Chap. 38.8 16 Joel 3.1 Rev. 16.12 and that it will be in the Land of Judea that they shall be destroyed And they all shew the dreadful Effects that will follow Chap. 38.19 20 Joel 3.15.16 Rev. 16.18 19 20. And all agree that when this Battle is over there will be a peaceable and prosperous State of the Church this being the last Battle that ever will be fought in the World. So that if we view these Scriptures we shall see that they all speak of the same Enemies gathered together by the same Hand engaged against the same People at the same Time upon the same Occasion to be destroyed in the same Place and the same Effects to follow viz. terrible to the one and comfortable to the other So that you see this War is not a War in which the Enemies of God shall fight one against another as they often do upon divers Occasions but it will be a Combination of them all against CHRIST and his People and specially his antient People And these are as I understand the Gog and Magog intended by Ezekiel and the Gog and Magog mentioned Rev. 20 are the multiplied Posterity of those few of the Nations that shall be left when this Battle is over at the beginning of the Thousand Years when the Gog and Magog foretold by Ezekiel shall be destroyed in Armageddon But yet notwithstanding all that hath been said t is very likely there will be great Wars and much Blood shed and the Jews after their Return to their own Land will be much diminished brought very low as we may read in Dan. 12.1 There shall be such a Time of Trouble as never was since there was a Nation even to that same Time and at that Time shall thy People be delivered and the Prophet Zechariah tells us that many of them shall be cut off and die Chap. 13.8 the City taken and Houses rifled and Women ravished before the Lord go forth and fight against these Nations in the Battle of the great Day of God Almighty For t is a great doubt to me whether all this while that Nation will be converted to Christ and embrace Christianity until they be in their own Land and this great Battle be over For t is very unlikely considering how these dry Bones lie scattered most Parts of the World over and do hardly know themselves of what Nation they are much less do others know and it may be speak divers Languages and how the Gospel should be preached to them and to their Understandings and by whom and in what Tongue and whether seeing they have had the Gospel preached at least to their Predecessors already who did reject it and as they still do what Probability is there that they will now readily embrace it and that so suddenly so as to be born in a Day who hath heard such a Thing who hath seen such Things shall the Earth bring forth in one Day or shall a Nation be born or new born at once for as soon as Sion travelled she brought forth her Children Isai 66.8 I rather incline to think that God will some Way or other first bring them into their own Land and give them Advantage to return by drying up the River EUPHRATES that is as I conceive by diminishing and abating the great Power of the Turk in and about that Part of the World and that either by intestine Commotions or Wars with other Nations or both that so a Way may be prepared for these Kings of the East to return and this is to be done under the pouring out of the 6th Vial and now is the Time when these dry Bones will come together and stand upon their Feet and become an exceeding great Army and have Breath breathed into them and have a Civil Life put into them but no spiritual Life till they be in their own Land and at the Sound of the 7th Trumpet and the pouring out of the 7th Vial and after this great Battle when God will destroy all Nations that come against Jerusalem then he will pour upon them the Spirit of Grace Supplication and then will CHRIST personally visibly appear and they shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourn with a penetential Mourning and when his Feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives from whence he ascended then he will come and all his Saints with him Zech. 14.3.5 And this is the great Day of JEZREEL when the Children of Judah and the Children of Israel shall be gathered together and appoint them one Head Hos 1. ult when the Lord shall be King over all the Earth Zech. 14.9 and all the Kingdoms of this World become his Rev. 11.15 and now will Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the Children of Daniel's People and then they shall b e delivered and all this a Thousand Years before the general Judgment The Sum of all and that which I intend is this viz. That the Gog Magog spoken of by Ezekiel is not the same spoken of by John Rev. 20 nor any one Nation but a Compound of many Nations who shall engage in a War not one with another but principally with the Jews and that after their Return to their own Land Way being made for them by the Weakening of the Turkish Power on the Borders of Euphrates and after many Conflicts the Jews will be brought very low and much diminished and many Nations shall be gathered together in Battle against them to destroy them this Battle spoken of by Ezekiel Joel and John yet no spiritual Life till the Sound of the 7th Trumpet and the pouring out of the 7th Vial which probably will be by Christ himself when they shall be converted to Christianity partly by Vision Christ personally appearing to them whom they shall look upon and see with their Bodily Eyes and mourn under a deep Sense of their Sin and then t is likely will cry out as those converted Jews Act. 2.37 What shall we do and as Paul when struck down Lord what wilt thou have me to do then possibly the Gospel may be preached to them as it was to those and three Times three Thousand converted at one Sermon and that fulfil'd the Prophet spoken of before that a Nation it born at once and their Feet be accounted beautiful that bring these glad Tidings to them and then and never till then will they say blessed is he that cometh to us in the Name of the Lord. And now God assisting I shall write a little about the POURING OUT OF THE SPIRIT UPON ALL FLESH which is yet future at least in Part and as to the full Accomplishment thereof and as a Concommitant of all these Things from Joel 2.28 29 It shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh c. And here several Things offer themselves to Consideration as first what 's meant by Spirit and what by pouring out as also who
be meant by Spirit in this Prophesy and what by pouring out upon all Flesh together with the Effects of it and something as to the Time viz. the last Days as Peter renders it all which hath been Accomplished in Part or in whole That there is yet a further and future fulfilling of it is more than probable and that will appear if we view the Context both before and after It will be in those Days and at that Tâ—me when God will bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem be jealous for his Land and pity his People do great Thing for them deal wonderfully with them ver 26 when Judah shall dwell forever and Jerusalem from Generation to Generation and after he hath poured out upon them the Spirit of Grace and Supplication Zec. 12.10 and they be converted to Christianity When these Things shall be fulfilled all which is yet to come then afterward the Spirit shall he poured out on all Flesh then and not till then and all this will be before the great and terrible Day of the Lord come For further Demonstration hereof let it be considered that the Gospel must be preached both to Jews and Gentiles t is likely generally if not to all Nations how else shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a Preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent so then Faith cometh by hearing I might ask how shall they understand what they hear except it be spoken in their own Language T is possible they may receive Conviction of Unbelief by Vision by looking on him whom they have peirced and other Gentile Nations together with them for when he comes with Clouds every Eye shall see him Rev. 1.7 but yet there is something more necessary to Salvation besides Conviction of Sin. The Jews were convinced and Pricked at the Heart Act. 2.37 but yet they did not know what to do till Peter old them that they must repent and be baptized before they could receive the Gift of the holy Ghost Paul was convinced both by Voice and Vision but yet did not know what to do nor would CHRIST tell him but sends him to Ananias and he was to tell him what he should do Act. 9.6 The Jaylor was convinced by an Earthquake but yet did not know what to do to be saved till told by Paul and Silas CHRIST hath a great Harvest yet to fetch in all the World over both among Jews and Gentiles and it will not come in without a great many Hands and we pray for the Coming in of it but never think of Hands but CHRIST will find Hands and qualify them for his Service he did so at his last Harvest he poured out his Spirit upon them by extraordinary Gifts without which they could not Work and why may we not think he will do it again The same Promise of the Father by Vertue of which the Spirit was then given for any Thing I know still remains good and is not out of Date nor fully accomplished till this Work be done also And if we pray the Lord of the Harvest to send forth Labourers into his Harvest he will do it tho' we cannot tell who or what they will be And when this Harvest is over CHRIST hath another Harvest and this is a great Harvest too and this must be done with other Instruments Swords and Sickles Chap. 3.10.13 Plowshares must be beaten into Swords and Pruning-hooks into Spears when their Wickedness is great then the Harvest is ripe and then put in the Sickle We have a further Discription of this Harvest Rev. 14.16 where CHRIST is brought in or represented to us sitting on a Cloud with a sharp Sickle in his Hand and an Angel crying to him thrust in thy Sickle and reap for the Harvest of the Earth is ripe and he that sat on the Cloud thrust in his Sickle and the Earth was reaped The same Thing is signified to us both by Joel and John by a Vintage and the Cry of an Angel to him that had the sharp Sickle to thrust in his Sickle and gather the Clustors of the Vine of the Earth for her Grapes are fully ripe and the Angel thrust in his Sickle into the Earth and gathered the Vine of the Earth and cast it into the great Wine-press of the Wrath of God and the Wine-press was trodden without the City and Blood came out of the Wine-press even unto the Horse Bridles by the Space of a Thousand and six Hundred Furlongs And this I understand to be the great and terrible Day of the Lord of which the Prophet speaks in this Context and the Battle of the great Day of God Almighty Rev. 16.14 mentioned also Zec. 14.2.3 and elsewhere in Scripture But of this I have written more fully when we spake of the great Battle of Gog and Magog to which the Reader is referred and this I conceive will be the pouring out of the last Vial when the great Voice shall be heard out of the Temple of Heaven and from the Throne saying IT IS DONE Thus although I have written but a little yet it is more than I intended when I first began but not half so much as might have been written to every one of these Things nor by far what hath been written by others upon these Subjects but I would not impose upon any Man's Understanding nor be offended with such as are otherwise minded yet they may do well without Prejudice impartially to search the Scriptures and see whether these Things be so or no And now for a CONCLUSION I shall propose some useful Considerations touching what hath been mentioned in this Discourse And first we may take Notice by this little Scrip how much and how many great Things God hath yet to do in the World how much of the Prophetical Part of the Scripture is yet unfulfilled how many great and glorious Things are yet unaccomplished which are to be done now in this last Age of the World in the Deliverance of his Church People out of the Hands of all their Adversaries Power and the Destruction of all the Enemeies of Christ and his Kingdom in bringing about all his glorious Designs which he hath purposed in himself and hath promised the Accomplishment of for his own Glory and the Advancement of the Kingdom of Christ in this Worl when all the Kingdoms of this World shall be his and he shall reign and his Name be great from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same a little and but a little thereof hath been hinted in this Discourse I further propose that seeing these Things and many Things more which might be named must come to pass what Manner of Persons ought we to be in all holy Conversation and Godliness Looking for and hastening to the Coming of the Day of God and our Lord Jesus Christ that we may be found of him in Peace without Spot and
since the World began Concerning the glorious State of this Kingdom of Christ in this World something hath been hinted before which may be further evinced from the Scriptures And First as to a plentiful Effusion of the SPIRIT promised that it shall be poured out from on high when the Wilderness shall become a fruitful Field Isa 32.15 which is to be understood of great Measures and Degrees of all saving Grace Promised also Zech. 12.10 to be poured out upon the House of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem But when is it when they shall look non him whom they have pierced and mourn Also Ezekiel 36.27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes But when When they are gathered out of all Countries and brought to their own Land ver 24. And this will not only be 1. a Spirit of LIGHT and KNOWLEDGE but 2 there will be much HOLINESS It will be to such a Degree as never was in the World since the Beginning of it So great that some Men have thought though I am not of that Opinion that there will be no Unholiness at least not in the Saints but that the Subjects of this Kingdom shall sin no more See further what the Scripture speaks to this Isa 35.8 An high Way shall be there And it shall be called the Way of Holiness The Unclean shall not pass over it Hence called God's holy Mountain Isai 65. ult the Mountain of his Holiness Jer. 32.23 Upon the Bells of Horses and Pots shall be Holiness Zech. 14.20 3dly As to RIGHTEOUSNESS the People shall be all Righteous they shall inherit the Land forever Isai 35.8 Hence they are called a righteous Nation Chap. 26.2 The Habitation of Justice Jer. 31.23 Here Righteousness aud PEACE will kiss each other Psa 85 which is next proposed to Consideration For CHRIST being the Prince of Peace Isa 9.6 there shall be Peace in his Kingdom and under his Government The Mountains shall bring Peace to his People Psal 72.3 In his Days shall be abundance of Peace so long as the Moon endureth ver 7 and I am sure that will be to the End of the Thousand Years Again Great shall be the Peace of thy Children Isa 54.13 Peace to him that is far off and Peace to him that is near Chap. 57.19 Peace like a River A Succession of Peace as of Waters in a River Jerusalem shall be a quiet Habitation and a peaceable resting Place Isa 32.18 33.20 They shall not learn War any more nor any Weapon that is formed against them shall prosper Again there will be JOY when the Lord reigneth the Earth will rejoice Psal 97.1 and ver 8 Sion heard and was glad and the Daughters of Judah rejoiced sing for Joy of Heart Isai 65.14 rejoice with Joy and Singing everlasting Joy will be upon their Heads and they shall obtain Joy and Gladness and Sorrow and Sighing shall flee away Therefore in this Kingdom of Christ during the Thousand Years there will be no more Apostacy or Backsliding in Holiness or as it was in the Days of Noah and Lot when the World was filled with Violence and all Flesh had corrupted their Way Neither is there the least Hint in Scripture of any Backsliding after this Thousand Years is begun For then there could not be everlasting Joy on their Heads nor could Sorrow and Sighing flee away No more pricking Briar nor grieving Thorn no more Persecution by wicked Men no more violent Death nor Sorrow nor Crying nor any more Pain upon any such account For then Sorrow and Sighing would not flee away nor would Tears be wiped from their Eyes We may further take notice that this Time will be a Time of great LIGHT The Earth shall be filled with the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea The Light of the Moon shall be as the Light of the Sun And the Light of the Sun as the Light of seven Days At the Time of the End Knowledge shall be increased Dan. 12.4 Then there will be a glorious Accomplishment of Predictions and Prophesies which now to us are dark and obscure and the Book which is now sealed at the Time of the End will be opened Much more might be added to what hath been written but we shall at present give some Scriptures which speak of this EXTERNAL AND OUTWARD HAPPINESS First long Life Isai 65 there shall be no more thence an infant of Days nor an old Man that hath not filled his Days for the Child shall die an Hundred Years old for as the Days of a Tree are the Days of my People Again they shall enjoy a Fulness of other temporal Blessings build Houses plant Vineyards and eat the Fruit of them Isai 65. Their Floors shall be full of Wheat and the Fat 's shall overflow with Wine and Oyl and they shall eat in plenty and praise the Name of the Lord that hath dealt wonderfully with them and they shall never be ashamed Joel 2. Then will be fulfilled according to the Letter spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Mat. 5.5 Blessed are the Meek for they shall inherit the Earth which hitherto they have not done Oh glorious Things are spoken of thee O City of God Selah Psal 87 3. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the City of our God in the Mountain of Holiness beautiful for Situation the Joy of the whole Earth the City of the great King Psal 48.1 2 which Places ultimately refer to this Time and the glorious State of the Church in the last Age of the World. The Church of old was called the Lord's Portion Deut. 32.9 his pleasant Portion Jer. 12.10 his Inheritance Isai 19.25 and the dearly beloved of his Soul his Treasure Exod. 19.5 his Glory Isai 46.13 But the Gospel Church is call'd a Crown of Glory Isai 62.3 the House of his Glory a royal Diadem These are high Expresses of the Glory of the Church in the Thousand Years of Christ's Kingdom in this World. And thus I have written a little and but a little may see a Glimpse and but a Glimpse of Sions Glory much of which is yet to come And from all that which is here written we may gather that if the Times immediately preceding the personal visible and glorious Appearance of Christ at his second Coming be Times of deep Security general Sensuality open Prophaness and Apostacy as hath been declared before then it must needs be that Christ will appear before the Thousand Years because after those Years are began there will be no such Times of Wickedness and Prophaness as hath been also shewed before but the first is undeniable and therefore the second must and will necessarily follow for it cannot be imagined by any that know or understand any Thing of the glorious State of the Church during that Time which hath been mentioned before and which hath been so abundantly declared both by the Prophets and Apostles should
the Mountains be exalted above the Hills And lest any should think this hath been already fulfilled the 4th Verse will tell us no for it will be when Swords must be beaten into Plow-shares and Spears into Pruning-Hooks and when they should learn War no more And Paul tells us that in the last Days shall come perilous Times that is the latter Part of the last Days 2 Tim. 3.1 This is called also the latter Times 1 Tim. 4.1 when some shall depart from the Faith. Job tells us that CHRIST shall stand at the latter Day upon the Earth Chap. 19.25 Baalim also prophesied what great Things God would do for Israel in the latter Days I will advertise thee what this People shall do to thy People in the latter Days Numb 24.14 Hosea also speaking of the Calling of the Jews saith it will be in the latter Days Chap. 3.5 they shall fear the Lord and his Goodness in the latter Days So that we see there is the last Days and the latter Part of the last Days and yet all this long before the ultimate Day There is yet another remarkable Period of Time which is yet future and that will be at the second or next Coming of CHRIST His first Coming was to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself his second Coming will be without Sin to our Salvation of which we have written before his first Coming was mean in outward Appearance his second Coming will be unspeakably glorious with Power and great Glory Matt. 24. When he comes to build up Sion he will appear in his Glory Psa 102.16 Then he will come with Ten Thousand of his Saints and take unto himself his great Power and reign and all the Kingdoms of this World become his Rev. 11.15 deal wonderfully with and for his People Joel 2.26 I do not know any one Thing in Scripture more insisted on than the Glory of the latter Part of the last Days including the Thousand Years of the Kingdom of Christ until the last Judgment A short Account of several Things which will then be done have already been given in this Discourse but 't is beyond my Understanding to declare what great Things are yet to be done in the World and how much of Prophecy is yet unfulfilled And among other Things there will be a more full Accomplishment of the pouring out of the Spirit in converting Grace and the saving Gifts and Graces of the SPIRIT both upon Jews and Gentiles when the Spirit shall be poured out from on High Isa 32.15 and the Wilderness that is as I understand the Jews be called becomes a fruitful Field and the fruitful Field becomes a Forest that is the Fuluess of the Gentiles be brought in There is a double Fulness of the Gentiles one is from the Time of the Jews Rejection until their Conversion This is called the Riches of the World and the Riches of the Gentiles Rev. 11.12 And this is also called the Fulness of the Gentiles ver 25. There is also another Fulness of the Gentiles and that is to commence soon after or in Conjunction with the Calling of the Jews and this is clear from Rom. 11.12 compared with ver 15. From the Fulness of the Jews there will be a greater Fulness to the Gentiles than ever they had before It will be Life from the Dead ver 15 for the Gentiles at this Time in all Likelihood will be in a low Condition till the Glory of the Lord be risen upon the Jews Darkness will cover the Earth and gross Darkness the People Isai 60.2 and that not only to the Body of Gentile Nations but wise as well as foolish Virgins will be slumbering and sleeping little Faith on Earth when the Son of Man cometh little Hope of reviving the Work of Conversion till this Time be over We have a sad Description of the latter Part of the last Times immediately preceeding this remarkable Time before spoken of 2 Tim. 3. And t is very likely that those Gentile Nations that do not now come in will never come in nor be converted Upon them shall be no Rain that come not to Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles Zech. 14.17 19 And this will be a remarkable Time and a great Day when the Children of Judah and the Children of Israel shall be gathered together and appoint them one Head it will then be the great ' Day of Jezreel Hos 3.5 Yet I do not understand this Day to be the great and terrible ' Day of the Lord of which Joel speaks for that is to be AFTERWARD that is after the Jews are called and the Fulness of the Gentiles are come in to the Obedience of the Gospel Neither do I conceive that yet either Jew or Gentile had received any other Gifts of the Spirit than those that were ordinary neither were extraordinary Gifts ever given to any that I know of but to those who were already converted nor given together with saving Grace and the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit Neither do I think that the Prophet doth intend at all any other Gifts but such as are extraordinary in this Prophesy for if when the Gospel was first to be preached to all Nations God saw that extraordinary Gifts were necessary and therefore tho' the Apostles had commission to go teach all Nations Mat. 28.19 yet they must tarry at Jerusalem till they were furnished with extraordinary Gifts and why are not extraordinary Gifts necessary as well now as they were then the Case being the same T is true by Virtue of their former Commission they did preach to the Jews but were forbidden to go into the Way of the Gentiles till now And as Christ gave extraordinary Grifts for the Publication of the Gospel to all Nations so he appointed extraordinary Officers for that Work some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists Eph. 4.11 and gave them suitable Power for the Execution of their respective Commissions And we have good Reason to believe that when the Gospel was preached to all Nations the End being attained that these extraordinary Gifts of Tongues Prophesy and Miracles ceased as the Apostle foretold they should 1 Cor. 13.8 and consequently therewith all extraordinary Officers and what Power they had been vested withal And for ought I know this may be a good Answer to those that are of Opinion that there is Church Power resident in some other Ecclesiastical Persons besides ordinary stated Church Officers but if there be such an Order of Men in the Worl pray what may we call their Names have they Scripture Names are they Apostles or Prophets or Evangelists or can they work Miracles or have they the Gifts of Healing CHRIST always gives Names to all his Officers and states the Duties of their Places and if they are extraordinary Officers they must have an extraordinary Call but haec obiter i.e. ly the Way And now having written briefly what may
ever apostatize so as to be as it was in the Days of Noah and Lott when the whole World was corrupt fill'd with Violence Read their woful Wickedness Gen. 6. 19 and then consider if ever there will be such Wickedness committed during the Thousand Years of Christ Kingdom in this World and there is not the least Hint of declining and if not then it will be a Truth that Christ will come before that Time. And now having written something of Christ's Coming and of the Time and Manner of it and of the Signs foregoing it in further Prosecution thereof we shall propound several Scriptures to Consideration and then as God shall help write something of the Resurrection of the Body and of Judgment to come First Let us consider of such Scriptures as speak of this Coming of Christ We have formerly spoken of Zech. 12.10 they shall look on him whom they i. e. the elect Jews look on Christ whom they in their Fore-fathers pierced and mourn for him as one for an only Son with a great and general Mourning Lands mourn Families mourn apart Prophesied of Jer. 31.19 by smiting on the Thigh and by being ashamed and confounded And this is not a desperate but a penitential Mourning as is evident For 't is when the Spirit of Grace and Supplication is poured out upon them and when a Fountain is opened for them for Sin and for Uncleanness Nor can this be referred to the general Judgment for then will be no such Fountain opened then t will be too late to repent And this must be understood of a personal Appearance how else should they look on him they shall see the Son of Man Coming in the Clouds of Heaven Mat. 24.21 26.64 that is not with an Eye of Faith for that is the Evidence of Things not seen but with their bodily Eyes Rev. 1.7 behold he cometh with Clouds and every Eye shall see him whether they have Faith or no and they also that have pierced him And who can tell but this might be one Reason why Christ was peirced that the Jews might be convinced and so converted at the Sight thereof See Zech. 14.4 his Feet shall stand at that Day upon the Mount of Olives In what Day Why t is in the Day when Christ shall come and all his Saints with him ver 5 and when the Jews shall see him and mourn It was from this Mount he ascended and so he was to come again in like Manner Act. 1.11 And doubtless the Place to which Christ comes will be in Judea and at or near Jerusalem where all Nations shall be gathered together to Battle Chap. 14.2 Another Scripture is Mat. 23. ult Ye shall not henceforth see me until ye shall say blessed is he that cometh to us in the Name of the Lord then they shall cry as the Multitude did Mat. 21 Hosanna in the highest i. e. acknowledge Christ to be the Messiah and be converted whereby we may gather that then they shall see him And in Act. 3.21 whom the Heavens must contain or receive until the Times of the Restitution of all Things and then God would send Jesus but of this before Like unto this is that Psal 110.1 Sit thou at my right Hand till I make thine Enemies thy Footstool implying that then Christ should set at the Fathers right Hand no longer and all this before the general Judgment Again Psal 102.16 when the Lord shall build up Sion he shall appear in his Glory then he will hear the Groans of the poor Prisoners and proclaim Liberty to the Captives Another Scripture is 2 Thes 2.8 't is said there that Christ shall destroy the Man of Sin with the Brightness of his Coming or appearing i. e. a personal Appearing the Word Epiphania imports a personal Appearance And Christ is said to come down from Heaven to bind Satan at the Beginning of the Thousand Years and the Beast was to be destroyed before that Time Rev. 19.20 and cast alive into Hell. I shall instance only in one Scripture more and that is in Heb. 9.28 't is said there that Christ shall appear the second Time without Sin to them that look for him to their Salvation Whether all that shall be saved by him look for his Appearance or whether he will appear to the Salvation of any other the second Time I shall not determine Only this that in an Hour when good Servants think not of the Son of Man comes Matt. 24.44 and to the evil Servant in a Day when he looked not for him ver 50 I shall speak only to the Time. But it may be tho 't that this Text makes against such as hold that Christ will come before the general Judgment And it may be not I know that most Men who understand any Thing of these Matters do understand and that rightly that this Appearance the second Time is a personal Appearance of Christ but think that 't is at the last Judgment But that is their Mistake for the Apostle knew well that the second Coming of Christ would be to destroy the Man of Sin and other Enemies and that long before the last Day 2 Thes 2.7 and had told the Thessalonians so and had told the Romans what Isaiah had spoken Chap. 59.20 that the Redeemer should come to Sion to them that turn from Transgression in Jacob and applies it to the Conversion of the Jews Rom. 11.26 and he knew it would be at his second Coming out of Zec. 12.10 Matt. 24.30 long before the End of the World and therefore did not mean the last Judgment in this Place And whereas 't is said he shall come the second Time without Sin to our Salvation we know or may know that Salvation in Scripture is taken more Ways than one There is a temporal Salvation as well as a spiritual and an eternal Salvation and 't is a temporal Salvation intended in this Text as I understand Luk. 1.71 Christ was to save his People from their Enemies and from the Hands of all that hate them that we being delivered out of the Hands of our Enemies might serve him without Fear And indeed the great Work and Business that Christ hath to do in this World at his next or second Coming will be to destroy his Enemies and to deliver his People that they may serve him without Fear which hitherto they could never do therefore 't is said 2 Thes 1.6.7 'T is a righteous Thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled Rest or Refreshing as the Word may be rendered But when this hath never yet been no but it shall be at his second or next Coming when he shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels and when he shall come to be glorified in his Saints ver 10. And 't is likely these are those Times of Refreshing which shall come from the Presence of the Lord and that Rest mentioned Heb.