the Text speaking of the glorious state of the Church that should be saith The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give Light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting Light and thy God thy Glory Thy Sun shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended Certainly this hath not yet been fulfilled And in the 21. Rev. towards the latter end you have almost the same words And the City saith the Text had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof I shall afterwards come further to open somewhat of the meaning of that what it is no to have no need of Sun and Moon when we come to open wherein the glory of the Church doth consist that God intends to make the praise of the whole Earth I might name divers other Scriptures but I hasten rather to the other thing which is the main to open wherein the Church shall be the praise of the whole earth or what shall make it to be the Praise of the whole earth First more generally Certainly when the condition Jerusalem shall be in when Gods time shall come there will be a time of Resurrection from the dead there will be a kind of Resurrection from the dead before the general Resurrection at the great day of Judgment we have divers Scriptures that do seem to point at this and indeed clearly to manifest it The first Scripture is in the 12 Chapter of the book of Daniel that speaks of a Resurrection another Resurrection than that that shall be at the great day of Judgment saith the Text And at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the Book And many of them that sleep in the dust of the Earth shall awake some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the Stars for ever and ever Now that this must be an Estate of the Church before the great and general Resurrection is clear First It 's said here Some shall rise he speaks not of all shall rise Now at that day good and bad all shall rise But then Secondly The uttermost glory of the most eminent godly men that shall rise it shall be but to shine as the brightness of the Firmament and the height of all is that they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars they shall but shine as the Stars Surely those who are not only righteous themselves but are means to turn others to Righteousness they are like to have the greatest degree of Glory in Heaven which is a mighty encouraging place not only to Ministers but to all to seek to convert all they can For this Scripture seems to hold forth this Truth that the Lord will look upon them as Instruments of his Glory and give them a higher degree of Glory than others But now at the great day of Judgment we know that the Saints of God shall shine brighter than the Stars they shall be as the Sun These Bodies of Clay that we carry now about with us in the great day when Christ shall come to judge all the World they shall shine as the Sun in the Firmament The poorest Man or Woman or Child that is godly though their Bodies are cloathed with Rags now yet at the day of Christ their Bodies shall be made to shine as the Glory of the Firmament nay more than so as the Glory of the Sun Yea they shall be like to the Body of Jesus Christ himself c. and the Body of Christ shall be beyond the Glory of the Sun therefore this is not meant of that time for the height of all the Glory here is but as the Stars But then a third Reason why it is not meant at that time is because the Lord bids Daniel to close up this Prophecy and tells him it shall be a thing kept hid Now that there shall be a Resurrection that God shall come to judge the World this was never any such secret the light of Nature will tell us this that there is a time that it must be well with the righteous and ill with the wicked The Heathens could tell us of a time that God should judge the World But now the Prophet here speaks of this as a Mystery that it was not to be revealed till the latter dayes Yea and then Fourthly The Lord promiseth to Daniel as a peculiar and special favour unto him that he should arise and stand in the Lot at the end of the dayes Now for Daniel to arise at the day of Judgment that 's a thing that is common to all good and bad but here it is promised to him as a special Mercy that he shall stand up in the latter dayes in his Lot And therefore according to the Reverend Brightman and others this place is interpreted of the time of the calling in of the Jews when they and the Gentiles shall joyn together and Jerusalem shall then be set up as the Praise of the whole Earth And the rather it makes me think so because the Apostle in the 11 of the Rom. vers 15. speaking of the time of the calling of the Jews he doth make use of such a kind of Phrase that it shall be even a time of Resurrection it shall be no other but even a raising from the dead In the 15 verse For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the World what shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead Therefore it seems that he had some Reference to this very Scripture here at this time And in the 37 of Ezek. the beginning the receiving of the Jews there is set out by the dry Bones that were breathed upon by the breath of God and so they stood up as an Army and had life Yea and this shall be as a new Creation There will be as great works done as God did when he made the World at first and he will put forth as great a power So you have it set forth unto you in the 65. of Isa There the Prophet prophesying of a Glorious Condition of the Church what it should be mark how he doth express it For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I Create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy I create saith he new Heavens and a new Earth When will God do this Why saith he Be glad in it for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy When this Jerusalem
Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim Now ordinarily in Scripture Ephraim and Judah is made Typical of the Churches there was a great deal of contention between Ephraim and Judah one envying another Now this Prophecy is not yet fulfill'd for we never Read of Ephraim that is the ten Tribes and Judah were joyned in that near League and Union one with another as yet For the ten Tribes were carried Captive and never returned Judah indeed was carried Captive and they did return but not the ten Tribes Therefore it is spoken of an Estate of the Church afterwards Though my Church shall be in after times the times of the Gospel like Ephraim and Judah one envying another I 'le take away their envy they shall not envy but they shall love one another and joyn one with another Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim And then another Prophecy is in the 14. Zech. vers 9. And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his Name one It 's true all of us that are Christians we acknowledge but one Lord but we call him by divers Names and one saith This is his mind and another faith the other is his mind but saith he In that day as there shall be but one Lord so his Name shall be but one There shall not be those different apprehensions of Christ as now there are but Christians shall generally joyn together in one There shall not be such opinions to divide Christians one from another as now there are there shall be but one Lord and his Name shall be but one And a further Prophecy which is very remarkable is in the third of Zeph. v. 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure Language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent In the Original it is with one Shoulder now how do Christians shoulder one another and push one another by the shoulder as it were opposing one another what they can but then they shall joyn their shoulders together and all shall be but as one shoulder they shall serve the Lord with one shoulder with one consent their hearts shall joyn in one and then their strength shall joyn together Now this is that that shall be done when the Lord shall make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth you that mind the Lord and the things of his glory give him no rest untill he do establish this that he hath promised and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth In the tenth place there shall be a great change of things in the world at that time a great change in the whole frame of the creation of Heaven and Earth And I think verily that place in the eighth of the Romans and there is ground for it why we should think so is meant of this time Vers 20 21. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope because the creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit Even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our Bodies Now that this should be then in such an Estate of the Church in this World this is the Reason Either you must grant it to be so or otherwise you must grant that after the day of Judgment in the state of glory that the Saints shall have which Divines generally say shall be in Heaven you must grant that then there shall be the continuance of all the Creatures as now they are and that the Saints must live here Now that is hardly granted by any Divines But this speaks of the whole Creation to be delivered from their bondage and to come to partake of the benefit of the Adoption of the Sons of God That is at that time when the Adoption of the Sons of God shall appear gloriously that there shall be such a change in all the Creatures that they shall be restored to the first perfection that they had in the state of Innocency They groan to be delivered from the bondage surely they do not groan to be Annihilated and turned into nothing Therefore there is a time for the Heavens and Earth and Sea and Plants and Beasts to be in another condition than now they are And to say that this shall be at the day of Judgment or after few Divines have thought But this is spoken of a time when all the Creatures in this world shall have a mighty change put upon them And to that end the Scripture likewise in the 2 of Peter the 3 d. Chap. though one would think in the Reading of it if you did not mark it throughly that it should be meant at the day of Judgment but if you observe it throughly it seems to be spoken of a great change that there shall be when the creatures shall be delivered from bondage In the 10. vers But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up and now observe the 13. vers Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness There shall be a mighty change in the world by Fire or some other way and so as all things shall seem as if they were brought into nothing but saith the Apostle by the Holy-Ghost We according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Now suppose all the world were dissolved how new Heavens and a new Earth then shall the Saints after the day of Judgment have a new Earth and live upon the Earth here This I suppose you would think to be but a very strange Doctrine But now this is such a change of things as shall have New Earth as well as New Heavens and this is according to the promise now what promise have we in all the Book of God that this hath reference to I find all Divines referr it to the 65. of Isa For you have no other Scripture that you can refer this promise to in the 17. vers For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy So
of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God But this is observable why it 's said that the Garments of Christ were dipt in blood and the Robes of the Saints were white the meaning is this That it is to note that when this time comes to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole World that Jesus Christ he shall come to be avenged of his Enemies of all the wicked and ungodly upon the Earth and so he shall come in an Hostile way against them But those that follow him they shall have their Robes white the Saints shall triumph they shall do nothing but take the Triumph Christ shall go before and endure all the difficulty and hardship and they shall come after in a triumphing way Thus the Scripture speaks of deliverance from wicked men And in the 12 Zech. verse 3. there you have a place likewise observable for this And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all People all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces though all the people of the Earth be gathered together against it I 'le make Jerusalem a burdensom stone will they fight against it it shall be a burdensom stone to them and whosoever set themselves against Jerusalem in that day shall not prevail but shall be cut in pieces Why that day hath not been yet But there shall be a day when whosoever throughout the World shall set himself against the Church shall not prevail but shall be cut in pieces And so we find in the 11 of Exod. the 7 verse That when the People of Israel went out of Aegypt the Text saith there was not a Dog that did move his Tongue against them We know the Deliverance from Aegypt was typical It notes the deliverance of the People of this new Jerusalem from the Tyranny of Anti-Christ And therefore in the 15 of the Revel you find that Moses Song it is sung again In the 15 of Exod. after their Deliverance from Pharaoh Moses sings a Song of Thanksgiving and in the 15 Rev. they sing it over again verse 2 3. after their deliverance from their Captivity The Dogs of the World they do move their Tongues against the Saints of God now but there is a time coming that no Dog shall move his Tongue They shall be so convinc'd of the Inhabitants of Jerusalem that God is with them that they shall not be able to move their Tongues against them And I remember Lactantius that I spake of before that did speak so much in his time so many hundred Years agoe that there was such a time a coming he hath this expression among others At that time it shall be with wicked men as it was with the People of Aegypt When God saith he did deliver Israel from the Aegyptian Bondage he brought most dreadful Judgments upon the Aegyptians at that time so saith he whenever the time shall come that God shall set up Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole World then shall be most fearful Judgments upon the ungodly Now indeed Judgment begins at the House of God and the Saints in many places suffer most but then Judgment shall fall upon the Aegyptians and God will destroy wicked men or at least subdue them so far as they shall not be able to do any hurt to the Saints And that 's the first thing that shall be when Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth the People of God shall be delivered from wicked men and all Oppression and much less shall they be oppressed by one another It is that that darkens Jerusalem now that it 's under oppression from evil Men and that the Saints do oppress one another so much But for the Union of the Saints that we shall speak of afterwards But for the second thing and that 's this Then shall all the Expressions of the Churches Glory that we have in the Old Testament in a Typical way be fully made good and that visibly it shall be visibly and apparently to the World made good You will say What are those There are very many the Lord speaks very much of the Glory of his Church when he had his Church but among the Jews but certainly the wayes of God towards his Church then were typical and God intended by his high Expressions of the Glory of his Church then some other thing that should be afterwards made good in a more apparent and visible way As thus now you have these things said of the Church of God in the Old Testament First That it is the Portion of God Yea it is his Pleasant Portion Jer. 12.10 verse By that that hath outwardly appeared who would think that a few People that were contemptible to the World were God's pleasant Portion All that we read of the State of the Church in the Old Testament will appear one day before all the World that indeed God did not say in vain of his Church that it was his pleasant Portion Secondly We find that God saith that his Church is his Inheritance Isa 19.25 It is his own Inheritance Yet how do the wicked break into the Inheritance of God for the present But there is a time a coming that the Lord will make it appear to all the World that his People are his Inheritance Thirdly The Church is called the Dearly Beloved of Gods Soul Jer. 12.7 It is a very high Expression the Dearly Beloved of his Soul And yet at that time the Lord saith there that he will give the dearly Beloved of his Soul into the hand of their Enemies Oh! but how doth it appear then that the Church is the dearly Beloved of Gods Soul Well though it doth not so appear now to the World God hath a time to make it appear before all the World that his Church is the dearly Beloved of his Soul A fourth Expression is That it is the Peculiar Treasure of God in the 19 of Exod. v. 5. Ye shall be a peculiar Treasure unto me above all People Men make much of their Treasure but especially Treasures that are Peculiar Now the Lord hath another Treasure besides the Church the Blessings of God in Nature are God's Treasure therefore in the 28 of Deut. 12. verse the Scripture saith that God did bring out of his good treasure when he speaks of the outward blessings of his People when God gives us of the good things of nature he gives us out of his good treasure I but that 's a Common Treasure the treasure of nature But God hath a Peculiar Treasure and that 's his Church there 's the Riches of God Just as if a Merchant should be trading for divers sorts of Commodities perhaps he trades for Cloaths or Lumber stuff there is some treasure there I but he trades for Jewels and Pearls besides and he hath them lockt up under divers Locks and there he accounts all his treasure to be Now I may compare all the good things of this world
that this Scripture in Peter though in some passages of it may seem to referr to the great day of Judgement yet compared with Isa out of which it is taken it appears to be but a very comment upon my Text and I find generally Interpreters do Interpret this of Isa to be meant of the Church of God in this World And so by comparing one Scripture with another we may find out much truth And besides the Prophets did Prophesie very little about the Eternal life after the day of Judgment though something there was about it but very little in comparison and therefore we have a great deal of Reason to think it to be meant concerning this time of this new Jerusalem when God shall make it to be the praise of the whole Earth Lastly This shall add to the beauty of this new Jerusalem that Prosperity shall do it no hurt and therefore as I remember in the 4 th of the Revelat. the state of the Church in this time is compared to an Eagle there were four Beasts the first like a Lyon the second like a Calf the third was like a Man and the fourth was like a Flying-Eagle Noting the four states of the Church and the last shall be as an Eagle that is they shall be lifted above all these outward things At first when the Church was raised from persecution in Constantines time the History of those times tells us that there was a voice heard in the Air To day is Poyson poured into the Church It was at that time when Constantine did endow the Church with great Endowments and we find it now that we have weak stomacks and are not able to bear much prosperity and therefore God hath thought it rather fit to keep his Church low but when that day comes for Jerusalem to be made the praise of the whole Earth there shall be no fear of hurt from prosperity For Christ shall be all in all to them There shall be a more immediate enjoyment of God and that will keep them from taking hurt by what they have in the creature Now let 's put all these together and see what a glorious condition the Saints shall be in surely when all these things shall be fulfilled then you must needs say that Jerusalem will be made a praise in the whole Earth That is First When there shall be a Resurrection a new creation a new world when all Tears shall be wip'd away when all wicked men shall be kept under When the Church shall appear to be the pleasant Portion of God his Inheritance his dearly Beloved his Glory and when all Promises that have been made to them and all Prophecies of their glory shall be fulfilled when there shall be a wonderful confluence of the Nations Jews and Gentiles to them and yet there shall be a great deal of purity in ordinances there shall not be filth among them as now there is And the gifts and graces of the Saints shall be mightily inlarged and raised when there shall be a glorious presence of the Father and of Jesus Christ with them when Godliness and the Saints shall be honoured in the World as much as it is contemn'd when there shall be a blessed Union among all the Churches when there shall be a mighty change of the creatures and when there shall be no fear of any danger of any hurt by any Prosperity that they shall enjoy surely then will Jerusalem be made a praise of the whole Earth Therefore let the Saints give the Lord no rest until Jerusalem be thus made as the praise of the whole Earth You will say are these things so are they so indeed This may seem to be very strange and a strange point to some of you But in former times it was not so accounted those that are learned will find that Lactantius 17. Book 18.23 24. Chapters spends them almost all upon this Argument and he speaks of very strange things which I am loath to mention It may be he might go too far and he liv'd about 1300. Years ago But Justin Martyr that was long before him for he was but thirty Years after John the Disciple speaking about this point that I am speaking of I and all that are Christians of the Orthodox Faith hold this that there is such a time a coming of a glorious condition of the Church I know that this hath been abused by those that they account Millenaries there were some that did abuse this Doctrine and made the glory of the Church to consist in fleshly pleasures and the like and so they were condemn'd But I make the glory especially to consist in Spiritual good yet so as it shall appear to all the World And I find some Expressions in the Revelations where the Holy Ghost speaks of this of Christs coming to appear in this glorious manner he hath another manner of phrase to express it than I find in all the Book of God when other things are spoken of In the 19. of the Revel v. 9. He had spoken before of the Kingdom of Christ And he saith unto me Write blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me These are the true sayings of God Are there any false sayings of God It were blasphemy to think so one would think that if he did but say these are the sayings of God it were enough or these are true sayings But to make it sure that we may believe it These are the true sayings of God Not only the sayings but the True sayings of God Now if you say How can these things be To that I answer as in the eighth of Zech. v. 6. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts if it be marvellous in the Eyes of the Remnant of this People in these days should it also be marvellous in my Eyes saith the Lord of Hosts It 's marvellous in your Eyes should it therefore be marvellous in my Eyes I am the Lord of Hosts We may be ready to think these things cannot be But the Lord intends to put forth an Almighty power in bringing this to pass and it is that that is much in the heart of God to do These things the nearer the time comes the more they will be known and therefore I think it very useful at some time or other that people should be acquainted only Ministers had need have a Spirit of sobriety and moderation because not yet being fulfill'd they are not throughly understood and therefore we must not dare to be too bold in our guessing at things that are not clear But such things as appear clearly so as we may see there is footing for we should exercise our selves in and labour to make others acquainted with But now If you ask me when shall these things be when shall Jerusalem be made the praise of the whole Earth I Answer thus The Third SERMON IT 's very hard to determine the particular time but surely at the end