them that work Iniquity and cast them into a Furnace of Fire Matth. 13.40 41 42. and those are the Heavens and Element that will melt as the fat of Lambs Psal 3.20 But the Elements of Earth Air Fire and Water cannot melt therefore this his Kingdom must be on Earth and the Throne of his Father David according as was foretold by the Angel Luk. 2.31 32 33. For there is nothing that offendeth nor worketh Iniquity in Heaven but the Wicked are to be rooted out of the Earth Psal 37.1 9 10 11 13.20 22 28 29 34 38. And this is to be after the seventh Angel soundeth Then the Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever Rev. 11.7 Dan. 7. Psal 45.7 For tho' the Disciples and Martyrs of Jesus and them that overcome have in Heaven an Inheritance reserved for them ready to be revealed in the last time 1 Pet. 4 5. For this is the Mansion or Tabernacle which the Lord goes to prepare for them John 14.3 Which when he cometh with his Saints he will then bring with him Rev. 3.12 For then the New Jerusalem will come down out of Heaven which is not only the Bride the Lamb's Wife but the glorious Tabernacle Rev. 21.3 Which will be placed in the Elementary Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 And so Israel's covert over all her Assemblies Isa 4.5 6. And then 't is the Knowledge of the Glory of the Lord will cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea Habba 2.14 But it is the Meek and the Righteous is promised the Earth Matth. 5.5 Psal 37.8 10 11 29. And Israel at the end of this World Isa 62.11 12. Jer. 31.13 Ezek 87.11 12 13. And whereas St. Paul saith Heb. 1.2 God hath appointed Christ heir of all things Thereby he sheweth that what was appointed Christ was not then in his possession And tho' Christ said after he arose from the Dead Mat. 28 19. All power is given unto me in Heaven and Earth Yet the thing given was not then possessed by him for he was to sit at his Fathers right hand until his Enemies be made his Footstool Psal 110.1 The which time of the Lord's second coming St. Peter calls the time of the Restitution of all things Acts 3.21 The which is the Day St. Paul had his reference to and relates to the time spoken of Ezek. 34.17 When the Lord will Judge between the Rams and He-Goats And then as in Ephes 1.10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and which are on the Earth Here it is said the Lord will come in the fulness of times Thereby shewing the time will be compleated both of the Old and this World That is thus the time that was before the Law under the Law and under the Gospel for the Lord hath given three Laws to Man as a rule for him to Steer by First The law of Nature 2dly The moral Law 3dly The Gospel institution The Law of nature is to continue in the time or World to come And so likewise the moral Law for then God will Circumcise the Hearts of his People Deut. 30.6 8. So as they shall keep all the commands of the Lord. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his Commandments which I have commanded thee this Day In the Covenant which Moses rehersed to them Deu. 29.14 Chap. 30.8 For then the Lord will magnifie the Law and make it Honourable Isa 42.21 For by establishing the promised New everlasting Covenant there will be given an inherent perfect Righteousness by which their Hearts will be Circumcised as they shall thereby be made perfectly able to keep the Old Covenant As for the Gospel institution the Christians were but to hold that fast till Christ came Rev. 3.10.11 Cor. 11.26 But the Gospel Spirit will be forever and ever required as to have their Wills brought in Subjection unto Christ without which none can be his neither here nor hereafter And at Christ's first coming Luke 1.78 Zacharias faith the Day spring from on high had visited them And a Visit all know is of a short continuance but he is to return again and Build the Tabernacle of David which is fallen and he will set up Acts. 15.15.16 And whereas St. John saith to the Saints unto whom he wrote The Darkness is past and the true Light now Shineth 1 John 2.8 He had here his reference only to them that walked in obedience to God as in the 4th and 5th Verses and love to his Brother ver 9. For all the rest were in Darkness but this Obedience and Love was a Ray of the true Light of that Day which is still to come And likewise then they had the Holy Ghost shed on them abundantly Tit. 3.6 Which was as an earnest of their inheritance in time to come Eph. 1.14 And these were those of whom St. Peter spoke 1 Pet. 2.9 That did then partake of that marvellous Light The which in that Day that is yet to come they will partake and Drink abundantly Cant. 5.1 Isa 60.19 20 21. For then their Sun will no more go down for the Lord will be their everlasting Light and then the days of their Mourning will be ended for then Israel will for evermore Drink of the River of his pleasures Psal 36.8 And know as they are known For then God's People will partake of those exceeding great and precious Promises by which they will be made partakers of the divine Nature having escaped the corruption that is in the World 2 Pet. 1.4 For it is in the time to come the Eternal Life will be given and therefore we are exhorted by good Works to lay up in store a good Foundation against the time to come 1 Tim. 6.18 19. For there is a time to come before Eternity in which the Saints and Israel and the true Believer will be Blessed for these are those that will have their part in the first Resurrection Rev. 20.4 5. The which will be when the Lord comes to Judge the Nations in the Valley of Jehoshaphat Joel 3.2 And restore his People ver 16 17 18.20 21. And then Israel will be the Lord's Elect which he will gather together when the great Trumpet is blown Isa 27.13 Which will be long before the Sea and Hell and Death deliver up their Dead The which which be the last Judgment tho in both Judgments some are Condemned to Eternal Punishment and it is the Sinners under the Gospel that at the first fall under the Eternal Punishment being Condemned thereunto when the Lord cometh but at the last Judgment the Nations are not to be Judged For in time to come Israel will be all righteous they shall inherit the Land for ever and then a little one shall become a Thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the
wilfully Guilty And God loving his Creatures first it is that thereby it might beget in them a love to him that dyed for them For Christ saith he that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me Mat. 10.37 38. For it is a Faith that worketh by love that is required of us whereby our Wills and Affections must be brought into Subjection unto Christ The which is the Faith unto which the promise of Eternal Life is annext For that which Christ would have us believe is That Salvation is to be had by him according to his Word that is by taking his Yoke upon them and to render obedience to him And to remain faithful to the Death and Christ will give them a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 Whosoever thus believeth in Christ shall be saved with an everlasting Salvation for these are the Words of Christ and we are to expect his coming and his Kingdom according as it is declared in his Word But whosoever believeth not what God and Christ hath declared cannot be said to believe in them And by our believing that Christ is the Son of God thereby is required we should obey him as such But whosoever will oppose the Truth and believe what Man says rather than God because it more suits to their carnal inclinations such cannot be said to obey God or believe in him but rather in cunningly devised Fables But the Sinner upon his resignation of himself to Christ is thereby saved from his Sins which are past Rom. 3.25 And by his continuance in well doing he shall be saved with an everlasting Salvation and for Sins of ignorance and Sins of surprisal Christ remains an Advocate But let all take care of wilful and presumptuous Sins for they cause God to withdraw himself For which cause God left Israel to Blindness and the Gentile Christians to delusions when they came to have no love to the Truth but took pleasure in Vnrighteousness 2 Thes 2.10 And now the Christians had best take care they are not found to have no love to the Truth lest thereby they work their overthrow But the Christians by their mistaken notions are for the most part upon a wrong Foundation whereby they are in the Snare according to the Word of the Lord in Isaiah Chap. 24.17 Esau and Jacob made the Figures or Representatives of two Nations or two several Sorts of People GEN. 25.22 23. Rebeckah enquired of the Lord concerning the Strugling of the Children in her Womb. ver 23. And the Lord said to her two Nations are in thy Womb and two manner of People shall be separated from thy Bowels and the one People shall be Stronger than the other People and the Elder shall serve the Younger We are here to take notice that God doth not here say that he hated Esau neither that the Elder Brother should serve the Younger but it is said of the Elder People that they should serve the Younger and it is the Younger People that shall be Stronger than the Elder For God made these two Brethren the Figures of two Nations or the two Worlds of People Esau of this World and Jacob of that which is to come And this God determined before the Children had done Good or Evil That the Elder People or Nation should serve the Younger But God had not here determined hatred to either nor servitude to the Elder Brother unto whom God first gave the Preheminence Gen. 4.7 And Jacob tho' he got from Esau the Birth-right and Blessing as to his Seed yet he went not about to take it from Esau's Person for Jacob termed him his Lord Esau Gen. 32.18 Gen. 33.8.13 14. And whereas it is said Gen. 25.26 That Jacob's Hand took hold of Esan's Heel Thereby shewing that the full Power of the Younger World will come in upon the going off of the Power of the Elder World of People and that which is called a Nation People or Generation in the Old Testament Psal 22.28 29 30 31. Psal 102.26 27 28. is called the World to come in the New Heb. 1.8 9 10 11 12 13. Heb. 2 5. And these Younger People must needs be the Stronger People For they will be all Righteous Isa 60.21 They shall teach no more every Man his Neighbour and his Brother for they shall be all taught of God Jer. 31.34 And then it is they will walk in the Statutes of the Lord and keep his Commandments and do them Ezek. 36.24 25 26 27. Deut. 30.6 Jer. 32.39 40 41. And they will drink of the River of his Pleasures Psal 36.8 And that abundantly Cant. 5.1 And they will live to the Age of a Tree Isa 65.22 And the Beast of the Field and the Fowls of Heaven and all other Creatures will be subject to them Hos 2.18 Eze. 34.25 And the Lord will make with them the Promised new everlasting Covenant Jer. 32.41 42. which is the Covenant of Peace Ezek. 34.35 And rest in his love and rejoyce over them Zeph. 3.17 And then they shall not say I am Sick Isa 33.24 And sorrow and sighing shall flee away Isa 35.10 And the Lord will be Prince amongst them Ezek. 34.24 25. And then the weak will be as the House of David and the House of David will be as God Zechariah Chap. 12.8 And then their seed shall be known amongst the Gentiles and their off spring among the People Isa 61.9 10 11. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness and all Kings thy Glory Thou shalt also be a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord and a Royal Diadem in the hand of thy God Isa 62.2 3. Here is sufficient proof that these Younger People will be abundantly stronger than the Elder People and then this Younger People which are the Ages to come become thus Blessed then God will shew forth the exceeding Riches of his Grace to the Apostles and Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Eph. 2.7 Who then will have their place in the Glorious Tabernacle which the Lord will pitch and not Man Heb. 8.2 which Tabernacle will be Israel's covert Isa 4.6 From whence the Lord with his raised Saints will ascend and descend to the real Mount Sion as the Lord formlery did from the Cloudy Pillar to the Tabernacle as I have elsewhere at large proved And in time to come the Nations are given to be Servants to Israel For the Lord saith Isa 60.12 The Nation and Kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted And then it is that the Elder People World or Nation are to serve the Younger according as God by his Word has declared But thus far Esau and Jacob did represent the two Nations or two Worlds of People in this time in their own Persons For as Esan was hairy all over Gen. 25.25 which signifies roughness or an unsmoothness And Esau was therein like the constitution of this World of People as to their mind and practice And Esau got his
30.5 6 7. Deut. 32.43 Jer. 32.39 40 41. But as to the Blessing with which Isaac Blessed Esau and his Seed in which he had therein his reference to the time of this World and not to the time of that which is to come Gen. 27.39 40. For Isaac his Father said behold thy dwelling shâ—ll be the fatness of the Earth and the dew of Heaven from above And by thy Sword shalt thou live and shalt serve thy Brother and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion that thou shalt break his Yoke from off thy Neck The which Yoke was to be broken off in this time according as we see it has been But in time to come it cannot be For then the Nation and Kingdom that will not serve Israel shall perish yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted Isa 60.12 For then no Weapon formed against Israel shall prosper Isa 54.17 And God sayeth to them vers 7.8 For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great Mercies will I gather thee In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer For as God hath sworn that the Waters of Noah should no more go over the Earth so hath he sworn that he would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee vers 9. The which is when again reconciled But Esau weeping so bitterly for the loss of the Blessing that Isaac said nothing to him concerning the time to come but rather chose to comfort him concerning this time in which he should break his Brother's Yoke from off him But all in this time that come in Heirs with Israel by Abraham's Faith become the Seed of Abraham And so the unbelievers through their unbelief become the Seed of Esau or Edom For now all being reckoned as Esau or Edom that know the Will of God and will not live in obedience to it through unbelief of the promises and so such part with the Glory promised for this Worlds morsel like Esau for which he was termed prophane Heb. 12.16 17. But the belief of the promised reward carried the worthies of Old through all difficulties Heb. 11.12 So as they hoped against hope as Abraham did for his promised Son Rom. 4.18 So the Christians should have continued hoping for the return of the Lord according to the promises in the Old and New Testament both being given as Ground to Build our Faith upon But when the Gentile Christians thought the Lord delayed his coming then they began to grow weary of waiting for the return of the Lord and the performance of the promises that will be made good by him in time to come The which when they believed not they resolved to make as much advantage of the present time as they could And so all such part with the promised reward for this Worlds morsel And therefore are termed Edom Mount Seir and all Idumea Ezek. 35.12 13 14 15. And the Roman and Turkish Esau or Edom hath been more cruel inveterate to the Saints and People of God and especially the evil Servant that beat his Fellow Servants than ever the Esau that came of the Loyns of Jacob was or could be And it was against this Esau which the Lord declares his hatred to in Malachy That being a Prophesie that related to the time to come And therefore the Lord speaking of things that are to come as tho' they were already done saith Chap. 1.3 And I hated Esau and laid his Mountains and his Heritage wast for the Dragons of the Wilderness This is the same Edom Prophesied of Ezek. 35.15 And Isa 34.4 5 6. And it is the same People spoke of Joel 3.13 14 15 16. And in several other places which will be then Judged and these People of Esau will be destroyed when the Lord comes again and then their Mountains will be laid wast for the Dragons of the Wilderness And some part of it will remain as burning Lakes as a remark of God's sore displeasure against Sin For which they are termed the People of God's curse Isa 34.5.10 Isa 24.5 6. But again concerning this Edom spoken of Mal. 1.4 Whereas Edom saith we are impoverished but we will return and build the desolate Places Thus saith the Lord of Hosts they shall build but I will throw down and they shall call them the border of Wickedness and the People against whom the Lord hath indignation for ever This is a Prophesie spoken of the ever of the time to come And then as in the 5 vers Israel's Eyes shall see and they shall say the Lord will be magnified from the Borders of Israel But some may say how can the Edomites after they are destroyed and their Mountains laid wast say they will return and Build their desolate places if this in the 4th vers be spoken for the time to come This is spoken of the Children of this Esau or Edom which when the Lord comes will be spared when their Parents for their unbelief and disobedience will be cut off for the Lord saith Jer. 49.10 There speaking of Esau and of the Lord 's making of him bare saith in the 11 vers Leave thy Fatherless Children I will preserve them alive and let thy Widows trust in me These Widows do plainly appear to be those that are deceived by false Teachers but not otherwise wilfully Wicked For when the Rams and He-Goats are Judged that have one Pasture to partake of 'T is the He-Goats for treading down the good Pastures and fouling of the deep Waters will then be Condemned Ezek. 34.10 17 18. And therefore then their Widows are spared And these Children which the Lord saith he will preserve alive God declares how he will dispose of them Joel 3.8 Which is that they shall be sold to the Sabeans from whence when they are again multiplyed they may return to Build their disolate Places But God having declared they should lie wast therefore they disobey in their returning to Build them and they proving disobedient as well as their Predecessors are called the Border of Wickedness And as God loved Israel for Abraham's sake because he obeyed the voice of God and kept his charge his Commandments his Statutes and his Laws Gen. 26.4 5. Therefore God made to Abraham and his Seed those great and Blessed promises for the time to come And for the wickedness of this Esau-Generation God hath more disregard to their Offspring in time to come than to all the rest of the Nations For Christ in this time having broken down the partion-wall between Jew and Gentile Ephes 2.14 So as these might have come in to the everlasting inheritance in time to come until they came to have no love to the Truth 2 Thes 10 11. And the first Christians embraced the true Faith but some Hundred Years after they fell from the Truth and trausgressed the Laws changed the Ordinances and broke the everlasting
Lord will hasten it in his time Isa 60.21 22. And this is the World to come that will be put in Subjection unto Christ Heb. 2.5 The which will be when the Old Heavens and Earth shall Perish which have now the ruling power And the new Heavens and Earth take place And then the Children of God's Servants shall continue and their seed shall be established before him Psal 102.25 26 27 28. And this is the World to come of which the Apostle saith we speak Heb. 2.5 8. For that which is called a Nation or Generation in the Old Testament where it is said a Seed shall serve him and it shall be accounted to the Lord for a Generation Psal 22.30 31. Psal 24.6 7. The same in the New Testament is termed the World to come and the World without end And the Christians since the Apostacy from the truth of God's Word have never rightly understood this World to come nor the Foundation thereof Whereby great part of the Fundamental Doctrine of the Gospel hath been overturned And in the New Testament the last Day is spoken of because they that are under the Gospel will then be Judged and the Gospel institution will then cease and the ruling Power taken out of the Hand of the People of this World and therefore it is termed their last Day But in the Old Testament we never read of a last Day because when Israel is again restored then the Land is given them for an Everlasting inheritance Gen. 17.7 8. And then as the New Heavens and the New Earth shall remain so shall their Seed and their Name remain Isa 66.22 and then 't is that Mount Sion shall be made an Eternal Excellency But more of this hereafter Now whereas St. Paul saith Thes 5.4 5. But ye Brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief ye are all the Children of the Light and the Children of the Day ye are not of the Night nor of darkness This he speaks of them that were of the first Churches which had received the Holy Ghost and thereby he knew they were chosen in a more peculiar manner for that Day which is still to come as his foregoing words make clearly appear in that he saith That Day should not overtake them as a Thief And if we now in this gloomy and dark day walk as Children of the Light in a holy and upright Conversation and with love to the Truth we shall belong to that Day also But when the Apostle wrote this Epistle and the first of the Corinthians he did expect the coming of the Lord in their day but afterwards he did declare to the contrary for in 2 Thes 2.2 he lets them understand that the Day of Christ was not then at hand but that there would be a falling away first but nothing of a New Election afterwards to be called in under the Gospel that being a new received notion and Scriptureless And concerning this Day which is to come the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 13.9 10. That they knew but in part and they prophesied but in part But when that which is perfect is come then that which is in part shall be done away Now then what gross Darkness must we lie under that came out of Popery by which was altogether lost the right apprehension of that Day for by the Pope it was condemned for a Heresie But St. Peter said to the Church to whom he wrote Ye do well that ye take heed as unto a Light that shineth in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 But we having lost the right knowledge of that day are thereby stumbling on the dark Mountains Every Sect sticking to that Opinion they first took up with when they came out of that darkness All thinking themselves so right that they need not make any further enquiry or search into the knowledge of the truth of the Scriptures But now is the time the Lord is beginning to fulfil his Promise in Dan. 12.4 By revealing the true meaning of his Word that thereby knowledge might be increased so as preparation may be made for the Coming of the Lord. And also it is said That at Evening time it shall he light Zech. 14.7 And that the Vision shall speak and not lie Hab. 2.3 By which it doth clearly appear that the Word of the Lord will be better understood than hitherto it hath been for these many hundred years But our mistakes concerning Election in that we have thought our selves the Elect and so they say can never fall from Grace And others wholly believing in the Righteousness of Christ for Salvation not considering the Conditions on which it is tendred All these think they stand so secure that it is no concern of theirs to know whether Christ is coming or not They not apprehending there are a certain Remnant of the Jeros given to Christ by his Father to be his standing witness through the World And that likewise the first Churches were elected and received the Holy Ghost to be in them that the World through them might know that God had sent Christ as thereby they might have ground to believe And upon the publication of the common Salvation was given a day of Grace by the Call of the Word with the assistance of the good motions of the Spirit of God the which Israel had till they resisted in their not obeying the Commands of the Lord Act. 7.51 For they did then strain at a Gnat and swallow a Camel Mat. 23.24 And so the Gentiles till they came to have no love to the Truth 2 Thes 2.10 Now the Mistakes in these things if we do not well awaken will prove of most dangerous consequence 1 Thes 5.3 For when they say peace and Safety then sudden Destruction cometh upon them as Travail upon a Woman with Child And then it is that such Christians will be found in Darkness who have not prepared for the coming of the Lord. God's Love to the World JOHN 3.16 God so loved the VVorld that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life That is every individual Person that believeth in Christ hath a promise of everlasting Life from which words we are to take notice that of this World or People there are some that will believe and some that will not but that the love of Christ was such as to dye for all for St. Paul saith Hâ—b 2.9 That Christ did tast Death for every Man And St. John saith Christ is the Propitiation for the Sins of the whole VVorld 1 John 2.2 From which Scriptures we may plainly see that by Christ all will be cleared from original Sin so as when all come to be Judged they will be Judged according to their Works Rev. 20.12 1 Pet. 1.17 Cor. 5.10 John 5.28 29. Rom. 2.12 13 14. And therefore in the Time or World to come there will be a Redemption for Children and such as are not