more clear In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the House of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Mark he that is feeble shall be as David at that day and the House of David shall be even as an Angel of God Those that are weak Christians yet at that day when the Lord shall set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth weak Christians shall be as David and he that is strong shall be as an Angel of God Now I would but know when was this what time was this was this ever in the time of the Gospel I verily believe the times of the Gospel are as glorious at this day as ever they were since the Apostles days in regard of the graces of Gods Spirit There is as clear Revelations of Christ and as strange workings of the Graces of Gods Spirit in the generality I must except those that are eminent as the Apostles and those that had miraculous and extraordinary gifts but to speak of the generality of Christians they have as much knowledg of Jesus Christ and the wayes of Christ as ever any yet can we say now that even strong Christians are like David If we should examine and see what David was how short should we come where have we almost any that may parallel with David but there is a Prophecy that the feeble shall be like David and the strong ones shall be like the Angel of God In the forty fifth Psalm there the Church is described The Cloathing of the Kings Daughter is of wrought Gold and she shall be brought unto the King in Rayment of Needle-work Which is but to signifie the excellent Gifts and Graces of the Saints that they shall be cloathed as it were with their Gifts as Princes Daughters that have such Cloathing And Revel 22.3 4. there 's a Prophecy that they shall continually stand before the Lord and serve him night and day they shall be unwearied in the service of the Lord they shall serve him night and day Now you are quickly tired a little time in the worship of God doth tire you but there is a time coming when the Saints shall be so strengthened with the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit of God as they shall be able to serve him night and day The seventh thing that shall be done when Jerusalem shall be raised as the praise of the whole Earth it shall be the glorious presence of Christ that shall be amongst them I say the Glorious presence of Christ I do not say the Personal presence of Christ in his Body for that would require arguing and much dispute therefore we meddle not with it But that there shall be a more glorious presence of Jesus Christ in his Churches than yet hath been That the Scripture seems to be clear enough in As in the 21. Revel verse 22. And I saw no Temple therein that was in the New Jerusalem For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof That is there should not be such need of help as now there is either from Creatures or Ordinances in comparison for the Lord God shall be the light of that place and the Lamb shall be instead of the Temple In the 2 Pet. 1.19 compared with the Rev. 2.28 There is very much to give light to this and yet that we are not able to understand throughly the meaning of it We have also saith he a more sure word of Prophecy whereunto you do well that you take heed as unto a ligâ—â— that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the Day-star arise in your Hearts This more sure word of Prophecy he means certainly the Scriptures that we have and the way of Gods revealing himself there You do well to take heed saith he unto them Vntill the Day dawn and the Day-star arise in your Hearts He seems to speak here of another manner of manifestation of light from God that shall be besides that sure Word of Prophecy that is the Day-star rising in their Hearts Now compare this with the 2. Revel and the 28. There is promised to such as do overcome in Antichristian times that at length the Lord will give unto them the morning Star Now these two being compared together may cause us thus much to see that there certainly shall be some further Presence of Christ among the Saints than in former times hath been For Christ he is the morning Star and God will give them the morning star that is he will give them Christ the Presence of Christ shall arise in the Hearts of the Saints in another way than formerly for they were Godly to whom this morning Star is promised but if you continue to be Godly and to overcome in the Antichristian time you shall have this blessing you shall have the morning Star They had Christ to justifie them and to sanctifie them But they were promised to have Christ yet further in another more high and glorious presence of his to be as a morning Star arising in their Hearts And in the 33 of Isa v. 17. there it 's promised to them that are upright that they should see the King in his Glory Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty The Promise is made to those that are described in the 15. vers Jesus Christ the King that was so much desired in former times shall appear in his beauty and glory unto them And in the 102. Psam there 's a clear Prophecy of this Estate of Jerusalem when the Lord shall make it the praise of the whole Earth Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come vers 16. But in the 15. vers So the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy Glory When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his Glory There will be a glorious appearing when God shall come to build up Zion and make Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole Earth God hath appeared gloriously in all his works in former times but this great work is the greatest next the sending of his Son into the World to be made flesh It is the greatest that ever was done the building up of Zion Then God shall appear in his Glory When the Marriage of the Saints shall be the new Jerusalem that is the Spouse of Christ As Parents do use to put on their best Garments in the time when they marry their Children so in the time when the Lord shall raise Jerusalem thus it shall be as a great Marriage-day of the Church to Christ Now there is a Marriage of particular Souls to
shall be made the praise of the whole Earth then there shall be new Heavens and a new Earth created That is there shall be as great a change of things as if there were new Heavens and new Earth created There shall be a mighty glorious power of God manifested towards his Churches as if God were Creating new Heavens and new Earth again Oh! we do not know but that either you or some of your Children may yet live to see such times as these are And it 's another World indeed It 's not the World that we live in now there shall be a kind of new World And therefore some Scriptures that many times we think are meant concerning the Life in Heaven after the day of Judgment because they are spoken of another World they are rather to be understood of the state of the Church here in this World And to the end that I may shew this for otherwise all that 's said is but in vain It may be you will say that the Prophet mean't that State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven And so the Apostle St. John in his reference to what the Prophet saith he seems to mean it of the glorious state of the Church in Heaven And I verily believe the most of you that have read with Observation the latter end of the Book of the Revelations you have thought it hath been meant of the State of the Church in Heaven but that it cannot be be meant I 'le give you a Reason or two why the 21 of the Revelations cannot be meant of the Church in Heaven First Because the Text saith That Jerusalem shall come down from Heaven after he had described it in the 10 Vers He carryed me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God That is the Glory of Jerusalem shall not come from the Earth nor from any Earthly means Though men ought to do what they can yet it shall be too great a Glory for any earthly means to be able to bring but it shall come down from Heaven there shall be some admirable glorious work of God from Heaven to bring Jerusalem into such Glory as it shall be brought into And that 's one thing That it is not the State of Heaven for it comes down from Heaven And then besides that that is an undeniable Reason is that which you have in the 24 and 26 Verses And the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour into it They do not bring their Honour to the State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven The Saints in Heaven shall have no need of any of the Glory of the Kings of the Earth the meanest poorest Servant or Boy that is Godly shall be more glorious than all the Kings of the Earth ever were in this World but this is such a State that the Kings of the Earth shall bring their Glory to it And in the 26 verse They shall bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it The meaning is that when this time comes the Lord will make all the Kings of the Earth and all the Nations of the Earth to be some way serviceable to the Glory of his Churches that 's the plain meaning of it that whereas now the Kings of the Earth and the Nations do persecute the Church generally and as in the second Psalm you have it the Kings of the Earth they combine themselves together against Jesus Christ and will none of his Government but yet for all this the Lord saith that he will set his King upon his holy Hill And then here is the Prophecy that there shall be such a work of God upon the Kings and Nations of the Earth as they shall all come in and bring their Glory to Jerusalem to the Church to do the uttermost they can to make the Church to be Glorious This is in General the state of Jerusalem when it shall be made the Praise of the Earth But now that I might come to move Particulars about this The first thing is this When that time shall come all Tears shall be wiped from the Eyes of Saints the People of God shall be delivered from all Enemies they shall never be any further pestered with wicked and ungodly men to be enemies to them but be fully freed from them all We groan under the burden of the Enmity of wicked Men and their Opposition I but let us be content to bear it and to endure Oppositions from wicked and ungodly Men for there is a time a coming that thou shalt be delivered even in this World You will say when we come to Heaven we shall be above the Malice of all the wicked Men in the World Nay there is a time when the Saints shall be above the Malice of wicked men upon this Earth In the 28 of Ezek. A Chapter that speaks so much of the Glorious Condition of the People of God verse 24. There shall be no more a pricking Briar nor any grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despised them They shall be so far from having any power to do any mischief to the People of God as they shall not be so much as able to prick them no grieving Thorn nor no bryer pricking of the Saints of God as heretofore they have done It will be a blessed time when the Saints shall be delivered from the Curse of the Earth the Bryers and Thorns it brings forth Where are wicked men certainly those are the worst Bryers and Thorns in the World and do the most mischief here in the World Now the Lord hath promised that they shall be delivered wholly from them Rev. 21.4 There is a Scripture leading to that way And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more Pain For the former things are passed away This is prophesied of for such times as these are for those that then liv'd the Saints are like to live when Christ shall come in that Glorious state of Judgment and have no pain nor sickness and therefore be delivered from all Enemies and from all evils both from without and within in regard of any pain or misesery and in the 19 of the Revelations we have it there prophesied of Christ that he shall come and have his Vesture dipt in blood in the overcoming all the wicked and ungodly Verse 13. And he was cloathed with a Vesture dipt in blood and his Name is called the Word of God And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses cloathed in fine Linnen white and clean 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
Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim Now ordinarily in Scripture Ephraim and Judah is made Typical of the Churches there was a great deal of contention between Ephraim and Judah one envying another Now this Prophecy is not yet fulfill'd for we never Read of Ephraim that is the ten Tribes and Judah were joyned in that near League and Union one with another as yet For the ten Tribes were carried Captive and never returned Judah indeed was carried Captive and they did return but not the ten Tribes Therefore it is spoken of an Estate of the Church afterwards Though my Church shall be in after times the times of the Gospel like Ephraim and Judah one envying another I 'le take away their envy they shall not envy but they shall love one another and joyn one with another Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim And then another Prophecy is in the 14. Zech. vers 9. And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his Name one It 's true all of us that are Christians we acknowledge but one Lord but we call him by divers Names and one saith This is his mind and another faith the other is his mind but saith he In that day as there shall be but one Lord so his Name shall be but one There shall not be those different apprehensions of Christ as now there are but Christians shall generally joyn together in one There shall not be such opinions to divide Christians one from another as now there are there shall be but one Lord and his Name shall be but one And a further Prophecy which is very remarkable is in the third of Zeph. v. 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure Language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent In the Original it is with one Shoulder now how do Christians shoulder one another and push one another by the shoulder as it were opposing one another what they can but then they shall joyn their shoulders together and all shall be but as one shoulder they shall serve the Lord with one shoulder with one consent their hearts shall joyn in one and then their strength shall joyn together Now this is that that shall be done when the Lord shall make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth you that mind the Lord and the things of his glory give him no rest untill he do establish this that he hath promised and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth In the tenth place there shall be a great change of things in the world at that time a great change in the whole frame of the creation of Heaven and Earth And I think verily that place in the eighth of the Romans and there is ground for it why we should think so is meant of this time Vers 20 21. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope because the creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit Even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our Bodies Now that this should be then in such an Estate of the Church in this World this is the Reason Either you must grant it to be so or otherwise you must grant that after the day of Judgment in the state of glory that the Saints shall have which Divines generally say shall be in Heaven you must grant that then there shall be the continuance of all the Creatures as now they are and that the Saints must live here Now that is hardly granted by any Divines But this speaks of the whole Creation to be delivered from their bondage and to come to partake of the benefit of the Adoption of the Sons of God That is at that time when the Adoption of the Sons of God shall appear gloriously that there shall be such a change in all the Creatures that they shall be restored to the first perfection that they had in the state of Innocency They groan to be delivered from the bondage surely they do not groan to be Annihilated and turned into nothing Therefore there is a time for the Heavens and Earth and Sea and Plants and Beasts to be in another condition than now they are And to say that this shall be at the day of Judgment or after few Divines have thought But this is spoken of a time when all the Creatures in this world shall have a mighty change put upon them And to that end the Scripture likewise in the 2 of Peter the 3 d. Chap. though one would think in the Reading of it if you did not mark it throughly that it should be meant at the day of Judgment but if you observe it throughly it seems to be spoken of a great change that there shall be when the creatures shall be delivered from bondage In the 10. vers But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up and now observe the 13. vers Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness There shall be a mighty change in the world by Fire or some other way and so as all things shall seem as if they were brought into nothing but saith the Apostle by the Holy-Ghost We according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Now suppose all the world were dissolved how new Heavens and a new Earth then shall the Saints after the day of Judgment have a new Earth and live upon the Earth here This I suppose you would think to be but a very strange Doctrine But now this is such a change of things as shall have New Earth as well as New Heavens and this is according to the promise now what promise have we in all the Book of God that this hath reference to I find all Divines referr it to the 65. of Isa For you have no other Scripture that you can refer this promise to in the 17. vers For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy So
say Are they not now No certainly not so as then in that we do not see such an eminency of Christs taking the Kingdoms of the Earth now more than formerly and I say this is an evident Argument that the Witnesses are not slain In the 12 of Daniel there you have a Prophecy of the same times that we have here But mark how he begins this Prophecy there saith he in the 1 vers And at that time shall Michael stand up the great Prince which standeth for the Children of thy People and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation even to that same time and at that time thy people shall be delivered every one that shall be found written in the Book Though the time of trouble without be great such as never was the like yet these that are written in the Book shall be delivered And so he goes on describing the glorious condition of the Church of God as it shall be I spake something to that in the opening of the Glory of this new Jerusalem and shewed you that it could not be meant there of the Glory of Heaven but of the glory of the Church here that should be upon the Earth And then in the 3 d. of Revel vers 10. we Read of an hour of Temptation that should be throughout the face of the Earth there is a time of Temptation that shall go quite through the whole world and whether yet this is come upon us doth not certainly appear and therefore let the consideration of this prepare us for suffering before hand For God will cause sufferings to try men who are true and will cleave to him and who are not but will desert him And so I remember Lactantius the former Author quoted he speaks as clearly of this as if so be that he did live and had seen it saith he A little before these times times wil grow so evil in comparison of the times that we live in now in which wickedness one would think were grown to the greatest height that possibly could be yet in comparison of these there shall come such evil times just before this glorious time of the Church as our times may be accounted Golden and Happy times in respect of those sad times for saith he good men they shall be a prey to wicked men and they shall be in contempt and poverty all right among men shall be confounded all Law shall perish and no man shall know what 's his own things shall be in such a cumbustion and confusion that no Law shall prevail and no man shall know what 's his own this shall be a little before saith he the glorious state of the Church wherein Christ shall appear Now if he could say so so long before certainly none then having Scripture so suitable to it have cause to fear that yet we may live to meet with very hard things ☞ Although it will be but short that 's the comfort if there should be great sufferings just before the day break and it should be darker than it was yet it will continue but a while three Years and an half will be the most But the times of the great sufferings of the Church before Jerusalem is to be made the praise of the whole Earth these three Years and a half will put men so to it that if they have not true grace they will fall off The Administration of Gods Providences are very strange we have had thoughts that all had been blowing over that we should have liv'd in safety and peace but clouds gather still And though the former clouds seem'd in some measure to be gone yet new clouds are gathering and therefore it 's wisdom for the People of God that fear God and look into his Word to see what God hath made known in his Word I say it 's their wisdom to prepare for the hardest that possibly can come That they may be bright and made white with all the troubles that they meet with and be not among them that shall not be found written in the Book and so to be cast out of all the good of this Jerusalem that shall be made the praise of the Earth Thirdly Though we should prepare for sufferings yet let us strengthen our faith and rejoyce in the hope of such times as these are in the midst of sufferings rejoyce it 's an Excellent thing when a Christian is able in the midst of sufferings to rejoyce in the assurance of a promise when things go never so contrary yet to keep in Gods ways upon the expectation of a promise to be fulfill'd You have an Excellent Scripture in the 64. of Isa vers 5. Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness those that Remember thee in thy ways behold thou art wroth for we have sinned In those is continuance and we shall be saved If you read this Chapter you shall find that the Church was in a sad condition but mark Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness In the saddest times there were some that did not only work Righteousness but did Rejoyce and work Righteousness Though God was wroth and all things did seem to be very dismal yet there were some that went on in the ways of Righteousness and rejoyced in the ways of Righteousness It 's a most Excellent Scripture and of marvellous use to us if God should bring us into sad times for us not only to keep in the ways of Righteousness but to rejoyce in the ways of Righteousness to rejoyce that ever we were brought into it and that 's upon an expectation that the Lord will save us Whatsoever sufferings you meet withall yet strengthen your faith and rejoyce in the Expectation of this Glory of Jerusalem The believing of such times as these are really makes Life desirable especially because God is so stirring in this Age not for any great matters that we shall have outwardly in the World for a while but that we may come to see the Issue of all these stirs and at length out of all the Confusion to see Jerusalem to be the praise of the whole world And therefore in the 102. Psalm which I think verily hath reference to these times you shall find the Title of it to be A Prayer of the afflicted when he is overwhelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. But mark in his pouring out his complaint before God how he comforts himself in the 13. vers Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come For thy servants take pleasure in her stones and favour the dust thereof so the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy glory When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his glory The Lord shall appear in his glory in building up Zion that is now cast down I say it 's a Prophetical Psalm
a Curse all that time For First all Creatures are subject to vanity and that vanity shall not be taken off nor the bondage till this time Secondly There will be trouble and Wars continually till this time there will be no certainty nor settledness of things till Jerusalem come to be made as the praise of the Earth There will attend affliction to the people of God yea and to others too Yea and there is a Curse upon mens Spirits which will not be taken off till this time comes The truth is when we look upon what is in the Earth we can see little that should make us desire to live in respect of the earthly comforts that are here and for my own part thinking in my thoughts about this point this Meditation came into my mind I wonder why men that live here and are not useful and serviceable to do service for God I wonder why they should desire to live for what pleasure is there in the Earth The Earth is under a curse Now were it not for this one thing that we might live to make our peace with God and to do God service I say it 's a wonder that any should desire to live for the truth is Afflictions and Fears and Troubles will countervail the Comforts of any that do live But indeed that will countervail our affliction if we may live to do service for God but let us give God no rest till this be because till then the Earth is under a curse It is this that brings a glory to the Earth O! it will be worth living in the World when God shall be set up in the World when Jesus Christ shall rule in the World it will be worth the living and not till then And then further give God no rest because that the time is near now howsoever it is near in respect of what it was when this Prophet thus spoke for â—t was above two thousand Years ago â—hat the Prophet spake these words Now the end of the world it 's even up on us and Christ seems to be even at the door Now as it is in nature a heavy thing the nearer it comes to the center the faster it moves so the nearer we are come to this time the more should our hearts be stirred for the time is even at hand and therfore let us pray now mightily as we find in the 9 th of Daniel Daniel did understand by Books that the time of their deliverance was near Mark at the third Vers the Text tells us that Daniel set his face to seek the Lord O then he fasted and prayed indeed My Brethren when you have such things as thâ—se presented to you and some hâ—â—â—â—â—l Arguments presented likewi 〈…〉 are near learn to set your 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord and resolve never to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 king till he make this Jerusalem to be the praise of the whole Earth O my Brethren now a praying heart is worth something it is a miserable thing for any Man or Woman not to have a Spirit of Prayer in these times a dangerous sign that such a one shall never be partaker of the glory of this new Jerusalem that hath not a praying Spirit in these times Yea now we find there are mighty stirrings abroad in the world the hearts of men are more raised to expect it than ever they were before I remember it 's observed of the woman of Samaria you may see by her that there was a general expectation raised of the Messias at the time that he came saith she when the Messias comes he will tell us all things and truly there is the greatest expectation of the Saints of God and those that are the most strict and holy the greatest expectation of these times as ever yet was and we find the Lord is so stirring in the world as makes us think that he is bringing about some glorious things and therefore pray pray pray and you that want matter to pray among other things put this into your prayer both in your Closets and Families pray the Lord and cry to him so as to give him no rest every day O Lord make Jerusalem the praise of the Earth O Lord we see abundance of darkness in thy Churches and Godliness is little Honoured in the world but O Lord make thy Churches glorious set up the glory of Godliness in the world pray thus privately and so publickly And a further motive to give God no rest is this That in this your heart doth joyn with the work of God that is most acceptable to God and that his Soul doth take delight in and that 's a comfortable thing And besides give him no rest for God hath appointed Prayer to be a special Engine and a great means to further this In the 102. Psalm saith the Text The Lord will regard the Prayer of the destitute Alas may some say I am a poor weak Christian a poor Body I am able to do but little I may Sigh to God but what are my prayers worth Mark the Text speaking of the glory of these times and of the way to further it The Lord will regard the Prayer of the destitute Though thou beest but as a poor shrub the Lord will regard thy Prayer and mark what the Text saith This shall be written for the Generation to come vers 18. This is written for thee Prayer hath done great things hath made a mighty change of things and if ever People were encouraged to pray now they may be encouraged because they have seen so much that Prayer hath done already We have many Scriptures which I had thought to have spoken of for the encouragement of you in Prayer for these things that you might go on and not faint Though you see things seem to go very Cross yet be not troubled at it but still go on give him no rest it may be God will do nothing now yet still give him no rest but be constant till the thing be done for certainly it will be done at length and if it should not come to pass in your life yet this I will conclude withall When you die die in the Faith of it Any of you that have been earnest in prayer for this thing and yet you see little come of it yet die in the Faith of it when you die as it is said of Joseph in the 50. of Gen. 24. Behold I die and God will surely visit you and bring you out of this Land unto the Land which he sware to Abraham c. So you may speak to your Children I die now I must not see this new Jerusalem but there is hope that God will bring you into it though I perhaps shall not see it and close your Eyes with this belief when you are to die I die yet in the Faith that there is a time a coming that the Lord will make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth FINIS The Witnesses not yet slain