a rocky foundation it s founded upon the Covenant of God that is an Impregnable rocke it s such a foundation that all the world cannot hurt if any come and strike at it it will grind them to powder this is a sweet consideration and should provoke us to looke up to God for the accomplishing of this great mercy and to looke unto him for new mercy's Gods people stand for nothing concerning this kingdome but God will make the world one day know it was a peice of the new Covenant The unworthynes of the Saints shall not hinder them of this mercy for new Covenant Grace will ride Tryumphing over the head of all the Infirmities of the people of God Thirdly Vse 3 Another thing if it be a mercy lodged up in the new Covenant we may learne hence is That it is not strange or it ought not to be strange to us if we should see a death upon this worke if we should see this worke struck dead when it may be it seemes to be coming forth for indeed its Gods way in bringing forth mercy's of the new Covenant to strike the mercy dead Abraham had two sons the son of Hagar the old Covenant and the son of Sarah the new Covenant there 's no death comes upon Ishmael the old Covenant but there comes a death Abraham's body is dead and Sarah's wombe is dead upon Isaac the new Covenant the new Covenant mercy is struck dead so when the Lord will set up his Son as King he will doe it upon the account of the new Covenant therefore we must expect this new covenant mercy to passe through death so that God strikes the new Covenant mercy dead before he brings it forth When the Children of Israel came out of Egypt they come out upon the account of the new Covenant God remembers his Covenant and sends Moses to them thereupon they are full of expectation of deliverance but presently their burdens were encreased and their oppression encreased and thereupon all is struck dead and they are further from deliverance than ever they were and yet notwithstanding when God had tryed but a while their faith and patience for that is the end of all his bringing deaths upon a worke to try our faith and patience but so soone as ever that was tryed then the Lord brings them forth by his glorious hand So it was with David God had promised him the kingdome yet there was a wonderfull death came upon Davids kingdome David is made a king and some few come to him and David had some faith when Abiathar the Priest came to him when he fled from Saul saith David Abide with me and thou shalt be safe for with me there 's safety but when his kingdome is just ready to come to him there comes a great sentence of death upon the worke because its a new Covenant worke all is struck dead I shall certainly perish one day by the hand of Saul and I must leave the Country saith David so it s with all new Covenant mercy's that the Lord might try the faith of his Children which he will have tryed and that he might make the mercy the sweeter when it comes and that we might be more in crying to him God strikes the worke dead that we might exercise the more faith and prayer therefore let us not be discouraged when we see a sentence of death upon it it would be a great discouragement to me if there were not a Sentence of death upon it I should beleive then it were a greater way off than it is for if it be a new Covenant merâ—y there must be a Sentence of Death put upon it As in mercy's to a particular soule God will have the soule strucke dead before the Lord reveale the new Covenant mercy to him that the soule shall say I can see nothing I have nothing at all it can see no wisdome no righteousnesse nothing in it selfe and when all is strucke dead then the Lord comes with new Covenant mercy's to the soule so when the Lord intends to set up his Sonnes kingdome in the earth it must first be wholly struck dead Fourthly Vse 4 If this kingdome of Christ be a mercy lodged up in the new Covenant then wee should waite upon God patiently for the bringing of it forth New Covenant mercy's they are to be waited for Abraham lost himselfe greatly in murmuring while he was waiting for the fulfilling of the new Covenant promise he cryes out I goe Childlesse he had a promise and because he sees it not fulfilled he cry's I goe childlesse and this Eleazar of Damascus who is Steward of my house must be my heire and what doth this his repining bring forth why presently the very next thing we read is Abraham and Sahah distrusting God lay their heads together and upon advice he goe's in Hagar he turnes into the old Covenant and had fruit by her and there Abraham rests and settles himselfe some yeares he goes and turnes into the old Covenant by an Impatient waiting for the new Covenant we are not to waite as Idlers doe for helpe in a ditch and cry God helpe us but we are to wait as if we would have it in by our very striving strugling yet notwithstanding there must be a quiet waiting on God for his time so it should be with us for this new Covenant mercy waite for it patiently be content with it in Gods own time when he will bring it forth and the more our heart is brought to lye downe submissively before God it s a great argument that the mercy is so much the nearer the Lord doth ordinarily in giving forth the mercy's of the new Covenant though there may be striving and strugling for a time yet he brings the hearts of his Children to this Lord when thou wilt in thine owne time O that God would bring all the hearts of his Children to this that our hearts might not be engaged by our own thoughts but that we may be so free that God may have his own time that there may not be an Impatient spirit in waiting And is it a new Covenant mercy Vse 5 this will be a sweet mercy when it comes all the new Covenant mercy's are sweete things what ever the world thinke of Christs kingdome when it comes it will be a sweet thing that the Saints shall have glory hereafter doth that hinder the spirituall enjoyment of God here so the outward kingdome of Christ what will that hinder the spirituall enjoyment of Christ But the Devill play 's his game thus in the new Testament Times he made men to looke for an outward kingdome onely when Christ was about to set up a spirituall kingdome and now that Christ would set up an outward kingdome saith the Devill looke onely to the spirituall kingdome as if the ourward and spirituall kingdome could not stand together as if the glory of the body's and soules of the Saints could not stand together And
this is the new Covenant I but here 's one promise hath a speciall Oath to it its worthy observation what peice of the new Covenant the Lord especially sweares to and that is this promise of Christs kingdome Once have I sworne by my holines that God will not lye to David and what is that that God sweares to its this that his seede shall endure for ever and his Throne shall be as the Sun before him Now to this promise is added a speciall Oath and its observable that the Lord speakes of Christs kingdome severall times in Scripture there are foure times that the Lord speakes of this and he doth sweare to it When he made this Promise to Abraham that his seed Christ shall possesse the Gate of his Enemies Gen. 22.16 By my selfe have I sworne saith he when he comes to make this promise to David that Jesus Christ shall have a kingdome God sweares againe Once have I sworne by my holines that I will not lye unto David His seede shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before me Againe if you looke into Isai 45.13 you have God swearing againe there I have sworne by my selfe the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne that unto me every knee shall bow every tongue shall sweare Why what is the meaning of that why it s the very same with that in the Philippians every knee shall bow to Christ every tongue shall confesse that Christ is the Lord it is the exalting and setting up Christ Jesus as King So if we looke into Isai 54.9.11 Oh thou afflicted Tossed with Tempest and not comforted and in the 14 ver In righteousnesse shalt thou be established and thou shalt be far from oppression it s a description of Christs kingdome which he confirmes by his oath in the 9 â—h ver speaking of this very time of the kingdome of Christ For this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworne that the waters of Noah shall no more goe over the earth so have I sworne that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee that is he would not in that day be wrath with his people so as to put by the fulfilling this good word of his promise I will make good this peice of my Covenant Now if we consider it surely there is something in it that the Lord should confirme all the new Covenant by an Oath and should confirme one branch of it and that by an Oath swearing by himselfe and by his holines and by his righteousnesse and swearing that he would not lye and swearing that it should be as certain as the word to Noah that the world should never be drowned againe That the Lord should sweare over and over to it surely there is much in it now the Lord hath done thus as to Christs kingdome what ever the world say the Lord hath founded this upon the new Covenant and he hath confirmed this new Covenant with an Oath when the Lord saw what opposition there would be in the world what distrust in his peoples hearts lest any should doubt of it he comes over and over againe with this particular branch of it with an Oath I have sworne I have sworne I have sworne that my Son shall have a kingdome So that in the Covenant with David there was the promise of the kingdome of Christ Fourthly Let us come to the worke it selfe where the worke doth begin to rise in the world and you shall see that it doth begin to rise and that upon the account of the new Covenant The worke of Christs kingdome the glorious beginning of it it shall be about the time of the Jewes coming in and indeed the coming in of the Jewes shall be a very great advancement of this kingdome and where ever the Lord doth speake of the coming in of the Jewes he doth lay it upon the foundation of this new Covenant and indeed it s a very great argument to me against those that thinke there is no such thing as the kingdome of Christ because God hath so often laid it upon his new Covenant Looke into the 26 of Leviticus the Lord had spoken before of rejecting and of the casting of them off 42 ver he saith when they should be cast off then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob and also my Covenant with Isaac and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember and I will remember the Land This doth not onely looke to the rejecting of the people of Israel for a time when they were carried Captive into Babylon for that was a rejecting onely of part of the seed of Abraham but it doth looke to their long Captivity of all the seed of Abraham for these many hundred yeares the Lord engages he will restore them and restore them upon the account of remembring his Covenant Then will I remember my Covenant with Jacob and also my Covenant with Isaac and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember and I will remember the Land and I will bring them backe againe and I will gather them upon the account of my Covenant saith God Deut. 4.30 31. In the 27 verse Moses had been speaking The Lord shall scatter you among the nations and yee shall be left few in number among the heathen whither the Lord shall lead you then he tells them in the 30 verse When thou art in tribulation and all these things are come upon thee even in the latter dayes if thou turne to the Lord thy God and shalt be obedient unto his voice even in the latter dayes mind the expression in the latter dayes if thou turne to the Lord thy God and shalt be obedient unto his voice for the Lord thy God is a mercifull God he will not forsake thee neither destroy thee nor forget the Covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them When the Lord hath cast them off they shall be gathered and that upon the account of his Covenant and so in the 54 of Isai that Chapter is a prophesie of the Conversion of the Jewes and of that glory that shall follow thereupon and the Lord doth engage his Covenant for the bringing of it about The mountaines shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee So likewise in the 33 of Jere. the two last verses Thus saith the Lord if my Covenant be not with day and night and if I have not appointed the Ordinances of heaven and earth then will I cast away the seede of Jacob and David my servant so that I will not take any of his seede to be rulers over the seed of Abraham Isaac and Jacob for I will cause their Captivity to returne and have mercy on them This is spoken of their last restoration as I told you at first and the Lord doth
the worke a glorious light so if you looke into Revel 14 6 7 verses we have an Angel flying in the midst of Heaven having the Everlasting Gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth and to every nation and kindred and tongue and people saying with a loud voice feare God and give glory to him for the houre of his Judgement is come and what then why in the next verse there followes another Angel saying Babylon is fallen is fallen an Angel goes forth and enlightens the earth preaches and declares it in the world that now the houre of Gods Judgement is come the houre is come saith he and presently another Angel cryes out Babylon is fallen is fallen the worke of God comes on presently after the revealing of light Revel 18.1 2. The earth was enlightened with his glory and then presently verse 6. Reward her even as shee rewarded you and double unto her double according to her workes in the cup which shee hath filled fill to her double and in the 8 verse Therefore shall her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and shee shall be utterly burnt with fire Observe first here 's an Angel comes and enlightens the earth with the glory of God the earth that was before in darknes and thought nothing of the ruine of Rome and Judging the Beast the Lord lets in wonderfull light into the world and then presently comes forth the work it selfe the Lord doth appeare judging of the Beast Likewise if you looke to the final blow given to the Beast Revel 19. you will see that it follows after light that doth forerun it 17 and 18 verses And I saw an Angel standing in the Sun and he cryed with a loud voice saying to all the fowles that fly in the mid'st of heaven come and gather your selves together to the supper of the great God that ye may eate the flesh of kings and the flesh of Captaines and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of Horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small and great Here 's the last overthrow the deadly blow the Lord gives the Beast and there foreruns it a wonderfull light an Angel stands in the Sun that is in wonderfull cleare light he stands holding forth and declaring the coming of that terrible day and presently upon that light the worke comes on I say this is a signe of the time that the worke is at hand The great discovery of light as to the worke the Lord brings forth And the Reasons why God will send forth light before his worke are First Because he would not lead his Children to his worke blindfold but by light Antichrists followers they follow in the dark in the mist of Implicit faith but the Lambs followers they are led by light Practice without principle hath ever been the way of the Beast but Principle as the rule of practice is Christs Method Secondly Because a Saint though the thing he doe be good and the will of God yet can never have comfort in doing it if it be not done from light My Comfort ly's in this that I know I follow the Lord and this bore up Paul when Brethren Censured him and others accounted him a mad man Now observe when God let 's forth a light it s in order to a worke thus when God began with the Papacy to overturne their grosse Idolatry's God by Luther and some few others brings forth light to discover these and upon that discovery they fall So afterwards when God went to Judge the Prelacy here in England first he brings forth light and discovers them to be a peice of the Beast and of the mystery of Iniquity and presently upon the coming forth of that light they fall when God sends light he will bring forth the worke suddenly Object Wee have had light of this a great while and pleaded for the kingdome of Christ and therefore this cannot be a signe Ans To that I answer We must consider there is a difference between the breaking forth of light as it is the light of some particular persons and as its the light in a more generall way among many then is the worke coming forth John Hus and Jerome of Prague held forth Luthers light before Luther and while it was but in the breasts of some few persons it did no great matter against the Beast's kingdome but when it came to be generall in the world then the Blow came the kingdome of the Beast was destroyed by that light so much of it as that light serv'd to destroy Whilst that light that opposed the Antichristian Prelacy was lodged up onely in some few breasts it produced little save onely a witnesse against them but when it began to be generall it tossed them out of their seates So I may say concerning this light the light of the kingdome of Christ it hath been in some few breasts a great while but it never began to be so generall untill now that its run among the Churches Indeed never was there a Principle that did run so much among the Churches of Christ as this hath done within these twelve moneths since some Eminent servants of Christ have been shut up and thrust into holes this light hath been encreased and embraced among the Saints so as never any light encreas't more in such a little time than this hath done and when light begins to be so generall it s an argument now the worke drawes on it begins to be hot as we say and indeed the light growes so generall that the persecuting adversary who not long agoe would not acknowledge any kingdome at all but the spirituall yet now they acknowledge such a thing as the fift Monarchy in the world though they would set it far off that it might not hurt them and are driven to confesse that that very principle for which Saints suffer at this day is in the substance of it a truth Light is coming forth apace and blessed be the Lord that hath been so mercifull to his people at this day that the proud Adversary's of the truth cause of God shall one day be Judged out of their owne mouths they themselves know that there is such a kingdome they have gotten some light into it and they shall one day be Judged out of their owne mouthes Secondly Signe 2 Another Signe of this time that the worke of God of Christs kingdome is neere upon us is this Syons Children favouring of her stones and dust the ground of this we have in Psalme 102.13 Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Syon for the time to favour her yea the set time is come That this Psalme look's to Christ's outward kingdome the 15 18 22 verses Evidence But what signe is there of it that the set time is come why in the 14 verse When the Saints of God take pleasure in the stones of Syon and begin
had made their savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and of his servants to put a sword in their hands to slay us So it was with David when the worke of his kingdome first came forth when he first set out against Saul he had a great deale of confidence at first 1 Sam 22.22 David saith to Abiathar Abide thou with me feare not for he that seekes my life seeketh thy life but with me thou shalt be in safety But observe after this David lost his confidence and came to doubt of the going on of this worke of his kingdome in the 27 Chapter the first verse I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul he speakes quite contrary to what he said before yet now the worke is neere the kingdome is ready to rise So when the Children of Israel were to come out of Babylon and a death came upon the worke they cryed out The time is not come the time is not come that the Lords house should be built here they doubt as to the time their faith was downe yet then was the time at hand and the worke was carryed on in the second yeare of Darius So likewise looke to Christ himselfe when he was here the Disciples a little before his death they could say to him Thou art Christ the Son of the Living God they had much of faith at first but when Christ is in the grave they loose their faith We trusted that it was he that should have redeemed Israel their faith was gone and yet their Redemption was nearer than ever it was and Christs Resurrection at hand so that while they were Questioning and doubting the time of Christs rising approaches So abundance of good men that formerly have kept to Allhallow's-meeting and Blackfryers-meeting they have now of late withdrawne and cry the time is not come the time is not come for the carrying on of the worke of Christs kingdome but this is so far from making us beleive the time is not come that its a signe to us that the time is at hand when doubting comes after the spirit of faith for so it hath been with the worke of the Lord in all his Dispensations Here followeth six other Signes as they were found in his Notes Fifthly A fift signe is Signe 5 The wonderfull spirit of prayer that is upon Gods People when the decree of release from Babylon was ready to issue forth God puts a wonderfull spirit of prayer upon Daniel Chapter the 9th At the beginning of thy Supplications the Commandement came forth and I am come to shew thee So Nehemiah had a great spirit of prayer given to him when the time came that the Citty Jerusalem should be built And God hath promised Immediatly before he builds Jerusalem to give such a spirit of prayer Isai 62.1.6 7 verses For Zions sake will I not hold my peace and for Jerusalems sake I will not rest untill the righteousnesse thereof goe forth as brightnes and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth I have set watchmen upon thy walls O Jerusalem which shall never hold their peace day nor night Ye that make mention of the Lord keepe not silence and give him no rest till he establish and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth Now when an extraordinary spirit of prayer goes forth it s a cleare evidence the work is at hand What a spirit of prayer was there up in the Bishops times and what was the effect of it it brought their Ruine Afterwards when Presbytery was like to tread us downe as did the Bishops their predecessors a great spirit of prayer was in many by this they are ruined And truly I thinke I may say there was never a greater spirit of prayer up than is at this day And to encourage you the more to it I shall here put in two things First Consider That God gives his Children a larger Commission if I may so speake when they are to pray against Babylon than at other times Isai 45.11 Thus saith the Lord the Holy one of Israel and his maker Aske me of things to come concerning my sons and concerning the worke of my hands command ye me Secondly That God will be more quicke in answering Isai 65.24 And it shall come to passe that before they call I will answer and whiles they are yet speaking I will heare Sixthly A sixt signe is Signe 6 The Helples condition Gods people at present are in Before God makes his Arme bare in saving he brings his Children into that straight that they can see strength no were else but in him hence those that pray for Syons Restauration Psalme 102. pray as destitute ones and when they are destitute God answers them Never untill this day since some appearings of this worke have been have Gods people prayed as destitute ones we had A Parliament An Army A Generall that went along with us till of late but now Gods people are wholly destitute and indeed that they are brought into this condition is a mercy and an evidence the worke is neere which we might conclude to be farther off were it not thus A notable place we have Deut. 32.36 The Lord shall judge his people and repent himselfe for his servants when he seeth that their Power is gone and there is none shut up or left And indeed this hath ever been Gods way Abraham cannot have his Mercy till he is in so destitute a condition as that to an eye of Reason he is without hope David before the kingdome falls into his hands must be so destitute as that he is forced to fly the land The Helples condition of Gods people is a cleare signe the worke is at hand Seventhly A seventh signe is Signe 7 The Multiplication of the oppressed people who are the oppressed people in a more especiall manner at this day but those that appeare for this truth who are shut up in prisons and Holes but they and yet notwithstanding what a multiplying of them is there under this oppression It s Steven's observation concerning Israel Act. 7.17 That when the time of the promise drew nigh which God had sworne to Abraham the People grew and multiplyed in Egypt He makes the multiplication of the seede a signe of the Promise drawing nigh What a multiplication of this oppressed people there is all the nation over since some have been in prison is well knowne to many many Churches and Pastors of Churches who not twelve moneths since were averse to this way doe now owne it preach it I speake what I know Yea I dare say That if the present Powers of this Nation had set in counsell 12 months together to contrive a way to spread the notion of the fift Monarchy among the godly throughout this Nation they could not have thought upon a better than the casting of some Eminent leading Saints into Prison for there is nothing that men as men doe more affect than to looke into