there committed and in that it is termed Egypt is because Egypt was the place where the Children of Israel was so cruelly oppressed and in that it is termed the place where the Lord was Crucified is not only because he was Crucified by the Roman Power but their daily Crucifying of him in that they say it is the real Body and Blood of our Lord that they continually distribute amongst themselves So this Edom is not the real Land of Esau but the figurative one for as I before shewed you that the real Land of Esau is to be inhabited by them of the South but these figurative ones made a desolation And why it is said for their violence against the Children of Judah Now it was the real Egypt an Idumea which did most afflict the Natural Seed of Jacob. Now it is evident that the true Christians that are taken in to be of the Seed of Abraham must come in through Crist who is of the Tribe of Judah And it is these of Judah also that this Egypt Idumea and Babylon have been the Afflictors and Murderers of And the Prophet Joel saith in Joel 3.10,21 But Judah shall dwell for ever and Jerusalem from Generation to Generation V. 21. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed for the Lord dwelleth in Sion Then shall Jerusalem be rebuilt and continue from Generation to Generation by which we see in this glorious time there will be Marrying and giving in Marriage by the continuance of Generations here spoken of And then the Lord at that time when he comes again will cleanse their Blood which he hath not cleansed at which time the Lord will dwell in Sion which Sion may be comprehended under at wofold meaning as the glorious Tabernacle where he will dwell from which he will descend to the real Mount Sion And at that time will the Lord make the place of the Soles of his Feet glorious as it is said Isa 60.13 And then it is that the Promise will be made good to Abraham That in thee and thy Seed all the Families of the Earth shall be called blessed Now they are not so but at that time it will be so Now whereas the Lord in the same chap. of Joel speaketh of the Enemies of the Children of Judah and the Children of Jerusalem that they sold them to the Grecians that they might remove them far from their Borders The Lord saith of the Enemies of Judah in V. 8. I will sell your Sons and your Daughters into the Hands of the Children of Judah and they shall sell them to the Sabeans to a people far off for the Lord hath spoken it Now the Sabeans are of Sheba the which People is foretold of by the Prophet from the Lord Isa 60.6 That they should find Mercy at that time when Israel is again restored Now these that have been the Oppressors of Judah although they themselves that are left unconverted till the coming of the Lord are to be destroyed yet their Children we here see are not to be cut off with their Parents but are said that then they should be sold to be Servants to a People whom the Lord will then receive into Mercy Now these are to be servants to them that are servants to Israel for God saith in Isa 6.12 The Nation and Kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish yea those Nations shall be utterly wasted And the Lord saith in Zeph. 3.7 I said surely thou wilt fear me Thou wilt receive instruction so their dwellings should be cut off howsoever I punished them but they rose early and corrupted all their doings Here we see God had not forsaken Israel if they had not first forsaken him and therefore now they must wait until it is his time to be gracious unto them as in v. 8. of the before-mentioned Chapter Therefore wait ye upon me saith the Lord until the day that I rise up to the prey for my determination is to gather the Nations that I may assemble the Kingdoms to pour upon them mine indignation even all my fierce Anger for all the Earth shall be devoured with the Fire of my jealousie 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent 10. From the Rivers of Ethiopia my Supplicants even the Daughters of my dispersed shall bring mine Offering 11. In that day shalt thou not be ashamed for all thy doings wherein thou hast transgressed against me for then will I take away out of the midst of thee them that rejoyce in thy pride and thou shalt be no more haughty And I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor People and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity nor speak lies neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their Mouth for they shall feed and lie down and none shall make them afraid Here the Lord telleth Israel that he will take out from the midst of them them that rejoyce in their Pride that is he would take their enemies out of their Land and their City which was the Glory of all Lands and therefore termed Israel's Pride And the Lord saith I will leave in the midst of them an Afflicted poor People which shall trust in the name of the Lord and be partakers of the immediate Blessedness and Glory as the following words make appear Zeph. 3.14,15 c. Sing O Daughter of Sion shout O Israel be glad and rejoice with all the Heart O Daughter of Jerusalem The Lord hath taken away thy Judgments he hath cast out thine Enemies the King of Israel even the Lord is in the midst of thee thou shalt not see evil any more In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem fear thou not and to Sion let not thy hands be slack The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty he will save he will rejoyce over thee with Joy he will rest in his Love he will joy over thee with singing I will gather them that are sorrowful for the solemn assemblies who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was a burden Behold at that time I will undo all that Afflict thee and I will save her that halteth and gather her that was driven out and I will get them praise and fame in every Land where they have been put to shame At that time will I bring you again even in the time that I gather you for I will make you a name and a Praise among all the People of the Earth when I turn back your captivity before your Eyes saith the Lord. Here we see that at the Time that the Lord will deliver Israel his Determination is to gather the Nations and assemble the Kingdoms that he may pour upon them his fierce Anger Now as to what the Lord saith to the Prophet Ezekiel concerning the building of
Well-doing and to take to the Rules that he has set before us that we may so do According to which Christ saith in John 8.51 Verâ—…y verily I say unto you if a man keep my saying he shall never see death That is he shall never see Hell And the Lord saith John 10.14,15,16 I am the good Shepherd and know my Sheep and am known of mine Here the Lord seems in a more especial manner to signifie the very Elect. And in the following Words the Lord includes all the Sheep as in the 15. v. As the Father knoweth me even so know I the Father and I lay down my Life for the Sheep Here is all the Sheep included And the Lord saith in the 16. v. And other Sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also must I bring and they shall hear any Voice and there shall be one Fold and one Shepherd Here the Lord plainly declares to us that he hath two sorts of Sheep and that they are not now of one fold That is the one does not now stand so securely in him as the other does but he saith He must bring them into one fold at which time they shall hear his Voice And then it is there shall be one fold and one shepherd And this will be when the Lord comes again to Mount Sion at which time the Lord will make the promised New Covenant with the House of Israel And then all Israel will be so fixed in him that they shall never more fall away For God saith Isa 40.17 Ezek. 36.24,25,26,27,28 For I will take you from among the Heathen and gather you out of all Countries and I will bring you into your own land Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new Heart also will I give you a new Spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony Heart out of your flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgments and do them And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your Fathers and ye shall be my people and I will be your God So it is said Ezek. 11.19,20 and in Jer. 32.37 Behold I will gather them out of the Conntries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath and I will bring them again into this place and will cause them to dwell safely And they shall be my People and I will be their God And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their Children after them And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their Hearts that they shall not depart from me Yea I will rejoyce over them to do them good I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole Heart and with my whole Soul And the Lord saith Jer. 31.33.34 But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days saith the Lord I will put my Laws in their inward Parts and write it in their Hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my People They shall teach no more every man his Neighbour and every man his Brother saying know ye the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more And God saith Jer. 30.9 But they shall serve the Lord their God and David their King whom I will raise up unto them And Ezek. 34.22 Therefore I will save my flock and they shall no more be a prey and I will judg between cattle and cattle And I will set up one Shepherd over them and he shall feed them even my servant David he shall feed them and he shall be their Shepherd And I the Lord will be their God and my servant David a Prince among them I the Lord have spoken it And I will make with them a Covenant of Peace and will cause the Evil Beasts to cease out of the Land and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods And the Lord in John having fully declared to us that he hath two sorts of Sheep And that they are not now of one Fold with those that are the very Elect but that he must bring them into one Fold and then there shall be but one Fold at that time when there is but one Shepherd And that will be when the Lord maketh the Promised New Covenant with the House of Israel Now when this New Covenant is made with Israel we see by the oft repeated words of God that then Israel will be so secured as the very Elect are now whom God hath set as his standing Witness in this World So as it remaâ—ns a thing impossible to deceive them And then sâ—all Israel no more fall into sin arâ—er this New Covenant is made with them And as for us we now stand on the same terms as Israel did the which is we have a promise of Everlasting Life if we concinue in well doing Heb. 5.9 For he is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him And as it is said in Rom. 2.7 And to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality and eternal Life So it is by our continuance in well-doing after conversion that we shall be made partakers of Eternal Life Or if otherwise we shall be cut off For the Apostle saith Rom. 2.9,10 Tribulation and Anguish upon every Soul of Man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile 10. v. But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile That is as many of the Christians as are brought in by the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and so became the seed of Abraham For it is said Gal. 3.29 and Gal. 3.9 If ye be Christs chen are ye Abrahams Seed and heirs according to the promise So when this promised New Covenant is made with the Natural and with the Adopted Seed of Abraham And although the rest of the Elect that are to be called in at the coming of the Lord have not that Everlasting New Covenant made with them as to secure their Off-spring so as they shall never more fall away yet they will stand secure whilst the Eminent Glory is among them and Satan bound up from them and the glorious Tabernacle in their View then they will all be of One Fold so as none for that time shall fall off according to which is the saying of the Lord
School-master to bring them to Christ That is the Law shewed them their insufficiency for none being able to fulfil the moral Law to that perfection as to become justified by it therefore it was as a School-master to bring them to look for justification from another And also the Ceremonial law was as a School master to them whereby that great Sacrifice was typified out to them which only could make attonement for our sins And no sooner was the Lord of life Crucified which was that great Sacrifice which had been all along pointed at but their Sacrifices for sin were abolished And the Believers that by faith in Christ Jesus took hold of the Offer of mercy according as it was offered by Christ which is that all should have the free pardon of their sins upon condition of their future sincere obedience And so they then became justified without the deeds of the Law through the imputation of Christ's Righteousness and their willingness for the future to render their sincere obedience to all Christ's commands and precepts For he that cometh after me Christ saith must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me Matth. 16.24 And whereas the Apostle saith Gal. 3.26 For ye are all the Children of God by faith in Christ Jesus This he speaks of them that had embraced the faith and had received the Spirit And those of us that have taken Christ to have the ruling power in their hearts in hopes of Eternal Salvation are all the Children of God through Faith in Christ Jesus And whereas he saith v. 27. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ This he chiefly speaks of the inward baptism of those that have so put on Christ as to have brought their thoughts and wills into subjection unto Christ Therefore he saith to the Church To as many of them as have so done have put him on And he saith Heb. 11.6 For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Chap. II. The Faith of Abraham Rom. 4.3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 For what saith the Scripture Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for Righteousness Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of Grace but of debt But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for Righteousness Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works Saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin Cometh this blessedness then upon the Circumcision only or upon the uncircumcision also For we say that Faith was reckoned to Abraham for Righteousness How was it then reckoned when he was in Circumcision or in uncircumcision not in circumcision but in uncircumcision By these words it doth appear that when Abraham was received into mercy he might have no works of Righteousness of his own to represent him acceptable with God But as the first Churches were brought out of darkness Heathenism and Error and had not good works of their own but they believing the promise that upon confessing and forsaking their sins they should find mercy by the imputed righteousness of Christ Who according thereunto did thus justifie the ungodly And as Abraham was accepted without the deeds of the Law so Israel and all that were willing to joyn themselves with them were accepted without the deeds of the Law when God brought them out of the Land of Aegypt So the first Gentile Churches for the promise made to Abraham and Christ at their first reception were accepted without works of righteousness or the deeds of the Law And the Angel said of Christ that he should be a light to lighten the Gentiles before he said he should be the glory of his people Israeâ— Luke 2.32 Therefore accordingly there was a great number of the Gentiles called in by the assistance of his Spirit with the tender of his grace Therefore St. Paul speaking of the then times saith in Rom. 3.26 To declare I say at this time his Righteousness That he might be just and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus God is here said to be just in performing his promise to Abraham and Christ concerning the calling in of the Gentiles and in thus justifying them that believed on Jesus which according to the conditions of the tender of his grace took hold of his mercy So we see there was a three-fold day of grace without the deeds of the Law First to Abraham then to his natural seed then to his adopted seed For God carries on all his works in a three-fold way And as under the Law there was a door of mercy set open to all that would take hold of his Covenant So under the Gospel there is a door of mercy set open to all that will take hold of the promise of life according as it is offered by Christ of his free grace which is in the free pardon of all their past sins upon the conditions of their love and sincere obedience for time to come For neither Abraham nor his Natural Seed nor his adopted Seed can any longer have a share in the promises than they persist in their obedience it being the condition of the tender of his grace that for the eternal life promised'd we should yield him obedience For Christ saith Mat 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever will lose his for my sake the same shall save it Luke 9.23,24,25,26 And it is the Faith of Abraham that is required And what was the Faith of Abraham The Faith of Abraham was that he believed God and that was imputed to him for Righteousness And what was that which Abraham believed That which Abraham believed was that God would in the way of his Obedience make of him a great Nation and that in him all the Families of the Earth should be blessed Therefore God calls on him to obey and saith Gen. 12.1 Get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy Father's house And I will make of thee a great Nation Here we see he was to put in practice his obedience or else he could not have been heir to the promise Heb. 11.8 By Faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should afterward receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went So the Lord calls on us to come out of sin self and the eager pursuit of this world and to follow him and we shall find rest to our Souls and he will give us the Crown of Life And if we will not yield to these conditions we must not expect a share in these promises And tho' St. Paul
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
is the Covenant set down that the Lord will make with the House of Israel in Ver. 31,33 After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people v. 34. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know ye the Lord For they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord For I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sins no more v. 35. Thus saith the Lord which giveth the Sun for a light by day and the Ordinances of the Moon and of the Stars for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roar the Lord of Hosts is his Name V. 36. If those Ordinances depart from before me saith the Lord then the Seed of Israel also shall cease from being a Nation before me for ever V. 37. Thus saith the Lord if Heaven ahove can be measured and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath I will also cast off all the Seed of Israel for all that they have done saith the Lord. V. 38. Behold the days come saith the Lord and the City shall be built to the Lord from the Tower of Hananiel unto the gate of the Corner V. 40. And the whole valley of the dead Bodies and the Ashes and all the Fields unto the Brook Kidron unto the corner of the Horse-Gate toward the East shall be holy unto the Lord it shall not be plucks up nor thrown down any more for ever Now whereas the Lord saith behold the days come that the City shall be built Now the Lord does not here say the day is come but the days come by which the Lord comprehends the days of two thousand years or thereabouts and then their City shall be built for it is said a thousand year is with the Lord as one day and therefore the Lord speaking in many places of things that are to come as tho they were present Of which Divine Duhartus speaking of God saith that his mighty Voice speaks in the midst of thunder causing the Rocks to Rock and Hills to Tear calling the things that are not as tho they were Now what is spoken of this City of certain is not ment of that which was built at the return out of the Babilonian Captivity First That the dimentions of it is far larger than ever Jerusalem was yet built Secondly That this Jerusalem shall be called Holy unto the Lord. Thirdly It shall not be pluckt up nor thrown down any more for ever And therefore it is to be rebuilt at the restitution of all things At which time all these wonderful promises shall be made good to Israel And the Lord also saith in Jerem. 32.37 Behold I will gather them out of all countries whither I have driven them in mine anger and in my fury and in great wrath and I will bring them again into this place and cause them to dwell safely 38. And they shall be my people and I will be their God 39. And I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their Children after them 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me 41. Yea I will rejoice over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole Soul Jer. 33.14 Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah 15. In those days and at that time I will cause the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David and he shall execute Judgment and righteousness in the Land 16. In those days shall Judah be saved and Jerusalem shall dwell safely Here you see in those forementioned verses is contained Gods everlasting covenant with Israel after they are again re-establish'd they shall never more be cast off Whereby we see they stand with greater security then our first parents did in paradice And therefore the making good of these promises must be at the restitution of all things At which time they shall teach no more every man his neighbour and his brother but that they then shall be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them And God also tells them in Isa 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous They shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified 22. A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in its time And it is said in v. 14. of the same Chap. The Sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despise thee shall bow themselves down at the Soles of thy Feet and they shall call thee the City of the Lord the Sion of the holy one of Israel Now whereas God saith in Isa 4.5 And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Sion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Now by these words it does appear to have its meaning at the coming of the Lord that those that then are found written among the living shall there continue alive and remain in Jerusalem the which will be as it is inhabited with several sorts of people And the words that are in the following verse makes it so out where 't is said v. 4. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Sion and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Judgment and by the Spirit of burning v. 5. And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon all her assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence v. 6. And there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the the day time from the heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from the storm and from the rain By these following words you see that Jerusalem was not then purged from her filthiness when the Lord said they should be called holy that were written among the living in Jerusalem And also there may then be some Achan in the Camp of Judah the which may be taken off before they come to their glorious settlement as never to be cast out of the favour of God any more over whom God hath promis'd there should be this glory that is before mention'd a Tabernacle
Covenant V. 61. Then thou shalt remember thy ways and be ashamed when thou shalt receive thy Sisters thine elder and thy younger and I will give unto thee for daughters but not by thy Covenant V. 62. And I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. And to prove that this was not spoken of the Jews when they first received the Gospel is evident for in the V. 19. Of the forementioned Chap. the Lord saith In that day shall there be an Altar to the Lord in the midst of the Land of Egypt And in V. 21. It is said The Lord shall be known in Egypt and the Egyptians shall know the Lord in that day and shall do sacrifice and obligations yea they shall vow a vow unto the Lord and perform it V. 22. And the Lord shall smite Egypt he shall smite and heal it and they shall return to the Lord and he shall be intreated of them and shall heal them Here we see at this time when they are again call'd in they are to do sacrifices the which was all abolished when Christ first came but at Christs second coming we are to have some new institutions Therefore the Lord bids us hold fast till he comes Rev. 2.25 But as to what the sacrifices will be when the Lord comes we know not but that there will be sacrifices I shall hereafter prove there was sacrifices before the Law as from Abels time to Abraham and so forward In the next place it is said that Egypt shall return unto the Lord. Now had they not been turned before it could not have been said they should have returned but turned to the Lord. And when they are returned again Israel is then to be the Lords inheritance and to be a blessing in the midst of the Land the which are now a people cast off of the Lord and scattered throughout the face of the whole Earth As to what God saith by Ezek. concerning the two Sisters doth seem to be spoken by Egypt and Syria under the names of Sodom and Samaria In that Sodom was term'd the Elder and Samaria the younger For Egypt was a Kingdom before Israel but I say not this by proof but supposition And in V. 61. It is said they are given to Israel for Daughters but not the same Covenant God made with Israel By which we may easily perceive thaâ— when Satan is again loosed these may some of them again be insnared altho for the thousand years they and their Seed may stand secure But whereas the Lord saith to Israel in Ezek. 16.62 That he will establish his Covenant with them and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. Here the Lord doth not say that Israel did not know God but that they did not know the Lord their redeemer But when this Covenant is establisht then shall they knew that he is the Lord. V. 3. That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord God And whereas the Lord saith in Joel 3.1 For behold in those days and in that time when I shall bring again the Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem V. 2. I will also gather all Nations and I will bring them down into the Valley of Jehoshaphat and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel whom they have scattered among the Nations and parted my Land Here you again see that after Israel is called in the Lord calls them his heritage and therefore they will never more be cast off And also it is evident they will be call'd in when the Lord comes to Judge the world as it is said in Joel 3.9,10,11 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles Prepare War wake up ye mighty Men let all the Men of War draw near let them come up V. 10. Beat your Plow-shares into Swords and your Pruning-hooks into Spears let the weak say I am strong V. 11. Assemble your selves and come all ye Heathen and gather your selves together round about Thither cause thy mighty ones to come down O Lord. These mighty ones being the Angels which are spoken of by the Lord in the Evangelist and in the Revelations And it is said in the 12th verse Let the heathen be wakened and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I set to Judg the heathen round about V. 13. Put ye in the Sickle for the harvest is ripe come get ye down for the press is full the fats overflow for the wickedness is great V. 14. Multitudes multitudes in the valley of decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision Ver. 15. The Sun and the Moon shall be darkned and the Stars shall withdraw their shining V. 16. The Lord shall roar out of Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the heavens and earth shall shake but the Lord will be the host of his people and the strength of the Children of Israel V. 17. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Sion my holy Mountain Then shall Jerusalem be holy and there shall no strangers pass through her any more Here you see that at and after the Day of Judgment the Lord will have his dwelling in Sion his Holy Mountain at whith time 't is said Jerusalem shall know the Lord is their God And then strangers shall no more pass through her And it is said in that time in Joel 3.18 It shall come to pass in that day that the Mountains shall drop down new Wine and the hills shall flow with Milk and all the Rivers of Juda shall flow with Waters and a Fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord and shall water the Valley of Sittim In this verse is contained the wonderful plenty that will be at that time and in those days accompanied with the pouring forth of the Spirit signified to us by the Fountain which is said to come out of the House of the Lord and water the Valley of Sittim And whereas it is said in v. 19. Egypt shall be a desolation and Edom shall be a desolate Wilderness for the violence against the Children of Judah because they have shed innocent blood in their Land This Egypt here spoken of is not the real Egypt but the Figurative which is spoken of by St. John where the Witnesses are said in Rev. 11.8 Their Dead Bodies shall lie in the Street of the great City which Spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt where also our Lord was Crucified This is the Egypt which the Prophet Joel here speaks of shall be made a desolation but the real Egypt shall be inhabited as I before shewed you But we may say why is it Spiritually called Sodom and Egypt and the place where our Lord was Crucified it is first termed Sodom by reason that all the abominations of Sodom is
should wholly fall off And by what Dan saith of his Children in his last Testament is to the same effect For he saith I am sure in the latter days ye shall depart from the Lord and walk in naughtiness working the abominations of the Gentiles and haunting wicked Women in all lewdness by the Working of deceitful Spirits in you For I have read in Enoch that Satan is your Prince and that all the Spirits of Fornication and Pride shall ply themselves in laying Snares for the Children of Dan to make them sin before the Lord. Here we may see what was the reason that none of Dan was of that Number which was to be Sealed for the Glorious Tabernacle when the Lord again comes which is the Sion that shall be revealed and then shall Jerusalem again be built having twelve Gates as in Ezek. 48. from the 31. v. to the 35. called after the Names of the Tribes of Israel according to that of the New Jerusalem which comes down from Heaven of which it is said There is no Temple in it Rev. 21.22 And I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it But as to the New Earthly Jerusalem there is said will be a Temple for from under the threshold of which shall issue forth the Waters spoken of Ezek 47.1 Now that these Waters here spoken of are real Waters is certain in that there is nothing in the whole Book of God to prove it a figurative speech and we are not to makefigures and that there shall be by these Waters real Fruit Trees as is said and also abundance of Fish in the River For the Lord hath declared that then the Earth shall abound with all good things And then of Jerusalem it shall be said from that day the Lord is there as in Ezek. 48.35 It was round about eighteen thousand measures and the name of the City from that day shall be The Lord is there And then it is the saying of the Apostle will be fullfilled in the Manifestation of the kindness of the Lord to them in the Ages to come as in Eph. 2.6,7 And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding Riches of his Grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus Now in Heaven we neither read of Ages nor Generations and were the Ages here spoken of meant of them that are in Heaven he would have said That the Ages that are past might see the exceeding Riches of his Grace in his kindness towards them because that they being in Heaven would sooner behold the exceeding Kindness of the Lord toward them than those that are afterward to go to Heaven of the following Generations or Ages Therefore the kindness here spoken of must be manifested here when the New Jerusalem shall descend out of Heaven when that Glorious Tabernacle shall be Revealed which the Lord shall pitch and not Man over the Land of Canaan And the Land that is given by the Lord in Ezek. 47.14 appears to be far larger than what Israel has had in Possession Now as to what Obadiah saith in the first part of the Chapter where he treats of the Real Seed of Esau and from the 15. v. downward of the Day of the Lord being near upon all the Heathen by which he comprehends the Wicked of the World that their reward should then be given them At which time there should be deliverance on Mount Sion as it is said in the 17. v. But upon Mount Sion shall be deliverance and there shall be Holiness and the House of Jacob shall possess their possessions 20. And the Captivity of the Host of the Children of Israel shall possess that of the Canaanites even to Zarephath and the Captivity of Jerusalem which is in Sepharad shall possess the Cities of the South 21. And Saviours shall come upon Mount Sion to Judg the Mount of Esau and the Kingdoms shall be the Lords Here you see this Prophet with Esdras comprehends all the Wicked World under the Name of Esau And this Prophet also gives us to understand when the Kingdom shall be the Lords That is when Saviours come upon Mount Sion and the World is Judged By which words we see that now the Kingdom is not termed the Lords not till such time that he comes to Judg the World and to restore Israel's Inheritance to them And then at that time the Kingdom will be the Lords St. Paul Terms this World as it is now to be ruled by the Devil Whereas he saith 2 Cor. 4.4 The God of this World hath blinded the minds of them which believe not And in Eph. 6.12 he saith We wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities against Powers and against the Rulers of the darkness of this World and against Spiritual Wickedness in high places And the Devil boasting to our Saviour of his Power Luke 4.6 When he shewed him all the Kingdoms of this World in a moment of time and the Devil said unto him all this Power will I give thee and the Glory of them for that is delivered unto me That is after mankind again became wilfully wicked God left them to Satan's Delusion And although the Devil is the Father of Lies yet he would scarce have told them to the God of Truth who knew how far his Power did extend And the Lord himself saith John 14.30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you for the Prince of this World cometh and hath no part in me But you may say I thought God had ruled all things in Heaven and Earth God doth invisibly over-rule the Devil or else he would destroy all the Righteous from off the Earth were not his Power limited by the most high but the visible rule as is declared by the Apostle is in the Devil who carries on the Darkness of this World Eph. 6.12 by himself and all his adherents for it is said That he ruleth in the Hearts of the Children of the Disobedient but you may say the Lord did say to his Disciples Mark 9.1 Verily verily I say unto you that there be some of them that stand here which shall not tast of Death till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with Power Which was made out in his Transfiguration in 2. v. Six days after Jesus taketh Peter James and John and leadeth them up into an high Mountain apart by themselves and he was transfigured before them 3. v. And his Raiment became shining exceeding white as Snow so as no Fuller on Earth can white them 4. v. And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses and they were talking with Jesus 7. v. And there was a Cloud overshadowed them and a voice came out of the Cloud saying this is my beloved Son hear him Now the other Evangelists say a bright Cloud Which makes it out to us where the Heavenly Powers
Jer. 15.6 I am weary with Repenting Whereas God saith Mal 3.6 I am the Lord I Change not This God spake as to his Attributes as his Justice Mercy and Truth in which he is an Unchangable Being and therefore for his promise sake it is that the Sons of Jacob are not consumed for in time to come they are to inherit the Land But when God promiseth a Blessing without condition then he Repenteth not For God is not a man that he should Lye neither the Son of Man that be should Repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good for God hath promised to Bless Israel and they shall be Blessed and then will he behold no Iniquity in Jacob when he hath purged all Iniquity from them For both in the Old and New Testament those things which are to come are mentioned as though they were already past or present so accordingly St. Paul in the Hebrews Expostulating about the Covenant sometimes expresseth himself as though it were already done that is Establisht but by the whole scope of his words he doth fully declare to the contrary but that they were then given the Holy Ghost which did bear witness with their Spirit they they were chosen to be heirs of that promised Covenant but if they did again willfully Sin and so do despite to the Spirit of Grace then there remained for them no more sacrifice for Sin but a fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation for if they sinned wilfully under the greater Light they fell under the greater Condemnation for although among the Hebrews were the Remnant that was secured by a promise from Christ that none should pluck them out of his hand but they stood not by the establishing of the Everlasting Covenant but by a promise from Christ that they should not only be heirs to it but inheritors of it and when the Everlasting Covenant is Established then by that Covenant Blessedness is secured as well to the Body as the Soul for then the Souls of the Raised Saints will be again United to their Bodies and blessed in them and so Israel and the True Believers will not only then by that Covenant have an Inherent Perfect Righteousness but they will then be freed from Sickness Sorrow Want and the troubles that are now in this Life and in the time to come in which God will manifest his power he will then also make his People Israel a willing People then it is he will establish his Everlasting Covenant with them for the good of them and their Children after them Jer. 32.39 For this promised Covenant was to be established with Abraham and his seed together in their Generation Gen. 17.7,8 And when the Lord again comes to Restore all things he will then make Mount Sion an Eternal Excellency and the Joy of many Generations Isa 60.15 And then not only the Remnant but likewise the body of the Natural Seed of Jacob will then be the Lords Elect which he will gather from the four winds into which he hath driven them XVII The Christians of the Gentile Race that comes in by Christ to be of the seed of Abraham were all termed heathen in the Old Testament as is proved so as the most severe stroke threatned in the Gospel will fall on the Christians that shall be found in Rebellion and Darkness at that day for the Law and Gospel speak but to them that are under it therefore they are the World that will be condemned by it that will not live in Obedience to it Israel is not reckoned with the World therefore the Lord ordered Proclamation to be made to the end of the world Say ye to the daughter of Sion Behold thy Salvation cometh behold his Reward is with him Isa 62.11 Thereby shewing the power of this world will be taken away when their Salvation cometh XVIII In the Word there is mention made of Three Evers Three Times Three Generations Therefore Christ said he would come before this Generation passeth away and the Three Worlds spoken of is the old World this World and the World to come unto whom the Blessing is promised of the establishing the Everlasting Covenant which crowns Life to the Soul not only to the Raised Saints but to Israel and all that long for his Appearing and according to his Word in an obedient frame wait for him Therefore St. Paul exhorteth To lay up in store a good foundation against the time to come 1 Tim. 6.19 XIX There is likewise figarative Heavens and Earth spoken of in scripture And the Lord because of Israels sinfulness for which they were left to blindness he therefore spake to them in parables all these things being now at the appointed time rightly understood it turns the scene whereby the Vision of the coming of the Lord is made so plain that he that runs may read it And when the Lord comes the true Christian will be gathered as the Lord hath declared and Israel will then be gathered according as God by his Prophets to them hath revealed whose testimony they have received and then will the Lord gather in others with them XX. And now the Lord according to his word that at the end of the time knowledge should be increased Dan. 12.4 And that at eveninâ— time it shhould be light Zach. 14.4 And that at the end of the time the Vision should speak Hab. 2.3 Hath now made his promise good in the discovery of the great and hidden mysteries in hls word which we have not rightly understood are now made so plain that there is no more room for Mistake and by a speedy Reformation and owning the whole Truth we may not only save our selves but thereby great part of the Christian World may be awakened to come out from the Darkness which they are now under XXI And it is said How shall a Young man Cleanse his way But by taking heed thereto according to the word of God which is a Light to the Path and Lanthorn to the Feet and by which he calls to us to amend our lives And the like is said in the New Testament He that looketh into the perfect Law of liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetfull hearer but a doer of the work this is the man that shall be Blessed in his deeds James 1.25 And in that it is termed the perfect Law is because it is a perfect and upright rule by which we are to walk and the Law of liberty because upon the wills consenting to yield sincere obedience to all Gods Commands and Preceps such are thereby set clear at liberty from the condemning power of their past sins and shall be Blessed in the promised reward if they be not forgetfull hearers but doers of the work And St. Paul said to the Heathen God is not far from every one Acts 17.27.28 And to them to whom God hath given his word he hath promised that
was one of those who then upon his conversion had his iniquities forgiven and his sins covered yet he said Wo be to him if he preacht not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 Whereby he sheweth he must yield his obedience or else vengeance would overtake him Heb. 10.30 And also after that Abraham had been obedient in leaving his Countery and his kindred the Lord again appeared to him Gen. 17.1 and said I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect The which shews God requires our continuance in our obedience to him The which in being sincere therein is man's perfection And after God further tryed and proved Abraham whether he would obey in all things even to that in which the desire of his Soul was set upon which was in the offering up of his Son Isaac And that God commanded him to do without a promise of reward but afterwards for his willingness to be obedient therein God redoubled his promise to him For God's promises are generally attain'd and retain'd in the way of our love and obedience And St. Paul saith Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness By these words the Apostle puts it out of all dispute clearly shewing that we are his Servants to whom we do yield our selves Servants to obey And the Apostle saith to the Church in the following verse That they were the Servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you Now the form of Doctrine was that they should observe all things whatsoever Christ had commanded This being the last charge Christ left with his Disciples promising such as did accordingly obey that he would be with them to the end of the world Matth. 28.20 Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were justified by works be hath whereof to glory but not before God That is not before God as tho' he had by his good works merited all those great blessings that God had promised him No this is quite contrary to truth and contrary to the understanding that still remains in us that he or we by our poor endeavours when at the best should for them deserve an everlasting inheritance and an eternal weight of glory and that procured by the Sacrifice of the Son of his love No so to think is an offence to God And also the Lord Christ saith When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say ye are unprofitable Servants Luk. 17.10 For God needed not us for his eternal blessedness would not have been diminished if we had eternally perished For he would have remained eternally blessed without us altho' we should have remained eternally miserable without him For a poor Soul before God has no more reason to glory than a poor condemned Malefactor that a great Prince had taken pity of therefore paid his ransome taken him into his Service withal promising him as long as he kept to the Rule or way that he had set him and did not wilfully depart from it he would be with him to carry him through all difficulties and that if he so continued to do he would not leave him nor forsake him and that for the short time that he should set him if he therein was found faithful to his service he then would adopt him his Son and give him an inheritance as a Son of his Now should this Servant boast and glory before his Prince and say I think for the small time of service that thou requirest of me I deserve all that thou hast done or hath promised to do for me this would immediately disinherit him of his Princes favour But on the contrary if this Servant's heart is drawn out in love and obedience to his Prince for the great kindness received and for the future promises made to him he having a sense how infinitely above any thing that his deservings could be his Prince had promised to reward him And therefore he resolving to do his utmost endeavour that he might be found faithful in his service he having strong confidence and faith in his Prince that if he was found diligent in his Service his Lord would not only be willing but had power according to his promise to reward him His Prince also giving him orders that he should come to him upon all occasions for fresh supplies whereby he might be enabled to do him service This Servant observing diligently all the orders his Lord gave him therefore at the appointed time receives the promised reward But not as tho' he had merited these great things but that his great benefactor had promised such great rewards to all his Servants that should be found faithful in his Service So Christ of his free grace and mercy hath paid the ransom for sinners for all that will yield to him their love and sincere obedience And at the time he takes them into his Service he then clears them of all their past sins and for the time to come promises his assistance whilst they keep the way which he hath set them and do not willingly depart from it And if they should be overtaken in a fault against their wills they then shall not be utterly cast down for Christ remains an Advocate for them And if they accordingly continue faithful to the death hath promised then to give them the Crown of life but not as tho' their service had merited so great a reward but that of his great mercy and rich grace he hath promised such great rewards to all that are faithful in his Service Accordingly God said to Abraham That he would be his exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 Thereby shewing that God would reward him for what he did and exceedingly above what he deserved So Christ is said to be the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternal life Rom. 2.7 Now tho' Abraham or any other cannot have whereof to glory before God yet they may rejoyce in that they have walked in sincere obedience to him whereby they at last become accepted of him as to have the reward of the Crown of life For whosoever renders their sincere obedience to God and Christ comes in as an heir to the promise of life For he shall have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him for his justification Acts 10.35 whilst others thro' their unwary walking go out of the way that God hath set them whereby they fall away and so lose that Crown which otherwise they might have had Rev. 3.11 and 2.10 And those that by their wary walking have kept the way tho' they have not to glory before God yet for their so doing they shall have praise of God 1 Cor. 4.5 And tho' St. Paul saith in the 7. v. Who maketh thee to differ
from another and what James saith c. 1. v. 17. Every good and perfect gift cometh from above Yet by the words of Christ in the parable it is plain that some improved the Talents they had received and some improved not their Talent Matth. 25. And Israel was cast off of God for their not improving their day of grace Matthew 23.37 Rom. 4.11,12,13 And he received the Sign of circumcision a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the father of all them that believe tho' they be not circumcised that righteousness might be imputed unto them also And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the Circumcision only but also walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham which he had being yet uncircumcised For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed thro' the Law but thro' the righteousness of Faith Now what was the steps of that Faith that our Father Abraham walkt in being uncircumcised It was that he staggered not at the promise of God but believed that he should have it according to the word of the Lord in the way of his obedience that he thereby should be made the Father of many Nations and heir of the world which carried him thro' all difficulties and caused him to tread in the steps of Righteousness according as the Lord required of him Gen. 17,1,2 I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect And I will make my Covenant between me and thee and will multiply thee exceedingly These words shew that God required of Abraham his sincere obedience that thereby he might be the heir of this promise Accordingly St. Paul saith verse 13. For the promise that he shoulld be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the Law but through the righteousness of faith Which was through the righteousness which this his faith produc'd the which Circumcision was afterward given him as a Seal of this his righteousness by faith And whether circumcised or uncircumcised whosoever treads in the steps of our Father Abraham in looking for the performance of the promise in the way of their obedience shall also become heirs of life Rom 4.14,15,16 For if they which are of the Law be heirs faith is made void and the promise made of none effect because the Law worketh wrath for where no Law is there is no transgression Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the Father of us all Now the Law expected the perfect performance of the thing required before they could become justified by it but then under the Law through mercy they that did render their sincere obedience thereunto it was accepted of them so as they had the Righteousness of Christ imputed to them for their Justification But hereby it sheweth that Justification was not to be attained by the Law but that Justification and Righteousness is to be attained by Faith that draws out the heart in love to God and Christ with an assent to yield obedience to him Such are made partakers of his grace and so by the Righteousness of Christ become justified And where this complying frame of spirit is it was and is the seed to whom the promise belongs whether under the Law or Gospel and unto such as these that tread in Abraham's steps he is a Father For all are his servants to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Rom. 4.21,22 And he being fully persuaded that what God hath promised he was able to perform And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness That is Abraham was fully persuaded that God was able to perform what he had promised him which drew out his heart to yield that obedience which God required of him He thus believing it was imputed to him for righteousness And whereas the Apostle saith verse 23,24,25 Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification That is if we believe in him that raised up our Lord from the dead that the purchased Salvation by Christ is to be imputed according as he in his Word hath declared and so accordingly we lay hold of the promise of Life then Christ was delivered for our offences as well as for theirs and likewise rose again for our Justification as well as theirs if we according as these Romans had done to whom he wrote have obeyed from the heart the Doctrine of the Gospel then also we by Christ are made free from the condemning power of sin and are become the servants of Righteousness Rom. 6.17,18 But we are no sooner set clear from the condemning power of sin by the free grace of God purchased by the Blood of his Son but we are immediately thereupon listed Souldiers of Christ to fight under his Banner against the World the Flesh and the Devil and all our corrupt Affections and Inclinations and bringing down every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 Chap. III. The Election of the first Churches EPhes 2.8,9,10 For by Grace are ye saved thro' Faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Not of works lest any man should boast For we are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them By these words the Apostle also clearly sheweth that by good works standing alone without the merits of Christ no man can be justified in his sight And therefore all boasting is taken away from man in the sight of God But whereas he saith in v. 10. For we are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Here the Apostle hath his peculiar reference to the first Churches who were brought out of darkness sin and errour And as he saith in verse 12. Ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers to the Covenant of Promise having no hope and without God in the World Now at that time God did not only abound in his mercy towards them of the first Churches in all wisdom and prudence Ephes 5.8 in shewing his mighty power in them and in calling them as the Apostle saith out of darkness into his marvelous light 1 Pet. 2.9 and thereby bringing over the consent of their wills to his Laws he did then freely justifie them by his grace but also when God had done this
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
relating to us and the present time has occasioned our falling into great mistakes For whereas the Lord said to his Disciples Matth. 17.20 If ye have faith as a grain of Mustard-seed ye shall say to this Mountain Remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be unpossible unto you Now tho' at that time the Disciples faith was but weak yet afterwards according to the promise of the Lord they did greater Miracles than that of removing Mountains but this promise belongs no more to us than that of sitting upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel But as much as we can do the Miracles so much the Promise belongs to us Likewise the Apostle speaking of the Gentiles which had received the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. v. 2,3 Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb Idols even as you were led Wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Now he spake this of those that were convinced by the Holy Ghost that Christ was the Son of God For the others that were not then thus convinced would not own him But now all the Christians have learned by rote to say that Christ is the Son of God without the assistance of the Holy Ghost Now the persons of the first Churches were in a more particular manner chosen to be Heirs to the promised everlasting Covenant because unto them was given the Holy Ghost as the earnest of their Inheritance so as they must wilfully disinherit themselves if they mist of the promised blessedness but to the succeeding Generations of the Gentile Churches to them the Promises belonged as they before did to Israel And tho' they were not given the Holy Spirit to be in them as he was in the first Churches but to be with them as he was with Israel yet none can come in as Heirs to the promised Mercy without bringing their wills and affections into subjection unto Christ for he must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in the heart for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Rom. 8.9 That is so as to have their minds brought into subjection to the will of Christ Therefore St. Paul saith Rom. 8.13,14 For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye thro' the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live For as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God That is whosoever will not be led by the Spirit of God to obey the revealed Will of God are not the Sons of God Therefore St. Paul when he related who they were that were in Covenant he there declares it is the Believer that is in Covenant and therefore saith If one of the Parents be a Believer then are the Children holy 1 Cor. 7.14 Whereby we see all that come in as Heirs to the Covenant are included as Believers And the Believer is no longer a Believer than he believes Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel But when the Everlasting Covenant is establisht with Abraham and his Seed together the which will be at the Resurrection of the Just which is at the restitution of all things then it is that God will never turn away from them neither shall they then any more depart from him Jer. 32.40 God saith I will make an Everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me This is that which crowns life to the Soul This promise is not only to the natural Seed of Abraham but to all the adopted Seed that shall be found true Believers in that day then it is that the Lord will perform his promise as in the 39th I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their Children after them This is clearly evident that this promise was never made good to the Children of the Gentile Churches and therefore this promise remains to be made good in time to come for his faithfulness cannot fail for hath he said it and shall he not do it no let God be true and every man a lyar Now Israel when they were first brought under the Covenant then was the time when God saw them in their sin and said unto them live For when God brought them out of Egypt they were then polluted in their blood the which time was the time of love the Lord then taking them into Covenant with himself and thereby he said unto them live But Israel not obeying the voice of the Lord in living according to his Commands and Precepts therefore they were cast off of God So when God first took into Covenant the Transgressors of the Gentiles they were then polluted in their blood whom God then renewed by his Spirit and took them into Covenant with himself and put them into a capacity of obedience And the Believers Children were sharers in the promised Mercy until such time as they grew to have no love to the truth but like Israel took pleasure in unrighteousness Then God left them to strong delusions that they might believe lyes That all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.12 But God hath promised all to be with them whilst they keep the way and to the remnant of whom the Disciples sprang which were his Fathers before and given to Christ it was those of whom Christ said None shall pluck them out of my hand but that he would be with them to the end of the World Now when Christ first came the Spirit was shed on Believers abundantly Titus 3.6 Yet notwithstanding St. Paul terms it but night to that approaching day which is at hand and therefore saith The night is far spent the day is at hand let us walk honestly as in the day c. Rom. 13.12,12 Thereby shewing that in that day there will be no disorderly walking amongst them for then it is that both the natural and adopted Seed of Jacob will be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them so as they shall no more teach every man his Neighbour and his Brother For then it is The knowledge of the Lord shall cover the Earth as the Waters cover the Sea I shall not here insist upon the Everlasting Covenant because I intend fully to explain it in another Treatise Chap. XVI A Belief in Christ further Explained NOW whereas Christ saith He that believeth in me or on me shall be saved And the Apostles also Saying He that Believeth in Christ shall be saved Which is no other than in short to declare that Christ had said and manifested the way and
of the Crown of righteousness till at his departure when the end had crown'd his work 2 Tim. 4 7,8 Neither was the Crown of life any otherwise promised But the Apostle in this place had his reference to the general Callings as of Israel and the Gentile Churches But more peculiarly to the time when Israel will again be called in at the time of the Restitution of all things For when the Lord comes again to Zion it is then he will turn away ungodliness from Jacob Rom. 11.25,26 And then it is God will see no iniquity in Jacob when he hath purged all iniquity from them For they are the elect unto whose persons the promise is made to as Rom 11.28 For they are beloved for their Fathers sake And then the believer in Christ will partake with them of the Eternal Inheritance that is but in this time promised Unto which Inheritance the persons of the first Gentile Churches were chosen and had given them the Holy Ghost as the earnest of that Inheritance which they should be heirs to world without end if they did not disinherit themselves For the Seed that is in Christ and Isaac is them that have the Spirit of Christ and them that have a mind and will brought into Subjection unto the mind and will of Christ without which they are none of his Rom. 8.9,14 But when Israel is restored God will give them one heart and one way that they may fear him for ever Jer. 32.39 for the good of them and their Children after them Chap XXIII Adding to the Church and ordaining to Eternal Life explained And Christ dying for the world ST Peter said to the Jews Acts 2.47 And the Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved This he said to the Jews because the generality of them were excluded the then mercy so that such of them as were not left to blindness were daily added to the Church For Christ in Zion was laid as a stumbling stone And as for those Gentiles that were ordained to eternal Life they were called in by the convincing power of the Spirit which went with the word of the Disciples whereby they did yield their assent to be obedient to the truth which they no sooner did but God justified them by his grace and glorified them by his giving to them the Holy Ghost to be in them whereby he did abound to them in all wisdom and prudence and in divers miracles and gifts This is that in which God did manifest himself to them as he did not unto the world These are they which Christ prayed for with his Disciples that should believe in him thro' their word Which was by the word preached by the mouth of the Disciples by whom the first Churches were gathered For the word of God and Christ was never term'd the word of the Disciples But the first Churches receiving the word from the mouth of the Disciples therefore said by Christ to believe in him thro' their word But when the Holy Ghost was shed forth abundantly on the first Churches then the Holy Ghost became an evident witness to the world that God had sent Christ So as the world did not believe thro' the Word of the Disciples but through the convincing signs and wonders and mighty power of the Spirit of God that was seen amongst the Churches The which did bear witness it was the word of God that was taught amongst them For had we had no other witness than the word of a few Disciples that Christ was the Son of God there had been little reason for the world to have believed it But the visible witness of the Holy Ghost bearing witness to the truth of what the Disciples taught was the convincing argument to the world that God had sent Christ as thereby they might take hold of the offered mercy by him on the condition as it is tendred And if we are found in our duty according to the capacity God has put us in we then shall not want his assistance to enable us to do that which he requires of us But as for the Disciples and first Churches Christ in a particular manner prayed for as he did not for the world John 17.21 That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they all may be one in us that the world may believe that thou hast sent me Now whereas the Lord saith that they may be one in us That was in that they were made partakers of the Holy Ghost which both them that were first given to Christ of the Father and the first Churches that should believe in him thro' their word received from the mouth of the Disciples were also partakers of that one Spirit with God and Christ and thereby became one with them in being united by one Spirit For the Spirit that was before with the Disciples was given to be in them John 14.17 That they should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ Eph. 1.12 And this was evident to the world when the Holy Ghost was thus given And the Lord here prayed that by this clear manifestation to the world the world might believe that God had sent him For when the world believed that God had sent Christ by the Convincing Signs and wonders miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost that was then given part of the world embraced the Faith as St Paul declareth and the word brought forth fruit in them as it did in the Church of Collosse Chap. 1.6 For according to the Command of Christ The Gospel was preached to every Creature under Heaven Col. 1.23 And by the mighty signs and wonders that accompanied the Word they were under a conviction that Christ was the Son of God And then there was a power in them to go to him for the offered mercy But when God for sin withdraws from a Person People or Nation he then leaves them to blindness as he did Israel and Christ so died for the World that all that have not disinherited themselves will reap benefit by it Now the first Churches were as a Candle lighted up by the Lord to enlighten the World who lay in Wickednesss and Darkness And they being to withstand all the fury of the Enemy at the Publication of the Gospel Therefore they had so great a portion of the Spirit given them And it was them whom the Disciples taught that received the Word from their mouth and so believed in Christ thro' their Word to whom Christ made these promises Mark 16.15,16,17 Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature And these signs shall follow them that believe In my Name shall they cast out Devils They shall speak with new Tongues they shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them They shall lay hands on the Sick and they shall recover By these words we see nothing can be more plain than
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
works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Thereby shewing there is another time after this time before Eternity in which the Saints will be blessed and then it is that Israel will be saved with an everlasting salvation Is 45.17 the which will be at the time of the restoration of all things Acts 3.20,21,22 And he shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you Whom the Heaven must receive until the times of the restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of aâ—… his Prophets since the world began For Moses truly said unto 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 And now is this Scripture ready to be fulfilled Chap. III. The Coming of the Lord. SAint Paul saith 1 Thes 4.16,17 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Arch-angel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Whereas the Apostle here saith we which are alive all know that in this we the wicked are not included neither in this we are all the righteous then living included but by this we he comprehends those that were to bear their testimony to the Gospel as the first Churches did and as the standing witness hath continued to do the which are those who are said to be clothed in Sackcloth and lie in the street of the Great City which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt c. Rev. 11.8 and these are those that are said will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the Air and these are the Elect that cry day and night unto him Luke 18.7 but the other Believers will be gathered according as by the Lord is declared Luke 17.34,35 There shall be two men in one bed the one shall be taken and the other shall be left two women shall be grinding together the one shall be taken and the other shalt be left And the Lord saith It will be as in the days of Lot Whereby it doth also appear that the other Believers will be lifted out of danger by the Angels as Lot was out of Sodom whilst the Wicked will be left to receive part of their punishment here And those that are thus to be taken and gathered are those that have the Gospel and live in obedience thereunto But as for Israel that now own not the Gospel they shall be called in according as the Lord by the Prophets hath declared to them whose testimony they have received and they likewise shall be brought to Jerusalem as it is written upon Horses and in Chariots and in Litters and upon Mules and swift Beasts Isa 60.6,7,9 Isa 66.20 And then it is that with weeping and supplications the Lord will lead them Jer. 31.9 For the Lord will keep to his usual way and method in bringing them home by a sense of their own miscarriage before he giveth them the Holy Ghost And tho' the Apostle saith of them that were chosen to bear their testimony to the truth that they should at the coming of the Lord be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an Eye Yet the others that are then saved will not then be so suddenly changed neither will their natural body then be changed into a spiritual body but their natural body will be then healed of all infirmities and their mind also 2 Esd 6.26 And when their time of returning will be then will others of the Heathens of all Languages of the Nations take hold of the skirt of a Jew saying we will go with you Zech. 8.23 For as there was a mixt multitude went out of Egypt with Israel so again when Israel which will then be his Elect Ro. 11.28 which will be gathered from the four winds into which the Lord hath scattered them then also there will a mixt multitude of the Heathen go with them according as it is said But the poor Christians that have lost their Day and Season of Grace will not be so permitted to do And tho' at first the Lord will lead Israel with weeping and supplications yet also their return to Sion will be with singing and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and mourning shall flee away Isa 58.11 And also it will be after the Lord comes that most of those great Plagues mentioned in the Revelations will be poured forth upon the wicked of the Earth so that according as it is said they shall gnash their teeth and melt away Psal 112.10 after which will come the storm mentioned in the Psalms of Hail Fire and Brimstone which will be the portion of their Cup Psal 11.6 and then as Isaiah saith The Hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies Isa 28.17 Now this is spoken to them that have the word for we are not permitted to judge them that arâ— without 1 Cor. 5.12 Now whereas St. Peter saith The heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat 2 Pet. 3.10 These words of the Apostle have a twofold meaning first he hath an allusion to the figurative Heavens and Elements which by fire will be dissolved or burnt up secondly the Airy Heavens and Material Earth will be purged or purified by the tempest of fire so as the outward face of the Earth will be burnt up And then again God will make all things new at which time the raised Saints will be in the glorious Tabernacle and the Believers and Israel and all the promised Elect which the Lord will call in at his coming will be secured in the Holy Land and between Mount Olivet Zech. 14.4,5 This is further proved by Scripture and explained in the fore-mentioned Book Chap. IV. Be ready for the Coming of the Lord. WO to the Christians that shall be found in darkness at that day and tho' Christ said Of that day and hour knoweth no man Mark 13.32 But however he hath left upon record the certain Signs of the times which when they are seen he bids such as have an interest in him lift up their heads and look up for their Redemption draweth nigh Lu. 21.28 thereby shewing that all that expect to have an interest in him must prepare for him For it was those that would not take the warning both in the Old World and in the time of Lot that were destroyed And also the Lord said of the Jews that they were a wicked and adulterous generation which could discern the face of the sky but could not discern the signs of the
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
they shall never depart from him Jer. 32.40 But we not understanding aright this Kingdom or World to come which has been the causes of turning the plain word of God in the old Testament into figurative Speeches and thereby made the Oath and Promise of God to Israel void Of which St. Peter exhorts the Church to take heed to the sure Word of Prophecy as unto a light that shineth in a dark place 2 Peter 1.19 Chap. XI Where the Great Glory of the Lord will be when he comes to deliver his people WHEN the Lord again comes to deliver his People his infinite glory will then again be in the Clouds in which will be those glorious mansions into which he will receive his raised Saints John 14.2,3 and there will be that Tabernacle which the Lord shall pitch and not man Heb 8.2 which will be over the Land of Canaan from whence he will descend to Mount Olivet and also from the Tabernacle he will descend upon Mount Zion and there will he Make the place of his feet glorious Isa 60.13 For as the Lord formerly descended down in a Cloud into the Tabernacle Exod. 40.34 So the Lord will again descend upon Mount Zion And as the Lord was over Israel in the Clouds when Pharaoh was drowned in the Sea Exod. 14.19,20,24 So again the Lord will be in the Clouds when the Beast and false Prophet shall be taken alive and cast into a lake of fire burning with Brimstone Rev. 19.20 And as the King of Aegypt and Babylon with all their Prognosticators and Diviners could not by them have any knowledge of their near approaching ruine So will it be with those in our days for they will not foresee the near approaching pressedness or misery according to the word of the Lord Isa 44.25 The Lord frustrateth the Tokens of liars and maketh Diviners mad that turneth wise men backward and maketh their Knowledge foolishness This will again be alike at the time of Jacobs deliverance And it is said of Christ in Isa 64.1 Oh that thou wouldest rent the Heavens that thou wouldest come down that the Mountains might flow down at thy presence V. 4. For since the beginning of the World men have not heard neither perceived by the Ear neither hath the eye seen O God! besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him 1 Cor. 2.9 Psalm 31.19 And oh that there might be many amongst us and elsewhere found such as are true waiters for him so as thereby to become the blessed of the Lord and not found as the fruitless Fig-tree which of the Lord received the curse Chap. XII The Fruitless Fig-Tree MARK 11.13 And Jesus seeing a Fig-tree afar off having leaves he came if haply he might find any thing thereon and when he came to it he found nothing but leaves for the time of figs was not yet This Fig-tree was the representative of the body or generality of Israel on whom the Lord when he came found nothing but leaves only The which was only an outward shew and Form of Religion having nothing of real holiness and of upright walking amongst them as in Matth. 23.23,24,25,26.27,28 For tho' the time of ripe fruit as Figs were not yet yet there might have been green Fruit as sincerity and an upright and holy conversation But as for Israel's bearing ripe fruit it was not to be in this time but in the time to come after the ever of this time is past and gone Then it is they will be made partakers of the continual fresh springs of the Spirit of God which is drinking of the River of his pleasures Psal 36.8 For then they will have an Inherent perfect righteousness and that secured by the establishing of that now-promised new-everlasting Covenant which will crown Life to the Soul Isa 45.17 But Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting Salvation ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end For the everlasting covenant when established and the Crown of Life is one and the same thing only two ways worded And the Believer comes in by Christ as Heir to that promised Covenant Gal. 3.28,29 Eph. 2.12 But the Believer in Christ is no longer a Believer than he believes Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel which is in the way of our love and obedience no more than a Righteous man is a Righteous man in the day that he comitteth iniquity Ezek. 33.13 Chap. XIII Concerning the Remnant and first Churches and also the World BUT whereas the remnant and first Churches were fore chosen of God according to the Counsel of his own will for the purpose he had determined for them which was to bear their Testimony to the truth and for the glory that should follow And tho' they were not thus fore-chosen for their fore-seen willing and running yet afterward when they had embraced the Faith they were to run for the price for the hopes sake that was set before them which is the Crown of Life which was to be obtained by their willing and running by which way it is to be attained by all that will lay hold on it For when the Gospel was establisht we that followed after were to take to the way and keep the Rule set before us Heb. 2.2,3,4 And the Lord will be with us in his way and never forsake any while they keep his way by walking in a holy and upright Conversation And all that know the Lord by the Gospel should go to him for strength for he hath promised his assistance Now after the world was convinced that Christ was the Son of God they were put into a capacity of obedience as many as have the call of the word and the good motions of the Spirit of God therefore if afterward they miscarried it was thro' their own negligence and barrenness of the Soil into which the Seed of the word was cast according to the Parable of the Lord Ma. 13.20,21 which brought forth Fruit for a time and afterward withered away For when the Lord had laid the World under a Conviction by the which means it was part of the world embraced the Faith and brought forth Fruit according as it did in the Church of Golosse Col. 1.6 And the Lord laid Israel under a conviction when he shewed them his glory in the Wilderness and gave to them his Laws and Statutes Exod. 19.9,16,18 And when God would have healed Babylon it was by bringing her under a conviction in pulling her great Monarch down from his Throne and making him eat Grass like the Oxen till his hairs became like Eagles feathers and his Nails like Birds Claws and he made to acknwledge to all Nations that the Great God of Heaven ruleth over the Children of men Dan. 4. â—3 ch 3.29 Now when God hath convinced his Creatures he takes delight to see them improve that rational understanding that he hath given them to their Souls advantage and then it
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
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
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
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
my name Now what is here said it is certain it was spoken for the time that is to come in which God will be magnified in Israel For at that time it is evident the ways of Israel did not please the Lord as to the capacity they were then in And although the Seed of Jacob had the Oracles of God and the Temple yet they had not the promised new Covenant made with them as to be put into a Capacity not to offend but through sin might become as obnoxious to God as any People And Israel saying wherein hast thou loved us Now God said was not Esau Jacob Brother and I loved Jacob and hated Esau That is God had chosen Jacob as the figure of the world to come to whom the most high hath promised to establish an everlasting covenant with his Seed at that time and it is this other world in which is comprehended the love of God to Israel here in this world Esau was a Kingdom before Israel and remained so after Israel as it is said in Obadiah verse 12. Therefore this Esau here spoken of in Malachy could not be the real Esau And also though the people of Esau were destroyed yet God has not curst the Land to be an Habitation for evil creatures For in Obadiah 19. it is said They of the South shall inherit the Mount of Esau But the Inheritance of this figurative Esau is for ever to lie waste for the Dragons of the Wilderness according to the saying of Isaiah and St. John in the Revelations to fullfil the Scriptures Now whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 11.25 For I would not brethren that you should be ignorant of this Mystery lest ye should be wise in your own conceit that bliwdness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in Verse 26. And so all Israel shall be saved as it is written Isa 59.20 There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. Verse 27. For this is my covenant unto them when I shall take awaytheir sins Verse 28. As conterning the Gospel they are enemies for your sake but as touching the Election they are beloved for the Fathers sake Now whereas St. Paul saith that blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in And the Lord himself saith in Luke 21.28 That Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled That is that Jerusalem shall not be restored until the Gentile power is quite vanquished destroyed or extirpated And that will not be till the Lord cometh at which time all Gentile power will be destroyed and laid low And whereas it is said in Isaiah 60.10 That the Sons of strangers shall build thy walls and their Kings shall minister unto thee That is those that are Kings at the coming of the Lord which are and may be converted shall become serviceable and minister to Israel And whereas St. Paul saith until the Gentiles be come in That is the fullness or the greater Number of the Gentiles be come in Rom. 11.25,26,27,28,29 So then all Israel shall be saved As it is written there shall come out of Sion the Deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob for this is my Covenant unto them when I shall take away their sins Here we see that the Apostle did not say that the Lord was come out of Sion that should turn away ungodliness from Jacob but that he would make this promise good to them when he again comes to Sion And in Isa 52.17 at the latter end the Lord speaks of putting on Garments of Vengeance for cloathing in which he will judge his Enemies and at the same time he will deliver Israel as the Apostle saith And in verse 28. he saith concerning the Gospel they are Enemies for your sakes but as touching the Election they are beloved for their fathers sakes For he there tells us 29. The gifts and calling of God are without Repentance Which is as much as to say that they cannot be forgotten of God Here we see St. Paul bears his Witness as to God's making good his promises to Israel and that we are not taken in as to disappoint them of their Inheritance at the Restitution of all things But that then they shall be again taken in and the Everlasting Covenant be made with them according as God has before promised to them Rom. 11.30 For although through their unbelief we are taken into mercy whereby their Number is diminished yet the Covenant that God has by Oath promised to make with them even with both the Houses of Jacob at that time of Restitution they cannot be disappointed of For we that are taken in to be of the Seed of Abraham in and through Christ we must come in as of the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah of which Race Christ came And St. Paul speaking of the conversion of the Jews Rom. 11.15 saith What shall the receiving of them be but life from the dead And the Patriarch Levy in his last will and Testament foretold his Sons that they should call him Heretick that goeth about to renew the Law by the power of the highest and in the end they should kill him out of hand as they think not knowing that he shall rise again and so shall ye receive his innocent blood wilfully upon your own heads For his sake shall your holy place be left desolate which you shall have defiled by utter forswearing and your dwelling shall not be clean but you shall be curst among the Heathen and despair shall vex you till he visit you again And he further saith then will God raise up a new Priest unto whom all the Lords words shall be opened and he shall execute true Judgment upon the Earth many days And his Star shall rise in Heaven as a King shall he shew forth the light of knowledge in the open Sunshine of the day and he shall be magnified over all the world and be received and shine as the Sun upon the Earth and drive away all darkness and there shall be peace upon all the Earth In his days the Heavens shall rejoyce the Earth shall be glad the clouds shall be merry the knowledge of the Lord shall be poured out upon the Earth as the waters of the Seas and the Angels of Glory that are in the Lords presence shall rejoyce in him The Heavens shall be opened and out of the Temple of Glory shall sanctification come upon him with the fathers voice as from Abraham the father of Isaac and the Glory of the highest shall be spread out upon him and the Spirit of understanding and sanctification shall rest upon him whereof he shall give abundantly and mightily to his children in truth for evermore and there shall none succeed him from Generation to Generation World without end In his Priesthood all sin shall come to an end and the
Unrighteous shall cease from their Naughtiness but the Righteous shall rest in Him and He shall open the Gates of Paradice and stay the Threatning Sword against Adam and feed the Lambs with the Fruit of Life and the Spirit of Holiness shall be in them He shall bind up Belial and give his own children power to tread down Hurtful Spirits and the Lord shall rejoice in his children and accept them as his Beloved for evermore Then shall Abraham Isaac and Jacob be glad and then shall I and all Saints rejoyce Now my children ye have heard all therefore chuse unto you either Light or Darkness either the Law of the Lord or the Works of Belial and we answered our Father saying We will walk before the Lord according to his Law And my Father said The Lord is Witness and his Angels are Witness and I am Witness and your selves are Witnesses of the Words of my mouth And when we answered We will be Witnesses Levy rested with this charge be given unto his children And Daniel speaking of the time when the Kingdoms of this World should become the Kingdoms of God and Christ And of the reign of the raised Saints Dan. 7.9 he saith I beheld till the thrones were cast down and the antient of days did sit whose garment was white as snow and the hair of his Head like the pure wooll his Throne was like the fiery flame and his wheels as burning fire V. 10. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the Judgment was set and the Books were opened V. 11. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake I beheld even till the beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame Ye see here also that Daniel makes mention of the Destruction of the Beast and whereas he saith he beheld till the Beast was slain which may only signify that he received the Sentence of Condemnation and his body destroyed his greatness and his grandeur of his Power broken After which he is given to the burning flame Soul and Body And as St. John says after Christ came The beast was taken alive and cast into a lake of sire burning with brimstone And Daniel saith V. 12. As concerning the rest of the beast they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time V. 13. I saw in the night Visions and behold one like the Sun of man came with the Clouds of Heaven and came to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him V. 14. And there was given him dominion and glory and a kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed And whereas the Prophet saith there was given to Christ Dominion Glory and a Kingdom which was that all People Nations and Languages should serve and obey him And in v. 18. it is said The Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever even for ever and ever Here it is said That the Saints of the most High shall take the Kingdom that is be possest with the Kingdom or made partakers of the Kingdom of which Christ is head And he tells us in the 27. v. That the Kingdom Dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the People of the Saints of the most high whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey him We see by these words that it is fully cleared where this Kingdom is said to be which will be given to the People of the Saints of the most High That it is the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven Therefore it must be upon the Earth at the time of the restitution of all things For Isaiah saith c. 24. v. 4. The Earth mourneth and fadeth away the world languisheth and fadeth away the haughty People of the Earth do languish In these last words the Prophet tells us his meaning in saying the Earth Mourneth and the World Languisheth For he saith it is the Haughty People of the Earth do Languish V. 5. The Earth also is defiled under the Inhabitants thereof because they have transgressed the Laws changed the Ordinances broken the everlasting Covenant Whereby we see that the Earth is defiled through the sinfulness of man that is upon it Now Christ dyed to restore lost man that he might purchase to himself a Glorious Church withour spot or wrinkle And he will restore the Earth to be for what it was intended in the first Creation which was for the bringing up of a Holy Seed and to be Israels inheritance and the Earth was prepared for their Nourishment which as the Earth did fill God might translate them to those Heavenly habitations Now in the day of the Restitution of all things Christ has more than a ruling Power in the Hearts of his People or with his Saints in Heaven But then will be given to him all the Kingdoms of the Earth to serve and obey him Then shall it be term'd but one Kingdom as having but one Head to be the chief Ruling Power and the raised Saints to Rule under him And Daniel doth further assure us by the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzars Dream Dan. 2.44 That in the days of those Kings shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom which never shall be destroyed and the Kingdom shall not be left to other People but it shall break in pieces and consume all these Kingdoms and it shall stand for ever V. 45. For as much as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the Mountain without hands and that it brake in pieces the Iron the Brass the Clay the Silver and the Gold the great God hath made known to the King what shall come to pass hereafter and the dream is certain and the interpretation thereof is sure Now whereas the Prophet here tells us that the Dream is certain and the interpretation thereof is sure that is we may bind upon it that the God of Heaven will set up a Kingdomwhich never will be destryed And that the Kingdom shall not be left to other People but it shall break in pieces and consume all other Kingdoms and stand for ever For although it is said Christ and his Raised Saints shall reign a Thousand Years the which as I before said those words doth not at all signifie that the Reign of Christ and his raised Saints shall continue no longer than the thousand years but that the Glory may not so eminently or visibly appear after Satan is loosed to accomplish his wickedness in his deceiving his Gog and Magog after which he shall receive his final Doom Now whereas the Lord saith in Isa 26.19,20,21 Thy dead men
the second Temple which is from the beginning of the 4th chapter of Ezekiel where the Lord sheweth him how the Temple should again be built the second time and how every thing should be ordered according to what it was formerly vvhich is all along treated of from the 40th chapter to the 47th chapter except the beginning of the 43d chapter to the 10th verse and there he speaks of the Glory of the Lord and what the Lord said to him concerning his Dwelling in the midst of the Children of Israel for ever as in Ezek. 43.7,8 And he said unto me Son of man the place of my Throne and the place of the Soles of my Feet where I dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel for ever and my Holy Name shall the House of Israel no more defile neither they nor their Kings by their Whoredom nor by the Carcases of their Kings in their high places 8. v. In their setting their threshold by my thresholds and their posts by my posts and the Wall between me and them they have even defiled my Holy Name by their abominations that they have committed wherefore I have consumed them in mine Anger 9. v. Now let them put away their Whoredom and the Carcasses of their Kings far from me and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever Here we see the Lord 's promising the Children of Israel to dwell with them for ever after the Temple was built the second time was but â—n conditions and the conditions was the puting away their sins which if they did God would dwell with them for ever That is the Ever of this World as well as that which is to 〈◊〉 This is to shew That there was no decree in God for theirs or the Temples Destruction but that his Promise was but at that time conditional with them as it was formerly with Abraham and his seed as in Gen. 17.9 And also Solomon saith in 1 Kings 8.25 Therefore now Lord God of Israel keep with thy Servant David my Father that thou hast promised him saying there shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit onâ— the Throne of Israel so that thy Children take heed to their way that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me So we see in the Ever of this World the promises were all along conditional And the ever of this World is till the time of the Restitution of all things Now Israel at their Return from the Babylonian Captivity had a fresh promise of God of his dwelling amongst them in the Ever of this World if they would put away their sins Now the foreknowledge in God of their miscarriage signifies nothing as to a Decree in God And when they will not obey then it is the Lord saith thou hast destroyed thy self Hosea 13.9 Now the Lord therefore in the 47th Chapter of Ezekiel 1. v. speaks nothing of the destruction of the Temple that was then to be built because it was not for their sins that built it that did occasion the destroying of it and therefore no mention made of the Temple being to be rebuilt the third time Whereupon the Prophet only said of which we are to take notice in Ezek. 47.1 Afterward he brought me again tâ— the Door of the House and behold Waters issued out from under the Threshold of the House Eastward for the Fore-Front of the House stood towards the East and the Waters came down from under from the right side of the House at the South side of the Altar Now in that he saith afterwards he brought meagain it is to signifie to us that it vvas not at one and the same time That is That the Waters issued not out from under the Threshold at the building of the second Temple But that this vvas spoken for time to come because also of the Trees there mentioned in Ezek. 47.7,12 By the Rivir upon the Bank thereof on this side and on that side shall grow all Trees for meat whose Leaf shall not fade neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed it shall bring forth new fruits according to his months because their Waters issued out of the Sanctuary and the fruit thereof shall be for meat and the leaf thereof shall be for medicine And at that time these Trees do grovv all Israel is then gathered as in the 13. v. Thus saith the Lord God this shall be the border whereby ye shall inherit the Land according to the Twelve Tribes of Israel Joseph shall have two portions At vvhich time also vvhen all Israel is gathered the stranger that sojourneth shall have a portion vvith them as in the 22. v. And it shall come to pass that ye shall divide the Land by Lot for aâ— inheritance unto you unto the strangers that sojourn among you which shall beget children among you and they shall be unto you as born in the Countrey among the children of Israel they shall have inheritance with you among the Tribes of Israel Here vve see that vvhen this River is to be then all the Tribes of Israel vvill be gathered and that then the Sojourner is to have an Inheritance vvith them And then shall the true Christian have a portion in the Land of Canaan vvhen the Lord again comes And then vvill be the Restitution of All Things Novv all along the time of this World whilst there was a Temple the Priests and Levites had no Portion of Land given them as in Ezek. 44.27 And in the day that he goeth into the Sanctuary unto the inner Court to Minister in the Sanctuary he shall Offer his Sin-Offerings saith the Lord God And it shall be unto them for an inheritance I am their Inheritance and ye shall give them no possession in Israel I am their possession 29. They shall eat the Meat-Offering and the Sin-Offering and the Trespass-Offering and every Dedicated thing is Israel shall be theirs Here we see that the Priests then had no Land given them but when all Israel is again gathered then the Tribe of Levy is to have a portion of Land given them as in Ezek. 48.9 So on to the 14 v. and altho there is none of the Tribe of Dan now said to follow the Lamb Christ so as to be sealed for the Glorious Tabernacle yet then when Israel is gathered then are they not excluded but he will have his Portion among the rest of them as in Ezek. 48.1 From the North End to the Coast of the way of Hethlon as one goeth to Hamath Hazorenan the border of Damascus Nothward to the Coast of Hamath for these are his beside East and West a Portion for Dan. And Jacob did foresee that Satan would more prevail with the Seed of Dan than the rest of them by what he said of him at his Death in Gen. 49.17 Dan shall be a Serpent by the way an Adder in the Path that biteth the Horses heels so that his Rider shall fall backward Which signifies they
War with the remnant of her Seed which kept the Commandments of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ Now by the Wings of a great Eagle is meant Support and Assistance and by Waters is comprehended Afflictions and the Men that are the Afflictors by what the Prophet David faith in Psal 18.4 The Floods of ungodly men made me afraid From these Waters the Earth helped the Woman for the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up That is takes them away by Death yet still the Devil Persists in his Malice for he goes to make War with the Remnant of her Seed By all this it is made clearly to appear that Christ's Church was a suffering Church is a suffering Church and so will continue to the end of this World and the Lord to incourage us tells the Church in Rev. 3.10 That if they keep the word of his Patience he also will keep them from the hour of Temptation which shall come upon all the World to try them that dwell upon the earth Here we see is a general Tryal and the Lord to comfort us saith in the 11. v. Behold I come quickly hold that fast which thou hast that no man take thy Crown Here we may plainly see that the Glory will be prepared for them that Love him when he comes the second time for the Glory is not now in this our World for Christ's Church And when we Pray for Christ to have here in this World a Glorious Church we Pray against the determined will of God But whereas St. Paul saith Ephes 5.25 Christ loved his Church and gave himself for it 26. That he might Sanctify it and cleanse it with the washing of Water 〈◊〉 the Word This part is to be perform'd in this sinful World But whereas he saith in the 27. v. That he might present it to himself a Glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be Holy and without blemish Now we must take notice of the words of the Apostle which tells us that he might present it to himself a Glorious Church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Not that he hath so presented it or that it is so presented but the word is That he may present it a glorious Church without having spot or wrinkle Then the question is here when it shall be to which I Answer it will be at the great Weding Supper of the Lamb the which will be when the Lord comes Now as to his coming that we might not be mistaken therein the Lord saith Matt. 24.25 Behold I have told you before 26. Wherefore if they shall say unto you behold he is in the desert go not forth Behold he is in the secret Chambers believe it not 27. v. For as the Lightning cometh out of the East and shineth 〈◊〉 to the West so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be 28. For wheresoever the Carcass is there will the Eagles begathered together By which we see the Lord did not tell them they should be gathered into Heaven at the time of his coming But the Lord after he arose expounded to them the Scriptures Luk. 24.27 Begining at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself Now the Scriptures do not only speak of his Sufferings but also of his Reigning on Mount Sion in Jerusalem Gloriously And then as to what the New Heavens and Earth will be will then be made manifest Whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 24.29 Immediately after the Tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkned and the Moon shall not give her light and the Stars shall fall from Heaven and the Powers of Heaven shall be shaken By these that is the Sun Moon and Stars and the Powers of Heaven being shaken hath its reference of certain as to what I before shewed you But these words may admit of a two fold meaning and not only comprehend the Popish Ministery and others that have been negligent in their places and the wicked powers but also when the Lord cometh there may be a great Eclipse of the Sun and the Moon may change her Colour and those wandring Stars fall from Heaven which Satan has influence on as to carry on the darkness of this World by And as St. Jude saith in the 13. v. Where he compareth the wicked to the raging Waves of the Sea foaming â—ut their own shame And likewise he compares them to wandring Stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Now as there is the real Waves of the Sea we see here that the Wicked are the Figurative Waves of the Sea And as there is real wandring Stars that Satan has Influence on to help him in the carrying on the darkness of this World So there is Figurative Wandering Stars the which do darken the light of the Word and so the World that is the people is darkned thereby For which both the real and figurative Stars are reserved the blackness of darkness for ever For by these words we see that in the Restoration the Stars will not be left to influence man to Iniquity Now whereas St. John saith John 2.8 The darkness is past and the true light now shineth Which was the true Light then broke forth in the Church as to Knowledg and Love but as to the latter it hath a more particular reference for he so explains himself in the 9. v. in that he saith He that hateth his Brother is in darkness And in the 10. v. he saith He that loveth his Brother abideth in the Light 〈…〉 St. Paul saith 〈…〉 Rom. 13.12,13 The night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of Darkness and let us put on the Armour of Light Let us walk honestly as in the day not in rioting drunkenness not in chambering and wantonness not in strife and envy Here the Apostle fully declares that it was then night but that he would have them walk as the Children of the day in which day there will be no such thing committed at which time according to the saying of the Psalmist That all the Families of the Earth shall be blessed of the Lord and also in Ezek. 48.31 Zach. 14.11 Jer. 31.40 Now as to what the Lord saith in Luke 21. c. 24. That Israel shall fall by the edge of the Sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fullfilled Which is as I before told you not until the Gentile Power is quite vanquished the which will be when the Lord comes and then will Jerusalem be gloriously built never more to be destroyed as it is written 25. v. And there shall be signs in the Sun and in the Moon and in the Stars and upon the Earth distress of Nations with perplexity the Sea and the Waves roaring 26. v. Mens
which the Lord for our better inlightning tells us in Mat. 13.52 That every Scribe that is well instructed bringeth out of his Treasury things New and Old That is for the better understanding of the New Testament we must search the Old For indeed they both give light the one to the other And as to the meaning of the Lord in his saying this generation I was ignorant of how to apprehend it And being formerly asked by a Gentleman that had no belief of the Bible how I could since my Lord had so falfyfied his word in his promise as concerning his coming in that generation and since there has been so many generations and the Lord is not yet come At which time I could not give him a satisfactory answer neither any that could prove so to my self At which I was much troubled altho it did no way shake my belief in the Lord as not to believe him to be the Son of God and as being so he had made satisfaction for all them that truly love and fear him for through Mercy I had had those Experiences of the Lord unto me that I was not staggered therein notwithstanding my trouble was very great that my Lord should be termed a Deceiver in being worse than his word After which a considerable time I hearing of the Earth-quakes and the Cities of the Nations falling I thought it my best way to take the Lords Advice and search the Scriptures with more diligence than ever and I earnestly besought the Lord with Prayers that he would inlighten my Understanding therein And blessed be God he hath granted my request and not only so but having found out these several places the which are and will be standing witnesses to my Lord to prove that he hath not falsified his word to us in the Promise of his Coming but that he will certainly come in this Generation whose coming is just at hand which will be the day in which Christ will Judg the World and give rewards to his Servants at which time there will be none of these Corruptions for St. Paul and Esaras saith they shall be changed 2 Esd 6.26,27 The men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their Birth and the Hearts of the Inhabitants shall be changed and turned into another meaning for evil shall be put out deceit shall be quenched as for faith it shall flourish and corruption shall be overcome and truth which hath been so long without fruit shall be declared Then will the saying of the Angel to the Blessed Virgin be made good concerning Christ as in Luke 1.32,33 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David And he shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom there shall be no end Now the Throne of his Father David was on Mount Sion and Jerusalem And Christ saith to Nathanael in John 1.51 Hereafter you shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man When this eminent Glory of Christ shall be Revealed then also will come to pass the saying of the Apostle as in Ephes 2.7 That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding Riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus This exceeding Riches of the Grace of Christ will be manifested toward them in the World to come Of which World to come shall proceed Ages and Generations And God saith of Israel in Isa 45.17,18 Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting Salvation ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded World without end For thus saith the Lord that Created the Heavens God himself that formed the Earth and made it he hath established it he created it not in vain he formed it to be inhabited I am the Lord and there is none else And St. Paul instructing the Church by Timothy saith 1 Tim. 6.19 That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on Eternal Life We see here is another time spoken of and if it's time it is then before Eternity and so before the final Judgment wherein 't is said the Sea Hell and Death shall deliver up their Dead And whereas there is spoken of three Generations and three Worlds and three Times the which three ways of expressing includes one and the same thing and that there will be a time wherein the Glory of the Righteous shall be reveal'd as there has been times wherein they have been despised and therefore St. Paul saith Rom. 8.18,19,20,21,22 But I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us 19. For the earnest expectation of the Creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God 20. For the Creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope 21. Because the creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God 22. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now Here the Apostle speaketh in the usual Scripture way in that he mentions that which is to come as tho it were then present the which by his following words he doth so explain himself as in the 23. v. where he saith And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our Body 24. For we are saved by hope but hope that is seen is not hope for what a man seeth why doth he hope for 25. But if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it As concerning this Hope the Lord puts forth the Parable in Luke 19.12,16,17 He said therefore a certain noble man went out into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return By this we see the Lord was to return again when he had received the Power of the Kingdom and then he will give here rewards to his Servants according to their diligence imployed in his Service as in the 16. and 17. v. Then came the first saying Lord thy pound hath gained ten pounds And he said unto him well thou good servant because thou hast been faithful in a very little have thou Authority over ten Cites And here we see according to the improvement of the Talent he gives us so will his rewards be for the God of Judgment will not be such a partial Judg as some has thought him But the Judg of all the World will do right Now by the Parable that the Lord put forth concerning the Wedding
the Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God Here he does not say that it did descend down upon the Earth Neither in the same Chap. at the 2. v. He doth but say he saw it coming down from God out of Heaven but he did not say that he saw iâ— upon the Earth And as to what the Lord saith Rev. 3.12 Where he speaking of the New Jerusalem which cometh down out of Heaven from my God By these places we see there is no mention made of its being seated upon the Earth But it is certain that it will come down out of Heaven And the Psalmist speaking of Christ Glorious Kingdom in the Psalm 68.33,34,35 To him that rideth upon the Heavens of Heavens which were of old Lo He doth send forth his voice and that a mighty voice 34. Ascribe the strength unto our God his excellency is over Israel and his strength is in the Clouds 35. O God thou art terrible out of thy Holy places The God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people blessed be God Here we see the strength and Glory of the Lord in the time of his Kidgdom is said to be in the Clouds The which is plain there is something more comprehended in it than we have hitherto apprehended The which Isaiah doth fully make appear in Isa 4.4,5,6 When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the Daughters of Sion and shall have purged the Blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the Spirit of Judgment and by the Spirit of burning And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon all her Assembles a Cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming Fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence And there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the Heat and for a place of refuge and for a Covert from the Storm and from the Rain In the first of these Verses the Prophet tells us when this Glory shall be Revealed which will be at the time when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the Daughter of Sion by the Spirit of Judgment and by the Spirit of burning This appears to be the Baptism St. John speaks of where he saith Mat. 3.11,12 He that cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with Fire Whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his Floor and gather his Wheat into his Garner but he will burn up the Chaff with unqueuchable Fire Now it is said that Christ Baptised none but after his Ascension the Disciples were Baptised with the Holy Ghost But then Christ did not gather his Wheat into his Garner neither then did he burn up the Chaff with unquenchable Fire therefore this has a more special reference to the Lords second coming at which time he will throughly purge his Floor and gather his Wheat into his Garner and then it is that he will burn up the Chaff with unquenchable Fire And whereas the Prophet saith Isa 4.5,6 That the Lord will Create upon every dwelling place of Mount Sion and upon all her assemblies a cloud and smoke by day and the shining of a flaming Fire by Night These words does not only take in the dwelling Places of Mount Sion but all her Assemblies the which comprehends all Israel whose Dominions accoring Scripture is larger than whatever they have yet had in possession over which this glorious cloud here spoken of will be extended which does fully appear to be the Tabernacle spoken of in Heb. 8.2 Which the Lord shall pitch and not man According to which Isaiah saith in the 6. v. And there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the Heat and for a place of refuge and for a covert from the Storm and from the Rain Now the Cloud that Isaiah speaks of being like unto flaming Fire and I cannot conceive that there could be a more fit resemblance than Gold that is like to clear Glass to the appearance of flaming Fire And it is said Rev. 21.18 The City was pure Gold like unto clear Glass And in the 21. v. And the Street of the City was pure Gold as it were transparent Glass Now Isaiah saith in the 4. c. at the 6. v. That the Tabernacle should be a shadow from the Heat and a place of Refuge and a Covert from the Storm and from the Rain Under which the Elect will be secured from the Judgments that will be poured upon the Earth after the Lord comes Here you see in this Rev 21. he saith that the Street of the City was pure Gold like to Transparent Glass And here by this one street he comprehends the Pavement of the whole City the which being over the Heads of the Children of Israel will appear though of the Colour of Gold yet it is said to be so clear as to look like Transparent Glass so that Israel underneath this Tabernacle may all see the Glory that is there Revealed And in Isa 60.1 Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Now the City that St. John speaks of in the 21 c. 2. v. He therein comprehends the raised Saints but herein the same chap. at the 18. and 21. v. he there speaks of the outward fabrick or glorious Mansion for in Scripture the People are termed a City as well as a material Building is so termed And St. John saith in the forementioned Chapter after he had related the coming down of the City He then speaks of the Glory of the same Rev. 21.11 Having the glory of God and her light was like a stone most precious even like a Jasper clear as Cristal 12. And had a Wall great and high and had twelve Gates and at the Gates twelve Angels and names written thereon which are the Names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel And St. John saith c. 21. 15. v. And he that talked with me had a Golden Reed to measure the City and the gates thereof and the Wall thereof 16. And the City lieth four square and the length is as large as the breadth and he measured the City with the Reed twelve thousand furlongs the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal Now we see by the large extent of this City which according to account of eight furlongs to a Mile to be fifteen hundred Miles not only in length but that the breadth and heighth thereof are equal this being the Tabernacle which the Lord shall pitch and not Man and then will the Lord make good his Promise to Israel that there shall be a Tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heat and for a place of Refuge and for a covert from the storm and from the rain And in Isaiah it is said Isa 60.1.2
Arise shine for thy light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon thee For behold darkness shall cover the Earth and gross darkness the People but the Lord shall rise upon thee and his Glory shall be seen upon thee For as the Lord is said in Numb 14.14 to be over Israel in a Cloudy Pillar when he delivered them out of Egypt which was but a Figure of the great deliverance to come at which time the Lord will be in the Clouds and his Spouse his chief raised Saints with him This Tabernacle Covert or City is said to be twelve thousand furlongs not only in length and breadth but the same in heighth by which it does appear that the top thereof may reach to Heaven and that the Heavens may remain open above it as it was when it descended until this Glory that shall be Revealed be drawn up again and that the Throne of God in the highest Heavens may be placed over Mount Sion That as it is said in Gen. 28.12 That the Ladder which Jacob saw set upon the Earth the top of which reached to Heaven and that the Angels of God did ascend and descend upon it and the Lord God stood above it By which it doth appear that this Ladder will prove the white Clouds and that the Top of them will reach to Heaven whilst one part of them may extend so low as Mount Sion and these appear to be the Ladder upon which the Angels ascended and descended upon the Son of Man as the Lord saith John 1.51 Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man The which words of the Lord in saying that you shall see the Heavens open doth seem to signify the continuance of their remaining open for some time And St. John saith Rev. 21 22. He saw no Temple in this City which came down from Heaven for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it 23. And the City had no need of the Son neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the lamb is the Light thereof Now if the Heavens be open over this City and the Throne of God just above it as it is said of the Ladder God stood at the top of it then must the Glory of God inlighten this City as well as the Lamb is the light thereof And according to all these places of Scripture it doth so appear to be neither can it properly be said that there is a distinction of Glory between the Father and the Son for Christ saith to the Father in John 17.5 Glorify thou me with thine own self with the Glory which I had with thee before the World was Therefore where the Glory of the Son is there is the Glory of the Father also And St. John speaking of the Angel saith Rev. 22.1 He shewed me a pure River of water of Life clear as Crystal proceeding out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb. Now we read nothing of the Holy Ghost but whereas it is said This River proceeded out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb and it is said of the Spirit to proceed from the Father and the Son and the Lord termeth the Holy Spirit to Water in John 4.14 But whosoever drinketh of the Water that I shall give him shall never thirst but the Water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of Water springing up into everlasting life And the Lord farther saith in John 7.38 He that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his Belly shall flow Rivers of Living Water 39. But this spake the Lord of the Spirit which they that believe on him should receive And in Isa 44.3 God saith I will pour Water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will pour my Spirit upon thy Seed and my blessing upon thy Off-spring And in Psal 46.4 There is a River the streams thereof shall make glad the City of the most High Therefore this River here spoken of the which proceedeth from the Throne of God and of the Lamb must be meant of the Spirit And it is said of this Heavenly City Rev. 22.3 There shall be no more Curse but the Throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it 4. And they shall see his Face and his Name shall be in their foreheads These words shew that the Saints will always be about the Throne both in the time that is to come and also in Eternity And to what Isaiah saith in the 60. c. which treats of the Heavenly Jerusalem and also of the new Earthly one For it is there said the Lord shall rise upon thee 3. v. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightness of thy rising By which it does appear that the Gentiles and Kings that is as many of them as have had an interest in Christ and are departed this World shall come to the brightness of their Rising or Glory the which is in the Jerusalem which comes down from Heaven And from the 4. v. of the same Chap. to the 18. it treats of them that are to be call'd in with the Jews at the second coming of the Lord. But it is said 9. v. Surely the Isles shall wait for me Now this waiting could not be at Christ's first coming for then the Isles had no knowledg of the Lord and therefore could not be said to wait for him they knew not And in the 19. and 20. verses of this 60. chap. speaking of the Heavenly Jerusalem where it is said The Sun shall be no more thy light by day neither for brightness shall the Moon give light unto thee but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light and thy God the Glory 20. Thy Son shall no more go down neither shall thy Moon withdraw it self for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended And in the 21. v. it speaks of the People of Israel Thy People shall be all righteous they shall inherit the Land for ever the branch of my planting the work of my hands that I may be glorified 22. v. A little one shall become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation I the Lord will hasten it in his time Here the Prophet speaks of the People of Israel who in a more peculiar manner belongeth to this City that they should be all righteous and that they shall Inherit the Land for ever and that they should multiply therein and increase and that this should be in its time which will be at the Restitution of all things and then will there be a new Earthly Jerusalem built upon her own heap as Jer. 30.18 And then as the Lord sath Isa 54.12 I will make thy windows of Agates and thy Gates of Carbuncles and all thy Borders of pleasant Stones According to this Tobit
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—
precepts of men Is not this like building on the Sand of which the Lord speaks in Matth. Where he saith in the 26. v. Mat. 7.26,27 Every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand and whom the Lord forewarns that their building shall not stand in the day of trial And the Lord also saith in 21. v. Mat. 1.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven And also St. James saith Jam. 1.22 But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving your own selves And he farther saith Jam. 2.20,21,22 But wilt thou know O vain Man that faith without works is dead was not Abraham our Father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar seest thou how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith made perfect So the Lord saith unto Esdras in the 7. v. 2 Esd 9.7,8 And every one that shall be saved and shall be able to escape by his works and by faith whereby ye have believed shall be preserved from the said perils and shall see my salvation in my land and within my borders And in Matth. 20. Mat. 20.2,4,6,7 The Lord did not call any into his Vineyard without putting them to work therein And in Matth. 26.41 The Lord bids them watch and pray that they enter not into temptation And St. Peter bids us 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour Therefore we had need watch continually over our own hearts thoughts words and works For the evil one in all our ways does lay traps nets and gins to insnare us Therefore St. Paul bids us Eph. 6.11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18 Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand Stand therefore having your loyns girt about with truth and having on the breast-plate of righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace Above all taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints Praying always that is praying dayly Which is as if any one gives us our dayly food as long as we live we say that they continually give us our food Praying all Prayer That is upon all occasions for our selves and for the Saints and for all Men that have not excluded themselves from his mercy And St. John tells us 1 John 2.4,5 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected hereby know we that we are in him That is if our wills are brought over to be truly obedient and if so there will not want an earnest endeavour to persevere in a holy life Which is unlike those that Paul to Titus speaks of That Tit. 1.16 profess that they know God but in works they deny him being abominable and disobedient and unto every good work reprobate How think you it will then prove with such in the great day For St. Paul saith 2 Thes 1.7,8,9 When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power I hope this dreadful sentence will awaken many sleeping Christians before it is too late Therefore to day whilst it is called to day harden not your hearts but make preparation for the Bridegroom of your Souls Now as to what St. Paul saith Rom. 9.30 What shall we say then that the Gentiles which followed not after righteousness have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith That is the Gentiles that were first brought home to Christ by the call of the Gospel no sooner savingly believed in the Lord Jesus as to accept him as he is tendred in the Gospel but the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them as though they had never sinned For St. Paul saith That Col. 2.10,11 ye are complete in him which is the head of all principality and power In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands in putting off the body of the â—…ns of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. And again he saith Eph. 2.10 For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Now whereas he â—aith that they were created in Christ Jesus to good works That is they are â—o sooner taken into mercy but that the â—ghteousness of Christ is imputed to â—hem whereby they appear in the sight â—f God as though they had never sinned â—…om their Creation But when he told â—hem they were created in Christ Jesus to good works you see also in the same ver he tells them that God had ordained that they should walk in them And he saith likewise Col. 2.6,7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk ye in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving And he saith farther Col. 3.1,2,3,4,5,6 If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth For ye are dead and your life is had with Christ in God When Christ who is your life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousness which is Idolatry For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the Children of disobedience For we are not only to shun the doing evil but we must also learn to do well And whereas the Apostle saith Rom. 9.31,32 But Israel which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness
branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away and every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit If a man abide not in me he is cast forth as a branch and is withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned Herein is my father glorified that ye bear much fruit so shall ye be my disciples As the father hath loved me so have I loved you continue in my love If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I have kept my fathers commandments and abide in his love Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you By all these words of the Lord it is fully evident that although we were grafted in him and beloved of him yet if we bear not fruit and keep not his commandments we shall neither remain in him nor be beloved of him Now St. Paul saith to the Galatians Gal. 1.6,8 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel And he saith in the 8. v. But though we or an angel from heaven preach another Gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Now by the words of St. Paul there was deceivers got in among the Church of Galatia which would have brought them to circumcision and made them also to observe the ceremonial law Therefore he saith Gal. 5.2 I Paul say unto you that if you be circumcised Christ shall profit you nothing And again he saith Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified Now whereas he saith no man is justified by the works of the law That is man is not able to fulfil all the works of the law in that perfection as is required of him Neither can it take away original sin so as a man cannot become justified by it yet they were so far able to fulfill the law as to walk blamelesly in it as in Luke 1.6 And in the Old Testament time accepted of God for it through the then promised Messiah And whereas he saith not by the works of the law but by the faith of Jesus Christ That is by the faith that Jesus Christ requires of us And he saith we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ Now whereas he saith they had believed in Christ that includes a belief in his whole revealed will in his word And in his word he tells us if we will enter into life we must keep the commandments Therefore St. Paul by what he here saith hath no intention to take them off the moral law for they cannot be saved if after they are received into the Church of Christ they will not walk in obedience to it But it is the ceremonial law which some false Brethren would have brought in to have burthened the Church withal whereby they would have made the sufferings of Christ of none effect for man's salvation and justification Therefore he saith Gal. 3.1,2,3,4,5,6 O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth crucified among you This only would I learn of you receive ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect in the flesh Have ye suffered so many things in vain if it be yet in vain Here we see that these Galatians had upon the preaching of the Gospel received the Spirit and that they had suffered many things as the Church of Christ Yet St. Paul was here afraid of their final falling off by reason of deceivers that were got in among them which would have had them trusted to Circumcision Purifications and Sacrifices for Justification and not unto Christ Which Laws were all abolished at the death of Christ he being that only Sacrifice that could make satisfaction to take away sin and all other Sacrifices were but to figure out him who was alone able to make that great atonement with God Therefore St. Paul reproves them sharply that having begun in the Spirit they should think to be made perfect by the flesh And he saith to them in the 5. v. He therefore that ministreth to you the spirit and worketh miracles among you doth he it by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith 6. v. Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness Faith or belief in us toward God and Christ consists of three distinct parts first a belief in and a practical consent to the conditions upon which life and salvation is offered by God! the second is a belief in the power and faithfulness of the promiser for the thing promised The third is an intire affection with real thankfulness to the promiser for the thing promised Now these three things were found in the belief of faithful Abraham for he left his own Country to follow the Lord and gave himself wholly up to love and obey him as witness the offering of his Son and also judging him faithful that had promised him the Blessing And St. Paul saith to the like effect of himself in the foregoing Chap. Gal. 2.19,20 For I through the law am dead to the law that I might live unto God That is dead to the ceremonial law not to the moral law for he as well as Abraham was conformable to the law of the Lord to do justice and judgment for which the Lord did confirm his promise to Abraham As in the 19. v. Gen. 18.19 God said I know him that he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him And St. Paul saith in the 20. v. Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me We see here St. Paul saith he was crucified with Christ That is he was dead to the World and to the pleasures thereof yet he said that he lived yet he says again not I but Christ liveth in me That is he had so wholly given himself up to Christ and brought down his thoughts into subjection unto him so as Christ had the reigning power in him so as the life which he then lived was by faith in the Son of God Which faith was he
Siria and others that are of this Elder World shall serve the younger of which I have given a more full Account in the foregoing Part. Not only so but the younger sort of them whose Parents are now Enemies to the Church yet their Children that has not been guilty shall be spared and not cut off with the rest of the wicked For in Joel 3. where it speaks of the Judgment of this World the Lord saith in the 8th Verse I will sell your Sous and Daughters into the hand of the Children of Judah and they shall sell them to the Sabeans to a people far off for the Lord hath spoken it Sheba being part of the Elect that will be called in at the coming of the Lord. As it is said in Isaiah 60.6 And also the Lord said 2 Esdras 6.18,19 to 28. Behold the days come that I will begin to draw nigh and to visit them that dwell upon the Earth And I will begin to make inquisition of them what they be that have hurt unjustly with their unrighteousness and when the afflictions of Sion shall be fulfilled And when the world that shall begin to vanish away shall be finished then will I shew these tokens The books shall be opened before the firmament and they shall see altogether And the Children of a year old shall speak with their voices the women with Child shall bring forth untimely Children of three or four months old and they shall live and be raised up And suddenly shall the sound places appear unsound the full store-houses shall suddenly appear empty And the Trumpet shall give a sound which when every man heareth they shall be afraid At that time shall friends fight one against another like enemies and the Earth shall stand in fear with those that dwell therein the Springs of the Fountains shall stand still and in three hours they shall not run Whosoever remaineth from all these that I have told thee shall escape and see my salvation and the end of your world And the men that are received shall see it who have not tasted Death from their Birth and the heart of the inhabitants shall be changed and turned into another meaning For evil shall be put out deceit shall be quenched As for faith it shall flourish corruption shall be overcome and the truth which hath been so long without fruit shall be declared Rom. 9.8 This is the Seed which St. Paul speaks of in V. 8. Where he saith the Children of the promise are counted for the Seed And also the Lord by Esdras has given us to understand that the innocent children shall not be taken away in the Judgment with their parents And the Lord also in V. 9. of this Chap. saith 2 Esdras 6.9 Esau is the end of this world and Jacob the begining of it that followeth Now as to what the Lord said to Rebecca concerning these two brothers before they had done good or evil was no other then that the Elder should serve the younger for God did not then say that he loved Jacob and hated Esau Therefore the Apostle makes a stop and begins again wherein he saith in V. 13. As it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated Which words of the Lord are said in Mal. 2.3 After Esau was wicked and the world with him But these words of the Lord in Mal. hath also a prophetical reference as to the glorious time to come in which time Jacob will appear the beloved and Esau the hated That is the figurative Esau by which is signified the wicked of the world but in more especial manner that Esau which is Term'd the degenerate root by reason the Lord saith he hath laid his mountains and heritage wast for the Dragons of the Wilderness For this curse is only pronounc'd to them that their land shall be inhabited with fearful Creatures And it is the usual way of the Lord to speak of things that are to come as tho they were already done For when these words of the Lord were spoken to Malachy Esau was more flourishing then Jacob. For at that time Israel had displeased the Lord and for his Sins his Mountains were laid wast before those of Esau's And when those Mountains of Esau were laid wast they were not made partâ—kers of those Judgments And St. Paul knowing that those words of the Lord in Malachy had reference for the time that is now to come therefore he here mentions them as treating of that time also And after he had here rehearsed the word of the Lord in saying Rom. 9.14,15 Jacob have I Loved and Esau have I hated He saith in v. 14. What shall we say then is there unrighteousness with God God forbid V. 15. For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion The which words were said to Moses by the Lord in the time that the Lord chose Israel to set them above the rest of the Nations At which time he brought them out of the Land of Egypt with signs and wonders to fix them on the midst of the Earth for the Exalting of their Glory and to allure thereby the World that they might be brought into the Knowledg of God Of which the Patriarch Levy said in his last Will and Testament If you should be over-darkned with Error what shall all the Heathen do But Israel falling into sin and error was cast off and the Heathen for a time taken in in their room But for the Oaths sake God made with their Fathers they shall be again taken in and made partakers of that everlasting blessedness promised to them And whereas St. Paul saith in the 16th verse So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy These words admit of a two sold meaning The one is that we are so far fallen that of our selves we can neither will nor run but it is God that sheweth Mercy in calling us renewing and inlightning us in the knowledg of himself whereby we are put into a Capacity to will and run The which if we so do and continue to do we shall undoubtedly find mercy for it is through our own default if once enlightned we again fall off And therefore St. Paul saith who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the Truth The which can be no other than our own corrupt Affections the subtil Instigations of Satan or pressing Afflictions Against all which we must daily go to God by servent Prayer for his support and assistance and if we so do he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee But as to what was said here in the 16th verse I chiefly apprehend it is spoken of the time when the Lord again comes that then they will be seeking and running to enter into Life but then their willing and running will not be available having neglected the offer
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
let him be your dread v. 14. And he shall be for a Sanctuary but for a stone of Stumbling and for a Rock of Offence to both the Houses of Jacob for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem V. 15. And many among them shall stumble and fall and be broken and be snared and be taken Here you see this Judgment which was mentioned by St. Peter That they were appointed to it after they had sinned that they should stumble at that Stumbling Stone so as not to be obedient to him And it is said in the 16th v. Bind up the Testimony seal the Law among my Disciples V. 17. And I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his Face from the House of Jacob and I will look for him The which words also signifies the exclusion of the major part of Israel and Judah with the Powers thereof for they being most guilty of the miscarriage of the rest But yet the binding up of the Testimony and the Sealing of the Law among the Disciples seems that it had a larger extent among them of Jacob than as to the very Elect that was chosen from amongst them For the Lord saith in Matt. 11.12 And from the Days of John the Baptist until now the Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence and the violent take it by force Now if the Kingdom of Heaven suffered Violence and the Violent took it by Force the which shews us for certain that there were more made partakers of the Kingdom than those that are said to be the very Elect for those were so Elected or Chosen as they could not possibly through mistake or deceit miss of the Kingdom for Christ himself saith in Matt. 24.24 If it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect by which words it does appear impossible to deceive the very Elect. And since all the Christian Churches have been deceived except that of Piedmont according as it is said in the Revelations That all the world wandered after the Beast or great Harlot with whom the Kings of the Earth have committed Fornication and who with her Wine made the Inhabitants of the Earth Drunk the Churches of Piedmont only followed Jesus Christ and inviolably adhered to his Doctrin as it is Written of them so as the Valleys had intirely for their Arms a Toarch inviron'd with thick Darkness with this Motto Lux lucet in tenebris Light shines in Darkness by which it does in a more especial manner appear that these are the very Elect spoken of by the Lord by reason that they have stood ever since the Apostles time undeceived by the Beast or false Prophets as the Lord foretold And by which words of the Lord it remains also that it is impossible to deceive the very Elect. Now by these words these very Elect are with Violence secured from the Evil deceit of this World and taken for the Kingdom whilst the other is said to take the Kingdom of Heaven by Violence and that is There was an opportunity of Grace and Mercy put into their Hands in which they did imploy their utmost endeavour to secure the Kingdom of Heaven to themselves and by so doing they are said to take the Kingdom of Heaven by Violence But unto them that did not so the Lord saith in Matt. 23.37 O Jerusalem Jerusalem thou that killest the Prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee how often would I have gathered thy Children together even as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings and ye would not Here the Lord speaketh of the Offers of Grace and Mercy that was tendred to Israel aforetime by the Prophets by whom he would have gathered them as a Hen gathereth her Chickens under her wings but they would not Of which also the Lord told Esdras 2 Esd 1. c. 28. to the 32. v. Now whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 13.13 Therefore spake I to them in Parables because they seeing see not and hearing they hear not neither do they understand That is altho they did see and hear they did not give their minds to understand 14. v. And in them is fulfilled the Prophesy of Isaiah which saith By hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand and seeing ye shall see and shall not perceive 15. For this Peoples Heart is waxed gross and their Ears are dull of Hearing and their Eyes they have closed lest at any time they should see with their Eyes and hear with their Ears and should understand with their Heart and should be Converted and I should heal them The which Prophecy was ordered by the Lord in Isa 6.9 after the woful miscarriage of his people The which is partly set down in the foregoing Chap. of Isa And after Israel had been exceeding sinful the Prophet Jeremiah saith in Jer. 13.22 And if thou say in thine heart wherefore come these things upon me for the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discover'd and thy heels made bare Whereas it is said V. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his Spots Then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil V. 24. Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the Wilderness Now we see when man wilfully revolteth and giveth himself up to a custome in sinning by which he becomes forsaken of God then for him that has so accustomed himself to do evil he cannot learn to do well for in so doing they provoke the Lord to leave them to blindness of mind and hardness of heart and then they are past all hope But the Lord saith of Abraham in Gen. 12.19 For I know him that he will command his Children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do Justice and Judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him Here by these words it shews a foreknowledge in God that Abraham would command his Children and houshold after him and they should keep the way of the Lord. That the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him The which shews that the Covenant was but conditional with Abraham himself but yet the forekowledge in God of Abrahams obedience and thereupon it became absolute to him And there was a foreknowledge in God of Israels miscarriage and therefore the miscarriage of them was foretold what would hereafter come to pass concerning them For the Covenant being conditional the breach of the Covenant was their destruction the which default in them was foreknown of God But not that God did make a decree that they should sin and then for their sin be cast off of him and so to become accursed The which is a very great sin in us to think as being against the word and Oath of God And the Lord saith in 2 of Esdras 2.15 To the mother or Church Embrace thy Children and make their feet as fast as pillars And in V. 25.
their eyes shall consume away in their holes and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth Of certain this is the Battle that is to be fought after Satan is loosed for it is after Christ appears upon Mount Olivet after the Mountain cleaved in the midst for a Receptacle for them that are saved whilst the Earth is renewing after the wicked are destroyed and after Jerusalem is again built After which it is said in the 11th verse There shall be no more utter destruction but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited because none shall make any attempt against them till after the Thousand Years After which Gog and Magog whom the Devil will gather together will come up against Jerusalem whom God will destroy as in the 38th Chapter of Ezekiel and in Rev. 20.9,10 and them that escape the Fire and Hail that comes from Heaven shall pine away as in Zachariah Now having fully proved how some became to be more estranged from God than other some the which was as St. Paul said of Israel that it hapned to them so may it be said of these that it hapned unto them first through the subtle Insinuations of the Devil to them and secondly by their own willful miscarriage when they were again restored to mercy by Christ and again renewed in him And in that Israel will have the preheminence it also was through the Faithfulness of Abraham in his service and in the patient waiting for his promise after the Lord had chosen him And also in that Abraham did offer up his Only Son Isaac for the doing of which the Lord did inlarge his promised blessing to Abraham which was That in him and his Seed all the Families of the Earth should be blessed Gen. 22.17 And had Israel walked in the steps of Abraham according to the Capacity God had put them in their Kingdom had never been destroyed Isa 48.18,19 Jer. 25.5 But God foreseeing they would be wanting to themselves in not keeping his Covenant therefore their destruction was foretold by the Prophets And also because David patiently waited upon the Lord till it was his time to bring him to the Kingdom bearing all his Afflictions till it was the Lord's time to bring him out of them And when he was on the Throne he persisted in his desire of Advancing the Glory of the Lord therefore God made that great Promise to him and his seed as in 2 Sam. 7.14 Now God likewise chose Jeroboam and Jehu to be Kings but they acting contrary to his Commands therefore they were Accursed of him And also they that suffer for God in well doing shall in time to come receive the greater Glory as those that have been most wicked shall receive the greater Punishment And whereas God saith 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 remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Now God here saith when he shall say to the Righteous That he shall surely live yet if he upon the promise of God for Life and for his past Obedience does take a Liberty to do iniquity his past Righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity he shall die And so is our Callings and Elections to Life and Salvation that are absolutely promised to us by God Yet if we are wanting to our selves they prove of no effect to us And the case stands so with the wicked For the Lord saith in the 14. v. Again when I say unto the wicked thou shalt surely die If he turn from his sin and do that which is Lawful and Right 15. v. If the wicked restore the Pledg give again that he hath robbed walk in Statutes of Life without committing iniquity he shall surely Live he shall not die That is without wilfully committing iniquity By this we also see that if God doth say to the wicked Thou shalt surely die Yet that threatning was not of force no longer than the Man remained sinful of which the Lord in Jer. 36.3 It may be that the House of Judah will hear all the Evil which I purpose to do unto them that they may return every man from his evil way that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin And also the Lord saith in Jer. 25. from the 3. to the 9. v. But as for those sinners who by their continued custom in sin God has left to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind they cannot come to amendment of Life And God saith in Ezek. 18.21 to the 31. v. But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die 23. Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked shall die saith the Lord God and not that he should return from his ways and live Now while the Lord calls to a sinner to Repentance there is power in the sinner to turn from his ways and to seek to God that he may live 25. v. Yet ye say the way of the Lord is not equal Here now O House of Israel is not my way equal are not your ways unequal 30. v. Therefore I will judg you O House of Israel every one according to his ways saith the Lord God repent and turn your selves from all your Transgressions so iniquity shall not be your ruin 33. v. Cast away from you all your Trangressions whereby ye have Transgressed and make you a new Heart and a new Spirit for why will ye die O House of Israel 32. v. For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth saith the Lord wherefore turn your selves and live ye Now whilst God calls to a People to come to Repentance there is a door open to them for Mercy and then they are not left of God to hardness of Heart and blind ness of mind so as if they do but use their utmost diligence in indeavouring to forsake their sins and go to God by Prayer they shall not want his assistance Now whereas the Apostle saith Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more So for all other sins there remains a power in us to withstand and make resistance against till such time that through the often refusing obedience to his word and resisting the good motions of his Spirit God leaves them to hardness of Heart and blindness of Mind Now whilst the door of Mercy is open we may cast away all our Transgressions That is take up Resolutions against them and continually beg of God for his Assistance in our Performance And Cant. 1.4 cry out with the Church Lord draw me we will run after thee God hath left us a sure rule if we will take to the means therefore let us walk in the ways of God and keep to our constant duty in Praying and we shall never be
the Glory of God in that it did so much Eclipse his Justice and Mercy in making of him so partial a Judg and also hurls the Soul into a sleeping Lethargy of security whilst they fancy themselves thus Elected and makes them unmindful of the knowledg of the coming of the Lord although he has told us if he comes upon us in an hour that we are not aware of he will give us our Portion with Hypocrites and Unbelievers Now having all along shewed you what was the Election or Calling of the first Christian Churches the which was after they were ingrafted in Christ they were to fight to keep their ground Heb. 6.4,5 so as to make their calling and Election sure for else as I have proved the very Sealings of the Spirit might be cancelled to them And although the Names of the Children of the Church are written in Heaven yet they may be blotted out thence For God said to Moses Exod. 32.33 Whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my Book And after God had espoused Israel he is said to give her a Bill of Divorce Isa 50.1,2 And the Lord to the Church of Philadelphia saith hold fast that thou hast that no man take they Crown And Christ also saith Rev. 22.19 If any man take away from the words of the Book of this Prophesy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City and from the things that are written in this Book We see that this was spoken to them that had a share in the Book of Life to let them know that if they did wickedly their part therein would be lost that is taken from them Of the Election of Children NOW as to the Election of the Children of the Church the which every sincere Hearted Christian is a Member If any of their Children dye in their Infancy before they have been guilty of actual Sin they are taken into Mercy as being in Covenant Acts 2.29 For the promise is unto you and to your Children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call And also the Covenant was made with their little ones Deut. 29.11 And St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 7.14 The unbelieving Husband is Sanctified by the Wife and the unbelieving Wife is Sanctified by the Husband Else were your Children unclean but now are they holy Then if they are Holy they are fit for Heaven if taken away before they commit sin And the Lord saith in Esdras 2.29 My hands shall cover thee so that thy Children shall not see Hell By what is here said it is certain that all the Children of true Believers that are begotten after their Parents are Regenerated are holy and if they die in their Infancy will be blessed Now the Children of Believing Parents being from their Birth in Covenant with God they are by their Parents to be brought up in the strict ways of Holiness that they may grow in Knowledg and the fear of the Lord and not look in for a New Call but to walk with all diligence in the ways of God that they may be made partakers of Eternal Life which God hath promised to them that obey him for God requireth fruit of us as he did of Israel we being the Children of the Visible Church which if he finds not we shall likewise also be cut off And God wonderfully commendeth Abraham where he saith Gen. 18.19 I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him But we have not followed the Example of Abraham But O that we would consider our ways to be Wise and cry out mightily to him that is able to save us for he hath said They that seek me shall find me if they search for me with the whole heart So if we are not wanting to our selves God will be found of us But gray Hares are upon us altho we know it not O that we were well awakend out of this sleeping Lethargy of sloth and security so as to take hold of the Covenant of God and Mercy as it is offered by Christ and to give our selves wholly up to him beging strength of him that we may be inabled to live unto him and perform the Conditions that â—e requireth of us Now as to the special Elect. The which the Lord terms the very Elect where he saith Mat. 24.24 If it were possible they should deceive the very Elect. And also of whom the Angel makes mention of where he saith in Rev. 17.8 And they that dwell on the Earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the Foundation of the World The which Foundation is as I have already proved to you which Foundation of the World was laid in Israel when the Lord fixt them in the Land of Canaan For Israel was chosen to be the Foundation of the World of people which is now to come And at which Foundation Christ was figuratively slain in the Paschal Lamb. And the Lord foreseeing the miscarriage of Israel it doth appear that God would have a certain number so secured as they should not fall away but to remain as standing witnesses through the World Whilst the rest were but put in a Capacity of obedience Now at the destruction of the old World it is said Gen. 6.8 Noah found grace in the Eyes of the Lord. And it is said in the 9. v. Noah was a just man and perfect in his Generations and Noah walked with God That is had walked in obedience to God and had improved the Talent which God had given him Whilst the other had wholly corrupted their ways As in the 12. v. And God looked upon the Earth and behold it was corrupt for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the Earth But God finding Noah in the Capacity that he had put him in that he had not corrupted his way but had improved the Talent which he had given him therefore was blessed of him By which we may plainly see that there was no absolute election through the first World And it doth appear when God had again renewed the World in Noah As in Gen. 9.1 And God blessed Noah and his Sons and said unto them be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every Beast of the Earth and upon every Fowl of the Air upon all that moveth upon the Earth and upon all the Fish of the Sea into your hand are they delivered Now although after the floud God had restored to man his power again and put them all into a fresh Capacity of obedience yet notwithstanding they did almost all backslide again Then God chose Abraham and blessed him As in Gen. 12.1 And afterward he proved him Gen. 2. And
were clothed in white robes therefore the four Beasts there spoken of do appear to be the raised Saints and also they are there said to be round about the Throne and in the midst of the Throne and they are said to have Wings which shews they are exalted above the Earth But in the 7th Chap. the Beasts are not there said to have Wings neither to be round about the Throne nor in the midst of the Throne but they are there said to Worship before the Throne that is before the glorious Tabernacle where the Throne of God will be Rev. 21.21 And the Pavement of the glorious Tabernacle will be like Rev. 4.6 a Sea of glass as clear as Cristial so that his People that are then left upon the Earth may through the Sea of Glass behold the infinite Glory of the Lord and the Glory of the Angels and raised Saints that are with him Now that the Lord doth term the People of this World beasts is evident by what the Angel said Esd 11.39 Art not thou it that remaineth of the Beasts whom I made to reign in my Woold â—hat the end of their times might come through them Now these Beasts spoken of here are the wicked of the World which have had the Government and the end of these evil times will come through them But the Beasts spoken of in the two forementioned Chapters of the Revelations in the 4th Chap. the beasts are the raised Saints And in the 7th chap. the Beasts are those Saints that are left upon the Earth And St. John saith Râ—… 14.1,2,3 I looked and lo a Lamb stood on Mount Sion and with him an hundred forty and four thousand having his Fathers Name written in their Foreheads And I heard a Voice from Heaven as the voice of many Waters and as the Voice of a great Thunder And I heard the Voice of Harpers Harping with their Harps And they Sung as it were a new Song before the Throne and before the four Beasts and the Elders and no man could learn that Song but the hundred and forty and four thousand which were Redeemed from the Earth By the hundred forty and four thousand is meant the very Elect. The which certain number of Israel doth appear to be found in Christ at his coming although we have not known them And this Song which they sung which no man could learn it might be because they were taken away from the Earth and therefore from among Men for the raised Saints are not called Men. And it is said of them in Rev. 14.4,5 These are they which were not defiled with Women for these are Virgins These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth These were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and the Lamb. Now in Heaven we are not to think there is distinction of Age or Sex and therefore it being said they were not defiled with Women when they were upon the Earth was that they were not guilty of Idolatrous Worship for Idolatry in Scripture is often termed Fornication and Adultery So these not only having kep themselves from Idolatry but in all other things they had lived Exemplary Lives as in Rev. 14.5 In their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God And Esdras saith in 2 Esdras 2.42,43,44,45,46,47 I Esdras saw upon Mount Sion a great people whom I could not number and they all praised the Lord with Songs 43. v. And in the midst of them there was a young man of bigh stature taller than all the rest and upon every one of their heads he set Crowns and was more exalted which I marvelled at greatly 44. v. So I asked the Angel and said Sir what are those 45. He answered and said unto me these be they that have put off mortal cloathing and put on the immortal and have confessed the Name of God Now are they crowned and receive Palms 46. v. Then said I to the Angel What young person is it that crowneth them and giveth them Palms in their hands 47. v. So he answered and said unto me it is the Son of God whom they have confessed in the World Then began I greatly to commend them that stood so stiffly for the Name of the Lord. Novv this Mount Sion is the Glorious Tabernacle which shall be Revealed when the Lord again cometh and where the raised Saints and those Saints which are changed from mortal to immortal shall be Crowned Now as to the word of the Lord which Nathan brought to David is in the 2 Sam. 7.8 Now therefore so shall thou say unto my servant David thus saith the Lord of hosts I took thee from the Sheep-cote from following the sheep to be ruler over my people over Israel 9. And I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest and have cut off all thine Enemies out of thy sight and have made thee a great name like unto the name of the great men that are in the Earth 10. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more as before-time In this last verse here is that which is very remarkable in it in that the Lord saith Moreover I will appoint a place for my People Israel and in that God said that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more neither should the Children of wickedness Afflict them Now at that time were they in Canaan settled and Conquerers over all their Enemies round about yet at this time the Lord esteems it not a place of their own because for their sins they should be removed thence but God terms it a place of their own when that time is come in which they shall remove no more And as to what the Prophet saith concerning Solomon 2 Sam. 7.13 He shall build an house for my Name and I will establish the Throne of his Kingdom for ever 14. I will be his Father and he shall be my Son If he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the Children of men 15. But my mercy shall not depart away from him as I took it from Saul whom I put away before thee And thine house and thy Kingdom shall be established for ever before thee thy throne shall be established for ever This promise we here see that it hath its Reference to David and Solomon in that they were not cast off upon their Offending as Saul was and so to Christ in time to come at which time his Throne shall be established forever which ever is the ever of the World to come This being according to what the Angel told Mary Luke 1.32 He shall be great and shall he called the Son of the highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his Father David 33. And he shall
they that Seek him shall find him if they search for him with the whole heart Christ saith VVhosoever will let him come And tho we can do nothing without Gods assistance for in him we live moâ—e have our being it is he that hath laid the Spiritual meat before us Hosea 11.4 whereby to guide our feet into the way of peace hath promised that whilst they 〈◊〉 the way he will be with them And the Prodigal that knew that he had wandered from his fathers House first lookt home before his father lookt on him and tho God may some times go out of his ordinary way of working and pluck as it were a brand out of the burning yet he no longer securely stands then he is found in his obedience for it is those that will fall under the condemnation that will not choose the fear of the Lord Prov 1.29 but for those that thro long continuance in sin have seared their Conscience whereby they become left of God to a stupid sense it is such cannot learn to do well no more then the Ethiopian can change his Skin c. but whilst we have a sense to see the evil inclinations which our natures are prone to we may continually pray Lord turn thou us and we shall be turned And if man does his endeavour God will never be wanting to such And if we resist the devil he will flee from us And if we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to us James 4.7,8 But whereas the Lord saith No man can come to me except the Father draw him And the drawings of God are the tenders of his Grace with the good motions of his Spirit and checks of Conscience the which the old World and Israel had till they resisted for which they were condemned Gen. 6.3 Acts 7.51 And whereas the Lord saith Except a Man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven This was spoken to Nicodemus who had embraced this present World and therefore came to Jesus by Night as being ashamed to own him and such are to be born again or brought off from the World or they cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven as is more fully proved in the book where the Faith of Abraham is fully explained and also there in is made appear what is meant by the Wind blowing where it listeth and likewise therein is shewed Who they are that are not under the condemning power of the Law for their past sins Rom. 3.25 but under Grace that they are such as will and do walk in Newness of Life and if we will enter into Life we must keep the Commandments Mat. 19.17 For all are his servants to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of Obedience unto Righteousness Rom. 6 16. And whereas it is said It is not for the works of Righteousness that we have done but of his Mercy he saved 〈◊〉 This was spoken of the Elect who wâ—… then brought out of Idolatry and has no reference to us as is proved XXII Whereas the Apostle said Ye are saved by Grace not of works that is Man could not perform good works to that perfection as to become justified by them without the Merits of Christ and therefore saved by Grace but there is none that live in the performance of good works but shall be rewarded according to their works Rev. 22.12 The Eternal Life that is now in this time given the Believer excepting the very elect which is the standing witness is no otherwise given then it was to Adam and Eve in Paradise for had they never sinned they should never have dyed so the true Believer that believes salvation is to be had in the way of his obedience according to the word of the Lord he shall never be cast off but the Man that Departs from the Lord by wilful committing Iniquity he is no longer a Believer according to the Gospel as is proved XXIII Whereas the Lord said when he sent his Disciples forth to preach the Gospel to all the World He that believeth shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16,17 That is He that believeth the Doctrine that he sent them forth to Teach and the Mercy and Condemnation was to them that accordingly Believed or refused Believing the same as not to obey the truth Mat. 28.19,20 For the Lord speaks by the Law and Gospel but to them that hears it as proved But whereas Christ said He that Believeth not is condemned already This the Lord spake to the Jews who had heard him but believed not and therefore were condemned and thereby it also sheweth that more of Israel might have been saved had they been willing to take hold of the offered Mercy I here gather so many heads together that thro' the misinterpretation of the Scriptures Satan might not beguile so many of their Souls for if we take a text of Scripture as it stands alone without weighing how it is spoken and what the whole scope of the Scripture tends to we may raise as falce Doctrine as God is True O God who of thy great Mercy hath made thy word plain in those things we have been mistaken in give more of thy Assisting Grace for to improve the knowledge of the Truth These things which are here but hinted with the other disputable places and also the signs of the Times with the near approach of the coming of the Lord are now fully explained and proved in about four small Treatises The Books contain so many several heads that I have not here room to incert them but by them the word is so plain that none need any longer remain in mistakes that are willing to understand the Truth I shall only here mention the chief Title of each Book First The Explaination of the Faith of Abraham Price bound 10. d. bound up with the Christian Belief which has the Eexplanation of the Trinity Price 1 s. 2 d. The signs of the times and coming of the Lord bound up with the Prophesie of Moses that foretold the firing of the Mountains Price bound 10 d. all three bound up togather Price 1 s. 6 d. The book that Proveth there Worlds and three Foundations with the Tree of knowledge of good and evil Price bound 1 s. And are to be Sold at the places before mentioned in the Title The book of the Figurative Speeches is not yet out My aim is at the good of Souls and therefore that they that understand not the word may be convinced of the Truth I Refer my Books to the Lord Bishops who I believe are men of that integrity that will not oppose the Truth to whom I shall by Gods assistance give further satisfaction if required and when God had inlightned my understanding in his word I did dare do no other then leave and venture the little concern I had and come above a Hundred Miles to acquaint the Nation what God is a going about to do this being the little time that is given the Christianâ— to prepare God make this Nation a Light to Christian 〈◊〉 FINIS