since there hath been a Nation upon the Earth insomuch that if the Lord should not shorten these days and hasten his coming no flesh should be saved Dan. 7.21 cap. 8.31 cap. 11.35 cap. 12.1 10. Matth. 24.21 22. Acts 14.22 2 Tim. 3.12 Rev 6.11 Rev. 12.17 Rev. 13.7 and so I shall leave these Scriptures to be perused and pass to the third Particular The third Particular is That the Earth also shall receive her strength to bring forth as in its Primitive time that is to say before it was Cursed by reason of the transgression of Man as also saith the Prophet Instead of thorns shall come up the Fir-tree and instead of the Brier shall come up the Mirtle-tree and it shall be to the Lord for a name an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off then shall he give thee rain of thy seed that thou shalt sow the ground withall and bread of the increase of the earth and it shall be fat and plentious in that day shall thy Cattel feed in large Pastures the Oxen likewise and the young Asse that ear the ground shall eate clean Provender which hath been winnowed with a Shovel and with Fan and there shall be upon every Mountain and upon every high Hill rivers and streams of water in the day of the great slaughter when the Towers fall Moreover the light of the Moon shall be as the light of the Sun and the light of the Sun shall be seven-fold as the light of seven days in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroke of their wounds Isa. 55.13 Chap 30.23 24 25 26. From hence we may see that the earth shal be restored unto her Primitive purity for thus saith the Lord concerning it in the Prophecie of Isaiah in these words For the Lord shall comfort Sion he will comfort her wast places and he will make her Wilderness like Eden and her Desart like the Garden of the Lord and they shall say this Land that was desolate is become like the Garden of Eden and the wast and desolate and ruined Cities are become fenced and as inhabited The Wilderness and the solitary places shall also blossom as the Rose I will open Rivers in high places and Fountains in the middest of the Valley I will make the Wilderness a pool of water and the dry Land springs of water I will plant in the Wilderness the Cedar the Shittah-tree and the Mirtle and the Oyl-tree and I will set in the Desart the Firre-tree and the Pine and the Box-tree together Moreover The Plow-men shall overtake the Reapers and the treaders of Grapes him that soweth Seed and the Mountains shall drop down sweet wine Amos 9.13 Isa. 41.18 19 cap. 35.1 2. Ezek. 36.35 Isa. 51.3 From hence we may see that the earth shall be restored into its Primitive purity Obj. But if it be Objected and said That here is mention made of Plowing and Reaping and therefore cannot be a perfect redemption To the which I answer Ans. First That Adam himself when he was in his Innocency was to dress the Garden and to receive the fruit thereof and whether or no this were not such an imployment as might keep the Garden in such a capacity as whereby he might receive the fruit from it I leave the Reader to judge Gen. 2.15 Secondly As I have already said That there are some that will deprive themselves by their transgressions the which the Prophet saith shall be their Plowmen Isa. 61.5 and Vine-dressers Moreover I say That the strength of their nature shall be such that nothing that they do shall or can be a burden unto them but shall be a pleasure unto them like unto a man walking in his Garden and taking off a degenerate Plant which is no burden unto him but rather his pleasure for in the time of that perfect Redemption there shall be no kinde of weakness or faintness whereby any thing that they shall do will be a burden as saith the Lord In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and ho that is feeble amongst them at that day shall bee as David and the House of David shall be as God as the Angels of God before him Zech. 12.8 Isa. 40.29 31. And so much to the Objection and to the Eighth Particular and so I shall pass to the Ninth which is the signs of the times of the accomplishment of these Prophecies The Signs of the times of the accomplishment of these Prophecies Doubtless the Lord hath not hid from his Servants those things that he will do in the latter days nor the time when they shall be performed though the day and hour knoweth no man no not the Angels yet the times and seasons may be known by the signs Moreover it is lawful and commendable for the people of God to look into the Signs of the times for as much as we see the Lord Jesus Christ reprove such as do not saying O yee Hypocrites yee can discern the face of the sky but cannot discern the signs of the times Matth. 16.3 therefore I shall briefly give you some few signs that shall be as it were the Item of the Day of Christ or the Morning Watch and so to the First in order The first Sign of the second coming of Christ is the unsetledness of Kingdoms and Nations of the earth the Government sometimes here and sometimes there sometimes in the hands of one and sometimes in the hands of another men much striving for Honour and Kingdoms in the midst of those days shall God set up his Kingdom that shall never be destroyed and that the earth shall be thus unsetled reeling to and fro is clear from the Word of the Lord which saith The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunken man and be removed like a Tent and the iniquity there of shall be heavie upon it so that it shall fall and arise no more then shall the Sun he ashamed and the Moon confounded when the Lord shall reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem before his antients gloriously at which time the little stone hewed out of the Mountain without hands shall become a great Mountain and fill the whole earth Dan. 2.35 and ver. 44. Isa. 24.20 compare 23. From whence we may see that the unsetledness of Nations and Kingdoms upon the earth and striving for Honour and change of Governments is a lively sign of the second coming of the Lord Jesus to be near The second Sign of the coming of Christ Is by the abounding of wickedness or iniquity in the World as now we see it in a great height even by such as are worn out in their expectation or waiting for Jesus Christ who did not like that good condition that they were put in but having departed from the Faith and are given up unto all manner of uncleanness O the ungodly Practices and horrid Blasphemies that are now committed in England what
Sodomites with their Children are in Hell but having no reason to prove the first you have little reason to say the second But if you should suppose that Luke sixteenth would prove it in the Parable I will shew you that that will bee no proof for it was but a Parable and I can as well affirm that the Trees went forth on a time to anoynt a King over them Judg. 9.8 And they said unto the Olive tree reign thou over us You may read unto the sixteenth verse and see a large Discourse of it which is a Parable as well as that Luke sixteenth and so proves nothing but is for illustration and so that place Luke sixteenth is for illustration by the which the Lord doth shew what shall be the condition of poor afflicted Souls that suffer in this Life and also the condition of such who hate the poor afflicted people of God and take their pleasure in this Life so that God calls things that shall be in time as if they were in present being Hence it comes to pass that the Angel cries out Babylon is fallen Revel. 14.8 and so Revel. 18.2 which Voyce from Heaven was sixteen hundred years ago and yet I doubt not but you would conclude with me that Rome which is there called Mystery Babylon is not yet fallen so also John saith Revel. 20.11 12. That he saw the general Resurrection and the last Judgement so that you may see God calleth things that shall be as if they were and thus I have answered your great Objection Luk. 16.22 But now because there is a Generation of Men which affirm That there is no Hell now in being nor never shall be and thereby are hardned in their ungodly practises I shall shew you in a few words my judgement concerning Hell that all men may see I abhor such an ungodly opinion In the first place I shall speak a little of the time of its being and that I find in Scripture shall not be till the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge the world 2 Thessal 7. vers. 8. where the Lord is said to come in flaming fire to punish such as disobey him in his Gospel and Iude 14 15. verses Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgement upon all Which sheweth that neither Judgement nor the execution of Judgement which is the punishment of Hell shall be untill the coming of the Lord see also Revel. 22.12 He shall come quickly and his reward shall be with him to give unto every one according to his works See Mat. 25.29 30 31. So much briefly for the time of Hell in its being although much more may be said Secondly in brief for the place of Hell which I conceive shall bee on Earth where sin was committed for which I refer you to Isaiah 24.21 which saith And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish the Host of High ones which are on high and the Kings of the earth on the earth It is in that day when hee shall reign gloriously in the Hill of Zion when the Sun shall be ashamed and the Moon confounded And further we know Hell is called utter darkness viz. when the Lord hath with-drawn the Sun Moon and Stars which are but for signs and seasons and for days and years and these words shew that they are limited as to time which when they are taken away the Earth will be utter darkness and so the place where the Lord will punish Further he saith he will gather all Flesh to the valley of Jehosaphat and plead with them there and so much briefly to the place Now because I have thus said that Hell is not yet in being let not any ungodly Soul be hardned in his ungodly practices to think that when they dye they shall not go to Hell thou maist come there too soon for if so be that a thousand years to the Lord be but as yesterday and yet he have knowledge of time then ten thousand years is but a moment to those which have no knowledge of time but in the Grave there is no remembrance of time so that from Adams death which was the first man unto the time of his Resurrection will be to him but a moment of time But if by these words you should conclude that I hold the Mortality of the Soul I shall speak a word to it although I have spoke to it before yet a word now in its place may be seasonable and that is this All that is man dyeth and is mortal neither do I know and I beleeve you will be troubled to finde that any other thing returns to God than that Spirit which is neither of man nor from man but was freely given from God which indeed is immortal and yet is in no capacity to receive joy until the body is perfected with it I could speak much to this particular but that I see two sorts of persons that are ready to run upon the extremes which for want of true understanding in that point do run into great absurdities In the last Clause of your Letter you say The Anabaptist would have urged another Argument to prove no Children damned but you say you refused it and said that was but running round To which I answer That it did appear to me you were very weary indeed and could not answer to one Argument and therefore much less to many more You writ to me that you were scarcely recovered of Sickness and so that was one ground why you could not We use to say Sir a bad shift is better than none but while you were a talking of the flesh namely contesting about your Tithes with your Neighbour which was none of your Flock you seemed to be very well But Sir I marvell not much at your Apology for I scarce ever met with any of your Coat but they had urgent business that wanted them at home or a great way to Ride or a Sermon to Teach or some such like excuse but were any of you at any place where you might have varieties for your Belly or monies for your Purse and no Sectaries in the way as you call them to trouble you you would not bee in such great hast Furthermore you said I cried Victory by railing upon you Sir I pray you do not make me like your self which usually do rayl in your Pulpit as I am informed and by your own confession but I shall give you a review of those words which you call rayling You may remember when you were mounted on your Horse and ready to be gone when you could say nothing unto me you had thought to stop my mouth with these words saying unto me you profess God hath spoke to you let us see you shew a sign Although I never had a tittle in my speech to that purpose my answer was this which you call rayling that you are like to that adulterous Generation that seek a
smote the people with a continual stroak he that ruled the Nations in anger is per secuted and none hindereth vers. 6. So here we see he is called the King of Babylon and in verse 24 25 26. in these words The Lord of Host hath sworn saying Surely as I have thought so shall it come to passe and as I have purposed it shall stand that I wil break the Assyrian in my Land and upon my Mountains tread him under foot then shall his yoke depart from them and his burden depart from off their shoulders This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole Earth Hence you may see that he is also called the Assyrian and that you may see it is meant the last Antichrist before spoken of from the fourteenth Verse of the same Chapter and fifteenth And see more vers. 32. in these words What shall one then answer the Messengers of the Nations for the Lord hath founded Sion and the poor of the people shall trust in it And that foundation in Sion or Sion so founded so as it may bee an object for the people to trust in which will not bee until the Lord Jesus is laid as a foundation or set as a King upon the Holy Hill of Sion and then the poor of the people shall trust in him and lye down under the shadow of his wings in peace and none make them afraid and somuch briefly as to the discovery of the manner of the rise of the Man of Sin and also for the proving of him not to be the Romish Babylon and so pass briefly to the Third which is the discovery of the taking of the City and Temple from the Jews for a small time The spoyling of the Jews for a swall time and the taking of their City and Temple Now when the Jews are returned into their own Land and have brought their substance with them and having no King amongst them the Man of Sin shall have this evil thought come into his minde for to take from them their substance and to make Jerusalem the throne of his glory professing himself to be the King they wait for but through their knowledge they will not beleeve him to be their King for the which cause he shall spoyl them and take away by force their City setting up his Seat in the glorious holy Mount I shall give you some lively Prophecies that shall make good this Particular as brief as may be In that day saith the Lord I will assemble her that halteth and her that was driven out and her that was afflicted now why dost thou cry out aloud is there no Knig in thee Is thy Counsellour perished for pains have taken thee as a woman in travel Be in pain and labour to bring forth O Daughter of Sion like a Woman in travel for now thou shalt go forth out of the City and dwell in the field and thou shalt go even to Babylon there shalt thou be delivered there shall the Lord deliver thee from the hands of the enemies now therefore are many Nations gathered against thee that say Let her be defiled and let our eyes look unto Sion but they know not the thoughts of the Lord neither understand they his counsel for he shall gather them as sheaves into the floor arise and thresh O daughter of Sion for I will make thy Horn Iron and thy hoofes Brass and thou shalt beat in peeces many people and I will consecrate thy gain unto the Lord and thy substance unto the Lord of the whole earth Micha 4.6 7. compare verses 9 10 11 12 13. You may see also from Ezekiel 38.7 8 9 10 11 12. in these words Be thou prepared and prepare for thy self thou and all thy company that are assembled unto thee be thou a guard unto them after many days thou shalt be visited in the latter years thou shalt come into the Land that is brought back from the sword and is gathered out from many people against the Mountains of Israel which have been always wast but it is brought forth out of the Nations and they shall dwell safely all of them thou shalt ascend and come like a storm thou shalt be like a Cloud to cover the Land thou and all thy bands and many people with thee thus saith the Lord It shall come to passe that at the same time shall things come into thy minde and thou shalt think an evil thought and thou shalt say I will go up into the Land of unwalled Villages I will go to them that are at rest that dwell safely all of them dwelling without wals having neither bars nor gates to take a spoyl to take a prey to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited and upon the people that are gathered out of the Nations which have gotten Cattel and Gods and that dwell in the midst of the Land Hence we may see that after Israels last and general return and their bringing their riches with them as they once did out of the Land of Aegypt that this Gog which is the great and last Antichrist as you may see for he saith it is in the latter days even in the very last before the coming of Christ as you may see Ezek. 38.16 17 18 19 20. And that he shall take the prey and spoyl Israel for a small time even until Christ deliver them is clear from the Prophet Zecharies words Zech. 14.1 2 3 4. Behold the day of the Lord cemeth and thy spoyl shall be divided in the midst of thee and I will gather all Nations against Jerusalem to battel and the Cities shall be taken and the Houses rifled and the Women ravished and half of the City shall goe into Captivity and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the City then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those Nations as when he fought in the day of Battel and his feet in that day shall stand upon the Mount of Olives which is over against Ierusalem From these Prophecies you may see that the Man that great and last Antichrist shall spoyl the Iews for a small time and take from them their City and place his Tabernacle in the glorious holy Mountain Dan. 11.45 which the Apostle Paul saith shall bee the Temple for that will be the place of his Seat or Tabernacle 2 Thess. 2.4 Much more might be said to this Particular but I hasten to the Fourth Particular in the which I shall discover the manner of the rising of the Sun of Righteousness and the gathering together of his Army and shall also prove that he is a man and so hee shall come and reign But to passe that and to the thing in hand which is the manner of his arising and the gathering of his Army The manner of the Sun of Righteousness arising and the gathering together of his Army When the full appointed time of the Father shall approach and the measure of Sin is full
year of the Lords vengeance and the year of recompence for the controversie of Sion I beheld till the Thrones were cast down and the antient of days did sit whose garment was white as Snow and the hair of his head like unto pure Wool his Throne was like the fiery flame and his Wheels like burning fire a fiery flame issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the Judgement was set and the Books were opened I beheld then because of the noyse and great words which the Horn spake I beheld even until the Beast was slain and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame let the Heathen be awaked and come down to the valley of Jehoshaphat for there will I sit to judge all the Heathen round about put you in the Sickle for the Harvest is ripe come get you down for the Press is full the fat over-floweth for the wickedness is great multitudes in the valley of Decision for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of Decision and the Angel thrust in his Sickle into the earth and gathered the Vine of the earth and cast it into the great Wine-press of the Wrath of God and the Wine-press was trodden without the City and bloud came out of the Wine-press even to the Horse bridles by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs Isa. 59.16 17 18. Chap. 34.8 Dan. 7.9 10 11. Joel 3.11 12 13 14. Rev. 14.19 20. From hence you may see what great slaughter the Lord will make with that great Antichrist and his Army when hee comes to try Sions Controversie Moreover see from the Prophet Ezekiel Therefore thou Son of Man Prophesie against Gog and say Thus saith the Lord behold I am against thee O Gog the chief Prince of Mesheck and Tubal I will turn thee back and leave but the sixth part of thee and will cause thee to come up from the North parts and will bring thee upon the Mountains of Israel and I will smite thy how out of thy left hand and cause thine Arrow to fall out of thy right hand thou shalt fall upon the Mountains of Israel thou and all thy Bands and the people that is with thee I will give thee unto the ravenous Birds of every sort and unto the Beast of the field to be devoured thou shalt fall upon the open field for I have spoken it saith the Lord And thou Son of Man thus saith the Lord speak unto every fethered Fowl and to every Beast of the Field assemble your selves and come gather your selves on every side to my Sacrifice that I do Sacrifice to you even a great Sacrifice upon the Mountains of Israel that you may eat flesh and drink bloud yee shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the bloud of the Princes of the earth of Rams of Lambs and of Goats of Bullocks all of them the fatlings of Bashan and yee shall eat fat till yee be filled and drink bloud till yee be drunken of my Sacrifice which I have Sacrificed for you Ezek. 39.1 2 3 4 5. Compare verse 17 18 19. Isa. 34.5 6. all which Scriptures and many more do shew that great destruction and total fall that the last and great Antichrist shall have upon the Mountains of Israel A word or two to shew that the Jesus the King shall restore their Kingdom into their hands even the Jews He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord and in the Majesty of the name of his God and they shall abide for now shall he hee great unto the ends of the earth and this man shall be our peace when the Assyrians shall come into our Land and when he shall tread in our Palaces the Lord of Hoast hath sworn saying Surely so shall it come to pass as I have purposed so shall it stand that I will break the Assyrian in my Land and upon my Mountaines tread him under foot then shall his yoke depart from off them and his burden depart from off their shoulders for the Lord will have mercy on Jacob and will yet chuse Israel and set them into their own Land and the strangers shall bee joyned with them and they shall cleave to the House of Jacob and the people shall take them and bring them to their place and the House of Israel shall possesse them in the Land of the Lord for Servants and Hand-maids and they shall take them Captives whose Captives they were and they shall rule over their Oppressors Isa. 14.1 2 3. compare 24 25. verses So we may see that it was no Childish question that Christs Disciples asked him whether he would at that time restore the Kingdom to Israel though it were a matter too inquisitive for them to ask such a question for to know the Times and Seasons but here you may see that there is an appointed time of the Father in the which it should be accomplished and indeed David was a lively Type of Christ which had no sooner dispaced the Jebusites and cast them out of Sion but he made it his own Seat and the place for his Family So likewise it will be with the Lord Jesus that no sooner shall he appear upon the Mountains of Israel but he shall destroy that last and great Jebusite or the Man of Sin or the great and last Amichrist more properly called and give it unto the Jews for a Possession that they may dwell there and have it in possession The seed also of his Servants shall inherite it and they that love his name shall dwell therein Psal. 69.35 36. so that hence I have discovered briefly that great Warre upon the Mountains of Israel with the total ruine of the last and great Antichrist and the restoration of the Kingdom into the hands of Israel and leaving of these few Scriptures for the further proof of this thing I shall passe to the Sixth Particular Isa. 33.1 2 3 4 5. Ezek. 38.18 19 20 21 22. Rev. 11.10 chap. 6.15 The glorious Reign of Christ and his Saints upon Earth a thousand years The Discovery of the glorious Reign of Christ the great King and the Saints upon the Earth and the great peace that shall be in his day Christian Friend here is that the consideration whereof is sufficient to bear up thy spirit in the worst of times it was that which made the Apostle Paul not count his life dear to him that he might finish his course with joy so that hee was contented to suffer with him because he knew he should reign with him but for the better understanding of this glorious reign I shall divide this subject into several parts The first is That Christ shall reign as King on the Earth even in Jerusalem Secondly That the Saints shall have an high Prerogative so as to reign on earth even as Christ And Thirdly I shall put these two together with some other
be saved but the Lord shall cut the work short in righteousness so that when his people are in great trouble then he shall stand up as a Deliverer Dan. 11.1 Matth. 24.21.22 View well these Scriptures and you shal see that that opinion is false that affirmeth That the Saints shall flourish in such a condition before mentioned while they live in this corrupted Tabernacle of flesh and so I pass to the Third Particular shewing you how Christ and the Saints shall reign together in the Kingdom and shall begin with the words of the Apostle which saith that the Saints are joynt-heirs with Jesus Christ in these words If Sons then Heirs Heirs of God and Joynt-heirs with Christ if so be that we suffer with him that we may bee glorified together Rom. 8.16 17. Now we know a Joynt-heir is an equal sharer or when two are made alike in the injoyment of one thing for so faith the Apostle Now are we the Sons of God but it doth not appear what we shall be but when he shall appear wee shall be made like him 1 Joh. 3.1 2 3 4. they shall be like him in Glory in Majesty in Honour in a word every way like him only he in all things shall have the preheminence Moreover I shall adde a plain text of Scripture in the which we shall see that the Saints and Christ shall reign together in these words Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first Resurrection for on such the second Death shall have no power but they shall be the Priests of God and of Christ and reign with him a thousand years The which also agreeth with the words of the Prophet that saith A King shall reign in Righteousness and Princes shall decree Judgement and Saviours shall come up of Mount Sion and judge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdoms shall be the Lords Revel. 20.6 Isa. 32.1 Obadiah 21. therefore let the Saints be joyful in glory let them sing aloud upon their beds let the high praise of God be in their mouthes and a two-edged sword in their hands to execute vengeance upon the Heathen and punishment upon the people to bind the Kings in chains and the Nobles in fetters of Iron that they may execute upon them the Indgement that is written this honour have all the Saints praise yee the Lord so that it is a faithful saying if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him Psal. 149.5 6 7 8 9. 2 Tim. 2 12. So having shewed that Christ and the Saints shall reign together unanimously I shall also shew you that excellent peace that there shall be in the time of his reign throughout the Earth as saith the Prophet The whole Earth is at rest and quiet they shall break forth into singing the Mountains and Hills shall bring peace unto the people by Justice hee shall judge the poor of the people and he shall save the Children of the needy and subdue the Oppressors they shall fear thee so long as the Sun and Moon indureth from generation to generation he shall come down like the raine upon the new-mowen Grasse and as the showers that water the earth in his days shall the righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the Moon indureth his Dominion shall be from sea to sea and from the rivers to the ends of the earth and they that dwell in the Wilderness shall kneel before him and his enemies shall lick up the dust in that day it shall be said wee have a strong City salvation hath the Lord appointed for Walls and Bulworks open yee the Gate that the righteous Nation that keepeth the truth may enter in thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Isa. 14.7 Psal. 72.3 4 5 6 7 8 9. Isa. 26.1 2 3. From hence wee may see what great peace there shall be in the term of Christs reign there is good reason why there shall be such great peace upon these two accounts the first is Because the Devil shall be bound and shall not stirre up Nations to Warre which is his practise when he is loose The second Reason is Because that at the great destruction of God the Great Antichrist all the Weapons of Warre shall be burnt and those that remain which were not brought up to Warre upon the Mountains of Israel shall bee converted into other service namely Their Swords shall be beat into Plow-shares and their Spears into pruning-hooks for Nation shall not rise up against Nation neither shall they learn warre any more Ezek. 39.9 10. Isa. 2.4 Mich. 4.3 Revel. 20.3 From hence it comes to pass that the people in that day shall be led forth in peace and the Mountains shall break forth before them into singing then shall the Law go forth out of Sion and the Word of the Lord out of thy Jerusalem then shall the saying be made good that is written All thy Children shall be taught of God and great shall be the peace of thy Children So that be will extend peace to her like a River and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream Isa. 2.3 cap. 54.13 cap. 55.12 Isa. 66.10 11 12 13 14. Psal. 127.7 and 125.5 Nah. 1.15 and so I shall leave these Scriptures and the Fourth and pass to the Fifth thing in order which is to shew you the people whom Christ and the Saints shall thus rule with a rod of Iron and that is the ungodly even such as have afflicted the people of God and the Sons of them who have afflicted the people of God for so saith the Prophet The Sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despised thee shall fall down at the soals of thy feet and they shall call thee the City of the Lord the Sion of the holy one of Israel Agreeing with that of Malachy To you that fear my Name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing under his wings and yee shall grow forth like Calves in the shall and yee shall tread down the wicked for they shall be like dust under the soals of your feet for thus saith the Lord after this glory hath he sent me unto the Nations which spoyled you for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye for behold I will lift up my hands upon them and they shall be a spoyl to their Servants and yee shall know that the Lord of Host hath sent me Sing and rejoyce O Daughter of Sion for I will come and dwell in the midst of thee faith the Lord Mal. 4.2 3 4. Zech. 2.8 9 10. Hence you may see that the enemies of God and his people shall be subdued by Christ and the Saints like as the Aegyptians of old were spoyled by the Israelites when they came out of Aegypt so shall all the ungodly Aegyptians be spoyled at the last as you may see Exod. 3.22 Cap. 11.2 Isa.
A DISCOVERY Of the Latitude of the loss of the EARTHLY PARADISE BY ORIGINAL SIN Occasioned by a Disputation betwixt Mr. Matthias Rutton Min: of Boughton Munchalse in Kent and the Author hereof branched out in these particulars as followeth I. First An Examination of his Apologetical Letter with a full Answer thereunto II. Secondly Six arguments to prove that Original Sin exposed Adam and his Posterity but to the first death III. Thirdly A Discovery of the false and corrupted Ministers by Ten Characters IV. Fourthly a Discovery of the true Ministers by Ten Characters By George Hammon Pastor to the Church of Christ meeting in Biddenden in Kent But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Gen. 2.17 And in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread until thou return unto the ground dust thou art and to dust shalt thou return London Printed by Ro Ibbitson for Francis Smith and are to be sold at his Shop in Flying-Horse Court in Fleet street 1655. The Epistle Dedicatory To Mr. Matthias Rutton Minister of Boughton Munchalse and to the rest of his Brethren the Clergy who have ecclipsed and darkned the Doctrine of the Gospel by the humane traditions received from the Fathers SIR I Having received your apologetical discourse in a Letter sent to a friend of mine in reference to what discourse you and I formerly had in the which Letter you discovered your self to be a great Antagonist unto the truth the Ministry thereof Moreover it doth appear by your Letter that it is your Pulpit discourse frequently to calumniate the people of God upon the consideration whereof I thought my self bound in duty to spend some time in shewing the difference betwixt true and false Ministers by several characters to the end you may see your selves to be such as you accuse the Ministers of Christ to be viz. the false corrupt Ministers and so consequently the Ministers of Sathan to the end you may cease to pervert the right way of the Lord and repent of your abusing Gods People and Ordinances for assuredly Sirs your turning of things upside down will cause the Lord to turn you out of his presence unlesse you repent for God in all ages hath been very zealous of his order hence it came to passe that the Lord threatned the Priests of old to shew them his back and not his face in the day of their calamity the reason was because they had caused the People to stumble from the antient path to walk in a way not cast up and doubtlesse it you look into the antient path of Christ which he and his Apostles and Disciples walked in you will find that you are got far out of that path for they did not teach for hire to make themselves the Rabbies of the times but were willing to demean themselves and be the servants of all men for Christs sake neither did they cast up such a Path as Infants baptisme to make whole Nations to be a Church but did command persons to come out from the multitude and thereby compacted Christs Churches together of sanctified Stones that is to say men separated from the National multitude by repentance faith and baptism which became the spiritual house Moreover Sir whereas you abuse the People of God by casting reproachfull ignominious slanders on them know the Lord takes it as done unto himself they being as dear to him as the apple of his eye and if Samson would be revenged of the Philistins for his eyes surely the Lord will be revenged of such as labour as much as in them lieth to pluck out his eyes Sirs are you not like unto those Pharisaical Priests that Christ reproves which did build the toombs of the prophets and garnish the Sepulcher of the righteous pretending great love to them and yet notwithstanding persecute the friends of Christ which walk in that way which Christ hath left them to walk in by your sect and example I say if the blood of the righteous should be required of such a generation repent you and break off your sins by righteousnesse before the wrath of the Lord break out and there be no remedy But to passe that and come to the matter in hand I have perused your Letter and given you a full answer to it in the following treatise one thing I strange at that you should so much forget your self as to charge me that I fell upon you with abusive words for a Sermon you delivered in the which you said you proved me and such as I were to be the Ministers of Sathan when in very deed and truth I knew not that you had delivered such a Sermon neither did I begin with you but after you had answered to some questions that were propounded to you by another and that in your speech you had cast reproachfull speech upon the people of God I could do no lesse but answer to your speech but not with abusive words as you may see more at large in the answer to your Letter and several other things you did mistake your self in but I have shewed you them in their time and places as before mentioned Moreover Sir take this word of advise that if your memory be so shallow that you cannot retain any thing without Book when you have the like occasion again take down what is spoken in writting so that you may affirm the truth for I doe assure you to speak untruth is a shame and reproach to any people but more especially to such as professe themselves to be the Ministers of Christ and as to original Sin which was a thing we contested about I have also shewed you in the following treatise what punishment it brought upon the Sons of men and what death it was that was threatned as to be the punishment of it the which death reigned over all from Adam to Moyses and yet righteous Noah and several others were not damned so desiring your conversion much more than your confusion I rest but not to be your servant and all mens for Christs sake George Hammon The Epistle to the Reader Curteous Reader THere is inclosed in this little Treatise many weighty particulars the which did concern all persons to look into in former ages but more especially we that live in the last age If therefore thou shalt read this Treatise with a single heart and an impartial affection doubtless it will be worth thy time and pains Moreover I do desire that thou wouldest search the Scriptures and bring those things that are contained herein to them that so by the Touchstone of Gods Word thou maist discern between Truth and Error and thereby thou wilt become obedient to that Command of the Lord which is Try all things and hold fast that which is good Remember that the Bereans were counted more noble than the men of Thessalonica because they received the words of Paul which
dishonour ver. 21. The Anabaptist still obstinate the Minister urged another Argument to prove some Children were Damned and not for Actual sin therefore for Original and therefore there was such sin as we call Original the Argument was taken out of Jude vers. 7. where it is said that Sodom and Gomorrah and the Cities about them suffered the vengeance of eternal fire in which Cities no doubt but there were some Children which never had sinned actually and these with the rest suffered the vengeance of eternal fire The Anabaptist answered by shewing the meaning of Eternal The word Eternal saith he is there to be understood for consuming which is as ridiculous and absurd as the rest our ordinary fire is consuming it consumes the Wood or other matter that nourisheth it and so at last it self is extinguished but this eternal fire never goeth out neither doth it consume those it burns the wicked burn eternally that is for ever and are never consumed so the answer implyes a contradiction To make this his Exposition good he cited a place of St. Mat. 10.15 It shall be more tollerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the Day of Judgement than for that City that will not receive the Apostles more tollerable that is saith he being holpen by one of his Disciples Sodom and Gomorrah shall be excused but that Exposition they can never make good more tollerable said the Minister that is they shall not receive so severe a Sentence they shall receive lesser Damnation but not be wholly excused This he proved by reason for more is the Comparative degree and is a relative term and respects the same thing then strenghened this reason by Scripture Mat. 23.14 Yee shall receive greater damnation there is Damnation for them because they devoured widows houses but greater damnation because they made long prayer their pretence more tollerable then doth not imply that they were wholly excused but received lesser punishment The Anabaptist then began to urge an Argument that no Children were Damned the Minister perceiving that this was to run round in a circle not able to indure the cold longer being not yet fully recovered of sickness the Anabaptist began to cry Victory by railing on the Ministers Were not those people given over to a reprobate sense to strong delusions to beleeve lyes they could never force such interpretations upon Scripture The Lord open their eyes that they may see the truth and convert and be healed Mat. Rutton Min. An Answer to a Letter of Master Matth. Rutton Minister of Baughton as he so calleth himself sent to a friend of mine in order to the Vindication of a Dispute between him and myself at Baughton where wee accidentally met to his friend Master Mat. Rutton as followeth SIR WHereas you were pleased to affirm in your Letter I was troubled about a Sermon you delivered in the which you writ you proved such as I am to be the Ministers of Satan for the which cause you say I fell upon you with abusive words Sir I pray you do not forget your self for I began not with you neither did I give you any abusive words neither did I know that you had delivered such a Sermon as you confess in which you rendered me and such as I am to be so odious although I had heard before that you did usually rail much as your Predecessors did against Christ and his Apostles saying they were Deceivers pestilent Fellows and turners of the World upside down though Michael the Arch-Angel when he was Disputing with the Devil about the body of Moses did not bring a rayling accusation but left it to God with these words The Lord rebuke thee But I pray remember that your Neighbour of whom you at that instant received Tithes after he had paid it asked you in much mildness of speech Why you did rail so much against the Baptists and you presently said they were Anabaptists for you said the word in the Greek signified again and you Baptizing Persons again are called Anabaptists at the which words I could no less than make answer saying That for my part I did dis-own Baptizing of any persons again who were once truly Baptized according to Christs appointment and more-over I said That sprinkling a little water in a Childes face in its Infancy was not Baptism but a cousening shift brought in by Pope Innocentius the Third and then you replied and said That Baptizo signified Sprinkling as well as Dipping the which I denied and shewed you there was no correspondency between the word Baptizo and Rantizo in their significations to prove one and the same thing the one signifying to dip to plunge to sink to over-whelm in water the other word to sprinkle to scatter here or there or to disperse abroad on divers parts of the body then all that you had more to say in the behalf of that was That it was set down so in the Book of Common Prayer and when you could say no more to that you cried out against them viz. the Baptists for broaching of gross Errors and instanced that of Original sin to which I said that for my part I did beleeve That all the Sons and Daughters of Adam were not only under the guilt of it but also groan under the punishment of it untill this day although you falsly writ in your Letter that I denyed that there was such a Sin as Original sin and yet you may remember that you made me this answer Though I did beleeve that there was such a sin yet there were many of my adherents that did beleeve there was no such sin and Sir then I went on to deal plainly with you and shewed you what that first Sin of Adam in Paradise which is usually called Original Sin did incur and made all his Children liable to the which * I affirm to be the first Death with sickness weakness and all such infirmities with the loss of all Paradisical injoyments and not Damnation in Hell which is only the desert of sins against God manifested in Christ which brought a second state of life and that you may see clearly in the pronunciation of the Sentence by God to Adam in Gen. 3. from the fourteenth to the twentieth where he tells him That in sorrow he should eat bread with the sweat of his brows until thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken This was the punishment God laid upon Adam and his Posterity for that Sin Dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Hence it cometh to pass that both righteous and unrighteous suffer alike whereby wee may see Gods Justice must be satified and so much briefly as to the Sin which you call Original or more properly to the punishment thereof And now in order I shall come to the one and fiftieth Psalm vers. 5. these words Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me In which words there appeareth no such thing as
you say that David there confessed any sin or guilt of any sin as he stood in the loyns of his Parents unless that first sinne which as I have shewed you brought but the first Death neithe have they any less perfection in quality of nature by the which they are put into a worse capacity to stand or fall as to the losse of the injoyment of that eternal inheritance although I grant the first thing they do when they are capable of a Law and temptations do approach they like their first Father Adam break the Law of God as he did and these words have I spoken as in order to the making way for the opening of the words before mentioned for in the first verse David is a Petitioning to God for Mercy and Pardon for that sin wch he had committed in killing Uriah and taking Bathsheba his Wife unto himself in the which Petition he uses three Arguments as we may so say The First is from the multitude of Gods Mercies in these words According to thy loving kindness according to the multitude of thy mercies verse the first The Second is from his acknowledging of his Sin saying My sins are ever before me vers. 3. as if he should say They are the greatest trouble that I have in the World they are always in my way so that we see the second Motive that he uses to attain Mercy is by confession of his sin with great zeal and ardency of spirit he well knowing that God had promised That he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin should finde mercy And the Third and last Argument which he used in this Psalm to move God to have mercy upon him in blotting out his transgressions was from the brittleness of his Nature and the weakness of that Lump that he was made out of As if hee should have said Father thou knowest I am of the Earth earthly which is subject to much weakness and frailty and therefore he beyond all other reasons in this last reason vers. 5 saith Behold as if he should have said Lord take notice as well consider how defective the Mould was in the which I was formed which to me appears to be his Mother Eva in whose loyns was David and all other shapen for God made all Mankind at once and not his Mother that bare him that thereby thou considering my frame maist in pity blot out my transgressions This expression of David is not used alone but hath the like import Psal. 103. v. 12 13 14 in these words ver. 12. As far as the East is from the West so far hath he removed our transgressions from us And in the fourteenth verse he giveth the reason why the Lord is so gracious in these words For hee knoweth our frame that we are but dust so that I conceive in this fifth vers of the one and fiftieth Psalm which you cited to me in these words Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me is no more but the proneness of Davids Nature by reason of the weakness of the matter that he was made of and that is the same that he desires God to take notice of or behold whereby hee might graciously remit that sinful Act that he had committed unless you meant that Sin which beleeving men and women suffer for which is the sin against the first Covenant which did consist of an earthly Paradisical glory which I did to you and do still affirm That both Adam and all his Posterity consideredly as they were in his loyns did not only commit it but also suffer for it which I did then and do still affirm to bee the first Death by which Pollution and Corruption run thorow all the parts of the outward man But as I have said no pollution or disability in the least hath it brought to the Spiritual part of man whereby the Conscience or spirit of man should be defiled neither actively nor imputatively not actively for this reason because the Spiritual part of man is not involved in the loyns of Adam whereby he doth be get it but it is formed in man by God Zach. 12.1 so according to the Word of the Lord when he speaketh concerning the dissolution of that Mortal lump that man begetteth saith then Dust shall return to dust and the Spirit to him that gave it so that as man begetteth only the Natural part of man and not the Spiritual and thereby the Spiritual part being not in form and matter in the loyns of Adam therefore the Spiritual part could not be polluted but the Natural part being in matter involved in the loyns of Adam was polluted corrupted and deformed from whence ariseth all the corruption of Nature as Blindness Deafness and Lameness and all such like Corruptions which shall remain until this corruptible body shall put on incorruption so it is clear that the Spiritual part of the Sons of Adam did not sin in Adam by action because it was not in being The second Reason why the guilt of Adams sin cannot lye upon the Spiritual part of any so as to make them stand guilty before God of a second Death is from the reproof the Lord gave to a Generation of men of your judgement that thought the Childe must dye for the Fathers sins that when the Lord did threaten the punishment of the sins of the Fathers upon the Children that you blindly with those whom the Lord reproveth Ezek. 18.2 3. do conclude that it must needs be the punishment of the second Death therefore the Lord saith he would have that Proverb used no more The fathers have eaten soure Grapes and the Childrens teeth are set on edge but the soul that sinneth shall dye So much briefly as for the second reason But whereas you said that there was no thought of time betwixt the Natural being of David and the sinful being if you mean his sinful being by that matter that he received from Adam it is granted but if it be of the Soul or inward part which had its being from God it is denied from the two Reasons already rendred Further one Reason more Any Creature that is defiled in the inward man is not fit for the Kingdom of God but Children are fit for the Kingdom of God at the very birth of them therefore Children are not defiled or corrupted in the inward man Further You affirmed in your writing that I said that you could never read in Scripture that any Children were damned and therefore no such Sin Original to Damn to which say you you instanced that of Esau who was reprobated from all Eternity to the which I answer I do indeed confess you said so but I have learned that your say so is no sufficient proof for the ninth of the Romans the eleventh twelfth and thirteenth verses which you cited to prove the matter prove no such thing for let any Soul seriously read that place and see whether that place say
that God reprobated Esau before hee was born or had done good or evil We may take notice that Paul in that place makes use of two portions of Scripture the first is Gen. 25.23 and the next is Mal. 1.2 3. But first to the first place that speaks of Esau before he was born now in this place we may take notice that Rebecca had been barren and Childe-bearing was somewhat strange to her being barren so that in verse twenty two it is said the Children struggled within her which was a Type of that variance and difference that was to be in time betwixt Jacob and Esau and she said If it be so why am I thus as if she should have said What is the cause of this struggleing since it is so that I have been barren and the text said Shee inquired of the Lord now followeth the matter that was spoken of Esau before he was born vers. 23. And the Lord said unto her two Nations are in thy wombe and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels and the one people shall be stronger than the other people and the elder shall serve the younger Now I pray consider Doth this say that God hath reprobated Esau before hee was born and this was all that I finde was said of him before hee was born Pray may not a younger brother farre surmount in external injoyments insomuch that thereby the elder may come to serve the younger and yet both of them saved if the elder do not misdemean himself to God so though Jacob have that great possession of the Land of Canaan and Esau have the inferiour possession of Edom yet may not Esau be saved if he do not abuse his talent And the second place that Paul useth is Mal. 2.3 in these words as it is written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated Rom. 9.13 Now we know that it is no where else written Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated and this was long after Jacob and Esau were dead though Paul make use of these two places as Genesis and Malachy both at one instant of time yet the sentence in Malachy was written hundreds of years since that of Genesis i and concerning Esau after he was dead and had done many evil works as Obadiah the tenth Thus you may see your mistakes in the Scriptures by your little reading or less exercising of your understandings in them and as you say I falsly cited Jeremy when the place was in Amos I say you falsly accuse me for I cited Malachy Obadiah and Amos and the place cited in Jeremy was about the Potter and the Clay Sir one absurdity take notice of in the which you may see you make God a Lyar when as God sweareth Ezek. 33.11 that he desires not the death of the wicked but rather that they would return and live you say hee is so farre from meaning what he saith that he hath appointed from eternity the greatest part of men to be Damned Contrary to that 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3 4 verses 2 Pet. 3.9 with a multitude more of Scriptures that might be added You say that the Anabaptists as you call them will say that it is unjust for God to condemn those that have not committed actual Sin to which I answer The Apostle would stop their blasphemous mouthes with Rom. 9.14 in these words What is there unrighteousness with God God forbid Moreover you adde vers. 21. in these words Hath not the Potter power over the Clay to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour and in these words you think you have met with us to the purpose and therefore are bold to call us blasphemous but Sir give me leave to tell you without offence That if you know as well how to feed the Flock as you do to take off the fleece you would have seen that the Apostle had not brought this place to have proved that God might have been righteous and yet for all that damn where there is no actual sin for Sir take notice that in this place he speaks not to Children or such as had not commited actual sin but to the rebellious house of Israel whom he compares to Clay marred in the Potters hands so they were in the Lords hands and he did intend to make them honourable Vessels he did as we may say in reference to his Majesty do all what hee could to them use all the means that he had to bestow upon a people to make them Honourable yet still they were marred in his hand that is to say rebellious and refractory You may see this proved fully in these two portions of Scripture in the room of many more that might be given Isa. 5. from the first Verse to the eighth Ezekiel 16 from the fifth to the fourteenth Now to come to the eighteenth of Jeremiah from the first verse and so onwards you may see they are the very words that the Apostle Paul maketh use of to answer that Objection Rom. 9.19 which saith Thou then wilt say unto me why doth hee yet finde fault for who hath resisted his will Answer Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hath not the Potter power over the Clay to make one vessel to honour and another to dishonour Now this take notice of well that the Apostle goeth now to answer that Objection vers. 19. in these words Who hath resisted his will and sheweth them plainly that they were the people that had resisted his will if he had not shewed by infallible proof that they were the people that had resisted Gods will then the Objection had lain still unanswered but now he answereth it as if he should have said O yee murmuring stiffe-necked house of Israel have you a word to speak against God for his Justice in cutting you off and making you a dishonourable people did not the Lord say unto you long ago by his Prophet Jeremiah Chap. 18. vers. 1 2 3 4 5. when he compares you to the Clay and himself to the Potter you being stubborn or refractory in the hand of the Lord and would have none of his instructions when he called you to walk in that good old way but your answer was You would not walk therein Jerem. 6.16 did not the Lord prophecy to make you another vessel as seemed him good which in all likelihood was to be a Vessel of dishonour for it seems good unto the Lord when persons will not bee allured by Mercy to be cut off by the Axe of his Justice Mat. 3.10 Iohn 15.1 2 3. Verses therefore who art thou or how canst thou finde fault saying Who hath resisted his will when it is evident that thou hast so resisted his will being Clay marred in the Potters hands But if the Objection be made That he had mercy on some of the House of Israel and so made them
Vessels of honour and yet some hee made Vessels of dishonour To that I anwser It is very true that hee did make some of that Lump Vessels of honour but they were such as were pricked in their heart for their sins * and did purifie their heart through beleeving and obeying the truth and so Christ became the Author of their eternal Salvation Heb. 5.9 1 Pet. 1. vers. 22. for it was that which the Lord hath promised Souls that did purge themselves from the unbeleef in their hearts as you may see 2 Tim. 2.20 But in a great House there are not only Vessels of Gold and of Silver but also of Wood and of Earth and some to honour and some to dishonour vers. 21. if a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work And now I shall give you a brief review of those words that the Apostle Paul makes use of Rom. 9. they are the words of the Prophet Ieremy Jer. 18.1 to 17. and so onwards And the Word of the Lord came unto me saying Go down to the Potters house and there will I cause thee to hear my words and I went down to the Potters House and behold he wrought a work on the wheel and the vessel that he made with clay was marred in the hands of the Potter and he made another Vessel as seemed the Potter good to make it then the Word of the Lord came unto me saying O House of Israel can I not do with you as this Potter saith the Lord Behold as the clay is in the Potters hands so are yee in my hands O House of Israel At what instant I speak concerning a Nation or Kingdom to pluck up or destroy If that Nation turn from their evil I will repent of the evil I thought to do unto them but in what instant I speak concerning a Nation or Kingdom to build or to plant it if they do evil in my sight then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them now therefore go speak to the men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem saying thus saith the Lord Behold I frame evil against you and devise a device against you return every one of you from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good but they said there is no hope but we wil waâ—â—â— after our own devices c. and in vers 17. he threatens to shew them his back and not the face in the day of their Calamity the which wee may see the Lord brought upon them and yet he was just when he judged and thus you see the Apostle answereth the Objection and shews the Jews Rom. 9. what the Lord had determined concerning them and also made known by the Prophet Jeremy that hee could according to the truth of his Justice if they remained obstinate in doing evil in his sight make them a dishonourable Vessel as well as the Potter could make that Clay which was not yeelding and conformable to his hands a vessel of dishonour Thus I have shewed you the words of the Prophet and the meaning of the Apostle that he doth not stop the mouthes of those persons that say the Lord of the whole earth cannot do unrighteousness and therefore cannot Condemn the Childe and cast it into Hell for the Fathers sin neither can he Reprobate any but for their actual sin but hee stops the mouthes of those Jews and all such as they are who do question why God might finde fault although they before have given him just cause of offence Mal. 3.8 The next thing you affirm is not true wherein you said I did affirm That that fire which Saint Jude calls eternal fire was meant only consuming fire though it was consuming indeed yet I did not affirm that to bee the only meaning of it but you may remember I said by the word eternal fire was meant such a fire as was not kindled by man neither did it happen in the City by accident but it issued forth from God being not kindled by man and so was as eternal as himself for the breath of the Lord was ever a fire to his enemies Dan. 7.10 From hence it is said of him in Hebr. 11.29 Our God is a consuming fire the which fire did destroy the Natural bodies of the Sodomites and that eternal fire was not Hell as you blindly conceive but it was such fire as the Prophet commanded to come down from Heaven to destroy the Captains and their Fifties which was as eternal as that of Sodom being without kindling by man or without end and it came not out of Hell but from Heaven and so you may see it Gen. 19.24 in these words Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and sire from the Lord out of Heaven and this was for the destruction of no more but their Natural bodies for it is not Gods way to afflict the punishment of Hell before he hath tried Souls at the general Judgement which shall not be till after the Resurrection for the Sentence against the first sin and the punishment thereof which was the first death was not inflicted upon Adam till after God had legally tried him and Sir let me tell you that the very Devils are not yet in Hell but their punishment is reserved until the Day of Judgement Iude vers. 6. Matth. 8.29 Why art thou come to torment us before the time Which sheweth plainly that the punishment of reprobate Angels and reprobate Men is not yet inflicted but hath reference to time and Sir if I should ask you where Hell were what answer would you give me you would happily tell mee it was where the Wrath of God was and then I shall conclude that Hell were under your Coat for Christ saith Ioh. 3.36 That he that beleeveth not the wrath of God abideth on him for ever And truly Sir if your faith should be tried by your works as Iames saith it must be then doubtless you would be found altogether unbeleeving and if so then according to the former words of our blessed Saviour That the wrath of God abides on such so that if you do conclude Hell to bee in all places where the Wrath of God is though I do indeed conclude that there shall be a material place of Hell where the Wrath of God shall remain perpetually then Hell must of necessity be at the place aforesaid And if you do conclude it to bee on the Earth or under the Earth as some foolishly have conceived then it is most evident that the Devils are not yet in Hell for he is called the Prince of the Air and hence it comes to pass that the Devil is many times cast down by the Judgements of God so that if you have any reason to prove Hell to be yet in being then you might have some better ground to say the
sign and none shall be given them And furthermore I said That if you were as careful to read the Scriptures and being frequent in them as you were to look after your Tithes you might have remembred that John the Baptist who was a very great Prophet did shew no sign or mark at all yet all that that he said was true Joh. 10.41 and this was the sum of that I said which you call rayling The last thing you say appears to be full of confusion for in the first Clause of your last Verse in which you say that such as wee are given up The meaning thereof is this That God hath given us up to be cast out of his favour not only intending to harden us but also to harden himself against us not intending any means shall do us good cutting us from mercy delighting in our destruction this is meant by giving up to a reprobate sense And yet now in the last Clause of your Verse you pray That the Lord would open our eyes so that in one place you cast us as far as you can into Hell and say That God hath done so in his account already Do I wrong such a generation of men if I should call them Babels Brats I leave the Reader to judge But as for your prayer I matter it not whether you pray for us or curse us which is your most usuallest practice for I know that the prayers of such are abomination according to the Word of the Lord Prov. 28. vers. 9. I shall speak no more to the Letter at present but exhort you to repent from your dead works and beleeve the Gospel and be Baptized for remission of sins before the Decree pass and there be no remedy The Servant of all men for Christs sake George Hamman Now Sir having answered your Letter I shall not leave you so but shall further clear the truth of what I have affirmed by word and writing and that by several Reasons or Arguments as followeth Arg. 1. That opion that affirmeth God may change in what he hath absolutely Decreed is false and erronious but your Opinion that Original sin bringeth Adam and all his Posterity liable or guilty to the second Death and yet we see Adam and all his Posterity are not punished with the second Death maketh God changeable in what he hath absolutely Decreed ergo your opinion is false and erronious The Major part of the Argument I suppose will not bee denied and that you know well that God changeth not and therefore the Sons of Jacob are not consumed The Minor I shall thus prove from Gen. 2.17 which faith But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye or in dying thou shalt dye Here we may see God did absolutely Decree and also declare his Decree That if Adam did transgress that Law hee should dye Now if that Death included there do presuppose the second Death as well as the first then if all do not dye the second Death as well as the first Gods Justice is not satisfied but his Decree frustrated for God cannot bring any secondary means to frustrate that which he hath absolutely Decreed or disappoint the satisfaction of his Justice When I say he cannot my meaning is this That the Will of God with the Attribute of his Truth doth guide the Attribute of his Power so that he can do nothing but what is righteous according to truth If God may bring a secondary means to disappoint the satisfaction of his Justice he may as well bring a secondary means to disappoint the satisfaction of his Mercy whereby the Justice of his Mercy be not executed In plaineness of words my meaning is this That if the Lord would after he had said Adam should dye and all his eternally and yet afterwards prepare life and glory for so many of them as would accept of it may hee not as well prepare a Hel for persons who have continued faithful unto death whose reward is a Crown of Life But now to answer an Objection or two Obj. 1. The first Objection is from the example of Ninivie for the Lord said Forty days and Ninivie shall be destroyed and yet it was not destroyed from which word many conclude that God doth change in his Decree Ans. To this I answer That God did not change his Decree but did decree to change his Dispensation of Mercy or Judgement according to the Creatures obedience or disobedience for God had declared his Decree long before Jonah was sent to Ninivie That at what instant be spake of a Nation or Kingdom to pluok up or destroy if they did repent of their evil hee would repent of the evil he thought to do unto them Jerem. 18.7 but wee see Ninivie did repent from the King on the throne to the Begger on the dunghil And hence it comes to pass that God could not destroy them though he told Jonah hee did intend such a thing as concerning them and thus we see God doth not alter in his Decree although he doth Decree to alter his Dispensation of Mercy or Judgement according to the Creatures actings Hence it comes to pass though Adam should have enjoyed all Paradisical glory not been rooted up for ever yet for his disobedience he was rooted up drove out of the Garden with the loss of all that aforesaid injoyment and God that seeth things before time that shall be in time and calleth things that shall be as if they were saw Adam the very same day that hee did Transgress not only dying in dying thou shalt surely dye but also saw Adam and his posterity returned unto Earth from whence hee was taken so the Sentence is true in his account that calls things that shall be as if they were So much briefly to the first Objection Obj. 2. The second Objection is That the Promise did intervene Adams Sin and the Sentence Ans. I answer That makes not to the taking away of the Punishment of it hence it comes to pass though the Promise hath been made flesh and dwelt amongst us and hath been dead and risen again yet no whit of the punishment is abated so that God can as well cease to be as he can cease to be unfaithful in the true execution of the Attributes of his Justice or Mercy But I conceive the reason why the Promise did intervene was because he would not leave his Creatures without some comfort as if he should have said Adam there was a time when thou mightest have eaten of every Tree in the Garden unless that Tree in the middest and in pleasure and not in sorrow but now thou shalt eat in sorrow all the days of thy life until thou returnest unto that lump of Earth from whence thou wast taken therefore thou maist see what thou hast got by harkning to the voyce of the Serpent and thy Wife yet this
let me speak to thy comfort The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head that is though the Serpent had thought by his subtilty to have buried thy honour in the dust for ever and so to have destroyed the work that I had been doing Six days in one hour yet I will have him to know that my Wisdom is unsearchable and my ways past finding out that I have found a way to involve my Son in the flesh not to take upon him the Nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham whereby hee may take away the Victory from the Grave though thou must needs dye and be like water spilt upon the ground yet I have used a means that thou shalt not be for ever expelled 2 Sam. 14.14 So know this to thy comfort and set the Serpent know this to his shame though my word be established in the Heavens that the Heavens and Earth shall pass away yet not one word of mine shall pass away unexecuted and so I shall take the words of the Lord before named 2 Sam. 14.14 and shew you why God brought in the promised Seed to intervene sin and the sentence that is though his Decree cannot be broken nor his Justice go unsatisfied but that Man must dye for that Original Sin no man or woman to be exempted but must all be banished by death But Jesus Christ was to bring life and immortality to light herein is the saying made good O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us victory through Jesus Christ our Lord This place the Apostle useth 1 Cor. 15. to prove the very thing that I am now a proving of If you should ask me whether Christ brought nothing for the Sons of Men more than a Resurrection I should answer yes many things he brought heavenly Paradisical glory for all such as would accept of it upon those conditions that he offered it Much more might be said to this Objection and Argument but my time at present is precious Arg. 2. If the Sin against the First Covenant made the Sinners liable but to the first Death then Adam and all since in his loyns were liable but to the first Death But the Sin against the first Covenant made the Sinners liable but to the first Death Ergo Adam and all his posterity stand guilty by that Sin only of the first Death To the proof of this Argument I shall give you to understand what I mean by the first Covenant and that you may see was excellent injoyments I mean excelling in Prerogative beyond all other Creatures insomuch as they were all under him and whatsoever name he gave them they shall bee called by and also had he not sinned he should have injoyed that pure earthly Paradisical injoyment which was the glory of the first Covenant from which glory hee fell by transgression of that Law or that Original Sin as you so call it First That he sinned against no other Covenant but that Covenant because there was never no Covenant made of a second Life or a second Glory not till after Adam had sinned and therefore could not sin against such a Covenant it being not made nor he in a capacity to sin against any such thing So that Sir take notice of this one thing by the way that as the Grave and the misery tending thereunto as sickness weakness and such like infirmities is that which a Creature receiveth as punishment for the sinning against that pure earthly Paradisical Covenant So the Gulf of Hell with eternal misery is the punishment of Sin committed against that second Covenant the which is a Covenant of heavenly Paradisical glory so that as the glory of the second Covenant doth surmount the glory of the first so the loss of the thing Covenanted with the punishment thereunto doth farre surmount the injoyment of the first with the punishment annexed thereunto Now to prove my Minor Proposition by a plain rext as Gen. 3.19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread until thou returnest to the ground for out of it wast thou taken dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return Compare this with the seventeenth verse of the same Chapter where he saith Cursed is the ground for thy sake and also telleth him that it shall bear thorns and thistles So if you take good notice what the Lord denounces as punishment to him and his seed which is only earthly and inflicted only upon the outward man no whit eternal neither inflicted upon the inward man and thus I have proved my Minor Proposition that Adams Sin was but against the first Covenant which sin lost but the injoyment of the first Life with that earthly Paradisical glory Arg. 3. If Adam in his best condition as he stood in Paradise before the Fall were but an earthly man and all his injoyments were but earthly injoyments then he could lose no more than what he had to lose which was earthly But Adam in his best condition was but an earthly man all his injoyments were but earthly injoyments Ergo all that he lost was butearthly injoyments The Minor I shall thus prove 1 Cor. 15.44 There is a Natural body and a Spiritual body so it is written the first man Adam was made a living Soul the last man Adam was made a quickning spirit verse 45. howbeit that was not first which is Spiritual but that which is Natural and after that which is Spiritual vers. 46. The first man is of the earth earthy the second man is the Lord from Heaven vers. 47. Thus you see the first man Adam was but earthly and also his injoyments as earthly as himself Obj. If it should be objected and said That the Lord made Adam an immortal Soul Ans. To which I answer that God breathed into Adam the breath of Life and so hee became a living Soul it should appear he was a dead Soul before for many times in Scripture the Mortal part of Man is called the Soul Joshua 10.28 it is proved in and so oftentimes in the ninth tenth and eleventh Chapters of Joshua and Adam and all his Posterity had such mortal Souls that had not Christ risen to have brought a Resurrection that is to say that mortal Body out of the dust we had been like the beasts that perished 1 Cor. 15.18 And so much briefly to the third Argument Arg. 4. The Fourth Argument To prove why Adams sin did not bring any of his Posterity to be liable unto the second Death If the punishment due to that Original sin of Adam in Paradise be no other than what God hath declared in the Sentence which is no other but upon the outward man then none of the Sons of Adam shall be Damned for that sin of Adam in Paradise But that punishment due to Adam in Paradise is no other than
they that run may discern it and so briefly to the first The first Character of the true Ministers is as followeth They are not only sent by Jesus Christ to preach but also Gifted by him whereby they are inabled to preach at all times instant in season and out of season they do not want a great Library of Books neither do they want a weeks time to preach a Sermon neither do they preach other mens Works and so receive not their Ministery of man or from man as the Apostle Paul saith Gal. 1.1 but receive it as a free Gift as you may see Ephes. 3.8 And so much in brief to the first The Second Character whereby they are known is As they are Gifted by him so they preach his words only going forth with the words of his Commission preaching Repentance and Faith and having thereby made Disciples they Baptize them according to the command of Christ Mat. 28.19 Go teach all Nations and Baptize them shewing clearly that persons must be taught before they are Baptized it is also pertinent Mark 16.15 16. compared with Acts 2.37 38 39. Chap. 8.12 vers. 37 with many other Scriptures which will not only prove it to be a precept of Christ but also the practise of the Ministers of Christ in the Primitive times and so in our time so they Constitute Churches if it may be so called not by Generation but by Regeneration my meaning is this That they do not make Church-Members by succession as Beleevers Seed but by faith and profession which doth intitle Persons to be Abrahams Seed and Heirs according to promise And so much briefly to the second Character The Third Character whereby they are known is As they go forth with his words and Commission so they are contented with what Wages hee gives them they take not up the Ministery for filthy Lucres sake but are willing to suffer hunger and cold and many such like things if they are called thereunto they do not ask the People to whom they preach what they will give them but are willing to labour with their hands to supply their wants this you may see was the carriage of the Apostle Paul who was a Minister of Christ and a pattern of good works to the Ministers that should succeed him as you may see Acts 20.33 I have coveted no mans Silver or Gold or Apparrel yee your selves know that these hands of mine have communicated unto my wants and to them that are with me so it is with the true Gospel Ministers in our time they are willing to lay themselves out to preach the Gospel frequently in several places and yet notwithstanding are as willing to let their hands communicate to their wants and to their Family to the end they may make the Gospel of Christ without charge and also not to lay a stumbling-blocke in the way to cause them that are weak to fall and in a word they seek not the Fleece but the Flock as the Apostle Paul saith not yours but you And so much to the third Character The Fourth Character whereby you may know the true Ministers of the Gospel is They are men of the lowest rank and of the weakest capacity or prudency in Natural things whereby the Children of this World are wiser in their Generation than they therefore if you will know the true Ministers of the Gospel or finde them our you must not go amongst the wise Rabbies of the times but you must look amongst the weak despised rejected people for in their weakness Christ hath promised to manifest his strength and hath also said He will destroy the wisdom of the wise and destroy the wisdom of the prudent you shall see these Scriptures in the room of many first by Prophesie secondly fulfilled Psal. 82. in these words Out of the mouthes of babes and sucklings thou hast ordained strength Isa. 28.7 Mat. 11.25 there Christ gives thanks that God had begun to make good his Promises saying I thank thee O Lord Father of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes therefore the Apostle saith in 1 Corinth 1.20 Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the disputer of this World Compared with Verse 26. which saith For you know your calling Brethren that not many wise men after the flesh nor many mighty nor many noble are called but God hath chosen the foolish things of the World to confound the wise that no flesh should glory in his presence vers. 29. c. according as it is written that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord As if he should have said That forasmuch as Persons are ready to set up the Creature and look so little at the Creator I will now give Strength and Wisdom and Gifts to men of the least account as in reference to Human Part that Persons may not attribute praise to the Creature as to his Wisdom or Learning or such like things but may attribute praise only to me the Creator for the less fleshly parts or Human Wisdom is seen in the Creature the more the gifts of Gods Spirit is magnified And so much of the Fourth Character The Fifth Character You shall know them by their being rejected of the Wise and Learned men of the Times whereby they bee often in Tumults nay you shall know them by their rejoycing in those things which others count shame as you shall find by the carriage of the true Ministers of old Acts 5.40 41. When they had called the Apostles and beaten them they commanded them that they should preach no more in the Name of Jesus and they departed from the presence of the Council rejoycing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name also in 2 Cor. 6.4 You may see there how persons prove themselves to be Ministers of Christ in these words But in all things approving our selves the Ministers of God in much patience and afflictions necessity and distress in stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labours So the Apostle though he were in favour with the chief Priest when hee went to Damascus yet no sooner did he turn to be a Preacher of Christ in simplicity and forsook the old Jewish form but he was fain to escape out of their hands in a Basket out of a Window being afterwards taken was smote by the High Priest who once owned him So it is with the Ministers of our time no sooner do they forsake the Ceremonies of the Nation but presently they become a prey especially of the Priesthood of the Nation so that he that runneth may read the true Minister from the false And so much to the Fifth Character The Sixth Character is They are always counted Broachers of new Doctrine Hereticks and turners of the World upside down their Doctrin called Heresie and they Ring-leaders of the Sectaries so it was in the Primitive age and so it is now that
have drunk are mad And in their hearts still after thee doe gad The Merchants of thy ways do much complain That by thy ruine they shall lose their gain The Merchants of her Ware that rich are grown By taking fleece from sheep that 's not your own Your Riches Pride and Honour will decay And like a dream will vanish cleane away You Merchants as I proper you may call Remember that your Trade will have a fall For he that hath the righteous Off-spring fed Hath suffer'd yours oft-time to begge their bread Sir John Presbyter that are grown so great And think'st th' art fastned firm within thy Seat Thy time shall be but for a little space But Daniels Little Horu shall thee displace Daniels Little Horn is budding out That will thee and thy Predecessors rout Before whom Papal Prelate and Presbyter shall fall That his Dominion may bee over all O England look what Shepherds you have got That love the Fleece farre better than the Flock Instead of feeding kill such as are fed O England see that you are much misled Thy shepherds certainly are of that sort That Paul unto Philipia did report Whose God 's their belly who earthly things do minde For hee saith misery will bee their end But Sion and thy Pastors that seem to mourn And to the World the objects are of scorn A word of comfort unto thee I say Thy Servants they shall bee and thee obey O Sion be thou joyful in thy King For if a certain thou shalt reign with him And for thy suffering thy reward shall be for aye In the Land of Promise double everlasting joy George Hammon Syons Redemption Discovered Wherein is made plain these PARTICVLARS 1 The last and general return of the Jews out of their captivity and of the building of the City and Temple 2 The manner of the rise of the Man of Sin called the Vile Person or the Antichrist proved not to be the Romish Babylon 3 The spoyling of the Jews for a small time and the taking of their City and Temple 4 The manner of the Son of Righteousness arising and the gathering together of his Army 5 The great Warre upon the Mountains of Israel and the destruction of Antichrist 6 The glorious Reign of Christ and his Saints upon Earth a thousand years 7 A clear description of New Jerusalem not built by the Jews at their return out of Captivity 8 The restoration of the creation into their Primitive Purity 9 The Signs of the Times of the accomplishment of these Prophesies 10 A profitable Application of the sum of these Particulars By GEORGE HAMMOND Pastor LONDON Printed by R. Ibbitson for Fra. Smith and are to be sold at his Shop in Flying horse Court in Fleet street 1655. Sions Redemption Discovered The last and general return of the Jews out of their Captivity and of the building of the City and Temple THe Lord hath promised that the Jews shall return and injoy their own Land and build and repair the former Desolations of which the Scriptures are full For thus saith the Lord behold I will bring again the Captivity of Jacobs Tents and will have mercy on their dwelling places and the City shall be built upon her own heap and the place shall remain after the manner thereof Jerem. 30.18 Moreover that you may see that this is a Prophecy of the last and general return of the Jews the Lord doth declare that he wil not only bring those that were carried in the Northern parts being subdued by the Roman or Persian or Turk but speaks also of all coasts of the Earth meaning also all those that were carried away by Salmanaser out of Samaria so that there might bee one sheep-fold together upon the Mountains of Israel Behold I will bring them from the North Countries and from the coast of the earth for God will save Sion and build the Cities of Judah that they may dwell there and have it in possession the seed also of his Servants shall inherit it and they that love his name shall dwell therein the Towns and Cities of Judah and Jerusalem shall be re-edified and shall bee no more destroyed by the hands of men Ezek. 36 10 11. Jerem. 31.40 compare verse 8.9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. 1 Chron. 17 9. Amos 9.11 12 13 14 15. So that hence we may see here is a glorious time for the Jews to injoy at the appointed time at the accomplishment of these Prophecies then shall that saying bee made good Ten men shall lay hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew and say we will go with thee for we have heard that God is with you Zech. 8.22 Then the hatred of Ephraim shall depart and the adversary of Judah be cut off Ephraim shall not envie Judah neither shall Judah vex Ephraim Isa. 11.13 Arise and shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory shall bee seen upon thee the Gentiles shall come unto thy light and the King to the brightness of thy rising Lift up thine eyes round about and see all they gather themselves together they shall come to thee thy Sons shall come from farre and thy Daughters shall bee nourished at thy side then shalt thou see and flow together and thine heart shall fear and be inlarged because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee the forces of the Gentiles shal come unto thee the multitude of Camels shal cover thee the Dromidaries or Middian and Epha all they from Sheba shall come they shall bring Gold and Incense and they shall shew forth the praise of the Lord and the Sons of them that afflicted thee shall come and bow unto thee and all that despise thee shall fall down at thy feet and they shall call thee the City of the Lord the Sion of the Holy one of Israel whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man passed by thee I will make thee an eternal glory and joy from Generation to Generation Isa. 60.1 2 3 4 5 6. Compare vers 14 15. cha 66.20 21 22. Jerem. 31.24 verse 31 35 36 37 38 39 40. 2 Sam. 7.10 Ezek. 37.20 21 22. Zeph. 3.13 compare 19 20. Zech. 14.11 Ezek. 36.10 11. from these Scriptures it is very clear That at the last and general return of the Jews their Cities shall be built and although they may meet with some difficulties after the building thereof as I shall shew you yet in the time of their return and building they shall have great assistance from God as is clear from the current of Scripture Moreover although the Man of Sin shall trouble them after their return yet it shall not be as afore-time but they shall bee nourished by God from the fierce wrath of the Dragon and they shall be a Crown
not wel grounded therein for it is the great Hour of temptation to try all them that dwell upon the face of the earth Revel. 3.10 11. Great Pharaoh was a lively Type of this last and great Enemy of Israel for we may finde that hee had many Magicians which did many lying Signs and Wonders to harden the hearts of his People Exod. 7.11 12. So hath the Man of Sin a false Prophet as I have shewed you before and also in his Province many that can work by Magick Art which love to be in Kings Courts as Pharaohs Magicians did and that there shall be lying Signs or Wonders in that time see these few Scriptures in the room of more Dan. 8.25 Mat. 24.24 Revel. 13.14 15 16. Chap. 16.14 So by these signs and lying Wonders he shall make the World beleeve that he is the Christ until both hee and his false Prophets shall be taken alive and cast into the Lake that burneth with fire and brimston If it should bee Objected and said That this is meant of the Romish Babylon I shall give you three Reasons by the which you may see that the Man of Sin or the last Antichrist before mentioned is not the Romish Babylon First is because in Scripture the Lord gives the Romish Babylon the name of a Woman but in all places of Scripture he calleth the last and great Antichrist by the name of a Man and I will prove these two in order the which will make good the first Reason Come down and sit in the dust O Virgin daughter of Babylon thy nakedness shall be uncovered thy shame shall be seen I will take vengeance and will not meet thee as a man Isa. 47.1 2 3. See more vers. 9. Jer. 51.8 Prov. 2.16 17 18. Chap. 3.4 5. See more Revel. 17.4 And the Woman was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet upon her fore-head was a name written Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth vers. 5. And I saw the Woman drunken with the bloud of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus vers. 6. See more Chap. 18.3 4. Isa. 51.18 19. And the next thing to prove is That the Antichrist is called by the name of Man as you may see Isa. 14.12 compare 16. How art thou fallen from Heaven thou Lucifer Son of the Morning how art thou cut down to the ground thou that didst weaken Kingdoms They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee and consider thee saying Is not this the man that made the Earth to tremble that did shake Kingdoms And so as the Scriptures did fore-see that he would assume to himself such a Power was pleased to stile him by the name Man as you may see in the Scriptures following Ezek. 38.17 Dan. 11.24 2 Thes. 2.3 From these Scriptures you may see that the last Beast which is the Antichrist is called by the name Man and that the Romish Babylon is called by the name Woman And so I pass to the second Reason Secondly The great and last Antichrist or the Man of Sin cannot be taken for the Romish Babylon because the Romish Babylon did and doth acknowledge God and his Son Christ although they worship him in a false manner but the great and last Antichrist acknowledgeth no God neither will he Worship any but exalt himself above every god acknowledgeth no God but himself who shall bee then the God of Forces and as the Prophet Daniel saith of him The King shall do what hee list hee shall exalt himself against all that is God and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods and shall prosper till the wrath be accomplished for the determination is made Dan. 11.36 37. 2 Thes. 2.4 Dan. 7.8 Jude 5. From hence you may see that this last and great Antichrist shall advance himself above every god not acknowledging the God of Heaven but the Romish Babylon as aforesaid doth acknowledge a God and Worship him though in a false manner And so much briefly to the second Reason The Third and last Reason why the great and last Antichrist may not be took for the Romish Babylon is because the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed by the ten Horns of the last Beast that is to say by Ten Kings that have supported her or in a word thus That the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed before the appearance of Jesus Christ but the great and last Antichrist shall not be destroyed until the Lord Jesus come and destroy him upon the Mountains of Israel as I shall shew you in his time and place And now to prove that the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed before the coming of Christ you shall see it out of Revel. 17.16 And the Ten Horns that thou sawest upon the Beast shall hate the Whore and make her desolate and naked and shall eat her flesh and burn her with fire for God hath put it into their hearts to fulfil his will and agree and give their Kingdom unto the Beast until the words of God shall be fulfilled vers. 17. And the Woman that thou sawest is that great City that reigneth over the Kings of the earth And you may also see more from Revel. 18.9 and more might be added but this to prove briefly That the Romish Babylon shall bee destroyed before the coming of Christ by the Ten Horns that support the Beast for which cause the Romish Merchants viz. her Clergy and the Kings of the Earth shall weep for her and lust after her although the Beast shall over-power them and make them destroy her but the Heavens shall rejoyce over her and the Holy Apostles that is the Churches then in being and the Gospel-Messengers shewing clearly That the Romish Babylon shall be destroyed before the appearance of Christ Revelations 18.19 20. The next thing to prove is That the Man of Sin or that great and last Antichrist is to remain until the coming of Christ so saith the Apostle That the Lord shall destroy him with the brightness of his coming And so saith Dan. 7.9 10 11. Chap. 11.41 compare Chap. 12.1 2. Revel. 19.19 20. so from these Scriptures you may see plainly That the Man of Sin shall remain till the very time that Christ shall take his great Power and Reign so that neither of these Opinions can bee true that saith That the Romish Babylon is the Antichrist or that saith That the last and great Antichrist is risen and already past So thus I have proved the last Antichrist not to be Babylon A word or two to prove him to bee called the King of Babylon or the King of Assyria and that you may see the Prophet Esay hath the title of both in the fourteenth Chapter and verse fourth in these words Thou shalt take up this Proverb against the King of Babylon and say How hath the Oppressor ceased how hath the golden City ceased the Lord hath broken the staffe of the wicked and the scepter of the Ruler vers. 5. He who
or Iniquity at the height as now it is getting up a great pace by reason of a generation of ungodly men that deny that there is any God or Devil and so take liberty to prophaneness then the Lord shall send his Son even the anoynted man or the Man Christ Jesus for so he may be properly called for as man he did rise from the Dead and as man he did eat and drink with his Disciples as man hee ascended and sate at the right hand of the Father and as man shall descend and Judge the World and reign and as man he shall deliver up the Mediatorship unto the Father and be in subjection to the Father when he hath so delivered it up Luke 24.39 compare vers. 42 43. Acts 3.20 Chap. 17.31 1 Cor. 15.24 25 26 27 28. from hence you may see if you wel perusethese Scriptures that the Lord Jesus our King as he was a man and is so hee shall reign as a Man although the Man of men as wee may so say being the first born from the dead for consider him as God he cannot be sent nor appointed by any neither be in subjection unto any but being a man in whom the God-head is compleated in he is in a capacity to be sent by the Supream and Almighty Father but now to the manner of his coming to redeem Israel and restore them into their Kingdom when he is risen from the right hand of the Father he shall appear in the Clouds and shall cause the Angel to sound the Trump even the last and great Trump at the which sound all the godly that are asleep in the dust shall forth-with arise and no more for the rest of the Dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished Rev 20.5 and then all the living even such as are godly shal forthwith be changed and caught up to meet the Lord in the air but the ungodly Dead shall lye in the dust the ungodly Quick shall remain upon earth which makes good the words of our blessed Saviour Two shall be in a bed the one taken and the other left two in a field the one taken and the other left Matth. 24.31 Compare verse 40 41. 1 Thess. 4.14 15 16 17. Rev. 1.7 chap. 20.5 So when Christ hath thus raised the dead Saints and changed the living into a glorious immortal state then shall they forth-with be caught up into the Clouds and meet with the glorious Angels and so shall become that glorious Army that John saw Revel. 19.11 in these words And I saw Heaven opened and behold a white Horse and he that sate upon him was called faithful and true in Righteousness doth he judge and make war and the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses cloathed in fine Linnen white and clean verse 14. Thus shall hee ride in great glory triumphantly in the air till he cometh over against the Mount of Olives and there shall he descend with his glorious innumerable Army that follow him and there shall he be the great King or Prince Royal of the whole World agreeing to the Prophecie of Scriptures that Prophecy concerning him Behold the Lord my God shall come and all his Saints with him and his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives Zech. 14.4 5. When the Son of Man shall come in his glory with all his holy Angels then shall he sit in the throne of his glory Matth. 25.31 Also Enoch the seventh from Adam prophecied saying The Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints Jude 14. and when the Iews shall see him come in this excellent glory then shall that saying written concerning the Iews come to pass Loe this is our God we have waited for him he will save us this is the Lord we have waited for him we wil be glad and rejoyce in his Salvation Esa. 25.9 so that this wil be the voyce of them that remain in the City and as for those that are Captivated by the Man of sin they shal be redeemed out of the Land of their enemies by the Lord Jesus himself at that time shall that saying bee fulfilled that is written The redeemed of the Lord shall come to Sion with Songs and everlasting joy upon their heads they shall obtain joy and gladness and sorrow and sighing shall fly away Isa. 35.10 Chap. 51.11 So much briefly as touching the manner of the Son of Righteousness arising and the gathering of his Army and so pass to the Fifth Particular which is the ingagement of the two Armies namely the Son of Righteousness and the Man of Sin with the total overthrow of the Man of Sin upon the Mountains of Israel and the restoration of the Kingdom into Israels hands The great Warre upon the Mountains of Israel and the destruction of the last Antichrist Now as to the ingagement of the two Armies And I saw the Beast and the Kings of the earth and their Armies gathered together to make Warre against him that sate on the Horse and against his Army and the Beast was taken and with him the false Prophet that wrought Miracles before him with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the Beast and them that worshipped his Image these both were cast alive into a Lake of fire burning with brimston Rev. 19.20 21. From hence we may see the Lord Jesus Christ comes full of fury and wrath as the Prophet saith of him Behold the name of the Lord cometh from far his face is burning and the burden thereof is heavie his lips are full of indignation and his tongue as a devouring fire his breath as an over-flowing stream shall reach to the midst of the neck to sift the Nation with the five of vanity and put a bridle in their jaws causing them to erre Isa. 30.27 28. Again you see Isa. 63.1 2 3 4 5 6. Who is hee that cometh from Edom in dyed Garments from Bozra that is glorious in his apparrel travelling in the greatness of his strength I that speak in righteousness mighty to save wherefore art thou red in thine apparrel and thy garments like him that treadeth the Wine-press I have trodden the Wine-press alone and of the people there was none with me for I will tread them in mine anger and trample them in my fury and their bloud shall stain all my raiment for the day of vengeance is in mine heart and the year of my Redeemed is come I looked but there was none to help and I wondered that there was none to uphold therefore my own arm brought Salvation and my fury it upheld me for he put on Righteousness as a Brest-plate and as a Helmet of Salvation upon his head and he put on the garment of Vengeance for cloathing and was clad with Zeal as a Cloke according to their deeds accordingly hee will repay fury to his Adversaries recompence to his Enemies to the Islands he will repay recompence for it is the
considerable particulars shewing you that Christ and the Saints Dominion shall be alike and that they shall reign alike they being joynt Heirs of one and the same Kingdom alike only hee in all things shall have the preheminence and so I passe to the first That Christ shall have a Kingdom on earth and in Jerusalem This we may see the Angel did declare or make known unto the Virgin saying For loe thou shalt conceive in thy Wombe and bear a Son and thou shalt call his name Iesus he shall hee great and he called the Son of the most High and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and hee shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom shall be no end Luke 1.31 32 33. From hence you may see that the Lord Jesus Christ shall injoy Davids Throne which was not Spiritual and in Heaven but on earth and in Ierusalem even so the Lord Jesus Christ in the same place shall reign Spiritually and Temporally over the very same people the Prophet also affirming the very same thing saith Then shall the Sun be ashamed and the Moon confounded when the Lord of Host shall reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem before his antients gloriously for behold the day cometh saith the Lord that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth in his day shall Judah be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is the name whereby they shall call him the Lord our righteousnesse Isa. 24.23 Jer. 23.5 6. Thus you may see plainly that the Lord Jesus which is called the Son of David shall possesse the Throne of David Moreover you may see what the Prophet Micha also saith to the proof of this truth In that day saith the Lord I will assemble her that halteth and gather her that is driven out and her that I have afflicted and I will make her that halteth a remnant and her that was cast off a strong Nation and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Sion for henseforth and for ever and there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him agreeing with the Psalmist which saith Yet will I set my King upon my holy Hill of Sion I will declare the Decree the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the outmost parts of the earth for thy possession thou shalt break them with a rod of Iron and dash them in peeces like a Potters vessel Psal. 2.6 7 8 9. Dan. 7.14 Micha 4.6 7. For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde but be you glad and rejoyce in the thing which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy and I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the voyce of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voyce of crying and he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord and in the Majesty of the name of the Lord his God and they shall abide for now shall he be great to the ends of the earth Isa. 65.17 18 19. Psal. 67.4 Jerem. 3.17 Isa. 62.7 8 9 10 11 12. These Scriptures and many more that might be added to the proof of the first Particular That the Lord Jesus Christ shall reign on the earth in Ierusalem The second thing is to prove That the Saints also shall receive a Kingdom and reign on earth Unto the proof of this I shall begin with the words of our blessed Saviour which saith Yee are they that have continued with me in my temptations I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me that yee may eate and drink at my Table in my Kingdom and sit upon Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Whereunto he adds also another sentence in the Apocalyps very pertinent to the proof of this saying He that overcometh and keepeth my works to the end I will give him power over the Nations and hee shall rule them with a rod of Iron and shall break them like a Potters Vessel even as I have received of my Father Luke 22.28 29 30. Revel. 2.26 27 28. From hence wee may see that as the Lord gave unto his Son Jesus a Kingdom in reference to his Sufferings and his obedience unto him even so Jesus the Christ will give his people a Kingdom in reference to their sufferings and obedience to his will and that this is to be on Eatth I shall give you a plain text even as saith the Spirit of Christ in these words And they sung a new Song saying Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the Seals thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us to our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the earth Moreover they shall injoy that Sovereignty so long as the Sun and Moon indures for so saith the Lord by his Prophet in these words And in the days of those Kingdoms shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed and this Kingdom shall not be given to another people but it shall break and destroy all these Kingdoms and it shall stand for ever and the Kingdom and Dominion and Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heavens shall be given to the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all people shall serve and obey him Dan. 2.44 Cap. 7.27 28. Revel. 5.10 from these Scriptures we may see that the Saints shall injoy a Kingdom in the which they shall reign and rule the Nations with a rod of Iron so that the wicked shall be as ashes under the soals of their feet And this Kingdom also we see is to be held on earth neither can there be any other interpretations given upon these Scriptures without great abuse to the plaine meaning of the Spirit in these Scriptures If it be objected and said That these Scriptures bespeak or fore-shew the flourishing condition of the people of God while they live in this corrupt Tabernacle of flesh I shall deny and make this answer That it is the portion of the Saints nay all of them to suffer in this Life and the nigher the appearance of Jesus Christ the greater shall the suffering be so that through many tribulations they shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Dan. 7.21 2 Thess. 1.9 Acts 14.22 2 Tim. 3.12 Rev 6.9 10 11. and many more Scriptures I might give as to the proof of this for there shall bee such Trials for the godly that should not the days be shortened no flesh would
33.1 2 3. When Israel was to go out of the Land of Aegypt the Lord commanded them to ask every one of his Neighbour jewels of Silver and jewels of Gold and the Lord gave them favour in the sight of the AEgyptians so that they did obtain what they demanded by the which the Israelites were inriched by the spoyl of the Aegyptians and so it shall be at that day with the people of God they shall injoy the spoyl of their enemies for they are the true Heirs to the riches of the World present and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 1 Corinth 3.22 Math. 19 29. So that they shall eate the riches of the Gentiles as also saith the Scriptures Yee shall be named the Priests of the Lord and men shall call you the Ministers of our God yee shall eat the riches of the Gentiles and be exalted with their glory Isa. 61.6 Here we see that the Lord is pleased to give them the riches of the Gentiles that is to say the riches of Sinners that although they heap up Silver like the dust and raiment like the clay yet the just shall put it on and the innocent shall divide the Silver so that their gain shall be consecrated to the Lord and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth therefore shall thy Gates be open continually neither day nor night shall they be shut that men may bring unto thee the riches of the Gentiles that thy Kings may be brought for the Nations and Kingdoms that will not serve thee shall parish and those Nations shall utterly be destroyed Job 27.16 Isa. 60 11 12. Cap. 66.11 Zech. 14.14 Revel. 21.24 From hence we may see that riches and glory and honour and a Kingdom nay and Crowns also shall be cast down before Christ and the Saints which shall be at their steps King Solomon in his glorious Reign was a lively Type of King Jesus in his glorious Reign and we know in King Solomons Reign there was great plenty of riches and glory such as was not in Jerusalem before or since and that there shall be so in Christs Reign was set out by those who came from the East to Ierusalem to worship Christ which when they had found him opened their Treasures and presented Gifts Gold Myrrhe Matth. 2.11 which shews to us That when the Lord is King in Ierusalem how persons shall come from the utmost parts of the Earth to submit to Christs and the Saints royal Dignity and present unto them the choycest of riches which agreeth to the Scriptures before mentioned so having discovered that Christ and his Saints shall reign in Ierusalem and of that excellent peace and sovereignty that they shall injoy in their time with riches and the glory of the Gentiles I pass now unto the Seventh Particular which is the description of the New Jerusalem A clear description of New Jerusalem not built by the Jews at their return out of Captivity The very consideration of this New Jerusalem is sufficient to ravish the hearts of all such as are heavenly-minded it was that which did stay and support the mindes of the suffering Saints of old and indeed it is sufficient because it is of such an excellent situation that it is to be admired as the Psalmist faith Beautiful for situation the joy of the whole earth is Mount Sion on the side of the North is the City of the great King God is known in her Palace for a refuge which City in the Mystery is no more but that New Ierusalem which shall be the City of the great King Psal. 48.2 compare Psal. 47.8 even so New Ierusalem shall come down from God out of Heaven and being situated about Sion it is Metaphorically called mount Sion because Sion of old did represent it which was Davids Throne the which David and his Throne was a lively type of Christ and his Throne and as David placed himself in Sion with his Family so Jesus Christ will place himself in that New Jerusalem with his Family the which Family consisteth of risen saved glorified Saints the which agreeth with the Word of the Lord that faith The people that are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour unto it and there shall in no wise enter into it any that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye but they which are written in the Lambs Book of Life Rev l. 21.24 25 26 27. but now I shall pass briefly to a review of that glorious City New Jerusalem the which is treated of Revel. 21. beginning at the tenth verse And he carried me away in the Spirit unto a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God having the glory of God and her light was like unto a stone most precious even like a Jasper stone clear as Chrystal and had a wall great and high and had twelve Gates and at the Gates twelve Angels and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve Tribes of the Children of Israel on the East three Gates on the North three Gates on the South three Gates and on the West three Gates and the wall of the City had twelve foundations and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe and he that talked with me had a golden reed to meajure the City and the Gates thereof and the wall thereof and the City lyeth four square and the length is as large as the breadth and he measured the City with the reed twelve thousand Furlongs and the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal and he measured the wall thereof an hundred forty and four Cubits according to the measure of man that is of the Angel and the building of the wall of it was of Jasper and the City pure Gold like unto clear Glass and the foundations of the wall of the City were garnished with all manner of precious Stones the first foundation was Jasper the second Saphir the third Chalcedonie the fourth an Emerauld the fifth Sardonix the sixth Sardins the seventh Chrysolite the eighth Beryl the ninth Topas the tenth Chrysophrasus the eleventh a Jacinth the twelfth an Amethyst and the twelve Gates were twelve Pearls every severall Gate of one Pearl the streets of the City were pure Gold as it were transparent Glass and I saw no Temple therein for the Lord God Almighty and the Lambe were 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 Lambe was the light thereof and the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the North shall bring their glory and honour into it and the Gates of it shall not be shut at all by day and there shall be no night there and they
by abusing the worthy name of God speaking reproachfully of him and his Son Christ and slighting those Laws and Ordinances which are given forth to be practised till his second and great coming with the abusing of themselves in uncleaneness and Lusts of the flesh amongst which they contend for the community of Women which is none of the least of their Uncleanenesses and make themselves worse than the savage Beasts Of that sort are the rude Ranters and the blasphemous Quakers the which have cast off Civil Humanity and this generation of men are the men that will cause the Lord to arise and take vengeance upon the earth for so saith the word of the Lord in these words And Enoch also the seventh from Adam Prophecied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute Judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him So that we may see that the Lord will send his Son in flaming fire against all ungodly men but chiefly they that walk after the Lust of the flesh in uncleaneness as hee once did destroy the world and such like Sinners with an over-flowing Floud Gen. 6.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jude 4. compare 14 15. 2 Pet. 2.4 compare 10. cap. 3.3 compare 10. See also vers. 7. From hence you may see that that ungodly generation of men that are now in the World is a lively sign of Christs coming And so I pass briefly to the third The Third sign of Christs coming Is the Echo or sound of these two things in the World as namely the Preaching of the Gospel about in the Nations and the Warres and rumours of Warres that do accompany it for when these two things go together then Christ saith the end is very nigh and although the Gospel have been preached before in a private way that is to say in some particular Nation or privately in that Nation yet never was the Gospel preached to Nations and Rulers as it is in our days Obj. If it should be Objected and said That the Gospel hath been preached in Nations a great while by the Ministery of the Nation To which I answer Ans. That as the Congregations of the Nation was never called a Church of Christ nor her Teachers the Ministers of the Gospel neither hath that kinde of Doctrine which they have preached been called the preaching of the Gospel If it should be demanded of me what it is I should answer to them in their particuler order First the National Church is called by the name of the Cities of the Nation which is a borrowed word from Christs Church Yee are a City set upon an Hill Mat. 5.14 Rev. 16.19 and that this City of the Nations is meant the National Church is because they shall begin to decay and sink and shall also be destroyed at the time that Babylon shall come in remembrance before God whereby she shall receive the Cup at his hands for the Nations or the National Church hath been stained is and shall be with the corruptions or pollutions of Romes Doctrine Jer. 51.7 8. Again if you shall ask me what the National Ministers are called in Scripture I shall shew you as followeth they are called Merchants of the Earth or the Angels of the Waters now the word Angel signifieth Minister as Revel. 1.20 and the Waters signifie Nations for so saith the Spirit The Waters that thou sawest are Multitudes Nations and Tongues Rev. 17.15 so it is clear that the Angels of the Waters are meant the Ministers of the Nations so that they are neither called Ministers of Christ nor Ministers of the Gospel but the Ministers of the Gospel are called by another name in the same place even the Angel of the Altar and that Christ is our Altar is clear see Heb. 13.10 Rev. 16.7 Thirdly Why their Preaching is not called Gospel-preaching although they make use of the Gospel is because they teach for Doctrine the Traditions of their Fathers and the Apostle calleth not such Gospel-preaching but saith to the Galathians I marvel that you are so soon moved away from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel which is not another but there are some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ Gal. 1.6 7. so that those persons that do pervert any of the sayings of Christ according to Scripture account cannot be called the Ministers of the Gospel nor their Preaching Gospel-preaching which the Ministers of our Nation have done that is to say mingled the Commands of Christ with their Traditions and so cannot be meant that Gospel-preaching which shall bee the fore-runner of Jesus Christ but that the Gospel shall be preached again in the plain way of it that is to say in the way which Christ appointed when hee ascended up on high is clear Mat. 24.14 Rev. 14.6 The Fourth and last Sign of the second coming of Jesus Christ is those false Signs and Miracles that shall bee wrought by the false Prophets for a little before the coming of Christ there will be a Generation of men that will deny the way and Ordinances of the Gospel because they are not accompanied with Miracles and so shall deny the power of the Word The Devil seeing this hee shall impower the false Prophets whereby they shall do great Signs and lying Wonders to deceive by multitudes all incredulous persons who will beleeve a lying Sign before they will beleeve that Word that was confirmed by Signs for when persons do not like to retain God in their knowledge God is pleased to send them strong delusions to beleeve a Lye and that there are many such now in our days that have denied the Truth that once they owned and are grown to such a height as that they do shew many lying Signs if any shal question the truth of this let them but go to London and go to those Meetings that they call the Quakers Meetings and they shall see it apparently enough But now to prove that false Signs and lying Wonders before-runners of Christs coming see from these Scriptures following Mat. 7.22 Cap. 24.24 2 Thess. 2.9 Rev. 13.13 14. Cap. 16.14 15. Friends I should adde some more Signs of Christs coming as the gathering together of the Jews into their own Land which certainly might easily be proved did we but understand the consultation that there is amongst them but the returning of the Fleet from the Straights will give us more certain intelligence as to that thing and so I shall leave these few Signs unto your consideration and pass to the Tenth and last Particular A profitable Application of the Sum of what is fore-mentioned Christian Reader I having shewed you what excellent injoyment the Lord hath laid up for his people even for such as seek him as for hidden treasure Sith
I will fill their treasure So that those that seek first the kingdom of Heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and seek it as hidden treasure that is to say above all things in the world without doubt the Lord will rise and rain everlasting righteousness upon such souls Hosea 10.12 Prov. 2.3 4 5. 1 Chron. 28.9 Mat. 9.33 So much to the first means in order to the attainment of this inheritance The second way to attain to this inheritance may be observed from the wise Merchant man who when he had found the Pearl of great price sold all that he had to gain that price so also must thou when thou seest an excellency in Jesus Christ thou must break off thy sins by righteousnesse and part with all that is near and dear unto thee for he that comes to Christ and hates not Father and Mother Wife and Children Lands and living nay and his own life cannot be his Disciple not that I mean that thou shouldst hate the person of thy Father or thy Mother or Wife or Children and the like neither did Christ mean so in that speech of his but to cast them out of their affections when they come in competition with Christ but still to honour and respect their persons though slight their counsel Luk. 14.26 27. Mat. 10.34 35 36 37 38. so that this is the second way to attain this Heavenly inheritance or Pearl of great price Thirdly as thou must forsake all and break off thy sins by righteousnesle so thou must increase in thy piety and virtues thou must not stand still but thou must add to thy Faith Virtue Knowledge Temperance Patience and Godlinesse for so an entrance shall be administred into his heavenly Kingdom 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9 10 11. so that from hence thou mayst see that the way or means to enter into that heavenly inheritance is to grow in grace not to stand still not be luke-warm not to have a name to live and be dead but to excel in virtue The fourth and lastly as thou must seek that inheritance above and before all things and as thou must forsake all things for the attainment of that precious inheritance when thou hast found it so as to part with all and break off thy sins by righteousnesse and as thou must also grow in Graces adding to thy Faith Virtue and so forth So in the fourth and last place thou must goe on and persevere till death not turn back or be weary or faint in thy mind for that is the way to inherit that glorious inheritance even that immortal crown of life and to sit down with Christ in his Throne where thou shalt abide for ever and ever 2 Tim. 4.4 5 6 7 8. Jam. 1.12 Rev. 2.10 cap. 3. v. 9. compar'd with 12. v. 2.7 cap. 21.7 And so I shall passe unto the sixth use The sixth use is a use of inducement to win thee or move thee to prise that Kingdom which is to be at the Revelation of Jesus Christ for then the Tabernacle of God shall be with men he shall dwell with them as also saith Iohn in these words I heard a great voice from Heaven saying the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and he will be their God 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 and the redeemed of the Lord shall come to Sion with Songs and everlasting Joy shall be unto them and the great King of the whole earth who is the Son of the most high and the great Bridegroom of the Bride shall gird himselfe and make them sit down at meat and they shall raign with him as long as the Sun and Moon endureth Luk. 12.37 Rev. 21.3 4 5. Esa. 35 10. these privileges in that kingdom shall be above Angels for not unto the Angels hath he put into subjection the world to come whereof we speak but that he hath put it into subjection to the Saints is clear as you may see from these Scriptures Psal. 149.6 7 8 9. Obedi 21. Mal. 4.3 4 5. Rev. 2.26 27. from hence we may see the great gainers Saints will be if it be so that they lose all the enjoyments of this life provided they doe but attain that inheritance 1 Tim. 4.8 cap. 6. ver. 6. 1 Cor. 3.22 But on the other hand if thou shouldest lose that inheritance and the glorious presence of that infinite glory which was so glorious that when Peter and John saw but a glimpse of it they said It is good for us to be here I say if thou shouldest loose chis enjoyment although by it thou maist gain all the friendship in the world the riches and quintessence thereof yet thou wouldest be a great loser Matt. 17.4 Mark 8.36 Christian Reader thou art not travelling to an earthly Kingdom or Inheritance but unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and unto God the Judge of all things and the Spirits of Just men made perfect where thou shalt enjoy the presence of God in whose presence there is fullnesse of Joy and at his right hand pleasure for evermore Psal. 16.11 Heb. 12.22 23. The second inducement is from the Freeness of the giver of this Inheritance that whether thou art rich or poor high or low noble or ignoble thou maist attain to this Inheritance for the Lord commands his Messengers to offer it freely to every Creature Mar. 16.15 Rev. 22.17 Moreover he proclaims this his loving kindnesse by the Prophet saying Oh every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no mony come buy Wine without money and without price why do you lay out your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which profits not Esay 55.1 2. From hence we may take notice of these two things First how the Lord exhibiteth himself freely to every Creature and blames such as are contented with Husks when they may have the Bread of Life freely The third Inducement or Motive to move thee or incourage thee to seek after this Inheritance is from the consideration of thy condition when the Lord is pleased to cast his eye of pity upon thee it is not at that time when thou appearest amiable or lovely by reason of thy virtues and graces which is in thee but when thou wast a deformed Creature by reason of lying in the blood of the pollution of thy Sin and it was also when no eye pittied thee neither could Angels or men do thee any good In this appeared the love of God indeed as saith the Apostle We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he were