Isa 34.6 The vvhich after he had given an Account of the Day of Vengeance and the year of recompence for the Controversy of Sion he speaks of this Esau's Land vvhich is this root of Bitterness That the streams thereof shall be turned into Pitch and the dust thereof into Brimstone And also in the 14. v. in answer to that of the Teeth of Beasts It is here said It shall be an habitation of Dragons the wild Beast of the Desart shall also meet with the wild Beast of the Island and the Satyr shall cry to his fellow And in Rev. 18.2 it is said that Satyrs shall Dance there Now these Satyrs are generally held to be Devils and Moses here says The Poyson of the Serpents of the Dust Now we know that in Gen. 3. God pronounc'd that Curse to that Serpent which was the Devil That dust should be the Serpents meas therefore I look upon these Serpents of the Dust here spoken of to be Devils Now Moses in the 25. v. begins again to speak of the Afflictions of the Natural Seed of Abraham for this Song is intermixt with the Natural and with the Adopted Seed of Abraham wherein he treats from Israel's first coming into Canaan to the Destruction of the World and their Restoration Now as to the Natural Seed he saith Deut. 23.25 The sword without and Terror within shall destroy both the young man and the Virgin the suckling also with the man of gray hairs 26. I said I would scatter them into corners I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men 27. Were it not that I feared the wrath of the Enemy lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely and lest they should say our Hand is high and the Lord hath not done all this 28. For they are a Nation void of Council neither is there any understanding in them 29. O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end 30. How should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight except their Rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up 31. For their Rock is not as our Rock even our Enemies themselves being Judges Now this part we see is altogether spoken of the Natural Seed by the Judgments that have come upon them And from the 31. v. to the 36. v. Moses speaks again of the Adopted Seed of which came that Root of Bitterness of which he saith in Deut. 32.32 For their Vine is the Vine of Sodom and the Fields of Gomorrah Their Grapes are Grapes of Gall their clusters are Bitter 33. Their Wine is the Poyson of Dragons and the cruel Venom of Asps 34. Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my Treasures 35. To me belongeth Vengeance and recompence their foot shall slide in due time for the day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste Now whereas God said Is not this laid up in store with me and Sealed up among my Treasuries whereby we may plainly see there was a secret in these words which was not then to be unfolded And whereas God saith To me belongeth vengeance and recompence That is God will arise to Judgment and then will he render Vengeance and Recompence Then shall those deceivers with the deceived know to whom these threatned Judgments do belong For God saith Their Foot shall slide in due time That is from their height grandeur and greatness For in the next words God saith The Day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste And Moses began again in the 36. v. to speak of the Natural Seed of Abraham which words of his has their Reference towards the time of Israel's Restitution for he saith Deut. 32.36 For the Lord shall judg his People and repent himself for his Servants when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shâ—… up or left 37. And he shall say where are their Gods their rock in whom they trusted 38. Which did eat the Fat of their Sacrifices and drink the Wine of their Drink-offerings let them rise up and help you and be your Protection 39. See now that I even I am he and there is no God with me I Kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand 40. For I lift up my hand to Heaven and say I live for ever 41. v. If I whet my glittering Sword and mine hand take hold of Judgment I will render Vengeance to mine Enemies and will reward them that hate me 42. v. I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood and my Sword shall devour Flesh and that with the Blood of the slain and of the Captives from the beginning of Revenges upon the Enemy 43. v. Rejoyce O ye Nations with his people for he will avenge the Blood of his Servants and will render vengeance to his Adversaries and will be merciful unto his Land and to his people Now we see that in these Verses are contained the Judgment the which is Gods Revenges upon the Enemy at which time 〈◊〉 other Nations will be received into mercy to rejoyce with his people at that time when the Lord hath mercy on his Land and on his people Therefore we may clearly see that all this is to be fullfill'd at the Restitution of all things For the Land has never been restor'd to Israel since the Captivity Only that Judah had a liberty to build a Temple and to inhabit in that part that belonged to them but notwithstanding they were subject to another Monarchy So we see that all the Scripture doth absolutely agree in one and the same thing That the Wicked 〈◊〉 be destroyed and Israel restored and the promised Elect called in and all this is to be at one and the same time And as you see the natural Seed and the Adopted Seed here joyn'd so they are alike joyn'd throughout the Word where they are spoken of so is the Destruction of the Wicked World all along said to be at the Time of their Restitution In this fore-mentioned Chapter and Song is not only contained the short History of the World from the time that God brought the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt to the time that the Lord ariseth to Judgment at which time it is said from the beginning of revenges upon the Enemy he will make his Arrows Drunk with Blood and his Sword shall devour Flesh And as it is said at which time God will have mercy on his Land and on his People and then it is other Nations shall Rejoyce with them Deut. 32.41,42,43 By which we see that this Song does not only reach to the end of this World but it launcheth it self forth into the Glorious time And David being a Prophet and belov'd of God and thereby understanding the secrets of God more than
Covenant V. 61. Then thou shalt remember thy ways and be ashamed when thou shalt receive thy Sisters thine elder and thy younger and I will give unto thee for daughters but not by thy Covenant V. 62. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And to prove that this was not spoken of the Jews when they first received the Gospel is evident for in the V. 19. Of the forementioned Chap. the Lord saith In that day shall there be an Altar to the Lord in the midst of the Land of Egypt And in V. 21. It is said The Lord shall be known in Egypt and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day and shall do sacrifice and obligations yea they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it V. 22. And the Lord shall smite Egypt he shall smite and heal it and they shall return to the Lord and he shall be intreated of them and shall heal them Here we see at this time when they are again call'd in they are to do sacrifices the which was all abolished when Christ first came but at Christs second coming we are to have some new institutions Therefore the Lord bids us hold fast till he comes Rev. 2.25 But as to what the sacrifices will be when the Lord comes we know not but that there will be sacrifices I shall hereafter prove there was sacrifices before the Law as from Abels time to Abraham and so forward In the next place it is said that Egypt shall return unto the Lord. Now had they not been turned before it could not have been said they should have returned but turned to the Lord. And when they are returned again Israel is then to be the Lords inheritance and to be a blessing in the midst of the Land the which are now a people cast off of the Lord and scattered throughout the face of the whole Earth As to what God saith by Ezek. concerning the two Sisters doth seem to be spoken by Egypt and Syria under the names of Sodom and Samaria In that Sodom was term'd the Elder and Samaria the younger For Egypt was a Kingdom before Israel but I say not this by proof but supposition And in V. 61. It is said they are given to Israel for Daughters but not the same Covenant God made with Israel By which we may easily perceive thaâ— when Satan is again loosed these may some of them again be insnared altho for the thousand years they and their Seed may stand secure But whereas the Lord saith to Israel in Ezek. 16.62 That he will establish his Covenant with them and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Here the Lord doth not say that Israel did not know God but that they did not know the Lord their redeemer But when this Covenant is establisht then shall they knew that he is the Lord. V. 3. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God And whereas the Lord saith in Joel 3.1 For behold in those days and in that time when I shall bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem V. 2. I will also gather all Nations and I will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the Nations and parted my Land Here you again see that after Israel is called in the Lord calls them his heritage and therefore they will never more be cast off And also it is evident they will be call'd in when the Lord comes to Judge the world as it is said in Joel 3.9,10,11 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles Prepare War wake up ye mighty Men let all the Men of War draw near let them come up V. 10. Beat your Plow-shares into Swords and your Pruning-hooks into Spears let the weak say I am strong V. 11. Assemble your selves and come all ye Heathen and gather your selves together round about Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down O Lord. These mighty ones being the Angels which are spoken of by the Lord in the Evangelist and in the Revelations And it is said in the 12th verse Let the heathen be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I set to Judg the heathen round about V. 13. Put ye in the Sickle for the harvest is ripe come get ye down for the press is full the fats overflow for the wickedness is great V. 14. Multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision Ver. 15. The Sun and the Moon shall be darkned and the Stars shall withdraw their shining V. 16. The Lord shall roar out of Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the heavens and earth shall shake but the Lord will be the host of his people and the strength of the Children of Israel V. 17. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Sion my holy Mountain Then shall Jerusalem be holy and there shall no strangers pass through her any more Here you see that at and after the Day of Judgment the Lord will have his dwelling in Sion his Holy Mountain at whith time 't is said Jerusalem shall know the Lord is their God And then strangers shall no more pass through her And it is said in that time in Joel 3.18 It shall come to pass in that day that the Mountains shall drop down new Wine and the hills shall flow with Milk and all the Rivers of Juda shall flow with Waters and a Fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Sittim In this verse is contained the wonderful plenty that will be at that time and in those days accompanied with the pouring forth of the Spirit signified to us by the Fountain which is said to come out of the House of the Lord and water the Valley of Sittim And whereas it is said in v. 19. Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom shall be a desolate Wilderness for the violence against the Children of Judah because they have shed innocent blood in their Land This Egypt here spoken of is not the real Egypt but the Figurative which is spoken of by St. John where the Witnesses are said in Rev. 11.8 Their Dead Bodies shall lie in the Street of the great City which Spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was Crucified This is the Egypt which the Prophet Joel here speaks of shall be made a desolation but the real Egypt shall be inhabited as I before shewed you But we may say why is it Spiritually called Sodom and Egypt and the place where our Lord was Crucified it is first termed Sodom by reason that all the abominations of Sodom is
many more as I before shewed you And that in those Prophesies there are great distances of time between their accomplishment although it is set down as though they were so near together Now Christ having left it clear to us by the Event that the World was not destroyed when Jerusalem was whereby it makes it plain to our apprehensions that those Prophesies had a farther meaning than what the first part made out and what has not been made good it remains to be made good 2 Esdras 13.29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37 Behold the days come when the most High will begin to deliver them that are upon the Earth 30. v. He shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the Earth 31. And one shall undertake to fight against another one City against another one place against another one people against another one Realm against another 32. v. And the time shall be and the Signs shall happen and then shall my Son be declared whom thou sawest as a man ascending 33. v. And when all the people hear his Voice every man shall in their own Land leave the Battle they have one against another 34. v. And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together as thou sawest them willing to come and overcome him by fighting 36. v. But he shall stand upon the top of Mount Sion and Sion shall come and shall be shewed to all men being prepared and builded like as thou sawest the Hill graven without hands 37. v. And this my Son shall rebuke the wicked Inventions of those Nations which for their wicked Life are fallen into the Tempest Now without all doubt this fighting is so term'd as Jacobs Prayers were Wrestling when he prevail'd with the Angel but these will not have such success But when they see the glory they will immediately leave the Battle they have one against the other thinking to overcome the Lord by their Prayers but then it will be too late for them for then they must be judged according to their Deeds done in their body For then he will lay before them all their wicked Inventions Now it does certainly appear that this is the Battle that was to be fought by every particular And also this War that is now is produced by those that are set down in Rev. 16 13. And I saw three unclean Spirits like Frogs come out of the mouth of the Dragon and out of the mouth of the Beast and out of the mouth of the False Prophet 14. v. For they are the Spirits of Devils working Miracles which goeth forth unto the Kings of the Earth and the whole World to gather them to the Battle of that great Day of God Almighty 15. v. Behold I come as a Thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his Garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Now this War proceedeth from the Devil the Beast and false Prophet who have drawn in the Kings and Princes of the Earth with them so as the Devil by his Unclean Spirits hath set all the World in an Uproar as in Esdras Now we are to take notice of the words of the Lord in Joel where he saith Joel 3.2 I will also gather all Nations and will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my People and for my Heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the Nations and parted my Land Now in Scripture as I have proved to you all does not signify the whole and so the word here makes out in that the Lord saith He will plead with them there for his People and for his Heritage Israel whom they have scattered and parted his Land Now we know that it was but part of the Nations that was guilty of so doing therefore just at that time there may be but that part Judged And the words in the 12. v. makes it further so appear for the Lord there saith Let the Heathen be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to Judg all the Heathen round about That is thus All the Heathen round about that has Israel's Land in possession and doth Lord it over them For those of the Heathen that are here Judged are all condemned as it is clear in the two following verses And it is Evident by other places of Scripture they shall have a time of Torment here before they are cast into Hell Now in that they are all here termed Heathens is according to that of the saying of St Paul He is not a Jew that is one outwardly so they are not Christistians that only outwardly bear the Name of Christ as Papists do neither do they know God which the Turks pretend to do yet in works deny him and Worship Mahomet Therefore these in the sight of God appear as the worst of Heathens Neither could thâ—se 〈◊〉 be expressed so well under any other 〈◊〉 being a multitude of incorrigible sinners but some times comprehended under the title of Esau Now by these Heathens there is none of those Nations comprehended which the Lord will call in at his coming because that they are all condemned but I hope the Almighty God hath at this time set our King amongst them that he might be the awakener of ten thousand times ten thousand of them And I hope every thinking Soul will consider what God is going about to do so as to prepare for his coming And since we have been all in great mistakes we may the better pity and pray the one for the other now the Time is just at hand For this being the Exact Battle that is described with the Earthquakes that have been in divers places and the Cities of the Nations falling with the continual Whirlwinds mentioned in Jeremiah 30.23,24 At the time that Israel is to be restored God saith in the 23. v. Behold the Whirlwind of the Lord goeth forth with Fury a continuing Whirlwind it shall fall with pain upon the head of the Wicked 24. The fierce Anger of the Lord shall not return until he have done it and until he have performed the intents of his heart in the latter days ye shall consider it And now it is these Whirlwinds of the Lord are gone forth for War and Afflictious are by the Lord termed Winds as in Jer. 51.1 And also the great stupidity that is at this day upon the People according to the Word of the Lord in Isa 29. the which is wholly directed unto the Christians as all the following part of the Chapter from the 4th ver makes appear And the Lord at this time by weak means making good that Promise in Daniel 12.4 But thou O Daniel shut up the Words and seal the Book even till the time of the End Many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Now the Lord having opened his Word whereby Knowledge may be increased and this he hath done by weak means that his glory might the more eminently appear and
decreed their Works and so concluded them as finisht from the Foundation of the World To which I answer It was from the Foundation of thar World that then was a laying in Israel which the Twelve Tribes were then the Foundation of And not that their Works were finished or they condemned from the foundation of the Material Heavens and Earth For in Esdras 3.17 And it came to pass that when thou leddest his Seed out of Egypt thou broughtest them to Mount Sinai Verse 18. And bowing the Heavens thou didst set fast the Earth and movedst the whole World and madest the Deeps to tremble and troubledst the men of that age That is the world that is to come was establisht in the twelve Tribes which in the Hebrews is mention'd as the foundation Which people now being scattered throughout the face of the Earth when they are again gathered at the coming of the Lord with the Glory that shall then be revealed with the dead that shall be raised will be the world that is to come of which the Apostle speaks And of which he saith they were chosen before the foundation of the world was which world is yet to come as I have show'd you And the Angel further telleth 2 Fsdras 7.11,12,13,14 Which Angel by the word appears to be Christ He saith because for their sakes I made the world And when Adam transgressed my statutes then was decreed that now is done V. 12. Then were the entrances of this world made narrow full of sorrow and travel They are but few and Evil full of Perils and very painful V. 13. For the entrances of the Elder World were wide and sure and brought immortal fruit V. 14. If then they that live labour not to enter these strait and vain things they can never receive those that are laid up for them We see here that the Angel does absolutely declare to Esdras when the decree was past in which the entrance into blessedness was made strait or hard to be attain'd that it was after the fall of Adam and that now we must labour or else we cannot receive the good that is laid up for us which saying is like that of the Lords in Rev. 3.10 because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of Temptation which shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the Earth V. 11. Behold I come quickly Hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown V. 12. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God and he shall go no more out We here plainly see by the words of the Lord both to Esdras and St. John that there is a part required of us the which is to be performed by us that no man take thy Crown That is as much as to say if thou perform not the condition another shall take thy Crown which was prepared for thee for I can raise me a People another way Of which God hath left us several Examples As first when Israel sinned God would have destroyed them and made of Moses a great Nation Where then would their absolute Election have been for in Exod. 32. where God saith unto Moses in the 7th verse Go get thee down for thy People which thou broughtest out of the Land of Egypt have corrupted themselves V. 8. They turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them They have made them a Molten Calf and have Worshiped it and have Sacrificed thereunto and said these be thy Gods O Israel which have brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt V. 9. And the Lord said to Moses I have seen this People and behold it is a stiff-necked People V. 10. Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great Nation But by Moses's earnest Prayer the fierce Anger of the Lord was asswaged And therefore in the 14th v. it is said The Lord repented of the Evil which he thought to do unto his People Now these are the Elect and chosen People of God whom he had Called Enlightned and put them into a capacity of Obedience and made them sensible what his Will and Pleasure was But they continued not in their Obedience but were quickly turn'd aside and therefore the Lord said they have corrupted themselves Of which also St. James saith chap. 1.13,14,15 Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man Verse 14. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed Verse 15. Then when lust hath conceived is bringeth forth fin and sin when it is finished bringeth forth death By which we may plainly see that all Evil proceeds from our own hearts and the inbred corruption that is within them being stirr'd up thereunto by the subtil Instigations of the Devil and by the Traps and Gins and Snares that he still lays in our way and the World heedlesly are taken in them And how many after they know the Ways of God yer how few of them do industriously lay forth themselves to serve him as they do the World the Flesh and the Devil Rom. 6.16 But we are his Servants to whom we obey whether of sin unto death or of Obedience unto Righteousness And in Heb. 4.16 it is said Let us come boldly unto the Throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find Grace to help in time of need The which if we do and so continue to do God hath promised that he will never leave us nor sorsake us as Heb. 13. wherein he instructs us how to order our Conversation aright thereby to become partakers of the promise In Heb. 13.1,2,3,4,5,6 Let brotherly love continue Verse 2. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained Angels unawares Verse 3. Remember them that are in Bonds as bound with them and them that suffer adversity as being your selves also in the body Verse 4. Marriage is honourable in all and the Bed undefiled but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge V. 5. Let your Conversation be without Coveteousness and be content with such things as you have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee In this latter part of the Verse he speaks of singular Persons whereas he saith the Lord will never leave thee that is we must each of us search our own Hearts to know whether we walk in a Resignation of our wills to his will and also to go out of our selves to fetch strength from him And then it is he hath promised That he will never leave us nor forsake us V. 6. So that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not fear what man shall do unto me That is every one that doth so walk may say particularly for himself That the
after the Blood of the Saints of which he hath taken so much with her that they are become Drunken with it And in Rev. 16.6 It is said They have shed the Blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy And whereas Moses saith God would blot out that Mans Name from under Heaven So it is said in Rev. 19.20,22 That he was cast alive into the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone And as to what Moses saith in the 22. v. we are in especial manner to take notice of in that he saith The Generation to come of your Children in that he doth not here in the plural number say Generations but Generation Speaking after the manner of our Lord Christ David and others in that they mention this Wicked World as one Generation And the Elect with their Generations in the Glorious time another Generation And whereas he saith the stranger that shall come from a far Land up to Jerusalem he saith When they see the Plagues of that Land and the Sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it Here we see Moses does not term it Israel's Land or the Land they were going to possess or Canaan but that Land whereby it is plain it was not meant their Land Now after the Lord again comes and the Judgment of this World is past 't is said Zach. 14.16 Every one shall go up from year to year to Worship the King the Lord of Hosts And then it is those strangers that in their journey pass by that Land up to Jerusalem and see that the whole Land thereof is become Brimstone and Salt and Burning nor any Grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his Anger and in his Wrath Deut. 29.24 Even all the Nations shall say wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of his great Anger 25. Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt Now as I before shewed you the Covenant included strangers that were to be brought in for time to come which by Christ should become the Seed of Abraham And so also the Covenant was made with our Fathers when they came out of the Land of Egypt But you may say that Christ came out of one Tribe and therefore the Covenant not made with our Fathers which words include more than one Father To which I Answer That whilst Judah was in Egypt from him sprang many Fathers of Families But peradventure you may say that Christ could not come of all the Families of Judah To which I Answer That by the Father and Mother's side of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came there was then when this Covenant was made many of our Fathers also considering that then they lived to see the fourth Generation of their Children Now in the 26. v. forward Moses seems also to intermix Israel vvith this Degenerate Root for in the 26. v. he saith They went and served other Gods and Worshipped them Gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given unto them 27. v. And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against this Land to bring upon it all the Curses that are written in this Book That is This Land which he before had been speaking of on vvhich shall be made out all the severer Curses that are Written in this Book of the Lavv. And as many of the Curses as have not been inflicted on Israel and their Land will be inflicted on that Root that beareth Gall and Wormwood and their Land to whom the severest of them doth particularly belong as I before shewed you And Moses saith in the 28. v. The Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day 29. v. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God But those things which are revealed belong unto us and our Children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law Now whereas Moses saith in the 28. verse That the Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger in wrath and in great indignation The which words also have a reference to Israel because God for their Sins did cast out the Seed of Jacob out of their Land But whereas he saith The Lord cast them into an other Land as it is this Day But now when this question is said should be asked and this Answer return'd it was after the time of Restitution and to them of that Generation that are partakers of that blessedness which then will be revealed And whereas he saith cast them into another Land which was quite different from Judah's Curse for they were to be scattered into the Four Winds and from one end of the Earth to the other Therefore I fear the Land here spoken of that these are to be cast into will be that which is mentioned Job 10.22 A Land of Darkness as Darkness it self For the time when these words were spoken would not admit him more clearly to mention them Now Moses in Deut. 29.29 to let them understand that there was something here interwoven or that his words had a Two-fold meaning that Israel might not be too much discouraged and that also the true Christians might thereby be enlightned as concerning this Root of Bitterness when God shall open their Eyes to see it in that he saith to them Deut. 29.29 That secret things belong to God but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our Children Now there are a great many secret things in the Book of God which this Word may have some Reference to but to assure us here was a Secret and therefore to this place is this Word Secret linked only So in the following Chapter Deut. 30. he treats of Israel's repenting and returning and in the 6. v. he saith God will circumcise their heart and the heart of their Seed to love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul that they may live And he saith in the 7. v. The Lord thy God will put all these Curses upon thine Enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee 8. v. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments which I command thee this day 9. v. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy Fathers Now from the 10. v downward Moses speaks of the then time how they should walk with God For in the 11. v. he saith This commandment which I command thee this day
it is not hid from thee neither is it far off 14. v. But the Word is very nigh unto thee in thy mouth and in thy heart that thou mayest do it 15. v. See I have set before thee this day life and good and Death and Evil. The Covenant we see here in the 6. v. was the promised Covenant in which God would Circumcise their heart and the heart of their Seed that they should love the Lord their God with all their Heart and with all their Soul that they may live and do all his Commandments As it is said in the 8. v. But now it is the knowledge of the Covenant is put into our mouths and in our hearts And therefore he saith that they and we may do it For he saith I have set before thee Life and Good Death and Evil. 16. v. In that I Command thee this Day to love the Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Statutes and his Judgments that thou mayest live And when a Lawyer asked our Saviour Christ what he should do to inherit Eternal Life Luke 10.26,27,28,29 He said unto him what is written in the Law How readest thou 27. v. And he answering said Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy Neighbour as thy self 28. v. And he said unto him thou hast answered right this do and thou shalt live And the Lord saith in Mat. 22.40 On these two Commands hang all the Law and the Prophets And when the young Man in the Gospel came to our Saviour and asked him What he should do to inherit Eternal Life The Lord said unto him â—eep the Commandments as in Matth. 19.17 By all which we see that the Law of God should 〈◊〉 the Rule of our Lives in all things And Moses in his Song Deut. 31.30 also goes on in his former way of speaking in that he includes the adopted Seed with the Natural Seed of Abraham And in the 31. chap. and last ver it is said Moses spake in the ears of all the Congregation of Israel the Words of this Song until they were ended Wherein he saith Give ear O ye Heavens and I will speak and hear O Earth the words of my mouth We also here see that Moses terms the Princes of Israel and the People to be the Heavens and Earth To whom the Words of this Song to the half part of the 21. ver do particularly belong In which he makes mention of those things which were to come upon them as tho they had been already past And from the half part of the 21. verse to the 25. verse he speaks of that degenerate Root of Gall and Wormwood of whom God said in the latter part of the 21. v. to Israel I will move them to Jealousie with those that are not a people I will provoke them to Anger with a foolish Nation Now St. Paul directeth these very Words in his Epistle to the Romans Rom. 10.19 as knowing they were the foolish Nation vvith vvhom Israel should be moved to Jealousie and provoked to Anger vvithal First moved to Jealousie in that the Messias vvas preached and offered to them to bring them into covenant vvith God Secondly Anger in that they brought on them that miserable destruction vvhich remains to this day Novv vvhen St. Paul vvrote this Epistle to the Romans but sevv of them had received the Gospel But he to bear vvitness to the truth and knovving that it vvas that Nation vvhich by God vvas termed to be the foolish Nation A foolish Nation in that vvhen they had received the Knovvledge of the Truth they abode not in the commandment delivered to them by vvhich Christ and the Promises are attainable The which was made with their Fathers at Mount Sinai when they came out of the Land of Egypt that they should not worship other Gods nor make unto themselves any Graven Images that they should not commit Idolatry nor Blasphemy Murder Breach of the Sabbath Adultery Fornication and Theft all which and much more is their continual practice And their Theft is in taking the peoples substance for their Pardons and Indulgences for there is none that can forgive sins but God only These horrible crying sins with their unsatiable blood-thirsty cruelty to the Saints and Servants of God By which their willful and abominable Disobedience excludes them from the mercy promised in and through Christ and will bring upon them all those intolerable Curses which are here pronounced against their Land and themselves they being that Root of Gall and Wormwood against whom those worser Curses did particularly belong Novv that this Foolishness vvas meant by their falling off Paul makes it further evident by vvhat he vvrote to the Galathians In vvhich he says O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth Novv vve see here that he terms these Foolish upon the same account as the other vvere so termed But here he rehearseth not the Words of God by Moses because they related not unto them but unto the former For in the follovving Verse of Moses his Song God saith of this Foolish Nation Deut. 32.22,23,24 For a fire is kindled in mine Anger and shall burn unto the lowest Hell and shall consume the Earth with her increase and set on fire the Foundations of the mountains 23. v. I will heap mischiefs upon them I will spend mine arrows upon them 24. v. They shall be burnt with hunger and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction I will also send the Teeth of Beasts upon them with the poyson of Serpents of the dust Now we know that these Judgments here set down were not inflicted on Israels Land but we see them evidently made out in this Roman Esaus Land vvhich is that root of bitterness And vvhereas God saith a Fire is kindled in mine Anger vvhich shall burn to the lovvest Hell by vvhich vve may plainly see that there is more than one Hell And this Word of his gives us fully to understand vvhence this Fire comes that does thus consume the Foundations of the Mountains that it is the Anger of God vvhich causes it vvhich Fire extends it self dovvn to the lovvest Hell and riseth upvvard into the Earth the vvhich conumes the Earth vvith her increase by those Torrents or Rivers of Fire the vvhich proceed from the Foundations of those Mountains the vvhich Mountains God hath set as Signs for these several hundred years as a mark for the fulfilling of these Prophesies and to inlighten the thinking Christians that they might know to vvhom these Judgments did appertain and also that they might make preparation for the Lord. Novv vvhereas God saith in the 24. v. I will also send the Teeth of Beasts upon them with the Poyson of Serpents of the Dust The meaning of which vvords is much like to vvhat Isaiah saith
Arise shine for thy light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee For behold darkness shall cover the Earth and gross darkness the People but the Lord shall rise upon thee and his Glory shall be seen upon thee For as the Lord is said in Numb 14.14 to be over Israel in a Cloudy Pillar when he delivered them out of Egypt which was but a Figure of the great deliverance to come at which time the Lord will be in the Clouds and his Spouse his chief raised Saints with him This Tabernacle Covert or City is said to be twelve thousand furlongs not only in length and breadth but the same in heighth by which it does appear that the top thereof may reach to Heaven and that the Heavens may remain open above it as it was when it descended until this Glory that shall be Revealed be drawn up again and that the Throne of God in the highest Heavens may be placed over Mount Sion That as it is said in Gen. 28.12 That the Ladder which Jacob saw set upon the Earth the top of which reached to Heaven and that the Angels of God did ascend and descend upon it and the Lord God stood above it By which it doth appear that this Ladder will prove the white Clouds and that the Top of them will reach to Heaven whilst one part of them may extend so low as Mount Sion and these appear to be the Ladder upon which the Angels ascended and descended upon the Son of Man as the Lord saith John 1.51 Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man The which words of the Lord in saying that you shall see the Heavens open doth seem to signify the continuance of their remaining open for some time And St. John saith Rev. 21 22. He saw no Temple in this City which came down from Heaven for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it 23. And the City had no need of the Son neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the lamb is the Light thereof Now if the Heavens be open over this City and the Throne of God just above it as it is said of the Ladder God stood at the top of it then must the Glory of God inlighten this City as well as the Lamb is the light thereof And according to all these places of Scripture it doth so appear to be neither can it properly be said that there is a distinction of Glory between the Father and the Son for Christ saith to the Father in John 17.5 Glorify thou me with thine own self with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was Therefore where the Glory of the Son is there is the Glory of the Father also And St. John speaking of the Angel saith Rev. 22.1 He shewed me a pure River of water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. Now we read nothing of the Holy Ghost but whereas it is said This River proceeded out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb and it is said of the Spirit to proceed from the Father and the Son and the Lord termeth the Holy Spirit to Water in John 4.14 But whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of Water springing up into everlasting life And the Lord farther saith in John 7.38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of Living Water 39. But this spake the Lord of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive And in Isa 44.3 God saith I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my blessing upon thy Off-spring And in Psal 46.4 There is a River the streams thereof shall make glad the City of the most High Therefore this River here spoken of the which proceedeth from the Throne of God and of the Lamb must be meant of the Spirit And it is said of this Heavenly City Rev. 22.3 There shall be no more Curse but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it 4. And they shall see his Face and his Name shall be in their foreheads These words shew that the Saints will always be about the Throne both in the time that is to come and also in Eternity And to what Isaiah saith in the 60. c. which treats of the Heavenly Jerusalem and also of the new Earthly one For it is there said the Lord shall rise upon thee 3. v. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightness of thy rising By which it does appear that the Gentiles and Kings that is as many of them as have had an interest in Christ and are departed this World shall come to the brightness of their Rising or Glory the which is in the Jerusalem which comes down from Heaven And from the 4. v. of the same Chap. to the 18. it treats of them that are to be call'd in with the Jews at the second coming of the Lord. But it is said 9. v. Surely the Isles shall wait for me Now this waiting could not be at Christ's first coming for then the Isles had no knowledg of the Lord and therefore could not be said to wait for him they knew not And in the 19. and 20. verses of this 60. chap. speaking of the Heavenly Jerusalem where it is said The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God the Glory 20. Thy Son shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended And in the 21. v. it speaks of the People of Israel Thy People shall be all righteous they shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified 22. v. A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in his time Here the Prophet speaks of the People of Israel who in a more peculiar manner belongeth to this City that they should be all righteous and that they shall Inherit the Land for ever and that they should multiply therein and increase and that this should be in its time which will be at the Restitution of all things and then will there be a new Earthly Jerusalem built upon her own heap as Jer. 30.18 And then as the Lord sath Isa 54.12 I will make thy windows of Agates and thy Gates of Carbuncles and all thy Borders of pleasant Stones According to this Tobit
things Chap. I. A necessity of being ready prepared for the Lord 's Coming lest that Day should come upon us unawares which is very near at hand NOW we not apprehending the dangerous condition that we stand in by reason we falsly imagine that the New Everlasting Covenant is made with us when now the Believers are but Heirs with Israel of the same Promise but because Christ said of them that were given him of his Father to be his standing Witnesses thro' the World that none should pluck them out of his hand And the Apostle speaking of the Churches that first trusted in Christ which had the abundant pourings forth of the Spirit upon them to secure their standing and thereby they generally stood which in Scripture the major part is reckoned for the whole And the Spirit was also given to confirm the Gospel to the World and the following Generations as will be abundantly proved but we having been in a mistake as to these things have thought it no concern of ours to know whether the Lord is coming or not But we also by misunderstanding the words of the Lord when he sent forth his Disciples to teach all Nations saying He that believeth shall be saved That is they that believed the Doctrine which Christ sent them forth to teach in which was included the conditions of man's salvation the which whosoever accordingly believed should be saved and they which believed not should be damned Now these words were but of force to them that believed and to them that refused believing for unto whom the Word never came they cannot be damned for not believing that which they never heard And the Apostle saith That what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law Rom. 3.19 Rom. 2.12 So likewise what the Gospel saith it saith to them that are under the Gospel that is to them that have the Gospel and obey or refuse to obey the same to them accordingly does the promised mercies or otherwise the threatned judgments belong And tho' St. John saith He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 John 5.12 Yet these words do noâ— exclude all them which have never heard of the Son so as that none of them should ever have life by the Son for there will be a Redemption in the World to come as will be proved And when Christ comes to judge the World and at the last and final Judgment they are all said to be â—udged according to the deeds done in the body whether they have been good or evil Mat. 25.35 Mat. 7.21 Mat. 16.27 Rom. 2.6.13 1 Pet. 1.17 James 1.22 Rev. 20.12,13 1 Tim. 6.18,19 Rev. 2.23,26 And tho' in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats there is but two sorts mentioned yet there is a third included in as much as the Poor and Children were not caâ—able to be made partakers of the Blessing or the Curse in their doing or not doing good to God's Elect And therefore the word all to â—hem on his left hand is not mentioned when â—e sentenced them to everlasting fire Matth. â—h 25. v. 41. And whereas it is said all Nations â—t is but meant all the Nations that have the Gospel And St. Paul saith The Lord will come to â—ake vengeance on them that know not God and obey â—ot the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall â—e punished with everlasting destruction 2 Thes 1.8 The word all he here mentions not but he â—hiefly includes them that have the Knowledge of God and of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ â—or the Gospel speaks to them that have the Gospel yet in works deny it in that they will â—ot yield obedience to it For it is declared in everal places of Scripture too many to be here â—t down that the Jews will be called in when â—…e Lord again comes and they do no ways â—bey the Gospel and then according to the word the Lord he will gather in others with them Isâ— 56.8 These things being abundantly proved iâ— a Book that is coming forth of which I shall heâ— set down some few proofs Chap. II. The Restoration of Israel THat the Restoration of Israel will be at thâ— time when the Nations round about aâ—… judged in the Valley of Jehosaphat and whereas the Lord saith Assemble your selves and comâ— up all ye heathen round about Joel 3.11,12 This iâ— spoken to those that have Israel's Land in theâ— possession and unto them that are their Oppreâ—sors And the reason why they are termed Heaâ—then was because there was no other then buâ— Jews and Heathen and that then not only thâ— back-sliding Christians which were afore prophesied of were so term'd but also the best oâ— Saints that came in by Christ of the Gentilâ— race are likewise termed Heathen as in 2 Esâ— 2.34 I say unto you O ye Heathen that heâ— and understand look for your Shepherd he shall giâ— you everlasting rest And what the Law and Goâ—pel saith it saith to those that are under thâ— Law and Gospel Rom. 3.19 Rom. 2.13,14 〈◊〉 as Christians and Turks For the backslidiâ— Christians are those that are under the condemâ—ing power of the Law and Gospel and also thâ— Turks acknowledge the true God but in Worâ— deny him and therefore fall under the coâ— demning power of the Moral Law And where the Lord saith Come up all ye Heathen Joel 3. 〈◊〉 now the word all in Scripture doth not include the whole and the Conversion of Israel will also be When Saviours come upon Mount Sion then the Kingdom will be the Lord's Obad. v. 21. Then it is Israel shall see him whom they have pierced and mourn over him Zech. 12.10 Rev. 1.7 And after the Lord descends upon Mount Olivet Jerusalem will be built never more to be destroyed Zech. 14.10,11 and the Wicked never more to have a prevailing power against Israel And the Lord Christ saith That Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled Luke 21.24 Which shews the Gentile Power will be wholly taken away before Jerusalem will be restored Accordingly St. Paul where he speaks of the Conversion of the Jews turns them to Isaiah where the Lord is there declared to come to judge the World Rom. 11.26 Isa 59.17,18,19,20 and God by the same Prophet ordered Proclamation to the end of this world Say ye to the daughter of Sion behold thy Salvation cometh behold his reward is with him Isa 62.11 Which shews their Salvation is not to be till the time of the power of this wicked world is ended and therefore it is said when the Lord comes that the Beast and false Prophet will be taken alive and cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone so as time for them and the wicked of this World shall be no longer Rev. 19.20 Therefore St. Paul bids the Church 1 Tim. 6.18,19 Do good that they be rich in good
persuaded the Lord was able to Heal them became healed Two of an extraordinary lameness one of eighteen years continuance using Crutches the other having her thigh and ancle-bone out of joint from her childhood And another of a Leprosie and one of a withered hand from her childhood These things being publickly known and attested in the City of London And the Lord having wrought these miraculous Cures upon these women it ought to be considered of by us For as the Lord came by a Woman so after he arose he appeared first to the Women And now at the time of his second coming he hath miraculously appeared in working of miracles on Women And also another great and evident Sign the Lord hath given us of his coming and that the great Jubile is at hand by the miraculous springing up of a Field of Corn without plowing or sowing and of that goodness and quantity the like was never before heard of since the first Creation when all things sprang up of themselves and this wonderful Crop springing up out of sixteen Acres of fallow Land which formerly had been sown with Turneps This Miracle was near Maidstone in Kent being generally known and accordingly published This Land belonged to a Man that was very charitable to the Poor Thereby the Lord also shewing that in time to come such will be abundantly rewarded For he saith The merciful shall obtain mercy Matth. 5.7 And he that giveth to the poor lendeth to the Lord Pro. 19.17 And it is said Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days Eccles 11.1 Chap. VIII Where the Armies are to be gathered together after the Lord comes THE Lord saith in Revelations ch 16.15,16 Behold I come as a Thief blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew Tongue Armageddon Now here in these verseâ— the Lord tells us how he will come and they are those that will be blessed that are found watching for his coming and that when he does come it is then he will gather together these great armies or people to the place called Armageddon And in Joel there the Lord calls it the Valley oâ— Jehoshaphat Let the Heathen be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will 〈◊〉 sit to judge all the Heathen round about Joel 3.12 These words shew 't is after they are awakened by the coming of the Lord that then they will be gathered together to the Valley of Jehoshâ—…hat for it is there the Lord will sit to judgâ— the Heathen round about that have Israels Land in their possession as in the 3 Ch. 2 ver And where this Valley of Jehoshaphat is is made mention of in 2 Chr. 20.26 And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the Valley of Barachah for there they blessed the Lord therefore the name of the same place was called the Valley of Berachah unto this day And in this Valley Jehoshaphat blessed God for the great deliverance he had given them from their Enemies which Enemies were those that were related to Israel as Ammon Moab and Mount Seir. So those that are again to be there gathered are those that pretend Relation to the Christian Israelite as Pope and Turk and the negligent Christian all acknowledging the true God but in works deny him For all the Christians that bear the name of Christ of the Gentile race whether good or bad are alike term'd Heathen in the Old Testament 2 Esd 2.34 For then there being no other than Jews and Heathen they could be no otherwise expressed as I have already by the word proved Therefore the Lord here saith Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.22 And also accordingly the Lord saith to Esdras that when he comes it is then they will be gathered together the which will be to the forementioned place For at or about the time of his coming there will be fighting together in their own Land As in 2 Esd 13.30,31,32,33,34 And he shall come to the astonishment of them that dwell on the Earth And one shall undertake to fight against another one City against another one place against another one people against another one Realm against another And the time shall be when these things shall come to pass and the signs shall happen which I shewed thee before and then shall my Son be declared And when all the people hear his voice every man shall in their own Land leave the Battle they have one against another And an innumerable multitude shall be gathered as thou sawest them willing to come and to overcome him by fighting Which fighting here without doubt will be like that of Jacobs wrestling with the Angel which was by prayer for a blessing But they having by their wicked practices as in the 37 and 38 verses lost their day and season of Grace it will with them then be too late as it was with Esau to have the blessing All these places agree in one and the same thing that there will be fighting one against another at or about the time of the coming the Lord and that it will be after the Lord comes that they shall be gathered together to Armegeddon or otherwise called the Valley of Jeâ—hoshaphat there to be judged Chap. IX The Everlasting Covenant and Crown of Life THE Everlasting Covenant and the Crown of Life is one and the same thing And when the Lord again comes he will make that new everlasting Covenant with both the Houses of Jocob in which Covenant the true practical believer will be then included as coming in by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah who are now but Heirs with Israel of the same promise Gal. 3.29 And then it is they shall no more teach every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying Know ye the Lord For they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them faith the Lord Jer. 31.34,35,36 Then it is His People shall be willing in the day of his power in the beauties of holiness Psal 110.3 And then it is Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting Salvation They shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end Isa 45.17 And then it is the Lord will rest in his love Zeph. 3.17 Ezek. 37.26,27,28 when Israel is put into a capacity never more to offend him And then is life crowned to the Soul when they are thus secured by him And then it is that sighing and sorrowing will fly away And then it is The days of his People shall be as the days of a Tree and that his Elect shall long injoy the work of their hands Isa 65.22 And then it is The meek shall inherit the Earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace Ps 37.11 But the
ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's Seed and heirs according to the Promise Now by all this we see that every true Christian comes into the Covenant to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ Now we know that both the Seeds of Abraham which came of Isaac were both Circumcised the which was â—he Seal or Sign of the Covenant So the Roâ—ans receive the Sign of Baptism as well as the â—rue Christians who take the word of God for â—he Rule of their Lives to which Christians is 〈◊〉 Promise made That unto all them that obey him â—hrist is become the Author of Eternal Salvaâ—on Now the Romans though they have the sign of Baptism yet wholly renounce Obedience to the will of God in his word the which he hath given both to Jew and Gentile as a rule to walk by Now Moses knowing by the Spirit of Prophesy that there would come in strangers to be joyned in Covenant with Israel in and through Christ and so become the Seed of Abraham of whom also there would be a Seed the which should prove an Esau Generation who would fall off from the true ways of Godliness and fall into Wickedness Pride and Cruelty and therefore when he speaks of the Jews miscarriage he hath joyned the miscarriage of these with them that is these degenerated Christians the which time and the event hath made clearly evident by the Destruction that he pronounced against their Land the which was never threatned against the Land of Canaan that that should become Brimstone Salt and Burning Neither hath any such thing ever falleâ— upon any part of the aforesaid Land But now God has made it plainly appear to whom these Prophesies did relate since in Sicily and Naples the threatned Judgments are evidently broken forth among them And Moses in Deut. 29.16,17,18 saith For ye know how we have dwelâ— in the land of Egypt and how we came through thâ— Nations which ye passed by And ye have seen their abominations and their idols wood and stone silvâ— and gold which are among them Lest there should be among you man or woman or family or tribe whose Heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the Gods of these Nations lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood By which we see that this has not its reference to the Body of Israel in that he mentions Man or Woman or Family or Tribe by which words the Body of Israel cannot be comprehended And whereas he saith lest there should be among you a root that beareth Gall and Wormwood Now a root doth signify one of the Tribes or the major part of a tribe for in the Scripture the greater number is taken for the whole and a Man or Woman or single family is but a bough or branch of a root Now a root hath its springing increasing and continuance and we know that the Tribes when spoken of singly are termed as one Man as Judah and Benjamin Manasses and Ephraim the which each of them signifies a Tribe Now those that are brought in to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ come in as of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah from which Tribe there was a root of Gall and Wormwood to spring forth of which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.3 Except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the Son of Perdition Ye see also that the Apostle here terms the Beast to be a Man And he also forewarneth the Hebrews of him c. 12.15 Bidding them looâ— diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you and thereby many be defiled 16. Lest there be any fornicator or prophane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright By these words we find also that out of this root of Bitterness would spring up trouble and thereby many should be defiled which by sad experience has been made evident And the Apostle also here compares him to Esau whose representative he is or Figure of him altho many degrees worse therefore for him is reserv'd the worser Punishment who as Esau parted with his Birthright so this Man here spoken of parted with the promised Blessing which was for Eternity for this World's morsel Now Moses in the forementioned verse at which I left off wherein he speaks of the root that beareth Gall and Wormwood of which he saith Deut. 29.19 And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this Curse and he blesseth himself in his Heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine Heart to add drunkenness to thirst 20. The Lord will not sparâ— him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to aâ—… the Curses of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law 22. So that the generation tâ— come of your Children that shall rise up after you and the stranger that shall come from a far Land shall say when they see the Plagues of that Land and the sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it 23. And that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt and burning that it is not sown nor beareth nor any grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath Now we are to take notice what are the sins against whom God did by Moses pronounce these Ireful Judgments as in Deut. 29.18,19 Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst Now we are to consider what the Scripture calls Dunkenness besides that excess of drinking good Liquor In the first place God mentions another sort of Drunkenness by Moses Deut. 32.42 I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood And this Drunkenness which Moses speaks of is mentioned by St. John Rev. 17.6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration Now this Woman that was thus Drunken is mystical Babylon as in the 5. v. of this chapter and in the 3. v. she is termed Babylon the great the mother of harlots and the abomination of the earth The Beast that beareth her that is beareth her up in her Grandeur and Greatness is the Pope which sets himself up as a God And this is the man that addeth Drunkenness to his thirst for he first thirsteth
God speaking of the Princes and people of Judah wherein he saith in v. 2. Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me Can we think that God here spoke to the material heavens and earth that has no ears or understanding No it was to the Princes of Judah and their people to let them understand why he was displeased with them And again God saith in Jer. 6.19 Hear O Earth behold I will bring evil upon this people even the fruit of their own thoughts because they have not hearkned unto thy words nor to my law but rejected it You see here that this Earth is the people of the world which God doth hear Alarm with his displeasure against Judah And God saith in Jer. 22.29 O Earth Earth Earth hear the word of the Lord. 30. Thus saith the Lord write ye this Man Childless a Man that shall not prosper in his days You see here in this place that the Earth was not only to hear the word of the Lord but to do some thing and what is it But to write this man which was the King of Judah Childless and that he should not prosper Now upon consideration none can be so stupid as to think that God call'd on the massy lump of Earth which we tread on to hear his word and to write this Man childless And the Lord speaking of the destruction of his people in Isa 5. by Nebuchadnezzer in which he declares how the enemies should come up against Israel saith in v. 30. And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the Sea And if one look into the land behold darkness and sorrow and the light is darkned in the heavens thereof Whereas the Lord saith darkness in the land that is sorrow and darkness among the people of the land And whereas the Lord saith the light is darkness in the heavens thereof that is the heavens of that land which was the King Princes and Priests thereof And St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.8 Beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day And in v. 10 he tells us That the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat The Earth also and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up Whereas he saith in the forementioned Verse But the Heavens and Earth which are now are reserved unto fire and in the 10th Verse he saith That the Heavens shall past away with a great noise That is That the wicked Powers will so pass away with terrible shriekings thorough the fiery Indignation of the Lord. And whereas he saith That the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the which Elements are the Elements that the body of Mankind is made up of For they are composed of the 4 Elements According to this it is said in Psal 37.20 The Enemies of the Lord shall be as the â—at of Lambs they shall consume into Smoke shall they consume away And whereas he saith That the Earth and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up That is with the forementioned Tempell spoken of in Ps 11.6 the which shall carry off all the wicked and then the Earth and Air will be purified by Fire as it was before by water at which time Israel with the rest of the Elect of God will be secure in the Holy Land between Mount Olivet underneath that glorious Tabernacle the which the Lord shall pitch and not Mâ—n the which I shall hereafter prove and then 't will be according to the saying of the Psalmist When the nicked are cut off thou shalt see it and then 't is as in Psalm 91.4 He shall cover thee with his Feathers under his wings shalt thou trust And it is said in the 8th Verse Onely with thine Eyes shalt thou behold and see the Reward of the wicked that which this whole Psalm treats of is the security of his people at the time of the wickeds Overthrow Whereas he tells us That One Day is with the Lord as a Thousand Years and a Thousand Years as One Day After which he tells us the Day of the Lord will come which is not the Natural Day nor the Artificial Day the Old World was not destroyed in such a Day Neither did the Ram's Horns blow down Jericho in such a Day But it is that Day which is spoken of in Acts 17.31 where it is said That God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in Righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead But you may say Where will the Thousand Years Reign be when the Heavens and Earth are burnt up as St. Peter saith in the 7th Verse of the forementioned Chapter Pray forget not the Apostles saying wherein he tells us The Heavens and Earth which are now God hath reserved unto fire For those that were in the Old World those shall continue as then so now the being of Heaven and Earth at the Restitution or in the world to come or New Jerusalem-state only they will appear more illustrious when the darksome Clouds are dispersed and then the Earth will be renewed to that Perfection as it was in the first Creation But as to the Heavens which are now whereof St Peter speaketh his meaning is the Principalities and Powers which are carrying on the Rule of the darkness of this World and by the Earth the meaner sort which are filling up their measure of Iniquity the which the Old World did admit of no such dstinction in it And also by the Heavens is comprehended the Teachers and those that should have been the Teachers of the Word for if they are called Gods to whom the Word of God came as in John 10.35 why not those called Heavens to whom the Word of God was entrusted to enlighten the World withal And as our Lord saith to his Disciples in Mat. 5.14 Ye are the Light of the world And in the book called The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs which they spake to their Children before their Death wherein Levi in his last Charge to his Sons tells them They be the Light of the Heavens as the Sun and the Moon And he said unto them What shall all the Heathen do if you be over darkned with wickedness and bring Cursedness upon your Countryfolk for whose sake the Light of the world is put into you to enlighten all men withal This Light of the world shall you most willfully steal and teach Commandments contrary to the Righteousness of God Here by all this you see that those to whom the word of God is committed are term'd the Light of the World and the
is the Covenant set down that the Lord will make with the House of Israel in Ver. 31,33 After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people v. 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know ye the Lord For they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord For I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more v. 35. Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the Ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roar the Lord of Hosts is his Name V. 36. If those Ordinances depart from before me saith the Lord then the Seed of Israel also shall cease from being a Nation before me for ever V. 37. Thus saith the Lord if Heaven ahove can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the Seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord. V. 38. Behold the days come saith the Lord and the City shall be built to the Lord from the Tower of Hananiel unto the gate of the Corner V. 40. And the whole valley of the dead Bodies and the Ashes and all the Fields unto the Brook Kidron unto the corner of the Horse-Gate toward the East shall be holy unto the Lord it shall not be plucks up nor thrown down any more for ever Now whereas the Lord saith behold the days come that the City shall be built Now the Lord does not here say the day is come but the days come by which the Lord comprehends the days of two thousand years or thereabouts and then their City shall be built for it is said a thousand year is with the Lord as one day and therefore the Lord speaking in many places of things that are to come as tho they were present Of which Divine Duhartus speaking of God saith that his mighty Voice speaks in the midst of thunder causing the Rocks to Rock and Hills to Tear calling the things that are not as tho they were Now what is spoken of this City of certain is not ment of that which was built at the return out of the Babilonian Captivity First That the dimentions of it is far larger than ever Jerusalem was yet built Secondly That this Jerusalem shall be called Holy unto the Lord. Thirdly It shall not be pluckt up nor thrown down any more for ever And therefore it is to be rebuilt at the restitution of all things At which time all these wonderful promises shall be made good to Israel And the Lord also saith in Jerem. 32.37 Behold I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath and I will bring them again into this place and cause them to dwell safely 38. And they shall be my people and I will be their God 39. And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their Children after them 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me 41. Yea I will rejoice over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole Soul Jer. 33.14 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah 15. In those days and at that time I will cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David and he shall execute Judgment and righteousness in the Land 16. In those days shall Judah be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely Here you see in those forementioned verses is contained Gods everlasting covenant with Israel after they are again re-establish'd they shall never more be cast off Whereby we see they stand with greater security then our first parents did in paradice And therefore the making good of these promises must be at the restitution of all things At which time they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and his brother but that they then shall be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them And God also tells them in Isa 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous They shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified 22. A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in its time And it is said in v. 14. of the same Chap. The Sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despise thee shall bow themselves down at the Soles of thy Feet and they shall call thee the City of the Lord the Sion of the holy one of Israel Now whereas God saith in Isa 4.5 And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Sion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Now by these words it does appear to have its meaning at the coming of the Lord that those that then are found written among the living shall there continue alive and remain in Jerusalem the which will be as it is inhabited with several sorts of people And the words that are in the following verse makes it so out where 't is said v. 4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Judgment and by the Spirit of burning v. 5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon all her assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence v. 6. And there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the the day time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from the storm and from the rain By these following words you see that Jerusalem was not then purged from her filthiness when the Lord said they should be called holy that were written among the living in Jerusalem And also there may then be some Achan in the Camp of Judah the which may be taken off before they come to their glorious settlement as never to be cast out of the favour of God any more over whom God hath promis'd there should be this glory that is before mention'd a Tabernacle
shall live together with my dead body shall they arise awake and sing ye that dwell in dust for thy dew is as the dew of Herbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past 21. For behold the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the Inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity The earth also shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain That it is as well those that are Spiritually Dead in Sin wherein by the Lord 's saying Men is comprehended the whole Man both Soul and Body The Soul being already Dead and the Body daily dying Now when these dead Men shall Live he farther tells us it shall be when his dead body shall arise which is in the first Resurrection as I have proved by Scripture And as to the Body of the Saints you see they are not termed Men because the better part of them is alive and united to the Lord of Glory Upon which the Lord terms the dead Bodies of the Saints to be his dead Body And that this rising is at the first Resurrection is further cleared in that he then tells us the Earth shall cast out the Dead In the following verse the Lord instructeth his People that then shall be on the Earth to hide them for a little moment until the indignation be over past that is not to appear much in the World either in pompous splendor Action or Labour But in a more particular manner to secure themselves in himself and that the more we see the day approaching At that time when the Lord cometh to Punish the Inhabitants of the Earth he also then will punish the Leviathan and slay the Dragon that is in the Sea By this we see that Isaiah gives us the same account as St. Paul and St. John does as concerning the destruction of the beast and the binding of Satan And God speaking to Ezekiel of the Restoration of Israel and of the Resurrection saith in the 37 c. where he shewed him the Valley of dead bones which were very many and very dry and they are represented to him how they came together all in figurative way after which the Lord opens to him the meaning thereof as in v. 11. God said unto him Son of Man these bones are the whole House of Israel Behold they say our bones are dryed and our hope is lost we are cut off for our parts V. 12. Therefore Prophesy and say to them thus saith the Lord God behold O my people I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves and bring you into the land of Israel V. 13. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your Graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves V. 14. And shall put my Spirit in you and ye shall live and I shall place you in your own Land then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it and performed it saith the Lord. V. 15. The word of the Lord came again unto me saying V. 16. Moreover thou Son of Man take thee one stick and write upon it for Judah and for the Children of Israel his companions then take another stick and write upon it for Joseph the stick of Ephraim and for all the house of Israel his companions V. 17. And joyn them one to another into one stick and they shall become one in thine hand V. 21. Say unto them thus saith the Lord God behold I will take the Children of Israel from among the Heathen where they be gone and I will gather them on every side and bring them into their own Land Now here you see again by this what was the meaning of the dry bones the which the Lord declared to him was the whole House of Israel that is the whole of them that are to be saved for St. Paul saith they are not all Israel that are of Israel But this Promise was made to them that then said we are cast off that they were a part of the whole Body which should arise out of their Graves and be made partakers of the Resurrection and be united to their Head and Husband at which time the two Families of Israel should be gathered together from among the Heathen and be made one People for ever And Isa saith in the 66. c. 8. v. Who hath heard such a thing who hath seen such a thing shall the Earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a Nation be born at once for as soon as Sion Travelled she brought forth her Children V. 9. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause to bring forth saith the Lord shall I cause to bring forth and shut up the Womb saith thy God v. 10. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that Love her rejoyce for joy with her all yâ— that Mourn for her v. 11. That ye may suck and be satisfied with the Breasts of her Consolations that ye may milk out and be delighted with the abnndanâ—… of her Glory v. 12. For thus saith the Lord behold I will extend peace to her like a River and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream then shall ye suck ye shall be born upon her sides and be dandled upon her knees v. 13. As one whom his Mother comforteth so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem v. 14. And when you see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like an herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his Servants and his indignation towards his enemies v. 15. For behold the Lord will come with fire and with his chariots like a whirlwind to render his anger with fury and his rebukes with flames of Fire v. 16. For by fire and sword will the Lord plead with all Flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many Here you see that a Nation shall be born at once and at that time Israel shall rejoyce in Jerusalem When they are again re-established they nor their Seed shall never more be cast off But be the inheritors of Eternal Life Now that some will enter into this Kingdom but not by this Everlasting Covenant is evident by what God saith in Isa 19.24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assiria even a blessing in the midst of the Land V. 25. Whom the Lord of Hosts shall bless saying blessed be Egypt my people and Syria the work of my hands and Israel mine inheritance And in Ezek. 16.59 Thus saith the Lord God I will even deal with thee as thou hast done which hast despised the Oath in breaking the Covenant V. 60. Nevertheless I will remember my Covenant with thee in the days of thy youth and I will establish unto thee an Everlasting
the second Temple which is from the beginning of the 4th chapter of Ezekiel where the Lord sheweth him how the Temple should again be built the second time and how every thing should be ordered according to what it was formerly vvhich is all along treated of from the 40th chapter to the 47th chapter except the beginning of the 43d chapter to the 10th verse and there he speaks of the Glory of the Lord and what the Lord said to him concerning his Dwelling in the midst of the Children of Israel for ever as in Ezek. 43.7,8 And he said unto me Son of man the place of my Throne and the place of the Soles of my Feet where I dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel for ever and my Holy Name shall the House of Israel no more defile neither they nor their Kings by their Whoredom nor by the Carcases of their Kings in their high places 8. v. In their setting their threshold by my thresholds and their posts by my posts and the Wall between me and them they have even defiled my Holy Name by their abominations that they have committed wherefore I have consumed them in mine Anger 9. v. Now let them put away their Whoredom and the Carcasses of their Kings far from me and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever Here we see the Lord 's promising the Children of Israel to dwell with them for ever after the Temple was built the second time was but â—n conditions and the conditions was the puting away their sins which if they did God would dwell with them for ever That is the Ever of this World as well as that which is to 〈◊〉 This is to shew That there was no decree in God for theirs or the Temples Destruction but that his Promise was but at that time conditional with them as it was formerly with Abraham and his seed as in Gen. 17.9 And also Solomon saith in 1 Kings 8.25 Therefore now Lord God of Israel keep with thy Servant David my Father that thou hast promised him saying there shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit onâ— the Throne of Israel so that thy Children take heed to their way that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me So we see in the Ever of this World the promises were all along conditional And the ever of this World is till the time of the Restitution of all things Now Israel at their Return from the Babylonian Captivity had a fresh promise of God of his dwelling amongst them in the Ever of this World if they would put away their sins Now the foreknowledge in God of their miscarriage signifies nothing as to a Decree in God And when they will not obey then it is the Lord saith thou hast destroyed thy self Hosea 13.9 Now the Lord therefore in the 47th Chapter of Ezekiel 1. v. speaks nothing of the destruction of the Temple that was then to be built because it was not for their sins that built it that did occasion the destroying of it and therefore no mention made of the Temple being to be rebuilt the third time Whereupon the Prophet only said of which we are to take notice in Ezek. 47.1 Afterward he brought me again tâ— the Door of the House and behold Waters issued out from under the Threshold of the House Eastward for the Fore-Front of the House stood towards the East and the Waters came down from under from the right side of the House at the South side of the Altar Now in that he saith afterwards he brought meagain it is to signifie to us that it vvas not at one and the same time That is That the Waters issued not out from under the Threshold at the building of the second Temple But that this vvas spoken for time to come because also of the Trees there mentioned in Ezek. 47.7,12 By the Rivir upon the Bank thereof on this side and on that side shall grow all Trees for meat whose Leaf shall not fade neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed it shall bring forth new fruits according to his months because their Waters issued out of the Sanctuary and the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof shall be for medicine And at that time these Trees do grovv all Israel is then gathered as in the 13. v. Thus saith the Lord God this shall be the border whereby ye shall inherit the Land according to the Twelve Tribes of Israel Joseph shall have two portions At vvhich time also vvhen all Israel is gathered the stranger that sojourneth shall have a portion vvith them as in the 22. v. And it shall come to pass that ye shall divide the Land by Lot for aâ— inheritance unto you unto the strangers that sojourn among you which shall beget children among you and they shall be unto you as born in the Countrey among the children of Israel they shall have inheritance with you among the Tribes of Israel Here vve see that vvhen this River is to be then all the Tribes of Israel vvill be gathered and that then the Sojourner is to have an Inheritance vvith them And then shall the true Christian have a portion in the Land of Canaan vvhen the Lord again comes And then vvill be the Restitution of All Things Novv all along the time of this World whilst there was a Temple the Priests and Levites had no Portion of Land given them as in Ezek. 44.27 And in the day that he goeth into the Sanctuary unto the inner Court to Minister in the Sanctuary he shall Offer his Sin-Offerings saith the Lord God And it shall be unto them for an inheritance I am their Inheritance and ye shall give them no possession in Israel I am their possession 29. They shall eat the Meat-Offering and the Sin-Offering and the Trespass-Offering and every Dedicated thing is Israel shall be theirs Here we see that the Priests then had no Land given them but when all Israel is again gathered then the Tribe of Levy is to have a portion of Land given them as in Ezek. 48.9 So on to the 14 v. and altho there is none of the Tribe of Dan now said to follow the Lamb Christ so as to be sealed for the Glorious Tabernacle yet then when Israel is gathered then are they not excluded but he will have his Portion among the rest of them as in Ezek. 48.1 From the North End to the Coast of the way of Hethlon as one goeth to Hamath Hazorenan the border of Damascus Nothward to the Coast of Hamath for these are his beside East and West a Portion for Dan. And Jacob did foresee that Satan would more prevail with the Seed of Dan than the rest of them by what he said of him at his Death in Gen. 49.17 Dan shall be a Serpent by the way an Adder in the Path that biteth the Horses heels so that his Rider shall fall backward Which signifies they
Supper I find therein is Comfort for the Poor for when those that were bidden were not found worthy through their own neglect and so was detain'd from coming through the Love they had to this present World as in Matt. 22.8 Then said the King to his Servants the Wedding is ready but they that were bidden were not worthy 9. Go ye therefore into the High-ways and as many as ye shall find bid to the Marriage 10. So those Servants went into the high-ways and gathered together all as many as they could find both good and bad and the Wedding was furnished with guests 11. And when the King came in to see the guests he saw there a man which had not a Wedding Garment 12. And he said unto him friend how camest thou in hither not having a wedding Garment and he was speechless 13. Then said the King to the Servants bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into utter darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth We see that although the poor in great number at the last day will be called in to be made partakers of that blessedness which then shall be revealed yet we see by this one that has been mentioned that some of them will be cast out and that there will be something found in them which will unfit them for mercy That is their Lives more estranged from God and their tempers more united to Satan like to this Man in the Parable which might like the Glory of the Saints yet not their Sanctity or they sound guilty of some of those crying sins unrepented of And whereas the Lord saith in the 14. v. For many are called but few are chosen That is they are called so as to be brought into the knowledg of God and his ways as to know what he requires of us But by reason they will not use their utmost endeavour to make their Calling and Election sure therefore they will not be chosen in the great day of the Lord the which the foregoing words doth make it so out that they did neglect the tender and offer of mercy by his Messengers in or of the Gospel being not willing to forego this present World and therefore are not sound ready when the Lord comes so as then to be chosen by him And also if we neglect the tender of mercy all our Life time I can find no hopes that such should be chosen upon a Death-Bed As for the Thief upon the Cross he was not brought into the knowledg of the Lord before that time And the Lord saith in Luke 14.21,22,23 When those that were bidden came not then the Master of the House being angry said to his Servants go out quickly into the Streets and Lanes of the City and bring in hither the poor and the maimed and the halt and the blind And the servant said Lord it is done as thou commanded and yet there is room And the Lord said to the servant go out into the high-ways and hedges and compel them to come in that my house may be full Now as to the meaning of these Parables of the Lord in which they are bidden to Supper is his Invitation to us by the Gospel which remains good from the time of his being on Earth till his second coming at which time he not finding those that were bidden prepared for his coming therefore in the 24. v. saith That none of those men that were bidden shall tast of my Supper That is those that are not found prepared And in Luke 18.8 Where the Lord saith When he cometh shall he find faith on Earth That is the generality of the Christians will be more prophane and wicked than ever they were and therefore none of them that are so shall have any part of his Supper when he cometh Now that the justice and mercy of God might be both evident as the Psalmist and St. Paul saith in Rom. 3.4 Where he speaking of God saith in Ps 51.4 That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings and mightest overcome when thou art judged Therefore God looking on the poor that here have known nothing but misery and thereby made uncapable of shewing mercy in giving relief to others and also through poverty had not the due education as to bring them up in the knowledge of the Lord of which some of them which will be brought in at the coming of the Lord is said to be lame halt and blind To be sure some of them will not be only outwardly so but also there will be those that are inwardly so The first that were brought in are said to be fetcht out of the streets and lanes of the City And the Servants of the Lord said yet there is room Then were they Commanded to go into the high waies and hedges and to compel them to come in Here by all this we have no reason to believe that these were all sound ready at his coming but that they then are called in to sill up their places that have neglected his mercy And Isaiah Prophesieth of the time to come in which the Lord shall be judge that the lame also shall take the prey Whereas he saith in Chap. 33.22 v. The Lord is our Judge the Lord ic our Lawgiver the Lord is our King he will save us 23. v. Thy tackling are loosed they could not well strengthen their Mast they could not spread the Sail then is the prey of a great spoile divided the lame take the prey You may plainly see by these words that they have only reference to the time when the Lord again comes And in the 14 Chap. 1. v. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet chuse Israel and set them in their own Land and strangers shall be joyned with them and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob. By which we see that there will be strangers called in at that time when Israel is And the Psalmist where he saith Psal 9.17,18,19 The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God Then it is in the following verse The needy shall not alway be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Arise O Lord let not man prevail let the Heathen be judged in thy sight We see here when it is that the Poor and Needy is thus to be remembred It is when the Lord riseth to judgment at which time he renders punishments to the Wicked and Comfort to the Afflicted And it is said in Psal 37.7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him fret not thy self because of him who prospereth in his way because of the man who bringeth wicked devises to pass 8. Cease from anger and forsake wrath fret not thy self in any wise to do evil 9. For evil doers shall be cut off but those that wait upon the Lord they shall inherit the Earth 10. For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be 11. But the meek
Siria and others that are of this Elder World shall serve the younger of which I have given a more full Account in the foregoing Part. Not only so but the younger sort of them whose Parents are now Enemies to the Church yet their Children that has not been guilty shall be spared and not cut off with the rest of the wicked For in Joel 3. where it speaks of the Judgment of this World the Lord saith in the 8th Verse I will sell your Sous and Daughters into the hand of the Children of Judah and they shall sell them to the Sabeans to a people far off for the Lord hath spoken it Sheba being part of the Elect that will be called in at the coming of the Lord. As it is said in Isaiah 60.6 And also the Lord said 2 Esdras 6.18,19 to 28. Behold the days come that I will begin to draw nigh and to visit them that dwell upon the Earth And I will begin to make inquisition of them what they be that have hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness and when the afflictions of Sion shall be fulfilled And when the world that shall begin to vanish away shall be finished then will I shew these tokens The books shall be opened before the firmament and they shall see altogether And the Children of a year old shall speak with their voices the women with Child shall bring forth untimely Children of three or four months old and they shall live and be raised up And suddenly shall the sound places appear unsound the full store-houses shall suddenly appear empty And the Trumpet shall give a sound which when every man heareth they shall be afraid At that time shall friends fight one against another like enemies and the Earth shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein the Springs of the Fountains shall stand still and in three hours they shall not run Whosoever remaineth from all these that I have told thee shall escape and see my salvation and the end of your world And the men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their Birth and the heart of the inhabitants shall be changed and turned into another meaning For evil shall be put out deceit shall be quenched As for faith it shall flourish corruption shall be overcome and the truth which hath been so long without fruit shall be declared Rom. 9.8 This is the Seed which St. Paul speaks of in V. 8. Where he saith the Children of the promise are counted for the Seed And also the Lord by Esdras has given us to understand that the innocent children shall not be taken away in the Judgment with their parents And the Lord also in V. 9. of this Chap. saith 2 Esdras 6.9 Esau is the end of this world and Jacob the begining of it that followeth Now as to what the Lord said to Rebecca concerning these two brothers before they had done good or evil was no other then that the Elder should serve the younger for God did not then say that he loved Jacob and hated Esau Therefore the Apostle makes a stop and begins again wherein he saith in V. 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated Which words of the Lord are said in Mal. 2.3 After Esau was wicked and the world with him But these words of the Lord in Mal. hath also a prophetical reference as to the glorious time to come in which time Jacob will appear the beloved and Esau the hated That is the figurative Esau by which is signified the wicked of the world but in more especial manner that Esau which is Term'd the degenerate root by reason the Lord saith he hath laid his mountains and heritage wast for the Dragons of the Wilderness For this curse is only pronounc'd to them that their land shall be inhabited with fearful Creatures And it is the usual way of the Lord to speak of things that are to come as tho they were already done For when these words of the Lord were spoken to Malachy Esau was more flourishing then Jacob. For at that time Israel had displeased the Lord and for his Sins his Mountains were laid wast before those of Esau's And when those Mountains of Esau were laid wast they were not made partâ—kers of those Judgments And St. Paul knowing that those words of the Lord in Malachy had reference for the time that is now to come therefore he here mentions them as treating of that time also And after he had here rehearsed the word of the Lord in saying Rom. 9.14,15 Jacob have I Loved and Esau have I hated He saith in v. 14. What shall we say then is there unrighteousness with God God forbid V. 15. For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion The which words were said to Moses by the Lord in the time that the Lord chose Israel to set them above the rest of the Nations At which time he brought them out of the Land of Egypt with signs and wonders to fix them on the midst of the Earth for the Exalting of their Glory and to allure thereby the World that they might be brought into the Knowledg of God Of which the Patriarch Levy said in his last Will and Testament If you should be over-darkned with Error what shall all the Heathen do But Israel falling into sin and error was cast off and the Heathen for a time taken in in their room But for the Oaths sake God made with their Fathers they shall be again taken in and made partakers of that everlasting blessedness promised to them And whereas St. Paul saith in the 16th verse So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy These words admit of a two sold meaning The one is that we are so far fallen that of our selves we can neither will nor run but it is God that sheweth Mercy in calling us renewing and inlightning us in the knowledg of himself whereby we are put into a Capacity to will and run The which if we so do and continue to do we shall undoubtedly find mercy for it is through our own default if once enlightned we again fall off And therefore St. Paul saith who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth The which can be no other than our own corrupt Affections the subtil Instigations of Satan or pressing Afflictions Against all which we must daily go to God by servent Prayer for his support and assistance and if we so do he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee But as to what was said here in the 16th verse I chiefly apprehend it is spoken of the time when the Lord again comes that then they will be seeking and running to enter into Life but then their willing and running will not be available having neglected the offer