The Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and his Servants shall serve him Then they shall serve him and not their Enemies any more and they shall serve him in-deed Now his Servants in name do serve other Lords Hypocrites go for the Servants of God but then his Servants shall serve him All Servants in name shall serve him indeed that is all shall serve him in sincerity so his Servanâ—s shall serve him throughly and to purpose 'T is so little Service that God hath now from his Servants that they can hardly be said to serve him but when they are before the Throne of the Lamb then shall Christ have abundantly more Service from his Saints As there shall be more light more warm Affections heat of Love in a high degree So there shall be much better Service Quest Shall there be a keeping of a Sabbath in the new Jerusalem the Holy City 't is said thus no Temple there no Sun nor Moon No Ordinances because the presence of the Lamb shall supply them and so make them useless and if no Ordinances then no First-day-Sabbath but every day a Sabbath Answ We must distinguish between the Holy City New Jerusalem and the Nations of them that shall be saved and shall walk in the light of it Rev. 21.24 Who bring their Glâ—ry and Honour into it mentioned Chap. 20.9 That is the Nations of them that shall be saved in the time of the Thousand Years as it is the same word which is used for the Congregation of Israel when they went out of Egypt travelling towards Canaan In like manner in the time of the Thousand Years besides the beloved City there will be a Camp of Saints there will be saved Nations called and converted then travelling towards the Holy City The Law shall go forth from Sion and the wâ—rd of the Lord from Jerusalem And they do walk in this light towards it Now in the beloved City Ordinances cease and the keeping of one day in seven ceases but in the Camp of the Saints c. amongst the Nations saved and walking in the light of the New Jerusalem there will be Ordinances and the keeping of the Sabbath in manner as is here prescribed Uses If there ought to be so strict an observation of the Sabbath day then how short do men come of the keeping of it Where are the Persons to be found that walk on the Sabbath according to this Rule 1. How loose are some in their Principles in writing and speaking against a Divine Institution of it as if there were not ground for the keeping of it but from Custom and the Commands of Men and so it shall be but the Holy of Men and not the Holy of the Lord whereas this is that which makes it H nourable and is the ground why we should call it Honourable because it hath the stamp of Divine Authority upon it And it 's Christ that is the Lord of it and not Man 2. And what loosness is in the practice of almost all Who be they that turn their Feet the Feet of the Body and Soul from it Where are any to be found that do not find their pleasure and speak their own words c. 2. Learn what reason there is to long for that glorious Reformation which shall be in the World As the Creatures groan to be delivered for the bondage of Corruption and from being in such bondage to Men's lusts who do abuse them so much to the dishonour of God and make them the matter of Sin So those that have the first fruits of the Spirit should groan within themselves waiting for the Adoption That is as they that believe have the power of Sons so they should wait for the Inheritance of Sons and long to have more of the Spirit of Sons that thereby they may be enabled as in their whole course to carry themselves as Sons towards their Heavenly Father So on the Lord's day they may come before the Lord in that Holy Spiritual and Heavenly frame which is here required What a blessed time will that be when he that is feeble and fails so much in Duties shall be as David the Man after God's own heart doing all his will Christ advised the Jews to pray that their flight might not he on the sabbath-Sabbath-day Many times there is flying on the sabbath-Sabbath-day and this is sad times Sometimes there is flying from Meetings flying from Duties for fear of Enemies and too often our Hearts on that day are flying away from God and the duties of his worship upon the wings of worldly thoughts and affections A happy time will it be with the Saints when there shall be no flying on the Sabbath no flying upon the wings of fear nor no flying upon the wings of worldly love but then David's wish shall be fulfilled to those that shall serve the Lord and David their King and fear the Lord and his goodness They shall have the wings of the Dove wherewith they shall fly to the Holy Spiritual Soul-refreshing rest of the Sabbath and fly to Heaven to the Throne of God and the Lamb c. Use 2. Exhortation Let that Holy Spiritual Strict Observation of the Sabbath which shall be hereafter be your pattern now 1. It will be a good evidence of your being in Covenant and of the truth and reality of Grace when you can thus holily and spiritually keep a Sabbath to the Lord. This is the Man that is likely to perform the duties of his Calling on other days to the honour of the Lord he will work he will Buy and Sell he will Plow and Sow he will Eat and drink to the honour of God and he will be careful that his business in the World be acted in Religion Isa 56.1 2. Keep Judgment do Justice Keep the Sabbath from polluting it The former comprehends the duties of the Second Table the latter the duties of the First So necessary is it to the right worshipping of God to keep a Sabbath that this is put for and made comprehensive of all the duties of God's worship 2. Thus shall you be the better prepared for a Storm For as here are Promises of being above troubles of riding on the High places of the Earth c. So hence you may conclude you shall have protection under trouble The true worshippers who worship God in Spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus may have great confidence and peace in their hearts in such a day Psa 27.4 5. One thing have I desired of the Lord c. In the time of trouble he shall hide me in his Pavillion in the secret of his Tabernacle c. Those that come to his pavillion-love to be where God is and to be near him and to have communion with him c. When the Woman is in the Wilderness she is nourished there and when a stream comes and the Dragon casts out a flood out of his Mouth to swallow her up the Earth shall help her
must not Buy Sell Plow c. so we must not talk of these things on the Sabbath 't is prophane and prophaning talk This is the negative part shewing what is forbidden Next is the affirmative part 1. Call the Sabbath a delight The Jews did bear burdens on the Sabbath and thereby prophaned it many there are who if they bear no burden on their backs yet when they are engag'd in Sabbath-work bear burdens on their Hearts The Sabbath it self is a burden these do but prophane the Sabbath to whom sabbath-Sabbath-Duties are a burden This is Evangelical True Spiritual keeping a Sabbath to call it a delight Psa 43.4 I will go to the Altar of God unto God my exceeding Joy So when you go about Sabbath-work and come to Ordinances your aim should be to have Communion with God and to meet with him to worship him and to receive Blessings from him that you may be able to say I will go to God my exceeding Joy Call Sabbath-work as well as Sabbath-blessings Sabbath-profit Sabbath-advantages a delight Delight to do the Will of God as well as delight in the Mercies he bestows upon you If you will remember the Sabbath to keep it Holy you must remember it and call it a delight and not only call it a delight but let it be so indeed and then your keeping of the Sabbath is the delight of God 2. The Holy of the Lord. 1. Made Holy by the Lord's Institution If you obserâ—â— a Sabbath as Commanded by Men only or as â— ving but the stamp of Humane Authority that â—s buâ— the Holy of Men but see the stamp of Divine Authâ—rity and look on the Sabbath as being from Heaven and not of Men. Honour Christ as Lord of 〈◊〉 Sabbath 2. And made Holy to the Lord to his Praise and Glory made for Holy Work and that for this High and Holy End to Glorify God 3. Honourable It hath been dishonoured and made contemptible by Men that have denied the Divine Right thereof and Men have been made Lords of it and many make themselves Lords of it doing and finding their own Pleasure and so make void this Law to themselves But as God will have a time to magnify his whole Law and make it Honourable so this of the Sabbath Isa 42.21 Thus you see with how much strictness and spirituality the Sabbath ought to be kept As there was an outward strictness required of the Jews for its observation beyond what is now as for not kindling a Fire c. so this was a type of that spiritual strictness here foretold which should be under the Gospel in the observation of it God forbad the kindling a fire on the Hearth That was a Type to shew that we should not kindle a fire of worldly Lusts in your Hearts nor warm your selves with any delightful thoughts of any matter of Profit or Pleasure c. and this reason may be given why God should forbid the kindling of Fire to the Jews God dealt with the Jews as a Soveraign and many things that were commanded was to declare his Soveraignty and to prove them whether they would be obedient to him So was the multitude of the Sacrifices and Oblations and so this command for not kindling a fire must be to declare his Soveraignty But under the Gospel 't is a time to declare his Kindness and Love his abundant Grace after that the Kindness and love of God appeared towards Man Tit. 3.4 Now God will have Mercy and not Sacrifice In this sense that he will declare his Soveraignty but will deal in a more gracious and merciful way as all Providences So all Ordinances and Commands are full of Grace Observe when God proclaims his Name before Moses Exod. 34.6 't is thus The Lord the Lord God gracious and merciful c. And that will not clear the Guilty We may take notice of three branches of this Name of God which have respect to three different times for the more convenient manifestation of them not but that all of them are manifested enough at all times 1. The Lord. So the time of the Law was for the manifestation of this branch of God's Name 2. The Lord gracious and merciful long-suffering abundant in goodness so the accepted time and day of Salvation under the Gospel is the time for the manifestation hereof 3. 3. That will not clear the guilty Now the day of Judgment will be the time for the manifestation of this part of God's Name Those that come in their guilt before him shall feel the power of that wrath which now perhaps they little fear Quest. If the Sabbath be to be kept with so much strictness Who then can keep a Sabbath Answ 1. This is the Law and thus it ought to be though we cannot come up to that strictness and spirituality which we ought to do 2. The Will and Desire should be as exact as is commanded and should beget in you your utmost endeavour and care and then shall you be accepted 3. Call it Holy and Honourable a delight Be sound in your Principles set your Seal to the truth of it 1. Call it so in your Judgment and inward Conviction or Assent and Consent 2. Call it so in word Justify it as the Holy of the Lord speak Honorably of it and for it 3. Call it so in your works do that which may honour the day and the Lord in keeping it When we consider the high degree of exactness and spirituality which there ought to be in keeping a Sabbath which is here laid down it much confirms the Interpretation of extending this to Gospel times and to the last and best times of the Gospel in which as God will liberally fulfil promises so he will in such a measure give his Spirit that the Saints shall more liberally fulfil this and other Commands when as all the Law so this of the Sabbath shall be written in the Heart God will have a time to make Men more Holy and obedient more agreeable to his Laws both for substance and circumstance matter and manner and it shall bear much more proportion and run more parallel with his Laws then hitherto Thus much I can boldly affirm haply more Consider Psal 102.18 This shall be written for the Generations to come and the People that shall be created shall praise the Lord or the new ercated People c. As this strict injunction binds always and makes it our Duty to keep a Sabbath so the new created People the Saints of the new Heaven and Earth shall praise the Lord they shall observe it in this manner c. when the Divine Nature shall deeply overspread all their Faculties when the Saints in Duties shall fly on the wings of the Spirit and shew the vigour of the new Nature which is part of that day of Reformation then will something be done to purpose as in all other Christian Duties so in this of turning away thy Foot c. Rev. 22.3
love of God in your Electing or accepting Christ on the terms offered chusing him above the World and to serve him rather than your Lusts You may read your own Election or God As 't is said of Mary Magdalen much was forgiven her for she loved much Pardoning love was to be read in her love this is one fruit of the love of God on the Soul So you may say God wills for the Creatures wills This will is of God's working and this testifiâ—s of God's will 2. Such as once will to be saved shall continue to will and to do what they ought in the way of Life They shall not reject Christ they shall not cast of his Yoke they shall so live and do as those that are in the way of Life ought for God will work the immutability of God's Counsel shall cause an immutability in their will of following Christ As nothing shall seperate them from the love of God Angels Principalities Powers c. noâ—hing shall alter God's will towards them so noâ—hing shall alter their will towards God They shall not grow out of the Love of Christ into utter dislike or dis-esteem of him their Conversation shall be in Heaven they shall breath and long for Salvation They shall deny themselves and walk contrary to the World they shâ—ll â—vercome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their Testimony and not love their liveâ— o the Death For God shall work in them both 〈◊〉 will and do of his good pleasure c The End of the Fourth Discourse THE FIFTH DISCOURSE Of Sanctifying the Sabbath or Lord's Day ISAIAH lviij xiij If thou turn away thy Foot from the Sabbath from doing thy Pleasure on my Holy Day and call the Sabbath a delight the Holy of the Lord Honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own ways not finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Verse 14. Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord and I will cause thee to ride on the high places of the Earth and feed thee with the Heritage of Jacob thy Father For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it THe occasion of making choice of this Text is a late Discourse concerning a Reformation which there is ground to hope there will be in the World which will be usher'd in with some sweeping Judgment and therefore our present work is to prepare for a Storm Many Directions were given how we may prepare for a Storm The last was this Furnish your selves with those Graces with which the day of Reformation will flourish when it comes Now of many Graces mentioned which will live in that day this is one in that great day when the Church shall be glorious through the destruction of Anti-christ by an increase of â—ight so that the Earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Glory of the Lord as the Waters coveâ—â—he Sea and the Spouse shall be prepared as a Bride adorn'd to her Husband when the Jews shall be called and the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in and these shall be filled with all the fulness of God and there shall be a Church which shall be the fulness of him which filleth all in all In this glorious day the Sabbath shall be an Holy and Honourable day in the Churches of Christ and the Duties thereof shall be performed with great delight Now if you wiâ—l prepare for a Storm and have some hâ—ding place in the day of the Lord's anger See that you be found in a strict observation of the Lord's day Doctrine When suâ—h a Reformation shall come which shall mak◠〈◊〉 â—hurch glorious on Earth then shall the Sabbath be look'd on by the People of God as Hâ—ly â—nd Honâ—urable and shall be observed as with verâ— much strictne s so with great delight Or in fewer words thus In the last and purest of Gospel time there â—â—ll be a very strict observation of the Sabbath-day â—ich now we call the Lord's day Quest. You will ask what ground there is to conclude this from these words Answ Let the context be well considered and we shall see a Prophecy of such things which as yet have not had a full accomplishment but shall in the lâ—st days And the observation of the Sabbath is made the condition of the Promises here made if the Sabbath be duly kâ—pt then what is promised before and in the Text shall be performed and if it be so then God commands the keeping a Sabbath under the Gospel And as there was before so there was when the Law was given on Sinai a Sabbath given There remains a Sabbath a day of holy rest for the People of God Let us search this Scripture then and see whether there will not câ—me forth of it a Jus Divinum for a Sabbath now under the Gospel The Prophet was sent to shew the House of Jacob their Transgressions and in particular to reprove them of their Hypocrisy in the Duties they performed and especially in their fasting which was a counterfeit Fast and then shews them what is the true Fast and then makes many gracious Promises which is his usual method after reproving present Evils he makes Promises which not only had respect to present times but chiefly to the times of the Gospel as we see plainly in the next Chapter He mentions present Sins and present Judgments ver 16. He complains that no Man did endeavour to set things right and so declares the Lord putting on Righteousness and an Helmet of Salvation to execute Vengeance on his Enemies and then the Effect of this They shall fear the Lord from the West And then the Redeemer shall come to Zion And in this observe how suddenly he falls into Prophecying of Gospel times and the last of them For so he doth as appears Rom. 11.26 There shall come out of Sion the Redeemer and shall turn ungodliness from Jacob. Those words are brought in as a Proof for calling the Jews and bringing in the fulness of the Gentiles In like manner he doth here which will the better appear if we consider the particulars of this Prophecy in this Chapter which will manifest that these chiefly respect the last Gospel times 1. See ver 8. Thy Righteousness shall go before Thee c. that is The Lord thy Righteousness as he is call'd in Jer. 23.6 When we consider that their Righteousness shall go before that 's some evidence of this sense as best Besides in what time is it that Christ and the Church of the Jews shall be called by this Name and why In the place before mentioned it is said Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a Righteous Branch and a King shall Reign and prosper and shall Execute Judgment and Justice in the Earth In his days Judah and Israel shall dwell safely So 't is to be fulfilled when Israel as well as Judah are brought out of bondage then he shall be The Lord our Righteousness Jer.
difference betwixt the Godly and the Wicked at last to shew himself upright and that there is no unrighteousness in him Here then we see the proper work of the sabbath-Sabbath-day and other Duties as Preaching Prayer Meditation Holy Conferences that help forward the main Duties thereof The End of the Fifth Discourse THE SIXTH DISCOURSE Of Christ's Judging all the World ROMANS xiv x But why dost thou judge thy Brother or why dost thou set at nought thy Brother We shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ THe words are a strong and forcible argument to hold Men back from doing that which they are very prone to that is to judge one another There was a great deal of dissention amongst the Believers that Paul wrote to about the use of things in themselves indifferent as Meats and observation of Days the occasion was the inequality of Believers some converted from Gentilism Strangers from the Common-wealth of Israel did live in a freer use of time and meats not observing the Jewish Feasts not tying themselves to the use of meats that the Jews were stinted to under the Law Others that were Jews and were called and embraced the Faith of Christ being weak in Faith did not understand that the Legal Ceremonies were abrogated by the coming of Christ so out of reverence and respect to the Law did abstain from meats therein prohibited and did observe Fasts and Feasts therein enjoyned The believing Jew now contemned the believing Gentile as a contemner of the Law on the other side the believing Gentiles did condemn the Jews for their Judaizing and walking contrary to the liberty of the Gospel and the difference grew to such a height as that each side seems to condemn the other as not having a part in Christ. Now this proud contempt of each other the Apostle strikes at and labours to bring them down to a more charitable opinion and loving carriage one towards another We shall all stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ For us to Judge is to place our selves in Christ's Throne to which we shall be all cited by sound of the Trumpet and voice of the Arch-angel and there appear to receive a Sentence suitable to what we were in the body We are to be all Judged by Christ so be not Judges of one another The words hold forth the last and most glorious part of the Administration of Christ's Kingdom Hitherto you have heard only of Christ's ruling in the midst of his Enemies over his Church in the midst of Enemies or mingled with wicked i. e. Enemies not at all subdued and made his Footstool but at the last day he shall sit in a Seat and Throne above his Enemies which are at his left hand to be cursed and his Church come out from the midst of Enemies standing on his right hand to be blessed Doct. 1. There is a Judgment-seat prepared for Christ on which he shall sit at the last day 2. All Men shall stand and appear before his Judgment Seat to receive a Sentence out of his Mouth 1. Christ hath a Judgment Seat prepared Jude 14. Math. 25.31 He shall sit on the Throne of his Glory that is he shall not appear in the form of a Servant as when he came first in the Flesh and was despised but ln the form of the Son of God made Judge Act. 17.31 He will Judge the World by the Man Christ Jesus he shall be Judge not only as God but as Man 2 Cor. 5.10 We must till appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ After Death comes Judgment Heb. 9.27 Judgment shall come that is by Christ's coming to Judgment Quest. What is meant by Judgment Seat whether to be understood properly of a material Throne that Christ as Man shall sit on as Earthly Judges use to sit Answ That which may make for the clearing of this consider in these particulars 1. Christ shall descend from Heaven in that nature which ascended he shall descend He was in the World and shall come into the World again as said the Angel Act. 1.11 This same Jesus which was taken up from you into Heaven shall so come c. that is locally and in the same body thus said Christ himself I will come again and receive you to my self Joh. 14.3 And Paul 1 Thess 4.16 The Lord himself shall descend and Saints shall meet him in the Air as he that ascended is the same that descended into the lower parts that is the Grave so the same shall descend again He descended first by vertue of a Sentence pronounced against him next he shall descend to give Sentence against those that were against him 2. Christ shall visibly appear in the World he shall not hide himself as he did many times at his first coming but to be seen Men shall see their Judge Zach 12.10 They shall look upon me Rev. 1.7 Every Eye shall see him Saints shall see him in whom they have believed Sinners shall see him whom they peâ—secuted and despised It was Job's Comfort and Confidence I shall see my Redeemer he shall stand the latter day on Earth It seems he then comes further than the Air not only Saints see but Sinners Numb 24.17 Balaam said I shall see him but not nigh 3. He shall appear gloriously A Judgment seat is an honourable Place Judges sit in their Robes in the Seat of Justice So Christ shall be seen in his Glory Math. 24.30 with Power and Glory that is a visible brightness and fulgor Math. 25.31 in his Glory the Glory of the only begotten Son of God i. e. that becomes such a Person what this Glory is we can't yet know but shall when we see him Math. 24.30 The Sign of the Son of Man shall appear in Heaven that is as some exceeding Glory and Majesty in Heaven which shall bear witness that Christ the Lord of Heaven and Earth draweth near to Judge the World 1. In the Glory of the Father Math. 16.27 that is such Glory as declares him to be God equal with the Father which the Jews denied and then shall see it shall declare him to be an Infinite Person Heb. 1.2 He is the Express Image of his Father's Person and brightness of his Glory And as he is so he shall be seen at that day God shall be seen in Christ as he is in Christ the fulness of the Godhead in Christ's humane nature shall shine forth 2. With innumerable companies of Angels who shall be his Ministers in gathering the Elect. He hath glorious Attendants Math. 25.31 He shall come and all the Holy Angels Now he hath but a few Poor Men of the World to attend him his followers are esteem'd as himself in the days of his humiliation Rejected of Men despised of the People Christ chuses now the weak things of the World but then all his Angels shall come with him Jude 14. Ten Thousand of his Saints according to Enoch's Prophecy that is as 't is expounded Zech.