are drunk indeed if this be your spirit what says our Saviour do this till I come as if he should say have your eye upon my coming let this be your entertainment till my coming but to think to do this is all and leave out till he come is to pass by that which is indeed the glory of the sentence Do this till I come is as much as to say you shall have better chear then this better communion then this when I come Do this but I will come and then ye shall be planted in the likeness of my resurrection This glorying therefore and taking up our rest in present attainments is one sort of surfetting and drunkenness and I wish the Churches did not so much glory in their pastors and these glory so much in their gifts and in their policies how they can manage affairs this is not like men that look for their Lord when he will return from the wedding If our eyes and our hearts were more upon Christ we should see all other glories fading dim and perishing and if pastors themselves were thus spirited they would be preaching this we must decrease and he must increase and so cherish that life and light of Jesus in their members and not keep it under which I doubt is too much the guilt of too many pastors of eongregations and in the government of their Churches the spirit of Christ is in bonds with them Secondly Another unlikeness to men waiting for their Lord is that beating their fellow servants this is somewhat worse then the other if he shall say the Lord delays his coming and shall begin to be at his fellow-servants this is a rude thing indeed this is a thing that one would wonder to finde in Christs family what beating their fellow-servants this is for the poor blinde sottish world to do Where shall we fasten this beating surely we cannot fasten it upon the prelatical Church they not acknowledge us to be their fellow-servants therefore we will excuse them it is not they It is true the Saints have had great persecution from them and from those that have taken their part but this is not the beating of the fellow servants here spoken of we ought to bless God for this present freedom by what means soever we have it if we have no law for it it is to be the more admired and we must say of God he doth wonderfully and it is marvellous indeed but those that beat their fellow-servants they must be fellow-servants themselves And truly I doubt this will come home to the Churches they will be found the beaters of their fellow-servants now by the way take me right all aloug when I speak of the Churches I speak honourably of them as Churches I speak of them as the Lord doth in the 2d and 3d. of the Revelations where he acknowledges a found part and a sick part and so I look upon the Churches at this day there is a sound part and sick and declining part now this is the corrupt and sick part that beats their fellow servants Truely it is very visible not only in word but print and I could wish that it were not so minifest I would then stifle it I would suppress it but that it comes abroad so And if some men can carry it there shall be no Church in the world but the baptized Congregations some of them say that there is no way to entitle a man to the priviledges of Church-fellowship to Church-communion except he comes in at that door of baptism that is the initiating-ordinance now I can heartily allow them in their way and administration and I think I can make it good that the Church of Christ doth consist of such a variety of parts and forms and that the beauty of the vnity of the spirit doth arise from the great variety that is in the form or administration I can prove to you if I had time I presume from the Scripture that there are in Christs body-mistical living and dying Christians 14. Rom. whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we dye we dye unto the Lord in which there is a great mistery that the dying should be the living man the dying-Christian hath the better of it and the living-Christian that is spoken of there is the weaker man though he be saved who is he that lives why it is he that is still under the law in a great measure The law hath dominion over a man so long as he liveth so that he is the living man that is not yet unhorsed that is not yet brought down into the grave of Christ he is not yet brought down as the Lord will bring his people he lives to the letter and to the form and outward administration I say not but that a man may converse in forms and administrations so that his life be about them till the times of reformation God may train up his people under those Pedagogies but bear with me that I call them weaklings It is by way of condescention that the Lord comes to us in a signe were it not better if we could act faith upon the Lord without these visible representations and forms in which many have acquired thrones to themselves which the Lord never intended signes were to be subservient things not to Lord it over his people as those do that unchurch all other Churches and throw them out of a part in Christ that come not in at their door This is a beating of their fellow-servants what greater beating can there be then to say they are not the Churches of Christ if they be not in such a form in such a way this is to be unlike those that look for their Lord. The Second Sermon Luke 12.35.36 Let your Loins be girded about and your lights burning I Have made an entrance already into these words that which I pitch upon last was ye your selves like unto men that look for their Lord It is the crown of the preparation here commended to us for the coming of our Lord our selves The framing of our selves the disposing of our selves like unto men that wait for their Lord not only your Lamps and your loins but your selves I shall not repeat any thing I spake the last time I shall only remember you that I declared my sence that it is the last watch that we are in into those four watches you know I cast the times from Christ unto his second coming And the last watch I told you I did conceive began immediatly after Daniels first number of 1290 dayes expyred now after that I came to shew what these words did import you your selves like unto men c. And I had only time then to reflect upon the unlikeness to caution that though it is not enough that we be not unlike yet that is a great step if we avoid the unlikeness I had not time to come to the positive likeness you may expect I should now fall upon
beginning at 390. both the computations will come up together both Daniel and John and so they did come up together I am very well satisfied in it I speak it as to my self but I impose it upon no other I say they did I humbly conceive come up in the year 1650. then was Daniels 1290. dayes expired and then was the 42 months ended Now for the 45. dayes that are afterwards they are I believe the time that Daniel speaks of here in the beginning of this chapter At that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the children of thy people This may seem strange that after Antichrist his 42. months are expired we should have such a time of trouble as never was but pray mark I believe there is a great mistake in this in the objecting of this trouble or in the applying of it As if it were the time properly of the Churches trouble I grant that the Church shall have a great sence of the trouble in common among others nay I grant that the enemies of Christ and of his kingdom shall chiefly direct their aim in all the time of that trouble against the Church even if it were possible to blot out the name of Israel from under heaven But the holy Ghost doth not object this trouble directly upon the Church nor properly for this being that time when Michael stands up the trouble is only accidental to the Church for it is the time that the Lord will deliver his people the trouble is but the charges of the suit would you be delivered without suit It is as if a woman should expect to be delivered without travel you should look upon the issue of the trouble observe how it is spirited how it is intended what is the designe of the trouble the Lord is coming to judge he is coming to take down this old state of things that he may bring in a new this is the trouble of these times It is not a trouble that is under the management of the enemy as if they did what they would no they are passive they are driven by the judicial hand of God they are bringing down their own house with their own hands as Solomon says it is that trouble under which the saints are called to lift up their heads because their redemption draweth nigh A little to gird this closer to us of the times being fulfilled wherein I do expose my self and my judgment Let others think of it and me as they shall see cause but I say I do verily apprehend it so I would not come to you with vain visions were it not sealed up to me to my heart and soul and it is not a new thing but I have been a long time leading into it and am more and more confirmed in it that the time is fulfilled and that this work that is now in hand it is Christs work it is he that gathers the nations but I say to gird this unto us consider this one thing That Antichrist is the last enemy that is to infect or annoy the Church and the only enemy that doth let or hinder the revelation of the son of God or rather the son of man from heaven and therefore if we can shew as I think we have shewed that his time is out then the time of Christ is come which I shall desire no other evidence for then what you finde in the 2 Thes 2. Where the Apostle is setling the minds of believers in those days touching the times of the man of sin and of the day of Christ when it should be and he issues his discourse into this as you may see in that chapter that there was nothing that hindred but the man of sin who was not yet revealed but this mystery must have it's time it must have its course he must be revealed and then when that man of sin is revealed then shall he be consumed by the spirit of Christs mouth and destroyed by the brightness of his coming and then comes the day of Christ for so you see in the text let no man deceive you for that day shall not come except there be a falling away first Now when that falling away hath had it's course and that the man of sin hath been revealed then there is nothing to let but Christ will come I could please my self with this subject In the next place I come to the signes which may be more suitable to you then these calculations are For these signes are those that our Saviour accomodates to all capacities he delivers them to his poor disciples who were at that time men of no extraordinary reach though when the spirit came upon them they were wonderful men otherwise they were no extraordinary men and our Saviour gave them these signes of his coming And I tell you now before I point you to these signes I shall not point you to such as it may be you might think but the signes that shall come upon you you shall finde in Mat. 24.29 The sun shall be darkned and the moon shall not give her light and the starrs shall fall from heaven c. And then shall appear the signe of the son of man in heaven I confess I have read these Scriptures many and many a time and have perused them over with the sence of an allegory in them a general notion of the darkness of the times and the like And some look upon them it may be according to the letter as if there should be a wonderful consternation upon these heavenly bodies that should make them to withhold their light But I shall acquaint you with what hath been presented to me and let them that are spiritual judge of it First where shall we begin these signes for here our Saviour doth give them a beginning immediately after the tribulation of those dayes now the question is what those dayes are that our Saviour speaks of before what the tribulation was as the end of which those signes do commence I know that you can hardly avoid fixing that tribulation upon the destruction of litteral Jerusalem I confess I would not undertake the task to carry the discourse that doth antecede this 29. v. out to any other subject then the destruction of Jerusalem but yet let me tell you by comparing this with another Scripture you shall finde a great help to discern what that tribulation was viz. Luk. 21.34 Jerusalem shall be troden down c. untill the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled Our Saviour speaks here and Luke doth record the very same discourse of our Saviour as Mathew doth and it doth appear by comparing these that our Saviour intended that description of those calamitous times that was to come upon Jerusalem to be a type and a figure of that passing away of carthly Jerusalem among the Gentiles The one was a glass as I may say and a mirror in which you might see the other it was a type and a
carry back the people the flocks under their charge into Egypt again and bring them under bondage again this is the darkning of the sun in the Ecclesiastical orbe and state this is the sinful darkning of the heavens And this brought on the penal darkness which I think we are all sensible of when God did let those that had sinfully or through sinful infirmity been prevailed with by temptations to darken themselves and to draw sackoloth over the sun the light of the appearance of God in which they come forth then the Lord suffered them by their own divisions and by their weak foolish and heady mannagement of things to pul down their own walls to break down their own bankes and pull up their own hedges and to make way for the old bondage and the old corruptions to break in upon them this was the Lords penal darkning of the sun It may not be so expedient for me to be particular in these neither may it be needful because the sence of every one of us can readily prompt us and supply us with more particular enlargements and sad experience can shew that the Lord did remove and take away or suffered to be removed and taken all the light that did remain instead thereof most unsavory snuffs do fill the candlesticks and all places from whence the people of God in their civil and religious things should be fed either with judgment or instruction Brutish pastors are come up that feed not that care not for the flock a dark sun in the firmament in the stead of the true sun and of the chearing and refreshing light of judgment and justice and righteousness we might be large in these things but I shall rather leave this to your own enlargment in your own thoughts Now one word of the dispensational darkness of the sun there is a dispensation of God upon us and his dispensation is holy and it doth aim at the greatest advantages the greatest good to his people that ever any dispensation did travel of or bring forth And that the prophets are very full of that tell us the Sun shall be ashamed and the moon confounded when the Lord of hosts shall raign in mount Sion Esai 24. Do not think that the weakness of men your friends or the malice of men your enemies could whelm you under such providences such disappointments as these are if the Lords hand had not been in it if it were not for good the Lord would not take away the light of the sun the light of our eyes from us but that he might give us a better light a light that should be as that of seven days And therefore in this case we may reflect upon the swanlike song of John who closes his eyes and gave up to the Bridegroom with this consolatory consideration He must increase but I must decrease this he spake in the name and person of his administration and of his work And so says the prophet the day of the Lord says Esay shall be upon every thing that is high because it is that that will wonderfully exercise us when it is therefore the holy ghost enlarges upon it that so you may see it to be no other then what was in prospect in foresight And in that chapter there is a particular instancing in all those glories that shall be darkned and brought down before the Lord. If you ask upon what account I state it I answer It is upon this old aneient constant account all the comings forth of God they have as well supplanted and removed that which hath been before that is their first work For flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God It must be removed the old bottles cannot bear the new wine and therefore there must be new bottle for the new wine and I pray you in the taking of this in understand that it is no more nor no less then a first creation-glory that is removed Let it be found where it will in Church in ordinance in duty in gifts in ministry first creation-glory must all go down that is the reason that it hath not held it I believe we have had in our days as great a tast of first creation-glory and that in good men in Saints who I believe are in heaven yet I say their work was much in a first creation-spirit and it was too weak it could not hold out for the law makes nothing perfect and I tell you there is much of the law hangs still upon us in all our Church-work yea in all our duties I need not tell you your duties have been shaken I believe you have felt it but the reason is because you are not holy and unblamable in love but in fear and in bondage what is that that puts you upon all you do but times and seasons therefore I say so far there is a shaking and there will be a terrible shaking I will end with that Scripture in Ezek. 38.19 v. Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel in the land of Israel shall be a shaking as I told you before even the land of Israel shall not be exempted though it is all for Israel it is for the service of Israel that this shaking is that so that which cannot be shaken may remain I cannot now shew you what work this calls for from our hands if we be drawn from under these signes and recovered but I tell you there is no recovery till the Lord appear you will find this darkning will spread over all the christian and Antichristian world and it will not be long for we are upon the midle of the morning watch of Daniels last 45. days after the 1290. days The Third Sermon Luke 12.35.36 Let your loines be girded about and your lamps burning and ye your selves like unto men c. WHat the Apostle Peter sayes of the Gospel preached by the Prophets that non unto themselves but unto us did they minister may be said of the Evangelists in the present subject that we are more concern'd therein then those primitive times and that these times we are now in border very nigh upon Christs coming which gives great force to the exhortation this I have endeavoured to evince two wayes 1st That the time that was to run out before Christs second coming is fulfilled namely Antichrists time or the days of the man of sin are expired the beloved disciple John in his Revelation begins his account of the 42. months from the passing away of the heathen world the heathen Empire which though it began to be dissolved at Constantines coming to the throne which was about the year 310. yet was it not wholly blown off the stage until about the year 390. when that famous defeat was given to Eugenius the general of the heathen forces by Theodosius the Emperor after which time Heathenisme never displayed banner in the field more So that from that time I begin the 42. months of
that there is an interest of man a fleshly a formal interest by which we are in danger yea the best of men are in danger of Savouring such an interest of espousing it of carrying it up against the spirit For my part I do profess this that let the Churches manage their affairs in liberty in love and in humility waiting for the further appearance of Jesus Christ the further breaking forth of the spirit and let them keep their form till Christ comes from heaven for me I shall never have a hand to strike at them but that which is an evil signe upon the Churches is First their divisions among themselves Secondly their exceeding rigid and censorious carriage towards those that do not jump with them Thirdly they are every one overweening and magnifying and crying up their own form against and in barr of all others Whereas the Scripture tells us that where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty the spirit holds forth in a great latitude him that eats and him that eats not him that observeth a day and him that observeth it not that both may do it so to the Lord and both may be accepted the Lord can make both to stand and the spirit tells us that love is the great law of Christ and that if a man have all gifts and all knowledg and all faith and not charity and that charity what is it Why it is the holding tho unity of the spirit in the bond of peace it is not in breaking that unity for any different apprehensions about this or that I tell you that is Christ that is the great tye and obligation of Christians one to the other and the Church of Christ is built up only in him and his blood is the only cement that makes all these stones cleave together His blood and his spirit are the foundation of the Church of Christ If you say that all the Churches do not strike upon this rock I answert I hope so too or at least that there are many among all the Churches that are unconcerned herein there is a found part that falls not foul upon Christ and the spirit but why do they not purge themselves from those that do if ye do then shall ye be vessels of honour But where is there a testimony born to the spirit nay is there not a great jealously of the spirit and of the prevailing of the interest of the spirit I tell you those that look askew on the increasing glory of the spirit and of Christ in the spirit they stand very dangerously the day of the Lord will be heavy upon such and let my brethren of the Churches look for the conversion of the Jews so do I both of the ten tribes and the two tribes But let me tell you this that the Jews will not be converted till the vaile be taken off your hearts and you be turned to the Lord there is a mistical Jew as well as a natural Jew And what is the mistical Jew you may know them in allusion to the natural Jew as as to the natural Jew you know what the Apostle says the Iew seeks after a signe there was such as sought after signes and stuck in the letter and gloryed in outward priviledges in their Temple their services and sacrifices So I say now there are such nay where shall we finde among the generality of Professors any other the Lord help us the vail is too much upon all our hearts and I say that induring Christians are no friends to the conversion of the Jews We say also that Antichrist must be destroyed and that he is a great let and hindrance to the conversion of the Jews but I say that Antichrist will not be wholly removed untill we be more spiritual then we are in our converse in ordinances and in our manageing of spiritual affairs There is a great deal of Antichrist lies lurking here there is an old Church-spirit an old testament-spirit the spirit of the Jew much to be found among the Churches now therefore it concerns us if we would be found helpers forward of their conversion to be more spiritual for as Antichrist is to be destroyed by the brightness of his coming which some might take for his personal appearance I will not be positive in that But I say there must be such a brightness of his coming in his people at the last to vacat Antichrist and discharge him and I say likewise tha there is a text Rom. 11.31 Which doth import as if there should be a signal restitution or resurrection-spirit among the Gentile Christians before the calling of the Jews that shall provoke them to jealousy for so the Apostle sayes That through you mercy they also might obtain mercy now that which I would argue from hence is this if the Apostle means only the Gentiles receiving the Gospel that hath been these 1600. years and yet the Jews are not wrote upon therefore I look upon this mercy here spoken of to be some eminent mercy that the Gentiles shall be partakers of towards the end some eminent mercy that shall be shewed unto them to make them shak themselves from their dust to arise and shine and this shall be a provocation unto the Jews when they shall see their Messias in the armes of the Gentiles I tell you my brethren it may be I speake it rudely but yet I speake as if I were to appear before the Lord immediatly that I fear the present posture of the saints and of the Churches and the managing of their affairs is not to the service of Christ nor the service of the Jews nor the promoting of those great designs of God which he hath revealed to us in his word but we tread in the same steps of those that are gon before us as it is said in Eph. 3.6 I have cut off the nations their towers are desolate hearken ye my brethren hath not God cut off the nations the national Churches before the eyes of the Churches we have seen it in our days we have seen the sun turned into darkness and the moon into blood National Churches cut off the Towers faln this should have been for instruction of those that came up in the room of them in the room of rhose national Churches do you think I pray do but consider they were cut off because they were wicked why are you come past corruption was there not a beauty upon them in their day what have some said to me lately why all the Martyrs were of our religion say they It is true there was a virgin spirit in that degree of reformation in it's first coming forth and there was a freshness upon it but it quickly corrupted now may not the same corruption grow up in others in other forms and if it be so is God any respecter of persons I wonder that men should be offended at those that speake what they see when we see the signes upon us must we not
a work rather for the Lord himself this is one reason Another reason is this because it is said at that time shall Michael stand up the great prince but in the Septuagint and so likewise in the Hebrew there are two Articles in the Septuagint it is Michael the prince the great now I say these are not proper for an angel these are sovereign titles and belong to the Lord himself As we use to say Constantine the great and Theodosius the great they are all sovereign attributes that is a second reason Thirdly at that time shall Michael stand up the great prince we never read of Gods sending any creature either Angel or man to be a single Champion and deliverer of his people but we read oftentimes that God engages himself singly to arise Psal 12.5 for the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy will I arise saith the Lord c. And so in Esay 23.10 and in Esay 42.19 and Esay 63.5 and several other places where you may reade of Christs engaging alone and so I say here it suits with Christs standing up but it suits not with any creature Now then what is there in this of Christs standing up who is the Michael here and if any shall yet be unsatisfied that he is called Michael we may as well ask why he is called David David your prince But I say standing up here doth import a change of posture and an addressing of himself to the Churches business why sleepest thou it is that which is intimated that the Lord in some dispensations seems to be asleep and let things go as they will but when the Lord stands up and awakens it makes a great change a great alteration when Christ laid aside his garments it was to do a singular thing it was to do or shew a singular a wonderful act of condscention and grace And so when Christ rises up it is the fall of his enemies and for the relieving of his spouse 't is a rising up with anger and indignation with a concern as the Lord says what have I here that my people are sold for nought I cannot bear it longer then up he gets it is said at Christs first coming it is for the rising and fall of many What then will his second coming be when he rises to judgment when he rises to pleade the cause of his people well but in the next place Michaels standing up or Christs standing up is a standing up for himself and for his people to take his great power as it is said in the Revelations thou hast taken to thy self thy great power now shall Christ stand alone consider this if a king stands up and hath great occasion to stand up either that he is invaded or that his subject rebels against him upon such occasion his confederates and allies will pour in their forces upon his enemies Surely our Lord Jesus hath great Allies and confederates his father and all his holy Angels you know it is Gods covenant with him that he will give him the heathen for his inheritance and he that will put all his enemies under his feet before ever he hath his kingdom we find the ancient of days upon his throne and it is a fiery throne too as you have it in Dan. 7. Now if Michael stand up all heaven all the hosts of heaven will stand up with him it will be found so and let the Saints reckon upon it Christ will not want power this is from Michaels standing up that is the first thing But then 2ly we find in Dan. 7. another strange thing which we reade but pass over not knowing well what to make of it we have done so many times in the 13. v. I saw in the night visions and behold one like the son of man come to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him not to exercise you with the difficulty of the understanding of this I shall immediately point you to what I think was the type of this and will give us a very good account of it Solomon you know was a type of Christs kingdom in the tranquility and peaceable time of it when it had wethered the point of all opposition and had now got the day of all its opposers now you shall find such a thing as this in that type before Davids days were out Solomon was presented to him for the kingdom and that by Davids allowance and David did as it were put his power upon Solomon and set him up which gives us the clearest light into this prophecy that I know of When David was old and cold that they could not keep heat in him but they were sain to provide otherwise to refresh his blood and to put spirit in him then was thought a time for Adonijah to set up for himself and get the kingdom for David was like a candle in the socket and so Adonijah might think the action would not be misinterpreted by David then they called all the kings Sons to the feast only they left out Solomon the true interest the heir designed by God and sworn by David he is left out and Zadoch and Benajah these were not called but all the rest now when Adonijah was at his feast Nathan hears of it and acquaints Bathsheba the mother of Solomon who goes forthwith to David about it Here is now in type the bringing the son of man to the ancient of days as she brought Solomon she is a type of the Church presenting Christ unto God saying hast thou not sworn that Solomon thy son shall raign after thee This is presenting the son of man to the ancient of days in the type now so it is in the Antitype so it is in these days of the son of man behold King Solomon with the Crown wherewith his mother crowned him Can. 3. the Lords Prophets and such as are true to the Lords interest bring the son of man to the Ancient of days the prayers of the Saints will run much in this strain and they will be speaking good of Christ in the ears of God and will be telling what their expectations are and how they tender the setting up of Christ and how they suffer and must suffer till Christ raignes and that they never expect to see good days till he comes this answers the type the bringing of the son of man to the ancient of days The ancient of days is commonly looked upon to be the father now 't is true the father hath covenanted and engaged to set Christ upon his throne and he calls him his King but you will find in Revel 1. this very description that is in Daniel applyed to Christ The hair of his head is said to be as white as snow and therefore how shall we understand this I will tell you how it may be reconciled by Davids Lord Davids son that is the head of Christ is God this is the head here spoken of the hair of his head was
old well known enemy the remainders of the 4th beast the Roman Monarchy and as Dr. Holmes hath ingeniously observed the description of the latter horn may very appositly be applyed to the Turk as well as to the papacy who have ravished 3 horns from the Roman Empire viz. Asia Graecia and Syria as the Pope hath impropriated and seized 3 to his Peters patrimony to maintain his tripple crown We have also observed that this is the last enemy and the last tryal that either Jews or Gentiles shall have Now to proceed the first character specifycating this enemy and action that I shall insist on is that quality of the juncture of time in which Gog and Magog shall make this attempt which is not only said shall be in the latter days Ezek. 38.8.16 But it is said he shall come into the land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out of many people against the mountains of Israel which have been always waste but is brought forth out of the nations and are dwelling safely having gotten cattle and goods gold and silver and great â—…ile this is a main circumstance for the discovering of this enemy and action Gog and Magog appear not against the Jews till they be restored to their own land and are setled there and are in great security and are recruited and grown rich In like manner when the people of God among the Gentiles surrogated Israel that have been troden down by the Gentiles the papacy and those of that spirit are brought back from the sword and brought forth of the nations their corruptions and mixtures and are arrived at a good degree of Reformation and prosperity therewith this is the time to look for Gog and Magog and if you see such a people after such a Lot as this even when they are ready to enter the port and haven of their desires to have such an enemy let loose upon them it is very suspicious to be this enemy to be this scene of Gog and Magog I say if all other things suit as if the beast hath had it's time of 42 months and the other scenes that were to precede are over this is a greater character of Gog and Magog 2. He comes as a storm suddenly violently comes upon the interest of God in their security he comes as a cloud for number and multitude not to be turned back v. 9. that is another character Both these particulars you have also Rev. 20. It is after the 1000 years of the Churches peace and rest from the Dragon that Satan is let loose and after the Churches cause pleaded and decided against the beast and the false prophet and the kings of the earth that helped him after great suceess in battel against the Antichristian party after all the fowles were filled with the flesh of kings and captains and mighty men which I take to be the same with that in Ezekiel had gotten goods and cattel and silver and gold and great spoil then Gog and Magog rallies the remnant of a dissolute party comes against this interest and he comes as a cloud with numbers and multitude as the sand of the sea That we may make clear work as we go I must give a little farther account of the time when this enemy appears which is the last scene of the Churches troubles and is to bring on the last destruction of these enemies to think therefore that the Churches enemies should be all destroyed before Gog and Magog appears is to leave no Gog and Magog to vex the Church and to think that by the decision of the battel of the white horse all the Antichristian party are destroyed is all one as to leave no Gog and Magog in the earth to act this last scene for to imagine a fort of enemies to be rais'd from the sides of the earth that never yet appeared against Christ and his interest besides that it is vain and groundless is expresly contrary to the text in Ezekiel that says it is a known enemy and an enemy that watches the ways of the Church sees and observes how things go and takes his advantages of their security and sinful divisions parhaps Ezek 38.17 compar'd with v. 14. and v. 11. But though it should be granted that this enemy is a stump of Antichrist yet it is certain great execution must be done upon that interest great deliverance thence wrought for the Church before this action of Gog and Magog therefore the question seems to be whether those scenes be over that are to precede this and particularly whether the judgment of Babilon be over To this I answer that I conceive it may be made out that the judgment of Babilon that precedes this attempt of Gog and Magog is but a mistical judgment and that the judgment hath been executed upon Babilon by mistical judgment I mean such whether out ward or in ward as which not withstanding she continues and bears up in her pride and opposition untill the last Vyal t is manifest she doth and yet besides the former Vyals in elder times I conceive there would be no great difficulty to prove the the 5 Vyal being a mistical fulfilling of that 18th chap. that continues Babilons judgment to have been poured forth upon her and as little difficult to point out the time and place when and where it was fulfilled to the filling of the kingdom of the beast full of darkness making the Marchants of Babiton to mourn her merchandise to become of no more esteem which though it hath not yet been done in Rome the Metropolis of the Antichristian Babilon who with all her professed daughters adorers and worshipers awaits the last Vyal yet hath been done in some kingdoms of the reformation who as at first they cast out the beasts name yet retained the tantamount or number of his name so since even in this our age have experienced this 5th Vyal upon the throne or government of the beast wherein Rome it self was concerned and had an earnest of her own payment which is not farr off for when God judges one he mistieally judgeth all that are in the same spirit and if it be done thus to the green tree what shall be done to the dry and then when that time comes shall great Babilon Rome her self come into remembrance before God to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath to the fulfilling of every Jota of her denounced judgment in the very letter and rigour of it and then shall the citties of the nations that bear up with her in her pride idolatries and cruelties whether Popish or Mahometan fall with her And that there is not much time for these things to be brought to pass Daniel shews casting up the times from Julian when the last attempt was made for restoring Judaisme in opposition to christianity of which time to his last period there temains not above 22 years pitching the Epocha in 360.
as Mr. Brightman hath demonstrated out of Onuphirius For Constantin began his raign Ann. 304. reigned 31 years Constantius after him raigned 24 years next succeeded Julian who raigned only a year and some few months which all put together making but 56 years from Constantines coming to the Empire pitch our Epocha just in 360. to which add Daniels first number of 1290 and it comes up in 1650. and the second number containing 45 prophetical days more comes up in 1695 which is 22 years to come having cleard thiâ— of the time when this enemy is to appear I come to a 3d character in Ezekiel which is that this enemy and his action is such as upon which the other bordering enemies of the Church have their eye and great expectation rejovcing much in it so we reade Ezek. 38.13 Sheba and Dedan and the Marchants of Tarshish with all the young Lyons thereof shall say unto thee i. e. to Gog art thou come to take a spoile hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey to carry away silver and gold to take away catile and goods to take a great spoile the phrase imports a pleasure and secret tickling thy self to see this enemy up they clap him on the back they set him on and give him their cursed benediction in the work thus much for the characters I come next to the effect and the designe thereof Gods designe is one thing and the Dragons is another the Dragons designe is to retrive and bring back the Church that is upon her escape and well advanced to bring her back into his power and clutches again into a worse condition then before and to keep her for over there and to prevent her new Jerusalem estate so neer at hand which though impossible yet this mad spirit not believing what he cannot but believe will be trying though he be sure to pay dearly for it at last but Gods designe is only a tryal upon his people for most holy and glorious ends set before us we may judge of the degree to which God may suffer this tryal to proceed God hath a 3 fold end in this scene 1. To bring the last and utmost tryal upon the faith of his people 2. By this tryal to make them conformable to Christ to rid them of themselves and those mixtures which made them miscarry in former works 3. To take occasion by the discovery of the enmity of this last enemy to rid the Church of this and all her enemies forementioned The first of these particulars shews the tryal is to be great general as indeed all the rest import the same but yet it is not to lay waste the Church but to purify her in prosecuting this head I shall first shew in what harmony this counsel and dealing of God with his Church and publick interest is with hâ—s inward and particular administration towards particular souls and with his out ward administration all along towards particular times and ages of the Church that have gone before v. 1. there is not a saint that hath a course of any time in this world after his conversion but hath experience in a little model of all these ways of God towards his Church in general hath the red Dragon standing before him to devour him as soon as borne into Christ hath his wildernesse state of temptation by the beast with all manner of baits and snares to draw him off from his profession and prevent his arrival at the haven of a glorious assurance and rest in God during which time he enjoys in despite of all his enemies a raign with Christ answering the 1000 years raign and after this when he is ready to enter the port of glory at death or of joyful assurance in this life putting in a fort a period to his militant state he is set upon by Satan in an unusual manner as a Dragon with fiery rage to destroy him and his hope I shall instance in some particulars who yet were types and figures of the publick inter est Jacob was loved with a peculiar choice-love the blessing was designed for him he no sooner had it but he is driven to fly with it to Padan-aram where he was a stranger to his fathers house for 20 years but at his return which is the thing that comes home to our purpose Esau like the Dragon comes against him with 400 men then in what a conflict is he with God this is the Antimask before the blessing which he then received from God So also Job who was set forth as a pattern of patience you have heard saith the Apostle of the patience of Job and the end that God made with him typifying and prefiguring the end God will make with all his he was a man fearing God and eschewing evil all his days but the state of prosperity was to be dissolved and a Phoenix must rise out of the ashes of it and see how the heavens are set about him with clouds Satan let loose upon him begirts him in his substance servants children wife and his own body and last of all in his friends who instead of comforters prove tormentors So also David he was from his first anointing for the kingdom tryed and exercised with the envy and jealousy of Saul but at last so put to it that he said in his haste all men were lyers even Samuel and all and concluded he should one day perish by the hand of Saul he faigned himself mad put himself into the service of Achish king of Gath a Philistine enemy to Israel a sad disguise discovering at what an under David was in his spirit these were publick types of the Church their sufferings of the sufferings of Christ their glory of the glory that was to follow and see in all these how the Devil plays the Dragon at last take a more particular view of it in Job from his own mouth chap. 29. and chap. 30. where after a flourishing estate largly and elegantly set forth by himself chap. 29. which was a little model of the Saints 1000 years raign with Christ see what a map of misery he is made chap. 30. the song and by word of the rabble but especially from v. 15. to v. 24. wherein as in the sufferings of our Lord Jesus God himself seems to take part with his enemies And not to instance in any more the Apostle Peter speaks of this last shock as being common to all the Saints both to the collective body and the particular members and therefore adviseth us not to think it strange concerning the fiery tryal as if he pointed to this red fiery dragon as though some strange thing happened unto us 1 Pet. 4.12 for it is not to destroy their faith but only to try it as he had acquainted them Chap. 1.7 and so our Saviour secures Peter and in him secures all that are built on that rock that Peter was Simon Satan hath desired to winnow thee bnt I have prayed that
thy faith fail not Luk. 22.31 neither did Jacobs faith fail him in that night of his conflict Gen. 32.25 nor Jobs while he could make such a glorious confession chap. 19.23.27 neither did Davids faith fail him though it was shaken and seemed to fail when he said I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 yet we read afterwards he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1. Sam. 30.6 it is said the powers of heaven shall be shaken and so may faith be shaken but shall not fail Gog Magog shall compass the camp of the Saints on every side so that which way soever they look there is nothing but danger and sear this will make all things fail but faith as David saith my heart and flesh faileth but God is the strength of my heart it will put even faith if self to it and drive it into God where properly it is to dwell How great this tryal is like to be may be guessed from these considerations 1. That it is the last and dying effect of the Dragons cause therefore his rage is great saith the text knowing he hath but a short time after which he hath no more that he can do 2. He acts from desperation and though he cannot hope to prevail yet he will set his life as dear as he can and make it as costly and bloudy a victory to the Church as God will suffer him for no other bounds will be set to bloody rage then the restraint God lays upon him who in his holy counsel permits him to go as far as may be with the safety of the cause and interest and the faith of the Church which is to be a full tryal of it and of their patience that it may have it's perfect work and that the glory of that tryal may be the greater as we may see in Job the Devil had full scope to all manner tryals his life only excepted so the Church shall live and that is all till this tryal is over therefore the Lord sets this bound Esay 57.56 Lest the spirit fail before me and in another place lest the righteous put forth their hand to iniquity Psa 125.3 they shall almost come to it but there it shall stop A second end of god in this tryal is to bring upon the Church Christs mistical body that needful qualification and preparation for glory that God wrote upon Christ the head to make them conformable to him according to the law of his eternal counsel Rom. 8.29 for even Christ was made perfect by sufferings being crucified through weakness or for the weakness of that state he was in in the flesh which could not work out redemption for us without it's passing away and the Apostle tells us all after that law and example that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God this mistical death therefore is to rid us of our selves and those foul mixtures which made our former works miscarry and prove abortive as the snake pressing between sharp tones or rocks puts off her old skin and renews as the Eagle by casting her bill so God useth the ministry of Satan himself in these sharp tryals to help us off with the old man for it is a new race of Christians or Christians new formed regenerated spirited that are fit for the new Jerusalem and all this would not do to fit us for converse with Christ and that heavenly company if the Lord did not put to his own hand at last in that change in a moment in the twinckling of an eye but these tribulations help that is the 2d end The third is that the Lord may take occasion by this fresh and bleeding discovery of the serpent and his parties enmity to destroy them and deliver the Church from them for ever they have given occasion and provocation enough all along and God hath rapt them for it but deferr'd his anger till this time giving the Church support mean while as not having finished his work on Mount Sion and so former provocations slept and were forgotten but for the glory of Gods righteousnesse and to make his justice the more conspicuous he permits them this laft opportunity to shew themselves which they do to the full that God may take them in the fact while they are reaking hot in their rage against the Church that all the world may see for what it is he destroys them and how he favours the Church which the world could not well read in former dispensations they were so intermingled but now the vision shall be so plain that he may run that reads it this is the account which the Lord himself gives of this dispensation Zeph. 3.8 therefore wait ye upon me faith the Lord till I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the nations that I may assemble the kingdoms to pour upon them my indignation even all my fierce anger and Ier. 51.39 In their beat I will make their feasts and I will make them drunken that they may rejoyce and sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake saith the Lord God will give them all the scope their hearts can desire power multitudes to excecute their will and no power with the Church and then will God triumph over them as in the day of Iehosaphat and the day of Gideon call'd the day of Midian and the day of battel Zach. 14.3 Esa 10.26 Mich. 4.11.12.13 There are many other holy and gracious ends the Lord hath in this dispensation might be instanced as to commend the following rest and glory therefore the Lord continues to take his people just off a troublesom and tempest uous sea into it that they may have the fuller and more perfect rellish of it which to intimate to us seems to be consulted in that manner of phrase in Peter where he speaks of the spirit his testifying in the prophets beforehand of the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow as much as to intimate that the sufferings are ordain'd among other and great ends as a foil to the glory But I hasten to the conclusion of this discourse there is one point I would speak more fully to and that is to give in fuller evidence and satisfaction that the times of the 5th trumpet are not to be ranged so high as interpreters commonly carry them but to belong to the times of Satan loosed which having slipt the proper place to bring it in I shall therefore add it at the close of this discourse and therewith shall also offer a paper which I drew some months since whereby the main subject of this discourse may receive some further light in the mean space I shall speak a word as to the aplication of the precedent discourse to the times and to the particular concern of the people of God in these times 1. As to the times the designe of this short discourse hath been to give or get some light to discern the times and
heaven though to them a tryal but with all a service fetching them off more fully and more home to God their true rest And for the outward part of this wo if this be the same time spoken of Rev. 12.15.16 as I have formerly hinted in this discourse it is the earth shall help the woman and open her mouth to swallow up the flood as we may observe it hath done thus farr hitherto But yet there is more comfort behinde for as in this tryal the devil comes forth in person I may say and it is the Dragons second appearance so will Michael standup yea he doth stand up and Christ will appear in person the second time to rescue his beloved city from this violence So that here is all the comfort can be desired the very action is a service to us to bring us to God and the issue will crown our joy in bringing down Christ unto us look on the deliverance of Let and Sodom the very type of this where you may finde all the parts and the whole contexture of this scene even to the fire that came down from heaven and the lake into which those filthy citties were cast but just Lot is delivered and the Lord appears in person to his deliverance look on the old world another figure of this all drowned but upright Noah saved in the Ark so shall it be with the Lords Noahs and Lots in this day when the enemy shall come in like a flood and when the Lord shall send his flood of his wrath upon them nay when he shall rain down fire from heaven upon them therefore his is the Lords call this day to his Lots to his Noahs to abandon Sodom to flee out of Babylon and to deliver every man his own sou let the Churches hear this and all that walk with them to arise and depart out of every form and appearance of things of holy things Church or ordinancé that is polluted that is destitute of the spirit where Christ and his spirit is not in rule in power is not predominant striks not the great stroke bears not the great sway that state of things is a Sodom and Egypt a Babilon it is not something of God or something of the spirit being there makes it otherwise if the spirit be not there in rule and dominion God knows how to save that something and will do it as he did Lot out of Sodom but that shall not save Sodom It is true the last Vyal is poured out upon the air the prince of the power of the air and his whole party not Ecclesiastical only but corrupt civil formes and constitutions also but with ths civil or rather uncivil rule of corrupt men the Lord will put down also very specious and glorious religious forms that are not in the spirit for the shall put down saith the Apostle all rule and all authority and power 1 Cor. 15.24 yea the same Apostle tells us in the third chap. of the Epistle v. 11. and 16. that though the foundations be right yet they that build bay and stubble upon it shall suffer losse in their work and though themselves shall be saved yet so as by fire therefore we see we had need to take heed not to our foundation only but also to our building The Apostle Peter tells us that all these things must be dissolved he saith not simply all things but all these things not the works of God for whatsoever God doth is for ever for as all Christs words so all Gods works are spirit and life therefore we reade in Revelation of the ark and the tabernacle taken into the temple in heaven as typically they were into Solomons temple and that at the founding of the 7th trumpet they were seen there the true spiritual substratum of every ordinance creation and institution of God when a higher glory is revealed is carryed up and taken into that glory but the earthly part of it falls to the earth how much more all the works and buildings of man and all his pleasant pictures Esa 2.16 and as all civil foundations pollicies constitutions built with blood and unrighteousnesse shall dash and break one another in peices so will these spiritual buildings that are so in name only be dasht in peices like potters vessels and that in great part by their own divisions Gog and Magog also are used in this work who as the Assirian of old are sent against an hipocritical nation Esa 10.6 to take the spoil to take the prey and to tread them down as the mire in the streets this is one way that the earth shall help the woman and drink up the flood the dragon designes the holy the beloved city but that shall not be given into his hand but there is an hipocritical nation which yet all themselves of the holy city and are so esteemed by one another being called by the name of Israel and come forth of the waters of Judah these shall be given into his hand and when these things are judged and dissolved the Churches enemyes destroyed and her self purifyed then shall appear the new heavens and the new earth wherein dwels righteousnesse Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Errata PAge 6. line 7. for charge reade change p. 12. l. 23. for the large r. a large p. 14. r. acknowledging p. 15. l. 21 for about r. above p. 18. l. 1. for him r. them p. 27. l. 13. for tax r. taxt p. 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