Signification they cannot but be interpreted of these last For if those Prophetick Passages before-mentioned and several others in the Writings of the Prophets be expounded only of the past or present Times of the Gospel it is certain that the Interpretation will not answer the Greatness and Heighth of the Words much less the Weight and Dignity of the matter spoken of If we attend to this we shall discern the full Design and Meaning of those notable Prophecies of the Old Testament we shall apprehend those many Glorious Things both with relation to Spiritual and Temporal Blessings which they foretel shall be in those last Days But I shall have occasion to alledge and particularly to consider those Prophetical Passages when I come to shew distinctly wherein this Dispensation consists and how it differs from all others The Places in the New Testament where this Kingdom of Christ is spoken of are not a Few But that we may not mistake it will be requisite to observe the different Significations of the Word Kingdom as it refers to the Times of the Gospel for we consider not the Word now as it is applied to the future State of Glory in the highest Heavens First By it is sometimes meant the Gospel-Dispensation in general the whole Time of Christ's Administration in his Church from first to last Thus the Angel's Words to the Virgin Mary are to be understood Luke 1. 33. He shall Reign over the House of Iacob i. e. his Church the true Israel of God for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Christianity shall more or less flourish till the World hath its final Period and Consummation In this large and general Sense those Places are to be taken Mat. 4 2â— the Gospel of the Kingdom Luke 8. 1. the Glad-tidings of the Kingdom of God and many others especially the Parables where the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to several Things Secondly We are to understand by it that particular time of the Gospel-Dispensation which immediately succeeded our Saviours Resurrection as is evident from St. Iohn Baptist's Words The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Mat. 3. 2. and from the same Words used by our Saviour himself Mat. 4. 17. and afterwards by his Apostles Mat. 10. 7. For none of these Texts could be meant of the time of the Gospel when Christ was on Earth or before his Passion but of some other succeeding time otherwise it could not be said the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand but rather the Kingdom of Heaven is present or is already come Whence I infer that Christ may be said not to be in his Kingdom as it respects the Gospel he may be said not to Reign all the time betwixt his Nativity and his Resurrection that being the time of his Humiliation But as soon as he rose from the Dead having conquer'd Death and Satan then he set up his Spiritual Kingdom This is clear from Psal. 132. 11. compared with Acts 2. 30. Then he sat upon his Throne as the Apostle here applies it Wherefore he said to his Apostles when he was risen All Power us given unto me in Heaven and in Earth Mat. 28. 18. And those Words concerning Christ Sit thou on my Right-â—and till I make thy Enemies thy Footstool Psal. 101. 1. which are mention'd four or five times in the New Testament are spoken of his Resurrection and Ascension whereby he declared himself to be Head and Lord of his Church Some thus interpret what he saith in Luke 7. 28. He that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he i. e. after I am Risen and Ascended the least Apostle or Preacher of the Gospel shall excell Iohn the Baptist for then a clearer Light will shine the Spirit will lead into all Truth Thus we may understand our Saviour when he saith I will not drink henceforth of the Fruit of this Vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Fathers Kingdom 〈…〉 which cannot be meant of the 〈◊〉 〈…〉 in Heaven because Christ will not 〈◊〉 drink Wine with them or at least in a proper 〈◊〉 it is not true But it seems more reasonable to take the Words as spoken concerning the time after Christ's Resurrection when he did Eat and Drink with his Disciples as is expresly Recorded This time is Signally and Eminently called the Kingdom of God or Christ because this Commenced immediately after he rose from the Dead and it is stiled the Kingdom of his Father because soon after his Resurrection follow'd his Ascension and Sitting at the Right-hand of the Father which were his solemn Inauguration and Enstallment This was the first Year of his Reign now he enter'd upon his Royal Offâ—ce having sent his Holy Spirit to rule in an extraordinary manner in the Church which he had not done before Thus you see the Date of Christ's Kingdom as it is more specially and particularly understood And moreover from all that hath been said under this Head the truth of what I before asserted is made apparent viz. That there are certain Steps and Degrees in the Evangelical Dispensation Thirdly The Vengeance of Heaven on the Iewish Nation in the Destruction and Devastation of their City is call'd Christ's Kingdom Mat. 16. 28. His Triumphing over those obstinate People whose Forefathers had been his Murderers was a considerable Instance of his Glorious Reign Thence it is that his destroying those his implacable Enemies is said to be his Coming in his Kingdom and it is call'd the Kingdom of God coming with Power Mark 9. 1. Fourthly Christ's Second Coming viz. at the Day of Judgment when he shall visibly and manifestly in the Face of all the World exercise his Regal Power is call'd his Kingdom thus it is said Christ shall Iudge the Quick and the Dead at his appearing and his Kingdom 2 Tim. 4. 1. Lastly By Christ's Kingdom is meant that peculiar and special time of his Reigning which is the present Subject of our Discourse when Christianity shall arrive at its height when the Church shall be in its Meridian That Petition in the Lord's Prayer Thy Kingdom come seems to be meant of this though not solely of it Then the Grace of God in the Gospel will shine forth in its greatest splendor and God's will shall be done then on Earth as it is in Heaven which may perhaps be one reason why these Petitions are joyn'd together It may be this is that Kingdom of God of which and the things appertaining to it our Saviour Discours'd to his Apostles before he left the World Acts 1. 3. But in the Book of the Revelation of St. Iohn there are many clear Passages which relate to this Perfect State of the Christian Church hereafter and 't is express'd by a Kingdom and by Christ's Reigning on the Earth This New Scene is mention'd after this manner in Rev. 5. 10. and again chap. 7. v. 15. and 17. and more plainly in chap. 12. v. 10. Now is
come the Kingdom of our God which is explained by the next Words The Power of his Christ his effectual Reigning whereby he shews his Power in the Church more than ever We have not yet seen the Consequences of the Seventh Angel's Sounding when it was proclaim'd with a loud Voice from Heaven The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall Reign for ever and ever Rev. 11. 15. which in v. 17. is call'd his taking to him his great Power and his Reigning Which gives us to understand that he doth not at first exert his great Power in the Evangelical Dispensation he doth not fully Reign but that he will afterwards and upon Earth This is taking to him his c. There is one Text more which I will add and I request the Reader to consider of it He i. e. Christ must Reign till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet 1 Cor. 15. 25. The Apostle had mention'd the Resurrection of the Saints at Christ's last coming v. 23. and thereupon adds in the next Verse then cometh or then is the end viz. of this World and Present State of things when he that is Christ shall have deliver'd up the Kingdom the Saints who are the chiefest part of his Kingdom to God even the Father when i. e. after he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power which oppose him and his Kingdom For he must Reign i. e. in his Church till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet Now it is plain and undeniable that this time is not yet come therefore it shall be hereafter There must be a time here on Earth when Christ shall have put all his Enemies under his Feet when he shall Reign without opposition And this is the time I am speaking of viz. the Third Exertment of the Evangelical Dispensation But the most Signal Eminent and Renowned Place on which may be Founded and Built the Future Glorious State of the Christian Church on Earth is the 20th Chapter of the Revelation where is expresly foretold the Binding of Satan a Thousand Years and the Saints Living and Reigning with Christ a Thousand Years I know full well this Chapter hath been miserably perverted not only of late but at the first setting out of Christianity Some from this place asserted a Terrene Millennary Kingdom of Christ consisting chiefly in Corporal Pleasures and Carnal Delights as if they design'd to revive the Epicurean Happiness or to antedate the Mahometan Heaven Cerinthus is said to be the Author of this Opinion for being a Man addicted to Sensuality and Pleasure he founded an Happiness here on Earth of such a Nature viz. abounding with all Delights relating to Meats and Drinks Concupiscence and Effeminacy So saith an Antient Ecclesiastical Writer Dionysius of Alexandria 1. 2. de Promis And Eusebius saith the same Eccl. Hist. 1. 7. c. 19. But this savours too much of the Flesh besides that it contradicts our Saviour who said His Kingdom was not of this World John 18. 36. and consequently the Reigning of the Saints is not Worldly and Sensual but Spiritual and Heavenly And besides these Men held that this Reign of Christ here on Earth was to be after the Resurrection yea and after the last Iudgment which renders this Opinion yet more Improbable if not Absurd as if the Saints who had enjoy'd the Pleasures of Heaven would count it a Happiness to be entertain'd with those that are Sensual and Carnal There were Others of Old who had a more Tolerable Notion of the Millennary Reign for they placed it not in Sensual and Earthly Pleasures and mere outward Peace and Prosperity though they held it was not without these There Opinion in short was this that after Six Thousand Years in this World were compleated the Saints should all rise their Bodies should ascend out of their Graves or where ever else they were and their Souls should come down from Heaven and Christ also should descend from thence and keep a Jubile with them and Reign with great joy a Thousand Years here upon Earth and that all Kingdoms should be made subject to him and that the Righteous should be Bless'd with an abundance of the Good Things of this World but without any Intemperance Excess or Immoderation whatsoever This they call'd the First Resurrection from which all the Ungodly are excluded After this Seventh Millennary of Years is compleated all Men shall rise from the Dead which is the Second Resurrection This was the Sentiment of most of the Ancient Fathers yea of all Christians who were accounted Orthodox as Iustin Martyr acquaints us He and Irenaeus and Ierom and others tell us that this Doctrine came first from Papias Bishop of Hierapolis who pretended he had it from St. Iohn whose Scholar he was and from the Disciples of the Apostles with whom he was acquainted So that the Pedegree of the Millennary Opinion is this It was first broach'd by Cerinthus then reâ—ined by Papias and others and afterwards transmitted to the Latin and Greek Fathers Or if we will be more exact in the Lineage and Descent of it we must begin it higher and say that the Apostles set it on foot first for they dreamt of an Earthly Kingdom of Christ in this World as I have shewed before Or rather we may trace it up to the Iews before Christ the Millennium was borrowed from an Antient Tradition and Perswasion among that People that the Messias should Reign a Thousand Years on Earth in all Pomp and Grandure The Babylon Talmud in Sanhedrim in the Chapter Helek doth shew this to be the Opinion of the Hebrew Doctors about the Days of the Messias And Aruch mentions it as a thing of undeniable certainty and so speaks R. Eliâ—zer in Midrash Tillim The Days of the Messias are a Thousand Years So our Learned Lightfoot The Opinion of his Personal Reign in the affluence of all Sensual and Worldly Delights was an old Iewish Error saith St. Ierom once and again And several other Writers testifie that it was a received Notion among them That the Messias after Six Thousand Years of the World were expired should Reign in Person all the time of the next Millennary with his Elect on Earth in perfect Peace and Prosperity and hence the Christians converted from Iudaism borrow'd and retain'd this Notion And truly it was kept up a long time in the Church it was almost universally believ'd no less than the first Three Hundred Years after the Apostles At last the credit of Papias who was thought to be the first Broacher of this Doctrine was call'd in question Though he was a Man oâ— great Simplicity Honesty and Integrity yet he was one of small Judgment and mean Learning saith Eusebius And he adds in another place that this Papias spoke Strange and Fabulous things and did not understand the Apostles Arguings St. Ierom and St. Augustin
State of the Christian Church prouâ—d from several places of Scripture Mat. 24. 3. 19. 28. Acts 3. 21. Rom. 8. 19 20. Heb. 2. 5. 9. 10. 1 Cor. 1. 7. 1 Pet. 3. 8. From those divers Texts that we meet with in the Old Testament which make mention of the Kingdom and Reigning of the Messias A five-fold acception of the Kingdom of Christ in the New Testament The 1 Cor. 15. 25. urged The Millenary Reign The Rise of the Antient Opinions about it It is proved that Christ shall not personally reign upon Earth The deceased Saints shall not rise again to reign with him here What is meant by the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witness of Jesus What is to be understood by their living and reigning with Christ. Two late Writers take it in a literal Sense but without any ground Who are the rest of the Dead that lived not again What are the first and second Resurrection The Reign of Christ a thousand Years is to be upon Earth By a thousand Years we are to understand a certain and definite Number Some Opinions concerning the Beginning and End of the thousand Years refuted Mr. Brightman's odd Fancy rejected We have had some Forerunners and previous Pledges of the millenary Kingdom Mr. Mede's Opinion which joins Christ's Reign and the Day of Iudgment together consider'd p. 609. CHAP. XX. The Millenary Reign is attended with the Destruction of Antichrist i. e. Papists and Mahometans This proved from several Passages in Scripture How the Papal Antichrist shall be destroy'd by the Spirit of God's Mouth Another Attendant of the Reign of Christ upon Earth is the Conversion or Fulness of the Gentiles An Objection answered A twofold Calling or Conversion of the Gentiles Partial and Total The Parable in Luke 14. speaks of this latter The Occasion and Manner of this Conversion The Progress of Arts and Sciences hath imitated the Motion of the Sun The like is observable of Religion The General Conversion of the Jews is a third Concomitant of the Reign of Christ. Whether the Jews shall be fixed in their own Countrey again The Author's Iudgment concerning the Texts of Scripture which are alledged to prove the National Conversion and Return of the Jews Lev. 26. 38 39 c. is meant of the General Return of that People In Deut. 30. 1 c. there is a Primary and a Secondary meaning The latter applied to the Ten Tribes The future Restoration of the Jews proved from Isa. 11. 11. from Isa. 60. from Hos. 3. 4 5. from Amos 9. 14. from Zech. 12. 10 c. from Luke 2. 30 31. from Luke 21. 24. from 2 Cor. 3. 14 c. from several Passages in Rom. 11. What is meant by all Israel The 26 27 28 and 29 Verses particularly consider'd and shew'd to be Arguments for the Complete Conversion of the Jews The 7. Rev. 4. speaks of this The Occasion Manner and Means of it both ordinary and extraordinary enquired into p. 673. CHAP. XXI Universal Righteousness is another Attendant of this Last Dispensation An Objection doubly answered It is not a Sinless State Greater Knowledg than ever shall be at that Time Religion shall then appear in its Native Purity The Influence of the Holy Spirit on Mens Lives shall be more effectual than formerly Jesus shall in a more emineâ—t manner be exalted Other Fruits of this happy Reign How these great things shall be wrought Civil Magistrates shall be made use of Christ's Reign is not inconsistent with that of Kings and Princes Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Rulers shall be Instruments in this great Work All Persons are some ways capable of promoting it Universal Peace is another Blessing that attâ—nds this Kingdom of Christ. On what account it must needs â—e so Scripture attests it An Objection oâ—viated A Concurrence of all manner of Temporal Blessings in this happy State More especially Bodily Health and Long Life Also a vast Increase of the People of that Time The Savage Brutes shall become Tame and Gentle Thâ—se Earthly Blessings are but Appendages of this Dispensation They are Inconsiderable in respect of the Divine Blessings which constitute this State The Author's Doubtings and Reluctances He is not positive as to Particular Circumstances He cannot determine concerning the Fore-runners of this Revolution The Freedom he uses in a Point that is highly probable He follows not some late Writers in assigning the particular Time when the Millenary Reign shall câ—mmence The punctual Date is not to be known The Thing discoursed of is certain tho the Time as to us is not so The Degeneracy of the present times is no obstacle to this The Author leaves a Testimony of his Wishes and Desires p. 721. CHAP. XXII The Last part of the Evangelical Dispensation under the loosing of Satan out of his Prison Who are Gog and Magog Not only the Mahometan but the Roman Power shall be revived The last Days before the end of the World shall be extremely Wicked They shall be exceeding Perillous and Calamitous Christ comes to Judgment The Conflagration of the World succeeds this whatever some have suggested to the contrary A Particular Answer to a late Writer's Arguments on this Subject It is observed how be resembles Origen A plain Exposition of those Words Nevertheless we look for New Heavens and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness A farther Proof from the same Chapter The Nature and Design of the Final Conflagration The Sum of the whole preceding Discourse p. 760. Errata to the Second Volume PAg. 424. l. 28. r. indication P. 505. l. 31. r. true nature of P. 510. l. 17. r. were for P. 518. l. 29. dele and consequently P. 527. l. 12. r. the most learned Bp. Stillingfleet P. 536. l. 17. dele that P. 543. l. penult before a insert who was P. 560. l. 16. r. and it P. 586. l. 16. r. ensuing that P. 630. l. 8. for on r. no. P. 631. l. 3. from the bottom after all make a full Stop P. 675. l. 9. r. intensness P. 676. l. 16. r. as the. P. 677. l. 17. dele only l. 18. r. naturally P. 697. l. 23. place yet after not P. 770. l. 23. r. sâ—ender P. 772. l. 4. for Adverb r. Conjunction discretive A SURVEY Of the Various Methods and Dispensationâ— OF RELIGION c. VOL. II. CHAP. XIV The Truth and Certainty of the Christian Oeconomy and consequently of Christianity it self evinced That the Mosaick Dispensation was not design'd to be Perpetual is proved from 1. The Prophesies concerning the enlarging of the Church together with the nature of the Jewish Observances 2. Gods dispensing with the Mosaick Rites and Laws 3. Their being neglected sometimes by the Holiest Men. 4. God's disregarding them 5. The Confession of the Jewish Rabbies An Objection viz. that it is said the Mosaick Law shall be for ever distinctly answer'd Prophesies which seem to relate to the Jewish Church are to be interpreted concerning the Christian one
Iews object Particularly the three Chaldâ—â— Paraphrasts expresly inserâ— the word Messias into the chief of those forecited Places which speak of Christ especially those that are dark and obscure are explain'd and plainly interpreted concerning that Messias who is our blessed Iesus In short then whatever the Scriptures of the Old Testament so long ago foretold concerning our Saviour are exactly verified and fulfilled and acknowledged to be so by the Iâ—ws which is an undeniable Argument that the Mâ—ssiaâ— is come and that Iesus was that Mâ—ssiaâ— But here the Iews come upon us with such Objectionâ— as these 1. The Messias was to be another kind of Person than what Jesus of Nazareth was he was to be a glorious Prince he was to come with Royal Majesty and Pomp. For he is frequently stiled a King in the Writings of the Prophets and particularly Zechary foretels that his Dominion shall 〈◊〉 frâ—m Sea to Sea and from the River even to thâ— ends of the Earth Zech. 9. 10. And some of the Iews confidently assert that the Messias shall marry and the Kings of the Earth shall give their Daughters to him Several Concubines he shall have and his Children shall succeed him in the Kingdom Health Wealth Prosperity external Glory and Felicity shall attend him But Jesus came not in this manner therefore he was not the Messias I answer as for the Character they frame of the Messias of being a great Secular King c. it is clearly against the Description of the Messias whose Humility and Sufferings we read prophesied of The Old Testament represents him as a Person despised rejected of men a man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief c. he was indeed a King but he tells us that his Kingdom was not of this World it was a spiritual Dominion and Soveraignty which he came to erect he came to rule in the Hearts and Consciences of Men And thus his Kingdom reached even to the ends of the World the Gospel being preached and he being acknowledg'd in all places under Heaven But the Jews look only for a carnal Messias their thoughts run wholly on some great and successful Warrior some eminent Personage that atchieves mighty things in the World And therefore if we may give credit to a late Writer the Asian Iews were enclined to take Oliver Cromwel for the Messias and sent Messengers hither on purpose to enquire of his Extract and Lineage For he having done strange things at home and being dreaded abroad they thought he might be able to do them a kindness to deliver them from their Pressures and to restore them to their Land again If the Great Turk would do this and make them great and glorious some of them would be apt to take him for the Messias and all the Prophesies of the Old Testament should be brought to speak for him Tho the Jews are dispersed and are a forlorn People yet they nourish hopes of a Messias who will inable them to throw off their Rags and will bless them with Riches and Abundance and with the Confluence of all worldly Prosperity The antient Iâ—ws before Christ talk'd not after this rate But People are wont to wish for and fancy what they most want Their low Ebb and poor Estate make them promise themselves a Messiâ—â— who shall come with outward Pomp and Magnificence who shall be great and potent and prefer them to places of Honour and Profit But this is dreaming and therefore is a sufficient Confutation of it self 2. It is objected by the Jews that the Messias is not come because it is foretold that universal Peace shall be the fruit of his coming Isâ— 11. 6 c. Isa. 65. 25 c. but these things are not fulfilled Quarrels and Divisions have not left the World since Christ appeared yea rather they have been augmented therefore the Messias is not arrived I answer briefly first these Predictions were literally and historically fulfill'd at our Saviour's coming into the World for there was an Universal Peace at that time The Emperour Augustus under whom he was born had hush'd and still'd the Civil Wars and Commotions at home and all Nations abroad submitted to the Roman Empire Egypt became a Roman Province AEthiopia sued for Peace India enter'd into League with Caesar the Parthians trembled at him the Cantabrians Rhetians Pannonians Germans yielded to his Arms. When he had thus by Victory or Terror purchas'd Peace when all the World lay submissively at his Feet he shut up Ianus's Temple which was a sign of a general Repose and profound Peace and then the Prince of Peace came into the World Yea in those Countries which at that time were not under the Power of the Roman Empire all was quiet and still In Denmark and Norway and those other Northern Regions there were no Wars no Enemies appear'd And afterwards Tâ—rtullian appeals to the Râ—mans themselves in justification of this Truth that since the World hath been blessed with our Saviour's Arrival Wars and Slaughters have been very much allay'd With whom another Apologist agrees telling the Pagans that Wars and Hostilities were so far from being increas'd since Christ's coming that they were exceedingly diminish'd and suppress'd Thus the Prophesies were accomplished Secondly the Design of the Gospel which Christ and his Apostles preached was to introduce Peace The Christian Religion dictated no less and directed Men how to practise it Therefore observe the Reason adjoined to the Prophesy concerning Peace Isa. 11. 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain for thâ— Earth shall be full of the knowledg of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea i. e. the knowledg of Christianity and the excellent Rules of it are in themselves subservient to Peace and Unity in their own nature they promote this Blessing in the World Thirdly the time shall come when this Promise shall be compleately fulfill'd Tho it is spoken of the time of the Messias yet it is not said that it shall presently be fulfilled and that in the heighth of it Christianity hath brought Peace into many Kingdoms and Countries and hath expell'd Wars thence This cannot be denied there is History enough to make it good which might be a sufficient answer to the Objection But moreover the Gospel of Christ in due time will have a greater and larger Effect and universal Peace Amity and Concord shall obtain in all the Churches of Christ as I shall prove when I come to treat of the last Dispensation 3. Whereas we have proved and the Iews themselves have confessed that according to the Prophesies of the Old Testament the Messias was to come before this time they reply in way of Objection that their Sins have hindred the Messias's coming at the time prefixed It is said in the Talmud the Messias shall reign two Thousand Years but because of oâ—r Sins tâ—ose Years are already past and Rabbi Elias is quoted for it In answer to which sorry Shift first
the Truth of Christianity Particular Inferences from this part of the Discourse viz. 1. Assent to the Christian Religion 2. Assert and defend it More General Inferences from the whole Christian Dispensation are such as these 1. Admire the transcendent Excellency of it 2. Be thankful for it 3. Learn hence our great obligation to Holiness and strictness of Life This enlarg'd upon 4. If we live not sutably to this Dispensation our doom will be more intolerable than that of others under the foregoing Oâ—conomies It appears from the general behaviour of Men that this is not thought of 5. We are to look upon this as the last Dispensation This is the meaning of Eph. 1. 10. which Words are fully expounded This is infer'd from the Gospel's being call'd the New Testament And from those Expressions the last times the last days Wherefore we must not expect any New Dispensation Fourthly THE wonderful prevailing of Christianity is another Testimony no less than Divine of the Truth of it Observe the marvelous spreading and increasing of it at first Christ began with twelve Apostles and seventy Disciples after his Death the number of the Names of the Disciples is said to be about a Hundred and Twenty Acts 1. 15. Soon after three Thousand were converted to Christianity Acts 2. 41. and afterwards five Thousand more Acts 4. 4. Then we read that a great Company of the Priests were obedient to the Faith Acts 6. 7. And of honourable Women not a few believed Acts 17. 12. And several more at other times till Christianity in a short space of time got a considerable footing in the World The elder Pliny who was Proconful under the Emperour Trajan and therefore knew very well upon diligent enquiry the numbers of the Christians at that time acquaints us that even then which was less than fourscore Years after Christ's Passion that Multitudes of all Ages and Orders and of both Sexes embraced the Christian Religion and that not only Cities but Country-Towns and Villages were stock'd with the Professors of it We may well then give credit to what the Christian Writers say afterwards viz. that all Places and Offices were filled with Christians as Tertullian tells the Roman Senate It is now about two hundred and forty Years since the days of Christ the Redeemer said St. Cyprian and lo in this time the Church hath spread out her Branches wider than the Roman Empire At last Christ's Gospel broke in pieces Gentilism and within much less than a Century cast the Empire into the Lap of the Church This quick Advance of the Christian Church this strange progress and success of the Faith of the Gospel proclaim it to be from God and him alone This wonderful increase of Christianity in so short a time was signified in our Saviour's Parable in the 13th of St. Matthew where the Kingdom of Heaven is compared to a Grain of Mustard-seed which increases to a Tree in a short time So the Gospel at first was little and mean a few contemptible Men came to Christ and owned his Doctrine but their Numbers grew greater and greater and in few years the Christian Religion spread it self over the World and all the Kingdoms of the Earth In the same Chapter the Gospel is compared to Leaven which spreads it self through the whole Mass so the Evangelical Doctrine diffused it self of a sudden and was seen to be dilated into a very spacious Circumference in a little time Christianity so over-ran the Empire that those who before were named Ethnicks and Gentiles were now call'd Pagans because they lived in poor Country Towns only The Inâ—idels were now but few and of mean Quality the chief Cities and Towns were fill'd with those that profess'd the Christian Religion though as was said the Country was not left empty of them But by what means was this done Was it by deep Policy or mighty Force No. Christianity prevail'd not as Mahomets Sect did that got up by Military Success by Sword and War and force of Arms. But the Christians never struck one stroke for their Cause unless you reckon that of St. Peter when he cut off the High Priest's Servant's Ear but then he was commanded by his Master to put up his Weapon and they never drew it afterwards Christianity was not acquainted with Martial Discipline and the Law of Arms there was no use of these harsh Methods in the propagating of it Again Mahometism prevail'd in a rude and illiterate Nation that Impostor was witty and knew how to cajole the ignorant People But Christianity grew up in the most civilized parts of the World where there was the greatest Knowledg and the most Arts and we have Examples of the profoundest Philosophers and Sages that imbraced the Christian Faith I wave the mentioning of others besides Mahomet who had a Martial or a Politick Spirit to help them in their Enterprizes and to carry on their designs I only observe to you the marvelous Power and prevalency of Christianity which is seen in this that tho it made no use of these Means yet it daily increas'd and was every where propagated From low and mean beginnings it grew up to a vast Proportion and at length it arrived to the Sway and Soveraignty over the greatest Kingdoms Here I will insist on these two Heads 1. That in the propagating of Christianity the Ignorant prevail'd against the Learned and Wise. 2. That the Weak prevail'd against the Strong and Powerful both which are no mean Arguments of the Truth of Christianity First the Ignorant prevail'd against the Wise. For what were the Apostles Were they any other than ignorant and unlearned simple rude Men not bred up in the Schools of Learning not acquainted with Arts and Sciences wholly Strangers to Philosophy and the fashionable Learning of those days What were the Apostles but poor despicable Mechanicks who knew nothing but their sorry Boats and homely Cottages And what were the Men that these illiterate Persons opposed They were the Learned Doctors and Rabbins the Scribes and Pharisees who were the wisest Clerks and Scholars amongst the Iews Yet we read that some of these knowing Men attended to the Doctrine of the Gospel preach'd by Christ and his Apostles some of these owned Christ and Christianity When Jesus was presented in the Temple Simeon a Grave and Reverend Person one of singular Wisdom and Sanctity amongst the Jews acknowledg'd him publickly to be the Messias and Saviour foretelling also many things of him Christianity was favoured by Ioseph of Arimathea a wise Counsellour by Nicodemus a Doctor of the Jewish Law and afterwards by Gamaliel another Learned Doctor of the Law who by the advice he gave may be thought to have been a Friend of Christianity Saul a Man of great Learning and Abilities brought up at the feet of this or another Gamaliel and Apollo of Alexandria very knowing and powerful in the Scriptures were converted to Christianity and submitted themselves to
as to the Knowledge of the Arts and Sciences but is still impregnating and is still teeming with them And shall we think that as to Religion only there is a Decay There is no Ground for such a Surmise Shall Divinity which is the great Art of Arts remain unimproved Shall we think that all Knowledge but that which is the best of all increases and prospers No we can prove the contrary and thence entertain Hopes of greater Increases yet to come The First Christians as hath been observed did not understand some Parts of their Religion and the Nature of it so well as they did afterwards or so well as it shall be understood They were not exact in Points but Lived better than now The Ancient Writers such as Clement of Alexandria Origen Athanasius Ierom Augustin Chrysostom Hilary Ambrose Theodoret Theophylact and the rest have done excellently towards the explaining of the Holy Scriptures but the Moderns especially since the Reformation have wonderfully added to them And yet the greatest Harvest of Truth is yet to come not for discovering any New Doctrines but for explaining the Old ones and penetrating further into difficult Places of Scripture Who sees not what a vast difference there is between these and the former Times in point of Divine Knowledge How little was there of it heretofore among those who ought to have had a large Stock of it I mean the Clergy whose Ignorance in the Holy Scriptures and in the Doctrines of Christian Theology was scandalous and even ridiculous Indeed some of them were versed in School-Divinity but this was for the most part so far from making them more knowing in the Useful and Practical Doctrines of Christianity that it rather darkned and confounded them In the former Days of Popery Hebrew and Greek the Languages in which the Bible was wrote were meer unintelligible Jargon to the Generality of Church-men And as for the People their Ignorance and Blindness were yet grosser and they were not suffered to make any Enquiry into Religion Then that Politick Maxim prevail'd Keep Men in Ignorance and thereby enslave them It was an unpardonable Crime for Men to think their own Thoughts much more to speak or write them Ramus having published some new Notions of Logick and particularly against Aristotle who was at that time in great Credit was murder'd among the Calvinists in the Parisian Massacre The poor Man was a Martyr for Logick it is no wonder then that so many were for Divinity There was no liberty for Scruples in those peremptory Times for the Roman Doctors cut out Mens Belief and then forced it upon them A strange kind of Casuists that solv'd all Controversies in Religion as Alexander did the Gordian-Knot by the Sword by meer Violence Thus Mens Souls and Bodies were injur'd the former were blinded the latter enslaved They might be truly said to be bound in Chains of Darkness But we by the Divine Blessing are free'd from that Ignorance and Bondage which we owe to the Reformation whereby that Darkness was dispell'd and that Vassallage removed And now we are no longer tied up in the dark we both see and walk and we daily make progress in Divine Learning An undeniable eviction of which are the Discourses and Writings of those of the Reformed Churches especially of Divines for from these we may gather the vast Improvements in Sacred Knowledge They generally argue with close Reason they talk great Sense they shew a deep Insight into the Inspired Writings they cloath their Matter with fit Words they use an intelligible and easy Method they are happy in applying of Divine Truths in brief their Notions are amended and all the important Doctrines of Christianity are more plainly and clearly delivered than before And the Peoples Knowledge is proportionable they hear with Judgment they discourse with Understanding they try the Spirits whether they be of God they are able to confute Gain-sayers In the Countries where Protestantism hath taken good Footing there is scarce any difference between the Clergy and Laity in the knowledge of the Chief and Practical Points of our most Holy Religion These are understood by the inferior and most ordinary People as well as by Gentlemen Mâ—rchants and Tradesmen yea the other Sex study read and discourse of them Thus humane Minds are enlightned and enfranchised The Elastick Power is restored to them they act without Restraint and fill the Earth with Knowledge and Truth Judge now whether the World grows old and decays and is sunk into a degenerate Posture Say rather that it is much amended and is like to be improved yet further in future Times For from what hath been already we may infer what shall be afterwards We see Divine Knowledge and Learning have been continually in the Increase allowing only for some Interruptions that were violent and lasted not long and yet we are sensible they are not come to the Full whence therefore we reasonably conclude that there are to be farther and greater Augmentations in succeeding Ages And where the Knowledge of Divine Things prevails there Religion will get sure Footing and Vertue and Piety will be powerfully advanced and the Church edified and inlarged These are the Grounds I lay of that Expectation which I have of a more compleat and improved State of the Christian Church here on Earth before the Conclusion of all Things But because our Thoughts and Reasonings concerning this matter may be shallow and vain or too daring and presumptuous I will build my Hopes and Belief of that more perfect State of Christianity on the Testimony of the Holy Scriptures I grant that some are too forward to press Texts to this purpose they are wont to alledge several Plâ—ces in the Old and New Testament which have nâ— relation to this Matter Especially those that 〈◊〉 for Christ's Personal Reign on Earth quote 〈◊〉 out of every Book of the Bible several Passages which they interpret in Favour of their Opinion Whereever they find the Word King or Kingdom if they respect the Messias and the Times of the Gospel they presently snatch at them and apply them this way in the mean time over-looking the Kingdom of Christ which hath been all this while under the Gospel and is spoken and prophesied of so often in the Sacred Writings But though they are to be blamed for this that they strive to make all Scriptures speak their Opinion and accordingly force them to do it yet it is most certain and undeniâ—â—le that this Future State which I am now speaking of is foretold in many Places of Scripture in plain and intelligible Terms and particularly in some of those Places where Christ is mentioned as a King and his Administration under the Gospel is called a Kingdom But first I will produce some other Texts where this New and Last Dispensation is spoken of It is probable that this is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 24. 3. thâ— Consummation or End of the Age i. e.
comprised in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Time of Reformation mentioned by the same Apostle Heb. 9. 10. for he uses this Expression with reference not only to the Mosaick Law which was to be corrected and retrenched but in regard of the Gospel itself which was designed to amend and reform the World and to set it right Now this was not to be a Mock-Reformation but it was to be to Purpose and throughly to be carried on which I call the Heighth and Perfection of the Evangelical Dispensation This may have been signified when St. Paul would have the Corinthians and with them all Christians in future Ages wait for the Revelation of our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 17. And when St. Peter exhorted the Converted Iews whom he wrote to and with them all holy Men in succeeding Times to hope for the Grace that is to be brought unto them at the Revelation of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 13. He had been speaking in the foregoing Verses of the former Dispensations in the Church of God together with the Evangelical one which was then present and now he acquaints them that there is to be a higher Degree of this last Dispensation The Time shall come when the Effects and Fruits of the Gospel shall be more Conspicuous and Eminent when the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation shall produce greater Things in the World to the Astonishment of all the Enemies of the Church and to the Amazement even of Holy Christians themselves This is the Revelation of Iesus Christ. This last Condition of the Church is also expressed by New Heavens and a New Earth 2 Pet. 3. 13. For this is the Style of the Evangelical Prophet Isa. 65. 17. 66. 22. where by New Heavens and a New Earth he sets forth the State of the Gospel and therefore the Heighth of it deserves these Titles much more Whence it is probable that this is the New Heaven and the New Earth which St. Iohn saw Rev. 21. 1. For it is observable that he frequently makes use of the same Expressions and Phrases which are found in the Prophetical Writers And though it is true some Learned Expositors understand this New Heaven and New Earth in the Revelation of St. Iohn concerning the Church Triumphant the State of the Blessed in Heaven yet if any â—an narrowly scans this Chapter he will not be backward to acknowlâ—dge that this can't be the Meaning of it For the New Heaven and the Nâ—w Earth are the same with the Holy City the New Ierusalem in the same Chapter into which the Kings of the Earth bring their Glory and Hâ—nour ver 24. they come with all their Honourable Retinue to submit to the Scepter of Iesus to own themselves his Converts and they are ambitious to be Members of this Glorious Church upon Earth Next I will produce those Plaâ—es of Scripture where this Full and Final Settlement of the â—hristian Church in the last Times of the Gospel is call'd a Kingdom and set forth by Reigning It is not to be question'd that David's Temporal Kingdom was a Type and Earnest of this And those sure Mercies of David Isa. 55. 3. are the Faithful Promises made by God to David concerning the Messias and his Kingdom which are not yet fully accomplished and therefore are to be in this Reigâ— of Christ which I am speaking of Of this we often read in the Prophet Daniel as in Chap. 2. ver 44. In the Days of those Kings viz. the Monarchs mentioned in the Verses before among whom 〈◊〉 was one under whom Christ was born shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed That is Christ's Kingdom then began to be erected which afterwards shall more eminently deserve that Name viz. when it shall arrive to its Perfection It is said here expresly that it shall break in pieces all these Kingdoms that is the Four Monarchies Of which we are further ascertain'd in the next Verse for Christ 〈◊〉 is that Stone which was cut out of the Mountains without Hands and was to break in pieces the Iron the Brass the Clay the Silver and the Gold This Famous Stone was to beat down all the Four Metals Christ was to destroy the Four Monarchies that is when these cease Christ's Kingdom immediately succeeds It is true it did succeed in part when the Pagan Roman Empire expired and so in some measure this Prophecy was fulfilled but there shall be a more illustrious and eminent Succession than this upon the compleat expiring of the Fourth General Monarchy Wherefore when we see this quite at an end we may conclude that Christ's Reign approacheth i. e. that the happy Condition of the Christian Church in this World draws near This Fourth Monarchy the Roman is now wearing off being translated to the Germans it is but a meer Name and Title The Wings of this Imperial Eagle have been plucked its Plumes are fallen its Feathers are gone its whole Body almost consumed Rome itself and Italy are not so much as the poor Remains at this Day of the Roman Empire This Image is now on its last Legs and those are infirm for the Holy Spirit tells us that the Feet are of Clay and Iron which Two Materials will not well cement and hold together long Therefore another State of Things is approaching viz. the Fifth Monarchy or Empire here prophesied of the Reign of Christ Jesus here on Earth or which is the same a more illustrious Manifestation of Christianity a more Visible and Glorious Displaying of its Vertue and Power than ever yet was in the World Of this Kingdom of the Son of Man you have another express Prediction in Dan. 7. 14. 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 Kingdom that which shall not be destroy'd Again ver 22. The Time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom Agreeably to what was said ver 18. The Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever This Kingdom is again delineated ver 27. There is a great Number of Texts in Isaiah Ieremiaâ— Ezekiel and the Lesser Prophets which speak of this Kingdom of the Messias but they are it is true generally interpreted by Expositors of Christ's Coming in the Flesh and the prevailing of the Gospel afterwards and even to this very Day but they are not thought by them to reach any further This I conceive is a Mistake from the narrow Thoughts which Men are apt to have of those great Things spoken of by the Prophets which we shall find upon diligent comparing of Things to have a very large and comprehensive Meaning Most of the Prophetick Expressions of this Nature have reference not only to the first Times of the Gospel and these at present but to those that are to come Ultimately and completely and in their highest
were the first Fathers that writ against this Millennary Reign and soon after this it was generally Condemn'd by the Fathers of the Roman and Greek Church and hath ever since been look'd upon as an Heterodox Opinion excepting that some Anabaptists have made bold to revive it If we consider things aright we shall see sufficient reason to condemn and explode this Doctrine for there are these two gross Errors in it 1. That Christ shall Personally Reign upon Earth 2. That the Saints shall come from Heaven and Reign with him First The Chiliasts are palpably mistaken in this that Christ shall come from Heaven and Personally Reign here and that before the General Resurrection and Day of Judgment as they also hold This is contrary to express Words of Scripture which saith concerning our Saviour That the Heaven must receive him until the times of the restitution of all things i. e. as I conceive till the finishing of those times of the restitution of all things which will be a little before the Day of Judgment We are assured that Christ from his Ascension to that time remains in Heaven From thence he shall come to Iudge the Quick and the Dead therefore he shall not come down on Earth before that time and consequently he will not Reign here in Person as those Milleâ—naries imagine It is incongruous and against reason that he should be said to come to Iudge the Men upon Earth and yet at the same time be on the Earth Nor is there any thing in this 20th Chapter of the Revelation which favours this Fancy of theirs Had a Personal Reign been intended here it would have been said that Christ shall Reign with the Saints a Thousand Years which Words might fairly intimate that Christ would descend from Heaven and come among them and Reign in the midst of them so long a time but instead of this it is only said that they shall Reign with him a Thousand Years Or suppose it were expresly said Christ shall Reign yet this doth not prove that he shall Reign in Person How often doth the coming of the Lord in Luke 12. and in other Places signifie Christ's Coming in way of Judgment and Vengeance not his Personal Coming Why then may not Christs Reigning be meant not of a Personal Reigning but of his Reigning in the Hearts and Lives of the Faithful He is with them Spiritually and they Reign with him after the same manner and no other Therefore the Inquisitive Mr. Mede who founds the Future Reign of Christ upon Earth on his Chapter in the Revelations saw no Ground here for his Visible and Corporal Reigning Whence he hath left us these Words The presence of Christ in his Kingdom shall no doubt be Glorious and Evident yet I dare not so much as imagine that it shall be a Visible Converse on Earth for the Kingdom of Christ ever hath been and shall be a Kingdom whose Throne and Kingly Residence is in Heaven I quote this Passage the rather because some have entertain'd another Opinion of this Learned Author Besides in this Chapter v. 8 12. we read that Gog and Magog intervene between the Thousand Years and the Day of Judgment Therefore the Personal Reign of Christ is not before that Day for the Heavens retain him till then Nor is it after that Day for Gog and Magog who come after the Millennium go before the Day of Judgment I conceive this is an Unanswerable Proof And as for the several Quotations of Scripture which they bring to assert the Personal Reign the Answer in brief is this that theywrest those Places which speak of Christ's First Coming and others which speak of his Last Coming to Iudgment and apply them to a Second Personal Coming of Christ before the General Resurrection and Day of Judgment From this perverting of those Texts they set up the Corporal Reign of our Saviour which they so much talk of Secondly That is another unpardonable Error that the Bodies of the deceased Saints shall be raised from below and their Souls be dismissed from above and that both shall be united here that they may Reign with Christ on Earth First this is against the constant Discovery which is made to us in Scripture that Heaven and signally the Highest Heavens are the Place of Glory and the Seat of Blessedness prepared for the departed Souls of the Faithful Those Regions above not this Earth below are the Receptacle of Glorified Spirits Yet these Men are pleased to alter the Constitution and Appointment of the All-wise God and to make the Earth the Habitation of Blessed Spirits and the Seat of Happiness This is to abrogate the Laws of God's Kingdom this is to anticipate the State of Glory this is to confound Heaven and Earth Again How absurd and ridiculous is it to assert that the departed Saints shall come to be subject after all the Joys and Ravishments of another World to Calamities and bodily Evils For Gog and Magog shall besiege them as they must needs grant from v. 9. of this Chapter Shall the Saints not only quit their heavenly Mansions and come down here on Earth but also turn Soldiers and put themselves into a Military Posture For you read there of the Camp of the Saints Shall immortal Saints fight after they have been in Heaven Yet the Chiliasts must hold this because they assert that the Reigning of the Saints a Thousand Years is meant here of their leaving of Heaven and coming down to Reign on Earth They pretend to prove this from several Passages in this Chapter as where it speaks of the Souls of them that were Beheaded and of their Living and Reigning and of the first and second Resurrection which argues say they that this Reigning is to be understood of the Saints that were before in Heaven and that there is one Resurrection a Thousand Years before the Last Judgment and another when that comes In the former the Saints rise to Reign and in the latter all other Men shall be raised But St. Iohn's Words in this Chapter signify nothing of this Nature as will appear from setting before the Reader the entire Text with a brief Comment upon it I saw the Souls of them that were Beheaded for the Witness of Iesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast nor his Image nor had received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands and they lived and Reigned with Christ a Thousand Years But the rest of the Dead lived not again until the Thousand Years were finished This is the first Resurrection Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no Power ver 4 5 6. It is generally agree'd that by the Souls of them that were Beheaded are meant the Persons that were Beheaded for that is the known way of speaking among the Hebrews whom St. Iohn who was one himself here imitates And by them
often made use of where the Battel of Gog and Magog and their Defeat are mentioned Who doubts that these Enemies of Christ and of his Servants shall be subdued before the Day of Judgment And if so then Christ's Reign all which time his Enemies are subdued and disappear and the Last Judgment cannot be the same I may add that according to Mr. Mede's Opinion the Day of Judgment shall be before the General Resurrection which will hardly be allowed by any thinking Persons And in this very Chapter you will find that this latter hath the Priority of the other v. 12 13. And 't is no other than what the Apostle St. Paul asserts in 1 Cor. 15. 28. He shall deliver up the Kingdom to his Father viz. after the Resurrâ—ction which he had been speaking of all along before How then can he be said to come and Reign on Earth after he hath delivered up the Kingdom But yet we may understand this Writer in the fairest Sence and so we ought to do all Authors and then his Opinion is not to be disliked for largely speaking the erecting of Christ's Kingdom in the 1000. Years Reign may be call'd the beginning of the Last Iudgment and it is represented so in Dan. 7. 9 13 22 26. For with the Kingdom of Christ on Earth there is as it were a Iudicature set up and Sentence passes according to the different Qualities of the Persons that are found at that time The Enemies of God and Religion shall then be openly animadverted upon but the true Worshippers of Iesus all the Sincere Professors of Christianity shall be Favour'd Advanced Rewarded Thus the Millennary Reign and the General Iudgment are Contemporary or at least we may suppose some part of the Thousand Years Reign to be included in the General Judgment Thus it is if we take it in the Latitude as Mr. Mede seems to do but is cannot strictly be reckon'd as part of the Millennium for this Chapter expresly tells us that it shall be after is I saw a great White Throne and him that sat on it and I saw the Dead Small and Great stand before God and the Books were open'd c. v. 11. 12. There is no reason then to defer the Reign of Christ to that Time But it is more agreeable to Reason and Revelation to assert that it is not very far off that the Time is approaching when this Millennary State shall Commence when there shall be a greater Progress on the Gospel than ever yet hath been when the Church shall be wonderfully Advanced and Christianity shall arrive to its Maturity and Perfection Christ Iesus shall not visibly come in Person as some have fondly imagined but he shall come and Reign in the Spirit he shall Rectifie the Disorders that have been in the Christian World he shall throw down all False Worship and establish the True and he shall raise the Christian Dispensation to its utmost Perfection CHAP. XX. The Millenary Reign is attended with the Destruction of Antichrist i. e. Papists and Mahometans This proved from several Passages in Scripture How the Papal Antichrist shall be destroy'd by the Spirit of God's Mouth Another Attendant of the Reign of Christ upon Earth is the Conversion or Fulness of the Gentiles An Objection answered A twofold Calling or Conversion of the Gentiles Partial and Total The Parable in Luk. 14. speaks of this latter The Occasion and Manner of this Conversion The Progress of Arts and Sciences hath imitated the Motion of the Sun The like is observable of Religion The General Conversion of the Jews is a third Concomitant of the Reign of Christ. Whether the Jews shall be fixed in their own Countrey again The Author's Iudgment concerning the Texts of Scripture which are alledged to prove the National Conversion and Return of the Jews Lev. 26. 38 39 c. is meant of the General Return of that People In Deut. 30. 1 c. there is a Primary and a Secondary meaning The latter applied to the Ten Tribes The future Restauration of the Jews proved from Isa. 11. 11. from Isa. 60. from Hos. 3. 4 5. from Amos 9. 14. from Zech. 12. 10 c. from Luk. 2. 30 31. from Luke 21. 24. from 2 Cor. 3. 14 c. from several Passages in Rom. 11. What is meant by all Israel The 26 27 28 and 29 Verses particularly consider'd and shew'd to be Arguments for the Complete Conversion of the Jews The 7. Rev. 4. speaks of this The Occasion Manner and Means of it both ordinary and extraordinary enquired into BUT to pass from these Generals to a Particular Account of this Period of the Evangelical Oeconomy this Glorious State of Christ's Church which shall be before the Consummation of all Things comprehends in it these Things 1. The Destruction of Antichrist 2. The Fulness of the Gentiles 3. The Calling of the Jews 4. Universal Righteousness 5. Universal Peace These are the Five Things which are to be expected yet to come and which constitute the Heighth of the Christian Dispensation I. I begin with the Destruction of Antichrist For that it is probable is the first Thing which will be effected when the Thousand Years begin By Antichrist I mean the Church and Polity of Rome and the Impostures of Mahomet The latter is the Eastern and the former is the Western Antichrist For as the Roman Empire was made up of the Western and Eastern Dominions so proportionably Antichrist or the Antichristian Power signally so styled which was to succeed in the room of the Roman Emperours consists of both these Great Powers viz. The Papacy in the West and the Mahometan Usurpation in the East It is well known that both these had their Rise together and it is probable they shall fall together To speak of the latter first Mahometism hath been in the World above a Thousand Years but it must in due time have its Period the Cross shall triumph over the Crescent If it be ask'd Where there is any particular Place of Scripture that mentions this Catastrophe I answer That according to my Apprehension leaving every one to judge as they please the 38 th and 39 th Chapters of Ezekiel plainly foretel the Saracens and Turks invading the Holy Land and then their Destruction and Extirpation It is a most Eminent and Remarkable Portion of Scripture though little taken notice of but whoever will be pleased to consult the Whole with great Seriousness and Intensâ—tness of Mind they will be induced I question not to join with me in this Perswasion That this notable Prophecy hath respect to the Times of the Chiliastick Reign of Christ when the Turkish Infidels the right Gog and Magog with their Adherents shall endeavour by all means to oppose it and in order to that shall appear with a mighty Force against the People of God viz. against the Iews who at that time shall be looking towards the Messias and shall be ready to own Iesus to be
Judgment shall be chiefly Effected by the Preaching of Enoch and Elias So far we may allow it to be true that such Holy and Zealous Men as they were shall be the Instruments of this Great Work and you may be certain it will easily be brought to Perfection when such Persons are raised up by God to act in it And with Pathetick Instructions Invitations Admonitions and Convictions shall be joyned most Ardent Prayers for at such a time the Christian Church will be stired up to pity the forlorn state of this miserable People and to solicit Heaven with importunate Addresses in their behalf The Devout Mr. Herbert may be a Pattern in this particular who when he had express'd his sense of there Condition in these and the like Words Poor Nation whose sweet Sap and Iuice Our Cyens have purloyn'd and left you dry Compassionately adds O that my Prayers mine alas Oh that some Angel might a Trumpet sound At which the Church falling upon her Face Should cry so loud until the Trump were drown'd And by that cry from her dear Lord obtain That your sweet Sap may come again Moreover the wonderful Conversion of the Gentiles which shall be a forerunner of that of the Iews shall be another cause of the coming in of these latter and of their accepting the Gospel This is suggested to us by our Apostle v. 11. of the 14. to the Romans Salvation shall come for so we may read it because there is no Verb in the Original to determine the time to the Gentiles to provoke them i. e. the Jews to jealousie And this is yet more clear from 25 and 26. v. of the Eleventh Chapter before insisted upon which not only assert the General Calling of the Iews but that it shall be after the Fulness of the Gentiles i. e. when the Gentiles are Converted Blindness in part i. e. for a certain time is happen'd to Israel untill the fulness of the Gentiles be come in And when this is come in then the Jews shall no longer be blinded I take this to be a clear Text for the Priority of the Gentiles Conversion before that of the Iews though I find it opposed by several and particularly by our Learned Hammond who attempts to distort the Words and by the Author of The State of the Church in Future Ages Chap. 6. where he contends that the Apostles Words are to be understood in a qualifi'd sense and that is this Blindness in part is befallen Israel for so long as until the time come in which the Gentiles shall come in in their fullness that is they shall come in then more generally than ever before But whatever this dark Gloss drives at this is a plain obvious and intelligible Truth that though there was a great and notable Conversion both of Gentiles and Jews in the Apostle's time yet that could not be meant here because the Apostle speaks of something to come in Future Ages viz. a Compleat and Vniversal Conversion of those two And as to the Order of them he lets us know that the Gentiles shall be first Converted and then the Iews for saith he the Blindness and Hardness of these latter shall not be taken away until the fulness of the other comes in i. e. until the full number of Gentiles be come into the Church of God by a hearty imbracing and professing of Christianity Can any thing be plainer than this Could the Apostle have used any clearer Words to express this matter viz. That the Conversion of the great Multitude of the Heathen World will preceed that of the Jews that it will be a means to remove their Blindness and Hardness and to cause them to own the Christian Faith Wherefore I can't submit to this Authors qualifi'd sence and that for a Reason which himself assigns in another Place To force an unusual Signification upon a Word where the Scope of the Place and Nature of the Matter where it is used does not necessarily require it hath little Authority in it to procure assent But this Sence which I offer is further evident from what the Apostle adds in the forenamed Place So all Israel shall be saved The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is very Emphatical and Remarkable here for it acquaints us that the General Conversion of Salvation of the Iews shall be such shall be so that it shall be the Effect and Consequence of the Gentiles foregoing Conversion SO they shall be Converted in this Manner they shall be Saved and no otherwise The Jews shall behold that strange Revolution and sudden Change in the Pagan World and thence be stirr'd up to make an Alteration among themselves A holy Emulation shall possess their Minds which shall push them on to this great Work So i. e. in this Manner and Method all Israel shall be Saved the whole Body of the Jews shall be received into the Church Perhaps this Universal Call may be promoted by some extraordinary Appearance or Spectacle in the Heavens Some would infer from that Place before-cited They shall look on him whom they have pierced that our Saviour will come and be seen at that Grand Change of Affairs but from what I have said already on that Passage it is manifest that it is not capable of the Sence As for Rev. 1. 7. Behold he cometh with Clouds and every Eye shall see him and even they which pierced him and all Kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him which is thought by some to be a parallel Place with that which I last named because there is some likeness in the Words in both Places I rather think it is spoken of the Last Day the Day of Judgment when they shall see the Son of Man coming in the Clouds of Heaven Matth. 24. 30. which is generally acknowledged to the meant of Doomsday Then all impenitent Sinners and more especially they that pierced and crucified Christ and died in their Sins shall see him to their unspeakable Sorrow But those Words if any in Dan. 7. 13. may seem to be some proof of Christ's Appearing himself in the Clouds when his Kingdom on Earth is to be set up anew One like the Son of Man came in the Clouds of Heaven and there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom c. for I have shew'd before that these Words are a Prediction of the Millennium Though I cannot be positive here for it may be this coming in the Clouds of Heaven may only refer to the Manner of the Vision which Daniel had I saw in the Night Visions saith he one like the Son of Man who appeared as if he came in the Clouds yet I must needs say I am rather enclined to think that this Place speaks of a visible Appearance of our Saviour at the Entrance of the Millennary Reign especially in order to the rouzing and alarming of the Hardned Iews who will be looking after Signs from Heaven And therefore at such a time it
of Israel as all other Prophets do but being wholly directed against the Ninivites who were Heathens and Strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel This Book saith he was written to shew that God is merciful to those that repent of what Nation soever they be This Example makes it evident that the Gentiles were not wholly rejected altho as to the greatest part they were but that many of them were accepted of God Yea it seemeth to be plain from Mal. 1. 11. that the Getiles worshipp'd God no less than the Iews The words are in the present time in the Original and therefore ought to be so meant that some of the Gentiles in those days had the true Worship of God among them in one part or other of the whole World he was Adored and Served The History of the Iewish Nation and of God's care of them was the thing chiefly designed in the Old Testament and therefore it cannot be expected that it should treat of other Nations and give a particular account of what was done there But it makes mention as you have heard of some Holy Persons among them and without doubt there were many more tho not spoken of The Gentiles were not deserted of God but taken notice of by him and encouraged The Visible Church did not altogether consist of Abraham's Family and Kindred but many others that were not of that Stock were true Members of it Especially among the neighbouring Nations several were converted to God by the Preaching of the Israelitish Prophets and in part receiv'd the Iewish Religion and by the Iews were call'd Proselytes These properly belong to the Gentile Dispensation because they were first Gentiles but converted from their Gentilism to the Knowledg and Worship of the True God These Proselytes or Converts were of two sorts 1. The Proselytes of the Gate as the Iews stiled them because they lived within the Gates of Isreal and they held free Commerce and Trade within their Houses the same with the Strangers within their Gates Exod. 20. 10. Deat 14. 21. They were those Heathens that abandoned their Pagan Superstition and Idolatry and receiv'd the True Faith and acknowledg'd the True God but were left to their liberty as to Circumcision Therefore this Rank of Proselytes remain'd Uncircumcised neither did they observe the other Mosaick Laws and Rites but were only tied to the keeping of the Seven Precepts supposed to be given to Noab's Sons as Maimonides and other Learned Writers among the Iews inform us These tho they were no Idolaters yet because they were Uncircumcised were not permitted to worship in the same Court of the Temple with the Iews but in a distinct Place by themselves therefore call'd the Court of the Gentiles and tho they went to the Iewish Synagogues yet they had a distinct Apartment there There were many of these Proselytes among the Iews every where in their Cities Of these you read in the New Testament where they are call'd Devout or Pious or Religious Men or Worshippers for the Greek words signifie any of these I conceive the Roman Centurion of Capernaum who built the Jews a Synagogue Luke 7. 5. was one of these Cornelius a Captain of the Italian Band Acts 10. 2. was another Proselyte of this sort i. e. a Gentile Worshipper of the True God but not Circumcised or counted a Member of the Church of the Iews And such a one it is likely was the Ethiopian Eunuch mentioned in Acts 8. 27. who came to Jerusalem to worship And such was Lydia of Thyatira who worshipped God Acts 16. 14. And hither may be referr'd those devout men out of every Nation under Heaven Acts 2. 5. and thâ—se that feared God Acts 13. 16 26. These were Proselytes from among the Gentiles And these it is likely are meant by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 9. 29. 11. 10. for tho this be the name for the Grecizing Iews who read the Scriptures in the Septuagint's Version and pray'd and did other Religious Offices in Greek whereas others perform'd them in Hebrew yet here by Heltemists we are to understand those that were converted to the Jewish Religion from Gentilism But tho they had renounced the Heathen Worship yet they had not receiv'd all the Jewish Ceremonies and Laws 2. There were another sort of Prâ—selytes call'd the Prâ—selytes of Rightâ—eousness or of the Covenant These were of a far higher degree than the former for they were Gentiles converted wholly to Iudaism and were initiated into the Jewish Church by Baptism and Circumcision and were tied to keep all the Mosaick Law and worshipp'd in the same Court of the Temple with the Natural Jews and so became every way Iews unless in respect of their Birth and Nation These in the New Testament are simply and absolutely call'd Proselytes Thus Persons of other Nations besides that of the Jews imbraced the True Religion and Worship and were accepted of God and obtain'd his favour Here then is the Gentile Oeconomy Not but that the Nations were generally sorsaken of God and given up to Idolatry and all manner of Wickedness and Prophaneness which the Apostle took notice of when he said God in times past suffer'd all Nations to walk in their own ways All Nations i. e. all those Kingdoms which were erected after the Flood viz. the Assyrian or Babylonian Monarchy which began soon after the Flood under Nimrâ—d the Son of Cush the Sicyonian Kingdom and the Old Germans who began at the same time with the Assyrian Monarchy next the Egyptian Empire under Cham and his Successor Misraim or Osiria About the same time began the Argives Kingdom under Inachus their first King Then the Kingdoms of Bactria and Iudia another Grecian Kingdom viz. the Athenian about the middle of the Chaldean Empire then the Lacedemonian or Spartan Dinasty the Kingdom of Italy the Lydian Corinthian Tyrian Macedâ—nian Dynasties besides the Persian whose King upon the expiring of the Assâ—rian Empire became Head of the Second Monarchy which is the boundary of the Sacred History of the Old Testament These were all left by God to themselves and Idolatry prevail'd among them all they worshipp'd the Sun Moon and Stars yea all kinds of Beasts tho never so base and contemptible Nay Worshipping of Devils was a common practice with them Thus God suffer'd the greatest part of the World to walk in their own ways until the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Thus they were as the Apostle speaks of the Gentiles without God in the World till he came into it But yet even then when they were addicted to Idolatry which is also to be observed in this Oeconomy of the Nations God left not himself without witness Acts 14. 17. He led them to the knowledg of himself by the Book of Nature they had sufficient light of God and Religion i. e. to teach them some general Duties of Virtue and Goodness and to instruct them in the Nature and Attributes of God
them in the least none but God could alter them who designed to do so in due time for he intended those Mosaick Precepts should continue to such a certain period of time and no longer These Words of Ieremiah are very observable Chap. 3. 16. It shall come to pass in those days saith the Lord they shall say no more the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord neither shall it come to mind neither shall they remember it neither shall they visit it neither shall it be magnified any more i. e. The Mosaick Rites and External Ceremonies of the Law shall not be in request as they were before Men shall not prize and value them as they used to do yea they shall lay the use of them aside but this they must not do till they have Authority from God And God revealed to the Prophet Daniel that he would alter the Law after a certain Revolution of Years The Messias shall cause the Sacrifice and Oblation to cease Dan. 9. 27. But it was unalterable in respect of the Jews themselves 3. The Promises and Predictions in the Old Testament which are very many concerning the perpetual Duration of Ierusalem and the Temple and the Iewish Worship and their Polity and Government are to be understood of the Perpetuity of the Church of Christ and his spiritual Kingdom And to this purpose you may observe that in the Writings of the Old Testament where the Times of the Gospel are foretold the Evangelical Worship and Service of God are set forth by sacrificing and other the like Observances commanded in Moses's Law By the Ritual Worship of the Jews is express'd the reasonable and spiritual Service of the Gospel and by those Expressions which seem to denote the Perpetuity of the former the Duration of the latter is signified and ascertained to us This is a most certain Truth and the observing of it will lead us to a right understanding of a great number of Texts which speak of the Iewish Laws and Government as if they were to continue for ever without any Limitation and Restriction We are to know that those places especially the Prophesies in Isaiah concerning the glorious things that shall befal Ierusalem and the Iews are to be interpreted of the State of the Christian Church they are to be understood of the Spiritual Kingdom of the Messias and the Times of the Gospel Sacrifices and the Temple signify Spiritual Oblations and the Gospel-Church for the Evangelical Prophet is to be understood in an Evangelical Sense The Angels Words concerning Christ in Luke 1. 32 33. The Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and he shall reign over the House of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end are a plain Comment on all those places in the Old Testament where the Perpetuity of the Mosaick Laws and the Jewish Oeconomy and Government is promis'd They shew that they are all meant of Christ and his Kingdom i. e. his Church both here and hereafter which was prefigured by David's Kingdom From what this Heavenly Messenger saith here we learn that the Prophesies concerning the endless continuance of the Throne of David of raising up to 〈◊〉 David their King Jer. 30. 9. of raising up the Tabernacle of David Am. 9. 11. of God's setting up his Servant David Ezek. 34. 23. are all accomplish'd in Christ. And indeed the Jewish Commentators themselves acknowledg that the Messias is often stiled David in these and other Prophesies of the Old Testament nor are they backward to confess that by David's Throne and Kingdom is meant the Messias's Government as is plain from Psal. 132. 11. 2 Sam. 7. 12. 1 Chron. 22. 10. where God promised David that Christ should sit on his Throne which is taken notice of and applied not only in the forenam'd place in St. Luke but in Acts 2. 30. For Christ is represented by David and the Evangelical Dispensation is express'd in Terms which relate to the Iewish Administration and Government So that it is no wonder this is said to be for ever for it shall last to the end of the World and afterwards Christ shall reign in the Kingdom of Glory to eternal Ages This if duly considered cannot but yield a satisfactory Answer to the foregoing Objection as well as give light to several Prophesies of the Old Testament But here it will be asked where hath God formally abrâ—gated the Ceremonial Law of the Jews I answer it is not necessary he should do this for the Law ceaseth when the Reason of it ceaseth Now the Reason of the Câ—râ—monial Law and all its Observances was chiâ—fly to prefigure Christ and the Gospel of which he was the Institutor and therefore they are now ceased Christ being come of whom they were but Figures and Shadows The Abrogation then of those Mosaick Rites wherein the Religion of the Iews was placed may be proved by this one Argument viz. that Christ was designed by the legal Rites that the Ceremonial Law was a Prefiguration of the Gospel-Dispensation Here it might be shew'd that the Evangelical Oeconomy was prefigured by certain Persons as Abel Noah Abraham Isaac Ioseph Melchisedec about the last of whom the Author to the Hebrews spends a whole Chapter these were Typical Persons as well as Moses and Ioshua and some others afterwards And not only Persons but Things were Typical as the Pillar of a Cloud the Red Sea the Manna and the Rock which two last were Symbols of the Evangelical Sacraments the Eucharist and Baptism 1 Cor. 10. 1 2 c. and the lifting up of the brazen Serpent signified Christs Crucifixion Iohn 3. 14. But if I should speak of those that are properly Legal Rites and Vsages it is yet further evident that they were Representations of our Saviour and of the grand things of the Gospel As for Sacrifices I have treated of them already and made it appear that they foresignified the expiatory Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross. As for the Tabernacle and all the appurtenances of it I have particularly display'd their Typical Nature and how they all pointed to this Dispensation I am now speaking of I might proceed to make this good concerning the Ceremonious Washings and Purifications under the Law that they typified some greater Purity they signified the Spiritual cleansing and sanctifying of the Soul and the abstaining from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit The Apostle acquaints us that the difference of Meats and Drinks observing of a Holy Day or of the New Moon or of the Sabbath Days were a shadow of things to come but the Body of this Shadow is Christ Col. 2. 16 17. The Truth the Solidity the Substance are to be sought for in some higher things than those were even in Christ Jesus and in the Benefits of the Gospel Yea he tells us that the whole Mosaick Law is but a shadow of good things to come Heb. 10. 1. All the things contained in it are but rude
is concern'd Before Christ's Death and after his Resurrection we discern'd him to be a true Man even by the Sense of Feeling And in many other things which happen'd this Sense was interested as in the Earthquake at Christ's Passion and in the shaking of the House where the Apostles were met and in sundry other Occurrences Thus our Senses have been exercis'd and employ'd about the Matters which belong to the Word of Life i. e. Christ who is called the Word and the Life and here ver 2. he is called the Eternal Life which was with the Father Or by the Word of Life are meant the things relating to the Gospel which sheweth us the way to eternal Life For the Life was manifested viz. by Christ's assuming our Flesh and conversing with Men on Earth and the Grace of God in the Gospel hath appeared and manifested it self to all Men by his coming And we have seen it and â—ear witness And again that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you By all these ways the Doctrine of the Gospel is cleared and manifested and proved to be true We have found it to be so by the Testimony of our Senses and accordingly we preach we proâ—laim we testify we declare these things to you and not only to you but to all the World that they may be ascertained of the Truth of the Christian Religion and come into the same Fellowship with us and heartily imbrace the Gospel Thus the Apostles tho divinely inspired appeal'd to the rational Evidence of Sense for they knew that this was satisfactory to all sober and intelligent Men and that the highest Evidence that can be desired for Proof of Matter of Fact is the Testimony of those Persons who were Eye and Ear-witnesses of it and that if the Testimony of the bodily Senses by not allowed there is no Certainty of Religion or of Divine Revelation by which Religion was convey'd for this was by the Ministry of the Senses especially Hearing and Seeing Nay the Veracity and Faithfulness of God may justly be call'd in question if you take away this Evidence for how can we attain to Truth unless God communicates it to us But how can he do that if our Senses being rightly disposed viz. when the Organ is sound the Medium fitly qualified and the distance of the Object duly proportion'd be deceived if when we are really perswaded that we see and hear such things we do not see them or hear them Must we not hence conclude that God deludes us and that in a Matter which concerns his Glory and our own Happiness and consequently that his Sincerity and Truth are impaired Into this Blasphemy must they needs run who deny the Truth of the Senses given us by God And upon this it will follow that there are no credible Ear or Eye-witnesses and so no certain Testimony of Matter of Fact If the Evidence of our Senses be not to be made use of and allowed as authentick then all the Passages recorded in the New Testament concerning Christ's Birth Life Miracles Death Resurrection and Ascension are of no Credit For these are to be proved as other Matters of Fact are by Testimony of Witnesses who heard or saw those things In short if our Senses be false the whole Gospel is a Lie and a Cheat for ought we know For it is impossible we should have any assurance of the truth of any thing there unless God hath given Men Senses which are capable of discerning one thing from another and unless the Persons likewise who attested those things from the Verdict of their Senses were Men that might be credited And this is the present Case which we are concerned in as I shall make evident by the next Particular 2. The Testimony of the Apostles and other Christians who lived when our Saviour was upon Earth andâ— heard and saw the things done by him is the Testimony of credible Persons and consequently is an unquestionable Proof of the Truth and Reality of those things which they attest That they were credible Persons will appear if you consider 1. They had sufficient Means to acquaint themselves certainly whether the things which they attested were true or no. This is the main thing which is to be cleared and therefore I will chiefly insist on this That they were furnished with sufficient Ability to know what they related methinks should not be denied by any one who considers that they were no Fools or Children they were not mad or senseless they had a share of Understanding as well as others and their Ears and Eyes were as good as other Mens The things which they related might evidently be known by them being Objects of common Sense and of general Cognizance Can there be any reason then to think that these Persons were not competent Judges as well as others of these Matters But as they were naturally capable of judging in these things so I will make it evident that they had all Means and Opportunities of informing themselves throughly concerning those things which they delivered Some of them were Eye-witnesses others Ear-witnesses of what they report and sometimes both or else they certainly informed themselves of the truth from others who saw or heard those things What St. Luke professeth of himself is true of all the Evangâ—lical and Apostolical Writers they had perfect understanding of all things from the very first Luke 1. 3. As for the four Evangelists two of them Matthew and Iohn were of the number of the Apostles who were Persons particularly chosen out by Christ on purpose to be Eye-witnesses of his Actions and some have infer'd from Acts 1. 21 22. that it was a necessary Qualification of an Apostle to be an Eye-witness It is certain that these two forenamed Persons were such They lived with their Master and were present at his Miracles and saw what they writ The latter of these especially was made more than ordinarily conscious to Christ's Words and Actions and was his Familiar and Intimate The other two Evangelists were not Apostles but they inhabited and convers'd in the same Regions where Christ did these things and at the same time when he acted them Herodotus Plutarch and other Historians writ of things done in former Ages and afar off in other Countries and Kingdoms which makes their Relations to be suspected sometimes But these Men lived in the Places and Times where and when the things were done and therefore they could easily attain to a true and impartial Account of them I cannot say with Iâ—rom that St. Mark and St. Luke did not see our Saviour but I grant that most of the things related by them were not within their own sight or hearing Yet this is certain that they receiv'd what they writ from those who were both Ear and Eye-witnesses St. Mark was a Disciple of St. Peter who was intimately acquainted with Christ's Actions and could inform him concerning every Particular of his Doctrine Life
they would have been found out 5. Miracles were done in all parts of the World and not confined to Iudea only The Acts of the Apostles relate what Miracles they exerted in several Countries where they went and afterwards the whole World was visited by one or other of them and yet we never read that they were proved to be Impostors But on the contrary we are credibly informed that their Miracles were owned and approved of not in one place only but in all places where they came 6. These Miracles were wrought these Cures were done and the strange Languages were spoken amongst them for many years together whereas what is counterfeit holds not long 7. These Miracles were not control'd and check'd by any greater as the Wonders of the Egyptian Sorcerers were by Moses You may observe that those Magicians could not plague Men and Cattel with Boils they could not restore the Waters to their former quality tho they could gather the Frogs together yet they were not able to kill them They could not counterfeit the Miracle of Fleas and Lice tho they did those of the Serpents Blood and Frogs Here was some restraint the Devil was overpower'd But that was not all They had not been suffer'd to effect so much as they did but that Moses was there ready to countermand them and to baffle their Delusions They turned the Rods into Serpents but Moses's Rod devoured theirs i. e Moses's true Serpents devour'd the Magicians counterfeit Ones But Christ and his Apostles wrought Miracles and there was none to countermand them which shews that they were real Miracles Thus true Miracles may be known by their manner and circumstances Again These may be known to be such from the Ends and Designs which Christ and his Followers propounded to themselves in exerting them First True Miracles are always for the Confirmation of the Truth but seeming and counterfeit Ones are wrought on purpose to maintain some false Doctrine Therefore if a Pretender to Miracles teacheth any thing derogatory to Providence and to the Nature of God and Religion we must look on him as an Impostor for Miracles that are true never contradict the Divine Testimony and the Truth recorded in Holy Writ This then you must know that as Miracles confirm a Doctrine so they are authorized by the Doctrine We must not rest in Miracles alone but to the Word and to the Testimony we must appeal Christ saith the Works I do bear witness of 〈◊〉 John 5. 36. but he adds ver 39. 〈◊〉 thâ— Scriptures they are they which testify of me By this then we may ascertain our selves of the Authority of those Miracles which our Saviour and his Apostles wrought when they were upon Earth They were done to attest a Doctrine which as it contradicted no part of Moral Religion nor the natural Notions of Reason so it was conformable to the written Word of God and all the Truths in the Old Testament In the second place True Miracles tend to the overthrowing of Satan's Kingdom in the World they never confirm and abet Sin and Prophanation in those that do them or in any one else As we observ'd before from Deut. 13. 1. that God some times permits false Prophets to work Signs and Wonders among his People so the Verses following tell us how we may know them to be lying Wonders viz. if the Prophet makes use of them to entice Persons to gâ— after other Gods and to serve them If the Signs and Wonders were intended to seduce them to a false Worship to perswade them to Idolatry and forsaking the true God they were not to be credited they were to be look'd upon as no true Miracles but counterfeit ones For it is not a sufficient proof for the truth of Miracles that they are for attesting the Orthodox Faith unless they also uphold a Holy Life In the third place Our Saviour's Miracles were such as were beneficial to others and was for the good of Mankind He procured Food for Multitudes of Persons when they were almost â—amished he cured the Lame and the Blind he ejected troublesom Devils out of Mens Bodies he relieved the most impotent and distressed But the Signs and Wonders which are done by Impostors are rather harmful than advantageous It is not unworthy of our Remark what was partly suggested before that the Egyptian Magicians turn'd the Water into Blood but they could not reduce it to its Nature again they brought up Frogâ— but they could not clear the Houses of the Egyptians of them They could bring Plagues but they could not remove them And it may be observed also of Impostors that if what they do is not harmful yet it is oftentimes fruitless and unprofitable it is vain and trifling and fit only to entertain fond and scrupulous Minds But here it may be objected that all Christs Miracles were not beneficial for his â—ursing the Fig-â—ree Mark â—1 14. and his sending the unclean Spirit into the Gaderens Swine Mat. 8. 30. were not so As to the first viz. Christs cursing the Fig-tree it was a Symbolical Act figuring the Judgment of God against the unfruitful Religion of the Jews and being thus consider'd it was of great use and benefit Some indeed have thought it strange that our Saviour should do thiâ— when he himself saith the time of Figs was not yet v 13. as if it were unjust to blast the Tree for not bearing Fruit before the time of bearing was come but they mistake the meaning of those words which is no other than this that it was not the time of Figs with that Tree but it was with others The year was not unseasonable for Figs but this Tree bore nothing but Leaves therefore our Saviour dealt thus with it This I take to be the plainest and clearest Interpretation of the Place and then the Objection vanishes for who will be concern'd at the witâ—â—ring of a Barren Tree I know there are other Solutions of the place but none of them seem to me to be genuine That of Episcopius is not to be allowed of viz. that when Christ cursed the Figtree and said the 〈◊〉 of Figs 〈◊〉 not yet he did not know that it was not time of Figs. A learned Writer of our own hath this peculiar Notion that Christ look'd for Figs and yet saith thâ— time of Figâ— is not yet because he look'd not for any Figs that he thought could be ripe and fit to eat that Spring it being about that time but he look'd for those that grew the last Summer and had hung on the Tree all Winter But tho Iudâ—â— was a very fruitful Country and had in it several things different from other Soils yet it is to be question'd whether there were Fig-trees in the Field of this nature and whether the Jewish Writings which this Author refers to speak of this sort of Fruit. Besides if this Tree bore Figs as the Author supposes it is not material whether they were old or
in order to the compleat enlarging of the Church to work Wonders But at present this way of Divine Attestation is unnecessary for Christians have sufficient Means with regard to all the ends of Religion and Salvation among themselves there is no need of any greater at present Nay the cessation of those extraordinary visible and sensible Means is an Argument of the meliority of our Condition Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed saith our Saviour Iohn 20. 29. The meaning is they are more blessed i. e. their Faith is more excellent and laudable and they shall have a greater Reward It is a more blessed and eligible State to believe without such forcible and violent Means than with them Other things might be here mention'd as under the Law and before that time there was scarce any thing done without the ministration of Angels so in the first times of the Gospel the Appearance of these glorious Spirits was common but after Christ's Ascension and to this very time the Church is a Stranger to this particular Dispensation and is not to expect the Attestation or Confirmation of any Truth in this Way The Reason is because the Scriptures of the New Testament being now given us that former way of Revelation which was a Sign of an imperfect and weak State now ceases There is no need of these Divine Admonitors seeing we have the Writings of the Evangelists and Apostles which are a certain standing Rule and an infallible Direction to us And in several other particulars if it were requisite it might be shew'd that the State of Religion is alter'd and improved since our Saviour's time and the times after the Apostles And now in the close of this Head we cannot but take notice of the Usefulness and Necessity of attending to what hath been suggested concerning the different Administrations of Religion and particularly of the Christian. We cannot frame right thoughts concerning the Nature and Model of it unless we carefully observe the several Degrees and various Modifications of it before mention'd for tho there be the same general Dispensation yet there is an Alteration as to the particular Scenes of it That which we are under at present differs much from those which were in the first and early Ages of Christianism and therefore it is unreasonable to require now the very same things in the Church of Christ that were then There are some sober and well meaning Persons that attending not to this perswade themselves that there ought to be as to every particular the same Face of Administrations at present that there was at first and thence they look to the primitive State of the Church and examine every thing by that But this is not right for there hath been a Change of things in the Christian Church and this Change was by the particular Superintendency and Disposal of the Divine Providence and supreme Director Hence it is that we are not to expect that all things should be now as they were in the Beginning God himself having been pleas'd to alter the Dispensation in part Let us then remember the particular Division of the Oeconomy we are under and let us be concern'd to do what is fitting and proper to it and thereby we shall help to promote and hasten the next and better one which I am now to speak of CHAP. XIX That Christianity shall arrive to Manhood or Full Age is proved by several Arguments 1. God's Method in the World 2. The Low ebb of Christianity hitherto 3. The number of those that perish 4. The gradual Improvement of all Arts and Sciences The several Objections concerning the Decay and Senescency of the World made use of by Jewish Pagan and Christian Writers fully answer'd That the World decaies not as to Learning and Arts is made good from the Improvements of Navigation the Inventions of Gun-powder and Guns of Printing of Clocks and Watches the preparing of Sugar the Advances in Anatomy and Physick Astronomy Arithmetick Chymistry Mechanicks the Stile of Writers It is congruous to the Divine Providence and Wisdom that Religion also should have its Improvements as well as Arts and Sciences and accordingly it hath been greatly advanc'd and increas'd by the Reformation From the Increase it hath had already we may gather that there will be farther Accessions afterwards The virile and complete State of the Christian Church prov'd from several places of Scripture Mat. 24. 3. 19. 28. Acts 3. 21. Rom. 8. 19. 20. Heb. 2. 5. 9. 10. 1 Cor. 1. 7. 1 Pet. 3. 8. From those divers Texts that we meet with in the Old Tastament which make mention of the Kingdom and Reigning of the Messias A five-fold acception of the Kingdom of Christ in the New Testament The 1 Cor. 15. 25. urged The Millenary Reign The rise of the Antient Opinions about it It is proved that Christ shall not Personally reign upon Earth The deceased Saints shall not rise again to reign with him here What is meant by the Souls of them that were beheaded for the Witness of Jesus What is to be understood by their living and reigning with Christ. Two late Writers take it in a literal Sense but without any ground Who are the rest of the Dead that lived not again What are the first and second Resurrection The Reign of Christ a thousand Years is to be upon Earth By a thousand Years we are to understand a certain and definite Number Some Opinions concerning the Beginning and End of the thousand Years refuted Mr. Brightman's odd Fancy rejected We have had some Fore-runners and previous Pledges of the millenary Kingdom Mr. Medes's Opinion which joins Christ's Reign and the Day of Iudgment together consider'd THe â—â—ird and most eminent Part of the Evangelical Oeconomy is that which I call'd the Manhood or full Age of the Christian Church Before I enter upon the Description of this I will give you some account of the Truth and Reality of such a State by shewing that Christianity shall arrive to a greater Heighth and Perfection than it is at present It is very observable what one of the Antient Writers who was a great Judg of the Nature and Genius of Christianity saith of this matter The Vnderstanding Knowledg and Wisdom of single Persons as well as of whole â—odies of every individual as well as of Churches in general shall hugely increase and be exceedingly advanced according to the gradual Successions of Times and Ages But as he explains himself this Proficiency shall be in the same kind in the same Perswasions in the same Sense and Iudgment so that the Christian Faith shall still remain the same as to its Substance tho it shall be much better explain'd and known than it is noâ— And he uses the same comparison that I haâ—e expres'd this matter by for he distinguishes between the younger and the riper Years of Christianity he holds the former to be the first Ages of the Gospel the
of this Age or Dispensation we are now under for this is the proper Signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And accordingly in this Chapter is foretold by our Saviour what shall happen in the End or Conclusion of this Dispensation and what are the Signs and Forerunners of the following Scene of Things in this World as well as of the Day of Judgment in the close of it Some think this is meant by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 19. 28. for they join this Word with those that immediately follow When the Son of Man shall sit on the Throne of his Glory and read the whole thus Those who have followed me i. e. all Persons who are true Christians and Followers of me shall in the Regeneration when the Son of Man shall fit on the Throne of his Glory fit also upon Twelve Thrones This shall happen in that last and blessed Dispensation of Christianity which is fitly called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it was used by the Ancient Philosophers both Platonists and Stoicks to signify the Renovation of all Things their happy Restitution to their former State In this Time of the Regeneration or Restauration of the World Christ properly Reigns here on Earth shewing vengeance on his Enemies and rewarding his sincere Followers as you read in the next Verse Every one that hath forsaken Houses or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands for my Name 's sake shall receive a hundred-fold viz. in this present Time as 't is expounded in Luke 18. 30. the parallel Place to it Which implies that the former Passage relates to Christ's Reigning upon Earth or sitting on the Throne of his Glory in this World But I confess there are some Things that occur in the Context and in another parallel Text Mark 10. 30. which may induce us to think that these Words are not absolutely meant of the matter now before us and therefore I will not urge them But the Times of the Restitution of all Things Acts 3. 21. seem to look this way for we may observe that the Times in the plural denote several Ages and Successions of Time and so may be well applied to the Millennium And moreover it is remarkable that in those Days there shall be a Restitution of all Things not only of all Persons but of all Things there shall be an universal Restauration of the World a blessed Change in the whole Creation which must needs point to that Time which I am speaking of and not to the Day of Judgment as some would have it But it will be Objected that 't is said here the Heaven must Receive Christ until those Times therefore it must be meant of the Last Day The Answer in brief is That the meaning of the Place is that Christ shall not return until those Times of Restitution be come and perfected till there be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an universal total and compleat Restoring of the World and then soon after this follows the Final Judgment This is included in that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Revelation or Manifestation as our English Translators render it of the Sons of God which the Creature earnestly expects longing and groaning to be delivered from the Bondage of Corruption into the Glorious Liberty of the Children of God Rom. 8. 19 20. If you take 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Creature for the Gentile World as Dr. Hammond and some others do it may be fitly applied to the present purpose For according to what God hath determined and in the Scriptures foretold concerning their future Conversion of which I shall speak anon they may be said to expect and have been long expecting this joyful Revelation they earnestly look for the Manifestation of the Sons of God viz. when they and all other Infidels shall be converted to the Faith and thereby become the Sons of God or when the Iews particularly who were originally the Children of God shall embrace the Gospel But we may take the Word in a larger Sense for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Creature sometimes signifies Man or Mankind in the Sacred Style and so I apprehend it is to be understood in Mark 16. 15. Preach the Gospel to every Creature i. e. to every Rational Creature viz. Men. And so in the Talmud and other Rabbinical Writings the Word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Creature is as much as Man But there is yet a more comprehensive Sense of the Word for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here may be the same with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole Creation ver 22. of this Chapter the whole created System of the World and every Thing in it and so by the eâ—rnest Expectation of the Creature or the Creation we may understand the fervent Longing not only of all Mankind but of the whole Stock of created Beings They all in their Way and according to their Capacity long and groan for the last Welcome Dispensation which is fitly call'd by the Apostle a Deliverance from the â—ondage of Corruption i. e. from the Slavery of Sin by reason of which every Creature is in some sort enslaved The whole Frame of the Creation groans and travaileth in Pain they are as it were in Pangs of Child-birth which is a frequent Similitude in the Holy Scriptures ready to bring forth impatient of being delivered This is appositely call'd here the Adoption v. 23. because it is accompanied with Freedom And it is styled the Redemption of our Body i. e. it is as it were a Releasing us from Captivity a perfect Deliverance from all Servitude and Misery There could not be a more congruous Expression to set forth that Dispensation which I am now treating of as will appear from the particular Account which I shall speedily give you of it It is no improbable thought that this is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the World to come Heb. 2. 5. whereof saith the Apostle we speak viz. in that Chapter where he speaks of Christ's Kingdom and in Chap. 6. ver 5. where it is call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Age to come that particular Age of the World when Christ and his Apostles appear'd or more generally that Time wheâ— the Gospel was preached And I have observed before that this manner of speaking is borrowed from the Style of the Iews who were wont to call the Time of the Messias Gnolam habba the World or Age to come But as these are general Terms to signify the Time of the Messias so they are taken in a more restrained Sense for the last and concluding Part of this Time viz. when Christianity shall be at its Heighth That properly and peculiarly is this World to come that particular State of the Gospel when all Persons Jews Gentiles and Infidels shall imbrace the Christian Religion when all the Nations and Kingdoms of the World shall become the Kingdoms of Christ. This New Evangelical World this New Kingdom of the Gospel is likewise
that Person and against the Faithful Christians who shall then expect his Reign And here the final Overthrow and Slaughter of these Adversaries of the Church are plainly foretold and particularly described with which is immediately join'd the Gathering of Israel i. e. the perfect restoring of that Nation And the next Thing is The Vision of the Temple which after all the various Conjectures of Papists and Protestants must needs be meant of this State of the Church which I am speaking of otherwise you can make nothing of that strange Draught of the Temple What I have thus briefly hinted is largely set forth in the Prophecy it self which is worth the Reader 's Perusal And I doâ—bt not but after he hath well consider'd it he will come to this Issue namely That this Prophecy hath not yet been fulfilled and therefore it shall be in Time and that Time is the Period I am now treating of If you say That by Gog and Magog are meant the Syrian Armies which plagued the Iews of which the Books of Maccabees give us a particular Account I reply That though we grant this yet those who I have named may be meant here also For I have in another Place proved that there is a Double Literal and even Historical Sense in some Places of the Bible And so there is here I doubt not and I shall afterwards shew That the Turks have a good Claim to the Names of Gog and Magog Again the Turks Rise was foretold in Rev. 9. 14 c. So their Ruin and Downfal are mention'd in the same Book 16. Chap. 12. v. The Vial is poured out upon the great River Euphrates i. e. the People inhabiting there the Turks who dwell in that part of the World on the River Euphrates The Water thereof was dried up i. e. the Turkish Power and Dominion are impair'd That the Way of the Kings of the Earth might be prepared i. e. that some Great and Eminent Persons may be converted and come over to the Christian Church Then in general we find Seducers and False Prophets threatened in Scripture with Ruin and shall we not think That that Vile Miscreant who gloried in the Title of Prophet and is signally so styled by those that adhere to his Principles and Laws wherewith he hath bewitched so great a part of the World shall we not think I say that that Grand Impostor is concern'd Can we imagine or suppose that the Vengeance of God which is threatened against Seducers and False Teachers reaches not to him And when we consider what a great deal of Mischief this Mahometan Sect hath wrought in the World and what vast Regions of the Earth it hath possessed we shall easily be inclined to believe that when Christ's Kingdom is set up and Christianity is come to its Perfection the World shall be cleared of this Spreading Pest. As for the Fall of the Roman Antichrist it is in express Words foretold in many Places of Scripture Out of the Old Testament I will mention only that Famous Prophecy of Daniel concerning the Fall of Rome and the Reign of Christ for both these go together 7. Dan. 19 20 c. to the end of the Chapter I have else-where commented upon it but now I shall only make use only of that part of it which is to our present Purpose How natural is the Character of the other Horn which arises out of the Fourth Beast i. e. the Fourth Kingdom or Empire upon Earth appliable to Papal Rome For it is said It shall subdue Three Kings i. e. the Greek Emperour whose Jurisdiction reach'd to Italy and the Kingdom of Lombardy and the German Emperours who had Dominion in Italy It is further said This Horn had a Mouth that spake very great Things v. 20. and more particularly in the 25 v. He shall speak great Words against the most High and shall wear out the Saints of the most High and think to change Times and Laws And the same Horn made war with the Saints and prevail'd against them v. 21. which by the most judicious Protestant Writers is applied to the Papacy But now hear the Doom of this Great Speaker and Warrior The Iudgment shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the End And the Kingdom 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 whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him v. 26 27. Which is answerable to what was said in v. 14. concerning the Coming and the Kingdom of the Son of Man i. e. Christ who frequently styles himself so If you consider these Things with many more in this Chapter you cannot apply them either to the Kingdom of the Seleucidae or Antiochus or Mahomet and his Empire But you must necessarily understand them of the Roman Power and especially that which is Papal and you cannot but see that they are a lively Description of that Bloody Dominion and of the Downfal of it and of the Reign of Christ which shall immediately succeed it that is of the Flourishing State of the Christian Church in a more Glorious Manner than ever Thus the most Eminent and Learned Expositors who are not Friends to the Roman See interpret this Prophecy but none hath comprised the Sense and Import of it in so few but full Words as that Reverend Prelate of our Church The Seventh Chapter of Daniel saith he points at a State of Christ's Church which is not yet come and when it doth come will be with a Vengeance to the Roman Church Whose present State will be utterly overturn'd to make way for the sâ—tting up of Christ's Universal and Everlasting Kingdom which is to be erected when the Mystery of God is finished Rev. 10. 7. 12. 15. and that cannot be till Babylon i. e. Rome be thrown down Rev. 18. 2. 19. 1 2 6. And we are so far from thinking this Kingdom will be Invisible that we believe it will be the most Illustrious Appearance that ever was of Christian Truth Righteousness Charity and Peace among Men. In the New Testament likewise this is signally foretold St. Paul who was blessed with extraordinary Revelations concerning future Things acquaints us That the Reign of Christ which he calls his Coming shall begin with the Ruin and Desolation of the Antichrist of Rome for every unprejudiced and impartial Man must confess that the Second Chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians speaks of Him and that the Man of Sin and that wicked One whom the Lord will consume and destroy is no other than He. It is very strange to see how Grotius bestirs himself and uses all Artifices imaginable to perswade the Reader that the Papal Power is not meant here He is forced to say that this Second Epistle to the Thessalonians was writ before the First and several such
is likely Christ may appear in the Skies with an amazing Splendor and Glory to these gazing Spectators I conceive he may Personally Appear above though he will not Reign Personally on Earth After he hath shew'd himself he soon retreats and remains in Heaven till the Last and Final Day Mr. Mede who once thought that our Saviour would make a visible Appearance in the Clouds in order to the Jews Conversion afterwards retracted this Opinion as may be seen in one of his Letters because there is no good Foundation for it viz. in Mat 24. 30. which he had formerly quoted for that purpose But whether there is any Foundation for such an Apprehension in that Place of Daniel I leave to the Reader to judge I only offer'd it as probable but am perswaded that no Man can Absolutely determine any Thing in this Case and therefore he is very presumptuous that attempts it Chap. XXI Universal Righteousness is another Attendant of this Last Dispensation An Objection doubly answered It is not a Sinless State Greater Knowledge than ever shall be at that Time Religion shall then appear in its Native Purity The Influence of the Holy Spirit on Mens Lives shall be more effectual than formerly Jesus shall in a more eminent Manner be exalted Other Fruits of this happy Reign How these great Things shall be wrought Civil Magistrates shall be made use of Christ's Reign is not inconsistent with that of Kings and Princes Ecclesiastical and Spiritual Rulers shall be Instruments in this great Work All Persons are some Ways capable of promoting it Universal Peace is another Blessing that attends this Kingdom of Christ. On what account it must needs be so Scripture attests it An Objection obviated A Concurrence of all manner of Temporal Blessings in this happy State More especially Bodily Health and Long Life Also a vast Increase of the Poeple of that Time The Savage Brates shall become Tame and Gentle These Earthly Blessings are but Appendages of this Dispensation They are Inconsiderable in respect of the Divine Blessings which constitute this State The Author's Doubtings and Reluctancies He is not positive as to Particular Circumstances He cannot determine concerning the Fore-runners of this Revolution The Freedom which he uses in a Point that is highly Probable He follows not some late Writers in assigning the particular Time when the Millennary Reign shall commence The punctual Date is not to be known The Thing discoursed of is certain though the Time as to us is not so The Degeneracy of the present Times is no obstacle to this The Author leaves a Testimony of his Wishes and Desires HAving spoken of Three of the Grand Concomitants of the Reign of Christ I proceed now to the Fourth which is Vniversal Righteousness and Holiness You might have observed that in some of those Places of Scripture which I alledged to evince the Future calling of the Jews and Gentiles and you may observe in several others besides which speak of this happy Revolution and the consummation of the Messias's Kingdom that there is some mention all along made of the Holiness which shall abound in that Time This is reckon'd among the Blessings of Christ's Kingdom in several Places of the Prophetick Writings Thy People shall be all Righteous Isa. 60. 21. I will sprinkle clean Water upon you and ye shall be clean Ezek. 36. 25. I will save you from your Uncleanness ver 29. which is the same with cleansing them from their Iniquities ver 33. They shall not defile themselves any more with their detestable Things or any of their Transgressions Ezek. 37. 23. In those Days HOLINESS TO THE LORD must be engraved on the Bells of the Horses Zech. 14. 20. There shall be such a Catholick Reformation that every Thing even the meanest and commonest shall share in it We find it to be the Office of the Messias to bring in everlasting Righteousness Dan. 9. 24. not only that of his Own whereby we are to be justified but an Inherent one in our selves though produced by the Holy Spirit whereby we are sanctified If it be said that this and some of the other Texts refer to those Times which are past viz. when Christ came in the Flesh or when the Apostles made so many Converts to our Holy Religion or even to the present Times of the Gospel and therefore they have no respect to what is to come I answer That the Consequence is not valid for though these Prophecies were partly and initially fulfilled before yet it doth not follow thence that they shall not be Completely fulfilled hereafter I grant that they are in part come to pass for there never was more Holiness than since the Rise of the Gospel but I assert withal that the Full Accomplishment is yet behind for there shall be a larger Effusion of Holiness in the ensuing Dispensation Or the former Answer which I gave in the like Case may be Satisfactory here viz. that this kind of Prophetick Passages have a Double Meaning and therefore must have a Double Accomplishment Many of these Predictions which foretold what should be at Christ's first setting up the Kingdom of the Gospel do also foretel what shall happen at his Coming in the Millennium This is a safe way of interpreting those Place and giving an Account of those Prophecies yea this solves the Difficulties which occur in this Controversy This is no groundless Notion but built upon the Interpretation of Scripture dictated by the Holy Ghost himself as I have proved in another Discourse where I have shew'd that this is the peculiar Excellency of the Sacred Writings to have a First and a Second or if you will a Direct and a Collateral Meaning which we find in no other Books whatsoever that are Historical This is applicable here those Passages in the Prophets concerning an extraordinary Measure of Sanctity and Righteousness are to be understood not only of the Primitive Times of Christianity but more especially of those that shall be towards the latter end of the World viz. in the Blessed Reign of Christ. It is not to be doubted but that the Prophetick Words reach to these Two times so that they are fulfilled twice In the Sacred Writings not only different Persons and Things but different Times and Seasons are contain'd in the same Words And as this Holiness of the future State on Earth is foretold in the Holy Scriptures so it naturally follows from what hath been said before For when Babylon shall fall and the Mystery of Iniquity with it when those whose grand Design and Business it was to extirpate the Purity of Religion shall themselves be rooted out when both Iews and Gentiles shall universally abandon their evil Opinions and wicked Practices and jointly set themselves to the Study of God's Will and the observance of their Duty you cannot but think there will follow upon this an Universal Sanctity in the World I do not mean a Sinless State for this is so like
perhaps may be the Meaning of 1 Cor. 6. 2. Do ye not know that the Saints shall judge the World I offer it to be considered whether we may not interpret it thus Do you not know that there shall be a time when there shall be a Christian Magistracy in the World and that especially when Christianity is coming to its Height there shall be such Godly Rulers and Iudges as shall reform all Things that are amiss in the World And this great Sway and Authority shall make way even for their judging of Angels Afterwards v. 3. I am far from abetting in this Discourse the wild Fancy of those Enthusiastick Spirits who make the Reign of Christ on Earth inconsistent with that of Kings and Princes who at the same time that they set up King Iesus pull down all others Their Fifth-Monarchy brooks no Crowned Heads But they forget that in the same Place where the Evangelical Prophet saith Behold a King shall Reign in Righteousness meaning Christ and this Kingdom which I am now discoursing of he adds And Princes shall rule in iudgment Isa. 32. 1. Though it is said the Scepter shall depart from Iudah when Shiloh first comes yet neither then nor afterwards is it to be taken out of the Hands of Christian Princes Their Monarchy and Christ's Kingdom are not incompatible Yea I am so far from giving any Allowance to this sort of Men that I confidently aver Christ's Kingdom whereof I am speaking shall be set up and maintain'd by the Kings and Rulers of the Earth Christianity shall arrive to that excellent Pitch by the Assistance of the Civil Magistrate by the Incouragement which shall be given to it by the Secular Powers There is Ground for what I say for we are expresly told that those who formerly gave their Kingdom to the Beast shall afterwards hate the Whore and shall make her desolate c. Rev. 17. 16 17. These great Things shall be effected by Monarchs Princes and States entirely devoting themselves to the publick Good and Welfare and to the Glory of Him who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords The Builders of that Ierusalem shall hold the Trowel with one Hand and the Sword in the other They shall at the same time Rear this happy Structure and severely Punish those who endeavour to hinder them till at last by sharply Animadverting on all Wickednesses and Enormities these be driven out of the World and Universal Piety and Righteousness come in their room Again This great Work shall be promoted and advanced by the help of Spiritual Pastors and Teachers whose Care and Faithfulness whose Courage and Zeal are as requisite in this present Affair as that of the Civil Magistrate The Rulers and Guides of the Church shall then shew themselves true Lovers of Souls by not refusing any Labour of Love for their Peoples Good they shall preach the Word be instant in Season out of Season reprove rebuke exhort with all Long-suffering and Doctrine they shall Watch in all Things do the Work of true Evangelizers make full proof of their Ministry They shall discharge their Holy Function with all Mildness and Clemency with all Tenderness and Compassion and yet with all Fervency and Vigour They shall let all Men see that they make the Honour of God and the Saving of Mens Souls the Grand Design of their Ministry And it is not without great reason that I mention both these great Orders of Men Magistrates and Ministers for it is absolutely requisite that they go hand in hand towards the accomplishing that Great Work which I am discoursing of Moses and Aaron must befriend each other Zerubbabel and Ioshua must join in building the Temple The great Hinderance of the Improvement and Increase of Christianity hath been the disunion of these Two The Temporal Rulers and Spiritual Overseers have not concurr'd in the promoting the same Religious Designs The Secular and Ecclesiastical Powers have frequently been divided among themselves and thereby have retarded and impeded the Common Good But it shall not be so in those happy Times there shall be no disagreement between Ecclesiastical the State and Church no opposition between the State and Civil Laws The Spiritual and Secular Officers shall be so far from being an Impediment to one another in their particular Charges that they shall make it their Business to promote the respective Cause and Interest of each other If Phocas and Boniface held together and thereby wrought such horrid Mischiefs in the World it is certain we may experience as great and notable Effects of a contrary Nature from the unanimous Concurrence of pious Governours in the Church and Commonwealth When they mutually advise and consult with one another and act jointly for the Advancement of Religion and Godliness as in the Times of Constantine the Great Theodosius Valentinian Gratian when they strive with great Ambition and no other Ambition who shall be most serviceable and beneficial to the Christian Community this will be found to be the true Method for the propagating and establishing of Religion in the World And seeing Religion is the only unshaken and lasting Basis of Kingdoms it is the Concern of thâ—se Two Ranks of Persons to agree to advance this above all Things whatsoever They are to remember that even Civil Politicks are best guided by this Conduct and that if a Nation or Council exclude this in any of their Laws and Constitutions they can't be said to be Wise and Politick For what is disagreeable to Religion is unsafe dangerous and extremely Impolitick To be short all lies in Rulers both of Church and State both Spiritual and Civil These as I apprehend will be the special Instruments which God will imploy to work that happy and wonderful Change When God pleaseth to send such Princes and Leaders as Zerobbabel such Priests as Ioshua such Teachers and Scribes as Ezra the Building of the House of God will soon be finished Such Great and Noble Spirits being sâ—t on work will easily bring it to perfection The Gospel will be completely established Christianity will be universally propagated and Evangelical Righteousness will prevail every where in the World Yea All of us are capable of promoting this great Work more or less and therefore we ought to make it our Concern Our earnest and constant Prayer should be that this Kingdom may come and prevail and prosper that Antichristianism wheresoever it is and under what Shape and Guise soever it appears may be demolished and destroyed that the Infidelity of Iews and Pagans may have a period that Vice and Immorality Irreligion and Prophaneness may be trod down and that the Contrary may be set up and advanced in all the Regions of the World And we are obliged to set forward this blessed Design not only by our Devotions but our Endeavours and to hasten the actual Prevailing of it in our Lives and Practices that Iesus may be seen to Reign among Men and that Christianity may be
at last the Catholick Interest of the World When it is come to this you need not doubt but such a State will last long Being so well founded it is no wonder that it shall continue so many Years That Government is most remote from Desolation which keeps itself most free from Sin and Vice Fifthly and Lastly VNIVERSAL PEACE AND VNITY crown all the foregoing Blessings This must needs be part of the Happiness of those Days because when the Names of Iew and Gentile shall cease and all other Names of Difference shall be taken away and turn'd into that of Christian there will necessarily follow Peace and Concord all Sidings and Factions will be at an end all Parties will be reconciled This will be partly the Effect and Result of that clear Knowledge which shall be the Blessing of those Times Isa. 11. 9. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain For the Earth shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord. It is this that mitigates and pacifies the distemper'd Minds of Men and brings them to a peaceable and loving Disposition and thereby prevents unchristian Feuds and Quarrels whence spring Violence and Bloodshed and all manner of Evils in the Lives of Men. It is certain that one great Sourse of those many Quarrels and Disputes that are in the World is the Ignorance or Misapprehension of Persons They form not right Conceptions of Things or they mistake one another Especially in Matters of Religion this proves very troublesome and makes a great Disturbance and miserably divides Mens Judgments and Affections But there shall be no such Thing in that happy Age which is to come because then there will be a greater Light and Men will have a better Understanding of one another Which will in part be occasioned by that Vniversal Language which shall be all the World over We read that soon after the Flood a Plurality of Tongues caused a Dispersion a Division of the Sons of Men But the Unity of Language will join them together in one Communion Their speaking the same Words will be one way to unite them in the same Apprehensions for by this means they may with ease and freedom confer with one another and compare their Notions together and thereby come to an entire Agreement This is so rational to conceive that we cannot but deem it almost impossible that there should be an universal Converse and Peace without it When that wish'd for Period comes about Men being better inform'd of Things shall lay aside their false and mistaken Opinions but especially all Misapprehensions touching Religious Affairs shall have an end and consequently all Controversies relating to them shall vanish All Distinguishing but odious Names whereby Men laboured to brand one another and to perpetuate their Grudges and Antipathies shall be forgot They shall no more revile and which is worse persecute one another They shall not call down Fire from Heaven of fetch it up from Hell to devour their Adversaties In a Word They shall no longer differ from one another but be all of one Mind and Perswasion This must needs be so upon another Account viz. because that Wisdom which is from above is not only â—â—re but Peaceable Especially where that Purity takes place in a very great Degree there will be as considerable a Portion of Peace and Amity True Godliness will extirpate all Rancour and Bitterness all Dissention and Division and will cause the Christian Worshippers to be of one Heart He that purgeth his Church from Error and Vice will clear it also of all Distractions This too ought to be remembred that the principal Disturber of Mankind the great Incendiary of the World and who made it his continual Business to soment Quarrels and Divisions shall be shut up and imprisoned all the Time of that expected Reign And though some of this inferior Agents who shall remain behind may be soliciting a Revival of the Ancient Dissentions yet they shall be repulsed or if some smaller Disagreements shall at any time arise they shall but make way for a greater and more lasting Love The former Bickerings and Disgusts shall be heard of no more and as the consequent of this an universal Calm shall obtain upon Earth Of this the Evangelical King speaks in Psalm 72. which is a lively Description of Christ's Kingdom and among other Properties and Privileges of it it is foretold that there shall be abundance of Peace so long as the Moon endureth v. 7. Of this the Evangelical Prophet frequently speaks as in Chap. 2. v. 4. They shall beat their Swords into Plough-shares and their Spears into Pruning-hooks Nation shall not lift up Sword against Nation neither shall they learn War any more The Messias is call'd the Prince of Peace Ch. 9. v. 6. of the increase of whose Government and Peace there shall be no end v. 7. The Work of Righteousness shall be Peace and the Effect of Righteousness Quietness and Assurance for ever And my People shall dwell in a peaceable Habitation and in sure Dwellings and in quiet Resting-places Chap. 32. 17 18. Thine Eyes shall see Ierusalem a quiet Habitation Ch. 33. v. 20. The whole 60th Chapter is a Prophecy of the Peaceable and Prosperous State of Christ's Church In Ch. 65. 25. there are almost the very same Words which I before recited from Ch. 11. v. 6. 9. To this belongs that of Ieremah Ch. 32. v. 39. I will give them one heart and one way I know it will be said that some of these Prophecies are to be understood of the Times after the Return from the Captivity in Babylon and others respect those Times of the Gospel which are now past I do not wholly deny this for it is my Judgment that they are to be interpreted concerning either of those Times and likewise concerning that Millâ—nnial State which is to come We may truly say that these and several other Predictions of the like Nature are to be understood in a double sense and consequently there is a double fulfilling of them They have in some measure been accomplish'd but the Full and Utmost Extent of them reacheth to that future Period of the Gospel-Oeconomy and so they shall be more amply verified then There shall then be no hurting or destroying there shall be a Cessation from Wars and Bloodshed from Violence and Persecution yea from all Thoughts and Attempts of them For in those Halcyon Days Christians shall be inspired with a peaceable and loving Temper and shall be made like unto their Master who is the Great Pattern of Love The Modern Jews acknowledge that it was a Celebrated Saying among the Old Rabbins that the Days of the Messias shall be one whole perpetual Sabbath This is the very thing we are speaking of Christ shall bring with him such a Rest as was never in the World before They shall enjoy a Sabbath of a Thousand Years Let us be preparing for this Happy Time and let us be hast'ning it
by what proper Methods and Arts we can Let us lay the Axe to that Root of Bitterness which hath spread it self among us and taken such hold of some Men's Earthly Natures Let us compose our selves into a quiet posture and effectually promote Peace and Good Will in the World Let us bring out and make use of our Juleps to check that fierce that Feverish Distemper which reigns among too many Let us endeavour by mild and cooling Applications to accommodate Differences to reconcile disagreeing Parties especially in Matters referring to Religion but so as not to betrary the Truth to allay all passionate Heats and to discountenance all wilful Authors of Division And as the Word Peace in Scripture signifies according to the Usage of the Hebrews all manner of Outward Blessings so here in the present Case it is to be taken in that comprehensive way In that Kingdom of Christ on Earth there shall no kind of Earthly Conveniences and Advantages be wanting which shall be useful to the great Ends and Purposes of that Blessed State But as for any other viz. such as are serviceable to Undue Pleasures to Lust and Wantonness to Vanity and Pride to Effeminacy and Luxury no Man of sober Thoughts can reckon them in the number of those Worldly good Things which the Pious shall hereafter enjoy And therefore we must condemn that Narrative which some have given of the Millennium as too sensual and fulsome But we may with Truth and Soberness assert this That there shall be a concurrence of all those things which render Men's Lives truly pleasant comfortable and joyful It is part of the Description of that Millennary Jubilee that they shall come to Sion with Songs and everlasting joy upon their heads They shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall flee away Isai. 35. 10. And again Ch. 65. v. 17. Behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth which questionless is meant of this Glorious Renovation and might have been alledged among the other Texts as a Proof of it and then it follows I create Ierusalem a rejoicing and her People a ioy The voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying v. 18 19. And if we go back to Ch. 9. v. 3. we shall find that this rejoicing and this joy shall be entire Thou hast multiplied the Nation and not increased the ioy i. e. heretofore Joy and Sorrow were mingled sometimes that Nation of the Jews was visited in Mercy at other times it tasted of God's Judgments They ioy before thee according to the ioy in Harvest and as Men rejoice when they divide the Spoil i. e. there was in the times past a Medley of Joy and Trouble of Gladness and Fear as in the Services of War and Harvest but when a Child shall be born to us when a Son shall be given and the Government shall be upon his Shoulders v. 6. then there shall be Joy without any allay then there shall be such a perfect State that nothing shall be able to impair it I know most Interpreters expound the Place otherwise and make the Ioy in Harvest to be exceeding Great Joy surpassing all other But I crave leave to dissent from the common Exposition and to understand this Passage after the manner before-mentioned viz. that whereas heretofore they joy'd according to the Ioy of Harvest i. e. their Joys were mix'd with Hardships they were accompanied with Sweat and Toil And besides the Joy of Harvest doth not last long for the Husbandman as blith and cheary as he isâ— must soon return to his wonted Circle of Pains and Labour Whereas under the preceding Dispensations there was no Entire and Undisturbed Joy now it shall be otherwise there shall be a Continued and Uninterrupted Serenity without any dashes of a contrary Nature for as Christ's Government increases v. 7. so as it follows there the Peace i. e. the Success and Prosperity of it shall increase and have no end This is the Happiness of the Subjects of that Blessed Kingdom who are under the Sceptre of the Prince of Peace as he is stiled v. 6. This in general but more particularly the Safety and Security of their Habitations their Success in all their Labours and their lasting Fruition of them are mentioned as the Attendants of this Happy Time v. 21 22 23. They shall build Houses and inhabit them And they shall plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them Mine Elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands They shall not labour in vain c. These are the Blessings of that Adult State of the Church Farther there will be greater Strength and Soundness of Body than ordinarily I will not be positive that as in the first Ages of the World so now there will be some of a Gigantick Stature but this is not to be doubted of that there shall be bodily Strength and Vigour in an unusual degree It is one of the Privileges of the New Ierusalem for in the large and extensive sense it is spoken of that Place and State that the Inhabitants shall not say I am sick Isai. 33. 24. Many Exorbitancies before were frequently the Cause of Corporal Weakness and divers sorts of Maladies and Diseases But now those shall generally be removed and a sound and hale Temper shall be given them for their Bodies shall answer to their Souls The whole Tour of the Blood shall be laudably performed There shall be a due and regular Exercise of the natural vital and animal Functions And all Persons shall be healthful and vivacious brisk and sprightly This will be the more credible if we consider that the Curse brought upon the Earth by Adam's Fall and afterwards continued shall be revers'd The Soil every where shall become fertile and give its increase freely and plentifully and all the Fruits and Products of the Earth shall be not only numerous but wholesome God made all the Creatures Good at first as we expresly find in the repeated Approbation of this their Goodness Gen. 1. And they shall be Good at last for the World shall be restored to its Premitive State and the Earth it self shall be renewed And as for those Living Creatures which are Food for Mankind they shall arrive to greater degrees of Perfection than formerly and consequently shall yield more laudable and generous Nourishment than heretofore Besides that the continued Health of those Times will depend much upon the excellent Temper of the Air which shall then be agreeable to humane Bodies and have no ill Ferments from the continual Vicissitudes and Successions of too much Heat or too much Cold. To which may be added that the Heavenly influences as well as the Temper of the Earth shall be meliorated And so even in a literal sence there shall be New Heavens and a New Earth As the consequence of all this the People of those days shall be long-liv'd Which I gather from Isai. 65. 20. There shall be no
now wearing off and that we shall have an end of it without any such thing But then when I consider'd that those Places of Holy Scripture which foretell the Calamities and Distresses of the Church of Christ may have respect only to the Times which preceed those Thousand Years I was again induced to believe that there shall be such a State as I have represented that Christ will set up his Kingdom in a more Illustrious and Effectual manner than ever and that this Kingdom shall be accompanied with lasting Peace and Righteousness with the General Conversion of Jews and Gentiles and the Ruin of Anti-christ As to some Particular Circumstances which I have mention'd relating to this Prosperous State of the Christian Church I am not Positive It hath pleased God to deliver things of this Nature Darkly and Mystically and there are no express places of Scripture on which a certain and unquestionable expectation of them can be grounded because we have no sure Word to ascertain our Determination Therefore as to the Particular Way and Manner of the things I have been Discoursing of I deliver nothing with Confidence It is the main of the Dispensation that I assert and which I verily believe though I censure no Man for thinking or saying otherwise I am sensible of this that when we see how the World is at this Day we may be enclined to think there is no probability of this Great Change There seems to be little likelihood at present of this Happy Reign in other parts of the World as well as among our selves for we seem to be every Day degenerating more and more and we run further from that excellent Temper and Genius which are required in that Future Paradise But then I consider that this is to be accomplish'd by a Divine Arm and Conduct and shall be the work of Heaven in a singular and particular Degree The Supreme Arbitrator and Manager of the World can of a sudden dispel all Difficulties and alter the Course of the Universe and frame Men's Minds as he pleaseth When we remember how mean and despicable Christianity was at first but how strangely it spread it self afterwards and made its Progress through the whole World against the greatest Opposition imaginable we may then believe the same may happen again and that what hath been foretold concerning that Glorious State may be fulfill'd Thus I will not despair of that happy Time Both Popery and Mahometism or either of them may for a time decay and grow less and then recover strength Or perhaps one or both of them may remain without any Diminution entire There may be a Superfoetation in the Mother of Harlots she may conceive and bring forth a New and replenish the Earth with her Children It may be the Reformation which hath been begun and set forward in some Parts of the Christian World may be put back Papal Superstition and Tyranny may return again and Rome may sit a Queen and know no Sorrow but what she creates to the true Professors of Religion One would be apt to think as much upon reading what is said concerning the Two Witnesses Rev. 11. 7. When they shall have finish'd the Testimony viz. at the end of 42. Months or 1260 Years the time of the Anti-christian Reign the Beast that ascendeth out of the Bottomless Pit shall make War against them and overcome them and kill them whereupon there is great rejoycing over them and making merry v. 10. It may come to pass that the Seven Hills may be exalted higher than ever and the Reformed Religion depress'd and trampled on Christianity may as Mr. Herbert presaged hoise Sail for America the Gospel may leave us to go to them and we may be half Pagans before it comes to us again Or if we hold fast-the Faith we may be forced to part with every thing else that is dear to us It may be our lot to undergo all Dangers Calamities Outrages and Persecutions before that Blessed Sabbatism arrives There may be a very Dark Night before that Lightsome Day is seen But at last it shall appear yea shine forth and the World shall be every ways the better for it Yea it may and I hope will shew it self in God's good time without any such Sad and Tragical Prologue to it as this I have ventured to offer my Conjectures about it and the freedom I have taken will not be disliked I conceive by Persons of sober Minds In my Judgment that is a very Curious and Notable Saying of Mr. Mede in his Epistle to the Reader before his Comment on the Apocalypse speaking of the interpreting of the Prophetical Writings and other Obscure Matters in Scripture Unless saith he there be liberty given to us to be somewhat free in our Thoughts and Opinions yea even in our Errors and Mistakes sometimes about these things we shall never clear our Passage to those Profound and Hidden Secrets of Truth Accordingly I have freely suggested my Thoughts and if therein I have represented some things amiss let it be remember'd that it was in the pursuit of Truth and of that Truth which it was difficult to attain to or rather let it be examined whether Truth be not here found out by that which some interpret a Mistake I declare I am not Dogmatical in what I have said nor will I perswade others to sit down with Peremptory Confidence that this is the certain meaning of all the Prophecies in Scripture before alledged But then this must be said there are several things highly Probable of which we have no Absolute Certainty and This that I have been Discoursing of is of that Nature Many Passages in Holy Writ do exceedingly favour it and there are no Contemptible Reasons to inâ—line us to a belief of it And when we have both Scripture and Rational Arguments on our side it is more than half of the Opinions which make a very plausible shew in the World can really lay claim to If after all you enquire concerning the Particular and Determinate Time when this Sabbatick State shall begin my Answer in brief is That I cannot neither will I attempt to assign any such thing When I say I cannot my meaning is that I apprehend no possible way of doing it in a Certain and Satisfactory way for otherwise I could as some have done pretend to present the Reader with a Punctual Calculation of the Time when these things shall happen Perhaps I might say without Ostentation that I have made enquiry into the Chronology of the Scriptures as well as others and have considered all that any Writers of Note have said on this Matter and have made search into these Mysteries my self but after all I declare that I find no Foundation for a Precise and Individual Assignation of Time In general we know Christ's Kingdom on Earth shall commence when the Seventh Angel soundeth his Trumpet for then the Kingdoms of the World become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of
his Christ Rev. 11. 15. But when this Last Angel shall do this Office we are ignorant though a Learned Foreigner lately is confident that this is the Time But we see he had but little ground for it for his Calculations have proved false though he thought he had some more than ordinary Foundation in the Transactions and Events of these late times for what he offer'd And he hath been follow'd by some of our own Countrey Men who presumed to assign the Punctual and Precise time when those Prophetick Passages in the Book of the Revelation were to be accomplish'd as if they above all other Men had a Key to those Divine Secrets and were authorized to unlock them I look upon this as the Product of a well-meant Mistake of their misapplying some Apocalyptick Texts which they were betray'd into by apprehending that the Circumstances which the Publick Affairs were in at that time were agreeable to those Prophecies But certainly this Rashness is very blamable because it may give occasion to ill-minded Men to disbelieve all the other Prophecies in the Apocalypse because the Period of these which was with so great Confidence determin'd is found to be untrue Nay indeed it hath sometimes happen'd that when Positive Men have peremptorily set a certain Year it hath generally proved a worse Time than ordinary on one account or other instead of a welcome issue of their Predictions some very unusual and dismal thing appears upon the Publick Stage as it were a doom for such rash Prognostications Here therefore ought to be a great deal of Caution Prudence and Sincerity But so it is we may observe that it is the way of these Apocalyptick Men like the Clocks of Basil always to anticipate the time they are too hasty in fixing the Periods of Prophetick Occurrences either because they impatiently desire the approach of them or because they are ambitious of being thought the first Discoverers of these Secrets In the Book of the Revelation the Time of the Beasts Reign seems to be determined viz. 1260. Days Rev. 11. 3. 12. 6. i. e. as all grant so many Years for that is the Prophetick way of Numbering which are the same with the Time and Times and half a Time Dan. 7. 25. Rev. 12. 14. and with the 42. Months i. e. of Years Rev. 11. 2. 13. 5. Now if we could tell when the Apocalyptick Beast began we might from what is here expresly set down exactly know its end but the former being no where mention'd we are at a loss for the latter A very Sober and Modest Pen fixes the beginning of the Beasts Reign in the Year of our Lord 456. and consequently by adding 1260. to that number makes the end of it to be A. D. 1716. But according to this way of Computing the Papal Beast was in being before there was Popery properly so called in the World which is sufficient to invalidate that Calculation However if those Numbers refer to the end of the Beast as it is certain they do I agree with this Writer that it cannot be very far off But as to the precise time we may conjecture but we cannot be certain It may be our Chronology is Defective it may be the Account which we have of Years is not Exact and consequently our Calculations cannot be accurate Or suppose they were yet our Saviour acquaints us when he speaks of such Affairs that the time shall be shortned for the Elects sake Mat. 24. 22. So that our exactest Chronology will not avail us then I have nothing therefore to say concerning the Punctual Date of this Notable Revolution which hath been the matter of our Disquisition Yea perhaps it is impossible for any Man to know it infallibly I mean without a particular Revelation Yet I will not as the Iews curse those who Calculate these Times but rather wish that Men would be Sober and Modest in this as in all other difficult and intricate Points It is folly to be over-curious and sollicitous here but it is no less than Presumption and Arrogance to be Peremptory This should suffice us that there is a time when these things shall be accomplished In the mean season let us comfort our selves with the expectation of that Blessed State of the Church Let it be remembred that however things go now there shall be a better Face of them hereafter and though we may not live to the arrival much less the fruition of it yet it is some solace to our Minds that with Moses we have a sight at a distance of that Blessed Canaan the Land of Promise in which all the Defects and Declensions that have been either in Nature or Morals shall be repair'd and amended Nor doth the ill posture of things at present in the least retard my hopes or belief of a change for the better for though it sounds like a Paradox yet it is an experienced Truth that things farthest off are nearest Look into the Calendar and you will see that December which is at the greatest distance from Ianuary is the next Month to it See it in Nature when the Night is darkest it is nighest break of Day Look on the Globe of the Earth and you will find the extream parts of the East bordering on the West And so it is here when things seem to be most remote from this Revolution they are nearest to it Extremity proves successful sometimes The worst Times introduce the Best The Condition of the World is like that of some Disâ—ased Bodies which must of necessity be brought low before they can arrive to a sound and perfect Constitution Our weak languishing and perishing State may by the Divine Disposal make way for our Health and prove the fore-runner and occasion of our lasting Happiness Though the World in some Ages is palpably worse than in others yet bating the Last Scene of all when in respect of the Universal prevailing of Vice it seems to be worst of all as at this time even then it is tending to the best for this hath been always observable since the first Creation that the greatest Corruptions and Apostasies have made way for the most remarkable Reformations and accordingly the horrid Degeneracy of these present times not only among our selves but in all Christian Countries is one Argument to incline me to believe there will be a mighty alteration Irreligion Impiety and Atheism are now making their greatest and last Efforts before that Glorious Day which I have been describing arrives An Universal Prophaneness is to preceed and usher in an Universal Holiness and Purity Unchristian Wars and Commotions Divisions and Contentions in Churches and States are the fore-runners of a General Peace and Repose The World will not go off thus as it is but a more pleasant and delightful Scene of it will appear and this so Vitiated and Corrupted Age shall be followed with as Eminent a Restoration Though we are ignorant of the exact time of it yet this