of which see Lev. 1. 8. 9. chap. These went up in Fire to the Lord upon an Altar which figured 1. Christ who went up in the Fire of Love and Zeal for the Glory of God and the Good of Souls 2. The Saints who are to present their Bodies a living sacrifice and to ascend up also in the Fire of Love and Zeal and so shall be accepted 3. Meat-offerings which signified 1. Christ Heb. 10.5 Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not have but a body hast thou prepared me which is the true Mincah purging away sin 1 Sam. 3.14 The sin of the house of Eli shall not be purged with Mincah 2. The Persons of Christians sanctified for a pure gift Isa 66.20 They shall bring your brethren for a Mincah Rom. 15.16 That the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable to God The converted Gentiles are now and at last the Jews shall be a Mincah acceptable and well pleasing to God 3. The Fruits of Grace both towards God and towards Men. Heb. 13.16 To do good forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased Phil. 4.18 The things sent by you were the odour of a sweet smell a sacrifice acceptable and well pleasing to God Concerning the Burnt-offering and Meat-offering 't is to be observed that the Prince is to offer them Chap. 46.4 5. The Burnt-offering which the Prince shall offer on the Sabbath-day shall be six lambs c. And the Meat-offering for the lambs as he is able to give Which may signifie thus much First when any shall be converted Christ shall offer them to the Father and he will accept them these are the Lambs which Christ shall offer And he shall offer as he is able to give or according to the gift of his hand that is according to what he hath in his hands When Christ apprehends any and takes them into his hands he presently offers them up to the Father and puts them into his hands Secondly when any are to be changed and translated into the New Jerusalem from amongst the People of the Land then Christ shall offer them to be admitted into that glorious Society there and the Father will accept them These are the Lambs which Christ shall take out of the fat Pastures of Israel and offer to the Father and shall be with Christ beholding his Glory These he shall offer in the New Moons and Sabbath-days that is in the times appointed by the Father 4. Peace-Offerings or Sacrifices of Payments and Pacifications in which Men payed to God their acknowledgments of Mercies received and gave thanks for their Peace and Prosperity Psalm 56.12 I will render Praise or pay confessions to thee These signified 1. Christ's Oblation of himself who became our Peace 2. Our Oblation of Praise The Peace-Offerings might be of Males and Females Gal. 3.28 Male and Female all are one in Christ and should be a Sacrifice of Praise But here is a Question arises Q. If by Peace-Offerings Meat-Offerings and Burnt-Offerings Saints are meant and their Services how are these said to reconcile For so we read Chap. 45.15 One Lamb of the Flock out of the fat Pastures of Israel for a Burnt-Offering Peace-Offering and Meat-Offering to make reconciliation for them A. 1. It must be granted that the Lambs taken out of the Flock signifie Saints for they are Christ's Flock Fear not little Flock c. Now indeed little but then it shall be a great Flock 2. One of two hundred includes all and is instead of the whole Flock which shall be this Burnt-Offering as appears verse 16. All the People of the Land shall give this Oblation or rather shall be this Oblation to the Prince in Israel All shall willingly give themselves up to the Lord Jesus and own him for their Prince 3. Observe what is said ver 17. It shall be the Princes part to give Burnt-Offerings and Meat-Offerings and he shall prepare the Sin-Offering and the Meat-Offering Here two things are to be taken notice of 1. When Saints become a Meat-Offering and Peace-Offering 't is by Christ's preparing them and making them such 2. Christ prepares the Sin-Offering to go with the Meat-Offering that is he appears in the presence of God as their Sin-Offering whereby their Reconciliation was first made and is continued And Saints being presented as a Meat-Offering duly prepared together with the Sin-Offering thus they become a Sacrifice of a sweet smelling favour acceptable and well-pleasing unto God 4. To declare this farther take notice of a twofold Distinction The first Distinction is this There is Reconciliation to God 1. By taking away enmity and appeasing wrath and making peace This is done by Christ alone as the Sin-Offering Thus verse 19. The Blood of the Sin-Offering put upon the Posts of the House doth reconcile the House 2. By having the evidence of Reconciliation and Peace This comes and is continued through Prayer Praise Repentance holy and humble walking with God And in this sense the Meat-Offering and Peace-Offering make Reconciliation because through these it is made evident The second Distinction is this 1. There is Reconciliation to God as a Lord and Law-giver who is just and will not clear the Guilty without satisfaction to his Justice 2. To God as an offended Father who is the Lord Gracious and Merciful For God doth shew Fatherly displeasure to his Sons when they forsake his Law and sometimes visits their Iniquities with stripes and their Sins with a Rod. Now Reconciliation in the former sense is by the Blood of Christ alone which Faith eyes and makes application of But Reconciliation in the latter sense may be by the Peace-Offering and Meat-Offering when Faith in Christ as the Sin-Offering goes with them Reconciliation to God as an offended Father is through Humiliation Repentance and Reformation and presenting the Body a living Sacrifice And thus Lambs without blemish taken out of the fat Pastures of Israel do reconcile Which in relation to the times here meant signifies thus much As Enmity will be taken away and Peace made with God for the House of Israel So the Iews being all effectually called and made a Righteous People they shall walk so closely with God and offer such well-pleasing Sacrifices as they shall not give occasion for Fatherly Displeasure neither will the Lord hide his Face any more from the Horse of Israel neither will there be Iniquities to visit with stripes For Chap. 43.7 the Lord saith My Throne and the place of the Soles of my Feet shall the Children of Israel no more defile And therefore as the peace-Peace-Offerings and Meat-Offerings shall be duly offered even every Morning Chap. 46.15 So a perfect Reconciliation with God as a Father shall be continued and the Saints shall have a Blessed State of uninterrupted Communion with God and everlasting Joy as in their Hearts so upon their Heads And as now there is no Curse to true Believers so then there shall be no Cross There is now
agree with their rule then shall they agree one with another 3. Churches and Saints in them shall be like themselves As like Christ like one another so like themselves not subject to declinings and decays as now they are All shall be growing onwards towards perfection and none shall backslide Round things are easily turned this way or that way but what is of a four square Figure lies firm All will be firm and stable in the Church here set forth Saints will not be like Reuben unstable as Water or double-minded Men unstable in their ways but like David who said My heart is fixed O God my Heart is fixed It is a good thing that the heart be established with Grace Heb. 13.9 And at this time the Lord will perform this good thing in establishing the Hearts of all his People with Grace so that they shall not fall from their own stedfastness but he that is righteous shall be righteous still Rev. 22.11 Consid 4. A Sabbath will be observed in this time when the Jews shall be called both by them and the saved Nations Chap. 46.1 mention is made of Six Working-days and of the Sabbath-day not a Jewish but a Gospel Sabbath the First day of the Week which is conceived to be hinted Chap. 43.26 27. Seven days shall they purge the Altar and when these days are expired it shaâ—â— be that upon the eighth day and so forward the Priests shall make your Burnt-Offerings c. when the seven days are expired and so the Seventh which was the Jewish Sabbath ended then upon the Eighth day the First day of the Week which is the Christian Sabbath shall the Priests make your Burnt-Offerings And so forward that is upon every First day after the ending of the Jewish Sabbath Now the Sabbath mentioned Chap. 46.1 is this Eighth day so called in relation to the Seventh expired but the First day of the Week to be observed by the Jews when they shall be called This of the Sabbath may well be taken in a literal sense for we ought not to leave the literal and go to a mystical sense when there is no necessity for it What is spoken of the New Moon must be taken in a mystical sense because that was an observation purely shadowy and ceremonial but not so the Sabbath Let it be owned then as truth that a Sabbath shall in this glorious state of the Church be purely kept True in the New Jerusalem there will be a perpetual Sabbath but not so amongst the Tribes in the Land As Adam in Paradise had work to do and if he had continued in his innocency should have wrought the six days and have kept the Sabbath So shall the Saints do in the times of restitution for they will be restored to the doing of that which Adam should have done As they shall be restored to Priviledges so to the performance of Duties of which the exact keeping of a Sabbath is one And for the farther clearing of this so considerable a truth let Isa 58.13 c. be compared with this place of Ezekiel If thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord c. Where observe that several great and precious Promises are made to the Jews and the keeping of the Sabbath is the condition upon which the accomplishment of them doth depend And these Promises were not fulfilled at the Return of the Jews from Babylonish Captivity or at any time since but shall be fulfilled when the Jews shall be called Let the particulars be well weighed v. 8. Then shall thy Light break forth as the Morning and thine Health shall spring forth speedily What Light is this but that mentioned Isa 60.1 Arise and shine for thy Light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee The Jews have been long in Darkness but the Glory of the Lord shall at last be revealed and the Veil shall be taken from their hearts that they may see it And thy oighteousness shall go before thee that is The Lord thy righteousness This then respects the time when the Jews shall be called by this Name which hath not been yet for they at Christ's first coming went about to establish their own righteousness and did not submit to the righteousness of God they would not then be called by this Name And farther 't is said The Glory of the Lord shall be their reward It shall be with them as with the Jews in the Wilderness when they had the Cloud and smoke by Day and the shining of a flaming Fire by Night Which when Pharaoh pursued them was their reward v. 10. Then shall thy Light rise in obscurity and thy Darkness as the Noon-day The Jews are under Darkness within and without Darkness covers their Hearts and their State for they lie hid in obscurity and darkness and none knows where the Ten Tribes are but at last they shall be brought forth to the wonder of the World for it shall be said These where had they been Isa 49.21 v. 12. They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places and raise up the foundations of many Generations When they returned from Babylon they were the Foundations onely of one Generation of Seventy years that were raised up This promise then must look further v. 14. I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the Earth Not onely of Canaan but of the Earth And lastly I will feed thee with the Heritage of Jacob thy Father Which intimates the calling and gathering of the Ten Tribes also When the Jews returned from Babylon they were fed onely with Judah's Inheritance For the Ten Tribes did not then return which may be proved from Hos 1.6 7. I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel but will utterly toke them away But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah and will save them by the Lord their God Therefore when Judah was saved from Babylonish Captivity Israel was not saved But at last Judah and Israel shall be saved together v. 11. Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together and appoint them one Head and then they shall be fed with the Heritage of Jacob. 'T was the whole Land of Canaan which was Jacob's Heritage which he divided amongst his twelve Sons And how exactly doth this agree with Ezekiel's Prophecy about the division of the Land amongst the twelve Tribes which shall be fed with the Heritage of Jacob their Father It s most evident then that these Promises are to have their accomplishment when the Jews shall be called But observe what must be done by them If thou shalt call the Sabbath a delight Therefore first a Sabbath will then be kept even a Christian Sabbath by the Jews And if a Sabbath was to be kept by Adam in Paradise if it was to be observed from the beginning and shall be by the Jews when called If the Church in the times
is a God so in this time of such glorious light there shall not be Atheism amongst the unconverted ones in the world And this is a reason why the Devil endeavours so much to fill the world with Atheism now because he knows his time is short of being Ruler of the darkness of this world and the day is at hand in which the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord And when the Morning of this Day shall come then the wild Beasts shall lay them down in their Dens and not hurt nor destroy in all the holy Mountain of God And men shall be ashamed to commit those abominations which now the world is so full of They that be drunken are drunk in the Night But in that Day they shall be sober and civilly and morally good who shall be without saving grace 2. There were Laws given to the Jews concerning the Lepers both for the tryal of them and removing them from the Camp when pronounced unclean and it was supposed there might be a Leper of the house of Aaron Lev. 22.4 Thus hitherto it hath been in the Church much of spiritual Leprosie hath been found there and even amongst those of the seed of Aaron but we find not any thing here of such Laws What may be concluded hence but that at this time there will be no Lepers in Israel Spiritual Leprosie shall not appear amongst any in Churches to occasion their removal from them Rev. 21.27 In the New Jerusalem there shall be nothing that defileth 3. There was a Law about blessing and cursing in Israel Deu. 27.12 The blessings were to be pronounced from Gerizim and the curses from Ebal but we find not any command here for cursing any in Israel There wil be that day blessing but not cursing in Israel Jer. 31.23 It shall be said The Lord bless thee O Habitation of Justice and Mountain of Holiness But as it is Rev. 22.3 there shall be no more curse All shall have the blessing of Abraham and none the curse of Ishmael to be cast out There shall not be an Anathema Maranatha for any of the Church then 4. There were Laws about the redemption of Inheritances Lev. 25.25 If thy Brother be waxen poor and sell his possession and any of his Kin come to redeem it then he shall redeem that which his Brother sold But we read not any thing here of selling or redeeming Inheritances because no Brother shall at this time wax poor aâ—â— sell his Inheritance Now 't is as Christ said Thâ— Poor ye have always with you but then there shall be no Poor in the Land They that obtain that Kingdom which is to come shall have all other things added to them Christ will not be then Hungry Naked Sick or in prison in any of his Members 5. There were Laws concerning such as had familiar Spirits and were Wizards Lev. 20.27 A man or a woman that hath a familiar Spirit or is a Wizard shall surely be put to death But at this time there shall not be such in the Land of Immanuel nay not amongst the unconverted ones Evil Spirits shall not be Familiar Spirits to any then for they shall be all bound and shut up in the bottomless Pit 6. There were Laws for tryal of Jealousie which was the bitter water that caused the curse which the suspected woman was to drink Now as among the Tribes in the Land and among the sacred Nations there will be Marrying so none that shall defile themselves either by Fornication or Adultery No Adulterers or Effeminate shall be in that Kingdom of God but all shall possess their Vessels in Sanctification and Honour Prop. 8. This will be a time in which God will honour those that honour him which is promised 1 Sam. 2.30 And in this time and state of the Church it shall be eminently made good This may be concluded from Chap. 44.16 The Priests the Levites the Sons of Zadok which keep the charge of my Sanctuary when the Children of Israel went astray from me they shall come near to minister unto me As for the Levites that went astray after Idols and made the Children of Israel go astray â—hey shall bear their iniquities and not come near 〈◊〉 the Office of a Priest v. 10.13 but I will make them keepers of the charge of the house Here two things are to be opened 1. What this hath reference to under the Old Testament that is when did the Sons of Zadok shew themselves faithful in keeping the charge of the Sanctuary and when did the Levites go astray themselves and cause Israel to go astray 2. What this foretels in reference to the times here meant For the first Let it be considered who were the Levites going astray and when and how they went astray and next wherein the Faithfulness of Zadock and his Sons appeared As for the Levites that went astray they were those of the stock of Eli. It 's said of his two Sons Hophni and Phineas they were Sons of Belial and knew not the Lord and therefore God denounced a Judgment 1 Sam. 2.20 I said that thy house should walk before me but now be it far from me And upon this God said v. 16. I will raise me up a faithful Priest which was fulfilled when Abiathar followed Adonijah and Zadock was made Priest in his room And those Levites went astray in two things 1. Eli's Sons made a God of their Belly and offered to that Idol what was brought to be offered to the Lord. Their custom was 1 Sam. 2.13 14. When any man offered Sacrifice the Priests Servant came while the Flesh was in seething with a Fleshhook of three Teeth and struck it into the Pan and all that the Fleshhook brought up the Priest took to himself v. 15. Thus the Sin of the young men was very great for men abhorred the Offering of the Lord. 2. Abiather who was of the Stock of Eli went after Adonijah and no doubt drew some other of the Levites with him and by this the iniquity of Eli's House came to be full which brought the Judgment threatned as we see 1 Kings 2.27 Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being Priest that he might fulfill the Word of the Lord which he spake concerning the House of Eli. Next as touching Zadock's Faithfulness that was seen in his keeping with David and anointing Solomon 1 Kings 1.39 and many faithful Priests descended from him as Jehoiada whose faithfulness was eminent in hiding Joash and after bringing him forth and giving order for the slaying of Athalia Matth. 23.35 mention is made of Zacharias who was slain betwixt the Temple and the Altar Ezra also was of the Posterity of Zadock Ezra 7.2 2. As for what this foretels observe these particulars 1. When Idols shall be abolished many that have gone after them may find mercy and favour As for Idols they shall be abolished Isa 2.18 But many that go after them may be spared
Translation of many out of the Nations into the Church who shall have Inheritances among the Tribes of Israel and also of many from among the Tribes in the Land into the New Jerusalem as also from among the saved Nations 1. Out of the Nations into the Church for this see Ezek. 47.22 The strangers that sojourn among you which shall beget children shall be as born in the countrey and they shall have inheritance among the Tribes of Israel So that in the Land there will be Propagation and the mention of Children may be to hint that the strangers and their children with them shall have Inheritance in Israel and be of the Church Which shews that there will be Conversion-work at that time which also as before was hinted appears from the Fishers standing by the River and by the healing of the Waters the mirey places not being healed by which may be meant the Nations not converted out of which Gog and Magog shall at last arise 2. From amongst the Tribes of Israel in the Land into the New Jerusalem for this see chap. 48.19 The increase of that over against the holy portion is to be for food for those that serve the city and they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the Tribes of Israel For the understanding of this place let it be considered what this City wants and hath need to be served with 1. It doth not want Food and Raiment for all in it will be as the Angels they need no Candle neither light of the Sun much less then Corn Wine and Oyl 2. This City wants nothing but more Citizens nothing but more Saints and these it will want till all the Elect shall be called and come up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Thus doth Heaven now want the Saints upon Earth and so will the New Ierusalem till all the Mansions there shall have those in them for whom they are prepared Compare this of serving the City with Luke 14.17 there is an Invitation to a Supper Come for all things are ready the Servants are sent to invite more verse 22. Yet there is room and the Lord said Compel them to come in that my house may be full Whence may be gathered that there is no want in this City but of more Guests and Citizens This City then is served more remotely by those that shall be Instruments in bringing in strangers among the Tribes of Israel and more nearly by fitting Saints for the New Ierusalem And here by the way let it be observed what a glorious Work that of the Ministery is it being now to serve Heaven with the Saints it needs and at last the New Ierusalem with the Citizens it will want The Ministers of Christ are like those Officers which provided Victual for King Solomon and for all that came to his Table 1 Kings 4.27 The Saints brought in shall be as Victual for Christ and all that come to his Table and with these the City is served Hence may be gathered thus much 1. When the New Ierusalem shall come down there will be Saints in two different states some in the City where Christs Throne shall be some without in the Land for they serve the City out of all the Tribes of Israel that is with Saints taken thence 2. Amongst the Tribes in the Land there will be a Ministery serving the City Q. Whether any Saints of the Tribes in the Land or saved Nations shall die in that time or whether they shall be changed and translated into the City A. Against the death of any Saint in that state and for their change it may be thus argued 1. It 's said Rev. 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death This is spoken of the People of God verse 3. No death to such as shall have the Lord for their God 2. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15.51 52. Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed There will be at last a change instead of death and when the time of changing comes no Saints shall after that die and this change will begin at the Resurrection of the dead Saints The dead shall be raised and we shall be changed that is at and after this each Saint shall in the time appointed for it be changed Of this change Enoch and Elias were Types And 't is said further verse 54. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory O Death I will be thy plagues O Grave I will be thy destruction If after this destruction of the Grave Death shall happen to any Saints how shall it be swallowed up in victory God will then be the death of Death and the destruction of the Grave and therefore Death and the Grave shall not be the destruction of any of the Saints Bodies 1 Thes 4.16 17. The dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive shall be caught up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afterwards that is all in their order some at some after the coming of Christ in the time of the one thousand years some at his coming even all then alive which before were called And at this time a new Generation of Saints will be brought forth and converted by means of the appearing of Christ For now will be a through conversion of all the Iews many of them not being effectually called till this time as after will appear And now also will the fulness of the Gentiles come in which will be the Nations of them which shall be saved Q How doth this agree with Isa 65.20 The child shall die an hundred years old but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed the child being set in opposition to the sinner is one born of God and that is in the time of the new Heavens and the new Earth verse 17 A. Death is sometimes put for a Change in Scripture and why then may it not be so taken here Heb. 9.27 It 's appointed to men once to die But 1 Cor. 15.51 We shall not all die How shall these two places be reconciled Beza thus reconciles them In iis qui immutabuntur illa immutatio species mortis erit Change will be a kind of Death Heb. 11.13 These all died in faith but Enoch being one of them verse 5. did not die but was translated that he did not see death How shall this seeming contradiction be reconciled but as Ribera doth Nomine mortis translatio comprehenditur c. Under the name of Death a Translation is comprehended in that Enoch's Translation was a Death in relation to those that remained alive in the world because by it he ceased to be amongst them It 's said of him He was not which elsewhere signifies death as when Jacob said One is not that is dead in his thoughts Consid 8. The Name of this City shall be Iehovah Shammah The
haply have been persecuted as Isaac was by Ishmael Satan hath been bruising the Heel of the Church from the beginning and will do it till his Head be bruised which will be at the beginning of the thousand years and so bruised that he shall not recover any thing of Dominion till the end of them and then he shall deceive the Nations but not hurt the Saints 'T will be but a vain Attempt against them He shall not touch them and there shall not so much as an hair of their head perish Thus far concerning the Arguments for the Personal Reign In the next place some Objections against it shall be answered Object 1. John 18.36 My Kingdom is not of this World A. The meaning can't be that Christ shall not have the Government of the World for he is King over all the Earth de jure and shall be de facto He hath Right to rule and shall at last rule according to his Right That we may the better understand this place let some other Scriptures in the first place be compared with it and then let this Scripture it self be considered For other Scriptures see Psa 96.11 12 13. Let the Heavens rejoyce and the Earth be glad let the Field be joyful and all that is therein then shall the Trees of the Wood rejoyce before the Lord for he cometh he cometh to judge the World in righteousness and the People with truth Whence is it that the Creatures shall thus rejoyce with the Saints Because they shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God and Satan and Antichrist shall not have dominion over them but all will be in subjection to Christ See also Psal 97. The Contents of which in the Syr. Version are these David foretels the coming of Christ and his last appearance and the Sept. gives it this Title 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A Psalm of David Quando terra ejus restituta est vel quando stabilita est When his Earth was restored or established It is a Psalm fitted for the time of Christ's coming to reign and of the restitution of all things v. 2 3. Righteousness and Judgment are the habitation of his Throne a fire goeth before him and burneth up his Enemies round about him Which may well be judged to have reference to the Battel of Armageddon and the Conflagration which Peter foretels This Title is the more to be taken notice of because it agrees with what is said of Christ Isa 44.8 He is given for a Covenant to establish the Earth or to raise it up Christ's Throne shall be established in the Earth and then the Earth shall be established in a peaceable and prosperous estate Before it reels like a Drunkard Isa 24.22 and Nimrods will fill it with violence But Christ reigning he shall establish it upon a Foundation of Righteousness the effect of which shall be Peace Rev. 11.15 The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of Christ Though Christ saith My Kingdom is not of this world yet the Kingdoms of the World must at last be his If it were of this world and now to be set up then would my Servants fight 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but now my kingdom is not from hence At this time it is not to be set up over the World neither is it now to be from hence I shall not my Servants will not contend for it But the time will come when I will in my Majesty ride prosperously because of truth meekness and righteousness Next let this place it self be considered and first What was the occasion of these words Pilate asks Christ Art thou the King of the Jews this Christ doth not deny but asks another Question Speakest thou this of thy self And then Christ replies My Kingdom is not of this world As if he had said I am indeed the King of the Jews but they now reject me and will not that I should reign over them they will have no King but Caesar therefore let them suffer from Caesar and let their City be destroyed and left desolate till the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled and then the Kingdom shall be restored to Israel Secondly what follows There was a Providence ordering that Inscription Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews A time must be when Christ shall be the King of the Jews Hos 2.5 The Children of Israel shall seek the Lord and David their King Pilate asks him again Art thou a King He answers Thou sayest that I am a King Thou savest that which indeed I am which he witnesseth in the next words For this cause was I born and came into the world that I might bear witness to the truth And if Christ was for this end born then the Saints are new born and Ministers called to bear witness to this truth And 't is observable that after all this Pilate justifies Christ thus far I find no fault in him Surely as the High Priest spake not of himself but being High Priest prophesied That it was expedient that one should die for that Nation so Pilate prophesied in the Inscription which was set over him that Christ should be the King of that Nation and as once Balaam and Saul were among the Prophets so was Pilate also when he wrote that Inscription and would not yield to an alteration of it Christ's great Enemies bear witness to his Priestly and his Kingly Office Thus much for answer to this Objection and for the clearing of this place which now appears to be not against but for this truth of Christ's Kingdom Object 2. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution A. Other Scriptures and those not a few do plainly declare a state of freedom from persecution at last They shall sit under their Vines and Fig-trees and have none to make them afraid Their Enemies shall come bending to them and bow themselves down at the soles of their feet How shall these Scriptures be reconciled with the former Acts 14.22 We must through many tribulations enter into the Kingdom of God As Saints now must look to go to Heaven through tribulations so the Church must for a long time endure tribulation but at last it shall get through it into the Kingdom of God which shall be upon Earth in which Christ shall reign and the Saints with him then time shall be no more that is troublous times persecuting suffering-times shall be no more but then shall be the day of the Son of man So distingue tempora concordabunt Scripturae state the times aright and Scriptures will agree In the day of the Man of Sin Saints suffer in the days of the Son of Man they shall have rest Obj. 3. Satan being loosed out of his Prison shall deceive the Nations and gather them to Battel and compass the Camp of the Saints and the beloved City Now can it be thought that they shall dare to do this if
whole Earth be filled with his Glory Amen and Amen And then he concludes this and all other his Psalms with these words v. 20 The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended Whence may be gathered that this Psalm contains the remainder of the last words of David and that this Psalm was the last of David's Psalms though it be not set last in the Book of Psalms For the clearing whereof two things may be considered 1. The Psalms are not all placed according to the time of their composure or the occasion of them for Psalm the Third is a Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom Now many made before this are set after it as Psa 34. A Psalm of David when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech And Psa 51. A Psalm of David when Nathan the Prophet came to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba Soe also Psa 57 and 63. So then this may be the last though not set last 2. The Psalm it self gives us ground to conclude that it was the last and made by David a little before his death For thus he begins it Give the King thy Judgments O God Which shews that Solomon was now made king for so he is here called And this Psalm was made when both Father and Son were Kings Give the King thy Judgments There David is called King and thy Righteousness to the King's Son There Solomon is called King And that Solomon was King David's own words do declare 1 Kin. 1.48 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel which hath given me one to sit upon my Throne mine Eyes also seeing it By this 't is evident that the plain literal sense may stand that this was the last of the Psalms of the sweet Psalmist of Israel who never sung more sweetly than now And to this these three things may be added 1. The matter of this Psalm contains that which was the sum and scope of David's Prayers even that Christ might reign gloriously and that in his days the Righteous might flourish This is all my desire and in this my Prayers will reach their end 2. David being carried in spirit to the Day of Christ's glorious reign and being set in the View of his blessed Kingdom and seeing him breaking Oppressors in pieces and perfecting that which concerns the Saints and at last delivering up the Kingdom to God the Father breaks out into this joyful Acclamation The Prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended They are fulfilled and fully accomplished they are all consummated So much is in the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prayers of David and of all the Saints will at last have a full accomplishment and Faith may even as God doth call the things that are not as though they were So by a voice of Faith he might well say The Prayers of David the Son of Jesse are fulfilled 3. When Christ shall take to himself his great Power and Reign and shall have put down all that is to be put down and shall present all the Saints faultless before the presence of his Glory with exceeding Joy then Prayers will be ended As the Prayers of Saints so Christ's also who is David the Son of Jesse Hos 3.5 They shall serve the Lord and David their King There Christ is called David And Isa 11. A Rod shall come forth of the Stem of Jesse there he is the Son of Jesse So the Prayers of this David the Son of Jesse will be ended All that ever he prayed for will be accomplished yea all that he hath to pray for will be granted For then all the good things contained in God's Decrees shall be brought forth and whatever Christ hath purchased for shall be enjoyed by the Saints All Promises will be fulfilled to them and all the desires of their hearts given them And then as Faith will be swallowed up in Vision and Hope in Fruition so Prayers will end in everlasting Praises That the great things contained in this Prophecy in which we have been thus running to and fro may be the better understood and improved somewhat shall be added upon these following particulars 1. The Calling of the Jews 2. The Restitution of all things 3. The Description of the two Beasts Revelat. 13. 4. The Day of Judgment and the World 's perishing by Fire 5. Some Signs of the times when the Fall of Babylon is at hand 6. Some Advantages which the knowledge of these Truths will afford 7. The Conclusion of all in some Counsels and Directions 1. The Calling of the Jews We may conceive that there will be a twofold Calling of the Jews A First Calling will be at the ending of the One thousand two hundred and ninety days Dan. 12.11 At that time the Jews Deliverance will begin and there will be then a calling and a gathering of them But at this time many will be called but not so many chosen This calling will be inward and effectual to some but to many but outward and in profession only For after this their calling they will have many Enemies causing great trouble to them Dan. 11.31 there is mention of an Enemy and 't is said Arms shall stand on his part and they shall pollute the Sanctuary of strength And v. 45. He shall plant the Tabernacle of his Palace in the glorious holy Mountain Zach. 14.2 I will gather all Nations against Jerusalem and the City shall be taken Now as this will be a time of great tryal so many of the Jews shall fall away Dan. 11.30 This Enemy shall have indignation against the holy Covenant and have intelligence with them that forsake it v. 33. some he shall corrupt by flatteries and some of them of understanding shall fall some such as Peter and others such as Judas The second Calling will be at the end of one thousand three hundred and thirty five days which is forty and five years more than the former number 't is said blessed is he that cometh to these days At this time all Israel will be saved as from their persecuting Enemies so from sin and all will be called and chosen and faithful Rev. 19. Thy People shall be all righteous Isa 60.21 All shall be effectually called and their Children shall be as aforetime Jer. 30.20 these shall be of the Church and like John Baptist shall be sanctified from the Womb. No Noah shall have a cursed Cham no Isaac a prophane Esau for this would be a grief of heart contrary to that promise there shall be no sorrow God shall put the Law in the mind and write it in the heart and they shall no more teach every man his Neighbour saying know the Lord for all shall know him from the least even to the greatest of them They may need to be instructed farther in the knowledge of the Messias but no need to be taught which is the Messias no need to be taught as Andrew did Peter Joh. 1.41 We have found the Messias as the