spring as the grasse and when all the workers of iniquity doe flourish It is that they may be destroyed for ever but thou Lord art most high for evermore A new AND MORE EXACT MAPPE OR DESCRIPTION OF New Ierusalems GLORY when Jesus Christ and his Saints with him shall reign on earth a Thousand years and possess all Kingdoms WHEREIN Is discovered the glorious estate into which the Church shall be then put both in respect of externall and internall glory and the time when And also What hath been done these eight yeares last past and what is now a doing and what shall be done within a few years now following in order to this great work Wherein also That great Question whether it be lawfull for Saints to make use of the materiall Sword in the ruining of the enemies of Christ and whether it be the mind of Christ to have it so is at large debated and resolved in the Affirmative from clear Scriptures and all others answered By M. Cary a servant of Jesus Christ Rev. 22 6 7. And he said unto me These sayings are faithfull and true and the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angell to shew unto his Servants the thing which must shortly be done Behold I come quickly LONDON Printed by W. H. and are to be sold at the sign of the Black spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1651. A description of new Jerusalems GLORY when Jesus Christ and his Saints with him shall reign on earth a thousand yeares and possesse all Kingdoms Dan. 7. 27. And the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given unto the people of the Saints of the most high whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him THe Spirit of God in the former verses having declared the rise actions and end of the little Horne that was to afflict the Saints and shewing how that at last the Saints should overcome him Saies expresly They shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end and then saies in this verse that the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most high c. The assertion which is laid down in these words is plaine and cleare and needs no explanation at all which is this That not only this Kingdom of England and some few others but all the Kingdomes and Dominions in the whole world shall in a more peculiar and more eminent manner than yet they have been be subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and by him given to his Saints to possess This same truth likewise is positively asserted in the 13 14 18 21 and 22 verses of this Chapter in the 13 and 14 verses where the Vision it self of which these verses are an interpretation is declared there it is thus exprest I saw in the night vision and behold one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven and came to the Ancient of daies and they brought him neere before him and there was given him Dominion and glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdome that which shall not be destroyed So that this is clearly asserted here also that the Dominion not only of some but of all people Nations and Languages should be given to the Lord Jesus Christ who is here exprest by this appellation The Son of man by which he is often exprest in the New Testament and this is to be done after the Beast is destroyed as is here exprest And what is in these verses said to be given to the Lord Jesus Christ is in the 18 20 21 and 27 verses said to be given to his Saints for in the 18 verse it is said that the Saints of the most high should take the Kingdome and possesse the Kingdome for ever even for ever and ever and in the 21 22 verses that the Horne prevailed against the Saints untill the Ancient of daies came and Judgement was giuen to the Saints of the most high and the severall beasts having had the Kingdomes of the world for their appointed times the time then came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome and in this 27 ver that the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heauen should be given unto the people of the Saints of the most High Thus what was in the 18 verse said to be given to the Lord Jesus there called the Son of man is in these severall verses said to be given to his Saints The truth is that which is given to the head is given to the members that which is given to the Husband the wife must partake of for there is nothing that he possesses which she hath not a right unto And the Saints of Christ are the members of Christ they are the Lambs wife and having given himselfe unto them he will not with-hold any thing that is his from them but when all the Kingdomes and Dominions under the whole heaven are given to him they shall possesse them with him Thus is this assertion that is laid downe in this verse confirmed in severall other passages in this very Chapter namely That all Kingdomes all the Nations and Languages and People under the whole heaven shall be in a more peculiar and a more eminent manner than yet they have been be subjected to the Lord Jesus and by him be given to his Saints to possesse And as it is cleare here so there are very many other Scriptures wherein it is as clearly asserted severall of which Scriptures I shall here produce that out of the mouth of many witnesses it may be confirmed against all contradictions which I shall the rather do because this Doctrine is so much despised by profane men who jeering at Saints say these are the meek that must inherit the earth But first let me premise That though it be unquestionably true that the riches of this world which hath been hitherto equally dispensed alike to all shall in a very short time be abundantly given to the Saints of the most High as Canaans Land was to Israel of old which was but a shadow of what shall come to passe in the latter daies that yet First they that are indeed the Saints of the most High and that walke most with God will be the least seekers of this worlds wealth and Secondly They that seeke it least and least desire it shall have more than they that seek it eagerly and also shall injoy it most comfortably and with greatest joy in God Thirdly that those saints that God will most honour though they shall have abundance of the world yet they shall not set their hearts upon it but shall prefer the least degree of the flowings of the spirit of God which
they shall in these daies abundantly have above all the treasures of the whole world No their hearts shall not Zach. bee set upon the world but their 10. 7. hearts shall rejoyce in the Lord. Fourthly that the advanced saints of God shall not in these daies seeke the wealth of the Nations but the Nations themselves as Paul expresses himselfe 2 Cor. 11. 14. we seek not yours but you that is not their wealth but their weale not their treasure but their safety not their riches but their happinesse not their outward things but the salvation of their souls and they that seek not these things to wit the publike weale and safety and happinesse and salvation of all but that doe covet to treasure up most riches for themselves and to poll and rob and cheat the people to inhance their owne estates and make themselves great in the world and their children gay and splendid amongst men as doe Kings Princes and evill Governours not to mention some sorts of Committee-men these shall become the basest and the vilest among men and their children be despised and contemned for their sakes especially if they walk in their steps Fiftly and lastly it is heaven and not the earth It is the kingdom of God and Math. his righteousnesse that Saints will 6. 33. seek after and these things shall bee added unto them And now having thus premised I shall come to mention those Scriptures which do so cleerly demonstrate that which is here asserted and the truth is the Scripture is so pregnant and so full of such passages as it would be very tedious to mention them all and doubtlesse many saints are very well acquainted with them but for satisfaction to others I shall mention some of them and the first shall be that known place in the second Psalme where it is cleerly asserted that all the kingdomes of the world shall in a most eminent manner be subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and that hee should rule over Kings Princes and Judges which would not obey him with a rod of Iron and break them in pieces like a potters vessell if they cast not their Crownes at his feet and kisse him with the kisse of faith and obedience In the three first verses of that Psalme the Prophet seemes to have in his eye the rage of the heathen and the fury and the madnesse of the Kings of the earth at that time when God shall set up the kingdom of Jesus Christ over the whole world as if that as soon as they see preparation unto such a thing that their spirits should be presently inraged and they their Kings and rulers especially should set their whole strength consultations and counsels against the effecting hereof as being being resolved not to suffer it and therefore when they see that God is setting up of his Christ or anointed they say among themselves Come let us break their bonds and cast away their cords from us But alas poore wormes what doe they He that sit in the heavens shall laugh saies the Psalmist * vers 4 5 6. The Lord shall have them in derision Yea he shall speake unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure when they shall so doe and notwithstanding hee will set his King upon his holy hill of Sion and shall give him the heathen for his inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for his possession some of which being pertinacious and obstinate opposers he shall breake with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potters vessell And therefore the spirit exhorts all those Kings Rulers and Judges of the earth to bee wise and receive this instruction even to kisse the Sonne and and to serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling lest the Sonne bee angry and they perish in the way when his wrath is kindled but a little But for the comfort of others who long to see that day of the King the Lord Christ his exaltation hee addes Blessed are all they that wait for him Thus this Scripture fully concurres with the present Text in asserting this thing That all the Kingdomes of the world shall bee subjected to the Lord Jesus Christ and as it s said here that all dominions or as the word may be more rightly rendred all Rulers must serve and obey him so the same is cleerly declared in this Prophesie of the Psalmist also The next Scripture which I shall quote for the clearing of this point shall be that in the 110 Psalme which is also very full to this purpose for there the Psalmist speakes of a time when the Lord Jesus Christ there stiled a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck should be set up and exalted above all the Kings and Potentates of the world and when he should rule in the midst of his enemies and should have his enemies made his footstoole and should judge among the heathen and wound the heathen and wound the heads over many Countries and fill them with the dead bodies and his people should be willing in that day of his power so that hence it is cleare also that there is a time coming when Jesus Christ shall have the Kingdomes of the world subjected to him And because it is and will be so that when he comes thus to rule and raigne that many people but especially the great ones Kings Princes Rulers and Heads of Kingdomes shall endeavour to oppose the Lord Jesus in so doing therefore it is said here that he shall strike through Kings in the day of his wrath and wound the heads over many Countries The third Scripture which I shall cite for the confirming of this truth shall be that in the 149 Psalme a place already mentioned upon another occasion where it is said That the Lord taketh pleasure in his people and he will beautifie the meek with salvation and that the high praises of God shall be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishments upon the people to bind their Kings in Chaines and their Nobles in Fetters of Iron to execute upon them the Judgement written This honour have all his Saints Now true it is that almost hitherto since the Primitive times the Saints have been as it were trodden under feet of the Gentiles that is of heathen or profane men and they have trampled upon them and sorely afflicted them For they have both imprisoned them and chain'd fetter'd and whipt and cropt and mangled and rackt and burnt them what not For all the cruelties that wit sharpened with malice could either invent or inflict have the meek the precious ones of God undergone at the hands of their cruell raging enemies BUT here they have a promise that the Lord who taketh pleasure in his people will at last beautifie the meek with salvation And what shall the issue thereof be It shall be this That whereas for thus long time
then shall the virgin rejoyce in the dance both young men and old together for I will turne their mourning into joy and will comfort them and make them rejoyce from their sorrow Though these words do more particularly and peculiarly concerne the seed of Abraham after the flesh or the naturall Israelites who shall againe be received into the love and favour of God which shall be to them and others as life from the dead Ezek. 37. 5. Rev. 11. 15. and be pardoned and cleansed from all their sins Ezek. 36. and become very glorious yet in generall do they also concerne all the Saints and people of God and must be applied to them and whereas they have for many hundred of yeares been oppressed and devoured and spoyled and as captives imprisoned and afflicted the Lord here assures them that they that thus dealt with them shall be devoured and spoyled and captivated and destroyed themselves and that his fury and fierce anger that hath been so provoked by the unjust malicious and cruell dealings of those wicked ones with his own deare precious and beloved people shall go forth like a whirlewind and fall with paine with a witnesse upon the head of those wicked ones and not returne untill he have performed the intents of his heart and this must be in the latter daies And is this all God will then do for his people to avenge them upon their enemies and to bring down their power and pride No this is not all but at the same time will he lift up his people and build them and gather them and make them glorious and fill them with joy and rejoycing and turn their mourning into joy so that they shall not sorrow any more at all Thus this Scripture also speakes the same truth with the rest foregoing and by all these is this truth sufficiently confirmed And though I am sure that multitudes of faithfull and judicious ones are fully acquainted with these truths yet knowing that some yet are not and that those that are will be rather delighted than wearied by taking a review of these Scriptures compared together and considering the wilfulnesse of some in shuting their eyes against the light breaking forth both from the word and works of God in clearing these things I shall therefore add some other Scriptures in which this is further manifested and the next shall be thaâ— Dan. 2. 37 38. and so on where Daniel interpreting Nebuchadnezzars dreame declares that after the foure Monarchs the Golden the Silver the Brasse and the Iron Monarchs have been set up in the world and continued their appointed times that then the God of heaven shall set up another Kingdom which shall as a stone cut out of the Mountaines without hands break in peeces this last Monarch of Iron and clay and stone and shall it selfe become a great mountaine and fill the whole earth and this Kingdom shall never be destroyed nor be left to other people but it shall stand for ever This is that Kingdome that Christ and his Saints must possesse whose rise and beginning may seem small but as a little stone cut out of the mountain and that without hands without the help of the strength and power of the Kings and great ones of the earth and yet this seeming small rising of Christ and his Saints shall be hard enough and potent enough to break in peeces the Roman Iron legs that last and worst Beast and to make the Iron and the Clay and the Brass and the Silver the Gold to be as the chaffe that is carried away of the wind and this is undoubtedly that which is now a doing Another confirmation of this we have Joel 3. 1 3 c. For behold in those daies and at that time when I shall bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem I will gather all Nations and wil bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat and I will plead with them there Proclaime yee this among the Gentiles prepare war wake up the mighty men let all the men of war draw neer let them come up beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hookes into speares Let the weak say I am strong assemble your selves and come all yee Heathen and gather your selves together round about put yee in the sickle for the harvest is ripe get ye downe for the presse is full for the wickednesse is great multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is neer in the valley of decision The Lord also shall roar out of Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and the Earth shall shake but the Lord wil bee the hope of his people and the strength of the Children of Israel So shall yee know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Sion And it shall come to passe in that day that the Mountaines shall drop downe new Wine and the Hils shall flow with milke and all the Rivers of Judah shall flow with waters and a Fountaine shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Shittim In these words here is a very great war proclaimed for what end To bring againe the Captivity of Gods people ver 1. or to inlarge and set them at liberty and bring them out of all their troubles and to this end the Lord saies that hee will plead with all Nations that have afflicted his people ver 2. And being determined to shew forth his great power and glory and his tender love to his people he proclaims a War and summons all the Nations to gather themselves together and to prepare for War and to awaken all their mighty men all their most puissant and valiant men of War and to make the greatest provision of men and ammunition that 't is possible for them to make To that end to beat their instruments of Husbandry into instruments of War and to gather together the greatest strength imaginable and when they have done this then will he sit to judge the heathen and thither cause his mighty ones to come to bee as a sickle to cut downe this ripe harvest of wicked men whose wickednesse is great and then by destroying their multitudes to decide the controversie between them and his owne people which shall be an occasion of calling the place where it is done the valley of decision for there the Lord will marvellously shew himselfe to the causing of the whole earth to shake but to the joy and consolation of his people for he will then be their hope and their strength and then it shall be knowne that the Lord dwelleth in Sion and they shall abundantly enjoy the blessings of the Lord and bee delivered from all their troubles for evermore Another Scripture which speakes of these same times though it doe not so fully declare particulars is that in Act. 3. 19 20. c. Where Peter speaking unto the Jews charges this upon them that they had denied the
And that when that time is the Saints must possesse the Kingdome and reigne on earth so Dan. 7. 22 27. and Rev. 5. 10. The first of these passages mentioned in the Revelation is that Chap. 5. 9 10. which runs thus Thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation and hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and we shall reigne on the earth These words are a part of a song sung by Saints wherein they praise the Lambe and herein they have in their eye as matter for which their hearts are ingaged to honour and glorifie Christ both that which he had already done for them and also that which he had not yet done but would doe for them That which hee had done for them in these words Thou wast slaine and thou hast redeemed us and thou hast made us unto our God Kings and Priests and that which should bee done for them by Christ in these words and wee shall reigne on the earth this being that which they knew hee would doe hee having declared it by the mouth of all his Prophets therefore they sing it out we shall reigne on the earth The other passage which is Rev. 11. 15 16 17 18. runnes thus And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices 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 and ever and the four and twenty Elders which sate before God on their seates fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying We give thee thankes O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned and the Nations were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that feare thy name small and great and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of his Testament and there were lightnings and voices and thunderings and an earthquake and great hail This Scripture being so pertinent unto the present purpose and having already in another Treatise opened the former part of this Chapter from the first to the 15 verse I shall therefore be the more copious in opening of this part which is from the 15 verse where I left unto the end of the chapter Verse 15. And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying the kingdoms of this world are become c. The declaration of this truth that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of the Lord Christ is here held forth unto us to bee that great and glorious part and portion of the providence and counsell of God that is to be manifested under the sounding of the seventh Trumpet which brings in the seventh and last and greatest judgement of God upon that wicked as the Apostle termes him or that man of sinne That great Saint opposer the Roman Papall Beast and his adherents For by the seven Angels which were to sound the seven Trumpets is to be understood 7 severall remarkeable and great judgements that in so many severall periods of time by so many severall passages of the providence and purpose of God should be brought upon that beast and his associates whereby they should bee gradually ruined The first of them being one degree of bringing them down and the second bringing them lower then the first had done and the third bringing them lower then the two former and the fourth breaking down another part of their greatnesse and glory which was not broken by the three former but the three latter are to bee more terrible and dreadfull unto them then any of the former and therefore they are said to be three great woes which were to come upon that crew Chap. 8. 13. which are there stil'd the inhabitants of the earth for all along in this Prophesie they are cal'd the earth to distinguish them from the Saints who are all along cal'd heaven and as these are said to be woes so they prove woes indeed unto that miserable crew but it is to them and them onely and not to any others As for the Saints all the seven Trumpets produce matter of joy to them because therein Christs enemies and their enemies are from time to time brought low And indeed these seven Trumpets or seven severall judgements of God upon the Beast and his adherents were obtained from God in a great measure by their prayers being offered up by the Lord Jesus their blessed Mediator who perfumed them with the incense of his own righteousnesse and worthinesse in which they are acceptable For upon the offering up of the prayers of Saints with that incense these Judgements were powred out upon the earth that is upon that crew and these angels prepared to sound as appeares Chap. 8. 2 3 4 5 6 c. So that the Saints had cause to rejoyce when these judgements came upon that faction and they indeed did rejoyce and their hearts have been made glad in all these severall Judgements which have come upon them As in that their Doctrines and Doctors Bishops Jesuits and Priests and much of their power and authority which they had over the people have been brought down and laid in the dust in those six severall Trumpres sounding or glorious dispensations already past wherein that party have been troubled perplexed and pained at the heart and now this great and glorious dispensation we are treating of is to bee the seventh and last which is of greatest terror to them and greatest joy to the saints as it followes And the seventh Angel sounded and there were great voices in Heaven saying the kingdoms c. There were great voices in heaven that is there were many in heaven that is in the Church or among the Saints that in the Prophesies of this Book are stiled heaven that did trumpet forth sound forth or clearely hold forth and confidently speake out this truth that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever They were voyces it was not only the single voice of one but they are voices it is the voice of many in heaven many among the Saints And they are not the whimsicall notions of unsound and rotten men but they are voices in heaven voyces of reall Saints Great voyces in heaven Being great voices argues first that they are not some poore weak suppositions or may be 's Nor secondly are they some weake faint sayings but they are great that is effectuall convincing and unquestionable speakings such as shall be heard and be received and be beleeved among the Saints they shall be spoken with such
authority of Scripture and such demonstration of the spirit and power going along with them and these great voyces shall have a double effect first they shall minister joy and gladnesse to the Saints and secondly they shall minister terrour to the Popish party for it speakes and works their ruine and third woe that comes upon them The Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever The Kingdoms of this world are become so why were they not so before this seventh Angell sounded or this seventh dispensation Is not the earth the Lords and the fulnesse thereof whose were the Kingdomes of this world but our Lords and his Christs Answer Though it is true they were his yet they were not so visibly the Kingdoms of God and of Christ as they shall then be For they seemed rather to be the Kingdomes of the evill one they were so universally inslaved to the Devill among the Indians and Heathens that professed not Christ and they seemed rather to be inslaved to that man of sin that wicked one that sate in the Temple of God and blasphemed among such as professed Christianity But at this time they shall in a most visible and glorious manner become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ for he shall break down the power of other Kings even of all that will not stoope to him and cast their Crowns at his feet yea he will breake them in peeces as a Potters vessell and that great Papall Beast shall be destroyed with the fire of his wrath and his glory shall be manifested to all people and nations and languages who casting off all other Lords shall willingly be subjected to him and rejoyce in his glorious reign according to that of the Psalmist The Lord * Psal 97. 1. and 96. 10 11 12 13. reigneth and let the earth rejoyce and let the great “ England is one of the great Isles Isles be glad thereof Yea the Kingdomes of this world shall be universally so subjected to our Lord Jesus Christ as they shall all serve and obey him only and other Lords shall not have Dominion over them but they shall have one Lord and his name one in all the earth Thus in a most visible manner shall the Kingdomes of this world become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ * Zach. 14. 9. And he shall reign for ever and ever He having once subjected the Kingdomes of this world unto the obedience of himselfe it shall not be with him as it hath been with all the great and potent Monarchs that have formerly ruled the world that one of them have thrust out and destroyed another and one hath taken the Dominion from another No none shall take the Dominion from him But as Daniel saies His Kingdome shall be an everlasting Kingdom and all Rulers shall serve and obey him So John here saies He shall reigne for ever and ever And the foure and twenty Elders which sate before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty c. What those foure and twenty Elders are will appeare in the fourth and fifth Chapters of this Prophesie They are first mentioned Chap. 4. 4. where they are thus described And round about the throne were foure and twenty seats and upon the seats I saw foure and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white rayment and upon their heads were Crownes of Gold Now that we may know what these be we must observe what the Angell saies to John in the first verse of that Chapter in these words Come and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter whence it appeares that these Elders as well as the other things which John saw were representatives of some things that were to be after that time Now Chapter 5. we may see what they were that were to be hereafter which these foure and twenty Elders did represent and that is that they were Saints that were redeemed to God by the bloud of the Lamb out of every kindred and Nation and people as appeares in the 8 9 10. verses of that Chapter Now here in this 11 Chapter these foure and twenty Elders that is these Saints and redeemed ones of Christ do upon the sounding of these voyces that the Kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ fall upon their faces that is they lay themselves low before God and worship him being exceedingly affected with this great work of God and with his great grace toward them in bringing them out of their suffering condition to reign with Christ They fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned The Saints whatever others do herein yet they if their eyes be open to see it they cannot but give thanks yea solemnly lay themselves low before God in thanksgiving for the great and signall manifestations of the Lord God Almighty and eternall his taking to him his great power in ruling and raigning and laying of such as are indeed his enemies in the dust and yet withall at the same time their hearts may be very much affected with this that any godly men should be so deeply engaged with Gods enemies and consequently do partake of their punishments Because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned Because thou hast not suffered thine enemies alwaies to boast and to triumph but hast begun to lay them low before thee and now hast taken to thee thy great power which thou seemedst to have laid aside when thou sufferedst so long the rod of the wicked to rest upon the lot of thy righteous ones but now dost thou take to thee and shew forth thy great power in punishing and bringing down the power of thine enemies for these things we give thee thanks and because that now more generally universally and evidently thou appearest to reign over men in thy just and righteous deciding of Controversies and in justifying them that in the integrity of their hearts give up themselves to glorifie thy great name and to do that which may be for the good of all thy Saints even of every one that feares thy name small and great laying aside all by and selfe respects yea we give thee thanks for that thou now so evidently appearest to reigne over men in condemning and blasting those that pretending other things force themselves against their judgements to contend for some things which are but a seeming ground of that quarrell against others which was primarily occasioned by their selfe ends which selfe-love hath so blinded them as they could not or would not see but shall see and be made to acknowledge them to thee and to thy Saints by thy righteous judgements This and
his and their enemies in these words Come out of her my people and reward her even as she hath rewarded you and double unto her double according to her workes in the cup which shee hath filled fill to her double how much she hath glorified her selfe and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her And thus much in answer to this objection Thus have I shewne that the Lambe having raised his Saints hath in part overcome and is going on to overcome the ten Kings in which he will make use of his saints as his instruments And now I am to go on to declare * How the ten Kings shall so imbrace Christ as they shall hate the whore that as the ten Kings or Kingdomes for it is not the Kings alone but the Kingdomes also that hee will overcome shall be subdued by the Lambe and his saints So will he so poure out his spirit upon the people of those Kingdomes as they shall not unwillingly I meane many of them or at least such a part as shall rule the rest in those Kingdomes but willingly yeeld obedience to him that hath subdued them and that in love to him And this appeares in the sixteenth verse * Rev. 17. And the ten hornes which thou sawest upon the Beast these shall hate the whore and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and shall burne her with fire Thus those that were once one with the Beast when they are overcome by the Lambe shall have such cleer light given to them to discover truth and shall be so freed from the smoake of the bottomlesse pit which is in the Beasts Kingdome and shall have such cleere light given to them as they so cleerly see the delusions and the abominable filthy practises of the Babylonish crew as their hearts shall rise against them and they shall loath and hate them and then shall willingly and freely yeeld obedience to the Lamb that overcame them and ruine that cursed City Rome which is stil'd the Whore the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the Earth Of this destruction of Rome I shall speake more fully in its place But first I must declare what things must precede it for about these daies when the Kings or Kingdomes are thus overcome and also converted and enlightned and before the ruine of Rome the Gospel shall be preached universally unto all Nations and Kindreds and Tongues and People which doubtlesse will bee effectuall to the bringing in of multitudes both Jews and Gentiles the manner of which I should here proceed cleerly and particularly to describe but before I proceed any further therein I shall make a little necessary digression For first I must make it to appear * Jesus Christ in the yeare 1645. began to take his Kingdome that Jesus Christ in the yeare 1645. began to take his Kingdome and this I shall cleare to the end we may the more orderly proceed in describing what is to follow Now that it is so appeares Rev. 11. where it is said that when the witnesses are raised that then the seventh Trumpet was sounded and then it is expresly said that the kingdomes of this world are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Thus expresly is it said to be done upon the resurrection of the witnesses and before all his judgements are powred out upon his enemies some of which are mentioned in the following verses And so in this 27. verse of this seventh Chapter of Daniel it is said that when the time times and halfe a time are come to an end and the little Horn is overcome by the Saints that immediately upon this the Kingdome and Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome and all Rulers shall serve and obey him But it may be objected how can this be said to be so seeing that we see the great Monarchs of the world or the toes of the 4 Monarchs mentioned Dan. 2. among whom the world is divided do yet possesse most of the severall Dominions under the whole heaven these only of England and Ireland excepted and they do not any of them stoope to the Scepter of Christ nor to his Government but they do exclude it wholly and rule according to their own tyranicall wils and pleasures To this I answer That although we see not yet those many Kingdomes and Dominions of the world subjected unto Christ yet this may be true notwithstanding and will appeare if we consider that the Kingdome of Christ in the beginning of it in the second of Daniel is said to be a stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands that should smite the Image upon his feet and breake them to peeces which stone was to become a glorious Kingdome and fill the whole earth by which it appeares that the beginning of this Kingdome should be so small as it should not appeare whence it came it should be a stone cut out of the Mountaine it should not appeare to be any Mountaine but to be a stone at first but afterwards to become a great Mountain and fill the whole earth Againe at first it should appeare as a stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands it should so miraculously appeare at first as it should seeme to be done without hands without the power or strength or help of the Kings Princes or Monarchs of the world and when the witnesses were first raised what help of the strength and power of the Kings and Monarchs of the world had they What hands assisted them Were they not a company of poore weake despised people in the eyes of the world that were indeed but as a little stone cut out of the Mountaine of the whole world without hands and yet this little stone cut out of the Mountaine without hands must and undoubtedly shall smite the Image upon his feet and break in peeces the Iron and the Clay and the Brass and the silver and the Gold together and not cease untill its selfe become a Mountaine filling the whole earth Jesus Christ having begun to take to him his great power and to reigne will not cease untill he have subjected every Dominion to his Royall Scepter and made them to serve and obey him which he is going on apace to do and will doubtlesse go on swifter yet and the neerer he is to the end of his worke the swifter is his motion like to be Thus have I digrest from what was in hand being to describe the manner of bringing in of multitudes to the obedience of Christ to this end that notice might be taken of this along as I go that what Christ doth herein is in order to the becomming a great mountaine according to the phrase of the Prophet but now to return I was shewing * When the Gospell must
and chosen and faithful ones those first-fruits whom he hath now called forth and engaged in his works shall having the Spirit of their Lord upon them do according to his ensample first * What course the Armies of the Saints under Jâ—sus Christ first will take with the Nations or ten Kingdoms offer peace and publish the cleer light of Gospel to them that if possible they might be that way won I say if any of the ten Kings shall this way be brought in they wil doubtless be very acceptable to Christ And who knows whether or no the Lamb may overcome some of them this way Whether Spain and other kingdoms may not be so gained to Christ and made to hate the whore But if not so then will he deal with those that are implacable of them in the way of his justice and overcome them I mean those of them that are implacable for some of them shall hate the whore when they are overcome in his wrath and sore displeasure as he hath already done with those that in maintenance of the beast stood it out against him making his people to execute upon them the judgement written for overcome them he will Of Romes ruine And thus having shewn how that the Lamb will overcome the ten Kings and that about that time when some or all the ten Kings or kingdoms are overcome and made to hate the whore the Gospel shall be universally preached all the world over I now come to shew that when the Lord Christ hath thus in larged his kingdom and diminished the kingdom of the beast he shall then go on to cause his people those especially of the ten kingdoms to go on in their work of breaking down the strength of the beast and bringing it to nothing that the Lord Christ may be all And in order thereunto they shall be the instruments of the utter ruining of Rome which is that whore mentioned Rev. 17. 1. As appears vers 18. The woman or the whore which thou sawest is that great city which raigneth over the kings of the earth which Rome then did I say the Saints of the ten kingdoms about this time when these things are done shall then be instruments of ruining this whore And this appears Rev. 17. 10. And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast these shall hate the whore and shall make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire Where it is very cleer that the ten Kings being overcome by the Lamb they shall have such a cleer sight of the light of the Gospel as shall not onely cause them to forsake the principles of darkness that are imbraced by Rome but they shall hate those principles and hate Rome for her filthiness and cursed lewdness and shall manifest their hatred in disrobing her of her strength and glory and pomp with which the text says she is decked Rev. 17. 4. All which they shall take from her and make her naked And shall that be all they will do No for they will not onely make her naked but will eat her flesh will make her destitute not onely of her outward robes of pomp and glory but will eat her very flesh that is they will devour and consume that without which she can as little consist as a man can whose flesh is consumed So that they shall so far manifest their hatred to Rome as they shall reduce her to the greatest straights that can be imagined And shall they leave there No but they shall burn her with fire And that the Saints shall deal thus with her is again expressed in chap. 18. vers 6 7 8. Where the people of God are bid to reward Babylon that is Rome even as she hath rewarded them and double unto her double according to her works in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double how much she hath glorified her self and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her For she saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no widow and shall see no sorrow therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her Thus it 's cleer that the Saints in the ten kingdoms shall so hate Rome as they shall plague her make her desolate expose her to great misery and utterly burn her with fire And when this City is thus burnt with fire * Rev. 18. 6. because she hath made her self drunk with the blood of the Saints and the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus and because she hath made all Nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication * vers 2. and the Kings of the earth have committed fornication with her and because that when she comes to be destroyed * vers 24. in her will be found the blood of Prophets and of Saints and of all that were slain upon the earth therefore when she comes to be destroyed she shall be made a monument of vengeance as being the most cursed City in the world and therefore it is said that when Babylon is fallen she is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird Rev. 18. 2. And the voice of harpers and musicians and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee no crafts men of whatsoever craft he be shall be found any more in thee And the sound of a milstone shall be heard no more at all in thee and the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee for thy merchants were all the great men of the earth for by thy sorceries were all Nations deceived Thus Rome when it is destroyed shall be no more inhabited by the sons of men it is such a cursed City but on the contrary it shall become the hold of every foul spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird and the wild beasts of the desart shall lie therein and it shall be full of doleful creatures Owles and Satyrs and Dragons as it is at large exprest Isa 34. 9 10 11 c. And Isa 13. 19 20 c. Thus Rome shall be ruined and over it's ruines shall the Saints rejoyce as Rev. 18. 20. Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her But her confederates will greatly lament and bewail her As vers 9 10 c. Thus much for Romes ruine Of what is to follow Romes ruine But the enemies of Jesus Christ and his Saints are not wholly ruined when Rome is thus destroyed but many will be left to bewail it and amongst the rest it appears that the Beast viz. the Pope still remains undestroyed for he is one of the last that shall be
THE LITTLE HORNS DOOM DOVVNFALL OR A Scripture-Prophesie OF King James and King Charles and of this present Parliament unfolded Wherein it appeares that the late Tragedies that have bin acted upon the Scene of these three Nations and particularly the late Kings doom and death was so long ago as by Daniel pred-eclared AND What the issue of all will be is also discovered which followes in the second Part. By M. Cary a servant of Jesus Christ AMOS 3. 7 8. Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the Prophets The Lion hath roared who will not feare the Lord God hath spoken who can but Prophesie London Printed for the Author and are to be sold at the sign of the Black-spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1651. TO The Vertuous Heroicall and Honourable Ladies The Lady ELIZABETH CROMVVEL The Lady BRIDGET IRETON and The Lady MARGARET ROLE May it please your Ladiships BEing pressed in spirit to divulge this insuing discourse the maine scope whereof being to make this present age more sensible of the late past and present footsteps of God in the world in order to the setting up of the kingdom of our Lord Iesus and the making of all dominions to serve and obey him And observing how that among the many pious precious prudent and sage Matrons and holy women with which this Common-wealth is adorned as with so many precious jewels and choice gemmes which God having here and there placed in it doe set out the glory and lustre of the * This Nation so farre excels in glory and happinesse all other Nations because of of those numbers of precious Saints that are in it and for severall other respects As it made a Reverend * See Mr. Tho. Goodwins Sermon preached before the Parliament in Feb. 1645. which is in print and intituled The great Interest of States and Kingdomes Which in many other respects is worthy the serious view of the best saints Divine of this Nation thus to expresse himselfe concerning it That if wee had stood at Gods elbow when he bounded out the Nations and appointed the times and seasons that men should live in wee should not have known in what nation or kingdome or age wee should have chosen to have lived in rather then in this kingdom for whom God hath done such great things unlesse when Iesus Christ himselfe was alive and the Apostles in those primitive times unlesse in Iudea it self where all the Apostles were together Nation God hath selected and chosen out your Ladiships and placed you in some of the highest places of honour according to your present capacities in the three Nations wherein you have more then ordinary opportunities to honour him And observing withall how that as God hath placed you in the stations wherein you are so hee hath fitted you for them the tendency of your aimes studies and endeavours as it is well knowne being to the exaltation as far as lies in you of that great King of Saints the Lord Iesus whom you love in sincerity and for the setting up of whose glorious Kingdome in the perfection of it you longingly waite which frame of spirit in you hath not been of yesterday only but for many yeeres together hath shined conspicuously and gloriously in you all demonstrating to all Saints that indwelling presence of the holy spirit which is within you I have therefore chosen being of your own sex to dedicate these Treatises to your Ladiships whom I honour because God hath honoured and under your favourable aspects to publish them to the world being assured both First of your ingenuous and gracious acceptation hereof seeing that these treatises tend to the quickning and refreshing of the hearts of those which waite for and expect the comming and the kingdome of our Lord Iesus Christ Knowing that every thing of this nature from how weak an instrument soever it be so it bee with the plaine and cleer demonstrations of the holy Scripture and the holy spirit is very acceptable unto you who are in that waiting and expecting posture And also secondly of your owning and defending and maintaining all the truths which are therein laid down as far as they shall appear in the energie and evidence of the holy spirit unto you who have already so plenarily compared with many other Saints of these present times received of that spirit And now right honourable that as your God hath graciously loaded you both with internall and externall glory under which he keepes you in a sweet meek and humble frame which crownes all the favours which he hath conferred upon you so that you may more and more abound in every grace and blessing of the Lord enjoying yet more full spirituall and sweet communion and fellowship with the Father and with his Sonne Iesus Christ through the spirit that as transplendent stars you may shine gloriously in the severall spheares wherein God hath set you or shall set you while in this world untill you are advanced unto that beatificke vision which is to bee injoyed among the glorified Saints and Angels with Iesus Christ in another world shall be the prayer of My Ladies Your Ladiships devoted unfeignedly to serve you in the Lord MARY RANDE To the READER Courteous Reader I Had written the first of these Treatises intituled The little Horns doom and downfall above seven yeeres since but have bin with-held from publishing of it untill now for ends best known unto divine Majesty but if may so guesse it may bee it was because that men would then generally have been more uncapable of receiving of such things then now they are because now these things are fulfilled and prophesies are then best understood when they are fulfilled But now am I so pressed to publish both this first Treatise and this other which I have but lately written upon this 27 verse of this seventh of Daniel * Having finished it but since the beginning of the moneth of August this present yeer 1651. as that I cannot I dare not with-hold neither of them from publike view any longer but by publishing of them in print I shall expose them to the publike view of all men as far as in me lies And having so done shall leave it to the eternall Jehovah to make it effectuall to those ends to which he hath appointed it which may bee First to convince those of their folly that persist in waies contradictory to or crossing of his present designes to the disturbing of their own soules though they cannot hinder his worke for who can let it for if hee do not convince them none can Or Secondly it may be to confirm others for there are some that are already so far inlightned in their understandings about the present proceedings of God in the world as they do in some competent measure already discerne the footsteps of God in these great present providences and doe discerne also what his designes are in
and thence until the THOUSAND yeers of Christs REIGN begin and of marvelous things therein and afterwards I had made a Collection from the Book of the Revelation and from Daniel and other Scriptures which was appointed to be printed before my Store-house of cases of Conscience was printed in 1650. but some reasons have hitherunto moved me to forbear the publishing thereof but those reasons appear to me now an insufficient ground to forbear longer having afresh considered that pregnant Motive from Rev. 1. 3. before recited and the sweetness of the precious things to come foretold herein as well as therein which should urge us not to be wanting to help others as far as in us is to the sweet and comfortable knowledge of the wonderful great things that our God is about to do for his people shortly as he himself saith Behold I come quickly or speedily Amen Even so COME LORD JESUS Saith the soul of his servant H. J. Reader IT may so be That thou art one of those who are willing to follow the Lamb whither soever he goeth and rejoycest in spirit that the King of Saints doth begin to be terrible to the Kings of the Earth Now if thou staggerest not through unbelief at those exceeding great and precious promises which are recorded in the Scriptures of Truth concerning the fifth kingdom thou shalt in due time behold with a mixture of joy and wonder those other grand Mutations and extraordinary Revolutions which are even at the door and ready to break in upon the Princes and upon the People of the whole earth Indeed many wise men after the flesh have been and now are much offended that a company of illiterate men and silly women should pretend to any skill in dark prophecies and to a foresight of future events which the most learned Rabbies and the most knowing Politicians have not presumed to hope for But after they who are thus offended have perused those Scriptures mentioned in the margint ' * Psal 119. 98 99. 100. they shall do well to observe the fruits of that Faith and fore-sight which dwelt in the hearts and in the minds of the old godly Nonconformists in Queen Elizabeths and King James his days there having been many hundreds of those silly and illiterate ones so called of whom it may be said at this day that they were wiser then their enemies wiser then their teachers wiser then the Ancients Psa 119. 98 99 100. where may be seen the proper reason of this their wisdom For are not those things come to pass which they foresaw and foretold concerning that fatal Catastrophe which hath now befallen the Prelates and their adherents whereas the generality of the Ministers and people of the Land had very little acquaintance with the minde of God in those particulars And surely that eminent instance of the Teachings of the Spirit and that full assurance of Faith bestowed upon those Saints which like Caleb and Joshua followed the Lord fully may suggest such a thought as this That there may be now in this juncture of time some neglected despised reproached Ones both men and women who clearly understand and perceive many precious truths concerning the golden Image the fourth Beast the seven Vials the seventh Trumpet the New Jerusalem the binding of Satan the pouring out of the Spirit the glorious advance of knowledge and Grace the universal Gospel-peace the power and dominion of the Saints c. which not onely the world generally but many of the Saints themselves look upon as well-composed Fables and as the Visions of their own hearts who are the teachers of them The ensuing Discourse treating of some of those things being a Gentlewomans thoughts put into form and order by her self was brought to me to peruse with this desire added That if I judged it meet I would prefix a few words to signifie my judgement concerning the usefulness thereof Two things there are which to me savor very well and I believe will take the hearts of divers Christians The one is the Collection and Collation of so many of those precious promises which concern the times yet to come and the presenting them to the Readers view in words at length and not in figures as the manner of many is The other is her vigilant care to insert here and there as occasion is offered such necessary cautions as tend to the wiping off of those unjust aspersions which Hierom and others would cast upon the Millenaries as they are called For in the Book thou wilt finde her pleading for the advance of holiness in the midst of all that happiness which is prepared for the Saints in that thousand yeers As for her thoughts concerning the little Horn thou wilt say when thou readest they are new and singular therefore be thou the more careful and if thou canst serve the Saints with a more probable Exposition and see the Apology in the 45 and 46 pages Many are running too and fro and knowledge is increasing Dan. 12. 4. But together therewith the Lord be pleased for the Lords sake to advance the power of godliness zeal for the truth and the delight of the Saints in Communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ and one with another Do thou Reader say Amen beleevingly with Thy servant for the Lords sake CHRISTOPHER FEAKE Errata PAge 1. l. 5 dele another p. 4. l. 14. for Monarchs r. Monarchies p. 5. l. 3. for Monarch r. Monarchy p. 72. l. 12. for a virgin 1. O virgin p. 75. l. 2 and 4. for Monarchs r. Monarchies ead for Monarch r. Monarchy p. 160. l. 11. for jot r. iota p. 161. l. 10. for wal r. walk p. 170. for of Gospel r. of the Gospel p. 184. l. 6. dele that p. 199. l. 16. for both Jews r. both of the Jews p. 213. l. 3. for then to be their r. then as to their p. 259. l. 7. for how shall Saints r. how Saints shall p. 282. l. 1. for and will r. and they will ead l. 21. for heart more r. heart will more p. 294. l. 2. for take r. execute p. 287. l. 1. for external r. eternal p. 138. l. antepenult for your r. you IMPRIMATUR Joseph Caryl THE LITTLE HORNES DOOM and DOVVNFALL Dan. 7. 24 25 26 27. And another another shall rise after them which shall be divers from the first and he shall subdue three Kings And he shall speak great words against the most high and think to change Times and Laws and they shall be given into his hand untill a time and times and the dividing of time But the Judgement shall fit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end And the Kingdom and Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given unto the people of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him THe Coherence of these verses
with the former part of this Chapter being observed the meaning of them will the more clearely appeare which is briefly thus The Prophet Daniel in the first yeare of Belshazzar had a Dream and Visions wherin the all-disposer of all things was pleased to reveale unto him not for his sake only but for ours also many things which were to come to passe in a very long time after some of which things are not yet but shall be fulfilled in their season The sum of the Vision is this The Prophet saw foure great beasts rise one after another being divers one from another and the first was like a Lion the second like a Beare the third like a Leopard and the fourth beast was such a Monster as he compares it to no beast being unlike any beast that could be named and it s said to be exceeding dreadful and terrible having ten hornes and among these hornes there came up another little horne before whom three were pluckt up and in this horne were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking great things And at last the Prophet in his Vision saw a finall end of all these beasts and all their Power and Dominion taken from them and saw the Lord Jesus Christ there stiled The Son of man set up to be the only Monarch of all the World The Prophet having seen this Vision and it being dark and mysterious to him he was troubled and desired to know the truth of it whereupon the interpretation of the Vision was given to him as it is at the 16 verse and so on And it was declared to him that the foure great beasts were foure Kings that should arise out of the earth and when the Prophet desired more particularly to know what the meaning of the fourth beast was which was so different from the rest and so exceeding dreadfull and what was the meaning of the ten Hornes which were in his Head and of the other Horne which came up before whom three fell It was revealed to him that the fourth beast should be the fourth Kingdome upon earth which should be different from all Kingdomes and should devour the whole Earth and should tread it down and break it in peeces and that the ten Hornes should be ten Kings which should arise out of it and that the other Horne which came up before whom three fell was another King which should arise after the ten Kings which should be divers from the first and should subdue three Kings c. Now that this Prophesie hath been accomplished exactly clearly and fully in the former part of it viz. in the rising of the foure Universall Monarchs which have acted their parts in the world since the time that the Prophet Daniel saw this Vision The first being the Babylonian which was then in being The second the Persian which succeeded the Babylonian The third the Grecian which succeeded the Persian And The fourth which was the worst the most dreadfull and terrible and the last of the foure was the Roman which succeeded the Grecian I say that in these foure Monarchs this Prophesie hath been in that part of it fulfilled is very cleare and acknowledged by all that acknowledge any thing And moreover in that since the breaking of the great power of the Roman Monarchy there hath risen ten Kings out of it which have been the Hornes which the beast hath made use of to push the Saints those Kings being subject to the Roman Beast which was first Emperiall and afterward Papal that Roman Beast whether Emperiall or Papall having alwaies had when least the number of ten Kings subjected to it Spain France England Scotland Ireland and Denmark being a part of that number In this also is that part of this Prophesie fulfilled which saies that the fourth Monarch should have ten Hornes or ten Kings and this is very plaine and undeniable and confest by all that have explained this Prophesie And thus having observed the Coherence I shall by divine assistance proceed to explaine the remaining part of this Prophesie which is contained in these foure verses And another shall arise after them and he shall be divers from the first and he shall subdue three Kings Having observed how the former part of of this Prophesie hath been already clearly fulfilled and that the ten Hornes were ten Kings belonging to the Roman Monarch and this part of this verse telling us that another King should arise after the other ten Kings which should be divers from the rest and should subdue three Kings And comparing this with the eighth verse to which this verse hath reference where Daniel saies that he considered the ten Hornes and behold there came up among them another little Horne before whom there were three of the first hornes pluckt up by the roots 〈◊〉 before whom three fell as in the â—… verse The result of all will be this that this King mentioned in this verse is the late King that reigned over England Scotland and Ireland and that appeares thus The King mentioned in this verse is said to be among the ten horns or Kings or to be of them and have three hornes or Kings pluckt up by the roots before him ver 8. or to have three of the ten Kings fall before hee comes up and this one to succeed three verse 20. Now this directly was the condition of the late King he came up in the roome of three of the hornes and reigned over three of the Kingdoms * That Kingdom may be said to bee and is indeed subjected to the Roman Beast the Pope when the King or those in authority in the Kingdom gives liberty to Prelates or to any of the Clergy-men as they are called to exercise any unwarrantable power over the consciences of Saints and to binde Saints to worship God in that way and method which they presscribe and no other way but so which God abhors Esa 29. 13. Matth. 15. 9. Exercising Lordship over the consciences of Saints and this is that for which Rome is called Babylon because it proved in this respect a house of bondage to ehe Saints And thus England Scotland and Ireland were subjected to the Roman Beast the Pope untill the late Kings power was taken from him and even so was England as well as the other Kingdomes subjected to the Beast even in Queen Elizabeths daies for though shee was in many respects 〈◊〉 vertuous Queen yet herein shee failed in suffering Bishops to Lord it over the consciences of Saints and therein was England one of the hornes even then as it hath bin ever since untill of late yeers subjected to the Roman Beast and before him three Hornes were pluckt up by the roots For Elizabeth of England and * This was he that caused the combustions in Ireland in Queen Elizabeths time and was wholly overcome at that time Hugh Baron of Dungannon and Earle of Tir-Oen whose predecessors claimed the Kingdome of Ireland and James of
Scotland were all three fallen and the late King was he that came in the roome of these three and entirely possessed the Kingdomes of all three So that this part of this Prophesie is exactly fulfilled in that King and not in any other of the Kings nor in any other person can these things be said to be so exactly fulfilled as in him So that if the Spirit of God here had no further described this little horne it would have been evident that this Prophesie had been fulfilled in this King these three Kingdomes being thus subjected to one King or Prince that formerly were governed by three before whom three were plucked up c. But it is made more apparent that this Prophesie was fulfilled in him by that further description which the Spirit of God in this Scripture gives of the dispositions actions and end or death of this King which we have as it followes Vers 25. And hee shall speak great words against the most High and shall wear out the Saints of the most High c. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ John 15. tels his Disciples that whosoever despised them despised him and whosoever despised him despised him that sent him Whereby its clear that that person that speaks great words against the Saints of the most High doth therein speak great words against the most High That this King did speak great words against the Saints of the most High threatning the ruine and destruction of all Puritans and Round heads as hee termed the saints of God is so well known as there needs nothing to be further spoken to make it appear nor need I mention the the persons which long before the wars which meerely for their being servants of God were persecuted imprisoned fined banished and otherwise threatned and as he spake great words against the most High in his saints so hee spake great words against the Lawes and Ordinances of God prohibiting of them requiring godly and faithfull Ministers to refrain from the worshipping of God from publike praying and preaching of the Word of God upon the first day of the Week Whereas many a poor soul might have been converted to and confirmed in the waies of God in those ordinances but hee constraind as it were the people of the Kingdom to a prophane loose life to dishonour God by inviting and requiring of them to practice prophane and wicked sports upon that day which was appointed for a holy worshipping of God Whereas many poore soules needed rather to haue been encouraged and call'd upon to have more frequently attended upon the Ordinances of God for they perished for want of knowledge And as he thus spake great words against the ordinances of the most High so he nourished and supported many wicked and abominable Priests when many holy and faithfull Ministers of Christ were rejected who did most profanely abuse the Scriptures and despise the very spirit of God and that publikely of which sort there were many among those Centuries of scandalous Ministers that were in the beginning of this Parliament sequestred for their delinquencies Thus in that this King spake great words against the saints and ordinances and spirit of God and had pleasure in such as so did he therein did as here is said of him speake great words against the most high And shall wear out the Saints of the most High Was it not long before the sitting of this Parliament given out by this King that hee would not leave untill hee had left no more Puritans in England then there were Protestants in Rome and is it not generally known what meanes and waies were used to wear them out and to make them weary of living in the Kingdom insomuch as many godly and faithfull people being weary of the impositions upon their consciences of those things which were evill and the prohibitions of them from that which was good as their meetings to call upon the name of the Lord and to confer one with another of the things of God and the repetitions of Sermons did being thus wearied leave their native Kingdom though in all outward respects to their great disadvantage and those that remained how did they groan under their burthens and complain to heaven day and night against the insufferable and wearying proceedings of that unworthy King Thus did hee wear out the Saints of the most high And shall think to change times and lawes and they shall be given into his hand untill c. Therein also he is more exactly characterized and described for it is well known that hee did think and intend to change times and lawes he thought to have made sad times for all circumspect and holy Christians whom he called Puritans and times of joy and rejoycing for all popish and prophane persons And hee thought to have changed those Lawes which had been by preceeding Princes made for the priviledges of the people in civil and spirituall respects and to have imposed lawes destructive to the peoples freedom and liberty and to have ruled all by his own will and made the people slaves thereunto And they shall bee given into his hand untill c. As hee thought to change Lawes and times so he did they were given into his hand for a while he had times and lawes in his hand to change them at his pleasure and he thought to have done so alwaies And to this end consulted with wicked Bishops Popish Lords and profane Judges and to this end also he raised Armies first against the Scots and afterward against all well-affected people in Ireland and also in England Thus this Horn that came up in the room of three did in all things answer this description of him which is given in these 24 and 25 verses and hee comes in no tittle short of it There is but one thing more spoken of him in this Chapter whereby he is any further described then as in these three verses and that is in the 21 verse which I will here take in before I proceed to what followes It is in these words And I beheld and the same horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill c. And herein also did this Horne or King most exactly act according to this which the Spirit of God by Daniel so long since predeclared of him For he did make War against the Saints and that in such a manner as no King Prince or Potentate ever yet did For no History can declare nor in any age or time can it be said that ever armies were raised more properly to fight against and to make war with the Saints as being Saints then these late Armies raised by him and by authority from him have been Many combustions have been in the World and many wars in this and severall other Kingdoms but was ever the quarrell so exactly against Saints and saintship in any War as in this For it was against Saints in a more especiall manner that this horn made War
and their deliverance as he gives them to overcome him and his complices that thought to overcome them And in this worke hee hath thousand thousands ministring unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand standing before him hee hath all his Saints all men else and all his holy Angels at his beck to execute his will and doe his pleasure And as once the stars in their courses fought against Sisera so God in doing this great work for his Saints deliverance and making way for the setting up of the Kingdom of his beloved Sonne hath multitudes multitudes both of Celestiall and terrestiall creatures to attend him And certainly such great things could never have been done if the Ancient of daies had not most gloriously and wonderfully appeared for the help and support of his people How could they which are so few in number and in the eies of the world despised and despicable creatures have carried on that work so effectually as to have cut off the late King though it was verily beleeved and it is very probable there was at that very time twenty to one in this Nation of England that were against it had not the Lord assisted them with thousands of Angels and evidently manifested himselfe to bee with them Thus it is evident that by the appearing of the Ancient of daies mentioned in this Chapter is meant his appearing in his people in that spirit of judgement and justice that he gives unto them and his appearing for his people to own and defend and deliver them and to lay their enemies in the dust while hee raises them up and makes them sit in high places Secondly whereas I said that this position was likewise the sense of this verse together with those other verses which I compared with it viz. That a certain number of Saints should be convened together and have a spirit of judgement given unto them by the most High together with power and authority whereby they should take away the dominion of the little horn to consume and to destroy it unto the end I shall illustrate that thus In the 10 verse its said that thousands thousands ministred unto the Ancient of daies and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the judgement was set and the bookes were opened and because of the voice of the great words which the Horn spake the Beast was slaine Here it is evident that the beast or horne was slaine by some that did sit in judgement before whom the books of his evill deeds were opened because of which his evill deeds and sayings he was adjudged to be slaine And at the 22 verse it is plainely declared who they were that did sit in judgement That they were not Angels but Saints the Saints of the most High for there it s said that the horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill the Ancient of daies came and judgement was given to the Saints of the most high and then was his power taken off for then the time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdome And that those Saints that have judgement given to them and that are said to sit in judgement that they are the instruments by whom the beast was to be judged and slaine is further cleare in this 26 verse where it having been declared in the former verse how evilly the horne should deale with the Saints it s said But the judgement shall sit and THEY shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end Thus it is also evidently the sense of these verses compared together that by the judgment sitting is meant a certaine number of Saints that by the wisdome providence and power of the most High were convened together and invested with power and authority and a Spirit of Judgement for this end to judge this little Horne and do justice upon him and to take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end And this need not seem strange that the Saints should thus sit in judgement and do such things as these for do ye not know saies the Apostle 1 Cor. 6. 2. that the Saints shall judge the World And verse 3. Know ye not saies he that we shall judge Angels This being a known truth it is no wonder among those that know truth that God should put such power and authority and such a spirit of judgement upon Saints whereby they should be enabled to do these things And to this purpose that passage of the Psalmist is also very considerable Psa 149. 4 5 6 7 8. The Lord taketh pleasure in his people he will beautifie the meek with salvation Let the Saints be joyfull in glory let them sing aloud upon their beds Let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings with chaines and their Nobles with fetters of Iron to execute upon them the judgement written this honour have all his Saints praise yee the Lord. Now I say since it is certaine that the Saints shall one day judge not only the world but the wicked Angels the Devils also and it being most certaine that this Prophesie of the Psalmist wherein he speaks of a time when God will beautifie the meek of the earth with salvation and put his high praises in their mouths and a two edged sword into their hands to execute vengeance upon the heathen and punishment upon the people to bind their Kings and Nobles in Chaines and Fetters of Iron and to execute upon them the judgement written Marke it the judgement written these things being so it is no wonder that this written judgement should be thus executed upon this horne or King Thus it is cleare that a company of Saints convened together by the wise providence of the most high and invested with power and authority and a spirit of judgement were to do this work upon the horne And what particularly they are is by providence now made very conspicuous the things that are here spoken of being now in a great measure accomplished for all prophesies are best understood in the fulfilling of them Namely that they are those precious and gracious ones that by the wise and gracious disposall of the most high have been called to sit in Parliament and the high Court of Justice which they erected who have had a spirit of wisdome of judgement and faithfulnesse put upon them whereby they have acted faithfully and zealously for the glory of God and the peace and welfare of all their brethren I say it is the Parliament and those imployed by their Authority who have hazarded all that was deare unto them rather than to suffer the free people of this Kingdome and amongst them the Saints and people of God to be betrayed or given up to the power of those that would have ruled tyranically and cruelly over them But here let me not
now severall queries that may be made about severall things which are such as these How and by what meanes shall the kingdomes of this world come to bee possessed by Christ and his Saints Whether at all the material sword shall be made use of in the cutting downe the power of men When Christ shall begin to take the kingdoms of the world into his possession Whether or no he shall take them into his possession all at once or when shall the time be when the work shall bee compleatly finished Whether multitudes of the Gentiles shall not bee first brought into the beliefe of the Gospel and the obedience of Christ and when the Jews shall be called Whether at the time of Christs taking the whole world into his possession hee shall not personally appeare on earth Whether his saints that have been sufferers for his sake shall not then be raised and reign on earth Whether or no the world shall then bee burnt with fire Whether temporary enjoyments shall bee enjoyed by saints when Christ shall take the world into his possession Whether the Saints shall then practice any ordinances How long this Kingdome of Christ is to continue and what is to succeed it Now to all these questions I shall give full and cleere answers which that I may do the more cleerely and without confounding of one thing with another I shall not observe that method of answering them particularly as they are laid downe but which will bee more cleare and pleasant and satisfactory when it is done I shall give a generall description of the state of the Church from the Yeere 1645 already past unto the day of the last generall resurrection In which description all these Queries and many others which might be made shall bee answered Now the description or map of this new world from the first entrance into it unto the utmost borders of it as farre as I have yet discovered or rather hath been discovered to me from the Scripture in my weake travels inquiries searches into it followes after this short preface The Preface When the Lord shall build up Sion saith the Psalmist then * Psal 102. 16. hee shall appeare in his glory Implying as if the Lord did never appeare so gloriously as then he doth when he standeth forth to build up his Sion And indeed it is very true that when the Church of God is in a desolate afflicted condition when the enemies of the Church triumph over them and make them as vassals and slaves to them and tread them under their feet as if they were the off-scouring of the world then is the glory of God much obscured and the world cannot at all see it nor is it so visible to his Saints as it shall be But when God arises to shake terribly the earth and to visit the inhabitants thereof for their iniquity especially for the cruelty and malice and inhumanity they have exercised against his own people his peculiarly beloved ones who bear his owne stampe and image and name and nature of whose soules he is the beloved and who are the beloved of his soule Then when he commeth to visit wicked men for these things and to owne his owne people as he did the Israelites of old when hee brought them out of Egypt and to manifest to all the world that they are indeed his people and that hee will avenge their quarrell and when hee comes to rebuke destroy and scatter the Kings and the great ones of the earth for their sakes and when he sets his people at perfect liberty and crownes them with gracious blessings and destroyes all the Nations that indeavour to injure them or disturbe their peace Then I say when the Lord doth these things doth hee appeare in his glory and so hee did when he brought the Israelites out of Egypt and so in a more glorious manner then ever will he do when he buildeth his Sion now in these latter daies wherein hee hath spoken of doing greater things for them then ever hath been done from the beginning of the world as wil appear in the following discourse The description of the new JERUSALEM THat I may set out the more cleerly what the condition of the Church shall be in these glorious times it will bee requisite that I briefly take notice of the condition the Church before this time hath been in as the Holy Ghost hath declared it in Scripture of which having already spoken in my discourse on the former part of the eleventh Chapter of the Revelation and also hinted at it in the beginning of this Book I shall therefore here but nominate some particulars to which I will referre the Reader that so I may avoid unnecessary prolixity Onely necessity compels me for the cleere and orderly proceeding in this present discourse to recapitulate some particular heads of that of which I have already more largely discourst as thus I have shewed that the beloved people of God stiled by the Holy Ghost The Holy City The two witnesses The Olive trees and The two Candlesticks who witnesse too and prophesie the truths of Christ have for above 1200 yeares by divine appointment and decree been kept in a low condition in a despicable sackcloath mourning wildernesse-condition and that so long they have been warred against and overcome by the Beast the Pope and his crew I have shewne and that the ten Kings under the Popes Jurisdiction have been of one mind with him in this trampling upon and persecuting the Saints and that for this end have the ten Kings given their power to the Beast I have also shewed that the King of England was one of those that was of one mind with the Beast and that having one mind with the Beast he persecuted the saints and made war against them and overcame them for a season as the Beast did I have shewed also that the time of this prevalency of the Beast and the Kings under him over the Saints and making war against them and overcomming them was a limited prefixed time and that beyond it they could not go nor have power to overcome the Saints after that time was expired I have also shewed how long time it was that the Scripture declares that the Beast and his Associates should have power to persecute the Saints and prevaile over them and that was 1260. years after which terme was expired they were to prevaile no more I have also shewed when that time expired and that was in the yeare 1645. And now I proceed from this yeare to describe the state of the Church In this yeare as I have said did the time of prevalency of the Beast and his Associates over the saints cease and though those enemies of the Saints do not cease to be after this yeare but they do and shall remaine yet longer yet they cease to overcome the Saints and instead of prevailing they shall be prevailed against and instead of overcomming they shall be overcome by the
be preached to all nations how that when the Lambe had overcome the ten Kings that then before the ruine of Rome the Gospell should be universally Preached unto all Nations and this is cleer Rev. 14. In the five first verses of that Chapter we have a declaration of Jesus Christ his standing upon mount Sion his appearing for to own his people and of his peoples being gathered unto him which are described to be pure and undefiled and redeemed ones to God and to the Lord Jesus and they are said to be the first fruits and to follow the Lambe wheresoever he goeth implying that they are the first of those that were called to waite upon the Lambe in the services that he hath to do for them in order to the setting up of his Kingdome They were brought in to him before the everlasting Gospel was generally preached and before the fall of Babylon They were the first fruits Now who are these first fruits that now stand upon mount Sion with the Lamb and follow him whithersoever he goeth Doubtlesse those whom he hath now called forth to follow him and those that he will call out of the rest of the ten Kingdomes Well what follows In the 6 7 and 8. verses And I saw an Angell flye in the midst of heaven having the everlasting Gospell to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his judgement is come and worship him that made heaven and earth and the sea and the fountaines of waters and there followed another Angell saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City c. Here we see that before the fall of Babylon and yet after the first fruits are come in to the Lambe the Gospell must be preached to all Nations and doubtlesse glorious and wonderfull will be the proceedings of Jesus Christ in the world now that he hath begun to take the Kingdomes and Dominions thereof into his possession he hath done great things in some Kingdomes already and he will do the like in others shortly and will powre out his spirit withall upon them and so cause the light to appeare unto them as shall effectually discover unto them the basenesse the viciousnesse the filthinesse and the abominablenesse of the cursed Doctrines of the Beast and the whore and cause them to loath them and to publish and manifest their dislike and hatred of them to all the world and with much zeale and fervency of spirit will all such as shall bee enlightened and thereunto qualified preach and publish the cleare truths of the Gospell in opposition to the false Doctrines of Antichrist in all parts of the world and unto all nations discovering also unto them the glad tidings of the Gospell to the saving of their soules and the turning of them from Idols and vanities to serve the true and living God Of the Jews Conversion ANd by this meanes way will be made for the bringing in of the Jewes who are at this day earnestly expecting of and waiting for the comming of the Messias Christ the anointed to bee their King their Saviour and their Prophet But before the ten Kings doe hate the Whore and before they manifest to all the world a detestation of her they cannot come in but then shall the everlasting Gospell be preached to all Nations Jewes and Gentiles and a spirit of zeale for Christ will bee then upon the Saints so as they shall not bee able to withhold from preaching the Gospel more generally in all the world But if now any faithfull and able Minister of the new Covenant which is the Ministration of life and the Ministration of the Spirit should goe and preach Jesus Christ unto the Jewes and publish glad tidings to them and tell them that the Messias is come and that Jesus Christ is he who will bee their King and Lord and Prophet and Saviour and will save them from all their sinnes if they beleeve in him and that he will restore all things to them and do glorious things for them alas they would scarce now say of such Blessed is hee that commeth in the Name of the Lord and why because they cannot beleeve that the Lord Jesus Christ in whom we beleeve and rejoyce and glory and who is our light and life and peace and joy and strength and all in all is indeed the Messias and the Saviour of all the ends of the earth as we know and beleeve he is and why cannot they beleeve it because that great Whore the City of Rome who pretends to have power over all that are called Christians is such a filthy abominable hatefull strumpet such a mother of harlots and abominations * What is the present let of the Iewes cunversion Whereas the Jewes keep close to the Old Testament and to the Law contained therein which is holy just and good And they know and are assured in the Old Testament that when the Messias comes hee will turne away ungodlinesse from Jacob he will cleanse them from all their corruptions and all their waies that are not good and that they that are his shall be a holy people a people taught of God and therefore they cannot beleeve him to be the true Messias whom such polluted openly profane and impudently filthy creatures as the Romanists are professe to bee their Saviour For besides many others there are five things especially which the Jews take offence at in the practises of that cursed crew as First their worshipping of Images and statues and crosses and crucifixes and such like trumpery Secondly their loathsome hatefull and excessive giving up of themselves unto uncleane lusts tolerating and allowing themselves and others in them as in fornication adultery sodomie and beastiality practises which the very heathen abhor and yet these abominable sins the Popes Cardinals Bishops and Priests and others of all ranks are frequent in the practice of granting liberty to all that are under their jurisdictions to live in the practice of them if they do but purchase a pardon with mony from the Pope for them Thirdly frequent murthers teaching it to be no sin to murther an Hereticke and tolerating such as are murtherers Fourthly Their tolerating of drunkenness and oaths Fifthly Their allowing of sorcery and witchcraft most of their Priests being sorcerers For these things especially but for many others also are the Jewes offended and cannot beleeve him to be the true Messias that shall be the Saviour of such prophane persons for they are assured that such persons cannot be the people of God They know that Adulterers and Idolaters and Sorcerers and Murtherers and Swearers and Lyers shall not enter into the Kingdome of God None shall come into his holy * Ps 15. 1 2. and 24. 2 3. Hill saies David but such as have cleane hands and a pure heart and this they know and therefore do
the text expresly says that the rest of the dead were not raised until this thousand yeers were finished and therefore this resurrection which shall be when Christ and his Saints must reign on earth is called The first resurrection and it 's said that no wicked one shall have part herein but onely they that are holy and blessed and who shall never die the second death but shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand yeers and others are not to be raised till the end of the thousand yeers What can be more clearly asserted or what is more clearly asserted in Scripture then this truth is in these three verses It is so clear as I must profess that for my part had I no other Scripture to back it yet having no Scripture contradicting I am perswaded that I should not dare to deny it But we have besides this several other Scriptures to this same purpose The next I shall mention shall be that Rev. 5. 9 10. where we finde that the four Beasts and the Elders which were the representatives of the Churches of the Saints and which were redeemed unto God by the blood of the Lamb out of every kindred and tongue and nation and people that they singing to the Lamb praise him saying For thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth This is spoken in the future tense as being to come We shall reign on the earth which that they may do they must be raised from the dead as it is clearly said in the fore-mentioned place they shall And it is likewise as clear Dan. 12. 2. where it is said that when Jesus Christ shall stand up to save his people and to perplex and destroy his enemies it is said that at that time many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake Observe this is a time when many of them shall be raised but not all But whereas it follows that some of them shall be raised to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt whereas there is no such thing mentioned Rev. 20. that any shall be raised to shame and contempt but it 's said Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection for on such the second death hath no power the truth in both these Scriptures may very well consist together For though John there mention onely the resurrection of Saints yet doth he not say that others are not raised to shame to be sent into shame and confusion presently as doubtless they shall For some particular persons may be raised to be judged and condemned for their wickednesses and cruelties and outrages against Saints and sent presently into the place of torment as the Beast and the False Prophet are said to be though there be no mention of it Rev. 20. but the Saints onely are said to live They lived and reigned with Christ c. And whereas it is said that blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection that crosses not this in Daniel for if some of the wicked be then raised to be judged yet have they no part in the first resurrection for the dead in Christ shall be raised first and it 's they onely being blessed and holy that shall then live and reign with Christ but none others shall and so have not others any part in this resurrection And another clear place that speaks both of the personal appearing of Christ to reign on earth and to judge those that shall then be raised is that in 2 Tim. 4. 1. I charge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom Here the Apostle speaks expresly of a time coming wherein Jesus Christ must appear and take his kingdom Now he always hath his kingdom in the hearts of his people and appears to them always in the Spirit but this is another manner of appear and another manner of taking his kingdom which Paul here speaks of for at this appearing and at this kingdom he must judge the quick and the dead Those his enemies that are then alive he will judge and some of those that were then dead he shall judge but the rest shall not live again until the thousand yeers are finished and his Saints that were dead he shall raise and give them everlasting life and grant them to reign with him a thousand yeers Again Zech. 14. 5. The Prophet in that Chapter speaking of that time when the Lord shall be King over all the earth and there shall be one Lord and his Name one says he there And the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee This is to be at that time when all the Nations must yeeld obedience to Christ and whosoever of all Nations refuses to worship him shall be plagued with a fearful plague as appears in that Chapter Thus is the Position that I have laid down in these Scriptures clear That Jesus Christ shall come with his Saints to reign on earth But again we have Paul speaking of it 1 Thess 3. 13. where he prays that the Thessalonians may be established in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints Here the Apostle expresly speaks of the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his Sains which confirms what is said That there is a time to come for it is not yet come wherein Jesus Christ will come on earth and bring his Saints with him And this is that which is also hinted at Isa 26. 19. Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust for thy dew is the dew of herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead This is brought in as a comfortable promise to the Saints who are complaining in the former part of the Chapter that though they have laboured yet have they not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither have the inhabitants of the earth fallen which seems to look like the times that were before the yeer 1645 when Jesus Christ began to set his people at liberty from their enemies then they laboured but all in vain to free themselves from being under the power of the Beast they laboured but they had not wrought any deliverance in the earth neither were the inhabitants of the world fallen but now this is brought in as a comfortable promise to the Church who are complaining of these things Thy dead men shall live together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust c. implying that though these were their complaints for a time that yet it should not be so always there should a time come when their dead men should live and together with the body of Christ should be raised he being the first-fruits of
had seen him go into Heaven and as Angels then attended him so will Angels much more at his appearing attend him and he shall come with power and great glory Now we know that as the Apostle says of the Resurrection of the body that it 's raised spiritual it 's sown a natural body it 's raised a spiritual body it 's sown in corruption it 's raised in incorruption it 's sown in dishonour it 's raised in glory it 's sown in weakness it 's raised in power So we know was the body of Christ after his resurrection it was not a natural body but a spiritual it was not corruptible but an incorruptible it was not mean nor weak but glorious and powerful and being thus a spiritual body and incorruptible c. it was quick in motion upon a sudden appearing to his Disciples and suddenly gone from them again And it was passable to all places it appears to the Disciples when the dores are shut and asccnds up into the Heavens in their sight These things a natural body cannot do but a spiritual and a glorious can And therefore he is said to come as the lightning that quickly shineth from one end of the Heaven to the other so can the body of Christ when he appeareth quickly pass from one end of the Heaven to another to be visibly seen of all his Saints to their joy but to the terrour of their enemies and so he will come in the clouds and every eye shall see him with power and great glory And as the Scriptures speak thus of Christ in his coming so there are Scriptures which speak of the Saints in their appearing with him As Col. 3. 4. When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we appear with him in glory Thus the Saints then were fully perswaded of the appearing of Jesus Christ and spake often of it and knew that at his appearing as he should appear in power and great glory so they should appear with him in glory And so again 1 Joh. 3. 2. Beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And so again Phil. 3. 20 21. For our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself Thus in this manner shall the Saints that come with him appear with him in glory and their bodies being raised shall be fashioned like unto his glorious body And now I shall conclude all that I have said touching this glorious appearing of Christ on earth and the Saints raigning with him on earth with that precious Counsel of our blessed Saviour worthy the dayly observation of all Saints as the use which is to be made of all that which is in Scripture spoken of this appearing and kingdom of Jesus Christ which we have Luke 21. 36. Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and stand before the Son of man Knowing what he hath said Rev. 22. 20. He which testifieth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen Even so Come Lord Jesus Of the ceasing of wars and the perfect peace and tranquility that shall be enjoyed for a thousand yeers I now proceed in the further description of this new world the new Heavens and the new Earth which is to follow upon that great day we have spoken of And in the next place shall shew how that after this time and during this thousand yeers of the Saints raigning with Christ on earth all wars shall cease All the enemies of the Church being thus gloriously overcome as hath been shewed there shall be no enemy left that shall ever stir so much as to prepare to make war against the Saints any more And this is cleer Micah 4. 3. and Isa 2. 4. Where it is said that in the last days when the mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the mountains that then they shall beat their swords into plow-shares and their spears into pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up sword against Nation neither shall they learn war any more There shall be such peace and tranquility and this peace so firm and they so certain of the abiding of it as that they shall see that they shall have no need of using swords and spears any more And therefore they shall beat these instruments of war which they shall no more use into instruments of husbandry which they then living in peace shall have occasion to use For they shall sow seed and reap it and plant vineyards and drink the fruit thereof And therefore Micah thus expresses the peace they shall have Mic. 4. 4. They shal sit every man under his vine under his fig-tree and none shall make them afraid They shall have no fear of war none shall make them afraid Such peace shall they have And Isa 33. 20. the Prophet speaking of these peaceful times speaks thus Thine eys shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation a tabernacle that shall not be broken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken Which fully manifesteth what security or rather what stability there shall be in these times of peace Again Isa 32. 18. the peace of these times is thus exprest And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation and in sure dwellings and in quiet resting places And Isa 60. 17 18. it is further exprest thus In that day saith the Lord to his Sion I will make thy officers peace and thine exactors righteousness violence shall no more be heard in thy land wasting nor destruction within thy borders thou shalt call thy walls salvation and thy gates praise Thus with full and emphatical expressions is the peace and tranquility of the Church in these times set forth There are many other passages to this purpose but these being sufficient I shall adde no more in this place but proceed Of the binding of Satan for a thousand yeers And the next thing I shall speak of as that which is to be done immediately upon this great day of the overthrow of the Saints enemies and the setling of them in peace shall be this That not onely the external and visible enemies of the Saints shall be subdued and put under the * Mal. 4. feet of Christ and his Saints but that also their internal and invisible enemies shall be chained up for now the Saints wrestle not onely with flesh and blood but with principalities and powers and spiritual wickednesses in high places and now their adversary the devil goeth about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour
is an evil to come into a fashion after it hath been some time used if it be sober No I say not so for I know no Scripture that so says But I say that it becometh Saints to be more composed then others and not to be so forward as others in minding such vanities and not to put themselves into immodest habits but to do what in them lies to restrain the exorbitances of the times in such things And this I say That they do discover that they have very little of the Spirit that are not able to deny themselves not sometimes in very fooleries in this kinde Not but that rich apparel may be worn and comely ornaments may be used Holy women * Gen. 24. 22 30 47. have been and may be adorned with Bracelets and Rings and Jewels But fooleries and immodest apparel c. must be avoided and when the Spirit is more abundantly poured out it will be so And they will be very regardless of these vanities and be more grave composed and discreet in their carriages For then in all their clothing furniture and necessary utensils shall appear not vanity but Holiness to the Lord. They shall be so clothed and have such furniture as shall manifest that they are not a vain people but a holy people As appears Zech. 14. 20 21. For they shall make an holy use of all the blessings which God shall multiply upon them They shall no more abuse them but they shall be sanctified to their uses so as all shall have this inscription upon them in respect of their holy use of them HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD Thus Saints shall not minde vanity in these times But shall have their Spirits raised and lifted up into an heavenly and holy frame Again twelfthly Another effect of this more abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon the Saints will be this that they shall be more fully centred in the will of God and it shall be their resting place his * How Saints shall will the will of God Will will be their Will and be the satisfaction of their spirits This the Spirit always works in the hearts of the Saints where he comes and the more of the Spirit a Saint hath the more of this appears in him But in those times we are speaking of when the Spirit shall be thus gloriously seen upon the Saints then in a most eminent and full manner shall this appear in them all the will of God shall be sweet unto them And this is intimated in that excellent pattern of Prayer which our Lord and Saviour hath communicated unto his people in these words Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Where our Lord would have us to pray for the coming of this his Kingdom and for the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven which will be when that his Kingdom cometh For though now many know their Lords will and do it not yet it shall not be so then but knowing his will they shall do it and delight in the doing of it for his will is their will and theirs it is because it his so that they shall all pray and say Thy will be done and shall have strength to do it His will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven in that day Again in the thirteenth place The Saints in this time being filled with the Spirit shall * Saints shall then walk in the integriâ—y and singleness of heart all walk in the uprightness of their hearts Integrity and singleness of heart shall appear in them and hypocrisie and double-mindedness shall be loathsome to them and be utterly contrary to their natures They are children that will not lye and none but such shall be inheritors of this kingdom as appears Psal 24. 4. where the Psalmist says that none shall enter into this holy hill but he that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully And so also Psal 15. 2. the Psalmist again saith that he that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesses and speaketh the truth in his heart shall dwell in it So that such and none but such shall possess this Kingdom And Psal 37. 18. this is again confirmed The Lord knoweth saith the Psalmist the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever they shall possess this inheritance And of the upright ones is it said Isai 33. 15. that they shall dwell on high and shall see the King in his beauty This is their Character They that walk in righteousnesses and speak uprightnesses v. 15. And in the fourteenth place The Spirit being thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints they shall thereby be enabled to mortifie all corruption so that it shall not at * Corruption shall not at all break out in the Saints then all break out in them for though it be true that all that is born of the flesh is flesh and those that are in the state of mortality shall carry flesh about them yet they being all new born shall be then so filled with the Spirit as that they shall mortifie all the deeds of the body and the Spirit alone shall live and act and sway and bear rule in them and they being born of God shall not sin but shall hate every false way and not suffer the least evil motion to take place for indeed it is not possible it should they being so full of the Spirit for Saints do experiment this now that when the Spirit in the power and life and glory of it doth abide in them as some tastes of it some Saints sometimes have O then not the least evil motion will take place in their hearts there is an utter antipathy in their spirits at that time to every thing that is not pure But when this is withdrawn then they are often foiled with temptations and vanity hath too much place with them until a fresh supply of the Spirit come and mortifie it But when the Spirit shall be so abundantly poured out upon the Saints as the Scripture declares What a wide difference will there be between their condition now and their estates then Then shall they always walk up and down in the strength and power of the Spirit and never want its presence and then it shall be their continual delight to walk in the paths of holiness and nothing will be more irksome and more loathsome to them then any sin or sinful thought And though by the first Adam sin came into the world so that all are born sinners yet being new born the second Adam shall save them from all sin and that not onely from the guilt of sin but sprinkle clean water upon them pour out the waters of the holy Spirit upon them and they shall be clean from all the filth of sin in a more eminent and glorious manner then ever they have been so that corruption
and they under the notions of Puritans Roundheads and Sectaries So that where ever his Armies came their greatest hatred and malice was against such as they so termed And in Ireland all such as had but the name of Protestants were most cruelly and barbarously dealt withall that they might be sure to cut off all Puritans as the most reall Saints were then termed Thus he made War with the Saints And I beheld and the same Horne made war with the Saints and prevailed against them untill c. As it is true of him that he made war with the Saints so it is true also that he prevailed against them for a time so that many faithfull Saints whose memories are still precious among those that remaine lost their lives in that War and he continued for a time mightily prevailing against them both in Ireland and also in England and had once got such strength both in Garrisons and in the Field when Oxford Bristol Exeter and almost all considerable places in this Kingdome both West and North were in his hand I say he had then got such strength as it was neere to be if it were not put to the vote in Parliament whether all should be delivered to his mercy or not whereby it appeares that he had prevailed far Thus in all the particulars already mentioned was this Prophesie fulfilled in him But to proceed And they shall be given into his hand untill a time and times and the dividing of time This expression of a time and times and the dividing of time is in it selfe a riddle hard to be understood but it is the more easie to unfold because it is againe used in the New Testament in another Prophesie of the same ten Horned Beast that is here spoken of in this Chapter for there this expression which is here in Daniel so hard to be understood is more plainely explained It is in the twelfth Chapter of the Revelation at the fourteenth verse where it is said That the woman fled into the Wilderness from the persecution of the Dragon where she was nourished for a time times and halfe a time and in the sixth verse of that Chapter where there is another mention of the womans flying into the Wilderness where she was to be fed or nourished it is said to be for a thousand two hundred and sixty daies Now what the meaning of these two expressions which are used to express one and the same time is doth more clearely appeare in the 11 and 13 Chapters of that Prophesie In the 11 Chapter at the 13 verse it is said That the holy City that is the Church and people of God should be trodden under foot of the Gentiles forty and two months and at the 3 verse that the witnesses should prophecy in sackcloath a thousand two hundred and and sixty daies which is one and the same period of time with that in the 12 Chapter for a thousand two hundred and sixty daies accounting 30 dayes to a moneth is just 42 Moneths and forty two Moneths accounting twelve months to the yeare is three years and a halfe â—o that these three 1 A time times and half a time 2 Forty two Moneths 3 A thousand two hundred and sixty daies These three are but various expressions of one and the same thing Now in the 13 Chapter at the 5 verse there is againe mention made of this one thousand two hundred and sixty daies for there it is said that the beast that had ten Hornes that was to persecute the Saints was to continue a thousand two hundred and sixty daies that is so long as in the 11 and 12 Chapters the Church was said to be given up to the Gentiles and to be persecuted and trodden under foot Now by this one thousand two hundred and sixty daies is to be understood so many yeares as it is usuall in the Prophets to put a day for a yeare * Ezek. 4. 56. Dan. 12. 11 12. So that when the one thousand two hundred and sixty yeares in which the Romish beast of whom that Prophesie speakes was to continue prevailing against the Saints did expire then the One thousand two hundred and sixty yeares Or Fourty two moneths or Time times and half a time For so it is variously exprest of the Saints suffering persecution did expire also So that this then is the meaning of this expression in Daniel And they shall be given into his hand untill a time and times and the dividing of times That is they shall be given into his hand untill the end of the one thousand two hundred and sixty yeers in which the Romish Beast was to be permitted to persecute the Church or Saints of God and to overcome them and tread them under foot So that so long this horne was to go on speaking great words against the most High and wearying out the Saints and indeavouring to change times and lawes and to have them given into his hand even untill that time was to be expired Now that this one thousand two hundred and sixty yeers in which the Romish Beast was to be permitted to persecute the Church and to tread it under foot is very neer come to a period * As Brightman and Cotton and Archer and others Is the concurrent judgement of all the learned and godly men that have written and publisht any thing of it and also the judgement of many private faithfull and precious Christians in these times But that it is not onely very near but is already fully expired I have already in another Treatise upon another subject * See the Resurrection of the witnesses published in 1648. cleerly declared there laying down my grounds for it to which I shall now only adde this ground which this Scripture in hand presents which is this The Holy Ghost here declares that this horn should continue untill a time times and the dividing of time so that when this Kings power of wearing out the Saints and changing times and lawes and making war against the Saints is taken away then is the time times and half a time or fourty two moneths or one thousand two hundred and sixty daies come to a period For he was to continue untill then But this Kings power to wear out the Saints and to change lawes and times and to make war against the Saints is taken away Therefore the time times and dividing of time or one thousand two hundred and sixty yeeres is come to a period Object But it may bee objected that though this Kings power be taken away yet the Pope the Beast remains and the rest of the horns remain how then is the one thousand two hundred and sixty yeeres of the continuance of the Beast expired I answer that this period of time is expired is clear from the former ground For the Holy Ghost speaketh expstesly that this horn should continue untill a time times and the dividing of time which is to bee understood as is