Texts of Scripture seem to me fully to evidence it as first that great Promise That they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn with such a penitent Contrition promised to them in mercy Zac. 12.10 compared with Rev. 1.7 with Even so Amen as a great mercy in its time to be accomplished And from St. Peter's Sermon to the Jews when he tells them That the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord at the restitution of all things shall come when God will send Jesus whom the Heavens must contain till then Act. 3.19 20 21. which the Apostle Paul calls Christs apearing at his Kingdom 2 Tim. 4.1 and in Dan. 7. after the little Horn the Pope spoken of before verse 9. the Ancient of Days did sit and in verse 21. the little Horn prevailed until the Ancient of Days came verse 22. which is further explained vers 26 27. And Matth. 24. after the coming of the Son of man was described by the Lightning from one part of the Heaven to the other and after the trouble then to be upon the Earth vers 29. it is said Immediately shall appear the sign of the Son of man which is probably conceived to be Christ himself as a sign then to the whole World and the time seems decyphered verse 24. that that Generation shall not pass namely in that the Nation of the Jews was to remain distinguished from all other People for they have been and will be preserved mostly unmixed with others until the appearing of Christ and as 2 Thess 2.8 Antichrist is to be destroyed at the appearance of his coming So likewise Matth. 23.39 Ye shall not see me till ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord implying that then they shall see him And in that Parable up-upon the occasion of the time of the appearing of the Kingdom of God verse 11. having before Chap. 17. compared the days of the Son of man to the days of Noah and Lot which latter of Lot seems to resemble the next appearing of Christ and the former namely of Noah his last coming to Judgement those two days of the Son of man Now as Lot and his Family were sent out of Sodom first before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in that particular destruction so the Faithful shall first come out of Babylon and spiritual Sodom before it be destroyed in that partial destruction though like to be very great and terrible And as Noah and his in the general Deluge were carried by the Ark above the destruction of the old World by Water so in the general conflagration of the World at Christs last coming all the Faithful at their great general change shall be caught up to Christ their safe Ark in the Air above the destruction of the Wicked by fire at the Worlds last destruction and as the Rabbins speak from the Prophet Their strength shall then be renewed like the Eagles and be there with Christ in safety as neither lyable nor capable any more of any such misery I say then in the 11th Chapter he speaks of such a coming vers 13. when he will reckon with such as would nor have him reign over them and with the unprofitable Servant at his coming v. 23. and will have those his Enemies then brought and slain before him vers 27. when he shall receive his Kingdom and return as vers 12. and this Parable was particularly spoken by our Saviour to resolve the mistake of such as thought the Kingdom of the Messiah should then immediately appear vers 11. And many of the Prophers expressions import as much which I shall not now insist upon But for how long and in what manner he may be personally present so as Rev. 1.7 he is said to come with Clouds haply to unvail the brightness of his Glory which otherwise mortal Eyes could not endure I dare not say for as the Apostle Paul speaks he dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto otherwise As no man hath seen him so no man can see him 1 Tim. 6.16 and whether after some time of his appearing personally that expression of the Tabernacle of God its being with men as Rev. 21.3 imports some wonderful Glory and Grace upon the New Jerusalem as upon the Tabernacle of his Grace of old or the Glory of God shining upon it as Isa 60.1 whose Sun and Light setteth not day nor night vers 19 20. by some brightness of Glory and Grace shining upon her continually making glad the City of God when the Lamb shall be her Light as Rev. 21.23 or their beholding of him as Stephen did miraculously at his death sitting at Gods right Hand or in what manner the Ark of Gods Testament shall then be seen when the Temple of God is opened in Heaven Rev. 11.19 with many expressions to like purpose or how long that Resurrectio Justorum shall be in finishing which Mr. Mede in one of his Letters seems to conceive may be a great part of the thousand years and according to their order as the Apostles phrase is first of the Martyrs and most eminent Saints and so of the rest successively concerning which and the like as I am in the dark so I must be silent God in his own time will reveal what he knows best for his People in the mean time there is matter enough of Comfort and Rejoycing in respect of both Quick and Dead in the good and blessed Condition of his Church in the said thousand years upon Earth to all such as so wait upon Christ here as the true Followers of the LAMB Rev. 14. that they may be in a capacity of the Happiness reserved for either sort in those times for which the Holy Scriptures give plentiful Evidence if Men will not hide their Eyes from the Light thereof Thus Christian Friend I have as in a Mirrour briefly being led by the Hand of Divine Providence and assisted by his Grace and Spirit according to his Word endeavoured to set before thee these Materials of the New Jerusalem-Doctrine hoping that hence thou mayest with me have gladness put into thy Heart above what men have when their Corn and Wine and Oyl encreaseth Psal 4. I conclude with this Prayer for Thee and my Self That the Knowledge and Faith of these things may be sanctified dayly more and more unto us and may more and more engage our Hearts unto the LORD to whom all the service of our whole Spirits Souls and Bodies is ever due and in the faithful endeavour therein our labour will never be in vain Many other things I should here have added to like purposes but am now forced to defer them till God may afford some further engaging Opportunity In the mean time let us render unto Him the Glory of all we are or have or do or expect which ever of Right will belong unto His Divine Majesty To Glory's GOD all Glory 's due for aye To Him alone This Due let all His pay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The End 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ERRATA In the Title Page for Aurorum read Auroram pag. 26. l. 7. r. they p. 25. l 4. r. cast up p. 31. l 36 r said wings and l. 40. r. fifth Century p. 32. l. 21. add to be expired
ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΣ THE FORE-RUNNER OF CHRIST's Peaceable KINGDOM upon EARTH Mal. 4.5 Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord. Matth. 17.11 Jesus answered and said unto them Elias truly shall first come and restore all things but I say unto you Elias is come already and they knew him not c. The Evening and the Morning were the first Day so of the 2d 3d 4th 5th and 6th dayes Gen. 1.5 8 13 19 23 31. Likewise will the dark Evening precede the seventh Millenary of the World in reference whereunto note the words of St. Peter 2 Pet. 3.8 A thousand years as one day Post funestam Gogi Magogi cladem i.e. Papae Turcae Ezek. 38.39 Describitur Nova Hierusalem cui nomen Jenovah Shamma Dominus Ibid. c. 48. ad finem Baptistes Dominum Messiam praeit Elias Aurorum Vesper funebria tetra triumphum The Baptist did the Lord precede Elias Moshahh will The Night the Day Christ's triumph shall The Earth with slaughter fill Hoc Omega suis Munus Alpha tulit Christ this for his did bring so Munus for his friends London Printed in the Year 1665. To the Reader True Christian Friend whoever thou art or maist be AS in the sequel both of this little Parcel and of the therein-named Tract of Christ's Kingdom on Earth to come I have endeavoured with the Woman of Samaria to impart to thee and all that truly fear God as good news for thy whole spirit soul and body as I have received from Christ and am perswaded in my own heart that I have been taught chiefly and remarkably from his Word and Spirit Yet sith that there are I conceive by the same means setled apprehensions wrought upon my heart of terrible things to come upon the World before that time If such admonition thereof may be useful unto thee or such Warning made profitable to any persons that hereafter God may in mercy bring out of the Mystical Babylon or any other bondage of Satan before the great ensuing Destruction come and so by this or any such means thou mayest receive benefit to thy soul or promote it to others and that I may self may at least be clean from the blood of all men as the Apostle spake to those refractory Jews his Brethren according to the flesh Acts 18.6 I have under the Glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ shortly to appear as Tit. 2.13 attained my end herein And for what remains I shall not cease to pray in the behalf of thee and others that by the Blessing of God upon this poor endeavour or any other good means which he may in his good pleasure raise up to such blessed purposes that so from all of us to his most holy and glorious Majesty the due praise of all his glorious Grace may evermore be rendred through Jesus Christ and by the Lord the Spirit In whom I am and ever shall be thine in all he hath or may hereafter make me useful to serve thy soul as such MUNUS Septemb. 29. 1664. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 3. Or A Warning to the wicked World A Watch-word to wise Virgins Rev. 14.4 Dan. 12.10 None of the Wicked shall understand But the Wise shall understand Mal. 4.1 BEhold the Day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble and the Day that cometh shall burn them up saith the LORD of Hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch Mal. 3.1 2 3. Behold I will send my Messenger to wit to the Jews and he shall prepare the way before me and the LORD whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in Behold he shall come saith the LORD of Hosts Ver. 2. But who may abide the Day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a Refiners fire and like Fullers soap Ver. 3. And he shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer unto the LORD an Offering in Righteousness Luke 19.27 But those mine Enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Even 2 Thess 2.8 The Wicked-one with his followers whom he shall destroy with the appearance of his coming Dan. 12.1 There shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation Numb 24.23 Alas who shall live when God shall do this Rev. 16.15 BEhold I come as a Thief Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Haggi 2.6 7. Thus saith the LORD of Hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land Ver. 7. And I will shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations shall come With Heb. 12.26 Mal. 4.2 3. But unto you that fear my Name shall the Sunne of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall Ver. 3. And ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soals of your feet in the day that I shall do this saith the LORD of Hosts Mal. 3.17 18. And they shall be mine saith the LORD of Hosts in that day that I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Ver. 18. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Rev. 14.4 5. These are they which were not defiled with Women avoiding the Idolatry of the times for they are Virgins †For being espoused as a chast Virgin unto Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 They reject Image and Idol-worship Worship of evil men departed and Saints of Crosses and Crucifixes Opinion of merit works of Supererogation Church-Treasury Saints Intercession Mens Pardons Indulgences and all such devices for freeing them from their sins as also all opinions of Self-sufficiency Free-will Light within them Natural-conscience Creature-sufficiency or any thing that intrencheth upon any of Christs Offices as their Prophet Priest or King who is all to them for Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 11.30 these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth these were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Ver. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Certain suitable and seasonable portions of Prophetical-Scriptures left for the benefit of Wisdoms Children here tendered to be observed by them in order following THe first is Rev. 16.12 And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great River Euphrates and the water
to whom it will belong as being appointed to them by his Father in his own time namely at Christs appearing Here consider that Christ saith he came not to destroy the Law and Paul saith he established the Law and this is necessary to vindicate this Doctrine from scandal and to warn well-meaning persons that they think not upon seeming-fair pretences of good to attempt to do evil God having revealed that he will set up that Kingdom himself and that only in his own appointed time On the other side saith our Saviour He that breaketh the least Commandment and teacheth men so shall be the least that is none in the Kingdom of Heaven As he answered the mother of Zebedees children Mat. 20.23 It shall be given to them for whom it is appointed of my Father appointed as well for the time when as persons to whom These and the like errors being removed from it I think it may have an honourable and comfortable place in matter of true Christian Faith as containing the best times of the most holy Catholick Church upon Earth that we are to believe or hope for and the excellentest Communion of Saints that we are in this world to expect And likewise that we are now specially by our prayers to labour to promote as God of old directed his People when their time of deliverance from Babylon drewon Jer. 39. Then said he they shall call on me and I will answer c. And when Daniel by Books understood the mind of God therein he set himself by fasting and prayer to seek for and help forward if it might be the accomplishment of such revealed Grace So now also that new Babel is abundantly revealed to God's People to be shortly to be thrown down and the New-Jerusalem much more abundantly revealed in Scripture shortly thereupon to be set up The Faith and Prayer of God's People ought in their sphear to seeks to promote it and I observe the Dutch Notes though by men of different Judgments yet in the Preface of the nine last Chapters of Ezekiels Prophecy apply what is there said to some wonderful Glory of a Jerusalem to come of which the former restoring of the Jews from old Babylon was but a Type Besides I observe many Psalms and many passages in many other Psalms more than I reade in Mr. Archers Book to tend so this way that otherwise as such Prophetical-Scriptures besides seem not to have any probable fulfilling but according to Revelation Interpretation as I may call it which I must acknowledge I never did nor ever was like rightly and groundedly to have understood but according to the tenour of that blessed Book And as Israels coming out of Egypt tended to the actual giving of them after forty years space the possession of Canaan of old so God's Peoples coming out of the spiritual Egyptian Antichristian bondage now approaching tends to bring all God's true Israel into the New-Jerusalem that comes down from Heaven Rev. 20. and is it not a main drift of the most if not of all the petitions in the Lord's Prayer to this purpose for when hath Gods Name been so comparably hallowed in Earth as it is in Heaven as then it will be both by Men and Angels in all he is made known by to his People When wil his Kingdom come with such power to any sutableness in Earth as it is and will be in Heaven but when the Kingdoms of this World are the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ Rev. 11.15 And likewise when at the same time Rev. 19. God's People shall so rejoyce when the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth because as it followeth in the next verse his Bride hath made her self ready And consequently when will the Will of God be done in Earth as it is by the blessed Angels in Heaven but when his Subjects are of most obedient hearts and loyal spirits as they will be under such a prevalent reigning of Christ When may daily Bread this day any day be so comfortably and confidently prayed for and expected as when the particular promises of the greatest confluences of Temporal and Spiritual Blessings are to be fulfilled in their proper season to their best purposes c. When may we with such comfort and confidence pray for forgiveness of our Trespasses this day any day as when our hearts shall witness with us we least allow our sins When shall we be so assured of our own pardon as when our spirits are most free and clear in pardoning others in case they offend against us When can we so confidently pray to be delivered from the evil one and evil works with the consequents thereof this day any day as when Satan shall be known to be bound Rev. 20.3 and many great temptations removed and a very great measure of Grace attained and near Communion with Christ enjoyed in this World Yea and will not the following enforcements of Prayer set down by our Saviour be then most clearly applicable when the Kingdom is most manifestly Gods and the Power both to obtain it at his own time and pleasure and so likewise to retain it appears clearly his and consequently all Glory as his due shall be rendred unto him to all eternity Amen Amen And for the Martyrs and Saints to be raised at the entrance of Christ on this his Kingdom to have their part in the New Jerusalem I had the like thoughts before to what I find in other Authors That they should be in a state such as Christ was in after his own Resurrection while he was not ascended to his Father but when I consider the many Prophesies of all those great things in the Old Testament so confirmed in the New and specially applyed in the Revelation to the New Jerusalem not only by allusion but by application of the Spirit of God and Christ himself in a special manner Rev. 10.7 as he declared to his Servants the Prophets And at that time reward is to be given to his Servants the Prophets Rev. 11.18 and to his Saints and to them that fear his Name both great and small as it follows in the same Scripture And it is of main weight in this point that when the Chorus was set about the Throne Rev. 4.1 2 3. c. when Saint John was to receive the Visions of that Book there is a glorious appearance of God described and the Rainbow round about the Throne as doing all to his Church through the Covenant of Grace through the Blood of Christ his only begotten Son and the seven Lamps burning before the Throne deciphering the seven Spirits or the Holy Ghost with his Gifts and Graces as Rev. 1.4 more clearly in Rev. 5. there is a Book in the Hand of him that sat upon the Throne which none was found worthy to open but the Lamb that had been as it were slain having seven Horns and seven Eyes vers 6. which occasioned the four living Wights and twenty four Elders to sing a