new Song and afterwards fall down and worship but the top of rejoycing for all that was in the Book and after all that should be done and suffered by and for and in Christs Church which they represented in that vision it was this which was the great enforcement of their joy while the World was to continue And say they vers 10. we shall reign upon Earth And that Subject of such their reign there after all their labours and sufferings of the Saints as their time of refreshment Acts 3.19 and Sabbatism or rest Heb. 4. is largely treated of in sundry Particulars in the 19 20 21 22. the four last Chapters of the Book of the Revelations and that those things therein contained must necessarily be understood of the state of God's Church upon earth according to the series and order of the Book in the last times and therefore were never yet accomplished take into serious consideration the brief abridgment of Reasons and Testimonies following to that purpose 1. The New Jerusalem is said to come down from God chap. 21.2 and not to ascend up or be taken up unto God as the Church Tryumphant at the last day shall be 1 Thes 4.17 Christ will take the Church up to himself John 14.3 it shall not come down after the last Judgment to remain here 2. The Church is said to be prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband I conceive the New Jerusalem that comes down from God will be a kind of tryumphant Church consisting of the raised Saints though in the thousand years it be not fully glorified yet perfectly sanctified and saved Rev. 20. knowing in due season they shall be so glorified as 1 John 3.2 3. But all others of the faithful in the natural life shall walk in the light of that Jerusalem the Mother of us all Gal. 4. Rev. 21.24 and accordingly the several Texts relating to either are to be destinguished vers 2. Now the Church Tryumphant of all the Elect gathered together is not a Bride prepared but a Wife in marriage fully accomplished 3. Because it is called a Tabernacle a removing state and God also said to be with men and to dwell as in a Tabernacle with them but concerning the Church Tryumphant in Heaven the manner of speaking is to say It is with God 4. Because the Holy Ghost so strongly confirms this renovation of all things avouching it again and again vers 1.5 commanding to write and affirming the words to be faithful and true which needed not in so generally approved believed truth touching the state of the Church Tryumphant 5. Because John is made to ascend on high to see this new City below him descending out of Heaven from God 6. Because it is said to be measured and that with the measure of a man v. 16 17. which sheweth it to be the Church on Earth which is only measurable and to be measured c. 11.1 Zach. 1.16 but not the Tryumphant in Heaven 7. Because here is said That Nations shall walk in the light of it and Kings of the Earth shall bring their glory and honour to it vers 23 24. yea the glory and honour of the Nations too v. 26. But none can bring earthly glory and honour for of such he speaketh into Heaven above to beautifie it withal 8. This seemeth not unreasonable though something in the Letter carry our thoughts to a state of full perfection chap. 21.4 22.3 4 5. because the like speeches have been used by the Holy Prophets aforetime to set out the graceful and peaceful state of the Church Isa 65.17 18 19 25. 60.18 20. 25.8 60.21 and yet further observe after those high expressions it is said chap. 22.6 These sayings are faithful and true the Lord God of the Holy Prophets who had spoken of old time sent his Angel to shew unto his Servant John the things which must shortly be done which words shortly be done seem alwayes in this Book to note the state of the Church on earth Now for Testimonies in the next place Some such thing is promised to the Jews in the Books of the Prophets which seem not yet to be fulfilled but deferred till the seventh Trumpet be blown when the Mystery of God shall be finished as hath been declared to his Servants the Prophets by which words it is clear that all things in the Prophets are not accomplished till this Book of the Revelation be fulfilled for the Prophets have formerly spoken of this Mystery to be finished under the seventh Trumpet Now that we may not wonder at the New Jerusalem here set forth look unto the prophesies of old and mark what by them the Lord did promise unto the Jews after their captivity 1. He tells them They shall be brought back again to Jerusalem and to inhabit Judea Zach. 8.7 8. 10.8 9. Isa 60.10 15. 62.10 And this shall the Lord do who shall cause Righteousness and Praise before all Nations Isa 61.11 2. He will pour upon them the Spirit of Grace and Supplication and they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him Zach. 12.10 14. 3. He will make them strong to overcome all their enemies and they shall inhabit Jerusalem again Zach. 12.6 and build the old wastes they shall raise up the former desolations and they shall repair the waste Cities and the desolations of many Generations Isa 61.4 58.12 and that by the help of strangers and their Kings Isa 60.10 4. Being so built whereas it had been forsaken and hated so as no man went thorow it he will make it an eternal Excellency and a Joy of many Generations Isa 60.15 For 1. Violence shall no more be heard in the Land wasting nor destruction within the borders but her Walls shall be called Salvation and her Gates Praise Isa 60.18 The Sun shall be no more her light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto her Isa 60.19 20. 2dly All the people shall be righteous Isa 60.21 and no Canaanite there Zech. 14.21 3dly Her Officers shall be Officers of Peace and her Exactors Righteousness Isa 60.17 4thly Her Watchmen shall never be silent Isa 62.6 neither shall her Vision ever be wanting Isa 59.21 But the false Prophet and the unclean spirit shall be cut off Zech. 13.2 So as by this glorious and graceful state she shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Isa 62.2 that is Hephziba and the Land Beulah for the Lord would delight in her and marry her or Jehovah there shall be the name of the City Ezek. 48.35 5thly Hereupon they shall be known among the Gentiles and People and all that see their Seed and Off-spring shall acknowledge them the Seed which the Lord hath blessed Isa 61.9 An holy People the Redeemed of the Lord fought out and not forsaken Isa 62.12 6thly The Gentiles and their Kings shall see her Righteousness and Glory Isa
what Country man Antichrist should be and what Language he should use in his Laws and Worship wherein I conceive the wonderful Divine Wisdom of God is much to be acknowledged in setting down Mystery Babylons name so to exercise the several gifts he hath given to several men several ways to have their apprehensions agreeable to truth and considerable in reference to this manifold monstrous Beast wherein they are to be found in one respect or other and so the largest comprehensive sence is like to prove the true sence and many of them to be acknowledged real in such a strange compounded Creature of many as he is described Dan. 7. And in this Book chap. 14. is conceived by judicious men upon considerable grounds to be contemporary with the two Beasts Rev. 14. setting out the opposite state of the true Church in the same time not successive as this Author takes it though the Beasts ruine is therein more fully described yet he hath many considerable things against and concerning Antichrist in this Chapter and likewise he is very excellent upon the seventeenth and eighteenth being a like subject to prove the Pope to be Antichrist But for the particular Vision concerning the Vials chap. 15 16. Rev. 15 16. which appears to be a larger explication of what was spoken of Antichrists downfal and ruine in the latter part of chap. 14. As the seventeenth was an explication of divers things concerning the Antichristian Church of Rome and the eighteenth a special Vision of the terrible suddain irresistable and cursed destruction and desolation of Rome about the sixth Vial after which probably will succeed the conversion of the Jews and the Armageddon-Battel of which he hath many profitable notes upon chap. 19. But for the beginning of the seventh Trumpet at the beginning of the pouring out of the seven Vials and placing so many of the Vials after the time wherein the thousand years chap. 20. is begun and making the casting of Satan into the Lake after the Battel of Gog and Magog chap. 20. to be the seventh Vial I conceive to be much differing from the sence of the Scripture and for that the seven Vials are called the seven last Plagues which phrase is the same in sence with the end of the dayes Da. 12. both setting forth the period of wicked Monarchy when the Feet and Toes of the Image he saw before are wearing out toward the expiring of the Roman Monarchy and are both spoken of the Beasts ruine and poured out to accomplish it by degrees which the last Vial finisheth and reach no further and in this sence learned men understand the 〈◊〉 of the Angel of the Covenant chap. 10. That time should be no longer viz. to that wicked Dominion for thenceforth was to begin a new VVorld as after Noahs Flood wherein Christs Glorious Reign on Earth should take place in an eminent manner for then the Scene of the World will be visibly changed the old being ended and the new begun wherein a King shall Rule in Righteousness whose Officers shall be Peace and his Exactors Righteousness as the Prophet foretold c. then will come in that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that world to come Heb. 2.5 but the Vials are the last Plagues because they at last dispatch and rid Antichrist and all his supporters out of the Earth neither are any such Plagues suitable to or seasonable in the state of things in the said thousand years while that happy World remains and the Kingdoms of the World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ which this Author applies to the time of Luther which he judges to be the beginning of the Vials I conceive unwarrantably when he thinks the Witnesses were slain chap. 11. not distinguishing of the former and last flaying as we observed Grounds of the Doctrine of Christ's Kingdom on Earth throughout the whole Book of the Revelations ANd here I shall take occasion to hint what I have all along observed this Learned and Religious Author to have been defective in namely as one not owning the Doctrine of the Glorious Kingdom of Christ to come on Earth in the thousand years Rev. 20. That he passeth over many things in the Book of Revelation which evidently respect that time without observation as first in the Epistles to the seven Churches of Asia wherein those promises are set down again repeated c. 21 22. concerning the New Jerusalem many of which are evidently incompetible to any other state of affairs but of that time as to have power over the Nations chap. 2.26 to receive the Morning Star and to eat of that Tree whose Leaves shall be for the healing of the Nations to sit on a Throne of Christ distinct from his Fathers Throne chap. 3.21 and to have a Name written of the New Jerusalem which comes down from Heaven which are inconsistent with the state of the Church Triumphant in Heaven with divers others which the Primitive Christians were so well resolved of in the best times to belong to those that obtained a better Resurrection as the Spirit of God expresseth it Heb. 11.35 which Saint Paul seems to aim at the attaining to by the fellowship of Christs Sufferings Phil. 3.10 11. whence the Faithful are called the Children of the Resurrection Luke 20.36 Yea observe further they are called by our Saviour Such as are accounted worthy to attain that World and the Resurrection of the dead And to this purpose it is storied of the Primitive Christians such was their Faith in this particular that out of an holy-ambition as it were to have a share amongst the raised Martyrs they were forward to suffer upon that account for the Name of Christ But in the next place likewise he passeth over what evidently refers to that state chap. 5.10 though he spake of what the representative Church are said there to obtain from Christ to be Kings and Priests spiritually unto God but he altogether passeth over what the holy Ghost teacheth them there to praise God so for the time to come and which they greatly exult in and rejoyce in aforehand for the time to come as a duty belonging to all Saints in that happy priviledge upon Earth till then and say they We shall reign upon Earth which is joyned to the other as another part of their joy and matter of praise foreseen by the eye of Faith as if they had said For so we all Ministers and People shall then reign not only as we did spiritually in our former condition in the world but as will be suitable to that world to come in Christ's Kingdom on Earth We shall reign with him there a thousand years as chap. 20. is further explained and to make it clear it must not be taken for Celestial Eternal Glory the place is set down where that Reign shall be namely on Earth and for the time future noting that it was not their present spiritual Reign but they shall so
Appearance by his Spirit of Grace and Truth In setting down therefore what concerns this third and last Period I shall endeavour to express them either as matter of Faith or as things that are probable or lastly as things onely conjectural as the nature of the things may be and as the clearness or obscurity of the grounds of them may give occasion First I believe there is abundant evidence from Scripture that Christ our Saviour will after the coming of Elias Personally in a glorious manner appear with Clouds as Rev. 1.7 or in the Clouds at or about the great destruction of Antichrist which will be as Lightning shining from one end of the Heavens to the other and such appearing of his to the Jews seems to me probable to be the means of their more general Call and Conversion when that Nation will be born in a day as it were Isa 56.8 and thereupon will be their mournful contrition promised as a Mercy Zach. 12.10 And then will likewise be the Conversion of many Nations of the Gentiles not yet called to bring in their fulness as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 11. And then Satan being bound from seducing the Nations for the thousand years the Glorious Kingdom of Christ upon earth will be set up wherein the New Jerusalem coming down from God in the time of the new Heavens and new Earth wherein Righteousness shall dwell or a King shall Rule in Righteousness as the Prophet speaketh The State of that New Jerusalem whose Maker and Builder is God will be exceeding glorious a kind of Triumphant State for the raised Saints in their Order who probably shall have their chief Mansions there till all the deceased Just shall be raised and to the end of the world the Apostles or other eminent Saints probably shall be Rulers there by Christ's appointment and all other Governours that are converted to the Truth and live their Natural Life shall have their directions in Government from them in the New Jerusalem and all the Teachers in the Church shall probably have much instructions from them as they from Christ in whose Light they shall see Light the Lamb being the Light of the City Rev. 21. and that both Spiritual and Visible whose Tabernacle is then said to be with men when I conceive he will be in some glorious manner manifest unto the raised Saints there whose glory they shall then behold visibly being then made capable to behold it that none else then living can do except so as it was made discernable to them by Clouds at his first appearing Yet they likewise shall all be abundantly filled with his Grace and Wisdom and exceedingly rejoyce in all manner of his goodness then manifest to them according to their then present capacity yet in different degrees and measures and this state will be as intailed to the posterity of the Faithful that they and their Seed shall be blessed they shall live long lives but how long I dare not say but as the dayes of a Tree shall their lives be nor what way of removal or manner of death or translation or change I know not but I believe much Mercy and Grace will be bestowed upon them and their off-spring suitable to such an happy Reign of Christ wherein he shall be acknowledged Sovereign by all the Faithful and all authority mannaged under him and for him Isa 49. When Kings shall eminently be Nursing-Fathers and Queens Nursing-Mothers to his Church and People and the Government upheld in good hands to promote good and restrain evil as it was for the most part contrary before but when Satan being loosed out his Prison for a little space shall seduce the wicked Hypocrites of those times and draw them from all quarters of the Earth against the Camp of the Saints and the Beloved City upon which attempt God will destroy them casting the Devil into the Lake of Fire where the Beast and false Prophet had been long before and put an utter end to the World by the dissolution thereof at the consummation of all things with the last general Resurrection of the wicked and general momentany change of the Saints at the sound of the last Trump and Voice of an Arch-Angel 1 Thess 4.16 both such as were alive on Earth and such as were asleep to meet Christ in the Air from thenceforth ever to be with the Lord whereupon follows the general Judgement Many particulars of these natures it is probable will in God's time be apparent from Scripture which we can now but guess at which God to his Faithful Servants may discover concerning which we shall only say with the Antients Elias cum venerit nodos solvet Now for the main substance of all this Doctrine what is it but the explaining of such Articles of Christian Faith as we all profess to believe concerning these things in the true Scripture sence wherein Christ hath taken special order to have his Faithful People rightly instructed as in many particulars forenamed First When we Profess We believe that Christ shall come from the Right Hand of the Father to Judge quick and dead He will so come at his glorious appearing to destroy Antichrist to begin his Judgement and make his Foes his Footstool Ps 110. until which he was to sit at his Fathers Right Hand in Heaven then the Scripture saith He judges quick and dead as Rev. 11.18 and elsewhere though afterwards likewise in this sence Rev. 10. the Angel Christ Swears Time should be no more which seems to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 28.20 so the end of the dayes Dan. 12. for the same Period vide 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that it is the day of Judgement at least begun Mr. Mede largely and excellently shews in his fourth Letter to Mr. Hain and to Dr. Twisse c. both from Scripture and Antiquity and that he will wonderfully Reign with his raised Saints a thousand years Why should it be doubted when his Word speaks so much and evidently for it though the Truth hath by Satans slights been clouded for a time wherein there seems to be as it were an appointing of the great last Assizes and calling together the Assessors thereof the Saints doth not the great Law-giver and Judge inform his Church of these things and he must needs be the best Expositor of his own Will c. Sept. 27. 1664. A Paper sent upon occasion of some discourse concerning the great and glorious Appearance of Christ about the time of finishing his Kingdom of Patience and of setting up his Kingdom of Visible Power on Earth the first being the Kingdom of the Stone cut out of the Mountain Dan. 2. Then the Kingdom of this Stone becomes a Mountain as Mr. Mede fitly distinguisheth their times by Regnum Lapidis Regnum Montis AS for the personal appearance of Christ at the destruction of Antichrist and the general calling of the Jews when that Nation shall be born in a day as Isa 66.8 many
Now when the Spirit of God as seems probable having set forth the Wrath and Judgment upon the very seat of the former Beast in the seasons of the six first Trumpets both East and West where in their order they fell the greatest part contemporating with Antichrists Tyranny both which should be finished at the beginning of the seventh Trumpet whereby the same Spirit of God seems to lead us by the hand as it were to the borders of Christ's glorious Kingdom upon Earth approaching upon the beginning of the seventh Angels sounding chap. 11. 2d General Prophecy Rev. 10. He then in the little book chap. 10. begins again with the affairs of the Church more especially having set forth God's dispensations in respect of the Empire both while it was Draconized and after it had been Christianized Which little Book when John had eaten up he is told by the mighty Angel of the Covenant that he must prophesie again before Peoples and Nations and Tongues and Kings so that they might have advantage to know these Prophecies had they enquired as he had so prophesied for as it was otherwise of them so it was before them and as he had done it in one respect before namely of the Empire wherein the Church had her being so he should do it again in another respect namely of the Church who had her being there but chiefly under Antichrist in his time where there was another 144000 followers of the Lamb to arise chap. 14. Rev. 11 Therefore after the Table of the Times in part of chap. 11 to ver 15. wherein we may see ver 1. a description of the state of the Primitive Times in ver 2. her state in Antichrists forty two months and ver 3. the true Churches state in regard of the most eminent part of it namely of the Two Witnesses her Pastors their thousand two hundred and sixty dayes of years who should feed the Woman in her Wilderness-condition and stand on Christ's part against Antichrist powerfully and successfully till about the time of finishing their Testimony to ver 7. and then what should befal the Beast upon his last War against the finishing Witnesses upon their Resurrection and Ascention after the Beast had killed them to ver 17. where is the ending of the second Wo and thereupon comes in a short abridgment of the seventh Trumpet containing the great Changes of the Affairs of the World of the Church namely evil to the wicked World but happy to the true Church and this excellent Abridgment seemed needful in regard of the great concernment of all sorts to understand this as of main use to the whole Book Again the foresaid Author faileth in not distinguishing between the first War the Beast makes against the Saints and Servants of Christ wherein he kills and prevails whereupon all the World wonder after the Beast and the second War against the Witnesses which is dismal and fatal to himself as Mr. Mede well observes and hence the said Author reckons the Witnesses slain above an hundred years ago and so passeth without taking notice of the last finishing Witnesses as then counting the Beasts forty two months expired reckoning the Vials in the seventh Trumpet before the second Wo be past or almost any thing of the Beasts ruine begun which work the Angels that have the Vials are to begin and finish as Mr. Mede and others judge upon considerable grounds c. But in chap. 12. Rev. 12 is begun the story of the new Prophecy of the true Church in the Primitive Times which is there represented by a Woman cloathed with the Sun and having the Moon under her feet and upon her head a Crown of twelve Stars whereby was described the excellency of the Primitive Church of Christ which soon contested with the great red Dragon and his Angels till she by Faith and Prayer obtained the Man-child Constantine the reforming Emperour by whose means God cast down the great red Dragon from his heaven upon earth together with his Angels by which means the Woman had two wings of an Eagle given her to flie into the Wilderness for a time times and half a time but before her flight into that retired hidden condition the Serpent cast out his flood of abominable Heresies chiefly against the Persons of the Holy Trinity by Arrius Eutichus Macedonius and others to have carried her away thereby which took up probably almost an hundred years before her time times and half with Antichrists 42 months took place all which time from Constantine the forementioned Author reckons within the date of the Beast and consequently he ends it as much too soon as may further appear and yet for the Earths opening her Mouth and swallowing up of the Dragons flood of Heresies what he objects against the usual opinion to wit That it was not the incursion of the Barbarous Nations because some of them favoured Arrianism the same might likewise be objected against what he sayes of the visible Professing Rulers to be the Earth then opposing those Errors in many Councils though they favoured Superstition and so might be accounted the Earth but to that might be answered amongst them were many in those times good and Orthodox men about the fourth Century and yet perhaps more fitly it might be applyed to the Bishops of Rome and their party that in those times to get to themselves preheminence did take upon them to end differences in Religion and became in a sort famous thereby getting honour and credit among men thereby and being to be the Beast out of the Earth acting for earthly ends the Earth might be said to help the Woman by withstanding errors against the Sacred Trinity yet promoting superstition c. and so might swallow up the flood Concerning the two Beasts in the thirteenth Chapter Rev. 14. the said Author is very excellent full and clear above any I have seen if he had timed their rising rightly onely he seems to confound the number of his Name vers 17. with the number of the Beast vers 18. whereas the first denotes evidently the remotest sort of Antichrists followers that only may be reckoned or numbred amongst his party which were to be in the last dayes as they are described by the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5. when others of the Beasts party come in the latter times which forbid Marriage and command to abstain from Meats c. 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. But the number of the Beast vers 18. belongs to the Beast himself concerning the Exposition whereof he giveth a probable conjecture of his many errors as the Sober Guess and others produce many more which learned and industrious men have observed and particularly opposing the Beasts number to the 144000 or the measure of the Holy City and I conceive the considering it as numerus Terminans as Dan. 5. may be more considerable then many think as was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in another consideration setting out
to be applied by them Afterwards the sealed Ones in the East Chap. 7. under the wo-Trumpets as Rev. 9.4 they have the New Jerusalem habit upon them as they shall be there happy and celebrate Gods praise and so do the innumerable company of all Nations after them Chap. 7. as is evident in the last part of that Chapter Again The four Angels are stayed from their blowing the four first Trumpets which fell for the most part upon the Western Empire until the Angel Chap. 8.3 4 5. probably the Angel of the Covenant had made intercession for the faithful Christians under those four first Trumpets with much Incense with the Prayers of the Saints there abiding that they might be accepted who was their spiritual Priest to intercede for them and their King to protect them spiritually Again Chap. 11. the two Witnesses prophesying in Sackcloth 1260 days have as a general Consolation to the Church all that time foreshewed to them that they shall rise again and ascend into Heaven at the end of the days and soon after have the state of the Kingdom of Christ on Earth foreshewed unto them in the end of the same Chapter So likewise the other 144000 Lamb-Followers in the Western-Empire are set forth to be with the Lamb in Mount Sion and have this Character of the New Jerusalem upon them That they have his Fathers Name written upon their Foreheads Chap. 14.1 Again Those that should be Sufferers under Antichrist towards his fall they sing the Song of Moses coming out of their Wilderness-condition and praise God for his Judgements upon their Persecutors and have the entrance of Christs Kingdom upon Earth set before them for their comfort Chap. 15.4.5 so that unto this scope drive the Consolations of the Sufferers and faithful Christians of all Times since this most holy and comfortable Book was given to Christs Church and so both those Arms of that red Sea of Blood running through the Eastern and Western Empires in the Churches meet together at the borders of the Land of Canaan promised to the fore-Fathers and their Seed about the end of the sixth Trumpet and entrance of the seventh And whether it reacheth further then unto that New World may seem questionable first Because it is one of the Wo-Trumpets and no such things seem suitable to the Kingdom of Christ upon Earth in the thousand years secondly Because the whole continuance of that is set forth by another title for the Comfort of the Church namely Of the Saints reign with Christ a thousand years as it were by way of distinction from the former suffering Times of the Church thirdly There is nothing clearly said in the Text that it should continue longer than to bring the Woes upon Antichrists Kingdom other Enemies in the World and seems to end with the last Plagues so called because they are the portion of the Churches Persecutors before the thousand years and utterly bring them to perdition and as the sixth Vial seems to end with the Armageddon-Battel Chap. 19. so the seventh binds and shuts up Satan for that thousand years wherein he must no more seduce the Nations Chap. 20. And what this Author saith of Satans being cast into the Lake after the thousand years as a Vial and the last Vial of the seven is contrary to the Text Rev. 16. at the latter end of the Chapter where it is said That when the seventh Vial was poured out the great City was divided into three parts and then great Babylon came in remembrance before God executed Chap. 18. which will be done above a thousand years before Satans casting into the lake of fire where the Beast and the false Prophet were cast so long before Besides Satans casting into the lake seems not to be reckoned in the nature of such Vials as gradually brought destruction on the Beast and other persecuting Enemies on Earth but as his last doom at the consummation of all things and the dissolution of the World which is as much a mercie to such as are saved as a beginning of wo and wrath to Satan and all damned Men and Devils but an end onely to the being of inferiour Creatures which had long before in the thousand years enjoyed the liberty of the Sons of God as is said Rom. 8.21 Again The drift of the Trumpets were to blow out Wrath and Judgement upon the Earth and Grass and Trees Chap. 9.4 c. and such things as were upon the Earth belonging to wicked men till they should be destroyed from off the face of it and there to end and Satan was then bound in the pit when there was no work for him to seduce such after their destruction who was their Captain and Counsellor before It is likewise observable what Mr. Mede saith of the thousand years wherein the Saints were to reign That Satan aforehand in the time of Antichrist set them up in a false way of reigning to eclipse their true reigning that afterward they should have on Earth and therefore taught Antichrists Followers to set them up superstitiously and idolatrously to worship and pray to them and before their Shrines and Images making them sinfully to have a reign with Christ on Earth in shew but really against him and his Father And all that said time of Antichrist he hath played the Ape in seeking to pour out the Vials upon Christs Kingdom to come as Christ had before declared that he had seven Angels in their times to pour out seven Vials to the destruction and ruine of Antichrist The first of Satans seeming Vials was By imposing Chiliasm upon it by carnal pleasures and typical Worship though upon slight unjust and false pretences as Mr. Mede manifests Secondly By the advantage thereof he obtained that some of the ancient Fathers were so prejudiced that they wrote against it though the former for the most part were for it Thirdly By such prejudice and the like he obtained that good men all along misplaced the thousand years by way of anticipation though differing in the time they began and expounding them all along the Popes time onely of a Spiritual Reign Fourthly By Popish false Glosses and Expositions upon all the Revelation and that part in Particular c. Fifthly By seducing men of latter times since the Light of Truth began more then of a long time before to break forth to seek disorderly to set up Christ's Kingdom which will be Gods own work in his own time to anticipate the same and that by acting against the Divine precepts that Christ came to establish in casting off due Obedience unto Magistrates and endeavours to suppress the Ministry thereby to scandalize the Doctrine of Christ's Kingdom on Earth Sixthly Gr. Ha. More lately by such as this Author names in the end of his Book concerning whom he declares much in a few lines who would make the Revelation an History of things past rather then a Prophesie of things so long to come so that
the Pope should not be Antichrist in his forty two months much less Christ have a thousand years Reign on Earth afterwards And lastly The seventh Vial that Satan hath to pour on Christ's Kingdom seems not unfitly to be conceived to be by displacing the Vials chap. 16. from their own time unto Christs Reign whereunto they are not competible whereof the subject matter will be then taken away or making a groundless great Chasm of above a thousand years difference from the sixth to the seventh when Satan is to be cast into the fiery Lake which is a business of a much differing nature many wayes from all the Vials as well as in time c. And thus of Satans seeming seven Vials on Christ's Kingdom but the glorious appearance of Christ will shortly abolish all appearance of truth in them and so all Satans Vials upon Christ's Kingdom will be utterly ended and yet will not that Kingdom be thereby in the least degree impaired Lastly Whereas the said learned Author interpreteth the New Jerusalem to be the Church Tryumphant besides the many considerable reasons to the contrary in the Letter of November 3. 1664. he might have observed that the Lamb's Wife was spoken of before chap. 19.7 by which he there understands the coming in of the Jews to the Catholick Church I conceive rightly and that the beloved City cap. 21.2 spoken of chap. 20. as being before the Battel of Gog and Magog when the Devil stirred up the Hypocrites of those times which had been long held under by good Government then to attempt to besiege that Beloved City though to his and their utter ruine that so they might receive that portion of Hypocrites as the Antichristian Scoffers had theirs before when both sorts should meet with their Leaders the Pope and the Devil in the Lake of fire and chap. 21. being but a further decyphering of the same City should therefore be expounded accordingly of that City that was in the thousand years it being the observable Method of the Holy Ghost in that Book after some more obscure expressions of things more generally afterwards to give more full and particular explications of the same as in the seventeenth Chapter an Explication of Babylon and the Beast c. and what was said of the ruine of Babylon chap. 14. explained by the Vials chap. 15 16. and further of the last Vials chap. 18 19 and part of 20. and so sometimes in the 19 20. further explained chap. 21 22. besides many things belonging to the New Jerusalem are incompetible to the state of the Church Triumphant in Heaven see the forementioned Letter Novemb. 3. 1663. And for the first Resurrection it may appear not to be of the Spiritual Resurrection of the Soul from sin both from the drift of the Holy Ghost further to open the Mystery of the Resurrection which Saint Paul had in some respect shewed before 1 Cor. 15. And the Doctrine thereof hath been gradually set down in the Scriptures and this chap. 20. giveth light thereunto above all others both as to the Resurrection of the Just and Wicked which are opposed one to another as first and second and their distinct times set out for as chap. 11.18 When the Kingdoms of the World shall be Christs then he gives reward unto his Servants the Prophets and to his Saints and to all that fear his Name both small and great such as not only suffered for him who are said chap. 20. to be beheaded for him c. but such as have done his Will on earth shall have such reward from him in earth as 2 Tim. 2.12 And for such Souls that is Persons in Scripture language to live again what sence in Reason or Religion can fitly be applyed to such sufferers or others but such first Resurrection I know many learned men have tired their parts to find shifts to avoid this but have been more sollidly and substantially answered besides many others by Mr. Mede and Dr. Homes in his Answer to Pareus Dr. Predeaux and others in one part of the Dawning of the Day-Star read them seriously c. Mr. Mede conceives that Resurrectio Justorum will be in acting all or most of the thousand years every one in their own Order and the Ancients conceived there will be mora delay in respect of some c. but that the living again of such as were so beheaded to be meant of the Spiritual Resurrection is far from the scope of the Text besides all other considerations about it see the Appendix in the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the forenamed Authors it is actum agere to say much of it c. And for the number of a thousand years to be taken indefinitely as it is contrary to the judgment of learned men on both sides for many considerable Reasons so somewhat this learned Author mentions himself namely That that that Thousand Years so often spoken of in respect of Saints and Satan and with all the considerable circumstances what was done at the beginning of them with all the continuance and what should be at the end of them c. might have swayed his judgement otherwise if he had not been prejudiced against the whole Doctrine thereof and all that concerns it for those Souls said to be Beheaded cannot fitly be said to live again but in respect of that state namely of their bodily living again wherein they had died before for as the Spirits of just men they lived ever since their departure from their Bodies so that living again denotes their living bodily and living in a different manner then they had done before Now the drift of all these things being for the comfort and edification of all God's People in this great point of the Resurrection of the Just and being specially useful against the evil times going before the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ when Antichristian Tyranny should most rage in the World God in Mercy to his People is pleased now again to cause the Light of these Precious Truths to break forth again more then they have done in many Ages last past when that said Glorious Appearance of Christ and beginning of the Day of Judgement and Joyful Resurrection following upon it do in their order neer approach It is much to be desired and earnestly prayed for that true Christians would duly weigh and consider them being so mainly for their Edification and sound Consolation if they will not overlook their own good or put it off from themselves since the great goodness of Christ is therein manifest towards them And now for a summary of these things I shall add to make up the former Theses concerning the third Period of Christs Kingly Office to be eminently manifest therein where he will work as I said by his Spirit of Power and Domination as he did in the Old Testament by his Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation and in the New till his Glorious