will help you to pray much and you should put this into your Petitions Lord make thy Church appear to be thy Portion Thy Treasure Thy Glory Now come Lord Jesus come quickly O that that day might come The third thing is this That when God sets up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth then God will make good the Promises that he hath made unto his Church in the Old Testament And the Prophecies of the glory of his Church which are very many that the truth is we do not know what to make of them we are fain to make Allegories of them when it 's very probable that they are to be in a literal way to be understood and all for the want of the knowledge of this one thing that there is a time for God to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth Commonly we find that Divines have opened the promises of the Old Testament either by way of an Allegory or of the state of the Church in glory so that there hath been a great mistake in this thing We find in the 54 of Isa v. 17. when the Lord makes a promise to his Church that no weapon that was formed against that should prosper he concludes it and saith This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. All the promises in the Old Testament are the Inheritance of the Saints of God It 's a very sweet place it 's an Excellent place to poor People that have no Riches nor Inheritance left them by their Parents but they have the Promises for their Inheritance Thou may'st look over the Book of God and watsoever promise thou findest made to the Church thou mayst look upon it as thine Inheritance Many carnal men that have great Inheritances other ways they have nothing to do with the Promises of the Saints But the poorest Saint hath all the glory that there is in the Promises of the Word of God they are their Inheritance But in the mean time I have little Why thou art under age yet and God he is thy Guardian and God will be accountable to thee for all and the longer thou stayest before thou comest to thine Inheritance the more shalt thou have when thou comest to it and therefore remember that all the Promises in the Word are to be made good to thee one way or other and all that concern his People will be made good in this world when God shall come and set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth We shall understand that hereafter and therefore we find in the 5 th of the Revelations that there the Lamb he only is able to open the Seals of the Book There was brought a Book Seal'd and a Proclamation was made to know who was worthy to open the Book and to loose the Seals thereof Now the Text saith that John saw none found worthy At length there appeared a Lamb as it had been slain and he was found worthy and the Book was given to him and he opened the Seals of the Book this Book is the Book of the Prophecies of the state of the Church in the new Testament and the promises of God for the glory of the Church of the new Testament Now these things have been kept Sealed for a long time and especially before Christs time But Jesus Christ the Lamb that hath been slain it is he only that is able to open this Book and the Seals of it and there is a time that he will open it he opens it by degrees to his Church And therefore I find it 's very observable in the 22. of Revel vers 6. There comes an Angel to John and said unto him These things are faithful and true And the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done Why now John was before speaking of the glorious condition of Jerusalem the Jerusalem that came down from Heaven Now saith he The Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel Why is it said here The Lord God of the holy Prophets The meaning is this that the Lord now sends his Angel to make his Servants to understand what was in the Prophets and therefore the Lord hath this title The Lord God of the holy Prophets It 's not said here The great God or the holy God only or the Father of Christ or any such title But the Lord God of the holy Prophets That is I here will manifest to my Servants what I did Inspire the holy Prophets with in former times and will open their Prophecies unto them O it will be a blessed time when we shall come to understand the Prophecies of the Old Testament and how they do aim at the New Testament you Read their Book and how often do you shut the Book and say O Lord I cannot understand I do not know the meaning of these things and so likewise the book of the Revelations and sometimes you are ready to think why doth God write so in his word But be satisfied in this thing in your Reading the Scriptures there are some things very dark But now the main things that concern thine everlasting Salvation are clear enough and bless God for that But now if you would know why other things are dark they are dark because the Lord intends in them to manifest some glorious thing that he will do towards the latter end of the world for his People that the truth is God would not have generally known till then You will say why then have we the Scriptures Yes we have them now that God may appear so much the more glorious when they are fulfill'd that they may be manifested to his Saints that these are no other things than the Prophets did Prophesie of divers thousand Years ago Now this will mightily add to the Joy of the Saints when they shall come to see O this is partly fulfilling of such a Prophecy in Isa and in Ezek. and in the Revelations now it adds to the Joy of the Church to know that these things that now they have are no other than God did foretel by his holy Prophets as no question now when Christ was Prophesied of For he was Prophesied of for four thousand Years before he came into the world and in a Mighty dark way as now this first Prophecy of Christ The seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents Head what could they understand of this and yet under this Prophecy was the whole Gospel Prophesied of and he shall bruise thy heel there all the sufferings of Jesus Christ were Prophesied of under that Prophesie Now I am confident that for the general part of the Jews they understood no more of that Prophecy to be meant of Christ and his sufferings than we when we Read in Ezekiel and in the Revelations do understand what God will do for his Church in time to come But now when this Prophesie is fulfill'd that we find
but after those bloody persecutions ended then came Constantine and then they had peace and were in a more flourishing condition But not then neither for presently Antichrist began to rise then This day is poyson poured into the Church Then they fell out one with another by their contentions then Arrianisme began to spread all over the World and within a little time they were brought into a great Bondage under an Antichristian power and so great darkness did come upon all the Churches I find Mr. Brightman and some others they begin the 42 Weeks even from the time that the Church did begin to flourish in some outward pomp and glory Then began the Prelatical power presently upon that and so they reckon the time of reigning from thence so that Jerusalem hath not been yet the praise of the whole Earth to this day Therefore this that the Prophet here speaks of must be meant of some other time that yet is not come to pass so that we live in these times wherein we are to look for the accomplishing of this Prophecy that God should make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth yet in another manner than ever he hath done and that 's the thing that I especially shall endeavour to shew you that yet there is a time for Jerusalem for the Church to be in a more glorious condition than formerly it hath been so that we may have our spirits awakened and stirred up not only to Pray but be Instumental all that we can for the setting up of the glory of the Church of God God is about the working of a great work this way and therefore it 's pity that any that have love to God and to his cause but that they should put on all they can by Prayer and all the wayes they can to further such a glorious work as this is it was that that was the comfort of the Saints of God in the Primitive times and a little after when they suffered hard things yet had comfort that there was a time a coming that Jerusalem should be the praise of the Earth and that Jesus Christ should come and Reign in his Church in another manner than ever yet he did Just in Martyr that lived about thirty years after John Prophesies in speaking of this point of a glorious time of the Church that should be Both my self saith he and all that are Orthodox do generally hold this that there is such a time of the Glorious condition of the Church And Lactantius that lived 1300 years ago or more he spends a great many Chapters in shewing the glorious condition of the Church of God that should be and they longed for it now we are fallen into the times that are nearer our salvation is nearer than when they believed yea or when we our selves did at first believe And therefore as in natural things the nearer a thing comes to the Center the faster it moves so the nearer the people of God come to the glorious condition that God intends for his people in the latter dayes the more should their hearts outrun them in giving God no rest till he come to establish it Wherefore then for the opening of this Christ hath great things to do for his Church in this world in making of it the praise of the Earth I 'le first shew it you by comparing divers Scriptures together And then I 'le shew you what the state of the Church is like to be when it comes to be made the praise of the whole Earth or what God will do for his Church when he intends it to be the praise of the whole earth For the first To compare some Scriptures the Scriptures are very remarkable especially in the Prophet Isaiah compared with divers Scriptures in the Book of the Revelations you may see as it were how they do Eccho one to another whereby we may see apparently that Isaiah was an Evangelical Prophet as he is called by many Divines The first is in the 24. Isa v. 23. compared with the 4. Rev. 4. v. In the 24. of Isa Then speaking of God's deliverance of his Church from evil then he makes this promise the Moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall Reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his Ancients gloriously The Moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed The meaning of it is this There shall be so much glory as shall darken the glory of the Sun and Moon and because their glory shall be darkned they shall be as it were ashamed As a man when he sees others come that have more glory than himself it puts him to some shame so they shall be ashamed why because the Lord of Hosts shall Reign in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem before his Ancients gloriously Certainly this hath not been yet fulfilled the Lord hath not so reign'd in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem before his Ancients gloriously so as to darken the glory of the Sun and Moon Now in the 4th of Rev. v. 4. it seems to have regard to this Scripture and shews you what the Throne of Christ is when he shall come to Reign in Zion gloriously And round about the Throne were four and twenty seats and upon the Seats I saw four and twenty Elders sitting cloathed in white rayment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold and here the Lord reigns before the Ancients There 's the Throne of God set up and upon the Seats I saw four and twenty Elders or Ancients sitting cloathed in white rayment and they had on their heads Crowns of Gold So that John seems to have regard to this Text and that Prophesie of John is apparently of the state of the Church that was to be in after times And so there are other places of Scripture as that 54. of Isa and 21. of the Revelat. In the 54. Isa v. 12. there 's a promise to the Church that was Afflicted O thou Afflicted tossed with Tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy Foundation with Saphires And I will make thy Windows of Agats and thy Gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones Here God promises that he would build his Church with precious stones the Church that was so Afflicted and tost Now mark the 21. of the Revelat. and see there how St. John takes this Prophesie and doth plainly interpret it that it is of the glorious state of the Church that should be after saith the Text there describing there the glorious Estate of the Church And the Foundations of the wall of the City were garnished with all manner of precious stones Here 's a Prophesie it should be so and John takes this Prophesie and tells that this is to be understood of a time of the Christian Church that it shall indeed be so And again in the 60. of Isa v. 19. compare it with the 21. Rev. v. 23. In Isa there
the Text speaking of the glorious state of the Church that should be saith 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 thy Glory Thy Sun shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended Certainly this hath not yet been fulfilled And in the 21. Rev. towards the latter end you have almost the same words And the City saith the Text had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof I shall afterwards come further to open somewhat of the meaning of that what it is no to have no need of Sun and Moon when we come to open wherein the glory of the Church doth consist that God intends to make the praise of the whole Earth I might name divers other Scriptures but I hasten rather to the other thing which is the main to open wherein the Church shall be the praise of the whole earth or what shall make it to be the Praise of the whole earth First more generally Certainly when the condition Jerusalem shall be in when Gods time shall come there will be a time of Resurrection from the dead there will be a kind of Resurrection from the dead before the general Resurrection at the great day of Judgment we have divers Scriptures that do seem to point at this and indeed clearly to manifest it The first Scripture is in the 12 Chapter of the book of Daniel that speaks of a Resurrection another Resurrection than that that shall be at the great day of Judgment saith the Text And at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the Book And many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever Now that this must be an Estate of the Church before the great and general Resurrection is clear First It 's said here Some shall rise he speaks not of all shall rise Now at that day good and bad all shall rise But then Secondly The uttermost glory of the most eminent godly men that shall rise it shall be but to shine as the brightness of the Firmament and the height of all is that they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars they shall but shine as the Stars Surely those who are not only righteous themselves but are means to turn others to Righteousness they are like to have the greatest degree of Glory in Heaven which is a mighty encouraging place not only to Ministers but to all to seek to convert all they can For this Scripture seems to hold forth this Truth that the Lord will look upon them as Instruments of his Glory and give them a higher degree of Glory than others But now at the great day of Judgment we know that the Saints of God shall shine brighter than the Stars they shall be as the Sun These Bodies of Clay that we carry now about with us in the great day when Christ shall come to judge all the World they shall shine as the Sun in the Firmament The poorest Man or Woman or Child that is godly though their Bodies are cloathed with Rags now yet at the day of Christ their Bodies shall be made to shine as the Glory of the Firmament nay more than so as the Glory of the Sun Yea they shall be like to the Body of Jesus Christ himself c. and the Body of Christ shall be beyond the Glory of the Sun therefore this is not meant of that time for the height of all the Glory here is but as the Stars But then a third Reason why it is not meant at that time is because the Lord bids Daniel to close up this Prophecy and tells him it shall be a thing kept hid Now that there shall be a Resurrection that God shall come to judge the World this was never any such secret the light of Nature will tell us this that there is a time that it must be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked The Heathens could tell us of a time that God should judge the World But now the Prophet here speaks of this as a Mystery that it was not to be revealed till the latter dayes Yea and then Fourthly The Lord promiseth to Daniel as a peculiar and special favour unto him that he should arise and stand in the Lot at the end of the dayes Now for Daniel to arise at the day of Judgment that 's a thing that is common to all good and bad but here it is promised to him as a special Mercy that he shall stand up in the latter dayes in his Lot And therefore according to the Reverend Brightman and others this place is interpreted of the time of the calling in of the Jews when they and the Gentiles shall joyn together and Jerusalem shall then be set up as the Praise of the whole Earth And the rather it makes me think so because the Apostle in the 11 of the Rom. vers 15. speaking of the time of the calling of the Jews he doth make use of such a kind of Phrase that it shall be even a time of Resurrection it shall be no other but even a raising from the dead In the 15 verse For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the World what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead Therefore it seems that he had some Reference to this very Scripture here at this time And in the 37 of Ezek. the beginning the receiving of the Jews there is set out by the dry Bones that were breathed upon by the breath of God and so they stood up as an Army and had life Yea and this shall be as a new Creation There will be as great works done as God did when he made the World at first and he will put forth as great a power So you have it set forth unto you in the 65. of Isa There the Prophet prophesying of a Glorious Condition of the Church what it should be mark how he doth express it For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I Create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy I create saith he new Heavens and a new Earth When will God do this Why saith he Be glad in it for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy When this Jerusalem
shall be made the praise of the whole Earth then there shall be new Heavens and a new Earth created That is there shall be as great a change of things as if there were new Heavens and new Earth created There shall be a mighty glorious power of God manifested towards his Churches as if God were Creating new Heavens and new Earth again Oh! we do not know but that either you or some of your Children may yet live to see such times as these are And it 's another World indeed It 's not the World that we live in now there shall be a kind of new World And therefore some Scriptures that many times we think are meant concerning the Life in Heaven after the day of Judgment because they are spoken of another World they are rather to be understood of the state of the Church here in this World And to the end that I may shew this for otherwise all that 's said is but in vain It may be you will say that the Prophet mean't that State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven And so the Apostle St. John in his reference to what the Prophet saith he seems to mean it of the glorious state of the Church in Heaven And I verily believe the most of you that have read with Observation the latter end of the Book of the Revelations you have thought it hath been meant of the State of the Church in Heaven but that it cannot be be meant I 'le give you a Reason or two why the 21 of the Revelations cannot be meant of the Church in Heaven First Because the Text saith That Jerusalem shall come down from Heaven after he had described it in the 10 Vers He carryed me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God That is the Glory of Jerusalem shall not come from the Earth nor from any Earthly means Though men ought to do what they can yet it shall be too great a Glory for any earthly means to be able to bring but it shall come down from Heaven there shall be some admirable glorious work of God from Heaven to bring Jerusalem into such Glory as it shall be brought into And that 's one thing That it is not the State of Heaven for it comes down from Heaven And then besides that that is an undeniable Reason is that which you have in the 24 and 26 Verses And the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour into it They do not bring their Honour to the State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven The Saints in Heaven shall have no need of any of the Glory of the Kings of the Earth the meanest poorest Servant or Boy that is Godly shall be more glorious than all the Kings of the Earth ever were in this World but this is such a State that the Kings of the Earth shall bring their Glory to it And in the 26 verse They shall bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it The meaning is that when this time comes the Lord will make all the Kings of the Earth and all the Nations of the Earth to be some way serviceable to the Glory of his Churches that 's the plain meaning of it that whereas now the Kings of the Earth and the Nations do persecute the Church generally and as in the second Psalm you have it the Kings of the Earth they combine themselves together against Jesus Christ and will none of his Government but yet for all this the Lord saith that he will set his King upon his holy Hill And then here is the Prophecy that there shall be such a work of God upon the Kings and Nations of the Earth as they shall all come in and bring their Glory to Jerusalem to the Church to do the uttermost they can to make the Church to be Glorious This is in General the state of Jerusalem when it shall be made the Praise of the Earth But now that I might come to move Particulars about this The first thing is this When that time shall come all Tears shall be wiped from the Eyes of Saints the People of God shall be delivered from all Enemies they shall never be any further pestered with wicked and ungodly men to be enemies to them but be fully freed from them all We groan under the burden of the Enmity of wicked Men and their Opposition I but let us be content to bear it and to endure Oppositions from wicked and ungodly Men for there is a time a coming that thou shalt be delivered even in this World You will say when we come to Heaven we shall be above the Malice of all the wicked Men in the World Nay there is a time when the Saints shall be above the Malice of wicked men upon this Earth In the 28 of Ezek. A Chapter that speaks so much of the Glorious Condition of the People of God verse 24. There shall be no more a pricking Briar nor any grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despised them They shall be so far from having any power to do any mischief to the People of God as they shall not be so much as able to prick them no grieving Thorn nor no bryer pricking of the Saints of God as heretofore they have done It will be a blessed time when the Saints shall be delivered from the Curse of the Earth the Bryers and Thorns it brings forth Where are wicked men certainly those are the worst Bryers and Thorns in the World and do the most mischief here in the World Now the Lord hath promised that they shall be delivered wholly from them Rev. 21.4 There is a Scripture leading to that way And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more Pain For the former things are passed away This is prophesied of for such times as these are for those that then liv'd the Saints are like to live when Christ shall come in that Glorious state of Judgment and have no pain nor sickness and therefore be delivered from all Enemies and from all evils both from without and within in regard of any pain or misesery and in the 19 of the Revelations we have it there prophesied of Christ that he shall come and have his Vesture dipt in blood in the overcoming all the wicked and ungodly Verse 13. And he was cloathed with a Vesture dipt in blood and his Name is called the Word of God And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses cloathed in fine Linnen white and clean and out of his Mouth goeth a sharp Sword that with it he should smite the Nations and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron and he treadeth the Wine-press
that this Scripture in Peter though in some passages of it may seem to referr to the great day of Judgement yet compared with Isa out of which it is taken it appears to be but a very comment upon my Text and I find generally Interpreters do Interpret this of Isa to be meant of the Church of God in this World And so by comparing one Scripture with another we may find out much truth And besides the Prophets did Prophesie very little about the Eternal life after the day of Judgment though something there was about it but very little in comparison and therefore we have a great deal of Reason to think it to be meant concerning this time of this new Jerusalem when God shall make it to be the praise of the whole Earth Lastly This shall add to the beauty of this new Jerusalem that Prosperity shall do it no hurt and therefore as I remember in the 4 th of the Revelat. the state of the Church in this time is compared to an Eagle there were four Beasts the first like a Lyon the second like a Calf the third was like a Man and the fourth was like a Flying-Eagle Noting the four states of the Church and the last shall be as an Eagle that is they shall be lifted above all these outward things At first when the Church was raised from persecution in Constantines time the History of those times tells us that there was a voice heard in the Air To day is Poyson poured into the Church It was at that time when Constantine did endow the Church with great Endowments and we find it now that we have weak stomacks and are not able to bear much prosperity and therefore God hath thought it rather fit to keep his Church low but when that day comes for Jerusalem to be made the praise of the whole Earth there shall be no fear of hurt from prosperity For Christ shall be all in all to them There shall be a more immediate enjoyment of God and that will keep them from taking hurt by what they have in the creature Now let 's put all these together and see what a glorious condition the Saints shall be in surely when all these things shall be fulfilled then you must needs say that Jerusalem will be made a praise in the whole Earth That is First When there shall be a Resurrection a new creation a new world when all Tears shall be wip'd away when all wicked men shall be kept under When the Church shall appear to be the pleasant Portion of God his Inheritance his dearly Beloved his Glory and when all Promises that have been made to them and all Prophecies of their glory shall be fulfilled when there shall be a wonderful confluence of the Nations Jews and Gentiles to them and yet there shall be a great deal of purity in ordinances there shall not be filth among them as now there is And the gifts and graces of the Saints shall be mightily inlarged and raised when there shall be a glorious presence of the Father and of Jesus Christ with them when Godliness and the Saints shall be honoured in the World as much as it is contemn'd when there shall be a blessed Union among all the Churches when there shall be a mighty change of the creatures and when there shall be no fear of any danger of any hurt by any Prosperity that they shall enjoy surely then will Jerusalem be made a praise of the whole Earth Therefore let the Saints give the Lord no rest until Jerusalem be thus made as the praise of the whole Earth You will say are these things so are they so indeed This may seem to be very strange and a strange point to some of you But in former times it was not so accounted those that are learned will find that Lactantius 17. Book 18.23 24. Chapters spends them almost all upon this Argument and he speaks of very strange things which I am loath to mention It may be he might go too far and he liv'd about 1300. Years ago But Justin Martyr that was long before him for he was but thirty Years after John the Disciple speaking about this point that I am speaking of I and all that are Christians of the Orthodox Faith hold this that there is such a time a coming of a glorious condition of the Church I know that this hath been abused by those that they account Millenaries there were some that did abuse this Doctrine and made the glory of the Church to consist in fleshly pleasures and the like and so they were condemn'd But I make the glory especially to consist in Spiritual good yet so as it shall appear to all the World And I find some Expressions in the Revelations where the Holy Ghost speaks of this of Christs coming to appear in this glorious manner he hath another manner of phrase to express it than I find in all the Book of God when other things are spoken of In the 19. of the Revel v. 9. He had spoken before of the Kingdom of Christ And he saith unto me Write blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me These are the true sayings of God Are there any false sayings of God It were blasphemy to think so one would think that if he did but say these are the sayings of God it were enough or these are true sayings But to make it sure that we may believe it These are the true sayings of God Not only the sayings but the True sayings of God Now if you say How can these things be To that I answer as in the eighth of Zech. v. 6. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts if it be marvellous in the Eyes of the Remnant of this People in these days should it also be marvellous in my Eyes saith the Lord of Hosts It 's marvellous in your Eyes should it therefore be marvellous in my Eyes I am the Lord of Hosts We may be ready to think these things cannot be But the Lord intends to put forth an Almighty power in bringing this to pass and it is that that is much in the heart of God to do These things the nearer the time comes the more they will be known and therefore I think it very useful at some time or other that people should be acquainted only Ministers had need have a Spirit of sobriety and moderation because not yet being fulfill'd they are not throughly understood and therefore we must not dare to be too bold in our guessing at things that are not clear But such things as appear clearly so as we may see there is footing for we should exercise our selves in and labour to make others acquainted with But now If you ask me when shall these things be when shall Jerusalem be made the praise of the whole Earth I Answer thus The Third SERMON IT 's very hard to determine the particular time but surely at the end
Christianity is of the side that will prevail one day and therefore come in and joyn with them Though it's true there are many things now that seem to darken Religion but certainly Religion is getting up in the World though the Devil doth bestir him as much as ever he did since he was a Devil to darken Religion and the Glory of it in the World yet certainly Religion is getting up and it will prevail Take heed you be not like the five foolish Virgins which I find divers do apply to this very time when the Bridegroom shall come when Christ shall come in his glory to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth that then the wise Virgins shall enter in with him and be partaker of the glory of the times but the foolish Virgins shall knock at the door saying Lord Lord open to us but he shall say I know you not depart ye workers of Iniquity You that make but a meer out-side of Religion and have but a formal profession of Religion you have Lamps but you have no Oyl in your Lamps burning when Christ shall come you shall be shut out and not be Partakers of the glorious Jerusalem that shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth And likewise this is a great Argument to move you to bring up your Children in Godliness and to instruct them in the wayes of Godliness because if you should not live to it yet your Children may Therefore labour to infuse what you can the knowledge of Christ into them now betimes that so they may partake of those glorious things that are spoken of in the Word But Secondly Is there a time that Jerusalem shall be made as the Praise of the whole Earth let us be willing to mourn with Jerusalem while it is in a mourning condition and be willing to suffer for Jesus Christ a while seeing there is a time that all sorrows shall be turned into Joy and all Sufferings shall be done away and wherein the Saints shall be all honoured and recompensed abundantly In the eleventh of the Revelations you find that the Witnesses were to prophesie in Sackcloath in a mourning condition for a long time It can't be meant of two men because they were to prophesie 1260 Years but what made them go on in that mournful condition they did believe this time Therefore in the 12. verse you shall find how they that had prophesied in Sackcloath for so long a time they were slain a little before this time came and for three years and an half together there was a slaughter made of them and the Text saith After three dayes and an half that is three years and an half the Spirit of life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them and they heard a great voice from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither And they ascended up to Heaven in a Cloud and their Enemies beheld them They were mightily honoured before their Enemies Those that had been prophesying in Sackcloath and were willing to suffer for Christ for a long time now they were called up and honoured before their very Enemies Let us be willing to suffer and that will be an evidence that we shall rejoyce with this new Jerusalem when it shall come to be made the Praise of the whole Earth So in the 66 of Isa v. 10. Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her rejoyce for joy with her all ye that mourn for her All that mourn'd for Jerusalem when the glory of it was darkened shall come and rejoyce with Jerusalem when Jerusalem shall be made as the praise of the whole Earth And the very Book of the Revelations is written on purpose for to encourage the Saints to be willing to suffer all the time of Anti-Christ's Reign And hence it hath been that in the time that Antichrist hath Reign'd there hath been so little known of the Book of the Revelations because it hath been applyed only in a metaphorical way and all the glory hath been interpreted of the glory of Heaven Because I say there hath been a darkness on the face of the Earth in the time of Antichrist's prevailing And it hath been the care of Antichrist to darken this and to keep under the Saints and to make them suffer very hard and grievous things But as I remember I have read of Caius the Emperour that when Agrippa had spoken for him before he was Emperour and suffered for his sake after Caius came to be Emperour he put a Chain of Gold about his Neck and gave it him just as heavy as his Iron Chain had been before So look what any one suffers for Jesus Christ now before he comes to take this Kingdom to himself before the time comes when the voice shall be heard from Heaven saying The Kingdoms of the Earth are become the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for ever I say look what measure of sufferings any have for Christ now Christ will put a Chain of Gold upon them as heavy as ever their Sufferings were And especially now we had need prepare for Sufferings if it should prove that this time be at hand for we find that a little before this glorious time there 's like to be as great Sufferings to the People of God as at any time as in the 11 of the Revelations where it 's spoken of the Witnesses prophesying in Sackcloath they prophesied for 1260 Years But they were not slain until three Years and a half before this glorious time was risen and then they were slain So that immediately before the time that Christ shall come and appear in his Glory there will be greater Sufferings unto his Churches than there were in former times for you find that just upon their slaying that they were call'd up to Heaven And the seventh Trumpet sounded presently after and there were great voices in Heaven saying The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever As if the Holy Ghost should say Now all sufferings are done with all and now the Kingdoms of the World are become the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever And the four and twenty Elders which sate before God on their Seats fell upon their faces and worshipped God saying We give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned Whereas before men had power now God hath taken his great power to himself ☞ This follows presently upon it which is a very great Argument why those Witnesses are not yet slain because immediately upon their being slain there should follow such strange things as these are And then the Kingdoms of the Earth should be the Lords and his Christs You will
say Are they not now No certainly not so as then in that we do not see such an eminency of Christs taking the Kingdoms of the Earth now more than formerly and I say this is an evident Argument that the Witnesses are not slain In the 12 of Daniel there you have a Prophecy of the same times that we have here But mark how he begins this Prophecy there saith he in the 1 vers And at that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the Children of thy People and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the Book Though the time of trouble without be great such as never was the like yet these that are written in the Book shall be delivered And so he goes on describing the glorious condition of the Church of God as it shall be I spake something to that in the opening of the Glory of this new Jerusalem and shewed you that it could not be meant there of the Glory of Heaven but of the glory of the Church here that should be upon the Earth And then in the 3 d. of Revel vers 10. we Read of an hour of Temptation that should be throughout the face of the Earth there is a time of Temptation that shall go quite through the whole world and whether yet this is come upon us doth not certainly appear and therefore let the consideration of this prepare us for suffering before hand For God will cause sufferings to try men who are true and will cleave to him and who are not but will desert him And so I remember Lactantius the former Author quoted he speaks as clearly of this as if so be that he did live and had seen it saith he A little before these times times wil grow so evil in comparison of the times that we live in now in which wickedness one would think were grown to the greatest height that possibly could be yet in comparison of these there shall come such evil times just before this glorious time of the Church as our times may be accounted Golden and Happy times in respect of those sad times for saith he good men they shall be a prey to wicked men and they shall be in contempt and poverty all right among men shall be confounded all Law shall perish and no man shall know what 's his own things shall be in such a cumbustion and confusion that no Law shall prevail and no man shall know what 's his own this shall be a little before saith he the glorious state of the Church wherein Christ shall appear Now if he could say so so long before certainly none then having Scripture so suitable to it have cause to fear that yet we may live to meet with very hard things ☞ Although it will be but short that 's the comfort if there should be great sufferings just before the day break and it should be darker than it was yet it will continue but a while three Years and an half will be the most But the times of the great sufferings of the Church before Jerusalem is to be made the praise of the whole Earth these three Years and a half will put men so to it that if they have not true grace they will fall off The Administration of Gods Providences are very strange we have had thoughts that all had been blowing over that we should have liv'd in safety and peace but clouds gather still And though the former clouds seem'd in some measure to be gone yet new clouds are gathering and therefore it 's wisdom for the People of God that fear God and look into his Word to see what God hath made known in his Word I say it 's their wisdom to prepare for the hardest that possibly can come That they may be bright and made white with all the troubles that they meet with and be not among them that shall not be found written in the Book and so to be cast out of all the good of this Jerusalem that shall be made the praise of the Earth Thirdly Though we should prepare for sufferings yet let us strengthen our faith and rejoyce in the hope of such times as these are in the midst of sufferings rejoyce it 's an Excellent thing when a Christian is able in the midst of sufferings to rejoyce in the assurance of a promise when things go never so contrary yet to keep in Gods ways upon the expectation of a promise to be fulfill'd You have an Excellent Scripture in the 64. of Isa vers 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness those that Remember thee in thy ways behold thou art wroth for we have sinned In those is continuance and we shall be saved If you read this Chapter you shall find that the Church was in a sad condition but mark Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness In the saddest times there were some that did not only work Righteousness but did Rejoyce and work Righteousness Though God was wroth and all things did seem to be very dismal yet there were some that went on in the ways of Righteousness and rejoyced in the ways of Righteousness It 's a most Excellent Scripture and of marvellous use to us if God should bring us into sad times for us not only to keep in the ways of Righteousness but to rejoyce in the ways of Righteousness to rejoyce that ever we were brought into it and that 's upon an expectation that the Lord will save us Whatsoever sufferings you meet withall yet strengthen your faith and rejoyce in the Expectation of this Glory of Jerusalem The believing of such times as these are really makes Life desirable especially because God is so stirring in this Age not for any great matters that we shall have outwardly in the World for a while but that we may come to see the Issue of all these stirs and at length out of all the Confusion to see Jerusalem to be the praise of the whole world And therefore in the 102. Psalm which I think verily hath reference to these times you shall find the Title of it to be A Prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. But mark in his pouring out his complaint before God how he comforts himself in the 13. vers Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come For thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof so the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy glory When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory The Lord shall appear in his glory in building up Zion that is now cast down I say it 's a Prophetical Psalm