since the World began Concerning the glorious State of this Kingdom of Christ in this World something hath been hinted before which may be further evinced from the Scriptures And First as to a plentiful Effusion of the SPIRIT promised that it shall be poured out from on high when the Wilderness shall become a fruitful Field Isa 32.15 which is to be understood of great Measures and Degrees of all saving Grace Promised also Zech. 12.10 to be poured out upon the House of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem But when is it when they shall look non him whom they have pierced and mourn Also Ezekiel 36.27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes But when When they are gathered out of all Countries and brought to their own Land ver 24. And this will not only be 1. a Spirit of LIGHT and KNOWLEDGE but 2 there will be much HOLINESS It will be to such a Degree as never was in the World since the Beginning of it So great that some Men have thought though I am not of that Opinion that there will be no Unholiness at least not in the Saints but that the Subjects of this Kingdom shall sin no more See further what the Scripture speaks to this Isa 35.8 An high Way shall be there And it shall be called the Way of Holiness The Unclean shall not pass over it Hence called God's holy Mountain Isai 65. ult the Mountain of his Holiness Jer. 32.23 Upon the Bells of Horses and Pots shall be Holiness Zech. 14.20 3dly As to RIGHTEOUSNESS the People shall be all Righteous they shall inherit the Land forever Isai 35.8 Hence they are called a righteous Nation Chap. 26.2 The Habitation of Justice Jer. 31.23 Here Righteousness aud PEACE will kiss each other Psa 85 which is next proposed to Consideration For CHRIST being the Prince of Peace Isa 9.6 there shall be Peace in his Kingdom and under his Government The Mountains shall bring Peace to his People Psal 72.3 In his Days shall be abundance of Peace so long as the Moon endureth ver 7 and I am sure that will be to the End of the Thousand Years Again Great shall be the Peace of thy Children Isa 54.13 Peace to him that is far off and Peace to him that is near Chap. 57.19 Peace like a River A Succession of Peace as of Waters in a River Jerusalem shall be a quiet Habitation and a peaceable resting Place Isa 32.18 33.20 They shall not learn War any more nor any Weapon that is formed against them shall prosper Again there will be JOY when the Lord reigneth the Earth will rejoice Psal 97.1 and ver 8 Sion heard and was glad and the Daughters of Judah rejoiced sing for Joy of Heart Isai 65.14 rejoice with Joy and Singing everlasting Joy will be upon their Heads and they shall obtain Joy and Gladness and Sorrow and Sighing shall flee away Therefore in this Kingdom of Christ during the Thousand Years there will be no more Apostacy or Backsliding in Holiness or as it was in the Days of Noah and Lot when the World was filled with Violence and all Flesh had corrupted their Way Neither is there the least Hint in Scripture of any Backsliding after this Thousand Years is begun For then there could not be everlasting Joy on their Heads nor could Sorrow and Sighing flee away No more pricking Briar nor grieving Thorn no more Persecution by wicked Men no more violent Death nor Sorrow nor Crying nor any more Pain upon any such account For then Sorrow and Sighing would not flee away nor would Tears be wiped from their Eyes We may further take notice that this Time will be a Time of great LIGHT The Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea The Light of the Moon shall be as the Light of the Sun And the Light of the Sun as the Light of seven Days At the Time of the End Knowledge shall be increased Dan. 12.4 Then there will be a glorious Accomplishment of Predictions and Prophesies which now to us are dark and obscure and the Book which is now sealed at the Time of the End will be opened Much more might be added to what hath been written but we shall at present give some Scriptures which speak of this EXTERNAL AND OUTWARD HAPPINESS First long Life Isai 65 there shall be no more thence an infant of Days nor an old Man that hath not filled his Days for the Child shall die an Hundred Years old for as the Days of a Tree are the Days of my People Again they shall enjoy a Fulness of other temporal Blessings build Houses plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them Isai 65. Their Floors shall be full of Wheat and the Fat 's shall overflow with Wine and Oyl and they shall eat in plenty and praise the Name of the Lord that hath dealt wonderfully with them and they shall never be ashamed Joel 2. Then will be fulfilled according to the Letter spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Mat. 5.5 Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth which hitherto they have not done Oh glorious Things are spoken of thee O City of God Selah Psal 87 3. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the Mountain of Holiness beautiful for Situation the Joy of the whole Earth the City of the great King Psal 48.1 2 which Places ultimately refer to this Time and the glorious State of the Church in the last Age of the World. The Church of old was called the Lord's Portion Deut. 32.9 his pleasant Portion Jer. 12.10 his Inheritance Isai 19.25 and the dearly beloved of his Soul his Treasure Exod. 19.5 his Glory Isai 46.13 But the Gospel Church is call'd a Crown of Glory Isai 62.3 the House of his Glory a royal Diadem These are high Expresses of the Glory of the Church in the Thousand Years of Christ's Kingdom in this World. And thus I have written a little and but a little may see a Glimpse and but a Glimpse of Sions Glory much of which is yet to come And from all that which is here written we may gather that if the Times immediately preceding the personal visible and glorious Appearance of Christ at his second Coming be Times of deep Security general Sensuality open Prophaness and Apostacy as hath been declared before then it must needs be that Christ will appear before the Thousand Years because after those Years are began there will be no such Times of Wickedness and Prophaness as hath been also shewed before but the first is undeniable and therefore the second must and will necessarily follow for it cannot be imagined by any that know or understand any Thing of the glorious State of the Church during that Time which hath been mentioned before and which hath been so abundantly declared both by the Prophets and Apostles should
of Understanding should be ashamed of these Opinions which will necessarily draw so many Absurdities with them as these and such others as might be mentioned In the next Place something may be written about THE NEW JERUSALEM mentioned Rev. 21 and enquire what the Scripture speaks to this Point And herein I shall rather modestly propose than positively conclude in a Matter of such Difficulty concerning which there are such various Apprehensions And here First We must know that Jerusalem in Scripture is divers Ways taken And first it is taken for a City so called in Palestine which some think was built by Melchisedeck King of Salem mentioned Gen. 14 afterward called Jerusalem but whether so or no I shall not determine but sure we are it was in Joshua's Time Josh 10.1 but never conquered by him tho' he slew Adonibezeck who was King thereof but 't was inhabited by the Jebusites 'till David's Time and then taken by him and became the Royal City 2 Sam. 5 and afterwards burned by the King of Babylon re-edified by Nehemiah and at last destroyed by the Romans built again by Aelianus Adrianus but not in the same Place but it shall be inhabited again in her own Place even in Jerusalem Zech. 12.6 14.10 when there shall be a new Heaven and a new Earth Jerusalem shall be a Rejoicing and her People a Joy but I do not understand this to be the new Jerusalem of which we are now speaking Again by Jerusalem is understood the Inhabitants of Jerusalem as in Mat. 3.5 Jerusalem went out and were baptized of John in Jordan and Mat. 23.37 Jerusalem is said to kill the Prophets viz. the Inhabitants of Jerusalem Furthermore by Jerusalem is meant all the People of the Land as they were a civil State and common Wealth and this is very frequent in the Scriptures of the old Testament Jer. 6.8 Be thou instructed O Jerusalem lest I make thee a Land not inhabited So Jer. 2.2 God bids the Prophet cry in the Ears of Jerusalem that is cry that so that whole People might hear and understand for tho' Jerusalem is only named as being the Head City yet the Expostulation is with the whole Land as may appear in the Sequell of that Chapter See Isai 24.23 t is said there that Christ shall reign in Mount Sion that is his Church and in Jerusalem that is the civil State for so I understand it Psal 147.12 Praise the Lord O Jerusalem praise thy God O Sion i. e. both Church and State. Again tho' the Jewish Church is ordinarily represented to us under the Name and Notion of Sion yet sometimes also under the Name of Jerusalem Psal 137.6 If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief Joy and Psal 122.6 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem and give him no Rest till he make Jerusalem a Praise in the Earth In further Prosecution of the Thing in Hand we shall take into Consideration what is mentioned in Gal. 4.26 to our Purpose where the Apostle speaks of two Covenants or at least a two-fold Dispensation of the same Covenant the one legal as given by Moses in the ceremonial Law which continued till the Coming of Christ in the Flesh the other evangelical as given by CHRIST and his Apostles and this I understand to be Jerusalem which is above and is no other than the Gospel Church consisting both of Jews and Gentiles and t is said to be above because t is more spiritual and glorious for tho' t is true the legal Dispensation of the Covenant was glorious 2 Cor. 3.7 yet that Glory was to be done away and was no Glory in Comparison by Reason of the Glory that excelleth For if that which is done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious The Church of old had many glorious Titles or Epithets as have been shewed before called his Glory Isai 46.13 his Treasure his pleasant Portion c yet speaking of the Gospel Church Isai 62.3 stiles it the House of his Glory a Crown of Glory a royal Diadem Such and so high are the Titles given to the Gospel Church that many if not most that think any Thing of the new Jerusalem conceive this to be the new Jerusalem at least in the Inchoation of it but t is possible such may be mistaken for the Glory of the new Jerusalem doth as far transcend and excel this Gospel-Church as this doth that under the legal Dispensation and much more and that in many Respects as it may be we may hereafter shew There are others who think and that not a few that this new Jerusalem is Heaven itself the Description of it being so glorious think t is impossible it should be in this World and he was once counted a Fool who thought it would be in this World but that t is not Heaven itself we shall hereafter endeavour to shew Some others suppose it shall be in this World and that t is no other then the Jewish Church after their Conversion to Christ or Christianity and whosoever reads the whole 60th Chapter will be ready to think that this is new Jerusalem Indeed and I must needs say it looks very well like it and there are many Expressions in it agreeing with the Description of the new Jerusalem Rev. 21 and therefore I shall be slow to think or say they are mistaken tho' I am not of their Opinion For the Scripture speaks very much of the Glory of this Church and People as hath been shewed before when it shall turn to the Lord and the Vail that is upon their Heart shall be taken away 2 Cor. 3.16 and the receiving them again into God's Covenant be as Life from the Dead and therefore some have thought that this is the Bride the Lamb's Wife What Priviledges they shall have in the Kingdom of Christ above the Gentile Churches I cannot tell but the Prophet Micah Chap. 4.8 tells us that they were the Tower of the Flock and that the first Dominion should come to the Daughter of Jerusalem and yet Jew and Gentile are all one in CHRIST JESUS Gal. 3.28 But tho' these bid very fair for it yet neither these nor any other who have been mentioned in my Understanding are the new Jerusalem of which we speal But in further Prosecution of the Thing under Consideration we shall enquire First what it is and Secondly whence it comes To the First what it is And here according to Scripture I understand it to be a distinct Society of Saints and of Saints only whose Names are written in the Book of Life coming down from God out of Heaven wholly free from Sin. Sorrow and Suffering who have attained to Perfection in Grace and Holiness so as they need no further Improvement of external Means of Salvation First they are a Society therefore called a City the great City Rev. 21.10 the holy City ver 2 the beloved City Chap. 20.9 the City of God Rev. 3.12 of Saints and Saints only and yer
pieces as this doth and such a Kingdom is not now to be set up But it may be said what 's this to the Point in Hand viz. to the Coming of Christ or the Thousand Years Let us therefore further enquire and we shall see that Daniel speaks up to the Case Chap. 7.13 14 I saw saith he in the Night Visions and one like the Son of Man came with the Clouds of Heaven and came to the antient of Days and they brought him near before him and there was given to him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion that shall not pass away and his Kingdom that shall not be destroyed But when shall this Coming of the Son of Man be It shall be when the little Horn viz. the Beast is slain and his Body destroyed and given to the burning Flames agreeing directly with Rev. 19.20 where t is said the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet and cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone And answerable to this is that clear Text 2 Thes 2.8 whom he shall consume with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy with the Brightness of his Coming which is generally understood especially by the learned to be a personal Coming for so much doth the Word in the original import and is no other than his Coming with Clouds above-mentioned and that of Mat. 24 and elsewhere And this must of Necessity be granted except we shall say t is at the End of the Thousand Years which is not yet begun as may be shewed hereafter when Christ comes to the general Judgment which no Man in his right Understanding will affirm and so it will enforce a Coming of Christ personally before the End of the World. And this is further hinted to us Dan. 12.1 at that Time viz. when the Turk shall be destroyed and come to his End Chap. 11.45 shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the Children of thy People and at that Time shall they be delivered and not long after is that happy Time which he is blessed that waiteth for it and cometh to it ver 12 which is no other then the Thousand Years HOSEA also speaks of the same Thing and of the same Time above-mentioned Chap. 1. ult when the Children of Judah and the Children of Israel should be gathered together and appoint themselves one Head in that great Day of Jezreel and Chap. 14. throughout JOEL also tells us of a Time when Jerusalem should be holy and no Stranger pass through her any more Chap. 3.17 AMOS also speaks of a Day when God will raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the Breaches thereof and raise up his Ruins and build it as in the Days of old Chap. 9. from ver 11. to the End. OBADIAH also to the same Purpose that upon Mount Sion shall be Deliverance and there shall be Holiness ver 17 and Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion and the Kingdom shall be the Lord's JONAH is a History no Prophesy MICAH 4.1 2 3 but in the last Days it shall come to pass the same with Isai 2. NAHUM speaks of a Time when the Wicked should be among the People of God no more but be utterly cut off Chap. 1.15 HABAKKUK Chap. 2.14 the Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea. ZEPHANIAH Chap. 3 9-20 I will turn to the People a pure Language that they may call on the Name of the Lord and serve him with one consent in that Day it shall be said to Jerusalem fear not and to Sion let not thy Hands be slack the Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty c. HAGGAI 2.7 The Prophet speaks of a Time when God would shake the Heaven and the Earth and shake all Nations and ver 22 that he would overthrow the Thrones of Kingdoms and the Desire of all Nations should come T is true this hath been in Part fulfilled at the first Coming of Christ when the legal Dispensation was taken away and so much the Apostle implies Heb. 12 but that Shaking did not overthrow the Thrones of Kingdoms as this Shaking shall The Apostle who wrote after the legal Dispensation was shaken to Pieces tells us of another Shaking which God had promised which was future And when may this be It may be 't is when the Desire of all Nations shall come the second Time to sit up his own Kingdom then when the Beast shall be slain and his Body destroyed and given to the burning Flames when the Ancient of Days shall sit then and not 'till then will these Thrones be cast down Dan. 7.9 And that Time will be a shaking Time indeed when not only the Earth but the Power of Heaven shall be shaken also Mat. 24. Luk. 21. And these Heavens and Earth so shaken must be removed and a new Heaven and Earth created that shall remain before the Lord Isai 66.22 And so the Apostle tells us Heb. 12 of a Kingdom that cannot be shaken by which we must understand the whole Kingdom of Christ and not only his spiritual Kingdom but his external also which he is gone to receive which is an ever lasting Kingdom and shall never pass away to another People which must remain when those Things that are shaken must be removed See also what the Prophet ZECHARIAH speaks Chap. 8.3 The Lord saith I am returned to Sion and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and Jerusalem shall be called a City of Truth the Mountain of the Lord of Hosts the holy Mountain See ver 4 5 6 7 8 Chap. 12 13 14. The Prophet speaks of little else but the Glory and Holiness of the Jewish Church after their Conversion to Christ There is yet one Prophet more who is yet to speak and that is MALACHI and he speaks of the Day of the Lord that shall burn as an Oven and all that do Wickedly shall be stubble and the Day that cometh shall burn them up and ye shall tread them down for they shall be Ashes under the Soles of your Feet But it may be thought that this Burning shall be at the last Judgment T is true there will then be the greatest Destruction by Fire that ever was or shall be for then they will be destroyed all Rev. 20.9 but t is likely it will be otherwise now consisting only of such as are actually in Arms against Christ But that there will be a great Destruction by Fire at this Time the Scripture is clear Isai 66.15.16 For behold the Lord will come with Fire and render his Rebukes with Flames of Fire for by Fire and Sword will be Lord plead with all Flesh and the Slain of the Lord shall be many See Ezekiel 38.22 Words to the same Purpose And when this Burning shall be the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his Wings