after the Blood of the Saints of which he hath taken so much with her that they are become Drunken with it And in Rev. 16.6 It is said They have shed the Blood of Saints and Prophets and thou hast given them blood to drink for they are worthy And whereas Moses saith God would blot out that Mans Name from under Heaven So it is said in Rev. 19.20,22 That he was cast alive into the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone And as to what Moses saith in the 22. v. we are in especial manner to take notice of in that he saith The Generation to come of your Children in that he doth not here in the plural number say Generations but Generation Speaking after the manner of our Lord Christ David and others in that they mention this Wicked World as one Generation And the Elect with their Generations in the Glorious time another Generation And whereas he saith the stranger that shall come from a far Land up to Jerusalem he saith When they see the Plagues of that Land and the Sickness which the Lord hath laid upon it Here we see Moses does not term it Israel's Land or the Land they were going to possess or Canaan but that Land whereby it is plain it was not meant their Land Now after the Lord again comes and the Judgment of this World is past 't is said Zach. 14.16 Every one shall go up from year to year to Worship the King the Lord of Hosts And then it is those strangers that in their journey pass by that Land up to Jerusalem and see that the whole Land thereof is become Brimstone and Salt and Burning nor any Grass groweth therein like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboim which the Lord overthrew in his Anger and in his Wrath Deut. 29.24 Even all the Nations shall say wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this Land what meaneth the heat of his great Anger 25. Then men shall say because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their Fathers which he made with them when he brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt Now as I before shewed you the Covenant included strangers that were to be brought in for time to come which by Christ should become the Seed of Abraham And so also the Covenant was made with our Fathers when they came out of the Land of Egypt But you may say that Christ came out of one Tribe and therefore the Covenant not made with our Fathers which words include more than one Father To which I Answer That whilst Judah was in Egypt from him sprang many Fathers of Families But peradventure you may say that Christ could not come of all the Families of Judah To which I Answer That by the Father and Mother's side of whom as concerning the Flesh Christ came there was then when this Covenant was made many of our Fathers also considering that then they lived to see the fourth Generation of their Children Now in the 26. v. forward Moses seems also to intermix Israel vvith this Degenerate Root for in the 26. v. he saith They went and served other Gods and Worshipped them Gods whom they knew not and whom he had not given unto them 27. v. And the Anger of the Lord was kindled against this Land to bring upon it all the Curses that are written in this Book That is This Land which he before had been speaking of on vvhich shall be made out all the severer Curses that are Written in this Book of the Lavv. And as many of the Curses as have not been inflicted on Israel and their Land will be inflicted on that Root that beareth Gall and Wormwood and their Land to whom the severest of them doth particularly belong as I before shewed you And Moses saith in the 28. v. The Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger and in wrath and in great indignation and cast them into another land as it is this day 29. v. The secret things belong unto the Lord our God But those things which are revealed belong unto us and our Children for ever that we may do all the words of this Law Now whereas Moses saith in the 28. verse That the Lord rooted them out of their Land in anger in wrath and in great indignation The which words also have a reference to Israel because God for their Sins did cast out the Seed of Jacob out of their Land But whereas he saith The Lord cast them into an other Land as it is this Day But now when this question is said should be asked and this Answer return'd it was after the time of Restitution and to them of that Generation that are partakers of that blessedness which then will be revealed And whereas he saith cast them into another Land which was quite different from Judah's Curse for they were to be scattered into the Four Winds and from one end of the Earth to the other Therefore I fear the Land here spoken of that these are to be cast into will be that which is mentioned Job 10.22 A Land of Darkness as Darkness it self For the time when these words were spoken would not admit him more clearly to mention them Now Moses in Deut. 29.29 to let them understand that there was something here interwoven or that his words had a Two-fold meaning that Israel might not be too much discouraged and that also the true Christians might thereby be enlightned as concerning this Root of Bitterness when God shall open their Eyes to see it in that he saith to them Deut. 29.29 That secret things belong to God but those things that are revealed belong to us and to our Children Now there are a great many secret things in the Book of God which this Word may have some Reference to but to assure us here was a Secret and therefore to this place is this Word Secret linked only So in the following Chapter Deut. 30. he treats of Israel's repenting and returning and in the 6. v. he saith God will circumcise their heart and the heart of their Seed to love the Lord their God with all their heart and with all their soul that they may live And he saith in the 7. v. The Lord thy God will put all these Curses upon thine Enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee 8. v. And thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his commandments which I command thee this day 9. v. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy Fathers Now from the 10. v downward Moses speaks of the then time how they should walk with God For in the 11. v. he saith This commandment which I command thee this day
fore-mentioned promised new Covenant will not be made with the rest of the Nations that then will be called in as God by the Prophet hath declared Ezek 16.61 And after the thousand years when Satan is again loosed and the eminent glory of the Lord is not so visible among them then Satan will again draw off some of them that are spared of those Nations which are not secured by the everlasting Covenant and fire shall come down from Heaven and destroy them And then the Devil that deceived them will then be cast into the lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Beast and false Prophet are and shall be tormented day and night for ever and for ever Rev. 20.3,9,10 From which words we are to take notice the Lord here declareth the continuance of day and night as also in Psa 89.36 â—7 And after the Devil is cast into Hell we read of no other than a temporal punishment inflicted on them of the Nations that will not go up to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and keep the feast of Tabernacles Zec 14.16,17 And how many thousand years it will be after Satan is cast into the fire of Hell before the final judgment the Lord best knoweth But by the word it is clear it will be many thousand years For God hath said He will keep Covenant and mercy to a thousand Generations Deut 7.9 And from Adam to this time we cannot well reckon above a hundred Generations For where St. Luke counts the Genealogy from Adam to Christ he reckons up but about three score Generations Luke 3. And this fore-mentioned Kingdom is the Kingdom of which the Angel told the blessed Virgin that Christ should Reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Luke 1.33 This ever chiefly includes the ever of the world to come in which time Christ will have his Reigning Power and at the time of the last Judgment when the Heavens and Earth are said to fly away Re. 20.11 The fore-mentioned Book explaineth the meaning thereof fully making it appear by the word there is two sorts of Heavens and Earth whereby it is clearly proved that the Kingdom of Christ will have no end according to the word of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin and according to the word of the Lord in Daniel But the Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever even for ever and ever Dan. 7.18 And God saith in Isaiah For as the New Heavens and the New Earth which I will make shall remain before me saith the Lord so shall your Seed and your Name remain Isa 66.22 For then it is God will give Israel a place of their own so as they shall move no more 2 Sam. 7.10 But we not apprehending there is three Evers three Times three Generations and three Worlds spoken of in Scripture thereby we have been much in the dark concerning this world to come And this world to come being the time that is chiefly comprehended in Psal 89.2 For I have said mercy shall be built up for ever thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very Heavens I have made a Covenant with my Chosen I have sworn to David my Servant Thy Seed will I establish for ever and build up thy Throne to all Generations Chap. X. The Meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles being again kept NOw in that the feast of Tabernacles is again to be kept when all the other great Feasts are laid aside Zech. 14.16 it doth thereby appear that when Israel and those of the Nations which are saved are first gathered they will then again for some time dwell in booths as Israel did when they came out of Aegypt And therefore this feast to be kept for a remembrance in the ever of the time to come But some may say How can the Nations come up yearly to Jerusalem the Journy being so far distant from some But none need Question but God will make them of ability to do what he requires of them And whereas it is said That every one that is left of all the Nations That is every one of the Nations that were left should go up yearly to Jerusalem but not that it is there meant that every individual person of the Nations will be required to go up year by year unto Jerusalem but some of the heads of the Nations And therefore said in the 18 verse If the Family of Aegypt go not up c. Then a National punishment is threatned Now what we find written in the old and new Testament and nothing therein to contradict the plain meaning thereof that will of certain be fulfilled in the plain and clear way as it is expressed But that is a figurative Speech and not to be taken in the letter of the word where we find other Scriptures in contradiction to it There God hath a secret vail'd in it which he reserves until such time as he will have it revealed But what God commands to be done And what God declares he will have done And what God hath sworn he delights not in And what God hath absolutely promised to do And what God hath sworn he will do These things are to be taken as they are exprest or we are apostatized from the truth And it is at the Restauration of Israel that the Everlasting Covenant will be established as to which time God has sworn to Israel That he will not be wroth with them nor rebuke them any more Isa 54.8,9,10,11,12 For then God will put his fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Jer. 32.39,40,41 And concerning that time The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his Strength that he will no more give their Corn to be meat for their enemies neither shall the Sons of Strangers drink the Wine for which they have laboured Isa 62.8 This promise will be fulfilled when Jerusalem is made the praise of the earth as in the 7th ver Which is at the time of the Restitution of all things when the Lord again comes Acts 3.20,21,22,23,24 And then it is There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob Rom. 11.26 Isa 59.20 Then shall the Lord rore out of Zion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the Heavens and Earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his People and the Strength of the Children of Israel Joel 3.16 This Zion or Jerusalem is meant of the glorious Tabernacles spoken of Heb. 8.2 But we all coming out of the Darkness of Popery have lost the right apprehension of this Kingdom or World to come whereby we are involved in great mistakes so as to think the promised everlasting Covenant is now established and that such as belong to it may fall foully but not finally but when that Covenant is established then it is that God will put his fear into their hearts so as
that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Now in the Apostle's time there was a twofold way of Christ's being in the Churches for Christ said to his Disciples The Spirit that dwelleth with you shall be in you John 14.17 because unto them was given the Holy Ghost to be in them which afterward also was but with the Churches But Christ in every true Believer must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in their hearts and affections in that their wills must be brought into subjection unto Christ by a complying frame of spirit to his will And thus Christ dwells in every true Believer For whosoever is in Christ in them is required a mind agreeable to the will of Christ that he thereby may rule in the heart Now the Corinthians having embraced the faith in yielding their consent to be obedient unto Christ and had also received the Spirit of whom St. Paul afterward heard of their disorderly walking therefore he writes to them to examine themselves whether they were in the faith and to prove themselves whether Christ were still thus in them or not for if Christ were not thus in them then they had rebelled from their subjection unto him and thereby grieved the Spirit of God and so become Reprobates But those that had never yielded their obedience to God or Christ cannot properly be said to be Rebels or Reprobates because they did never own themselves as servants to them but did all along yield themselves servants to sin for which they shall receive their punishment tho' not as Rebels or Reprobates But Israel whom God had taken into Covenant with himself they likewise were termed Reprobates for their wilful disobedience for which they were rejected of God Jer. 6.28,30 They are all grievous revolters walking with slanders they are Brass and Iron they are all corrupters Reprobate Silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Now tho' the Lord saith The Spirit like the Wind bloweth where it listeth but it listeth not to blow on them by whom it is grieved and therefore Israel was rejected Now some of them of Corinth were fallen into great iniquity and also had spoken evil of St. Paul and some other Disciples Therefore he saith in verse 6. But I trust that ye shall know that we are not Reprobates As much as to say ye shall know that we have not rebelled from our great Master and therefore not Reprobates For it is said Every one is his servant To whom they yield themselves to obey his servants they are to whom they obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Chap. XV. The Everlasting Life that is now given the Believer explained JOHN 6.47 Christ saith He that believeth in me hath everlasting life Now we have misapprehended the words of Christ for the everlasting life that is now given the Believer is no otherwise given except to the standing Witness than it was to Adam and Eve in Paradice For when sin in the Soul is pardoned the will changed Christ's Righteousness imputed then it is the everlasting life lost by Adam again takes place of which everlasting life nothing can again disinherit them but wilful and presumptuously sinning or negligently and carelesly departing from the ways of God Therefore Christ saith Rev. 3.2,3 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God If therefore thou wilt not watch I will come upon thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee And likewise St. Paul cautions the Church of Corinth fearing lest the Serpent should beguile them as he beguiled Eve 2 Cor. 11.3 For if Adam and Eve had never sinned they had never died Now the Churches thus standing were to take heed lest they should fall and to fight to keep their ground thereby to make their Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. c. 1. v. 10. And St. Paul saith Phil. 2.12,13 It is God that worketh in them both to will and to do according to his own good pleasure That is it was so far the good will and pleasure of God to restore them and renew them by his Spirit and to put them into a capacity of sincere obedience in which capacity they were to use their utmost diligence to work out their salvation with fear and trembling So likewise are we to do the same also For those that received the Talents were to improve that which was given them and he that did not according to his ability improve that which he had received was therefore condemned Matth. 25.15 Chap. XVI A Believer not coming into Condemnation explained CHrist saith John 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life These words of the Lord may admit of a two-fold meaning That is whilst the Believer continues believing that Salvation is to be had according to the promise of the Lord in the Gospel in the way of their love and obedience Whilst he thus believeth he shall never come into condemnation But this which the Lord here saith hath its peculiar reference to his second Coming at which time he cometh to judge the world and restore all things as in verse 22. The Judgment is then committed unto Christ at which time as in verse 23. All men shall honour the Son as they honour the Father The which never yet hath been done for the generality of the Jews hitherto have not honoured the Son as they honour the Father Neither by the Turks is the Son honoured as the Father Therefore this the Lord spake for the time when he again shall come That whosoever he shall then find a true practical Believer shall not come into condemnation For then the everlasting life that is now given the Believer will be secured to their persons for at that time they will be put into a capacity never more to offend For not only the raised Saints but the living Believer will then receive the Crown of Life For when the Lord again cometh the Crown of Righteousness is given to all that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 For when an inherent perfect Righteousness is given and the continuance of it secured to us by the establishing of the now-promised new everlasting Covenant then is Life crowned to the Soul This is the Covenant of Promise which now the Believers with Israel are but Heirs to And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham 's seed and Heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.29 but when the Lord again comes his other Sheep will be brought into that Fold with them that do securely stand For the Lord saith At that time when there is one Fold there shall be but one Shepherd John 10.16 Therefore this will not be till the Lord again comes But we taking all the Promises as
not his tongue but deceiveth his own heart this man's Religion is vain v. 27. Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their affliction and to keep themselves unspotted from the world Here we see St. James as well as St. Peter finds some that were willing to take up with an imaginary faith occasioned through the mistake of some of the sayings of St Paul Altho the same Apostle in such abundance of places doth so clearly explain himself by shewing what is required of them that are to be made partakers of the Crown of Righteousness as has been already proved And he also sheweth that good works is a foundation for us to build our hopes of Salvation upon as well as the merits of Christ 1 Tim. 6.17,18,19 And he also saith It is not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2.13 And that we should give our Bodies a living Sacrifice which is our reasonable service Rom. 12.1 And also that we must maintain a continual warfare Eph. 6.11,12,13 And as we believe that God is so we are to believe that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 Now in all these places in which St. Paul writes plainly agreeable to the word of God and Christ the Prophets and Apostles we will not believe him in because they do not so well suit our inclinations But in those sayings of his which we have not understood him in we have placed our belief to the contradiction of himself and all the revealed will of God in his word And tho' St. Peter did forewarn us that in St. Paul's Epistles there were some things hard to be understood which then some did wrest to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 Yet we have not thereby taken warning but how we shall answer it before the great Judge which is just at hand we had need now to consider before it be too late Now the Churches that first trusted in Christ being more Eminently chosen and called of God and by the abundant shedding forth of the Holy Ghost upon them they generally stood But the following generations were but raised to that from which Israel fell And therefore by their miscarriage we had need take warning For the Apostle saith If God spared not the natural branches take heed lest he also spare not thee Rom. 11.21 And Oh! that it might be a sufficient warning to us Chap. XVII Shewing who are they that are condemned already And who it is that will find Redemption SAINT John saith Chap. 3.36 He that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him This St. John spake of them that heard Christ and believed not on him The like the Lord saith of himself in the 18 verse He that believeth on me is not condemned but he that believed not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotton Son of God By these words it is plain that those that were condemned already were those that refused to believe in him And not that those were condemned for not believing in him who never heard of him For if so the Lord had then excluded all the first Churches who were then to be brought home by the preaching of the Gospel But we have falsly imagined from these and the like words as where the Lord said to his Disciples Mark 16.15,16 Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Which words has only a reference to such as believed and such as refused believing so as not to yield obedience to the truth when they heard it For according to the Commands of the Lord St. Paul saith The Gospel was preached to every Creature which is under heaven Col. 1.23 Now the Children did not fall under this condemnation because they were not capable of believing or not believing Neither do the Heathen now fall under this condemnation who know not the Gospel For none shall be damned for not believing that they never heard And whereas it is said 1 John 5.12 He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life These words do not exclude them that never heard of the Son so as none of them shall never receive life by the Son For there will be a Redemption in the world to come as will be fully proved in another Treatise And when Christ comes to judge the world and at the last and final Judgment they are all said to be judged according to their deeds done in the Body whether they have been good or evil And tho' in the parable of the Sheep and Goats there is but two sorts mentioned yet there is a third included in as much as the poor and the Children were not capable to be made partakers of the blessing or the curse in their doing or not doing good to the distressed Sheep of Christ And therefore the word all is not mentioned when he sentenced them to everlasting fire Matth. 25.41 And whereas Saint Paul saith To take vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction 2 Thes 1.5,6,7,8,9 The word all he mentions not But he includes them that have the knowledge of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ yet in works deny him in that they will not yield obedience to him And the Apostle saith Rom. 3.19 That what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law So likewise what the Gospel saith it saith to them that are under the Gospel That is to them that have the Gospel and obey or refuse to obey the same To them accordingly doth the promised mercy or the threatned judgment belong And in the Gospel is required our obedience to the Moral Law And also he saith Rom. 2.11,12 There is no respect of persons with God For as many as have sinned without the Law shall also perish without the Law and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law By which we see the Heathens that have not the knowledge of God come not under the same Judgment or condemnation of the fiery indignation unto which the wicked Christians are condemned because the law and Gospel only speaks to them that are under it Neither did the Old world go into the fire of Hell And all being judged according to their works and according to their deeds done in the body whether they have been good or evil Therefore to them that has done no evil works there will be a general release when they are judged Therefore all Children will certainly be cleared Neither do all offenders fall under everlasting condemnation The which by God's assistance I
things Chap. I. A necessity of being ready prepared for the Lord 's Coming lest that Day should come upon us unawares which is very near at hand NOW we not apprehending the dangerous condition that we stand in by reason we falsly imagine that the New Everlasting Covenant is made with us when now the Believers are but Heirs with Israel of the same Promise but because Christ said of them that were given him of his Father to be his standing Witnesses thro' the World that none should pluck them out of his hand And the Apostle speaking of the Churches that first trusted in Christ which had the abundant pourings forth of the Spirit upon them to secure their standing and thereby they generally stood which in Scripture the major part is reckoned for the whole And the Spirit was also given to confirm the Gospel to the World and the following Generations as will be abundantly proved but we having been in a mistake as to these things have thought it no concern of ours to know whether the Lord is coming or not But we also by misunderstanding the words of the Lord when he sent forth his Disciples to teach all Nations saying He that believeth shall be saved That is they that believed the Doctrine which Christ sent them forth to teach in which was included the conditions of man's salvation the which whosoever accordingly believed should be saved and they which believed not should be damned Now these words were but of force to them that believed and to them that refused believing for unto whom the Word never came they cannot be damned for not believing that which they never heard And the Apostle saith That what things soever the Law saith it saith to them who are under the Law Rom. 3.19 Rom. 2.12 So likewise what the Gospel saith it saith to them that are under the Gospel that is to them that have the Gospel and obey or refuse to obey the same to them accordingly does the promised mercies or otherwise the threatned judgments belong And tho' St. John saith He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life 1 John 5.12 Yet these words do noâ— exclude all them which have never heard of the Son so as that none of them should ever have life by the Son for there will be a Redemption in the World to come as will be proved And when Christ comes to judge the World and at the last and final Judgment they are all said to be â—udged according to the deeds done in the body whether they have been good or evil Mat. 25.35 Mat. 7.21 Mat. 16.27 Rom. 2.6.13 1 Pet. 1.17 James 1.22 Rev. 20.12,13 1 Tim. 6.18,19 Rev. 2.23,26 And tho' in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats there is but two sorts mentioned yet there is a third included in as much as the Poor and Children were not caâ—able to be made partakers of the Blessing or the Curse in their doing or not doing good to God's Elect And therefore the word all to â—hem on his left hand is not mentioned when â—e sentenced them to everlasting fire Matth. â—h 25. v. 41. And whereas it is said all Nations â—t is but meant all the Nations that have the Gospel And St. Paul saith The Lord will come to â—ake vengeance on them that know not God and obey â—ot the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall â—e punished with everlasting destruction 2 Thes 1.8 The word all he here mentions not but he â—hiefly includes them that have the Knowledge of God and of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ â—or the Gospel speaks to them that have the Gospel yet in works deny it in that they will â—ot yield obedience to it For it is declared in everal places of Scripture too many to be here â—t down that the Jews will be called in when â—…e Lord again comes and they do no ways â—bey the Gospel and then according to the word the Lord he will gather in others with them Isâ— 56.8 These things being abundantly proved iâ— a Book that is coming forth of which I shall heâ— set down some few proofs Chap. II. The Restoration of Israel THat the Restoration of Israel will be at thâ— time when the Nations round about aâ—… judged in the Valley of Jehosaphat and whereas the Lord saith Assemble your selves and comâ— up all ye heathen round about Joel 3.11,12 This iâ— spoken to those that have Israel's Land in theâ— possession and unto them that are their Oppreâ—sors And the reason why they are termed Heaâ—then was because there was no other then buâ— Jews and Heathen and that then not only thâ— back-sliding Christians which were afore prophesied of were so term'd but also the best oâ— Saints that came in by Christ of the Gentilâ— race are likewise termed Heathen as in 2 Esâ— 2.34 I say unto you O ye Heathen that heâ— and understand look for your Shepherd he shall giâ— you everlasting rest And what the Law and Goâ—pel saith it saith to those that are under thâ— Law and Gospel Rom. 3.19 Rom. 2.13,14 〈◊〉 as Christians and Turks For the backslidiâ— Christians are those that are under the condemâ—ing power of the Law and Gospel and also thâ— Turks acknowledge the true God but in Worâ— deny him and therefore fall under the coâ— demning power of the Moral Law And where the Lord saith Come up all ye Heathen Joel 3. 〈◊〉 now the word all in Scripture doth not include the whole and the Conversion of Israel will also be When Saviours come upon Mount Sion then the Kingdom will be the Lord's Obad. v. 21. Then it is Israel shall see him whom they have pierced and mourn over him Zech. 12.10 Rev. 1.7 And after the Lord descends upon Mount Olivet Jerusalem will be built never more to be destroyed Zech. 14.10,11 and the Wicked never more to have a prevailing power against Israel And the Lord Christ saith That Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled Luke 21.24 Which shews the Gentile Power will be wholly taken away before Jerusalem will be restored Accordingly St. Paul where he speaks of the Conversion of the Jews turns them to Isaiah where the Lord is there declared to come to judge the World Rom. 11.26 Isa 59.17,18,19,20 and God by the same Prophet ordered Proclamation to the end of this world Say ye to the daughter of Sion behold thy Salvation cometh behold his reward is with him Isa 62.11 Which shews their Salvation is not to be till the time of the power of this wicked world is ended and therefore it is said when the Lord comes that the Beast and false Prophet will be taken alive and cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone so as time for them and the wicked of this World shall be no longer Rev. 19.20 Therefore St. Paul bids the Church 1 Tim. 6.18,19 Do good that they be rich in good
Isa 34.6 The vvhich after he had given an Account of the Day of Vengeance and the year of recompence for the Controversy of Sion he speaks of this Esau's Land vvhich is this root of Bitterness That the streams thereof shall be turned into Pitch and the dust thereof into Brimstone And also in the 14. v. in answer to that of the Teeth of Beasts It is here said It shall be an habitation of Dragons the wild Beast of the Desart shall also meet with the wild Beast of the Island and the Satyr shall cry to his fellow And in Rev. 18.2 it is said that Satyrs shall Dance there Now these Satyrs are generally held to be Devils and Moses here says The Poyson of the Serpents of the Dust Now we know that in Gen. 3. God pronounc'd that Curse to that Serpent which was the Devil That dust should be the Serpents meas therefore I look upon these Serpents of the Dust here spoken of to be Devils Now Moses in the 25. v. begins again to speak of the Afflictions of the Natural Seed of Abraham for this Song is intermixt with the Natural and with the Adopted Seed of Abraham wherein he treats from Israel's first coming into Canaan to the Destruction of the World and their Restoration Now as to the Natural Seed he saith Deut. 23.25 The sword without and Terror within shall destroy both the young man and the Virgin the suckling also with the man of gray hairs 26. I said I would scatter them into corners I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men 27. Were it not that I feared the wrath of the Enemy lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely and lest they should say our Hand is high and the Lord hath not done all this 28. For they are a Nation void of Council neither is there any understanding in them 29. O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end 30. How should one chase a thousand and two put ten thousand to flight except their Rock had sold them and the Lord had shut them up 31. For their Rock is not as our Rock even our Enemies themselves being Judges Now this part we see is altogether spoken of the Natural Seed by the Judgments that have come upon them And from the 31. v. to the 36. v. Moses speaks again of the Adopted Seed of which came that Root of Bitterness of which he saith in Deut. 32.32 For their Vine is the Vine of Sodom and the Fields of Gomorrah Their Grapes are Grapes of Gall their clusters are Bitter 33. Their Wine is the Poyson of Dragons and the cruel Venom of Asps 34. Is not this laid up in store with me and sealed up among my Treasures 35. To me belongeth Vengeance and recompence their foot shall slide in due time for the day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste Now whereas God said Is not this laid up in store with me and Sealed up among my Treasuries whereby we may plainly see there was a secret in these words which was not then to be unfolded And whereas God saith To me belongeth vengeance and recompence That is God will arise to Judgment and then will he render Vengeance and Recompence Then shall those deceivers with the deceived know to whom these threatned Judgments do belong For God saith Their Foot shall slide in due time That is from their height grandeur and greatness For in the next words God saith The Day of their Calamity is at hand and the things that shall come upon them make haste And Moses began again in the 36. v. to speak of the Natural Seed of Abraham which words of his has their Reference towards the time of Israel's Restitution for he saith Deut. 32.36 For the Lord shall judg his People and repent himself for his Servants when he seeth that their power is gone and there is none shâ—… up or left 37. And he shall say where are their Gods their rock in whom they trusted 38. Which did eat the Fat of their Sacrifices and drink the Wine of their Drink-offerings let them rise up and help you and be your Protection 39. See now that I even I am he and there is no God with me I Kill and I make alive I wound and I heal neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand 40. For I lift up my hand to Heaven and say I live for ever 41. v. If I whet my glittering Sword and mine hand take hold of Judgment I will render Vengeance to mine Enemies and will reward them that hate me 42. v. I will make mine Arrows drunk with Blood and my Sword shall devour Flesh and that with the Blood of the slain and of the Captives from the beginning of Revenges upon the Enemy 43. v. Rejoyce O ye Nations with his people for he will avenge the Blood of his Servants and will render vengeance to his Adversaries and will be merciful unto his Land and to his people Now we see that in these Verses are contained the Judgment the which is Gods Revenges upon the Enemy at which time 〈◊〉 other Nations will be received into mercy to rejoyce with his people at that time when the Lord hath mercy on his Land and on his people Therefore we may clearly see that all this is to be fullfill'd at the Restitution of all things For the Land has never been restor'd to Israel since the Captivity Only that Judah had a liberty to build a Temple and to inhabit in that part that belonged to them but notwithstanding they were subject to another Monarchy So we see that all the Scripture doth absolutely agree in one and the same thing That the Wicked 〈◊〉 be destroyed and Israel restored and the promised Elect called in and all this is to be at one and the same time And as you see the natural Seed and the Adopted Seed here joyn'd so they are alike joyn'd throughout the Word where they are spoken of so is the Destruction of the Wicked World all along said to be at the Time of their Restitution In this fore-mentioned Chapter and Song is not only contained the short History of the World from the time that God brought the Children of Israel out of the Land of Egypt to the time that the Lord ariseth to Judgment at which time it is said from the beginning of revenges upon the Enemy he will make his Arrows Drunk with Blood and his Sword shall devour Flesh And as it is said at which time God will have mercy on his Land and on his People and then it is other Nations shall Rejoyce with them Deut. 32.41,42,43 By which we see that this Song does not only reach to the end of this World but it launcheth it self forth into the Glorious time And David being a Prophet and belov'd of God and thereby understanding the secrets of God more than
Figurative Esau p. 13 Host of Heaven p. 14 The Land that will be turned into Pitch p. 15 The Lords Vengeance and the year of Recompence p. 17 New Heavens and New Earth p. 21 Drunken but not with Wine p. 23 When the Everlasting Covenant is to be made p. 2â— The Saints Rising p. 32 The Two Witnesses and the Beast p. 38 The meaning of the last day p. 40 Coming to Judge the World p. 46,47 Esau and Jacob made the Representatives of the 2 Worlds p. 55 The Beast which Daniel saw p. 66 Where the Judgement will be p. 76 Figurative Egypt p. 7â— The Innocent Children of those that have been the Afflictors of the People of God will be spared p. 8â— The Vision on the Mount p. 91 Rachel and her Children p. 94 When Satan will be bound p. 97 Who he was that was to be removed out of the way before the Beast could rise p. 97 Christs Church in the time of this World a suffering Church p. 100 Wandring Stars p. 103 Christ coming in this Generation p. 106,108 The Lords return p. 114 When it is the wicked cannot spread their Sail p. 11â— The War that is now fore-told p. 125 Who it is that are condemned in the Valley of Jehoshaphat p. 126 The Signs of the times p. 127 The Fall of Babylon p. 129 The City that Reigns over the Kings of the Earth p. 131 The Glorious Tabernacle p. 142 The Spirit or River of God p. 147 Jerusalem when Gloriously Built p. 149 Where those that are saved will be preserved from the Storm p. 151 How long the Earth is to lie waste before it is restored p. 152 Who are they that are so suddenly changed p. 153 The Prophesie of Luther p. 154 Threatnings against Watchmen if the people not warned p. 163 Who they are that will be snared and taken p. 256 The Law and Prophets Prophesying p. 258 Instructions whereby to enlighten us how to read the Holy Writ so as to understand it IN the first place that which I shall speak to is the Words of Christ the which he hath left us to enlighten our Understanding in his Word That is in that he did joyn the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the World together According to which it is so joyned by the Prophets and also all the Prophesies are joyned and Intermixt And therefore St. Paul knowing that the Word was so â—oyned as there must be Skill in the dividing of â—t said unto Timoth 2 Tim. 2.15 Study to â—hew thy self approved unto God a Workman â—hat needeth not to be ashamed rightly dividing the Word of Truth The which we not rightly understanding how to divide neither the Scripture way of speaking which has occasioned so many Mistakes amongst us as there is For as 〈◊〉 have shewed you the Destruction of Jerusaâ—em is in some places joyned with the Destruction of the World So is Christs first coming in â—ome places joyned with his second coming And also the sufferings of Christ are intermixt and joyned with the sufferings of David the Reign of Christ with that of David and â—olomon the Deliverance by Christ with that of the Deliverance by Cyrus the Deliverance out of the Old Babylonian Captivity by the Deliverance that is to be by Christ when he again comes Now what we know was not fullfilled of the Prophecies it remains to be fullfilled and what was not made out in Davids and the Prophets sufferings was in the sufferings of Christ And what was not made out in the forementioned Kings will be fullfilled by the King of Kings the Lord Christ And what was not fullfilled by his first coming remains to be fullfilled at his second coming And although all these things are in some places intermixt yet in some other places they are set down more distinctly by themselves And also it is the usual way of Scripture speaking to mention things that are to come as though they were already done both in the Old and New Testament But the Coming of the Lord the Destruction of the World and the Restoration of the Jews is all along said to be at one and the same time as the following Treatise by the Word doth make appear There is also the Enemies of Christ joyned with the Enemies of David but we may easily know the one from the other for he curseth the Enemies of Christ but prays for his own There is also the Enemies of the Natural Seed of Israel and of the Adopted seed joyned together And there is the sins of the Naturâ—… Seed of Israel and of the Adopted joyned together There is also the Judgments pronounced against the Natural Seed of Isrâ—…l and the Adopted Seed joyn'd together And also with the Friests and Shepherds are included the Gospel Ministrs but in especial manner by the Shepherds And likewise the strangers that were taken in and those that should be taken in were alike joyned in the same Covenant with Israel and from the adopted seed did the Root of Gall and Wormwood arise And also in the Scripture the word All doth not signify the whole but the Major part as in Exod. 9.6 and 18.19 and 2 Kings 24.17 2 Kings 25.13,14,15 Ezek. 33.17 Jer. 44.28,29 Rev. 19.18 Zeph. 3.8 And also there is three sorts of Promises to three sorts of People First there is a general Promise to all that will accept of Salvation according to the conditions as it is tendred The second sort is to them that were as a gift from the Father to Christ John 10.29 And the Third is to Israel at the time of Restitution of all things There is also figurative speeches but we have made figurative speeches where there is none and where the greatest figurative speeches are we have made none which has cast us into so great a mist of Darkness as now we lie under for we ought to make nothing a figurative speech but what we can prove to be so by the word and also we must put no Interpretation upon any figurative speech but what we can find another place in the word that is so exprest that may unfold or open it and no other Scripture to contradict it And also 't is the usual way of Scripture speaking both in the old and new Testament to mention things that are to come as tho they were then past or present And as to the figurative speeches I shall here set down in this Treatise those figurative speeches which are most significant yet have been the least taken notice of As first there is the fabrick of the World and the World of People which is far oftner term'd the World in Scripture than the other is There is the material Heavens and Earth and there is the Heavens and Earth of Powers and People which are far oftner said to be the Heavens and Earth in Holy Writ than the other are And as there is the Host of Heaven the Son Moon and Stars and also the Principalities and Powers are said
to be the Host of Heaven There is also a material City and a City of People There is a sea of Waters and a sea of People There is a flood of Waters and a flood of People There is raging Waves of the Sea and raging Waves of the Sea of Mankind There is real Wandering stars and figurative Wandring stars There is the Animal Beasts and the Beast of People There is an Earthly City and a City that comes down from Heaven There is a Tabernacle of Man's Pitching and a Tabernacle which the Lord shall pitch and not Man There is natural Waters and spiritual Waters There is the Whirl-wind in the Air and the Whirl-wind of Afflictions There is real fire and figurative fire which is the Anger of Almighty God But God to let us understand that Hell-fire is as well a material fire therefore saith it is a Lake of Fire that burneth with Brimstone There is a real sword and a figurative sword There is a real Vine-yard and figurative Vine-yard There is real shepherds and figurative shepherds There is real Horses and Figurative Horses There is old Babilon and figurative Babilon There is a real Esau and a figurative Esau There is the real Land of Esau and the figurative Land of Esauh There is a real Assyria and a figurative Assyria Also this following Treatise gives an Account of three Worlds three Evers Three Generations three Times three Days There is the Natural Day the Day of a Year and a day of a thousand Years There is also three sorts of Sabbaths spoken of First The seventh Day Sabbath 2dly The seventh Years Sabbath 3. The seventh seventh Years Sabbath in which all things were restored to their right owners the which figures out to us the great Jubile or Sabbatism of Rest and Restitution of all things by Christ when he again comes And also in the great Jubel Sabbath there is one thing very remarkable that is that the Jubel Year was not fixton the seventh seventh Year the which would have been on the forty ninth year But leaving the forty ninth year was placed on the fiftieth year which seems to signify the change of the Sabbath to all when the Lord again comes accordingly our eighth Day otherwise called the First Day is now the Sabbath for in the fourth Commandment God saith the seventh Day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God But when in the following words God blessed the Day it is the the Sabbath Day God nominates the blessing to and therein not mentioning the seventh day when he blessed the Day but only the Sabbath the All Wife God hath left himself scope for the alteration or change of the day Now what is writ in the Holy Word is the Posts of Wisdoms doors Prov. 8.34 at which we should wait always with earnest Prayers fervent Affection and Self-resignation of our own understanding By which means what is here set down in this little Manual hath been attained that all the Praise and Glory may be of God The which Advice is in the word Learn not to thine own understanding but fear the Lord and depart from evil For who by their own Wisdom can find out God And David cries out Psal 119.18,99,100,101,102 Open thou mine Eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law And indeed there is wondrous things contained in it And he saith I have more understanding than all my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation I understand more than the Antients because I kept thy Precepts I have refrained my feet from evil that I might keep thy word I have not departed from thy Judgments for thou hast taught me And indeed without seeking to God to teach us as David did there is no understanding the hidden misteries and sigurative Speeches that are contained in his word And by the word we understand the Lord spoke to the Jews altogether in Parables for it is said without a Parable spake he not unto them because for their Sins he was laid in Sion as a stumbling stone so as these Parables when opened by the Key of the Word it will altogether appear contrary to what we have hitherto apprehended concerning the Coming of the Lord whose coming is to Judg the World and restore Israel THIS following Treatise sheweth what iâ— the World that is to be destroyed And the Heavens and Earth that is to be burnt Where the Land of Idumea is whose smoke will always ascend With an account when the great Judgments mentioned in the Revelations will be pour'd out upon the Earth Also when all the Jews will be called in And what is the New Heavens and Earth And of the new Jerusalem that comes down from Heaven where the Glorious Tabernacle is to be pitcht And what is the Sea that shall be no more And what will be the World that is to come How the Mountains came to be fir'd With a Prophecy of Luther's when the Lord shall come to Judg the World As also with an account what Belief is or aâ— a true Soul-saving Faith And also it treats of Election and the several sorts of it as the very Elect and a conditional Election and to others a day of Grace And by the Word proving there are several Worlds and so several Foundations by which it is clearly proved that there was none reprobated before the Foundation of the material Heavens and Earth And how Christ dwells in us by his Spiritâ— It gives an Account of the Tree of Knowledg of good and evil A Key found out which the Lord had hid in his Word until such time that he would have the Secrets therein contained reveal'd So as thereby Preparation for the coming of the Lord may be made in our Hearts And what is here set down in this Little Book has been attain'd by fervent desire and self-resignation of my own Vnderstanding and by Prayers and Tears and many a waking Night An Alarm to the world of the near Approach of the day of Judgment BY a clear Information of the certain near approach of the Coming of the Lord that we may make Preparation for him before it be too late That we cry not to the Rocks and Mountains Rev. â— to fall on us to hide us from the Face of â—im that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. For that great Day of his Wrath to the Wicked is just at hand Which Day will be a Day of Glory to the Saints and Wrath to the Wicked Liver Therefore let every one strive to make their Peace with the Son before they perish from the way for his Wrath is already kindled But then it will evidently appear that the Heb. 5.9 Lord is the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him And then as it is said 2 Thes 1.10 He shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe Which Belief is to believe in him and his Word so
as to become obedient unto him And the Lord speaking of the Signs of his Coming saith Luke 21.28 And when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your Heads for your Redemption draweth nigh Heb. 9.28 And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation That is looketh for him with a true longing desire after him For the Lover is with him accepted For the Lord saith John 14.21 He that hath my commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self unto him And God hath also promised in Jeremiah Jer. 29.13 Ye shall seek me and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart And now whosoever comes to Christ by Repentance Love and New Obedience he will in no wise cast out But when he comes to Judgment it will be too late for us Christians But I know to them that are unwilling to leave their Old Sins these glad Tidings will prove but unwelcome News as Christ's first Coming was to Herod and to the wicked Jews with him For when they heard thereof it is said they were troubled Mat. 2.2 For they thinking they were well enough as they were and their Consciences telling them they must reform their ways they desired him not and so as they desired him not so they knew him not who he was to their own destruction And so whosoever now hears of the Lord 's Coming and think with themselves that they will see a little farther first before they will amend their Lives there remains no Hope for them but that they will be left of God to Hardness of Heart and Blindness of Mind and so either be carried off this world by the Judgments that are now sent upon the Earth just before his Coming or otherwise reserved for those intolerable Judgments that are spoken of in the Revelations the which all the greatest of them will be poured forth upon the Earth after the Lord comes And then shall men desire to die but Death shall fly from them till such time that they have endured the Torments that God hath on the Earth allotted them For upon the wicked Psal 11.6 God shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an horrible Tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup As in Esdras 2 Esd 13.37,38 For when the Son of God shall come to rebuke the wicked Inventions of those Natious which for their wicked Life are fallen into the Tempest and shall lay before them their evil Thoughts and the Torments wherewith they shall begin to be tormented which are like unto a Flame and he shall destroy them without Labour by the Law which is like unto Fire For as the fire refineth the mettal from the Dross so shall the Lord do at his Coming as it is in Malachy Mal. 3.2,3,4 For he shall come saith the Lord of Hosts but who may abide the day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth For he is like a Refiner's Fire and like Fullers Soap 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 Then shall the Offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord. This is spoken of the Natural Seed of Jacob whom the Lord shall purifie at his Coming And St. Jude saith Jude v. 15. The Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints to execute Judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard Speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him And St. Peter tells us 2 Pet 3.3,4,5,6 That in the last days there shall come Scoffers waking after their own Lust saying Where is the promise of his coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation For he there tells us That this they are willingly ignorant of That by the word of God the Heavens were of old and the Earth standing out of the water and in the water whereby the world that then was being overflowed with water perished But by St. Peter's words we are fully given to understand what that world was which then perished it being neither the material Heavens nor Earth which then perished but the people of the world which perished But he saith in 2 Pet. 3.7 The Heavens and the Earth which are now by the same word are kept in store reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men But you may say why doth St. Peter here make mention of the Heavens and Earth that are now if â—e means the people The which words do make it plainly appear he had a figurative meaning in it for we know that there was then the same Heavens and Earth which are now therefore there is this Reason that he here mentions the Heavens and the Earth and not the world as he did before for we read of no Principalities nor Powers no more Soveraignty than was from the Parents to their Children and as from the Elder Brother to the Younger the which their Sons and Daughters had as much command over their children as their Parents had over them And as to what the Lord doth say in Isa 13.13 doth enlighten us herein for God there speaking of the destruction of the Old Babylon which also hath a reference to that which now is the Lord there saith in the 13th Verse Therefore I will shake the Heavens and the Earth shall remove out of her place in the wrath of the Lord of Host and in the day of his fierce anger Now what was the shaking of the Heavens in this place but the destruction of the King of Babylon by the Medes And pray consider what was the Earth that then was removed but the destruction of the Babylonians most of them being destroyed â—p the Sword and the Remnant that was left made Captives The Relation of which is set down in the same Chapter ver 15.16,17,18,19 Every one that is found shall be thrust through and every one that is joyned unto them shall fall by the Sword Their children also shall be dash'd to peices before their eyes their Houses shall be spoiled and their Wives ravished Behold I will stir up the Mece against them which shall not regard silver and as for Gold they shall have no delight in it Their Bows also shall dash the young men in peices and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb their Eyes shall not spart children And Babylon the Glory of Kingdoms the Beauty of the Caldeans Excellency shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah Here you see that God terms the Babylonians to the Heavens and Earth and also in Isa 1.
a Month according to the Egyptian Account it doth just amount to one thousand two hundred and sixty days of years at which time the Lord will come and then the Beast shall be taken and cast alive into a Lake burning with Fire and Brimstone and the Devil bound up and then will be the first Resurrection of which St. John speaks in Rev. 20.4 And I saw Thrones and they that sat upon them and judgment was given unto them and I saw the Souls of them that were beheaded for the witnesses of Jesus and for the word of God and which had not worshiped the beast neither his image neither had received his mark upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years 5. But the rest of the Dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished this is the first Resurrection V. 6. Blessed and Holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second Death hath no Power but they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years It is said in Isa 1.26 where God telleth them I will restore thy Judges as at the first and thy Counsellors as at the beginning afterward thou shalt be called the City of Righteousness the Faithful City Pray mark the Words Here the Lord doth not tell them that they should have such Judges as they had at the first and such Counsellors as they had at the beginning but that the Lord would restore them Judges that they had at the first and those Counsellors which were at the beginning Therefore the Lord said unto Daniel in Chap. 12.13 But go thou thy way till the end be for thou shalt rest and stand in thy Lot at the end of the days Now the Lord in the fore part of the Chapter tells him of the end of the world and what shall then happen and also tells him that he shall rest and stand in his Lot at the End of the Days Here the Lord doth not tell him that he shall stand in his Lot at the End of his Days but at the End of the Days after he has rested which is at the Resurrection By this of Daniel it doth further clear to us the first Resurrection on whom the second Death shall have no Power but that they shall be Priests of God and Christ and reign with him a thousand years And Isaiah saith Chap. 24.23 Then the Moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem and before his Ancients gloriously Not that Christ and his Saints shall reign no longer than the Thousand Years but that the Visible Glory may not so eminently appear among them after Satan is loosed that thereby he may accomplish his final Overthrow when he has deceived his Gog and Magog of which I shall speak more to in another place Whereas the Angel saith Rev. 10.6 That there should be time no longer That is no longer time for this wicked World to have Power and time of Repentance for their time should be no longer But there will be a glorious Time for the People of God in the renewed Heavens and Earrh when the Lord reigneth And as there will be another World so another Generation and another Time Of which times the Lord saith in Esdras 9.6 The Times also of the Highest have plain beginnings in wonders and powerful workings and endings in Effects and Signs The Lord grant that we may be awakened by the Signs of the End which End is now approaching And in John Martha said to the Lord concerning her brother chap. 11.24 Martha said unto him I know that he shall rise again in the Resurrection at the last day The which last Day is the last day of this wicked World and when this World shall be judged For the Saints are raised before the Wicked are condemned Therefore by this last day must be meant the last day of their Time For to take it otherwise it cannot be for it is said when this World is past that Day and Night lasteth for ever and for ever as in Revelations where the Devil receives his Last Judgment he is there said to be cast into Hell to be tormented day and night for ever and for ever The same is said of God That he liveth for ever and for ever Rev. 4.9 And as to what St. Paul saith in 1 Thess 1.5 VVhich is a manifest Token of the Righteous judgment of God that ye may be counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which ye also suffer Verse 6. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you 7. And to you that are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels 8. In flaming fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 9. VVho shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Power 10. VVhen he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that believe Now whereas he saith counted worthy of the Kingdom of God for which they did also suffer In answer to which it is said in Rev. 11.15 The Kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever Verse 17. Saying we give thee thanks O Lord God Almighty which art and wast and art to come because thou hast taken to thee thy great power and hast reigned Verse 18. And the Nations were angry and thy wrath is come and the time of the dead that they should be judged and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy Servants the Prophets and to the Saints and them that fear thy Name small and great and shouldest destroy them which destroy the Earth Now it is at this time when the Lord cometh that the Kingdoms of this World will become the Kingdoms of God and Christ And it is then God will give Rewards to his Servants at which time the wicked Worldlings that are dead in sin will be judged and then shall they be destroyed which destroyed the Earth which Earth is their fellow brethren upon the Earth And also by the words of St. Paul before mentioned it is when the Lord shall be revealed that then to the wicked will be recompensed Tribulation and to the Saints Rest and Consolation And when God and Christ have taken possession of the Kingdom then shall the Saints reign on the Earth as in Rev. 5.10 And hast made us unto God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the Earth And according to this it is said in Ephes 2.7 And also in 1 Pet. 2.9 Where he mentions those things which are to come as if they were present which way of speaking is often used in
Scripture And the like is in Dan. 7.27 And in 2 Tim. 4.8 It is said The Crowns are given in that day to all them that love his appearing For now it is said in Rev. 6.9 The Souls are under the Altar Now in the next place we are to take notice who are those that do chiefly fall under this everlasting Punishment mentioned by St. Paul in 2 Thess 1.6,8,9 which in especial manner appears to be those rhat were the Afflictors of the the Servants of God as in Verse 6. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompence Tribulation to them that trouble you By which we see these will be the great sharers of his Wrath when the Lord comes as in verse 8. In flaming fire taking Vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 9. VVho shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Now altho he saith this of them that know not God Now those are said not to know God that in works deny him in not obeying the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ Now this word was more particularly directed to them that would not have a practical Knowledg of God and of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ as to be obedient thereunto Now that this Condemnation did not extend to all that had not the knowledg of God and of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is evident for in his words there is not all expressed for he did not say of all them that knew not God and all them that knew not the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ but to them chiefly that knew it and would not obey it for the Lord saith he that knoweth not his Masters Will and doeth it not shall be beaten with fewer stripes For St. Paul also knew that the Jews that neither did know nor obey the Gospel were to be called in at the coming of the Lord is evident by what is said in Rom. 11.25,26 That when the fulness of the Gentiles be come in then all Israel should be saved He saith according as it is written in Isa 59. read there from the V. 14. to the end of the Chapter in which is contained Christ's coming to Judgment and the Redemption of his People and it is at that time when he comes to Mount Sion That he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. And then will the rest of the promised Elect be gathered in Now when the Lord was upon the Earth he did not in the plain Letter of the Word either bid us pray for Jerusalem or the Conversion of the Jews but in the Second and Third Petitions of that Prayer that he taught us they are both included Where he saith Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven For the Lord knowing that Israels time to be restored would not be until his Second Coming at which Time should be the Restitution of all Things And then will the Kingdoms of this World become the Kingdoms of our God and of his Christ And then will Israel be restored and the promised New Covenant made with them And then will the Will of the Lord be done on Earth as it is done in Heaven and this the Lord would have us to pray for before we ask our daily bread for the Time was not so absolutely determined but that the days may be shortned And the Lord said to Esdras Pray for few days unto you And Christ in Matth. 24.22 saith For the Elect's sake those days shall be shortned And St. Peter speaking of Christ's second coming in Acts 3.19,20,21,22,23 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. 20. And he shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you 21. VVhom the Heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began 22. For Moses truly said to the Fathers a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you 23. And it shall come to pass that every Soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people Here the Apostle absolutely tells us The Lord will again come and then will the Times of Restitution be the which he saith hath been declared by all the Prophets and by them I here prove the same unto you And in 2 Esdras 11.37 And I beheld and lo as it were a roaring lion chased out of the wood And I saw that he sent out a mans voice unto the eagle and said V. 38. Hear thou I will talk with thee and the highest shall say unto thee V. 39. Art not thou it that remaineth of the four beasts whom I made to reign in my world that the end of their times might come through them V. 46. That all the earth may be refreshed and may return being delivered from thy violence and that she may hope for the judgment and mercy of him that made her Now we have all of us been under a very great mistake as to our Lord 's coming to judgment taking his coming to judg the World for that last and final Judgment spoken of in Rev. 20.12 wherein the Dead both small and great shall stand before the Throne of God At which time the Sea and Hell and Death shall deliver up their Dead which are in them But when Christ comes to Judg the World there is mention made of no such thing But whereas St. Paul saith in the 2 Tim. 4.1 That the Lord Jesus Christ shall judg the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdom Here we must not forget whom the Lord calls Dead it is also them that are dead in sin and it is those Dead wirh the living Saints and restored Jews that he will first Judg. And whereas it is said in his Kingdom pray take notice of the word Kingdom which Kingdom would be but of a short continuance were it but for a natural day therefore it is said that he must Reign till he hath put all his Enemies under his feet which is till the last general Judgment when the Sea Hell and Death shall deliver up their Dead Now as to what our Lord saith concerning his coming Matth. 25.31 when the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy Angels with him Then shall he sit upon the Throne of his glory V. 32. And before him shall be gathered all Natiions and he shall seperate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats Now whereas the Lord saith he shall fit upon the Throne of his Glory which words argue a continuance of some considerable time upon his Throne And the Lord here
and lying wonders in that they say Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful works All which does fully make out it is those that makes a profession of Christ but in their Works deny him which are here in a more particular manner shut out And in the Revelations it is said The Vine is first trod in the Wine-press of God's wrath Mat. 25.30 VVhere the Lord in the parable of the three men to whom the Talents were given it was he that improved not his Talent whom the Lord commanded should be cast into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of Teeth The Lord also saith in Luke 19.12,14,15,27 A certain Nobleman went into a far Countrey to receive for himself a Kingdom and to return 14. But his Citizens hated him and sent a Messenger after him Saying we will not have this man to reign over us 14. And it came to pass when he was returned having received the Kingdom The Lord saith Verse 27. But those mine Enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Now as to whom this Sentence of Condemnation is passed it doth also in a particular manner figure out the Christians to us in that they have the knowledge of the Lord and would not have him to reign over them And the Lord doth not here make mention of the crying sins of the Times for the Scriptures do fully make manifest that they shall have their part in the Lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death Rev. 21.8 But the Lord to undeceive them that think they shall be happy when indeed they shall be miserable Therefore it is said That it is not him that confesseth the Lord with his mouth and in his works deny him and that it is not onely the shuning the doing evil Which so few does now adays But we must also learn to do well for if we Christians are not found ready with grace in our hearts at his coming we shall be shut out like the foolish Virgins from those heavenly nuptials with the Lord the Bridegroom of Souls Now whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 13.34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables and without a parable spake he not unto them 35. That it might be fullfilled which was spoken by the prophet Saying I will open my mouth in parables I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world And in the 36th Verse 't is made mention of the Disciples coming to the Lord saying Declare unto us the parable of the Tares of the field 37. He answered and said unto them He that soweth the good Seed is the Son of Man 38. The Field is the world the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom but the Tares are the Children of the wicked One. 39. The Enemy that soweth them is the Devil the Harvest is the end of this world the Reapers are the Angels 40. As therefore the Tares are gathered and burnt in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world 41. The Son of Man shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity 42. And cast them into a Furnace of Fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of Teeth 43 Then shall the Righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father Now here we see this is the Interpretation of the Parable wherein we are to take notice that the Tares are the Seed of the Wicked One and according to the saying of St. Peter the World that is to be burnt Pray take notice where this Kingdom is from whence all things that offend and do Iniquity is to be pluckt out you see it is here upon this Earth Now by this you may more clearly see which are the Heavens and Earth which are to be destroyed by the fiery indignation of the Lord's Displeasure And we ought to take notice of the Words of the Lord in that he saith he would open his Mouth in Parables and he would utter things that have been kept secret from the Foundation of the World Which is That the Glory of the Righteous shall be when the Wicked World shall be destroyed Whose Executioners are said to be the Angels For although these things were hinted to them in Old Time by the Prophets yet Israel apprehended them not no more than that of Christ coming to suffer And like us that have been ignorant in these great matters as to the Sayings of Christ and his Apostles And whereas the Lord saith The Righteous shall shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of his Father he also saith in John 10.30 I and my Father are one Now seeing that Christ and the Father are One the Kingdom that is the Son 's must be the Father 's also And it is said Rev. 11.15 The The Kingdoms of the world are become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ And in Psal 9.16 The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Verse 17. The wicked shall be turned into Hell with all the Nations that forget God Verse 18. For the needy shall not always be forgotten the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever Now Christ by these words Wheat Sheep and Elect thereby leaves himself scope for to take in whom he pleases at his coming the which will be those people which the Prophets have prophesied of with the poor that are said to be fetch'd in at the coming of the Lord. But by what the Lord saith it is evident that there will be something found in them to distinguish them from the Wicked of the World But as for the Christians that forget God they must look to be turned into Hell as it is said Now it is these and the like places that have cast a Veil over our Faces or Apprehensions in taking the Elect which is to be called in at the coming of the Lord for the Saints which attend him from Heaven and for the Witnesses that meet him in the Clouds of Glory the which then will descend from Heaven and is the place which the Lord said he would prepare for them and then come again and receive them to himself Joh 14.3 This being the Tabernacle which the Lord shall pitch and not man 1 Pet. 1.4,5 Of which I shall speak more in another place But as for those that were before mentioned The Lord there saith it is all the Nations that shall be gathered before him And it is evident that the Saints in Henven are not termed the Nations neither the Damned that are in the infernal Regions And also the Wicked is to be gathered out of this Kingdom of his And therefore this Kingdom of his must be upon the Earth
saith 13. c. 15. v. Let my Soul bless God the great King 16. For Jerusalem shall be built up with Saphires and Emeralds and Precious Stones thy Walls and Towers and Battlements with pure Gold 17. And the streets of Jerusalem shall be Paved with Beril and Carhuucle and Stones of Ophir 18. And all her streets shall say Alleluja and they shall praise him saying blessed be God which hath extolled it for ever Now in this Earthly Jerusalem there is said to be a Temple as in Ezek. 47.1 Where the waters are said to come from under the Threshold Now when the Lord cometh to Judg the world and to deliver Israel then will his Elect be gathered to the Holy Land And it is said in Isa 32.19 When it shall hail coming down on the Forrest the City shall be low in a low place Here the People is term'd the City according to that in Isa 62.12 where Israel is treated A City sought out and not forsaken This Hail is the horrible Tempest spoken of Psal 11.6 Vpon the wicked he shall rain snares fire and brimstone and an horrible tempest shall be the portion of their Cup. Now altho the Wicked are for some time left upon the Earth after the Lord comes to receive the Punishments the Lord has appointed them upon the Earth and to behold the Glory of the Saints as it is said Psal 112.10 The wicked shall see it and be grieved he shall gnash with his Teeth and melt away the desire of the wicked shall perish Thus after the Wicked have received part of their Punishment here this forementioned horrible Tempest will sweep away all the refuge of Lies as in Isa 28.17 and in the 29. c. 20,21 v. It is said The terrible one is brought to nought and the Scorner is consumed and all that watch for iniquity are cut off That make a man aâ— offender for a word and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the Gate and turn aside the just for a thing of naught And it is said Mal. 4.1 For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an Oven all the proud yea and all that do wicked shall he stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of Hosts and it shall leave them neither root nor branch 2. But unto them that fear my Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his Wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as Calves of the stall Now in the time of the utter Destruction as I have show'd you then will the City be low in a low place as in Isa 32.19 When it shall Hail coming down on the Forrest and the City shall be low in a low place Which City is the People as I have elsewhere proved to you Now where this place will be the Prophet Zachary tells us Zach. 14.3 Then shall the Lord go forth and Fight against those Nations as when he fought in the day of Battle 4. And his Feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the East and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof towards the East and toward the West and there shall be a very great Valley and half of the Mountain shall remove toward the North and half toward the South 5. And ye shall flee to the Valley of the Mountains for the Valley of the Mountains shall reach unto Azal Now here by these words it doth evidently appear that Israel with the rest of the Promised Elect that will be called in at the coming of the Lord which then also will be gathered to the Holy Land and secured from the Judgments that will fall on the wicked before the sweeping Tempest cometh that carrieth them all away For when the Lord descends so far down as his Feet to stand on Monnt Olivet the mountain then cleaves asunder and then it is they fly into the Valley of the mountain For as Noah was secured in the Ark when the world was destroyed by the Flood So it doth appear that the Elect will be secured in this Valley whilst the World is destroyed by the horrible tempest of Hail Fire and Brimstone then as it is said the City shall be low in a low place And as concerning the Destruction of this World Esdras saith 2 Esd 7.29,30,31 The World shall be turned into the old silence seven days like as in the former Judgment so that no man shall remain And after seven days the World that yet awaketh not shall be raised up and that shall die that is corrupt Now whereas it is said that the world shall be turn'd into silence seven days like as the former Judgments by which it doth appear that as by the former judgments of the Rains from Heaven and with the Fountains of the great Deep being broken up from beneath by which the old World became silent and at the Destruction of this World by the words it doth appear that this will remain silent for seven days as the old World did for many more for the Waters did continue upon the Earth for some considerable time Now whereas it is said that no man should remain the which words may be taken in a twofold sence First That no man of this wicked World shall remain The second is That the Elect fleeing into Mount Olivet may there sleep whilst the Earth is destroyed and again renewed to that perfection as it was in the first Creation and Canaan made like to Eden the Garden of God And after the world has lain wast God can renew it by the Eighth and our Sabbath being on the eighth day it doth thereby seem to signify as much and the blessing was not given to the name of the Seventh day but to the Sabbath Day And altho those that are chosen for the Glorious Tabernacle are said to be changed in the twinkling of an Eye and so caught up in the Clouds but Israel and the other Elect have no such sudden Change and therefore it doth likely appear these may have their Earthly infirm Bodies Renewed at that time as the Earth is and their heart so changed as it is said in Esdras to another meaning the which is according to the word of the Lord in Rev. 21.5 And he that sate upon the Throne said behold I make all things new and he said unto me write for these words are true and faithful Here we see that the Lord will make all things New Now as some of the Chapters in Revelations are misplaced So some of the Verses of this Chapter in Esdras do certainly appear to be misplaced because the World is said to be destroyed and the Dead Raised before the most high is said to sit upon the Throne of Judgment Now after this World is thus Renewed and Restored and Jerusalem again Built then as it is said in Zach. 14.11 And men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but
which Gloriously was made true on Luther for in the year 1515 he began to sing and so Powerfully Preached and Wrought and Fought as since the Apostles times none hath done the like yet notwithstanding in despight of the Papists whom valiently in open fight he Encountred he lived many years afterwards and in the year 1546 departed in Peace on his bed Now in that God terms the Wicked to the Heavens and Earth and the World thereby he leaves man scope to come to Repentance whosoever so does they are then neither termed the Heavens nor the Earth nor World that is here spoken of that is to be destroyed 〈…〉 So I hope 〈…〉 by the breaking forth of the Light of Knowledg of the Coming of the Lord and by the fresh publication of the Gospel there may be Millions of Souls brought home so as to prepare for the coming of the Lord so that it may be only those that have hardned themselves in all Iniquity are to be left of God to hardness of heart and blindness of mind which may chiefly prove the Heavens Earth and World which will be destroyed by whom is chiefly included the incorigible Babilouians or Romanists whereas the Lord saith Should he find Faith on the Earth I could wish the Earth here spoken of by the Lord did only as will chiefly include those cruel Babilonians which have acted their Cruelty to the Servants of Christ and such as have given themselves up to wilful sin whereby they are left of God to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind but that all the rest of Mankind and especially them that bear the outward Name of Christ may depart from iniquity or otherwise they being they that will else fall underneath the severest Judgments And that all Mankind would seek unto God as Nineveh did and that also all them that fear his Name would stand in the gan for the People and so the 〈◊〉 of People that is to be destroyed may be â—…minished and the servants of Christ 〈…〉 creased So that Darkness might only fall on that Earth of People that hath excluded themselves from his Mercy but that the 〈…〉 mankind may keep off the Judgments 〈◊〉 against them by their Repentance as Nineveh did so that the Destruction which was threatned to be in forty days was turned to forty days of years in which Time those who were the chief Mourners were remov'd by Death and so now if we by the fresh breaking forth of the clear light of the Gospel with the Voice of the Bridegroom 's coming we so awake as to prepare for it we shall have as good success as Nineveh had for thereby the Earth of the Wicked will be decreased and the Servants of Christ increased And in that Luther doth say There shall be a Voice of the Bridegroom 's coming according to what the Angel said to Daniel altho not in the same words but to the same effect as in Dan. 12.4 But thou O Daniel shut up the words and seal the Book even to the time of the end many shall run to and fro and knowledg shall be-increased This fully shows that knowledg shall be increased at the time of the end which end is now just approaching and knowledge breaking forth at the Coming of the Lord thereby to make preparation for his coming But my Soul is troubled when I think of the Words of the Lord concerning the willful miscarriage of the Christians after they have Notice of his Coming for he saith in Luke 14.17 He sent his Servants at Supper-time to say to them which were bidden Come for all things are now ready 18. v. And they all with one accord began to make excuse being eager after the advantage of this World Here we see these might have came had they not been wanting to themselves for which the Anger of the Lord was kindled against them And here we see by the Lord as well as by Daniel and Luther that there would be notice given at the end of the time of his Coming of which the Lord saith is just at Supper-time And the Lord also said Dan. 12.9,10 And he said go thy way Daniel for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end Which plainly shews there was a Secret in it which was not to be revealed till now the end of the time And also the Lord saith in the tenth verse Many shall be purified and made white and tried but the wicked shall do wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand but the wise shall understand And whereas it is said none of the wicked shall understand that is those that have given themselves to work iniquity shall be left of God to hardness of heart and blindness of mind And whereas it is said the Wise shall understand it is meant by them that truly fear the Lord for the fear of the Lord is said to be the beginning of Wisdom and these are those that shall not be in darkness at that day but that the signs with the opened revealed Will of God in his Word shall now alarm them to prepare for his coming Now between these there is a third sort which by the Watchmans Warning they might have the advantage of making preparation For the Watchman is set upon the Watch-Tower to warn all And if the Wicked Man die without Warning although he die in his iniquity yet his Blood will God require at the Watchmans hand according to the Word of the Lord in Ezek. 33.6,7,8 14,15 But if the Watchman see the sword come and blow not the Trumpet and the people be not warned if the Sword come and take any person from among them he is taken away in his iniquity but his blood will I require at the Watchmans hand 7. So thou O Son of Man I have set thee a Watchman unto the House of Israel therefore thou shalt hear the Word at my mouth and warn them from me 8. When I say unto the Wicked O wicked man thou shalt surely die if thou dost not speak to warn the Wicked from his way that wicked man shall die in his iniquity but his blood will I require at thine hand For the Lord saith in the 14th verse When I say to the Wicked thou shalt surely die if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right 15. v. he shall surely live he shall not die By this we also see that if God doth say to the Wicked thou shalt surely die yet that threatning was of force no longer than the man remained sinful But as for those sinners who by their continual custom in sin God has left to hardness of heart and blindness of mind they cannot come to amendment of Life And God saith according to this in Ezek. 33.13 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit iniquity all his Righteousness shall not be remembered but for his iniquity that he
of the Earth â—at shall then awake but as the Saints are â—st raised to Glory so by the foregoing words does appear also there is some that have been â—ost notoriously wicked shall first rise before â—e rest of the Wicked to have their everlastâ—g Punishment And by what is here said 〈◊〉 may conjecture that the beast upon the â—rone shall not suffer more than his Predecesâ—s that are gone before him but that the oâ—er may arise to receive the like Condemnatiâ—… they being the most wicked by reason â—ey have been the Cause of destroying more â—uls than any other men in the World besides And Luther did hold both Pope and Mahomet to be comprehended under the name of the Beast And we reading neither in the 7th of Daniel nor in the Revelations of any that was cast alive into the lake of Fire but the Beast and the false Prophet which makes me conjecture there may be no other of the wicked raised at that time but what has so sinned And now according to the Word of the Lord in Daniel there has been such a time of trouble as never was since there has been a Nation with Blood and Fire and Vapour of Smoke By which Rivers of Fire Hell hath enlarged her self as in Isa 5.14 Hell hath enlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure and their Glory and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it 16. And the Lord of hosts shall be exalted in Judgment and God that is Holy shall be sanctified in righteousness 17. Then shall the Lambs feed after their manner and the waste places of the fat ones shall strangers eat This is spoken for the time now a coming by Hells enlarging her self and the wicked's descending into it at which time it is said the Lord of Hosts shall be exalted at which time it is also said the Lambs shall feed after their manner Therefore this must relate to the time of the Judgment of this World and the Restoration of all things Now as it is said in Daniel There shall be such trouble as never was since there has been a Nation And now according to the saying of the Angel There has been such trouble at this time as has not been since there has been a Nation with the like amazing Earth-quakes which has been in several places with the Cities of the Nations falling with oft Eruptions of Fire breaking forth of Hell with the continual Wars of long standing and neither Conquering one the other with that great Mortality which has lately been in Palestina and there about to above a Million of Souls All these things being the Signs that God and Christ hath given us that thereby we might prepare for the Coming of the Lord for he saith when his Judgments are upon the Earth let the Inhabitants of the world learn Righteousness Now these Judgments are the Lord 's continual Whirl-winds which is spoken of in Jeremiah That Israel and we should consider it perfectly and we also have had the signs of Good amongst us in token of the great Jubile or Sabbatism of rest in that there was a Field of Corn in Kent came up of it self which has not been before since the Creation Also with the Miraculous Cure of Mary Malliard the which being clear signs of the great Jubile when all things shall grow of themselves at which time also it is said the Lame shall leap as an Hart. And then after the Lord is again come will be kept New Moons and Sabbaths as in Isa 66.23 and solemn Assemblies with the Feast of Tabernacles as in Zac. 14.17,21 and Sacrifices but what those Sacrifices will be we know not And then there shall again be Altars to the Lord as in Isa 19.19 but whether those Altars will be more than for Offering of Incense and sweet smelling savours is uncertain But there was free-will-Offerings before the Law and the like Then will there be greatness in the Church again But in this time Christ saith to his Disciples He that will be chiefest among you shall be servant to all Now whereas the Lord saith in Isa 28.8 For all tables are full of Vomit and Filthiness so that there is no place clean 9. Whom shall he teach Knowledg and whom shall he make to understand Doctrine them that are weaned from the Milk and drawn from the breasts 10. For Precept must be upon Precept Precepts upon Precept Line upon Line Line upon Line here a little and there a little 11. For with stammering Lips and another Tongue will he speak to this People 12. To whom he said this is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest and this is the tefreshing yet they would not hear 13. But the word of the Lord was unto them precept upon precept precept upon prâ—…cept line upon line line upon line here a little and there a little that they might go and fall backward and be broken and snared and taken Now whereas the Lord saith Precept upon Precept Line upon Line that is of instructions and admonitions shewing us what God re-requires of us that we may walk in obedience thereunto But if we regard it not the Prophesies whereby the secret of the Word is opened is but set down here a little and there a little And God here tells why he hath so placed it is because that those that will go on in their own wicked ways may be snared broken and taken According to which it was with the Jews at the Lord's first Coming To them he was laid in Sion as a stumbling stone but to all them that walked in the Law of the Lord blamelesly none of them were left to stumble thereat And St. Paul saith Phil. 3.6 Touching the righteousness which is in the Law he was blameless And it is said in Luke 1.6 of Zachariah and Elizabeth They were both Righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless Now whereas it is said they were both Righteous That is they were sincerely obedient to all the Commandments of God and did not wilfully break or neglect any and therefore term'd Righteous For to walk in sincerity with God is the only perfection that man in himself can attain to And altho St. Paul saith The Law makes no Man perfect yet walking in the Law blamelesly made them accepted And altho St. Paul saith he was ignorantly a Persecutor yet because he walked in Integrity with God and blamelesly in the Commandments of God therefore he sound mercy with God and neither Jew nor Prosylife that so did but was brought into the Knowledg of the Lord. And whereas the young man saith He kept the Commandments as in Mark 10.19,20,21,22 yet the Lord told him he lacked one thing and bid him go sell what he had and give to the poor for which saying he went away sorrowful But it is not likely the Lord did for ever so part with him for it is said
the Lord loved him And what the Lord here saith as to his selling his Estate and giving it to the Poor was as well to instruct the Church by reason they were not long to have inheritances there the which all the Church followed after the Crucifixion of the Lord. And St. Paul saith in Acts 13.26 Men and Brethren Children of the Stock of Abraham and whosoever among you feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent By which it is clear that none was left of God to blindness of Mind that truly fear'd his Name And so now it is with us as 't was with the Jews that our Inheritances here will signify little to us And whereas the Lord saith Matt. 11.13 For all the Prophets and the Law Prophesied until John That is until John there was a Succession of Prophets and the whole Law was of force until John after which the Ceremonial Law was Abolished But the Moral Law and some of the Prophesies of the Antient Prophets will be of Force in the World to come Bishop Vsher says We do not well understand what Sanctification and the New Creature are it is no less than for a man to be brought to an intire Resignation of his Will to the Will of God and to live in the Offering up of his Soul continually in the Flames of Love as a whole Burnt-Offering to Christ and how little says he are many of those who profess Christianity experimentally acquainted with this work on their Souls And he further saith 'T is those of the Inner-Court that shall be left as a Seed to partake of the Glory And also good Mr. George Withers saith The Lord will again come whom the Jews do expect And also Mr. Saltmarsh witnessed it with his Death And all the Scriptures do agree in foretelling the second coming of the Lord and other good men whom God hath open'd their Eyes to understand the same with the evident signs that were foretold should be before the coming of the Lord as now if we will be wilfully ignorant of the Truth we must take what follows And that we are in the time of Daniel's 45. Year is most certain and that there is a great many of them past since the signs have been upon the Earth is evidently manifest but as to the day and Hour of the Lord 's coming is uncertain altho very near at hand therefore we should prepare for it and pray for his coming and earnestly desire it I am apt to believe the first Blasing-Star that was seen in 1662 of which it was said it was a rod to whip the World withal which I take to be the first sign that God gave notice of the near approaching Judgment of this World and since we have had several Blazing-Stars and continual Signs As the oft-repeated Earth-quakes and the Cities of the Nations falling with the repeated Rivers and Floods of Fire out of the Earth and Wâ—rs in divers places which were the signs the Lord gave us of his coming which the Earth never produc'd the like before The Lord grant we may be warned by the signs of the Time as all that look Sion ward may â—ay themselves low at his foot that they may be refreshed by his presence And Lord grant that thy Ransomed ones may be many My Book being not so well done as I intended therefore I shall not at this time give an account of the Return from the Land of the Enemy of them that Died Innocently being clearly to be proved by those that are said to be slain in the New Testament are said they shall return from the Land of the Enemy in the Old and also in the last Judgment they are all Judg'd according to the deeds done in the Body With several other places to the like effect which I shall not here mention THE Christian Belief Shewing What a Christian ought to Believe What a true Soul saving Faith is What a false Faith is and Instructions as to a true One With a Brief Explanation Shewing how the Spirit of Christ must be in us or we are none of his proving that it is the same mind is required in us as was in Christ Jesus in having our wills brought into Subjection unto the Will of God And not that the Holy Ghost is given to be in us as it was in the first Churches whereby mighty Sgns and Wonders were done by them and the same Anointing taught them the hidden Misteries of God for the Confirmation of the Gospel that others and those that did come after them might believe the Truth thereof As also an Account of Boptism as to the sign and the thing signified And of the Trinity By M. Mersen London Printed and Sold by John Clarke at the Bible in the Old Change John Gwillim in Bishops-gate-street over against the Royal James Mrs. Mitchel at the Crown and Cushion in Westminster Hall and Mr. Garin over against the Crown Tavern in the Strand the corner of St. Clements Church Yard 1697. The TABLE ADefinition of a true Faith p. 182 A Covenant p. 185 A false Faith and instructions in the true One p. 187 Concerning the everlasting Life given the believer p. 202 A grain of Faith explained p. 228 How it is Christ dwells in us by his Spirit if we are his explained p. 233 An explanation of Baptism p. 245 An explanation of the Trinity p. 247 Concerning the Soul of Man Advertisement THis being part of a Book which contains three Subjects which is parted that all might the better attain to the knowledge of the things therein contained The other Book fully explains the meaning of St. Paul where he speaks of willing and running And therein also is the Faith of Abraham clearly explained with the other difficult places And also therein is proved that the Spirit or Holy Ghost that was but with the Disciples or Church was afterward given to be in the first Churches Joh. 14.17 And therefore Peter said that God put no difference between us and them He there speaks of those that were likewise fore-chosen and did partake of the Holy Ghost to be in them by which they immediately upon receiving spake with Tongues Act 15.8 which evident Witness was to confirm the Gospel to the following Generations But when I Wrote this book I then thought that those that laid hold of the offered Mercy were likewise termed the Elect as well as those that were fore-chosen But since by the Word I find they are but in Covenant I therefore here acknowledge my mistake in explaining those words of St. Peter Acts 15.9 which mistake is in page 232 blotted out THE Christian Belief OR That a Christian ought to Believe according to the Precept of God's Word â— Believe in God the Father Almighty That he was from all Eternity to 〈◊〉 all Eternity God blessed for ever â—…inite in Wisdom Holiness Justice â—…odness and Truth also in Power and 〈◊〉 Glory and that he was the Gen. 1 1â—
hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of God We see all along here that the Lord speaks of his power and judgment when he again comes And again he saith Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Here the Lord speaks in the Scripture way of speaking in that he so nearly joyns his coming to judge the World with that last judgment like that of his joyning the destruction of Jerusalem and of the World together according to which all the Scripture is so joyn'd Now these two judgments are clearly to distinct things for in the first it is said the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and it was those that did hear did live therefore this is at the first resurrection when the Lord again comes at which time all the promiss'd Elect shall be call'd in whom he hath promised mercy and with the dead Bodies of the Saints shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live And the other is the eternal judgment which is spoken of in the Revelations where it is said the Sea and Death and Hell delivered up the dead As to what the Lord saith in John 5. from the 20. v. to the 29. v. The Lord there speaks of the two judgments as I have elsewhere proved to you and therefore what he saith in the 24. v. is concerning them that are believers at his coming that they have everlasting life and that they shall not come into condemnation but where the Lord saith John 6.47 Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life And the Apostle also saith 1 John 5.11,12,13 This is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life That is God hath renewed us in Christ and given us eternal life by him if we are true Believers and what that belief is that is required of us I have elsewhere proved to you But the everlasting life that is given the Believer is as it was given Adam in Paradise the which was as long as he continued in his obedience And so it is with us the which the words of the Lord doth fully explain where he saith John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death And Christ saith again John 15.9,10,11,12 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you By all this we plainly see that the eternal life given the Believer is theirs no longer than they persist in their obedience So Adam's eternal life that he had given him in Paradise was lost by his offending for had he persisted in his obedience he had never dyed And as I have already proved to you that if we are regenerated so as our wills are brought over into an intire resignation of our selves to God and Christ then we are accepted of him and then is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us but it is afterward there comes a day of trial either by temptation or affliction or a cloudy dark day may overtake us and therefore it is best for every true Christian to arm themselves for the worst that they may be able to stand in the evil day so whilst we continue in our obedience the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and then as the Apostle saith are we complete in him and afterward what sins are not willfully committed will not destroy us because Christ is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 but let him that standeth take heed lest he fall And St. John saith 1 John 3.6,7,8 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him That is they give themselves no liberty to sin and what is not willingly committed is not imputed Little Children let no man deceive you he that doeth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous That is if we continue in well-doing as I before shewed we have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us for it is said we are complete in him He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifest that be might destroy the works of the Devil That is he that willfully committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil committeth no sin but what he committeth willfully And the Apostle saith 1 John 1.6,7,8,9 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin This is that which makes us appear clean and white in the sight of God But he saith again If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us For we cannot live without sin as sins of infirmity and sins of ignorance and too often overtaken in the sins of Negligence and sometimes overtaken with the Sins of Surprisal Therefore he saith in the 9. v. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteouness That is all our unrighteousnesses upon our Conversion are forgiven if we seek to God by Confession and Contrition And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 5.46,47,48 For if ye love them which love you what reward have ye do not even the Publicans the same and if ye salute your Brethren only what do ye more than others do not even the Publicans so Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect That is be you perfect or sincere in your Love to others as God was sincere or perfect in his Love to you in that he gave the Son of his Love for you according to his Promise And in Luke 17.5,6 And the Apostles said unto the Lord increase our Faith And the Lord said if ye had Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you might say to this Sycamine Tree be thou pluck up by the Root and be thou planted in the Sea and it should obey you
we have in our new Translation turned into Charity which in the old is Love for Charity will not sufficiently explain the meaning of the word Therefore it is said in the 3. v. Though I bestow all my Goods to feed the poor and though I give my body to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing That is if we have not Love for Love cannot be without Charity but Charity may be without Love for we may be Charitable by the way of Merit thinking to purchase Heaven by it and that will not do But if we are without Charity in the way of our Duty and Love in the fellow feeling of one anothers sufferings then is not the Love of God in us For St. John saith in the 3. chap. 17. v. But whosoever hath this world's goods and seeth his Brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of Compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him 18. v. My little Children let us not Love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth And St. James saith in the 1.17 Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the Fatherless and Widows in their Afflictions and to keep himself unspotted from the World And he saith in the 2. c. 13. v. For he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy and mercy rejoyceth against Judgment 14. v. For what doth it profit my brethren tho a man say he hath Faith and have not Works can Faith save him 15. v. If a Brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily Food 16. v. And one of you say unto them depart in Peace be you warmed and filled Notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the Body what doth it profit 17. v. Even so Faith if it hath not works is dead being alone We are not here now to wait for new Calls but to improve the Talent that God hath given us in that we have his word the good motions of his Spirit and the Checks of Conscience the which Talents well improved will bring us to Eternal Blessedness for if we take to the rule which he hath set before us and according thereunto beg his continual Assistance God will then never be wanting to us And St. Paul saith of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.15 That from a Child thou hast known the Scriptures which is able to make thee wise to Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus By which the Promise is obtainable for as there is an absolute Election of whom it is said their Names was Written in Heaven from the Foundation So there is a conditional Election and us a Day of Grace Therefore as the Apostle saith having a promise of entring into his Rest let us fear lest we should fall short of it Therefore let us up and be doing that thereby we may make our Calling and Election sure for we are not of that number that are chose to be his standing Witnesses thro' the World and therefore may fall away the which I have clearly proved by the word where I have spoken of Election Of Baptism AND whereas St. Paul saith Gal. 3.27 For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ The which is meant 〈◊〉 the Spiritual Baptism whereby they become conformable to Christ as in Rom. 8.9,10 Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is Life because of Righteousness But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the Dead dwell in you he that raised up Christ from the Dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you The which indwelling of his Spirit is this Spiritual Baptism Now with the Spiritual Baptism there is joyned a sign or Seal the which is the outward Baptism of Washing or Plunging So as to be buried under the Water and therefore said buried with him in Baptism for as Christ was underneath the Earth so we should be plunged under the Water the which doth also signify to us that we should be Spiritually Dead to the World as having no delight in it or to it Now the Children of believing Parents are said to be Holy therefore fit to receive this sign of Baptism and they also being in Covenant as well as their Parents And by the Blood of Christ it is that both are made partakers of the Promises but to any that are of Maturity and not Believers the which Belief is such as brings our Wills over into a conformity to the will of God then Christ dwells in us by his Spirit and then are we Spiritually Baptised And if the outward sign and Seal is fixt on them that within them is not sound the thing signified It is but like a Seal to a blank Bond For St. Paul saith Rom. 2.28 For he is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that Circumcision which is outward in the Flesh 29. But he is a Jew which is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter whose praise is not of Men but of God Now Children are innocent as to any actual Sin and if they come of believing Parents are said to be Holy and so fit to be Baptised and the Covenant of God made by Moses was as well made with Children as with those of Maturity Of the Trinity THe meaning of the Trinity is this That the Infinite God consists of three Glorious Beings or Persons as God the Father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost and these three to be one God being of one Will one Mind one Power one Glory this being the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity which was from all Eternity and so continues to all Eternity the only true God blessed for ever more Amen Heb. 1.3,8 John 5.21,22,23 1 John 5.20 Col. 1.15,16,17 John 1.3 Acts 5.3,4 Wisd 7.24,25,26,27 Let us all learn to know God in Christ Christ in Faith by an Holy reliance upon him and a self Resignation of our Wills and affections to him and to know our Faith by good works and so to know the Will of God as to do it and before the knowledg of all other things we should learn to know our selves Whereas it is said in 1 John 5.7,8 that the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost are One so it is said the Spirit the Water and the Blood a gree in one as to the renewing of a sinner the Spirit of the Lord doth again Renew us the Water in Baptism washeth us and the Blood of Christ 't is that Justifies us if we take hold of the tender of his Grace according to the condition as it is offered And again the Spirit the Water and
that ye walk not in the ignorance of Youthfulness and Fornication wherein I over shot my self and defiled the Bed of my Father Jacob. For I assure you that the Lord did therefore strke me with a sore Plague in my Flanks the space of seven Months and I had perished if my Father Jacob had not Prayed to the Lord for me because he was minded to have slain me I was thirty years old when I did this evil in the Sight of the Lord and seven Months was I sick to Death and with a free heart did I afflict my self seven years before the Lord I drank no Wine nor Strong Drink no Flesh came within my Mouth I tasted not any fine Bread but I mourned fot my Sin for it was great and there shall none such be done in Israel And my Sons hear me that I may shew you what I saw concerning the seven Spirits of Error in my Repentance Belial giveth seven Spirits against a Man which are the Well-Springs of Youthful Works seven Spirits are given a Man in his Creation whereby all his Works are dore the first is the Spirit of Life wherewith is Created his Being The second Is the Spirit of Seeing wherewith cometh Lusting The third The Spirit of Hearing wherewith cometh Learning The fourth The Spirit of Smelling wherewith cometh delight by drawing of the Air and breathing it out again The fifth I the Spirit of Speech wherewith Knowledg is made The sixth Is the Spirit of Tasting whereof comes the feeding upon things that are to be Eat and Drank and through them is ingendred strength The seventh Is the Spirit of Seed and Generation wherewith entereth in the Lust of Pleasute Fot this cause it is the last of Creation and the first of Youth because it is full of Ignorance and Ignorance leadeth the younger sott as a blind body into the Ditch and as an Ox to the Stall Amongst all these is the Eight which is of Sleep with whom is Created the wasting away of Nature and the Image of Death With these Spirits are mingled the Spirit of Error whereof the first is the Spirit of Lechery who lieth within the Nature and Senses of a man The Second Spirit of unsatiableness lieth in the belly The Third Spirit of Strife lieth in the Liver and in Choler The Fourth Syirit is of Bravery and Gallantness that the party may seem comely by Excess The Fifth is the Spirit of Pride which maketh a man to mind over-great things or to think well of himself And the sixth is the Spirit of Lying or vain-gloriousness in boasting a man's self and in desire to fill his Talk concerning his own Kindred and Acquaintance The Seventh is the Spirit of Unrighreousness which stirreth up the Affections that a man should perform the lustful pleasures of his heart for Unrighteousness worketh with all the other Spirits by taking Guile unto him Unto all these Spirits is matched the Eighth Spirit which is the Spirit of sleep or sluggishness in Error and Imagination and so the Souls of Young Folks perish because their minds are darkned and hidden from the Truth and udderstand not the Law of the Lord neither obey the Doctrine of their Fathers as befell me in my Youth But now my Children love the Truth and that shall preseve you For Fornication is the destruction of the Soul separating it from God because it leadeth the mind and understanding into Error For Whoredom hath undone many men And although a man be Ancient or Noble yet doth this make him a Laughing Stock But Joseph because he kept himself from all Women and cleansed his Thoughts from all Fornication found Favour both before the Lord and Men. Therefore my Sons fly Fornication charge your Wives and Daughters that they trim not their Heads and will them to chasten their Looks for every woman that dealeth deceitfully in these things is reserved to the punishment of the World to come That is to the Sentence of Judgment which will be in the World to come Now since it was Woman that was first in the Transgression therefore Women and Gentlewomen imploy all your Diligence to escape the near approaching Judgment of the World to come Now whereas Kuben saith had not his Fathers Prayers prevailed with God that God would have killed him Yhe which had the Lord then taken him off where would then have been the Twelve Tribes To which I answer God could raise up Two Tribes out of One Stock as there was of Joseph or God could have given Jacob another Son in his stead For Ruben did at time lose his birthright And Eve said when she had born Seth that God had given her another Seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew Gen. 4.25 And God said unto Cain before he committed that Murder Gon. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door And also the rest of the Patriarchs that was guilty of that sin against Joseph they at their Death declared what terrible Afflictions they fell under for that sin of theirs and the great Repentance they had for it And Judah likewise gives an account of his Affliction and Repentance for the sin that he was overtaken in And where the Old World is spoken of Gen. 6.3 The Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man The which words argue the striving of the Spirit of God with Man that had not Man been wanting to himself but had used his utmost endeavour he might have obtained salvation For although after the Fall of Adam the Entrances into Life were made strait yet not so strait but with Labour and Diligence thro' the promised Messiah it was and is attainable But it is said in the fifth verse God saw the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the Face of the Earth both Man and Beast and the creeping things and the Fowls of the Air for it repenteth me that I have made them But Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man Now whereas the Lord doth express that it repented him that he had made man and that it grieved him at his heart the which shews a concern in God that man had not then lived up to his Decree whereby his Mercy was attainable Numb 23.19,20 Now whereas it is said That God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of Man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it Now whereas it is said that God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of
be Chosen before the Foundation of the World Now as I said before there is an absolute Election the which the Lord terms the very Elect. And there is a conditional Election in which we are to labour in to make our calling and Election sure There is also an opportunity or a day of Grace given the which was offered to those Babilonians as in Jer. 51.9 but it was a prize put into the Hands of Fools But you may say that their Destruction was before declared by the Prophet from God and therefore they Repented not To which I Answer God by his all seeing Eye as knowing their Wickedness and foreseeing their Cruelty to Israel Upon which the Prophet did from the Lord foretel their destruction But however God did offer them Mercy and if they had embraced the Opportunity God would have defer'd his Judgments to have been Inflicted upon the miscarriage of their following Generations As for Example God sent the Prophet Jonah Jonah 3.4,5,6,7,8,9 To Nineveh to Proclaim the Destruction of that great City But they believing the word of the Lord and Repenting God staid off the threatned Judgment which Jonah proclaimed should be within 40 days which upon their repentance God made it 40 days of years In which time most of them that was capable of that Repentance were taken off by Death Now as to the lump or clay that Israel came of when the Lord maketh a Vessel of that Clay without any Addition of the renewing of his Spirit it will prove but a Vessel of Dishonour But God saith in Jer. 2.21 That he made Israel a choice Vine and he looked that it should bring forth Grapes and it brought forth wild Grapes Yet I had planted thee a Noble Vine an Holy and Right Seed How then art thou turned into a degenerate plant of a strange Vine unto me By which we see that God had distinguished Israel from the rest of the World and put them all in a Capacity of Obedience but they would not use their utmost endeavour to walk in his ways therefore he gave them up to blindness of Mind and hardness of Heart for they all being put into a Capacity of Obedience in which had they done their utmost endeavour and also lookt to the Promised Messiah for their Justification they should have obtain'd salvation but for want of so doing the generality of them were cut off However from among them God did chuse part of his Special Elect the which were Vessels of Honour of which St. Paul speaks of Rom. 11.5 At this present time also there is a remnant according to the Election of grace The which were so absolutely chosen in Christ that they should not fall away And as to what St. Paul saith in the 9th chap. after he had made mention of the Potter and the Clay In the following Verse which is the 22d he saith What if God willing to shew his wrath and make his Power known endured with much long suffering the Vessels of wrath fitted to destruction That is God is willing to shew his Wrath and make his Power known on them which he hath endured with much long suffering whilst they were fitting themselves for destruction by which way they became the Vessels of his Wrath. Of whom St. Peter also saith in 1 Pet. 2.7 Vnto you therefore which believe he is precious but unto them which be disobedient the stone which the Builders disallowed the same is made the Head of the Corner and a stone of stumbling and a Rock of Offence even to them which stumble at the Word being disobedient whereunto also they were oppointed But you may say What were they from the beginning appointed to be disobedient To which I answer No. God put them into a capacity of Obedience and required Obedience from them but they refused to obey and hardned their Neck and refused to return as almost the whole History of the Bible gives us to understand therefore God left them to blindness of mind and hardness of heart so as to stumble at the stumbling-stone to the which disobedience they were appointed because they had been before very sinful as in Isaiah we are given an account what the Lord had done for them And of their Wickedness before the Prophet from the Lord did denounce this Judgment against them that he would lay in Sion a stumbling-stone And therefore as to what the Lord said he had done for them and of their miscariage before this Judgment was declared against them I will here set down as to what God hath done for his Vineyard As in Isaiah 5.2 c.. He fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine and built a Tower in the midst of it and also made a wine-press therein and he looked that it should bring forth grapes and it bronght forth wild grapes 3. And now O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah Judge I pray you betwixt me and my Vineyard 4. What could have been done more to my Vineyard that I have not done in it wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes it brought forth wild grapes 5. Now go to I will tell you what I will do to my Vineyard I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up and break down the wall thereof and it shall be trodden down V. 6. And I will lay it wast it shall not be pruned nor hedged but there shall come up briers and thorns I will also command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it V. 7. For the Vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel and the men of Judah is his pleasant plant and he looked foâ— Judgment and behold oppression for righteousness and behold a cry That is God put them in a Capacity of doing Justice and Judgment the which they might have done but they would not Now as I before told you that the sins of the Natural Seed of Israel and the Adopted Seed are joyned so also the Punishment of the Natural Seed and of the Adopted Seed are joyned together for from 11th v. of the 5th chap. to the 16th v. it doth appear to declare the Punishments of the back-sliding Christians because the next verse speaks of the Lord of Host being exalted in Judgment and that then the Lambs should feed together And in the following part of the Chapter the sins of the Adopted Seed are intermix'd with them of the Natural Seed But by the foregoing verses that are here set down we are given fully to understand wherefore the Anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel the which was in that they did not make a good improvement of the opportunity of Grace put into their Hands but cast away the Law of the Lord and despised his word therefore was the Anger of the Lord kindled against them After which it is said in Isa 8.13 Sanctify the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and
the rest therefore he cries out of the Wonderful things that is contained in his Law Novv were these Judgments that are here set down pronounced against the Land of the thirsty Drunkard with good Liquor I doubt there would not be much Land left either in Canaan or Christendom free from these Plagues here specified as well as Sicily and Naples for we need not doubt but most of the foresaid Land at one time or other hath had such owners But altho the Drunkard that Loves good Liquor is threatned with the wrath of God and Hell yet there is not this remarkable Curse threatn'd to their Land And there is nothing in the Word of God that is insignificant but hath its time to be made Evident And now is the near Approach of Israel's restoration it being now the time that the Whirlwinds are gone forth as in Jer. 30.22 Behold the whirl-wind of the Lord goeih forth with fury a continual whirl-wind which shall fall with pain upon the Head of the wicked The fierce anger of the Lord shall not return until he hath done it until he hath performed the intents of his heart In the latter days ye shall consider it BLessed News unto the Jews And to them that are Circumcis'd in Heart and Ear And unto them that will amend Blessedness doth them attend But unto them that will not hear Grief and Horror will be their share THE Figurative SPEECHES BY WHICH God has Veiled his Secrets Contained in His WORD Until the end of the Time which is the time determined by Him that they should be revealed And now by the Assistance of GOD The Scriptures being Opened by the Key of the Word the Secrets therein contained are made as plain to the understanding as a Riddle when unfolded By M. Mersen London Printed and Sold by John Clarke at the Bible in the Old Change John Guillim in Bishops-gate-street over against the Royal James Mrs. Mitchel at the Crown and Cushion in Westminster-hall and Mr. Garin over against the Crown Tavern in the Strand the corner of St. Clements Church Yard 1697. Christian Reader THis Book being done in hast is not so well done as it ought to have been yet therein is made manifest both the Wisdom of God and the Power of God And when I Writ this Book there was a dread stood over me as a Caution that I should not do the Work of the Lord negligently And there is but two or three things in it wherein I did lean to my own understanding or received Opinion without seeking to God concerning it And since in those things God by his Word hath made it plain to me that I was mistaken in them for I then thought that all that laid hold of the offered Mercy according as it is tendred in the Gospel was also termed the Elect as well as those that were fore-chosen and so then not reckoned with the World But afterwards I found by the Word that such were but in Covenant Neither did I then understand that the Christians when spoken of in the Old Testament in which they are often mentioned were all there termed Heathen both good and bad which since by the Word I have fully proved in another Treatise And likewise then I did not so well understand that the Lord by the Law and Gospel speaks but in a peculiar manner to them that are under it For the Heathen fall not under the same severe Condemnation as the wicked Christians will when the Lord again comes And therefore no such necessity to warn them for the Coming of the Lord whom they now know not but they may find Mercy according to the Word And it is the promise of God that Israel shall be restored when the Lord again comes as is fully proved in the following Treatise from the Prophets and Apostles As for such as find fault with my quoting of Esdras saying that he was not mentioned either by Christ or any of the Apostles To which I answer Neither were several other of the Prophets that are spoken of in the Old Testament But if any say he is not mentioned there they assert that which is false For Ezra in the Old Testament is the same Person which in the Apocrypha is called Esdras For in Ezra Chap. 10. the 9 16 17. Verses is exactly the same with that in 1 Esdras 9. Chap. 5 6 17. Verses And also as in Nehemian 2.4 the like is again said in the 1 Esdras 9.40,42 By which places it is fully made appear That it was one and the same man who after the Captivity caused Israel to put away their strange Wives being met together at Jerusalem on the Twelfth day of the Ninth Month at which time was the great Showre of Rain And also he stood upon a Pulpit of Wood and Read the Law to all the People on the First day of the Seventh Month. As to the difference of the Name the one was taken out of the Hebrew the other out of the Caldean Tongue But as for our Ancient Expositors who placed not his Prophesies among the Prophets it was because themselves erred from the Truth For they newly coming from under the darkness of Popery and so did not rightly understand the Scriptures for they apprehended that none but the Elect could be saved But now it is fully proved by the Word that all that are found in obedience are Heirs to the promise whether Elect or not Elect. They likewise have denied the Restitution of all things which God by the mouth of all his holy Prophets hath declared Acts 3.21 and so likewise by Esdras After I Writ this Book I found there was several other places in Scripture in controversie which was not in this Treatise answered which made me defer the finishing of it till such time as God had innabled me to make plain those other places which were in dispute which by Gods assistance I have accomplished Oh! that we would improve the knowledge of the Truth to our Souls Eternal Advantage is the Prayer of your Friend and Servant in Christ M. M. ERRATA PAg. 3 l. 5. from the bottom in Revelations blot s. p. 6 l. 2. r. Hosts p. 41. l. 8. f. 4. r. 14. l. 9. f. 1. r. 2. p. 55. l. 17. f. is r. are p. 66. l. 24. f. beast r. beasts p. 69. l. 16. f. doth r. do p. 97. l. 13. blot by p. 104. l. 24. r. book p. 108. l. 9. r. written p. 116. l. last r. be p. 117. l. 1. blot saith p. 119. l. 24. r. Hannah p. 131. l. 14. r. meant l. 16. r. for the that p. 133. l. 20. r. Vesuvius p. 134 l. 3. r. Tanrmins p. 135. l. 25. r. rest p. 137 l. 28. r. speaking p. 141. l. last r. kingdom p. 155. l. 5. r. exterminated p. 169. l. 8. r. accepted l. 16. blot of The TABLE OF the World that Perished p. â— Figurative Heavens and Earth p. â— Elements p. â— Rise of the Beast p. 12
of the mount of Esau Verse 10. For thy Violence against the Brother Jacob shame shall cover thee and thou shalt be cut off for ever And Jer. 49. from ver 7. to v. 23. gives us much the same account of them And as the two forementioned Prophets did treat of the real Esau or Idumea so the Prophet Isaiah dothof the figurative one and also of those wicked Powers that are carrying on the darkness of this World with him And here Isaiah ch 34.4,10 doth fully make out the meaning of St. Peter where he here terms the Powers or Rulers to be the Host of Heaven where in Verse 4. he saith All the Host of Heaven shall be dissolved and the Heavens shall be rolled together as a Scrole and all their Hosts shall fall down as the Leaf falleth from the Vine and as a falling fig from the fig tree Now as to the Host of Heaven his meaning here cannot be because in the 10th Verse of the same Chapter he makes mention of Day and Night and many Generations after these Heavens here spoken of were destroyed But whereas the Prophet mentions the Host of Heaven shall be dissolved his meaning is without doubt that their Power shall be taken from them as Kings do from their Parliaments that are dissolved by them And in the next place he saith the Heavens shall be rolled together as a Scrole or fastened together till they receive their sentence of Judgment After which they fell down as a leaf falleth from the Vine and a falling fig from the fig tree By which methinks there is a suitable Representation of the Soul as the leaf to the fire and the body as the rotten fig to the Dunghil And in the 5th Verse of the same Chapter the Lord saith My Sword shall be bathed in Heaven behold it shall come down upon Idumea and upon the people of my Curse to Judgment Verse 6. The Sword of the Lord is fill'd with Blood and is made fâ—… with fatness and with the Blood of Lambs and Goats with the fat of the Kidneys of Rams for the Lord hath a Sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the Land of Idumea Now we may easily tell where this Land of Idumea is which is here mentioned by the Pope's pretension to be the Elder Christian Brother although like Esau he hath forsaken God and his Word and as he did lies in wait to destroy his Christian Brother And this Prophet further declaring their destruction saith in the 7th Verse And the Vnicorns shall come down with them and the Bullocks with the Bulls and their Land shall be soaked with Blood and their dust made fat with fatness for it is the day of the Lord's Vengeance and the year of Recompence for the Controversie of Sion 9. The Streams thereof shall be turned into pitch and the dust thereof into Brimstone and the land thereof shall become burning pitch 10. It shall not be quenched night nor day the smoak thereof shall go up for ever from generation to generation it shall lie waste none shall pass through it for ever and ever 11. But the Cormorant and the Bittern shall possess it the Owl also and the Raven shall dwell in it and he shall stretch out upon the line of confusion and the stones of emptiness 14. The wild beast of the Desert shall also meet with the wild beast of the Island and the Satyr shall cry to his fellow and the Schriech-Owl also shall rest there and find for her self a place of rest 16. Seek ye out of the book of the Lord and read no one of these shall fail none shall want her mate for my mouth it hath commanded and his Spirit it hath gathered them 17. And he hath cast the Lot for them and his band hath divided it unto them by Line they shall possess it for ever from Generation to Generation shall they dwell therein Here you see after these Heavens and Earth here mentioned are destroyed there is day and night and many generations as in the foregoing ver you read of This Idumea before mentioned being the Land of the Figurative Esau whose Land shall be thus accursed but the Land of the Real Esau shall be inhabited as in Obad. 1.19 This Book of the Lord which is here mentioned in the sixteenth Verse the Pope with his Crew has made it Death for the Inhabitants of those Countries to read whereby although they have been exceeding sinful that would have discovered to them their near approaching danger but now it is hid from their Eyes For those signs that God hath sent for fore-warnings of their utter Destruction they have banisht the Knowledge thereof from them by excluding the Word of God and now their Destruction will come suddenly as a Whirlwind when it cometh Isa 47.7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14 They discerning not Mount Aetna the meaning of its violent breaking forth of Fire and apprehend not the meaning of those violent Earthquakes which our Lord foretold in Mat. 24.7 should be in divers places to give us notice of his near approach of his coming to judge the World Zeph. 2.8,9,10,11 For although there has been several Earthquakes and very great ones since the world began yet it was but one or so at a time and then many years it may be an Hundred before we hear of another But now there has been divers Earthquakes which have been in several places of the world the which the World before never produc'd the like of those in Sicily and therefore we cannot but have good Reason to believe that these are the Earthquakes spoken of in Rev. 16.18 And there were Voices and Thunderings and Lightnings and there was a great Earthquake such as was not since men were upon the Earth so mighty an Earthquake and so great 19. And the great City was divided into three parts and the Cities of the Nations fell And by these late Earthquakes according to the Word the Cities of the Nations have fallen but they apprehend not the meaning of it Neither that of the Mountain Vesivius which hath cast up so great a quantity of melted Sulphur and Bitumen that both together hath form'd a kind of little River for Three Miles together So that fearing it should diffuse it self the Viceroy of Naples has ordered a Passage to be opened for the Infernal Liquor into the Sea And since this Mountain Vesivius in Naples has sent forth floods of fire as Mount Aetna has done in Sicily by which the Lord with this dreadful River and fiery Mountains doth figure out to us where he intends this his ireful Judgments as part of the Land to become burning Pitch as shall never be quenched night not day and the other part inhabited with those fearful Creatures for ever from generation to generation Now when all these things shall come to pass as to the Judgments threatned both to the Heavens and Earth The Prophet Isaiah c. 34.8 nominates the time and tells
us It is the day of the Lord's Vengeance and the year of recompence for the controversy of Sion Why is it termed the Day of the Lord's Vengeance and year of recompence being both one and the same time The Lord to inlighten our understanding that the day in which he will come to Judg the World in is more than a natural day and that in that day the vengeance shall not long last upon the Earth but as the Psalmist saith Psal 9.17 The wicked shall be turned into Hell and all the Nations that forget God but his Mercy shall be of long continuance to his Spouse and chosen People the Jews from which he will never withdraw his mercy from them more And the Prophet Isaiah doth also confirm this to us again from the Lord in much the same words for the Lord saith Isa â—3 4,5,6 The day of Vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my Redeemed is come And I looked and there was none to help and I wondred that there was none to uphold therefore mine own Arm brought Salvation unto me and my fury it upheld me 6. And I will tread down the people in mine anger and make them drunk in my fury and I will bring down their strength to the Earth All which doth fully make out that the day in which the Lord doth come to judge the world in will be the day of the Restitution of all things and then will Israel be restor'd And God hath given us further Confirmation of this in Isa 62.6,7,8,11,12 where he saith I have set Watchmen upon the Walls O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night Ye that make mention of the Lord keep not silence 7. And give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the Earth 8. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand by the arm of his strength Surely I will no more give thy Corn to be meat for thine Enemies and the Sons of the strangers shall not drink thy Wine for which thou hast laboured 11. Behold the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world Say ye unto the Daughter of Sion behold thy Salvation cometh behold his reward is with him and his work before him 12. And they shall call them the holy people the redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be called sought out a City not forsaken Now first in the 6th Verse the Lord tells them That he hath set Watchmen upon thy Walls O Jerusalem Which shall never hold their Peace and the Saints that are of the New Jerusalem which is above as it is said in Rev. 6.9 They cry Lord haw long In the next place that followeth is a special Command to all that make mention of the Lord not to keep silence and that we should give him no rest until he establish and make Jerusalem a praise A praise Where The Lord hath said in the Earth And in Verse 8. the Lord hath sworn to them by his Right Hand and by the Arm of his Strength the which is by the Greatness of his Power That he will give no more their Corn to be meat for their Enemies and that the Sons of Strangers shall no more drink the Wine for the which they have laboured These Promises we see are not yet made good to them and therefore doth remain to be fullfill'd to them for that God that cannot Lie hath sworn it And that this is to be perform'd on Earth is evident in as much as there is not Corn and Wine to be sowed and reaped in Heaven Now when this shall be the Lord tells us in the 11th Verse for there the Lord hath Ordered Proclamation to be made to the End of the World thereby to let us know that their Restoration is not to be in this our World for it is not there said That the Lord hath proclaimed it to the Ends of the World but to the End of this World Say to the Daughter of Sion behold thy Salvation cometh and his Reward is with him Now it is evident that when the Lord did first come that they had not salvation and that his Reward was not with him nor their City restored to them And therefore the Lord tells them in Luke 21. where speaking of his Second Coming to judge the World he telleth them in the 24th Verse That Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the Times of the Gentiles be fullfilled That is not till the Time of the Gentiles be accomplished And therefore the Lord in Luke 4. read no more of Isa 6. than what did belong to Israel at that time Which being the first Verse of that Chapter in Isaiah which is the 18th Verse of the forementioned Chapter in Luke where it is said The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and the recovery of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised 19. And to preach the acceptable Year of the Lord. 20. And he closed the book 21. And he said unto them This Day this Scripture is fullfilled in your Ears Now the Lord at this time was sent to preach Deliverance or to foretell the Deliverance of the Captives and he was sent to recover the sight of the blind and by whom the blind Gentiles were enlightned and to set at liberty those that were bruised or bound as Isaiah hath it That is bound by Satan through the darkness of Error â—nd to preach or proclaim as Isaiah hath it the Acceptable Year of the Lord. Wherein all were invited as it is said in Mat. 11.23 The Lord there inviteth all that were weary and heavy laden to come unto kim So the Lord leaving the following words of Isaiah which was concerning himself as not belonging to them of that time And the last part of the Verse which treats of the Second Coming of the Lord. 2. Wherein it is said The Day of Vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn 3. To appoint unto them that mourn in Sion to give unto them Beauty for Ashes and the Oyl of joy for mourning and the Garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness that they might be called Trees of Righteousness the planting of the Lord that he might be glorified Here you also see that the day of the Lord's Vengeance is the time of Sion's Comfort And whereas St. Peter saith There shall be New Heavens and a New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness This hath its special Reference to the New Ruling Powers which are the raised Saints which are here termed the Heavens wherein dwelleth Righteousness And the New Earth is the Restored Jews with the rest of the Promised Elect. In which Earth will dwell Righteousness But as to the Massy Lump of Earth of it self is neither capable of doing right or wrong And as for Righteousness dwelling