shall be subject unto him viz. so as the same Jerusalem Targum expoundeth on the 11. verse of that 49. of Gen. that those Kings and Princes that will not be subject unto him he shall kill making the Universe red with the blood of their slain and the hils white with the fat of their mighty men c. But these things were not fulfilled at Christs being on the earth in the flesh It was above three hundred yeares after ere one King or Nation was subject unto Christ viz. in the time of Constantine the Great except some sprinklings of Converts here and there called Churches the Nations and Kings of the earth either taking no cognizance of his interest or else persecuted it even as to this day they doe even ten parts of the world for one that ownes him Neither hath Christ yet taken that material and sensible vengeance on them by killing the disobedient in order to a bringing in of the rest into a visible subjection to him § 4 Lastly Paraphrast Jonathan in his Chalde Paraphrase of Hos 14.8 hath these words They speaking of the Jewes shall bee gathered together from out of the midst of their CAPTIVITY they shall DWELL under the shadow of their CHRIST and the DEAD shall LIVE and good shall grow in the EARTH and there shall bee a memoriall of their goodnesse FRUCTIFYING and never fayling as the remembrance of the sound of the Trumpets over the old wine which was wont to be offered in the Sanctuary which things were never yet fulfilled on earth We forbear to quote more out of their TARGUM or Chalde Paraphrase now because we shall afterwards oft cast an eye upon it in our discusse of severall Scriptures that tend to the PROOF of the point in hand § 5 To this let mee adde a touch out of the CAPITULA of RABBI ELIEZAR the GREAT because neare of the same Antiquity with the former his words are these As I live saith Jehovah I will raise YOU speaking of the Jewes up in the TIME to come in the RESURRECTION of the dead and I will GATHER you will ALL ISRAEL § 6 You see both doe harmonise to the same tune the effect of their words the same which is not yet fulfilled in as much as to this day the generality of the Jewes have not owned any MESSIA to be come in the flesh but refused The MESSIA Joh. 1.11 according as it was fore-prophesied Esa 53.3 He is despised and rejected of men And the remnant of beleeving Jewes never since as yet saw that particular RESURRECTION of the dead or that their gathering together out of the midst of their CAPTIVITY or that generall GOOD in the EARTH And therefor according to the Scriptures of which by and by these things are yet to come afore the last and generall Resurrection § 7 Of Hebrew Antiquities SINCE the Incarnation of Christ namely their Two TALMUDS their SEDAR OLAM is of the same age near upon with the Babylonish something of which TALMUDS was extant neare the Apostles time if not ancienter and of other Rabbins we shall give you an account in divers particulars In Gemara Sanhedrin R. Ketina hath said in the last of the Thousands of yeares of the worlds continuance the world shall be destroyed of which it is said Esa 2.11.17 THE LORD ONELY SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY And TRADITION agrees with R. Ketina even as every seventh yeare of seven yeares is a years of release so of the seven thousand yeares of the world the seventh thousand yeares shall bee the thousand of Release as it is said AND THE LORD ALONE SHAL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY Likewise That Psalme namely the 92. is said to bee a PSALME OR SONG FOR THE SABBATH DAY THAT IS THE DAY THAT IS NOTHING ELSE BUT REST. As also it is said viz. Psal 90. A THOUSAND YEERS IN THY SIGHT ARE BUT AS YESTERDAY By which it is plaine to acute observers that the ancient Rabbinicall Jews did clearly understand the Prophesie of Isaiah in Chap. 2. of the EXALTATION of the LORD twice there repeated as meant of the GREAT DAY which some Rabbins call the Day of JUDGEMENT others the Day of MESSIA others the Day of the RENOVATION of the WORLD and of the REIGNING of CHRIST which is elegantly and emphatically there limbed in its colours to the life as it will more shine forth when we come to an accurate discusse of that Chapter In Midâ—asch Tehillim upon the 90. Psal v. 15. Wee thus read MAKE US GLAD ACCORDING TO THE DAYES WHEREIN THOU HAST AFFLICTED VS That is by the Babylonians the Grecians and the Romans AND THAT IN THE DAYES OF THE MESSIAH And how many are the dayes of the MESSIAH R. JEHOSUAS said that they are Two THOUSAND yeares and it is said ACCORDING TO THE DAYES WHEREIN THOU HAST HUMBLED US that is according to two dayes for one day of the holy and blessed God are a thousand yeares according to that BECAUSE A THOUSAND YEERS IN THY SIGHT ARE BUT AS YESTERDAY The Rabbins also have said That according to the TIME to come the DAY of the MESSIAH shall bee one For God which is holy and blessed in the FUTURE that is AGE shall make one day to himselfe of which wee read Zech. 14. And there shall bee ONE DAY which shall bee knowne to the Lord not day nor night and it shall bee at the EVENING-TIME Light This Day is the AGE or WORLD TO COME and the QUICKNING OF THE DEAD § 9 In their Booke called Berachoth wee finde this Benzuma saith It shall come to passe that Israel shall not remember their departure out of the Land of Aegypt IN THE WORLD TO COME and IN THE DAYES OF THE MESSIAH marke diligently how by World to come they understand a time on earth as Paul hath it twice viz Heb 1.6 Heb. 2.5 THE INHABITED WORLD TO COME So the Greeke so the sense For no man could imagine that heaven above should bee put in subjection to the Angels so as to need the Apostles Apology there to prevent such an imagination And how say the Rabbins in that Berachoth doth this appeare By that which is written in Jâ—rem 23. BEHOLD THE DAYES COME THAT THEY SHALL SAY NO MORE THE LORD LIVETH WHICH BROVGHT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL VP OVT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT Which wise men interpret thus not as if the name of Egypt should be blotted out but because the WONDERS which shall bee effected in the DAYES OF THE KINGDOME OF MESSIA shall principally be remembred and their departure out of Egypt lesse § 10 Note by the way that it is not agreed among the Rabbins in what THOVSAND yeares of the world the said DAY of JUDGEMENT or of MESSIAH or RENOVATION of the WORLD shall bee Some say further off in the seventh others nearer in the sixt but others about the fifth § 11 But to goe on The TRADITION of the house of Elijah is Those Just ones whom God shall raise
and the House of David shall bee as ELOHIM Potentates and as the ANGEL of God Or so as still to keep the increment and graduall rising by stops according to the true intent of the Prophet The house of David shall bee as ELOHIM that is as Angels and as that Angel or Messenger of God Christ as he is called Malach. 3. v. 1. latter part of the verse and elsewhere severall times Now this was not the excellent state of Jerusalem at the time of Christs Passion as the Reader can easily understand by the foure Evangelists without my amplifying of words The third Character is vers 9. And it shall come to passe at THAT DAY that I will seek to destroy ALL the Nations that come against Jerusalem But the Lord did not doe this at the time of Christs Passion nor in many hundreds of yeers after nor to this day The strugling of the Maccabees came to little sure enough not to so much as this Text imports but notwithstanding as after wee shall heare more of the Maccabees Jerusalem was more and more destroyed by the Nations that came against her THE ROMANS now at Christs Passion possessed it as the foure Evangelists and the Acts plainly tell us About forty yeers after as Christ prophesied TITUS the Roman Emperour destroyed the Temple Some yeers after that ADRIAN the Roman Emperour destroyed the City And since that the TURKES have miserably possessed it and subdued and defiled it unto this very day Therefore the day or time of Christs Passion or then about cannot bee THE DAY here spoken of as the principall time wherein the Jewes shall looke on him whom they have pierced St. John speakes of the thing not of the principall time wherein this was to be fulfilled But when they doe looke on him c. according to the maine meaning of this Text it must be AT THAT DAY so made glorious with those Characters for so it follows v. 10. with an AND viz. AND I wil pour c. AND they shall look upon mee This is the first reason why this Text cannot looke mainly at Christs Passion or then about The second reason is because we read not that then they had any such humiliations of families mourning apart or joyntly as they did at Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon for good King Josiahs death 2 Chron. 35. For those are the platformes of their mourning v. 11 12 13 14. of this 12. of Zechary § 4 Nor can our opposites cast the meaning of this Text of looking on Christ whom they have pierced upon the time of the ultimate generall judgement for these reasons 1. That were a late and unlikely time of repentance Then is not a time of pouring out of grace no time of gracious supplications 2. Then is no time of mourning but of joy to the Saints 3. Then the mourning of the wicked is a gracelesse horrid despairing mourning full of slavish feare But the mourning here mentioned is a mourning out of much love to Christ as is intimated in the describing it to bee like one mourning for his onely sonne yea for his first-borne yea as good people mourned for Josiah slaine at Megiddo or Megiddon as it follows in v. 10. and v. 11. and 12. And therefore the likeliest maine time to make out the true meaning of this Text is the time of the generall Call and conversion of the Jewes yet to come at the beginning of the Restitution of all things of which wee treat Then as sensibly to see him as the other things in the Context shall bee sensibly performed 5. This place of Zechary the 12. v. 10. c. will appeare much more evident for the personal appearance of Christ by the second place in the next Section being a parallel yea a quotation of this SECT II. Of the second place of Scripture for Christs Personall Appearance at the great Restauration viz. Rev. 1.7 Behold hee cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierced him and all kindreds of the earth shall wayle because of him even so Amen § 1 THe Context adjoyning to this Text evinceth that this is spoken of Christ and as adorned with such Titles and exploits as are most congruous to our Position v. 4 5 6. Grace be to the seven Churches from him which was and is c. and from the seven Spirits c. and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witnesse and the first begotten of THE DEAD and the PRINCE of the KINGS of THE EARTH unto him that LOVED US c. and hath made us KINGS and PRIESTS unto God and his FATHER to him be glory and DOMINION for ever and ever Amen Behold HEE cometh with Clouds c. Hee must yet come so as to make good all these things to the Saints and to manifest yet more his owne GLORY and DOMINION § 2 What can bee plainer then that this v. 7. is a quotation of Zechary 12.10 in the very same maine phrase and words with addition of more for explanation and illustration § 3 Which cannot be meant of Christs first coming in the flesh because it is prophesied now so many yeers since Christs ascension but must relate to that coming Act. 1.11 of which more largely after This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as yee have seen him goe into heaven spoken when the Cloud v. 9. received him after that v. 6. they had asked of him whether at that time he would restore the Kingdome to Israel Leaving his Angels to give them this answer as he left them at his sepulchre to informe the commers to seeke him concerning his Resurrection Joh. 20.12 c. Every word almost of this 1. Revel v. 7. intimates that this coming is meant of a coming after his Ascension and yet before the ultimate day of doome HEE COMETH implies a future thing now after his Ascension HE COMETH in the present tense or time fairly intimates that it is not intended of his last Act that ever hee will doe which is the ultimate judgement BEHOLD implies some eminent coming and none more eminent then this for RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS A note above THE DISSOLUTION OF ALL THINGS It is better saith Christ himself in the Gospel to save life then to destroy it HEE cometh WITH CLOUDS That is IN the Clouds As the Greeks in the same phrase say A man with Armor meaning A man in Armor The meaning is out of doubt that this coming of Christ shall not bee so obscure as his Incarnation or as his coming among the Disciples after his Resurrection but he shall come conspicuous and glorious visibly to all upon the earth which phrase must needs import a proper ocular sight of him with proper sense For by faith wee see him though not visible in the Clouds 1 Pet. 1.8 EVERY EYE shall see him must needs signifie more then a sight by faith Faith and sight are so
to the last place afore handled out of the New Testament this vision much enlightening that Parable in ver 26 27. the close expounding that Parable as the Preface ver 11 12. explaines that it concernes the time following upon the ruine of the foure Monarchies § 2 In the eleventh and twelfth verses the foure Beasts that is the foure Monarchies are slaine as it is expounded after verse 17. The foure great Beasts are foure Kings instead of them Daniel sees in a vision ver 13 14. One like the Sonne of Man come WITH THE CLOVDES of Heaven and came to the Ancient of dayes and they brought him neere before him which notably agrees with that place last spoken of Luke 19.11 c. where it is said Christ went into a farre Country to receive to himselfe a Kingdome and returne And that visibly saith this of Daniel with the Clouds or in the Clouds as Rev. 1.7 in way of Preface to this his Kingdome Rev. 11. Rev. 20. And saith Daniel ver 14. There was given to him that was like the Son of Man DOMINION and glory and a KINGDOME that all People Nations and Languages should serve him Just as Luke 19.15 according to the Greek he returned receiving the kingdom When he visibly returned he received a Kingdome here below else why did he returne Adde that here below he exercised visible destruction upon his enemies for it is not said as of the unworthy Talenter he cast them into utter darknesse but he caused them to be slaine afore his face SECT II. Of the second place of Scripture out of the Old Testament for Christs visible appearance at the great restauration of the Church Jer. 25.5.6 Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous branch and a King shall reigne and PROSPER and shall execute JUDGEMENT AND JUSTICE in THE EARTH In his dayes Judah shal be saved and ISRAEL SHALL DWELL safely and this is his name whereby hee shal bee called THE LORD OVR RIGHTEOVSNESSE § 1 FIrst it is evident by the last clause that the Lord Christ is the person here meant it being his incommunicable name Act. 4.12 2 Cor 5. last § 2 Nextly It is as apparent by the whole Series of Jeremiahs Prophesie that this relateth to the times after Judahs Captivity in Babilon Israel having been carried away captive long afore § 3 Lastly It is beyond all objection that Christ did yet never so reigne upon earth as this Text holds forth as may be made appeare with few words in these particulars 1. Christ must reigne and prosper That is must be every way glorious and successefull so that Judah and Israel shall owne him for their King and call him the Lord their righteousnesse 2 He shall execute justice and judgement in the earth it is not said he shall preach justice or judgement or execute it in heavenly places but he shall execute it upon or in the earth 3. In his dayes JUDAH shal be saved and ISRAEL shal dwell safely viz. being gathered out of all Countries ver 3. But the Lord Christ did yet never thus reigne Instead of reigning and prospering in the eyes of Israel and Iudah he was as a branch blasted a thing accursed Isa 53. ver 3 4 c. so that the Iewes for the generall dis-owned him proceeding against him as a Malefactor guilty of many of the highest Crimes and for matters of Iustice and Iudgement in the earth he refused to meddle with the smallest matters as to give his opinion touching the Adulteresse or to divide the inheritance Nor then nor yet ever did Israel returne from Captivity and dwell safely if wee might say Iudah did at Christs first coming in the flesh as we may not because they were then under the Heathen Roman power as conquered and tributaries Luke 3.1 § 4 Nor may any put this off with Christs Spirituall reigning for so he did alwayes from the Creation but this is in the future tense hee shal reigne to signifie his reigning so as never before SECT III. Of the third Scripture â—â—t of the Old Testament for Christs visible appearance at the great restauration of the Church Zach. 2.10 11 12. compared with Zach. 14. ver 4 5 6 7 8 9. Sing and rejoyce O daughter of Jerusalem for loe I come and will DWELL in the midst of thee saith the Lord. And many NATIONS shall be joyned to the Lord in that day and shall be my people and I will DWELL in the midst of thee and the Lord shall INHERIT Judah his portion in the holy Land and shall CHOOSE JERVSALEM AGAINE And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives and the Lord shall bee King over ALL THE EARTH In that day there shall be one LORD and his name one ZEchary Prophesied after their returne out of Captivity in Babilon see Zech. 1.1 compared with 2 Chron. 36.22 Ezra chap. 1. ver 1. c. to the end Therefore this was not fulfilled in their return for it is spoken of a future time to come And Spiritually God did alwayes dwell among his people and therefore nor can that be the full meaning of this place And when Christ came and was incarnated this Text was not fulfilled for then many Nations were not joyned to the Lord to be his people nor so much as the generality of any one Nation the Heathen Romans then inherited the portion of Judah and filled all Countries with their persons or powers and instead of Christ then choosing Jerusalem againe he pronounced woe against it and gave it up to desolation which accordingly about forty yeares after Christs Passion was fulfilled Mat. 23. three last and Matth. 24.1 2 c. Nor was the Lord King over all the earth more then he had been before Christs Incarnation Instead of one Lord over all there were many SECT IIII. The fourth place in the Old Testament for Christs personall appearance Micha 4. vers 1 c. to 8. In the last dayes it shall come to passe that the Mountaine of the House of the Lord shall be established in the top of the Mountaine and MANY NATIONS SHALL COME AND SAY Come let us goe up to the Mountaine of the LORD and HEE shall JUDGE AMONG MANY PEOPLE and rebuke the NATIONS afarre off and they shall BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOW-SHARES NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP A SWORD AGAINST NATION neither shall they learne warre any more but they shall sit every man under his Vine and under his Fig-tree and NONE SHALL MAKE THEM AFRAID In that day I will assemble her that halteth and will gather her that was driven out and her that I have afflicted and I will make her that was cast off a STRONG NATION and the Lord shal REIGN OVER THEM IN MOVNT ZION FROM HENCE-FORTH and FOR EVER NOw when was ever this since the Creation much lesse was it performed at Christs Incarnation when the Jewes were under the Roman power obstinate
to compare Dan. 2.35 where all the foure Mettals are utterly broken to peeces and the little stone cut out of the mountaine became a great mountaine and filled the whole earth But I shall God assisting give you a more particular account viz. that both Iewes and Christians do understand the promises in this Chapter of a visible glorious estate of the Church yet to be on the face of the earth before the ultimate end of the world Of the latter sort wee will name onely the famous Piscator Alsted and Heurnius Of the former in briefe thus Their Talmud Gemara Sanhedrim pereck R. Ketina c. assert that this world doth continue six thousand yeers In one it shall be destroyed so as to be purified as gold and freed from the CURSE of which it is said Isa 2. The LORD ALONE SHALL BEE EXALTED IN THAT DAY And R. Scelomo quoting also this second of Isa saith The Lord shall arise and shake the earth terribly in the day of judgement when he shall breake the wicked It is usuall with the learned Iewes to call this glorious time of Christs visible Kingdome on earth a day of judgement not dissentaneous to the wont of Scripture to compellate and compare any great time of Reformation as a day of judgement Psal 50.1 c. 1 Pet. 4.17 And indeed as John shewes us Rev. 11. in the beginning of this most glorious visible Kingdome there is a beginning of the day of judgement in that the wicked alive that submit not to Christ are destroyed and the living Saints have a reward given them together with the resurrection of the deceased Saints which St. Iohn calls the first Resurrection R.D. Kimchi saith In that day in the dayes of Messiah when the Lord shall execute his judgement on the wicked THE LORD ALONE SHALL BE EXALTED Isa 2. The Lord alone shall be exalted saith he is as much as to say AND THE LORD SHALL BE KING OVER ALL THE EARTH We might quote more but for hast and brevity § 4 And this must be IN THE LAST DAYES saith the second of Isa or nearer the Hebrew IN THE LAST OF DAYES or UTMOST END OF DAYES Therefore if the Prophet had looked at no further time then that of Christs first coming in the flesh he would not have called that the last of dayes since which have passed above one thousand six hundred and fifty yeers The last of dayes properly signifies those after which Aeternity next and immediately follows As it doth after the compleating of the thousand yeers of this visible Kingdome § 5 These things being premised let us view whether the promises afore-quoted out of the second of Isaiah have been fulfilled to this day 1 ¶ Surely that in the second verse and part of the third That the mountaine of the Lords house shall be established on the HEAD of the mountaines c. and peoples shall come and say Come ye and let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord c. hath not been hitherto fulfilled and compleated For as yet neither the visible power and glory of Christ nor of his Church so as for Gentiles to say Come let us go up c. hath been established over the HEAD the Pope of the seven Hils of Rome or over the Turk the HEAD of the foure Hils of Ierusalem or over the height of power and glory of the Hils of the generality of the PEOPLES Gentiles or Nations of the world The Church at Ierusalem such as it was in Christs time was in Captivity under the Heathen Roman Empire and so continued till the rise of the Roman Bishops and immediately after that thraldome were subdued to the Turkes who keeps them in that thraldome to this day The Heathen Romans refused at the first the Lord Christ by vote of the Senate and after persecuted his Church for many yeers And the Turks blaspheme Christ in their Alcoran and hath warred against his Church from age to age since their rise And the rest of the world for the generality are Indians Barbarians and Semi-beasts that know neither God nor themselves nor what Christ is nor what a Christian is 2 ¶ Nor was the house of the Lord established in the top of the mountaines that is upon Zion the highest of the foure Hils of Jerusalem For presently after Christs death persecution scattered Christians from Jerusalem Act. 8. And within forty yeers or thereabout after Christs ascension the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed and after a while the City and for about three hundred yeers onward the Church of Christ was extremely persecuted by the Heathen Romans and anon after Constantines time onely excepted or little more they were sorely persecuted by the Arian Hereticks So that instead of all Nations going up to the house of the Lord on the top of the Mountaines for divine worship Christian Jews and Gentiles were scattered among all Nations And though Act. 2. there were a handfull of severall Nations at Hierusalem if they were Gentiles and not rather Jewes yet this was farre from ALL NATIONS FLOWING to it saying Come let us goe up to the house of the Lord and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his pathes For the generality of those very men Act. 2. mocked the Apostles whiles they taught them the wayes of the Lord. And as at Ierusalem so in the Countries round about the Christians were every where persecuted as the history of the Acts doth all along give us a particular account 3 ¶ Nor is that fulfilled to this day which is prophesied in the fourth verse Christ hath not hitherto so judged among the Nations and rebuked many people that they have beaten their swords into plow shares and their speares into pruning-hooks so that Nation hath not lifted up sword against Nation neither learned war any more 4 ¶ Nor hath that been yet fulfilled which is in verse 10 11 12 c. to v. 17. That men have so dreaded the Majesty of the Lord that they have hid themselves That the lofty lookes of men have been humbled and their haughtinesse bowed downe That THE LORD ALONE HATH BEEN EXALTED That the day of the Lord of hosts hath been upon EVERY ONE that is proud and lofty upon all the Cedars of Lebanon and Okes of Bashan that are lifted up upon ALL the high mountaines and hills that are lifted up upon EVERY high tower upon every fenced wall upon ALL the ships of Tarshish and upon all the pleasant pictures to bow down and bring down low all these so that the Lord alone may be exalted in THAT DAY Alas ever since Christs comming in the flesh the whole world generally hath been very high proud against the Lord Christ Antichrist hath been much exalted and the Lord hath been least exalted his Honour his Cause his People have been trampled on In the time of Constantine the Great some little was done in the Roman Empire for a little time for the Church of
Lord for servants and handmaids and they shall take them CAPTIVE whose CAPTIVES they were and they shall rule over their OPPRESSOURS Vers 3 And it shall come to passe in THE DAY that the Lord shall give thee REST-FROM THY SORROW and from the FEARE and from thy hard BONDAGE wherein thou wast made to serve That thou shalt Vers 4. take up this Proverb against the King of BABYLON and say HOW HATH THE OPPRESSOUR ceased the GOLDEN CITY CEASED The Lord Vers 5. hath broken the staffe of the WICKED and the Scepter of the RULERS Hee Verse 6. who smote the people in wrath with a continuall stroke he that ruled the Nations an anger is persecuted and none hindereth The WHOLE EARTH Verse 7. is at REST and is QUIET they breake forth into singing c. The rest of the Chapter being appurtenances illustrations c. of this here presented § 2 It is worth noting that our New Translators even in those Episcopall times which were so adverse to this our point do concur with us so far as to give us the Contents of the Chapter in these words Gods mercifull RESTAURATION of ISRAEL And they speake well and are not alone in their opinion the stream of Interpreters generally concurring that this Chapter intends Gods joyning of Iews and Gentiles into one Church which is something to the point in hand in the generall § 3 But let us weigh the words more particularly and exactly for a discovery whether yet to this day they have been fulfilled It may be that some may be apt to imagine that this making of Iewes and Gentiles into one Church one sheepfold as it is called Iohn 10. was fulfilled when the substituted or subrogated Gentiles were brought in in the Apostles time beginning in Act. 10. But they utterly mistake if they so thinke For those Gentiles and downwards were and are but substitutions and subrogations of them whiles the Iews fall off till the fulnesse of the said Iews should be brought in and then and not till then is the fulness of the Gentiles brought in with the Jews into one Church So that the FULNES of the Gentiles is not yet brought in much lesse the fulnesse of the Iews For as in Iohn the first Christ coming to his owne his owne received him not So after they crucified him and persecuted his Apostles Whiles in the Old Testament Christ called the Iewes the Gentiles hung off And whiles he called many Gentiles in the New Testament the Iewes generally fell off And although there were some sprinklings of Iewes and Gentiles converted in the Apostles time and after that many Gentiles yet what is all that to the fulfilling of this Text of Isa 14. I will yet choose ISRAEL and bring them into their owne Land and the STRANGERS shall be JOYNED to them and they shall cleave to the HOUSE OF JACOB For neither in the Apostles time nor downward to this day have the GENTILES called here Strangers joyned to Israel or cleaved to the house of Iacob Israel and the house of Iacob signifying the ten Tribes nor to the generality of the two Tribes because neither two Tribes nor ten Tribes have joyned and cleaved to the Lord Jesus To make plaine and prove all this that we have said we will scan first the Apostles discourse Rom. 11. and secondly the particular expressions of this Text of Isa 14. ¶ 1. The Apostle Paul giving us an account of his time and downward Rom. 11. tells us in the 30 vers As yee Gentiles in times past have not beleeved God yet now have obtained mercy through the Iews unbeleef even so also have the Iews now not beleeved that through your mercy they also may obtaine mercy That is that the Church of Christ as needs must whiles he is head being continued at least by vicissitudes of Iews and Gentiles the Gentiles now upon the present falling off of the Iews being in possession of the Gospel may continue the same throughout the successions of the Church till the time of the vocation of the Iewes that the said Jewes may be called thereby through the Ministery prayers and examples of the Gentiles So that the Jews and Gentiles for the generality have been since the first mention in the Old Testament of this distinction of Jewes and Gentiles to this day as two buckets to a Well if one were full the other was empty thus continually keeping their vicissitudes and turnes in imbracing or non-imbracing of the word of Christ which the Apostle further shews us in that 11. to Rom. in the distinct graduals thereof giving two to each of them the two of the Iews thus 1 There was their root or first-fruits or initiation 2 Their branches or lump or fulnesse vers 12.16 and 18. The two graduals of the Gentiles thus 1 SOME wilde branches 2 Their fulnesse v. 11. and 25. Then mark the close of the Apostle concerning both vers 25. and 26. When the FULNESSE of the GENTILS shall come in then ALL ISRAEL shall bee saved quoting severall Prophesies of the Old Testament to prove the same Whence wee must necessarily infer these two conclusions That the conversion of the Iewes and Gentiles heretofore and downward untill now are still but the root first-fruits and beginnings the most persons of the Jews and most Nations of the Gentiles to this day not knowing the Lord Christ 2. That Jews and Gentiles are not to this day one Church according to the Prophesie of this 14 of Isa viz. That the Strangers of the Gentile Nations shall be joyned to the Jews and shall cleave to the house of Jacob and according to the stating of the question by Saint Paul in this 11 of Rom. viz. That when the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in ALL ISRAEL shall be saved For let us but aske experience whether ever these were yet fulfilled to the full of these places ¶ 2 This will be far more plain by a punctuall scanning of all the passages in this 14. of Isa First that in the first verse I will saith the Lord yet choose ISRAEL and have mercy on JACOB must needs be extended beyond the return of the Captivity of the two Tribes from Babylon and beyond the conversion of a few of them in the Apostles time For Jacob and Israel must of necessity comprehend the ten Tribes the Prophet Isaiah prophesying long after the division of the whole twelve into two Kingdomes two into the one and ten into the other And therefore the Prophet Isaiah well knew the distinction between Judah and Israel Chap. 1. v. 1. and useth it in relation to our point Chap. 11. v. 12. afore opened And therefore he mindes here well enough what he distinctly means when he saith Jacob and Israel as comprehensive at least of the ten Tribes to bee delivered as well as the Two For secondly when he saith in this same first verse Strangers shall be joyned with them that is with Jacob and Israel he could not
on with this that I have now presented before you So that temporall and spirituall deliverances are here conjoyned in one and the same Prophesie to which in the first verse of the next Chapter he annexeth the glory of the Church of Jewes and Gentiles conjuctively of which in the next Section Now this present place the Apostle Rom. 11.25 26 27 referres unto the great call of the Jews upon the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles both making one glorious Church which the Apostle speaks of as a thing to come to passe after his time His words are that ye may see how fully they answer to those of the Prophet Blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles come in and so ALL ISRAEL shall be saved as it is written THERE SHALL COME OUT OF SION THE DELIVERER and SHALL TURNE AWAY UNGODLINESSE FROM JACOB FOR THIS IS MY COVENANT UNTO THEM VVHEN I SHALL TAKE AVVAY THEIR SINNES § 2 Now this was never yet fulfilled as we plainly see by the forlorne state of the Jewes both temporall and spirituall to this day And therefore this Scripture is yet to be fulfilled and that afore the ultimate judgement which is utterly inconsistent with this Prophesie SECT XXIII THe fourteenth place in Isaiah is in Chapter 60 the very next Chapter the summe wherof our last Translators have meetly given us in saying that the Chapter is concerning the glory of the Church of the Jews converted to Christ in the accession and addition of the Gentiles The passages of most concernment to our point are § 1 Vers 1. Arise shine for thy light is come and the Lord is upon THEE v. 2. Darknesse shall cover the EARTH and grosse darknesse the PEOPLE but the Lord shall arise unto THEE and his glory shall bee seen upon THEE vers 3. And the GENTILES shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising v. 4. Thy sonnes shall come from farre and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side v. 5. And thine heart shall be inlarged because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee v. 6. They of Midian and Sheba shall come they shall bring gold and incense and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. v. 7. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee the Rammes of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee c. and I will glorifie the house of my glory v. 8.9 Who are these that flye as a cloud and as doves to their windows Surely the ISLES that wait for thee v. 10. The sonnes of the strangers shall build up thy wals and THEIR KINGS shall minister UNTO THEE v. 11.12 Thy gates SHALL BEE OPEN DAY and NIGHT that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles and that THEIR KINGS may be brought For the NATION and KINGDOME that will not serve thee SHALL PERISH v. 14. The sonnes of them that afflicted thee shal come BENDING unto thee and all that despised thee shal BOW THEMSELVES DOWN at the soles of thy feet and they shall call thee THE CITY OF THE LORD the ZION OF THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL v. 15. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated I will make thee an ETERNAL EXCELLENCY a JOY OF MANY NATIONS v. 16. Thou shalt also suck the milke of the GENTILES and the breasts of KINGS v. 17. For brasse I will bring gold for iron silver c. and I wil make thy OFFICERS PEACE and thy EXACTORS RIGHTEOUSNESSE v. 18. Violence shal be NO MORE heard in thy Land but thou shalt call thy wals SALVATION c. v. 19. THE SUNNE shal be no more THY LIGHT by day neither for brightnesse shal the MOON GIVE LIGHT unto thee BUT THE LORD SHALL BE THY EVERLASTING LIGHT and thy God thy glory v. 20. Thy Sunne shal no more go down neither shal thy Moon withdraw it selfe for THE LORD shal be thy EVERLASTING LIGHT and the daies of thy MOURNING SHALL BE ENDED v. 21. Thy PEOPLE also shal be RIGHTEOUS and they shal inherit the Land FOR EVER i. e. none after them v. 22. the close of all I the Lord wil hasten it IN HIS TIME § 2 Now I put the question to all the Learned and Libraries in the world when was ever any such estate of the Church since the Jewes going into captivity in Babylon If any are so heavy headed as falling fast asleep shall dream that all these passages concerne not a visible glorious estate of the Church on earth or that these all are already spiritually fulfilled let such know that they would be hard put to it so to expound this Chap. congruously and to tell us the time and manner and make all handsomely hang together And therefore St. John a surer Commentator having prophesied in Rev. 20. v. 4. compared with Rev. 5.10 of the Saints reigning with Christ on earth and in the 21 Ch. having given us his vision of a New EARTH and of New Jerusalem coming downe FROM heaven with many more passages of the future glory of the Church on earth of which abundantly afore severall times he goes on in that 21 Chapter to apply many of the passages of this sixtieth of Isa to that future glorious estate of the Church on earth yet to come after the fall of Antichrist which is not as wee see yet performed For example The third verse of this sixtieth of Isaiah but now presented afore your eyes is exactly so applyed Rev. 21. v. 24. And the Nations of them that are saved shal walk in the light of it that is the light of the glory of God and the Lamb as it is in the former verse and the Kings of the earth doe bring their glory and honour into it So that in the 11. and 12. verses of this sixtieth of Isaiah as you see it afore is likewise applied to that future glorious state of the Church on earth afore the ultimate judgement Rev. 21. v. 25 26. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shal be no night there And they shal bring the glory and honour of the Nations into it So the 19. v. of this sixtieth of Isaiah is in like manner applyed in Rev. 21. v. 23. And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the MOON TO SHINE IN IT Mark to shine in it intimating that though those Planets continue in being yet there shall be no need of their shining for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof The same is to be seen in the application of the 20 v. of this sixtieth of Isaiah in Rev. 21. v. 3 4. Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he wil dwel with them c. and God himselfe shal be with them c. And shal wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorrow nor
them again into their folds and they shall he fruitful and increase vers 4. And I will set up shepherds that shall feed them And they shall FEARE NO MORE nor be DISMAYED neither shall they be LACKING saith the Lord. verse 5. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a RIGHTEOUS BRANCH and a KING shall reign and prosper and shall execute justice and judgement upon the earth In his dayes JUDAH shall be saved and ISRAEL shall dwel safely And this is his name whereby be shall be called THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE verse 7. Therefore behold the dayes come saith the Lord that they shall no more say the Lord liveth which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt verse 8. But the Lord liveth which brought up and which led the seed of the house of ISRAEL out of the NORTH COUNTRY and from ALL COUNTRIES whither I had driven them and they shall dwell in THEIR OWN LAND § 3 Mark now what the Hebrew Doctors and Jewish Rabbins as opposite as they be to Christ in their writings since the returne of the two Tribes from Babylon It is written in the book Berochoth Benzuma saith It shall come to passe that ISRAEL shall not remember their departure out of the land of Egypt in the WORLD TO COME speaking just as the Apostle Heb. 2.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the dayes of MESSIAH by which last clause you may see what the Rab. means by the world to come And saith the Rabbin how doth this appear That which is written in Jer. 23. saith he will prove it Behold the dayes come and they shall say no more the Lord liveth which c. which saith this Rabb wise men interpret thus not as if the name of Egypt should be blotted out but because the wonders which shall be effected in the dayes of the KINGDOME OF THE MESSIAH shall be principal and the Egyptian lesse § 4 Observe next the phrases and circumstances of the place As first That here is mention not onely of Judahs reversion and conversion but of Israels too And secondly that they shall returne not onely from the land of the NORTH but from all Countries whither they were driven which Countries are mentioned Act. 2.9 10.11 and 1 Pet. 1.1 And being compared with ancient and moderne Histories and experience doe shew that they are now scattered into all parts of the world and are so acknowledged to bee by the learned Jew R.M. Ben Israel in his SPES ISRAELIS And thirdly that at the time the Prophet intends there must be a sweet compliance between Jews and Gentiles in matters of Religion And lastly that these things must be when Christ the RIGHTEOUS BRANCH springing from David shall be KING and reign and PROSPER and execute justice and judgement in the EARTH § 5 All which duely weighed doe cleerly demonstrate without multiplying of words that they were never yet fulfilled nor can the transaction of them consist with the ultimate day of judgement And therefore are yet according to the truth of God to be fulfilled afore that day SECT XXVIII § 1 THe second place in Jeremiah is Chapter 30. and Chapter 31. * This 31 Chap. hath been alleadged before Jeroms time for the glorious state of all things in the thousand yeers of which we speak Omnes hujusmodi repromissiones juxâ—a Judaeâ—s nostros Judaizantes in mille annorum regno putanâ—â—â— esse complendae c. Hieâ— on Jer. 31. v. 27. v. 38. both being one continued discourse of one and the same thing as the connexion in verse 1. of Chapter 31. plainly shewes In which are many things which of themselves upon bare reading of them without all glosses shew themselves never to have been fulfilled to this day since the time of that Prophesie For example marke the words well § 2 That in Chapter 30. was never yet fulfilled viz. verse 3. Lo the dayes come saith the Lord that I will bring again the CAPTIVITY of my people ISRAEL and JUDAH naming distinctly both Kingdomes containing all the twelve Tribes and cause them to returne to their own land Nor was that ever yet fulfilled in verse 8. In that day saith the Lord of Hosts I will break his yoke from off thy neck and will burst thy bonds and strangers SHALL NO MORE SERVE THEMSELVES of him but they shall serve the Lord their God and DAVID THEIR KING †The Chaldee is very remarkable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is They shall obey the Messiah or Christ the Son of David their King whom I will raise up unto them Nor was that ever fulfilled in verse 10. Fear thou not O my servant JACOB saith the Lord nor be dismayed O ISRAEL for lo I will save thee from a far and thy seed from the land of their captivity and JACOB shall return and shall be in REST and QUIET and NONE shal make him AFRAID repeated again Jer. 46. v. 27. So many things in the 31. Chapter were never yet fulfilled as all that from v. 1. to 15. concerning their corporal restitution into their own Country and their visible peace and glory there Nor can these things of both Chapters be referred to the ultimate day of judgement as the nature of the things speake loud enough And therefore they are yet to be fulfilled afore that time SECT XXIX § 1 THe third place in Jeremiah is in Chapter 32. verse 37. to the end of the Chapter Verse 37. Behold I will gather them out of ALL COUNTRIES whither I have driven them in mine anger c. And I will bring them again into this PLACE and I will cause them to dwell SAFELY verse 38. And they shall be my people and I will be their God verse 39. And I will give them one heart and ONE WAY that they may fear me for EVER c. verse 40. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not TURNE AWAY FROM THEM to do them GOOD c. verse 41. Yea I will rejoyce over them to do them good and will plant them in this LAND assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul verse 42. For thus saith the Lord like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them c. § 2 Now these things thus spoken were never yet fulfilled since the captivity of the ten Tribes carried away afore this Prophesie or of the two Tribes carried away after this Prophesie they have not been gathered from all Countries into their own land they have not dwelt there safely they have not had one way c. But since the returne but of two Tribes the ten never yet returning Antiochus of Syria and the Grecians and Romans and Turks have by a continuall succession molested them And the generality of all the twelve Tribes are scattered in all Countries to this day The fulfilling of
which at the ultimate day of judgement cannot be imaginable and therefore are yet to be fulfilled before that day SECT XXX THE fourth place in Jeremiah is in Chapter 50. the foure last verses viz. v. 17 18 19 20. The words are these Verse 17. ISRAEL is a scattered sheep the Lions have driven him away first the KING of ASSYRIA hath devoured him and last this NEBUCHADNEZZAR King of BABYLON hath broken his bones v. 18. Therefore thus saith the Lord of Hosts the God of ISRAEL Behold I will punish the King of BABYLON and his land as I have punished the King of ASSYRIA v. 19. And I will bring ISRAEL again to his HABITATION and he shall feed on CARMEL and BASHAN and his soul shall be satisfied on mount EPHRAIM and GILEAD § 1 That this Prophesie is not yet fulfilled nor can it be fulfilled at the ultimate day of judgement and therefore to bee fulfilled on earth afore that day note first that he dittie is of ISRAEL which must at least comprehend the ten Tribes which appears not onely in styling God here in relation to this the God of ISRAEL but by severall passages after that all the twelve Tribes are here meant Now the deliverance of the ten Tribes was never yet performed to this day § 2 Secondly the deliverance must be in a hostile way viz. by the destruction of their enemies namely of Kings and Kingdomes expressed v. 18. in relation to which God is called the Lord of Hosts But as yet the Kings and Kingdoms who in a constant succession down to this day have been the enemies of the Jews are not destroyed § 3 Thirdly that God promiseth to come downe in a methodicall order to punish their enemies successively in time and place as successively as they afflicted the twelve Tribes First the King of Assyria had devoured Israel which can be no other then Salmaneser his taking Samaria c. captive 2 King 18.9 which Samaria was the Metropolis of the Kingdome of the ten Tribes And this is the King of Assyria's devouring Israel Nineveh being the Metropolis of that Kingdome whiles called the Kingdome of Assyria 2 King 19.36 Then secondly Nebuchadnezzar alias Nebuchadrezzar King of Babylon came up against Jerusalem the Metropolis of the Kingdome of the two Tribes and took it and carried away all the considerable persons of that Kingdome and all their substance of any value captive to Babylon 2 King 25.1 c. And this was the King of Babylon his breaking of their bones called the King of Babylon because Babylon then was the Metropolis of the Kingdome of Chaldea the Chaldeans then ruling over the Assyrians And therefore the Monarchy was afterwards called the Assyrio-chaldean Now as God hath punished some of their enemies heretofore viz. Nineveh of Assyria according to the Prophet Nahum And Sennacherib their King and his Host 2 King 19. So he must according to his promise descend in order with destruction in an hostile manner upon Babylon and upon the Kings of Babylon whatsoever and whosoever that Babylon and those Kings be in the Scripture name and notion and extended in the promises of the New Testament And therefore as God did punish Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon with turning him as it were into a beast for certaine yeers Dan. 4. And after hee punished Belshazzar King of Babylon and that City by Darius the Mede invading it Dan. 5. and Darius the Mede then King of Babylon by Alexander the Greek and Alexanders successours then King of Babylon by the Roman and the Roman Emperour then King of Babylon both old and new that is Babylon and Rome by the Arabian Saracen or Turk the now King of old Babylon Dan. 7. so according to the explication and application in the New Testament of this promise made in this Text in the Old God must yet goe on corporally to destroy the Turk the present King of old Babylon and the Roman that once was the Tyrant of Old Babylon and after that continued to be the Tyrant of New Babylon viz. Rome first by Heathen Tyranny and after by Papal and Antichristian Tyranny down to this day acording to Prophesies in Dan. 7. and this must bee done by the power of Christ and his Church ibid. and Dan. 2. Now neither the Turkish King of Babylon nor his Kingdome is yet destroyed but rather mightily prospers and prevailes yea and God is behinde in arrears of judgements with New Romish Babylon for her heathenish ten bloody persecutions extending by intervals about three hundred yeers and hath not given her her present pay for her late Papal and Antichristian massacres inquisitions tortures and blasphemies as to the matter of destroying the supream power and the Kingdome of this Babylon according to the amplification of Revelation 17 18 and 19 Chapters § 4 Note fourthly that the successive punishing the enemies of the Jews in succeeding generations following this Prophesie must so succeed as to have this successe that ISRAEL and JUDAH may be delivered from their dispersion and restored to their own land and distinctly to their severall quarters there viz. Carmel Bashan Ephraim and Gilead One Carmel was a City of the Tribe of Judah some twelve miles from Jerusalem Southward Another Carmel was of the Tribe of Issachar about threescore and foure miles from Jerusalem Northward not farre from Prolemais toward the shore of the Mediterranean Sea Josh 19. Jer. 46. Bashan before the Israelites came up from Egypt to Canaan was of the Country of Og but after became part of the portion of the half Tribe of Manasseh Numb 21. Isa 2.13 Mount Ephraim is between Jericho and Jerusalem extending towards the Sea It was the portion of the sonnes of Joseph Ephraim and Manasseh Josh 13. and 17. And as one halfe of the Tribe of Manasseh stuck to Judah so Ephraim is an usuall expression to signifie the Kingdome of the ten Tribes or Israel Isa 7. Isa 9. Hos 5. Psal 59. Gilead was a Country that lay between the sea of Galilee and mount Gilead some sixty miles from Jerusalem It separates the Country of Galilee from Israel By this description of the scituation and owners of these places it evidently appeares that Gods minde in this Prophesie of Jeremy is that not onely the two Tribes but also the other ten and so all twelve are to be restored to their own land though it cost the ruine of all Kings of all Babylons whatsoever But this is not yet fulfilled as the present and long time past condition of those twelve Tribes sadly speak § 5 Therefore as sure as God is true these Prophesies of Jeremiah must be yet fulfilled on earth And that before the ultimate day of judgement as we said before the nature of the things necessarily requiring it Thus of Jeremiah SECT XXXI NExt wee come to the Prophet Ezekiel The first place is in Chapter 28. v. 24 25 26. Vers 24. There shall be NO MORE a pricking briar unto the house of ISRAEL
by David mentioned Isai 55. and Psal 16. is signified Christ Nor shall David return again till the Physical Corporal Resurrection of the Saints before which must precede the Metaphorical Resurrection that is the call of the Jews at least five and forty years afore as we have before proved upon Daniel chap. 12. So this returning of Israel here meant is not onely from captivity but from sin as is plain by that which follows They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Fear here as commonly throughout the Scriptures being put for all the inward graces and worship of God in the heart as to trust in him rejoyce in him love him c. and that for his goodness that is in through and for Christ who as he is called the wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. And the Word of God Joh. 1. c. so he is the Goodness of God because God is not cannot in justice be communicative of his goodness unto the lapsed sons of Adam but in and through Christ Tit. 3.4 5 6. § 6 Which things being so they speak of themselves that they were never yet fulfilled according to the purport of the Text. For the generality of Israel and Judah too are to this day without a King without a Prince without a Priest without a Sacrifice that ceasing at least ever since three hundred sixty and six Nor have they instead of those Princes Priests and Sacrifices sought the Lord their God and David that is Christ their King to fear the Lord and his goodness as hath been afore expounded And for the last day of Judgement that is no time for Conversions of souls and reversions from captivity Therefore this prophesie in the main of it is yet to be fulfilled Thus of Hosea SECT XL. NExt we come to the Prophet Joel The first place in him is Chap. 2. v. 28 29 30 31 32 33. Verse 28. And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out my spirit upon ALL FLESH and your sons and your daughters shall prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see visions Verse 29. And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit Verse 30. And I will shew wonders in Heaven and in Earth Blood and Fire and Pillars of smoak Verse 31. The Sun shall be turned into darkness and the Moon into blood before that great and terrible day of the Lord come Verse 32. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the REMNANT WHOM THE LORD SHALL CALL § 1 Note first in general touching the ALL of this Text that though Saint Peter in Acts 2. doth truly apply part thereof to the wonderful effusion of the Spirit there yet is it not solely applicable to that nor is the intent and meaning of the whole or of any part thereof wholly fulfilled and terminated therein And that I may not be condemned of singularity herein let me tell you what others hint to the same effect though they will not speak out to my size That antient pious and most learned Oecolampadius Publick Reader of Divinity at Basil above an hundred years since saith upon Verse 28. ET ERIT ubi illa impleri coeperint ubi Christ us nimirum sanguine suo faedus nostrum confirmaverit ubi a mortu is resurrexerit i. e. The things onely BEGAN to be fulfilled presently after the resurrection of Christ c. And that learned and ingenuous Alapide upon the same Verse POST HAEC i. e. Post Christum doctorem ejusque mortem ascensum in coelum ego Deus effundam Spiritum Sanctum in Pentecoste ac DEINCEPS primo ecclesiae seculo visibiliter in Apostolos Christi discipulos SEQUENTIBUS vero SECULIS invisibiliter cundem effundam in OMNES c. That is God did promise to pour out his Spirit after the Ascension of Christ in the dayes of Pentecost and so afterwards on the first age of the Church visibly in the succeeding ages invisibly upon all So that both these confess upon this first clause That this effusion of the Spirit prophesied by our Prophet was not fully fulfilled in Acts 2. where the Apostles quotes it And for those other passages in Verse 30 c. I will shew wonders in Heaven and on Earth Calvin confesseth Prophetam comprehendere totum Christi Regnum ab initio usque ad finem c. That is The Prophet here comprehends the whole Kingdom of Christ from the beginning to the end thereof And this is usual enough And in other places of Scripture we have shewed that the Prophets commonly so speak or so speak in common When therefore they speak of the Kingdom of Christ sometimes they touch upon the beginning thereof sometimes also they speak of the end thereof But often within one graspe or comprehension they design the whole course race or process of Christs Kingdom from first to last And so the Prophet doth here Thus Calvin with much more to that purpose Alapide likewise on this thirtieth and one and thirtieth Verse deals very plainly and ingenuously with the Text and with us opposing those of his own Religion The Catholicks saith he think that these prodigious signs came to pass 1. At the Nativity of Christ when the star appeared to the wisemen and the Angels appeared to the Shepherds 2. At Christs passion when the Sun was eclipsed the Earth trembled the graves opened the beholders astonished 3. At Christs Resurrection in the appearance of the Angel astonishing the Soldier that kept the Sepulchre and comforted Mary Magdalen and her company 4. At the Pentecost in the cloven tongues of fire at which time the Spirit was poured out This Exposition saith Alapide is probable but incompleat Then indeed began these wonders but shall be compleated a little afore the day of Judgement as I shall declare by and by On the otherside Saint Jerom and Oecumenius saith Alapide hold That these prodigies were acted a little afore the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus But lastly and genuinly it is certain That here are handled the prodigious prognosticks that shall precede the day of judgement which appears from the beginning of the next Chapter Thus Alapide Adde one more Lyra saith Doctor Mayer averts that in this thirtieth Verse The Prophet passeth from the first coming of Christ to his second before which these signs shall be shewed Thus you see I am not singularly bold to assert that this Scripture was not totally and finally fulfilled in that story Acts 2. And Peter himself tacitly intimates as much in translating the Prophets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 afterward by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the last days which must not exclude One thousand six hundred and twenty years succeeding reckoning from Christs Ascension but to our time And our Prophet drops some passages which
to this day falls far shorter of the fulnesse of the Gentiles coming in and therefore shorter yet of the Saving all Israel as the Apostles phrases are Rom. 11 We have it from day to day before our eies that not one of ten Christians hardly is more then called a Christian and not one Jew of ten thousand bears the name of a Christian And therefore in this first branch this place of Ioel is not in the main yet fulfilled 2. This of this second of Ioel is not yet fulfilled That at the time the Prophet mainly means there must be such wonders in Heaven and in Earth as must be accompanied with blood and fire and pillars of smoake and such a darkning of the Sun and discolouring of the Moon c. As all these things must amount to the making up of a GREAT and TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD And that in relation to the destruction of them that believe not so as to call upon God in faith as the last verse intimateth Whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved And the destruction shall be especially of those unbelievers that are enemies to the Jews as the same last verse of this second Chapter and the first and second verses of the third Chapter do evidently hint For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance as the Lord hath said and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call For behold in THOSE DAYES and in THAT TIME when I shall bring again the captivity of JUDAH and JERUSALEM I will also gather ALL NATIONS and will bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat and will PLEAD with them there for my people and for my heritage ISRAEL whom they have scattered For by the wonders at the passion of Christ Matth. 27. there was no destruction of any man At the effusion of the Spirit after his ascension Acts 2. There was nothing but consolation or at least admiration At the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus according to Matth. 24. there was the sad destruction of the Jews but of none of the Jews enemies 3. This of this prophesie of Joel is not yet fully fulfilled viz. In Mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance AS THE LORD HATH SAID and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call For this was not compleated in the few Jews converted in the Acts or since as these Reasons induce me to think 1. The Apostle Peter in Acts the second quoting Joel makes not the least mention of this clause 2. Christs coming to Jerusalem as a Spiritual Deliverer in his publick ministration of the Gospel was before that of pouring out of the Spirit about five years as his disputing with the Doctors was two and twenty years before and his incarnation above four and thirty years afore But the deliverance mentioned according to the Apostles method yea and of the Prophets is after the pouring out of the Spirit And indeed follows after as naturally as the effect succeeds the cause This pouring out of the Spirit fitting instruments for the salvation of those ages 3. The Prophet addes as the Lord hath said viz. By his Prophets But they mainly spake of the Jews corporal deliverance as we have before opened in the discuss of many places For as for spiritual they then had it and there was no doubt but it should be continued in all ages else the Church would be extinct or Gods Covenant with Abraham and David would fail 4. The Deliverance must be not onely in Jerusalem but in the remnant whom the Lord shall call But Christ did not at his being on Earth save the generality of the remnant either corporally or spiritually The Two Tribes were then under the Roman captivity and they generally refused Christ John 1.11 Acts 13.46 47. and for the Ten Tribes they for the generality neither saw nor heard Christ but continued in their captivity in Assyria c. 1 Pet. 1.1 Jam. 1.1 They were not returned to Zion or Jerusalem and for the Gentiles if any will make them of the remnant which is hatsh being the greater part of the world they and the Jews were never yet incorporated in Religion as the copulative And promiseth viz. There shall be deliverance in those days and at that time in Jerusalem AND in the remnant whom the Lord shall call 5. The Prophet Joel speaks of such a deliverance of the Jews as shall be by bringing down their enemies to the valley of destruction to them though of salvation to the Jews as the next Chapter vers 1 2 c. shews But this hath not been yet fulfilled as was touched afore neither can it be fulfilled at the last judgement For that being once come there is no effectual salvation or invocation as the last verse of the second Chapter mentions SECT XLI THe second and last place we shall touch in this Prophet Joel is Chap. 3. v. 1 c. to the end of the Chapter For behold in § 1 those days and in that time when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem 2. I will also gather all Nations and 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 3. And they have cast lots for my people and have given a Boy for a Harlot and sold a Girle for Wine that they might drink 4. Yea and what have ye to do with me O Tyre and Zidon and all the coasts of Palestine will ye render me a recompence and if ye recompence me swiftly and speedily will I return your recompence upon your own head 5. Because ye have taken my silver and my gold and have carried into your Temples my goodly pleasant things 6. The children also of Judah and the children of Jerusalem have ye sold unto the Grecians that ye might remove them far from their border 7. Behold I will raise them â—ut of the place whither ye have sold them and will return your recompence upon your own head 8. And I will sell your sons and your 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 9. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles prepare war wake up the mighty men let all the men of war draw near let them come up 10. Beat your plough-shares into swords and your pruning-hooks into spears let the weak say I am strong 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. 12. Let the Heathen be wakened and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge all the Heathen round about 13. Put ye in the sickle for the harvest is ripe Come get you down for the oress is full the fats overflow for the wickedness is great
haec inquit c. that is Therefore Jerom saith truly upon the eleventh verse the Jews and our Chiliasts dream these things shall be literally performed but let us interpret Jerusalem to be the Church which walking in the flesh yet doth not live according to the flesh whose freedom is in Heaven c. So he and yet within a very few lines after the same A Lapide hath these words Dico ergo c. that is I say therefore according to the Letter it is here signified that Jerusalem is to be taken by Antiochus Epiphanes and to be restored by the Maccabees Which how untruly it is asserted we have afore demonstrated onely we alleage this to instance how A Lapide falls from his spiritual to a litteral sence Mr. Calvin whiles mighty much for a spiritual sence of this prophesie hath to this effect on those words in the third verse The Lord shall go forth and fight against those Nations as he fought in the day of battel Zechary saith he tells the Jews Certamen saepe vobis fuit c. i.e. You have often fought with the strongest enemies they have been conquered and that when you have been by far unequal in number and power Seeing therefore the Lord hath so often and so many ways cast down your enemies why shall ye not hope for the same thing from him So he Our new Annotations have many touches of a spiritual sence but many also for a literal expresly or implicitly On the second verse this Here the last destruction of Jerusalem seems more plainly described then afore On the third verse this As when he fought in the day of battel that is not slightly but earnestly as he did for Gideon and divers others Judg. 7.22 On ver the fourth Gods coming to defend his Church shal be conspicuous and glorious On ver the fift the very Jews themselves shall be afraid at the presence of Gods appearance It were needlesly tedious to recite the many passages more they have to the same effect though they are very considerable to our purpose seeing the Reader knows where to finde them SECT LI. § 1 FRom Zechary we come to Malachi where we will consider but one place viz. Chapter 4. but that throughout verse 1. For behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of Hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch Vers 2. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall Vers 3. And ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day I shall do this saith the Lord of Hosts Vers 4. Remember the Law of Moses my servant which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel with the statutes and judgements Vers 5. Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord Vers 6. And be shall turn the heart of the Fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers least I come and smite the Earth with a curse § 2 There are so many famous Authors both Ancient and Modern that understand this Chapter of the second coming of Christ as you may see in the Margent * Paties Graeci Latini Cyril Theodor. Remig. Haymo Albert. Hugo Lyra. Chrysostom Euthym. Beda Anselm Hippol lib. de Consum sâ—culi Cyprâ— tract de Sina Sion Ephrem tract de Antich Prosper in dimidio temp c. 13. Tertul. lib. de anima c. 35. Justin Mart. Dialog contr Tryph. Nyssen lib. Testim contr Judaeos Augustinus 20. Civit. Dei Greg. 11. Moral Andreas Ambros Rupert Arethas in Apocalyp c. 11. Scholastici Thomas in Matth. 17. A Lapid in hoc cap. Malach. c. Translatores Septuag in Anâ—iq exempl Arab. quorum utrique vertunt Elijam Thesbiten Neoterici Oecolamp M. Mede D. Mayer Sibyllae Tum quoque caelesti curru devectus inibit Terras de caelo Thesbites signaque trina Ostendettoti mundo vitae pereuntis Omnes Judaei communi eorum sententia to the number if we should name all as amounts as Calvin confesseth to the major part that we shall go free from wonder novelty or singularity in holding the same Especially if the Reader will take notice that those that incline to the other interpretation of Christs first coming as Calvin our New Annotations c. do ingenuously confess that the things of this Chapter shall not be compleatly fulfilled till the second coming of Christ Jerom our great adversary though on this Chapter he inveighs against the Jews and Judaizers for their expecting Elijah to come in person yet as A Lapide also hath noted upon Matthew chap. 11. vers 14. chap. 17. ver 11. he clearly teacheth that Elijah must come in person which A Lapide endeavors to reconcile thus Because the Jews do yet expect the first coming of the Messiah and that Elijah in person shall be the fore-runner of that his first coming Therefore Jerom on this Text reproves them but Jerom yeelds that Elijah in person shall be the fore-runner of the Messiahs second coming ** Sunt qui propterea Johannem Heliam votari quod quodam modo IN SECUNDO SALVATORIS ADVENIU JUXTA MALACHIAM PRAECESSURUS EST HELIAS venturum Judicem nunciaturus Sic Iohannes in primo adventu fecerit ET UTERQUE FIT NUNCIUS VEL PRIMI ADVENTUS DOMINI VEL SECUNDI Ierom in Matth. 11.14 Ecce apparuit illis Moyses Elias cum co loquentes Scribis Pharisaeis tentantibus se de caelo signa poscentibus dare noluit sed pravam postulationem conâ—utavit responsione pindenti Hic vero ut Apostolorum AUGEAT FIDEM DAT SIGNUM DE CAELO Elia inde DESCENDENTE quo conscenderat Moyse ab inferis resurgente â—erom on Matth. 17.11 Thus Jerom. For my part I shall endeavor rather to demonstrate then as the manner of most is to dictate what I assert in the matters of this prophesie That this Chapter is of a state of the Church under the New Testament I need not labor much to prove Malachy being the last Prophet of the Old Testament And that V. 2. of this Chapter of the rising of the Sun c. is applyed to Christ John 1.9 Calling him the true light that lightneth every one c. As that V. 5. of this Chapter touching Elijah is applied by Christ Matth. 17.13 in part to signifie John Baptist his harbenger § 3 But the great question is How far into the times of the New Testament this prophesie doth run To answer which lay this for a ground work That the time to which this prophesie doth reach is called the GREAT AND DREADFUL DAY OF THE LORD And it is as
tranquillous and most happy life because the earth then shall not be infested with any noyse of Arms. And all those wars which before were stoutly waged by reason of the difference of Religion shall then cease The cause ceasing the effect ceaseth After the Prophet had spoken of the time of the Messiah presently he proceeds to those things that are to follow viz. to the day of judgement and the resurrection of the dead For saith he the day of the Lord shal be on every one that is proud and lofty c. upon all the Cedars of Lebanon and upon all the oaks of Bashan and upon all the ships of Tarshish c. No doubt saith he but by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE DAY OF THE LORD the Prophet signifies the day of judgement as we shall afterward demonstrate which otherwise is called the day of resurrection of the dead for then the dead are judged called also the day of the Lord because a day of admiration Nothing then that is ordinary shall be done but all above nature c. He alleadgeth likewise for the said head of this Chapter that in Isa 23.14 They shall lift up their voice they shal sing for the Majesty of the Lord c. And Isa 49.14 c. But Zion saith the Lord hath forsaken me c. Can a woman forget her sucking child Psal◠72.16 And they of the City so Menasse renders it shal flourish as the here out of the earth Thus far we have shewn by Scripture saith he that the resurrection of the dead shall be conjunctive to the coming of the Messiah next it remains to be proved that the Ancients were of the same opinion It is to be noted what reason they give why the Patriarchs so much desired to be buried in the Holy-land which was no other then this That they that are there buried shall FIRST RISE * So in Beresit Raba-Paras 74 66. Semot R. pur 32. From whence is inferred That the resurrection of the dead to the comming of the Messiah is annexed in time The same is found also elsewhere ** In the Jerusalmy de Kilaym And so Semuel in Gemarah de berahot 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. This world doth not differ from the dayes of the Messiah but in the subjecting of Kings In Zoar †Paras voyera Elar is manifestly and cleerly expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i.e. The blessed God shal first build the Temple and order and dispose the Pallace and build the City and then the dead shall be raised out of the dust The Cabalists do sound their opinion on the words of the Psalmist Psal 147.2 3. The Lord buildeth up Jerusalem he gathereth together the out casts of Israel he healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds 3 In the next viz. the third Chapter of that third Book the Rabbin solves this Question Whether within the aforesaid times shal be the end of the world or after the resurrection of the dead This Question saith he may easily be resolved by that we have said in the former Chapter For when the sacred Scripture treats concerning the dayes of the Messiah it alwayes calls that time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. the end of dayes So Gen. 49.1 Gather your selves together saith Jacob to his sons and I will tell you that which shall befall you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the end of dayes Upon which R. Moses Gerundensis commentating saith where ever there is speech concerning the end of dayes it is to be understood of the dayes of the Messia Jacob would have told his sons what should befall them in the dayes of the Messiah but God inhibited him The like phrase is in Balaams speech in Numb 24.14 c. Come I will advertise thee what this people shal do to thy people in the end of dayes I shal see him saith he speaking of the Messiah but not Now I shal behold him but not nigh There shal come a Star out of Jacob and a Scepter shal arise out of Israel he shal strike through the corners of Moab and destroy all the children of Seth. Note that the time is by him called the end of dayes Therefore he saith I see it but not nigh Againe when he saith he will destroy or demolish the children of Seth he means the inhabitants of the whole world From whence it doth appear that that is to be understood of the Messiah He the said Rabby alleadgeth many other places for that phrase the end of dayes to be taken for the dayes of the Messiah yet to come as Isa 2.2 Jer. 30.24 Chap. 31.1 Ezek. 38.16 Hos 3.5 Mich. 4.1 Dan. 10.14 And because saith R. Menasse our deliverance is deferred to so long a time hence and distant from us therefore David makes that vehement complaint Psal 89. v. 49. O Lord where are thy former loving kindnesses which thou swarest unto David in thy truth c. But I am not ignorant saith Menasse that they that dissent from us do make a double coming of the Messiah and so do expound those places far otherwise But I have no list saith he at this time to dispute with any concerning that thing but simply and candidly to hold forth the opinion which the Hebrews professe From what hath been said two things saith he doe necessarily follow One that the redemption of Israel shall be extended unto the end of the world The other that that same end shall come before the resurrection of the dead And because that end shall take its beginning in the dayes of Messiah therefore there is a necessity that a NEW WORLD SHALL BEGIN FROM THE RESVRRECTION OF THE DEAD therefore it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The world to come Dan. 12. v. ult Go thy way unto the end and rest and awake in thy lot in the end of dayes The same is to bee collected out of the saying of the Ancients * In Gemara Abodae Zarae cap. 1. cap. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It is pronounced in the School of Elia not the Thesbit but of some Rabbin that the world shall continue six thousand yeers In two thousand is the void or empty time that is the time untill Abraham being void of Moses Law In two thousand is the time of the Law In two thousand are the dayes of the Messiah So that as it is read elsewhere * In Sebet Jeudah It is not said that the Messiah shal come in the end of four thousand yeers or in the beginning of five thousand yeers but onely that the dayes of the Messiah shall be two thousand yeers that is that within that space the Messiah shall come about the beginning middle or end Which last words say I are very considerable by us Christians For within that space Christ is come and will come ☜ again ¶ 4 In the fourth Chapter are declared the opinions of the ancient Rabbins concerning
the enemies of the Church in the Gogican War which Papisme the 19. of the Revel concluded as extinct Wee answer to this objection that it is of no consequence whether it be granted or denyed We doe not raise Papisme nor do I know any that doe And though S. John concludes the utter down-fall of Antichrist Rev. 19. that he shall never reigne more yet Chapter 20.9 hee shews that secret hypocrisie of all Nations shall breake out and indeavour to beset the Church and then comes the ultimate day of judgement CHAP. II. Answering Doctor Pareus THus of your Dr. Prideaux his Arguments against our point in answer of whom with the same labour we have answered the maine Arguments of Pareus on Revelation 20. verse 4. For the Doctor did follow and take much out of Pareus Those wee have not spoken to that are most material that the Doctor did not touch upon them we will now touch SECT I. First Objection Rev. 20.5 THat that Resurrection is not a corporall Resurrection but a spirituall And that because it is called the First Resurrection For this cannot bee the first corporal Resurrection because before this there arose corporally the Sonne of the widow of Sarepta raised by the Prophet Elijah 1 King 17.22 The Sonne of the Sunamitish widow by Elisha 2 King 4.35 The Sonne of the widow of Naim raised by Christ Luke 7.11 12. c. The daughter of Jairus raised by Christ Luke 8.55 of Lazarus raised by Christ John 11.44 Those at Christs Passion Matth. 27. Tabitha by Peter Act. 9.41 Eâ—tichus by Paul Act. 20.10 Answer to this thus First by this argument Christ shall not bee the first-fruits of them that sleep Secondly by this argument the opinion of a spiritual Resurrection from Antichristianisme cannot bee here admitted because by the same reason that cannot bee called the First resurrection because many of them afore-mentioned were raised afore Antichristianisme was in being Thirdly that raising of them was no generall Resurrection of any sort of godly or ungodly But this in the Revelation is general of all Saints Fourthly the T. intends that risen they shall reigne and reigne a thousand yeers But the other mentioned by Pareus soon died and did not reigne in Johns sense Fifthly John had marked these out verse 3 that they had had a spirituall Resurrection already SECT II. Second Argument of Pareus TO the First Resurrection is opposed First death But the First death was spirituall viz. Sinne Rom. 5. therefore the first Resurrection meant here is spiritual Answer first spirituall death and life are sinne and grace But these not expressed here but first and second Resurrection living and dying againe The first death is when all dye corporally some naturally some violently as the godly by Antichrists persecution So in Rev. 6.9 the soules under the altar and the beheaded in this 20. Chapter verse 4. And wicked by Gods judgements Rev. 19. two last Now the first Resurrection is of Saints Rev. 20. is here in ver 4. Second of wicked in verse 12. which is their second death as S. John calls it verse 14. The rest of Pareus his objections to this point are upon a false supposition that onely the Martyrs shall rise therefore need no answer Beside we have given much in answer to him afore in the end of the first Book Thus of Pareus next of Mr. Bayly CHAP. III. MR. Bayly his Arguments come next for I put the best disputant first who being answered wee shall have lesse reason to spend time upon the weaker SECT I. Mr. Baylies first Argument HE that remaines in the Heaven unto the last judgement comes not downe to the earth a thousand yeers before the last judgement But Christ remaines in the Heavens unto the last judgement Therefore Christ comes not downe to the earth for a thousand yeers before the last judgement The major saith hee is unquestionable The minor is proved First from the Article of the Creed from that he sitteth at the right hand of God from thence hee shall come to judge the quick and the dead Secondly from Act. 3.21 Thirdly from John 14.2.3 We answer first to the major First we have not yet asserted that Christ shall come downe on the earth But we have shewed out of several texts a very great probability that Christ will at least appear in the clouds that men and especially the Jews may look upon him c. as Zac. 12.10 2 At the beginning of the 1000. yeers is the beginning of the last judgement as we shewed afore 2. To the minor where Mr. B. affirms that Christ shall remaine in the Heavens unto the last day of judgement We answer it is false For after hee was ascended up to the right hand of God he is so neer to Paul that he calls to him saying Paul Paul c. And Paul replies Who art thou Lord And Christ replies I am Jesus whom thou persecutest And Paul replies Lo what wilt thou have me to do And the Lord replies Arise go into the City and it shall be told thee Act. 9.4 5 6. And verse 10. Christ in a vision speaks to Ananias to goe to Paul Ananias objects and Christ replies At last hee goes and verse 17. speaks to Saul thus putting his hand upon him Brother Saul the Lord even Jesus that APPEARED unto thee in the way Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sâ—en of thee And 1 Cor. 15.5 6 7 8. As SEEN of Câ—phas and the twelve c. after the Resurrection so after the Ascension seen of Paul v. 8. Now by the same reason he may appeare againe to convert the Jews for that must be some sudden businesse Isa 66.8 as a Nation borne at once c. before the ultimate day of judgement And Pauls conversion by Christs appearance in the clouds was the first-fruits how Christ would convert the Jews as is Mr. Medes note on 1 Tim. 1.16 Read the place ¶ 1 To the first proof of the minor from that Article of the Creed First we say that Article doth not prove Mr. Baylies intent in that it doth not assert that there Christ shall fixedly sit for ever untill the last judgement but onely that thence he shall come to judge which he may doe if mean while he descends on weighty occasions which finished hee ascends againe and there hee abides till hee descends to the last judgement Secondly we have shewed afore that the day of judgement begins at this one thousand yeers and continues to the end The beginning is the morning of the day of judgement the end the evening of the day of judgement And all the same day of judgement as it is in Peter 2 Epist 3. Chap. And we have also shewed how in this time all the parts of a day of judgement are acted The last day of which thousand yeers wee all along have called it the ultimate day of judgement And how long this ultimate day may be this evening of the Millenary day wee cannot
ten Tribes also if haply by any meanes this Epistle should come to any of their hands §. 8. Doctor Mayer in Epistolam Jacobi haec habet verba Initio hujus capitis nihil difficultatis inest nisi quòd eos ad quos scribit duodecim tribus dispersas appellat Si enim Epistola haec institueretur pro Judaeis nuper per Claudium Caesarem Hierofolymâ expulsis ut ante praefati sumus Quaestio oritur quo pacto illos diceret duodecim tribus quae omnes non nisi duae fuerunt cum semisse caeteris à captivitate suâ per Salmanasarem nunquam uti legimus ad hunc usque diem redeuntibus Respondetur dici potest Jacobum inter scribendum ad illas etiam respexisse si forte ullo modo haec Epistola in illarum manus perveniret Sic Mayer §. 9. Doctor Prideaux our Country-man however hee bee against us about the stating of the one thousand yeers how justly wee shall afterwards God permitting dispute the case hath in his Inaugurall Orations these words Rightlier therefore others thinke that after the Roman Idol-madnesse is vanquished and the Mahumetan blasphemies are taken away from among them the Jewes shall lift up their eyes to the mountaines of the Scripture from whence by the Spirit inwardly illuminating they shall attaine light and salvation This opinion which refuseth legall rights as deadly declines Monarchy as aerie and utopian nor thinkes it sufficient to answer to the Apostles MYSTERY if in any age one or other of the Jewes come to the Christian faith neither approves in that hoped generall Call of them the returne of Enoch and Elija nor doth put before it that fulnesse of the Gentiles but according to the direction of the Text sets it after I say this opinion among the Ancients Chrysostome Hilary Austin Ambrose Hierom Aquinas Scotus Cajetanus and many others doe imbrace onely touching some accessories now and then every one will abound in his owne sense They that defend it among the later Writers are P. Martyr Grinaeus Beza Pareus and most largely a Commentator of our own in his most learned Hexapla namely Dr. Willet Nor doe I see what solidly can bee opposed Thou wilt say when the Sonne of man shall come shall hee finde faith on earth Doubtlesse not so frequent in the hearts of justified ones as floting upon the lips of hypocrites For doth it seem strange that among most Professors not so many sincere ones are to be found seeing that out of many that are called a few are chosen But That wicked one 2 Thess 2.8 shall reigne so long as till hee bee consumed with the spirit of the mouth of the Lord at this glorious coming How then can it bee that between the ruine of Antichrist and the end of the world so famous a Call of the Jewes should intervene Most easily because the Spirit shall not in a moment make an end of him but gradually And his coming may bee said to be glorious not with the full majesty of him as present at first but by certaine premised beames of him approaching Meane while when and how that which the Apostle here foretels is to be fulfilled is not requisite perhaps for us to understand to an inch seeing it is a mystery Nor might I thinke in the meane space that the Jewes after such a conversion shall make a withdrawing from the Gentiles but rather they with them shall integrate themselves into one and the same Church Doctor Prideaux Anglus quondam Theologiae professor Regius in Academiâ Oxoniensi quamvis contra nos contendat de MILLE annorum statu constitutione quà m justè 4. Libro annuente Deo disputabitur tamen in ORATIONUM suarum INAUGURALIUM sexta Parag. 7. DE VOCATIONE JUDAE ORUM haec habet verba Rectiùs igitur alii post deletam Romanam Idolomaniam Et è medio sublatis Mahomatismi blasphemi is Judaeos arbitrantur oculos ad montes Scripturae elevaturos unde Spiritu intus illuminante lucem salutem consequentur Hanc sententiam quae legalia aversatur ut mortifera Monarchiam declinat ut aeream sive utopicam nec sufficere putat ad Apostoli MYSTERIUM si QUOVIS seculo unus vel alter Judaeus ad fidem Christianam accedat nec probat in expectandâ istâ GENERALI VOCATIONE Henochi Elijae reditum nec praeponit istam plenitudinem Gentium sed ut textus dirigit POSTPONIT amplectuntur inter Antiquiores Chrysostomus Hilarius Augustinus Ambrosius Hieronimus Aquinas Scotus Cajetanus COMPLURES Alii nisi quod de quibusdam accessorì is non nunabundabit unusquisque suo sensu Defendunt inter recentiores P. Martyr Beza Grinaeus Paraeus in Hexaplâ suâ doctissimâ Commentator è nostris copiosissimus nimirum Doctor Willetus Nec video quid solidè potest opponi Filius inquies hominis cùm venerit num reperturus est fidem in terrâ Non adeò frequentem proculdubio in cordibus justificatorum quà m natantem in labris hypocritarum Ecquid enim rarum videtur inter Professores plurimos non adeo multos sinceros inveniri Cùm ex vocatis multis pauci subinde eligantur At tamdiu regnabit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Thess 2. donec absumatur spiritu oris domini in illustri illo suo adventu Qui fieri igitur potest ut inter Antichristi excidium mundi finem tam celebris intercedat Judaeorum vocatio Facillimè cùm in momento spiritus ipsum non conficiet sed gradatim adventu dicatur illustris non plenâ statim praesentis majestate sed praemissis appropinquantis radiis Interim quando quomodo implendùm illud sit quod hic praedicit Apostolus non requiritur forsan ut nos ad amussim teneremus quia est mysterium Nec aestimaverim interea Judaeos post talem conversionem secessionem à Gentibus facturos c. quinimo eos cum illis potius crediderim coalituros c. §. 10. Mr. R. Maton our Country-man hath also written two Books in favour of our opinion the one is called ISRAELS REDEMPTION or the Propheticall HISTORY OF OUR SAVIOURS KINGDOME ON EARTH That is OF THE CHURCH CATHOLICKE and TRIUMPHANT with a Discourse of GOG and MAGOG The second is entituled thus ISRAELS REDEMPTION REDEEMED or THE JEWES GENERAL and MIRACULOUS CONVERSION to the Faith of the Gospel and returne into their owne Land and our Saviours personal reigne on earth clearly proved out of many plaine Prophesies of the Old and New Testament and the chiefe arguments that can be alleadged against these truths fully answered OF PURPOSE TO SATISFIE ALL GAINSAYERS and in particular Mr. ALEXANDER PETRIE Minister of the Scottish Church in ROTERDAM The later of these I confesse I have not read but onely seene The former I have cursorily and doe finde that though hee apply and presse the Scriptures hee alleadgeth but briefly yet pertinently and solidly §. 10. Magister R. Maton Anglus duos scripsit anglicè libros quorum
he that shall endure to the END the same shall be saved Of the other signes he said they did not signifie that the END was immediately at hand vers 6. These signs shall be saith Christ BUT the END is not YET But now hee comes to speake of the signe of the End of the world viz. that this Gospel of the KINGDOME shall be preached in all the world 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 published as by an Herauld And THIS Gospel of THE KINGDOME as pointing at this particular of the good newes of the Gospel that Christ should after all these darke clouds of the reigne of wickednesse have a Kingdome on earth And then saith Christ shall the END come which must of necessity import one of these ENDS and one of these wayes must be signified by the publishing of the Gospel in all the world That either the Gospel should be published in all the world to Jews and Gentiles as a signe immediately before the End of THIS present world that is before the thousand yeers of the great Restauration Or that the full and effectuall manifestation of the Gospel should be in the time of that Restauration in those thousand yeers which Paul calls Heb. 2.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That inhabited world that is to come of which place much after as a fore-running signe of the ultimate generall end of the whole world Let the Reader take which he pleaseth For either of them concludes for us that after this signe according as we interpret the sequel shall be the beginning or ending of Christs visible appearance to us on earth As it follows vers 29. Then shall appear the signe of the Sonne of man not for a meer short sentence of judgement but to gather his elect from the foure quarters of the earth Of which place much in Sect. 3. of this 2 Book § 4 To gather all into an apparent argument the summe and signes of all is this If Christ in shewing the signes of his coming the second time doth clearly distinguish between his next coming and visible appearing and the end of the world and for that end gives distinct signes of both then Christ must come before the end of the world and visibly appeare But so doth Christ clearly distinguish and distinctly signifie those two as we have shewed Therefore there is yet a time wherein Christ will come and visibly appeare before the end of the world At first we know by the Gospels he came in a state of humility for salvation to sinners that should believe The next time he comes in glory to reigne visibly to the comfort of them that doe beleeve Rev. 20. first six verses Third and last time for terrour to the wicked vers 12. Of that second coming the thing now under consideration Christ having given signes as hath been shewed he concludes in verse 30. They shall see the Sonne of man in the Clouds of heaven with great power and glory which cannot be meant of the finall sentence of the ultimate judgement because of that in the 34 verse bound with an asseveration and attestation before and behinde Verily I say unto you this generation shall not passe till all these things be fulfilled Heaven and earth shall passe away but my words shall not passe away Of which 34. vers much afterward SECT X. Of the tenth Scripture for Christs visible appearance at the great restauration of the Church Luke 19. ver 11. to 28. He added and spake a Parable because he was nigh to Jerusalem and because they thought that the KINGDOME OF GOD should immediately APPEARE A certaine noble-man went into a farre Country to RECEIVE FOR HIMSELFE A KINGDOME and TO RETURNE and he called his ten Servants and delivered to them ten pounds and said unto them occupy till I come But his Citizens hated him and sent a Message after him saying we will not have this man to reigne over us And it came to passe when he was returned HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOME then he commanded these servants to be called unto him to whom he gave the mony c. 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 faithfull in a little have thou authority over ten Cities and so proportionable to the rest But those mine enemies that would not have me reigne over them bring them hither and slay them before me § 1 THis Parable was spoken a little before Christs suffering as appeares by the order of the Story here and in Mat. 25. It is pend by Luke who wrote the Acts where he carefully reports Christs coming againe just as they saw him ascend in relation to the restoring of the Kingdome of which Christ spake and the Disciples enquired after Act. 1.3 4 5 6 c. to 12. only saith Luke Acts 3.21 The heavens must receive him for a time and then he shall come from heaven and cause the restitution of all things as hath been opened § 2 The Preface to this Parable is a golden key to open the curious Cabinet of the meaning of this Parable that we may not relye upon a meere Allegory Christ spake this Parable because he was night to Jerusalem and because they thought that the Kingdome of God should IMMEDIATELY APPEARE It doth not deny the appearing of the Kingdom Christ is for it only he is against the immediate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the suddaine appearance of it he must afore that as is the maine sence of the Parable goe away into a farre country viz. to Heaven and leave talents in trust with his servants giving them time to imploy them and to be so long absent that his enemies grow so bold as to send after him with this high affront they would not have him to reigne over them that is according to the direct sence Some seemingly professours by his long absence should grow quite carelesse of improving the talents or gifts of endowments to his honour and others by his delay as they counted it should become professed enemies against him § 3 But whatever these mistakers dreamed the truth was that as the diligent Talenters expected and accordingly acted Christ went away to Heaven not to returne no more but went thither to take to himselfe a Kingdome which phrase viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must signifie a Kingdome peculiar to himselfe as he is Christ else how doth he take it or receive it to himselfe And being installed into it he is to returne He had his Kingdome of grace before he went away as he oft mentioneth it in his Parables and Sermons adding that that his Kingdome was not of this world And he had the Kingdome of glory as his triumph over his Kingdome of grace having finished his conquest on the Crosse So hee needed not to returne to receive either of these Kingdomes It remains therefore that it is the Kingdome we speak of that he returnes to receive He went to Heaven
ungodly of all their ungodly deeds and of all their HARD SPEECHES Something is in that that he is numbred a seventh from Adam a type at least in that that Christ should come in the seventh Millenary or thousandth of the whole Age of the world at furthest Which seven thousandth is farre nearer then generally we account as after God assisting shall be demonstrated at which time according to the common consent of the Jewish Talmud and Rabbins viz. R. Ketina R. Schelomo R. Kimchi c. He shal bring a destruction upon sinne so as the world shal be refined from the curse as Gold from the drosse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Lord alone shal be exalted Isa 3. And he shal shake the earth as at a day of Iudgement as Hag. 2.6 7. and the Lord shall be for a King or instead of a King to or over all the earth Then according to Psal 90. shal be a Sabbath of rest for a thousand yeares I give you their owne very words phrases and quotations a sufficient Commentary on Enoch who saith the Lord shall come with Myriads of his Saints Now after his Ascention Iude alledgeth Enoch that the Lord shall come he doth not say he shall goe away to Heaven but he shal come from Heaven And how As a Iudge to convince and punish all that have persisted to utter hard speeches against Christ viz. against him himself or against him in his Saints and this must be before the ultimate Day of Judgement or else what priviledge is it to the Saints or how is Christs power vindicated afore hee lay downe his power § 3 So that you may perceive that this matter in hand is an ancient Tenet no new thing as many ignorant of the Prophets make it and wonder and talke against it But we in obedience to Christ do search into the Prophets and as we are enlightned and led as overcome with the truth so we have and shall follow § 4 There is a second reason leading us into the enquiry of the Prophets viz. that thereby we may search out the grounds upon which the Iewes build their expectation of the coming of the Messiah and in what manner they expect his coming that so we may joyne issue with them in knowledge hope and prayer or otherwise within our spheare to help them forward and the businesse it selfe against all the opposers thereof We all both Jewes and Gentiles that have been candid enquirers into the Scriptures have from the beginning looked for his further coming Heb. 11. oft By faith they saw the promise afar off and saluted them so the Greek And by faith they saw him that was invisible c. when he came in the flesh the generality of the Iewes saw him corporally but not spiritually viz. as a man not as the Messiah But the generality of the beleeving Gentiles saw him spiritually nor corporally The Jewes therefore still expect his coming that they may see him both corporally and spiritually And it will be no griefe for the Gentiles that have seen him spiritually to see him also corporally And though he will not come againe to the Jewes to be made flesh yet hee will come againe to them in the flesh And this later will be more glorious then the former the greater containing the lesser radiating more effectually upon the Jewes to a greater effusion of teares from them and infusion of the spirit of Christs grace into them Zech. 12. which John prefixeth to his Revelation Chap. 1. v. 7. as the end Catastrophe and upshot in a great part of that Revelation as the fitting of them to entertaine Christs appearance and to enter into the New Jerusalem But this is not all There is a third reason why we should looke into the Prophets of the Old Testament there being the maine and most Types and Visions used in this Booke of the Revelation I will at present give but one instance but a most apt one to our businesse in hand viz. that in Revel 20.4 And I saw Thrones and they that sate upon them and judgement was given to them c. and they lived and reigned with Christ c. which cleerly is taken out of Dan. 7.9 c. I beheld till the Thrones were set so it should bee translated * Our last Translat have mistaken in translating it The Thrones were cast downe I suppose they therein tooke Thrones tropically or figuratively for powers and so they would make this sense of it the powers viz Monarchicall and their appendices were cast down But they were not al down till after the Judiciary sitting v. 11. v. 21 22. Besides 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some Chalde copies write it signifies material Thrones whereon the Potentates do sit whether we make the noune to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be Hemantick signifying As it were for the Talmud useth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie a material Throne or whether we make the noune to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a radical so it signifies sometimes a material place wherein to exercise or act a gift faculty or power And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as other Chalde copies write it also signifies material Thrones as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a materiall Throne So that every way materiall Thrones to sir in are signified by the words in the Text even as the next word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 plainly signifies were lifted up advanced or set up so plainly that I cannot in the least imagine nor conjecture what shew of reason our last Translators had to render it The thrones wore cast down Our old Translation hath it The Thrones were set up And most justly For whether we suppose the root to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies he lifâ—ed up he exalted or was made high or exalted to Schindler or whether we make the â—oot to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Pagnin Arias Montanus and Hutter affirme which also signifies he elevated he exalted or he or it was high or elevated so Arias Montanus in Apparat. viz. Dict. Syro-chald still our old Translation is right The Thrones wer set up And so runs the stream of the most learned Translators in severall languages Pagnin and Arias Montanus Throni clati sunt The Latine called Hierâ—ms Throni positi sunt the Syriak subsâ—llia posita esse The Arab. ecce sides positae sunt So the Greek Sept. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tiâ—dal in his English Translation The seats were prepared The best French Translation Interpretee par Jean Diodati hath it les Thrones fuerent posés Protestant Bruccioli in his Ital. Translation Furono portate siede and in his Commentary makes his meaning more plain Throni suroâ—o essalâ—ati The best High-Dutch or German Translation by Luther is Stule gesekt wurden i. e. The stools or
also perish for ever The Chalde expoundeth Chittim to signifie the Romans The old Latine explaines it by Italy which is all one in effect onely the Roman Monarchy was larger then the Imperial Seat of it in the Kingdome of Italy Chittim or Kitim was one of the sonnes of Javan the sonne of Japhet the son of Noah Gen. 10.4 His posterity inhabited partly Greece viz. Macedonia partly as Josephus affirmes Italy among the Romans as also Cyprus and Cilicia All which places also by turnes were sometime of the Greek Empire sometime of the Roman Empire By which reasons Chittim alias Kitim is sometime taken for the Greeks sometimes for the Romans both which took their turnes to afflict the Assyrians and Eber that is the Hebrews or people of Israel But the Catastrophe and fatall period is that Chittim shall perish for ever § 3 Now these promises in their full latitude and extent were never yet fulfilled upon the earth as they all import a fulfilling there as it easily appears to a quicke eye reviewing the Premises This same Star CHRIST hath not yet shined upon the hearts of the generality of the sonnes of Iacob as it is expounded 2 Pet. 1.19 Hee hath not yet as CHRIST ruled as a King over ALL THE SONNES OF MEN as the Chalde before expounds the Scepter out of Israel as the Scriptures Psal 2.9 backe it CHRIST hath not yet unwalled ALL THE CHILDREN OF SETH that is all the children of Adam as before made plaine He hath not that is brought them off their owne confidences to submit to him or he hath not had as the Chalde expounds before dominion over all the children of men according as Psal 72. verse 11. and Phil. 2.10 confirme it viz. That all Kings shal fall before Christ and all Nations serve him and every knee how and crouch to him We see to this day for the generall rather the contrary CHRIST as KING hath not yet as Maimony excellently out of Psal 72.8 had dominion from sea to sea no nor so much as delivered Israel and Judah to this day from their dispersion and captivity under Turk Pope Indians c. Exempt from the account but six or seven Nations and those petty ones of one fourth part of the world Europe with a spot or two of late Plantations in America and the whole world of men are not yet so much as Professours of Christ Nor hath Christ taken vengeance on them to this day Kitim alias Chittim i. e. the Roman Empire is not yet perished for ever but to this day partly under the Turk and partly under the Pope doth mischievously and mightily oppose Christ § 4 Nor can a wise man dream that these things shall be fulfilled at or after the ultimate day of judgement for then is a late time for Christ to have dominion over all the sonnes of men Then Christs Dominion doth utterly cease And this Text saith that when God doth this who shall live plainly signifying that when Christ doth thus as King and Ruler over all the sonnes of men advancing his Church and among them as his great designe his Israel there shall be a great corporall destruction of the obstinate enemies of him and them But the ultimate day of judgement is not the killing but the making alive corporally all the wicked that ever were since the Creation SECT VII Wherein is produced and explained Deut. 30. vers 1. to the 10. as another proof of our generall Position Deut. 30. verse 1. And it shall come to passe when all these things are come upon thee the blessing and the curse which I have set before thee and thou shalt call them to minde among all the Nations whither the Lord thy God hath driven thee V. 2. And thou shalt returne unto the Lord thy God and shalt obey his voyce according to all that I command thee this day thou and thy children with all thine heart and with all thy soule Verse 3. That then the Lord thy God will turne thy captivity and have compassion upon thee and will returne and gather thee FROM ALL THE NATIONS WHITHER THE LORD THY GOD HATH SCATTERED THEE Verse 4. IF ANY OF THINE be driven out unto the OUTMOST PARTS OF HEAVEN from THENCE will the Lord thy God gather thee and from THENCE will he fetch thee Verse 5. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed and thou shalt possesse it and he will doe thee good and multiply thee above thy fathers Verse 6. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou mayest live Verse 7. And the Lord thy God wil put all these curses upon thine enemies and on them that hate thee which persecuted thee Verse 8. And thou shalt returne and obey the voice of the Lord and doe all his Commandements which I command thee this day Verse 9. And the Lord thy God wil make thee plenteous in all the worke of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattle and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord wil againe rejoyce over thee for good c. § 1 THese words may seem to some of a cursory eye to say little to our purpose but being weighed they are very ponderous and wil soon turn the scales The summe of obeying Gods voyce and keeping his Commandements so often here inculcated is their keeping the Covenant they made with God chap. 29. viz. As God to be their God so they to be his people and as it is exprest after the tenour of the covenant God made with their Father Abraham c. Gen 17. which was the Covenant of grace as the Apostle expounds Rom. 4. even as here is mention of Gods bringing them out of Egypt as a pledge on his part and an engagement on their part relating to their redemption by Christ Hos 11.1 Matth. 2.15 And here amplified by loving the Lord their God with all their hearts so that it is upon Gospel termes the Lord treates with them even as Moses application of them to the Israelites ver 11 12 13 14. That the commandement that was given them was not hid from them nor farre off neither in the Heavens to say who shall goe up to take it for them nor beyond the sea to say who shall goe over c. to take it for them but it is night◠even in their mouth and in their heart I say Moses application in those very termes is by the Apostle Rom. 10.8 called the word of faith § 2 Now when thus the Jewes shall obey Gods voyce and doe his Commandements viz. beleeve the Gospel being brought unto repentance hinted in the words call to minde and returning so expounded 1 King 8.46 47. Isa 46.8 Lam. 3.21 Luke 15.17 partly by afflictions partly by prosperity called blessings and curses
him all ye gods and the Greek imperative Heb. 1.6 Let all the Angels of God worship him in sense is future that is They all shal worship him as the Epistle to the Hebrews in the Hebrew copy expressely renders it in the future * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall adore or worship him As the Angels of heaven do and ever have done and shall more eminently when they shall be more apparently his Ministers and servants to dispense his mercy and justice in that sudden great work sudden in regard of the greatnesse of setting up New Jerusalem the great restitution of all things so the Kings Princes Emperours Potentates Powers and Angels of Churches SHALL WORSHIP HIM They shall they must doe it afore Christ layes downe his power at the ultimate day of judgement 1 Cor. 15.28 and afore they be condemned men when nothing wil be accepted from them They must do it as a sign they are brought into Christ as the intent of this Epistle is to win the Jews to him 2. ¶ To this of the time of Christs universall visible power over the whole world the one hundred and tenth Psalme sings excellent harmony a Psalme so eminent that it is quoted no lesse then seven times in the New Testament and so apt for our purpose that as the two and twentieth Psalm is of the Passion of Chirst so expounded Mat. 27. The sixteenth Psalme of Christs Resurrection so expounded Act. 2. the sixty eighth Psalme of Christs Ascention so expounded Eph. 4. So this 110 Psalme is of Christs Assession or sitting at the right hand of God till all the world be made subject to him Every verse of it almost hath something in it of this as the Chalde Syriack Arab. Rabb well expound * The Chalde on those words The Lord said to my Lord saith the Lord said to HIS WORD which is the stile of Christ in S. Job phrase but some Syâ—iack thus It is a Psalme concerning Christ and his victory over the Devil who rules in the children of disobedience and gathers the Nations together to oppose Christs Kingdome And upon those words v. 2. Rod of thy strength â—oth say An iron rod to break the enemies of the Gospel Moses with the rod of God being a type of the Mesria Some Arab. thus In the day of thy power in the beuaties of holinesse That is Thou Christ art King of thy holy and beautifull Church and of thy Princedome over the Saints shall be no end that is as Daniels phrase is oft After Christ no Monarch on earth shall succeed Christ in that respect also is Alpha and Omega the first Monarch spirituall and the last visible And upon those words Womb of the morning thus Thou wast before the wâ—mb of thy mother which can be said of no Propher but Christ of whom it is said â—s 72. Thy Name is before the Sun R. Isaak Arama in Gen. 47 apud Nebiens dicit Before the morning star that is he was begotten before he shone in the world in the Gospel Suirably other Rabbins Ex Ab. Ezra in Ps 110 Rabbo expoâ—unt de Melchisedech Abraham sed dumum est Sion de Abraham explicare And upon those words The Lord hath sworn Iuravit Deus cum Davide semine suo Ex. R. Osâ—ad in Psa 110. De Christo Sedeas quia non adhue est tempus revelationis tuae And upon the word Priest Messias fililus Ioseph qui erat occisus Now we know the Apostles quotes this Psalme oft after Christs ascention ver 1. The Lord said to my Lord sit thou at my hand till I make thine enemies thy footstoole c. By the LORD is meant JEHOVAH as it is expresse in the Hebrew By my Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is meant Christ who according to his humanity is Davids Sonne but according to Deity is Davids Lord as Christ himselfe expounds it Matth. 22.44 Mar. 12.36 Luke 20.41 Accordingly the Chalde calls Christ by the same title John doth Chap. 1. v. 1. In the beginning saith John was the WORD And saith the Chalde on this Psalme The Lord said to his WORD And because Christ is Davids Lord therefore tho Psalmist David himselfe infers that he must rule over Davids poesterity though now for present with many others they be enemies Sit thou at my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstoole Which phrase cannot with any congruity be meerly spiritually understood For how can we say Converts are enemies or if by conversion his friends how can it be said they are his footstool Christ is upon other termes with men when once made beleevers as that they are one with him Ioh. 15. Ioh. 17. Therefore the plain meaning is that Christ must so rule over all that his very enemies must corporally and visibly be subject unto his power And this is prophesied and promised for future after his ascention and after his first sitting at the right hand of God But to this day now after 1600 yeers since that time Christ hath not ruled over the generality of the Iews either the ten Tribes or two Tribes either corporally or spiritually besides Indians Turks c. so as to bring them into any outward acknowledgement of him And therefore as yet All his enemies are not made his footstool but it remaines to be done before the full and finall destruction at the ultimate day of judgement 3 ¶ Sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool is like that Act. 3.21 whom the Heavens must receive untill the times of the RESTITUTION he saith not DESTITUTION of all things And that Rev. 19. last Rev. 20.1 He shall slay his incurable Antichristian enemies and shall descend from Heaven 4 ¶ The Apostle doth yet much more give us light in this thing Heb. 2.8 9. In putting all things in subjection under him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he left nothing that is not put under him Now saith the Apostle We see not yet all things put under him though the Apostle there confesseth that Christ was already ascended So that Christ must sit in Heaven till his enemies be put in subjection under him which cannot be at the ultimate generall judgement For before that Christ at his next coming must receive a Kingdome Luke 19.11 c. which hath been largely cleared afore 2 Book Sect. 10. hee must in order of nature at his next appearance first have a Kingdome and then judge 2 Tim. 4.1 which also hath been abundantly opened afore 2 Book Sect. 6. For upon the ultimate day of judgement he layes downe all his authority 1 Cor. 15.28 5 ¶ The Apostle addes further light to this in his quotation of this of the 110. Psal in Act. 2.32 33 34 35 36. This Iesus hath God saith the Apostle Peter raised up c therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the holy Ghost he hath shed forth this as
Christ but anon Arianisme arose then Papisme mounted up then the Beast did arise The Church is put into a Wildernesse-condition the witnesses prophesie in sackcloth one thousand two hundred and sixty yeares which are not yet expired for they have not yet laine dead in the Grave three dayes and an halfe 5 ¶ Nor is that in the 18 19 20. verses yet fulfilled That all Idols are abolished that God hath so shaken the earth that he hath made the inhabitants thereof to cast away all their Idols and to hide themselves for feare The Territories of the Papacie extending over France Spaine Italy part of the Low Countries part of upper Germany part of Polonia part of the Indies c. are full of Idols and doe openly worship them as they say in the sight of the Sunne The great shake of these is not till the Witnesses have laine dead in the Grave three dayes and an halfe Revel 11. and then is the great fall ibid. ver 11. and when those things are shaken downe then the things that cannot be shaken viz. pure worship purely Spirituall and pure Saints shall remaine unmoved Heb. 12.27 § 6 Nor can it be rationally imagined that these things shall not be done till the ultimate day of the generall Judgement for then there is no time of establishing of the mountaine of the Lords house upon the top of the mountaine no proceeding of the word out of Zion no running and hiding from the presence of the Lord for the Sea and Grave c. shall give up their dead And all good shall be turned into an eternity of absolute glory Therefore the time of fulfilling of the Prophesies and Promises of this second of Isaiah is yet to come afore the ultimate day of the last generall Judgement * The Diatribae pars 4. of Mr. Mede lately coming forth and come to my hands since I penned this eleventh Section I thought it convenient to insert into the Margine at least his judgement of this second of Isaiah ver 2 3 4. which I will give you in his owne words HILS or MOUNTAINES saith he are States Kingdomes or Societies of men which consisting of degrees rising unto an height one above another are compared unto Mountaines raised above the ordinary plaine and levell of the earth The MOUNTAINE OF THE LORDS HOUSE is that State and Society of men which is called the Church and People of God REGNUM CAELORUM the Kingdome of Heaven i. e. a Kingdome whose both King and Kings Throne have their place and residence in the Heavens These words therefore are a Prophesie or Propheticall promise of the GLORIOUS EXALTATION WONDERFULL ENLARGMENT and UNHEARD-OF-PROSPERITY of this Society of men called the CHURCH above all States and Societies of men whatsoever The glory and EXALTATION is expressed in the word THE MOUNTAINE OF THE LORDS HOUSE SHAL BE ONE DAY EXALTED yee mounted not only above the lesser hill but above the highest mountaine though at this time it were depressed and trampled under foot by the proud enemies thereof The ENLARGMENT is in the word ALL NATIONS SHALL FLOW INTO IT i. e. though at the time of this Prophesie it were reduced to a small remnant yet the time was to come when it should not only consist of one Nation of the Jewes as then it did but of all Nations under the whole Heaven The PROSPERITY thereof begins to be described from these words ver 4. THEY SHAL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOW-SHARES c. i. e though the greatest part of JACOB were already captive and Judah and Jerusalem in a continuall feare and no lesse danger of the Armies and invasion of the King of Babel yet the time should one day come that the People or Church of God should not only be the most exalted state upon the earth and the most ample and universall Dominion that ever was in the world but the most peaceable quiet and flourishing State that ever was since man was FIRST CREATED This is the Prophesie But now comes the Question Whether this as we have described it be and hath already been fulfilled or whether if already any wayes fulfilled whether it be not in part only performed and the full accomplishment reserved for time to come c. For here the Church is to be established on the tops of Mountaines c. so that no other State shal over-top or over-looke it much lesse trample it under feet Now whether there was ever such a time when this was compleatly fulfilled c. I leave it to any mans indifferent judgement who can compare the description of the Prophet with the stories of fore past and present times In the times immediatly after Christs PASSION I think any man will grant the Church then was neither VISIBLE nor GLORIOUS In the time of the PERSECUTING EMPEROURS when the Church had taken foot among the Gentiles and the Nations began to flow unto it it was a Society indeed VISIBLE but not GLORIOUS I am sure it was not in the TOPS of the MOUNTAINES but the Imperial Mountaine of ROME not only over-topped it but over trampled it under their feet In the time of CONSTANTINE and thereabouts after three hundred yeares cruell persecution the Sunne seemed as it were to breake forth of a Cloud but presently that glory was eclipsed and even the visibility of the Church in a manner covered with the thick and a Universally overspreading cloud of ARYANISME This ARIAN cloud was no sooner blown over but another great cloud of that fore-prophesied APOSTASIE of the Church begun to arise whereby the Churches glory was not onely eclipsed but at length againe the visibility thereof wholly overshaddowed with the thick darknesse of Idolatrous ANTICHRISTIANISME untill after a long day of darknesse it pleased God of late somewhat to dispel the cloud c. and we hope when the cloud shall be wholly consumed by the beams of the Sun of the Gospel the Church shall become not more visible then yet it is but far more glorious then ever hitherto it hath been WHEN THE FULNESSE OF THE GENTILES as St. Paul speaks SHALL COME IN. For we shall finde in the Prophesies of the Scriptures that there are two sorts and times of the CALLING OF THE GENTILES First that which should be in the REJECTION OF THE IEWS as St. Paul saith to PROVOKE THEM TO IEALOUSIE Such a calling as should be in a manner occasionall that God might not want a Church the time the Iewes were to be cast out So Rom. 11.15 The CASTING AWAY OF THE IEWS is the RECONCILING OF THE WORLD i.e. The CALLING OF THE GENTILES Whence we may see that the Apostles were not to preach Christ to the Gentiles untill being first offered to the Iewes they refused him And this is that calling of the Gentiles which hitherto hath been many yeares But there is a second and more glorious calling of the Gentiles to be found in the Prophesies of Scripture not a calling as this is
wherein the Jewes are excluded but a calling wherein the Jewes shall have a share of the greatest glory and to have a preeminence above other Nations when ALL NATIONS SHAL FLOW UNTO THEM and walke in their light for the calling of the remainder of the world which is not yet under Christ is reserved for the solemnizing of the Iewes RESTAURATION This is that calling and that time which hee calls the FVLNESSE of the GENTILES conjoyned with the saving of ALL ISRAEL Rom. 11.25 This is that time whereof he speakes That if the present FALL of the Iewes be the RICHES OF THE WORLD and their DECAY the RICHES OF THE GENTILES how much more shall their FVLNESSE be the fulnesse of the Gentiles This is that glorious time which the Prophesie of this text principally if not altogether intended which is not yet fulfilled While the Roman Iron part of Nebuchadnezzart Image stood a stone was hewne out of the mountaine without hands This is the first call of the world hitherto At length the time of the feet of the Image coming that the stone smote them the wind blowes the Image away wholly and there was no more place found for any part thereof which was no sooner done but the stone which smote the Image swelled into a great Mountaine and filled the whole earth This is the time of the fulnesse of Christs Kingdome the FULNESSE of the Gentiles This is the time when THE MOUNTAINE OF THE LORDS HOUSE shall be established on the TOPS of the MOUNTAINES namely when the small stone of Christs Kingdome which is now in being shall smite the brittle feet of the last remainder of the Romane State now subsisting in the Popedome in whom the divided toes of too many Kingdomes are united c SECT XII § 1 THe second place in Isaiah for our Thesis is chap. 9. ver 6. For unto us a childe is borne unto us a Sonne is given and the GOVERNMENT shall be on his shoulders and his name shall be called WONDERFULL Counsellor the mighty God the everlasting Father the Prince of peace Ver. 7. Of the INCREASE of his GOVERNMENT and peace there shall be NO END upon the THRONE of DAVID and upon HIS KINGDOME to ORDER IT and to ESTABLISH IT with judgement and with justice from hence-forth and for ever The zeale of the Lord of Hosts will performe this Of this place we shall speake more briefly § 2 This text is very comprehensive apparently griping within its armes a large tract of Time from Christs Incarnation throughout all the processe of his Government untill the end of the ultimate Judgement as the words from hence-forth and for ever doe expresse therefore the Reader must not hang downe his head poring only upon the Birth of Christ as it is said in the beginning of this text To us a childe is borne but must lift up his eyes to the utmost of this glorious prospect here presented in the close upon the throne of David and upon his Kingdome he shall sit to order it and to establish it c. from henceforth and for ever § 3 It is not worth while for us to content with the late Jewish Rabbins that say this text is meant of Hezekiah we heard but now that the ancienter Rabbins and Talmud and their Targum or Chalde Paraphrase following them are contrary to that interpreting this text of the Messiah as they had an invincible reason so to doe in that the stile given to him here meant is incompatible and inconsistent with any but with God incarnate that is Christ Jesus the true Messiah And as little reason had those later Rabbins to interpret this Text of Hezekiah who was borne a good space of time before the date of this Prophesie yea and divers yeers before his Father Ahaz sate upon the Throne For Hezekiah was five and twenty yeers old at his fathers death whereas Ahaz his father had reigned in all but sixteen yeers 2 Kings 16.2 and chap. 18. v. 2. § 4 Leaving therefore all improbable and impertinent conceits of men let us come to the businesse to finde out the excellent state that shall be set up under the government of the Messiah before the ultimate judgement Our late Annotationists make for me a faire preface meetly conducing to the true sense of the words which we intend That the deliverances say they of Gods people and the pulling downe of such mighty POTENTATES whether SECULAR or SPIRITUALL mark their words may not seem impossible and incredible the Prophet now proceedeth to declare who it is and what manner of person by whom all that hath been said shall be effected even the Messias the eternall Sonne of God whom God shall raise up to be the King and Governour of his Church so they But we have a more sure word to confirme this interpretation Luke 1.31 32 33. And the Angel said unto Mary c. Thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a Sonne and shalt call his name Jesus He shall be great and shall be called the Sonne of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his FATHER DAVID and he shall reigne over the house of JACOB for EVER and of his Kingdome there shall be NO END § 5 Now lay this of Isaiah and Luke together and then read what they spell unto us Namely first That the meaning of this Text is not of spirituals onely but also of temporals The FOR in the beginning premised by Isaiah as a meet inference plainly sounds of a proof in this Text to demonstrate an assurance of the deliverance of Israel as is set forth in the fourth and fifth verses viz. Thou hast broken the yoke of his burthen and the staffe of his shoulder and the rod of his OPPRESSOUR as in the day of MIDIAN * Observe Gideons victories used to signifie this deliverance therefore not onely spiritual c. and it shall be as with battel and blood so with burning and fuel of fire But these words if weighed ** For close to the Hebrew the words run thus For every battle of the Warrier with noise and garments rowled in blood shall be also unto burning and fuel of fire cannot without violence be wrested to signifie only spirituall deliverances as our Annotationists also affirme with us whose words upon the fourth verse are these Having declared the greatnesse of their joy he proceeds to shew the ground of it their deliverance and freedome from the straits and thraldome of their enemies as well CORPORALL as Spirituall Therefore this Text is Gods giving security to his people of deliverance of them from temporall as well as spirituall oppressions troubles c. by Jesus Christ after that he hath finished the workes of his incarnation by passion resurrection ascention and assession at Gods right hand according to Psal 110. of which we have spoken plentifully afore Secondly That Christ was invested with these Attributes and Omnipotentiall Properties 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
and Hezekiah reigned five or six Kings over Judah And the Ten Tribes were not carried away captive into Assyria till the sixth yeare of the reigne of Hezekiah 2 King 18.9.10 And therefore it seems that Isaiah prophesied the Prophesie of this eleventh Chapter when Hezekiah was not come to the Crown nor were any of all the twelve Tribes in captivity in Assyria the first time and therefore could not be supposed to be delivered thence the first time But before this Text can be fulfilled they must be in Captivity in Assyria the first time and be delivered the first time as it is hinted in the Text they had been in Egypt the first time and been delivered thence the first time Now they were in Captivity in Assyria the first time as we touched afore in the ten Tribes in the reign of Hoshea King of Israel 2 Kin. 18. And in the two Tribes in the Reign of Zedekiah King of Judah 2 Chro. 36. So here is the totall Captivity of all the twelve Tribes in Assyria the first time And their deliverance out of that Captivity the first time the first that we can possibly reckon is set down in the book of Ezra Cha. 1. and Chap. 2. c. where for the generall the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin returned to Jerusalem as is plain by their Genealogies they were of the two Tribes excepting some others that went up that could not shew their Genealogies So that if wee make the most of the first recovery or deliverance we can put the emphasis no where but upon the returne of the two Tribes Nor can we finde where at the soonest to pitch this great emphasis of Gods recovering his people the second time but upon that time when hee shall bring back the rest of the Tribes viz. The ten Tribes which were and still are in Assyria from thence and from Pathros and from Cush and from Elam and from Shinar and from Hamath and from the Isles of the Gentiles Thus for the least and soonest Second time wee can possibly finde out of their deliverance out of Assyria and the parts afore-mentioned which is not fulfilled to this day But a greater Second and of the same length too is this This same Again the Second time c. may import two considerations First Two parts of the recovery or deliverance of the All of the twelve Tribes from Assyria the first time of the two Tribes the second of the ten Tribes of which we have spoken afore Secondly Two distinct times of deliverance of the twelve Tribes both the two and of some of the ten but especially of the Two Object The conceit of some that the Second out of Assyria answers to the first out of Egypt is in my opinion but weak Because they must be delivered according to this Text the Second time out of Egypt as well as out of Assyria Sol. And therefore these are co-eve co-etanean of the same age and not successive I say Second doth import as appears by history both divine and humane abetted with experience a Second deliverance of the twelve Tribes more or lesse from Assyria as well as from Egypt but specially this Second time centers upon the two Tribes called by the name of Jewes of whom Christ came as the ten were called Israel Which as briefly as we can we open thus That whereas God brought up the two Tribes from Assyria to Jerusalem by Ezra as his book makes large mention the Jews there continued for about three hundred threescore and ten yeers pretty quiet till that Antiochus Epiphanes comes up into Judea enters the City spoyles the Temple robs the City and kills a many of the Citizens as the learned Chronologers quote out of Macchab 1.1 In which Macchabean wars the Jews were much wasted and scattered Yet after that act of Antiochus the generality of the two Tribes that were left and the sprinklings of the ten Tribes as is supposed Ezra 2.62 as many as came up with them under Cyrus by Ezra abode there about a hundred sixty and six yeers more with much trouble in the ensuing Macchabean wars and the Roman invasions and domination succeeding them till Christ should bee borne at Bethlehem in Judea that the Scripture might be fulfilled touching that place of his birth But they crucifying Christ affronting his Gospel with sacrificing and persecuting his members and with all divine justice therein most righteously recompencing them rebelling against the Romans their Governours God and men conspired in a further prosecution of this second scattering on foot by the Antiochian Macchabean and Roman warres Titus the Roman Emperour some forty yeers after Christs ascention destroying their Temple and after him Adrian destroying the City of Jerusalem After whom Constantine the Great scattered them from Mamre and then God himselfe scattered them being about to re-build the Temple by the encouragement of Julian the Apostata by fire from heaven and wonders on earth After all which the Saracens Arabians and Turkes invaded their land and miserably scattered them and so they continue excepting a few Jewes in and about Jerusalem to this day dispersed in the Isles of the Sea or of the Gentiles viz. in the West-Indies Italy Poland Spaine Portugal Low-Countries Media Persia Assyria c. as we shall see presently and in most Countries in the world as the Rabbins in their books plainly confesse So that Gods setting his hand THE SECOND TIME to recover his people out of ASSYRIA c. cannot be streightned to the returne of the two Tribes under the conduct of Zerubbabel and Joshua with Ezra for this was but the first time They are again scattered And the Ten Tribes as well as the Two are his people and the promise is Rom. 11. of saving all ISRAEL Therefore the whole work of restoring all the twelve Tribes now lyes on Gods hands to recover them from Assyria the second time in this sense also And he must do it universally including the generality of all his people that are scattered and from all places as saith our Text from ASSYRIA the common name of the Empire at their first captivity there Of which there is abundant mention in the books of Kings Chronicles and Ezra And there were of the Jews there in the time of Jeremiah the Prophet Jer. 44.1 And from EGYPT Which likely afterwards was added in part or whole to that Empire as severall times in the reigne of severall Kings of Israel and Juda many Jews were carried thither Of whose scattering there unto the Apostles time see Act. 2.10 And from PATHROS There was Pathros sometime belonging to the Territories of Egypt there being mention of the Country of the Inhabitants called Pathrusim Gen. 10.14 whose place or land of habitation may very fitly be called Pathros and was a Province of Egypt Jer. 44.1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt c. Then v. 15 All the men
yet the threats are expresse in v. 1 2. against ALL Nations Secondly Moab and Ammon and the Ishmaelites or Hagarens being knit to the line of the Jewes Gen. 18. Gen. 16. as was Idumea the Country of Esau they are most fitly held forth as types of the Antichristian enemies of the Church of the New Testament Psal 83. 6 7 c. they all being mothers children as Cant. 1. but not acting as brethren even as St. John makes the destruction of those enemies Types and Prophesies of the destruction of Antichrist as we heard but now SECT XIX THe ninth place in Isaiah is Chapter 43. and Chapter 44. being one entire discourse of the same matter notwithstanding the division of Chapters In the main and principall designe they treat of the conversion and salvation spirituall and temporall of the Jewes which are yet unfulfilled We need but touch upon some passages It is said Chapter 43. v. 1 2 3. Thus saith the Lord that created thee O JACOB and he that formed thee O ISRAEL fear not I have redeemed thee I have called thee by name thou art mine when thou passest through the waters and fires thou shalt not be destroyed for I am the Lord thy God the holy one of ISRAEL thy Saviour I gave Egypt for thy ransome Ethiopia and Saba for thee Which place if we look upon as an history of things done then it will be justly queried that though God destroyed Egypt in the book of Exodus for Israels sake yet when dealt he so with Ethiopia and Saba Therefore generally and most safely it is referred as a Prophesie to future things answerable to verse 2. Thou art mine and I will be with thee in all difficulties And to v. 4. I have loved thee and therefore I will give MEN mark the comprehensivenesse of the terme for thee And answerable to verse 5 6. I am with thee I will bring thy seed from the East and gather thee from the West I will say to the North give up and to the South keep not back bring my sonnes from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth And verse 18 19 20 21. Remember not the former things behold I will doe a new thing c. I will even make a way in the wildernesse and rivers in the desart the Beasts of the field shall honour me because I give waters in the wildernesse c. to give drinke to my people my chosen This people have I formed for my selfe they shall shew forth my praise For this giving Ethiopia and Saba for the Jews cannot be understood as Calvin and the Geneva Notes hint of the coming up of Perkaka King of Ethiopia against Assyria whiles Sennacherib King of Assyria was coming up against Jerusalem Isa 27. for these reasons First the Angel of the Lord going forth into the Army of Sennacherib and slaying one hundred eighty five thousand of them Isa 37.36 was the giving of the Assyrians not the Ethiopians for a ransome for the Jewes Secondly If that slaughter of the Assyrians was a ransome for the two Tribes yet is it nothing for Israel the ten Tribes so often mentioned in this Chapter Thirdly As we have no sacred history for it so no humane probability that Sennacheribs Army thus weakned by the Angel was in a fit condition to war against and to worst that Army of the Ethiopians then gathered against Sennacheribs Kingdome of Assyria or to overthrow Seba. As it is alike improbable that Sennacherib could recruit the old or raise a new Army speedily enough to encounter with Perkaka who was then fully ready for fight The story concludes Sennacheribs retreat from Jerusalem otherwise viz. That he returned and dwelt in Nineveh and worshipping in the house of his Idol gods was slaine there by his two sonnes Isa 37. And in this our New Annotationists concur with us saying That though most understand this of Gods turning Sennacheribs forces against Egypt and Ethiopia upon the tidings brought unto him of Tirkakas coming against him when he was making towards Jerusalem to besiege it Isa 37. yet wee cannot conceive say they that to be the meaning of the place For though it be true that the rumour startled him and made him thinke of returning yet was it not that but the fright he tooke upon the unexpected blow given in his Camp that enforced him to flight not to invade Egypt or Ethiopia which he was in a sorry case then to doe but to get him home with as much speed as hee could into his owne Country Chap. 31.8 9. And 37.36 37. So the Annotationists very well But to that they adde I cannot well consent when they say That this of giving Ethiopia and Saba for a ransome for Israel may well have reference to that remarkable defeat of that vast Army the greatest upon record in Scripture given to the Cushites under Asa c. For this Chapter is a Prophesie of things to come speaking both first and last in the Chapter in the future tense If in a touch it speaks in the past tense in the middle of the Chapter it is but usuall in Prophesies to shew their certainty to expresse what shall bee as if done already And it is spoken of Jacob and Israel comprehending all the twelve Tribes at least the ten and not the two onely called Juda over whom Asa was King and mentions the ruine of Saba for Israels sake that they might bee delivered of which wee have nothing in past stories And if this Chapter bee a Prophesie the story of Asa his victory abovesaid over the Chushites will not comport with the meaning thereof Asa dying many yeers Bucholcerus saith above a hundred and fifty afore Isaiah prophesied § 3 Now these things afore prophesied throughout this Chapter further amplified in the following Chapter were never yet since Isaiahs time fulfilled At their returne from Babylon none were slaine for Israels sake Nor at the time of Christs being on earth nor since the Turk possessed Judea for they returned by the voluntary consent of the King of Babylon And from the time of Christs being on earth and downward till the Turk took Judea the Romans severall times as we have shewed afore slew them instead of being slain for them as did the Turks after the Romans deal with them likewise Nor was the seed of Israel brought from the East West North and South and from the ends of the earth to this day Where still they are dispersed c. as it follows in these two Chapters Nor can these things suit with the ultimate day of doom § 4 Therefore there remaines yet a time to come when the Prophesies of these Chapters must be fulfilled afore the ultimate day of judgement There must be a distinct time on earth when Egypt Ethiopia and Saba shall be destroyed for the deliverance and freedome of Jacob and Israel and not onely these but all foure quarters of the world and the utmost ends of the earth as it is
expresse in v. 4 5 6. shall be forced to let Jacob and Israel goe free The Lord will as it is v. 19. do a NEW THING which must properly signifie a thing never done afore to make way for their returne and liberty as it is expresse v. 19. c. before set downe at large Which wanton wits may endeavour to elude with Allegories and Phantasmes of their owne hatching which neither can convince a rationall Christian nor deliver the Jewes according to the intent of the Prophet Who though afore that their deliverance as in v. 22. c. they should not call upon God as they ought but should be weary of the Lord and should weary the Lord with their iniquities and therefore they are given up to the curse and to the reproach yet after these things as it followes in the 44. Chapter and first seven verses as an Antithesis to their said evill condition the Lord promiseth and the Prophet prophesieth it that they should have a glorious condition saying Yet now heare O Jacob my servant and ISRAEL whom I have chosen Thus saith the Lord that made thee c. Fear not O Jacob and thou Jesurun the name also of the twelve Tribes Deut. 32. I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground I will POUR MY SPIRIT upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring And they shall spring up among the grasse as willows by the water-courses One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himselfe by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and surname himselfe by the name of Israel Thus saith the Lord the KING of Israel I am the first and I am the last Who as I shall CALL and declare it and SET IT IN ORDER for me since I appointed the ancient people and the things that ARE COMMING and SHALL COME § 5 Thus you see the present state of the Jewes as in the latter end of the former Chapter viz. sinfull and dolefull you see their names viz. Jacob Israel and Jesurun all names of the twelve Tribes you see what is meant by pouring water upon the thirsty viz. pouring out of the spirit you see what is meant by growing as willows by the water-courses viz. by the effusion of the Spirit multitudes shall own the Lord you see what Titles Christ hath of KING of ISRAEL and of FIRST and LAST which are his Titles when he prophesies of his visible Kingdome to be on earth repeated several times in the Revelation Now then deal ingeniously and compare the expressions with the Jewes condition for above these one thousand six hundred and fifty yeers to this very day and see then whether you can indeed and bonâ fide imagine that these Prophesies have been ever yet fulfilled or that it is proper or feisable that they should be fulfilled at the ultimate day of Doom SECT XIX THe tenth place in Isaiah is Chapter 45. v. 14. * Touching v. 14. to v. 22. I will onely insert Mr. Medes Notes in the margin because it came not timely enough to bee put into the Text Esaiae vaticinium cap. 45. a versu 14. deinceps in eodem Adventu secundo Christi implendum restatur Apostolus ad Rom. c. 14. v. 11. omnes enim inquit stabimus ante Tribunal Christi scriptum est enim nempe in hoc Esaiae vaticinio vivo ego dicit Dominus quoniam mihi flectetur omne genu omnis lingua confitebitur Deo Quod si haec Prophetiae pars in secundo Christi adventu in die nimirum Judicii adimplenda restet etiam reliqua eodem pertinere necesse est Est autem Prophetiae initium hujusmodi Sic dicit Dominus labor Aegypti negotiatio Cush Sabaeorum VIRORUM MENSURAE i. e. MERCATORUM 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sic Targum quod mensuris utantur non MEN OF STATUR ad te O tu captiva vel O civitas mea transibunt tui erunt post te ambulabunt in compedibus ad te incurvabunt se te deprecabuntur dicentes Tantum in te Deus est non est alius praeter ipsum Deus In Hebraeo enim omnia haec pronomina sunt generis faeminini quare ad Cyrum referri nequeunt sed ad Jerusalem captivam de qua in versu praecedenti mentionem habuit quemque ad majorem rei evidentiam sic verterem ego suscitavi Cyrum in justitia omnes vias ejus dâ—â—gam Ipse aedificabit civitatem meam captivam meam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 DIMITTET idque fine pretio muncre dicit Dominus exercitum Tunc sequuntur verba quae paulo ante recitavi Sic dicit Dominus labor Aegypti c. q. d. parum est quod reaedificaberis â—emitteris Imo vero magna re O captiva mea O civitas mea manet olim faelicitas Observandum est enim Dominum inde a fine versus undecimi espondere quasi interrogationi de Fatis filiorum fuorum juxra quod praemisit ventura interrogate me de filiis meis de operibus mamanuum earum praecipite mihi nempe ut narrem vobis quae futura sunt Thus far Mr. Mede By which it is most plaine that he thinks and shews for it great strength of reason that this place of Isa is to be understood of a glorious state of the Church to be on earth at Christs second coming to the end of the Chapter but specially verse 22 23 24 25. viz. verse 22. Looke unto me and be yee saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else 23. I have sworne by my selfe the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne that unto me every knee shall bow every tongue shall swear 24. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousnesse Heb. righteousnesses and strength even to him shall men come and all that are incensed against him shall be ASHAMED 25. In the Lord shall the seed of Israel bee justified and shall glory § 1 For those foure last verses of the Chapter this is that I have to say The Prophet having spoken to JACOB and ISRAEL v. 17 18 19. Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation and shall not be ASHAMED nor confounded world without end for thus saith the Lord that created the Heavens and formed the earth hee hath created it not in vaine he formed it to be INHABITED which phrases Not ashamed c. and to be inhabited extend that everlasting salvation to comprehend a blessed salvation on earth too I have not spoken in secret in a darke place of the earth I said not to the seed of JACOB seek ye me in vaine I say the Prophet having spoken to Jacob and Israel names comprehending all twelve Tribes next he extends his speech more generally with them to all the Nations of the world v.
Pagans Papists Atheists Hereticks and prophane persons And without multiplying words the very phrases will not admit of a referring these to the ultimate day of Doome And therefore must yet bee fulfilled on earth before that day SECT XX. § 1 THe eleventh place in Isaiah is Chap. 49. wholly But I shall need to touch only upon three or four places of the Chapter which will give light to all the rest In generall the chapter is of the bringing in of Jews and Gentiles into the Church The Jews are here named by the generall termes that comprehend at least the ten Tribes if not the whole twelve viz. by the names of Israel ver 3 5 6 7. and of Jacob ver 5. and of the Tribes of Jacob v. 6. and the preserved of Israel ibid. In way of distinction from whom the two Tribes are called Zion v. 14. So that all the twelve Tribes that came of Jacob are intended in this Chapter in the close whereof as a seal the Lord stiles himself Their Saviour their Redeemer the Mighty one of JACOB The Gentiles likewise are expressely named in v. 6. viz I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest bee my salvation unto the ends of the earth quoted by the Apostle Act. 13.47 to prove the propagation of the Gospel for salvation to the Gentiles The concurrence of both Jews and Gentiles in coming in to Christ is expressed to the life ver 22 23. Thus saith the Lord God behold I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles and set up my standard to the people and they shall bring THY sons in their armes and thy daughters shall be carryed upon THEIR shoulders and KINGS shall be thy nursing Fathers and THEIR Queens shall be THY nursing Mothers c. Adde that the engagement of God that thus hee will call home both Jews and Gentiles v. 13.15 19 18 26. is great Sing O Heavens and be joyfull O Earth and break forth into singing O Mountains for God hath comforted his people and WILL have mercy on his afflicted Can a woman forget her sucking child that shee should not have compassion on the son of her womb c. Yet VVILL NOT I FORGET THEE Behold I have GRAVEN THEE upon the palmes of mine hands As I LIVE saith the Lord thou shalt surely cloathe thee with them all that oppose thee as with an ornament c. And ALL FLESH shall know that I the Lord am the Mighty one of Jacob. § 2 These being premised let us but only put the question upon some Verses whether ever they were yet fully fulfilled and that will be sufficient to ingenuous reason to confesse they must yet be fulfilled and that on earth § 3 VVhen was the seventeenth verse ever fulfilled viz. Thy children shall make hasle thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall goe out of thee VVe read no such thing at their return from Babylon but that there were the crew of Sanballat Tobiah c. that opposed them Anon Alexander the Great the Grecian Monarch enters Jerusalem After him Antiochus Epiphanes alias Epimanes King of Syria wasteth it After these the Romans conquer it And now the Turks ever since possesse it § 4 And when ever yet was the nineteenth verse fulfilled viz. Thy waste and desolate places and the land of thy destruction shall even now be too narrow by reason of the Inhabitants and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away Surely since the carrying away captive of the ten Tribes the Kingdomes of Israel and Judah were never full of their owne Inhabitants We never read that ever the Assyrians Babylonians Cutheans c. which the King of Assyria sent into the Kingdome of Israel 2 Kings 17.24 were sent for home againe Nor that ever those CALDEANS that were sent to governe Judea intimated in 2 King 25. were recalled And for after times as we have hinted afore when the Greek went out the Syrian came in when the Syrian went out the Roman came in when the Roman went the Turke came in and there he is to this day These expulsing one another there hath been a constant succession of them that swallowed up the twelve Tribes Their wasters and destroyers have been changed but have not been sent forth far away from Israel and Judah § 5 Againe did the Gentiles and Peoples ever yet as v. 22. bring the sonnes and daughters of the Jewes in their armes and upon their shoulders If we should wave the litterall sense of setling the Jews in their owne Land and condescend to a spirituall sense of the generality of the Gentiles compliance with the generality of the Jewes in matters of Religion and union into the universall Church wee cannot tell when ever this was done to this day § 6 Nor can we say that ever the Kings of the Gentiles as it is v. 23. and their Queens have been nursing fathers and mothers to the Jewes and bowing downe to them Alas poore Jewes they have ever since the beginning of the Grecian Monarchy long before Christ downe to this very day been under the awing power of the Gentiles and mostly used hardly and in most places of the world instead of reverence have been and are much villified Therefore John in Revelation tels us that this is yet to come and to be fulfilled upon earth afore the ultimate day of judgement as the circumstances of things and the phrases of the Prophesie necessarily require Rev. 21. v. 24.26 And the Kings of the EARTH doe bring their glory and honour into New Jerusalem And they shall bring the glory and honour of the NATIONS into it And yet so as there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth c. § 7 Wee are likewise utterly to seek when ever yet the 25. and 26. verses were fulfilled viz. The captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will save thy children and will feed them that oppresse thee with their owne flesh and they shall be drunken with their owne blood Wee know not of any such thing since the captivity of the Jewes in Babylon in all Histories divine and humane that thus the Jewes were saved by such destruction of their enemies The Jews indeed soon after their captivity made some attempts 2 King 25. v. 25. After that they made some attempts in 1 Book of Macchab And after that they made severall attempts in the time of Titus and Adrian Roman Emperours And since that the Turk hath dominered over them the Kings of the Gentiles especially of England have made some attempts of warre on their enemies managed by the stocke counsell and aide of severall religious orders for that end as of the Templars Knights of the Rhodes or of John of Jerusalem and of the Knights of Malta alias Melita But all these attempts have not amounted to Isaiahs phrase
of judgement as is fully discussed elsewhere in this Volume but do clearly comport with the beginning of the businesse of the great restauration at the generall call of the Jewes See in this third Book Chap. 2. Sect. 37. § 20. ¶ 5. c. So likewise the Apostle Paul applies the phrases and things of this 37 of Ezekiel to the times of the generall call of the Jewes Rom. 11.15 If the casting away of the Jewes be the reconciling of the World what shall be the receiving of the Jewes but LIFE FROM THE DEAD So likewise St. John in Revelation chap. 11.11 to 14 shewes plainly that the witnesses must first rise and then there was a great Earthquake and then the tenth part of the City of the whore of Babylon fals and thousands are slaine which things can have no fellowship with the ultimate day of judgement especially if we marke that the Earthquake the fall of the City and the slaughter are mentioned afore the sounding of the seventh Trumpet Now within the last of the space of which seventh Trumpet fals the ultimate judgement and therefore these things belong to the great restauration at the ruine of Antichrist and the call of the Jewes and the setting up of the glorious Church of Jewes and Gentiles for presently after ver 14 15. the seventh Trumpet sounds and the Kingdomes of the World become the Kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ Thus of the places in Ezekiel SECT XXXV Next we come to Daniel The first place in this Prophet is in the second chapter from ver 31. to ver 36. § 1 NOw Mr. Medes lately printed Diatribae pars 4. and his Opuscula and my pen being met I shall give him the way and precedency as glad of such a strongly-learned Captaine to lead me up in the Skirmish for the truth now in hand against the many opposers thereof And the rather because perhaps such are the partiall-personalities that act some mens braines the same truth will be better accepted from his mouth then from mine Quo demum saith he * Opuscul par 2. p. 20. Arg. 2. absoluto c. i. e. The fourth Kingdom or Monarchy according to Daniel is that upon the dissolution and abolition whereof followes the consummation of Christs Kingdom * By Christs Kingdom which Mr. Mede doâ—h â—o often mention in these â—is discourses here quoted in this §. 1. he â—eans as he expounds it in other places of his workes CHRISTS CHURCH as CHRISTIAN or the CHRISTIAN CHURCH OF CHRIST See before in this third book chap. 2. Sect. 12 S. in the large marginal note But the Roman Kingdome being once extinct and abolished the Kingdom of Christ shall be consummated therefore the Roman Kingdome or Monarchy is the fourth The major or first proposition is most evident from either prophesie of Daniel As concerning Nebuchadnezzars dreame thou sawest saith he chap. 2. v. 34 35. untill a stone was cut out without hands and it smoate the image upon its feet of iron and clay so that it brake them to peeces So the wind carryed them away and no place was found for them But the STONE that smote the image became a great MOUNTAINE so that it filled the whole earth That is Daniel himselfe being the Interpreter in the dayes of the fourth Kingdome or Monarchy the God of Heaven will raise up a Kingdome this is that stone cut out of the mountain which shall not for ever be destroyed and which shall not be left to another people as it befell the former Monarchies but it shall crumme and consume all those Kingdoms but it selfe shall stand for ever that is the stone of Christs Kingdome having now for many ages past been cut out of the mountaine of this world at length when the time decreed of God shall come the last parts of this image being cast out and utterly abolished though hitherto it hath been but a STONE and indeed of offence or stumbling shall then grow into an HUGE MOUNTAINE and shall fill the whole earth For the minor or second proposition That the Roman Kingdome or Monarchy being once extinct and abolished the Kingdom or Monarchy of Christ shall be consummated it is easily proved out of the New Testament For by or from the abolition of Antichrist shall the Kingdome of Christ be consummated 2 Thes 2.8 And that wicked one shall be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth and shal abolish with the splendor or brightnes of his coming or as the Syriack shall kill him with the revelation or manifestation of his coming So also it is apparent out of the Apocalyps that Antichrist shall remaine till the sounding of the seventh that is the last Trumpet which once sounding there are great voyces in Heaven THE KINGDOMES OF THE WORLD ARE BECOME THE KINGDOMS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST who shall reigne for ever and ever Rev. 11.15 the very same thing which the Angel a little afore Rev. 10.6 foretold That the seventh Trumpet sounding the MYSTERY OF GOD SHALL BE FINISHED as he hath declared to his servants the Prophets But Antichrist was to rise out of the Roman Empire 2 Thes 2.7 and Revel 16. John affirmes Antichrist to be one of the seven-headed beast The foure Kingdomes in Daniel are saith Mr. Mede * Diatr par 4. p. 361.393 twice revealed first to Nebuchadnezzar in a glorious image of foure metals 2 To Daniel himselfe in a vision of foure divers beasts arising out of the Sea The intent of both is by that succession of Kingdomes to point out the time of the KINGDOME OF CHRIST which no other Kingdome should succeed or destroy Nebuchadnezzars IMAGE of MONARCHIES Dan. 2. points out TWO STATES of the Kingdome of Christ The first to be while the times of those Kingdoms of the Gentiles yet lasted typified by a STONF CUT OUT OF A MOUNTAINE WITHOUT HANDS the Monarchical STATUE YET STANDING upon his FEET The second not to be untill the UTTER DESTRUCTION and DISSIPATION OF THE IMAGE when the stone having smote it upon the feet should GROW INTO A GREAT MOUNTAINE WHICH SHOULD FILL THE WHOLE EARTH The first may be called for distinction sake REGNUM LAPIDIS the Kingdome of the Stone which is the slate of Christs Kingdome WHICH HITHERTO HATH BEEN The other REGNUM MONTIS the Kingdome of the Mountain that is of the Stone growne into a Mountaine c. which is the state of his Kingdome which hereafter shall be The INTERVALLUM between these two from the time the stone was first hewen out that is the Kingdome of Christ was first advanced untill the time it became a MOUNTAINE that is when the MYSTERY OF GOD shall be FINISHED is the subject of the Apocalypticall visions Note here that the STONE is expounded by Daniel to be that LASTING KINGDOME which the God of Heaven should set up Secondly That the STONE was hewne out of the MOUNTAINE before it SMOTE the IMAGE upon the
the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall SHINE AS THE STARS FOR EVER The meaning whereof is this that whereas the greatest glory of the Elect is reserved to the ultimate day of judgement when they all shall SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN IN THE KINGDOME OF THE FATHER Matth. 13.43 Yet meane while at this particular metaphoricall resurrection the effectually called shall have great glory proportionably to their relations They that are private converts shall have much glory but they that are instrumentally publicke converters shall have more The private converts or Schollars of wisdome called here WISE shall have much honour and glory in the eyes and approbation of their beleeving brethren for their patience and zeale But the publick converters to bring others to the imbracement of true justification shall have a greater degree of honour and glory in esteem among the beleeving Jewes and other Churches of God ¶ 2. The distinction of the graces of the converted Jewes is this that the peoples graces are expressed rather by the name of Wisdome then by naming any other grace because blindnesse of mind Rom. 11.25 and a foolish prejudice in heart 1 Cor. 1. Act. 28.27 was their cheife sinne that formerly caused them to reject Christ and his Gospell The Teachers gifts are named a bringing many to justification rather then to sanctification because formerly they had cheifly beguiled the people in the point of justification crying up the workes of the law as their righteousnesse see the rule Rom. 9.32 and see the example Act. 15.1 But did not teach Christ the true righteousnesse as the prophets had often told them calling him the RIGHTEOUS BRANCH and THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE There might be other reasons of this compellation of their graces As of calling the peoples graces by the name of Wisdome because all grace comes in in the beams of knowledge without this no grace Though all knowledge is not accompanied with grace And of calling their Teachers gifts by the title of bringing many to justification Because justification is the door to let in sanctification Till we are united to Christ for righteousnesse there is no flowing forth of his fulnesse for holinesse § 23 And thus you see what is that time in general that Daniel means wherein Michael shall stand up to deliver his people viz. when the glasse of the period of the fourth Monarchy is run The time more particularly is in the remainder of this twelfth chapter of Daniel compared with other places But of there if God permit afterwards Thus of the Prophesies of Daniel SECT XXXVIII FRom the Prophesies of Daniel next in order we come to those of the the Prophet Hosea wherein the first conducing to our main Thesis is in chap. 1. v. 10 11. Yet or for all that or after that * The 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 here put is of a vast comprehension i◠the Hebrew language And therefore may be indifferently rendred as we expresse Only then best when nearest the sence Learned Grotius his note is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bis positum apud Hebraeos sape tempora connectit ita ut Latine per POST QUAM reddatur optimè the number of the children of ISRAEL shall be as the sand of the Sea which cannot be measured nor numbered And it shall come to passe that in the place where or instead of that †. T is well our Translators would at least put in the margin instead of that and had done better if they had turned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That not where which That would have served both readings as the Hebrew word is oft so used although we rather imbrace the Marginal reading not onely for Grotius his reason that Illud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 valer FRO EO QUOD sic multi populi etiam nunc loquuntur in the place in the usuall vulgar languages as well as in the Hebrew signifies as much as we Englishmen say in our English ideom in the room of or in the stead and imitating the French we say in lieu of that But principally for this reason that the Prophet speaking of the unmeasurable and innumerable multitude of Jewes to be brought in to Christ the Prophet could not point at this or that particular place where onely some of them were it was said unto them yee are not my people there or leave out this there not being in the Hebrew it shall bee said unto them YEE ARE THE SONNES OF THE LIVING GOD. Then shall the children of JUDAH and the children of ISRAEL bee GATHERED TOGETHER and appoint themselves ONE HEAD and they shall come up out of the land for great shall be the day of Jezreel § 1 Least the memories of any might mistake and stumble by like sound of severall Scriptures let them heed well that this place of Scripture is not in any part or intent thereof a minceing or littleing of the number of them of Israel that shall be saved that the Apostle alledgeth Rom. 9.27 out of Isaiah chap. 10. v. 22. Though few of them as Isaiah means comparatively considered in relation to many past generations wherein they have laine blind and not owned Christ shall be saved yet looked upon absolutely as they are and shall be exstant and surviving at Christs next appearance or generall call of them there shall be an innumerable multitude that shall be saved And this is the intent and to this pitch are formed the high phrases of the prophet Hosea that those of them that shall be called Gods people shall be as the sands of the Sea unmeasurable and innumerable NOTWITHSTANDING that in former ages they were cast off and called of God YEE ARE NOT MY PEOPLE § 2 So that Vatablus doth well hit the naile on the head when he saith upon this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 erit autem solent Prophetae c. i. e. But it shall come to passe that the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand c. The Prophets are wont after they have threatned by and by to subjoyn consolation Therefore this Text ought to be understood of beleeving ISRAEL the true sonnes of Abraham As if the Prophet should say this that I spake before in way of threatning ought to be understood of those that shall remaine in unbeleefe For otherwise the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the Sea c. For all the Israelites shall not perish yea the number of the sons or children of the Church shall be exceeding great § 3 But to wind our selves a little deeper into the sence of the text that we may draw up thence the golden oare of comfortable inferences ISRAEL must at least signifie the Ten Tribes Hierom saith all twelve our prophet naming ISRAEL and JUDAH distinctly in ver 11. And in ver 4. He sets forth the Kingdome of Israel consisting of the ten Tribes by Jehu their King threatning for his pouring out of the blood
Sect and was of any Tribe as the Jewes themselves intimate There were two sorts â— Laic 1. Such as taught to write which we call Scribes or Writing Masters 2 Such as drew Deeds and Writings of bargaines and sale which we call Sâ—riveners To both these Psal 45. ver 1. alludes Then thirdly out of these that were most expert there was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Kings Scribes which we call Secretaries 2 King 12 10. and chap. 22. ver 1. And 2 Sam. 20.25.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Scribes of the people which were much like to our Clerkes of Assizes for these Scribes were to attend the publicke Courts and Consistories 1 Maccab. 5.42 The second sort of Scribes were Clericks learned men called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Scribes of the Law Ezra 7.6 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lawyers Matth. 22.35 Luk. 7.30 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doctors or Teachers of the Law Luk 5.17 Elias must first come he answers Elias truly shall first come and restore all things but I say unto you that Elias is come already and THEY the Iewes led by those Scribes knew him not but have done unto him whatsoever they listed Likewise shall also the Son of Man suffer of THEM Then the Disciples understood that he spake to them of John Baptist And by Christs speech that generation in which he was borne should bee called to an account for all the blood of the Saints shed by the Jewes persecution from Abel down to the Apostles which must needs include the murther of Iohn Baptist Matth. 23.35 Luk. 11.51 And further the sacred Text doth intimate that these Herodians had held some dangerous leaven of doctrine though t is not there expressed Mar. 8.15 The Assideans were of two sorts the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tsadikim and the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chasidim The Isadikim kept close to the letter of the Scriptures and studyed that The Chasidim commonly translated Assidael Assideans studyed how to adde to the Scriptures The Tsadikim conformed outwardly at least to what the law required But the Chasidim would be holy above the Law D. Kimch Psal 103.17 Pirke Aboth cap. 5. The Essenes first Of the Essenes Held many of the Pythagoreans evill opinions as a communitie of goods Aul. Gel. l. 1. c. 10. Laert. in Pythag. Ioseph l. 18. c. 2. They allowed not lawfull pleasures Iustin l. 20. Ioseph de bello l. 2. c. 12. they ascribed all things to fate and destiny Suid. Ioseph Antiqu. l. 13. c. 9.2 They worshipped towards the sun rising Philo. Ioseph 3. bound themselves by oath to preserve the names of Angels the phrase implying a kind of worshipping of Angels Ioseph de bel l. 2. c. 12. c. The Gaulonites Of the Gaulonites who had their name from one Iudas sometimes called Iudas Gaulonites sometime Iudas Galilaeus Ios Antiq. l. 18. c. 1 2. mentioned Act. 5.37 Held first That tribute was not to be paid to Princes as being a badge of servitude Secondly that they ought to call none Lord but the Lord of Lords the God of Heaven Thirdly They forbad sacrifices to bee offered for the welfare of the Roman Empire and Emperour which is conceived to be the reason why Pilat mingled their blood with their sacrifices Luk. 13.1 Oecumen in Act. 5.37 Theophyl in Luk. 13.1 For Pilat was not over the Nation or province of the Galileans and therefore it must be this Sect that Pilat so punished And thus you have had an account of the Iewes corrupting of Religion in Christs time as Iewish And as for Christian religion they did for the generality refuse both it and him Ioh. 1.11 He came unto his own and his own received him not And so they did after in the Apostles ministrations rejecting their Doctrine and persecuting their persons Act. 13. Act. 4. and so saith St. Paul Rom. 11. they are to continue in blindnesse till the fulnesse of the Gentiles shal be come in that then ALL ISRAEL may be saved ¶ 3. For the Jewes victory prophesied in this fourth of Micha it is set forth in the eighth verse c. to the end of the chapter v. 8. And thou O Tower of the flock the strong hold of the daughter of ZION unto thee shall it come even the FIRST DOMINION the Kingdome shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem That is thou must have a flourishing estate at least as glorious as at first in David and Solomons time ver 10. Thou shalt be delivered from Babylon there the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies They shall not onely be dèlivered as by a common providènce but shall be redeemed as relating to the fruit of a Saviour Luk. 3. ver 30 31 32. and v. 38. Ver. 13. Arise and thresh O daughter of Zion for I will make thine horne Iron and I wil make thine hoofs brasse and thou shalt beat in peeces MANY PEOPLES And I will consecrate their gaine unto the Lord and their substance to the Lord of the earth So that the Jewes must not onely be delivered from their enemies but must be the destroyers of their enemies that continue enemies and that not of a few but of many peoples Now when ever had the Jewes since their first captivity such prosperity such victory such a Kingdom and such a conquest Ten Tribes for two are still by the Jewes confession in captivity And the two Tribes ever since their first return have been notwithstanding under the power of one Monarch or another by an immediate and concatenaâ—ed succession 1. The Persian 2 The Grecian 3. The Roman 4. The Saracen 5. The Turke So that this Scripture is not yet come to passe and cannot be deferred to the ultimate general resurrection as being inconsistent with that time in most of the branches Therefore it is yet to bee fulfilled afore that time Thus of Micha SECT XLIV Next we come to the Prophet Zephany where we shall insist but upon one place and that is an Eminent one viz. chap. 3. ver 9 c. To the end of the Chapter § 1 IN this place three things are prophesied which orderly laid together doe compleatly make up the maine of our point that yet before the ultimate judgement at the universall resurrection there shall be a most glorious visible Church on earth beautifully woven and integrated of Iewes and Gentiles 1 Here is prophesied the RESTITUTION of the Iewes both in a way of conversion unto God and of reversion into their owne Country unto a glorious Church State 2 The VOCATION of the Gentiles both unto an effectual conversion unto God and a most harmonious union with the rest of the Church 3 The SUBVERSION of the enemies of the Jewes and of the Church of Christ § 2 The first the RESTITUTION of the Iewes as to the first part thereof viz. their conversion wee have it in the 10 11 12 and 13 verses Ver. 10. From beyond the river of Ethiopia
And almost all things are by the law purged with blood and without shedding of blood no remission It was necessary therefore that the patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these but the HEAVENLY THINGS THEMSELVES with BETTER SACRIFICES then THESE Heb. 13.19 But to doe good and to communicate forget not for with such SACRIFICES God is well pleased Phil. 2.17 If I be offered upon the SACRIFICE and service of your faith I joy Rev. 8.3 And another Angel came and stood at the ALTAR having a golden CENSER and there was given to him much INCENSE that hee should OFFER IT with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden ALTAR which was before the Throne Thus you see how the tenth verse sets forth the conversion of the Iews which is further amplified in the eleventh verse thus 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 because of my holy mount Which is also most evidently spoken of the Jews and their conversion in that the Lord promiseth to take away their sins and in particular their pride of the Temple of which they had been formerly very sinfully proud Jer. 7.4 and that swelling was not quite down in our Saviours time Mat. 24.1 And therefore then this text was not fulfilled But when their sins shall be taken away then the judgement viz. their shame shall be taken away neither shall they be only negatively good but also positively I will saith the next verse leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poore people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. This last clause of trusting in the name of the Lord containes the very life and power of godlinesse As for the first clause whoever can well weigh the Hebrew * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and will duly consider the precedent verse and propheticall purpose of this place touching the conversion of the Jewes cannot but confesse that these words may as well and in some respect better be rendered I will cause to remaine in thee a people that is humble and meeke or poore in spirit as Arias the Septuagint and the Syriack and Arabick render it this and the rest of this verse aptly answers and stands over against as a contrary to their pride in the former verse and is the ready way to that which followes in the thirteenth verse The remnant of Israel that is all the converted as well of the ten Tribes as of the two shall not doe iniquity nor speake lyes nor shall a deceitfull tongue be found in their mouth for they shall feed and lye downe and none shall make them afraid That is they shall there abide because there shall be no danger and they shall be so holy because they shall have grace within and no temptation from without For the second part of the Jewes restitution namely their reversion into their owne Country in a glorious Church-state wee have it in the sixteen seventeen eighteen and twentieth verses thus ver 16. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem feare thou not and to Zion let not thy hands be slack or faint Ver. 17. 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 an high and glorious expression he will joy over thee with singing Ver. 18. I will GATHER them that are sorrowfull for THE SOLEMNE ASSEMBLY who are of thee to whom the reproach of it was a burthen Ver. 20. At that time I will BRING YOV AGAINE even in the time that I GATHER YOV For I will make you a name and apraise among all people of the earth when I TVRNE BACKE YOVR CAPTIVITY before your eyes saith the Lord. In which words you have the expression of their reversion into their owne Country in capitall letters as well in sence as writing And the Lords being amidst them more then in his generall presence over the earth and his rejoycing over them with joy yea with great joy as in singing and resting in his LOVE and gathering them into the solemne assembly and to make them a name and a praise among all people of the earth can signifie no lesse then a glorious visible Church-state making them a LOVE or SPOVSE unto their LORD CHRIST For the second generall head the vocation of the Gentiles both unto an effectuall conversion unto God and a most harmonious union with the rest of the Church we have it all and in full in verse the ninth For then will I turne to the people a pure Language that they may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one consent Close to the Hebrew thus I will convert in the peoples a pure lip that they may call upon the name of the Lord to serve him with one shoulder I stand not to dispute it from terme to terme because they that know well the Originall and well minde the sence of the place will ease me of that labour * Junius Mutab◠in populis labium ut purum sit quo invocent omnes nomen Jehova colendo cum humero uno Hieron old Latin Reddam populis labium electum ut invocent omnes nomen Domini serviant ei humero une The Chalde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. I will so convert in all nations one choyse speech that all may pray in the name of the Lord that they may serve him with one shoulder The Syriack Then will I restore unto the Gentiles an elect or choyse lippe that all may call upon the name of the Lord and worship him in an equall yoke but rather I will speake a word to the opening It is expresse that the Peoples Nations or Gentiles are here spoken of who upon their conversion should be exempted from the ruine on Nations in the eighth verse and should returne with the dispersed Jewes in the tenth verse and their prophane lips should be purified and their Idolatrous and blasphemous words before their false gods should be turned into holy prayers to Jehovah and they should serve him not only with one consent of minde but with one way of practise as when many lift as with one shoulder to move a thing the same way or draw equally in the same yokes fastened to the same chaine or traces § 5 The third generall the destruction of the enemies of the Church and so of the Jewes converted you have in the fourteenth fifteenth and nineteenth verses very fully You your selves who heed what you read doe perceive these three heads interchangeably interwoven to signifie that the whole of all this visible glory comes together Vers 14. Sing O Daughter of ZION shout O ISRAEL be glad and rejoyce with all thy heart O daughter of JERUSALEM Vers 15. The Lord hath
joyntly together but rather for the most have been visibly to the eye of the whole world under a contrary condition For ¶ 4. Observe the high expressions the God of truth gives forth touching the glory of the state the said parties shall enjoy at the said time when this Prophesie shall be fulfilled viz. That the Peoples or Gentiles shall have pure lips wherewith to call upon the name of the Lord as it is in ver 9. That Israel shall not doe iniquity nor speake lies nor shall a deceitfull tongue be found in their mouth ver 13. That they of Zion and Jerusalem and Israel shall be glad and rejoyce with all their heart ver 14. for it followes ver 15 16 17. the Lord shall so take away their judgements and cast downe their enemies and instead of them he himselfe as King will be so in the midst of them that they shall not see evill any more nor shall their hearts feare nor their hands faint He will be so in the midst of them in his might that he will save them and rejoyce over them with joy and that as with singing and will rest in his love Now did ever these things appeare in the state and condition of the Church either of Jewes or Gentiles since the Babylonish Captivity surely the contrary hath abundantly appeared down to these dayes 1 For their Spirituall or Ecclesiasticall state in relation unto Religion the Gentiles generally have been very wicked and for the most part the more is their sinne intestine enemies to the Jewes And for the Jewes whiles the ten Tribes of Israel were carried away captive the King of Assyria brought men from Babylon and from Cuthah and from Ava and from Hamath and from Sepharvalin and placed them in the Cities of Samaria instead of the Children of Israel 2 King 17.24 of whose returne to their owne Country the Scriptures leave no mention But they tell us that when the two Tribes returned there was a MIXED MVLTITVDE among the Israelites Nehem. 13.3 That there were many that pretended to be Priests who because they could not find their Genealogy were as POLLUTED put from the Priesthood Ezra 2.62 Nehem. 7.64 That the people of Israel and the Priests and the Levites had not separated themselves from the people of the land doing according to their ABOMINATIONS even of the Canaanites Hitties Perezites Jebusites Ammonites Moabites Egyptians and Amorites having taken of their Daughters for themselves and for their Sons c. Ezr. 9.1 2. And though they did repent of this great transgression and promised amendment Ezr. 10.9 c. Yet they are again greatly guilty thereof Neh. 13.23 Further the Scriptures tell us that some of the two Tribes of a slavish spirit stayed in Babylon to be servants in servile basenesse to that King when the generality returned 1 Chro. 4.21 22 23. which Josephus mentions at large And in the time of the Maccabees in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes of the root of the Greeks who began his reigne about the 137th yeare of their Kingdome * Which was in the one hundred seventy third year afore the incarnation of Christ Bucho Ind. Chron. Ad annum mundi 3798. or Empâ—re there went out of Israel wicked men who persuaded many saying let us goe and make a covenant with the Heathen that are round about us for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow So this device pleased them well Then certain of the people were so forward herein that they went to the King who gave them license to doe after the ordinances of the Heathen Whereupon they built a place of exercise at Jerusalem according to the customes of the Heathen and made themselves uncircumcised and forsooke the holy Covenant and joyned themselves to the Heathen and were sold to doe mischeife 1 Maccab. 1.10 11 12 13 14 15. Which corruption in the Jewes religion by the story seems to be voluntary as the Narrative precedes the history of Antiothus his Tyranny Nor was this only for once or a spurt but againe in the second book of Maccabees together with betraying one another and the publick welfare chap. 3 and chap 4. Come we hence to Christs time and there we shall finde at least six Sects of abominable corruptions in matters of Religion viz. Pharisees Sadduces Herodians Assideans Essenes and Gaulonites of whose wicked opinions wee have given you a more particular account afore * Viz. In this chap. Sect. 43. §. 4. P. 2. In the Apostles time the Jewes for the generality were persecuters of them that imbraced Christ and the Gospell as we have it all along the story of the Acts of the Apostles and among the Christians there were Anti-resurrectionists Judaizers wicked Apostataes Idolatrous and prophane Balaamites and Nicolaitans c. as the Epistles of the Apostles and of Christ to the seven Churches expressely shews us For the two next hundred years after the death of the Apostles was bloody persecution of the Christians over all the Roman Empire About the twelfth year of the fourth Century Constantine the great stanched that blood and settled the Church in peace for the space of about twenty five years viz. till the year three hundred thirty seven at which time Constantine the great dying by and by horrid Arianism and the Arian persecution succeeded And after that Papisme and Turcisme down to our daies So that fâ—om about sixty yeares after Constantines death the Church began according to the vulgar account to be hid in the wildernesse the witnesses to prophesie in sackcloth and the Beast to have power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rev. 11. Rev. 13. And secondly for their civil condition all this while they have been ever under the usurpations successively of the Persians Greeks Romans Saracens or Turkes as we have often repeated So that all that hath been done in matters of salvation or outward deliverance since the returne of the two Tribes from Babylon the ten remaining there and still dispersed have been but as prefaces first-fruits and gleanings in comparison of the full vintage here described ¶ 5. Observe certaine notes and marks that this prophesie is not yet fulfilled First That ver 9. The peoples or Nations shall serve the Lord with one shoulder which in regard of the universality without restriction and the immediate connexion of Gods Suppliants of the Jewes as Calvin argumentatively asserts must signifie the unanimity and conformity of Jewes and Gentiles in general in one way of Gospell worship But alas besides the Jewes perseverance in their Judaisme the Gentiles themselves called Christians doe not harmonize into one consent and practice but are at too vast a difference in their Papisme Lutheranisme Socinianisme Calvinisme Episcopacy Presbytery c. Secondly That in ver 10. the calling of the Jews from beyond the river of Ethiopia which is not yet done the people of Judah but especially they of Israel remaining dispersed into the utmost parts of the earth Thirdly
with his Army he prevailed against it and miserably spoiled it and the Temple and slaughtered the people 1 Maccab. 1.21 22 23 24. When after him about seven years Antiochus Eupator came up against Judea and Jerusalem he prevailed against both partly by power and partly by policy and threw down the walls of Zion 1 Maccab. 1. ver 17. ver 48 c. to the end of the chapter About ninty eight years after him the Roman Pompey takes Jerusalem and the Temple sending Aristobulus the King of the Jewes bound to Rome and subdued the Jewes to the Roman power * Buchol Jud. Chron. Ad an Mund. 3909. About six years after which was about fifty six years afore the birth of Christ Gabinius the Roman invading Syria and then Judea he there conquered Alexander King of the Jews Son of Aristobulus in a maine battle slaying 3000 Jewes and taking as many prisoners * Iosephus As for the History after Christ t is more familiarly known that Titus the Roman Emperor about 70 years after the birth of Christ destroyed Jerusalem both City and Temple as likewise did Adrian the Roman Emperor after him about the year after Christs birth 133. and so Rome successively held it til the Saracens and Turks wan it away from them holding it to this day So that I renew my question When since the return of Judah was Judah and Jerusalem a cup of trembling to any enemy that ever came against it in that space of time And upon the same ground of history but now summed up I may put unaswerable questions upon most of the chapter following as When since their returne was ever Jerusalem a burthensome stone to all people of the earth to cut them all in peeces that shall burthen themselves with it as t is prophesied in ver 3 Or when as in ver 4. hath every horse been stricken with astonishment and his rider with madnesse Or when as ver 5. Could the Governors of Judah say in their heart the Inhabitants of Jerusalem under God shall be my strength Or when as in ver 6 Have the Governors of Judah been like a Hearth of fire amongst the wood and like a Torch of fire in a sheafe devouring all the people round about c Or when as ver 7. and 9. Hath the Lord so saved the tents of Judah and defended the Inhabitants of Jerusalem that he that was feeble among them was made as David and the house of David as ELOHIM and as the ANGEL of JEHOVAH and hath sought to destroy all the Nations that come against Jerusalem But mind the breviate of history afore recited and look upon the State of the Jews at this day and remember the account we gave afore of the Maccabees in the former Section and we cannot but expect the particulars yet to come And upon the same grounds adding the history of the carriage of the Jewes towards Christ penned by the Evangelists and the context in the ninth verse At that day it shall come to passe viz. at the time that the former part of the chapter shall be fulfilled with a collation of Revel 1.7 and Matth. 24.30 We may as boldly quere when were those things ever yet fulfilled mentioned in the 10 11 12 13 and 14 verses That God would so poure out upon the house of David and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication that they shall looke on him whom they have peirced and mourn for him with great bitternesse each family mourning a part which cannot be imagined to be fulfilled by the Jews afore Christ was peirced Which is the argument of two Jews of late with one of which I had conference that they expect the Messiah yet to come ☞ to convert their Nation because they must see him with a penitent eye after he is pierced Nor was it fulfilled upon the obstinate Jews who beholding his passion derided him or persisted in impenitency Nor upon the eleven Disciples who fled when he was led to suffering Nor did they pierce him Nor upon those mourners Act. 2. for they saw him not when they mourned nor did any of these sorts of mourners aforenamed mourn with their families Nor did they see him in the clouds and thereupon mourn for him as t is expresse in those places of Mat. 24 and Rev. 1. afore quoted § 5 Therefore the main of this whole prophesie is yet to be fulfilled And before the last universall Resurrection and ultimate Judgement because the Circumstances of it so require SECT L. § 1 THe sixt and last place in Zechariah is in chap. 14. from vers 3. to the end of the chapter which hath been anciently afore Jeroms time as he confesseth urged both by Jewes and Christians for the glorious time yet to come of which we treat And to me it seems so full for it that I know not what considerable thing can be rationally said against it As for quibling Jerom I grudg almost here to call him Saint Ierome because in his notes on this place instead of demonstration he jeers and that very obscenely we shall talk with him after and most justly arraigne him upon his owne confession § 2 Ver. 3. Then shall the Lord goe forth and sight against those Nations as when he fought in the day of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Kerab which word as it signifies conflicting so also beginning or approaching near and may be aptly so rendred and applyed here according to the sence that most understand to Gods assisting the Iews in the beginning of their Wars as against Amalech and Og c. when they approached near towards Canaan Which words as that same THEN mindes us points at the after times following that Coming up of all Nations against Ierusalem to Battle rifling ravishing and captivating it which ruine was to come to passe in long processe of time after this Prophesie as t is hinted in the future expression of the first verse the Prophet having dispatched in the thirteenth chapter next afore the Prophesies that did belong to the time of Christs passion ver 1. and v. 7. of that 13. chap. For it was a long time after Christ ere all Nations confining our all to the all of the foure Monarchies did so miserably ruine mark the phrase Ierusalem For the Romans did it not the first time till seventy years afore Christs incarnation they did afore that some hurt to the Country as we said afore but did not miserably ruin Ierusalem Nor the Romans the second time till one hundred thirty three years after the said incarnation Nor did the Saracens of Asia till the year one thousand and nine thereabouts But however let the reader fix the depredation and devastation of Ierusalem by all Nations since Zecharies Prophesie where they will yet we are at a losse and all our books cannot help us to tell when yet to this day The Lord went out to fight all those Nations that fought against Ierusalem as he
body to which it was united is re-instaâ—ed in another body But Helias is to come not from a departing out of this life by death but from his Translation neither is he to be restored to the body from which he was never exempted but to the world from whence he was translated not by a returning from death to life but by supplement of the prophesie the very same man and he himselfe of his owne name and humane nature When Tertullian saith THEIR Metempsychosis he means the Philosophers to whom he wrote that booke and in particular the Pythagorean Philosophers whom in the context of the fore-cited place hee mentions * Quod dixit Dominus Heli as quidem venturus est re stituit omnia id est eos quos persecutio Antichristi contur baverit August Quest Evang. c. 21. Tom. 4. operum 2. Augustin who was Presbyter of the Church of Hippo about 391. after Christ affirmed the coming of Helias upon the words of Christ Matth. 17.11 because he was to restore the ruines which the persecution of Antichrist should make upon the Church Some of his words are these That our Lord hath said HELIAS SHAL COME AND SHALL RESTORE ALL THINGS that is those whom the persecution of Antichrist shall make desolate Now Antichrist was not risen in John Baptists time and therefore John Baptist could not be that Elijah And in Austins time Antichrist had not done wasting yea the papal Antichrist had not at this time of Austin begun hardly to waste the Christian Church And therefore he so argued for Elijah yet to come †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Theodoret in Malach. 4. v. 5. v. 6. 3. Theodoret likewise who flourished about four hundred years after Christ argues for the future coming of Elijah calling him Elijah the Great from our Text in Malachi the fourth upon these grounds That he must teach the Jewes Christs coming and perswade them to be integrated into one Church with beleeving Gentiles Which we see not yet done to this day Mr Mede on Mar. 1.14 15. Diatr par 4. p. 1. c. 4. Mr. Mede likewise is of the same judgement and upon very good reason with the argument whereof he excellently closeth this point thus those words Mark 1.14 15. Now after that John was put in prison Jesus came into Galilee preaching the Gospell of the Kingdome of God and saying the time is fulfilled and the Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeve the Gospell I say these words are a narration of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ his first beginning to preach which they describe first by the time when Secondly By the place where Thirdly By the sum of what he preached The time when After that John was put into prison The place where Galilee Jesus came into Galilee Lastly The sum of what he preached The time is fulfilled and the Kingdome of God is at hand repent yee and beleeve the Gospell In which Sermon there are also some parts to be considered which we shall more conveniently distinguish when we come to handle it Mean while let us begin with the three parts or circumstances already named in order And first of the first The time when After that John was cast into prison Our Saviour began not his solemn preaching till his Messenger John the Baptist who was sent to prepare his way was cast into prison This circumstance is else-where precisely noted in the Scripture so that we cannot doubt but there is some matter of moment therein For St. Matthew tels us as St. Marke doth Now when Jesus had heard saith he that John was cast into prison he departed into Galilee and then it followes from that time Jesus began to Preach and to say Repent for the Kingdome of God is at hand So St. Peter Act. 10. when he came to preach the Gospel of Christ to Cornelius was carefull to mention this circumstance of time as well as the other of place The word saith he which God sent unto the children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ he is Lord of all That word I say you know which was published throughout all Judea began from Galilee after the baptisme which John preached Loe here the place where Galilee and the time after that John had done as in my Text. All which argues this circumstance of time to be one of the marks of the true Messiah as namely that this Jesus was the Lord whom they looked for who was to send a messenger before him the voyce of a cryer in the wildernesse to usher his preaching and prepare the way of his Gospell as was prophesied in Esay and Malachi and the Jewes at that time expected Which was the reason of that scruple of the Disciples in the Gospel when they saw our Saviour and Elias whom they supposed should be his fore-runner appeare in glory both together in his transfiguration Why then say they doe the Scribes say that Elias must first come Our Saviour tels them that John the Baptist was that Elias the fore-runner of the Messiah according to those words of his father Zechary And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the highest for thou shalt goe before the face of the Lord to prepare his way Namely as the Angell told him in the power and spirit of Elias Luke 1. For this reason as our Saviour was not conceived nor born till six months after John so he began not his prophesie till John had done that so the Scripture might be fulfilled and John be his fore-runner and the messenger both in one and the other Johns beginning to baptize and his casting into prison was between Christs prophesie and his And lastly to conclude the illustration of this circumstance John was not onely a fore-runner of our Saviour in his nativity and prophesie but also in his passion and suffering For so our Saviour himselfe expresly saith Mat. 17.12 Elias is come and they knew him not but have done unto him what ever they listed even so also shal the Son of man suffer of them Now the observation or if you will the consideration I will make upon this circumstance shall be this If that Messiah according to prophecy were to have a Harbinger to prepare the way for his coming and the holy Ghost in the new Testament thought this circumstance so needful to prove the verity thereof as so curiously to note it in the History of his Nativity Preaching and Suffering It would be considered seeing the coming of Christ is two fold the first and second whether the same prophecy imply not that there should be an Harbinger as well of his second coming as of his first as well an Elias to prepare the way for his coming in glory to judge the world as there was at his first coming in humility to preach the Gospel and suffer for the world And Elias I mean to be the Harbinger of Christ to the Nation of the Jewes before his
that is a yeare yeares and halfe a yeare In the Revelation it is the beast with so many heads and horns full of names of blasphemy which was to continue forty two moneths the same period with the former which was expressed by times and yeares and the same time with 1260. dayes of the Churches remaining in the Wildernesse When these times whatsoever they be shall be ended then is the period of the times of the Gentiles and of the Jewes misery whereto our Saviour seemes to referre in the Gospel Then by St. Paul shall the fulnesse of the Gentiles enter in Then saith St. John shall the kingdomes of the earth be the Lords and his Christs Then saith Daniel in the former place chap. 7. shall the kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the kingdome under the whole heaven be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose kingdome is an everlasting kingdome and all dominions shall serve and obey him SECT II. The second place in the New Testament is Luke 1. ver 31 32. And behold thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus And he shall be GREAT and shall be called the sonne of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the THRONE of his FATHER DAVID and he shall reigne over the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end § 1 ON which words observe first that this place is taken out of Isa 9.7 before discussed * of giving to Christ the throne of his father David which is not yet fulfilled For Pag. 182. l. 3. chap. 2. Sect. 12 S. 5. c. § 2 Observe secondly That Christs coming in his Incarnation was a state of the greatest humility that could be Phil. 2.7 8. and that from his birth to his ascension saving but to a few radiating for a minute in his transfiguration to three of the Apostles Matth. 17.1 and his appearing to the rest of his Disciples after his Resurrection and ascending up in their sight Acts 1. And therefore though these words are spoken by the Angel upon occasion of his Incarnation yet are they not applied by the Angel adequatly to set forth his state of Incarnation but rather antithetically extended to carry the minde of Mary c. farre further as thus That though this Jesus shall be conceived in thy wombe a meane woman in comparison of the visible glory of the royall races of Princes yet this Iesus shall be no meane person but shall be GREAT and shall bee called the SON OF THE HIGHEST and shall have the THRONE of his father David and shall REIGNE over the house of JACOB for ever c. which things were never fulfilled all the time of his Incarnation to the day of his Ascension Nor was that the time so much as of the full revelation of them but when the Apostles taking hint from these words of the Angel and the like places of Scripture asked our Saviour Acts 1.6 a little before he ascended Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome to ISRAEL comprehending all the twelve Tribes as doth the house of Iacob in the text our Saviour denied not the thing but the revelation of it that time saying vers 7. It is not for you viz. now the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. are in the present tence to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power But about seventy yeares after that his ascension God gave the full revelation of it to Christ to shew it by an Angell unto John who might write it to the Churches Revel 1.1 so that § 3 Observe in the third place that at Christs first coming viz. in all the time of his Incarnation from his Birth to his Ascension he was not in the throne of his father David he was in the Manger in the Mountaines more destitute then the Birds and Foxes in a Crowne of Thornes in garments of scorne on the Crosse in the Grave and at last in Heaven but never all that time in the Throne of David The Romans all that time and divers hundreds of yeares after reigned over the Jewes Christ not having any thing of Davids visible corporall government which was the notion of Davids government the High-Priest bearing that which outwardly might be called Spirituall yea when it was offered unto Christ to be made a King and to divide the portions between the Brethren he refused it Therefore § 4 Observe fourthly That the beginning of that Kingdome of Christ which shal be for ever that is after which no Kingdom on earth succeeds as often hath been expounded was not yet begun For after Christs ascension from that day to this other Kingdomes on earth over the Jewes did succeed viz. the Romans Sarazens and Turkes Why the meere spirituall Kingdome of Christ cannot be here understood we have already given unanswerable reasons as we conceive afore when wee parallel'd this place with Isa 9.7 * Pag. 184. l. 1. and why this Kingdome cannot be in Heaven at the ultimate end of the world the reason is at hand because then Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to God the Father when he shall have put downe ALL rule c. and the sonne himselfe shall be subject to him c. SECT III. The third place in the New Testament for the said visible glorious state of the Church on earth yet to come before the universall Resurrection is in Luke 21.24 And they the Jews shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall bee trodden downe of the Gentiles untill the times Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opportunities of the Gentiles be fulfilled Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filled up OBserve first that our Saviour speaking of the two Tribes that had been now returned from Babylon above five hundred years that they shall be led away captive in all nations must of necessity meane another and a more dispersing captivity following that which was begun by Titus Sonne of Vespasian the Roman Emperour burning both Temple and City selling an hundred thousand Jewes besides the slaughter of eleven hundred thousand about forty yeares after the ascension of Christ as Bucholcerus and Josephus affirme prosecuted by Aelius Adrianus the Roman Emperour about an hundred yeares after Christs ascension at which time the said Aelius Adrianus buried Jerusalem in its own rubbish and gave it to other Nations and Gentiles to inhabite calling it after his own name Aelia promoted yet further by the Saracens making feareful desolations in Judea about a thousand and nine yeares * So Bucholcerus Ind. chron after the Incarnation of Christ and at last this scattering of those two Tribes into all Nations is perfected by the Turkes dominion over them from about the yeare one thousand three hundred after the Incarnation of Christ to this day whereby they are dispersed as our
to the Church Which is added to this All-New condition Rev. 21.4 As there shal be no place so no more time for any sorrowful or sorrow-making things or persons or mutable matters Christ will not allow them an houre nor a minute in the Church Dives had his time Their glasse is run Christs houre is come The Sonne of righteousnesse ariseth the dark must be gone ¶ 5 This imports that the happinesse of Saints shall not be given them by measure of time Tempus est numerus motus Time is measured motion Saints shall not be happy so long and no longer This thousand yeers is the prelude to everlasting infinite glory Saints shall not need to wish saying This is a happy condition if it would hold So that as miseries shall not have the least time allowed them on earth so the Saints mercies shall not be measured out to continue onely so long and no longer The thousand yeers are the preface and then Magog stirring at last gives Christ occasion to give them the Saints everlasting infinit injoyment So that in the glorious state of the Church shall be no measuring it out by time as so long to continue and no longer It shall be a thousand yeers happy on earth But then it is not said shall be an end But this is swallowed up of a greater Of this stability of things at this time see further in Isa 33.6 spoken in relation to the call of Jewes c. wisdome and knowledge shall be the stability of times and strength of salvation and the feare of the Lord thy treasure As grace shall not period with time And God cannot period with time so nor the Churches condition Isa 60.19 The Sunne shall be no more thy light by day nor the Moon thy brightnesse by night but the Lord shall be thy EVERLASTING LIGHT and thy God thy glory which applied to Church state in the seventh Trumpet Rev. 21.23 It followes Isa 60.20 Thy Sunne shall no more goe downe neither shall thy Moon withdraw it selfe for the Lord shall be thy everlasting light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be at an end Rather then the Sun and Moon shall play fast and loose with the Church they shall not Move There shall bee no more Sun set or change of the Moon No measuring out Saints happinesse by times SECT VIII The next Quality is That at this time there shall be a perfection of all qualities both natural and spiritual in the Saints § 1 AS before we said No measuring by fading time so now we affirm no stinting to an infirme degree Now there shall bee no lower degree then a freedome from all imperfection Zach. 12.8 It s spoken of this time see verse 12. viz. When the Jews shall see Christ and mourne and repent and bee filled with grace Then verse 8. Hee that is feeble shall be as David And the house of David as God better rendred as Angels The Hebrew is Kelohim Elohim oft signifying Angels and here is an Incrementum so that the last must be highest then it follows as the Angel of God Hebrew is emphatical Hamaleak the name of Christ Malach. 3. The sense then is They shall be as Christs how strong the feeble shall be viz. as strong firm and sublime in perfection as David And how shall David be As an Angel Yea as Christ Sutable to 1 Cor. 15. We shall be conformable to Christ And Phil. 3.21 Our bodies like his glorious body And 1 Cor. 13.12 Know as we are knowne our graces shall be as Rivers in the Ocean Isa 11.9 So that as our perfection cannot period so nor last by vicissitudes as now sometimes up sometimes sinke but shall be still at full height SECT IX A Confluence of all Comforts in the injoyers and injoyed § 1 AS it is said 1 Pet. 1. who in 2 Epist 3. Chapter speaks of this glorious time I say as it is said 1 Pet. 1. verse 3 4 5. He hath begotten us againe to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ to an inheritance incorruptible RESERVED IN HEAVEN for you who are kept by the power of God ready to be REVEALED in the LAST TIME so now in this Heaven as it is called Rev. 21. the inheritance is kept perfect to us and us in it Of this see all the 35. Chapter of Isa Wee did before demonstrate that that Isa 34. relates to this time we speake of And this 35. Chapter is but a part of the same discourse As the forme viz. the 34. Chapter is of the ruine of the Churches enemies and the delivery of the Church so this 35. Chapter is a description what the Church shall injoy Viz. verse 1. The solitary places shall be glad for them and the Desart shall rejoyce and blossome like a rose Verse 2. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it The excellency of Carmel and Sharon shall see the glory of the Lord. Verse 3. Strengthen ye the weake hands and confirme the feeble knees Verse 4. Say unto them that are of a fearful heart be strong feare not behold your God will come with vengeance he will come and save you Verse 5. The eyes of the blinde shall be opened and the deafe eares unstopped Verse 6. Then shall the lame man leap as an Hart and the tongue of the dumb sing for in the wildernesse shall waters break out and streams in the desart Verse 7. The parched ground shall become a poole and the thirsty land springs of waters In the habitation of Dragons shall bee grasse and rushes Verse 8. An high-way there shall be and it shall bee called the way of holinesse the unclean shall not passe over it Fools shall not erre therein Verse 9. No Lion shall be there nor ravenous beast shall goe up thereon but the redeemed shall walk there Verse 10. And the ransomed of the Lord shall returne and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtaine joy and gladnesse and sorrow and sighing shall flye away Yee see how all happinesse is upon the possession and the Possessor The possession shall not bee defective and unserviceable and the Possessour shall not by any impediment bee hindered of his injoyment All the Injoyers and Injoyments shall be varnished with beauty environed with peace enlarged with liberty perpetuated with stable equability ¶ 1 Varnished with beauty As Homer saith of the Golden Sea because of the beams of the Sun raditing upon it so the Church and all the Churches injoyments shall be guilded with beams guilded with beams of Christs glorious presence At this time Christ shall arise as the Sunne Malach. 4. as wee have shewed compared with 2 Pet. 1.19 And because he ariseth and shines on the Church therefore the Church shall arise and shine as the Sunne rising in the East looks on the Moon and makes it at the full in the West Isa 60.1 2. Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord
in these comparisons As the Summer Sunne rising ascending and setting differs from the heavens continued into one whole Sunne whereby it would be alwayes day and alwayes glorious Summer And as a River differs from a Sea of sweet waters the River exists by succession the Sea is still the same fixed So in this state we speake of Every injoyment and injoyer shall bee as full at first in perfection and joy as at last CHAP. V. THus of Qualities now wee come to Priviledges sc That which Saints had afore either in common with others or in an ordinary degree they shall now have in a way of special Priviledge and preheminence SECT I. First Priviledge The fulfilling of most things that before were but foretold § 1 THe Mysteries and Prophesies which before they had but in the Word now they shall have in the thing ¶ 1 For Mysteries See Rev. 11.19 The Temple of God was opened and there was seen in his Temple the Arke of his Testament This cleerly relates to the time we speake of as it is evident in verse 15. The seventh Angel sounded c. And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven By comparing this with Rev. 21. verse 22 the thing is plainer And I saw no Temple therein but the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb was the Temple And this also relates to the same time See verse 1. I saw New Heaven and New Earth Verse 2. And I saw New Jerusalem This Prophesie plainly foretels of a kinde of Temple in those dayes of which we speak In Ezek. wee have much of the measures of the Temple So Ezek. Chapter 41. and 42. c. cleerly relating to a New Testament time by St. Johns exposition Rev 21. And Malachy tels us Chap. 3. verse 1. The Lord will suddenly come to his Temple And John saith Rev. 7.15 The Saints serve God day and night in his Temple Chap. 11.1 The Temple is measured Chap. 14 15 17. Angels come out of the Temple Chap. 15.5 The Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony in heaven was opened Chap. 16.1.17 Voyces come out of the Temple And in the Text wee alleadged Chap. 11. v. 19. The Temple of God was open and the Arke was seen Now what is the meaning of all Surely a Temple equivalently they shall have But no Temple properly as it is said Rev. 21. v. 22. I saw no Temple But God and the Lamb was that equivalent Temple yea that super-eminent Temple And the presence of God in Christ shall bee such with them that as Rev. 11.19 that spiritual Arke shall not be hid as was the material Ark in the Old Testament Temple but shall be seen In the Ark was the Table of the Law and the Pot of Manna Christ the end of the Law Rom. 10.4 And Christ and his word is the Manna Rev. 2. The Arke was in the holiest of Holies which was seldome seen and onely when the High Priest went in But now this spiritual Arke in this glorious time is commonly seen Observe That the Arke typified Christ and his Word As the Temple was a pledge of Gods presence as before that the Tabernacle was So that the meaning is That now Gods presence shall be such in and through Christ to his Church that the glory of Christ and the mystery of his word shall be far more plain unto them There shall be no material Temple but there shall be the equivalent Temple the Antitype Gods presence in Christ gloriously manifest And his Word more open and plaine then ever since the New Testament All mysteries relating to this time foretold shall be revealed Now shall bee fulfilled that Dan. 12. Knowledge shall be increased And that Isa 11. The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the Sea All that men had before in the ear now they shall have in the eye their science shall be turned to experience ¶ 2 All Prophesies relating to the best of Times of the Saints welfare shall now be fulfilled The Saints shall not have these things onely in types visions or knowledge but in possession and happy injoyment The Revelation is the summe of all the Prophets This is declared to John by Christ Rev. 1. sc in a representation And therefore it is said Rev. 22.6 The Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his servants the sayings of the Prophesie of this Booke The intent and meaning is That the Lord God that spake by the Prophets and spake of these things by the Prophets sent by his Angel to explain those things delivered by the Prophets concerning these times of which we speak Now this Book of the Revelation though it be far plainer then the Prophets yet it is not fully and wholly plain to us therefore called A sealed Booke that Christ must open Rev. 5. This opening is by the events Rev. 6. c. which will be compleatly done in this visible glorious time of the Church as we may perceive by the light now at the dawning afore the Sunne of righteousnesse doth arise Christ is the Yea and Amen of all the promises 2 Cor. 1.20 therefore when he appears again all will appear fulfilled As the woman of Samaria said Joh. 4. so it shall be sc when the Messiah commeth which is called the Christ he shall tell us all things yea restore all things Act. 3. Therefore is Christ called the WORD of GOD and the Heire of all things because he will declare and perform all things § 2 What Mr. Bolton saith of everlasting glory in the highest Heaven shall be proportionably true now in this thousand yeers We shall perfectly understand all Physical or natural and spiritual things what is the number of the Heavens The essences of the creaures How we shall know and behold God in Christ c And then shall bee fulfilled all the prayers of Saints put up for the welfare of Church and Saints from the beginning of the world Then shall Sem and Japhet dwell together Then those prayers that gave God no rest till he made Jerusalem a praise shall be answered and all the glorious things that have been spoken of the Church the City of God shall appear in their colours and be given in in great glory As it is said she is the Lords portion Deut. 32.9 His pleasant portion Jer. 12.10 His inheritance Isa 19.25 All people are the worke of his hands but his Church is his Inheritance Again the Church is called the Dearly beloved of his soule Jer. 12.7 His love his dove his undefiled all faire c. Cant. oft His Treasure and peculiar treasure Ex. 19 5. The Lords house of glory Isa 60.7 Yea His glory Isa 46.13 and THE glory of God Jer. 3.17 Nay the Throne of his glory Jer. 14.21 Nay the Crowne of his glory Isa 62.3 Nay the Royal Diadem Ibid. Againe the Church is called The ornament of God the beauty of his ornaments the beauty of his ornament in
then the Lord shall deliver them from all their captivities when and wheresoever they be § 3 For Moses aimes not at this or that particular captivity among Philistims Aegyptians Babylonians or c. that had been to little advantage to deliver them from one captivity to let them fall into another and there to stick for ever The words of the Promise are of a very comprehensive latitude viz. if they be driven among all the Nations ver 1. or any of them be driven out to the utmost parts of Heaven ver 4. The Lord will gather them from all Nations ver 3. and will fetch them from the utmost parts of Heaven ver 4. § 4 And as the Promise is of a great latitude so of a great length for this gathering of them is promised after the Babylonian captivity Ier. 29.1 Jer. 31.10 and after Christ was come in the flesh it is delivered as a Prophesie by Saint Johns Exposition Job 11.51 52. That Christ should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad Of a thing to be done in after times in the fulnesse thereof compare Rom. 11. § 5 Adde to all the fulnesse of the Promise they should be so delivered from all captivities that all the curses should be on their enemies and all blessings temporall and spirituall should be on them for so it followes that upon their deliverance out of captivity If any of them be driven out ver 4. unto the utmost part of Heaven from THENCE will the Lord thy God gather thee and from THENCE will he take thee And ver 5. the Lord thy God will bring thee into the Lana WHICH THY FATHERS POSSESSED and he will DOE THEE GOOD and MVLTIPLY thee above thy fathers and ver 6. The Lord thy God will CIRCVMCISE THINE heart and the HEART OF THY SEED to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soule c. And ver 7. The Lord thy God will put all these CVRSES ON THINE ENEMIES And ver 8. thou SHALT RETVRN and HEARKEN TO THE VOYCE OF THE LORD AND DOE ALL HIS COMMANDEMENTS And ver 9. The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous or fruitfull IN ALL THE WORKES OF THY HANDS IN THE FRVIT OF THY BODY in the fruit of thy CATTELL in the fruit of thy LAND and marke FOR THY GOOD And the Lord will REJOYCE over thee for good § 6 Now let the ingenuous Reader confesse whether ever these promises were thus fulfilled For we know not either by Scripture or History that ever the Ten Tribes returned from their captivity And we doe know by the Scriptures that many of the two Triles returned not with the rest 1 Chron. 4.21 22 23. read the place exactly * Josephus in his Antiq. asserteth thus much And we are sure by experience to this day that thousands of them are in Captivity as we may say under the Turkish and Romane Empire and ten thousands of them dispersed among the Indians and Protestant Christians in Poland Holland c. as Rab. Ben Israel hath given us an account in his Book Spes Israelis so that the Jewes themselves not only the unconverted but some that are converted to Christianity confesse these things never yet to have been fulfilled as I my selfe have been an eare witnesse from M. Melos a Jew of Portugal converted to the faith § 7 Much lesse are the Jewes so delivered as to have their hearts circumcised to love the Lord their God with all their heart and to obey his voyce in the Gospel as the Apostle before expounded or to be blessed with all temporall blessings or to have all the curses put upon their enemies § 8 Therefore these things are yet to be fulfilled for God must be true as the Apostle saith though all men that deny it be lyars The Jewes must be called and the fulnesses of them and the Gentiles must be brought in Rom. 11.26 by a deliverer that comes out of Sion turning away ungodlinesse from Jacob to the performance of Gods Covenant with them which the Targum called Jonathans saith must be performed by the hand of ELIAS and by the hand of KING CHRIST And indeed a few were converted by John Baptist and Christ but the generality of the Jews were in blindnesse after that in Pauls time Rom. 21. Besides what was the conversion of a few to the fulfilling of the all of these promises in their severall particulars to the all of the Jewes As it is said afore If ANY of thine be driven out unto the utmost part of the heavens from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee and the Lord will make thee fruitfull in ALL THINGS and for thy good § 9 And these things must be fulfilled before the ultimate generall Judgement or else there will be nor time nor place for these things as to circumcise hearts to keep Commandements to inherite Canaan to be blessed with outward blessings c. as is before expressed SECT VIII Wherein is alledged Deut. 32. ver 15 c. to ver 44. for the proofe of the maine generall Proposition In Deut. 32. ver 15. to ver 19. are set downe the sins of the Iewes But Ierusalem waxed fat and kicked c. Then he forsook God c. they provoked him to jealousie with strange gods and they sacrificed to Devils not to God c. In ver 19. c. to ver 35. is set downe the wrath and revenge that God would exercise upon them for those sins When the Lord saw it he abhorred it or despised them because of the provoking of his sonnes and daughters And he said I will hide my face from them c. They have moved me to jealousie c. and a fire is kindled in my anger and it shal burne c. I wil heap mischiefe upon them c. I said I would scatter them into corners c. In ver 35. c. to 44. is set downe Gods comforting of the Iewes and his terrour to their enemies ver 35. To me belongeth vengeance and recompence their enemies foot shal slide in due time for the day of their calamity is at hand and the things that shal come upon them make haste ver 36. For the Lord shal judge his people or shal plead the cause of his people * So Piscator Causam populi sui age◠and REPENT HIMSELFE for his SERVANTS when he seeth that their POWER IS GONE and there is none shut up or left Ver. 37. And he shal say where are their gods their rock in whom they trusted c. ver 38. Let them rise up and help you and be your protection ver 39. See now that I even I am he and there is no God with me I kill and I make alive I would and I heale neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand ver 4. For I lift up my hand to Heaven and say I live for ever ver 41. If I whet my glittering
adequatly and answerably to that name described in the first verse to be a day that shall BURN AS AN OVEN which shall burn up the proud and wicked as stubble leaving them neither root nor branch Now observe ¶ 1. This cannot be extended to the ultimate day of judgment at the universal resurrection of all the wicked then cast into the lake of fire Revel 20.12 c. to the end of the Chapter for these Reasons First Because at this day if not according to the order of the prophesie after this dreadful and burning day in this first verse of the fourth of Malachi Christ the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings to them that fear his name and they shall GO FORTH and shall GROW UP AS CALVES OF THE STALL Ver. 2. Now this cannot be at that universal resurrection and ultimate judgement at which time Christ hath done healing hath finished his mediatorship and resigned up all his power to God the Father 1 Cor. 15.24 25 26 27 28. and the elect have done growing Secondly Because ver 5. an Elijah must be sent BEFORE THE COMING of the GREAT and DREADFUL day of the Lord who shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their fathers Which is not a work to be done at or near-upon that ultimate judgement but then he that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is filthy let him be filthy still then is a time of destruction not of conversion Thirdly Because it is added in the last verse of Malachi That Elijah must come and shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children LEAST the Lord come and SMITE THE EARTH WITH A CURSE Now at the ultimate judgement there is no other smiting and cursing of the Earth but with that judgement it self it swallowing up all other evils And whether all parents or children be converted or not converted that ultimate judgement will be â—ure to come for the elects sake As concerning who this Elijahs is we shall dispute it particularly by and by ¶ 2. On the other side this prophesie cannot be cut so short as to terminate in Christs first coming For then was no dreadful day of the Lord so burning as a fiery oven to burn up the proud and wicked doers root and branch Christs coming is set forth in Matth. 21.5 according to Isa 62.11 Zech. 9.9 compared with Matth. 11.29 Phil. 2.7 c. in all meekness meanness lowliness and lowness And although there were wonderful days at his incarnation or birth Luke 2. Matth. 2. at his passion Matth. 27. his resurrection Matth. 28.1 2 3 4. at his ascension Acts 1. and at his mission of the Spirit Acts 2. Yet these were not THE great and dreadful day in the singular number they being many Or if we call them DREADFUL especially that of the resurrection and passion yet these days destroyed none For it is observable what Christ saith He came to heal or help not to destroy And therefore though he cursed the fig-tree to warn men yet with all his power and miracles he never killed or crippled any man being infinitely injured he revenged not but rather healed Malchus and his enemies wounds and maladies Yet see by this time how streightly and strongly we are butted and bounded with these two Paragraphs that we cannot fall so short as Christs first coming nor launch forth so far as to the universal resurrection of all the wicked at the ultimate judgement § 5 Now therefore to answer the question distinctly when this time is We assert That no time can shape and correspond to the circumstances and characters of this prophesie but the time abutting upon the beginning entrance or prelude of the whole day of judgement containing a thousand years as Peter speaks 2 Pet. 3. and bounded out exactly Revel 20. with two physical or corporal resurrections as we have before amply opened * Book 1. Cap. 2. Sect. 1 2 3 4. This we shall endeavor to demonstrate by these Arguments ¶ 1. That burning of all the proud and of all evil doers as stubble leaving them neither root nor branch Ver. 1. And that trampling them under the feet of the Saints as ashes Ver. 3. must rather be referred to such a time set down in the Scriptures as most aptly answer to those particulars then left at random to the imaginary times in mens brains of which we never read nor heard to agree to their character But these things do most harmoniously concord with the times of the last ruining of the Antichristian enemies of the Church before the raising of it to her great restauration and restitution of all things Rev. 18. wholly and Rev. 19.11 to the end of the chapter compared with Rev. 20.1 2 3 4 5. Therefore thither are these things to be referred I hope the very setting down of the words will convince the ingenuous Reader where after a large and particular description with all manner of corporal circumstances of the BURNING of Babylon Rev. 18. There follows alike iconism or corporal characterism of the ruine of the rest of the Churches enemies by fire and sword Chap. 19. I saw Heaven opened and behold a white horse and he that sate upon him was called Faithful and True in righteousness he doth judge and MAKE WAR His eyes were as a FLAME OF FIRE c. and he was clothed with a vesture DIPT IN BLOOD c. And the ARMIES which were in Heaven followed him upon white horses c. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword that with it he should smite the Nations And he shall RULE them with a ROD OF IRON and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness of the WRATH OF ALMIGHTY GOD and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS And I saw another Angel standing in the Sun and he cryed with a loud voyce saying to all the FOWLS that flie in the midst of Heaven Come and gather your selves together unto the SUPPER of the Great God that ye may eat the FLESH of KINGS and the FLESH of CAPTAINS and the FLESH of MIGHTY MEN and the FLESH of HORSES and of them that sit on them and the FLESH of ALL MEN both free and bond both small and great And I saw the BEAST and the KINGS of the Earth and their ARMIES gathered together to make WAR against him that sate on the horse and against his ARMY And the BEAST was taken and with him the false Prophet c. these both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone And the REMNANT were SLAIN and all the fouls were filled with their flesh And I saw an Angell come down from Heaven having the keyes of the bottomlesse pit and a great chain in his hand and he laid hold on the Dragon c. which is the Devil and bound him a THOUSAND YEARS And cast him