yield a Juice like Honey and he after saith we may call that part of the Earth divine where whatsoever Fruit is most dear and precious is in most abundance Also in all other Fruits it surpasses all Countreys in the World for it multiplieth all things and increaseth them sooner there the cause whereof I judge to be the pleasant waters and warm nourishing Air which inviteth all things to spring and then increaseth them and the moisture causeth all things to take firm root and defendeth them from drought In Summer the Air of that place is so temperate that when it snoweth in other parts of Judea and is extream cold the Inhabitants in this place do onely wear a Linnen Garment Thus he declares the Fertility of Jericho caused by that Miracle and certainly a greater Miracle than this here will be wrought for there are promises in Scripture of a great Fertility that shall be after the Calling of the Jews Ezek. 36.30 I will multiply the Fruit of the Tree and the Increase of the Field so that ye shall receive no more reproach of Famine Verse 35. The Land that was desolate shall become like the Garden of Eden What a great Change will there be in the Earth when desolate and barren Land shall be like Eden And as we have ground to conclude that many of God's Works wrought among the Jews of old were typical of greater Works which shall be wrought for them at last for which see Jer. 23.8 So why may we not gather something from that work of God in giving them Water out of the Rock And that which I would especially hint is from Deut. 32.13 He gave them Honey out of the Rock and Oyl out of the flinty Rock The Water is called Honey and Oyl And why First Because it was a Supply flowing from special Grace and Mercy special Grace adds a great deal of Sweetness to common Mercies Secondly It was an extraordinary Supply in time of great need Water in that extremity was as Honey and Oyl Thirdly It was a Type of Christ for They drunk of that Rock which followed them and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 10.4 An Eye of Faith looking unto Christ would make it sweeter and more pleasant than Honey and Oyl Fourthly It being Water given them by a Miracle might have sweetness and vertue beyond ordinary water For as the Bread given them by a Miracle has the taste of Honey and fresh Oyl so might this mirhculous Water When Christ turned Water into Wine that was far better than ordinary Wine the Governour of the Feast said Thou hast kept the good Wine until now The other in comparison with this did not deserve to be called good Wine Doubtless that miraculous Wine was the best Wine that ever was drunk and why may we not conceive the like of this miraculous Water which might be typical in relation to the times of Restitution in which even Water the most common mercy shall have much more vertue and pleasantess in it than now it hath 'T is said of Fire and Water that they are good Servants but bad Masters and theâ— have often been bad Masters in these times of the Old Heavens and Old Earth but in the time of the New they shall be good Servants alone and no more bad Masters to the Saints The Air also will be sweet wholesom and fructifying and what hath a spiritual meaning Cant. 4.16 will be then true in a natural sense also The North-wind shall awake and the South-wind blow that the Spices may flow forth No blasting-wind or that which will hinder the flowings forth of Fruits but that which shall farther their flowing forth and then the rough wind shall be stayed in the day of the East-wind 3. The Creatures shall be delivered from all their usurping and oppressing Lords Satan shall not Lord it over them neither the Man of Sin they shall be together in the Bottomless Pit and all Christ's Enemies will be made his Footstool whereby the Creature shall have its so-much longed-for Liberty and shall be in Subjection to him who is to be the desire of all Nations and of the whole Creation of whom 't is said Psa 8.4 What is man that thou art so mindful of him and the son of man that thou visitest him thou madest him a little lower than the Angels and hast crowned him with glory and honour thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands and hast put all things in subjection under his feet Which must be fulfilled in that World which is to come as is evident Heb. 2.5 6. For as to the present state of things in the World as now it is the Apostle saith v. 8. We see not yet all things put under him 4. The Liberty of the Creature consists in the lawful Use of it 1 Cor. 7.31 They that use the world as not abusing it Here two things may be observed First The Creature is to be used and not enjoyed Life and Happiness doth not consist in it carnal men enjoy the Creatures the covetous man enjoyes his Wealth as Dives did Son remember that thou in thy life-time hadst thy good things Worldly men have their portion in this life and say 'T is good to be here Now such an enjoying of the Creature holds it in bondage its Liberty is to be used well insist Psa 110.7 't is said of Christ He shall drink of the Brook in the way and then men should lift up the head and heart to him in whose favour is their life Secondly The Creature should be used lawfully and not abused a lawful Use is its liberty There is a natural Use of Creatures which is for Food and Rayment and somewhat for Delight for Gen. 2.9 Out of the Ground God made every Tree to grow which was good for Food and pleasant to the eye In the times of Restitution it will be so Fruits both profitable and pleasant will be made to grow Hos 2.21 It shall come to pass in that day that is when the Jews shall be betrothed to the Lord I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the Heavens and the Heavens shall hear the Earth and the Earth shall hear the Corn and the Wine and the Oyl and they shall hear Jezreel When the Jews shall be Jezreel the Seed of God all the Creatures shall with one consent serve that Jezreel What is the reason that now 't is otherwise for many times the Heavens hear not the Earth the Earth hears not the Corn the Corn hears not men 'T is because for the most part instead of being a Jezreel they serve a Jezabel There is a Spiritual Use also to be made of Creatures and so in them as in a Glass we should behold the Glory of the Lord and we should praise him as the Creator of them and honour him with them The great Whore glorifies her self with what she hath this is the Creature 's bondage but when the Promise
Translation of many out of the Nations into the Church who shall have Inheritances among the Tribes of Israel and also of many from among the Tribes in the Land into the New Jerusalem as also from among the saved Nations 1. Out of the Nations into the Church for this see Ezek. 47.22 The strangers that sojourn among you which shall beget children shall be as born in the countrey and they shall have inheritance among the Tribes of Israel So that in the Land there will be Propagation and the mention of Children may be to hint that the strangers and their children with them shall have Inheritance in Israel and be of the Church Which shews that there will be Conversion-work at that time which also as before was hinted appears from the Fishers standing by the River and by the healing of the Waters the mirey places not being healed by which may be meant the Nations not converted out of which Gog and Magog shall at last arise 2. From amongst the Tribes of Israel in the Land into the New Jerusalem for this see chap. 48.19 The increase of that over against the holy portion is to be for food for those that serve the city and they that serve the city shall serve it out of all the Tribes of Israel For the understanding of this place let it be considered what this City wants and hath need to be served with 1. It doth not want Food and Raiment for all in it will be as the Angels they need no Candle neither light of the Sun much less then Corn Wine and Oyl 2. This City wants nothing but more Citizens nothing but more Saints and these it will want till all the Elect shall be called and come up to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Thus doth Heaven now want the Saints upon Earth and so will the New Ierusalem till all the Mansions there shall have those in them for whom they are prepared Compare this of serving the City with Luke 14.17 there is an Invitation to a Supper Come for all things are ready the Servants are sent to invite more verse 22. Yet there is room and the Lord said Compel them to come in that my house may be full Whence may be gathered that there is no want in this City but of more Guests and Citizens This City then is served more remotely by those that shall be Instruments in bringing in strangers among the Tribes of Israel and more nearly by fitting Saints for the New Ierusalem And here by the way let it be observed what a glorious Work that of the Ministery is it being now to serve Heaven with the Saints it needs and at last the New Ierusalem with the Citizens it will want The Ministers of Christ are like those Officers which provided Victual for King Solomon and for all that came to his Table 1 Kings 4.27 The Saints brought in shall be as Victual for Christ and all that come to his Table and with these the City is served Hence may be gathered thus much 1. When the New Ierusalem shall come down there will be Saints in two different states some in the City where Christs Throne shall be some without in the Land for they serve the City out of all the Tribes of Israel that is with Saints taken thence 2. Amongst the Tribes in the Land there will be a Ministery serving the City Q. Whether any Saints of the Tribes in the Land or saved Nations shall die in that time or whether they shall be changed and translated into the City A. Against the death of any Saint in that state and for their change it may be thus argued 1. It 's said Rev. 21.4 God shall wipe away all tears and there shall be no more death This is spoken of the People of God verse 3. No death to such as shall have the Lord for their God 2. Paul saith 1 Cor. 15.51 52. Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed There will be at last a change instead of death and when the time of changing comes no Saints shall after that die and this change will begin at the Resurrection of the dead Saints The dead shall be raised and we shall be changed that is at and after this each Saint shall in the time appointed for it be changed Of this change Enoch and Elias were Types And 't is said further verse 54. Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory O Death I will be thy plagues O Grave I will be thy destruction If after this destruction of the Grave Death shall happen to any Saints how shall it be swallowed up in victory God will then be the death of Death and the destruction of the Grave and therefore Death and the Grave shall not be the destruction of any of the Saints Bodies 1 Thes 4.16 17. The dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive shall be caught up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afterwards that is all in their order some at some after the coming of Christ in the time of the one thousand years some at his coming even all then alive which before were called And at this time a new Generation of Saints will be brought forth and converted by means of the appearing of Christ For now will be a through conversion of all the Iews many of them not being effectually called till this time as after will appear And now also will the fulness of the Gentiles come in which will be the Nations of them which shall be saved Q How doth this agree with Isa 65.20 The child shall die an hundred years old but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed the child being set in opposition to the sinner is one born of God and that is in the time of the new Heavens and the new Earth verse 17 A. Death is sometimes put for a Change in Scripture and why then may it not be so taken here Heb. 9.27 It 's appointed to men once to die But 1 Cor. 15.51 We shall not all die How shall these two places be reconciled Beza thus reconciles them In iis qui immutabuntur illa immutatio species mortis erit Change will be a kind of Death Heb. 11.13 These all died in faith but Enoch being one of them verse 5. did not die but was translated that he did not see death How shall this seeming contradiction be reconciled but as Ribera doth Nomine mortis translatio comprehenditur c. Under the name of Death a Translation is comprehended in that Enoch's Translation was a Death in relation to those that remained alive in the world because by it he ceased to be amongst them It 's said of him He was not which elsewhere signifies death as when Jacob said One is not that is dead in his thoughts Consid 8. The Name of this City shall be Iehovah Shammah The
and alienated from the life of God but then he believed that he should return to Judea the Land of the Living which is so called Ezek. 32.23 Judgments are threatned to the Jews Enemies because they caused terrour in the Land of the Living The Woman being in the Wilderness her hope and confidence is to see the goodness of the Lord in a Canaan And the dead Witnesses shall be in the Land of the living 3. The knowledge of these Truths will be matter of encouragement to the People of God to stand it out in an evil day When 't is known what Plagues are ready to come upon Babylon men will take the more heed that they partake not in her sins and that they be not found within the Confines of it If the great Truth of the first Resurrection were well improved what power would it have to keep men upright in apostatizing times Heb. 11.35 The Believers of old did not accept of deliverance that they might obtain a better Resurrection If the hope of a Resurrection at so great a distance was such a support how much more should it be so now being much nearer This expression of a better Resurrection in Hope did intimate that they might have had a present one then their Enemies that cast them down would have given them a Resurrection if they would have accepted it on their terms Even so the Beast that casts them down will give a Resurrection to the Witnesses of Christ if when risen they will fall down and worship him Now what will better encourage the Witnesses to endure to the end than the hope of a better Resurrection Two great Resurrections are spoken of in Scripture 1. That of the slain witnesses Rev. 11.11 After three days and a half the Spirit of Life from God entred into them and they stood upon their feet and after ascended to Heaven and their Enemies beheld them and that 's all they do they cannot kill them again If any in such time accept of a Resurrection from the Beast they must soon fall with him But let them keep the Commandments of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ so shall they stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion 2. That of the dead Saints at the coming of Christ they shall live and reign with Christ Here are two things much for the comfort of Saints 1. The godly shall be raised and be with Christ long before the wicked shall be raised and they shall be the Sheep at Christ's right Hand and after the wicked shall be raised and be the Goats at Christ's left Hand The godly and wicked dye alike and Worms devour their bodies Eccl. 2.16 How dieth the wise Man As the Fool. How dyeth the godly Man As the wicked But though they dye alike yet they shall not arise alike but Saints first and they shall be long in glory and at last the wicked shall be raised to shame and everlasting contempt 2. The Saints when raised shall have glorious Bodies the Wicked shall have immortal Bodies capable of everlasting torments but not glorious Bodies For their vile Bodies shall be raised vile and remain vile for ever Their Bodies are vile whilst they live more vile when they dye and shall be most vile when raised again For as the Souls so the Bodies of the godly and wicked shall be in a contrary State If then the Saints shall have glorious Bodies in the Resurrection the wicked shall have vile Bodies and according to the degree of glory which the Saints Bodies shall have will be the degree of vileness in wicked Mens Bodies What encouragement is this to follow the Lamb withersoever he goes that so you may have assurance of living and reigning with Christ 7. The conclusion of all in some Counsels and Directions 1. Receive Christ now and when he comes he will receive you to himself Open to him and he will open to you Receive him for Life and to be your Lord and then you may say when Christ who is our life shall appear we shall also appear with him in Glory Live in him and live to him so may you hope to live and reign with him If to you to live be Christ then to dye will be great gain and to rise will be greater 2. Look for and love the appearing of Christ To them that look for him he shall appear and give a Crown of righteousness to them that love his appearing If you deny your selves and take up the Cross of righteousness and follow Christ then you shall have the Crown of righteousness 3. Have your Conversations in Heaven mind heavenly things and drive a trade in Heaven buy Gold white Rayment and Eye-salve of Christ Get the Powders of the heavenly Merchant wherewith the Spouse is perfumed Walk by a heavenly Rule imitate an heavenly Pattern and aim at an heavenly End and so look for a Saviour from Heaven 4. Be of the number of wise Virgins be Virgins pure incorrupt espoused to Christ Take him as the Chiefest of ten thousand and altogether lovely and be wise Virgins in getting Oyle for your Vessels Let there be true faith joining you to Christ that you may receive of his fulness grace for grace Rest not in a Form but see that there be the Power of Godliness Thus shall you go in with the Bridegroom to the Marriage 5. Have a righteousness exceeding the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees For without this you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Mat. 5.20 This must be First The righteousness of Faith which is the righteousness of God laid hold on by Faith This the Pharisees would not submit to but went about to establish their own righteousness You can't be righteous before God but in the righteousness of God even of Christ God-Man Secondly A righteousness in your works which must exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees in these two respects 1. You must be Servants to righteousness Rom. 6.18 Being made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousness The Pharisees made their reighteousness a Servant to them in that they sought their own praise thereby Let yours exceed theirs in being Servants of righteousness 2. You must love righteousness and be Servants to it out of love Baalam loved the wages of unrighteousness the Pharisees loved the ways of righteousness but Christ loved righteousness Heb. 1.9 and so do those that are Christ's and therein they exceed the Scribes and Pharisees And if you have this righteousness exceeding theirs consider what Promises are made to you Isa 33.24 Who among us shall dwell with devouring Fire Who among us shall dwell with everlasting Burnings He that walketh in righteousness and speaketh uprightness Interpreters look no farther than Hezekiahs time for a sense of this place as if this and what follows had its accomplishment when Jerusalem was besieged and Sennachrib's Army destroyed which may be part of the sense and somewhat that was typical But doubtless Isaiah looks to the last