their Father In this portion hath the Disciples their part and when the Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ Rev. 11.15 Then it is that the Kingdom of this World is become the Kingdom of their Father into which they shall thus gloriously shine forth and this is that the Apostle speaks of 1 Cor. 2.9 likewise Isa 64.4 and Ephes 2.6,7 and then they shall have their reigning-power on the Earth Rev. 5.10 next under Christ their Supreme Head Now the Lord all along whilst he was upon the Earth spake but in Parables as to his second coming and Kingdom Matth. 13.34 by reason Israel being sinful for which it was determined of God they should be left to blindness and that Christ should suffer by them for tho' in other things they sinned wilfully yet they ignorantly crucified the Lord of Life Acts 3.17 And the Lord again speaking of his second coming and of gathering the Nations and by the Parable of setting the Sheep on his right hand and the Goats on his left He saith to them on his right hand come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World Matth. 25.34 Now from the foundation of the material Heavens and Earth there was no other Kingdom prepared but this World which will be again restored But the Law and Gospel speaking but to those that are under it Rom. 3.19 and chap. 2.12,14 The Lord might therefore have his reference to the foundation of the World that was laid in Israel for the World to come at which foundation Christ was figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb And then was the Kingdom of Canaan prepared for Israel by their Enemies destruction And the Gentiles that Christ shall find in obedience amongst the Christian Nations at his coming will then be made the Inheritors with Israel of this Kingdom For they were not only to be Heirs with Israel of the promised Everlasting Covenant whereby Eternal Life is secured to the Soul but they were also to have a share with them in their Inheritance For of Japhet it was prophesied that he should dwell in the Tents of Shem and therefore this Kingdom may likewise be said to be prepared for them And also at the restoration of all things it is that Israel will be restored to their own Land Joel 3.16 And then will God make her Wilderness like Eden and her Desart like the Garden of the Lord Isa 51.3 And then it is Christ will have his peaceable Kingdom Isa 11.9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy Mountain for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea Isa 65.23,24,25 And in that day God will make a Covenant for them with the Beast of the Field and with the Fowls of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and he will break the Bow and the Sword and the Battel out of the Earth and will make them lie down safely Hosea 2.18,19 And then will God betroth them unto him for ever in righteousness and in judgment and in loving-kindness and in mercies v. 19. And then this is the Peace the Lord hath declared shall be in the time of his Kingdom But when Christ first came he said he came not to send Peace on Earth but a Sword Matth. 10.34 For in this time them that are the true Followers of Christ the Devil will be still raising them up Enemies And Christ saith to his Disciples That in him they might have peace but in the World they should have tribulation John 16.33 And likewise St. Paul saith That after his departure shall grievous Wolves enter in among them not sparing the Flock And also of their own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away Disciples after them Acts 20.29,30 which accordingly followed Now whereas it is said Prov. 16.7 When a mans ways please the Lord he maketh his Enemies to be at peace with him This King Solomon spake of the natural Seed of Israel which had they continued in the fear of the Lord they had then been the Emblem of that peaceable Kingdom that is now to come And they in this time should have been the Head and not the Tail and above only Deut. 28.13 But there never was any such promise made to the true Churches of Christ in this time but on the contrary they were foretold they should be afflicted persecuted and meet with fiery Tryals neither were they to adorn themselves 1 Pet. 3.3 Chap. XV. The Elect Church discovered And why God suffered the Beast to arise to deceive the Nations Also a twofold being in the Book of Life NOW Christ by his Word declareth that he would have an Elect Church or People throughout this World that should never be deceived by the Beast or false Prophet And that it was to his Disciples which came of the remnant of Israel unto whom Christ promised to be with to the end of the World Matth. 38.20 And that none should pluck them out of his hand And tho' the first Gentile Churches that received the Word from the mouth of the Disciples were likewise also Elected and fore-chosen of God and made partakers of the Holy Ghost yet their succeeding Generations were but raised to that from which Israel fell And God foreseeing that the Gentile Nations that embraced the Gospel would afterward fall away by having no love to the Truth but taking pleasure in unrighteousness as Israel and the People of Old had done Rom. 1.21,22 therefore it was determined of God they should be left to strong delusions to believe a Lye Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved 2 Thes 2.10,11,12 For which cause it was the determination of God that all that dwell upon the Earth should worship the Beast whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World Rev. 13.7,8 That is all the Kindreds and Tongues and Nations that dwell upon all the Earth that the Beast had dominion over should worship him except those whose Names were written in the Book of Life for the Word speaks to them that received it and it was those fell into the snare that had not a love to it but took pleasure in unrighteousness And Luther says that the Beast and false Prophet are generally comprehended under one head And the Lord saith Rev. 17.8 And they that dwell upon the Earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the World when they behold the Beast Now I have already proved by the Word in a Treatise concerning Election that there was no Election through the first World of People nor till after the miscarriage of Israel in the Wilderness Then did the Lord secure a certain remnant of them to himself at which time Israel was laid for the
in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats That the Sheep went into everlasting Life That is that none of them which the Lord then will receive into Mercy shall ever see Hell but have Everlasting Life although they may afterward taste of a Temporal Death According to which the Lord saith in John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see Death Now it is very clear that the Lord did not mean that they should not die a Temporal Death because vve see that all die So the Lord said of all the Sheep that they went into Everlasting Life because they were all of them then secured from Hell And St. John saith to them to whom he wrote wherein he includes himself John 3.14 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the brethren And the Lord saith John 6.50 This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die We see when the Lord hath taken away the sting of Death from his people he afterwards counts their departure hence not a dying So the Lord after this way of speaking said of his Sheep in the Parable that they vvent into Life Eternal Now if we will ever understand the Scriptures we must understand the Scripture way of speaking and when the Lord comes at which time his Sheep will be gaihered then will Christs Sheep be brought into One Fold and then shall we be all taught of God Then it is there will be One Fold and One Shepherd And then also shall Japhet dwell in ths Tents of Shem. And now as the very Elect follows the Lord through all Persecutions and Afflictions so Israel shall obey him in the fullness of all things Now the Lord when he was upon the Earth spake to the Jews in dark Sentences and Parables because they seeing might not see and hearing they might not understand The which makes the sayings of Christ more dark to us Now that the Waldenses and Albigenses are the very Elect spoken of by Christ it does certainly appear because they have ever remained undeceived by the Beast and False Prophets when all the rest of the World was fallen off according to the Declaration of the Angel in Rev. 17.8 The Beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless Pit and go into Perdition and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of Life from the foundation of the Wâ—…ld Now these Waldenses and Albigenses continuing stedfast and being never drawn off by the beast it doth certainly appear they are the very Elect spoken of by Christ Matt. 24.24 Now the Lord said to his Disciples Luk. 10.20 Rev. 21.27 Your Names are witten in Heaven But he did not say to them that their Names were written in Heaven from the foundation of the World and altho it doth appear that the Names of the Children of the Church are written in Heaven by what God said to Moses in Exod. 32.33 And the Lord said to Moses whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my book And by what David saith of the Enemies of Christ as in Psal 69.28 Let them be blotted out of the Book of the Living and not be written with the Righteous By which it doth appear that the Children of the Church as they come into the World that their Names are written in Heaven till by their Sin their Names are blotted out thence for the Covenant being made with them and their Children the which shews that the Childrens Names must be written in the Book of Life till such time that by their wilful sinning they Exclude themselves from the Mercy promised by that Covenant and then are their Names blotted out of the Book of Life Now whereas St. Paul in Ephesians saith That they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the World So here in the Revelations those that should remain a standing Witness are said to be Written in the book of Life from the foundation of the World the which fully declares there is a two fold meaning in it The which is as I have already proved to you Now it being impossible to deceive the very Elect it does thereby appear to be the Jews because there was a certain select number chosen of the Jews the which was according to the Election of Grace the which the words of St. Paul makes appear and the words of Christ doth seem to signify as much where he speaks of the Sheep which his Father had given him as in John 10.27,28,29 Now the Christian Jews were said to be all warned to go out of Jerusalem before the Destruction thereof but where they went we know not And they being Christians and living amongst the Christians it might be those that retained their Religion when all the rest fell away And so these Waldenses and Albigenses do therefore appear to be these Christian Jews because there is said there is a certain number of the sews that does follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth And also it is said when the Servants of God were to be Sealed there was a certain number of every Tribe Sealed excepting Dan Rev. 7.3,4 The Angel saying hurt not the Earth neither the Sea nor the Trees till we have sealed the Servants of â—od in their foreheads And I heard the number of them that were Sealed And there were Sealed an hundred forty and four thousand of all the Tribes of the Children of the Israel In the first place he saith he heard the number of them that were sealed but he does not tell us what that number was but leaving that he goes on and tells us how many were Sealed of all the Tribes of the Children of Israel And in the following verse he saith of every Tribe there was Sealed twelve Thousand And having spoken of the Sealing he saith in Rev. 9. After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues stood before the Throne clothed with white Robes and Palms in their Hands 10. v. And cried with a loud voice saying Salvation to our God which siteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb. This appears to be spoken of the raised Saints and the Glorious Tabernacle where the Throne of God will be And whereas he saith in the 11. v. And all the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and the four Beasts and fell before the Throne on their Faces and worshiped God Now these four Beasts doth seem to be the People of the Nations that are saved alive to live upon the Earth after the Glory of the Lord is manifest that then they will be gathered to Canaan to Worship where the Throne of God will be in the glorious Tabernacle Now in Rev. 4. There is no mention made of the multitude of People of all Nations that
The First Book A Clear and Brief Explanation upon the Chief Points of the New Testament The Second Book Proving the near Approach of Christ's Kingdom with the Signs of the Times The Third Book A Rehearsal of the Covenant of Moses with his then Prophecying of the Firing the Mountains Also proving the Root of Gall and Wormwood and the Root of Bitterness to be one and the same The Fourth Book The Figurative Speeches by which God hath veiled the Secrets contained in his Word until the Time of the End which is the Time determined by the Lord they should be revealed Dan. 12.4.7 Zech. 14.7 The Fifth Book The Christian Belief Shewing what a Christian ought to believe and how it is that Christ must be ours if we are his The Sixth Book Proving Three Worlds and Three Foundations The Sin against the Holy Ghost The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Battel of Gog and Magog The Seventh Book A short Collection of all the Heads of the Chief Points and Mistaken Places contained in the Scriptures that the Truth may the better be retained in our Memories By M. MARSIN LONDON Printed and Sold by Edward Pool at the Sign of the Half Moon under the Royal-Exchange Cornhill John Gwillim in Bishopigate-street over against the Royal James Mrs. Mitchel at the Crown and Cushion VVestminster-hall By Abel Roper at Black Boy over against St. Dunstan's-Church in Fleet-street 1698. Price Three Shillings NOw God of his mercy according to his promise hath made plain his Word let us take heed that we are not found like those that say to God We desire not the knowledge of thy ways Job 21.14 But let all take to the Lord's direction in the search of the Scriptures For he saith It is they that testifie of him John 5.39 Therefore we should not lean to Man nor our own received Opinion but see if those Truths which are here discovered are not made plain by the Word For the Scriptures as they declare the Lord's first comming so they do much more declare his second coming to Judge and Reign as by all the Prophets is foretold and likewise by the Apostles confirmed Acts 3.21 Now Christs first coming was but darkly set down so as not only the Jews but the Devils themselves were deceived thereby and therefore said Why art thou come to torment us before the time as knowing that Christ had a time in which he should Reign And as Christ first comming was fulfilled in the Letter of the Word so also will Christ's second coming be fulfilled in the Letter of the Word And it was because of Israels sinfulness that Christ was laid in Sion as a stumbling-stone so as they knew not the day of their Visitation and how can we clear our selves of the like guiltiness as not to fear that that day should overtake us as a snare seeing also it was for sin that the Gentile Churches were left to delusion because they tooke pleasure in Iniquity but the first Churches were not in darkness for that day to overtake them at unawares How comes it then that we are so much in the dark as to this matter Is it not because of Sin that we have lost the knowledge of it and therefore also have no desiâ—e to know it But the Lord according to his promise has now brought the true meaning of his Word to light that thereby knowledge might be increased and that the wise in heart may consider it and that by their example others by them may be brought to the knowledge of the Truth But whoever had rather the Glory of God and the good of Souls lie at stake then themselves found in a mistake let such consider how they will answer it at the great day And the Lord said My People are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hos 4.6 And not because God had rebrobated them nor because they were not his People A CLEAR and BRIEF EXPLANATION Upon the Chief Points In the New-Testament Where by laying Scripture to Scripture It is fully proved What is the Faith that Justifies And what it is to be a Believer Also the Faith of Abraham clearly explained and all other Controversal Points relating to Faith plainly Stated and Answered With the Remnant and first Churches peculiar Call Also the more General Callings Likewise proving that the Law and Gospel speaks only to those that are under them The whole laid down in a plain and easie Method fitted to the understanding of the meanest Reader By M. Mersen London Printed and Sold by John Clarke at the Bible in the Old Change John Gwillim in Bishops-gate-street over against the Royal James Mrs. Mitchel at the Crown and Cushion in Westminster-Hall and Mr. Garin over against the Crown Tavern in the Strand the corner of St. Clements Church Yard 1697. The TABLE THE Faith of Abraham clearly explained Chap. 2. p. 7 The Election of the Remnant and first Churches C. 3. p. 18 A Believer justified by Christ which they could not be by the Law of Moses explained Ch. 4. p. 31 Such as have believed may afterward fall away Chap 5. p. 35 The Conversion of the Jaylor explained Chap. 6. p. 37 The abolishing the Ceremonial Law Chap. 7. p. 39 Of things Strangled and Blood Chap. 8. p. 41 What is required of a Christian Chap. 9. p. 42 What we ought to fear and what we ought not to fear C. 9. p. 47 Christ being the Author of Faith explained Chap. 10. p. 49 What it is to be born of God Chap. 11. p. 50 How it is that he that is born of God Sinneth not Chap. 12. p. 52 The meaning of being born again explained Chap. 13. p. 54 The Wind blowing where it listeth explained p. 55 Of being in the Faith or turning Reprobate expl Chap. 14. p. 56 The everlasting Life that is now given the believer explained Chap. 15. p. 58 A Believer not coming into Condemnation exp Chap. 16. p. 60 A belief in Christ further explained Chap. 16. p. 65 Shewing who are they that are Condemned already Chap. 17. p. 72 The eternal purpose explained Chap. 18. p. 76 God Worlding all after the Councel of his own Will explained Chap. 19. p. 77 Chosen from the Foundation and before the Foundation Explained Chap 20. p. 80 The Call to the Eternal inheritance explained Chap. 21. p. 82 The Gifts and Callings of God explained Chap. 22. p. 84 Adding to the Church and ordaining to Eternal Life and Christ dying for the World explained Chap. 23. p. 85 Whereas Christ saith in believing that he is the Son of God is the Rock of which he built his Church and his Church is not only his Eact but likewise all them that they him against whom the gates of hel shall not prevail For he is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 For the Faith that God requireth of us is to believe that be is and that he is a
fore-mentioned promised new Covenant will not be made with the rest of the Nations that then will be called in as God by the Prophet hath declared Ezek 16.61 And after the thousand years when Satan is again loosed and the eminent glory of the Lord is not so visible among them then Satan will again draw off some of them that are spared of those Nations which are not secured by the everlasting Covenant and fire shall come down from Heaven and destroy them And then the Devil that deceived them will then be cast into the lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Beast and false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and for ever Rev. 20.3,9,10 From which words we are to take notice the Lord here declareth the continuance of day and night as also in Psa 89.36 â—7 And after the Devil is cast into Hell we read of no other than a temporal punishment inflicted on them of the Nations that will not go up to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and keep the feast of Tabernacles Zec 14.16,17 And how many thousand years it will be after Satan is cast into the fire of Hell before the final judgment the Lord best knoweth But by the word it is clear it will be many thousand years For God hath said He will keep Covenant and mercy to a thousand Generations Deut 7.9 And from Adam to this time we cannot well reckon above a hundred Generations For where St. Luke counts the Genealogy from Adam to Christ he reckons up but about three score Generations Luke 3. And this fore-mentioned Kingdom is the Kingdom of which the Angel told the blessed Virgin that Christ should Reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Luke 1.33 This ever chiefly includes the ever of the world to come in which time Christ will have his Reigning Power and at the time of the last Judgment when the Heavens and Earth are said to fly away Re. 20.11 The fore-mentioned Book explaineth the meaning thereof fully making it appear by the word there is two sorts of Heavens and Earth whereby it is clearly proved that the Kingdom of Christ will have no end according to the word of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin and according to the word of the Lord in Daniel But the Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever even for ever and ever Dan. 7.18 And God saith in Isaiah For as the New Heavens and the New Earth which I will make shall remain before me saith the Lord so shall your Seed and your Name remain Isa 66.22 For then it is God will give Israel a place of their own so as they shall move no more 2 Sam. 7.10 But we not apprehending there is three Evers three Times three Generations and three Worlds spoken of in Scripture thereby we have been much in the dark concerning this world to come And this world to come being the time that is chiefly comprehended in Psal 89.2 For I have said mercy shall be built up for ever thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very Heavens I have made a Covenant with my Chosen I have sworn to David my Servant Thy Seed will I establish for ever and build up thy Throne to all Generations Chap. X. The Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles being again kept NOw in that the feast of Tabernacles is again to be kept when all the other great Feasts are laid aside Zech. 14.16 it doth thereby appear that when Israel and those of the Nations which are saved are first gathered they will then again for some time dwell in booths as Israel did when they came out of Aegypt And therefore this feast to be kept for a remembrance in the ever of the time to come But some may say How can the Nations come up yearly to Jerusalem the Journy being so far distant from some But none need Question but God will make them of ability to do what he requires of them And whereas it is said That every one that is left of all the Nations That is every one of the Nations that were left should go up yearly to Jerusalem but not that it is there meant that every individual person of the Nations will be required to go up year by year unto Jerusalem but some of the heads of the Nations And therefore said in the 18 verse If the Family of Aegypt go not up c. Then a National punishment is threatned Now what we find written in the old and new Testament and nothing therein to contradict the plain meaning thereof that will of certain be fulfilled in the plain and clear way as it is expressed But that is a figurative Speech and not to be taken in the letter of the word where we find other Scriptures in contradiction to it There God hath a secret vail'd in it which he reserves until such time as he will have it revealed But what God commands to be done And what God declares he will have done And what God hath sworn he delights not in And what God hath absolutely promised to do And what God hath sworn he will do These things are to be taken as they are exprest or we are apostatized from the truth And it is at the Restauration of Israel that the Everlasting Covenant will be established as to which time God has sworn to Israel That he will not be wroth with them nor rebuke them any more Isa 54.8,9,10,11,12 For then God will put his fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Jer. 32.39,40,41 And concerning that time The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his Strength that he will no more give their Corn to be meat for their enemies neither shall the Sons of Strangers drink the Wine for which they have laboured Isa 62.8 This promise will be fulfilled when Jerusalem is made the praise of the earth as in the 7th ver Which is at the time of the Restitution of all things when the Lord again comes Acts 3.20,21,22,23,24 And then it is There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob Rom. 11.26 Isa 59.20 Then shall the Lord rore out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and Earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his People and the Strength of the Children of Israel Joel 3.16 This Zion or Jerusalem is meant of the glorious Tabernacles spoken of Heb. 8.2 But we all coming out of the Darkness of Popery have lost the right apprehension of this Kingdom or World to come whereby we are involved in great mistakes so as to think the promised everlasting Covenant is now established and that such as belong to it may fall foully but not finally but when that Covenant is established then it is that God will put his fear into their hearts so as
ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's Seed and heirs according to the Promise Now by all this we see that every true Christian comes into the Covenant to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ Now we know that both the Seeds of Abraham which came of Isaac were both Circumcised the which was â—he Seal or Sign of the Covenant So the Roâ—ans receive the Sign of Baptism as well as the â—rue Christians who take the word of God for â—he Rule of their Lives to which Christians is 〈◊〉 Promise made That unto all them that obey him â—hrist is become the Author of Eternal Salvaâ—on Now the Romans though they have the sign of Baptism yet wholly renounce Obedience to the will of God in his word the which he hath given both to Jew and Gentile as a rule to walk by Now Moses knowing by the Spirit of Prophesy that there would come in strangers to be joyned in Covenant with Israel in and through Christ and so become the Seed of Abraham of whom also there would be a Seed the which should prove an Esau Generation who would fall off from the true ways of Godliness and fall into Wickedness Pride and Cruelty and therefore when he speaks of the Jews miscarriage he hath joyned the miscarriage of these with them that is these degenerated Christians the which time and the event hath made clearly evident by the Destruction that he pronounced against their Land the which was never threatned against the Land of Canaan that that should become Brimstone Salt and Burning Neither hath any such thing ever falleâ— upon any part of the aforesaid Land But now God has made it plainly appear to whom these Prophesies did relate since in Sicily and Naples the threatned Judgments are evidently broken forth among them And Moses in Deut. 29.16,17,18 saith For ye know how we have dwelâ— in the land of Egypt and how we came through thâ— Nations which ye passed by And ye have seen their abominations and their idols wood and stone silvâ— and gold which are among them Lest there should be among you man or woman or family or tribe whose Heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God to go and serve the Gods of these Nations lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood By which we see that this has not its reference to the Body of Israel in that he mentions Man or Woman or Family or Tribe by which words the Body of Israel cannot be comprehended And whereas he saith lest there should be among you a root that beareth Gall and Wormwood Now a root doth signify one of the Tribes or the major part of a tribe for in the Scripture the greater number is taken for the whole and a Man or Woman or single family is but a bough or branch of a root Now a root hath its springing increasing and continuance and we know that the Tribes when spoken of singly are termed as one Man as Judah and Benjamin Manasses and Ephraim the which each of them signifies a Tribe Now those that are brought in to be of the Seed of Abraham by Christ come in as of the Lion of the Tribe of Judah from which Tribe there was a root of Gall and Wormwood to spring forth of which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.3 Except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed the Son of Perdition Ye see also that the Apostle here terms the Beast to be a Man And he also forewarneth the Hebrews of him c. 12.15 Bidding them looâ— diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God lest any root of bitterness spring up trouble you and thereby many be defiled 16. Lest there be any fornicator or prophane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright By these words we find also that out of this root of Bitterness would spring up trouble and thereby many should be defiled which by sad experience has been made evident And the Apostle also here compares him to Esau whose representative he is or Figure of him altho many degrees worse therefore for him is reserv'd the worser Punishment who as Esau parted with his Birthright so this Man here spoken of parted with the promised Blessing which was for Eternity for this World's morsel Now Moses in the forementioned verse at which I left off wherein he speaks of the root that beareth Gall and Wormwood of which he saith Deut. 29.19 And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this Curse and he blesseth himself in his Heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine Heart to add drunkenness to thirst 20. The Lord will not sparâ— him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousy shall smoke against that man and all the Curses that are written in this Book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under Heaven 21. And the Lord shall separate him unto evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to aâ—… the Curses of the Covenant that are written in this Book of the Law 22. So that the generation tâ— come of your Children that shall rise up after you and the stranger that shall come from a far Land shall say when they see the Plagues of that Land and the sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it 23. And that the whole land thereof is brimstone and salt and burning that it is not sown nor beareth nor any grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his anger and in his wrath Now we are to take notice what are the sins against whom God did by Moses pronounce these Ireful Judgments as in Deut. 29.18,19 Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace tho I walk in the imagination of mine heart to add drunkenness to thirst Now we are to consider what the Scripture calls Dunkenness besides that excess of drinking good Liquor In the first place God mentions another sort of Drunkenness by Moses Deut. 32.42 I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood And this Drunkenness which Moses speaks of is mentioned by St. John Rev. 17.6 And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the Martyrs of Jesus and when I saw her I wondred with great admiration Now this Woman that was thus Drunken is mystical Babylon as in the 5. v. of this chapter and in the 3. v. she is termed Babylon the great the mother of harlots and the abomination of the earth The Beast that beareth her that is beareth her up in her Grandeur and Greatness is the Pope which sets himself up as a God And this is the man that addeth Drunkenness to his thirst for he first thirsteth
after the Blood of the Saints of which he hath taken so much with her that they are become Drunken with it And in Rev. 16.6 It is said They have shed the Blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy And whereas Moses saith God would blot out that Mans Name from under Heaven So it is said in Rev. 19.20,22 That he was cast alive into the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone And as to what Moses saith in the 22. v. we are in especial manner to take notice of in that he saith The Generation to come of your Children in that he doth not here in the plural number say Generations but Generation Speaking after the manner of our Lord Christ David and others in that they mention this Wicked World as one Generation And the Elect with their Generations in the Glorious time another Generation And whereas he saith the stranger that shall come from a far Land up to Jerusalem he saith When they see the Plagues of that Land and the Sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it Here we see Moses does not term it Israel's Land or the Land they were going to possess or Canaan but that Land whereby it is plain it was not meant their Land Now after the Lord again comes and the Judgment of this World is past 't is said Zach. 14.16 Every one shall go up from year to year to Worship the King the Lord of Hosts And then it is those strangers that in their journey pass by that Land up to Jerusalem and see that the whole Land thereof is become Brimstone and Salt and Burning nor any Grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his Anger and in his Wrath Deut. 29.24 Even all the Nations shall say wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of his great Anger 25. Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt Now as I before shewed you the Covenant included strangers that were to be brought in for time to come which by Christ should become the Seed of Abraham And so also the Covenant was made with our Fathers when they came out of the Land of Egypt But you may say that Christ came out of one Tribe and therefore the Covenant not made with our Fathers which words include more than one Father To which I Answer That whilst Judah was in Egypt from him sprang many Fathers of Families But peradventure you may say that Christ could not come of all the Families of Judah To which I Answer That by the Father and Mother's side of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came there was then when this Covenant was made many of our Fathers also considering that then they lived to see the fourth Generation of their Children Now in the 26. v. forward Moses seems also to intermix Israel vvith this Degenerate Root for in the 26. v. he saith They went and served other Gods and Worshipped them Gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given unto them 27. v. And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against this Land to bring upon it all the Curses that are written in this Book That is This Land which he before had been speaking of on vvhich shall be made out all the severer Curses that are Written in this Book of the Lavv. And as many of the Curses as have not been inflicted on Israel and their Land will be inflicted on that Root that beareth Gall and Wormwood and their Land to whom the severest of them doth particularly belong as I before shewed you And Moses saith in the 28. v. The Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day 29. v. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God But those things which are revealed belong unto us and our Children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law Now whereas Moses saith in the 28. verse That the Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger in wrath and in great indignation The which words also have a reference to Israel because God for their Sins did cast out the Seed of Jacob out of their Land But whereas he saith The Lord cast them into an other Land as it is this Day But now when this question is said should be asked and this Answer return'd it was after the time of Restitution and to them of that Generation that are partakers of that blessedness which then will be revealed And whereas he saith cast them into another Land which was quite different from Judah's Curse for they were to be scattered into the Four Winds and from one end of the Earth to the other Therefore I fear the Land here spoken of that these are to be cast into will be that which is mentioned Job 10.22 A Land of Darkness as Darkness it self For the time when these words were spoken would not admit him more clearly to mention them Now Moses in Deut. 29.29 to let them understand that there was something here interwoven or that his words had a Two-fold meaning that Israel might not be too much discouraged and that also the true Christians might thereby be enlightned as concerning this Root of Bitterness when God shall open their Eyes to see it in that he saith to them Deut. 29.29 That secret things belong to God but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our Children Now there are a great many secret things in the Book of God which this Word may have some Reference to but to assure us here was a Secret and therefore to this place is this Word Secret linked only So in the following Chapter Deut. 30. he treats of Israel's repenting and returning and in the 6. v. he saith God will circumcise their heart and the heart of their Seed to love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul that they may live And he saith in the 7. v. The Lord thy God will put all these Curses upon thine Enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee 8. v. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments which I command thee this day 9. v. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy Fathers Now from the 10. v downward Moses speaks of the then time how they should walk with God For in the 11. v. he saith This commandment which I command thee this day
the rest therefore he cries out of the Wonderful things that is contained in his Law Novv were these Judgments that are here set down pronounced against the Land of the thirsty Drunkard with good Liquor I doubt there would not be much Land left either in Canaan or Christendom free from these Plagues here specified as well as Sicily and Naples for we need not doubt but most of the foresaid Land at one time or other hath had such owners But altho the Drunkard that Loves good Liquor is threatned with the wrath of God and Hell yet there is not this remarkable Curse threatn'd to their Land And there is nothing in the Word of God that is insignificant but hath its time to be made Evident And now is the near Approach of Israel's restoration it being now the time that the Whirlwinds are gone forth as in Jer. 30.22 Behold the whirl-wind of the Lord goeih forth with fury a continual whirl-wind which shall fall with pain upon the Head of the wicked The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return until he hath done it until he hath performed the intents of his heart In the latter days ye shall consider it BLessed News unto the Jews And to them that are Circumcis'd in Heart and Ear And unto them that will amend Blessedness doth them attend But unto them that will not hear Grief and Horror will be their share THE Figurative SPEECHES BY WHICH God has Veiled his Secrets Contained in His WORD Until the end of the Time which is the time determined by Him that they should be revealed And now by the Assistance of GOD The Scriptures being Opened by the Key of the Word the Secrets therein contained are made as plain to the understanding as a Riddle when unfolded By M. Mersen London Printed and Sold by John Clarke at the Bible in the Old Change John Guillim in Bishops-gate-street over against the Royal James Mrs. Mitchel at the Crown and Cushion in Westminster-hall and Mr. Garin over against the Crown Tavern in the Strand the corner of St. Clements Church Yard 1697. Christian Reader THis Book being done in hast is not so well done as it ought to have been yet therein is made manifest both the Wisdom of God and the Power of God And when I Writ this Book there was a dread stood over me as a Caution that I should not do the Work of the Lord negligently And there is but two or three things in it wherein I did lean to my own understanding or received Opinion without seeking to God concerning it And since in those things God by his Word hath made it plain to me that I was mistaken in them for I then thought that all that laid hold of the offered Mercy according as it is tendred in the Gospel was also termed the Elect as well as those that were fore-chosen and so then not reckoned with the World But afterwards I found by the Word that such were but in Covenant Neither did I then understand that the Christians when spoken of in the Old Testament in which they are often mentioned were all there termed Heathen both good and bad which since by the Word I have fully proved in another Treatise And likewise then I did not so well understand that the Lord by the Law and Gospel speaks but in a peculiar manner to them that are under it For the Heathen fall not under the same severe Condemnation as the wicked Christians will when the Lord again comes And therefore no such necessity to warn them for the Coming of the Lord whom they now know not but they may find Mercy according to the Word And it is the promise of God that Israel shall be restored when the Lord again comes as is fully proved in the following Treatise from the Prophets and Apostles As for such as find fault with my quoting of Esdras saying that he was not mentioned either by Christ or any of the Apostles To which I answer Neither were several other of the Prophets that are spoken of in the Old Testament But if any say he is not mentioned there they assert that which is false For Ezra in the Old Testament is the same Person which in the Apocrypha is called Esdras For in Ezra Chap. 10. the 9 16 17. Verses is exactly the same with that in 1 Esdras 9. Chap. 5 6 17. Verses And also as in Nehemian 2.4 the like is again said in the 1 Esdras 9.40,42 By which places it is fully made appear That it was one and the same man who after the Captivity caused Israel to put away their strange Wives being met together at Jerusalem on the Twelfth day of the Ninth Month at which time was the great Showre of Rain And also he stood upon a Pulpit of Wood and Read the Law to all the People on the First day of the Seventh Month. As to the difference of the Name the one was taken out of the Hebrew the other out of the Caldean Tongue But as for our Ancient Expositors who placed not his Prophesies among the Prophets it was because themselves erred from the Truth For they newly coming from under the darkness of Popery and so did not rightly understand the Scriptures for they apprehended that none but the Elect could be saved But now it is fully proved by the Word that all that are found in obedience are Heirs to the promise whether Elect or not Elect. They likewise have denied the Restitution of all things which God by the mouth of all his holy Prophets hath declared Acts 3.21 and so likewise by Esdras After I Writ this Book I found there was several other places in Scripture in controversie which was not in this Treatise answered which made me defer the finishing of it till such time as God had innabled me to make plain those other places which were in dispute which by Gods assistance I have accomplished Oh! that we would improve the knowledge of the Truth to our Souls Eternal Advantage is the Prayer of your Friend and Servant in Christ M. M. ERRATA PAg. 3 l. 5. from the bottom in Revelations blot s. p. 6 l. 2. r. Hosts p. 41. l. 8. f. 4. r. 14. l. 9. f. 1. r. 2. p. 55. l. 17. f. is r. are p. 66. l. 24. f. beast r. beasts p. 69. l. 16. f. doth r. do p. 97. l. 13. blot by p. 104. l. 24. r. book p. 108. l. 9. r. written p. 116. l. last r. be p. 117. l. 1. blot saith p. 119. l. 24. r. Hannah p. 131. l. 14. r. meant l. 16. r. for the that p. 133. l. 20. r. Vesuvius p. 134 l. 3. r. Tanrmins p. 135. l. 25. r. rest p. 137 l. 28. r. speaking p. 141. l. last r. kingdom p. 155. l. 5. r. exterminated p. 169. l. 8. r. accepted l. 16. blot of The TABLE OF the World that Perished p. â— Figurative Heavens and Earth p. â— Elements p. â— Rise of the Beast p. 12
God speaking of the Princes and people of Judah wherein he saith in v. 2. Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth for the Lord hath spoken I have nourished and brought up children and they have rebelled against me Can we think that God here spoke to the material heavens and earth that has no ears or understanding No it was to the Princes of Judah and their people to let them understand why he was displeased with them And again God saith in Jer. 6.19 Hear O Earth behold I will bring evil upon this people even the fruit of their own thoughts because they have not hearkned unto thy words nor to my law but rejected it You see here that this Earth is the people of the world which God doth hear Alarm with his displeasure against Judah And God saith in Jer. 22.29 O Earth Earth Earth hear the word of the Lord. 30. Thus saith the Lord write ye this Man Childless a Man that shall not prosper in his days You see here in this place that the Earth was not only to hear the word of the Lord but to do some thing and what is it But to write this man which was the King of Judah Childless and that he should not prosper Now upon consideration none can be so stupid as to think that God call'd on the massy lump of Earth which we tread on to hear his word and to write this Man childless And the Lord speaking of the destruction of his people in Isa 5. by Nebuchadnezzer in which he declares how the enemies should come up against Israel saith in v. 30. And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the Sea And if one look into the land behold darkness and sorrow and the light is darkned in the heavens thereof Whereas the Lord saith darkness in the land that is sorrow and darkness among the people of the land And whereas the Lord saith the light is darkness in the heavens thereof that is the heavens of that land which was the King Princes and Priests thereof And St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.8 Beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day And in v. 10 he tells us That the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat The Earth also and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up Whereas he saith in the forementioned Verse But the Heavens and Earth which are now are reserved unto fire and in the 10th Verse he saith That the Heavens shall past away with a great noise That is That the wicked Powers will so pass away with terrible shriekings thorough the fiery Indignation of the Lord. And whereas he saith That the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the which Elements are the Elements that the body of Mankind is made up of For they are composed of the 4 Elements According to this it is said in Psal 37.20 The Enemies of the Lord shall be as the â—at of Lambs they shall consume into Smoke shall they consume away And whereas he saith That the Earth and the Works that are therein shall be burnt up That is with the forementioned Tempell spoken of in Ps 11.6 the which shall carry off all the wicked and then the Earth and Air will be purified by Fire as it was before by water at which time Israel with the rest of the Elect of God will be secure in the Holy Land between Mount Olivet underneath that glorious Tabernacle the which the Lord shall pitch and not Mâ—n the which I shall hereafter prove and then 't will be according to the saying of the Psalmist When the nicked are cut off thou shalt see it and then 't is as in Psalm 91.4 He shall cover thee with his Feathers under his wings shalt thou trust And it is said in the 8th Verse Onely with thine Eyes shalt thou behold and see the Reward of the wicked that which this whole Psalm treats of is the security of his people at the time of the wickeds Overthrow Whereas he tells us That One Day is with the Lord as a Thousand Years and a Thousand Years as One Day After which he tells us the Day of the Lord will come which is not the Natural Day nor the Artificial Day the Old World was not destroyed in such a Day Neither did the Ram's Horns blow down Jericho in such a Day But it is that Day which is spoken of in Acts 17.31 where it is said That God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in Righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead But you may say Where will the Thousand Years Reign be when the Heavens and Earth are burnt up as St. Peter saith in the 7th Verse of the forementioned Chapter Pray forget not the Apostles saying wherein he tells us The Heavens and Earth which are now God hath reserved unto fire For those that were in the Old World those shall continue as then so now the being of Heaven and Earth at the Restitution or in the world to come or New Jerusalem-state only they will appear more illustrious when the darksome Clouds are dispersed and then the Earth will be renewed to that Perfection as it was in the first Creation But as to the Heavens which are now whereof St Peter speaketh his meaning is the Principalities and Powers which are carrying on the Rule of the darkness of this World and by the Earth the meaner sort which are filling up their measure of Iniquity the which the Old World did admit of no such dstinction in it And also by the Heavens is comprehended the Teachers and those that should have been the Teachers of the Word for if they are called Gods to whom the Word of God came as in John 10.35 why not those called Heavens to whom the Word of God was entrusted to enlighten the World withal And as our Lord saith to his Disciples in Mat. 5.14 Ye are the Light of the world And in the book called The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs which they spake to their Children before their Death wherein Levi in his last Charge to his Sons tells them They be the Light of the Heavens as the Sun and the Moon And he said unto them What shall all the Heathen do if you be over darkned with wickedness and bring Cursedness upon your Countryfolk for whose sake the Light of the world is put into you to enlighten all men withal This Light of the world shall you most willfully steal and teach Commandments contrary to the Righteousness of God Here by all this you see that those to whom the word of God is committed are term'd the Light of the World and the
in it that cannot be by reason in the Bowels or Heart of the Earth will be the Devils and all the Damned And man is now said to dwell on the Face of the Earth and not in it And therefore this New Earth wherein is said will dwell Righteousness is as I have here shewed you but as to the outward Fabrick of Heaven and Earth they will be wholly renewed and we know what the Word calls a New Creature is but a Renewed Creature So this Heaven and Earth will be renewed except that part unto which God has denounc'd that dreadful Curse against the which will stand as a Remembrancer of the Ages to come as the Lake of Sodom has been a standing Witness in this our World of God's sore displeasure against Sin But the Prophet Isaiah in the 30th Chapter informs us how the Excellency of the Heavens and Earth will appear in ver 25. he saith There shall be upon every high Mountain and upon every high Hill Rivers and Streams of Waters in the Day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall 26. Moreover the Light of the Moon shall be as the Light of the Sun and the Light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the Light if the seven days in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroke of their wound Now he here tells us again when the Earth is to be so replenished or renewed that it is in the day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall He also tells us That it is the Day in which the Lord will bind up the breach of his People and heal the stroke of their wound And then will the Light of the Moon be as the Light of the Sun and the Light of the Sun shall be sevenfold as the Light of Seven Days Isa 30.27,28,29,30,31 Behold the Name of the Lord cometh from far burning with his Anger and the burden thereof is heavy his Lips are full of Indignation and his Tongue as a devouring fire 28. And his Breath an overflowing stream shall reach to the midst of the Neck to sift the Nations with the Sive of Vanity and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people causing them to err Because they have no delight in the waies of the Lord therefore they will be snared that they may be taken 29. But Israel shall have a Song in the night as when a holy solemnity is kept and gladness of heart as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord to the mighty one of Israel 30. And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard and shall shew the lighting down of his arm with the indignation of his anger and with the flame of a devouring fire with scattering and tempest 31. for through the voice of the Lord shall the Assirian be beaten down which smote with a rod. By the Assirian here is comprehended Israels enemies which now holds them in bondage as the Assirian did formerly And Isa speaking of Israel in the 29 Chap. v. 5 c. Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like the small dust and the multitude of thy terrible ones shall be as chaff that passes away Yea it shall be at an instant suddenly v. 6. Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of Hosts with Thunder and with Earthquake and great noise with storm and Tempest and Flame of devouring fire v. 7. And the multitude of all the Nations that fight against Ariel even all that fight against her and her munition and that distress her shall be as a dream of a night vision v. 8. And it shall be as when a hungry man dreameth and behold he eateth but he awaketh and his Soul is empty Or as when a thirsty man dreameth and behold he drinketh but he awaketh and behold he is faint and his Soul hath appetite So shall the multitude of all the Nations be that fight against mount Sion v. 9. Stay your selves and wonder Cry ye out and cry they are drunken but not with wine they stagger but not with strong drink v. 10. For the Lord hath poured out upon you the Spirit of deep Sleep and hath closed your eyes the Prophets and your Rulers and Seers hath he covered 11. v. And the Vision of all is become unto you as the words of a Book that is sealed which when men deliver to one that is learned saying read this I pray thee and he saith I cannot for it is sealed v. 12. And the book is delivered to him that is not Learned saying read this I pray thee and he saith I am not Learned Now of certain this Scripture doth in a particular manner point to us Christians that are now in the latter day for the beginning of the Chapter treats of the Destruction of Jerusalem And the 5. v. downward speaks of the Destruction of the World and Israels Enemies with the extraordinary Stupidity that they should then lie under And the Prophet in v. 11. hath hinted it fully to us Wherein he tells us the vision of all is become as a book that is sealed That is wherein is comprehended the destruction of the world the restoration of the Jews and the Glory of Christs Kingdom And Isa Saith in the 65. Chap. v. 17. For saith the Lord Behold I create new heavens and a new earth And the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind v. 18. But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create For behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy Whereby you may see plainly that this new heavens and earth will be at the restoration of the Jews And in the 19th Verse the Lord saith I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the Voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying V. 20. There shall be no more thence an Infant of Days nor an Old Man that hath not fill'd his Days for the Child shall die an hundred Years old but the sinner being an hundred Years old shall be accursed V. 21. And they shall build Houses and inhabit them and they shall plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them V. 22. They shall not build and another inhabit they shall not plant and another eat for as the days of a Tree are the days of my People and my elect shall long injoy the work of their hands V. 23. They shall not labour in vain nor bring forth for trouble for they are the Seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them v. 24. And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer and whilest they are yet a speaking I will hear Now we must not take this sinner here spoken of neither to be in Jerusalem nor one of Israel but of some of those Nations that were saved which afterwards their Seed may fall off For in Jer. 31.33,34,35,36,37,38,40 There
Nations that come against Jerusalem 10. v. And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his onely Son and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his first born Here in these verses the Lord tells us that at the restoration of Jerusalem the weak Saint shall be as the house of David and the house of David shall be as God That is as David was King over them so will Christ the Lord who is as God And then shall they see him whom they have pierced As also it is said in Rev. 1.7 Behold he cometh with the Clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all the Kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him Now it will be when the Lord comes in the Clouds of Heaven that they shall see him whom they have pierced And the people shall mourn apart as in Zach. 12.12 The land shall mourn every Family apart the Family of the house of David apart and their wives apart the Family of the house of Nathan apart and their wives apart 13. v. The Family of the house of Levy apart and their wives apart the Family of Shinei apart and their wives apart all the Families that remain every Family apart and their wives apart Here we see there is no mention made of the Mourning of them of Juda which is spoken of in the 7. v. by which it does more plainly appear to be the true Christians they coming in by the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah And it is said in Esdras 5.8 There shall be a confusion also in many places and fire shall be oft sent out again Which Word of the Lord is made good by the often repeated fires that he has lately sent out of Mount Etna and Vesivius And it is now according to what is said in Esdras 5.12 At the same time shall men hope and nothing obtain they shall labour but their ways shall not prosper And also it is said in Esdras 6.24 At that time shall Friends fight one against another like Enemies and the Earth shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein the Springs of the Fountains shall stand still and in three hours they shall not run Now whereas it is said the Earth shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein Which Earth is the Earth of people which stands in fear of those Armies which are amongst them And as for the Springs of the Fountains standing still they did so at Taurmins and thereabouts in the year 1694. And also the Springs of Water were stopt for some time in Jamaica in the great Earthquake This Book of Esdras has been laid aside because they apprehended not the Restoration of the Jews should be at the Judgment of this World and their Glory to be in the Renewed Heaven and Earth at Christ's Second Coming Although it is all along declared to be so both in the Old and New Testament but in some places more veil'd Now this Esdras is the same which is called Ezra in that Book set down in the Bible before Nehemiah For in Ezra 10th chap. the 9 16 and 17. verses is exactly the same with that in the first Book of Esdras the 9th chap. 5 6 16 and 17. verses As to the difference of the Name the Prophets are not in the New Testament named as they are in the Old Testament Now since the Signs are come which the Lord hath given us to prepare our Hearts for him that thereby we may be continually upon our Watch longing and waiting for his coming and that we may be found of him in peace and not of the Tares that are said in the Parible to be bound in bundles and cast into the Fire of Hell I shall now here speak of the new Jerusalem which is spoken of in Rev. 21.1 wherein St. John saith He saw a new Heaven and a new Earth For he tells us that the first Heaven and the first Earth were passed away And in the 6. c. from the 13. v. to the 17. he tells us there of Stars falling the Heavens being rolled together and also every Mountain and Island were moved out of their places and the Kings of the Earth and the great men the Rich Men the chief Captains the mighty men every bound man and every free man hid themselves in Dens and Rocks of the Mountains and said to the Rocks and Mountains fall on us and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb for the great day of his wraâ—h is come and who shall be able to stand I shall not here inlarge upon it because I have already proved it unto you what are the Heavens that will be rolled together whilst the Kings of the Earth for some time remain upon the Earth to be ruled with a rod of Iron till dashed to pieces like a Potters Vessel That is those wicked Kings that have been the Afflictors of the Servants of Christ and so continue without repentance until the Lord comes Here we may see that the writings of this Book by this place and others has been very much misplaced in that they have set down the great day of the Wrath of the Lamb and the destruction of the World before the rice of the Beast And in the 14. chap. from the 15. v. to the 20. it treats of the Earth being Reaped and also the Vine of the Earth being reaped was cast into the Wine-press of the wrath of God which Wine-press was trod without the City Thus the Earth with the Vine of the Earth being reaped are the Heavens and Earth which are said to pass away And in the 20. v. it is said the Wine-press is trod without the City And in Rev. 22.14,15 it is said Blessed are they that do his Commandments that they may have right to the tree of Life and may enter in through the Gates into the City For without are Dogs and sorcerers and Whoremongers and Murderers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie This City here mentioned being the City spoken of in the 14. c. at the 20. v. Where the Wine-press is said to be trod without the City And the 14. chap. is much misplaced by reason it is set before the Fall of Babilon And also the two last Chapters are misplaced which treats of the New Jerusalem in that they have placed them beyond the final and last Judgment For this New Jerusalem being the City without which the Wine-press was trod And without which were Dogs and Sorcerers Now had this City been after the final Judgment it would not have been said without were whoremongers and Idolaters Sorcerers and the like for such being in Hell have then no such term for then they
Siria and others that are of this Elder World shall serve the younger of which I have given a more full Account in the foregoing Part. Not only so but the younger sort of them whose Parents are now Enemies to the Church yet their Children that has not been guilty shall be spared and not cut off with the rest of the wicked For in Joel 3. where it speaks of the Judgment of this World the Lord saith in the 8th Verse I will sell your Sous and Daughters into the hand of the Children of Judah and they shall sell them to the Sabeans to a people far off for the Lord hath spoken it Sheba being part of the Elect that will be called in at the coming of the Lord. As it is said in Isaiah 60.6 And also the Lord said 2 Esdras 6.18,19 to 28. Behold the days come that I will begin to draw nigh and to visit them that dwell upon the Earth And I will begin to make inquisition of them what they be that have hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness and when the afflictions of Sion shall be fulfilled And when the world that shall begin to vanish away shall be finished then will I shew these tokens The books shall be opened before the firmament and they shall see altogether And the Children of a year old shall speak with their voices the women with Child shall bring forth untimely Children of three or four months old and they shall live and be raised up And suddenly shall the sound places appear unsound the full store-houses shall suddenly appear empty And the Trumpet shall give a sound which when every man heareth they shall be afraid At that time shall friends fight one against another like enemies and the Earth shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein the Springs of the Fountains shall stand still and in three hours they shall not run Whosoever remaineth from all these that I have told thee shall escape and see my salvation and the end of your world And the men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their Birth and the heart of the inhabitants shall be changed and turned into another meaning For evil shall be put out deceit shall be quenched As for faith it shall flourish corruption shall be overcome and the truth which hath been so long without fruit shall be declared Rom. 9.8 This is the Seed which St. Paul speaks of in V. 8. Where he saith the Children of the promise are counted for the Seed And also the Lord by Esdras has given us to understand that the innocent children shall not be taken away in the Judgment with their parents And the Lord also in V. 9. of this Chap. saith 2 Esdras 6.9 Esau is the end of this world and Jacob the begining of it that followeth Now as to what the Lord said to Rebecca concerning these two brothers before they had done good or evil was no other then that the Elder should serve the younger for God did not then say that he loved Jacob and hated Esau Therefore the Apostle makes a stop and begins again wherein he saith in V. 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated Which words of the Lord are said in Mal. 2.3 After Esau was wicked and the world with him But these words of the Lord in Mal. hath also a prophetical reference as to the glorious time to come in which time Jacob will appear the beloved and Esau the hated That is the figurative Esau by which is signified the wicked of the world but in more especial manner that Esau which is Term'd the degenerate root by reason the Lord saith he hath laid his mountains and heritage wast for the Dragons of the Wilderness For this curse is only pronounc'd to them that their land shall be inhabited with fearful Creatures And it is the usual way of the Lord to speak of things that are to come as tho they were already done For when these words of the Lord were spoken to Malachy Esau was more flourishing then Jacob. For at that time Israel had displeased the Lord and for his Sins his Mountains were laid wast before those of Esau's And when those Mountains of Esau were laid wast they were not made partâ—kers of those Judgments And St. Paul knowing that those words of the Lord in Malachy had reference for the time that is now to come therefore he here mentions them as treating of that time also And after he had here rehearsed the word of the Lord in saying Rom. 9.14,15 Jacob have I Loved and Esau have I hated He saith in v. 14. What shall we say then is there unrighteousness with God God forbid V. 15. For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion The which words were said to Moses by the Lord in the time that the Lord chose Israel to set them above the rest of the Nations At which time he brought them out of the Land of Egypt with signs and wonders to fix them on the midst of the Earth for the Exalting of their Glory and to allure thereby the World that they might be brought into the Knowledg of God Of which the Patriarch Levy said in his last Will and Testament If you should be over-darkned with Error what shall all the Heathen do But Israel falling into sin and error was cast off and the Heathen for a time taken in in their room But for the Oaths sake God made with their Fathers they shall be again taken in and made partakers of that everlasting blessedness promised to them And whereas St. Paul saith in the 16th verse So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy These words admit of a two sold meaning The one is that we are so far fallen that of our selves we can neither will nor run but it is God that sheweth Mercy in calling us renewing and inlightning us in the knowledg of himself whereby we are put into a Capacity to will and run The which if we so do and continue to do we shall undoubtedly find mercy for it is through our own default if once enlightned we again fall off And therefore St. Paul saith who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth The which can be no other than our own corrupt Affections the subtil Instigations of Satan or pressing Afflictions Against all which we must daily go to God by servent Prayer for his support and assistance and if we so do he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee But as to what was said here in the 16th verse I chiefly apprehend it is spoken of the time when the Lord again comes that then they will be seeking and running to enter into Life but then their willing and running will not be available having neglected the offer
the Glory of God in that it did so much Eclipse his Justice and Mercy in making of him so partial a Judg and also hurls the Soul into a sleeping Lethargy of security whilst they fancy themselves thus Elected and makes them unmindful of the knowledg of the coming of the Lord although he has told us if he comes upon us in an hour that we are not aware of he will give us our Portion with Hypocrites and Unbelievers Now having all along shewed you what was the Election or Calling of the first Christian Churches the which was after they were ingrafted in Christ they were to fight to keep their ground Heb. 6.4,5 so as to make their calling and Election sure for else as I have proved the very Sealings of the Spirit might be cancelled to them And although the Names of the Children of the Church are written in Heaven yet they may be blotted out thence For God said to Moses Exod. 32.33 Whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my Book And after God had espoused Israel he is said to give her a Bill of Divorce Isa 50.1,2 And the Lord to the Church of Philadelphia saith hold fast that thou hast that no man take they Crown And Christ also saith Rev. 22.19 If any man take away from the words of the Book of this Prophesy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and from the things that are written in this Book We see that this was spoken to them that had a share in the Book of Life to let them know that if they did wickedly their part therein would be lost that is taken from them Of the Election of Children NOW as to the Election of the Children of the Church the which every sincere Hearted Christian is a Member If any of their Children dye in their Infancy before they have been guilty of actual Sin they are taken into Mercy as being in Covenant Acts 2.29 For the promise is unto you and to your Children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call And also the Covenant was made with their little ones Deut. 29.11 And St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 7.14 The unbelieving Husband is Sanctified by the Wife and the unbelieving Wife is Sanctified by the Husband Else were your Children unclean but now are they holy Then if they are Holy they are fit for Heaven if taken away before they commit sin And the Lord saith in Esdras 2.29 My hands shall cover thee so that thy Children shall not see Hell By what is here said it is certain that all the Children of true Believers that are begotten after their Parents are Regenerated are holy and if they die in their Infancy will be blessed Now the Children of Believing Parents being from their Birth in Covenant with God they are by their Parents to be brought up in the strict ways of Holiness that they may grow in Knowledg and the fear of the Lord and not look in for a New Call but to walk with all diligence in the ways of God that they may be made partakers of Eternal Life which God hath promised to them that obey him for God requireth fruit of us as he did of Israel we being the Children of the Visible Church which if he finds not we shall likewise also be cut off And God wonderfully commendeth Abraham where he saith Gen. 18.19 I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him But we have not followed the Example of Abraham But O that we would consider our ways to be Wise and cry out mightily to him that is able to save us for he hath said They that seek me shall find me if they search for me with the whole heart So if we are not wanting to our selves God will be found of us But gray Hares are upon us altho we know it not O that we were well awakend out of this sleeping Lethargy of sloth and security so as to take hold of the Covenant of God and Mercy as it is offered by Christ and to give our selves wholly up to him beging strength of him that we may be inabled to live unto him and perform the Conditions that â—e requireth of us Now as to the special Elect. The which the Lord terms the very Elect where he saith Mat. 24.24 If it were possible they should deceive the very Elect. And also of whom the Angel makes mention of where he saith in Rev. 17.8 And they that dwell on the Earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the Foundation of the World The which Foundation is as I have already proved to you which Foundation of the World was laid in Israel when the Lord fixt them in the Land of Canaan For Israel was chosen to be the Foundation of the World of people which is now to come And at which Foundation Christ was figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb. And the Lord foreseeing the miscarriage of Israel it doth appear that God would have a certain number so secured as they should not fall away but to remain as standing witnesses through the World Whilst the rest were but put in a Capacity of obedience Now at the destruction of the old World it is said Gen. 6.8 Noah found grace in the Eyes of the Lord. And it is said in the 9. v. Noah was a just man and perfect in his Generations and Noah walked with God That is had walked in obedience to God and had improved the Talent which God had given him Whilst the other had wholly corrupted their ways As in the 12. v. And God looked upon the Earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the Earth But God finding Noah in the Capacity that he had put him in that he had not corrupted his way but had improved the Talent which he had given him therefore was blessed of him By which we may plainly see that there was no absolute election through the first World And it doth appear when God had again renewed the World in Noah As in Gen. 9.1 And God blessed Noah and his Sons and said unto them be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every Beast of the Earth and upon every Fowl of the Air upon all that moveth upon the Earth and upon all the Fish of the Sea into your hand are they delivered Now although after the floud God had restored to man his power again and put them all into a fresh Capacity of obedience yet notwithstanding they did almost all backslide again Then God chose Abraham and blessed him As in Gen. 12.1 And afterward he proved him Gen. 2. And
then Farther confirmed the blessing to him as in Gen. 22. And at the time appointed according to his Promise God did appear to deliver his Seed out of the Land of Egypt and when he brought them into the Wilderness he is said to prove them there And God kept Moses in the Mount with him but forty days and Israel was all fallen off to Idolatry for which the Lord would have destroyed them all as in Exod. 32.10,11,12 Where God saith now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them and that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great Nation But thro' the Prayers of Moses as in the 11. v. the Fierce Anger of the Lord was asswaged The which gives us to understand that there was no such absolute Election at that time But rather from that time God might give Christ a certain number whose names might then be written in the Book of Life that they should be as a standing witness through this World if in case the Devil should at any time draw off the rest yet still there should remain a standing Witness the which should own the Truth by which means those that did desire the ways of Holiness might be recovered out of Darkness again by coming to have the knowledg of the Truth and following their Example Now St. Stephen saith in Acts 7.34 That it was Christ that was in the Church in the Wilderness And Israel then being chosen for the foundation of the World to come it does thereby fully appear that their Names were then put into the Book of Life who should be a standing witness through the World and so secured in Christ as they should not fall away Of whom St. Paul speaketh in the Romans after he had spoken of the wilful miscarriage of Israel whom God hath put into a capacity of Obedience as in Rom. 10.21 But to Israel he saith all the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying People But he afterward speaking of the Special Elect he saith Rom. 11.2 God hath not cast away his People which he foreknew That is foreknew of the Church by their close walking with him and also in especial manner he doth here mean the very Elect whose Names were written in Heaven from the Foundation of the World Of whom he saith in Rom. 11.5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the Election of Grace Now in the foregoing verse he there tells them that God reserved to himself seven Thousand who had not bowed the Knee to the Image of Baal So as there was then so there was when Christ came a Number according to the Election of Grace the which were as a gift from the Father to Christ And of these Christ speaks in John 10.27,28,29,30 My sheep hear my Voice and I know them and they follow me And I give unto them Eternal Life and they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of my hand My Father which gave them me is greater than all and none is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hand I and my Father are one Here we see Christ does own these as a gift from the Father and that they are so absolutely given as they can never fall away Now of his other Sheep the Lord speaketh after another manner to let them know they stand not so securely For he saith John 15.2,5,6,9,10,12,14 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away And he saith I am the Vine ye are the branches 〈◊〉 he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing 6. If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned 9. As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love 10 If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I keep my Fathers Commandments and abide in his love 12. This is my Commandment that you love one another as I have loved you 14. Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you Here we see our standing is but upon Conditions and the Conditions is the continuance in our Obedience the which if we do not perfist in though we were ingrafted into Christ we shall be broken off and cast into the fire And although we are in the love of Christ yet we may through our own default not continue in it whilst the other sheep are so absolutely fixed in Christ that they cannot fall away And in John 6.35,37 And Jesus said unto them I am the Bread of Life he that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst This includes their continuance in believing the which belief is a practical belief as I have elsewhere proved where I have spoken of it And Christ saith John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Now this was spoken to the Jews that believed not therefore Christ told them That all that the Father had given him should come to him because from them were a certain number of the special Elect And Christ encourages all to come to him for he saith he that cometh to him he will in no wise cast out So as none need fear being left of God if they do not first forsake him And that we may not forsake him let us never trust our selves with our selves but continually beg strength and grace of him whereby we may be enabled to live unto him and if we so do we shall find a continual support from him And to be sure none of the Jews was left of God to blindness of mind that had in sincerity lived in Obedience but the blindness fell on them that had leaves only That is an Outward shew of Godliness but denying the Power thereof Acts 13.26 And the Lord saith in John 6.39,40 And this is the Fathers will which sent me that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day This also includes the special Elect and by the Last Day is meant the Last Day of this World But the Lord saith in 40 v. And this is the will of him that sen◠me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day Here this includes all believers shewing That if they do believe it is then the Will of God that they should so continue that they might have everlasting Life By which it is very clear That God doth not withdraw from any that believe because that he would damn them but it is they first forsake him and so fall away For it is the Will of God our continuance in
they that Seek him shall find him if they search for him with the whole heart Christ saith VVhosoever will let him come And tho we can do nothing without Gods assistance for in him we live moâ—e have our being it is he that hath laid the Spiritual meat before us Hosea 11.4 whereby to guide our feet into the way of peace hath promised that whilst they 〈◊〉 the way he will be with them And the Prodigal that knew that he had wandered from his fathers House first lookt home before his father lookt on him and tho God may some times go out of his ordinary way of working and pluck as it were a brand out of the burning yet he no longer securely stands then he is found in his obedience for it is those that will fall under the condemnation that will not choose the fear of the Lord Prov 1.29 but for those that thro long continuance in sin have seared their Conscience whereby they become left of God to a stupid sense it is such cannot learn to do well no more then the Ethiopian can change his Skin c. but whilst we have a sense to see the evil inclinations which our natures are prone to we may continually pray Lord turn thou us and we shall be turned And if man does his endeavour God will never be wanting to such And if we resist the devil he will flee from us And if we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to us James 4.7,8 But whereas the Lord saith No man can come to me except the Father draw him And the drawings of God are the tenders of his Grace with the good motions of his Spirit and checks of Conscience the which the old World and Israel had till they resisted for which they were condemned Gen. 6.3 Acts 7.51 And whereas the Lord saith Except a Man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven This was spoken to Nicodemus who had embraced this present World and therefore came to Jesus by Night as being ashamed to own him and such are to be born again or brought off from the World or they cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven as is more fully proved in the book where the Faith of Abraham is fully explained and also there in is made appear what is meant by the Wind blowing where it listeth and likewise therein is shewed Who they are that are not under the condemning power of the Law for their past sins Rom. 3.25 but under Grace that they are such as will and do walk in Newness of Life and if we will enter into Life we must keep the Commandments Mat. 19.17 For all are his servants to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of Obedience unto Righteousness Rom. 6 16. And whereas it is said It is not for the works of Righteousness that we have done but of his Mercy he saved 〈◊〉 This was spoken of the Elect who wâ—… then brought out of Idolatry and has no reference to us as is proved XXII Whereas the Apostle said Ye are saved by Grace not of works that is Man could not perform good works to that perfection as to become justified by them without the Merits of Christ and therefore saved by Grace but there is none that live in the performance of good works but shall be rewarded according to their works Rev. 22.12 The Eternal Life that is now in this time given the Believer excepting the very elect which is the standing witness is no otherwise given then it was to Adam and Eve in Paradise for had they never sinned they should never have dyed so the true Believer that believes salvation is to be had in the way of his obedience according to the word of the Lord he shall never be cast off but the Man that Departs from the Lord by wilful committing Iniquity he is no longer a Believer according to the Gospel as is proved XXIII Whereas the Lord said when he sent his Disciples forth to preach the Gospel to all the World He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16,17 That is He that believeth the Doctrine that he sent them forth to Teach and the Mercy and Condemnation was to them that accordingly Believed or refused Believing the same as not to obey the truth Mat. 28.19,20 For the Lord speaks by the Law and Gospel but to them that hears it as proved But whereas Christ said He that Believeth not is condemned already This the Lord spake to the Jews who had heard him but believed not and therefore were condemned and thereby it also sheweth that more of Israel might have been saved had they been willing to take hold of the offered Mercy I here gather so many heads together that thro' the misinterpretation of the Scriptures Satan might not beguile so many of their Souls for if we take a text of Scripture as it stands alone without weighing how it is spoken and what the whole scope of the Scripture tends to we may raise as falce Doctrine as God is True O God who of thy great Mercy hath made thy word plain in those things we have been mistaken in give more of thy Assisting Grace for to improve the knowledge of the Truth These things which are here but hinted with the other disputable places and also the signs of the Times with the near approach of the coming of the Lord are now fully explained and proved in about four small Treatises The Books contain so many several heads that I have not here room to incert them but by them the word is so plain that none need any longer remain in mistakes that are willing to understand the Truth I shall only here mention the chief Title of each Book First The Explaination of the Faith of Abraham Price bound 10. d. bound up with the Christian Belief which has the Eexplanation of the Trinity Price 1 s. 2 d. The signs of the times and coming of the Lord bound up with the Prophesie of Moses that foretold the firing of the Mountains Price bound 10 d. all three bound up togather Price 1 s. 6 d. The book that Proveth there Worlds and three Foundations with the Tree of knowledge of good and evil Price bound 1 s. And are to be Sold at the places before mentioned in the Title The book of the Figurative Speeches is not yet out My aim is at the good of Souls and therefore that they that understand not the word may be convinced of the Truth I Refer my Books to the Lord Bishops who I believe are men of that integrity that will not oppose the Truth to whom I shall by Gods assistance give further satisfaction if required and when God had inlightned my understanding in his word I did dare do no other then leave and venture the little concern I had and come above a Hundred Miles to acquaint the Nation what God is a going about to do this being the little time that is given the Christianâ— to prepare God make this Nation a Light to Christian 〈◊〉 FINIS