the dead observe the expressions so the Apostle to the Hebrews speaks of a world to come Heb. 2.5 which is applyed hither with Psal 8. as appears from the context And Act. 2.29 30. the Apostle applies the promise to the Patriark David Psal 130.11 of his Seeds sitting upon his throne to Christs resurrection who is the resurrection and life to all that are his which then will be fulfilled and 2 Sam. 7.16 his seed is said to be established before him And as for such as were wonderfully raised from the dead in the Old and New Testament being all raised by the power of Christ and by the vertue of his resurrection in its time to be accomplished were to strengthen the faith of Gods people in all times following that Christ in his due time which now is revealed would raise up from the dead all his believing Saints and faithful servants Yea that eminent manifestation of Christs kingly glory before his three disciples at his transfiguration having Moses and Elias then so talking with him of his decease which he was shortly after to accomplish at Jerusalem seems remarkably to set before us that we now speak of namely that when he will appear in the world to be the great King of his people on earth the said thousand years that then such as Moses and Elias shall appear with him and be greatly honoured by him c. It is an observation of godly and learned men upon the promises made in the Epistles to the seven Asian Churches that some of them signifie the state of the Church in the Primitive times as it were adumbrated and resembled in the two first Epistles in the five last the times of Antichrists date of 42. months but all the promises in those seven Epistles relate to the New Jerusalem As first as our Saviour told his Disciples that followed him that in the regeneration they should sit on Thrones judging the 12. Tribes of Israel answerable to that promise Rev. 3.21 where Christ saith He will grant to him that overcometh to sit with him on his Throne even as he also overcame and was set down with his father in his Throne and that will be fulfilled Rev. 20.4 And whereas it is said Rev. 1.6 Christ hath made them Kings and Priests unto God and his Father who is himself there stilled the Prince of the Kings of the Earth So in Christs kingdom upon earth that will be fulfilled Rev. 20.6 where it is said The Saints shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years So that promise Chap. 2.7 where promise is made To him that overcometh to eat of the Tree of Life in the midst of the Paradise of God by allusion to the tree in Paradise whereby eternal life should have been confirmed to Adam if he had stood that is applyed to such as shall have their part in the New Jerusalem Chap. 22.14 who shall have right to the tree of life so Chap. 3.4 5. promise is made to walk with Christ in white and white raiment So such as shall come into the New Jerusalem Rev. 7.9 13. and Chap. 19.8 Christs armies that followed him were cloathod in fine linnen white and clean So Chap. 3.12 promise is made to be a pillar in the house of God and go no more out c. and to have the name of God written on them c. Answerably again Chap. 22.3 4. His servants shall serve him and they shall see his face and his name shall be in their fore-heads Again Chap. 2.11 They shall not be hurt of the second death Answerable to that Chap. 20.6 On such the second death shall have no power So it is promised to such Their name shall not be blotted out of the Book of Life but be confessed before the Father and before his Angels Rev. 3.5 So Chap. 21.27 They enter the New Jerusalem whose names are written in the Book of life All which and divers other promises the Saints to whom all along from Saint Johns time these promises have been made they cannot have fulfilled to them in the New Jerusalem upon earth in Christ raign if they be not raised then from the dead And that promise Of raising such up at the last day Joh. 6. To such as his Father hath given him vers 39. To such as see the Son and believe on him vers 40. To such as the Father draweth to come to him vers 44. To such as eat his flesh and drink his blood v. 54. four times repeated in that latter part of that Chap. is manifest to be under stood of that first matutina resurrectio called the last day in respect of the world at the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the finishing together of that age while evil men are mixed with good like tares in the field when as our Saviour speaks Rev. 10. the world time shall be no more when he will raise all his people that then sleep in the grave to raign on earth with him till the great multitude of their fellow-members be come in This Doctrine many of the ancient Fathers acknowledged in the first Primative times as Justine Martyr reckoned by Master Mede in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew Irenaeus in his 5. Book and 5. last Chap. Nepos B. of Egypt Tertullian in his 3. book against Marcion Lactanti in his 7. book of Instit chap. 23. c. even Augustine sometime held it though by the subtilty of Satan forgeing lyes to asperse the Millenary opinion and stirring men up to foyst in offensive errours in those times both Saint Augustine and others laid it down after him c. But Christ in these latter times hath again discovered it after so many hundred years of its lying hid for the most part in the Church to be a doctrine really to be imbraced by his faithful people who shall have the good of it and wherein he will appear wonderful in and toward his Saints in the said Kingdome Again it is observable in Heb. 3 and 4. Chapters after he had spoken of that rest of the people of Israels entring into the Land of Canaan and of Gods rest from the work of Creation and Christs resting from the work of Redemption he speaks of an other rest from Davids words To day after so long a time it is said to day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts c. and then concludes there remains a rest or Sabbatisme for the people of God which they should have in this world and that seems to be in the New Jerusalem both Jews and Gentiles then living or raised from the dead c. And for that Text Dan. 12.2 Many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake here take notice it is said many not all shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt may be answered one of these three ways either as an abridgement of both resurrections the matutina and
should not enter into that rest Yea Moses himself was so provoked by them that he spake unadvisedly with his lips and they so tempted Aaron the Saint of Lord as Psal 106.16 that neither of them came into the land of Canaan nor any other of the people save Josua and Caleb of all that generation above the age of 20. years that had been delivered out of the hands of Pharaoh yet in Gods own time he accomplished his promise in giving that people possession of that land Josh 23.14 When faithful and holy David was anointed to be the Captain of Gods people even he in fighting the Lords battels found the sheild of his faith so shattered that despondently once he said I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul and thereupon ran himself upon dangerous rocks of temptation amongst Gods enemies from which notwithstanding God graciously delivered him and at last brought him into full possession of the Kingdom over all the tribes of Israel and Judah When Judahs 70. years Captivity in Babylon was almost expired they despise the day of small things and say the time is not yet come to build the house of the Lord Haggai 2.2 by whom God yet foreshewed that the great Mountain of strong opposition that stood before Zerobabel should become a plain and so it came to pass Yea when Christ himself the long expected Messiah came at the time in the place manner condition and in every respect as had been foretold he should come in the flesh how few even in Jerusalem or in Judaea acknowledged or regarded his wonderful birth his holy and wise demeavour and heavenly manner of life after all those divine witnesses of Simeon Zachary Anna Elizabeth c. or the very Angels before and at his birth or any thing afterward that set him forth to be wonderful before the time came wherein he openly manifested himself in the world and after that how was his person despised his doctrine and miracles though such as never man taught or wrought in the world before not only not regarded but even blasphemed by the great ones of those times and by their means likewise not owned by inferiours lest they should be cast out of the Synagogue and though some of the Preists believed in him they durst not confess him If Nicodemus a Mr. in Israel acknowledge and own him it must be in the night when he may not be seen and all the strange wonders before and at his death and resurrection and afterwards for the most part neglected and buried in silence So strangely in the worlds view and even in good mens too many times Gods greatest predictions and promises use to take place And have not since Christ the six first Seals of the Primitive times when Michael and the Dragon fought hand to hand as 't were whose worship should be set up and some of the Trumpets after wards been mystically sulfilled and passed according to the series of their several times which Mr. Mede on the Revelations very appositly applies How have those many Synchronisms of Antichrists tyranny 42. months with the two witnesses prophesie in sackcloth 1260. days of years Rev. 11. The Beast out of the Sea having seven heads and ten horns according to his Politick capacity the other out of the Earth with two horns like a Lamb according to the Ecclesiastical capacity Rev. 13. lyen hidden from most mens eyes And hath not the woman the true Church though gloriously at first adorned Rev. 12. yet since as long been forced into the wilderness Rev. 14. where her place was prepared and all that while the Scarlet Whore the Antichristian or false Church sits as a Queen and not only bewitcheth the Christian World with her Sorceries but also with the Cup of her Spiritual Fornications makes drunk the Kings of the Earth till the will of God shall be fulfilled when they shall hate her and make her desolate and naked and eat her fiesh and burn her with fire Rev. 17.16 17. And how few take notice that the time of her recompence is near Rev. 18.6 7. How many of Gods Vials are already poured out upon her How far she hath done her utmost in killing Christs witnesses even few do seriously ponder And when the second Woe is past how soon may sound the Trumpet of the seventh Angel such who can delare And thence forth many other excellent contemporaries are reveased from Jesus Christ the faithful and true witness and set before us under and after the said Trumpet who as he is about wonderfully to glorifie himself in taking his Kingly power Rev. 19. When the Kingdomes of the world shall become the Kingdomes of our God and of his Christ Rev. 11.15 in a far different manner then they have been formerly So likewise how long the earth shall be blessed with that happy Dominion he as clearly sets before his people Rev. 20.4 namely for the space of a thousand years even near or until the last judgement Vers 7 11 12. c. And after the Chronology of the time and after the time of the said seventh Trumpet in the 20. Chap. vers 7. where first having set down Vers 1 2. the contemporary binding of Satan and casting him into the bottomless pit and sealing him up there during that time having also subdued before the powers of the wicked world while he himself with his Saints vers 4.6 will wonderfully gloriously and graciously more then before manifest his Kingly power in the world the said thousand years wherein in the said following Chapters he evidently and strongly informes his people in the substance of many other contemporaries As first of the new Heavens and the new Earth for the thousand years chap. 21.1 and the New Jerusalem descending down from Heaven vers 10. and the Tabernacle of God being with men for the same time vers 3. again chap. 22. there is set forth the pure river of water of life proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb vers 1. and the tree of life bearing twelve manner of fruits the leaves whereof are for the healing of the Nations through the same period Vers 2. for in all the Book of Revelations where things are not said to succeed one another as the Seals Trumpets and Vials but one Table of Chronoligie is assigned to them all such distinct visions are contemporaries as all that concerned the true and false Church in Antichrists time have the same measure though diverslly computed by Moneths Days and a times time and an half So all these Visions under and after the seventh Trumpet have one Chronological Table to compute their time viz. a thousand years all which particulars being by Christs special order so strongly asserted by the Angel and the antient and latter Prophets as earnestly called in for evidence hereunto as we shall endeavour by Gods assistance to point out afterward yet so Providence hath over-ruled and ordered that though the substance of all these
Throne the Church on earth in the face of Jesus Christ the Messiah that was to come as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 3.6 by the workings of the Holy Ghost in all successions of ages to the coming of Christ himself actually in the flesh Still from the Throne to the four living wights and by them to his twenty four Elders in all times hath he so in succession discovered himself of which discoveries we may observe two great Periods under the Old Testament besides many other lesser ones the two great Periods were the Old world before the Flood and the new world after the flood until Christs time and these two the Rainbow as we noted evidently implies in drowning the old world and assuring preservation to the new world from the like In the first period when God did communicate his pleasure to any living wights then neer to his Throne it was not by written word but by voyce or vision or dreams or any ways he was then pleased to use to any sorts of persons either extraordinarily inspired or to the fathers of Families or the first born as sometimes he used or such as were eminently raised up by him as Enoch Noah c. In regard they lived many hundreds of years they might well by tradition and verbal instruction personally teach the will and pleasure of God to his people and then they needed not the use of writing so God most wisely orders all things in their due seasons and indeed if they had had the gift of writing it would have been in a manner endless by reason of their long lives and great knowledge more then in Solomonâ— time who said Of making many books there was no end Some of the first Fathers lived almost two third parts or more of the Old worlds time after Adam and yet lived with Adam the man made immediately by God The other great period from the flood till about the year of the Creation 4000. as Bp. Vsher computes them which was from the time of the flood computed Anno. Mund. 1656. the sum of 2344. years more and for the space of 855. of those years by the said Reverend Authors account till the Law was given by Christ in Mount Sinai in the year of the world 2513. at which time Moses was taught and inspired to write his Pentetuch or five books the substance of the then revealed will of God to his Church there was no written word but then by reason of Gods many institutious to his late redeemed people of Israel out of Egypt and the shortness of their days he knew his written word to be needful to them and all posterities of his Church who might thereby from age to age have more of the Gospel-glory of the Messiah still breaking out in new glimpses of light till the sun of righteousness himself should arise with healing in his wings and that the whole counsel of God concerning him might in substance be revealed in writing and all needful things by his spirit of wisdom and revelation till his prophetical office in matter of Revelation of subostantial truths was fully accomplished under the Old Testament before he actually appeared in his Priestly office and though Gods Spirit in Noah Sem and others after the flood as he was pleased to raise and inspire them till Melchisedech if he was not the same with Sem as some conceive Abrahams Isaac's and Jacobs time and long after God was pleased to supply them otherwise without writing but yet even then he had no less his true and invisible Church viz. his four living wights or living creatures as Ezekiel speaks to be his seers both in respect of himself and his twenty four Elders his faithâ—â— people both to see for them and see to them to teach them and rule them by such special dispensations as he was then pleased to manifest himself to them by and round about his Throne his true Church upon earth where onely his glorious name is extolled in all his gracious manifestations of himself to them but no where else in the world as Psa 145. There his Saints bless him and talk of his power c. we might take occasion from this abridgement of the Old Testament to speak many things of the Ark wherein Noah and they with him were saved from the flood as salvation is onely to be had in the Church which God exalts on high above the reach of the worlds calamities and so of many particulars of Gods directing Noah to make it having fitted him both with grace and worldly wealth and power to accomplish it to be able to pay such multitudes of wicked wretches that though they might deride his attempt so long to sail on the Mountains yet for the reward and recompence of their labour would not resist as is probable but rather assist him therein it was a work doubtless for a Mighty Prince to accomplish so there are many other observable things as his going into the Ark his staying there his shutting up the persons and creatures taken in seven of clean creatures some for sacrifice and two onely of the unclean and his going out all appointed by Christ himself who is alway graciously present with his Church but especially more remarkably in the deep floods of her affliction or trouble Yea afterward we may observe that God would have an Ark made that as his Church was before saved in the Ark from the Flood so his Church instituted amongst his Israelites must know that the salvation and help was in him that would have his gracious presence figured to them by an Ark 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sept. from whence and by means of which according to his own direction he would as from a divine Oracle reveal himself and his pleasure to them and where that was by his own order there his throne of grace and mercy-seat was to be attended by his four living wights and twenty four Elders both in the moving tabernacle of Moses Joshua and the rest till king David and all his time till his other type Solomon did afterward build him an house â—p Vsher Annal. p. 118. where the Ark of God was in the King of Judahs reign till the Jews Captivity in Babylon in the year from the creation 3395. which was not much more time after the flood then the world had being before the flood Now as Moses the great Prophet who by Gods direction first made that Ark foretold of Christ the great Prophet of his Church that him the Lord their God would raise like unto himself and that he should be heard in all things that he said unto them and as the Father required at his transfiguration that they should hear him Math. 17. whose spirit both informed Moses and all the Prophets so by himself he was excellently and immediately instructed in making of the Ark and the Tabernacle and all that belonged to them that all should be made according to the pattern in the Mount As Moses
began have spoken of those times of refreshment and restitution of all things Act. 3.19 21. Proceed we therefore to consider the Predictions of these two great Prophets in the Old Testament in reference to what is said by them of Christs Kingdom in the new at the erecting whereof all evil dominion and wicked power must be subdued when God according to his promise Psa 110.1 will make Christs foes his footstool and till which time he must fit at Gods right hand which is the more to be observed in that the holy Ghost in six several places in the N. Test hath since his ascention recorded it viz. Mat. 22.44 Mark 12.36 Luk. 20.42 Act. 2.34 1 Cor. 15.25 Heb. 1.13 and in the fulfilling thereof the wonderful glory of God ever since mans fall is and will be very remarkable over-ruling the evil and mischeif of Satan and wicked men to his own glory and his Churches good but more especially at that great accomplishment when he will take to himself his great power as Rev. 11.17 for as the arch-murderer at first who ever since hath been and till that time will be by usurpation for the most part the God of the powers of this world Ephes 2.2 The Prince of the air ruling in the children of disobedience when he had seduced our first parents to the loss of that happy condition in Paradise to themselves and all their posterity by that onely postern gate alone left for that evil one to enter by viz. The eating of the forbidden fruit and upon that deluding bait of pride to be like God knowing good and evil God then both frustrated his and the offenders designs for by knowing good and evil in that way they became like to the Devil and not like to God and to frustrate the Tempters design through the wonderful goodness of the incomprehensibly glorious God there was even then a way made known for a most happy and gracious design of the Almighty by publishing the first promise of Free grace to lost mankind in a sure work of redemption by the Messiah who should fully overcome Satan at the last and break that old Serpents head And thenceforward Christ Jesus as Mediator having undertaken that office the Devil ever since likewise as cursed Cain his first-born murtherer of his brother by building of Cities as is conceived so he by building of Castles of confusion in the worlds air as it were to abate his trembling by working what mischeif he can all the time of his usurped Dominion in all the long Periods of his wicked rule wherein he hath been remarkably erecting three great Babels of confusion therein as towers and powers to carry on his own wicked designs First The Tower of Babel in Shinar Gen 11.4 for dividing of tongues the main source of confusions Secondly The Babylonian Monarchy in Daniels time for oppressive tyranny over Gods people Thirdly The mystical Babel in the last times for spiritual seducement and thraldom until Christ set up his own perpetual Kingdom The mischeif of the first hath continued through all times since of Satans wicked rule and will do till his binding by Christ The misery of the second hath been felt of Gods people ever since For we read not the Kings of Assyria infested Israel from about An. mun 1700 until Pull Tiglath Pilesur about the year 3170. in the time of Zacharia Shallum Menahen 2 King 15. which is above 1400 years and Nineveh is conceived to be built by Nimrod which was all along the Metropolis of the Assyrian Kingdom and will so be while any part of that Image of the four Monarchies remains unbroken and the spiritual infatuation bondage and thraldom of the third viz. The mystical Babel hath lain heavy upon the Church of Christ many hundred of years past as many talents of lead to crush in peices that weak woman the Church and her spiritual seed if it were possible And as God and Satan have had their designs in these so God in his word hath used three eminent Chronologers to keep records of these three Babylonian designs of Satan and to record such things concerning them all whereby the Devils evil purposes might be discovered and the mischeif ensuing to the seduced might be apprehended and the help and remedies which God ever since hath provided against them might be made known for his Churches support and comfort These three eminent Chronologers are first the Prophet Moses in whose writings three parts are observable First B. Usher p. 33. An historical revelation as we may say of what was done before his time from the beginning for about 2553 years Secondly An historical relation of what things God wrought and taught his people to observe in his time morally politically and ceremonially as his then revealed will Thirdly A prophetical revelation of things concerning Gods Church and Christ the Messiah to come and concerning his three great offices of a Prophet Priest and King though in some things darkly yet very certainly as by Gods assistance we may shew for we must observe that the Spirit of Christ by the ministry of Moses in his Pentateuch or five books written by him hath set down the substance of all Christian Religion though in some things darkly concerning the times of the Gospel and that and all the Old Testament is but Novum Velatum the New vailed as the New Testament afterwards is but in substance Vetus Revelatum the Old revealed Christ having by his Prophetical spirit in the first revealed the whole counsel of his Father for the benefit of his Church The second Chronologer concerning the second and third Babel is the greatly beloved Prophet Daniel and in his record we may observe that he saith nothing of what was done before his time as Moses did from the beginning of the world having none before him for that God from Moses writings had done by others successively in Scripture to Daniels time therefore his records were first of things in his own time secondly of all times after to come though somewhat more clearly then Moses therein the third of those eminent Chronologers was the beloved Disciple St. John who beginning at his own time towards the end of the first Century after Christ from thence proceeds to make known the pleasure of God concerning all times afterwards as Christ Jesus by his Angel in the book of his Revelation had declared unto him to the end of the world mystically set before him in many visions to be sent unto the Churches for their information and comfort unto the end And as these three Chronoclers of Gods spirit speak remarkably of those three Babels under several considerations Yet our main drift at present is to shew how that these three famous servants of the Lord have in all their times foreshewed Christs Kingly glory yet still the latter more clearly then the former Yet here take notice of one Prophesie before any of these as it were handed all along by