nothing of the son of man in all those voices You shall desire to see them and go forth as many shall do but shall finde themselves mistaken for the days of the son of man are of a more general import and influence and they are of a spiritual discerning there is the first time that you meet with days And the 2d is in my text you have 3 times in this chapter the word day in the singular number spoken of So shall it be in that day when the son of man is revealed and so shall the son of man be in his day now if days in the plural number and day in the singular number be not the same then they are thus to be distinguished The days are that tract of time that lead to Christs giorious and visible appearance I shall stand no longer upon this because it will be more fully made forth when we come to shew the import of these days what these days do import what they contain in them which I do therefore immediatly address my self unto I have already shewed you that they do import this that the days of the man of sin are ended the days of Antithrist are over that is his 42 months spoken of in Revel 13. I shall repeat nothing that I have said concerning that but only this that the holy Ghost doth not speak so improperly as to call those the days of the son of man which are the days of the man of sin there is therefore a legall determining of the right of the man of sin though he may be actually troublesom for a while after even till Christs glorious appearing and so there is a legal commencement of Christs time though we see not yet all things in his possession yet he may have a legal right and so he hath in these days to which I add that as Jacob took hold of the heel of Esau so doth Christs kingdom take hold as I may say of the times of Antichrist I shall not give more authority to the Apocripha then what may seem fitting Let it stand or fall to that evidence of truth that shines in it but in Esdras you have such a question as this propounded by him who holds forth himself to be Esra There is a question held forth touching the parting of times he desires to know of the Angel what is the parting of time between the two worlds and he receives this answer that Esau is a figure of the old world and Jacob of the new and says he look as there is the hand of a man between the hand and the heel so there is no more time between the old and the new Now I can make no sence of that answer but this that as there was no hand at all between the hand and the heel that is the hand of Jacob the power of the new world that took hold of the very heel of the old world and thrust it out so doth the power of the son of man and his days the very begining and commencement of his kingdom thrust out the old world And let me observe this by the way that this kingdom and these days of the son of man if they did take place in our spirits and in our faith we might be so much the more serviceable in thrusting forth the old state of things Therefore now I shall come to shew what makes them to be called the days of the son of man for if you see Antichrist the man of sin still upon the stage you will say upon what authority do you lay Christs claim to these days what ground have you for it how are these his days more then any other Let me tell you my beloved friends these days are not only the days of the son of man because they are not the days of the man of sin as wafts and straies belong to the Lord of the Mannor it is not only for that reason I call them the days of the son of man but Christ hath a legal right unto them and his term begins in these days You may say we have always been otherwise instructed it is a common received thing that Christ's kingdom begins with his visible appearing and that 2 Timo. 4.18 v. seems to countenance this which runs thus I charge thee before God and our Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom where his appearing may be conceived to commence with his kingdom and his kingdom not to commence or begin till his glorious and personal appearing To this I shall answer it is true that text doth necessarily import that Christ must appear in his kingdom And that I do verily believe and do expect but that Christs day or Christs kingdom hath no beginning till there be an Adequate revelation of his person untill he appear as a man in that kingdom as well as God cannot that I see be thence infer'd For we shall shew you by and by by the types that were held forth and the times of the old testament that there may be a beginning of Christs kingdom and is so before his glorious appearance and manifestation and there may be many kingdom-Acts done before Christ in person do exhibit himself visible to our eyes that which I would begin with you shall finde in Dan. 12.1 At that time shall Michael stand up This is the first thing in the days of the son of man Michaels standing up for I look upon the action which is shewed unto Daniel here for the consuming and bringing to nought the four Monarchies both in the East and in the West to fall into these days of the son of man and to be performed by Christ who is the Michael here that stands up Now I confess there may be some question whether this Michael be Christ or no because we read of Michael in this prophecy of Daniel that is spoken of as one of the chief princes one of the chief Angels which is not proper to be applyed to Christ For he that is the supream is not in a rank with the Angels nor consigned to a particular charge or province as he is called Michael your prince in the 10 chap. and the last verse Now if it be but the standing up of Michael the Archangel there is something to be done when Michael stands up and it being a word which is both passive and mean too It signifies to be raised or roused up as if before this time he did couch or lye down therefore if we take it of Michael the Archangel it imports somthing but I have two or three reasons why I take it for Christ First because he is mentioned singly then at that time shall Michael stand up For though a single Angel may be sent to carry tydings unto the Saints yet a single angel is not competent to have the whole affairs of Christs interest and his kingdom committed to him and to stand up singly for it this is
ascention there was 40. days wherein he was as I may say preparing himself for his ascention to heaven I might give you twenty Parallels of it but now I come to the application of these things to these days and as for the standing up of Michael that is the first thing I would assume that Michael is raised up Michael hath stood up for several years if others in other parts of the world do question this yet we in those parts have no reason to doubt of it it is much if we are not convinced of it of the Lord Jesus his standing up and addressing himself to promote and serve in his own and his Churches interest above all interest and all kingdoms of the world that interest of the kingdom of God that hath lain hid in the faith of the Saints and in the promises unto this time if you say what evidence can be made of this it is a question not becoming those that have seen the great works of God as we have done have we not seen Michael standing up have we not seen him rousing himself have we not seen three nations bowing in his name have we not seen an heaven and an earth passing away have we not seen a dissolution of the Church and state have we seen all this and do we question whether Christ hath set a foot his title or no you know that kings when they are proclaim'd in this land they begin in the Palace yard they are not all over proclaimed in one moment So I say the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ is to be a rising and a growing kingdom of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end and why may we not say that this Island or these three nations may resemble the palace yard where Christ is first proclaimed he hath been brought to the Ancient of days by clouds of witnesses who have pleaded his interest with God you know it hath been the subject of the saints prayers these 30. years yea nothing hath relished upon the spirits of the saints that hath not related this way if Christs kingdom hath not been at one end of it it hath been no prayer no sermon if it have not had that at one end of it yea hath not the Lord Jesus exercised his kingly power hath he not made many overturnings hath he not dealt with many Adonijahs how many would have set themselves up in his room This is the account of all these quick revolutions these overturnings this is exceeding declarative of his being near whose right it is I shall therefore conclude with a word of use or application and it is this Let us lift up our heads for the day of our redemption draws nigh I have already formerly once and again told you that these 45 days from the end of the 1290. days spoken of in Dan. 12. are that generation as I conceive in which our Saviour says all things shall be fulfilled for so were the generations from David to Christ those 14 generations 43 years one with another So in those 45. days in Daniel wherein Michael shall stand up Daniel is told that all should be fulfilled in that time and I say these times began in the year 1650. and we are now in the middle of them we are very forward and I do more suspect my self for the setting my post too far off from Christs appearing then of setting it too near I say I more suspect my self for that and the Lord knows i.e. if you subdivide this last watch or space of 45 years into lesser watches in which of the watches of this last watch he may come in the second or in the third watch but we are neer to it let us look up and lift up our heads You see what evidences have been given of these days Obj. But if Christs coming be so near would the times be so evil may some say I answer was not Sodom at the worst when Christ came with the other two Angels to destroy them and so the old world Yea but you will say the people of God would be better then they are if Christs coming were so near Answ They shall be made better by his coming the summer spoken of is the very appearing of Christ you know that when the trees puts forth summer is night but it is the appearing of Christ is the summer would you have fruit before summer your fruits are growing in the winter and in the spring they are coming forwards but you have not your fruit till the summer Christ is preparing his people by the present dispensations and they shall shine but all that Christ doth now is emptying work cleansing work as when a man pulls down his old house in order to building it anew Christ is removing house and he is taking away joy from the earth the old joy trade is going the joy of the earth and the very husbandman may loose the fruits of the earth this year And if you look within O what desolations are there alas though the Lord give us our wits and our sences yet we hear of one in one place under a spirit of dispondency Gods fire is in Sion in this day and his furnace in Jerusalem and there is none of us but have our back burdens if it be but being companions of suffering ones it cannot but go to our hearts this is the sowing time yea but you will say possibly Obj. There is a promise of the spirits pouring forth and therefore these cannot be the days of the son of man I answer the spirit is not the first grace the leading grace as in those promises made to Israel in the letter of bringing them back to their own land Ezek. 36.24.32 They must be in their own land and setled there before the spirit is poured forth lest they should reflect too much upon their own qualifications least thy may be ready to say it is for our reformation that God hath visited us Therefore will the Lord at he t last as at the first take his people in their blood and in their unworthiness Obj. But you may say we see nothing of the Jews being called and Antichrist destroyed Answ Antichrist hath but a mystical destruction till Christ comes and there will be a Pope for ought I know till Christ appears but his time is legally out and determined and when a time is out what is done afterwards is an usurpation and Antichrist shall pay dearly for all at the last But as for the Jews it is a material objection we cannot look for the appearance of Christ till they come in though on this occasion let us be aware that there is a mistical Jew that needs to be turned to the Lord as well as a litteral Jew but as to the litteral Jew though we see him not come in yet we know not how soon we may for it shall be very suddenly a nation shall be born at once mark the expression
a work rather for the Lord himself this is one reason Another reason is this because it is said at that time shall Michael stand up the great prince but in the Septuagint and so likewise in the Hebrew there are two Articles in the Septuagint it is Michael the prince the great now I say these are not proper for an angel these are sovereign titles and belong to the Lord himself As we use to say Constantine the great and Theodosius the great they are all sovereign attributes that is a second reason Thirdly at that time shall Michael stand up the great prince we never read of Gods sending any creature either Angel or man to be a single Champion and deliverer of his people but we read oftentimes that God engages himself singly to arise Psal 12.5 for the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy will I arise saith the Lord c. And so in Esay 23.10 and in Esay 42.19 and Esay 63.5 and several other places where you may reade of Christs engaging alone and so I say here it suits with Christs standing up but it suits not with any creature Now then what is there in this of Christs standing up who is the Michael here and if any shall yet be unsatisfied that he is called Michael we may as well ask why he is called David David your prince But I say standing up here doth import a change of posture and an addressing of himself to the Churches business why sleepest thou it is that which is intimated that the Lord in some dispensations seems to be asleep and let things go as they will but when the Lord stands up and awakens it makes a great change a great alteration when Christ laid aside his garments it was to do a singular thing it was to do or shew a singular a wonderful act of condscention and grace And so when Christ rises up it is the fall of his enemies and for the relieving of his spouse 't is a rising up with anger and indignation with a concern as the Lord says what have I here that my people are sold for nought I cannot bear it longer then up he gets it is said at Christs first coming it is for the rising and fall of many What then will his second coming be when he rises to judgment when he rises to pleade the cause of his people well but in the next place Michaels standing up or Christs standing up is a standing up for himself and for his people to take his great power as it is said in the Revelations thou hast taken to thy self thy great power now shall Christ stand alone consider this if a king stands up and hath great occasion to stand up either that he is invaded or that his subject rebels against him upon such occasion his confederates and allies will pour in their forces upon his enemies Surely our Lord Jesus hath great Allies and confederates his father and all his holy Angels you know it is Gods covenant with him that he will give him the heathen for his inheritance and he that will put all his enemies under his feet before ever he hath his kingdom we find the ancient of days upon his throne and it is a fiery throne too as you have it in Dan. 7. Now if Michael stand up all heaven all the hosts of heaven will stand up with him it will be found so and let the Saints reckon upon it Christ will not want power this is from Michaels standing up that is the first thing But then 2ly we find in Dan. 7. another strange thing which we reade but pass over not knowing well what to make of it we have done so many times in the 13. v. I saw in the night visions and behold one like the son of man come to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him not to exercise you with the difficulty of the understanding of this I shall immediately point you to what I think was the type of this and will give us a very good account of it Solomon you know was a type of Christs kingdom in the tranquility and peaceable time of it when it had wethered the point of all opposition and had now got the day of all its opposers now you shall find such a thing as this in that type before Davids days were out Solomon was presented to him for the kingdom and that by Davids allowance and David did as it were put his power upon Solomon and set him up which gives us the clearest light into this prophecy that I know of When David was old and cold that they could not keep heat in him but they were sain to provide otherwise to refresh his blood and to put spirit in him then was thought a time for Adonijah to set up for himself and get the kingdom for David was like a candle in the socket and so Adonijah might think the action would not be misinterpreted by David then they called all the kings Sons to the feast only they left out Solomon the true interest the heir designed by God and sworn by David he is left out and Zadoch and Benajah these were not called but all the rest now when Adonijah was at his feast Nathan hears of it and acquaints Bathsheba the mother of Solomon who goes forthwith to David about it Here is now in type the bringing the son of man to the ancient of days as she brought Solomon she is a type of the Church presenting Christ unto God saying hast thou not sworn that Solomon thy son shall raign after thee This is presenting the son of man to the ancient of days in the type now so it is in the Antitype so it is in these days of the son of man behold King Solomon with the Crown wherewith his mother crowned him Can. 3. the Lords Prophets and such as are true to the Lords interest bring the son of man to the Ancient of days the prayers of the Saints will run much in this strain and they will be speaking good of Christ in the ears of God and will be telling what their expectations are and how they tender the setting up of Christ and how they suffer and must suffer till Christ raignes and that they never expect to see good days till he comes this answers the type the bringing of the son of man to the ancient of days The ancient of days is commonly looked upon to be the father now 't is true the father hath covenanted and engaged to set Christ upon his throne and he calls him his King but you will find in Revel 1. this very description that is in Daniel applyed to Christ The hair of his head is said to be as white as snow and therefore how shall we understand this I will tell you how it may be reconciled by Davids Lord Davids son that is the head of Christ is God this is the head here spoken of the hair of his head was
are to be looked for the darkning of the Sun and the like the place where these do give forth their voices It must be in a place that is most noted most eminent that is the very eye of the world or light and purity and reformation there it is that these signes must give forth their voices It is not in any part of the world it is not in Egypt it is not in Babilon but in Iudea in Ierusalem I say it is it must be in those places it must be that eminent sun that must be darkned that is as I may say the sun of the world the sun of the age this is the sun that must be darkned Then 2ly it must be in such a time too in such a juncture when the sun hath as I may say recovered his light and is in the greatest freedom hath dispelled and scattered the clouds and mists and shins forth more clearly it must be at such a time that it must be darkned and I suppose I need not apply these two qualifications to shew you that they may be discerned upon the signes that we have had that there hath been such a place and at such a time too there hath been such a darkning of the sun Therefore now to proceed if these signes have given forth their voice among us why then these are the days of the son of man the days wherein he is preparing wherein he is making ready for his expedition he is bowing the heavens as I may say to come down amongst us And the Lord grant that we may have a sanctified use of these warnings of his I must profess to you that I bave believed and therefore have I spoken I cannot get over these things in my own spirit I see such Progidies such prodigious times and perils such prodigious wickednesses and violence I see such impieties of the whole world the filthyness of Sodom the daring wickednesses of this age even egging and provoking the Lord down from heaven to judgment as if he did not make hast enough I see I say me thinks the age putting forwards themselves as if the stage would not be cleared fast enough for the Lord to appear they are driven upon self-destroying wayes and courses by a judicial hand these things are very notorious and visible I suppose to your eyes and observations as well as mine Nay to express it a little further we see the powers of heaven shaken we see foundations pulled up we see the very earth and the inhabitants thereof dissolved Merchants and others breaking nay what do we speake of them kingdoms breaking Churches breaking and are you asleep are you not a ware that these are the days of the son of man and which is indeed no less a signe then all the rest we see such a sleep such a lethargie upon most even the wise as well as foolish virgins nay we see now that night is for a vision unto the prophets and the sun is gone down even at noonday so that men do ask Watchman what of the night what hour of the day is it or what of the night and few there are that do see or take notice that these are the days of the son of man and that the coming of our Lord is so near as indeed it is And this is as great a signe as any for so we are told it should be who is blind as my servant and who is deaf as the messenger I sent seeing many things but thou observest them not and hearing but thou understandest them not Incase 40 or 50. years ago a man should have laid forth that which we have seen with our eyes and heard with our ears if a man I say should have laid them forth in lively colours of their own acting you would not have stuck to have said and concluded immediatly that these led the way to Christs coming But I say that fate that is upon us of hesitancy and darkness and blindness that we do not understand the signes while we are under them is of it self one of the greatest signes For when he comes shall he finde faith on the earth And Daniel hath told us that the wise shall understand but the wicked shall not understand well let me come now to make some improâ—…ent of this If these be the days of the son of man we may look for the fulfilling of all that is promised and I tell you that if these be the days of the son of man limitted for the performance of all before his personal appearance there is but a little time yet to come and therefore I say we may look for these births to come very thick one upon another those great promises of the destruction of all Christs enemies and the gathering of all his elect bâ—…th Jews and Gentlles from one end of the heaven unto the other But that which I desire to speake to at this time is a word to our selves or the Lords people that we may be ready if these be the days of the son of man and that there is determined such a darkning of all glory all first-creation glory and that such a consumption is decreed upon all the earth then it concerns us to look to our standing Those that have the name of Christ the affaires and interest of Christ in their hands as the Churches inspecial pretend to have It 's said that the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamtd when the Lord of hosts raigns in Mount Sion therefore I say it concerns us If I were now to speake to the Churches but it may be the Churches may hear what I say I desire to deliver my testimony without any just offence to the Churches But I must speake and I think the Lords interest doth require it it concernes the Churches to look to themselves and their work and to consider what it is they build whether it be that which will stand in the day of the Lord. It is true the Lord hath owned the Churches against darker forms and I have been of the number of them that have blest the Lord for his owning the Churches They have stood to their principles they have kept up their meetings and God hath been with them in this thing but let them take heed least their table become a snare and least this success and owning that they have had from God turn not to their hurt because they have born up against the day of man let them not think they can bear up against the day of God there is a day that will search them although they have stood the shock of their enemies and persecutors The Machabees were owned by the Lord in their days but the successors of those Machabees who were under the 2d temple fell before Christ though they were owned against the heathen These successors were the scribes and Pharisees men exceeding zealous of the law I say they were the successors of the Machabees That which I am jealous of is
farther into this Gospel of Luke yet I do not change my subject I shall speake to the same subject that I was upon before but you may remember the last time that I spake here it was under great infirmity for I confess I have a very slippery memory And I did not deliever much of that I thought to have spoken then by way of evidence of that truth that I was desirous to carry upon my discourse at that time and therefore I say because I did engage on such an assertion as might seem somwhat strange namely that these days which we are in are the days of the son of man therefore I chuse these words to make forth further evidence of it to you but those that were here may bear me record a little what it was that lead me to that confidence to assert that these are the days of the son of man you know I was upon the signes of Christ's coming which I had opened to you the day before those signes spoken of in Math. 24. of the Suns being turned into darkness and the Moon into blood and applyed them to these times now those signes you will see are so contiguous that I may say they are the signes of the son of man there mentioned and that there is but a very little distance between those signes appearing and the son of mans coming and indeed it may be a question whether that these signes are not the signe of the son of man in heaven for it is said in Math. 24.30 Then shall appear the signe of the son of man immediatly after the tribulation of those days now these words here must be understood either that these signes are the signe of the son of man in heaven or else that the signe of the son of man in heaven is connected with these signes and follows these signes for then shall appear the signe of the son of man in heaven not after but then this was one thing that lead to it And then another thing was that the times of the man of sin were out I told you and therefore the times of the son of man must needs be begun of course for there is no chasm between these scenes but like linkes of a chain the one takes hold of the other and before the other is quite done the following scene begins as it is said of the four Monarchies and it is and hath been accordingly fulfilled that the succeeding Monarchy in all the four did tread upon the heels of the former so is it said of Christs kingdom that in the days of these kingdoms shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom Christs interest doth commence before the total before the very final and consummate abolition of the former interest Now I say notwithstanding this evidence that hath been offered feeling in my self as I do I confess that this is somewhat a strange and a boly assertion to assert these to be the days of the son of man therefore I desire as well for the acquitting of my self as for the satisfaction of you to give you a further account of my grounds why I call these the days of the son of man therefore have I those these words As it was in the days of Noah so shall it be also in the days of the son of man I shall first expound the words and then apply them for I desire you would not expect from me 〈…〉 should handle this text largly but only so far as 〈…〉 relation to my design and as I may thence 〈…〉 dence of this truth to you that these are the days of the son of man Now that which is to be expounder is first why our Saviour is here called the son of man and 2ly why the time of his revelation is not called a day but days and then to shew you what there is in these days that makes them to be called the days of the son of man First you may think that this is an improper appellation of Christ to call him the son of man when he is setting up his kingdom but to tell you the emphasis of the word it is the son of Enosh now this appellation is taken out of Daniel as all interpreters do agree viz. Dan. 7. Where he hath the vision of the kingdom of Christ succeeding in the rear of the four Monarchies there Christ is exhibited to us under the appelation of the son of man or the son of Enosh which is sorry man now it may be thought that this notion is very disagreeing to Christs kingdom when he comes to be great to the ends of the earth but if you look into the 5. of the Revelations you will see there that the elders do reflect upon Christ in that honour that was put upon him to open the book as a lamb that had been slain Rev. 5.6 And you read there also the Angels joyning with them in this quire and in this very note as you may see in the 12th vers saying with a loud voice worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive honour◠and glory and blessing So that here we see that it is not casual that Christ is called the son of man when he is to take his kingdom but it is upon designe it is to reflect honour upon him upon that very account because he stooped and condescended so to be the son of man and humbled and abased himself as you will finde 2. Phil. 6.7 He makes the very deduction of his glory and honour to rise from his humiliation wherefore God hath highly exalted him and this consideration is that which doth likewise redound to the comfort of the mistical body and members of Christ who how low soever they are yet the kingdom is designed for them as Christ said to to his disciples Luk. 12. fear not little flock who are not only little in respect of number but little also in respect of stature as I may say little in the account of the world and in their own sence likewise it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Secondly the next thing is the days of the son of man it is not the day of the son of man but the days in the plural number and this holds forth to us that there will be days that is there will be a tract of time wherein the interest of Christ the interest of his kingdom shall be solicited and agitated in order to his glorious and publick coronation and enthronement the days of the son of man you meet with it twice here in this chap. v. 22. And he said unto the disciples the days will come when you shall desire to see one of the days of the son of man and ye shall not see it that is as it appears to me they shall be looking for these days in those fleshly and carnal assumptions as I may call them of several spirits that shall start up crying lo here and lo there but they shall see
proportion to the glory of his person and his spirit now in the 2d appearance then a sed a little dark sed doth unto it's plant or tree Do not think your Saviour will be seen by you as in the days of his flesh no he will come in the glory of his father what do you think your Saviour to be is he not God as well as man he will come in the demonstration of his Godhead and what shall be hard or unpossible unto Almightiness it self he spake the word and they were created Thus will God plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the new earth even by the word that he hath put into the mouths of his poor witnesses in sackcloath when he shall appear to back this testimony Oh! how will this living word back this testimony and how will it kindle and set on fire the foundations of the mountains and whatever doth cover this glory when the Lord gave the word great was the company that published it not only the Angels but every creature shall take the word and publish it and transmit it to the very end of the world I will give you but a little demonstration of it and that is from all your experience look what power the hitherto appearances of Christ have had in and upon the world upon the saints in the world Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith what great things hath it done see what those worthies did by faith in Heb. 11. By faith Enoch was translated through faith they subdued kingdoms wrought righteousnesse stopped the mouths of lyons quenched the violence of the fire women received their dead raised to life again c. Now faith you know is but seeing at a distance but when Christ shall draw near when he shall hold forth himself immediatly to the soul oh what a glorious power shall we be sencible of from thence so if we should reflect upon revelations what great things have revelations done ye know when Paul was by the revelation of the Lord as he says 1 Cor. 12.3 taken up I knew a man in Christ says he he was not sencible whether he was in the body or not as much as to say I was not concern'd about that now this is all that I would say unto you I would have you to understand me aright it is not only a bodily sight of Christ that I drive at though that shall also be and the bodily eye shall be able to take in the glory of his body and person But there is an intellectual sight of Christ taking him in by spiritual sences Christ is God as well as man and this is that I would only say that the sight of Christ is the power whereby we are changed into the similitude of Christ by a true sight of him in the spirit in the glory of his spiritual person this is that which will transform and change us so that we are changed after a divine manner I say it is not by any methods or ways of the creatures acting I cannot put you into a way and tell you of such a process as your Chymists do that you must proceed thus and thus no but I say it is his exhibitting of himself in a clear light upon the soul enables it to copy him forth as I may say and to be brought forth into the same similitude Vse first let us bear up under our present unlikeness unto Christ truly the present unlikeness is made many times more unlike by temptations which God sends upon his people and by desertion as if they were not low enough by the general common and constant attendants of the fall God so dispences his people many times as to fall into deeps and darkness that they have no sence of what they were or of what they are or of what they shall be bear up under these for there is a day of brightning promised And my second word is this it is Christs work and not yours you are passive in it and under it pray what do the heavens do to their own enlightning but lye under the beames of the sun when the sun which knows his time ariseth and comes forth into the firmament Let this comfort poor souls that are concerned for holyness that are concern'd for the image of God and likeness unto Christ Let it comfort us for the Church and for the whole creation all which have promises first the first fruits the Church first and then the world first the dead in Christ are to arise every one in his order now I say that is our hope and our hope is laid upon our Lord Jesus and upon his appearing and therefore do not dispond do not say how shall this be done consider but the word in Phil. 3. chap. According to the power whereby he is able to subder all things to himself I tell yon there is no such power in matter or in body as there is in spirit the Lord Jesus Christ he changes us after a spiritual manner we are changed by the spirit of the Lord that spirit which works in an instant therefore it is said in a moment or in the twinkling of an eye My second Use is this Oh! travel travel in the knowledg of Christ and in the discoveries of Christ oh wait to know Christ and to have him open'd and revealed to you in the Scriptures and by the spirit in all the means you are under I say wait for this when we shall see him as be is we shall be like him Oh! it is nothing but the hiding of Christs glory from us that makes us to partake so little of his glory because I live ye shall live also the very sight of his life will import life unto us so the sight of his glory will put glory upon us for when he shall appear we shall appear with him in glory The Eighth Sermon Luke 12.35.36 Let your loines be girded about and your lights burning And ye your selves like unto men that wait for their Lord when he will return from the wedding that when he commeth and knocketh they may open unto him immediately I Have been long upon these words but the subject is very copious which will excuse me my aim in first pitching upon them was both to acquaint my self and you I say that we might all of us be acquainted from the Lord and from his spirit amongst us with that preparation that becomes us for the Lords appearing to this end I have spent much of my time in holding forth to you the grounds of my expectation of the Lords coming to be neer very neer begining with the signes which our Saviour himself gives us of his day in handling of which I was cast upon that phrase of the days of the son of man which I endeavoured to clear up unto you that they did hold forth a tract of time from the end of the beasts term which we meet with in Rev. 13. where we fynd it precisely limitted within
Churches and states oh how have we seen them disordered we have seen a first heaven and a first earth passe away though you may say it is come again yet there was a dissolution no man can deny but that is not all the dissolution continues and it works still the interest of the kingdom of God works in the bowels of all interests and of all affairs as it is manifest at this day why we see there is no glory is able to hold it long but it waxes dim it passeth away it is but like the mushrom that runs up in a night and but for a night or like Jonahs gourd as we are told it shall be before the day of the Lord. What dissolutions have there been in Churches how hath one glory of things risen up after another and passed away every one of them they have had their day in Churches in gifts in administrations in discoveries I tell you the heavens and the earth are visibly passing away If you should follow it to the affairs of men in the world why you will finde it there what breakings of trade what confusions are there I tell you the very joy of the earth is gone and except it be in a sew that are resembled by the gleaning after harvest as you have it in Esay 24.13 Except it be in a remnant that have hope in God there is no joy in the earth when thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people there shall be as the shaking of an Olive tree and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done they shall lift up their voice they shall sing for the majesty of the Lord c. and as it is Esay 30.29 They shall have a song as in the night I grant there is such a song as in the night in a dark season when all things are dark round about us there is a song as in the night which these gleanings have I mean this poor remnant which God says in Zephany 3 12. he will leave he will leave an afflicted and poor people they sing indeed in the spirit but alas as to all outward things they mourn as well as others they see all things to be sinking and dissolving so that all our rejoycing is in hope is in spirit I say moreover if you will consider as indeed we ought to do there is not any particular providence towards any of the saints but there may be an intimation in it of Gods visiting the rest of their brethren therefore I say study the times and study the dispensations of God to your own particulars and see what light you can finde for this is that which will be exceeding helpful to you in the work of patience Now having thus opened patience what it is I come now to the second particular And that is the requiring of it how it is required of us and with this quality Let patience have her perfect work what is this work of patience and the perfect work of patience why you know that patience is a work it self it is the work of faith the tryal of your faith worketh patience says the Apostle Jam. 13. and tribulation worketh patience Rom. 5.2 now patience hath a work too a work of its own and patience experience and so the one worketh or begetteth another all along and hope maketh not ashamed now mark you here all that follows from the first work that tribulation worketh patience all the rest is the work of patience the perfect work of patience it works experience patience is to make us experienced Christians this you know results naturally from patience from the long enduring of tryals going through many of them many for kinde and many for number we have great experience there by as a traveller that hath gone through many countryes he hath gotten great experience thereby having undergone many hardships and tryed several tempers of people he gets experience now this is a great accomplishment unto a man and we commonly mention it as a very great honour to a man for a man to be greatly experienced this is part of the riches of a Christian you will stand for a man of experience in point of Physick the practise is the thing that enables a man most to do good and to answer your end so it is with a Christian it is part of his riches and of his glory experience David was such an experienced Christian for they are all Christians that did believe in Christ to come but I say he was so experienced a Saint that you could not turn him to any thing but he was able to answer you saying God was with me in such and such circumstances I was able to encourage my self in the Lord my God So I say we have not only all the experience of the Saints that are gone before us but God will have us have a treasure of our own experiences this is a great matter But then secondly this perfect work of patience let patience have her perfect work indeed I had rather sum it up in the general and have you particularise at your leizure and as God shall bring them into your minds in your reading of the Scripture and in your spiritual race I say this same perfect work of patience is the perfecting of a Saint and making him an absolute piece in whom nothing can be desired more this is imported or implyed here in those worâ—s let patience have her perfect work nay further it 's exprest that ye way be perfect and entire wanting nothing So that it should seem that patience doth sustain or supply the place and do the part as I may say of all manner of tools to the polishing and perfecting of a faint there is the rough plain where with you plain at the first and after wards the smooth plain when the roughness is taken away all is in this work of patience I tell you there is a great deal to be done in a Christian to fit him for that glorious converse with Christ in the new Jerusalem and therefore you reade in Revel 19.7 the marriage of the lamb is come that is good news you will say bnt mark what is joyned with it the Bride hath made her self ready his wife hath made her self ready the Apostle tells us that flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdom of God alas we have been looking for the kingdom of God but when it did draw a little near unto us we were as fit for it as a child is to mannage the affairs of men and therefore the kingdom of God withdrew from us alas we were not fit for it flesh and blood cannot enter into the kingdous of God What is the meaning of flesh and blood there It is not meant that men in the body shall not enter into the kingdom of God for they most certainly shall we shall not all sleep but be changed it is not a putting off the body but flesh and blood in
consider that I desire to draw out my heart to you it is the greatest comfort I have when I finde weaknesse in my self I have a great desire to live to see the glorious time of the Church and when at any time as the devil is wonderful busy to cast in his fiery darts and discouragements into the soul when I finde I am either assaulted with a sudden fear or that I cannot see how that little vigour and strength I have should hold out I finde a great deal of comfort in reflections of this nature that the Lord is more concern'd in and for me then I am in and for my self and whoever can do so shall finde and feel the benefit of it hath not the Lord given his son for me and he that gives his own son how shall be not with him freely give us all things are we not his peculiar treasure then I say leave your selves to God and say look thou to it we may with a holy freedom say to the Lord look thou to it it is not for us though we are to serve the providence of God and the publique yet it is Gods concern he is to look to it cast it upon God but 3ly A third consideration is his I have told you once and again and now also that I cannot bring tho time neerer the time of our hopes then I have done but yet consider this this time that is yet to run out before that very period comes wherein he is pronounced blessed that waits comes to that time I say those times that are to run out will be filled with wonders and with glory that shall give strength unto us from day to day from year to year to await the end to the last issne for although it is not said that Daniel shall stand in his lot until the end of those days and then it is promised he shall ye I say there may goundedly be an expectation of higher more transcendent and wonderfull works of God that shall entertain his people during their watching and waiting for you know who is there that needs watchers at any time but will provide them entertainment during their watching they shall have strong-waters or something by them and so shall the Lords people you will say what entertainment shall we have I must tell you I look upon the 45 years as well night half expyred which is the time in which Christ employs instruments for the throwing down of the remainder of his enemies throughout this whole western world and the Eastern too the great Turk the whole seat of the 4th Monarchy all the enemies in these two Empires the Eastern and the Western Christ takes this time to bring them down and wonderfully brought down they must be and come to their end this abundance of Scriptures tels us he will shake heaven and earth and the desire of all nations shall come and so he says in Joel he will gather the heathens to the vally of Jehoshaphet and so Zach. 14.3 But in Revel 16. you read that at the pouring forth of the 6th Vyal the great river of Euphrates shall be dryed up he is drying up Euphrates at this day and this will be a glorious work to see how Christ gets ground of his enemies and how the house of Saul grows weaker and weaker indeed it would be very little comfort to see destruction and desolation if the new state did not put off the old state as the old nail gives way to the new or as Jacobs supplanting Esan though that new state is not to be seen vulgarly or visibly yet the saints finde it coming on in the spirit and this if you be reasonable men will satisfy you God will satissy his people ere he hath done and it is your mistake if you are not satisfyed with this way he takes so did Israel dig up fouutains and their rock followed them The 4th consideration is this that if we did understand things aright we should rejoyce with all our souls it would turn to us for a testimony that the Lord holds us in so long suspenee being an argument of the greatness of the transcendency of the things that are promised otherwise God would not exercise his people so long in the wayting for them think you that God will exercise his people with waiting for a trifle Esa 64.4 From the begining of the world men have not beard nor perceived by the ear neither hath any eye seen besides thee O God what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him if you expect Christs glorious kingdom any otherwise you will be mistaken there is no common or ordinary thing in that day expect nothing but wonders things that are to put your faith to it to acknowledge them when they come to passe that you will be ready to say are we in a dream as when the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion this is that which makes our patience so lame we represent the kingdom of God in such a pittiful poor way and manner what is the utmost glory that men present it in why that it will be a time of pure ordinances and the ministers shall recover themselves with their people alas alas is this all is this the kingdome of Christ I saw no temple there God will bring his people to immediate converse with himself they shall see eye to eye God intends to bring his people to a state without sin past this state of infirmity I confess men may give such an account of Christs kingdom that may not ballance the charge or trouble of working it about Do you think that God would have suffered Paradise to fall but that he had a better state to bring forth Do you think that the temple had been suffered to miscarry but that he had a better state to present Do you think that the primitive state had been suffered to decline but that he had a better state yea better then the Apostles better then the Prophets We see say they through a glass datkly but in that day Christians shall be known to whom they belong you know a waterman by his badge the name of God shall be written in the foreheads of his people If you look for any thing but wonders in that day you will be mistaken things being working to that issue I say you will see wonders One word more till Christ comes in person let us emprove his spiritual presence with us which by promise shall never be taken away And I tell you as I have told you formerly it is the spirit of Christ in the Saints that is the power by which they shall be changed Christs personal appearance from heaven bears a part it is the glorious example to which we shall be conformed and it hath a ministry likewise of enouragement and strengthning it will call up our faith and the life of the spirit into exercise in us but they must both meet the shout of our faith with the shout