Family or Houshold as it were all the Inhabitants of the World who were scatter'd and divided before are now brought under one Head and Governour one Supreme Catholick Ruler as St. Chrysostom expounds the place All Nations divided before by false ways are now united in Christ the Way and the Truth He brings all the Severals into One and makes up a full Church Militant and Triumphant whereas before there was a dispersion Thus Heaven and Earth are happily joined Again the Greek word sometimes signifies to restore or repair and accordingly is rendred by the Vulgar Latin and then the meaning of the Apostle is that all things in Heaven and Earth are restored and renewed by Christ and his Coming There is a happy Restauration of Man's Nature by the Incarnation of the Blessed Iesus the former State of Integrity is now renewed and Man is in a far better Condition than he was at first And as for Angels their State also is much amended they are now confirmed in their Integrity and Happiness Thus according to Theodoret's Interpretation of the place the things in Heaven and on Earth are Restored Renewed Reformed by the Evangelical Dispensation But there is a third and that the most probable Interpretation of the words which is this and the Margin in our English Translation takes notice of it that in the Dispensation of the fulness of Time or the Dispensation of the Gospel God was pleased to sum up all things in Christ. Which may refer to Arithmetical Computation or bringing all Numbers into One and so here is signified that all the former Dispensations being cast up and briefly collected are reduced to this of the Gospel This is the Sum total Christ is all and in all Col. 3. 11. Or it may refer as St. Ierom on the place thinks to the way of Orators and Pleaders who in the close of their Speeches and Declamations briefly repeat and recapitulate all the foregoing particulars and represent the whole Cause in short In like manner what had been spun out and prolonged in divers foregoing Dispensations is now under the Gospel briefly gather'd and summ'd up in Christ Jesus This is the time wherein God hath made an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he hath drawn into one all that went before He hath finished the account for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may be rendred or the Work and cut it short in Righteousness bâ—cause a short Account or Work will the Lord make upon the Earth Rom. 9. 28. which as you will â—ee by consulting the Context and the place in Isaiah from whence it is taken is meant of the Gospel This is that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that abbreviated word or short Account or because a word and a thing or work are frequently convertible among the Hebrews whence this is borrow'd short work which God hath made upon the Earth The Law was tedious with its multiplicity of Observances but Christ comes in a compendious way and requires none of those long Undertakings which Moses exacted This saith one of the Fathers is the short word that is here meant the brief words of Faith Believe in the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved is the concise way of the Gospel This comprises the greatest things in short Christ the Incarnate Son of God is the Sum and Substance of all the Old Testament and of all the different Oeconomies from the beginning of the World The Evangelical Dispensation is the Recapitulation of all the preceding ones All is to be shut up with this nothing more is to be expected this being the Upshot and Conclusion of all the Administrations that are upon Earth I might argue likewise from the Gospel's being call'd the New Testament for the Greek Word signifies both a Covenant and a Testament Sometimes even when it is rendred a Covenant in the Margin it is translated a Testament But by the very import and scope of the Text we are forc'd to render it a Testament in some places as in Heb. 9. 16 17. The Chriâ—tian Institution and the New Covenant of Grace therein contained are the Will and â—estament of our Saviour wherein he hath set down what he would have done after his death â—or that is the true notion of a Testament Christ the Testator died and bequeathed us the Gospel this his Last Will must stand and that only therefore no other is to be looked for Moreover I might argue from this that the time of the Gospel is call'd the last Time I grant that sometimes the last Day and last Times and the end of the World are understood of the Day of Judgment and particularly the last Day is applied no less than four times in the 6 th Chapter of St. Iohn to the time of the last Resurrection or the Day of Judgment Some modern Writers understand the last Times and the end of the World of Christ's coming to destroy Ierusalem and it is certain they may in some places be understood so But for the most part they are taken otherwise and those Learned Mâ—n who defend the contrary shew too plainly their Prejudice and Partiality in asserting a Notion which they have once taken up But nothing is more evident than this that the last Times and the last Days which latter is different from the last Day in the singular Number are generally meant of the Gospel Dispâ—â—sation which is last of all This I prove from such places as these both in the Old and New Testament Isai. 2. 2. It shall come to pass in the last days that the Mount of the Lord's House shall be establiâ—â—ed on the top of the Mountains and so in Mic. 4. 1. where by the Consent of all Interpreters the last Days signiâ—ie the time of Christ's Coming the Appeaâ—ing of Christianity in the World and in other Prophets this is express'd after the same manner The Apostles use the same way of speaking and all the time from Christ's Coming to the Day of Judgment is call'd by them the last Time and the last Days as in 2. Tim. 3. 1. Heb. 1. 2. 1 Pet. 1. 5 20. 1. Pet. 3. 3. 1 Iohn 2. 18. and in other places the Time of the exhibitâ—ng of Chriâ—â— in the flesh or of the Reign of the Messias iâ— thus express'd It is also call'd the end of the World by the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews who saith Christ appear'd in the end of the World to put away sin Heb. 9. 26. This Consummation of Ages as according to the Greek it may be most fitly rendred this Close or Shutting up of the former Dispensations especially of the Iewish one is call'd by the same Holy Writer the World to come Heb. 2. 5. And the very Iewish Writers fre-frequently give this Denomination to the time of the Messias This according to Daniel is the time of sealing up the Vision and Propâ—ecy Dan. 9. 24. i. e. of ratifying and verifying all the Visions and Prophecies
comprised in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Time of Reformation mentioned by the same Apostle Heb. 9. 10. for he uses this Expression with reference not only to the Mosaick Law which was to be corrected and retrenched but in regard of the Gospel itself which was designed to amend and reform the World and to set it right Now this was not to be a Mock-Reformation but it was to be to Purpose and throughly to be carried on which I call the Heighth and Perfection of the Evangelical Dispensation This may have been signified when St. Paul would have the Corinthians and with them all Christians in future Ages wait for the Revelation of our Lord Iesus Christ 1 Cor. 17. And when St. Peter exhorted the Converted Iews whom he wrote to and with them all holy Men in succeeding Times to hope for the Grace that is to be brought unto them at the Revelation of Iesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 13. He had been speaking in the foregoing Verses of the former Dispensations in the Church of God together with the Evangelical one which was then present and now he acquaints them that there is to be a higher Degree of this last Dispensation The Time shall come when the Effects and Fruits of the Gospel shall be more Conspicuous and Eminent when the Grace of God which bringeth Salvation shall produce greater Things in the World to the Astonishment of all the Enemies of the Church and to the Amazement even of Holy Christians themselves This is the Revelation of Iesus Christ. This last Condition of the Church is also expressed by New Heavens and a New Earth 2 Pet. 3. 13. For this is the Style of the Evangelical Prophet Isa. 65. 17. 66. 22. where by New Heavens and a New Earth he sets forth the State of the Gospel and therefore the Heighth of it deserves these Titles much more Whence it is probable that this is the New Heaven and the New Earth which St. Iohn saw Rev. 21. 1. For it is observable that he frequently makes use of the same Expressions and Phrases which are found in the Prophetical Writers And though it is true some Learned Expositors understand this New Heaven and New Earth in the Revelation of St. Iohn concerning the Church Triumphant the State of the Blessed in Heaven yet if any â—an narrowly scans this Chapter he will not be backward to acknowlâ—dge that this can't be the Meaning of it For the New Heaven and the Nâ—w Earth are the same with the Holy City the New Ierusalem in the same Chapter into which the Kings of the Earth bring their Glory and Hâ—nour ver 24. they come with all their Honourable Retinue to submit to the Scepter of Iesus to own themselves his Converts and they are ambitious to be Members of this Glorious Church upon Earth Next I will produce those Plaâ—es of Scripture where this Full and Final Settlement of the â—hristian Church in the last Times of the Gospel is call'd a Kingdom and set forth by Reigning It is not to be question'd that David's Temporal Kingdom was a Type and Earnest of this And those sure Mercies of David Isa. 55. 3. are the Faithful Promises made by God to David concerning the Messias and his Kingdom which are not yet fully accomplished and therefore are to be in this Reigâ— of Christ which I am speaking of Of this we often read in the Prophet Daniel as in Chap. 2. ver 44. In the Days of those Kings viz. the Monarchs mentioned in the Verses before among whom 〈◊〉 was one under whom Christ was born shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which shall never be destroyed That is Christ's Kingdom then began to be erected which afterwards shall more eminently deserve that Name viz. when it shall arrive to its Perfection It is said here expresly that it shall break in pieces all these Kingdoms that is the Four Monarchies Of which we are further ascertain'd in the next Verse for Christ 〈◊〉 is that Stone which was cut out of the Mountains without Hands and was to break in pieces the Iron the Brass the Clay the Silver and the Gold This Famous Stone was to beat down all the Four Metals Christ was to destroy the Four Monarchies that is when these cease Christ's Kingdom immediately succeeds It is true it did succeed in part when the Pagan Roman Empire expired and so in some measure this Prophecy was fulfilled but there shall be a more illustrious and eminent Succession than this upon the compleat expiring of the Fourth General Monarchy Wherefore when we see this quite at an end we may conclude that Christ's Reign approacheth i. e. that the happy Condition of the Christian Church in this World draws near This Fourth Monarchy the Roman is now wearing off being translated to the Germans it is but a meer Name and Title The Wings of this Imperial Eagle have been plucked its Plumes are fallen its Feathers are gone its whole Body almost consumed Rome itself and Italy are not so much as the poor Remains at this Day of the Roman Empire This Image is now on its last Legs and those are infirm for the Holy Spirit tells us that the Feet are of Clay and Iron which Two Materials will not well cement and hold together long Therefore another State of Things is approaching viz. the Fifth Monarchy or Empire here prophesied of the Reign of Christ Jesus here on Earth or which is the same a more illustrious Manifestation of Christianity a more Visible and Glorious Displaying of its Vertue and Power than ever yet was in the World Of this Kingdom of the Son of Man you have another express Prediction in Dan. 7. 14. There was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him His Dominion is an everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroy'd Again ver 22. The Time came that the Saints possessed the Kingdom Agreeably to what was said ver 18. The Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever This Kingdom is again delineated ver 27. There is a great Number of Texts in Isaiah Ieremiaâ— Ezekiel and the Lesser Prophets which speak of this Kingdom of the Messias but they are it is true generally interpreted by Expositors of Christ's Coming in the Flesh and the prevailing of the Gospel afterwards and even to this very Day but they are not thought by them to reach any further This I conceive is a Mistake from the narrow Thoughts which Men are apt to have of those great Things spoken of by the Prophets which we shall find upon diligent comparing of Things to have a very large and comprehensive Meaning Most of the Prophetick Expressions of this Nature have reference not only to the first Times of the Gospel and these at present but to those that are to come Ultimately and completely and in their highest
3. 1. to explain this Place in the Revelation for as Christ is said to be crucified among the Galatians i. e. they had been so clearly and fully taught and instructed in the Nature of Christ's Sufferings as if Christ himself had been crucified in their Sight So in a resembling sort the SAINTS are said to live again i. e. their holy Lives and Actions whence they are denominated Saints are as evidently and completely copied out in the Persons then upon a kind of a Resurrection On such the second Death bath no Power i. e. those who have the Honour to be reserved to that excellent State of the Church which is called Reigning with Christ being Holy and Righteous Persons they shall be rescued from the second Death which is no other than Everlasting Destruction For as there is a Twofold Resurrection as hath been said so in the same way of Allusion there is a Twofold Death a Death of Temporal and a Death of Eternal Destruction This latter is called the second Death because it comes after the other and is a great deal more terrible than it Therefore to be free'd from this is the greatest Mercy imaginable And this is that which all those who live under the Heighth of the Evangelical Dispensation shall be rescued from At the end of those Thousand Years when the Books shall be opened and the Dead shall be judged out of them they shall escape everlasting Death and Damnation and they shall pass from Earth to Heaven from the happy State of the Church here to endless Blessedness in the Mansions above The short then of all is this That the Living and Reigning of the Saints with Christ which is foretold in this Chapter is to be understood of the most Prosperous and Flourishing State of the Church of Christ here on Earth which is the Thing that I have undertaken to prove and illustrate Indeed it is not expresly said that this Reign shall be on Earth but we may most rationally infer as much from this Chapter The Angel who was to bind Satan came down from Heaven ver 1. therefore the Scene of these Things spoken of in this Chapter was to be here below Afterwards ver 3. it is said that Satan was shut up that he might deceive the Nations no more Now none can deny but that these Nations were on Earth And in ver 9. it is said of Gog and Magog That they went up on the Breadth of the Earth and compassed the Camp of the Saints about The Saints then are upon the Earth as well as Gog and Magog And this appears yet further from what follows in the same Verse Fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured them Therefore neither they nor the Saints were then in Heaven but on Earth else the Fire could not be said to come down from Heaven upon the latter It is out of question then that this Reigning of the Saints with Christ is meant of that happy Administration of the Church here on Earth Though the common Doctrine of the Millennaries viz. of the Saints and Martyrs leaving Heaven and coming down to Reign on Earth and so likewise of the Personal Reign of Christ with them be a groundless Fancy and built neither on Reason nor Scripture yet I have in some good measure shew'd that Tâ—is which I am now speaking of is founded on Both. The former dictates to us that there shall be a more perfect State of Christianity than ever yet hath been and the latter in several Places speaks of this higher Degree of Christianity Though Christ will not come in Person yet he will come in the Spirit to renew his Church and to exalt it to a greater Measure of Holiness and Purity And there shall then be such a joyful blessed Season as never was before and never will be again upon Earth It remains now that I speak particularly and distinctly of the Duration of this Spiritual Reign It shall last a Thousand Years which some have thought is to be understood iâ—definitely As in Iob 9. 3. 33. 23. One of a Thousand is One of a great Many And in Psal. 50. 10. A Thousand Hills and Psal. 105. 8. A Thousand Generations is as much as very Many Hills and Generations so they think here a Finite Number is put for an Indefinite and accordingly the Reigning of the Saints a Thousand Years signifies no more than the long Time of the Churches Prosperity St. Augustin who takes the Thousand Years in this Indefinite manner holds that they began either at Christ's Birth or his Passion and last to the Worlds end or till a little before it when Antichrist is to come and appear in the World Others say they commence at Christ's Death and that as the Saints are said to Reign so the Devil is bound a Thousand Years i. e. all the Time from Christ's Passion to the Consummation of all Things excepting only that little Time when he is Loosed But these are very extravagant Assertions and no considerate Men have undertaken to make them good Why therefore should I undertake to confute them I will only say this to baffle their Notion who take these Thousand Years Indefinitely that first it is expresâ—y asserted in this Chapter that the Godly shall Reign a Thousand Years and that Satan shall be bound just so many Years which indeed are but the same Time Again The Thousand Years are repeated no less than Six-times by St. Iohn here which clearly makes against and Indefinite and Uncertain Number Unless a Certain Determinate Portion of Years were here meant this Definite and Precise Number would not have been reiterated so often For this reason both the Ancient and Modern Expositors of this Chapter universally agree that the Thousand Years here are to be taken in the most obvious and Proper Sence viz. for that Particular Determinate Number But then there is a great Disagreement about the Beginning and Ending of these Thousand Years thus precisely taken Some say they began at Christ's Nativity and lasted till Pope Silvester the Second which was about a Thousand Years after for Idolatry and all Superstitious Rights in the Church broke out and manifestly appeared under him first of all So our Wickliff and Bilney and Aretius a Foreigner thought But others as Bede Primasius Pererius fix the Date at Christ's Passion Others hold the Thousand Years began at the Preaching of the Gospel or about the Destruction of Ierusalem and ended when Popery first began Eminently to prevail which was they say about the Year of Christ 1073. when Hildebrand i. e. Gregory the Seventh invaded the Chair then Satan also was loosed This is Dr. Lightfoot's Opinion as it was also of our Broughton and Vsher and of Pareus and Iunius abroad But surely it is harsh to say that the Devil was bound all the time of the Ten Persecutions when he had Power given him to stir up those Bloody Emperours and Tyrants to commit such Outrages against the
Incongruities he runs himself into to maintain his Assertion Whenas the very Character here given of the Man of Sin viz. that he sits in the Temple of God and exalts himself above all that is called God c. plainly shews to whom it belongs And that the Brightness of Christ's coming whereby this Son of Perdition shall be consumed is not meant of Christ's last Coming to Judgment but of his Coming to Reign upon Earth will appear from what I shall presently add St. Iohn who was honoured with abundant Discoveries from Heaven concerning the Things which were to come to pass afterwards in the Christian Church in a most graphical and lively Manner represents to us in Two whole Chapters the Eighteenth and Nineteenth of the Book of the Revelation the Fall of this Spiritual Baby lon and the Saints Rejoicing and Triumphing because of the Vengeance of God upon her And then immediately in the next Chapter he proceeds to speak of the Binding of Satan and the Reign of the Saints a Thousand Years In which Chapters though it is true the exact Order of the Time is not observed as in the Book of the Revelation is â—â—sual and therefore we must not always insist upon Prius Postâ—â—ius here yet this is plainly signified to us that there is a Connexion between these Two the Reign of Christ and the Fall of Babylon and that the one most certainly goes along with the other But exactly speaking the Overthrow of Babylon is part of Christ's Reigning or you may call it an Effect of it For when he Reigneth he will subdue and destroy this Greatest Enemy of his Kingdom If we enquire How he shall be destroy'd both St. Paul and St. Iohn will satisfy us The former tells us That he shall be consumed by the Spirit of God's Mouth 2 Thes. 2. 8. Which may signify some immediate way of God's blasting him God Himself shall fight against him with the Sword of his Mouth The Pope shall be destroyed saith Luther without Hands As he began so he shall end He set up at first not by Power and in the like manner he shall be cast down That Prophecy in 8. Dan. 25. concerning Antiochus He shall be broken without Hand shall be fulfilled of the Pope And again he saith When God speaketh but a Word and saith Rome be destroy'd Sir Pope come down from your Throne it shall be accomplished immediately The Phrase here used may denote the Easiness and Suddenness of the Fall of the Papal Antichrist It shall be as it were with a Word of God's Mouth Or the Spirit of God's Mouth may signify the Preaching of the Gospel This shall be made the great Instrument of Rome's Fall As the Prophet of old was said to sâ—ay the Wicked with the Words of his Mouth Hos. 6. 5. So shall the Evangelical Prophets the Ministers of Christ when they shall be effectually stir'd up for that purpose slay that wicked One and all his Adherents in the same manner they shall be so powerfully enabled to enlighten and instruct the World that it shall soon be convinced of the Damnable Errours and Impieties of the Roman Church it shall plainly see and discern the execrable Impostures of that Society of Men it shall be made evident from the Word of God That they are no other than the Synagogue of Satan Thus the Man of Sin shall be destroy'd by the Brightness of Christâ—s coming as the Apostle expresseth it in the same place by the Plain and Convictive Preaching of the Word which shall accompany that blessed State of the Church which is to come But Rome shall not Fall by God's Word only The ensuing Texts of Scripture will bring you to this Perswasion that her Downfal shall likewise be by humane Force and Power He that killeth with the Sword must be killed with the Sword Rev. 13. 10. Give her Blood to drink Ch. 16. v. 6. They shall make the Whore desolate and naked and they shall Eat her Flesh and burn her with Fire Ch. 17. v. 16. All which signify the use of Violent Means And more fully yet in Ch. 18. v. 6 7 8. Reward her even â—s she rewarded you and double unto her double according to her Works in the Cup which she hath filled which was a Cup of Blood fill to her Double How much she hath glorified herself and lived deliciously so much torment and sorrow give her for she saith in her Heart I sit a Queen and am no Widow and shall see no sorrow Therefore shall her Plagues come in one Day Death and Mourning and Famine and she shall be utterly burnt with Fire Perhaps this last Expression may intimate that the Papists shall fall out among themselves that they shall dissent from one another that they shall contribute towards their Ruin by their own intestine Quarrels and Combustions for these are signified by Fire not only in Luke 12. 49. but in several other Places But there must be some Fighting on both Sides Rome and its Opponents as I conceive This seems to me very plain out of Rev. 19. 19 20 21. where there are Two Armies and a formal pitch'd Battle and a Victory ensuing upon it To take it wholly in a Spiritual Sense is very harsh and disagreeable to what we meet with in this and other Chapters of this Book where there are several Passages which seem to inform us That this Bloody Antichrist shall Fall by the Hand and Force of Man as well as by the immediate Curse of God and the Preaching of the Gospel of which I spoke before We are told that Hannibal brake through the Alpes with Fire and Vinegar when he was on his march towards Rome It is probable that those Warriors and Champions whom God will stir up to make their way thither will use a resembling Method that they will ingage in very Hot and Sharp Service and with the utmost Force and Violence incounter all Impediments which stand in their way And as the Old Romans in great Streights of the Commonwealth created a Dictator an extempore Monarch and Governour so it may be the Person to do this great Thing shall be of that sort he shall be extraordinarily chosen out and set up by Providence on purpose for this emergent Business And who knows but that he may be a Dictator as it were from the Plough i. e. a Person taken from more Private and Low Employments to move and act in this High and Publick Sphere But I need not be Inquisitive and Solicitous about the Manner of Rome's Downfal since we have so good Assurance of the Thing itself and may acquiescâ— in that II. The Conversion or Fulness of the Gentiles is another Attendant of the Reign of Christ upon Earth This was intimated in that Promise of God to Abraham That he should be a Father of the Multitude of Nations 17. Gen. 4. for so it is in the Original Those Nations which proceeded from Abraham by Hagar and
by St. Peter and others and it appears from this Chapter that it was after the Devil was loosed after the Thousand Years Reign of Christ here on Earth yea towards the Consummation of all Things This is the true Time of its happening and therefore we are not to credit the fanciful Conceit of the Highâ—flown Spagyrick Tribe who talk of the Calcining of the Earth by that Fire and preparing it in a Chymical Way for the reception of its new Inhabitants after the Resurrection of the Saints Of Kin to this is what the Author of the New Theory of the Earth asserts That the last Conflagration is to alter and dispose the Earth for a New State to receive the Saints and Martyrs for its Inhabitants who are at the first Resurrection to enter and to live and reign a Thousand Years upon it Before this we were told by another Writer that the Millennium shall begin after the beginning of the Conflagration But another Learned Gentleman is positive That the Millennium shall be after the Conflagration is quite past Any Man may see that this latter Author misplaceth the World's Conflagration only to make way for his Paradisiacal Earth of which he expects a New Edition for he fancies that this shall arise Phoenix-like out of the Ashes of that other For this Reason it was necessary to hold that the blessed Reign of the Thousand Years shall begin after the Conflagration is over viz. between this and the last Judgment But so far as I am able to judge most of the Places he quotes are rather against him than for him if they be well scann'd As to what he lays so great Stress upon that the Iudgment and the Reigning of Christ and joined together in the Apocalypse Chap. 11. 20. he should consider that the Iudgment is oftentimes introduced in this Book not as if it were then to happen when it is mentioned but to strike Terrour into the Minds of the wicked Persecutors of the Church and to represent to them the Certainty of their future Punishment viz. when that Day comes Besides that it were easy to prove that not only in this Book but in other Writings of the Prophets every great and Notable Revolution is compared to God's judging the World and is set forth by the Holy Ghost after that manner Again this Learned Writer frequently misinterprets the Places which speak of Christ's Coming as that in 2 Thes. 2. 8. which is not meant of his Last Coming to Iudgment but of that which I have been largely treating of viz. the happy Reign of the Godly when Antichrist shall be destroy'd which commenceth long before the Final Coming of our Saviour And therefore when he saith the Millennium cannot be till Christ's Coming he deceives himself and his Readers by not attending to the true Meaning of Christ's Coming in those Texts which he refers to Indeed most of his Mistakes proceed from this That whereas the Scripture often mentions the Coming of our Lord to set up a Glorious Church on Earth before the end of the World which likewise he himself acknowledges he interprets it of another Coming i. e. he imagines it to be understood of the Last Appearance of our Saviour Another great Occasion of his Misapprehensions in the present Point is this That where-ever almost he finds in the Old or New Testament any Passages concerning Fire and Burning he applies them as the Reader may observe through his whole Treatise to the Last Combustion of the World which hath unfortunately betray'd him to many Errors Likewise wheresoever New Heavens and a New Earth are made mention of in the Bible he understands them of a New Material World whenas there was no such Thing intended for these Terms denote only a new State and Face of Things viz. that blessed Millennium before treated of Then there shall be such a great and notable Change that there shall seem to be a New World The Inhabitants of this Place shall be so strangely alter'd that there shall be as it were an Appearance of a New Creation In this Sense the Apostle uses the Expression 2 Cor. 5. 17. He that is in Christ is a New Creature This Author might as well interpret these Words as the New Heavens and New Earth of a New Material Creation and hold that every Man when he is made a true Christian is physically Created again But I observe it is with this Learned Gentleman as it was with Origen of old who was generally faulty in Allegorizing those Places of Scripture which are to be taken Literally and yet was so unhappy as to expound a clause in Matth. 19. 12. in this latter way notwithstanding it is evident that it was spoken in a Mystical one So we find this Writer turning that part of the Bible which speaks of the Creation of the World and of the Fall of Man into Allegory and Metaphor though they are plain Historical and Literal Passages but those Texts of Scripture which mention New Heavens and a New Earth in a Metaphorical way of speaking are taken by him in a Literal and proper Sense The Heavens and the Earth with the whole Six days Works of the Creation in the first Chapter of Genesis are according to him Allegory and Mystery not to say a Fable But the New Heavens and Earth in Isaiah where they are interpreted to his hand of Ierusalem the the Church of God and in other Places are understood by him in a strict and literal Sense of a New Corporeal System of the World This is the Perverseness of humane Wit and it is its own Punishment I heartily wish the Learned Author were sensible of it and then he would see that this Notion of a New Material Earth and a New Set of heavenly Bodies for Men to inhabit in is all Romance and Fiction built only upon some distorted Texts of Scripture upon some mistaken Passages for want of comparing them with others in the Sacred Writ upon some Scraps and Fragments of a few Platonick and Stoick Philosophers upon the Prepossessions of some of the Fathers of the Church who had been Admirers of the Platonists Opinions upon the Rhetorical Flaunts of some others of them upon the high Flights of some fanciful Poets and lastly on the Dreams of some of the Iewish Rabbins These are too small too tender Wires to hang so great a Weight on as those New Heavens and that New Earth which he fansies If it be said that the New Heaven and New Earth are after the Burning of the World because S. Peter immediately after he had mentioned this dreadful Event adds these Words Nevertheless we according to his Promise look for New Heavens and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Epist. 2. Chap. 3. ver 13. I answer That this is Inconsequential for we cannot here argue from the Order of the Apostle's Words to the Order of the Things spoken of He relates the Consumption of the World by Fire and
then annexes his Expectations of a new and better state of Things But it doth not follow thence that this shall be after that For the plain Mind of the Apostle seems to me to be this Notwithstanding that dreadful Dissolution of all Things which I have been speaking of you and I and all good Christians must comfort and chear our selves with that Expectance and Belief of another State of Things which shall certainly intervene between this and that We look for happy Days before that Time comes These shall present us as 't were with a New-made World these shall be New Heavens and New Earth to us and therefore let us not be discouraged and disheartened with the Thoughts of that Terrible Conflagration of the material Earth and Heavens We according to God's Promise recorded in the Prophetick Writings Isa. 65. 17. 66. 22. Hag. 2. 6. look for this new Scene of Affairs in the World viz. a Glorious Church on Earth And though things look otherwise at present though there is no Appearance of any such State now nevertheless I tell you there shall be before the Day of Judgment a Time when this shall be fulfilled And though we of this Age shall not survive to see this blessed Time yet we rejoice in the firm and certain Belief of it and we exhort all holy Men in succeeding Ages to expect and long for this Day The Sum of these Words then is this Although this World shall be dissolved by Flames yet before this amazing Change happens we are to look for New Heavens and a New Earth i. e. such a State wherein universal Holiness shall be Lasting and Permanent which is one of the Qualifications as you have heard of this happy State I have been treating of for that is the meaning of those Words wherein dwelleth Righteousness This I conceive is the Sense of this Text of St. Peter which is vouched by the Analogy of it with other Texts and the natural and facile Scope of the Words and the Criticism of the Adverb â— which in many other Places of the New Testament is Synonymous with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed attamen quinetiam This I say I take to be the genuine Sense of this Place and accordingly the forementioned Objection vanishes Or if you interpret it as some Learned Expositors do of the Eternal Glory and Happiness of blessed Souls above which all holy Men look for the Objection hath no force Further it is intimated in this very Chapter that the universal Combustion of the World shall be after the Millennium and after the Iudgment whereas this Author places it before them both for the setting of the Heavens and the Earth on Fire is said to be in order to the Perdition of ungodly Men ver 7. for presently after the Last Judgment is dispatched and the Righteous are translated into the Regions of eternal Happiness in the Heaven of Heavens presently after this I say the Earth and the Elemental Heavens shall be fired and those vile Criminals who were adjudged to everlasting Torments shall be plagued and cruciated in these Flames This at least is their INCHOATIVE PERDITION I conceive To shut up all and make a Final Period and now it is high Time to do it when the World it self doth so As the Earth of old was overwhelm'd with Water so now it feels an Inundation if I may so say of Fire a Burning Deluge an Universal Flood and Torrent of Devouring Flames Now Nature itself expires and is laid asleep in her own Vrn and Bed of Ashes And as this General Bonfire is as it were to Light the Saints to Heaven so the loud Blazes of it its crackling Flames its horrid Flashes and Eruptions are to give the Wicked some Foretasts of the contrary State and Place For they shall pass but from one Fire to another even to those EVERLASTING BVRNINGS which were prepared of old for them This Earth which before was their only Heaven shall now justly become their Hell and all the infernal Vaults which were the former Receptacles of Evil Spirits shall be set wide open and make one large and capacious Prison and Place of Execution for these Condemned and Tormented Wretches Therefore this Conflagration must be after the Final Sentence is passed upon them and not before it If the World were all on Fire before the Iudgment as some assert it would be a Hinderance to the Trial and good Men as well as bad would feel the Effects of it Therefore when the Doom is over and the former are taken up to Heaven and safely lodged there the dreadful Fire-works shall play upon the latter and the whole World at last shall become one Funeral Pile Now Hell is enlarged and the Devils and other damned Creatures change their subterraneous Vaults of Fire for a more capacious Furnace of Flame and Smoke the whole lower World being converted into one Eternal Hell This is the Last Catastrophe the Final Close of the Incorrigible World the Everlasting Period of all the Churches Enemies of all her Calamities of what Nature soever This is the true Order as I conceive of the Transactions of this concluding Scene of the World Thus I have finished my Task I have set before you and explain'd the various Administrations Discoveries and Manifestations of the Divine Majesty and his Will to Mankind in the World with the true Series and Order of Times belonging to them with their several Dates Ages and Periods I have presented you with a Scheme of the whole Progress of Religion since the beginning of the World Yea I have made bold to enquire into the Future State of it and of the Church of Christ In which and in all that went before I have endeavoured to unfold and discover the Manifold Wisdom of God as the Apostle rightly styles it the Curious and Admirable Variety which is to be discerned in the Divine Providence the Consideration of which induced me to prefix that Title to this Treatise FINIS * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 * Mr. Blunt Oracles of Reason p. 218. †Is. Voss. de aetat mund cap. 12. 1 Whiston 's New Theory p. 20 21 24. 2 De Opiâ—icio Mundi 3 Plato in Timaeo 1 Scias non esse hominem tumultuarium incogitatum opus â—e Beneâ—ic l. 6. 1 Inter maxima rerum suarum Natura nihil habet quâ— magis glorietur Sen. de Benef. 2 Magnum Miraculum est homo animal adorandum atque honorandum Apuleius 3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost. Hom. 2. Tom. 5. 4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 De mundi opificio de vitâ— Mosis 2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De special leg 3 Contra gentes l. 1. 4 Strom. l. 6. 1 Maledictus qui Deitatem ad hominis lineamenta refert Augustin in Genes 1 Tertul. de resurrect carnis c. 6. 1 Lib. de statu primi hominis 2 Lib. de ver Deit fil c. 7.
Garden and a fruitful Orchard washed with convenient Rivers as you shall hear afterwards but a spacious Park or Forest where all the Beasts met together as you have heard already Concerning this place there have been different Opinions yet it hath been questioned whether it was a Place or no and when it had its beginning Paradise was made before the Heavens and the Earth say some of the Iewish Doctors And St. Ierom who was a great admirer of Theodotion and Symmachus Heretical Iews and averse to the Translation of the Septuagint follows them in that Opinion Some held that Paradise was not Local but that it was a State rather than a Place and that this State was not on Earth This was the high-flown Notion of Philo and Origen of Basil Ambrose and Damascen and sometimes of Ierom who understood Paradise in a spiritual and mystical Sense and conceived it to be meant only of some blessed and happy Condition Some of them seem to refer it to Heaven others to the Virtues of the Soul or the Soul 's chief and principal Faculties Tho St. Ierom on Daniel laughs at those who think Rivers and Trees and Paradise it self to be Allegories which is a sign he chang'd his Opinion And this is not to be marvelled at for he is not wont to approve of that mystical Strain and to allegorize after that high rate which is the way to make void all Scripture-History and by that to null the whole Bible Therefore we find that the Manichees were condemned of old for allegorizing of Paradise And we read that it was part of the Hâ—resy of the Seleuciani and Hermiani that they denied a visible Paradise This Opinion hath been revived by some Moderns and very lately by one who makes the History of Moses concerning the Terrestrial Paradise as well as he doth other parts of it a mere Fable at least a Parable That is the result of his disquisition about it St. Augustin goes in a middle way and holds Paradise to be partly Local and Corporeal and partly Spiritual Ephraim Syrus grants Paradise to be Local but placeth it an other World beyond this It is a place above the whole Creation saith an Other It is seated in the Third Heaven by St. Ambrose Some make it to be the Coelum Empyreum Others say the Moon was the Paradise wherin our first Parents were created and from whence they were thrust down to this Earth Bede and Rabanus Maurus will have it be near the Orb of the Moon One of the â—ewish Doctors comes pretty near this and tells us that Paradise is about the second Region of the Air and hangs between Heaven and Earth It was the wholâ— Earth say Becaâ—us and Noviamagus Some of old held that it was the whole World as relates And Luther of late held the same asserting that the whole World was call'd Paradise because it was at first so delightful and pleasant Others and with good reason assert it to be a parâ— only of this lower World or the Earth but they agree not about the particular Place For some tell us it is seated in an unknown Country remote from the company of the Wicked where Enâ—ch and Elias inhabit So Bellarmine thinks Dâ— Grat. primi hominis cap. 14. And some of that Church follow him and they derive it from some of the Antients who had it from Papias Others assign a known part of the Earth but among these there is also a difference some groundlesly placing it in Africa and in the warmest part there Thus Maimonides Aben Ezra and other Iewish Doctors hold it was seated under the Equinoctial And Durandus and Bonaventure among the Schoolmen are of that Judgment Others fancy it to be in America and in the warmest Country there for these Men think the Torrid Zone to be the most comfortable part of the World But those most certainly are in the right who place it in Asia There is one Man who is singular in imagining Paradise to have been in that part of Asia which is called Palestine near Iordan in the Land of Sodom which he gathers from Gen. 13. 10. But any one may see that no such thing can be inferr'd from those words which only intimate that the Plain of Iordan where Sodom stood was a very pleasant and delightful place and might in some respect be compared with Paradise But after all the rambling Conjectures and wild Fancies concerning Paradise and the particular place where it was this is to be imbraced as the most probable and accountable Truth that it was situated on those most pleasant and fruitful Fields of Asia which of old were called Babylon and afterwards Mesopotamia In the lower part of this Mesopotamia taking in also a part of Shinar and Armenia was this Garden of Eden planted as a learned Knight hath excellently shew'd In the Map you may observe it stands 35 degrees from the Equinoctial and 55 from the Northern Pole Because Paradise being of a very great extent reach'd towards Armenia Galtruchius placeth it in the Mountains of Armenia the Greater especially the Mountain Paiarde saith he was Paradise But herein this learned Man was mistaken for it is evident that Paradise was in Babylon because Eden was there as that worthy Knight hath proved from If a. 37. 12. and Ezek. 27. 23. by shewing where those other Countries are found which are joined with Eden By many Arguments he makes it clear that Eden was part of Babylonia and Babylonia a part of Mesopotamia Or rather I am inclined to determin thus which doth not alter the main thing but only gives you a more distinct account of it Eden and Babylon and Mesopotamia were three Names of the same Country Eden was the first and antientest Babylon was the Name it was call'd by afterwards and Mesopotamia is a Greek Name given to it and signifieth that it stood in the midst of Rivers especially it referreth to its being situated between those two Rivers Tigris and Euphrates tho I know there is a stricter acceptation and that not uncommon of Mesopotamia And so you find this place described in Genesis as famous for its Rivers Gen. 2. 10. A River went out of Eden to water the Garden and from thence it was parted and became into four heads i. e. the principal River of Paradise had four great Channels The name of the first is Pison that is it which compasseth the whole Land of Havilah vers 11. This Pison is call'd by some Phasis or Phasitigris it runs they say by that Havilah whither the Amalekites fled 1 Sam. 15. 7. and divides it from the Country of Susiana and at last falls into the Persian Gulf. So Galtruchius is positive that Armenia the Greater and the Coutries thereabout are meant by Havilah and that the River Phasis in that Armenia is the same with Moses ' s Pison Strâ—bo places Havilah in the Borders of Arabia and
in that way which was most acceptable to him This religious and spiritual walking denoteth as the bodily one generally doth continued Motion Progress Acquaintance Converse Friendship And to walk before God implieth that the Persoâ—s who do so consider that they are in God's Presence and therefore do nothing but what is pleasing to him The walking before God after this manner denominates a Man perfect that is it is the only Persection which he is capable of in this Life We see then what it was that made this a peculiar Dispensation The Law of Grace or Covenant made with Adam and confirmed to Noah was renewed to Abraham with special and peculiar Promises to him and his Seed with singular Ingagements on their part Here were new Discoveries and Manifestations concerning the Messias viz. That he should be of the Seed of Abraham and consequently of the Nation of the Iews and that tho he should spring out of the Herbeâ— Stock yet he should be an Universal Saviour and all Nations should be capable of receiving benefit from him and of being blessed by him and that they should all be justified by Faith as we have ground to infer from what is said of Abraham in Gen. 15. 6. He believed in the Lord and he counted it to him fâ—r Rightcousnâ—ss and from the Apostle's Comment on it in Gal. 3. 8 9. And then this is peculiar to this Period that whereas hitherto there had been no diffâ—rence of any Countries and Nations of Men now there is a palpable difference made For as God chose a Person out from the rest of the World so he will now make of him a great Nation and People which shall be differenced from the rest of Mankind God seeing the World generally running into Idolatry and all sorts of Wickedness set up Abraham's Seed to stem the Torrent of Vice to keep up Religion pure and entire and to maintain the true Worship of God upon the Earth The Church before was not separated and gathered from the rest of the World but was in common with it as to Place and Stock till Abraham's time But now it is distinguish'd from other Nations and it is confined to one Race of People among whom there shall constantly be some religious Men who are true and living Members of the Church and of whom at length the Messias the Lord of Righteousness shall come according to the Flesh. This Stock and Posterity of Abraham were called Hebrews but what occasion'd this Name first of all is disputable The Iewish Antiquary and from him several others have thought that the Hebrews were call'd so from Heber the Son of Salah the Father of Peleg Others think it more reasonable to assert that they had their Name from Abraham I do not mean it in St. Augustin's sense i. e. Hebrai quasi Abraâ—â—i which was the Opinion of this Father at first but afterward he retracted it and adhered to the foremention'd one But I mean this that this Name of the Hebrews as several have been induced to believe is derived from Gneber transiit viz. from the passing of Abraham and others with him from Vr in Chaldea through Mesopotamia into Canaan Thence this Patriarch is called and that emphatically Abram the Passenger Hagnibri Gen. 14. 13. We translate it Abram the Hebrew But the Septuagint who well understood the true derivation of the word render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Passenger or the Traveller The Reader may take his choice of these two Opinions viz. whether the Hebrews were call'd so from Heber or from Gâ—ibri But to speak freely tho I have no Author on my side I do not see why they might not have their Name from both i. e. from Heber and afterwards from Abraham For 't is certain that the Iews were the Progeny of that worthy Man Gneber or Heber and therefore from him might originally be call'd and he may be said to be the Father of the Hebrews But it is as certain that Abraham was also the Father of them and we cannot but acknowledg that his leaving his Country and travelling into Canaan where afterward his Posterity settled were most famous and remarkable Occurrences and might deservedly give him the name of Gnibri the Traveller whence the denomination of the People descended from him is Hebrews In this Name is recorded the Rise of that Nation viz. from Mesopotamia whence the Father of them came And you may observe that it is particularly and signally mention'd by God himself Iosh. 24. 2. that he led him over Euphrates to go to Canaan and therefore I am inclin'd to think that from this Epithet tho not wholly I say from this Epithet given to Abraham because he left his own Country and passed over Eâ—phrates and so came travelling to Palestine the Posterity of Abraham took their Name and were call'd Hebrews Afterwards they were callâ—d Israelites from Iacob whose Name was chang'd into that of Israel and Iews from Iudah Iacob's Son Some think this last Name did not prevail till the Kingdom upon Solomon's death was divided into Iudah and Israel But I see no footsteps of its prevailing then for these People are not called Iews but once in the Old Testament before the Captivity viz. in King Ahaz's Reign 2 Kings 16. 6. Which howâ—ver confutes that of Iosephus that they were first call'd Iews when they return'd from the Captivity in Babylon That they might be known to be a peculiar People they were distinguish'd from all others by the bloody Badg of Circumcision which was another thing that contributed towards the making this a new Dispensation It is true this Rite was instituted first with relation to Abraham's particular Person for in my judgment the best Account is given by Iustin Martyr of the primary reason of this practice viz. because Abraham believ'd in God even when he was aged and unâ—â—t for Generation and when his Wife was decrepid and barren he then believ'd I say that he should be a Father of a Child for that reason God gave him a Sign of this nature viz. the Circumcision of the Foreskin of that part of his Body which then through Age was useless as to Procreation but through Faith became otherwise But there are other Reasons secondary ones and some of them mystical which have reference not only to Abraham but the People descended from him 1. Circumcision was intended and appointed to be a Character of Genealogical Sanctity a special Mark of distinction between the People of God and Infidels between the true Worshippers and Idolaters between the holy Seed and the Profane in short between the Seed of Abraâ—am and the rest of the World Therefore all the forty Years the Israelites were in the Desert they did not make use of this distinguishing Mark because then they had no converse with other People and so there was no need of an external Note of distinction to discriminate them from other Nations 2. Circumcision
cogent Reasons to perswade us that they truly and faithfully delivered down to us those things This I will make good from the Consideration 1. Of the Persons that transmitted these things 2. Of the Evidence of the Cause First as to the Persons I will consider both their Lives and their Deaths Their Lives are sufficient proofs of their Integrity in delivering the Scriptures of the New Testament to us and of their confident belief of the Truth of all that is contain'd in them The Primitive Christians lived after another rate than we do now They did not wrangle and quarrel as we do they did not â—ight and devour one another as the manner of too many is of latter times but they were remarkable for their mutual Love and Concord for their Humility Meekness and Condescension to one another and they were admired for their Gravity Sobriety Self-denial and Patience they were eminent for their Piety towards God and their Innocent and Righteous dealing with all Men. The Ministers practised what they preached and the People were ambitious to imitate their Preachers and both were singularly Good and Virtuous This was it which gain'd so many Proselytes to Christianity in those first times this brought them to a perswasion of the Truth and Reality of Christ's Doctrine Therefore when Origen had excellently proved the Truth of Christianity to Alexander Severus that noble Emperor ingenuously confessed that he was more convinced of the Truth of that Religion by the humble and loving carriage of Christians than by all Origen's Arguments The exemplary and blameless Conversation of those Primitive Professors argued that the Doctrine and Principles of their Religion were real and certain For how can it enter into any sober Mans thoughts that such holy and upright Men true followers of the Apostles and Disciples of Christ would have constantly confessed and owned the Christian way unless they had been throughly convinced of the Truth of it and that it was the very same which was confess'd and acknowledg'd by the Apostles themselves These Holy and Godly Men made Conscience of a Lie and counted it a heinous Crime to falsify yea they esteem'd it no less than a damnable Sin to disbelieve or misreport those things concerning Christ and the Christian Doctrines They were really perswaded in their Minds that their Salvation lay at stake that their Eternal Welfare or Everlasting Ruin were concern'd in these things And can you imagin then that they would report them falsly and impose upon the World by delivering things which were counterfeit Again as the Lives so the Suffering and Death of the Saints in the Primitive Days and in the succeeding Ages are an undeniable Argument of the Truth of what was deliver'd to them and of what they conveyed to us They underwent the most exquisite Pains and Torments with ineffable Courage and Constancy and nothing could prevail with them to renounce the Christian Religion insomuch that when the Pagan Adversaries in those days would express any thing to be impossible they did it thus Ye may sooner make the Professors of Christ quit their Mastersâ— Doctrine This was a thing not to be effected for those Persons first of all forsook their worldly Goods and then parted with their Lives to hold fast their Religion This patient Suffering and undaunted Dying of so many thousands is an unquestionable Proof of the Truth of Christianity For those enlightned and sanctified Men would never lay down their Lives to maintain a Falshood and to perpetuate a Lie No they knew whom they believed in and for whom they suffer'd and that made them so couragious We may conclude then that the Christian Doctrine is confirm'd by the Blood of those Worthy Men those expiring Saints did testify the Truth of Christianity and therefore they are stiled Martyrs Secondly The Evidence of the Cause is an impregnable Argument of the Reality and Truth of these things which I am speaking of There is this following heap of Evidences 1. A great Presumption arising from just Causes and Circumstances yea and from a multiplicity of them which in all Courts of Judicature is of considerable weight and value with understanding Judges This first but lowest sort of Evidence the Christian Church since our Saviour hath not been destitute of for there were never higher Presumptions in any Cause under Heaven than there were in this But we need not mention this when we have 2. The Notoriety of the Facts i. e. when the things in trial are openly and commonly known when they are avouched by publick Fame and the universal Vogue of Men. And that this was the case of Christianity ever since Christ left the Earth cannot be denied by any Man of Modesty and Truth 3. The Succession of Christians and Churches in the World is a plain Proof that they verily believed those things which made them Christians and Churches Hereupon they deliver'd to us those Writings which they receiv'd from the Hands of the Evangelists and Apostles by their transmitting them to Posterity they shew that they believe them to be sacred and certain Verities 4. The Succession of Bishops and Pastors is an other Evidence for it was their Office to read publickly the Scriptures of the New Testament and to preach the Doctrines contain'd in them and consequently to own them to be Truth which is a good Motive to us to do the same 5. The frequent Disputes which Christians in all Ages have held with those who opposed the Scripture and Christianity are no mean Testimony in this Cause 6. To these may be added the famous Writings of the Christians in the several Centuries their Apologies Dialogues Sermons Homilies Orations Commentaries Histories All which proclaim their serious and firm Belief of what they have convey'd down to us 7. All Christian Churches have deliver'd to us certain Symbols or Articles of Belief which they reckon'd to be the Standards of Evangelical Faith and Truth 8. The Constant Communion of the Church and the publick Worship of God in the solemn Assemblies of Christians ever since the days of the Apostles the setting apart a Day for that Worship the reading of the Scriptures at such times the instructing the People out of them the celebrating the Lord's Supper the constant custom of openly rehearsing and proâ—essing the Christian Belief the Prayers and Praises offer'd to God in the name of Christ the yearly Commemoration of the Birth Death and Resurrection of our Saviour the Sacrament of Baptism which acknowledgeth the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost 9. The sundry Decrees and Canons of Synods and Councils held in the Christian Churches Lastly the many Laws and Edicts of Christian Emperours and Princes in defence and confirmation of our most holy Religion These and all the rest before-named are clear Proofs and Evidences that the Evangelical Writings which contain the Doctrine and Actions of our blessed Lord were rightly and truly convey'd to us and that we are in possession of the same Faith and
Revelation there is need of this help of the Spirit the internal Testimony of the Holy Ghost such a hidden but powerful Operation of that giver of all Grace whereby a firm Faith and certain perswasion of the Truth of those things are wrought in us For that we may be certain of Divine Truth first it is requisite that we be outwardly helped that we make use of Moral Arguments and Evidences that we attend to Reasons and Proofs that we weigh especially the several particular Testimonies in the Word of God the Scriptures of Truth These in a moral way will make it evident to the mind that this or that which is propounded to us is Divinely reveal'd and can proceed from no other but God But then besides these outward means we must have our minds inwardly illuminated by the Holy Spirit for it is this alone which can inable us effectually to see and discern the Light and to take the force of the Arguments which prove the several Truths and to turn the Moral Evidence into Divine Demonstration Lastly as I mention'd among the divers ways of Revelation under the former Dispensations the Divine Impulse whereby Persons were instructed and excited to undertake and atchieve great things so at the erecting of the Gospel there was not wanting this way of communicating the Divine will and pleasure By such an Impulse as this Christ himself whipped the buyers and sellers out of the Temple by this powerful Afflation his Apostles and Followers were stir'd up to do strange and extraordinary things several of which are mention'd in the Acts of the Apostles and many more in Ecclesiastical History which nothing but this Divine Motion could legitimate it being immediately from the Spirit whereby they were instructed as well as enabled to effect these wonderful things Secondly The next Divine Testimony of the truth and certainty of the Christian Oeconomy and Religion is the fulfilling of the Prophesies of the Old Testament which had respect to the New I have already in another place when I proved the Authority of the Holy Scriptures insisted upon the fulfilling of the Prophesies of the Old and New Testament as they are an attestation of the Truth of those Sacred Writings But at present I am to mention only the Prophesies of the Old Testament and among them only those that relate to the Messias and the circumstances which more nearly and peculiarly appertain to him And the producing of these and shewing how they were exactly fulfill'd will be a clear and demonstrative Argument of the Truth of Christianity For though Spinosa would perswade Men that all the Prophesies in the Bible were the mere result of a brisk Fancy that there was no foundation in the things themselves but that Imagination made all yet surely the bold and impious Man would not have gone so far as to have asserted that the actual fulfilling of the Prophesies is nothing but Fancy No certainly he could not have the face to deny that the completion of those Predictions is some real thing and not founded on Imagination For here is matter of fact which carries reality and certainty with it and therefore is a convincing proof not only of the Truth of those Prophesies but of Christianity it self This then is that which I will now enter upon The Prophets of the Old Testament speak frequently of the Messias they have described and characterized him nothing almost was done by Christ but they predicted it every particular act circumstance and accident of Importance that should happen about him was foretold Now all these were actually verified and fulfilled as namely what related to his Birth his Life his Death his Rising again First what related to his Birth as that Iohn Baptist should be his Forerunner and make way for him Behold I will send my Messenger and he shall prepare the way before me Mal. 3. 1. And ch 4. v. 5. Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord. Compare these places with Mat. 11. 10 14 Mark 1 2 9. 11. Luke 1. 17 and 76. 7. 27. and you will not question their Accomplishment And the Birth it self and the Conception which was in order to it were plainly prophesied of many Ages before As that in Ier. 31. 22. is thought to be a Prophesy concerning the Conception of Christ the Lord hath created a new thing in the Earth a Woman shall compass a Man Some indeed have interpreted it thus the Church tho weak as a Woman shall compass and besiege her Enemies and take them Captive But this is very flat and frigid especially if you observe the Preface to the Prediction the Lord hath created a new thing in the Earth It is no new thing that the Church gets the better of her Enemies there are many Instances of this in the History of the Israelities So that something else is justly thought to be the meaning of the words And what should it be but this that Christ who was made of a Woman should be incompassed and shut up by her in her Virgin-Womb Her compassing a Man expresses the conception of him The word Sabab circumdedit agrees very well with it for the Mother encompasses round the Faetus with her Womb. And the Greek â—itly answers to it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 1. 23. and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 1. 31. The plain meaning then is that a Woman Nekebah not Ishah one that is no Wife but a Virgin shall conceive a Man-child in her Womb. And the Woman here meant is the blessed Virgin Mary and the Man is Christ who is God and Man See Dr. Pâ—câ—ck in Not. Miscâ—l in Port. Mos. And this Interpretation is the more remarkable by reason of the Hebrew word which we here translate Man It denoteth not barely one of the Male kind in contradistinction to one of the other Sex but it properly signifies a Man of Power and Might and so it is fitly applied to the Messias who is Omnipotent Yea the antient Iews as Abarbinel one of their own Rabbins testifies understood by this word here God himself to whom Power more peculiarly and eminently belongs It is no wonder therefore that the Fathers of the Church generally interpret this place of the Virgin Mary bearing Christ in her Womb in which he may properly be said to be incompassed and infolded by her This was a new thing indeed there never was the like before nor shall ever be afterwards And therefore a worthy Writer is here to be blamed who unadvisedly saith the Iews might justly laugh at this Interpretation The Delivery and Birth of the Messias thus shut up in the Womb is expresly foretold in Isa. 9. 6. To us a Child is born to us a Son is given and the Government shall be upon his Shoulder It is true some of the Jews say Hezâ—kiah is spoken of here but they are confuted hence that the Epithets here
that they fancy a Supersedeas given to a strict and severe life by the merciful Appearing of the Messias they make bold to turn the Grace of God into wantonness and abound in all manner of Vice because the Divine Goodness and Favour have abounded towards Mankind It pleases them hugely that they are enfranchis'd from the Rigour and Severity of the Legal Dispensation and that now under the Gospel a Court of Chancery is erected and nothing but Equity and Mercy Clemency and Indulgence take place The bare Name of Christians is they think a sufficient Amulet against the Vengeance of Heaven and the Cross of Christ is a powerful Charm against Hell and the Devil O when shall these vile mistakes these wilful mis-interpretations of the Design of Christ's Coming and Appearing in the World be rooted out of Mens minds When will they understand themselves aright and be convinced of the heinousness of sinning against the Gospelâ— Dispensation Why do they not ponder those words of the Apostle which I before mention'd If every Transgression and Disobedience under the Law receiv'd a just recompence of Reward how shall we under the Gospel escape if we neglect so great salvation Heb. 2. 2 3. If God did so severely animadvert on those that disregarded the Mosaical Injunctions what severity will he shew towards them that live in the constant violation of the Evangelical Law They must needs be inexcusable that wilfully offend against this because it is a more excellent Institution than the other because by this we have a greater knowledg of God's Will and consequently greater Conviction of Sin because we have greater evidence of God's willingness to forgive our Transgressions through the Merits of the Messias upon our hearty Repentance because the equity and reasonableness of Evangelical Faith and Obedience are greater than those of any Duties under the Law Upon these and several other accounts the neglecting this so great Salvation is the greatest Sin except the unpardonable one that can be committed against God and consequently the heaviest Penalty attends it Heretofore it was said Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doth Evil of the Iew first Rom. 2. 9. but we may now say of the Christian first for he of all Persons under Heaven is the most grievous Criminal because there is this high Aggravation of his Guilt that he sins against the Evangelical Laws I wish the Christian World would attend to this and understand their true interest i. e. to be very exact and circumspect in their Lives for God expects we should live according to the Dispensation we are under according to the proportion of that Grace which is bestowed upon us We must remember that Christianity engages us not only to root out all false Notions but to banish all vicious and ungodly Practices and to live according to the admirable Rules of the Gospel Our Knowledg and Judgments should influence upon our Conversations and our Manners ought to be proportionable to our Light Otherwise it is certain our Knowledg will increase our Guilt and our abundant Light will thrust us into utter darkness 5. Be ascertain'd that this is Last Dispensation and expect no other God spake at divers times and in sundry manners he reveal'd himself by degrees and successively whereas now he hath discover'd to us all at once that is all that is substantial all that is essential to that Religion which he requires of us for otherwise as you shall hear afterwards this Oeconomy admits of considerable Digrees Since God hath spoken his Will by his Son since the Gospel is left on Record we must not look for any other Discovery of Divine Truth No more is to be revealed to the end of the World I mean as to any New Doctrine concerning the way of Salvation tho Revelations concerning some things which may be for the safety and welfare of the Church or of some choice Persons in it may perhaps be communicated by God on great occasions Besides I deny not that clearer Discoveries may be made of some Points afterwards the same Truths which we now have may be more illustrated but no New Doctrines no New Precepts are to be thought of We have so much of saving Truth discover'd as was intended should be sufficient for us till the Consummation of all things Now our Religion is fixed the Faith hath been once deliver'd to the Saints and it shall never be deliver'd again with Additions or Alterations God added to the Discoveries which he made to Adam and to Noah to the Patriarchs and to the Iews but now he hath done adding All our Duty is taught us All things that are to be believed or to be done by us are revealed by Christ and his Apostles You hear him thus declaring to his Disciples All things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you John 15. 15. The Apostle St. Peter peremptorily determines that there is not Salvation in any other for there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be saved Acts 4. 12. And the other great Apostle is as definitive when he thus pronounceth Tho an Angel from Heaven if you can suppose such a thing preach any other Gospel unto you than that we have preach'd unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1. 8. The same Apostle tells us that the Church is built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2. 20. and the Foundation of a Building is not a thing to be removed Therefore he calls the Gospel the ministration which remaineth or endureth 2 Cor. 3. 11. This is the Everlasting Gospel Rev. 14. 6. because it is never to be alter'd never to be amended by a more complete Body of Laws So that the Everlasting Gospel answers to Everlasting Righteousness or the Righteousness of Ages Dan. 9. 24. which shall admit of no Change Religion was perfected and consummated by Christ he hath in the Gospel given us all that he ever intended to give This is the perfectest Rule this is the last System of Religion To this purpose the Apostle's words are remarkable in Eph. 1. 10. That in the Dispensâ—tâ—oâ— of the fulness of time i. e. in the Evangâ—lical 〈◊〉 he might gather together in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and on Earth even in him The Greek word which is here rendred to gather together in one is used sometimes in a militâ—ry Sense and signifies to gather dispersed Souldiers together into one Troop or Company This Sense of the word saith Grotius sutes best with this place He who is the Lord of Hosts rallied all dispersed Creatures in Heaven and Earth Angels and Men Jewâ— and Gentiles Bond and Free and united them in one even under Christ their Captain The whole Family in Heaven and Earth as the Apostle expreâ—â—eth it now meets together The whole World which is after the Hebrew manner expressed hâ—re by Heaven and Earth becomes one
concerning Christ and his Kingdom The Seal is set upon them there are no other Visions or Prophecies of this nature to be look'd for afterwards From all which it appears that the Evangelical Dispensation is the last of all We have now the perfectest Edition of God's Will and we must look after no other Thus Tertullian acquaints us that this was the great and prevailing Rule among the Christians No more is ever to be believed by us than what is now deliver'd to us by Christ and his Apostles We have all our Belief given us God's whole Will is set down You see how divine Providence hath as it were gone about in the several former Ages of the World it hath been all along upon the Reserve The times before Christ were more or less moving and growing on to Christianity they all the while look'd toward this and were Ushers to it to prepare the way But when our Saviour came he sell closely to the business without any further ambages he alone had the honour to lay open and revâ—al all those things which were before hidden to set those things streight which were before dubious to give us a full discovery of those things which we had but a taste of and to set before our eyes those Mysteries and Truths which were but told us before as that Faâ—her speaks Therefore they think not aright of the Gospel Dispensation who pretend to bring Tidings of a New Edition of Religion who talk of New Lights but despise Old Truths They are vain Men and intend nothing but Imposture who hoise up Sail for the Discovery of an unknown Continent some new Plantation in Religion We must expect no Columbus to discover new Worlds and Treasures to us of that kind Our Religion hath been profess'd in the World very near seventeen Centuries of Years and it is still the same and will never be superannuated and out of Date but will continue to the end of all things for it is the Top and Flower the Crown and Perfection of all Divine Institutions it is the most Consummate Administration of all that ever were in the World and for that Reason it is the Last Revelation that God will make to Mankind But altho this be the Last Dispensation yet there are great Varieties in it which brings me to the next thing I propounded CHAP. XVIII The several Ages of Christianity It was in its Infancy in our Saviour's time The Apostles knew little concerning his Sufferings and his Resurrection The effusion of the Holy Spirit was but mean in respect of what it was afterwards The Church was in its Childhood in the times immediately after our Saviour There are no Errors and Mistakes in the Writings of the New Testament Some necessary Points of Christianity deliver'd in the Apostolical Epistles that are not in the Gospels and Acts. Some relicks of Judaism remain'd in the Apostles times An Explication of the Decree of the Council at Jerusalem It is particularly proved that the Prohibition concerning the eating of Blood is not obligatory under the Gospel Yet in the first times of the Church many observed it The difference of Dispensations as to Abstinence from some sort of Food Judaism and Christianity were mingled together in the primitive Ages An enumeration of several Extraordinary Gifts that were in the Christian Church at first The Youth or riper Years of Christianity described The cessation of extraordinary Gifts argues the Progress and Growth of the Christian Church Miracles no part of this subordinate Dispensation The non-Appearance of Angels is a Proof of the Improvement of Christianity The usefulness and necessity of attending to the different Administrations of Religion especially the Christian. THe fourth and last thing I undertook was to shew you the several Degrees of this Evangelical Oeconomy This Gospel Period which began at Christ's Coming and continues to the end of the World hath four distinct Partitions which differ much from one another 1. The primitive Partition or Period which is past 2. The Period ensuing that which is now present And there are two Periods yet to come I might divide them according to the several Ages of Man for there are as of Man so of the Christian Religion four distinct Ages It had its Infancy and Childhood at Christ's first Coming and some years after its Youth since that to the present times It shall have its Manhood or full Strength which is to come in a short time we hope and there shall be the Old Age or Declension of Religion a little before the World's end I have not met with any Writers that have duly observ'd this Distinction in the Gospel Oeconomy the neglect of which hath caused several â—alse Notions about this Last Administration of Religion But the Inquisitive and thoughtful Reader will find that these things which I have suggested and shall now proceed to explain are absolutely necessary for the framing of a right Idea of the Evangelical Dispensation 1. I begin with the first and tender Years of Christianity in which are comprehended 1. The Time when our Saviour was on Earth 2. The Times which immediately succeeded that First it is evident that in the days of our Saviour the Christian Church was in her Infancy and Minority and that she was not grown up to a sufficient Knowledg and Understanding When Christ first preached concerning the Calling and Converting of the Gentiles Luke 13. 29. Mat. 22. 9 10. his Apostles and Disciples understood not his meaning They knew not that both Gentiles and Iews should be preach'd to under the Evangelical Dispensation and therefore afterwards St. Peter was convinced of it by no less than a particular Revelation Acts 10. 14. Even the Apostles were ignorant of the spiritual Kingdom of the Messias and look'd for an outwardly glorious and magnificent one When Christ told his Disciples as he was on his journey with them to to Ierusalem what grievous things he was to suffer they notwithstanding this Admonishment thought he was going thither to be made King and the Sons of Zebedee made their Suit to him by their Mother that they might have the first Place in the Kingdom which the other Apostles took ill Mat. 20. 20. Luke 19. 11. St. Peter the prime Apostle was ignorant of the Method of Man's Redemption by the Sufferings and Death of Christ which appears from this that he would fain have prevail'd with him to spare himself and not to suffer at Ierusalem Mat. 16. 22. And the rest of the Apostles were infected with the same common error and mistake They perswaded themselves that they should enjoy Halcyon Days and that their Master should be a very Great Earthly Prince You read therefore in Luke 18. 31. that when Christ spoke to them of his Passion they were at a loss they understood none of these things and this Saying was hid from them neither knew they the things which were spoken ver 34. In so great Darkness and Ignorance were
the Disciples for a time such Prejudices had they on their minds that they could not conceive the meaning of our Lord and they durst not ask him concerning those things It was not as yet reveal'd to them by what means the Messias was to deliver them they dreamt of an Earthly Kingdom as the blinded Iews at this day they promis'd themselves much temporal Prosperity and Grandeur in the World Neither could the Doctrine of Christ's Resurrection gain assent with them for we read that when he spake of it to the three Apostles before whom he was transfigured they questioned one with another what the rising from the dead should mean Mark 9. 10. And afterwards when he told the other Apostles as well as these that he should rise again the third day they understood not that saying Mark 9. 31 32. That our Saviour's Friends believ'd not his Resurrection appears from their dressing his dead Body with Aromatick Gums and Spices which were design'd to preserve it It had been vain to use these glutinous Gums and Persumes if they thought he was in a short time to rise again And when he was risen they would not believe it as appears too plainly from that Speech of Cleophas one of those whom Jesus talk'd with presently after his Resurrection tho then he pass'd incognito We trusted saith he that it had been He who should have redeemed Israel Luke 24. 21. Still he doubted tho he had heard of the Lord's Resurrection in saying we trusted he discover'd his distrust and impli'd that Iesus could not be the Messias who was to redeem Israel Tho the Apostles were certified of Christ's Resurrection by those that saw him yet their words seemed to them as idle Tales Luke 24. 11. and they would not be perswaded till they themselves saw Christ among them Nor did they know that he was to ascend for just before he left them they put this question to him Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdom to Israel Acts 1. 6. Wilt thou repair the Iewish State and recover its pristine Splendour yea raise it to a higher Dignity than ever it arrived to as we expect should be done by the Messias So likewise it might be proved that some of them were in an Error about the End of the World for they believed it would be about that time By these and other Instances their Ignorance and Mistake were apparently discovered they had very false apprehensions and conceptions of things and some of the chief Articles of the Christian Belief were not credited by them Here I might add that in our Blessed Saviour's time there was not such an effusion of the Holy Spirit as there was afterwards Iohn 7. 35. The Holy Ghost was not yet given because that Iesus was not yet glorified For this Reason several things were not disclosed to them but were reserved till a further communication of the Spirit for tho Christ had said All things which I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you yet he adds I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot hear them now Howbeit when the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth John 16. 12 13. As much as if he had said there is no new Truth or other Doctrine to be preach'd to you than what you have receiv'd from me already but the time is coming when there shall be a greater Manifestation of those things to you tho the Truths as to the main shall be the same yet your Understandings and Capacities shall be greater you shall then comprehend those matters which before you could not as the calling of the Gentiles the Spiritual Kingdom of the Messias c. And moreover the Holy Spirit shall increase your Love and Zeal to God and all Truth so that you shall be enabled not only to preach it to all Nations but undauntedly to suffer Persâ—cution and even to lay down your Lives in the defence of it By this it is evident that Christianity was revealed by degrees as well as the other former Dispensations of Religion Their knowledg in the Christian Institution was gradual they were not to know all together neither were their Zeal and Courage of the same proportion that they were afterwards Secondly in the Times and Ages immediately succeeding our Saviour's being upon Earth the Church was but yet in its Childhood and State of Infirmity It is true they were much increased and advanced in their knowledg of spiritual Truths this being the Accomplishment of our Saviour's Promise as well as Prediction that the Holy Spirit should guide them into all Truth By a more immediate and special Directioâ— of this Holy Guide the Evangelists and Apostles indited and pen'd the Books of the New Testament so that there are no Errors and Mistakes in them of any kind Therefore what a Learned Writer saith on 1 Cor. 15. 51. and 2 Pet. 3. 11. and other places in St. Paul's and St. Peter's Epistles viz. that these Apostles verily believ'd the day of Iudgment was at hand and consequently were under a mistake is not to be admitted is by no means to be credited for these Persons as well as the other Penmen of the New Testament being immediately inspired by that Infallible Guide and Director could not possibly commit any Errors in their Writings whatever their misapprehensions were at other times When therefore they use those Terms with respect to the last Day We and Ye as if they of that Age should survive to see that Day we must remember that they speak not of themselves particularly and definitively but of the whole successive Body of Christians in several Ages who will be expecting the last Day This is the meaning of those Expressions as is plain from their using them on other occasions We have no Reason then to think that the Apostles were deceiv'd about the Day of Judgment or any other matter that they writ of and deliver'd to the World Here is no weakness no defect as to any thing of this nature Nay there was a great Advance and Accession in respect of what there was before in the foregoing part of this Dispensation viz. in the time that our Saviour lived upon the Earth For the Doctrines of the Gospel of which I speak now were gradually deliver'd and consequently the Apostles attain'd now to more than was discover'd in Christ's time he having not thought fit then to communicate all in so evident and plain a manner as we find it was afterwards done Therefore that late Writer is under a great mistake who declares that the Apostles Epistles are only occasional and that we can find no necessary Points of Divinity deliver'd there which were not deliver'd before in the Gospels and Acts whereas the Truth is the Epistles contain the most perfect and complete Doctrines of the Gospel for by degrees the Evangelical Truth display'd it self All the necessary and fundamental Articles of Christianity are explain'd
come the Kingdom of our God which is explained by the next Words The Power of his Christ his effectual Reigning whereby he shews his Power in the Church more than ever We have not yet seen the Consequences of the Seventh Angel's Sounding when it was proclaim'd with a loud Voice from Heaven The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall Reign for ever and ever Rev. 11. 15. which in v. 17. is call'd his taking to him his great Power and his Reigning Which gives us to understand that he doth not at first exert his great Power in the Evangelical Dispensation he doth not fully Reign but that he will afterwards and upon Earth This is taking to him his c. There is one Text more which I will add and I request the Reader to consider of it He i. e. Christ must Reign till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet 1 Cor. 15. 25. The Apostle had mention'd the Resurrection of the Saints at Christ's last coming v. 23. and thereupon adds in the next Verse then cometh or then is the end viz. of this World and Present State of things when he that is Christ shall have deliver'd up the Kingdom the Saints who are the chiefest part of his Kingdom to God even the Father when i. e. after he shall have put down all Rule and all Authority and Power which oppose him and his Kingdom For he must Reign i. e. in his Church till he hath put all Enemies under his Feet Now it is plain and undeniable that this time is not yet come therefore it shall be hereafter There must be a time here on Earth when Christ shall have put all his Enemies under his Feet when he shall Reign without opposition And this is the time I am speaking of viz. the Third Exertment of the Evangelical Dispensation But the most Signal Eminent and Renowned Place on which may be Founded and Built the Future Glorious State of the Christian Church on Earth is the 20th Chapter of the Revelation where is expresly foretold the Binding of Satan a Thousand Years and the Saints Living and Reigning with Christ a Thousand Years I know full well this Chapter hath been miserably perverted not only of late but at the first setting out of Christianity Some from this place asserted a Terrene Millennary Kingdom of Christ consisting chiefly in Corporal Pleasures and Carnal Delights as if they design'd to revive the Epicurean Happiness or to antedate the Mahometan Heaven Cerinthus is said to be the Author of this Opinion for being a Man addicted to Sensuality and Pleasure he founded an Happiness here on Earth of such a Nature viz. abounding with all Delights relating to Meats and Drinks Concupiscence and Effeminacy So saith an Antient Ecclesiastical Writer Dionysius of Alexandria 1. 2. de Promis And Eusebius saith the same Eccl. Hist. 1. 7. c. 19. But this savours too much of the Flesh besides that it contradicts our Saviour who said His Kingdom was not of this World John 18. 36. and consequently the Reigning of the Saints is not Worldly and Sensual but Spiritual and Heavenly And besides these Men held that this Reign of Christ here on Earth was to be after the Resurrection yea and after the last Iudgment which renders this Opinion yet more Improbable if not Absurd as if the Saints who had enjoy'd the Pleasures of Heaven would count it a Happiness to be entertain'd with those that are Sensual and Carnal There were Others of Old who had a more Tolerable Notion of the Millennary Reign for they placed it not in Sensual and Earthly Pleasures and mere outward Peace and Prosperity though they held it was not without these There Opinion in short was this that after Six Thousand Years in this World were compleated the Saints should all rise their Bodies should ascend out of their Graves or where ever else they were and their Souls should come down from Heaven and Christ also should descend from thence and keep a Jubile with them and Reign with great joy a Thousand Years here upon Earth and that all Kingdoms should be made subject to him and that the Righteous should be Bless'd with an abundance of the Good Things of this World but without any Intemperance Excess or Immoderation whatsoever This they call'd the First Resurrection from which all the Ungodly are excluded After this Seventh Millennary of Years is compleated all Men shall rise from the Dead which is the Second Resurrection This was the Sentiment of most of the Ancient Fathers yea of all Christians who were accounted Orthodox as Iustin Martyr acquaints us He and Irenaeus and Ierom and others tell us that this Doctrine came first from Papias Bishop of Hierapolis who pretended he had it from St. Iohn whose Scholar he was and from the Disciples of the Apostles with whom he was acquainted So that the Pedegree of the Millennary Opinion is this It was first broach'd by Cerinthus then reâ—ined by Papias and others and afterwards transmitted to the Latin and Greek Fathers Or if we will be more exact in the Lineage and Descent of it we must begin it higher and say that the Apostles set it on foot first for they dreamt of an Earthly Kingdom of Christ in this World as I have shewed before Or rather we may trace it up to the Iews before Christ the Millennium was borrowed from an Antient Tradition and Perswasion among that People that the Messias should Reign a Thousand Years on Earth in all Pomp and Grandure The Babylon Talmud in Sanhedrim in the Chapter Helek doth shew this to be the Opinion of the Hebrew Doctors about the Days of the Messias And Aruch mentions it as a thing of undeniable certainty and so speaks R. Eliâ—zer in Midrash Tillim The Days of the Messias are a Thousand Years So our Learned Lightfoot The Opinion of his Personal Reign in the affluence of all Sensual and Worldly Delights was an old Iewish Error saith St. Ierom once and again And several other Writers testifie that it was a received Notion among them That the Messias after Six Thousand Years of the World were expired should Reign in Person all the time of the next Millennary with his Elect on Earth in perfect Peace and Prosperity and hence the Christians converted from Iudaism borrow'd and retain'd this Notion And truly it was kept up a long time in the Church it was almost universally believ'd no less than the first Three Hundred Years after the Apostles At last the credit of Papias who was thought to be the first Broacher of this Doctrine was call'd in question Though he was a Man oâ— great Simplicity Honesty and Integrity yet he was one of small Judgment and mean Learning saith Eusebius And he adds in another place that this Papias spoke Strange and Fabulous things and did not understand the Apostles Arguings St. Ierom and St. Augustin
that were Beheaded for the Witness of Iesus we are to understand all Martyrs that were put to Death for Professing Christianity the same that are mentioned Rev. 6. 9. they that were slain for the Word of God and the Testimony which they held This particular manner of Death Bâ—heading is specified because it was most in use at that Time This was the capital Punishment that was frequent both among Iews and Romans as Dr. Lightfoot hath observ'd and proved and we read that Iohn the Baptist the first Martyr for Christ underwent it And not only those that suffer'd Death but all other holy Men that had any other Punishment of a lesser sort inflicted on them are here intended for one kind of corporal Punishment is mentioned here to denote all the rest which is a way of speaking very usual not only in the Holy Scriptures but in other Writings They who had not worshipped the Beast nor â—is Image nor received his Mark upon their Foreheads or in their Hands are those Religious and Holy Persons who keep themselves unspotted from the Pollutions of Antichrist and do not in any kind whatsoever comply with them or allow of them These St. Iohn saw as well as the others before mentioned And they lived which may refer to this latter sort of Persons only and not to the former that is to those who had not worshipped the Beast not to the Souls of them that were Beheaded For you may observe that it is expressed thus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and whosoever which shews these are a distinct Company from the others mentioned before Therefore to the latter must be applied those Words they lived i. e. these Persons were free'd from Persecution under the happy Reign of Christ which was now come Thus it is not absolutely necessary that we should interpret this concerning the deceased Martyrs the Souls of them that were Beheaded but only concerning the Saints then in being those that worship not the Beast and consequently here is no ground for the Resurrection of the Martyrs before the Last and General Resurrection as a Recompense of their former Sufferings as some Persons imagine Or suppose that they lived refers here to these Martyrs yet still we cannot conclude thence their rising from the Dead for it is only barely said they lived not they revived or rose from the Dead What then was this Living here spoken of which is the Introduction to the Thousand Years No other certainly than this that whereas many of the Faithful Servants of Christ had been put to Death for the Testimony of Iesus and other Religious and Holy Men had been as it were kill'd in former Times in the same Sence that 't is said we are killed all the Day long Psal. 44. 22. i. e. they were persecuted injured and abused now they shall live now they shall flourish now they shall be free'd from Persecution and enjoy Peace and Rest. Not that the individual Persons that really lost their Lives shall thus live upon the Earth but the Church is here considered as a successive Body as is usual in this Book of the Revelation and elsewhere The Meaning then is this though the Christians in the preceeding Ages were cruelly and inhumanly treated by their merciless Persecutors though the Church in those Times labour'd under great and unspeakable Miseries yet upon the Entrance of the joyful Millennium for there shall be on Earth such a Millennium though not of that Nature which the Ancient Chiliasts asserted all these troublesome and afflictive Things shall cease and the Faithful shall be put into the Possession of an undisturbed Repose and Serenity But because not living again is mentioned in the next Clause some may think that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here is of the same import with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there and therefore they lived must be equivalent with they revived which is as much as they rose from the Dead Granting this it doth not follow that it is to be understood Literally and Strictly i. e. of a Real living again after Death or of the rising of their dead Bodies out of the Grave It is a Figurative way of speaking and it is probable is an Allusion to Ezek. 37. 11 14. Behold O my People I will open your Graves and cause you to come up out of your Graves And I will put my Spitit or breath into you and you shall live Which Words speak not of a Bodily Resurrection as at the first Hearing they may seem to do but of Israel's rising out of a low captivated Condition in Babylon Your Graves shall be open'd and ye shall live i. e. you shall be restored to your own Land again and there live in Plenty and Prosperity There is no Expositor of any Account but interprets the Words thus And indeed there are several other Texts which back this Interpretation for in Psal. 71. 20. 80. 18. Isa. 26. 19. Hos. 6. 2. Reviving and Rising again are used to express a comfortable and prosperous Condition So that one would a little wonder how it comes to pass that some Writers who have made enquiry into the future State of the Christian Church take this Place in the Revelation in a Literal Sense and perswade themselves that it speaks of a Bodily Resurrection of the Saints when it may so conveniently be taken in a Metaphorical and Mystical Sence nay when they themselves at other Times are so delighted with this latter One of them acknowledges that the killing of the Witnesses Rev. 11. 7. and their Bodies lying dead is not meant of a Literal Death and with great Diligence he labours to prove it and indeed performs that task very laudably and in many other Places in this Book he flies to a Mystical Meaning Why then may not the Living or Living again of the Saints be understood here in the same manner The other is known to be a great Asserter of an Improper and Figurative Sence in Scripture But see the Unhappiness of his placing it he that expounds the Third Chapter of Genesis which is a plain downright History in a Mystical and Allegorical way to the enervating of a great part of Revealed Religion interprets this Passage in the Revelation where Mysteries and Figures are so common in a Literal Sence But I think I have shew'd from the Tenour of this Place that a Real Corporeal Resurrection i. e. a returning of departed Souls into their Bodies again is not here meant but that a Political or Civil Resurrection is the Thing here spoken of that is the Christian Church after its great Troubles and Mortifications shall revive shall as it were rise out of its Grave and as the Excellent Dr. Hammond Paraphrases on the Place there shall be such an universal Profession of Christianity as if all the departed good Christians had been alive again and were come upon the Stage of this World once more Or the Reader may make use of the Apostle's Words in Gal.
that Person and against the Faithful Christians who shall then expect his Reign And here the final Overthrow and Slaughter of these Adversaries of the Church are plainly foretold and particularly described with which is immediately join'd the Gathering of Israel i. e. the perfect restoring of that Nation And the next Thing is The Vision of the Temple which after all the various Conjectures of Papists and Protestants must needs be meant of this State of the Church which I am speaking of otherwise you can make nothing of that strange Draught of the Temple What I have thus briefly hinted is largely set forth in the Prophecy it self which is worth the Reader 's Perusal And I doâ—bt not but after he hath well consider'd it he will come to this Issue namely That this Prophecy hath not yet been fulfilled and therefore it shall be in Time and that Time is the Period I am now treating of If you say That by Gog and Magog are meant the Syrian Armies which plagued the Iews of which the Books of Maccabees give us a particular Account I reply That though we grant this yet those who I have named may be meant here also For I have in another Place proved that there is a Double Literal and even Historical Sense in some Places of the Bible And so there is here I doubt not and I shall afterwards shew That the Turks have a good Claim to the Names of Gog and Magog Again the Turks Rise was foretold in Rev. 9. 14 c. So their Ruin and Downfal are mention'd in the same Book 16. Chap. 12. v. The Vial is poured out upon the great River Euphrates i. e. the People inhabiting there the Turks who dwell in that part of the World on the River Euphrates The Water thereof was dried up i. e. the Turkish Power and Dominion are impair'd That the Way of the Kings of the Earth might be prepared i. e. that some Great and Eminent Persons may be converted and come over to the Christian Church Then in general we find Seducers and False Prophets threatened in Scripture with Ruin and shall we not think That that Vile Miscreant who gloried in the Title of Prophet and is signally so styled by those that adhere to his Principles and Laws wherewith he hath bewitched so great a part of the World shall we not think I say that that Grand Impostor is concern'd Can we imagine or suppose that the Vengeance of God which is threatened against Seducers and False Teachers reaches not to him And when we consider what a great deal of Mischief this Mahometan Sect hath wrought in the World and what vast Regions of the Earth it hath possessed we shall easily be inclined to believe that when Christ's Kingdom is set up and Christianity is come to its Perfection the World shall be cleared of this Spreading Pest. As for the Fall of the Roman Antichrist it is in express Words foretold in many Places of Scripture Out of the Old Testament I will mention only that Famous Prophecy of Daniel concerning the Fall of Rome and the Reign of Christ for both these go together 7. Dan. 19 20 c. to the end of the Chapter I have else-where commented upon it but now I shall only make use only of that part of it which is to our present Purpose How natural is the Character of the other Horn which arises out of the Fourth Beast i. e. the Fourth Kingdom or Empire upon Earth appliable to Papal Rome For it is said It shall subdue Three Kings i. e. the Greek Emperour whose Jurisdiction reach'd to Italy and the Kingdom of Lombardy and the German Emperours who had Dominion in Italy It is further said This Horn had a Mouth that spake very great Things v. 20. and more particularly in the 25 v. He shall speak great Words against the most High and shall wear out the Saints of the most High and think to change Times and Laws And the same Horn made war with the Saints and prevail'd against them v. 21. which by the most judicious Protestant Writers is applied to the Papacy But now hear the Doom of this Great Speaker and Warrior The Iudgment shall sit and they shall take away his Dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the End And the Kingdom and Dominion and the Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him v. 26 27. Which is answerable to what was said in v. 14. concerning the Coming and the Kingdom of the Son of Man i. e. Christ who frequently styles himself so If you consider these Things with many more in this Chapter you cannot apply them either to the Kingdom of the Seleucidae or Antiochus or Mahomet and his Empire But you must necessarily understand them of the Roman Power and especially that which is Papal and you cannot but see that they are a lively Description of that Bloody Dominion and of the Downfal of it and of the Reign of Christ which shall immediately succeed it that is of the Flourishing State of the Christian Church in a more Glorious Manner than ever Thus the most Eminent and Learned Expositors who are not Friends to the Roman See interpret this Prophecy but none hath comprised the Sense and Import of it in so few but full Words as that Reverend Prelate of our Church The Seventh Chapter of Daniel saith he points at a State of Christ's Church which is not yet come and when it doth come will be with a Vengeance to the Roman Church Whose present State will be utterly overturn'd to make way for the sâ—tting up of Christ's Universal and Everlasting Kingdom which is to be erected when the Mystery of God is finished Rev. 10. 7. 12. 15. and that cannot be till Babylon i. e. Rome be thrown down Rev. 18. 2. 19. 1 2 6. And we are so far from thinking this Kingdom will be Invisible that we believe it will be the most Illustrious Appearance that ever was of Christian Truth Righteousness Charity and Peace among Men. In the New Testament likewise this is signally foretold St. Paul who was blessed with extraordinary Revelations concerning future Things acquaints us That the Reign of Christ which he calls his Coming shall begin with the Ruin and Desolation of the Antichrist of Rome for every unprejudiced and impartial Man must confess that the Second Chapter of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians speaks of Him and that the Man of Sin and that wicked One whom the Lord will consume and destroy is no other than He. It is very strange to see how Grotius bestirs himself and uses all Artifices imaginable to perswade the Reader that the Papal Power is not meant here He is forced to say that this Second Epistle to the Thessalonians was writ before the First and several such
Keturaâ— should at last contribute towards the making up the Great and Entire Body of Converted Gentiles And Iacob's Prophecy concerning Ephraim looks this way His Seed shall become the Fulness of the Gentiles Gen. 48. 19. For the Word Gojim is most properly applied to the Gentiles not to the Iews And Our Translation is short when we render the other Word a Multitude for the proper import of it is Plenitudo Fulness Now when it was foretold that Ephraim's Seed should be the Fulness of the Gentiles the meaning is that from Ephraim shall proceed Innumerable Nations who shall imbrace the Gospel and so fill up the Conversion of the Gentiles To this Prophecy appertains Psal â— 8. Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance and the uttermost Parts of the Earth for thy Possession The great and wonderful Access of the Gentiles to the Church of Christ from all Regions of the World is plainly predicted in Isa. 49. 5 c. 54. 1 c. 60. 1. to 15. v. 66. 19 c. The Places are so well known that there is no need of reciting them And in several other Prophets there are the like Predictions To which questionless our Saviour referr'd when he told the Iews that such and such Things should beâ—al them until the Times of the Gentiles be fulfilled 21. Luk. 24 until the full Time come when the Gentiles shall be universally called into the Church Of this our Lord speaks Joh 10. 16. Other Sheep from among the Gentiles I have which are not of this Fold of the Jewish Church them also I must bring and they shall hear my Voice they shall be Converted and become obedient Christians and there shall be one Fold one Church agreeing in the same Faith and Worship and Religious Practice and one Shepâ—erd they shall acknowledge me to be their Head and Pastor As it had been foretold concerning the Times of the Gospel this last Time especially They shall all have one Shepherd Ezek. 37. 24. they shall be united into one Body under one and the same Head And it may be that which he saith to the Church of Thyatira is to be interpreted of This He that overcometh and keepeth my Works unto the end to him will I give Power over the Nations and I will give him the Morning-Star Rev. 2. 26 28. The most Easy and Natural Sense of which Words is this That he that is Faithful to the end shall be honoured with the Conversion of Eastern Nations I will give him those Heathen People where the Morning-Star ariseth I will give him the Conversion of Those as the Reward of his Faithfulness A Future Calling of the Pagans may be expected at length as the Recompence of Overcoming and of Keeping my Works unto the end But supposing say some that this and other Texts of Scripture before mention'd speak of the Conversion of the Gentiles yet these Prophecies were all Fulfill'd in the Days of the Apostles when they went out to preach the Gospel to all Nations and so they have no reference to that Conversion of the Gentiles which I am speaking of But to this I answer That the Prophecies of the Conversion of the Gentiles were not fulfilled in those Times for though many Pagans were Converted in the Days of the Apostles yet that Conversion was not General Those Persons who were then Called were but the First-fruits of the Whole and Compleat Calling of the Pagans to Christianity which is to be a little before the Conversion of the Iews To this purpose the Apostle of the Gentiles is very clear in Rom. 11. 25 26. I would not Brethren that ye should be ignorant of this Mystery that Blindness in part is happen'd to Israel until the Fulness of the Gentiles be come in and so all Israel shall be saved The Blindness of the Iews and the Salvation of the Gentiles are here called by St. Paul a Mystery And in this he intimates that those he wrote to did not know and comprehend the Design of God in this Matter Wherefore he unfolds this Mystery this Great Secret of Providence to them acquainting them that God took occasion from this strange Event to communicate the Gospel to the Gentiles and to convert them to the Faith and then by the Calling of these the Iews should afterwards be provoked to believe and to accept of the Gospel and so they should all be saved But whether this be spoken of a General Conversion towards the end of the World or only of the Great Numbers converted by Christ and his Apostles at the â—irst preaching of the Gospel as some are of Opinion is now to be considered I conceive then that there is a Twofold Calling or Conversion of the Gentiles a Partial and a Total one The first was when the Iews were rejected viz. in the Time of our Saviour and the Apostles then the Gentiles were called in to supply their room This is said to be the Salvation which is come to the Gentiles ver 11. of this Chapter and the Reconciling of the World v. 15. But there is a second Calling of The Gentiles and that is named here the Fulness of the Gentiles which is something that is Greater and Higher than the other for it denotes a compleat Body of them This is set forth in the Parable of the Great Supper 14. Luke where the Iews were those that were â—idden But upon their Refusal of the Invitation the Servants are commande to go into the Streets and Lanes of the City and bring in the Poor Maimed Halt and Blind These are the Gentiles that in the Apostles Times and ever since have been converted to the Christian Faith But after this is done it is said Yet there is room viz. for more Converts to Christianity and accordingly the Servant is bid to go out into the High-ways and Hedges and compel them to come in that the House might be filled Here is a plain Distinction between the former and the latter Conversion of the Gentiles After the first Invitation and Entertainment there was more room which intimates in my Opinion a future Calling of them And they are to be fetched out of the High-ways and Hedges to shew that though they be never so Mean and Unworthy they shall Partake of this Grace which shall be so Powerful and Effectual in those Days that they shall seem to be forced and compelled to come in And what follows is very observable and much to our present purpose they are thus compell'd to come in to the Great Supper of the Lord that his House may be filled that the Church may be Compleated and made Entire which it could not be without the Conversion of these Gentiles at last Many were converted before but now there shall be a General Imbracing of the Faith All Nations shall come to the Messias And there is another great Difference between that first Calling and this viz. That the General Calling of the Iews which
very reasonable to think that this Recovering of the Jews the Second Time is First Particularly meant of the Returning of the Posterity of the Ten Tribes who upon Salmanasser's invading Iudaea were either taken by him or fled into strange Countries There shall not only be a Return from Babylon and Assyria but from Egypt and AEthiopia and even from the most distant Regions Secondly more Generally and Comprehensively it is meant of those Times of the Gospel when the Jews dispersed through all Countries shall be restored to their own Land again and shall be Converted to the Christian Faith This is here called the Second and it is the Last and most Eminent Time of their Conversion when they shall be so Happy likewise as to have all the Gentiles for their Fellow-Converts as it follows in the next Verse of his Chapter He shall set up an Ensign for the Nations as well as assemble the Outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Iudah from the four Corners of the Earth The Sixtieth Chapter of Isaiah treats of this very Subject the Glorious Condition of the Church under the Messias's Reign when there shall be a General Conversion of the Iews as well as Gentiles which is most elegantly describ'd by this Lofty and Poetick Prophet And the 20th Verse plainly shews that whatever is said in this Chapter is to be understood not of the First Call of the Iews which is past but of the Second which is to come For the Words are these Thy Sun shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self Where is promised the perpetual Grace and Favour of God to this People without any Interruption but who sees not that this is not yet fulfillâ—d and therefore is not yet past The Sun and Moon have gone down upon the Iewish Nation though the Light shone upon them with great vigour after our Saviour's Coming and many were converted to Christianity yet since that time there hath been a miserable Defection and they have for many hundreds of Years been rejected and have remained in Darkness and have been deprived of the Divine Favour But though the sun and Moon have withdrawn themselves since the first Conversion yet there is a Time coming when they shall no more go down for as it follows the Lord shall be their everlasting Light and the Days of their Mourning shall be ended Therefore this Place of Scripture is meant of the future State and Restauration of this People In my Apprehension this is a a very remarkable Text to prove it And those Words of the Prophet Hosea Ch. 3. v. 4 5. may well be thought to refer to this Last Calling of the Iews The Children of Israel shall abide many days without a King and without a â—rince and without a Sacrifice and without an Image and without an â—phod and without Teraphim Afterward shall the Children of Israâ—l return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall fear the Lord and his Goodness in the latter days We see the former part of the Words verified Nothing is more evident than that this People have been many days and are are at this very time without a King c. they are destitute of a Head and Governor they are debarr'd the Use of Sacrifices which were the main part of their Religion But yet they do not erect Images and fall into Idolatry as they were wont to do This is the present State of this People which this Text speaks of viz. that they have neither the Mosaick nor Heathenish Worship however the hearts of some of them may be inclined to this latter But I do not judge them And as for the latter part of the Words they shall be verified in due time the Children of Israel shall return i. e. shall be converted unto the Lord as the Chaldee Paraphrast of Ionathan renders it and seek the Lord by Repentance and Faith and David their King i. e. the Messias as is acknowledg'd by that Chaldee Paraphrast and several of the Iewish Doctors on this Place because the Messias was of the Stock of David and because Christ was typified by him whence he is often called David in the Holy Scriptures This fiducial and penitential seeking the Lord and owning the Messias shall be accomplished under his Thousand years Reign which is here call'd the latter days and in other Places signally the last Days before the End of the World And it is impossible it should be meant otherwise because it is to follow this time of the Jews Exile in which they are at this day as we heard confess'd before by one of their Chiefest Rabbies But I found what I say not only on the Concession of this Great Man among them but upon the Words themselves of the Prophecy which tells us that the Israelites shall be without a King or Prince many days which in the Stile of Scripture especially in the Prophetick Writings usually signifies a very great number of Years as in Isai. 24. 22. 32. 10. Ier. 3. 7. Ezek. 12. 27. 38. 8. Dan. 8. 26. 10. 14. so that the time of their Captivity in Babylon whence they return'd as soon as 70 years were expired is not here intended but some much longer space of time And indeed it could not be the time of their being Captive there because that did not immediately precede the latter Days by which in Scripture are frequently denoted the Times of the Messias the last Age of the World and the Hebrew Writers and Commentators themselves freely grant this Here it is said they shall abide many Days without a King c. and afterwards i. e. in the latter Days as it is explain'd they shall return and seek the Lord their God and the Messias Which clearly argues that the time of acknowledging the Messias shall presently succeed after those many days wherein they have abode without a King c. This could not be any part of the time between their Return from the Babylonian Captivity and Christ's Coming in the Flesh for then they were not without a King Prince or Ruler c. therefore it must be since and the Time commenced when Shiloâ— the Saviour came for then the Sceptre departed from ludah then the Iews were left without King or Prince After this particular Period of Time is ended the Messias's Kingdom shall be erected in a more illustrious manner than ever and then the Children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord and shall have a King again they shall embrace that Messias whom their Ancestors crucified and they shall fear the Lord and his Goodness they shall with Reverence and Admiration acknowledge the exceeding Favour and Grace of God to them This I apprehend to be the genuine Import of this Prophecy and I leave it to the Reader to judge whether it be not a Proof of the Grand Point now in hand I might mention Amos 9. 14 15. with some of the preceding Verses which
are to understand the Words in a Literal meaning may be further proved and confirm'd from the brief Repetition of this Prophecy in chap. 65. v. 25. The Wolf and the Lamb shall feed together and the Lion shall eat Straw like the Bullock and dust shall be the Serpents Meat they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my Holy Mountain It is not probable that the Prophet would have repeated this Prediction and urged it in the same manner and on the same occasion viz. when he was foretelling the Happy Reign of the Messias in the laft Days for he brings it in under the time of the New Heavens and the New Earth v. 17. and it is the close of the Description of the State of the New Ierusalem in this Chapter most part of which I had occasion to mention before it is not probable I say that the Prophet would have reiterated this Prediction in the very same way and circumstances that he mentioned it before if the Words were a meer Metaphor or Allegory and not to be understood in a downright Literal Sense he would have varied the way of expressing and have let us know that a Spiritual meaning is to be understood But indeed the very Natural Tenour and Import of the Words themselves acquaint us that they are not Allegorical but are to be taken according to the obvious signification of the Terms viz. That in those Happy Times the very Brutes the most Furious and Implacable of them shall be reconciled to Man and likewise to themselves mutually in order to which they shall have a new way of sustaining themselves the Wolf and the Lamb shall have the same Food that 's the meaning of Feeding together such as the Earth affords the Lion shall have the same Provender with the Bullock and the Serpent which used to hurt other Beasts as well as Men shall be content with the Food which was at first appointed him Gen. 3. 14. In short the Irrational Creatures shall neither devour Men nor one another as was usual before but they shall become Serviceble and Obedient to Man and shall be at Peace among themselves This may be censur'd perhaps as a new Interpretation of this Prophecy but I believe no Wife and Intelligent Man will condemn it for its Novelty but rather imbrace it because it is so plain easie and intelligible in it self because it agrees so exactly with the Context and because it is so suitable yea so absolutely requisite to that State which I have Discours'd of wherein every thing shall be in a better condition that it was and accordingly the very Nature of the Beasts shall be chang'd that they may be what they were at first that is not Harmful or Terrible as appears from Eve's Conversing with the Serpent and in a Word there shall be such a Catholick change as shall bring with it an accumulation of all Temporal Felicities But this must be said that I may not be mistaken by some Persons that though these Earthly and Corporeal Coveniencies shall be in the Millennary Reign yet they are the least part of it nay they may be said to be the Attendants rather than Parts of it for it is the Confluence of Spiritual and Divine Blessings that gives Denomination to this Happy Oeconomy it is this that makes it chiefly to be Admired and Esteem'd And those other things which I have mention'd which relate to the Body and which are but Appendages of this State are wholly in order to the Better Enjoyments and are no farther to be regarded than as they are some ways subservient to these This I insert that we may not deceive our selves about the Notion of this Happy State which I am speaking of that we may not fancy it to be merely an Earthly Paradise that we may not think Christ's Kingdom to be of this World But notwithstanding this it is a certain Truth that all manner of Good Things inhanse the Comsort and Pleasure of that Blessed Kingdom In fine that which gives the Value to all things relating to the New Ierusalem is that the Glory of God Enlightens it and the Lamh is the Light thereof Rev. 21. 23. That is it is the Eternal Father and Son not excluding the Holy Ghost and not any Created Being or Enjoyment though never so exquisite that can constitute the Blessedness of this State In which respect it is said The City hath no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it that is all Temporal and Mundane Felicities be they never so bright are useless and insignificant in comparison of the fruition of GOD himself I take this to be the meaning of St. Iohn's Words and not what is suggested by the late Thâ—orist viz. That the Inhabitants of the New Ierusalem on Earth shall be wholly destitute of those great Luminaries of Heaven there will be no use of the Light of the Sun and Moon but they shall be supplied by a Supernatural Bodily Light Which mistaken Interpretation was caused by not attending to the place in the Prophet Isaiah whence this without doubt was borrowed Isai. 60. 19. The Sun shall be no more thy Light by Day neither for Brightness shall be Moon give Light unto thee And yet in the next Verse it is said Thy Sun shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self Which evidently shews that the former Words are not to be understood Literally that is concerning those Celestial Bodies otherwise there is a plain Contradiction in those Texts The true intent then of the foresaid Words is no other than this that the Sun and Moon and all the other Temporal Blessings of the Millennary Revolution are Mean and Inconsiderable in respect of the Transcendent Glory Splendor and Influence of the Divine Majesty who alone is able to render that State Happy When that desired Day comes the full Vertue of Shiloh's Name shall shine forth which denotes not only Salvation which that Time shall prepare Men for above any other but Peace or Tranquility both inward and outward and which is much more extensive Prosperity or Happiness which comprehends in it all things that are rationally Desireable in the Life of Man upon Earth as well as in the Mansions above Thus I have briefly represented to you those things which may reasonably be suppos'd to be the inseparable Attendants of the Happy Reign of Christ on Earth which is the highest Exaltation of the Christian Oeconomy It hath been with some doubting and struggling that I have said so much for Holy Writ seems some times to say that the Condition of the Church is such that it shall not be wholly free from Trouble and Calamity but that it shall always or for the most part suffer from the Wicked When I perused those several Predictions concerning the Sufferings and Persecutions of the Church I stagger'd as to my belief of this Future Quiet State on Earth I was apt to think that the World is
should content us that the thing it self is undeniable viz. that the Evangelical Oeconomy is not yet perfect that great things are yet to be done that though our Blessed Saviour shall not descend from Heaven till the Day of Judgment for I am none of those that dream of his Personal Reign upon Earth yet by his Spirit he shall come and Reign here a Thousand Years and advance Christianity to its utmost heighth At which time all â—ntichristian Doctrines and Powers shall be exploded and destroyed the Fulness of the Gentiles shall come in the Dispersed Iews shall be gather'd and imbrace the Faith of Christ Universal Righteousness and Holiness shall prevail and the Peaceable and Philadelpâ—ian Spirit shall be infused into all Churches so that they shall be of one Heart and of one Mind This â—uture Kingdom of Christ this Happy part of the Evangelical Dispensation is not unworthy of our Assent and Belief However I have entertained my self and the Reader with an Idâ—a of the Delightful and Happy State of Christianity here on Earth If it be not adjusted to Truth though no Man alive I am sure can prove it is not yet it shall remain as a Testimony of my Hearty Desires and Wishes that the Gospel may flourish in a Higher Degree than ever it yet did that Christianity may be the Religion of the whole World and that all Mankind every where may know the True God and Iesus Christ whom he hath sent and that knowing him they may Universally practise his Law and do his Will and that they may all be United and Cemented together in the Bond of Peace and Love CHAP. XXII The Last part of the Evangelical Dispensation under the loosing of Satan out of his Prison Who are Gog and Magog Not only the Mahometan but the Roman Power shall be revived The Last Days before the End of the World shall be extremely Wicked They shall be exceeding Perillous and Calamitous Christ comes to Judgment The Conflagration of the World succeeds this whatever some have suggested to the contrary A Particular Answer to a late Writers Arguments on this Subject It is observed how he resembles Origen A plain Exposition of those Words Nevertheless we look for New Heavens and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness A farther Proof from the same Chapter The Nature and Design of the Final Conflagration The Summ of the whole preceeding Discourse I Am unwilling to go off from this Pleasant Scene especially to one that is so Black and Melancholick as that which follows But the uncontrollable Wisdom and Providence of Heaven leads us to it and therefore we must be obsequious to their Conduct I proceed then to the Fourth and Last Part of the Evangelical Dispensation namely that which immediately preceedeth the Coming of Christ to Judgment For I have shew'd before that it hath had its Infancy and Childhood its Youth its Manhood or Full Growth and now come its last and feeble Years Wherefore I call this the Old Age of Christianity for now it miserably Declineth and grows Weak and Decrepid Now the World degenerates again and in a short time it becomes very Wicked and Impious For we are expresly told that when the Thousand Years are expired Satan shall be loosed out of his Prison Rev. 20. 7. The Wicked shall again assaâ—lt the Church for we must know that the World shall not through all the time of the Thousand Years be free of the Ungodly Race of Men. The Tares i. e. the Children of the Wicked One are to grow up till the Harvest Mat. 13. 30. and that will not be till the End of the World as the same Infallible Teacher hath told us Every Individual Person shall not be Vertuous and Good Heaven only being the place where there are no Sinners but there sâ—all remain and spring up at last upon Earth some very Bad Men out of which Brood afterwards as soon as Satan shall be set at liberty and come to hatch them there shall arise a Deadly Generation of Vipers a Cursed increase of the most profligate Sinners who will be set upon Mischief and will invade and wast the Church and make it their work to Deceive and Seduce the Nations or rather Satan who sets them on work is said here to do it v. 8 9. He shall go out to deceive Nations which are in the Four Quarters of the Earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to Bâ—ttel the number of whom is as the Sand of the Sea And they went up on the breadth of the Earth and compassed the Camp of the Saints about and the beloved City The plain General meaning of which Words is this that as of Old God's People the Iews were beset on the North and South with Gog and Magog their implacable Enemies who are meant but not exclusively of others in the 38. and 39. Chaâ—tâ—rs of Ezekiel so the Saints at that time shall be environ'd with their's who will prove no less Restless and Implacable And the more â—articular and Abstruse meaning is this that the Race of the Turks shall be those that shall cause this Disturbance for these are meant by Gog and Magog for the old Gog and Magog were Scythians as is Universally agreed by the Learnedest Commentators on Gen. 10. 2. where we find that Magog was one of the Sons of Iaphet who was the Father of the Getae Massagetae Scythians Sarmaritans and their Neighbours the Tartars from whom it is generally asserted that the Turks first Sprung Iosephus is positive that Magog was the Father of the Scythians and tells us that Magogae was the Name that the Scythians were anciently known buy among the Greeks We learn from Pliny who often gives a better account of Places than of Manners and is very exact in some parts of his Geography that Magog and Scythopolis were Coincident Names of the same Place Therefore there is reason to think that Gog and Magog in this place of the Apocalypse are the Turks and Mahometans who are as â—â—is generally acknowledg'd descended of the Scythians And these are that Stock of People who 〈◊〉 so Molest and Persecute the Saints of the Most High after the expiring of the Thousand Years And it is not unlikely that the Papal Beast will begin to lift up his Horn again I do not mean that any of those individual Persons who acted before shall now appear for they are secured The Beast as well as the False Prophet is in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone v. 10. But there shall be those that shall revive the old Roman Tyranny and Superstitions and shall join their Forces with those of the Mahometan Faction Both these Parties shall arise and shew themselves soon after the thousand years are ended And the Prince of the Infernal Daemons who had been imprison'd and chain'd up all that space shall be Head and Commander of them and gather them to Battle Their Numbers shall be exceeding great even like the Sand of
the Sea insomuch that they shall cover all the Earth as it were for that is meant by their going up on the breadth of the Earth And they shall lay close Siege to the Beloved City that Place whither the Saints the Beloved of God shall fly for Refuge Or the whole Church of Christ the Visible Body and Society of the Faithful which shall be left at that time may be understood by the Beloved City In a very lamentable and wretched Condition they shall be you may imagine all the time of this Gogick and Magogick War and the Siege which accompanieth it It cannot be expressed what Streights the Saints are reduced to what Calamities they undergo what Miseries they indure And This is but agreeable to what our Blessed Lord foretold of the Times immediately preceding the Day of Judgment He hath assured us that those Days shall be very remarkable both in respect of Sin and Suffering As to the former when he compares them to the Days of Noah in which the Old World gave themselves up wholly to their Pleasures and forgat God and defied his Providence he sheweth how Corrupt and Wicked the Last Times shall be So that Interrogatory of our Saviour Luk. 18. 8. When the Son of Man cometh shall be find Faith on the Earth is a downright Negative and signifies that he shall not find Faith upon Earth That is not only as some interpret it the Faith even of God's Servants shall be very Weak and Little before the Last Coming of Christ the Saints themselves having been persecuted and harassed by the Wicked shall faint and flag They shall scarcely believe the Promise of his Coming they shall almost despond that Christ will help and deliver them But the meaning rather seems to be This that Faithfulness here called Faith shall be very rare upon Earth Sincertiy and Truth shall be baniâ—h'd and Lying Perfidiousness Dissembling and which is the Consequent of those inward Hatred and Malice and all outward Injustice Violence and Oppression shall come in their place And so in another place Christ foretells that not long before the Day of Judgment Iniquity shall abound and the Love of many shall wax cold For this is to be remarked that the Signs foregoing the Destruction of Ierusalem and of the Coming of Christ are intermixed in that Four and twentieth Chapter of St. Matthew Or we may say the former Signs were to be repeated and more fully display'd in the Latter Event Our Saviour likewise fets forth the State of the Last Days before the End of the World not only as extremely Sinful abounding with great Wickedness and universal Corruption of Life but as most Afflictive and Dangerous most Distressed and Calamitous There shall be saith he distress of Nations with perplexity the Sea and the Waves roaring Mens hearts failing them for fear Luk. 21. 25 26. Yea Those Words of Christ in Mat. 24. 21. are applicable here for the reason beforementioned Then shall be great Tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the World to this time no nor ever shall be And now the Fore-runners of that Great and Notable Day of the Lord mentioned by our Saviour in this Chapter shall appear viz. Wars and great Commotions in Kingdoms and Nations Signs in the Heavens and in the Earth Earthquakes Pestilence and Famine with other unusual and extraordinary Occurrences and tremendous Accidents which shall give notice of the approaching Judgment Thus our Saviour not only confirms the Truth of what we read in the Revelation but he further explains and sets it forth He plainly suggests unto us what an evil posture the World will be in before he comes to Judgment He lets us know that the Tribulation as well as the Wickedness of those Days which approach the End of the World shall be more grievous than any that ever were before At that time the Sins of the Churches Enemies and the Sufferings of the Godly shall be at the Vertical Point as high as they can go Briefly It will be found true that the World shall be most Wicked and most Perilous at last The worst State of it will be towards its End For the Devil will be very wrathful and outrageous because he knoweth that he hath but a short time as it is said of him in Rev. 12. 12. And at that time it may more truly be said of him than ever for the 1000 years being ended he is loosed but for a little season Rev. 20. 3. He must soon go off the Stage and that makes him act his part with so much vigour and fierceness The Iudgment shall come presently after the 1000 years There shall be a very considerable time between the Mellennium and Dooms-day but it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a small time in comparison of the thousand years And therefore on this account that malicious Spirit shall bestir himself with a mighty Concernedness The Tenth and Last Persecution which he raised in the Primitive Times was the Bloodiest So now he rageth most when he is to take his farewel of this Earthly Stage And now behold the Tragical Close of all Fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured these Armies of Gog and Magog and the Devil that deceived them was cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone Rev. 20. 9 10. For now after all CHRIST appears from Heaven and comes to be Avenged of his Enemies and to Judge the whole World as you read expresly in ver 11 12 of this Chapter Before his first Coming Satan reigned a long time as God of this World he had a kind of an unlimited Rule and Sway But our Saviour by his Coming restrain'd his Power and Lordship and afterwards in the Millennary Reign gives a greater check to them But at his Last Coming he shall wholly deprive him of his Rule and Dominion Accordingly he comes at that Day to drive Satan down into his own Place and there to leave him to be tormented for ever and ever He comes to take Vengeance on Sinners and to punish them with the utmost Severity He comes to rescue the Righteous from the Fury both of Satan and wicked Men. This is the Work of the Last Day There is nothing more to be added unless it be the Conflagration of the World For this I take to be an evident Truth that the Firing of the whole Frame of Heaven and Earth is a Consequent of the Final Iudgment which is after the Millennium For to what purpose should this material System be consumed or rather indeed how can it till the present Scene of Action in this World be at an end which will not be till after the Thousand Years are past I deny not but there may be some Beginnings of it before which perhaps is meant in that forenamed Place Rev. 20. 9. Fire came down from God out of Heaven and devoured c. Here is an Essay of the Last Firing of the World which is prophesied of
now wearing off and that we shall have an end of it without any such thing But then when I consider'd that those Places of Holy Scripture which foretell the Calamities and Distresses of the Church of Christ may have respect only to the Times which preceed those Thousand Years I was again induced to believe that there shall be such a State as I have represented that Christ will set up his Kingdom in a more Illustrious and Effectual manner than ever and that this Kingdom shall be accompanied with lasting Peace and Righteousness with the General Conversion of Jews and Gentiles and the Ruin of Anti-christ As to some Particular Circumstances which I have mention'd relating to this Prosperous State of the Christian Church I am not Positive It hath pleased God to deliver things of this Nature Darkly and Mystically and there are no express places of Scripture on which a certain and unquestionable expectation of them can be grounded because we have no sure Word to ascertain our Determination Therefore as to the Particular Way and Manner of the things I have been Discoursing of I deliver nothing with Confidence It is the main of the Dispensation that I assert and which I verily believe though I censure no Man for thinking or saying otherwise I am sensible of this that when we see how the World is at this Day we may be enclined to think there is no probability of this Great Change There seems to be little likelihood at present of this Happy Reign in other parts of the World as well as among our selves for we seem to be every Day degenerating more and more and we run further from that excellent Temper and Genius which are required in that Future Paradise But then I consider that this is to be accomplish'd by a Divine Arm and Conduct and shall be the work of Heaven in a singular and particular Degree The Supreme Arbitrator and Manager of the World can of a sudden dispel all Difficulties and alter the Course of the Universe and frame Men's Minds as he pleaseth When we remember how mean and despicable Christianity was at first but how strangely it spread it self afterwards and made its Progress through the whole World against the greatest Opposition imaginable we may then believe the same may happen again and that what hath been foretold concerning that Glorious State may be fulfill'd Thus I will not despair of that happy Time Both Popery and Mahometism or either of them may for a time decay and grow less and then recover strength Or perhaps one or both of them may remain without any Diminution entire There may be a Superfoetation in the Mother of Harlots she may conceive and bring forth a New and replenish the Earth with her Children It may be the Reformation which hath been begun and set forward in some Parts of the Christian World may be put back Papal Superstition and Tyranny may return again and Rome may sit a Queen and know no Sorrow but what she creates to the true Professors of Religion One would be apt to think as much upon reading what is said concerning the Two Witnesses Rev. 11. 7. When they shall have finish'd the Testimony viz. at the end of 42. Months or 1260 Years the time of the Anti-christian Reign the Beast that ascendeth out of the Bottomless Pit shall make War against them and overcome them and kill them whereupon there is great rejoycing over them and making merry v. 10. It may come to pass that the Seven Hills may be exalted higher than ever and the Reformed Religion depress'd and trampled on Christianity may as Mr. Herbert presaged hoise Sail for America the Gospel may leave us to go to them and we may be half Pagans before it comes to us again Or if we hold fast-the Faith we may be forced to part with every thing else that is dear to us It may be our lot to undergo all Dangers Calamities Outrages and Persecutions before that Blessed Sabbatism arrives There may be a very Dark Night before that Lightsome Day is seen But at last it shall appear yea shine forth and the World shall be every ways the better for it Yea it may and I hope will shew it self in God's good time without any such Sad and Tragical Prologue to it as this I have ventured to offer my Conjectures about it and the freedom I have taken will not be disliked I conceive by Persons of sober Minds In my Judgment that is a very Curious and Notable Saying of Mr. Mede in his Epistle to the Reader before his Comment on the Apocalypse speaking of the interpreting of the Prophetical Writings and other Obscure Matters in Scripture Unless saith he there be liberty given to us to be somewhat free in our Thoughts and Opinions yea even in our Errors and Mistakes sometimes about these things we shall never clear our Passage to those Profound and Hidden Secrets of Truth Accordingly I have freely suggested my Thoughts and if therein I have represented some things amiss let it be remember'd that it was in the pursuit of Truth and of that Truth which it was difficult to attain to or rather let it be examined whether Truth be not here found out by that which some interpret a Mistake I declare I am not Dogmatical in what I have said nor will I perswade others to sit down with Peremptory Confidence that this is the certain meaning of all the Prophecies in Scripture before alledged But then this must be said there are several things highly Probable of which we have no Absolute Certainty and This that I have been Discoursing of is of that Nature Many Passages in Holy Writ do exceedingly favour it and there are no Contemptible Reasons to inâ—line us to a belief of it And when we have both Scripture and Rational Arguments on our side it is more than half of the Opinions which make a very plausible shew in the World can really lay claim to If after all you enquire concerning the Particular and Determinate Time when this Sabbatick State shall begin my Answer in brief is That I cannot neither will I attempt to assign any such thing When I say I cannot my meaning is that I apprehend no possible way of doing it in a Certain and Satisfactory way for otherwise I could as some have done pretend to present the Reader with a Punctual Calculation of the Time when these things shall happen Perhaps I might say without Ostentation that I have made enquiry into the Chronology of the Scriptures as well as others and have considered all that any Writers of Note have said on this Matter and have made search into these Mysteries my self but after all I declare that I find no Foundation for a Precise and Individual Assignation of Time In general we know Christ's Kingdom on Earth shall commence when the Seventh Angel soundeth his Trumpet for then the Kingdoms of the World become the Kingdoms of the Lord and of