OUR GOD for ever and ever Which words are not only a promise but a prophesie as to signifie the piety they should practice at the time when the Lord should performe the aforesaid prosperity unto them For as for Micha and his generation of religious men they were soon dead And the generality of the Jewes and their Common State as to religion now at this present of Micha's prophesying were mightily corrupted and stood heinously guilty of Ignorance Idolatry injustice oppression cruelty and the falsehood and security of Princes and Prophets as the first second third and sixt chapters abundantly testifie expresly reckoning up and charging them with those sins and threatning Gods wrath upon them for that cause Nor was that prosperous time in which they should so serve God for ever yet come The Prophet minding both Judah and Israel of nothing they were to expect at present but devastations and captivities in the forementioned chapters if the ten tribes went not into captivity afore that Micahs prophesie was at an end Who prophesied as t is expresse chap. 1. ver 1. in the reign of Hezekiah who reigned nine and twenty years 2 King 18.2 in the fourth yeare of whose reign Salmanasser besiegeth Samaria 2 King 18.9 and in his sixt yeer took it ibid. And for after times ensuing that returne of them that was granted by Cyrus the Persian from that day to this they were under a forreign power in a constant succession the hand of the succeeding oppressor being upon them afore the predecessors was taken off Yea the following tearing them out of the hands of the former to the great prejudice as well of their piety as of their prosperity In the time of the Maccabees great prophanation was brought in as a flood upon their Jewish religion 2 Maccab. chap. 5. chap. 6. and chap. 7. And in Christs and the Apostles time first For the Jewish religion we find that the whole body of their law according to their interpretations and the bulke of publike worship according to their traditions and practise to bee exceedingly corrupted as our Saviour laies them open in the fifth sixt thirteenth fifteenth and three and twentieth chapters of Matthew Besides the many Sects mentioned some in the four Evangelists viz. the Pharisees Sadduces and Herodians and others mentioned in Ecclesiaticall stories as Assideans Essenes and Gaulonites whose single several errors were these The Pharisees held 1. That they were the holy ones Of the Pharisees and all else vile Luk. 18.11 God I thank thee I am not as other men John 7.49 This 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rabble of the common people that know not the law are cursed Suitably their common Hebrew phrase was to call the people 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 people of the earth 2. They ascribed many things to Fate and many to free will Joseph l. 13. c. 9. 3. They held that the soules of good men deceasing passed by a kind of Pythagorean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or transmigration of soule successively into the bodies of those good men that were next borne Thence is that speech as the learned conceive touching Christ risen that he was John Baptist or Elias or Jeremias Matth. 16.14 4. They stood mainly for Traditions Matth. 15.2 Mark 7.3 4. Matth. 9.11 Luk 18.12 Matth. 23.5 Therefore our Saviour calls the Pharisees so often Hypocrites in that one chapt Matth. 23. The Sadduces first Of the Sadduces Denied the resurrection of the body or any reward or punishment in the world to come Matth. 22.23 Luke 20.27 Act. 23. ver 6 7 8. Concerning their opinion that the soules of men were annihilated at their deaths see Joseph de Bel. Iudaic. l. 2. c. 12. Secondly They denied all the Bible but the five Books of Moses which is the reason why our Saviour Matthew 22.32 waves all other plainer places of the resurrection in Iob and the prophets and proves to them the resurrection out of Exod. 3.6 Thirdly They ascribed all to mans free will Ioseph l. 13. c. 9. The Sect of the Herodians mentioned Matth. 22.16 were a sort of Iewes Of the Herodians that complied with the Court of Herod in grosse flattery and a compounded piety of Iudaisme and Herodianisme * Beza in Mat. 22.16 For they ** Epiphan Heres 20. Theophyl in Matth. 22.16 alii held that either THE Herod that is Herod the great was THE Messiah or at least that â— Herod v. 9. Herod Tetrarch of Galilee alias Antipas or c. was a Messiah to them in that the Scepter was then departed from Iuâ—ah the mark of the time of the Messiah's coming and the then Herods government so wel pleased them So that he and his Court concurred with them to crucifie Christ Mark 3.6 and they complied with him and his Court touching the equity of the Jewes paying tribuâ—e ‡ Hieron in Mat. 22.16 Matth. 22.16 And in the celebration of Herods birth say with superstitious solemnities At which Persius who flourished about sixty years after Christ hath a sore jirke in his fifth Sayr v. 10 c. Herodis venêre dies unctâque fenestrâ Dispositae pinguem nebulam vomuere lucernae Portantes violas rubrumque amplexa catinum Cauda natat Thynni tumet alba fidelia vino Labra moves tacitus recutitaque Sabbata palles When Herods Birth-day's come the Lamps are plac'd In ranks in the oyl'd window all be-greas'd By a far mist which they had spued out Though with sweet vi'lets pranck'd and crown'd about And whiles in a red pan doth swim a Thyne The white stone Pitcher floateth'ore with wine But pal'd with fasts thou muttringly dost pray All the Circumcisions Sabbath day * On this of Persius learned Lubins note is this Herod the Asealonite saith he reigning over the Jewes they called the Herodiens adored his Birth day as Sabbaths On which day they put lamps lighted up in the windowes filled with oyle and trimed with Violets adorning also the doors with flowers The Jews being wont to put on the Eve afore their Sabbath Enneamyxon a lamp of nine Branches of lights in their window The swimming of a Thyne or Tunie in a dish or platter of red clay signifies that though the Jewes used plaine vessels yet they had varieties and dainties well sauced in their Feasts which is more illustrated by the abundance of wine in the next verse And their Feast daies are called Circumcised or circumcision Sabbaths because the circumcised Jewes did celebrate them The sacred Text doth intimate that a great number of the country of Galilee were at the celebration of Herods Birth day Mar. 6.21 where you have the sad event of that merry-making viz. Iohn Baptist is beheaded in which the Jewes no doubt had an hand by that our Saviour speakes Matth. 17. ver 9. c. to 14. where he having mentioned his resurrection and the Disciples thereupon objected why then say the SCRIBES ** Scribe was a name of Office not of
and power vers 25. For he must reigne till hee hath put all enemies under his feet vers 26. The last enemy that shal be destroyed is death vers 27. For he hath put all things under his feet but when he saith all things are put under his feet it is manifest that he is excepted which did put all things under him vers 28. And when all things shal be subdued unto him then shal the Son also himselfe be subject unto him that put all things under him that God may be all in all § 1 VVHat I have largely Commented on these words for explication of the one hundred and tenth Psalme all in order to our point in hand see before * Pag. 166. P. 6. and p. 167. 168. as worth while for the reader to consider especially seeing that is premised we have the lesse need to be large now and so shall omit the repetition here of severall considerable things there asserted § 2 M. M. On this place hath these words first he analyseth upon â—hem in generall thus Every one must rise in his owne order Christ the First-fruits after they that are Christs therefore not the Martyrs only then cometh the end What presently after his coming No but when he hath delivered the Kingdome to God the Father meaning the ultimate end And when shall that be that he shall deliver up the Kingdome to God the Father When hee shal have put downe all rule and authority and power for he must reigne till he that is God the Father hath put all his enemies under his feet which will be fully accomplished where hee plainly mindes as aforesaid the ultimate end when the last enemy shal be destroyed which is death And when all things shall be thus subdued unto him shall follow unutterable glory the height of happinesse so he Which last clauses must warily be understood with this distinction That the destruction of Death as an enemy to the Saints and Christs visible Kingdome on earth of which we speake is the beginning and introduction to Christs and the Saints reigning in that Kingdome For that Kingdome and the thousand yeares of glory to Christ and happinesse to the Saints on earth begins with the resurrection of the deceased Saints Revel 11.11 12 c. and Rev. 20.4 5. often explained afore But the putting an end to death in the raising of the wicked unto the ultimate generall Judgement that it may no longer be an enemy to Gods ultimate designe of punishing the said wicked body and soule with everlasting punishment is indeed the end or period of Christs reigning Revel 20.12 Secondly our Author Commenteth on the generall of this place of 1 Cor. 15 thus Pauls words saith he doe clearly prove that the reigne of Christ as Man of which alone we treat doth neither begin before his second coming nor extend it selfe beyond the last resurrection and therefore cannot without a palpable contradiction be taken for the time when he shal give up his Kingdome to his Father or for the time that now is Betwixt which and his Kingdome our Saviour in my conceit hath put an irreconcilable distinction calling this not the time of a Kingdome but a time of temptation * See a little before in this fourth chap. Sect. 4. on Luke 22.28 c. that is a time of persecution for righteousnesse sake that thus fulfilling the rest of the afflictions of Christ for his bodies sake which is his Church they may at last wholly and together in body and soule reigne with Christ but their bodies as yet shall be captive in the Grave Or shal the Saints that are found alive at his coming be exempted from that his Kingdome For if he shall reign till then and then give up his Kingdome to his Father they are exempted But if as our Apostle shewes here his reigning begins not til his coming viz. his second coming then at that time the living and dead in Christ shal wholly and altogether reigne with him on earth 3. In particular our Author Paraphraseth on that clause After they that are Christs thus These words saith he doe shew that there is some distance of time between the Resurrection of them in Christ and other men or else it had been easie for the Apostle to have said They that are dead or they that are in the Grave And if there shall be a precedency of time then no doubt it shall be such a precedency of time as may bring some advantage and honour to the Saints and therefore not of a few houres or dayes but of a more notable continuance of many yeares For if Christ shall descend for no other purpose but to call men to Judgement as there would be no need of distinction of time so there could not well be any priority of time to distinguish their resurrection because in that act both good and bad must be assembled before him at the same time and the wicked doubtlesse should then be raised as soon to see his coming as the just to meet and accompany him there To all this I have now but a few words to adde my former discusse p. 166. excusing me here and that is this That the Apostle in this text hints to us three Physicall resurrections 1 The Resurrection of Christ which the Apostle saith is past vers 20. and there and ver 23. cals it the first fruits of the Saints Resurrection 2 The Resurrection of the wicked also called the end vers 24. which also followes the second at a distance 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the gleaning doth the harvest and this succession is that which the Apostle calls ver 23. order each to rise in his owne order and it is a very distinct order for as there hath been now above one thousand six hundred yeares since Christs resurrection and yet the Saints are not risen so it wil be a thousand yeares between the resurrection of the Saints and the wicked as Saint John asserts Rev. 20. oft and much insisted upon afore And as at the resurrection of the Saints death as to them shall be destroyed so at the resurrection of the wicked life to them shall be destroyed their living being worse then death and therefore called the second death which over the Saints shall have no power because of the blessed life they are restored to Revelations 20. and first twelve verses SECT VIII The eighth place in the New Testament for the glorious state of the Church yet to come before the ultimate generall Judgement is 2 Cor. 3.15 16 17 18. vers 15. But even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart vers 16. Neverthelesse when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away Vers 17. Now the Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty vers 18. But or and or truly we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are
wit in the conversion of Constantine the Great and of his followers SECT V. § 1 THat wil surely come to pass which God pre-impresseth on mens spirits according to his word presignifies in the wonders of nature and prepares for and makes way by the transactions of men â—ut so hath God from time to time done especially of later times towards the fall of Antichrist and all the intestine enemies of the Church and consequently towards the restauration of the Church Therefore these things will surely come to passe I might enlarge much upon the proofe of the premises of this Syllogisme but for brevity it being high time to shut up this third Book When the Lord intended Israel should conquer Canaan he put a valour into their heart and sent before among their enemies the Hornet of fear and the Moth of decay and weakness Ex. 23.27 28. Deut. 20.21 Josh 24.12 Isa 50.9 Isa 51.8 when the two witnesses are about to stand upon their feet to the terror of all their enemies there shall a breath of life of resolution and boldnesse for that end enter into them Rev. 11.11 Before the thirty yeares of the late German wars against that tract of Antichrist and the Churches enemies the Lord sent eminent signes appearing many daies over the Country as Christ prophesied there should be such prodigies and prognostick signs over Jerusalem which had been an arch-enemy to Christ before the destruction thereof Mat. 24. which accordingly came to passe as Josephus largely relates There is mention also in that 24. of Mat. of Earthquakes before the destruction of that Jewish Antichristian Jerusalem As before when the Prophet Amos prophesied the destruction of the enemies of the Church viz. of the Syrians Philistims Tyrians Edomites and Ammonites he emphatically sets down that that prophesie was committed to him two years before the Earthquake as if that Earthquake were a kind of seal to his prophesie that it should come to passe Amos 1.1 c. And it is prophesied that before the fal of the Antichristian enemies and of their nest the great City an Earthquake should precede Rev. 11.13 And we are assured by good information that of late yeares there have been divers terrible Earthquakes in the Popish Dominions How the Hornet and Moth have been among the enemies of Christ terrifying and weakening them both abroad and at home I leave the wise Reader to make up of his own observation As also what a spirit of resolution and action there is in all wise good men against real Antichrist and Antichristianisme I say real for I utterly disavow those whimsies of Phantasticks that call every thing Antichristian that soders not to their dreamed opinions nor centers with their interest Finis Libri tertii THE FOURTH BOOK Holding forth the judgements of all sorts of men almost of all Nations whether learned or unlearned viz. HEATHENS MAHUMETANS JEWS and CHRISTIANS confessing more or lesse our general THESIS CHAP. I. Containing a Preface to this Book § 1 THREE things I must necessarily here premise ## 1 What I mean by those four sorts afore named viz. I mean by Heathens all those that acknowledge not any part of the holy Scriptures that is eo nominâ— under that notion of the holy Scriptures or Word of God dictated by the holy Spirit and penned by holy men extraordinarily endowed with that Spirit By Mahumetans I minde all that adhere to the Doctrine of Mahomet viz. Turks Arabians Saracens who yet acknowledge some peeces of the Old Testament By Jews all know whom I understand who do acknowledge entirely all the Old Testament By Christians I here intend all that are so named whether they are so sincerely or but seemingly as Papists Protestants Lutherans Calvinists c. who acknowledge the totall of all the Books of holy Scripture both in the Old and New Testament 2 That I must bee briefe in my Collections in this large field â—ounded out in this fourth Book contrary to my intention and disposition § 2 who would most willingly have abounded in this thing But first the frequent fears of my friends so often mentioned in mine ears by that time we had Printed off the third Book have lured me off And secondly I am the more satisfiedly taken off partly by the great bulk of Antiquity and number of Modern Writers I presented to the Reader in the first Book And partly by the urgency of time our friends longing for it and this present gallopping age outrunning rule and reason needing it who boldly presume they have in part entred upon the possession afore indeed they doe in any measure know the thing much lesse the time which yet is many years off § 3 3 That the Reader is not to conceive that I approve of every particular clause which those foure sorts shall assert but he must mind my general intent viz. that directly or indirectly in whole or in part expresly or intimatedly such passages fall from their mouths as argue they had some light more or lesse by some means or other touching our general Thesis in the summary bulk and main matter thereof CHAP. II. Containing the passages in Heathens in favour of our opinion in our aforesaid Thesis § 1 THe Heathens in their Doctrine touching the Immortality of the soule reserved in the other world for happinesse in their description of the Elysian fields their state of blisse on earth in the next world in their discusse of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. The state of men in the World to come yet unseen and their professed expectation of the Platonick yeer however they mis-dream the computation wherein as they say all things shall returne to their primaeve perfection And their Tenet of Metempsychosis or Transmigration of souls passing from one body deceasing into another next living and so are cloathed with divers corporal shapes till they attaine the perfectest do speak in substance a glorious state of man on earth after the Resurrection It is wonderfull to read in History how earnestly some of them have sought death being ravished with the desire of enjoying the state of the immortality of souls upon their Philosophers description of the glory of it Their Elysium or Elysian fields they so named 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the dissolution of the soul from the body For say they it is the place which good mens souls inhabit after they are freed from the bonds of the body ful of happines feated in the Fortunate Islands c. And it was the great comfort saith Homer of which learned Broughton takes notice that the friends of the Greek Captains slain in the Trojan war gave to their surviving wives that the souls of their husbands were gone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 subintellige 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the house of Hades that is to the world unseen that is to the other world of bliss yet not visible to us Of the Platonick yeer restoring all things to their primitive perfection we had something
HARD BONDAGE Observe both to what persons and what time these high expressions relate before largely opened and we shal easily conclude this Text was never yet fulfilled and therefore according to the truth of God must bee fulfilled before the ultimate day of judgement for with that time this Prophesie cannot agree ¶ 6 In Isa 25.8 we have it plenissimè planissimè most fully and plainly That in that day viz. of the great restauration of the Church and ruine of their enemies verse 5 6. The Lord will WIPE AWAY ALL TEARS FROM ALL FACES And the rebuke of his people shall hee take away FROM OFF ALL THE EARTH for the Lord hath spoken it Which was never yet fulfilled and therefore is yet to come at the time we treat off as hath been before demonstrated ¶ 7 Isa 54.13 14. is also very high in expressions Thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children In righteousnesse shalt thou be ESTABLISHED thou shalt be far from oppression for thou SHALT NOT FEAR and FROM TERROR for it SHAL NOT COME NEER THEE You see the expressions are exceeding high and they are evidently spoken concerning external rest as well as internal and wee see it by experience that this place was never yet fulfilled therefore it is yet to come as we have cleered it afore ¶ 8 In Isa 60.14 c. it is thus written The Sonnes of them that aâ—flicted thee shall come BENDING TO THEE and all that despised thee shall BOW THEMSELVES DOWN AT THE SOLES of thy feet Whereas thou hast been forsaken I will make thee an ETERNAL EXCELLENCY violence shall be NO MORE heard in thy land The dayes of thy mourning shall be ENDED Which place relates to our Thesis as is before demonstrated The expressions are far too high for us to acknowledge they have been fulfilled therefore we must expect them yet to come before the ultimate day of judgement for that will be no fit time for this Prophesie ¶ 9. Isa 65.19 is likewise very full to the particular in hand though in few words viz. I will joy in my people and the voyce of weeping or crying shall be NO MORE HEARD IN HER. Let the Reader judge whether this was ever yet fulfilled ¶ 10. Isa tells us Chap. 66.12 Thus saith the Lord I will extend peace to her the Church consisting of Jews and Gentiles as a river and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream I leave it likewise to the Reader to consider whether hee hath not reason to expect this as yet to come ¶ 11 We come to the Prophesies of Jeremiah Chap. 23.3 4. I will gather the remnant of my flocke out of all Countries c. and they shall fear no more nor be dismayed Which expressions are a great deal too high for our knowledge of Scripture of history or of experience to acknowledge them to have been fulfilled to this day And therefore our faith must be on God for the fulfilling of them and that before the ultimate day of judgement as the nature of the things require ¶ 12 We have in the same Prophet Chap. 30. verse 10. Jacob shall returne and shall be in rest and quiet and none shall make him afraid ¶ 13 Place is in Jer. 46.27 28. to the same effect ¶ 14 Place is in Ezek. 28.24 There shall be no more a pricking briar unto the house of Israel nor any grieving thorne of all that are round about them ¶ 15 Place Mich. 4.1 2 3. The same with Isa 2. v. 2 3 4. It s added here in verse 4. They shall sit every man under his owne vine c. and none shall make them afraid ¶ 16 Place Zeph. 3.13 14 15. They shall feed and lye downe and none shall make them afraid Sing O daughter of Zion rejoyce with all the heart the Lord hath taken away thy judgements he hath cast out thine enemies The Lord is in the midst of thee thou shalt not see evill any more This and all the rest have been proved to mean the time intended in our Position § 2 Adde in the New Testament ¶ 1 Matth. 19.29 Shall receive an hundred fold and inherit eternal life of the large opening of this place see before in the third Book ¶ 2 That in 2 Thess 1.7.9 10. To you REST as Heb. 4. when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed FROM HEAVEN his enemies being punished from the presence of the Lord as Chap. 2. and from the glory of his POWER ¶ Rev. 7.16 17 They that are sealed c. serve him day and night in HIS TEMPLE he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more for the Lamb in the middest of the Throne shall feed them and wipe away all tears from their eyes ¶ 4 Rev. 21.4 St. John speaking of the state of the Church in the thousand yeers saith God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more sorrowing nor crying nor paine Every verse of this Chapter shewes it cannot bee meant of everlasting happinesse in the highest heavens Let the close of this Section be to encourage us to patience Patience in perseverance and patience in sufferance Now is Christs Kingdome of patience But anon his Kingdome of peace Twice it is said of the present state of sufferings Here is the patience of the Saints Rev. 13.10 and 14.12 Once it is said Keep the word of patience Rev. 3.10 But after a while comes the Kingdome of peace therefore Christ seales up all the Bible and all the Revelation almost with this Rev. 22.11 12. He that is righteous let him be righteous still He that is holy let him be holy still and behold I come quickly and my reward is with me Then in the last verse save one sc 20. Surely I come quickly Amen Amen Then to that end Iohns prayer closeth all as I close in verse 21. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen SECT III. § 1 THus you have seen it is a sorrowlesse condition Next follows it shall be a deathlesse condition The Elect once raised at the beginning of the thousand yeers shall dye no more much lesse those alive and changed For if those alive shall not prevent them that are asleep given by the Apostle as an answer to an Objection against this Resurrection much lesse shall they that are alive being the patterne to whom the dead are promoted bee sent to death as to give place to the Elect dead that are raised And if all the Elect are raised to what end or use shall they dye that are alive If it be the priviledge that the other Saints shall be alive at Christs comming why shall they dye when here in soule and body they may behold him which is a fuller injoyment If this time of Christs appearance at the beginning of the thousand yeers be the Kingdome of Saints the prefacing beginning of their full
highten the spirituality of the Scripture giving a distinct and joynt accomplishment to letter and Spirit each in other the Letter in this state having its fulnesse in the Spirit and the fulnesse of the Spirit taking in the letter Those three principal points are these I The Testimony and entrance to Christs Kingdome shall be the indubitable evidence of our Lords appearance in his owne person whether this appearance shall be miraculous the Lord descending to vaile for a season his glorified body which being ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne cannot be seen by mortal eyes under a meaner form that it may be fitted to our natural senses or whether this appearance shall be mysterious the Lord in the same instant of his appearance transfiguring the dead and living Saints into a conformity to his glorified body that in the same twinkling of an eye they may see their King and he may see them in beauty eye to eye their glorified eye to his glorified eye or whether both these according to those several Scriptures Mat. 24.30 Act. 1.11 1 Cor. 15.51 Ph. 3.20 21. for these several ends of conviction to the world conversion to the Jews glorification to the Saints renovation to the creature The 2. principal point in this Book is That the state of the Saints Kingdom shal be the resurrection from the dead and a change in the living Saints equivalent to the resurrection of the bodies of those that sleep in the dust Thus each particular Saint and the whole Church being predestinated to be conformed to the likenesse of the image of Christ shall in this state answer that state of Christ in his owne particular person between his resurrection and ascension which seems to have been his Paradisical state his soul entring into Paradise at his death his body at his resurrection re-assumed into the same state with the soule The last head is That there shall be a New Earth to be theâ—seat of this New Kingdome If the Earth be made New with the Newnesse of the Spirit if that also be spiritulized then will it be fit for glorified Inhabitants The streets of the New Jerusalem are said to be as gold and glasse Behold the nature of the New Earth and the description of its spirituality It shall be as pure gold for its solid simple substance for its shining glory It shall be as pure glasse for its transparency cleernesse and through-lightsomnesse Octob. 19. 1653. PETER STERRY In pursuance of an Order bearing date the 6. instant for my perusal of this Treatise penn'd by Dr. Homes and to report my opinion concerning the same I certifie as followeth THat all the Saints shall reigne with Christ a Thousand yeers on earth in a wonderfull both visible and spiritual glorious manner before the time of the ultimate and general Resurrection is a Position which though not a few have besit ated about and some opposed yet have gained ground in the hearts and judgements of very many both grave and godly men who have left us divers Essayes and Discourses upon this Subject And having perused the learned and laborious travels of this Author I conceive that the Church of God hath not hitherto seen this great point so clearly stated so largely discussed so strongly confirmed not onely by the testimony of Ancient and Modern Writers of all sorts but by the holy Scriptures throughout as it is presented in this Book Wherein also divers other considerable points are collaterally handled all tending to set forth the Catastrophe and result of all the troubles and hopes of such as feare God as the preface to their eternal blisse And whereas some have been and still are apt to abuse this Doctrine by making it an occasion to the flesh and of beating themselves in the expectation of a carnall liberty and worldly glory I finde that this Author hath cautiously fore-laid and prevented all such abuses by shewing the exceeding spiritualnesse and holinesse of this state To which as none but the truly holy shall attain so having attained it they shall walke in the hight of holinesse And therefore I judge this Book very usefull for the Saints and worthy of the publick view Octob. 13. 1653. Joseph Caryll THE DAWNING OF THE DAY-STAR Largely discussed in Five Bookes THE DAWNING OF THE DAY-STAR QUOTATIONUM quaedam SPECIMINA nec non Epitome totius primilibri compendiaria pro extraneis praesertim Judaeis Latine reddita I. BOOKE Of the Generall and maine Position LIBER I. De generali summariâ Thesi CHAP. I. The Position propounded THe most Sacred Scriptures do frequently in many places affirm that All the Saints shall reigne with Christ a long time namely a THOUSAND yeares on EARTH SATAN the meane while being bound which yeares are not yet begun but do ere long and from thence are at length to be fulfilled in a wonderful both VISIBLE and SPIRITUAL glorious manner at the RESTITUTION of ALL THINGS and their NEW-CREATION before the time of ultimate and generall Resurrection SAnctos omnes diutinè cum CHRISTO regnaturos in TERRA scilicet MILLE annos SATANA tunc temporis ligato nondum incaeptos brevi incaepturos indeque implendos tam visibili quam spirituali mirandâ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 gloriâ ante resurrectionis ultimae generalis Epocham a Sacrosanctissimis Scripturis passim asseritur SECTION I. The Position expounded § 1 BY Saints I meane all the Elect from time to time extant afore that time effectually called whose characters that we may know them in relation to our Position are in the Revelation limbed to the life where both it and they are deciphered in one the same table or frame viz. Rev. 20.4 And I saw Thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given to them and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his marke upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years § 2 In which words I minde at this time chiefly the three characters of them that shall reigne with Christ The first is Beheading synechdochically signifying all persecution either more particularly as it is here expressed for the Witnesse of Jesus that is for asserting the God-head as wel as the Man-hood of Christ for which many Martyrs suffered in the Arian persecution soon after Constantines time or more generally for the Word of God viz. the fundamental doctrines thereof for which they suffered afore the Arian persecution in the heathen-Roman tenfold persecution and after in the Antichristian-Roman persecution and of late times in severall Countries in the Arminian and Socinian persecution or for both § 3 The second Character is not worshipping the Beast no nor his Image Those that shall reigne with Christ reverence not either apparent grosse Idolatry or specious refined under the
END and the judgement of the immortal God shall come to mortals then shall come upon men the GREAT JUDGEMENT and the BEGINNING c. as 't is in that Sibyl But saith Lactantius speaking to this of the Sibyl Neverthelesse all universally shall not bee then judged of God but those onely which are verst in the Religion of God The Poets saith Lactantius in the 22. Chap. of the aforesaid Book by Poetical licentiousnesse corrupted that which they had received for in that they fang That men having finished a thousand yeers among the dead they should be restored to life again as Virgil saith When all these soules have turned the wheele at the forgetfull RIVER of death by the space of a thousand yeers God cals forth these unmindfull in a great Troup that they may see againe these places that are upon the convex face of the earth and shall againe begin willingly to return to their bodies Herein their understanding deceived them saith Lactantius That the dead shall rise againe not after a thousand yeers of their death but that being restored to life againe they may REIGNE A THOUSAND YEERS WITH GOD. By God Lactantius meanes Christ as he openly explained himselfe but a little afore Of which Resurrection saith Lactant. Chap. 23. the Philosophers also endeavoured to say something as corruptly as the Poets For Pythagoras disputed that the soules of the deceased did passe into new bodies but foolishly as hee said himselfe was made up of Euphorbus his soule Chrysippus spake better who as Cicero saith established the Porch of the Stoicks he in his books which hee wrote concerning PROVIDENCE speaking of the renovation of the World brings in this Seeing * things are so it appears it is not impossible that we also when we have finished this present life after certain wheelings about of times should bee restored again into this very estate in which we now are And the Sibyl saith thus It is hard indeed to beleeve but when the judgement of the world and of Mortals shall come hee shall send the wicked into darknesse c. but those that imbrace godlinesse SHALL AGAINE LIVE UPON EARTH GOD GIVING THEM BOTH SPIRIT HONOUR and LIFE Chap. 24. Lactantius faith I will adde the rest Therefore saith he the SONNE of the Highest and Greatest God shall come that hee may judge both quicke and dead according to that of the Sibyl Then shall there bee confusion of all mortals of the whole earth and the OMNIPOTENT himselfe shall come upon his Tribunal to judge the soules of quicke and dead and all the world But when hee shall doe that saith Lactantius and shall restore the just that have beene from the beginning unto life hee shall * converse among men a thousand * yeeres and shall rule them with * a most righteous Government Which somewhere the Sibyl proclaimes Hear me O yee men the eternal King doth reigne c. Then saith Lactantius They that shall bee alive in their bodies shall not dye but by the space of those THOUSAND yeeres shall generate an infinite multitude and their off-spring shall bee holy c. And they * that shall bee raised from the * dead shall bee OVER THE DEAD AS JUDGES But the Gentile Nations shall not bee utterly extinguished but some shall bee left for the victory of God that they may bee triumphed over by the just and brought under the yoake of perpetual servitude A little afore that the Prince of Devils the forger of all evil shall bee * bound with chaines and shall * bee in hold all the THOUSAND * yeer es of THECELESTIAL EMPIRE under which righteousnesse shall reign over the world After whose coming the just shall bee gathered together from all parts of the earth c. and the holy Câ—â—IE shall bee placed in the * midst of the earth in which the BUILDER thereof GOD together with his just ones ruling shall ABIDE Which City the * Sibyl thus points out And the City which God made the same hee made brighter then the Sunne Moone or Starres Then all darknesse shall bee taken away c. The Moone shall bee as bright as the Sunne and the Sunne sevenfold brighter then it is c. The earth shall abound with fruitfulnesse c. The whole nature of all things shall joy in freedome from dominion of evill All beasts and birds not preying on one another shall bee at peace one with another c. quoting the Poets touching the golden Age shewing their error in this that mistaking the Prophets who for the certainty of things spake of them as past though minded them as to come they thought they were all past Alleadging also the Sibyls that in divers places affirme that men shall live a most quiet and plentiful life and shall reigne together with God and the Kings of the Nations shall come from the bounds of the earth with their gifts and shall adore and honour the great King c. These things saith Lactantius Chap. 25. are those which are spoken by the Prophets that they shall come to passe whose ☞ testimonies and words I deemed not needfullto set downe because it would bee an infinite worke If any aske when those things shall come to passe I but now said above that that * change must needs bee when * SIX THOUSAND YEERS * shall bee compleated and that chiefe day of the last con ☞ clusion of them doth now draw neer Touching the signes you may know them by the Prophets c. when this summe of six thousand yeeres shall bee compleat they teach who have wrote of the quantity of the number of yeers since the Creation according as they have gathered it out of the holy Scriptures and divers Histories which Writers although they vary and the summe of their number differs yet every mans expectation seems to bee not beyond two hundred yeers hence Yea the thing it selfe shews that the fall and ruine of things will bee in a short time * onely the CITY of ROME being now in safety there seems no cause of feare in any such thing But when that head of * the World shall fall and bee * a RUINE instead of ROME * as the Sibylls foretell who * doubts but the end to humane affaires and the whole World is now come Wee said saith Lactantius Chap. 26. a little afore that in the beginning of the holy Kingdome it shall bee that the Prince of Devils shall be bound by God But that same Prince when the one thousand yeers that * is when the 7000 yeers shall * begin to determine hee shall bee loosed againe c. and shall stir up all Nations under the dominion of the just to warre against the holy City whereupon innumerable people shall bee gathered together who shall besiege it Then shall the last wrath of God come upon the Nations and overthrow them unto one man with many terrible shakings c. of the earth and other wonderfull signes c. and infinite
Antichristian how shall wee pitch the compasses of our account so as to pick up a select number of Saints whose soules were just one thousand yeers in heaven before the last resurrection this being spoken of Saints in generall and of their state after the full and finall fall of Antichrist Rev. 19. the Chapter immediately foregoing § 4 Truly to speake my very conscience from cleer light to mee by this their LIVING can be intended no other thing but their LIVING AGAINE Perhaps there may bee some reason of the varying of the phrase as to say the Saints LIVED but the wicked LIVED not AGAINE till the one thousand yeers were finished Because the dead Saints are more alive then the dead wicked For the dead Saints whiles dead are alive not onely in their naturall soules but in their spirituall union with Christ who is their life and in the graces which the Spirit of life implanted in them And the dust of their bodies are decreed and preserved by God for an estate called Eternal life their bodies being said onely to bee asleep And therefore said here TO LIVE as if in a sort never dead But whiles their bodies were dead their soules were willing to live againe in the body Not so the Dead wicked and so a different phrase is spoken of them But the sense I am confident is that the Saints were made to LIVE AGAINE in the one thousand yeers whiles the Dead wicked lived not againe till those one thousand yeers were ended Even as Revel 1.18 most evidently ALIVE is put for ALIVE AGAINE The words are Christs of himselfe now after his resurrection spoken to John I am hee that am ALIVE so the Greek or LIVING and was dead and behold I am ALIVE If hee had been dead and now was alive hee was properly alive againe So in the same sense the dead Saints are here said in this 20. Chap. v. 4. to LIVE to signifie they LIVED AGAINE So the Antithesis and opposition here put between these and those in the next verse gives it in to mee with full evidence But the rest of the dead that is the wicked saith the fifth verse lived not againe so expressely in the * So Syr. Arab. Greek untill the one thousand yeers were finished Whence who that weighs things well can infer lesse then this that those Saints in the fourth verse lived AGAINE those thousand yeers in which the dead wicked lived not againe and the Saints had beene killed as it is vers 4. and Rev. 11. not onely metaphorically but physically in a great part downe to the totall ruine of Antichrist and now a Viol being poured out upon the throne of the Beast Rev. 16. whereupon he utterly falls Rev. 19. two last verses the seventh and last-Trumpet sounding as it is anticipatedly spoken Rev. 11. but methodically to the matter as the cause before the effect the Saints risen reigne with Christ both here in this 20. chap. and in that 11. of the Revel This to bee spoken by the Antithesis Butthe rest of the dead lived not AGAINE That the Saints this while of the one thousand yeers lived AGAINE is further manifest in that it is plaine here compared with vers 12. that the wicked did LIVE AGAINE at the end of the thousand yeers So UNTILL in vers 5. imports explained vers 7. to end of the 12. vers thus When the thousand yeers are expired Satan shall bee loosed and shall goe out and deceive the Nations and they went out and compassed the Camp of the Saints which Saints are all at that time alive and the Devil that deceived the wicked is cast into the lake of fire and brimstone c. and I saw a great white Throne and I saw the dead wicked ones small and great to stand before God So that in regard it is so punctually held forth that at the end of the thousand yeers all the wicked formerly deceased lived againe personally and properly soule and body being re-united I for my part cannot inferre lesse then that the meane while in the said thousand yeers the Saints lived personally and properly in soule and body gloriously reunited on earth Object 5. All that can possibly seem to bee objected to the contrary as far as I can see or heare is this pretended Scruple That this Antithesis BUT the rest of the dead lived not AGAINE carries not so much in it as wee have estimated because LIVING AGAINE is applied to a contrary thing and to contrary persons as if the sense should bee this The rest of the dead wicked ones dead in sinne LIVED not AGAINE all that thousand yeers that is they attained not to the state of Regeneration or Conversion by the Word and Spirit which seems to be called in the fifth verse THE FIRST RESURRECTION All this thousand yeers they continued in an unregenerate estate whiles the dead Saints LIVED in soule in glory in the highest heavens with Christ a thousand yeers that is from their death for ever Answ Wee answer that allegation that LIVING and not living AGAINE are applyed to contrary things and persons speakes for the nature of an Antithesis and for ours If it be said by the objectors that the meaning of contraries is Heterogeneals as spirituall death in sinne and eternall life in glory Wee reply it is indeed said so by them but not proved That is the question now in dispute not to bee begged but to bee won from us by argument if wee must part with our right It cannot sound in my ears to say that the Saints living a thousand yeeres signifies their living in soul with Christ for ever after their naturall death seeing it is confest of all on all sides that at the last generall resurrection if the Saints rise not till then the soules of the Saints are brought downe from heaven to their bodies and not their dead bodies to bee carried up into heaven to their soules And that the last generall judgement of Christ appearing as man judging men so as all men may see the judgement to be just is not a worke of a day or of a short time Nor am I satisfied by any knowledge of the Scriptures that I have yet attained that the FIRST RESURRECTION is any where put to signifie meerly the sole act or condition of our first regeneration I well remember those Texts Col. 3.1 If yee bee risen with Christ seeke those things that are above And Ephes 2.5 When wee were dead in sinnes God hath quickened us together with Christ saving us by grace and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and many the like places But there is mention onely of quickning and rising and raising There is mention of SURRECTION but not of RESURRECTION much lesse of a FIRST RESURRECTION to signifie Regeneration or the improvement of Regeneration which the Apostle mostly intends Nor do I forget that place Rom. 11.15 That the receiving of the
body to which it was united is re-instaâ—ed in another body But Helias is to come not from a departing out of this life by death but from his Translation neither is he to be restored to the body from which he was never exempted but to the world from whence he was translated not by a returning from death to life but by supplement of the prophesie the very same man and he himselfe of his owne name and humane nature When Tertullian saith THEIR Metempsychosis he means the Philosophers to whom he wrote that booke and in particular the Pythagorean Philosophers whom in the context of the fore-cited place hee mentions * Quod dixit Dominus Heli as quidem venturus est re stituit omnia id est eos quos persecutio Antichristi contur baverit August Quest Evang. c. 21. Tom. 4. operum 2. Augustin who was Presbyter of the Church of Hippo about 391. after Christ affirmed the coming of Helias upon the words of Christ Matth. 17.11 because he was to restore the ruines which the persecution of Antichrist should make upon the Church Some of his words are these That our Lord hath said HELIAS SHAL COME AND SHALL RESTORE ALL THINGS that is those whom the persecution of Antichrist shall make desolate Now Antichrist was not risen in John Baptists time and therefore John Baptist could not be that Elijah And in Austins time Antichrist had not done wasting yea the papal Antichrist had not at this time of Austin begun hardly to waste the Christian Church And therefore he so argued for Elijah yet to come †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret in Malach. 4. v. 5. v. 6. 3. Theodoret likewise who flourished about four hundred years after Christ argues for the future coming of Elijah calling him Elijah the Great from our Text in Malachi the fourth upon these grounds That he must teach the Jewes Christs coming and perswade them to be integrated into one Church with beleeving Gentiles Which we see not yet done to this day Mr Mede on Mar. 1.14 15. Diatr par 4. p. 1. c. 4. Mr. Mede likewise is of the same judgement and upon very good reason with the argument whereof he excellently closeth this point thus those words Mark 1.14 15. Now after that John was put in prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospell of the Kingdome of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeve the Gospell I say these words are a narration of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ his first beginning to preach which they describe first by the time when Secondly By the place where Thirdly By the sum of what he preached The time when After that John was put into prison The place where Galilee Jesus came into Galilee Lastly The sum of what he preached The time is fulfilled and the Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeve the Gospell In which Sermon there are also some parts to be considered which we shall more conveniently distinguish when we come to handle it Mean while let us begin with the three parts or circumstances already named in order And first of the first The time when After that John was cast into prison Our Saviour began not his solemn preaching till his Messenger John the Baptist who was sent to prepare his way was cast into prison This circumstance is else-where precisely noted in the Scripture so that we cannot doubt but there is some matter of moment therein For St. Matthew tels us as St. Marke doth Now when Jesus had heard saith he that John was cast into prison he departed into Galilee and then it followes from that time Jesus began to Preach and to say Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand So St. Peter Act. 10. when he came to preach the Gospel of Christ to Cornelius was carefull to mention this circumstance of time as well as the other of place The word saith he which God sent unto the children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ he is Lord of all That word I say you know which was published throughout all Judea began from Galilee after the baptisme which John preached Loe here the place where Galilee and the time after that John had done as in my Text. All which argues this circumstance of time to be one of the marks of the true Messiah as namely that this Jesus was the Lord whom they looked for who was to send a messenger before him the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse to usher his preaching and prepare the way of his Gospell as was prophesied in Esay and Malachi and the Jewes at that time expected Which was the reason of that scruple of the Disciples in the Gospel when they saw our Saviour and Elias whom they supposed should be his fore-runner appeare in glory both together in his transfiguration Why then say they doe the Scribes say that Elias must first come Our Saviour tels them that John the Baptist was that Elias the fore-runner of the Messiah according to those words of his father Zechary And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the highest for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his way Namely as the Angell told him in the power and spirit of Elias Luke 1. For this reason as our Saviour was not conceived nor born till six months after John so he began not his prophesie till John had done that so the Scripture might be fulfilled and John be his fore-runner and the messenger both in one and the other Johns beginning to baptize and his casting into prison was between Christs prophesie and his And lastly to conclude the illustration of this circumstance John was not onely a fore-runner of our Saviour in his nativity and prophesie but also in his passion and suffering For so our Saviour himselfe expresly saith Mat. 17.12 Elias is come and they knew him not but have done unto him what ever they listed even so also shal the Son of man suffer of them Now the observation or if you will the consideration I will make upon this circumstance shall be this If that Messiah according to prophecy were to have a Harbinger to prepare the way for his coming and the holy Ghost in the new Testament thought this circumstance so needful to prove the verity thereof as so curiously to note it in the History of his Nativity Preaching and Suffering It would be considered seeing the coming of Christ is two fold the first and second whether the same prophecy imply not that there should be an Harbinger as well of his second coming as of his first as well an Elias to prepare the way for his coming in glory to judge the world as there was at his first coming in humility to preach the Gospel and suffer for the world And Elias I mean to be the Harbinger of Christ to the Nation of the Jewes before his
afore in our first Book in Lactantius his Quotation Rectification of the opinions of Heathens And if any be not contented with that and our necessitated brevity here but are restlesly further inquisitive I refer such to Plato himselfe and to the Platonists viz. Ficinus and other zealous Commentators and followers of him But that Metempsychosis added and joyned to all these did compleat them up being fairely interpreted with meet allowance to Heathens into a system or body in the maine sense of our opinion casting up as the high way leading thereunto a resurrection or reunion of soules with their bodies Pythagoras saith that the soule of Euphorbus a noble Trojan slaine in the Grecian wars against Troy transmigrated itselfe into his body Ovid * Ovid Metam l. 15. Fab. 3. juxta Bersmani editionem c. sets forth a briefe of all with great eloquence and learning after his way O Genus attonitum gelidae formidine mortis Quid stygia quid tenebras nomina vana timetis Materiam vatum falsique pericula mundi Corpora sive rogus flammâ sive tabe vetustas Abstulerit mala posse pati non ulla putetis Morte carent animae semper priore relictâ Sede novis domibus vivunt habitantque receptae Ipse ego nam memini Trojani tempore belli Panthoides Euphorbus eram cui pectore quondam Haesit in adverso gravis hasta minoris Atridae Cognovi clypeum laevae gestamina nostrae Nuper Abanteis Templo Junonis in Argis OMNIA MUTANTUR NIHIL INTERIT ERRAT ILLINC Huc venit hinc illuc quoslibet occupat artus Spiritus c. Which I shall give you in English O men whom horrors of cold death affright Why fear you Styx vain names and endlesse night The theam of Poets and fear'd miseries Of a false world If fun'ral flames surprise Or age doth pine your bodies they nor grieve Nor suffer pains Our souls for ever live Though evermore their ancient houses leave Yet live in new which them as guests receive In Trojan wars I I remember well Euphorbus was Phanthöus son and fell By Menelaus lance I knew my shield Born on my left arm in Mars his field Beleeve me you may for this againe At Argos late I saw in Junos Fane ALL ALTER NOTHING FINALLY DECAYES Hither and thither still the spirit strayes Guest to all bodies Out of beasts it flyes To men from men to beasts and never dyes Nihil est toto quod perstet in â—â—be-Cuncta fluunt omnisque Vagans formatur imago Corpora vertuntur nec quod fuimuâ—ve sumusve-cras erimus Id est inquit Commentator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As Pliant wax each new impression takes Fixt to no form but still the old forsakes Yet is the same So souls the same abide Nought in this circled world is fix'd we view Each fading form at last is form'd anew So change our bodies without rest or stay Nor what we yesterday nor what to day We were or are hereafter we shall be c. They that can read Heathen Poets Philosophers Orators Historians c. in their owne languages shall finde aboundings of this what hope they had of a glorious blisse on earth in the next world Or they that will read but Morneys truenesse of Religion translated into English shall receive satisfaction enough in these things The holy Scriptures themselves take some notice of the minds and meaning of the heathens in these things We will note but two places § 2 The first is Matth. 14.1 2. At that time Herod the Tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus and said unto his servants This is John the Baptist he is risen from the dead and therefore mighty works doe shew forth themselves in him or as it is the Margent mighty works are wrought by him We might here againe take occasion to repeat the Gentiles Theologie viz. Pythagoras and Platoes and others doctrine of their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The change of the state of souls passing into bodies the change of bodies into better forms and as the New-creation of both and might produce much out of * Plato in l. 10. Poli In Timaeo In Phaedro Cum concinnâ ut ait Chemnitius interpretatione cum amantium Plato †August de Civit. D. l. 22. c. 18. ex varronis libris Austin ** Lactant. l. 7. Ex Chrysippi Stoici libro de providentia Lactantius and *âŽ* Joseph de bello Judaico cap. 7 Josephus to that purpose But brevity puls me by the ear and therefore I shall onely note that which indeed is the main expressed in this Scripture with that great emphasis That John the Baptist being risen from the dead THEREFORE mighty works are wrought by him where plainly to me this Scripture with an intentive eye takes notice that Gentilisme or the doctrine of Heathens whence Herod had his opinion did hold that the soules of good men deceased after their returne to their bodies did put them into a far better condition on earth then they were in before For we read not that John Baptist did in his life time work any miracle or mighty worke at all But wee have a text to the contrary Joh. 10.41 But now that he is risen from the dead as Herod conceived hee judged that he was very able to worke miracles on earth This collection of mine by good providence I found seconded by Great Chemnitius that most pious and learned man and by our received New Annotations Chemnitius his words are Credidit insuper ipsum c. i.e. Furthermore Herod did beleeve that John Baptist that before his death wrought no miracle now as if made more divine and by reason of the sanctity of his former life he could do those works which did surpasse humane power Our New Annotations on the Bible say thus He is risen from the dead Syr. from among the dead Some note here Herods opinion of Johns sanctity as concurring with the Pharisees who thought that the Holy did easily returne to life againe See Josephus Antiq. l. 18. cap. 2. The meaning is as if Herod had said HE HATH MORE POWER NOW THEN EVER HEE HAD For John wrought no miracles John 10.41 Thus our New Annotations § 3 The second place of Scripture is in 1 Cor. 15.29 Else what shall they do which are baptised for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead The Apostle here takes notice of the opinion of the Heathens that they had a dim hope of the Resurrection in that they washed the bodies of such as were deceased to lay them trimly and decently accommodated to that end among the dead For if the dead rise not saith the Apostle why will they doe it that wash over the dead or pour water over or upon the dead that is wash the dead as the Greek very wel bears For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both in the Text are
and female The Rabbins further say that his body was full of light or lightsome and was of a goodly stature Therefore out of doubt when Adam shall rise again for he saith the Rabbi shall be raised first he shall rise according to his first form and stature Yea moreover his body shall then be far more lightsome diaphanous or transparent According to that of the Ancients * In Midras a-Nehelam in Paras Veycra Elau 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. R. Levi saith The soule whiles it is in its glorious estate sustaines it selfe with a superiour light and is cloathed with it when it shal returne to its body in the world to come it shal returne with the same light and then the body shal shine as the splendor of heaven accordinng to that of Dan. 12. They that understand or the intelligent shal shine as the brightnesse of heaven And because saith R. Menasse in that New world SINNE SHALL HAVE ☜ NO PLACE as we shall demonstrate in that which is to follow therefore by good consequence the body shall alwayes remaine in the same glory and splendor and so the whole world to bee restored into the same state wherein it was before sinne entred Mean time note that this renovation of the Lord shall in my judgement differ from the state of the first Creation 1 This world was made of nothing but that to come not of nothing but of the things already created being endowed with a new disposition and better quality 2 At first this world was made in seven dayes But the other shall be new-formed in one day 3 This world began with night the other shall begin with day according to that in Zechary Chapter 14.7 At evening it shall be light There are that wil have all that we have hitherto said to come to passe in the time of the Messiah and to that they think doth belong that saying of the Ancients 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. prepared to come But if any rightly weigh what the Ancients have said as was afore hinted * Viz. In cha 2. of the third Book of R. menasse is the whole matter at large especially that in Midras a-Nehelam he shall finde that these things are to be understood of the New world which begins with the resurrection from the dead The summe of which matter is this That unto the comming of the Messial say the Rabbins is knit on as immediately subsequent the resurrection from the dead Now it is worth the weighing what space there may be of the former to the beginning ☜ of the latter Observe this In the Sanhedrim Chap. 11. divers opinions are propounded R. Eliezer maketh the space to bee foure hundred yeers R. Elhazar Ben Hazaria maketh it to bee seventy yeers R. Elhazar forty yeers These all differ and yet were not altogether rash in their opinions For R. Eliezer computed according to the time of the Egyptian Captivity four hundred yeers R. Elhazar Ben Hazariah according to the Babylonian Captivity seventy yeers And R. Elhazar forty yeers according to the time of the Jews peregrination in the wildernesse And all three of them each to confirm his own opinion bring that of the 90. Psalm v. 15. Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the yeers wherein we have seen evil For the Rabbins affirmed afore that after the Jews shall be brought back by the Messiah to their owne land they shall be very much troubled by Gog and Magog of which space of time I conceive is the present dispute among these Rabbins but now quoted In Midras a-Nehelem wee finde it written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. THAT THE CONGREGATING or GATHERING TOGETHER OF THE ☞ CAPTIVE Jews shall ANTICIPATE or PRECEDE THE RESURRRECTION OF THE DEAD THE SPACE OF FORTY YEERS And saith R. Menasse if this last opinion bee received and delivered by the Ancients it may be soundly admitted because it implyes no contradiction nor doth it contain any difficulty * Thus R. Menasse out of the Rabbins But I think that it is neer the matter in the sacred compute of the holy Scripture Dan. 12. v. 11 12. if carefully computed and compared with v. 1. Touching the troubles at the time when Michael shall stand up to deliver his people together with v. ult touching the resurrection of the dead Thus wee hear why R. Menasse would refer the glory afore spoken rather to the New world then to the dayes of the Messiah Now hear him go on in this sixth Chapter and that in a way of condiscention of referring it if any will to the dayes of the Messiah If saith R. Menasse it so seem good to any he may refer the glorious things aforesaid in some sort unto the times of the Messiah because both times are connexed the one on to the end of the other as we shewed afore Again because the end of the resurrection is that the raised may enjoy the happinesse of that age therefore they may be taken for one and the same time Those admirable verses of the Kingly Prophet David Ps 104. do not a little serve to our purpose as they seem to me viz. v. 27 28 29 and 30. All wait or hope upon thee Thou givest them their meat in due season c. Thou hidest thy face they are troubled Thou takest away their breath they dye and return to their dust Thou sendest forth thy Spirit they are CREATED and thou RENEWEST THE face of the earth Where the Prophet saith that after death the soule the second time returns to the body and then the earth is renovated ¶ 7 In the 7 8 9 10 and 11. Chapters these questions are put and resolved chiefly 1 Whether then shall be the day of judgement To which the Rabbins answer is out of many Scriptures and allegations of Antiquity That after the world shal be made new and the dead raised then shal be a day of judgement In part God judged afore the living in the war of Gog and Magog EXCEPTING A THIRD PART OF THEM †☞ So that according to the Rabbins also a part of Gog and Magog as was said a little afore are reserved who in all probability are they that shall make head at the end of the thousand yeers Rev. 20. v. 7. And after he shall come to judge the dead 2 Whether then shall be the restauration of the place and parts of worship and a settlement of the fruition of the holy land To which it is answered yea 3 Whether there shall be the use of food and prolification to which Gerundensis answers that then shall be no other then a spiritual life though some other Rabbins are of another minde 4 Whether they that are raised shall dye any more To which the § 4 general answer of the Rabbins is negative Thus far you have heard the opinion of the Jews concerning the glorious state on earth yet to come
the Roman to bee the fourth Kingdome that so they might the better maintaine their expectation of the Messiah yet to come because that Kingdome was yet in being I say it was affirmed whosoever first affirmed it without all ground authority or probability the contrary also being easie to be proved viz. that the Jewes were of this opinion before our Saviours time as appears in Jonathan Ben Uziel the Chalde Paraphrast and by the fourth Book of Esdras which whatsoever the authority thereof be is sufficient to prove this being written by a Jew for it is saith Picus the first of their seventy Books of Cabala and before our Saviours comming as appears by many passages of Messiah expected and yet to appeare within foure hundred yeers after that supposed time of Esdras Certainly he that writ it meant no hurt to the Christians as will easily appear to him that reads it and finds the name Jesus and so often mention of the Sonne of God Which I note in case you should rather thinke it written after Christ The ancient mention thereof is by Clemens Alexandrinus Anno 200. CHAP. V. Of the Vote of Christians at least so named concerning the glorious state of things yet to be on earth afore the ultimate judgement Delivered not onely in short passages here and there sprinkled in their Works but in their great Councils and forms of Catechismes for the grounding of people in Religion § 1 TOuching the opinion of some learned Papists in the point now under consideration we gave you some instance afore in the first Book out of Lorinus a learned Papist his quotations of some of his owne Religion And out of learned A lapide though a ranke Papist confessing much of this point in his Commentary on Hos 3. v. 5. as his owne judgement quoting many Fathers c. to countenance his opinion therein adde now out of him on Hos 1. Chapter upon the tenth verse And the number of the children of Israel shall be as he sand of the sea which cannot be measured nor numbred he hath these words Dico ergo c. I say therefore saith A lapide this Prophesie began to be fulfilled by Christ who preached in person both to Jews and Israelites as Matth. 4 15. and after by Philip Peter and John Act. 8. Adde that daily many of Israel shall be converted And at last in the end of the world ALL THE ISRAELITES shall bee converted as saith the Apostle Rom. 11.26 And THEN shall this Prophesie of Hosea be perfectly fulfilled So S. Jerome and Christopherus a Castro And that by Israel must here bee understood as Gentiles so the natural Israelites converted unto Christ is the common exposition of the Fathers and School-men * Ita inquit A Lapid S. Hier. Cyril Ruffinus Haymo Hugo Albertus August l. 22. Contra Faustum cap. 89. saepe alibi Cyprian lib. Testim contra Judaeos cap. 19. Tertul. lib 4 contra Marc. cap. 16. Irenaeus lib. 1 cap. 4 Prosper lib. 2. De vocat Gentium cap. 18. Primas Anselm S. Thom. in Rom. 9. And upon v. 12. And the children of JVDAH and the children of ISRAEL shall be gathered together and appoint themselves one head c. For great shall be the day of Jezreel A lapade hath these words Then the Natural Jews and the Israelites shall be converted unto Christ ** Ita inquit A Lapid S. Hieron Haymo Alber. Vetab Arias a Castro They shall I say saith Alapide be gathered into one Church of Christ By Israel and Judah are fundamentally understood the true Israelites and those of Judah which shall bee converted unto Christ symbolically and mystically the Gentiles tobe coverted unto Christ And touching the great day of Jezreel that is the Day of the Messiah of which the Sibyl sang †Apud Virgil. Eclog. 4. Incipient magni procedere monises Then shall proceed the magnificent months c. As the Platonists called the time of the revolution and return of all things to their pristine or first perfection THE GREAT YEER So Christ brings the GREAT YEER when he repairs and reduceth all things to their primaeve orlinal felicity Again the day of Jezrreel signifies the Arm of God So all these daies of Jezreelare daies and works of the mighty arm of God so Arias And lastly The great day of Jezreel shall be the day of the Resurrection and Judgement So Cyril Adde to these things of Alapide That divers of the Popish Schoolmen viz. Aquinas Scotus and Cajetan hold many things of our Tenet according to Dr. â—rideaux his quotation of them § 2 As for Lutherans beside what Luther hinted in our first Book touching Abel and the Saints bodies after death Note the words of famous L. Osiander upon the twelfth of Daniel touching the computations of the times of Michael Messiah his delivering the Jews I think saith Osiander these yeers will fall in with that time in which the Popedome of Rome shall bodily be overthrown § 3 Out of the better sort of Christians viz. the choice Greâ—k and Latine Fathers and later learned pious Authors I have alleadged so much in our first Book that I shall now adde but some culled and picked flowers out of severall goodly Gardens asore omitted to make up the summe of the conclusion That our Thesis in the main is little lesse then as it were the voyce of the Law of nature in all men ¶ 1 Take in the first place as worthy to carry the colâ—urs Mr. Medes * Diatrib part 4. p. 455 c. p. 485. c. p. 490. c. p. 462. c. summary and pithy account * especially for Antiquity set forth long after I was a good way entred into this work Touching the question of the thousand yeers you may see I have demonstrated them to follow the times of the Beast and of the false Prophet and consequently the time of Antichrist And if the Apocalyps be canonicall Scripture it must needs be granted there is such a time to come or we must deny either Rome which now is to be Babylon or the Beast to be Antichrist or Antichristendome which those who opposed the ancient Chiliasts found so necessary as forced them having no other way to avoid their adversaries directly to deny the Apocalyps to be Scripture nor was it re-admitted till they thought they had found some commodious interpretation of the thousand yeers And yet the Apocalyps hath more humane not to speak of divine authoriy then any other book of the New Testament besides even from the time it was first delivered But we see ☞ what the zeale of opposition can do Justin Martyr alleadged This Dogma of the thousand yeers regnum or Kingdome was the general opinion of all orthodox Christians in the age immediately following the Apostles if Justin Martyr say true of whom see at large in our first Book and none knowne to deny it but Hereticks Irenaeus aâ—leadged See his words at length
Adelbert the Bishop was martyred for preaching the Gospel Also about this time Basil the Grecian Emperour sends a great Army against the Bulgarians conquers them taking two Cities and returnes home Conqueror Now warre according to the sense of the Doctors concession should be inconsistent with the time of Satans binding ¶ 2 For the second period in the Popes following to Pope Benedict the ninth which makes about thirty yeers there were many Wars between the Papistical Kings and Princes and Civil Wars in their owne Dominions and many Councels and Synods about fasting dayes and holy dayes as C. Baron confesseth in his Annals which no wayes comport with the binding of Satan ¶ 3 For the third period in Pope Gregorie the seventh called Hildebrand of him you may read in his Tragical story as Mr. Fox calls it in the Book of Martyrs page 226 Vol. 1. of the last Edition very largely The briefe summe of whose wicked life Reusner in his Chronology and Armacanus de success statu Ecclesiar cap. 3 4 5. give us in these words He was covetous sacrilegious a notorious hypocrite under pretence of sanctity he led a most wicked life Hee brought in single life cut off the bonds of wedlock and made way for fornications adulteries and other most filthy vices Hee filled the Roman Empire with all seditions and civill Wars Hee excommunicated the Emperour Henry the fourth took away his Title of King so that the said Emperour bare-foot in sharp Winter attended at the Popes door for absolution which the Pope denied him All this under a pretended accusation of the said Emperour of Simony This Hildebrand also absolves the Nobles of their fealty to the said Emperour and arms them against the Emperour Now are these impieties and hurly burlies consonant to the time of Satans binding No considerate man can imagine it Here is not onely hypocrisie but the violence of the sword ¶ 4 For the fourth period from Gregory the seventh to Boniface the eighth which makes above two hundred yeers were so many great warres wicked Councels horrid heresies and impious practises as clearly vote this time not to be the time of binding of Satan Pope Paschalis the second spends the whole course of his life in War A Councel is called in Pauls London under Anselme Archbishop of Canterbury to remedy the Sodomy of Ministers The Trecensian Synod is called investing the Popes with power over the Sunne And forbidding Ministers marriage Pope Eugenius the third makes war against Rome and Rome wars against him A war or two there is in this time about the Holy-land to the end to weaken the Kings of the earth that they might not curb the Pope The hereticall doctrine of Transubstantiation springs up Frederick the second Emperour buyes his absolution of the Pope for twelve hundred thousand ounces of gold I will name no more for brevities sake that I may hasten a dispatch of this point These are enough to demonstrate Satan was not now bound yea and to overthrow the Doctors distinction that Satan is now bound from open Butcheries You hear the contrary As also to overthrow that of his distinction that Satan is bound when he acts by the occult hypocrisie of his Instruments You see in the foregoing history hypocrisie and open cruelty go together And almost all open War and persecution begins in hypocrisie and pretence of piety The Saracens and Turks War for their Mahomet The Roman Emperours persecuted in the ten persecution and warred against Constantine under a pretence of piety that the Christians were against their Idol Religion yea so after in Constantines and Julians time persecution was under pretence of Religion And if the Doctor confesseth in the close of his distinction that when Satan is bound that yet then his Vicar the Papal Apollyon shal strenously supply his place what binding of Satan is this what benefit hath the Church by this whether it be destroyed by open hostility or under pretence of piety Surely the Church kept more pure under open persecutions then otherwise See Rev. 12.1 compare Histories SECT III. An answer to Doctor Prideaux his third Argument IT is drawne saith he from the state of the Martyrs beheaded all that interval of time in which we saith he put the binding of Satan viz. white robes were given to them saying rest yet a little while Rev. Chap. 6. They are sealed and doe wash their robes in the bloud of the Lamb Rev. Chap. 7. They protest against the beast and for that cause are slaine and live againe in their successors and ascend up to Heaven Chap. 11. They appeare in the company of the Lamb erecting his standard in mount Sion Chapter 14. They triumph over the Beast Chapter 15. They sing Hallelujah and are guests of the nuptial Supper Chapter 19. And here in the 20. Chapter they are set in Thrones and power of judging is given to them because they were smitten and had not worshipped the Beast from whence they live with Christ and reigne a thousand yeers And therefore howsoever they were esteemed or used in the world yet indeed they live and reigne with Christ who hath made them Kings and Priests In the same manner Kings as Priests But Priests spiritually therefore so onely Kings For as Christs Kingdome so the Apocalyptical Kingdome of Christians is not of this world To this Argument we shall answer brieflier sâ— first to the Antecedent or first Proposition ¶ 1 That in all those places there is something that crosseth the Doctors sense so that the things named by him did not import the binding of Satan Rev. 6 The Red horse verse 4. taketh away peace and makes men kill one another The â—ale horse verse 8. was called Death and hell followed it And to the thing the Doctor alleadgeth That the soules should rest this is added as a reason till their brethren and fellow servants should be killed of which is meant Ch. 11. The 7. of Rev. is a Chapter proleptically inserted to support the Saints in the middest of the approaching evils as at that period there mentioned as in most Chapters of the Revelation some things are inserted of comfort to that end from their future condition when Satan shall bee bound and the Saints reigne although this shall not be fulfilled till the seventh Trumpet begins to sound Chapter 10.7 Then indeed shall be fulfilled the mystery of God as be hath declared to his servants the Prophets To whom little or nothing of the ultimate day of judgement was manifested which indeed is no mystery But the abundance of the suture visible glory of the Church is to most a mystery so that this Chapter is but a preoccupation As the same sealed persons are brought in Chapter 14. Though presently in Chapter 16 17 18 19. the world is filled with judgements So that the Angels in this seventh Chapter v. 1. are ready with their judgements onely suspended while this comfort is communicated to the one hundred forty foure
the enemies of the Church in the Gogican War which Papisme the 19. of the Revel concluded as extinct Wee answer to this objection that it is of no consequence whether it be granted or denyed We doe not raise Papisme nor do I know any that doe And though S. John concludes the utter down-fall of Antichrist Rev. 19. that he shall never reigne more yet Chapter 20.9 hee shews that secret hypocrisie of all Nations shall breake out and indeavour to beset the Church and then comes the ultimate day of judgement CHAP. II. Answering Doctor Pareus THus of your Dr. Prideaux his Arguments against our point in answer of whom with the same labour we have answered the maine Arguments of Pareus on Revelation 20. verse 4. For the Doctor did follow and take much out of Pareus Those wee have not spoken to that are most material that the Doctor did not touch upon them we will now touch SECT I. First Objection Rev. 20.5 THat that Resurrection is not a corporall Resurrection but a spirituall And that because it is called the First Resurrection For this cannot bee the first corporal Resurrection because before this there arose corporally the Sonne of the widow of Sarepta raised by the Prophet Elijah 1 King 17.22 The Sonne of the Sunamitish widow by Elisha 2 King 4.35 The Sonne of the widow of Naim raised by Christ Luke 7.11 12. c. The daughter of Jairus raised by Christ Luke 8.55 of Lazarus raised by Christ John 11.44 Those at Christs Passion Matth. 27. Tabitha by Peter Act. 9.41 Eâ—tichus by Paul Act. 20.10 Answer to this thus First by this argument Christ shall not bee the first-fruits of them that sleep Secondly by this argument the opinion of a spiritual Resurrection from Antichristianisme cannot bee here admitted because by the same reason that cannot bee called the First resurrection because many of them afore-mentioned were raised afore Antichristianisme was in being Thirdly that raising of them was no generall Resurrection of any sort of godly or ungodly But this in the Revelation is general of all Saints Fourthly the T. intends that risen they shall reigne and reigne a thousand yeers But the other mentioned by Pareus soon died and did not reigne in Johns sense Fifthly John had marked these out verse 3 that they had had a spirituall Resurrection already SECT II. Second Argument of Pareus TO the First Resurrection is opposed First death But the First death was spirituall viz. Sinne Rom. 5. therefore the first Resurrection meant here is spiritual Answer first spirituall death and life are sinne and grace But these not expressed here but first and second Resurrection living and dying againe The first death is when all dye corporally some naturally some violently as the godly by Antichrists persecution So in Rev. 6.9 the soules under the altar and the beheaded in this 20. Chapter verse 4. And wicked by Gods judgements Rev. 19. two last Now the first Resurrection is of Saints Rev. 20. is here in ver 4. Second of wicked in verse 12. which is their second death as S. John calls it verse 14. The rest of Pareus his objections to this point are upon a false supposition that onely the Martyrs shall rise therefore need no answer Beside we have given much in answer to him afore in the end of the first Book Thus of Pareus next of Mr. Bayly CHAP. III. MR. Bayly his Arguments come next for I put the best disputant first who being answered wee shall have lesse reason to spend time upon the weaker SECT I. Mr. Baylies first Argument HE that remaines in the Heaven unto the last judgement comes not downe to the earth a thousand yeers before the last judgement But Christ remaines in the Heavens unto the last judgement Therefore Christ comes not downe to the earth for a thousand yeers before the last judgement The major saith hee is unquestionable The minor is proved First from the Article of the Creed from that he sitteth at the right hand of God from thence hee shall come to judge the quick and the dead Secondly from Act. 3.21 Thirdly from John 14.2.3 We answer first to the major First we have not yet asserted that Christ shall come downe on the earth But we have shewed out of several texts a very great probability that Christ will at least appear in the clouds that men and especially the Jews may look upon him c. as Zac. 12.10 2 At the beginning of the 1000. yeers is the beginning of the last judgement as we shewed afore 2. To the minor where Mr. B. affirms that Christ shall remaine in the Heavens unto the last day of judgement We answer it is false For after hee was ascended up to the right hand of God he is so neer to Paul that he calls to him saying Paul Paul c. And Paul replies Who art thou Lord And Christ replies I am Jesus whom thou persecutest And Paul replies Lo what wilt thou have me to do And the Lord replies Arise go into the City and it shall be told thee Act. 9.4 5 6. And verse 10. Christ in a vision speaks to Ananias to goe to Paul Ananias objects and Christ replies At last hee goes and verse 17. speaks to Saul thus putting his hand upon him Brother Saul the Lord even Jesus that APPEARED unto thee in the way Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sâ—en of thee And 1 Cor. 15.5 6 7 8. As SEEN of Câ—phas and the twelve c. after the Resurrection so after the Ascension seen of Paul v. 8. Now by the same reason he may appeare againe to convert the Jews for that must be some sudden businesse Isa 66.8 as a Nation borne at once c. before the ultimate day of judgement And Pauls conversion by Christs appearance in the clouds was the first-fruits how Christ would convert the Jews as is Mr. Medes note on 1 Tim. 1.16 Read the place ¶ 1 To the first proof of the minor from that Article of the Creed First we say that Article doth not prove Mr. Baylies intent in that it doth not assert that there Christ shall fixedly sit for ever untill the last judgement but onely that thence he shall come to judge which he may doe if mean while he descends on weighty occasions which finished hee ascends againe and there hee abides till hee descends to the last judgement Secondly we have shewed afore that the day of judgement begins at this one thousand yeers and continues to the end The beginning is the morning of the day of judgement the end the evening of the day of judgement And all the same day of judgement as it is in Peter 2 Epist 3. Chap. And we have also shewed how in this time all the parts of a day of judgement are acted The last day of which thousand yeers wee all along have called it the ultimate day of judgement And how long this ultimate day may be this evening of the Millenary day wee cannot
family in heaven and earth is named There is Bethel even where God in special appears which special appearance is in the person of Christ And lastly where ever Christ is with us wee are with him so as that for that time is heaven to us therefore the Apostle Paul desiring a state in the world to come Phil. 1.23 calls it a being with Christ not heaven So that yet still it remaines to bee proved that Christ shall not appear to his people before the ultimate day of judgement or that Christ hath no place of refreshing his people for a time before the ultimate day of judgement but onely the highest heavens after the ultimate day of judgement SECT II. Mr. Baylies second Argument § 1 AS to his accusation of coyning new and false senses to many Scriptures wee say it is a begging of the Question And we retort it For Mr. B. opinion for many generations hath so allegorised upon all the Prophets speaking of the state of the Jewes and of the universal Church to be on earth afore the ultimate day of â—udgement that I confesse I was thereby for a long time kept in the darke so that I could make no use of the Histories and Prophesies of the Old and New Testament in relation to these things but onely here and there by way of morall observations and allusions § 7 But let us heare his Argument Christ sits at the right hand of God till the last day therefore he comes not to reign on earth a 1000 yeers before the last day To which we say that this argument thus far hath been argued and answered in effect in the first argument yet because there are some fresh proofs we are contented againe to answer it and to discusse them And for answer we deny the Antecedent taking the last day in Mr. Bailyes sense for the ultimate day of judgement But if we take the last day for that day in 2 Pet. 3. which shall be a thousand yeers then Mr. Baily concludes nothing against us But Mr. Baily will prove the Antecedent that Christ doth sit at the right hand of the Father till the last day meaning the ultimate day of judgement viz. the evening of our last day For so I suppose he means his proof is his major Proposition in Ps 110.1 Christ sits at the right hand of God till ALL his enemies be made his footstool Whence he assumes this minor But all his enemies are not made his footstool till the last day For till then Satan death and all wicked men are not fully destroyed therefore c. To this major Proposition out of Ps 110.1 Mr. B puts in a word of great consequence to serve his own turne which in divine arguing from a text is very foule play viz. the word ALL. For as it is not in our English Translation so nor is it in the Hebrew text where it is onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thine enemies indefinitly And the Apostle having an infallible spirit to know the mind of the Scriptures quoting this place Heb. 10.13 renders it that Christ sits there expecting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. putting no ALL in But suppose it be said ALL all his enemies this is sufficiently fulfilled when Christ overcomes all all his enemies are so subdued yea visibly in themselves or in their effects that they shall never hurt the Church more which shall come to passe when the Iewes are settled at the beginning of the thousand yeers as many Scriptures afore shewed And to speake according to St. Iohn in the Revelation then as in Chap. 19. Antichrist and all his adherents shall downe then as in Chapter 20. Satan shall downe then as in Chapter 21 Sinne shall downe And for death this is destroyed Chapter 20. For if all the Saints then live and reigne a thousand yeers then is this a state of immortality of their bodies And for the ultimate day of judgement then is not a destroying of death but a reviving of the worst death sc the second death to the worst of men so that the wicked live onely to dye that death Rev. 20.12 to the end It is said that the last enemy of the Saints that is destroyed is death 1 Cor. 11. Because so St. Iohn names the enemes in order First all the wicked Rev. 19. Then the Devill Rev. 20.1 And last of all death v. 4. and all these orderly at the beginning of the thousand yeers at the beginning of the seventh Angels sounding his Trumpet I say at the beginning thereof And to make all our answer plainer When it is said All shall be under Christs feet the meaning is not that all shall be annihilated For after the ultimate day of judgement there shall be viz. in hell sinne and devils and wicked men and the greatest death viz. the second death i. e. eternall condemnation therefore the meaning must bee that all shall be so under Christs feet that they shall no more mischiefe the Church Satan shall not seduce them Sinne shall not touch them Death shall not dissolve them But at the end of the thousand yeers Satan and the hypocrites in the corners of the world shall begin to make an head and this immediately draws downe Christ to the ultimate day of judgement who raiseth all the dead wicked and takes them and the wicked that are then alive and passeth everlasting condemnation upon them Rev. 20.7 to the end of the Chapter SECT III. Mr. Bailyes third Argument § 1 ALL the godly at Christs comming from heaven doe rise immediately to a heavenly glory ergo none of them doe arise to a temporall glory for a thousand yeers upon earth § 2 Answ We might deny that wee call the Argument you call it the consequence because Mr. Baily doth not say to glory in heaven much lesse the highest heaven For their state on earth a thousand yeers is not onely an heavenly glory but the state is called Heaven Rev. 21.1 c. 2 Pet. 3. But that we shall fix our answer upon will be the denying of the Antecedent and expounding of the proof Mr. Baily brings for proof of the Antecedent 1 Cor. Chap. 15. vers 22.1 Thess 4.14 Matth. 25.31 Joh. 6.39.40.44 Heb. 9.28 ¶ 1 To the two first we answered afore For the third place of Matthew it concludes nothing to the said Antecedent For Christ separates the sheep from the goats notably at the beginning of the thousand yeers when the open wicked then alive generally perish Revelation 19. and all the Saints alive are set in a glorious condition Chap. 20. ¶ 2 To the fourth place viz. in Joh. 6.39.40.44 I will raise it up at the last day We answer this doth not infer any thing in behalf of the Antecedent For lo this thousand yeers is truly the last day For as it is in 2 Pet. 3. before it are the last dayes in which men shall say Where is the promise of his comming And it is after said A thousand yeers
are inconsistent with glory in the highest Heaven In like manner the residue of this one and twentieth Chapter shewes that the meaning is not of supernall eternall glory according to former common opinion of divines as ver 9 10. An Angel shewes John the Bride the Lambes wife viz. the great City holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God which cannot possibly be meant of a state in the highest Heaven no Angel need tell John or he us that the Church shall bee seen in that Heaven when there it shall be seen without shewing by all the inhabitants there Nor is this a direct but a crosse phrase to expresse the state of the Church ascended by its descending out of heaven from God The soules of the elect must descend to be united to their bodies on earth there for a time to inherit all things as said afore before their ultimate glory And for that description of New Hierusalem by measures c. from ver 11.22 can it meane the spanning of Heaven or the measures of the place of ultimate glory The parts and particulars are all too short and to no purpose wee beleeve more then all in this Text without this Text doubtlesse this Geometricall and Architectonicall Iconiâ—me or description is taken out of Ezekiel from Chap. 39. to the end of the Book in all the Prophet importing thus much that Gog the enemy of Israel shall be destroyed and they themselves shall bee gathered from their captivity and measures out to them their New Testament estate that it shall be more goodly and glorious then all their Old Testament state and therefore when John hath this given to him in Rev. 21. as an exposition of Ezech. 39.40 41 42 c. Chapters it would be but a darke dreame to apply it to supernall eternall glory which many circumstances forbid for if it be meant of that glory why ver 14. are only the names of the twelve Apostles to be inserted in the twelve foundations and not the names also of the twelve Patriarchs of the twelve Tribes What need was there to tell us ver 11. that the place spoken of here hath in it the glory of God and a light like a Iasper cleare as Chrystall or to minde us ver 17. that the cubits were according to the measure of a man or to warn us ver 22. that John saw there no Temple and for that in ver 23 24. That God and the Lambe are the light of New Hierusalem â—nd they that are sazed shal walke in it and Kings shal bring their glory and honour unto it I aske any ingenuous man whether he can keeping his reason with him apply these things to ultimate happinesse in the highest Heaven Is there a walking or conversation of life in spirituall light Is it not a quiet injoying and beholding the unspeakeable manifestation of Gods speciall presence Doe Kings and Princes there goe and come and bring their honour and glory to heaven Or doe they bring as ver 26. the glory and honour of Nations unto it Thus take altogether quarrell not peecely with this or that fragment but take the whole entirely and then tell me ingenuously whether this one and twentieth Chapter can meane any thing but a glorious state on earth before the ultimate Judgement at which time is rather a destruction then an extruction or building and therefore this Chapter clearly containes the admirable state of the Church of Jewes and Gentiles for the space of that thousand yeares in the twentieth Chapter the exposition whereof is the work now in hand to which we returne § 5 The third passage in this twentieth Chapter of Revelations is that the Saints reigne with Christ a thousand yeares or the thousand yeares This number of yeares is expressed six times in the first seven verses twice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and foure times with an emphaticall Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Can any judicious man take this meerly Allegorically and not Historically and litterally Can he upon good grounds make it to signifie lesse then a thousand yeares It is true a thousand yeares in Gods account 2 Pet. 3. in regard of his present knowledge of all things or knowledge of all things as present and his eternall entity before and beyond all things are but as one day but still a thousand yeares are a thousand yeares in themselves how ever they be as nothing in comparison of God But can man make a long time and a short time all one Are a thousand yeares to him but as one naturall day or to the Saints here reigning surely then the Saints priviledge of reigning or the binding of Satan for their sakes will amount to a very small matter Then on the morrow Gog and Magog shall rise against the Saints for at the end of the thousand yeares they shall rise against them Or can any considering man make these thousand yeares to signifie more then a thousand yeares viz. eternity the Scriptures have no such phrase that I know And divers of the Fathers afore the Floud though in a worse life-cherishing state lived within a few yeares of a thousand Is there not a notorious eminent punctum or point of the beginning and period of the ending of these thousand yeares They begin with the fall of Antichrist the destruction of his Army Rev. 19.19 20. and the wonderfull binding of Satan chap. 20. ver 2. And they end with the loosing of Satan and the warre with Gog-Magog Is it possible now that any should referre this to the eternity of supreame glory therefore as ver 4. it must needs be meant of reigning with Christ on earth at least a thousand yeares properly understood as it is expounded Revel 5.10 for all the Saints that are found on earth at Christs next coming never reigned with Christ in heaven and after the last Judgement Christ doth not reigne as Christ but layes downe all 1 Cor. 15.28 § 6 Let us in the next place take some maine particulars of this twentieth Chapter and compare the mystery of the things with the history of times Johns science with our experience and see whether we can make these all hold together unlesse wee understand them of a glorious Kingdome of Christ on earth before the ultimate day of judgement We will cull out but three particulars 1 The resurrection of the Saints vers 4 5. They must so live as the dead wicked that while did not live But the dead wicked did live that while in soule therefore the Saints must live more then so viz. must live that while in soule and body too Againe the Saints must so live at this first resurrection as the dead wicked shall at the second resurrection But the dead wicked shall live in soule and body at the second resurrection therefore the Saints at this first resurrection live in soule and body Let the Reader piercingly weigh the Text and he shall finde these syllogismes little lesse then demonstrations As for the difference
of grace and non-grace that difference was made before death in the life time of the Saints and wicked The second particular is the casting of the Devill into the bottomlesse pit and shutting and sealing him in it that he may not seduce the Nations till the thousand yeers be finished vers 3. The third particular is the letting loose of Satan at the end of the thousand yeers to seduce all the Nations on the foure corners of the earth till he gather together an innumerable Army to encompasse the camp of the Saints the event whereof is that that Army is consumed with five from heaven After which immediately begins the last judgement vers 7 8 9. Now wee shall challenge literas omnes literatos all learned books and men when in all the one thousand six hundred and fifty yeers of the New Testament by-past were these three particulars fulfilled When did the Saints or Martyrs so rise For still they have been and are under persecution or sore afflictions in one or other or severall Nations more or lesse When was Satan so bound and imprisoned as that he did not seduce the Nations For to this day Lutherans Protestants Papists Turkes Indians Jewes c. are seduced by him in matters of Errour and War And when was there such an innumerable Army encompassing the camp of the Saints consumed with fire from Heaven upon which immediately followed that day of judgement when the Devill is cast into the lake of fire a Throne is set and the bookes are opened c. as it is v. 10 11 12 § 7 It is true some learned men doe say that the time of Satans binding that he could not seduce the Nations for a thousand yeers to the making of an happy time for the Church so long began three hundred yeers after Christ and so ended one thousand and three hundred yeers after Christ For say they at the end of three hundred yeers after Christ the ten persecutions ceased in which persecution say they Satan was loose to seduce the world But those persecutions being ceased the thousand yeers of the Churches comfortable condition began So Mr. Brightman on Revel and Mr. Fox in his book of Martyrs onely with this difference That one of them inserts within the said thousand by them laid out the five months mentioned Revel 9.5 as a so long interruption of their described quiet in those thousand yeers understanding by those five months certaine yeers that is that every day of those five months signifies a yeer which according to solary months makes the thousand yeers end an hundred and thirty yeers lower or according to â—unary months one hundred and twenty yeers later Pareus begins the thousand yeers of the binding of Satan c. at the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus sixty nine yeers as he accounts after the birth of Christ At which time saith he the Jewish Temple and Worship ceasing the great impediment of the Gentiles imbracing the Gospel was removed So that this while Satan was bound from seducing the Gentiles or Nation § 8 Whence first let the Reader observe by the way that all these three godly and greatly learned men doe concur and fully agree with us in this that the meaning of the thousand yeers is literall That it signifies a thousand yeers properly taken yea and to include sensible events though they differ from us and from one another in other particulars § 9 But for the opinions themselves we cannot agree with them in the beginning of these thousand yeers and consequently not in their ending 1 ¶ Not with Mr. Fox and Mr. Brightmans computation First because they include the ten Persecutions which lasted three hundred yeers within the time of Satans beng loose and seducing the Nations preceding the beginning of their account of the thousand yeers whith ten Persecutions include the Apostles time and the Primitive purest times And so by consequence Mr. Fox and Mr. Brightman make those primitive times more corrupt and more seduced then the ages following the ten Persecutions which is contrary to Rev. 11.1 and Revel 12.1 And contrary to experience out of all antiquity that in those times the Church was far more pure generally then ever since Secondly because this compute of Mr. Fox and Mr. Brightman makes the times following the ten Persecutions to begin an happy thousand yeers for the Church and so to continue to one thousand three hundred yeers after Christ But this is contrary to experience from all approved antiquity who doth give us a particular account that after that little time in the life of Constantine the Great wherein the Church had some outward peace and prosperity anon began the black-heresie and bloody-persecution by the Arians upon the necke of which followed Pelagianisme and many other grosse and grievous errours and heresies 2 ¶ For the computation of Pareus that cannot stand for many strong reasons that batter it downe For first the Jewish worship did not cease as Pareus affirmes at the destruction of the Temple by Titus but doth continue to this day And instead of the exercise thereof in that one Nation of the Jewes it is practised by them in their Synagogues in most Nations in Europe if not elsewhere also as our Country-Merchants and Travellers are eare and eye-witnesses If by Jewish worship Pareus doth mean that particular of it of sacrificing as if that at least ended at Titus destruction of the Temple therein also is Pareus mistaken as most Ecclesiastical Histories and Chronologies abet us to affirme For say these Records when Titus had overthrown the Temple the Jews sacrificed in the City as neer the ruines of their Temple as they could Yea when Hadrian or Adrian the Roman Emperour had destroyed the City they sacrificed at Mamre where God appeared formerly to Abraham Nor was their zeale to sacrificing so extinguished when Constantine the Great beat them from Mamre For anon after Constantine Julian the Apostate the Romane Emperour encouraged the Jewes to returne to Jerusalem there to re-build the ruines and offer sacrifice till fire from heaven discomfited them which falls far lower then sixty nine yeers after Christ namely to about three hundred and sixty yeers after Christ So that this Jewish worship lasted all the time of the ten Persecutions in which Mr. Fox and Mr. Brightman say Satan was let loose and not bound up as Pareus affirmes 2 Within this thousand yeers of binding Satan computed by Pareus to begin at sixty nine yeers after Christ is found nothing for the Jewes nor their new Jerusalem contrary to the scope of all the Scripture as we shall hear abundantly after which cleerly drives at this that the call of the Jewes must be a great part of the glory of that state we speake of and they the principall partakers thereof 3 In all that thousand yeers which Pareus makes up beginning at sixty nine yeers after Christ and consequently ending at one thousand sixty nine yeers after Christ all things
happinesse then it must not be taken from them by the old misery of death If all the Elect dead and alive must reigne on earth a thousand yeers as we have proved then there must be no death to cut this time shorter They doe not reigne if subject in the thousand yeers to that great enemy Death Nor do any of them live a thousand yeers if by succession they dye in that thousand yeers If there shall be no more sorrow nor cries nor paines as wee heard afore how then can this Man-eater death continue If sinne be gone why should death remaine § 2 But to leave discourses and come to plaine places of Scripture which are divers ¶ 1 Isa 25.8 He i. e. the Lord mentioned in the former verses will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces and the rebuke of his people c. Wee before demonstrated that this place belongs to the glorious time we speake of sc when the Jewes are called And you see how full it speaks to the thing of the removal of death Calvin confesseth that this is under Christs Kingdome and addes under Christs universal Kingdom And sure Christ as Christ hath no Kingdom in heaven after the ultimate judgement nor universal now ¶ 2 Another place is in Hos 13.14 I will ransome them from the power of the grave And I will redeem them from death O death I will be thy plagues O grave I wil be thy destruction Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes Which place is evidently spoken to Ephraim the ten Tribes verse 12. therefore this cannot relate to the return of the two Tribes from Babylon And it is as evident that more then a spiritual deliverance of a mans soul from death in sin is meant in that here is joyned deliverance from the grave with deliverance from death And twice a mention of grave But much adoe there is with some that would faine make this Text a continuation of the Prophets minatory speech in the former Chapter But the words are plaine words of mercy and a Prophesie of mercy quoted by Paul not onely that God can doe such a thing as in the Text but that he will do it Again how common is it for the Prophets in their preaching mifericordias cum minis mifcere to mingle mercies with minatories So that they may as well say almost that the 14. Chapter is a continuation of threatnings It is frequent in this Prophesie to make threats and comforts so take their turnes Chap. 1. Chap. 2. c. And to me it is plaine and evident that as it is noted in our English Translation at verse 9. begins a Sermon of mercy and so is continued to the end of the 14. verse It is said in verse 9. O Israel thou not I hast destroyed thy self Thou hast brought thy misery on thy selfe But I will be thy King where is any other to save thee in all thy Cities So plainly according to Heb. And for experience the Lord tells Ephraim that the King they desired and had could not save them And therefore God was their onely saving King and therefore was not pleased in giving them a King and in anger did he take away Kings from them because of their confidence in them but this taking them away would make way for their imbracing God for their King according to that which follows in the ensuing promises As for verse 12. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up and hid Hiding as well sounds of justification and pardon of sin Psal 32.1 Rom. 4.7 as of punishment And for the 13. verse close to the Hebrew thus Sorrows of a woman in travel will come upon him viz. Ephraim He an unwise Sonne * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If vid. Schindl if he shall stay long in the breaking forth of children i. e. in the straitnesse of the womb i. e. If by repentance he doe not help himselfe out of his sorrows But however verse 14. I sayes the Lord if Ephraim be unwise and helps not himselfe yet I the Lord will ransome them c. as aforesaid Sure enough these words are plaine for the point in hand even as both those two places aforesaid are severall times quoted in the New Testament and applied to a state that is to be afore the ultimate day of judgement ¶ 3 For 1. both places seem to mee to be touched in 1 Cor. 15.54 55. As our new notes on the Bible concur with mee For in the 54. verse seems to be quoted Isa 25.8 For the Apostles words are plainly the same with Isaiah Death is swallowed up in victory And in 55. verse seems a quotation of Hos 13.14 For the Apostles challenge is plainly according to Hosea O grave where is thy victory Secondly The Apostle makes application of the fulfilling of these Prophesies to be at the time we speak of sc of the visible glory of the Church on earth For which observe these particulars First The Apostle mentions our restitution to our state in the first Adam by Christ the second Adam v. 49. compared with Psal 8. As Psal 8. with Gen. 1.26 to which end the visible glorious state of the Church is set out by having a Fountain and Tree of life alluding to Paradise Rev. 22. All which import a state upon earth Secondly That the Apostle mentions the time to be at the sound of the last Trumpet importing other Trumpets to sound first so that the last Trumpet is the seventh as John numbers them not hid from Paul Now from the beginning of the sounding of the seventh Trumpet so many things follow as wee have several times demonstrated that there must of necessity be a state of the Churches visible glory before the ultimate day of judgement For when Rev. 11.15 the seventh Angel sounded then First There was an Earthquake v. ibid. Secondly A proclaiming that the Kingdomes of the earth are the Kingdomes of Christ v. 15. Christ shall reign for ages of ages till time be no more ibid. Fourthly Saints sing praise for it v. 16 17. Fifthly Christ takes to him his great power and now reigns v. 17. Sixthly Nations are angry at it v. 18. Seventhly The Saints are raised and rewarded v. 18. Eighthly A destroying of them that destroyed the earth and care is taken of the earth v. 18. Ninthly The Temple of God is opened and the Arke discovered v. 19. Tenthly Lightinings and thundrings and earthquakes and great haile v. 19. All these here beside that in Rev. 20. Rev. 21. Rev. 22. From the beginning of the seventh Trumpet to the end of it Now let any ingenuous man judge by these ten particulars whether they are consistent with heaven above and whether they must not necessarily import a state on earth So that the Apostle here in this 1 Cor. 15. mentioning the raising of the Saints the cloathing of them with incorruption and the changing of them that are alive quoting those two