Jer. 46. v. 27. So many things in the 31. Chapter were never yet fulfilled as all that from v. 1. to 15. concerning their corporal restitution into their own Country and their visible peace and glory there Nor can these things of both Chapters be referred to the ultimate day of judgement as the nature of the things speake loud enough And therefore they are yet to be fulfilled afore that time SECT XXIX § 1 THe third place in Jeremiah is in Chapter 32. verse 37. to the end of the Chapter Verse 37. Behold I will gather them out of ALL COUNTRIES whither I have driven them in mine anger c. And I will bring them again into this PLACE and I will cause them to dwell SAFELY verse 38. And they shall be my people and I will be their God verse 39. And I will give them one heart and ONE WAY that they may fear me for EVER c. verse 40. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not TURNE AWAY FROM THEM to do them GOOD c. verse 41. Yea I will rejoyce over them to do them good and will plant them in this LAND assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul verse 42. For thus saith the Lord like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them c. § 2 Now these things thus spoken were never yet fulfilled since the captivity of the ten Tribes carried away afore this Prophesie or of the two Tribes carried away after this Prophesie they have not been gathered from all Countries into their own land they have not dwelt there safely they have not had one way c. But since the returne but of two Tribes the ten never yet returning Antiochus of Syria and the Grecians and Romans and Turks have by a continuall succession molested them And the generality of all the twelve Tribes are scattered in all Countries to this day The fulfilling of
of judgement as is fully discussed elsewhere in this Volume but do clearly comport with the beginning of the businesse of the great restauration at the generall call of the Jewes See in this third Book Chap. 2. Sect. 37. § 20. ¶ 5. c. So likewise the Apostle Paul applies the phrases and things of this 37 of Ezekiel to the times of the generall call of the Jewes Rom. 11.15 If the casting away of the Jewes be the reconciling of the World what shall be the receiving of the Jewes but LIFE FROM THE DEAD So likewise St. John in Revelation chap. 11.11 to 14 shewes plainly that the witnesses must first rise and then there was a great Earthquake and then the tenth part of the City of the whore of Babylon fals and thousands are slaine which things can have no fellowship with the ultimate day of judgement especially if we marke that the Earthquake the fall of the City and the slaughter are mentioned afore the sounding of the seventh Trumpet Now within the last of the space of which seventh Trumpet fals the ultimate judgement and therefore these things belong to the great restauration at the ruine of Antichrist and the call of the Jewes and the setting up of the glorious Church of Jewes and Gentiles for presently after ver 14 15. the seventh Trumpet sounds and the Kingdomes of the World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ Thus of the places in Ezekiel SECT XXXV Next we come to Daniel The first place in this Prophet is in the second chapter from ver 31. to ver 36. § 1 NOw Mr. Medes lately printed Diatribae pars 4. and his Opuscula and my pen being met I shall give him the way and precedency as glad of such a strongly-learned Captaine to lead me up in the Skirmish for the truth now in hand against the many opposers thereof And the rather because perhaps such are the partiall-personalities that act some mens braines the same truth will be better accepted from his mouth then from mine Quo demum saith he * Opuscul par 2. p. 20. Arg. 2. absoluto c. i. e. The fourth Kingdom or Monarchy according to Daniel is that upon the dissolution and abolition whereof followes the consummation of Christs Kingdom * By Christs Kingdom which Mr. Mede doâ—h â—o often mention in these â—is discourses here quoted in this §. 1. he â—eans as he expounds it in other places of his workes CHRISTS CHURCH as CHRISTIAN or the CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF CHRIST See before in this third book chap. 2. Sect. 12 S. in the large marginal note But the Roman Kingdome being once extinct and abolished the Kingdom of Christ shall be consummated therefore the Roman Kingdome or Monarchy is the fourth The major or first proposition is most evident from either prophesie of Daniel As concerning Nebuchadnezzars dreame thou sawest saith he chap. 2. v. 34 35. untill a stone was cut out without hands and it smoate the image upon its feet of iron and clay so that it brake them to peeces So the wind carryed them away and no place was found for them But the STONE that smote the image became a great MOUNTAINE so that it filled the whole earth That is Daniel himselfe being the Interpreter in the dayes of the fourth Kingdome or Monarchy the God of Heaven will raise up a Kingdome this is that stone cut out of the mountain which shall not for ever be destroyed and which shall not be left to another people as it befell the former Monarchies but it shall crumme and consume all those Kingdoms but it selfe shall stand for ever that is the stone of Christs Kingdome having now for many ages past been cut out of the mountaine of this world at length when the time decreed of God shall come the last parts of this image being cast out and utterly abolished though hitherto it hath been but a STONE and indeed of offence or stumbling shall then grow into an HUGE MOUNTAINE and shall fill the whole earth For the minor or second proposition That the Roman Kingdome or Monarchy being once extinct and abolished the Kingdom or Monarchy of Christ shall be consummated it is easily proved out of the New Testament For by or from the abolition of Antichrist shall the Kingdome of Christ be consummated 2 Thes 2.8 And that wicked one shall be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth and shal abolish with the splendor or brightnes of his coming or as the Syriack shall kill him with the revelation or manifestation of his coming So also it is apparent out of the Apocalyps that Antichrist shall remaine till the sounding of the seventh that is the last Trumpet which once sounding there are great voyces in Heaven THE KINGDOMES OF THE WORLD ARE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST who shall reigne for ever and ever Rev. 11.15 the very same thing which the Angel a little afore Rev. 10.6 foretold That the seventh Trumpet sounding the MYSTERY OF GOD SHALL BE FINISHED as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets But Antichrist was to rise out of the Roman Empire 2 Thes 2.7 and Revel 16. John affirmes Antichrist to be one of the seven-headed beast The foure Kingdomes in Daniel are saith Mr. Mede * Diatr par 4. p. 361.393 twice revealed first to Nebuchadnezzar in a glorious image of foure metals 2 To Daniel himselfe in a vision of foure divers beasts arising out of the Sea The intent of both is by that succession of Kingdomes to point out the time of the KINGDOME OF CHRIST which no other Kingdome should succeed or destroy Nebuchadnezzars IMAGE of MONARCHIES Dan. 2. points out TWO STATES of the Kingdome of Christ The first to be while the times of those Kingdoms of the Gentiles yet lasted typified by a STONF CUT OUT OF A MOUNTAINE WITHOUT HANDS the Monarchical STATUE YET STANDING upon his FEET The second not to be untill the UTTER DESTRUCTION and DISSIPATION OF THE IMAGE when the stone having smote it upon the feet should GROW INTO A GREAT MOUNTAINE WHICH SHOULD FILL THE WHOLE EARTH The first may be called for distinction sake REGNUM LAPIDIS the Kingdome of the Stone which is the slate of Christs Kingdome WHICH HITHERTO HATH BEEN The other REGNUM MONTIS the Kingdome of the Mountain that is of the Stone growne into a Mountaine c. which is the state of his Kingdome which hereafter shall be The INTERVALLUM between these two from the time the stone was first hewen out that is the Kingdome of Christ was first advanced untill the time it became a MOUNTAINE that is when the MYSTERY OF GOD shall be FINISHED is the subject of the Apocalypticall visions Note here that the STONE is expounded by Daniel to be that LASTING KINGDOME which the God of Heaven should set up Secondly That the STONE was hewne out of the MOUNTAINE before it SMOTE the IMAGE upon the
¶ 3. Such a Kingdome is here intended as was to be continued to the Jewes without alteration So the Text it shall not be given to another people from Daniels people But when Christ first came and brought his Spirituall Kingdome whiles to be meerly spirituall he first preached the Gospell to the lost sheep of the house of Israel from whom notwithstanding the Gospell was taken away and given to the Gentiles The which Argument is yet more plainly laid downe in Dan. 7. ver 18. The Saints of the most high shall take the Kingdomes from the Beasts and possesse it for ever and ever To which some answer the words are to be understood of a strange people Whereunto I reply the sence is the same another people or a strange people are indifferently the same sith all were esteemed strangers to the Jewes which were not Jewes Others object it shall not be given to another people because Christ will exercise his spiritual Lordship himselfe To which sence I will subscribe if any shew me who did exercise this spirituall Lordship before the coming of Messiah For so much the words sound That whereas you have been held under the Tyrants of this world thus long upon the recovery of your Kingdome it shall never be resigned to any as it hath been Now nothing makes more against them then this For it our Lord did assume such a Kingdome as was formerly resigned to others it cannot be meant of spirituall regiment ¶ 4. Such a Kingdome is here meant as must answer to Daniels scope in his answer to the Kings dreame But if this Kingdome be meant spiritually only then Daniel had missed the scope much For Nebuchadnezzar had his thoughts busied about the issue of HIS Monarchy according to which thoughts the dream was directed Daniel interpreting it undertakes to resolve him fully For in a word Daniel intends two main points 1. To comfort the Jewes in the losse of their Kingdom liberty shewing that after many changes it should be restored to them againe 2. To convince the King of his Tyranny over them by which his third Heire should be nothing the warmer another should take it from him a third from him and a fourth from him which at length maugre all their despight should be returned to the Jewes in greater glory then ever they lost it Now whether the spirituall Kingdome of Christ â—oth answer this scope or no I leave to the judgement of the godly wise Thus Mr. Huet to whom in the generall and maine I fully consent § 5 Next let us heare Mr. Parker on this second of Daniel The maine controversie saith he in this vision is about the iron feet and legs and the stone that smote them The opinion of some is that the legges and toes of iron signifie the successors of Alexander in the Grecian Monarchy and especially the Seleucidae And that the Stone cut out of the mountaine signifies Christ at his first coming and his spirituall Kingdome But this cannot stand ¶ 1. Because every metall signifies a distinct Kingdome and the fullnesse and complement theâ—eof from the beginning to the perfect end And therefore as the brazen belly and thighes are the whole and perfect Grecian Kingdome so accordingly the legs and feet of iron doe signifie another Kingdome distinguished from the Grecian which cannot be the Seleucidae and other Successors in the same Kingdome For as the golden head signified the whole Babylonian Kingdome and the silver breast and armes the Persian so the brazen belly and thighes the whole Grecian including the Seleucidae and the other Successors For these make up the integrity â—nd fulnes of the Grecian Monarchy or Kingdom as much as the Successors of Nebuchadnezzar make up the integrity of the Babylonian or as much as the Successors of Cyrus doe concur to the perfect constitution of the Persian And so when the Greeke Kingdome is proposed Dan. chap. 8. ver 21 22. it is expresly described as constituted not onely of Alexander the Great but also of the Seleucidae and other the successors in the same Kingdome ¶ 2. This Vision must reach to the last dayes chap. 2.28 which could not be if the legges and feet the extreame and utmost part of the image should end in the Seleucidae for as much as this Kingdome expired before the birth of Christ ¶ 3. Because the legges are said to be of iron in comparison of the parts and Kingdomes going before which were of weaker metals Whereas the Seleucidae and the other successâ—rs of Alexander had not the strength of Alexander c. 8.21.22 Thou wilt-say the Kingdom is represented by iron onely in relation to the Church whereunto it was more terrible then the former I reply 1 As the two first Kingdomes are represented by unequall metalls the first of gold the second of silver to note an absolute inferiority of the one unto the other chap. 2.39 so by proportion the two following of brasse and iron to note an absolute imparity in strength between the latter and the former Wherefore the Iron Kingdome must be absolutely and in it selfe stronger then the Brazen and not onely in respect of particular exercise and imployment of its strength against the people of the Church 2. The Iron Kingdome is expresly said to be as iron because it brused all these that is the former Kingdoms and not onely because more terrible to the Jewes ver 40. 3. Because it is the same with the fourth beast with the iron teeth chap. 7. v. 7. which is therefore so represented because it devouâ—ed the WHOLE EARTH and not the Jewes onely 4. Because Nebuchadnezzar and Haman in the former Kingdomes were more formidable to the Jewes then the Seleucâ—dae And therefore there is no reason that in this respect only the fourth should be represented by Iron in comparison of the former Kingdomes as stronger and more terrible then those ¶ 4. In the dayes of these Kings shall the God of Heaven set up the Kingdome of his Sonne Whereas the Seleucidae and the whole Greeke Empire was utterly dissolved before the birth of Christ v. 44. § 6 Neither can the Stone that smote the Image be Christ at his first coming and his Kingdome immediately following c. for the reasons following ¶ 1. Because the Kingdome signified by the stone must breake in peeces all the other Kingdomes But this Kingdome of Christ ☞ that was and is between his first and second coming was not appointed for the breaking down of all earthly Kingdomes this being the time of the Gentiles Luk 21.24 and for the adversary to reign and for the Church to be trampled under foot Rev. 11.2 ¶ 2. Againe the Kingdome here spoken of doth breake in peeces all other Kingdomes so that those being utterly extinct this alone doth stand in place of them ver 44. Now this state is not to be expected under the Kingdome of Patience or before the fall of Antichrist who fallen the Kingdomes of the earth
And that in Luk. 19. vers 11. c. to 15. He spake a parable because he was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the Kingdom of God should immediately appeare c. And that in Luk. 21. ver 31. When you see these things come to passe know that the Kingdom of God is at hand See what went afore viz. The Sonne of Mans coming in a cloud with power and great glory borrowed from Daniel And that in 2 Tim. 4.1 I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quicke and dead at his appearing and his Kingdom must signifie the same Kingdome that Daniel saw should be at the destruction of Antichrist and consequently the Kingdome of a thousand years which the Apocalyps includes between the beginning and the consummation of the great Judgement By these we may understand the rest Taking this for a sure ground That this expression of the Sonne of Mans coming in the cloudes of Heaven so often inculcated in the New Testament is taken from and hath referrence to the prophesie of Daniel being no where else found in the Old Testament As our Saviour also cals himselfe so frequently The Son of Man because Daniel so called him in that Vision of the great Judgement and that we might look for the accomplishment of what is there prophesied of in him It was not in vaine that when our Saviour quoted the prophesie of Daniel hee added He that readeth let him understand * Matth. 24. ver 15. Certainly the great Mystery of Christ is cheifly and most distinctly revealed in that Booke § 1 Thus out of my great respect to Mr. Medes learning having given him the precedency to speak first I shall limp after and stammer forth my own Notions such as they are § 2 In the second verse out of the strivings of the blustering spirits of ## the inhabitants of the foure quarters of the World in a Sea of Warres there ariseth a succession of foure Monarchies each in his turn ruling the greatest part of the whole earth This order or series of the foure Monarchies began with Nimrod about the year of the world one thousand seven hundred and eighty eight and afore Christ two thousand one hundred and eighty three and hath continued to this day This succession order or series of the foure Monarchies the Prophet according to his vision sets forth in the third verse under the name and notion of foure Beasts Which he explaines in the seventeenth verse to signifie four Kings or Monarches that should arise out of the earth that is by earthly means domineer over the greatest part of the earth § 3 The first Beast ver 4. is like a Lyon that had Eagles wings wherewith he was wont to lift up himselfe from the earth till they were plucked and then he was made to stand upon his feet as a man resting upon the earth and a mans heart was given unto him By all which is meant the Babylonian Monarchy which was strong like a Lyon and had wings of celerity and victory becoming the Assyrio-Chaidean Monarchy whereby it was lifted up to an Imperiall eminency above the generality of all the earth Obadiah ver 4. Jer. chap. 4. ver 13. Those his wings are plucked by Darius the Mede and Cyrus the Persian and so made to stand as a man upon his feet that is was brought down to the common rank of men And hath a mans heart given unto him that is the spirit of an ordinary man an ordinary low boates peasants plebeian spirit not an Heroick and Imperiall § 4 The second Beast vers 5. is like a Beare that raised up it selfe on one side and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth and they said thus unto it Arise and devoure much flesh By all which is meant the Persian Monarchy which was ravenously cruell like a Bear raising up one dominion induring no Mate or Corrivall but subdued first the Medes then the Babylonians uniting all into one Monarchy Between the teeth of his mouth of his desires and power demanding and snatching more dominion he hath the three ribs of the Easterne Westerne and Southerne parts of the world by conquest compare Dan. 8.4 He ariseth and eateth much flesh in his cruell slaughterings and spoilings in pursuance of his Victories § 5 The third Beast ver 6. is like a Leopard which had upon the back of it foure wings of a fowle and had also foure heads and dominion was given to it By which is signified the Grecian Monarchy which was like a Leopard in subtilty celerity and rapacity Jer. 5.6 Hab. 1.8 Dan. 8.5 The Subtilty appeared in the policy of Philip the Father and Alexander the Sonne in laying the plot for this Monarchy slyly occasioning a quarrell to fall out with the neighbour Nations And in the cunning of Alexander in battell that would alwayes fight his supernumerous Enemy in straites where his said enemy might not have roome to bring up more of his men in fight then Alexander on his part could display in battell The swift celerity appeared in that the Grecians under the said Alexander did so suddenly within about twelve years over-run the greatest part of the world as if this Conquerour had flowne upon wings of whom the proverb was He came he saw he overcame And is therefore described in Dan. 8. by an Hee-Goate which skips as if he touched not the ground The rapacity or ravenousnesse to devoure appeared especially against the Jewes the foure heads of this Leopard and their Successors exercising matchlesse cruelty against them and every where as naturally ravenous more tearing and destroying then taking prey For Alexander and the Empire under him being the Body his four Captaines that immediately succeeded him in the Empire were the foure Heads or Rulers Dan. 8.8 and 11.4 Cassander head of Macedonia Antigonus of Asia Seleucus of Syria and Ptolomy of Egypt all possessing Imperiall dignity at once By which this Monarchy became a Monster and monstrous in devouring § 6 The fourth Beast verse 7. is so variously monstrous and strangely different that no naturall Beast nor Name is found meet to describe him onely he is said to have ten hornes and iron teeth to devour and feet to stamp the residue of the beasts under it A strange beast different from all Beasts and all the Beasts but compounded as John shewes Rev. 13. of all foure By this description of Daniel is set forth the Roman Monarchy which according to Daniels words was dreadfull and terrible to all Nations being exceeding strong to annoy them all having such teeth of warre as Scipio Pompey Caesar c. iron victors That addition of nailes of brasse ver 19. signifies their Imperiall Senate and Provinciall Magistrates who held fast whatsoever the iron teeth conquered The ten Hornes are explained by Saint John Rev. 17. to be the character of the Roman Empire and to signifie the ten Kingdomes into which at last it
sate upon the throne to receive the Booke And he is also said to be brought before the ancient of dayes which words saith Mr. Parker untill better light may shine I cannot but conjecture saith he that they doe signifie the Saints who bring Christ neare to the ancient of dayes BY IMPORTVNITY OF PRAYERS for the obtaining of the Kingdome and removall of it from the Beast Whereupon the Kingdome with all the dominion and glory thereof following in ver 14. to the end of the chapter is given to him that is to Christ and his Saints as afore cleared The beginning whereof saith Mr. Parker is at the fall of Antichrist and the setting up of the Throne of Judgement as appeareth vers 21 22 23.25 26. and is absolved in heavenly perfection at the Resurrection immediatly ensuing So he The greatnesse of it is in those words that All People Nations and Languages should serve him signifying that it is the very same Kingdome or Monarchy in place and substance only the quality shall be better and the quantity bigger these words holding forth saith Mr. Parker the universall conversion of the remnant of the earth who at the fall of Antichrist shall be subject to Christ and his Ordinances in the hand of his holy people the witnesses of truth for which cause they are also said to be subject to them v. 26 27. Isa 60.10 12. All that shall withdraw their â—ecks from such subjection shall be destroyed ☞ And this is the first state or rising of New Jerusalem the space of five and forty yeares before its compleating in the resurrection which state is specially described by all the Prophets The description of the continuance of this Kingdom of Christ is that it shall be for ever as hath been afore largely opened § 15 From the whole visionall representation and propheticall Nartative in this chapter Mr. Archers short argument I may call it in matter is considerable especially if put into forme thus Christ the Son of Man must have a Monarchy on earth delivered to him by God the Ancient of daies at the ruine of the fourth Monarchy to bee in his occupation at his second appearance and from thence to the end of the world But this cannot be meant of his spirituall and providentiall Kingdome which he had before the foure Monarchies 1 Cor. 10.1 c. as after the end of this world at the period of the thousand yeares he hath no Kingdom but resignes up all to the Father 1 Cor. 15.24 28. Therefore this is yet to come the fourth Monarchy being not yet destroyed nor Antichrist the main and most part of that fourth Monarchy § 16 Adde for a close of all we shall say upon this seventh of Daniel the resolution and reasons of learned Master Huet upon the scope thereof This Kingdome saith he * Huet on Daniel chap. 7. ver 14. is ascribed to the person of the Messiah which in ver 22.27 is given to and possessed by the Saints It is Christs authoritatively it is the Saints by delegation and ministry And such as rule for God and according to God are said to rule with God Hos 11 12. Rev. 2.26 27. which Kingdome of our Lord is either meerly spirituall and inward whereof he maketh no VICAR saving his holy Spirit and this Regency he reserveth with himselfe as a peculiar Royalty or else outward and mixt partly spirituall in the Ordinances of Worship and partly civill in Equity and Justice according to righteous lawes c. This admits of Deputation And the exercise of it may be ascribed either to God or Man the first and second causes never jarring This is that dominion here mentioned whereof the Iews are deprived by the tyranny of the Roman Monarchy Yet now through the glorious appearance of the Deliverer it is restored to them againe never more to be wrested from them This interpretation the circumstances of the Text confirme 1. It is such a regiment as was resisted by that very People Languages and Nations that after were brought in to serve and obey it upon the violent breaking to peeces of all that perseveringly resisted it But thus the spiritual Kingdome of Christ is not set up Ergo. 2. This Kingdom is such as may admit of humane deputation viz. that may be exercised by the Saints on earth ver 22. Judgement was given to the Saints of the most high and the Saints possessed the Kingdom But Christs spiritual Kingdom admits of no deputation seeing none among men can give the Spirit command the Conscience or move the Will but Christ alone So he I will adde a word and I have done with this Scripture and that may be a third Argument The dominion here prophesied and promised is that which was taken from the Jewes 1. By the Babylonian captivity wherein Daniel and the Jewes now were and in a way of comforting him and them against this their present desolate condition these visions and predictions are given to him and upon his sadnesse at first dark sight of them frequently mentioned in this booke they are further explained to him See more in an exact consideration of the whole ninth chapter of this prophesie 2. By the desolations of Jerusalem And accordingly Daniel sadly complaines in prayer to God in chap. 9. ver 12. That under the whole Heaven hath not been done as hath been done unto Jerusalem And for his comfort it is answered vers 24. That there were but seventy weekes to be determined upon the holy City which now hee understood ver 1.2 that they were neare expiration 3. By the ceasing of the daily sacrifice which is expresly mentioned chap. 12.11 as from thence to begin the account of one thousand two hundred and ninety yeares at the expiration whereof their full deliverance should commence Now observe That therefore the dominion passing away from the Jewes 1. passed away by Temporall calamities as in the captivity and the desolations of Jerusalem 2. By the interruption of outward publicke worship But the spirituall Kingdome of Christ he ruling their hearts by his Spirit and they worshipping him in secret with spirituall worship cannot passe away from a people by those two things But contrariwise as the Jewes were a religious people and the onely Church of Christ many years after the captivity yea and some hundreds of years after their returne till the Apostles times so the Christian Church was most flourishing spiritually when outwardly most persecuted under the ten persecutions and were faine to serve God in secret at dead midnight Compare the story of the Acts with Rev. 11.1 c. and Rev. 12.1 c. Fox Martyrolog Volum 1. all which relate to those times as Mr. Fox in his Book of Martyrs gives us a particular account SECT XXXVII Wherein Daniel chap. 11. and chap. 12. are collated so far as they assert our maine Thesis touching the GENERALL AND GLORIOUS RESTAURATION OF THE CHURCH AND RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS § 1 THat I may
holinesse and the HOUSE OF JACOB shal possess their possessions And the HOUSE OF JACOB shall be a fire and the house of JOSEPH a flame and the house of Esau for stubble and they shall kindle in them and devoure them And they of the South shall possesse the mount of Esau and they of the plaine the Philistims and they shall possess the fields of Ephraim and the fields of SAMARIA and Benjamin shall possess Gilead And the Captivity of this Host of the children of ISRAEL shall possess that of the Canaanites even unto Zarephath and the captivity of JERUSALEM which is in Sepharad shall possess the Cities of the South And Saviours shall come upon mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau and the Kingdomes shall be the Lords In which words we have such a character of the future happy state of the Church on earth harmoniously and beautifully wreathed and inter-woven of Jewes and Gentiles converted unto Christ as yet never was but still lies upon the engagement of Gods infallible truth to be fulfilled For on the Gentiles part here expressed under so many names they are not all to be destroyed but possessed with a mixed cohabitation of Jews according to the aforesaid place of Amos with which is our present collation this of Obadiah that there shall bee a REMNANT of Edom and a REMNANT for so the grammer of the word carries it of all the Heathen among whom and by whom the name of God shall be called upon And on the Jewes part both the Kingdome of Judah now as Judah and Benjamin are called 1 King 11.13 and ch 12.20 because of the mixture of their territories as the Geneva notes well give the reason and also the Kingdome of Israel must bee here understood as sharers in the spirituall salvation and outward happinesse here so laboriously inculcated else why doth the Prophet use one while such comprehensions in words as the house of Jacob and that twise and the house of Joseph Another while such distinctions and discriminations in terms as the captivity of the host of the CHILDREN OF ISRAEL and the captivity of JERUSALEM plainly enough setting forth the two Tribes the ten Tribes and generally the learned agree that both are here understood though severally they fix the footing of their interpretations Oecolampadius saith on ver 20. Duplices facit captivitates c. that is the Prophet makes two captivities For he gives to Israel the space towards the North and then he gives to them that were of Jerusalem that is to the Tribe of Judah and Benjamin that tract which is towards Egypt Mercer hath it over and over that in the 19. verse of this Obadiah is touched the State of Judah and in the 20 verse the State of Israel Hierom saith the house of Jacob signifies Judah and the house of Joseph the ten Tribes And Ephraim the son of Joseph out of which Tribe was the Regality of Samaria intimates that the two Kingdoms were to be again coupled or re-united for the devastation of the Edomites that is as t is generally agreed among the learned both Jewes and Christians those that are incorrigible Antichristian enemies of the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus And then that which is added in the close as the corenis of this glorious internal and externall salvation of all these to be saved that Saviours in the plurall shall come upon mount Zion to judge the enemies and the Kingdome shall be the Lords is of that strength and torrent that it bears downe afore it all limitations of the meaning to their return from Babylon or the incarnation of THE SAVIOUR CHRIST whose then was the Kingdome in kind no otherwise then it was formerly when he ruled the world by his power and his Church by his Word and Spirit whereas this close THE Kingdome shall be the Lords must intend that it shall be answerable to the description from the seventeenth verse downward viz. a most holy Kingdome and withall a most visible outwardly large and glorious Kingdome and that on earth all corporall incurable Antichristian enemies sensibly falling before it Which is not only my opinion and sence of these words Mercer presents to us Ex Lyr. commenting on this Prophet thus much Odium Esau in Jacob in semine perseveravit c. that is the hatred of Esau against Iacob continued in the very seed therefore the overthrow of them is foretold Isa 21.34 Ier. 49. Ezek. 35. Amos 1. Mal. 1. This Prophet doth excellently handle and is wholly in this That as Christ is the Son of Abraham and of Israel and that after the flesh and therefore all indued with the spirit are his Brethren and belong to the seed of Abraham and of Israel so all false brethren that is ANTICHRISTS and Hypocrites belong to the seed of Esau Unto these agrees and suites whatsoever thou here readest against the Edomites Obadiahs Prophecy is smal in bulk great in sence comprehending many things in a few words He prophesieth in the behalfe of Israel against Edom prophesying the subversion of the Edomites and the GLORY of the true Israel the Church of Christ and that he alone shall reigne He saith that on mount Sion shall be deliverance and salvation which are more perfectly fulfilled according to the letter in the Church collected of all the faithfull then in mount Zion because the state of mount Zion continued but for a time but the Church abides for ever which shall be wee are confident more eminently famous in the very land of Israel when Israel in the LAST TIME SHAL RECEIVE CHRIST And their possessing their possessions or that they shall possess those that possessed them as he renders it shall he saith come to passe with illustrious glory after the LAST CONVERSION OF ISRAEL It is some-how fulfilled daily in the Elect overcoming their enemies with invincible patience But it is to be fulfilled more sublimely and gloriously in the judgement when the wicked shal openly before all be judged of the Elect. In speciall the house of Joseph is named albeit it is contained under the house of Iacob least for their worshipping of Calves and their long captivity it should be deemed as rejected Ioseph and Ephraim of which Tribe was Ieroboam are the ten Tribes whose captivity say the Hebrewes is not yet discharged But as it is said in the end of the Prophet Amos in the LAST TIME ISRAEL SHALL BE CONVERTED There are they which by Esau understand the Gentiles and by Israel the faithfull whom I contradict not There were of the Tribe of Iudah and Benjamin among the Apostles But who of the Tribe of Ephraim and Ioseph were among them is uncertaine But they on whom this Prophesie must be fulfilled must be of all Israel converted and the house of Iacob shall be a fire Who can deny this yet to bee fulfilled hereafter Apparently it shall be fulfilled when the world shall be judged For t is impossible that this should be fulfilled seeing as
Sect and was of any Tribe as the Jewes themselves intimate There were two sorts â— Laic 1. Such as taught to write which we call Scribes or Writing Masters 2 Such as drew Deeds and Writings of bargaines and sale which we call Sâ—riveners To both these Psal 45. ver 1. alludes Then thirdly out of these that were most expert there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Kings Scribes which we call Secretaries 2 King 12 10. and chap. 22. ver 1. And 2 Sam. 20.25.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Scribes of the people which were much like to our Clerkes of Assizes for these Scribes were to attend the publicke Courts and Consistories 1 Maccab. 5.42 The second sort of Scribes were Clericks learned men called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Scribes of the Law Ezra 7.6 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lawyers Matth. 22.35 Luk. 7.30 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctors or Teachers of the Law Luk 5.17 Elias must first come he answers Elias truly shall first come and restore all things but I say unto you that Elias is come already and THEY the Iewes led by those Scribes knew him not but have done unto him whatsoever they listed Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of THEM Then the Disciples understood that he spake to them of John Baptist And by Christs speech that generation in which he was borne should bee called to an account for all the blood of the Saints shed by the Jewes persecution from Abel down to the Apostles which must needs include the murther of Iohn Baptist Matth. 23.35 Luk. 11.51 And further the sacred Text doth intimate that these Herodians had held some dangerous leaven of doctrine though t is not there expressed Mar. 8.15 The Assideans were of two sorts the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tsadikim and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chasidim The Isadikim kept close to the letter of the Scriptures and studyed that The Chasidim commonly translated Assidael Assideans studyed how to adde to the Scriptures The Tsadikim conformed outwardly at least to what the law required But the Chasidim would be holy above the Law D. Kimch Psal 103.17 Pirke Aboth cap. 5. The Essenes first Of the Essenes Held many of the Pythagoreans evill opinions as a communitie of goods Aul. Gel. l. 1. c. 10. Laert. in Pythag. Ioseph l. 18. c. 2. They allowed not lawfull pleasures Iustin l. 20. Ioseph de bello l. 2. c. 12. they ascribed all things to fate and destiny Suid. Ioseph Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9.2 They worshipped towards the sun rising Philo. Ioseph 3. bound themselves by oath to preserve the names of Angels the phrase implying a kind of worshipping of Angels Ioseph de bel l. 2. c. 12. c. The Gaulonites Of the Gaulonites who had their name from one Iudas sometimes called Iudas Gaulonites sometime Iudas Galilaeus Ios Antiq. l. 18. c. 1 2. mentioned Act. 5.37 Held first That tribute was not to be paid to Princes as being a badge of servitude Secondly that they ought to call none Lord but the Lord of Lords the God of Heaven Thirdly They forbad sacrifices to bee offered for the welfare of the Roman Empire and Emperour which is conceived to be the reason why Pilat mingled their blood with their sacrifices Luk. 13.1 Oecumen in Act. 5.37 Theophyl in Luk. 13.1 For Pilat was not over the Nation or province of the Galileans and therefore it must be this Sect that Pilat so punished And thus you have had an account of the Iewes corrupting of Religion in Christs time as Iewish And as for Christian religion they did for the generality refuse both it and him Ioh. 1.11 He came unto his own and his own received him not And so they did after in the Apostles ministrations rejecting their Doctrine and persecuting their persons Act. 13. Act. 4. and so saith St. Paul Rom. 11. they are to continue in blindnesse till the fulnesse of the Gentiles shal be come in that then ALL ISRAEL may be saved ¶ 3. For the Jewes victory prophesied in this fourth of Micha it is set forth in the eighth verse c. to the end of the chapter v. 8. And thou O Tower of the flock the strong hold of the daughter of ZION unto thee shall it come even the FIRST DOMINION the Kingdome shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem That is thou must have a flourishing estate at least as glorious as at first in David and Solomons time ver 10. Thou shalt be delivered from Babylon there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies They shall not onely be dèlivered as by a common providènce but shall be redeemed as relating to the fruit of a Saviour Luk. 3. ver 30 31 32. and v. 38. Ver. 13. Arise and thresh O daughter of Zion for I will make thine horne Iron and I wil make thine hoofs brasse and thou shalt beat in peeces MANY PEOPLES And I will consecrate their gaine unto the Lord and their substance to the Lord of the earth So that the Jewes must not onely be delivered from their enemies but must be the destroyers of their enemies that continue enemies and that not of a few but of many peoples Now when ever had the Jewes since their first captivity such prosperity such victory such a Kingdom and such a conquest Ten Tribes for two are still by the Jewes confession in captivity And the two Tribes ever since their first return have been notwithstanding under the power of one Monarch or another by an immediate and concatenaâ—ed succession 1. The Persian 2 The Grecian 3. The Roman 4. The Saracen 5. The Turke So that this Scripture is not yet come to passe and cannot be deferred to the ultimate general resurrection as being inconsistent with that time in most of the branches Therefore it is yet to bee fulfilled afore that time Thus of Micha SECT XLIV Next we come to the Prophet Zephany where we shall insist but upon one place and that is an Eminent one viz. chap. 3. ver 9 c. To the end of the Chapter § 1 IN this place three things are prophesied which orderly laid together doe compleatly make up the maine of our point that yet before the ultimate judgement at the universall resurrection there shall be a most glorious visible Church on earth beautifully woven and integrated of Iewes and Gentiles 1 Here is prophesied the RESTITUTION of the Iewes both in a way of conversion unto God and of reversion into their owne Country unto a glorious Church State 2 The VOCATION of the Gentiles both unto an effectual conversion unto God and a most harmonious union with the rest of the Church 3 The SUBVERSION of the enemies of the Jewes and of the Church of Christ § 2 The first the RESTITUTION of the Iewes as to the first part thereof viz. their conversion wee have it in the 10 11 12 and 13 verses Ver. 10. From beyond the river of Ethiopia
body to which it was united is re-instaâ—ed in another body But Helias is to come not from a departing out of this life by death but from his Translation neither is he to be restored to the body from which he was never exempted but to the world from whence he was translated not by a returning from death to life but by supplement of the prophesie the very same man and he himselfe of his owne name and humane nature When Tertullian saith THEIR Metempsychosis he means the Philosophers to whom he wrote that booke and in particular the Pythagorean Philosophers whom in the context of the fore-cited place hee mentions * Quod dixit Dominus Heli as quidem venturus est re stituit omnia id est eos quos persecutio Antichristi contur baverit August Quest Evang. c. 21. Tom. 4. operum 2. Augustin who was Presbyter of the Church of Hippo about 391. after Christ affirmed the coming of Helias upon the words of Christ Matth. 17.11 because he was to restore the ruines which the persecution of Antichrist should make upon the Church Some of his words are these That our Lord hath said HELIAS SHAL COME AND SHALL RESTORE ALL THINGS that is those whom the persecution of Antichrist shall make desolate Now Antichrist was not risen in John Baptists time and therefore John Baptist could not be that Elijah And in Austins time Antichrist had not done wasting yea the papal Antichrist had not at this time of Austin begun hardly to waste the Christian Church And therefore he so argued for Elijah yet to come †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret in Malach. 4. v. 5. v. 6. 3. Theodoret likewise who flourished about four hundred years after Christ argues for the future coming of Elijah calling him Elijah the Great from our Text in Malachi the fourth upon these grounds That he must teach the Jewes Christs coming and perswade them to be integrated into one Church with beleeving Gentiles Which we see not yet done to this day Mr Mede on Mar. 1.14 15. Diatr par 4. p. 1. c. 4. Mr. Mede likewise is of the same judgement and upon very good reason with the argument whereof he excellently closeth this point thus those words Mark 1.14 15. Now after that John was put in prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospell of the Kingdome of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeve the Gospell I say these words are a narration of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ his first beginning to preach which they describe first by the time when Secondly By the place where Thirdly By the sum of what he preached The time when After that John was put into prison The place where Galilee Jesus came into Galilee Lastly The sum of what he preached The time is fulfilled and the Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeve the Gospell In which Sermon there are also some parts to be considered which we shall more conveniently distinguish when we come to handle it Mean while let us begin with the three parts or circumstances already named in order And first of the first The time when After that John was cast into prison Our Saviour began not his solemn preaching till his Messenger John the Baptist who was sent to prepare his way was cast into prison This circumstance is else-where precisely noted in the Scripture so that we cannot doubt but there is some matter of moment therein For St. Matthew tels us as St. Marke doth Now when Jesus had heard saith he that John was cast into prison he departed into Galilee and then it followes from that time Jesus began to Preach and to say Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand So St. Peter Act. 10. when he came to preach the Gospel of Christ to Cornelius was carefull to mention this circumstance of time as well as the other of place The word saith he which God sent unto the children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ he is Lord of all That word I say you know which was published throughout all Judea began from Galilee after the baptisme which John preached Loe here the place where Galilee and the time after that John had done as in my Text. All which argues this circumstance of time to be one of the marks of the true Messiah as namely that this Jesus was the Lord whom they looked for who was to send a messenger before him the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse to usher his preaching and prepare the way of his Gospell as was prophesied in Esay and Malachi and the Jewes at that time expected Which was the reason of that scruple of the Disciples in the Gospel when they saw our Saviour and Elias whom they supposed should be his fore-runner appeare in glory both together in his transfiguration Why then say they doe the Scribes say that Elias must first come Our Saviour tels them that John the Baptist was that Elias the fore-runner of the Messiah according to those words of his father Zechary And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the highest for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his way Namely as the Angell told him in the power and spirit of Elias Luke 1. For this reason as our Saviour was not conceived nor born till six months after John so he began not his prophesie till John had done that so the Scripture might be fulfilled and John be his fore-runner and the messenger both in one and the other Johns beginning to baptize and his casting into prison was between Christs prophesie and his And lastly to conclude the illustration of this circumstance John was not onely a fore-runner of our Saviour in his nativity and prophesie but also in his passion and suffering For so our Saviour himselfe expresly saith Mat. 17.12 Elias is come and they knew him not but have done unto him what ever they listed even so also shal the Son of man suffer of them Now the observation or if you will the consideration I will make upon this circumstance shall be this If that Messiah according to prophecy were to have a Harbinger to prepare the way for his coming and the holy Ghost in the new Testament thought this circumstance so needful to prove the verity thereof as so curiously to note it in the History of his Nativity Preaching and Suffering It would be considered seeing the coming of Christ is two fold the first and second whether the same prophecy imply not that there should be an Harbinger as well of his second coming as of his first as well an Elias to prepare the way for his coming in glory to judge the world as there was at his first coming in humility to preach the Gospel and suffer for the world And Elias I mean to be the Harbinger of Christ to the Nation of the Jewes before his
second coming as John Baptist was at his first For to the Jews alone is this Elias promised and not to the Gentiles and John Baptist wee know the Elias of his first coming preached to them alone It is well known that all the Fathers unlesse S. Hierome somewhat staggered were of this opinion and why we should so wholly reject it as we are wont to do I can see no sufficient reason For if the Fathers erred concerning the person and other circumstances of this Elias yet it follows not but the substance of their opinion might bee true As we know also they erred concerning the person quality and reign of Antichrist and yet for the substance the thing was true Our Saviour rejected not the tradition of the Scribes concerning the coming of this Elias when the Apostles objected it though it were mingled with some falshood but corrected it onely for they looked for Elias the Thisbite but our Saviour admits it only of Elias in Spirit not of Elias in person so yeelding it true for the substance though erring in circumstance so should we doe in the like case For hee that throwes away what he findes because t is foule and dirty may perchance sometimes cast away a Jewell or a peece of gold or silver so hee that wholly rejects an ancient Tenet because it hath some errour annexed to it may unawares cast away a Truth as this seemes to be of an Elias to be the Harbinger of Christs second comming And that for these reasons First Though the prophecy of Esaias The voice of one crying in the wildernesse prepare yee the way of the Lord make his paths straight alledged by all the four Evangelists and by John himselfe seems appliable onely to the first coming of Christ yet the other out of Malachi expresly quoted by St. Marke and by our Saviour Mat. 11 though elsewhere alluded unto seemes by Malachi himself to be applyed not onely to the first coming of Christ but also to his second coming to judgement For in his last chapter speaking of the coming of that day which shall burne like an oven wherein all the pround yea and all that doe wickedly shall be as stubble and it shall burne them up leaving neither root nor branch c. he addeth Behold saith the Lord I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of that great and terrible day of the Lord and he shall turn or restore the heart of the fathers to their children and the heart of the children to their fathers lest I come and smite the earth with a curse If you wil not admit the day here described to be the day of judgement I know scarce any description of that day in the old Testament but we may elude For the phrase of turning or as I had rather translate it restoring as the LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers the meaning is that this Elias should bring the refractary and unbeleeving posterity of the Jewish nation to have the same heart and mind their holy Fathers and Progenitors had who feared God and beleeved his promises that so their Fathers might as it were rejoyce in them and own them for their children that is he should convert them to the faith of that Christ whom their Fathers hoped in and looked for lest continuing obstinate in their unbeliefe till the great day of Christs second coming they might perish among the rest of the enemies of his kingdome Therefore the Son of Syrach in his praise of Elias the This bite paraphraseth this place after this manner who wa st ordained saith he an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or type for so it may bee turned for the times to come to pacifie the wrath of the Lords judgement before it breake forth into fury and to turne the heart of the Father unto the Son and to restore the tribes of Israel Eccles 48.10 which explication also the Angel warranteth Luke 1.17 in his message to Zachary concerning his sonne He shall goe saith he before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias to turne the hearts of the Fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdome of the just this is instead of reducing the hearts of the children to the Fathers to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. For the better understanding of this first reason we must know that the old Prophets for the most part spake of the coming of Christ indefinitely and in generall without that distinction of first and second coming which we have more clearly learned in the Gospel For this reason those Prophets except Daniel who distinguisheth those comings and the Gospel out of him that speake of the things which should be at the coming of Christ indefinitely and all together we who are now more fully informed by the revelation of his Gospel of this distinction of a two-fold coming must apply each of them to its proper time Those things which befit the state of his first coming unto it and such things as befit the state of his second coming unto his second And that which befits both alike as this of an Harbinger or Messenger may be applyed to both My second reason for the proofe hereof is from our Saviours own words in the Gospel Mat. 17.10 11. where his Disciples immediatly upon his transfiguration asking him saying Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come Our Saviour answers Elias truly shall first come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and shall restore all things These words our Saviour spake when John Baptist was now beheaded and yet speakes as of a thing future 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elias shall come and shall restore all things How can this be spoken of John Baptist unlesse he be to come again Besides I cannot see how this restoring of all things can be verified of the ministery of John Baptist at the first coming of Christ which continued but a very short time and did no such thing as these words seeme to imply for the restoring of all things belongs not to the first but to the second coming of Christ if we will beleeve St. Peter in his first Sermon in the Temple after Christs ascension Acts 3.19 where he thus speakes unto the Jewes Repent saith he and bee converted for the blotting out of your sins that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you whom the heavens must receive untill the times of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began The word is the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the time of restoring all things be not til the second coming of Christ how could John Baptist restore all things as his first If the Master come not to restore all things at his first surely his harbinger
reserventur Quomodo autem vas fict le testâ—ceum si â—tactum â—uâ—â— it in actiquam speciem non potest reformari siâ— et populus Judaeorum Hierusalem subversa statum pristinum non habebune Hieronymus in Iâ—rem 19.10 This is evidently spoken not of the Babylonian but of the Roman captivity for after the Babylonians both the City is rebuilt and the people brought back to Judea are restored to their ancient abundance but after the Captivity that happened under Vespasian and Titus and after that under Hadrian the ruines of Jerusalem shall remaine unto the end of the world although the Jewes imagine that a golden and gemmed Hierusalem shall be restored unto them and that againe they shall have oblations and Sacrifices and the marriages of Saints and the Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour upon earth Which things though we follow not their opinion yet wee cannot condemn because many Ecclesiasticall men and Martyrs have said the same And let every one abound in his owne sence and all bee reserved to the judgement of the Lord. But looke how a Potters vessell of earth if broken cannot be againe formed into its former shape so the people of the Jewes and the City of Jerusalem being subverted they shall never have their ancient state Thus Jerom in which words observe 1. That all we asserted in the former § is here represented to a syllable before your eyes 2. That his argument he urgeth against the Jewes restauration after their Romish destruction is as weake as the earthen bottle whereof hee makes the foundation of it For he overstretcheth the Prophets comparison who therein intended onely a totall or universall dispersion of the Jewes but not a finall destruction this selfe-same Prophet else-where and of the rest the most in all the old Testament as we have largely discussed prophesying and describing to the life the glorious restauration of the Iewes yea and of the Israelites too And as Ierom formally urgeth the argument hee doth seem to ground himself upon the impossibility of that restauration as of re-forming a broken earthen bottle and so with a by-blow smites our hope of the resurrection because that may seem to men impossible But beleevers must not goe upon that ground in dispute It is a like easie for God to doe as to say witnesse his fiat let it be so in the creation Yea the comparison it selfe prompts a possibility and probability that as after a broken earthen bottle is mellowed and mouldered againe into clay may be new formed into a bottle so after the deep desolations of the Jewes they shall be restored againe as the Prophet Daniel chap. 12. v. 2. gives it us in a like comparison and the Apostle after him Rom. 11. v. 15. viz. of bodies turned to dust or clay reviving to life which metaphors are higher then the new-forming of an earthen broken bottle ¶ 2. Collate with Jeromes words the words of that most ancient pious and learned Justin Martyr in his very discusse of the future glorious restauration of the Jewes and of the universall Church and that in his Dialogue with Tryphon the Iew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Justin Mart. in Dialog cum Tryph. p. 340. Edâ—t Graec. Lat. Paâ—is A. D. 1636. and we shall find that Ierom did wrong in saying they expected again Iewish Oblations and Sacrifices Iustin Martyrs words are these For he is the excellent cheife Priest and eternal King CHRIST himself as the Sonne of God in whose coming again ye may not think that Isaiah or others of the Prophets did teach that the Sacrifices of blood or Oblations should be offered upon the Altar but true and spirituall praises with thanksgivings For indeed we doe not in vaine hope in him neither are we seduced from those that so teach Thus Justin In which words you see clearly the opinion of the religious learned Ancients Jewish Prophets c. of whom Justin speakes in the Plurall that their opinion yea and faith and hope was contrary to the sence that Jerom would put upon them ¶ 3. Jerom himselfe hath confest the same sence with us of divers places before alleadged for our opinion as on Hos 3.4 Book 3. chap. 2. Sect 39 on Mat. 11.14 on Mat. 17.14 c. Book 3. cha 2. Sect. 51. Margent and else-where ¶ 4. Hear Mr. Medes answer to all Ieroms speeches against us on those places of Scripture afore quoted § 1. Sed fidem tuam Hieronyme qui cum Dionysio tuo Alexandrino c. i. e. But O thy faithful dealing O Ierom who together with thy Dionysius Alex. doe fasten upon the opinion of the Millenaries that the injury of circumsicion the blood of Sacrifices and the rest of the legal Ceremonies are againe to be restored after their supposed death Indeed those things which Iewes or perhaps Hereticks out of Iudaisme dreamed concerning their Millenarie you odiously dash upon the Christians But hath this becommed your candor Yea thou Ierom no more but thy selfe being judge dost bewray thy crimination to be false For so thou writest on Jer. 19.5 Post captivitatem quae sub Vespasiano that is After the captivity which happened under Vespasian and Titus and after under Hadrian the ruins of Hierusalem are to continue to the end of the world albeit the Jews do thinke that there shall be restored unto them a golden and gemmed Hierusalem and that again ethere shall be oblations and sacrifices and the marriages of the Saints and the Kingdome of the LORD our SAVIOUR upon earth which although we follow not yet we cannot condemne because many Ecclesiasticall men and Martyrs have so said These are thy word O Jerome But prethee tell me did those Ecclesiasticall men and holy Martyrs say that circumcision and sacrifices should at the time of Christs Kingdom be restored take heed of saying so For certainly they taught the contrary as may be confirmed out of Justin Martyrs Dialogue with Trypho c. or if thou hadst certainly known they had so beleeved wouldst not thou have condemned them without any demur Thus Mr. Mede SECT III. Of the words of GAIUS seconded by DIONYSIUS ALEXANDRINUS both falsly fathering our opinion upon CERINTHUS and injuriously mingling therewith such impieties as our souls abhorre yet so far credited by EUSEBIUS PAMPHYLIUS therein too credulous as that they are alleadged by him for history without putting any check upon them * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Euseb Pamphil. lib. 3. cap. juxta Graec. 26. 27. juxta laâ—motas in Irenaeo juxta Aug. cap. 24 25 In the discusse whereof our Opinion of the THOUSAND YEARS is VINDICATED from VOLUPTUOUS CHILIASME THE whole story is this About the same time viz. of the Sect of the Ebionites we learne that there was one Cerinthus an Author of another Heresie Gaius whose words we have aforealleadged in the controversie carryed about in his name writeth thus of him CERINTHUS also by revelations written as of a great Apostle brought
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet sometimes they render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the earth some-times 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which is under heaven Therefore with the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the earth and that which is under the heavens If this suffice not we may yet consider that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a participle of the feminine gender and therefore understands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the earth which is inhabited Lastly wheresoever elsewhere this word is found in the New Testament it is most expresly used of the earth and inhabitants thereof In the beginning of this Epistle we reade Thou Lord in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the heavens are the workes of thine hands Mat. 24.14 This Gospel of the kingdome shall be preached 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 over all the earth and then shall the end come Luke 2.3 Then went a decree from Augustus that all the world should be taxed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The rest behinde are farre more expresse but I leave them to your owne leisure and will onely adde this one thing that our English rendring in this place of the Hebrewes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the world to come makes it not only ambiguous but seeming to meane the Kingdome of glory But we shall finde that the world in that sense is alwayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but no where in all the Bible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And so I leave this with submission to the judgement of others My next reason shall be from that we read in the Revelation where the Church by the conquest of Michael set free from the Dragons fury is said to escape into the wildernesse that is into a state though of safety peace and security yet of hardship misery and scarcity for it seemes to bee an allusion to the Israelites escaping the tyranny of Pharaoh by going into the wildernesse In this wildernesse or place of hardship scarcity misery and much affliction the Church must remaine saith St. John a time times and halfe a time or as he elsewhere speaketh 1260. daies that is a yeare yeares and halfe a yeare and when this time shall be expired that is as learned Divines thinke when so many years shall be ended as those dayes are taking the beginning of our reckoning from Michaels Trophee then saith our Apostle◠shall the kingdomes of the world become the kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shal reigne for ever and ever Rev. 11.15 Whereby it should seeme that the Church is yet in the Wildernesse and that the promised happinesse of the ample and flourishing glory thereof before the end of the world is yet to come My last reason shall bee from Rom. 11. where St. Paul speaking of the future restoring and calling of the Jewes saith it shall be when the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in I would not saith he that yee should be ignorant of this Mysterie c. ver 25. Now because the Jewes are not yet called it followeth that the fulnesse of the Gentiles is yet to come and what should then this fulnesse be but the fulnesse of the Gospels extent over all the nations of the world which our Apostle ver 15. calls life from the dead for if the casting away of the Jewes be the reconciling of the world what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead As if the Church of the Gentiles were as yet halfe dead if it be compared with that glorious vigour and accession which shall come unto it when the Jewes shall be againe received into favour In briefe the fulnesse here spoken of is either a fulnesse of grace a fulnesse of extent or a fulnesse of time A fulnesse of time onely it cannot be because our Apostle saith this fulnesse shal enter in namely shall enter into the Church of Christ but this I see not how it can be spoken of a period of time As for a fulnesse of grace and spirituall gifts that was greater when St. Paul spake then ever it was since and therefore if it be meant it must be yet to come And for the fulnesse of extent it was as large for the number of Nations in the Apostles times as it is now in ours for as for the American Christians they are onely so in name being forced only to seeme so by the Spaniards whatsoever fulnesse then the Apostle here meaneth is yet to come I will adde only one thing more and so end this point some thinke that St. Paul in this place hath reference unto that speech of Christ Luke 21.24 where he foretels That the Jewes should fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all nations and Jerusalem should be trodden downe of the Gentiles untill the times of the Gentiles should be fulfilled or accomplished But it seemes to me that the fulness of the Gentiles and the fulfilling or accomplishment of their times should not be the same howsoever they may be co-incident It should rather seeme that our Saviour hath reference as to a thing knowne unto the Prophecy of Daniel where the times of the Gentiles or the times wherein the Gentiles should have dominion with the misery and subjection of the Jewish Nation are set forth in the vision of a four-fold image and foure beasts which are the foure Monarchies the Babylonian Persian Greek and Roman The first began with the first captivity of the Jewish Nation and through the times of all the rest they should be in subjection or in a worser estate under them But when their times should be accomplished then saith Daniel The Saints of the most high God shall take the kingdome and possesse the kingdome for ever and ever that is there shall be no more kingdomes after it but it shall continue as long as the world shall endure Three of these Monarchies were past when our Saviour spake and the fourth was well entred If then by Saints there are meant the Jewes which we know are called the holy people in that sense their country is called the holy Land and their City in the Scripture the holy City viz. relatively then is it plaine enough what Daniels and our Saviours words import namely a glorious revocation and kingdome of the Iewes when the time of the fourth Monarchy which then remained should bee expired and accomplished But if here by the Saints of the most High are in generall meant the Church yet by co-incident of time the same will fall out on the Iewes behalfe because St. Paul saith that at the time when the fulness of the Gentiles shal come in the Iew shall be againe restored For a conclusion the last limbe of the fourth Monarchy is in Daniel The horne with eyes which spake proud things against the most High which should continue a time times and halfe a time
that is a yeare yeares and halfe a yeare In the Revelation it is the beast with so many heads and horns full of names of blasphemy which was to continue forty two moneths the same period with the former which was expressed by times and yeares and the same time with 1260. dayes of the Churches remaining in the Wildernesse When these times whatsoever they be shall be ended then is the period of the times of the Gentiles and of the Jewes misery whereto our Saviour seemes to referre in the Gospel Then by St. Paul shall the fulnesse of the Gentiles enter in Then saith St. John shall the kingdomes of the earth be the Lords and his Christs Then saith Daniel in the former place chap. 7. shall the kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the kingdome under the whole heaven be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose kingdome is an everlasting kingdome and all dominions shall serve and obey him SECT II. The second place in the New Testament is Luke 1. ver 31 32. And behold thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus And he shall be GREAT and shall be called the sonne of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the THRONE of his FATHER DAVID and he shall reigne over the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end § 1 ON which words observe first that this place is taken out of Isa 9.7 before discussed * of giving to Christ the throne of his father David which is not yet fulfilled For Pag. 182. l. 3. chap. 2. Sect. 12 S. 5. c. § 2 Observe secondly That Christs coming in his Incarnation was a state of the greatest humility that could be Phil. 2.7 8. and that from his birth to his ascension saving but to a few radiating for a minute in his transfiguration to three of the Apostles Matth. 17.1 and his appearing to the rest of his Disciples after his Resurrection and ascending up in their sight Acts 1. And therefore though these words are spoken by the Angel upon occasion of his Incarnation yet are they not applied by the Angel adequatly to set forth his state of Incarnation but rather antithetically extended to carry the minde of Mary c. farre further as thus That though this Jesus shall be conceived in thy wombe a meane woman in comparison of the visible glory of the royall races of Princes yet this Iesus shall be no meane person but shall be GREAT and shall bee called the SON OF THE HIGHEST and shall have the THRONE of his father David and shall REIGNE over the house of JACOB for ever c. which things were never fulfilled all the time of his Incarnation to the day of his Ascension Nor was that the time so much as of the full revelation of them but when the Apostles taking hint from these words of the Angel and the like places of Scripture asked our Saviour Acts 1.6 a little before he ascended Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome to ISRAEL comprehending all the twelve Tribes as doth the house of Iacob in the text our Saviour denied not the thing but the revelation of it that time saying vers 7. It is not for you viz. now the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. are in the present tence to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power But about seventy yeares after that his ascension God gave the full revelation of it to Christ to shew it by an Angell unto John who might write it to the Churches Revel 1.1 so that § 3 Observe in the third place that at Christs first coming viz. in all the time of his Incarnation from his Birth to his Ascension he was not in the throne of his father David he was in the Manger in the Mountaines more destitute then the Birds and Foxes in a Crowne of Thornes in garments of scorne on the Crosse in the Grave and at last in Heaven but never all that time in the Throne of David The Romans all that time and divers hundreds of yeares after reigned over the Jewes Christ not having any thing of Davids visible corporall government which was the notion of Davids government the High-Priest bearing that which outwardly might be called Spirituall yea when it was offered unto Christ to be made a King and to divide the portions between the Brethren he refused it Therefore § 4 Observe fourthly That the beginning of that Kingdome of Christ which shal be for ever that is after which no Kingdom on earth succeeds as often hath been expounded was not yet begun For after Christs ascension from that day to this other Kingdomes on earth over the Jewes did succeed viz. the Romans Sarazens and Turkes Why the meere spirituall Kingdome of Christ cannot be here understood we have already given unanswerable reasons as we conceive afore when wee parallel'd this place with Isa 9.7 * Pag. 184. l. 1. and why this Kingdome cannot be in Heaven at the ultimate end of the world the reason is at hand because then Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to God the Father when he shall have put downe ALL rule c. and the sonne himselfe shall be subject to him c. SECT III. The third place in the New Testament for the said visible glorious state of the Church on earth yet to come before the universall Resurrection is in Luke 21.24 And they the Jews shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall bee trodden downe of the Gentiles untill the times Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opportunities of the Gentiles be fulfilled Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filled up OBserve first that our Saviour speaking of the two Tribes that had been now returned from Babylon above five hundred years that they shall be led away captive in all nations must of necessity meane another and a more dispersing captivity following that which was begun by Titus Sonne of Vespasian the Roman Emperour burning both Temple and City selling an hundred thousand Jewes besides the slaughter of eleven hundred thousand about forty yeares after the ascension of Christ as Bucholcerus and Josephus affirme prosecuted by Aelius Adrianus the Roman Emperour about an hundred yeares after Christs ascension at which time the said Aelius Adrianus buried Jerusalem in its own rubbish and gave it to other Nations and Gentiles to inhabite calling it after his own name Aelia promoted yet further by the Saracens making feareful desolations in Judea about a thousand and nine yeares * So Bucholcerus Ind. chron after the Incarnation of Christ and at last this scattering of those two Tribes into all Nations is perfected by the Turkes dominion over them from about the yeare one thousand three hundred after the Incarnation of Christ to this day whereby they are dispersed as our
and for Christ that he hath appointed to them a kingdome yea HIS kingdom ver 29 30 with which let the studious reader diligently compare Revel 11.18 Rev. 20.4 which tribulations or temptations all Converts that live on earth to any maturity of age to professe their godlinesse in life and conversation doe more or lesse undergoe on earth Act. 14.22 And therefore it is here promised that they shall be rewarded on earth as we have and shall abundantly demonstrate But if there be no such estate to be fulfilled upon earth but only a state of glory in the supreamest Heaven then all the Elect dying in their infancy to whom also the Kingdom of Heaven belongs Mark 10.14 who never indured any temptations c. shall have as much priviledge viz. the fulnesse of ultimate glory as those that have indured most and longest in temptations which seems contrary to the Text which holds forth a peculiar eminent prerogative to them that indure temptation with and for Christ compare Rev. 20.4 ¶ 2. Christ appoints unto them a kingdome as his father appointed unto him a kingdome But the father appointed unto Christ no kingdome in ultimate glory in the supreamest heavens which as on all hands t is agreed followes the ultimate judgement for then and there Christ layes downe all his Kingdomship Kingship or reigning 1 Cor. 15.24 28. And it is most improper to say the Saints the Members reigne when and where the head Christ himselfe a◠Christ doth not reigne Besides reigning in and over a Kingdome implies by an inference from relations that some are subjects to them in that Kingdome being brought under subjection to them but in the highest heaven there is nothing made subject to them If the Angels ministration be not at an end when the Church is perfected in glory yet they are said only to be servants for the Church but not subject under the Church at their command being subject under Christ alone Heb. 1.6.13 14. But if Christ according to that fore-quoted place 1 Cor. 15.24.28 doth then lay downe all his power and authority we cannot understand how the service of Angels should be thence-forward continued but in the glorious estate on earth the Saints have all the Creatures and men that truly beleeve not subject to them according to the many Prophesies afore alleadged and opened As for the Spirituall Kingdome of Christ beleevers were in that in all ages by past and therefore that could not be the meaning of this Promise and Prophesie given forth by our Saviour in this text Besides the Spirituall kingdome of Christ is the kingdome of patience as Saint John often intimates where the Saints indure those temptations Christ mentions and so cannot signifie the kingdome of reward which Christ promiseth to that induring ¶ 3. Eating and drinking are unsuitable expressions to signifie supernall eternall ultimate glory but very suitable to expresse Christs glorious Kingdome ou earth yet to come as we have before opened * Book 2. ch 2. sect 5. p. 91. ¶ 4. By the order of the words the Saints must first be in the Kingdome and then sit on Thrones and judge the Tribes of Israel But in the Spirituall kingdome of Christ they had not so done nor doth Christs speech relate to past but future and in the supreamest ultimate glory there is nothing to be judged neither persons nor things ¶ 5. Christ promising emphatically that the Saints should sit on Thrones in HIS Kingdome cannot be applied to the supreamest ultimate glory in which Christ hath no Kingdome but layes downe all 1 Cor. 15.24 25. Therefore this Kingdome here meant is yet to come before the ultimate Judgement and the state of glory is to succeed that SECT V. The fifth place in the New Testament is Acts 1.6 7. When they were come together they asked of him saying Lord wilt thou at this time restore againe the Kingdome to Israel And he said unto them it is not for you to know or as it is in the Greek it is not of you to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power § 1 WHat formerly hath been spoken on this text by others see before in Page 33. § 3. where they assert that the Kingdome here enquired after signifies a Kingdome to be on earth after Christs resurrection afore the ultimate Judgement § 2 And see it plainly in the text that though Christs Spirituall kingdome in the height of it by John and Christs ministry in a New Testament exaltation had been now in being these four yeares past before the putting of the question in the text and the Apostles were fully informed of the state of ultimate glory by the tenor of all the Scriptures yet they expect another kingdome viz. one to be restored to ISRAEL yea to the TWELVE Tribes of Israel for as much as at present only the two Tribes were at and about Jerusalem and they under the power of the Romans the other ten being in captivity in forreigne Nations § 3 Note further that Christ doth not deny the thing but only the manifesting of it and at this time even as he speakes in the present tence IS not not it SHALL not § 4 And therefore the Apostles then present were not by this beaten off from expecting it but rather went on preaching it Acts 3.21 largely opened afore pag. 96. Sect. 7. pag. 165. ¶ 3. and 2 Pet. 3. discussed Book 3. chap. 2. sect 51. § 2. § 5 Yea in processe of time after Christs ascension Christ did fully reveale to John the Apostle in severall Visions the thing and the time thereof Revel 1.1 the particulars whereof wee have abundantly discussed upon several Chapters of that revelation * See before on Revel 20. in 1 Booke 3 chap. Sect. 1 2 3. 4th on Rev. 1. p. 80 c. on Rev. 5. p. 73 c on Rev. 7. p. 204. on Rev. 9. p. 49. 87. on Rev. 10. p. 67. 96. on chap. 11. p. 58. 72 91. on chap. 12. p. 94. on chap. 13. p. 87. on chap. 14. p. 67 73 74. on chap. 16. p. 309. on chap. 17. p. 88 c. on chap. 18. See Book 3. c. 2. S. 45. S. 3. P. 4. on chap. 19. See p. 62. 74. 89. 56. 58. on chap. 20. See again p. 116 c. p. 55 56. 66 c. 226. on chap. 21. See p. 116. on chap. 22. see p. 94. and see after in this third Book Chap. 4. Sect. 12. and shal more hereafter ** Lastly if Christ had here meant either his Spirituall kingdome or the kingdome of ultimate glory he would not have been shye to declare those unto them having been alwayes free to preach and manifest them from time to time to all his Disciples See John 14. c. to the end of the seventeenth Chapter and often elsewhere SECT VI. The sixth place in the New Testament is Rom. 11.25 26 27. vers
certain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formes of Ecclesiastical doctrines according to which all Teachers in the Church were to frame their discourse and direct their opinions Some of these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Formes of Ecclesiastical doctrine are recorded by Gelasius Cyzicenus in his Historiâ Actorum Concilii Niceni History of the Acts of the Council of Nice Amongst these there is this Forme for the Doctrine of the state of the Resurrection * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cap. 7.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pâ— 27.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 5.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—â—a 26.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The world was made more minute or lesse i.e. imperfecter or viler because of fore-knowledge For God fore-saw that man would sinne Therefore we expect NEW HEAVENS AND A NEW EARTH accrding to the holy Scriptures when shall shine forth the apparition or appearance and Kingdome of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ And THEN as Daniel saith Chap. 7.18 The Saints of the most HIGH SHAL TAKE THE KINGDOME and there shal be a pure earth holy a land of the living and not of the dead which David fore seeâ—ng by the eye of faith cryes out Psal 27.13 I beleeve to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the LAND OF THE LIVING A land of the meck and humble For blessed saith Christ Matth. 5.5 are the meek for they shall POSSESSE THE EARTH And the Prophet s aith Isa 26.6 The feet of the meek and the humble shall tread upon it 1. Judge by this notwithstanding fifty yeers opposition how powerfull the Chiliastical party yet was at the time of that Council By some whereof if this Forme were not framed and composed yet was it thus moderated as you see that both parties might accept it every mans interpretation being safe to himselfe as being delivered in the terms and language of Scripture 2 Judge whether in my explication of the state of the Thousand yeers I have not kept within the compasse of this Forme and not swerved one jot there-from This you see was the opiâ—â—on of the whole Orthodox Christian Church in the age immediately following the death of S. John when yet Polycarp and many of the Apostles Disciples were living as Justin Martyr expresly affirmes A Testimony absolute without all comparison to perswade such as rely upon authority and antiquity even as you have seen the same opinion continued throughout the next age following that And therefore it is to be ADMIRED that an opinion once so generally received in the Church should ever have been so cryed down and buried But those times which extinguished this brought other alterations into the Church beside this and perhaps something in lieu of that and relating to it which perhaps few observe that have knowledge enough of the rest namely that this opinion of the FIRST RESURRECTION was the reall ground and mother of prayers for the dead so anciently received in the Church which were then conceived after this manner THAT THEY MAY HAVE THEIR PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION See Tertullian who first mentions them The reason was because this having part in the first resurrection was not to be common to all but to be a priviledge to some namely of Martyrs and Consessors equipollent to them if God would so accept them Moreover the beleefe of this Prerogative of Martyrs in the first resurrection was that which made the Christians of those times so joyously desirous of Martyrdome These things will perhaps seem strange but will be found true if examined And yet may not seem so strange to considering minds if they take notice that even so neer to us as in King Edward the sixth his time in comparison of those ancient times though now an antiquity in parallel with later times this our opinion of the glorious state on earth yet to come before the ultimate judgement was given to that age as a Catechismal fundamental King Edward the fixth his Catechisme alleadges for our opinion to be drunk in by all that should receive the true Christian or Protestant Religion For the Author of the Catechisme set forth in that King Edward the fixth his time and by that King authorised May 20. in the last yeer of his reigne explicates the second Petition of the Lords prayer thus Q. How is that Petition Thy Kingdome come to be understood A. Wee aske that his Kingdome may come for as yet we see not all things subject to Christ wee see not how or that the stone is cut out of the mountaine ☞ without humane helpe which BREAKS INTO PEECES AND REDVCETH into NOTHING THE IMAGE DESCRIBED BY DANIEL how or that the onely rocke which is Christ doth POSSESSE AND OBTAINE THE EMPIRE OF THE WHOLE WORLD given him of the Father As yet Antichrist is not slaine whence it is that we desire and pray that at length it may come to passe and be fulfilled and that Christ alone may reigne with his Saints according to the divine promises And that be may live and have dominion in the world according to the decrees of the holy Gospel and not according to the traditions and laws of men and the wils of the TYRANTS of the World God grant saith the Reply of the Questionist that his Kingdome may come most speedily In Mr. Foxe his Martyrologie you shall find in the examination of Mr. Philpot that the Bishops when they came brought this Catechisme with them but what special relation it had to him I know not nor is ought there mentioned about it The Kings Letters before it begin thus Cum brevis explicata c. Whereas a compendious and plain way or forme of Catechisme written by a learnedman was presented unto us we committed the perusal and trial thereof to certain Bishops and other learned men c. And in the same Catechisme concerning the end of the world The Question being put thus The end of the world the sacred Scripture cals the consummation and perfection of the MYSTERY OF CHRIST and the RENOVATION OF ALL THINGS So the Apostle Peter speaks 2 Ep. Chap. 3. We expect new heavens and a new earth according to Gods promise wherein dwels righteousnesse And it seems agreeable to reason that the corruption mutability and sinne to which the whole world is subject should at last cease Now by what means or wayes of circumstances those things shall be brought to passe I desire to know of thee Answ I will declare as well as I can the same Apostle attesting The heavens in manner of a stormy tempest shall passe away and the elements estuating shall be dissolved and the earth and the works therein shall be burnt As if the Apostle should say The world like as wee see in gold shall be wholly purged with fire AND SHALL BEE BROVGHT TO ITS UTMOST PERFECTION which the little world man imitating shall likewise bee freed from corruption and mutation And so for mans sake for whose use the great world was
are as one day with the Lord and then after that by way of exposition he saith We expect new heavens and a new earth All this in 2 Pet. 3. The beginning of the thousand yeers is the morning and day-light of this last day And the last end is the evening and night So that in the morning of this last day they that are Christs are raised and as soon as raised their everlasting life begins for they dye no more for ought I know ¶ 3 To the fifth and last place we answer It doth not infer the Antecedent The words in that Heb. 9.28 are Unto them that looke for him shall he appeare the second time without sinne unto salvation All that Mr. Baily saith upon this place to stretch it to his end is That Christ hath but two times of comming to the earth First in weaknesse to dye upon the Crosse Second time in glory to give everlasting salvation without distinction to all beleevers who look for his comming To which words of Mr. Baily wee say That it doth not follow infallibly that because the Apostle there names two commings by reason of the Antithesis of a second state in opposition to the state of humiliation that therefore there is no third time of his comming Mr. B. now confesseth a second comming of Christ to the earth And it were nothing contrary to Scripture if wee should say that after his second comming at the beginning of the thousand yeers he shall come againe the third time to universall and ultimate judgement But we contend not in this as in relation to our particular point here in hand but shall conclude our answer with this that all that can be inferred from this place is onely this That whereas Christ appeared with sinne upon the Crosse i. e. Hee was reputed a sinner by men and our sin imputed to him by God and was so was made a sacrifice for sin Isa 53.2 Cor. 5. v. ult At his next appearing his second appearing after this as the Apostle reckons hee shall appear in no such garb under no such opinion or notion but most glorious which is truly performed at the beginning of the thousand yeers at which time begins the salvation of them that look for him SECT IV. Mr. Bailyes fourth Argument THe conceit of the thousand yeers makes Christs Kingdome to be earthly and most observable for all worldly glory But the Scripture makes it to be spirituall without all worldly pompe Neither doth the word of God make the Kingdome of the Mediator of two kinds and of a different nature but one uniform from the beginning to the end Luke 1.32 The Lord shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reigne over the house of Jacob for ever And 1 Cor. 15.25 He must reigne till hee hath put all things under his feet Here this is but one Kingdome and one way of ruling a Kingdome meerly spiritual and no wise worldly Luke 17.20 The Kingdome of God commeth not with observation neither shall they say Lo here or lo there but the Kingdome of God is within you And John 18.36 My Kingdome is not of this world If my Kingdome were of this world then would my servants fight but now is my Kingdome not from hence Rom. 14.17 The Kingdome of God is not meat and drinke but righteousnesse peace and joy of the Holy Ghost Eph. 1.20 Hee raised him up from the dead and set him at his right-hand in heavenly places and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be head over all to the Church Then Mr. Baily concludes with this untrue speech The Millenaries make his Kingdome to appeare in Armies and Battels in feasts and pleasures in worldly pomp and power and will not have his Kingdome to stand in ANY of that spiritual power which since his ascension he hath executed on Principalities and Powers which is a false speech if intended as it appears of all Millenaries and so of Protestant Millenaries And it is an answer sufficient meerly to deny what he doth simply affirme without proof If any shall say that we may give a word of answer to this aspersion and rid our hands of it that Battels and Armies at first shall be remotio impedimenti to beat downe Turk and Pope and all their obstinate adherents as it is in Dan. 12. Rev. 17.16 Rev. 19.19 to the end that so these enemies being beaten downe the Kingdome we speak of might be set up it doth not therefore follow that it is asserted that this Kingdome doth consist in these or if it should be said that to all the spiritual glory and power and pleasures they shall have added all outward comforts in a sanctified manner as Adam had as the Apostle Heb. 2.6 in a quotation out of the eighth Psalme as the eighth Psalme is quoted out of Gen. 1.26 sets forth this Kingdome in its peace and comfort to bee like that of Adam in innocency doth it therefore follow that its ave red that this Kingdome consists in these as in its essentials They marbee additionals and circumstantials Isa 65.16 to the end and Matthy 19.29 yet not be the fundamentals and essentials much lesse can it bee truly imagined that any Protestant so indeed would say as Mr. B. affirmes that this Kingdome of which we speake doth not stand in any of that spiritual power which since Christs Ascension hee hath executed on Principalities and Powers Sure the spiritual power shall continue there though it doth not exercise it selfe on Principalities c. when they have submitted onely I make this exception If Mr. Baily means a Classical Presbyterian power I think there shall be none at all I say the lesse to these foule aspersions in this place because I have so abundantly anticipated my selfe afore where I have ripped up the whole mystery of all this iniquity In the third Book Chapter 3. Section 2. beginning at page 369. Jerome is brought in jerking at the Millenaries to the same tune as doth Mr. Baily But hee is I thinke as soundly and justly jerked for his injustice more scholastico as ever any Libeller was by the Lictor or Bedle of the Magistrate There for his fables you have it retorted upon him that by his owne allegation he intimates that the opinion of the thousand yeers was ancienter then his time And his own words are brought against him wherein he confesseth that many Ecclesiastical men and Martyrs have said the same things that he spake against And therefore hee confesseth that he cannot condemne them even when hee had reported them farre worse then ever they spake Yee have there likewise Justin Martyr brought effectually disproving Jerom. Adde to all yee have there Mr. Medes taking Jerom to task In the same third Book third Chapter and third Section yee have the particulars of the aspersions discussed and their Authors disproved They are fathered upon Cerinthus by one Gaius seconded by Dionysius Alexandrinus simply
months when as he shall lie sicke a great part of them yea he shall be as it were slaine by meanes of his wounded head This space of time doth seem therefore to containe the whole time of the tyranny of Antichrist yet so that the time of his wound whiles it is sore be taken away from it Now we have shewed that this time of his crazinesse is defined within the time of the Goths* ⎠* Kingdome verse 3. which lasted for an hundred and forty yeers If we shall therefore take away these yeers from the months of the Womans lurking we shall finde that at the end of this lurking namely at the yeer 1546. thirty seven months ☞ onely The count is selfe according to Mr. Brightman and ten dayes of Antichrists Kingdome when it was in vigor were passed over Five months therefore and twenty dayes are wanting hereto which if we reckon from the yeer 1546. the last end of Antichrist shall expire at the yeer 1686. or thereabouts For so we shall learne out of other Scriptures that he shall perish utterly about that time It may bee that his destruction may come sooner then this terme of yeers defineth for I doe not cast the account accurately at this time neither doe the Historians number the yeers so faithfully as they ought but he shall not be suffered to goe beyond the furthest space that I have set down But perhaps these months are not the space from the first beginning to the last end of the Beasts but onely the former yeers of his Kingdome which may be many enough to lay him open so as hee may be revealed to all men And by this interpretation as he beginneth together with the months of the Woman and the Prophets so he takes his end also with them This opinion is confirmed by the Warre with the Saints in verse 7. which wee have shewed fell into the end of these months Chap. 12.7 And by this interpretation the Beast is said to have power of working two and forty months for the greatest part of these months Because that little respire of time wherein he should keep in his horne because of his wounded head is little to be reckoned of in respect of the whole number * Let the Reader if he please remember that whereas Mr. Brightman thinks Antichrist was wounded by the Goths noted afore at * ⎠* according to Rcusner expressed afore in his Account Sect. 1. the Goths wounded the Emperour and Empire not the Pope and Popedome but the said Popes and Popedome rather got head and bea rt and health and strength by the Goths wounding of the Empire which granted Mr. Brightmans knot is quite removed touching the five months Neither is his power which shall bee afterwards like that of his former time as experience sheweth at this day wherein we see the Popes power to be made to languish and to be weakned much from the time of his professed and pitched battel that is from the Council of Trent So that his power is now almost none at all to that which it was in former ages This latter is more simple in which regard I like it better Thus Mr. Brightman Now according to this account Antichrist shall be fully downe about seven and twenty yeers hence SECT V. Alsteds Account HE gives it you * Alsted XII Chronologia Epocharum Propheticarum in this sorme and the words as neer as I can translate and imitate him for your best understanding THE APOCALYPTICAL VOLUMNE or COMMENTARY †Syngramma Apocalypticum Three times seven mysticall Characters * Hierogly phicater septem The threefold state of the Church  The Kingdome of the Beast I. The 6 former of the 7 Seals containe the time from the the 35 yeer of Christ to the 606 yeer  I. For a Time from the yeer of Christ 35 to the yeer 606. I. The ancient Beast or the primary solely II. The six former of the seven Trumpets from the yeer of Christ 606. to the yeer 1517. 1 Alternative or vicissitudinarious II. For Times from the yeer 606. to the yeer 1517. II. The ancient or primary and secundary III. The six former of the seven Phials from the yeer 1517. to the yeer 1694 The seventh Trumpet and seventh Phial 2 Happy on earth for a 1000 yeers III. For Half a Time from the yeer of Christ 1517. to the yeer 1694. III. The ancient Beast alive againe 3 Most happy in Heaven    They that are inquisitive to know how he gives a particular account of these Periods may if they understand the Latine Tongue or by the helpe of such friends look into Alsted himselfe in the fore-cited place or into Mr. Mede in English Diatrib par 4. p. 453. whither I refer them lest I should bee needlessely tedious to my friends that fear the prolixity of this Treatise Which therefore I prevent all I can § 3 So that by this Account the beginning of the thousand yeers will not be far off about one and forty yeers hence SECT VI. Mr. Medes Accounts § 1 IN his Diatrib Par. 4. Page 87. he gives us this Account Having said Page 83. Though Christianity hath been imbraced in former times where now it is not yet it is now spread in those places where in those times it was not so that all laid together wee may account Christianity at this day as large as ever it was in the Apostles time yet that this is not THAT UNIVERSAL KINGDOME OF CHRIST THAT FLOURISHING and GLORIOUS ESTATE OF THE CHURCH WHICH WE YET EXPECT and HOPE FOR my Reasons are these I say Mr. Mede having said these things in page 83 and in page 84 85 86 having given severall of the said reasons then in the said 87. page afore-quoted he addes My next reason saith he shall be from that we read in the Revelation where the Church by the conquest of Michael set free from the Dragons fury is said to escape into the Wildernesse i.e. into a state though of safety and peace and security yet of hardship misery and scarcity For it seems to be an allusion to the Israelites escaping the Tyranny of Pharaoh by going into the wildernesse In this wildernesse or place of hardship c the Church must remaine saith St. John a time and times and halfe a time or as he elswhere speaketh one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes i.e. A yeer yeers and halfe a yeer and when this time shall bee expired that is as learned Divines thinke when so many yeers shall be ended as those dayes are taking the beginning of our reckoning from Michaels Trophe then saith our Apostle shall the Kingdomes of the world become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reigne for ever and ever Rev. 11.15 whereby it should seem that the Church is yet in the wildernesse and that the promised happinesse of the ample and flourishing glory thereof before the end of
shall become the Lords and his Christs Rev. 11.15.18 ¶ 3. Further what prerogative and advancement had it been for the Kingdome of Christ SPIRITUAL to have broken down ☞ the Selcucidae and other Horns of the Greeke Empire as long as another Kingdome the Kingdom of the Romans succeeded in their place to beate downe the Church by the Heathen Emperors and Antichrist for longer space of time and with greater and more terrible persecution then ever before § 7 Contrarily I affirme that the legges feet and toes of the iron doe signifie the Roman Kingdome 1. Because it is represented by a distinct mettall coming after the Brazen belly and thighes which is the Grecian For no other distinct Monarchy came after the Grecian but this as History doth shew 2. Because t is stronger then all the rest and breaketh them in peeces Dan. 2.40 3. The Iron legs and feet are parallell with the Iron teeth of the fourth Beast which signifies the Roman Kingdome Dan. 7.7 4. The ten toes representing the ten Kings are accordingly a character of the Roman Kingdome Revel 12.3 and 13.1 and 17.12 5. T is such a Kingdome as must stand to be destroyed by the Kingdome of the Saints in the end of time and therefore can be no other ☜ then the Roman Kingdome yet continuing under Antichrist § 8 The Stone is the Kingdome of the Saints as it is interpreted Dan. 2.44.45 with chap. 7.26 27. ☜ And that is the Kingdome to be set up at the fall of Antichrist as it appeareth by these reasons 1. Because it shal be set up to destroy all adverse Kingdoms in the world which cannot be expected til about the time of the fal of Antichrist ☜ 2. It shall not rise till about the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which is the time of the fall of Antichrist Revel 11.15 16 17. 3. Then and not before it shall fill all the earth ver 34 35.44 45. that is all Kingdoms shall be subject unto it chap. 7.26 27. compare Rev. 11.15 Thus Mr. Parker to whom in the maine and generall of his matter I assent § 9 In the last place let us hear Mr. Archer speak in his fore-cited book p. 7. 8. And then I shall take my turne The fourth Monarchy saith he was that of the Romans which because it began farre lower then the rest viz. more Westward and yet rose as high Eastward as the highest of the former therefore it became a mightier Monarchy then all the three former This is expressed in this second of Daniel by legges of Iron because it was the strongest of all and subdued all under it But in processe of time the body of the world which it bore up being so great to which it was a leg it divided it selfe into two legges viz. the Easterne and Westerne Monarchy Which yet though divided was as strong as Iron and held all Nations under them But in processe of time fell into feet and toes The Eastern Monarchy was swallowed up by the Turke the Westerne fell into divers Kingdomes But among these sub-divided Kingdomes was strength and weaknesse the feet being part of iron and part of clay And much mingling there shall be amongst them to re-joyne the Kingdomes into one body some whereof are weak and some strong as iron and clay but never shall be as Iron cannot be mixed with clay The Spaniards and Austrians of Spaine and Germany and other Nations of Europe some of which are strong and some weake have sought by marriages and other covenants to mingle and re-joyne themselves into one Monarchy but it shall never bee as we cannot mingle iron and clay But in the period and up-shot of their Soveraignty and Monarchy they shall remaine distinct Kingdomes as Feete and Toes of Iron and Clay partly weake and partly strong § 10 Now in the dayes of this Roman Monarchy this fourth Western Monarchy there shall be a stone cut out without hands which shall ruine these Kingdomes smiting the Image on the feet of iron and clay and so swallow up the whole image all the fore-going Monarchies being brought under it and by it to nothing And it becomes a Monarchy over the whole earth where ever the former Monarchies had ruled ver 35. That is as it is explained ver 44 45. a Kingdome which that stone shall obtaine set up by the hand of the God of Heaven Whereas the other Kingdomes or Monarchies were erected by men on earth though permitted and ordered by God This Kingdome or Monarchy shall swallow up in it all fore-going Monarchies And this is a FIFT Monarchy which shall arise in the world after the former foure which is meant of a state of Christs Kingdome as appeares by severall reasons ¶ 1. Marke it is called a Stone as Christ is the cheife corner stone which the builders refused 1 Pet. 2. v. 3. c. to 8. ¶ 2. Againe it is a stone not in hand or cut out without hands Because God shall reare up this Kingdome As touching Mr. Archers words of Gods rearing up this Kingdome without hands of humane helpe I cannot insert or assent to while I stick at that place in Daniel chap. 12. ver 1. c. that when Michael shall stand up to deliver his people meaning the great and generall deliverance of the Jewes from temporall and spirituall captivity there shall be a great time of trouble such as there never was since it was a Nation even to that same time Insomuch that many of the Jewes afore as it were a sleep in the dust or as dead men in their forlorne hopelesse and helplesse condition shall now at Christs appearance awake and stand up for the cause of their deliverance yet some of them shall fall off to their everlasting shame According to which there is a double period of time relating to their deliverance mentioned in the eleventh and twelfth verses of that chapter as if it should begin at one thousand two hundred and ninety yeares after the ceasing of the daily sacrifice but they onely should be blessed that wait and come to the one thousand three hundred thirty and fifth year which is forty five years after But of the full meaning of this place to this sence and the demonstration thereof we shal hear after in our last place of Daniel This I confesse and I can freely conceive that whereas the Church of Christ is that stone that Kingdome of Christ as Mr. Mede Mr. Huet and Mr. Parker have afore well expressed or hinted so Christs call of the residue of the Church into the state of grace at the great and last bringing in of the Jewes shall be so immediately and suddenly done by Christ himselfe by his appearing in the clouds and such like extraordinary wayes as in the birth of a Nation at once as the Prophet describes their call that there shall not be used for ought I know the Ministry of mens preaching to that end ¶ 3. It s