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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58888	A discoverie of the vvorld to come according to the Scriptures the first part thereof being didactical, or such as contains a form of positive doctrine : wherein 1. The doctrine of the world to come is propounded, explicated, confirmed, and applyed in a more familiar method then formerly hath been observed, 2. The doctrine of millenaries, touching a new reformed church in the latter times, which they call a new world, is confuted, 3. Sundry passages of holy writ are interpreted in reference to the world to come, which have been formerly wrested, and forced in a wrong sense / written by J. Seager...	Seager, J. (John)	1650 (1650)	Wing S2172; ESTC R32635	182,162	318

together Gods Elect from the four winds of the Earth viz. unto Judgment Matth. 24. 31. They shall sever or separate the good from the bad before the sentence of Judgment shall be given Mat. 13. 49. And I grant that this Judgment shall be attested and approved of by all the Saints of God In which sence it is said That the Saints shall judg the world 1 Cor. 6. 2. And the Apostles shall sit upon Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Mat. 19. 28. Yet we must know that this Judgment shall be visibly administred onely by Christ as Mediator and as God and Man in one person and by no other person In which sence it is said The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment unto the Son Joh. 5. 22. God will judg the world by the man whom he hath ordained that is by Christ Act. 17. 31. He will judg the secrets of men by Iesus Christ Rom. 2. 16. And Christ is ordained of God to be Iudg of quick and dead Act. 10. 42. 2 Tim. 4. vers 1. And this without doubt will be a great comfort to Gods Elect at the day of Judgment when they shall consider that they shall have none to pronounce Judgment upon them at that day but Christ their Saviour who dyed for their sins and rose again for their Justification As on the other side it will be a great terror to reprobate sinners when they shall consider that they shall have none pronounce Judgment upon them but Christ whom they have always contemned and despised if not in his person yet in his Ordinances and in his Members and whom they would not have to reign over them in this world by his Word and Spirit Fourthly I affirm That the last judgment shall 4 Inform. extend unto all reasonable Creatures both Angels and men It shall extend to the Angels both good and evil For Christ is the Lord of the good Angels and their office is to worship him as their Lord and therefore he shall judg them at the latter day not for any evil they have done because they have done none but according to the good they have done because they have been always ready to worship him to obey his voyce and to do his Will And he shall judg the evil Angels or Devils for their first fall and for all the evils they have acted since For they are reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day Jude 6. And h●● Judgment upon them shall be approved of by the Saints Know ye not that we shall judg the Angels that is the evil Angels 1 Cor. 6. 3. This Judgment also shall extend unto all men women and children For this cause it is said That Christ shall judg the righteous and the wicked that i● such as shall be found righteous or wicked at that day Eccles 3. 17. And he shall judg the quick and the dead Act. 10. 42. that is such as shall be found alive at his second Coming and such as shall be found dead at that day shall be raised and brought to Judgment And he shall judg the small and the great Revel 20. 13. all the ungodly Jude 15 yea all shall stand before him Rom. 14. 10. Therefore all men shall be judged by him Yet we must understand That he shall judg men in a different way at that day For he shall judg the Elect as righteous persons with the Judgment of Absolution but he shall judg the Reprobates as wicked persons with the Judgment of Condemnation And he shall judg the Elect and Righteous according to the good they have done forgetting their evil works but he shall judg the Reprobates and wicked according to the evil they have done not regarding their seeing good works Fifthly I affirm That the last Judgment shall be just and righteous altogether For which cause 5 Inform. it is said That God shall judg the world in righteousness in uprightness in truth Psal 9. 8. Acts 17. 31. Rom. 2. 2. And if he shall thus judg the world at the last then the last Judgment shall be just and righteous altogether Yea all the proceedings of this Judgment shall be just as may be seen in these particulars 1. There shall be a Throne or seat prepared for Judgment For God hath prepared his Throne for judgment Psal 9. 7. And will not this be just That a Throne shall be prepared before Judgment shall be pronounced on any 2. There shall be a summons to Judgment to this effect Arise ye dead and come to judgment And will not this be just That there shall be a general summons before the Judgment shall be pronounced upon any 3. There shall be a personal appearance of all men made before the Iudgment seat of Christ 2 Cor. 5. 10. And will not this be just That there shall be a personal appearance of all before Judgment shall be pronounced upon any 4. There shall be a cause produced for this Judgment viz. the righteousness of the Just and the wickedness of the unjust For God shall bring every work to judgment with every secret thing whether it be good or evil Eccles 12. 14. And will not this be just That there shall be a cause produced before the Judgment shall be pronounced upon any 5. There shall be evidence brought in on both ●●es viz. for the acquitting and absolving of the Just and for the condemning of the unjust Which evidence shall be found written in the books which shall then be opened for the books shall be opened Dan. 7. 10. Revel 20. 12. What Books These 1. The book of Gods Omniscience 2. The book of every mans Conscience 3. The book of the Law Iames 2. 12. 4. The book of the Gospel Rom 2. 16. 5. The book of Life Rev. 20. 13. These books shall be opened and in them shall be found written whatsoever shall make for acquitting of the Just and the condemning of the unjust And they shall be judged according to that which shall be found written in these books And will not this be just That evidence shall be brought in on both sides before the Judgment shall be pronounced upon either party Yes 6. There shall be after all this a Sentence of Judgment given and pronounced both upon the Just and unjust The Sentence that shall be given and pronounced upon the Elect under the name and notion of just persons shall be to this effect Come ye blessed Children of my Father receive the Kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world And the reason of this Sentence shall be added thus For I was hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was naked and ye clothed me I was sick and in prison and ye came unto me And in as much as ye have done it to one of these little ones which beleeve in me ye have done it unto me Mat. 25. 34. 40. The Sentence

gold is in it it should only then purge and refine the world and the substance thereof should remain yet the Scripture sheweth plainly That by the fire of that great Day 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 whether works of the first Creation or works of nature or works of mans art and industry shall be burnt up 2 Pet. 3. 10. Now when any substance is consumed and burnt up it is more then purged ●●om its corruption but this present world shall ●e one day consumed and burnt up in respect of its ●●esent substance and so it shall be more then purged ●●d refined by fire Much more I might say against this opinion if 〈◊〉 had the Books of such as have asserted it ●ut I have them not yea I am a plundered man one ●●at hath but few Books left therefore I will say ●o more now touching this opinion The fourth opinion is of those who think that the ●●me of this worlds dissolution is yet one thousand ●ears off at least as some of the Millenaries of these ●imes think in favor of which opinion they bring ●hat of Saint Peter A thousand years with the Lord ●s as one day and one day as a thousand years ● Pet. 3. 8. And that of Saint John The Souls of ●hem which were beheaded for the witness of Jesus ●ived and raigned with him a thousand years Rev. ●0 4. From which places they infer That the time of this worlds dissolution must needs be yet one ●housand years off at least but these places rightly weighed will never prove their opinion For suppose that those passages as they lie have reference to the end of this world and suppose that those two Apostles Peter and John by vertue of those passages in their time thought the end of the world to be a thousand years off yet we should consider that a thousand years and more are by gone and past since those words were spoken by them and consequently though they in their times might conceive the end of the world to be then a thousand years off yet we in these times have no reason to think it so far off Nay I have shewed before That we have good reason to think that the time of this world dissolution is near at hand Again That which hath been said touching th● worlds dissolution should admonish us to moderat● our minds and affections in the use of all worldl● things though never so lawful in themselves according to that of Saint Paul The time is short It remaineth that both they that have wives be ●● though they had none and they that weep as thoug● they wept not and they that rejoyce as though the● rejoyced not and they that buy as though the● possessed not and they that use this world as not ● busing it For the fashion of this world passeth away 1 Cor. 7. 29 30 31. Lastly It should exhort us to all holiness of li● and conversation according to that of Saint Peter● Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolve● what manner of persons ought ye to be in all ho●● conversation and godliness 2 Pet. 3. 11. where w● may not think that the Apostle teacheth us to distinguish between an holy conversation and godlines● because these two agree in one an holy conversatio● is a godly conversation and a godly conversation as holy conversation But in that place he teachet● two things First That the certainty of this worlds dissolution should perswade us to be universal in our obedience that is in the practise of holy and godly duties which universal obedience is that which Go● commandeth at our hands Let not the Book of th● Law depart out of thy mouth but meditate therei● day and night that thou mayst observe to do according to all that is written therein Josh 1. 8. It is tha● which God wisheth for on our behalf Oh tha● there were such an heart in them that they would ●ear me and keep all my Commandments always Deut. 5. 29. It is that which he hath promised to ●eward with many blessings Psal 19. 11. Josh 1. 8 c. It is that which is and will be dangerous for us ●o neglect For he that breaketh the least of Gods Commandments and teacheth men so without re●entance shall be the least in the Kingdom of God Mat. 5. 19. Yea it is that which all men will either wish for or rejoyce in at the time of the worlds ●issolution Therefore I say That the certainty of ●his worlds dissolution should perswade all men to be universal in their obedience in the practise of holy ●nd godly duties Let us not then my Brethren content our selves with the bare and naked professi●●●f godliness nor with some good words in prayer ●nd conference nor with the doing of many things commanded with Herod while we allow our selves in the omission and neglect of many other But let us strive to practise every known duty prescribed in Gods Word after the example of Zachari●as Elizabeth his wife who walked in all the Commandments of God blameless Luk. 1. 6. remembering what David saith Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Psal 119. 6. Secondly In that next fore-quoted place of Saint Peter he teacheth That all Christians should be eximious and exemplary before others in their obedience and that in all holy conversation and godliness which exemplary obedience also is that which God commands at our hands thus Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works Mat. 5. 16. It is that which will cause the observers of it to glorifie God * Mat. 5. 16 It is that which is commended in the converted Corinthians for their zeal provoked many 2 Cor. 9. 2. and in the converted Thessalonians for they were ensamples to all that believed in Macedonia and Achaia 1 Thes 1. 7. And it is that which shall not be forgotten another day for they that exceed others here in the practise of holiness and vertue shall exceed them also hereafter in glory 1 Cor. 15. Yea it is that which many wil wish for and many will rejoyce in at the time of this worlds dissolution Therefore the certainty and nearness of this worlds dissolution should perswade all Christians to be exemplary before their brethren in all holy conversation and godliness Let us not then be altogether careless of a good conversation with Gallio and many others neither let us be of a loose and dissolute conversation with the Gentiles Rom. 1. Neither let us be of a scandalous conversation with those Jews through whom the Name of God was blasphemed among the Gentiles Rom. 2. Neither let us be exemplary for wickedness as Cain Balaam and Jeroboam were Neither let us be lukewarm in the practise of godliness as the Laodiceans were But let us strive to excel in vertue and to

Isai 45. 17. We may not imagine then that this Salvation of theirs shall ever have an end This Proposition thus cleared may be useful di●ers Vse ways First It makes for the confutation of such as ●hink though not all yet at least some of Gods E●ect may and shall perish in the world to come Vorstius his c. Which impious conceit may in no wise be assented unto 1. Because it is most certain that all Gods Elect shall be saved in the world to come as hath been ●rove 2. Because God was of the minde to save them ●ll when he decreed their Salvation And it is blasphemy to think that he hath changed his mind since concerning them seeing he is still of one minde Job ●3 13. still the same Psal 102. 27. and changeth not Mal. 3. 6. 3. Because Christ hath promised That none of Gods Elect shall be lost Joh. 6. 37. And if none of ●hem shall be lost then none of them shall perish in the world to come 4. Because God in Christ is able to save them to the uttermost Heb. 5. 25. And they are kept by the ●ower of God unto Salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. And if ●o then none of them shall perish in the world to come But whereas such Opinionists tell us of Solomon Object That though he w●re one of Gods Elect yet he shall perish in the world to come because as they say he never truly repented in this world I answer It is very uncharitable to think or say That Solomon Ans never truly repented because we have very probable evidences of his Repentance in the fifth sixth and seventh Chapters of the book of Proverbs even as touching that particular sin which they lie to his charge and throughout that book and the book of Ecclesiastes both written by him we have more general evidences of his Repentance And seeing all the evidence we can have of anothers Repentance can be but probable having the like concerning Solomons we should be satisfied therewith And whereas they tell us of the Apostacy of the Object Saints as if some of Gods Elect Saints might be guilty of total and final Apostacy and so ●●●ght perish in the world to come It is not onely against the duty ●● Charity but Ans also against many plain places of Scripture to impute this sin of total and final Apostacy to any of Gods Elect Saints though some of Satans Saints may be guilty thereof as I have shewed often upon other occasions seeing God hath promised to preserve and keep them from this sin Psa 119. 165. Jerem. 32. 40. And our Saviour hath shewed That the Elect cannot possibly be seduced so far as to be guilty of it Mat. 24 24. Secondly It makes for the confutation of such as think That our good works in this life are meritorious and shall merit Salvation in the World to come Which Popish conceit is in no wise to be granted neither 1. Because Christ our Mediator is the onely meritorious cause of Salvation as was said before out of Act. 4. 12 2. Because our best works are very imperfect being mixt with much evil Rom. 7. 21. By reason whereof our best performances are but half good performances if they be so much How then can they merit at Gods hands Can a servant merit at our hands by half performances 3. Because our best works are but debts seeing we are debtors to the whole Moral Law to do the works therein prescribed How then can they merit Can we merit any thing by paying our debts or by half payment of them No we must pay our debts to avoyd the danger of imprisonment But we must do more then this if we will merit at the hands of God 4. Because our best works are but duty Luk. 17. 10. And can our servant merit any thing at our hands by doing his duty No neither can we at Gods hands but we must do more then our duty if we will merit from him whereas we cannot do half our duty 5. Because we are but meer men and never did any meer man merit at the hands of God The man Christ Jesus did because he was God and man in one person But we are not like unto him as touching his person therefore we cannot merit as he did Indeed God will reward the good actions of men performed in this life according to the measure and degrees of good that he finds in them But this reward shall be caused by Gods free grace not by our works it shall be occasioned by Gods bounty not by mans merit And though God may make himself a debtor to us by his promise yet we cannot make him a Debtor to us by our doings Thirdly It may inform us That Gods Elect should not despair of Salvation seeing it is most certain that they shall all be saved in the World to come Yea suppose some of them are not yet sure of their Election yet they should not despair of their Salvavation for these Reasons 1. Because that particular Assurance which is wanting for the present may be had hereafter and we know not what a day a week a moneth or a year may bring forth 2. Because this particular Assurance is not so essential to Salvation as other gifts of God are but a Christian may be saved without it as doubtless many have been 3. Because our Salvation doth not depend upon our Assurance but upon our Election If a man be Elected there is nothing that shall deprive him of Salvation Indeed I grant this Assurance to be a very comfortable blessing such as we should desire seek and pray for yea we should be diligent to make our Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. Yet in case a Christian want this Assurance and after long seeking cannot obtain it he should not be so far discouraged as to despair of his Salvation but in this case he should still beleeve in the Lord Christ and depend upon him for Salvation which if he do he shall be saved though he want this Assurance What think you then of Reprobates may not such Obj. despair of Salvation I answer If a man in this life could certainly know himself Sol. to be a Reprobate and to be none of Gods Elect he might have some excuse for this sin But it is not possible for any in this life to know himself to be such an one for certain because our final and ultimate condition doth not yet appear unto us Therefore no man living in this world may despair of his future Salvation be he never so wicked and vile a sinner for the present but he should still think in charity towards himself that he may be one of Gods Elect though he be not certain of it and that he may possibly be saved by his future Faith and Repentance as well as others though it be ill with him for the present For we must know that God doth never by his Word or Spirit perswade any to despair of

true and lively repentance and such a kind of repentance will preserve us from everlasting Death according to that of the Prophet If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not dye Ezek. 18. 21. that is he shall not dye eternally Fourthly Because our repentance cannot be effectual without sincere obedience which includes an hearty desire to keep the Commandments of God and of Christ we must in the last place be willing and obedient to his Commandments and this obedience will preserve us from eternal death according to that of our Saviour Verily verily I say unto you If a man keep my sayings he shall not see death Joh. 8. 51. that is he shall never see eternal death so as to suffer it SECT XIII Touching the Glory of Gods Elect and the Shame of Reprobates in the World to come HEre followeth a third special Difference which shall be betwixt the fore-named parties in the World to come which may be thus expressed in two Propositions Gods Elect shall be rewarded with Glory in the World to come Reprobates shall be rewarded with Shame in the World to come First Gods Elect shall be rewarded with Glory 1 Proposit in the World to come Touching which Glory of theirs we are to consider The Nature of it The Certainty of it The Degrees of it The Causes of it The Continuance of it 1. As concerning the Nature of it By the Glory of Gods Elect in the World to come I understand that they shall have nothing to be ashamed of but shall have much to glory of in that world They shall have nothing to be ashamed of in that world because their sins shall be all forgiven Psal 32. 1. Acts 3. 19. and they that shall have all their sins forgiven in that world and declared to be forgiven shall have nothing to be ashamed of And as they shall have all their sins forgiven so they shall have all their sins forgotten in that world for where God forgives any sin there will he also forget it so as never to impute it Isai 43. 25. And they that shall have all their sins forgotten shall have nothing to be ashamed of in that world Again As they shall have their sins all forgotten so shall they have their consciences cleared from the guilt of sin in the World to come for they shall have boldness at the Day of Judgment 1 Joh. 4. 17. which boldness shall arise from a conscience cleared and clensed from the guilt of sin and shall continue for ever and they that shall have their consciences thus cleared shall have nothing to be ashamed of in that world Yea they shall have none to lay any thing to their charge in the World to come as I gather from that Interrogation of the Apostle Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Chosen Rom. 8. 33. Seeing God in and by Christ hath or shall fully justifie all his Elect he might well say Who shall lay any thing to their charge for doubless neither God nor Christ nor Angels nor Men nor Devils shall lay any thing to their charge in the World to come and consequently they shall have nothing to be ashamed of in that world But on the contrary they shall have much to glory of because all their graces and vertues with their several operations in this world shall be remembred in the World to come as the Prophet saith A Book of Remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name Mal. 3. 16. And they that shall have all their graces and vertues with their several operations in the World to come remembred shall have much to glory of that world Beside this they shall have all their graces and vertues illustrated and made to shine before Angels and men in the World to come For God shall bring forth their righteousness as the light and their judgment as the noon day Psal 37. 6. They that are wise shall shine as the firmament and they that turn many unto righteousness as the stars for evermore Dan. 12. 3. And the righteous shall shine as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Mat. 13. 43. And they that shall have their graces and vertues thus illustrated shall have much to glory of in that world And which is more they shall have all their graces and vertues perfected in the World to come When that which is perfect is come that which is imperfect shall be done away 1 Cor. 13. 10. Though it be hard to shew what use there shall be of some graces in the World to come as of Repentance Patience c. yet because all graces are imperfect in this life doubtless they shall be all perfected hereafter in Gods Elect And they that shall have all their graces and vertues perfected shall have much to glory of in that world Yea they shall have all their graces and vertues with their several acts and operations recompenced in the world to come as Moses expected when he chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Hebr. 11. vers ●6 And they that shall have such a recompence shall have much to glory of in the world to come And thus we may understand the Nature of this Glory 2. As concerning the certainty of it I affirm That Gods Elect shall most certainly be rewarded with glory in the world to come As may be made good by these Arguments 1. They that are predestinated unto glory shall be rewarded with glory in the world to come But Gods Elect are predestinated unto glory Rom. 8. 30. Ergo. 2. They that are vessels prepared unto glory shall be rewarded with glory in the world to come But Gods Elect are vessels prepared unto glory Rom. 9. 23. Ergo. 3. They that are or shall be effectually called unto glory shall be rewarded with glory in that world But Gods Elect are or shall be all called effectually unto glory 1 Thess 2. 12. 2 Pet. 1. 3. Ergo. 4. They that are or shall be heirs of glory shall be rewarded with glory in that world But Gods Elect are or shall be all heirs of glory Rō 8. 17. Ergo. 5. They that shall never be ashamed in the world to come shall be rewarded with glory in that world But Gods Elect though they have much to be ashamed of in this world shall never be ashamed in the world to come as may appear by that of the Prophet They shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end Isai 45. 17. My people shall never be ashamed Joel 2. 26 27. Ergo. 6. They that shall be a glorious Church in the world to come shall be rewarded with glory in that world But Gods Elect shall be a glorious Church in that world without spot or wrinkle Eph. 5. 27. Ergo.