all the works of his hands and gave him dominion and power over them and here is the glory of the first man and the glory of the first body the visible glory of the Creation all things that God had made in the Heaven and in the Earth and when he looked upon them behold they were very good Adam was crowned with the glory of them all and had the Dominion over them but this Dominion he lost and this glory he stained through his disobedience and transgression and so fell and became servant and in a state of servitude and not only so but painful and miserable with a sentence upon him that in the sweat of his face he should eat his bread So after this as hath been shewed the Lord of his infinite mercy confirmed his eternal love and Election of Grace in his promise unto his seed and Covenant unto Abraham that of him he would bring forth a seed in whom all the Nations of the earth should be blessed which he hath faithfully and perfectly performed as hath been shewed And so he chose a people from amongst all the families of the earth that he did owne for himself as you may read Deut. 7.6 which he knew and had regard and love unto above all the families of the earth as hath been shewed and manifested Yet according as Adam did there rebell and transgress against him though he had a continual care and an eye over them and a continual regard unto them and watched over them by his holy Angels as you may read in the Scriptures for man was at that time lower than the Angels The Lord spake unto Abraham and Sarah by Angels and unto Jacob and the Lord spake unto Moses by his Angel Exod. 3.2 and Acts 7.3 where Stephen saith And God sent Moses to be a Ruler and a Deliverer by the hand of the Angel which appeared to him in the Bush God also sent his Ange unto David after he had numbred the people as you may read 1 Chron. 21. God sent an Angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it and when David â—ift up his eyes and saw the Angel of the Lord stand between the Earth and the Heaven having a drawn sword in his hand stretched over Jerusalem then David and the Elders of Israel humbled themselves as you may read after then the Lord commanded the Angel and he put up his sword into its sheath The Angel also was sent unto Zacharias and Elisabeth before the Birth of John and unto Mary before the Birth of Christ as you know and the Angel came unto the Shepherds after the Birth of Christ Luke 2.9 And the Angels came and ministred unto him Math. 4.11 So the revelation of Jesus Christ was signified by his Angel Rev. 1. with many more that might be brought Cornelius was warned of God by an Angel Acts 10. and Stephen when he was bearing his testimony before the High-Priest when he said Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in hearts and ears which of the Prophets have not your Fathers persecuted and slain them which shewed before of the coming of the just one of whom ye have been betrayers and murtherers who have received the Law by the disposition of Angels and have not kept it Acts 7.53 and Gal. 3.19 The Law was ordained by Angels in the hand of a Mediator So the Prophets and such as the Lord made Overseers and Leaders of his people the Lord spoke to them by his Angels and the Law they received by the Angels but as the Apostle saith in the fulness of time God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the Law to redeem them that were under the Law Gal. 4.3 for what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us read on in Rom. 8. So they that walk after the Spirit they are those that fulfill the righteousness of the Law for the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus makes free from the Law of sin and death and this renews into the right and into the perfect Image which is not lower than the Angels but into the Image of the Son unto which all the Angels are subject according to the Apostles words Heb. 1. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things by whom also he made the worlds who being the brightness of his Fathers Glory and the express Image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins for that was the work he was to do when as the Apostle saith he became lower than the Angels for the suffering of death and so took not upon him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham and there he hath tasted death for every man that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life time subject to Bondage and when he had finished this work he is set down on the right hand of the Majesty on high being made so much better than the Angels as he hath by an inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they for to which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again when he bringeth in his first begotten into the world he said Let all the Angels worship him and to his Angels he saith Who hath made his Angels Spirits and his Ministers a flame of fire but unto the Son he saith Thy Throne O God is for ever a Scepter of Righteousness is the Scepter of thy Kingdom And so on So here you may see as the first man was made a little lower than the Angels so the second man the Lord from Heaven the quickening spirit is made higher than the Angels the brightness of the Fathers glory and his express image And so this is the seed and body and image which the Lord God is raising and restoring and preparing to do his will which far exceeds the glory of the first body for the glory of the first body was a visible glory but the glory of the second man the second body is an invisible glory and known and seen by the invisible eye and manifested by the invisible power and spirit of our Lord Jesus in whom we have redemption through his blood even the forgiveness of sins who is the image of the invisible God and the first born of every creature by him were all things created that are in Heaven and that are in Earth visible and invisible whether they be Thrones or Dominions or Principalities or Powers all things were created by him and for
Iehosaphat King of Iudah with joy to Ierusalem for that the Lord had made them to rejoice over their Enemies But after this did Iehosaphat King of Iudah join himself with Ahaziah King of Israel who did very wickedly to make Ships to go to Tarshish then Eliezer prophesied against Iehosaphat saying because thou hast joined with Ahaziah the Lord hath broken thy Works so the Ships were not able to go to Tarshish So Iehosaphat slept with his Fathers and Iehoram reigned in his stead and Michaiah and Elisha and Eliezer were the Prophets that prophesied in his daies And Iehoram reigned eight years in Ierusalem and did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel as did the House of Ahab for the Daughter of Ahab was his Wise yet the Lord would not destroy Iudah for David his servants sake as he promised to give him alwaies a light to his Children in his days Edom revolted 2 Kings 8. 2 Chron. 21. Moreover he made high places in the mountains of Iudah and caused the Inhabitants of Ierusalem to commit Fornication and compelled them thereto and there came a Writing from Elisha the Prophet saying thus saith the Lord God of David thy Father because thou hast not walked in the wayes of Iehosaphat but hast walked in the ways of the Kings of Israel and hast made Iudah and Ierusalem go a whoring after Whoredoms behold with a great Plague will the Lord smite thee and thy people and thy Wives and thy Children and after the Lord smote him in his bowels that at the end of two years his bowels fell out so that he died of sore Diseases and the Inhabitants of Ierusalem made Ahaziah his youngest Son King in his stead And the Lord sent his Prophet to annoint Iehu the Son of Iehosaphat the Son of Nimshi to be King over Israel 2 Kings 9. and he arose and went into the House and poured Oyl on his head and said thus saith the Lord God of Israel I have annointed thee King over the people of the Lord and thou shalt smite the House of Ahab thy Master that I may avenge the blood of my Servants the Prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord at the hands of Jezebel for the whole House of Ahab shall perish and I will make the House of Ahab like the House of Jeroboam and the Dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel Twenty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign and he reigned one year in Jerusalem also he walked in the ways of Ahab for his Mother was his Counsellour to do wickedly wherefore he did evil in the sight of the Lord and the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to see Jehoram for when he was come he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the Son of Nimshi whom the Lord had annointed to cut off the house of Ahab as you may read in 2 Chr. 22. and they caught Ahaziah where he was hid in Samaria and when they had slain him they buried him because they said he is the Son of Jehoshaphat who sought the Lord. But Jehosheba the Daughter of King Jehoram took Joash the Son of Ahaziah and put him and his Nurse in a Bed-chamber for she was the Wife of Jehojada the Priest and he was with them hid in the House of God six years then Athaliah reigned six years and in the seventh year Jehoiadah called all the Captains of the hundreds together and the Priests and the Levites and all the Congregation together with the King in the House of God and he said unto them the Kings Son shall reign as the Lord hath said of the Sons of David 2 Chr. 23. And Joash began to reign in the seventh year of Jehu King of Israel and he was seven years old when he began to reign and he reigned over Jerusalem forty years and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord as Jehojada the Priest instructed him But Jehojada waxed old and was full of days and when he died he was 130 years old and after his death the Princes of Judah left the House of the Lord and served Idols in Groves and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Zachariah the Son of Jehojada the Priest which stood above the People and said thus saith God why trespass ye against the Commandment of the Lord and they conspired against him and stoned him with Stones at the Commandment of the King thus Joash remembred not the kindness that Jehojada had done unto him but slew his Son The Army of the Syrians came against them because they had forsaken the Lord God of their Fathers so they executed judgment against Joash and his own servants slew him in his bed and Amaziah his Son reigned in his stead 2 Chr. 22. 2 King 9.27 In the twenty third year of Joash Jehoahaz Son of Iehu began to reign over Israel and he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord 2 King 13. and followed the sins of Jeroboam and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel and he delivered them into the hand of the King of Syria and Jehoahaz besought the Lord and the Lord harkened unto him for he saw the oppressions of Israel because the King of Syria oppressed them and the Lord gave Israel a Saviour so they went out from under the hand of the Syrians and the Children of Israel dwelt in their Tents nevertheless they departed not from the sins of Iereboam Chap. 13.6 and Iehoahaz slept with his Fathers and Jehoash his Son reigned in his stead In the thirty seventh year of the reign of Joash King of Iudah began Iehoash Son of Iehoahaz to reign over Israel and reigned sixteen years he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and departed not from the Sins of Ieroboam who made Israel to sin and Iehoash slept with his Fathers and Ieroboam sat upon his Throne In the second year of Iehoash Son of Iehoahaz King of Israel reigned Amaziah the Son of Ioash King of Iudah he was 25 years old when he began to reign and he reigned 29 years in Ierusalem and he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not like unto David nor Joash his Father When his Kingdom was confirmed in his hands he slew all his servants that had slain his Father and he sent messengers to the King of Israel that they might come up to look one another in the face He slew also of the Children of Edom in the Valley of Salt ten thousand and the King of Israel sent unto him and said thou hast indeed smitten Edom and thine heart is lifted up tarry at home but Amaziah King of Judah would not therefore Jehoash King of Israel went up and met Amaziah King of Judah and looked him in the face at Bethshemish which belongs to Iudah and Judah was put to
Servant the things which must shortly be done For the Lord God had prophesied of these things before by the Prophets and by Christ Jesus and his Apostles and saith unto Iohn seal not the Prophesie of the sayings of this Book for the time is at hand and behold I come quickly for my reward is with me to give unto every one according to his works And I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end the first and the last blessed are they that do his Commandements that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter in through the gates into the City I Jesus have sent mine Angel to testifie unto you these things to the Churches I am the Root and Off-spring of David and the bright morning Star and the Spirit and the Bride saith come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely He that testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly even Amen come Lord Jesus the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all Amen ver 20.21 Thus you may see in part the constancy and faithfulness of the Lord God how unchangeable and how unâ—lterable he is and what love and faithful care he hath had over his seed ever since he made man and gave him a being upon the Earth but indeed his love is everlasting for he had elected and decreed and determined Salvation and Redemption to his seed before the foundation of the world was and because he could not alter nor change therefore his seed was preserved as you may read in several places of the Scriptures because I change not therefore ye Sons of Jacob are not consumed and if the Lord had not left us this seed we had been as Sodom and like unto Gomorah But by this little tract that we have gone through the Scriptures since the Lord made man you may read the long-suffering and the patience of the Lord God and his kind dealing and his fatherly care over his seed even when they rebelled against him and that because of his faithfulness in keeping of his promises and Covenants which he so often promised and covenanted as hath been shewed not only unto Abraham unto Isaac and unto Iacob but also unto David as you may read at large in the Prophesie of Isaiah and in Ieremiah and the Book of Psalms often hath he redoubled his promises unto David and unto his seed for ever that as his Covenant was with the day and with the night so is his Covenant with David and his seed for ever and as he had sworn that the Waters should not go over the Earth so he had sworn that his Blessing and Covenant should be with David and his seed for ever which he hath faithfully performed of the seed of David he hath sent his Son And so the Lord hath led them along as you may read thorow this Treatise until Christ and according to his promise Christ came and took not upon him as Apostle saith the Nature of Angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham for he was made a little lower then the Angels for the suffering of death crowned with Glory and Honour that he by the Grace of God should tast of death for every man as you may read in Heb. 2. And he that thought it no robbery to be equal with the great God yet he took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man and being found in the fashion of a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name better then every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of the Father Phil. 2. So he hath gone thorow this great Work and finished it for as the Apostle saith so it became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things to make the Captain of our Salvation perfect through sufferings for in the days of his flesh he offered up prayers and supplications Christs Sufferings with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard and though he was a Son yet learned he obedience by the things that he suffered and being made perfect through sufferings he became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him Heb. 5. So the price he hath paid and mans Salvation and Redemption he hath purchased by his own blood as Iohn saith Jesus Christ who is the faithful and true Witness the first begotten of the dead and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood Rev. 1. And he according to his promise unto his Disciples that he would pour down his Spirit upon them and send them another Comforter and bad them stay at Ierusalem till the Spirit was poured on them from on high which was plentifully and richly fulfilled as the Scripture testifies for they were made partakers of it in a plentiful manner and the Apostles were made able Ministers of the Spirit by which they begat multitudes unto God and to the true Faith which is in Christ Jesus so that the light of the glorious Gospel shone gloriously among them and Christ had a glorious Church at that day as those Epistles which the Apostles wrote to the Churches being left upon Record bears a true testimony of the holy Spirit that was in them and all that live in the Spirit of the living God and is endowed and enriched with it bears witness to the Scriptures that they were given forth by the holy Spirit of God and by the inspiration of the Almighty But we may see that Christ and his holy Apostles had a foresight and a knowledge of the beauty and glory of this Church being vailed and that the night of Apostacy and darkness would come over as hath been already shewed and as you may read in the Scriptures which hath been fulfilled as experience of many ages can testifie for by most of the Records that we can find it is above twelve hundred years since the glorious beauty of the Church of Christ was stained but all this hath not come to pass without the fore-knowledge of the holy Prophets Christ and the Apostles And so now blessed and honoured be the glorious God our lot is fallen in a good Land and our time is a time of love and as we are fallen into the last age of the world so also we are risen with Christ Jesus the Sun of Righteousness who ariseth with healing in his wings and now the light of the glorious Gospel hath shined in our hearts and hath given us the knowledge of the glory of the invisible God in the face of Jesus Christ and this Gospel of the