in opposition to both sorts of evils immediately afore recounted viz. not only to false Doctrines but to cruell persecutions and therefore a corporal as well as a spiritual salvation must be here meant and these to be performed on earth viz. in the inhabited world just where the Gospel preached converted them and where they endured to the end And unto which Christ doth gloriously appear FROM heaven ver 30 c. to make up the splendor of that state on earth we here speak of Now all these things cannot be fulfilled at the ultimate generall judgement nor are they hitherto fulfilled and therefore they remaine yet to be fulfilled which Mr. Mede solidly amplifies on Jer. 10. ver 11. thus Hitherto saith he we have spoken of the accomplishment of this prophecy for so much as is already past now let us see what that is which we expect as yet to come for though in regard of former times when Ethnicisme was so large and the worshipers of the living God so small a scantling the extent of the Church be now at this day a goodly and large portion of the world yet if we consider the number of Nations yet Pagans or not Christians it will seem too scant as yet to be the accomplishment of this and other prophecies concerning the largenesse of Christs Kingdome before the end of the world For one hath well observed that Christianity at this day is not above the sixth part of the knowne world whereas the Mahumetans have a fifth and all the rest are Ethnicks and Pagans So that if we divide the world into thirty parts Christianity is but as five in thirty Mahumetanism as six and Ethnicisme as nineteen and so is Christianity the least part of all and plain Heathenism hath far above the one half of the known world and the better part of the other is also Mahumetans And though Christianity hath been imbraced in former times where now it is not yet is it now spread in those places where in those times it was not And therefore all laid together we may account Christianity at this day as large I think as ever it was since the Apostles time But that this is not that universal Kingdome of Christ that flourishing and glorious estate of the Church which yet we expect hope for my reasons are these First These frequent places of Scripture which intimate that the Lord should subdue all People all Kingdoms all Nations and all the ends of the earth unto himselfe and that all these should one day worship and acknowledge him Psal 22.27 All the ends of the world shall turn unto the Lord and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him for the Kingdome is the Lords and he is governor among the Nations And Psal 47. Clap your hands all yee people for the Lord is a great King over all the earth he shall subdue the people under us and the nations under our feete And againe God is King of all the earth and reigneth over the Heathen Psal 66. Make a joyfull noise unto God all yee-lands through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee aâ— the earth shall worship thee and sing of thee they shall sing unto thy Name The whole Psal 67. which we read every day is as it were a prophecy and prayer for this great kingdome That the way of God may be knowne upon earth and his saving health among all the Nations let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee Then shall the earth yeeld her increase c. God shall blesse us and all the ends of the earth shall fear him And Psal 89. All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy Name for thou art great and doest wondrous things thou art God alone And Isa 2. which is a prophecy of Christs Kingdome it is said That the Idols the Lord shall utterly abolish or as some read the Idols shall utterly passe away So Esay 54.5 speaking of the amplitude of the Church of the Gentiles Thy Redeemer saith the Prophet the holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth shall be called Certainly this constant stile of universality implies more then this scantling which yet is small being but one of the least parts of the whole earth Secondly The same conclusion may be gathered from 1 Cor. 15.25 26. compared with Heb. 2.8 Christ must reigne saith St. Paul in the first place quoted till he hath put all his enemies under his feet the last enemy which shall be destroyed is death Hence it followes that Christ shall subdue all his enemies whereof the Prince of this world is the cheife before the last rising of the dead for the subduing of death that is the rising of the dead shal not be afore the rest shall be done the vanquishing of death being the last act of Christs reigning which done he shall yeeld up the Kingdome unto his Father In the other place Heb. 2.8 the Apostle speaking of the same thing alleadgeth that of Psal 8. Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet and then adds for in that he put all in subjection under him But now marke it we see not all things put under him If any say that the Apostle speakes here of the Kingdome of Glory in Heaven and not of the Kingdom of Grace on Earth I reply first out of the former place that he speaks of such a subjection whereof the rising of the dead shall be the last act of all and which shall be before he yeelds up the kingdome to his Father But neither of these can be affirmed of the kingdome of glory but the contrary viz. The rising of the dead is at the beginning and not at the end of the Kingdome of glory and so is also his yeelding up of his kingdom unto his Father Secondly I reply out of this place that the Apostle speaks of that kingdome and subjection of the earth or state of the earth which was to come For so he speaks v. 5. Unto the Angels he hath not put in subjection 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the earth or state of the earth which shal be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which we speak Here he affirms that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is that of whose subjection he meaneth If then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signâ—â—â—s onely the earth ' and the earths inhabitants and is no where in the Scripture otherwise used I cannot see how this place can well beare any other exposition First then to confirme this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the same which the Hebrews call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so the Septuagint renders it whose use of speaking I doubt not but the Apostle followes But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 most constantly signifies the habitable earth or the earth with the things that live and dwell therein whence the Septuagint though they commonly render it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
Clouds cannot I say be referted to the ultimate day of judgement because Christ saith This generation shall not passe the Greek is passe away it being the same word as is rendred passe away as referred to the passing away of the Heavens and the Not passing away of his word But the maine stick is in the words THIS GENERATION and ALL FULFILLED That is the Nation of the Jewes as a people most distinguishable from all Nations shall not be extinguished in Notion and Nation till ALL THOSE things afore spoken by Christ be fulfilled But if Christ should not appeare to them personally before the ultimate day of judgement for they must as the Prophet intimates Isa 66.8 be converted suddainly at once in a miraculous manner ordinary meanes having not prevailed with them these sixteen hundred yeers in the general and then so by conversion congregate them together againe according to the tenour of all the Prophets of which after in all likelyhood as man may conceive the whole Nation of them will bee extinguished They will lose the memory of their Genealogy as those at their returne from Babylon in lesse while Ezra 2.62 their language will be lost their blood and persons swallowed up by mixture with other Nations and so appeare in the common crowd at the last judgement no more distinguished then other Peoples and Nations § 4 Some would faine referre this 34. verse This generation shall not passe till all these things bee fulfilled to the time of the destruction of the Temple of Hierusalem of which Christ gave a touch v. 2. of this 24. of Matth. fulfilled about forty yeers after Christs Passion But though that of vers 2. might in part be then fulfilled yet little reason is there from thence to inferre that therefore then ALL things spoken by Christ from vers 3. to verse 34. were fulfilled Christ in vers 3. is put upon speaking to three distinct things viz. 1. Of the Time when THOSE THINGS viz. the destruction of the Temple and City of Hierusalem shall be 2. Of the sign of his COMING marke it AND 3. Of the END of the world of which largely after in its proper place so that the ALL Christ speakes of from vers 3. to 34. cannot bee imagined to bee fulfilled in the SOME things that were fulfilled at the destruction of the Temple Christ here assures us that at the fulfilling of all those things aforesaid hee himselfe will appeare in the Clouds v. 30. But at the destruction of the Temple Christ did not visibly appeare in the Clouds Nor did he then send his Angels with a great sound of a Trumpet to gather his Elect from the foure winds as hee promiseth vers 31. But at his appearing at the sound of the seventh Trumpet at the beginning of the thousand yeers of which we treat hee will so doe which is a thousand yeers before the last day of judgement of which abundantly afterwards Therefore these words This generation shall not passe or passe away c. must signifie that whereas many other Nations have passed away and been extinguished as those seven in Canaan and many others since leaving behinde neither name not thing to keep up their remembrance this Nation of the Jewes shall not bee so extinguished or annihilated but shall continue a distinct Nation at least in note and name till all these things be fulfilled aforementioned from vers 3. to vers 34. § 6 For the word here rendred Generation is not so proper to signifie an Age of people to which they usually allow an hundred yeer as that word used for it Matth. 1.1 Our word here in Matth. 24.34 more properly by use and derivation signifies a Nation And further it is not said THIS as pointing to a present Generation but THE Generation indefinitely pointing at the persons and times of many Generations All which doe much speake for this sense That the NATION of the Jewes shall not passe away or cease to be a noted distinct people till all be fulfilled As Christ saith after My word shall not passe away that is change as the Heavens and the earth shall passe away that is bee changed when that great Reformation shall come So the NATION of the Jewes shall not passe away to be changed into another people or mixedly drowned as an ingredient among many others to extinguish their name and Genealogies But as to this day so from hence forward till that GREAT TIME their name kindred and habitations shall bee distinctly knowne at least of all them that are of their own blood So that still as at this day they shall live be extant expect and professe they expect Christs coming and the sight of all these things to be fulfilled before their eyes not a peece but all § 7 Which cannot be deferred to the utmost last generall judgement because of this reason also that a little afore this mention of all things to bee fulfilled to the Nation of the Jewes before they passe away Christ saith in vers 32. and 33. That as by the Fig-trees tender branch putting forth leaves wee may know that Summer is nigh so when wee see all these things fulfilled wee may discerne that the Summer of the great Restauration of the Elect vers 31. and of all things for their use like the world in Summer is at hand For when Christ comes in the Cloudes vers 30. at the time here meant it is Summer that is all things are in their prime and perfection not Winter when is the decay and dissolution of all things I meane Christs last coming at the ultimate judgement is as a Winter that destroyes all but his SECOND coming now againe afore that day of Doome is a Summer A fit similitude to expresse the Restitution of all things That Winter ends all But by this signe of Christs coming in the Cloudes the SUMMER is discerned and discerned to bee NEER § 8 And further that in verse 46 47. well intimates that the time Christ here speakes of is not the utmost last judgement but of a glorious time afore on earth viz. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when hee COMETH shall finde so doing that is well-doing 〈◊〉 in in verse 45. Verily I say unto you hee shall make him Ruler over all his goods Greeke is shall set him over all that hee hath Which phrases one or other suit farre better to the Saints reigne on Earth then to any thing of their condition at the last judgement For then Christ layes downe all his owne rule and power 1 Cor. 15.24.28 and therefore gives no power of rule to his people § 9 Upon these words This generation shall not passe let mee tell you that thus far that Pareus and others are of our minde That though Others understand by Generation the whole World yet it better pleaseth them to understand the JEWISH NATION as upon whom these things shall bee fulfilled Matth. 23.2 Therefore the NATION shall not passe but continue scattered
the whole of Christs passion as it is plaine First by the Title which is of the Canonical Hebrew Text. A Psalme * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 concerning A jieleth Shahar that is the hind of the morning Christ being shut in the grave escaped away in the morning rising from death Secondly by the application of severall passages to Christs passion by the Evangelist Matth. 27. As that of the DESERTION My God My God why hast thou forsaken me v. 1. That of DERISION ' He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him let him deliver him v. 8. That of PIERCING They pierced my hands and my feet v. 16. That of division of his garments They parted my garments among them and upon my vesture cast lots v. 18. Now this Psalme touching Christ though in the first Scene sets forth Christs humiliation yet in the second holds forth his exaltation vers 22. I will declare thy name unto my brethren which the Apostle applies Heb. 2.9 10 11 12. to Christs manifestation of his samenesse of nature with the sonnes of men even as in that nature he tasted death for every man and at last would declare that salvation to all the world which clearly tends to our point And v. 27 28 29. we have the effect of his declaring Gods name to the world viz. ALL THE ENDS OF THE WORLD shall remember and turne unto the Lord and ALL THE KINDREDS OF THE Nations or GENTILES * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall worship before him For the Kingdome is the Lords and he is the Governour among the Nations or GENTILES All they that be fat upon the earth shall eat and worship In all which we see the effect effectuall conversion The Generality and Universality in many ALL 's The time in generall viz. It is to be after Christs suffering upon the crosse The characters eat and worship which cannot be understood of the highest heavens And it hath not been fulfilled on earth according to that effect universality and character from Christs passion to this day Therefore it is yet to be fulfilled on earth 5 ¶ According to Psalme 86.9 ALL NATIONS whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and glorifie thy name A place mightily considerable So that so great a promise and prophesie as this by so great a Prophet as this with such a shrill emphasis in the ALL and in the Act worship and in the degree of the effect to glorifie his name must not bee ended with flams of humane glosses but must be really and truly and fully accomplished though as yet it was never compleatly fulfilled as it will be too late to think of those things at the ultimate judgement when Christ comes not for conversion but destruction Therefore yet before that finall Day of Doome this ALL must bee brought to ALL THAT of Worshipping and Glorifying Gods Name 6 ¶ Just as we have it in that little Psalme the 117. but greatly Prophetical Praise yee the Lord ALL NATIONS praise him ALL YEE PEOPLES * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How shall all these do this unlesse Christ convert all them but those refractory ones whom he confounds Surely therfore this is a Prophesie that God will in time before the ultimate day of judgement convert generally all Nations as Paul extends it Rom. 11.10 11 c. to the coming in of the fulnesse of Jewes and Gentiles rejoycing together as one Church Therefore according to Paul David had a most comprehensive and extensive sense when he spake these things and therefore shall be fulfilled according to its true latitude and elevation without the mincing distinctions of mens braine For a seale of assurance whereof the close of the Psalme hath three weighty clauses First That the MERCIFULL KINDNESSE of Jehovah to the sonnes of men is great Secondly The TRUTH of the same Jehovah is for ever 3 That by faith and hope in that mercy and truth to see these things fulfilled we should PRAISE that JEHOVAH with Hallelujah which is the word of praise all along the Revelation § 2 Having done with the first head contained in the Psalmes touching the universal power Christ shall have over the whole world afore the last judgement though most yet rebell against him Next wee come to the second head viz. The just time when Christ shall attaine this 1 ¶ That place Psal 97.7 Worship him all yee gods the Apostle tells us Heb. 1.6 shall be fulfilled When God shall bring again his Son Christ into the world which place though our Translators render it And again when he bringeth c. as if it were meerly a new proof of Christs superiority above Angels is most truly rendred according to our reading afore set downe againe and againe with reasons to justifie it so that in words and sense it is an Antithesis and Auxesis to the fifth verse thus He saith not to any Angel thou art my Sonne this day I have begotten theee but instead thereof he speakes a thing that doth much lessen the dignity of Angels and more dignifie Christ above them Let all the Angels of God worship him so that the first And must be turned into But proper to the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as there placed and that same Againe is not to signifie another proofe of Christs superiority above Angels but to signifie the time when that of ALL the Elohim Angels and Potentates whether of the Spirits in Heaven or men on earth both Angels and Elohim signifying both worshipping of Christ shall be fulfilled For this hath not yet beene fulfilled as to the ALL of the Magnificents and Great-ones of the earth who contrariwise for the generall have despised if not opposed Christ even as it will bee too late and an unseasonable time for them to do it at the ultimate judgement when no adoration or worship is then received from Christs enemies but sentence is given by him upon and against them The time therefore when this shall bee fulfilled is saith the Apostle in this first to Heb. penned after Christs ascension When God shall bring his first-begotten Sonne AGAINE into the INHABITED WORLD When he brought him into the world the first time by incarnation ALL the Potentates and Angels of men The Scribes and Pharisees Herod and Pontius Pilate the Roman Emperours and Senate of Rome did not worship him but refused him and persecuted him and his members most bloodily for neer three hundred yeers after whom the Arians and next to them the Papacy took their turnes to maintaine that stream of blood running downe to our times But when he shall bring his first-begotten Sonne againe into the world in his visible royal exaltation then they all shall worship him I say as the Text sayes ALL but they that are ruined for their refractorinesse The phrase When he bringeth againe if the Greek word were not of a future sense imports a future thing as the Hebrew imperative Psal 97.7 Worship ye
it Isa 26. the same things John applies to the fall of Antichrist and the ruine of his nest viz. the City where he rests Rev. 16.19 we have it once The City of Nations fell and great Babylon came in remembrance before God But in Revel 18. we have it three times viz. v. 2. v. 10. v. 18. SECT XVII UPon the seventh place in Isa viz. Isa 33. v. 20 21. I will onely aske this question of all the men and books in the world When was that ever fulfilled since Isaiahs time which is here spoken viz. Thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation a Tabernacle that shall be taken down not ONE of the stakes thereof shal EVER be removed neither shall ANY cord thereof be broken But there the Lord will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams wherein shall go no Gally with Oars nor gallant ship passe by I say when since Isaiahs Prophesie was this fulfilled For about seventy yeers after his begining to prophesie Jerusalem was taken by the King of Babylon and the King and Nobles carried away captive into Babylon And whereas they returned againe about the yeer five hundred thirty six afore Christ and enjoyed their Country a good space of time yet about one hundred sixty seven yeers afore Christ Antiochus Epiphanes being ejected out of Egypt by the Romans invades Jerusalem with a great Army and spoyles and wastes both City and Temple About threescore and eleven yeers after Christs birth the Temple was destroyed by Titus the Roman About threescore and one yeer after that viz. a hundred thirty and one after Christ the City was destroyed by Adrian the Roman Emperour After these the Saracens and Turks invade Jerusalem and Judea possessing it to this day SECT XVIII § 1 THe eighth place in Isaiah is Chap. 34. v. 1. to v. 18. wee shall need but touch upon some passages of so plaine a place as this Vers 1 2 c. Come neer ye Nations to hear and hearken ye people let the EARTH hear and ALL that is therein the WORLD and ALL things that come sorth of it observe this Prophesie concerns the whole Universe for the indignation of the Lord is upon ALL Nations and his fury upon ALL their Armies he hath utterly destroyed them he hath delivered them to the slaughter with many more illustrations and all for the sake of Zion to be avenged of Zions enemies v. 8. But there was nothing of this done at the Jewes return from Babylon carried captive thither about seventy yeers after this was spoken And at Christs Incarnation they were under the Romans power And to this day under the Turks who next succeeded the Romans in dominering over them Therefore St. John carries this down to the New Testament and the later times thereof unto the ruine of the Antichristian Nations that are incorrigible enemies of Christ whereby to make way for the glorious Restitution of which wee treat Rev. 11. There was a great Earthquake and the tenth part of the City fell and there were slain of men seven thousand a number of perfection to signifie a sufficient number for the designe were taken off The Lord takes to him his great power and destroyes them that destroy the earth Rev. 19. One sate upon a white horse called faithfull and true his eyes were as a flame of fire c. and out of his mouth went a sharp sword that with it he might smite the NATIONS and rule them with a rod of IRON And an Angel cryed with a loud voice saying to the foules c. Come and gather your selves together c. that yee may eat the flesh of Kings and of Captains and of mighty men and of horses and of them that sit on them and the flesh of ALL men both free and bond both small and great c. § 2 Againe vers 8 9 10. of this 34. Isa it is prophesied It is the day of the Lords vengeance and the yeer of recompences for the controversie of Zion And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch and the dust thereof into brimstone and the land thereof shall become a burning pitch and it shall not be quenched night nor day THE SMOAK thereof shall go up FOR EVER Now as there was none of this acted at the returne of the Jewes from Babylon or at Christs Incarnation or since but that still Antichrist both Easterne and Westerne dominere over most of the world So Saint John in the Revelation not onely in my judgement but in the judgement of the old Geneva Notes and of our New Annotationists too carries down these Prophesies of the destruction of the Antichristian world Rev. 14.11 Rev. 18.18 and Rev. 19.3 where it is said And the smoake of their torment ascended up for ever and they have no rest day nor night who worship the Beast and his Image and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name And they saw the smoak of the burning of Babylon and her smoak went up for ever and ever § 3 Again it is prophesied in the 11. â—erse of the 34. of Isa that in and upon the desolations of the enemies of the Church shall dwell the Cormorant Bittern and the Owle and Raven which being never fulfilled to the effect of Isaiahs Prophesie unto St. Johns time hee carries it downe as our New Annotationists consent with me unto the desolations yet to be made upon Antichrist Rev. 18.2 An Angel cryed mightily with a strong voice saying Babylon the great is fallen is fallen is become the habitation of Devils and the hold of every foule spirit and a cage of every unclean and hatefull bird § 4 And which is very considerable the Hebrew Rabbins and Chaldee Paraphrase interpret these judgements denounced in this chapter of the ruine of Rome Chal. v. 9. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. The streams of Rome shall be turned into pitch and its dust into brimstone and its land into burning pitch So the Chaldee which Kimchy cites and approves R. Kimchi also on verse 16. hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The ruine of Rome With which passages the Roman Clergy being offended leave out in their Editions of those Authors the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rome and put in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Cuthith and Javan that is Grecia § 5 And as all these things have not been hitherto fulfilled so they cannot be imagined to be fulfilled at the ultimate judgement at which time one place will be no more desolate then another no birds inhabiting desolations c. Therefore they must bee fulfilled in a time between this Age and the ultimate judgement § 6 If it be objected that the threats of this Chapter are directed against Idumea the Country of Edom or Esau and Bozra the Metropolis thereof v. 6. It is easily answered that though Idumea bee named in particular as a most intestine Jew-hating enemy as the manner of unreconciled kindred is and to be destroyed among the rest
same purpose apply Hag. 2.21 22. By shaking heaven and earth once more saith he the Prophet seems to mean in part that there shall be a change not onely of the customes of the people which are the Earth but also of Kingly powers and humane Majesties which are the Heavens Which place of Haggai the Apostle applies to the Kingdome of Christ Heb. 12.26 27.28 29. of which application though part may comport with the Kingdome of Christ as spiritual which hath ever been yet the rest seems to â—ooke as farre as Christs Kingdome to come on Earth For since Haggais or Pauls time God never so shook the material heavens of Orbs and Stars or the metaphorical of Royalties and Majesties that the Kingdome succeeding as the Text plainly intends could not be moved Even as the close exhorting to serve God acceptably because he is a consuming fire is most like to Peters exhortation 2 Pet. 3. to bee holy in conversation because after the destruction of the world by fire we shall have new heavens and a new Earth The place seems to allude to and to Prophesie from Gods shaking of Mount Sinai that as at that time God shook his people out of Egypt and separated them by divine Lawes from all the Nations of the earth to be a Royall Church by themselves so he will shake all the world of high and low ones when he sets up his last kingdom viz. Christs visible kingdom on earth and therewith makes all new For saith my Author that same Once more signifies the removing of all former old things in Earth and Heaven viz. of Customes of People and Crownes of Kinglyhoods and makes all new with sanctity and spirituality in the quality though men and creatures shall be in substance extant upon the earth according to their species or kinde and his Sovereignty in paramount glory ruling all Just as Zachary hath it Chap. 14. verse 9. And the LORD shall be KING over ALL the EARTH In that day shall there be ONE LORD and his name one That is as some learned expound There shall be no more Lords but the Lord Christ and his Dominion shall be greater then ever any was Which the Prophet Malachy doth notably surveigh Chap. 1. verse 11. in these words From the rising of the Sunne even to the going downe of the same my name shall bee great among the Gentiles c. CHAP. IV. Concerning the Qualifications or Qualities of this Kingdome of Christ Viz. Negatively it is a State that is Sinless Sorrowless Deathless Superiorless c. Temptationless Timeless Positively it is the Restauration of the Creation Perfection of all Qualities Confluence of all Comforts Preface to Eternity With several other Qualifications by a natural and necessary consequence flowing from these SECT I. It is Sinlesse § 1 ANd no wonder For it is not imaginable that the deceased Saints should be raised and the living changed to injoy this glorious state on earth in Christs Kingdome with the least tincture of sinne either of their owne or others This were to bring the deceased Saints to their losse And the changed state of the living would not be freed from sinne which would bee their greatest sorrow which as the next Section demonstrateth cannot consist with this glorious state It would be a misery not a felicity for the soules of the deceased to come out of supernal glory into a body of sinne or for them or the changed to be mixed with the society of gracelesse men A meer regenerate estate not yet perfect lamented that condition so long since as Lot and David 2 Pet. 2.7 Psal 120.5 yea the latter complained of society with men of faire outsides flattering with their lips and eating bread at his Table but were not right at heart And our Saviour warns his Disciples as of a danger that they should bee among men that outwardly seem to be sheep but inwardly were Wolves which this glorious state will not admit So then the huge augmentation of this Kingdome or fifth Monarchy shall not as in worldly Monarchies cause pollution and corruption This shall bee Status optimus maximus the biggest and best state that ever was or shall be on earth all suitable to a resurrection The places of Scripture asserting the sinlesseness of this time are very many and very cleer so that I need but repeat them to convince the ingenuous Reader ¶ 1 Adam we know was created sinlesse according to the Image and likenesse of God to have Dominion over all and to rest on the Sabbath now this state of Adam is applied by David Ps 8. to a future state of man which the Apostle Paul accommodates to our estate and rest in the inhabited world to come Heb. 2.5 and Chap. 4. verse 9. as wee have afore demonstratively expounded those places If there be any difference it is in this as the Apostle sets it forth 1 Cor. 15. that our estate shall be better then his ¶ 2 Num. 30.5 6 8. The Lord thy God wil bring thee into thine owne land and the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and thou shalt returne and obey the voyce of the Lord and do AL HIS COMMANDEMENTS Which was spoken of and to the Jews long since deceased being never yet so fulfilled to them or any of that Nation succeeding them and therefore according to the truth of God must be fulfilled to all the elect of them and of their posterity ¶ 3 Isa 11.6 The Wolfe shall dwell with the Lamb c. and they shall not hurt c. For the earth shall bee FULL OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD AS THE WATERS COVER THE SEA which whether we understand of men or beasts it argues a restauration to an estate like that of innocent Adam And the reason adds the glory of the cause as the thing is a most glorious effect That this innocent time shall follow upon an ocean of divine knowledge ¶ 4. Isa 59.21 This is my Covenant my WORD AND MY SPIRIT SHALL NEVER DEPART from thee for ever ¶ 5. Isa 35.8 There shall be an high-way and it shall be called the way of holinesse THE UNCLEAN SHAL NOT PASSE OVER IT ¶ 6. Isa 60.21 Thy people shall be ALL RIGHTEOUS ¶ 7. Jer. 32.40 41. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turne away from them to doe them good But I will put my feare into their heart that they shall not depart from me Yea I will rejoyce over them to doe them good and will plant them in this Land assuredly WITH MY WHOLE HEART and WHOLE SOUL See this great promise must be fulfilled when the Jewes are settled in their owne land ¶ 8. Ezech. 36.23 to verse 30. I will gather you from all Countries and bring you into your owne land and I will sprinkle cleane water upon you and you shall be cleane from ALL
shall be subject unto him viz. so as the same Jerusalem Targum expoundeth on the 11. verse of that 49. of Gen. that those Kings and Princes that will not be subject unto him he shall kill making the Universe red with the blood of their slain and the hils white with the fat of their mighty men c. But these things were not fulfilled at Christs being on the earth in the flesh It was above three hundred yeares after ere one King or Nation was subject unto Christ viz. in the time of Constantine the Great except some sprinklings of Converts here and there called Churches the Nations and Kings of the earth either taking no cognizance of his interest or else persecuted it even as to this day they doe even ten parts of the world for one that ownes him Neither hath Christ yet taken that material and sensible vengeance on them by killing the disobedient in order to a bringing in of the rest into a visible subjection to him § 4 Lastly Paraphrast Jonathan in his Chalde Paraphrase of Hos 14.8 hath these words They speaking of the Jewes shall bee gathered together from out of the midst of their CAPTIVITY they shall DWELL under the shadow of their CHRIST and the DEAD shall LIVE and good shall grow in the EARTH and there shall bee a memoriall of their goodnesse FRUCTIFYING and never fayling as the remembrance of the sound of the Trumpets over the old wine which was wont to be offered in the Sanctuary which things were never yet fulfilled on earth We forbear to quote more out of their TARGUM or Chalde Paraphrase now because we shall afterwards oft cast an eye upon it in our discusse of severall Scriptures that tend to the PROOF of the point in hand § 5 To this let mee adde a touch out of the CAPITULA of RABBI ELIEZAR the GREAT because neare of the same Antiquity with the former his words are these As I live saith Jehovah I will raise YOU speaking of the Jewes up in the TIME to come in the RESURRECTION of the dead and I will GATHER you will ALL ISRAEL § 6 You see both doe harmonise to the same tune the effect of their words the same which is not yet fulfilled in as much as to this day the generality of the Jewes have not owned any MESSIA to be come in the flesh but refused The MESSIA Joh. 1.11 according as it was fore-prophesied Esa 53.3 He is despised and rejected of men And the remnant of beleeving Jewes never since as yet saw that particular RESURRECTION of the dead or that their gathering together out of the midst of their CAPTIVITY or that generall GOOD in the EARTH And therefor according to the Scriptures of which by and by these things are yet to come afore the last and generall Resurrection § 7 Of Hebrew Antiquities SINCE the Incarnation of Christ namely their Two TALMUDS their SEDAR OLAM is of the same age near upon with the Babylonish something of which TALMUDS was extant neare the Apostles time if not ancienter and of other Rabbins we shall give you an account in divers particulars In Gemara Sanhedrin R. Ketina hath said in the last of the Thousands of yeares of the worlds continuance the world shall be destroyed of which it is said Esa 2.11.17 THE LORD ONELY SHALL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY And TRADITION agrees with R. Ketina even as every seventh yeare of seven yeares is a years of release so of the seven thousand yeares of the world the seventh thousand yeares shall bee the thousand of Release as it is said AND THE LORD ALONE SHAL BE EXALTED IN THAT DAY Likewise That Psalme namely the 92. is said to bee a PSALME OR SONG FOR THE SABBATH DAY THAT IS THE DAY THAT IS NOTHING ELSE BUT REST. As also it is said viz. Psal 90. A THOUSAND YEERS IN THY SIGHT ARE BUT AS YESTERDAY By which it is plaine to acute observers that the ancient Rabbinicall Jews did clearly understand the Prophesie of Isaiah in Chap. 2. of the EXALTATION of the LORD twice there repeated as meant of the GREAT DAY which some Rabbins call the Day of JUDGEMENT others the Day of MESSIA others the Day of the RENOVATION of the WORLD and of the REIGNING of CHRIST which is elegantly and emphatically there limbed in its colours to the life as it will more shine forth when we come to an accurate discusse of that Chapter In Midâ—asch Tehillim upon the 90. Psal v. 15. Wee thus read MAKE US GLAD ACCORDING TO THE DAYES WHEREIN THOU HAST AFFLICTED VS That is by the Babylonians the Grecians and the Romans AND THAT IN THE DAYES OF THE MESSIAH And how many are the dayes of the MESSIAH R. JEHOSUAS said that they are Two THOUSAND yeares and it is said ACCORDING TO THE DAYES WHEREIN THOU HAST HUMBLED US that is according to two dayes for one day of the holy and blessed God are a thousand yeares according to that BECAUSE A THOUSAND YEERS IN THY SIGHT ARE BUT AS YESTERDAY The Rabbins also have said That according to the TIME to come the DAY of the MESSIAH shall bee one For God which is holy and blessed in the FUTURE that is AGE shall make one day to himselfe of which wee read Zech. 14. And there shall bee ONE DAY which shall bee knowne to the Lord not day nor night and it shall bee at the EVENING-TIME Light This Day is the AGE or WORLD TO COME and the QUICKNING OF THE DEAD § 9 In their Booke called Berachoth wee finde this Benzuma saith It shall come to passe that Israel shall not remember their departure out of the Land of Aegypt IN THE WORLD TO COME and IN THE DAYES OF THE MESSIAH marke diligently how by World to come they understand a time on earth as Paul hath it twice viz Heb 1.6 Heb. 2.5 THE INHABITED WORLD TO COME So the Greeke so the sense For no man could imagine that heaven above should bee put in subjection to the Angels so as to need the Apostles Apology there to prevent such an imagination And how say the Rabbins in that Berachoth doth this appeare By that which is written in Jâ—rem 23. BEHOLD THE DAYES COME THAT THEY SHALL SAY NO MORE THE LORD LIVETH WHICH BROVGHT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL VP OVT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT Which wise men interpret thus not as if the name of Egypt should be blotted out but because the WONDERS which shall bee effected in the DAYES OF THE KINGDOME OF MESSIA shall principally be remembred and their departure out of Egypt lesse § 10 Note by the way that it is not agreed among the Rabbins in what THOVSAND yeares of the world the said DAY of JUDGEMENT or of MESSIAH or RENOVATION of the WORLD shall bee Some say further off in the seventh others nearer in the sixt but others about the fifth § 11 But to goe on The TRADITION of the house of Elijah is Those Just ones whom God shall raise
primum quem legi appellat REDEMPTIONEM ISRAELIS seu PROPHETICAM HISTORIAM DE SALVATORIS NOSTRI REGNO IN TERRIS c. Secundum a me nondum perlectum nominat REDEMPTIONEM ISRAELIS REDEMPTAM sive JUDAEORUM GENERALEM MIRACULOSAM CONVERSIONEM AD FIDEM EVANGELII Eorundemque in suam patriam reditum nostrique salvatoris imperium in terris personaliter ministratum c. In quibus multos recenset authores ut pote Alstedium in Chronolog cap. 32. cap. 35. Fran. Johannem de comb is in compendio totius Theologiae lib. 7. cap. 13 14. It. lib. 7. cap. 7. Foxum in Martyrolog Anglic. * Wendelinum Contemplat Natural cap. 9. sect 2. cap. 21. * sect 2. Johan Acostam De Temporalib Noviss lib. 3. cap. 11. Down in 17. Johan Cum multis aliis c. quorum verba hic describere nec mihi otium est nec animus ne lector taedio affligeretur §. 11. Mr. Archer also an Englishman hath waded farther into the point then wee have in some particulars which are not so cleer to us having written as we are informed two Treatises of it The first is expresse under his name entituled THE PERSONALL REIGNE OF CHRIST UPON EARTH The other is called ZIONS JOY IN HER KING COMING IN HIS GLORY But doubtfull whether his being subscribed with this darke name BY FINIENS CANUS VOVE Nostras etiam Archerius altiùs paulò in nonnullis nobis minus innotescentibus urinatus librum scripsit cujus titulus est REGIMEN CHRISTI PERSONALE IN TERRIS Nec non ut aiunt alium cujus inscriptio est GAUDIUM ZIONIS IN REGE SUO CUM GLORIA VENIENTE §. 12. Learned Mr. Meade our Country-man his Clavis Apocalyptica Commentarius both in Latine and English is famously known to most that read books § a. Learned Doctor Twisse his PREFACE doth shew the METHOD and excellency of Mr. MEDES interpretation of the Revelation It will not bee amisse to give an account of that Preface in the summe of it that by occasion hereof other Nations that understand not English may have it in Latine wherein at once is seen much of Mr. Mede and of the judgement of Dr. Twisse in our Position Many Interpreters saith Dr. Twisse alluding to Prov. 31.29 have done excellently but Mr. Mede surmounteth them all A Daearse set upon a Giants shoulders may see further and a Wren carried up upon an Eagle till this great bird bee wearied may with her little wings spin up a little higher But Mr. Mede hath many notions of so rare a nature that I doe not finde hee is beholding to any other for them but onely to his owne studiousnesse under Gods blessing § b. Observe Gods direction of him in the course that hee hath taken As first in his Clavis Apolyptica wherein he hath drawne together the homogeneal parts of it dispersed here and there yet belonging to the same time 2. The Author gave himselfe to write Specimina Essayes wherein he goes over every part of this book excepting the three first Chapters taking a generall view of each as he goes 3. He proceeds to a more full Commentary from the fourth Chapter to the fourteenth That which follows thence to the end containes onely his former Specimina § c. Whereas in performances of this nature two things are necessary 1. A righ discerning of the meaning of the words and phrase and tropes and figures 2. A right accomodation of things to times For the first Mr. Mede excels viz. in observing the Genius of all those As in opening the Mystery of the battel in heaven Rev. 12. and the casting downe of Satan unto the earth hee shews that States and Kingdomes in the Political world much answer to the condition of the Natural and so represented in Scripture For as the Natural consists of Heaven and Earth so the Political of Nobility and Laity And as in the Heavens there are Sunne Moon and Stars of lesser and greater magnitude So in Kingdomes King Queene and Nobles of severall degrees And as in the Earth there is great variety of Trees Herbs Flowers c. So in the people of any Commonwealth is found great variety of differences And by this way Mr. Mede doth not onely wittily please as others have done but solidly convince his Reader of the true sense even to admiration For the second viz. Accommodation of the Prophesies to their proper times a point of great skill in history I have found that Mr. Medes friends acquainted with his studies would give him the Bell for this as herein out-stripping others § d. 3. I have observed some notable distinctions in this Commentary of Mr. Mede giving great light As first That betweene the Sealed Book with seven seales which hee calls the greater the contents being very large viz. Comprising the History from the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel to the end of the world Which hee saith containes Fata imperii i. e. the destinies of the Empire and the little book mentioned Chap. 10. which he saith contains Fata Ecclesiae the destinies of the Church The first containes the seven Seales and Trumpets for the seventh seale produceth the seven Trumpets The six first Seales containe the story of the Empires continuance unto the dayes of Constantine included in whose dayes there being a strange Metamorphosis of the Empire from Heathen to Christian it is represented as it were the ending of the world and beginning of a new which Mr. Mede delivers very judiciously Then the seven Trumpets which are the contents of the seventh Seale represent the judgements of God upon the world for standing out against the Gospel and shedding the blood of the Saints First by the Heathen Emperours for which cause ruine was gradually brought upon the Empire till it was torne into ten Kingdomes The graduall was fourefold which make up the contents of the foure first Trumpets 2. By the Antichristian world the degenerated states of Christendome For which the three Woe Trumpets following containe the three degrees of divine vengeance on them 1. By the Saracens in the first Woe Trumpet 2. By the Turkes in the second Chap. 9. 3. By the end of the World Rev. 11.15 § e. Second distinction of great light and use for the clearing of the STATE OF CHRISTS GLORIOUS KINGDOME HERE ON EARTH is that Mr. Mede gives upon Revel 21.24 Between the NATIONS THAT ARE SAVED c. and the NEW HIERUSALEM where clearly hee makes it appeare that NEW HIERUSALEM is one thing and THE NATIONS THAT ARE SAVED are another The Nations that are saved are those that escape the fire are saved from the fire at Christs coming wherewith the Earth and all the works thereof shall bee burnt in the day of Christs coming 2 Pet. 3. 2 Thess 1. And the NEW HIERUSALEM saith Mr. Mede is CHRIST and his RAISED SAINTS who are called 1 Thes 4. The SAINTS WHOM CHRIST SHALL BRING WITH HIM who shall shine with a glorious light In
which LIGHT the other viz. The NATIONS THAT ARE SAVED that is saith Mr. Mede all the faithfull servants of God who shall bee found alive here at Christs coming SHALL WALKE IN. And I finde that through the want of distinguishing these the ancient FATHERS and particularly EPIPHANIUS have discoursed very wildly against the glorious Kingdome of Christ here on earth yet in just opposition to the CERINTHIANS whose guise it was to discourse very carnally of the glorious Kingdome of Christ The consideration whereof moved AUSTIN to relinquish the doctrine of Christ's Kingdom here on earth which formerly he imbraced as himselfe professeth in one of his bookes DE CIVITATE DEI where he treats thereof § f. 4. I have observed that as Mr. Mede hath exceeded in merit all others afore him in this Argument so others after him may goe beyond him in some particulars As Mr. Potter in the true discovery of the number of the Beast 666. with the divers mysteries in it wherewith Mr. Mede himselfe was exceedingly taken even to admiration professing it to be the greatest mystery that hath been discovered since the beginning of the world The same Mr. Potter differeth from Mr. Mede in the explication of the mystery of the two Beasts mentioned Revel 13. And I have seen an excellent Discourse thereupon but as yet hee hath not communicated it to the World § g. What cause have wee saith Dr. Twisse to blesse God for bringing us forth in these dayes of light not onely in respect of the great Reformation wrought in this Westerne part of the world an hundred yeares since and more But also opening the mystery of the slaughter of the witnesses which wee have just reason to conceive to have been on foot diverse yeers not onely by judicial proceedings in the Martyrdome of Gods Saints but by the sword of Warre 1. In the Low-Countries Then in France After that in Bohemia Then in Germany which how long it should continue Mr. Mede professeth to bee uncertaine And now amongst us * The Preface of Dr. Twisse was Printed 1643. first in Ireland then in England and that by the Antichristian generation with so manifest opposition unto truth and holinesse under a Protestant Prince in outward profession as I thinke the like was never knowne since the beginning of the World After this strange Warre and slaughter of the Witnesses which hasteneth to a period the continuance of it shall bee but three yeares and an halfe in which space of time they that dwell on the earth shall rejoyce over them and make merry c. because these Prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth But after three dayes and an halfe when the Spirit of life from God should enter into them and they stand on their feet great feare should fall upon them which saw them And a voice shall be heard from Heaven saying unto them Come up hither And they shall ascend up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies shall behold them But certainly when that comes to passe the same houre there shall bee an earthquake and the tenth part of the City shall fall This City undoubtedly is Rome which Mr. Mede proveth curiously to bee at this day precisely the tenth part of the City of Rome as it was in St. Johns dayes when this Prophesie came forth And in the Earthquake shall bee slaine of Names of men seven thousand which Mr. Mede interpreteth of men of quality It followeth THE SECOND WOE IS PAST Now that Woe was the plague of the Christian world by the Turkes whereby is signified the destruction of the Turkes which people I take to bee all one with GOG and MAGOG in Ezekiel represented there as the great enemies of the Jewes invading the Land of Jewry And the Hebrew Doctors conceive that War of GOG and MAGOG to be yet to come § h. Here it may bee objected that the Turke is Lord of the Land of Canaan already I grant it But when the time for calling of the Jewes shall come which Mr. Mede conceived should bee wrought in a strange manner by the appearing of Christ unto them as hee appeared unto Paul at his conversion St. Paul acknowledging that grace to have been shewed to him First implying that the same grace should bee shewed to others after him then I say upon this their conversion they shall gather themselves together from all places towards the Land of Canaan where shall bee the place of Christs Throne in his glorious Kingdome here on earth Upon which coming of the Jewes into the Land of Canaan the Grand Seignieur will bee moved to raise all his power gathered together out of all Nations under him to oppose them and at first shall prevaile as we read Ezeck 38. Zech. 14. but in the issue the Jewes shall prevail as it is in the 21. verse of Obadiah And Joel 3.12 13. c. And Zech. 14.9 So that this implies the calling of the Jewes a little afore And whereas both GOG and MAGOG shall be destroyed by fire Ezek. 39. and the MAN OF SINNE by fire Mr. Mede was of opinion that all this is but one and the same fire that shall bee at Christs coming 2 Thess 1.8 and 2.8 Then follows Christs Kingdome c. the contents of the seventh Trumpet Rev. 11.15 § 12. Clavis Apocalyptica Commentarius doctissimi NOSTRATIS Medi Latinè tum Anglicè prodeuntes celebri innotuerunt famâ plurimis librorum lectoribus de Thesi jam disputata § a. Cujus methodum excellentiam doctissimus Nostras Twissius simul cum suâ ipsius sententiâ de thesi nostrâ ita nobis reddit Multi Interpretes inquit Twissius allusione factâ ad Prov. 31.29 fecerunt apprimè Medus verò superavit omnes Nanus Gigantis humero insistens longinquius prospiciat ipso Gigante Et regulus tergo aquilae innitens lasso alite altius ascendat Attamen plurimae sunt Medi notiones tam rarâ naturâ ut quas nondum reperi cuipiam ni su is studiis benedicente Deo acceptas referri § b. In Clave suâ Apolypticâ partes Revelationis homogeneas passim dispersas eidem verò tempori competentes in unum coegit Qui sic dirigente Deo scriptis primum speciminibus quamlibet partem ita peragit ut universum cujusque scopum in transitu perspexit In de ad ampliorem progreditur Commentarium a 4. nimirum capite ad 14. unde quae sequuntur posteà non nisi sua continent specimina § c. In duobus huic operi necessariis excelluit Medus 1. In animad-vertendo verborum phrasium troporum figurarum idiomate Genio Utpote in explicandis praelii mysteriis Apocalypsis 12. demonstrat Mundum Politicum aptiùs assimilari Physico ex ipsâ Scripturarum mente pari modo adumbrante Uti enim Physicus seu naturalis ex Caelo constat terrâ Hâc varia plant arum genera procreante Illo solem lunam stellasque magnitudine diversas continente Ita Politicus
hath made us Kings and Priests unto God AND besides Wee shall REIGN UPON EARTH And as through abundance of confidence begetting abundance of joy the Saints are brought in expressing it in a triumphing song And againe they praise for the same thing in substance in a song Rev. 14.3 And againe the same matter in the same manner in effect Rev. 19. first six verses And the reason given is because the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth and hath avenged the blood of his servants and the Saints are then extant to praise for it and all this must bee yeelded to bee on earth by whomsoever the rest of the Chapter shall be read out curiously for whiles the Saints are all in Heaven properly so called Christ needs not as it is v. 15. rule the NATIONS with a ROD OF IRON or as it is v. 18. c. Call the fowles to eat the flesh of Kings Captaines c. and of horses whiles he slayes men with the sword But I transgresse in anticipating if not prejudicing my selfe in spending so much time in touches hints and intimations afore I come to the elaborate scanning of these and other Scriptures SECT III. Analecta de Sanctis in illo MILLENARIO CUM CHRISTO regnantibus SAnctos cum CHRISTO regnare his mille annis tam Canorâ profertur emphasi ut nemo facile surdeat incurius In praefatione Apocalypsis cap. 5. praefatam aliquatenus in libro cap. 20. liberè habemus prenunciatam In 5. cap. ovantes canunt Dignus es Agne qui accipias librum aperias c. quoniam mactatus es fecisti nos DEO NOSTRO reges sacerdotes ET observetur illud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 praeterea REGNABIMUS in TERRA Mirum si regnaverint in terrâ Christiani Christo ibidem non regnante Verùm non ita ab effectu sejungatur causa Sed vivent inquit vicesimum Caput regnabunt CUM CHRISTO mille annos 2. Ut verò Christus dicitur hoc Milleno ita in terris regnare quasi illum comparativè non anteà ibidem regnâsse dici videatur Apocal. 11.15.17 Ita Sancti pari analogiâ dicuntur tunc CUM ILLO illic regnaturi tanquam non regnantes ante haec videbantur 3. Videamus jam utriusque mappam Discutiamus postea Dan. 7. v. 9. ad v. 15. Videbam donec solia posita sunt ita Textus originalis it a vetus interpres ANTIQUUS DIERUM sedit coram quo myrias myriadum stabant Judicio considente libri aperti sunt Videbam tunc ex quo caepit vox verborum grandium quae cornu illud parvum nempe illud ultimum grandiloquum v. 8. loquebatur Videbam usque dum occisa est bestia illa scilicet decemcornupeta cum ultimo succrescenti cornu eradicanti tria v. 7 8. occisa est perditurque corpus ejus traditum incendio Residui etiam bestiarum ablatus est dominatus spacium tamen in vita datur iis us que ad tempus constitutum Visionibus videbam nocturnis quò◠ecce cum nubibus Caeli SIMILIS FILIO HOMINIS Christus nempe Veniebat deinde usque ad ANTQUUM DIERUM nempe DEUM PATREM pervenit ut sisteretur ante eum ETHUIC Christo scilicet datur dominatus gloriaque ac Regnum ILLUD Sic Graecè habetur emphaticè ad mentem Prophetae eundem domìnatum illam ipsam gloriam idemque regnum penes olim quatuor Monarchas jam Christo dari ut patet ex sequentibus ut omnes populi nationes linguae ei serviant cujus dominatus est perpetuus c. id est nulla post Christi dominatum Regnum sequitur in terris dominatio Vel perpetuum dicitur hoc Christi Regnum quod omni durante seculo est duraturum ut sonat origo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quae omnia cunctis ni captis oculis apertissimè referuntur ad visibile Christi REGNUM in TERRA expressiùs v. 23.27 collatis singulis quatuor Monarchiis quae praecesserunt ruentibus HOC Regnum hucusque Christo datum quasi nullum illi fuisset antea jam sanctis datur utpote cum Christo regnantibus v. 17. c. ad finem Hae bestiae magnae inquit unus ex astantibus juxta Danielem interpres quae sunt quatuor quatuor sunt reges e terrâ surrecturi id est quatuor Imperia Monarchica sanctos persequentia in terrarum haereditate invicem succedentia nempe Assyrio-Chaldaicum Medo-persicum Graecum Romanum Sed Sancti accipient Regnum HOC ut Junius dat emphasin qui possessuri Regnum IPSUM ut iterum dat Junius usque in seculum inque seculum seculorum Id est interpretanti Ephraimo Huito Sancti Judaei privabunt eas bestias suo dominatu eundem possessuri ad extremum mundi finem His visis Danieli optanti veritatem cognoscere de bestiâ quartâ ab omnibus diversâ dentibus ferreis conculcante caeteras deque cornibus decem in ejus capite deque ultimo succrescente cornu a cujus conspectu ceciderunt tria ore ejus loquente grandia gerenteque bellum cum sanctis eisque praevalente usque ad ANTIQUI DIERUM adventum judicium sanctis daturum ità responsum est Bestia illa quarta regnum quartum erit in terrâ quod diversum erit ab omnibus illis regnis consumet enim totam terram c. Id est Imperium Romanum diversum regimine victoriis crudelitate a caeteris eorundent dominatus regalia delebit Et cornua deâ—â—m ex illo regno sunt decem reges qui exsurgent post quos exsurget postremus qui erit a prioribus diversus tres reges deprimet Id est ex quarto imperio nempe Roma no surrexerunt decem status inferiores â—yrannici in quos hoc dividitur impeâ—â—um hâc praeparatione divinitùs factâ in ruinam ejus ut opportunè jam cornu Turcicum tres illorum domat dominaturque absolutissimè â—ejectis legibus imperialibus Romanis quâ ratione a decem omnino distinguitur Et loquetur postremus ille verba adversus excelsum excelsique sanctos deteret adeò ut cogitet se mutaturum tempora jus Id est quà m maximas inventas blasphemias contra Deum promulgabit crudelique tyrannide sanctorum debilitabit potentiam consulet de mutandis temporibus legibusque divinitùs institutis Tradenturque in manum ejus usque ad tempus tempora divisumque tempus Nempe Turca ita dicto conamine praevalebit ut Sancti ejus dominio trecentos quinquaginta annos subjicientur Sed judicium considebit dominatus ejus auferetur profligando perdendoque usque in finem Hoc est judicante Jehovâ sancti eripiunt illi regâ—um vim râ—bur potestatem ejus devastantes Regnum autem dominatusque amplitudo regnorum SUB TOTO CAELO dabitur POPULO sanctorum exceâ—sissimi Cujus regnum erit in seculum omnes dominatores ei servient auscultabunt Quibus
and so slaine with the sword that the Fowles were filled with the flesh of them that were slaine chap. 19. verse 20. A strange thing to me if any should dreame these things to be done only Spiritually or in the world to come There proceeded indeed the sword out of his mouth that is Christ bid his Saints to slay them which afore and after yee have explained but they were materially or corporally slaine as the time weapon and their buriall in the bowels of Birds challenge that sence yea marke further the Armies ruine is put in Counter-destruction or opposition to the ruine of their Chieftain or Chieftaines whose destruction was to be cast ALIVE into the Lake therefore the slaying of the Army with the sword to be devoured by the Fowles must signifie a Corporall destruction § 3 Now this destruction Chap. 19.20 cannot be at the ultimate Day of â—udgement for that day is not till after the destruction of Gog and Magog which is long after the destruction of Antichrist vers 8 9 10 11 12 c. of this twentieth Chapter clearly distinguished from that destruction of Antichrist by two notable circumstances including many other particulars of order time place c. ¶ The first Circumstance is That Gog and Magog warre against the Saints whiles they are in their injoyment of their glorious peace after the said Saints had reigned a thousand yeares ver 7.8 when they had been partakers long afore viz. at the beginning of the thousand yeares of the first resurrection as a pledge that they should not dye the second death at the second Resurrection ver 6. after that they had reigned and as Kings and Priests and too with Christ a thousand years in the same sixt verse none of which particulars can consist with supernal ultimate glory when Christ himselfe layes downe all his power 1 Cor. 15.28 And after they have injoyed this condition a thousand yeares then and not till then begins the Gogicall-Magogicall warre upon which comes the destruction on Gogmagog ver 7 8 9. but the warre of Antichrist in the nineteenth Chapter is when the Saints are in great trouble their bloud had been poured out unavenged till then vers 2. the earth corrupted ibid. The Nations are till now to be smitten and to be RVLE'D with a ROD of Iron ver 15. The Wine presse of the fiercenesse and wrath of God Almighty to be trodden ibid. with many the like intimations throughout the Chapter of the different state of the Church now a thousand yeeres before Christ came to destroy Gogmagog as the sequell of the twentieth Chapter makes the compute ¶ The second Circumstance is That after the thousand yeares of Satans binding and Antichrists destruction Satan is againe let loose he seduceth Gog and Magog and then the Devill himselfe Chap. 20.10 is cast into the Lake of fire WHERE WERE the BEAST and the FALSE PROPHET which had been cast in there formerly Chap. 19. ver 20. evidently pointing at the destruction of Antichrist as finished long afore the fore-being there of the Beast and false Prophet being made the description of Hell as sometimes the portion of Hypocrites is the description thereof § 4 The next passage in this twentieth Chapter of Revelation is what he saw in ver 4. John saw Thrones and they that sate upon them and judgement was given to them and he saw the soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast nor his Image neither had received his mark upon their fore-heads or in their hands the meaning of all which you have in the next Chapter viz. the 21. for vers 1. it is said And I saw a new heaven and a new earth little reason to mention earth if it had been to describe a state in heaven above The place is taken out of Isa 65.17 as Peter hints 2 Pet. 3.13 We according to his PROMISE looke for new heavens and a new earth I say out of Isa 65.17 where God promiseth unto the Jewes to build new Heavens and a new earth but with all mentions their injoying of houses and vine yards In the second Verse of the one and twentieth Chapter it is said John saw new Hierusalem indeed that on earth is old but nothing is old in the highest Heavens so that nothing there can be said to be new therefore this cannot be meant of that heaven It is expresse It comes downe from heaven therefore it cannot expresse a state in that supernall heaven even as it followes PREPARED as a Bride which plainly evinceth that it is not meant of ultimate glory where the Church is not prepared that is done in this world but perfected as vers 3. it is said I heard a voyce OVT of heaven to import that it was of things not in the supreame Heaven viz. That the tabernacle of God is with men where God WILL dwell with them which if meant of the supernall Heaven would have been exprest in a contrary phrase viz. The tabernacle of men is with God for there is no need of a promise to assure us that in the highest Heavens God will dwell with us Agreeable to which the fourth verse promiseth that all teares shall be wiped away of which promise as in relation to the supreame Heaven there was not the least need since God made it but knowne to the Sonnes of men that they shall inherit that place all sorts Christians Heathens c. easily know and beleeve that there in that place are no teares nor cause of teares as appeares in the Christians Creed and the Heathens Doctrines of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and their Elysian fields Every thing in that Heaven is so good that it cannot be made as in verse 5. new that is better No need there of that in the sixth verse either promise or performance to give unto him that is athirst of the fountaine of the water of life It is enough for God to promise that Heaven as Paul thought it enough to say Phil. 1. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ if we be once there we shall not thirst Even as there according to ver 7. shall be no striving to overcome much lesse to overcome that in ver 8. Feare and unbeliefe c. They in the supernall Heaven have overcome all things therefore all these demonstrate that this Chapter is of a state on earth not of one in supreame glory of such a state on earth it is proper to say as v. 7. He that possesseth it shal inherit all things not only Gods presence but also all things though as yet all things are not subject to Christ himselfe Heb. 2.8 and he shal be Gods Sonne For if we beleeve we now are the Sons of God afore we come to ultimate glory then this promised with a shal be must signifie a suture estate and on earth because of other circumstances as we are now enumerating that
we see him for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honour which is not a subjection of the INHABITABLE WORLD TO COME unto him much lesse of ALL THINGS therein The Angels are in Heaven as well as he and so in place they as well as hee are above the things below But Christ must have the inhabited world and All things so subject to him and ' under him as they shall not be to Angels So that if we heed the Text and that which followes the Apostle tells us that in one way and sense Christ is exalted above all viz. in his possession of the highest Heaven through sufferings But withall this is in another place then the inhabited world to come viz. the world on earth yet to succeed and upon another account then the precise formall dominion over it viz. to taste of death for every man And it was in prosecution of a designe verse 10. viz. to bring many sonnes to glory not a perfecting of a thing finished viz. of the atchievement and attainment of his absolute dominion on earth over Turkes Jewes Papists and Heathens c. But this must be Christ and his members must have absolute dominion over the world below in that estate of it that is yet to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the habitation of the world is not to be subjected to the Angels Heb. 2. v. 5. They are but the Churches servants It is an estate that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to come after Pauls time though Christ had before ascended But it must be subject to MAN and the SONNE OF MAN v. 6. God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 made him a little lower and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a little time Christ or Christians were not lower at all then Angels in nature or spirituall condition but onely in outward dominion and state of life Phil. 2. Heb. 2. and that but for a little time till the time of that world to come on earth which must be before the last day of judgement for then is not any subjection of any thing to Saints or Christ but he and so they to lay down all dominion 1 Cor. 15.28 SECT V. Wherein the Promises God made to Abraham Gen. 12.1 2 3. Gen. 15.4 5 6. Gen. 17.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Gen. 18.18 Gen. 22.18 paralleled with other promises to his posterity Gen. 26.4 Gen. 48.19 v. 26. and with the Apostles explications and applications of those Promises Rom. 4. v. 3. to v. 25. Gal. 3. v. 6. to 17. Heb. 11. v. 8. to 17. are discussed for the cleering of the said generall Position Gen. 12. v. 1. Now the Lord had said unto Abram Get thee out of thy Country c. Verse 2. And I will make of thee a great Nation and I will blesse thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing Verse 3. And I will blesse them that blesse thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee all families of the earth shall be blessed Gen. 15. v. 4. Behold the word of the Lord came to Abram saying This shall not be thine heire but he that shall come forth out of thine owne bowels shall be thine heire And he brought him forth abroad and said Look now toward heaven and tell the Starres if thou be able to number them And he said unto him so shall thy seed be Vers 6 And he beleeved in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousnesse Gen. 17. v. 1. The Lord appeared to Abram and said unto him I am the Almighty God c. Verse 2. And I will make my Covenant between me and thee and will multiply thee exceedingly Verse 3. And God talked with Abram saying Verse 4. As for me behold my Covenant is with thee and thou shalt be a Father of many Nations * In the Heb. it is both in the 4. v. 5. vers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is A Father of a MULTITUDE of Nations Neither shall thy name be called any more Abram but thy name shall be Abraham for a Father of many Nations have I made thee * Verse 6. And I will make thee exceeding fruitfull and I will make Nations of thee and KINGS shall come of thee V. 7. And I will establish my Covenant between mee and thee and thy seed after thee in their Generations for an everlasting Covenant Verse 8. And I will give unto thee and thy seed after thee the land wherein thou art a stranger all the land of Canaan for an EVERLASTING possession and I will bee THEIR GOD. Gen 18.18 Abraham shall surely become a great and a mighty Nation and all the Nations of the earth shall be blessed in him Gen. 22. v. 15 16. The Angel of the Lord called to Abraham c. by my selfe have I sworne that in blessing I will blesse thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the starres of Heaven and as the sand which is upon the Sea-shore and thy seed shall possesse the gates of his enemies ver 18. In thy seed all the Nations of the earth shal be blessed Gen. 26.4 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said I wil make thy seed to multiply as the Stars of Heaven and wil give unto thy seed all these Countries and in thy seed shal all the Nations of the earth bee blessed Gen. 48. ver 19. And his father Jacob refused and said I know it my Sonne I know it that Manasseh is the first borne he also shal become a People and he also shall be great but truly his younger brother Ephraim shall be greater then he and his seed shal become a MVLTITUDE of NATIONS * Heb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is THE FVLNESSE OF THE GENTILES whence the Apostles phrase Rom. 11.25 The fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come ver 20. And he blessed them in that day saying In thee shal Israel blesse saying God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh and he set Ephraim before Manasseh Gen. 49. ver 26. The blessings of thy Father have prevailed above the blessings of my Progenitors unto the utmost bounds of the everlasting hills they shal be on the head of Joseph and upon the crowne of the head c. Rom. 4. ver 11. And Abraham received the signe of Circumcision a seale of the righteousnesse of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised that he might be the Father of all them that beleeve though they be not circumcised ver 13. For the promise that hee should be the Heire of the world was not to Abraham and his seed through the Law but through the righteousnesse of faith ver 16. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end the Promise might be sure to all the the seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham who is the FATHER OF US ALL. ver 17. As it is written I have made thee a father of many
Nations before him or like him as it is in the Margin whom he beleeved even God who quickneth the dead and calleth those things which be not as though they were ver 18. Who against hope beleeved in hope that he might become the Father of many Nations according to that which was spoken so shal thy seed be c. ver 22. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Galat. 3. ver 5. He that ministreth to you the Spirit c. doth he it by the workes of the Law or by the hearing of faith ver 6. Even as Abraham beleeved God and it was accounted to him for righteousnesse ver 7. Know yee therefore that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham ver 8. And the Scripture fore-seeing that God would justifie the HEATHEN through faith preached before the GOSPELL unto Abraham saying In thee all Nations shal be blessed ver 9. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham ver 13. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law ver 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come upon the GENTILES ver 15. Brethren I speake after the manner of men though it be but a mans covenant yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereunto ver 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the Promises made He saith not and to SEEDS as of many but as of one and to thy SEED which is Christ Heb. 11. ver 8. By faith Abraham when he was called to goe out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance obeyed and he went out not knowing whither he went ver 9 By faith hee sojourned in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the Heires with him of the same Promise ver 10 For he looked for a City which hath foundations whose Builder and Maker is God ver 11 Through faith also Sarah her selfe received strength to conceive seed and was delivered of a childe c. ver 12 Therefore sprange there even of one and him as good as dead so many as the stars of the skie in multitude and the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable ver 13. These all dyed in faith not having received the Promises but having seen them afarre off and were perswaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a COVNTRY * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Their fathers Country a country on earth ver 15 And truly if they had been mindfull of that Country viz. Mesopotamia from whence they came out they might have had opportunity to have returned ver 16 But now they desire a better Country that is an HE AVENLY wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God for he hath prepared for them a CITY NOte first in the generall That that treasure of Promises of the Old Testament afore recited how narrow soever they may look to short-sighted men as if their eye were intent only upon Jewes Canaan and men under the Law the Divine Apostles the absolute interpretors of the Old Testament doe in the places of the New Testament annext extend their intent sense and meaning unto all Nations of the world in all Countries on earth and under the Gospel and so as that they were not in their judgement then compleatly fulfilled when they wrote nor yet are according to their sense as the experience of all Generations since doth beare witnesse The quick-sighted eye by bare reading over all the places afore collated will soon yeeld this first assertion without any more words of debate on our part § 2 More particularly we may evidently see before our eyes the said Old Testament places extended and intended according to the sense aforesaid by those of the New as Gen. 12.1 2 3 c. by Gal. 3.8 Heb. 11.8 c. Gen. 15.4 by Rom. 4. ver 3. ver 9. ver 18. ver 22. Gen. 17.1 2 c. by Rom. 4. ver 11 c. § 3 And with great justice doth the Apostle so explaine and apply the fore-quoted places to an Evangelicall state under the New Testament in that those Old-Testament Scriptures have in them so many Evangelicall straines all harmoniously agreeing to that glorious state we yet expect under the New Testament viz. 1 ¶ Spirituall yet visible salvation delivered in the expresse terme forme and tenor of a Covenant and of the Covenant of Grace that God will establish his Covenant with Abraham between himself and him and his seed after him in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be A GOD UNTO HIM AND TO HIS SEED AFTER HIM often above repeated and illustrated and amplified with the plaine expression of Faith and of righteousnesse of faith and of Gods accounting faith to the believer for righteousnesse and of blessing and with such a blessing as comes only through the one and onely one of the seed of Abraham 2 ¶ An happy and blessed possession upon the sace of the whole earth in spight of all their enemies yea to the ruine of them that should rise up against them saying that Abraham in his seed should be Heire of the whole world And that he would give them Countries and Nations and blesse those that blessed them and curse those that cursed them 3 ¶ A numerous multiplication of the seed of Abraham both of Jewes and Gentiles who through that salvation should attaine to that possession A multiplication of them as the sands of the Sea that washeth through all the quarters and Countries of the world a multiplication of them as the stars of heaven that surround the whole universe both of them being innumerable A multiplication of them into a multitude of Nations c. Accordingly of Abraham by Hagar came Ishmael of whom came the Ishmaelites Agarens Hagarens or Hagarites Itureans and Nabeans c. Ps 83.6 1 Chro. 5.19 * See Iunius upon that 1 Chron. 5.19 There came of Ishmael in all twelve PRINCES according to their NATIONS And they dwelt from Havilah to Shur that is before Egypt Gen. 25.16.19 Of Abraham by Sarah first came Esau who is also called Edom and dwelt in mount Seir from whom came the Edomites Idumeans inhabitants of mount Seir. The fourteen Dukes that came of Esau by his severall wives are particularly named by Moses Gen. 36.15 to 20. Secondly From Abraham by Sarah came Jacob of whom came the twelve Patriarchs of whom came the twelve Tribes ten as we usually number making the Kingdome of Israel the other the Kingdome of Judah Of Abraham by Keturah came Gen. 25.1 2 3.4 First Zimran who gave the name to Zamrans in the Region of Cinedocolpites in Arabia Felix Secondly Jokshan of whom was named Camasa in Syria Palmyrina alias Palmerene Jun. ex Ptolom Geograph Thridly Medan of whom was named the Town Madiana in Arabia
Felix Jun. and the Country of Madianaea on the South of Arabia Hieron Fourthly Midian of whom came the Midianites those arch enemies of the Jews for which God commanded to vexe them of whom was Balaam which gave that wicked counsell against Israel Their maine Country also had from them the name of Madianitis in the borders of Arabia petraea But because also some of them dwelt in the Countries adjoyning to the Ishmaelites therefore they are sometimes called Ishmaelites though of so different an original as aforesaid Gen. 37.25.28 Judg. 7.33 and 8.24 Fifthly There came of Keturah Ishbak who was the founder of Laodicea Scabiosa in Suria Sixthly Shuah of whom came the Saccai inhabiting the East part of Syria by Batanaea Jun. Seventhly Sheba whose posterity dwelt in Arabia deserta Prerer Jun. Eightly Dedan of whom came the ' Dedaneans who inhabited as Hieron supposeth in Aethiopia or in the Country next to the Idumeans as it seems to be hinted Jer. 49.7 8. or in Adadi in Syria Palmerene Jun. Ninthly Epha whose Country is named in Isa 60.6 and is scituated beyond Arabia called Saba Hieron l. 17. in Isa Tenthly Epher of whom saith Josephus Africa had its name Of the rest named in that of Gen. 25. the Countries are not knowne only they are said in verse 6. to dwell East-ward in the East-Country that is Arabia or Syria So that we see many Kingdomes and Nations both of Jews and Gentiles thus far as we have computed came out of Abrahams loynes according so the aforesaid promises and how many Nations since who is able to reckon Now say the above-mentioned Scriptures out of the Old Testament the multitude of Nations to come of Abraham are to partake of the Covenant as an everlasting Covenant God to be their God Yea ALL the Nations of the earth to be blessed in ABRAHAM and to be blessed IN HIS SEED often there repeated 4 ¶ The Lord addes in the said Old-Testament quotations an obsignation or sealing if I mistake not of all the three particulars afore mentioned viz. Of spirituall salvation Of an happy possession of the earth and of a numerous multiplication in Jewes and Gentiles over the face of whole earth accompanied with that salvation in that their injoyment of that universal possession 1 Of salvation he gave them the seale of Circumcision which was a signe and seal of the Covenant of grace viz. of the righteousnesse of faith Rom. 4.11 And it is said afore in that Gen. 17. that this Covenant or token of the Covenant should be in their flesh for an everlasting Covenant because as in the substance God would continue a Seal of his Covenant for ever till the Restitution of all things as the Covenant it selfe should bee for ever still the same salvation should be sealed still the same use of the seale to confirme the assurance of faith still upon the same ground of the tenor of the Covenant of grace as we shall see after onely the matter of the seale to bee changed viz. the Green waxe of water to be put in the room of the Red waxe of bloody Circumcision Secondly Of that happy possession upon the face of the whole earth he gave them the seale of the seven Kingdomes of the whole Country of Canaan and that for an everlasting possession so as still as it is annexed to be their God For from the time they first entred Canaan according to the promise they were never universally and absolutely expelled out of it and shall there keep possession till they be most gloriously restored to the possession of it the seed of Abraham the beleeving Jews and Gentiles ruâ—â—ng there and over the whole earth as long as ever there shall be any habitation on earth as the Rere of testimonies yet to march up shall abundantly testifie And if any enemies shall rise up against the Nations of Jewes and Gentiles the seed of Abraham by faith they shall as surely conquer them as they did the land of Canaan Thirdly Of their numerous blessed multiplication God gives the seale of changing Abrams name to Abraham He should not be onely Ab-rom that is an High-father but Ab-Rom-Hamon an High-father of a multitude even as he changed Sarais name to the same intent from Sarai my Mistresse to Sarah A or the Mistresse § 4 Sutably how are the said promises to Abraham extended in their utmost breadth to his posterity viz. Isaac Jacob Joseph Ephraim and Manasseh Gen. 26.4 Gen. 48.19 Gen. 49.26 quoted afore at large all sounding of an universall happy dominion over the face of the whole earth § 5 Consonant to this Old-Testament Plat-forme doe the excellent Master-builders the Apostles in the New Testament reare the superstructure with distinct reference to the places and particulars of the Old ¶ 1. For Salvation they often expresse it under the notion of the righteousnesse of faith and of imputing faith for righteousnesse and of being blessed through faith ¶ 2. For Possession it is afore expressed by the Apostle that their leaving of Mesopotamia their owne native Country and never returning though they might and after that their sojourning in Canaan so long as strangers and pilgrims in Tents and Tabernacles though it was promised them for an inheritance and doing all this by faith not seeing the Promise fulfilled by sence did argue that they sought a Country an heavenly one a City that hath foundations prepared of God made and built by God All which how can we better and safelier expound then by the Scriptures which having told us Rev. 20. we shall reigne with Christ on earth as the meaning hath been proved even where Gog and Magog shall after make opposition a thousand yeares In the next chapter viz. 21. they shew us the place and state where and how viz. in the New Heaven and New EARTH in the holy City new Hierusalem coming downe from Heaven where God himselfe will be with them and be their God and all teares shall be wiped away with many other Characters and Circumstances fully answering to that afore of Heb. 11. Which as we have before demonstrated cannot be meant of the Highest Heaven but of a state on earth The like wherof we have in 2 Pet. 3.13 that the Saints shall injoy a new earth according to Gods promise which Promise extant Esa 65.17 will not indure to be interpreted but of a state on earth as the branches of it evince ¶ 3. For Multiplication As the generality of the world Jews and Gentiles have according to the flesh come out of the loynes of Abraham so the Apostles exposition of the Promises holds forth that the generality of the world shall be the Children of Abraham by faith and blessed in THAT SEED of him viz. Christ That they that are of the faith of Abraham are the children of Abraham That God would justifie the HEATHEN through faith according to the GOSPEL he preached to Abraham That the sence of that Promise In thee Abraham all the
and he shall be to me a SONNE But when AGAINE to give it you as afore in termes and order of words close to the Originall * Thus Arias doth order them When the Apostle would say And againe he saÃd in verse 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in this sixth verse he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which last word is in the second Aâ—rist in the subj mood which sounds future and so the Syriack 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But againe He SHALL bring his first begotten Sonne into the INHABITED world he saith let all the Angels worship him The sense is obvious That God never owned any one of the Angels to be his only first begotten Sonne but when againe he shall bring his first begotten Sonne into the world he hath given command that all the Angels shall worship him as his only begotten Sonne That this text speakes of Gods bringing his first begotten Sonne againe into the inhabited world now after Christs ascention when the Apostles wrote that we have afore largely discussed Book 3. chap. 2. Sect. 4. § id est sectiuncula 4. I only adde be heedfully mindfull of the Apostles expression in the future now after Christs coming in the flesh and that after the generall Iudgement Christ as Christ shall lay downe all his dominion over Angels and men and therefore it must be of some middle time between our present generation that these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendered here Angels must give Christ whiles he is Mediator a more ample and apparent homage then ever they have done according to the glorious state of Christ and of things at that time on earth 3 ¶ For this place of the Hebrewes Let all the Angels of God worship him is quoted by the Apostle out of Psal 97.7 which word for word according to the Hebrew * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Bow downe to him all yee Gods which as we said afore comprehends as all Angels so all Kings Potentates and Magistrates called by God himselfe Gods Psal 82. ver 1. ver 6. and so applied by Christ Joh. 10.34 Jesus answered them Is it not written in your Law I said YEE ARE GODS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if he called them gods to whom the Word of God came c. And indeed they can properly bow or crouch downe as the Hebr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 precisely signifie as the Angels can doe it only vertually And on the other side 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Angel is oft used in Scripture to signifie eminent men in Office Mal. 4.1 Rev. chap. 2.1 chap. 2. chap. 3. But granting that the Apostles designe being to prove Christ to be above Angels doth render the Hebrew Text according to the Septuagint Greek then a common Translation in frequent use throughout the world since the late Greek Monarchy over all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worship him all yee his Angels yet this is as true that as the Apostle closeth that his discourse in that first of Hebrews with a touch of Christs future dominion over all Angels and men on earth saying To which of the Angels said he at any time quoted out of Psal 110. sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstoole so that 97. Psalm doth really include and intend our position in hand viz. Christs visible glorious Kingdome over all the world yet to come For in the first verse of that 97. Psalm it is said The Lord reigneth let the earth rejoyce let the multitude of the Isles be glad thereof Or the Lord reigning the earth SHALL rejoyce and the many Islands SHALL * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be glad ** 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This LORD is Christ as the Apostle applyes it Heb. 1.8 9. Now Christ had reigned in his ordinary providence and power from the creation to the Psalmists time c. as appeared in overthrowing his and his peoples enemies and preserving his people in the flood in the fire on Sodome in his miracles in Egypt Wildernesse and the Red-sea in his victories over the several Nations in Canaan c. And after the last judgement it is improper to say Christ reignes in glory 1 Cor. 15.28 And Christ never yet so reigned as is described in this first verse of this 97 Psalm That ALL the EARTH without limitation shall rejoyce at that his reigning and the multitude of Isles shall be glad By Isles according to an ancient usuall Hebraisme and Jewish phrase is meant all the Nations of the GENTILES Isa 41. v. 1. Keep silence before me O ISLANDS and let the PEOPLES or NATIONS renew their strength * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And v. 5. The Isles saw it and feared and the ENDS OF THE EARTH were afraid Chap. 42. v. 4. The ISLES shall wait for his Law and so nine times in this Prophet three times in Jer. 9. times in Ezek. in Zeph. once viz. Chap. 2. v. 11. The Isles of the Heathen or Gentiles * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In Gen. once Gen. 10.5 The Isles of the Gentiles The reason of the phrase is because the Jews dwelling in the continent of Asia they counted all the world Islanders that were divided from them by the Mediterranean Sea Whence is that phrase of Isles of the Sea Ester 10.1 Ahasuerus laid a taxe or tribute upon the land and upon the ISLES OF THE SEA And Isa 24.15 Glorifie the name of the Lord God of Israel in the ISLES OF THE SEA And Ezek. 26.18 Now shall the Isles tremble in the day of thy fall yea the ISLES THAT ARE IN THE SEA shall be troubled yea to make all yet plainer it is twice said viz. Jer. 2.10 Ezek. 27.6 The Isles of Chittim By which Chittim is oft understood the Roman Monarchy as Dan. 11.30 for one instance So that according to this sense of this 97 Psame vers 1 All the world of Jewes and Gentiles must be glad and rejoyce at the reigning of Christ as it follows in the sixth verse The Heavens declare his righteousnesse and ALL the people see his glory ALL without exception which two clauses cannot be aptlier applyed and expounded then by that Rev. 1.7 Rev. 20.1 Rev. 21.1 Christ comes in the clouds and every eye shall see him Christ as the great Angel descending from heaven binding Satan and causing his Saints to reigne on earth New Jerusalem a New Heaven and a New Earth being brought downe from Heaven wherein as Pet. 2 Ep. 3. chap. enlargeth dwelleth righteousnesse But ALL PEOPLE yet never saw that his righteousnesse and glory ALL the gods as in v. 7. all Kings and Princes Potentates Magistrates and Powers never yet worshipped him as Christ but generally in all ages from the Creation to this day have opposed him as such both of Jewes and Gentiles 4 ¶ But all must ere the last judgement either sincerely or seemingly worship him Psal 22.27 28 29. which Psalme is concerning
intend to leave out the most of the Jewes viz. ten for two to whom those Strangers were to joyne Nor was this done at the return of the two Tribes from Babylon Then Strangers of the Gentiles joyned not with them Nor was it done at the joyning of the two handfuls the one of Jews the other of Gentiles in the history of the Acts of the Apostles For they could no way answer to Jacob and Israel and Strangers indefinitly spoken without limitation ☜ I have often admonished that the grand prophesied promises touching Christs Kingdome have their gradual successive progressive impletions Redux Juda Juda returning from Babylon was a Type The conversion of an handfull of them in the Apostles time was but the first-fruits Rom. 11. But the fulnesse of Gentiles and Jews is yet behind Thirdly we never yet saw that in the second vers fulfilled That Christians have been servants and handmaids to the Jews in a right religious harmony and complyance For that must be the sense and good news of this promise or else Christians shall have losse and that in things concerning salvation Fourthly nor did we ever see that also in the second verse fulfilled that the Captive Jewes shall take them captive whose Captives they were and rule over their oppressours For neither in their return from Babylon did the Jewes take captive their Captivators but returned by voluntary consent of King Cyrus nor at Christs coming did they take any captive but rather were captives under Augustus and Tyberius Emperours of Rome and of Babylon too as subdued by those Romans the universal Monarchs then of the whole world If any should be of so ayery a phantasie as to evaporate this into a figure that at Christs coming the Jews took their Captivators captive in a spirituall sense of conversion let such remember themselves that Converts are the greatest Free-men Joh. 8.32 And that for the Jews then alas for them the vaile was on them 2 Cor. 3. So that they were generally in a spirituall Captivity themselves like Sampson when his eyes were put out And that Dan. c. 12. intimates that the Iews Conquest over their enemies should be corporall Neither of which Conquests do we yet see that the Jews either corporally or spiritually have subdued them that captivated them Fifthly neither was that in the second verse ever yet fulfilled That the PEOPLES or Gentiles should take the Iewes and bring them to their place c. Calvin on this place grants thus much That this was not done after the Iewes coming out of Babylon giving this reason That the Gentiles were so far from being the conduct and assistance to the Iews in their returne and settlement and to contribute their service to them therein that they did not only trouble the Iews but destroyed them from off the earth quoting Ezra 4.4 Adding that therefore this must be fulfilled in through and by Christ Thus far Calvin But when was this yet ever done by Christ Surely those seeds in Christ and the Apostles time could not be the Harvest here meant whole Iacob and Israel were not then in the land of the Lord. Nor are they to this day But are for the generall under the dominion of Turks Romans Indians and Countries in every Nation almost under heaven rather serving the Gentiles then being served of the Gentiles And therefore this cannot be done till as Dan. 2. that the little stone Christ cut out of the mountain without hands breaks to peeces the fourfold-mettaled image of all the foure Monarchies of the earth Whereas yet the Roman Monarchy in great part stands to this day Sixtly The twelve Tribes of Iacob and Israel are not yet as it is v. 3. delivered from their sorrow and fear and bondage They are in bondage being scattered amongst all Nations They are in sorrow for that scattering from their own Country And are there in fear being forced to pay tribute for their own freedome Nor were they freed from that bondage in Christs time being then Captives under the Romans Nor from their fear but for fear of the Romans if they should owne Christ they crucified him and put him to death Therefore when this deliverance is fulfilled to purpose it is done as it follows in the seventh clause and consideration v. 4 5 6 7 That the Jews shall take up this Proverb How hath the OPPRESSOUR ceased The Lord hath broken the SCEPTER of the RULERS and the staffe of the WICKED so that the WHOLE EARTH is at REST and QUIET that they break forth into SINGING But nor Scripture nor Histories nor Experience shew us that ever these things were fulfilled to this day And at the ultimate day of judgement will be no meet time for such work as every mans own reason will easily prompt Therefore it is yet to be done afore the ultimate day of judgement SECT XV. THe fifth place in Isaiah is Chapter 24. verse 23. Then the Moon shall be confounded and the Sun ashamed when the Lord of Hosts shall reigne in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem and before his Ancients gloriously * R. Kimchi upon this Chapter hath these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This parasha or Section is to be fulfilled hereafter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In the destruction of Edom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Afterward he shall remember the salvation of ISRAEL To understand what he means by Edome he bids us upon v. 16. Look 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 upon the destruction of ROME mentioned in the who le book of God To these few words I shall need to speak but few THEN relating to that afore in verse 22 23. fetcheth its sense from thence In that day say the 22 and 23. verses It shall come to passe that the Lord shall punish the host of the High ones that are on high and the Kings of the earth upon the earth meaning plainly as the last clause evidenceth the Gentile-Potentates and powers And they those Gentiles shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit and shall be shut up in the prison And after many dayes THEY the Jews saith Calvin giving a strong reason * Quum igitur haec ad sustinendos FIDELES pertinerent non dubium quin IUDAEIS dicerentur apud quos potissimum fides crat aut potius nusquam apud alios apparebat shall be visited To which sense touching the Iews the subsequent words also in the next verse the Text wee are now upon do mightily concur The Moon shall be confounded c. when the Lord shall reigne before his Ancients The originall and rise of which then you now see That upon the great destruction of the impenitent Gentile-Potentates and Powers the Iewes and if you will include the penitent Gentiles it shall not grieve us shall be visited in mercy And the Moon shall be confounded c. that is the glory of the Church shall be such as the light of the Moon and
brightnesse of the Sunne shall be nothing to it At which time as it follows the Lord of Hosts in Christ Iesus saith Diodat shall reign on Mount Zion and in Ierusalem types of the universall Church and that in great glory before his Ancientours who were the Church of the Jews by blood as well as by Profession Christ being considered as man as the local circumstance of Zion and Ierusalem cals for that notion § 3 Calvin again cleerly intimateth in many circumlocutions that his sense of this Text is that Christ speaking in the future of time after Calvins time shall establish his Church on earth in a most glorious estate Ego non dubito quin persequatur Propheta c. That is I doubt not but that the Prophet prosecutes the consolation which he had touched in the former verse to this sense or effect when the Lord shall visite his people and shall purge his Church from their filthinesses he shall settle his Kingdome and that so illustrious that it shall obscure the Sunne and Stars with its splendor which kinde of speech is usuall with the Prophets as we have already seen But here Isaiah speaks of the BODY of the Church and not onely of the HEAD Seeing therefore the Lord will ESTABLISH HIS KINGDOME upon MOUNT ZION so great shall be the Magnificence thereof in the INSTAURATION of the People as that the things that otherwise shone in the sight of men shall now be as darknesse Which that he might expresse to the life be names these things that above all are most splendent The word RULING is improperly drawn to signifie Gods vengeance For although God be said to reigne when he acts the office of a Judge yet this speech so comprehending within it concerning THE KINGDOME of God in MOUNT ZION it alwayes hath the notation of mercy and salvation For hee speaketh of the RESTITUTION of the Church Whence it follows that this is not fulfilled but in Christ He making a precise mention of Elders or Ancients useth a Synecdoche which is exceeding usuall in Scripture For he taketh a speciall part of the Church for the whole body of the Church yet not without a consult purpose He calls by the name of Ancients as well the PRIESTS as other RULERS who were chiefe over Discipline and Manners by whose moderation and prudence the rest are to be governed Under their names he comprehends all the people not onely because they represent the whole body as under their shadow the people was covered but also that believers might conceive hope of a future ORDER For otherwise it would little or nothing profit that the multitude should be left dissipated in manner of a dis-membred body or confused Masse Neither is it impertinently added BEFORE the ANCIENTS that the Jewes might know that the power of God should be MANIFEST and ILLUSTRIOUS c. For SO HE REIGNES that wee may PERCEIVE HIM PRESENT WITH US For if it should be beyond our COMPREHENSION no COMFORT would redound to us thereby For GLORY others read GLORIOUSLY others GLORIOUS I had rather take it in the substantive GLORY although it makes no difference in the sense For it teacheth how great shall be the magnificence and glory of God by ERECTING THE KINGDOME OF CHRIST in that all splendor is obscured and ONLY the glory of Christ must be eminent and CONSPICUOUS Whence it follows that THEN at length God shall injoy HIS OWN RIGHT AMONG US and have his due honour WHEN ALL HIS CREATURES BEING GATHERED INTO ORDER he alone is RESPLENDENT IN OUR EYES Thus Calvin whose words and phrases here can bear no lesse then a sense favouring a visible glorious Kingdome of Christ on earth though something of it as he saith must be comprehended by faith above sense To which visibility of Christs Kingdome on earth the correlative in 22 and 23. verses answering to our relative THEN in our Text of punishing the Kings of the earth upon the earth c. doth strongly bear witnesse § 4 Now lay altogether and then judge when was this Text ever fulfilled Surely in a litterall sense as to corporall Transactions not at their returne from Babylon For then the Babylonians were not punished nor put in prison Nor were the Iews in an outward glorious condition but as in subjection still to Babylon and made a scorn by Sanballat Tobiah c. with the multitude of their adherents hindring their building discouraging their work raising lyes laying plots to indanger them So that they were as long neer upon in repairing the Temple and City of Ierusalem and setling the state thereof from the first that they began it as they had been in Captivity * See the book of Ezra Nehemiah and Haggi Nor was this Text of Isa litterally and corporally fulfilled to them at Christs being on earth being then also under captivity and reproach by the Romans †See the story of the Evangelists and Acts. and to this day in the same condition under them and all Nations in the world Nor hath this been yet fulfilled in a spiritual sense from that time to this day in that not one of ten thousand of the Gentiles admired their Levitical glory And their Ancients the Scribes Pharisees Elders and Rulers of the Synogogues and People generally opposed and persecuted Evanagelical glory And though for a spurt some few favoured the Gospel Act. 1. Act. 2. yet by and by they universally Act. 13. fell off from this Glory and so continued untill these our times § 5 Nor can these be fulfilled 〈◊〉 â—ltimate judgement For then Christ RULES not 1 Cor. 15. v. 24. v. 28. SECT XVI § 1 THe sixth place in Isaiah is that which followes at the heels of this viz. Chapter 25. throughout but especially from v. 7. to the end of the Chapter with some passages of the 26 Chapter being also a Song of praise for the glorious state of the Church to be especially those passages v. 14. v. 19. The late invention of Chapters may not hinder our prospect upon the continued sense of this Chapter inseparably depending on the former where in the last verse the Prophet having said THEN shall the Moon be confounded and the Sun ashamed WHEN the Lord of Hosts shall REIGN in Mount Zion and Ierusalem c. explained afore he now begins this Chapter with a solemne praise to God for his preparation to and manifestation of that his glorious Reign To give you the maine passages of the whole Chapter v. 1. O Lord thou art my God I will exalt thee c. v. 2. For thou hast made of a City an heap of a defenced City a ruine a palace of strangers to be no City it shall never be built v. 3. Therefore the strong people shall glorifie thee c. v. 4. For thou hast been a strength to the poore and needy in distresse a refuge from the storme a shadow from the heat when the blast of the terrible ones is a storme against the
expresse in v. 4 5 6. shall be forced to let Jacob and Israel goe free The Lord will as it is v. 19. do a NEW THING which must properly signifie a thing never done afore to make way for their returne and liberty as it is expresse v. 19. c. before set downe at large Which wanton wits may endeavour to elude with Allegories and Phantasmes of their owne hatching which neither can convince a rationall Christian nor deliver the Jewes according to the intent of the Prophet Who though afore that their deliverance as in v. 22. c. they should not call upon God as they ought but should be weary of the Lord and should weary the Lord with their iniquities and therefore they are given up to the curse and to the reproach yet after these things as it followes in the 44. Chapter and first seven verses as an Antithesis to their said evill condition the Lord promiseth and the Prophet prophesieth it that they should have a glorious condition saying Yet now heare O Jacob my servant and ISRAEL whom I have chosen Thus saith the Lord that made thee c. Fear not O Jacob and thou Jesurun the name also of the twelve Tribes Deut. 32. I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and flouds upon the dry ground I will POUR MY SPIRIT upon thy seed and my blessing upon thine off-spring And they shall spring up among the grasse as willows by the water-courses One shall say I am the Lords and another shall call himselfe by the name of Jacob and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord and surname himselfe by the name of Israel Thus saith the Lord the KING of Israel I am the first and I am the last Who as I shall CALL and declare it and SET IT IN ORDER for me since I appointed the ancient people and the things that ARE COMMING and SHALL COME § 5 Thus you see the present state of the Jewes as in the latter end of the former Chapter viz. sinfull and dolefull you see their names viz. Jacob Israel and Jesurun all names of the twelve Tribes you see what is meant by pouring water upon the thirsty viz. pouring out of the spirit you see what is meant by growing as willows by the water-courses viz. by the effusion of the Spirit multitudes shall own the Lord you see what Titles Christ hath of KING of ISRAEL and of FIRST and LAST which are his Titles when he prophesies of his visible Kingdome to be on earth repeated several times in the Revelation Now then deal ingeniously and compare the expressions with the Jewes condition for above these one thousand six hundred and fifty yeers to this very day and see then whether you can indeed and bonâ fide imagine that these Prophesies have been ever yet fulfilled or that it is proper or feisable that they should be fulfilled at the ultimate day of Doom SECT XIX THe tenth place in Isaiah is Chapter 45. v. 14. * Touching v. 14. to v. 22. I will onely insert Mr. Medes Notes in the margin because it came not timely enough to bee put into the Text Esaiae vaticinium cap. 45. a versu 14. deinceps in eodem Adventu secundo Christi implendum restatur Apostolus ad Rom. c. 14. v. 11. omnes enim inquit stabimus ante Tribunal Christi scriptum est enim nempe in hoc Esaiae vaticinio vivo ego dicit Dominus quoniam mihi flectetur omne genu omnis lingua confitebitur Deo Quod si haec Prophetiae pars in secundo Christi adventu in die nimirum Judicii adimplenda restet etiam reliqua eodem pertinere necesse est Est autem Prophetiae initium hujusmodi Sic dicit Dominus labor Aegypti negotiatio Cush Sabaeorum VIRORUM MENSURAE i. e. MERCATORUM 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sic Targum quod mensuris utantur non MEN OF STATUR ad te O tu captiva vel O civitas mea transibunt tui erunt post te ambulabunt in compedibus ad te incurvabunt se te deprecabuntur dicentes Tantum in te Deus est non est alius praeter ipsum Deus In Hebraeo enim omnia haec pronomina sunt generis faeminini quare ad Cyrum referri nequeunt sed ad Jerusalem captivam de qua in versu praecedenti mentionem habuit quemque ad majorem rei evidentiam sic verterem ego suscitavi Cyrum in justitia omnes vias ejus dâ—â—gam Ipse aedificabit civitatem meam captivam meam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 DIMITTET idque fine pretio muncre dicit Dominus exercitum Tunc sequuntur verba quae paulo ante recitavi Sic dicit Dominus labor Aegypti c. q. d. parum est quod reaedificaberis â—emitteris Imo vero magna re O captiva mea O civitas mea manet olim faelicitas Observandum est enim Dominum inde a fine versus undecimi espondere quasi interrogationi de Fatis filiorum fuorum juxra quod praemisit ventura interrogate me de filiis meis de operibus mamanuum earum praecipite mihi nempe ut narrem vobis quae futura sunt Thus far Mr. Mede By which it is most plaine that he thinks and shews for it great strength of reason that this place of Isa is to be understood of a glorious state of the Church to be on earth at Christs second coming to the end of the Chapter but specially verse 22 23 24 25. viz. verse 22. Looke unto me and be yee saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there is none else 23. I have sworne by my selfe the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousnesse and shall not returne that unto me every knee shall bow every tongue shall swear 24. Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousnesse Heb. righteousnesses and strength even to him shall men come and all that are incensed against him shall be ASHAMED 25. In the Lord shall the seed of Israel bee justified and shall glory § 1 For those foure last verses of the Chapter this is that I have to say The Prophet having spoken to JACOB and ISRAEL v. 17 18 19. Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation and shall not be ASHAMED nor confounded world without end for thus saith the Lord that created the Heavens and formed the earth hee hath created it not in vaine he formed it to be INHABITED which phrases Not ashamed c. and to be inhabited extend that everlasting salvation to comprehend a blessed salvation on earth too I have not spoken in secret in a darke place of the earth I said not to the seed of JACOB seek ye me in vaine I say the Prophet having spoken to Jacob and Israel names comprehending all twelve Tribes next he extends his speech more generally with them to all the Nations of the world v.
Pagans Papists Atheists Hereticks and prophane persons And without multiplying words the very phrases will not admit of a referring these to the ultimate day of Doome And therefore must yet bee fulfilled on earth before that day SECT XX. § 1 THe eleventh place in Isaiah is Chap. 49. wholly But I shall need to touch only upon three or four places of the Chapter which will give light to all the rest In generall the chapter is of the bringing in of Jews and Gentiles into the Church The Jews are here named by the generall termes that comprehend at least the ten Tribes if not the whole twelve viz. by the names of Israel ver 3 5 6 7. and of Jacob ver 5. and of the Tribes of Jacob v. 6. and the preserved of Israel ibid. In way of distinction from whom the two Tribes are called Zion v. 14. So that all the twelve Tribes that came of Jacob are intended in this Chapter in the close whereof as a seal the Lord stiles himself Their Saviour their Redeemer the Mighty one of JACOB The Gentiles likewise are expressely named in v. 6. viz I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest bee my salvation unto the ends of the earth quoted by the Apostle Act. 13.47 to prove the propagation of the Gospel for salvation to the Gentiles The concurrence of both Jews and Gentiles in coming in to Christ is expressed to the life ver 22 23. Thus saith the Lord God behold I will lift up my hand to the Gentiles and set up my standard to the people and they shall bring THY sons in their armes and thy daughters shall be carryed upon THEIR shoulders and KINGS shall be thy nursing Fathers and THEIR Queens shall be THY nursing Mothers c. Adde that the engagement of God that thus hee will call home both Jews and Gentiles v. 13.15 19 18 26. is great Sing O Heavens and be joyfull O Earth and break forth into singing O Mountains for God hath comforted his people and WILL have mercy on his afflicted Can a woman forget her sucking child that shee should not have compassion on the son of her womb c. Yet VVILL NOT I FORGET THEE Behold I have GRAVEN THEE upon the palmes of mine hands As I LIVE saith the Lord thou shalt surely cloathe thee with them all that oppose thee as with an ornament c. And ALL FLESH shall know that I the Lord am the Mighty one of Jacob. § 2 These being premised let us but only put the question upon some Verses whether ever they were yet fully fulfilled and that will be sufficient to ingenuous reason to confesse they must yet be fulfilled and that on earth § 3 VVhen was the seventeenth verse ever fulfilled viz. Thy children shall make hasle thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall goe out of thee VVe read no such thing at their return from Babylon but that there were the crew of Sanballat Tobiah c. that opposed them Anon Alexander the Great the Grecian Monarch enters Jerusalem After him Antiochus Epiphanes alias Epimanes King of Syria wasteth it After these the Romans conquer it And now the Turks ever since possesse it § 4 And when ever yet was the nineteenth verse fulfilled viz. Thy waste and desolate places and the land of thy destruction shall even now be too narrow by reason of the Inhabitants and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away Surely since the carrying away captive of the ten Tribes the Kingdomes of Israel and Judah were never full of their owne Inhabitants We never read that ever the Assyrians Babylonians Cutheans c. which the King of Assyria sent into the Kingdome of Israel 2 Kings 17.24 were sent for home againe Nor that ever those CALDEANS that were sent to governe Judea intimated in 2 King 25. were recalled And for after times as we have hinted afore when the Greek went out the Syrian came in when the Syrian went out the Roman came in when the Roman went the Turke came in and there he is to this day These expulsing one another there hath been a constant succession of them that swallowed up the twelve Tribes Their wasters and destroyers have been changed but have not been sent forth far away from Israel and Judah § 5 Againe did the Gentiles and Peoples ever yet as v. 22. bring the sonnes and daughters of the Jewes in their armes and upon their shoulders If we should wave the litterall sense of setling the Jews in their owne Land and condescend to a spirituall sense of the generality of the Gentiles compliance with the generality of the Jewes in matters of Religion and union into the universall Church wee cannot tell when ever this was done to this day § 6 Nor can we say that ever the Kings of the Gentiles as it is v. 23. and their Queens have been nursing fathers and mothers to the Jewes and bowing downe to them Alas poore Jewes they have ever since the beginning of the Grecian Monarchy long before Christ downe to this very day been under the awing power of the Gentiles and mostly used hardly and in most places of the world instead of reverence have been and are much villified Therefore John in Revelation tels us that this is yet to come and to be fulfilled upon earth afore the ultimate day of judgement as the circumstances of things and the phrases of the Prophesie necessarily require Rev. 21. v. 24.26 And the Kings of the EARTH doe bring their glory and honour into New Jerusalem And they shall bring the glory and honour of the NATIONS into it And yet so as there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth c. § 7 Wee are likewise utterly to seek when ever yet the 25. and 26. verses were fulfilled viz. The captives of the mighty shall be taken away and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee and I will save thy children and will feed them that oppresse thee with their owne flesh and they shall be drunken with their owne blood Wee know not of any such thing since the captivity of the Jewes in Babylon in all Histories divine and humane that thus the Jewes were saved by such destruction of their enemies The Jews indeed soon after their captivity made some attempts 2 King 25. v. 25. After that they made some attempts in 1 Book of Macchab And after that they made severall attempts in the time of Titus and Adrian Roman Emperours And since that the Turk hath dominered over them the Kings of the Gentiles especially of England have made some attempts of warre on their enemies managed by the stocke counsell and aide of severall religious orders for that end as of the Templars Knights of the Rhodes or of John of Jerusalem and of the Knights of Malta alias Melita But all these attempts have not amounted to Isaiahs phrase
on with this that I have now presented before you So that temporall and spirituall deliverances are here conjoyned in one and the same Prophesie to which in the first verse of the next Chapter he annexeth the glory of the Church of Jewes and Gentiles conjuctively of which in the next Section Now this present place the Apostle Rom. 11.25 26 27 referres unto the great call of the Jews upon the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles both making one glorious Church which the Apostle speaks of as a thing to come to passe after his time His words are that ye may see how fully they answer to those of the Prophet Blindnesse in part is happened to Israel untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles come in and so ALL ISRAEL shall be saved as it is written THERE SHALL COME OUT OF SION THE DELIVERER and SHALL TURNE AWAY UNGODLINESSE FROM JACOB FOR THIS IS MY COVENANT UNTO THEM VVHEN I SHALL TAKE AVVAY THEIR SINNES § 2 Now this was never yet fulfilled as we plainly see by the forlorne state of the Jewes both temporall and spirituall to this day And therefore this Scripture is yet to be fulfilled and that afore the ultimate judgement which is utterly inconsistent with this Prophesie SECT XXIII THe fourteenth place in Isaiah is in Chapter 60 the very next Chapter the summe wherof our last Translators have meetly given us in saying that the Chapter is concerning the glory of the Church of the Jews converted to Christ in the accession and addition of the Gentiles The passages of most concernment to our point are § 1 Vers 1. Arise shine for thy light is come and the Lord is upon THEE v. 2. Darknesse shall cover the EARTH and grosse darknesse the PEOPLE but the Lord shall arise unto THEE and his glory shall bee seen upon THEE vers 3. And the GENTILES shall come to thy light and Kings to the brightnesse of thy rising v. 4. Thy sonnes shall come from farre and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side v. 5. And thine heart shall be inlarged because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee and the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee v. 6. They of Midian and Sheba shall come they shall bring gold and incense and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord. v. 7. All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee the Rammes of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee c. and I will glorifie the house of my glory v. 8.9 Who are these that flye as a cloud and as doves to their windows Surely the ISLES that wait for thee v. 10. The sonnes of the strangers shall build up thy wals and THEIR KINGS shall minister UNTO THEE v. 11.12 Thy gates SHALL BEE OPEN DAY and NIGHT that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles and that THEIR KINGS may be brought For the NATION and KINGDOME that will not serve thee SHALL PERISH v. 14. The sonnes of them that afflicted thee shal come BENDING unto thee and all that despised thee shal BOW THEMSELVES DOWN at the soles of thy feet and they shall call thee THE CITY OF THE LORD the ZION OF THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL v. 15. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated I will make thee an ETERNAL EXCELLENCY a JOY OF MANY NATIONS v. 16. Thou shalt also suck the milke of the GENTILES and the breasts of KINGS v. 17. For brasse I will bring gold for iron silver c. and I wil make thy OFFICERS PEACE and thy EXACTORS RIGHTEOUSNESSE v. 18. Violence shal be NO MORE heard in thy Land but thou shalt call thy wals SALVATION c. v. 19. THE SUNNE shal be no more THY LIGHT by day neither for brightnesse shal the MOON GIVE LIGHT unto thee BUT THE LORD SHALL BE THY EVERLASTING LIGHT and thy God thy glory v. 20. Thy Sunne shal no more go down neither shal thy Moon withdraw it selfe for THE LORD shal be thy EVERLASTING LIGHT and the daies of thy MOURNING SHALL BE ENDED v. 21. Thy PEOPLE also shal be RIGHTEOUS and they shal inherit the Land FOR EVER i. e. none after them v. 22. the close of all I the Lord wil hasten it IN HIS TIME § 2 Now I put the question to all the Learned and Libraries in the world when was ever any such estate of the Church since the Jewes going into captivity in Babylon If any are so heavy headed as falling fast asleep shall dream that all these passages concerne not a visible glorious estate of the Church on earth or that these all are already spiritually fulfilled let such know that they would be hard put to it so to expound this Chap. congruously and to tell us the time and manner and make all handsomely hang together And therefore St. John a surer Commentator having prophesied in Rev. 20. v. 4. compared with Rev. 5.10 of the Saints reigning with Christ on earth and in the 21 Ch. having given us his vision of a New EARTH and of New Jerusalem coming downe FROM heaven with many more passages of the future glory of the Church on earth of which abundantly afore severall times he goes on in that 21 Chapter to apply many of the passages of this sixtieth of Isa to that future glorious estate of the Church on earth yet to come after the fall of Antichrist which is not as wee see yet performed For example The third verse of this sixtieth of Isaiah but now presented afore your eyes is exactly so applyed Rev. 21. v. 24. And the Nations of them that are saved shal walk in the light of it that is the light of the glory of God and the Lamb as it is in the former verse and the Kings of the earth doe bring their glory and honour into it So that in the 11. and 12. verses of this sixtieth of Isaiah as you see it afore is likewise applied to that future glorious state of the Church on earth afore the ultimate judgement Rev. 21. v. 25 26. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shal be no night there And they shal bring the glory and honour of the Nations into it So the 19. v. of this sixtieth of Isaiah is in like manner applyed in Rev. 21. v. 23. And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the MOON TO SHINE IN IT Mark to shine in it intimating that though those Planets continue in being yet there shall be no need of their shining for the glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof The same is to be seen in the application of the 20 v. of this sixtieth of Isaiah in Rev. 21. v. 3 4. Behold the Tabernacle of God is with men and he wil dwel with them c. and God himselfe shal be with them c. And shal wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shal be no more death neither sorrow nor
glory to shew favour to you if we have not done well in casting you out yet the Lord should appear to their joy that had been so hated and cast out for his name sake and those their false brethren should bee ashamed § 2 In the seven and eight verses most evidently the Prophet setteth forth the manner of the conversion of the Jews I say conversion their settlement will cost longer time as it seems Dan. 12. the three last verses viz. their conversion shall bee as the birth of a child before the mother is in pain as the birth of a Nation at once which well may bee being to bee done by the appearance of Christ in the Clouds § 3 In the 10. and 11. verses All Nations must rejoyce with Jerusalem because they shall suck the breasts of her consolations that is share in her comforts ## § 4 In the twelfth verse The Lord will extend peace to Jerusalem like a River and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream See a glorious conjunction of Jews and Gentiles § 5 In the 13 and 14 15 16. verses is set forth the sensible comforts of the Church and the corporall destruction of their enemies As one whom his mother comforteth so will I comfort you and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem and when ye see this your heart shall rejoyce and your bones shall flourish like an herb and the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants and his indignation towards his enemies For behold the Lord will come with fire c. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many Illustrated vers 24. They shall go forth and look upon the carkasses that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not dye nor their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring to all flesh Which in the generall to bee taken literally is confessed both by Jews and Christians Consult our new Annotationists upon the place See Sect. 41. § 5. ¶ 2. § 6 In the 18 19 20 and 21. verses is held forth to us the congregating of all Nations both Jews and Gentiles into union of true religious worship and beholding of the glory of God and that as the Jewish Doctors expound it in his destruction of the enemies of the Church in the dayes of the Messias In the 22. verse we have the height and length of this glorious estate of the universall Church of Jews and Gentiles on earth It is no lower then a state of a new Heaven and a new Earth And it is to be perpetuated It is to remain unalterable continue say our new Annotationists for ever § 7 Now these things were never yet fulfilled according to the phrases and circumstances of the place as to the Gentiles nor in the substance as to the Jews who remaine totally unconverted to Christ and are dispersed and despised to our sorrow throughout the world But God must be true therefore these must be fulfilled and on earth before the ultimate judgement as every verse doth hint unto us And therefore St. John in the Revelation Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 and Chapter 21. doth apply these in a way of Prophesie to the glorious state of the Church on earth yet to come at the fall of Antichrist I shal give you them in summe and short because I have before so often made particular applications of them Babylon the great is fallen is fallen How much she hath glorified her selfe so much sorrow and torment shall be given her Her plagues come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire Rejoyce over her thou heaven and ye holy Apostles and Prophets for God hath avenged you on her And after these things I heard a great voyce of much people c. saying Allelujah salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God for true and righteous are thy judgementss for he hath judged the great Whore that hath corrupted the earth and hath avenged the blood of his Saints And again they said Allelujah And the foure and twenty Elders said Amen Allelujah And I heard as it were the voyce of a great multitude and as the voyce of many waters and as the voyce of mighty thunderings saying Allelujah for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth And the beast and the false Prophet were taken and cast into the lake fire And the rest were slain with the sword But the Saints reigned with Christ a thousand yeers in the new Heavens and new Earth to whom the Kings of the earth and Nations of the world bring their honour § 8 Now let him that readeth understand and consider whether he were best to beleeve his owne phantasie or the opinions of men rather then St. Johns series and system of Visions and Prophesies so aptly in phrase and matter expounding the Prophet Isaiah of a future glorious state of the Church on earth yet to come Thus of the Prophet Isaiah SECT XXVII NExt we come to the Prophet Jeremiah The first place for our purpose is in Chapter 16. verse 14 15. compared with Chapter 23. verse 3. c. to verse 9. The words of that in Chapter 16. verse 14 15. are Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that it shall be no more said The Lord liveth that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt But the Lord liveth that brought up the children of ISRAEL from the LAND OF THE NORTH and from ALL THE LANDS whither he had DRIVEN THEM and I will bring them againe into THEIR LAND that I gave unto their Fathers § 1 The Prophet calling these of whom he speaks by the name of Israel and in relation to their returne out of the Land of the NORTH and out of All Lands whither they had been driven must needs comprehend as well the ten Tribes as the two And the more cleerly to hint to us that his meaning is not onely of a reduction of them to their own Land but of their conversion unto their God and this not at a petty call of a few of them but at the great call of the generality of them all he subjoyns the bringing in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles verse 19. The Gentiles shall come unto the Lord from the ends of the earth and shall say surely our Fathers have inherited lyes c. At which time of the coming in of the fulnesse of the Gentiles as their coming from the ends of the earth fully expresseth All Israel saith the Apostle Rom. 11.25 26. shall be saved § 2 Now let us parallel this with that in the 23. Chapter verse 3 4 5 6 7 8. wherein wee have the same expressions with further illustrations and explanations to confirme the same The words of the Prophet there are verse 3. I will gather the remnant of my flock out of ALL Countries whither I have driven them and will bring
it is here said For the Lord hath spoken it ZAREPHA which others write Sarephta and SEPARAD R. Sel. interprets to bee France and Spaine But out of all such speeches as the Prophet here useth this may safely be collected that because those Nations are here named which most infested the Israelites namely the Canaanites Philistims and Edomites that all enemies of the faithfull are here to be understood which haply is to be fulfilled according to the letter ISRAEL being converted in the last times so that ALL ISRAEL being converted in ALL LANDS they all are to be accounted for the Inheritance of Israel Thus far he Oecolampadius likewise In Monte Sion erit evasio id est salus c. That is on mount Sion shall be deliverance that is salvation or safety T is certain the Apostles by the sending of the spirit upon mount Sion and others conjoyned to the Church were delivered by Christ at his first coming and so we beleeve that at this day every Congregation of the faithfull is delivered But we expect a more ample felicity when the Lord shal come again c. In the last times we expect perfecter sanctity and these of the house of Jacob shall be Lords of those who before oppressed them We find not in History that many of the Jews did bear rule in those Countries save only that the Maccabees seized upon certaine Towns BUT THOSE THINGS DO NOT SEEM TO SATISFIE THE PROPHETICAL MAJESTIE * Majestati ropheticae In the last times that is when Christ shall come we shall see the Apostles and those that have imitated them to be Iudges of the whole Earth albeit at this day the Elect are divers waies afflicted by the Antichristian party yet it shall come to passe that they shall be LORDS OVER OTHERS c. I am not ignorant that some agreeing with the Jewes doe thinke that before the day of Christ this KINGDOM SHALL BE ON EARTH Christ did not tell his Disciples this therefore let not us be solicitous of this thing No farther shone the the dimme light of Oecolampadius touching this truth in those ancient darker times Yet hear him presently almost in the next words how hee doth in the generall grant this truth as a truth worthy to be known on those words And the house of Jacob shall be a fire c. he saith By the people of Esau we saith Oecolampadius understand the enemies of the truth who shall be before it as stubble to the fire which began in the preaching of the Apostles overthrowing idolatry c. But in the day of judgement when hereafter they shall with Christ pronounce sentence and condemne them they shall perish by the word of God c. However the Jewes expound it either of times afore or after the returne from Bâ—hell yet still they have been adversaries all eit they speak of an HAPPY AGE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS Some doe thinke that the just or righteous Jewes shall rise and dwell upon the earth but I leave that as uncertaine But MOST CERTAINE IT IS that this Prophet doth promise to the people of God in these words A MOST PERFECT FELICITY Among the Edomites shall be no felicity c. In these verses therefore he teacheth that the KINGDOME OF CHRIST SHAL BE MOST AMPLE AND LARGE and not concluded in so strait a corner as formerly c. And upon the twentieth and one and twentieth ver Oecolampadius concludes thus The Jews say that Canaan signifies all Germanie unto France and that Sepharat signifies Spaine which things are uncertaine by this description of places But certainly ALL ISRAEL shall be saved ' All which things I plainly referre to the last day Now compare Oecolampadius with Oecolampadius and see whether he doth not in the generall grant the point in hand and grant it as a thing certaine and to be hoped for Thus for the parallel with Obadiah § 6 The next thing to be considered on this place of Amos now under our hands is the time when this must bee mainly fulfilled viz. At that day saith our Prophet ver 11. that is at some notable day namely when as in ver 9. God hath sifted the house of ISRAEL in all Nations like as corne is sifted with a sieve yet not the least graine fals on the earth that is the wheat of converted Israel for the generall shall be gathered from the chaffe of the obstinate in all nations But alas Judah and Israel all of them for the generality are yet in their chaffe of non-conversion and in the straw of all Nations § 7 The last thing to be considered on this nineth of Amos is the manner of their state when delivered viz. All ruines must bere-built and all breaches closed up they must call upon God as God may own them for callers upon his name There must be as all spirituall so all outward prosperity for the sanctified use of the Church in a goodly succession of seasons for that end expressed under the notions of the Plowmans overtaking the reaper the mountaines dropping sweet wine c. All their injoyments must be perpetuated so as they must never bee pulled up out of their own Land § 8 Now laying all particulars of this Text together let all the men and bookes in the world shew us when Judah and Israel were ever thus delivered since their captivity and put into this spirituall and temporall happy condition in a religious conjunction with the Gentiles to the worlds end and this must be before the ultimate generall Judgement as the circumstances of the place importune and necessitate us to expect Therefore this Prophesie of Amos is yet to be fulfilled Thus of Amos. SECT XLIII § 1 NExt we come to the Prophet MICAH wherein we shall consider onely one place viz. chap. 4. throughout Of which note this in generall 1. That this prophesie of Michaiah is as well concerning Samaria the Metropolis of the ten Tribes as concerning Jerusalem the metropolis of the two Tribes chap. 1. ver 1. Secondly That this place was urged for our opinion before Jeroms time which was three hundred ninety yeares after Christ which Jerom confesseth in these words in Micheam 4. Sciendum quoque c. i.e. we must know saith he that this Chapter also and that like it out of Isaiah meaning Chap. 2. Ver. 2. c. is referred by the Jewes and the heires of their mistake to the Kingdom of Christ and his Saints for a thousand years Thus Jerom for whose jircking our opinion you shall see him anon jirck himself § 2 For particulars note in the first place the time of fulfilling this prophesie that we here alleadge Our last English Translation saith In the last daies The Hebrew speaks higher 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which words differing in Gender and Number and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 properly signifying last cannot be closely construed to the Grammer of them but thus In the last of daies And so also Jerom renders it in
novissimo dierum So the Chalde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the Greeke according to the Septuagint 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So that the state of the Church here prophesied is the last state of the Church before the end of the world at the ultimate general resurrection And therefore the notation of the time doth undeniably put us upon a looking for such a glorious state of the Church on earth as is here described as yet to come Observe secondly that all those words of the first second and third verses That the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountaines c. and many Nations shall say come let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord c. and he will teach us c. and we will walk in his pathes c. For the law shall goe forth out of Zion c. and he shal judge among many people c. and they shall beat their swords into plow-shares c. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learne war any more I say that all those words are per omnia idem altogether the same with Isa 2. ver 2 3 4. largely discussed before in this third booke and chap. 2. Sect. II. S. 1 2 3 4. c. whether we transfer the consideration of them onely adding here 1. The notablenesse of the prophesie which is thus twise mentioned by two famous Prophets with so great emphasis in the same words phrases and figures 2. The words of the Geneva notes who assert in the margin that this Prophesie of the state of the Church in the last dayes relates to the time of Christs coming and to the time when THE TEMPLE shall be destroyed Which order of words import that they meant the time after that destruction of the Temple which demolished it about forty yeares after Christs ascention I say the time after that destruction for which sence they had good ground from the last verse of the chap. 3. of this prophet Micha But such a time of restauration of the Church as Micha here in this fourth chapter describes was never yet seen on earth Therefore it is yet to come 3. Our new Annotations referre this to the time intended by Joel chap. 2.28 But that time we have proved afore in this third booke chap. 2. Sect. 40. in the maine of it is not yet come to passe 4. Dr. Mayer on the fourth verse they shall sit every one under his own vine c. and there shall bee none to make them affraid hath these words And this saith he is still to bee fulfilled WHEN THIS WORLD DRAWETH NEAR TO AN END the FULNESSE OF THE GENTILES BEING COME IN and the Jewes who remaine yet blinded BEING CONVERTED TO THE FAITH OF CHRIST Wherein the Doctor speaks very home to the point in hand in the main thereof For surely this prophesie is not in the chief intent thereof fulfilled unto this day § 3 In the last place consider exactly in the remainder of the chapter from ver 4. to the end the description of the Churches yea of the Jewish Churches Prosperity Piety and Victory and thou canst not with any shew of solid divine reason imagine these things to have been ever yet fulfilled since the Jews first captivity in Babylon but remain in future to be performed afore the last universall resurrection ¶ 1. The prosperity is described vers 4. They shall every man sit under his own vine and under his owne fig-tree and none shall make them affraid vers 6. In that day I will assemble her that halteth and will gather her that is driven out and her that I have afflicted ver 7. And I will make her that halted a remnant and her that was cast off a strong Nation and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion FROM HENCE FORTH EVEN In Hebr. no even But it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i.e. And for ever FOR EVER Now when ever was this prosperity made good to them since their Babylonish captivity and for so long time as for ever It is true two Tribes returned from Babylon about the year of the world three thousand five hundred and eighteen under the Persian Monarchy A long time it was ere they grew to a settlement of their City and Temple set up and their publick ministration set in order by reason of the opposition and undermining of Sanballat and Tobiah and their adherents So that some thinke they were neare as long in attaining to the said settlement as they had been in captivity viz. seventy years But if they had been setled at the first of that their returne yet from the year three thousand five hundred and eighteen to three thousand six hundred and forty about which time Alexander the Greeke Monarch brought Jerusalem under subjection to him are but one hundred twenty two years after which Alexander the Romans immediately subdued them and after the Romans the Saracens and Turks which is the slavish condition of all the Countries of the Jews to this day A mark of remembrance of their subjection to the Greeks is the Greek translation of the Bible called the Septuagint because it was done by about seventy Jewes at the command of the Grecian powers And as plain a Memento of their Romish subjection is that Christ was crucified under the Roman Pontius Pilat And a sufficient Memorandum of their subjection to the Turks is that they possesse Jerusalem at this day So that if wee deduct the time of the Jewes trouble under the Persian Monarchy from their first dismission by Cyrus to their settlement and make the reckoning to begin with that their settlement and to end at Alexanders coming to Jerusalem it will not amount to above seventy years that the Jews were in peace and quiet which is no more then the length of their captivity If we take into the account the time of their struggling to be settled yet all as I said before will make up but sixscore and two years and what is this in comparison to enable the Prophet to make the close and seale of this part of the Text touching their prosperity That the Lord should reign over them of Mount Sion from hence forth AND FOR EVER which must be understood of such a manifest apparent visible reigning as stands in flat opposition every way to Tyrannicall mens or conquerours reigning over them or else the Prophet had told them nothing he had made this Antithesis to their captivities under men in vaine and had expressed this his reigning in mount Zion to no purpose seeing God doth equally reign by his power over all the world and by his spirituall grace alike over beleevers where-ever they be one the face of the earth ¶ 2. Their piety is charactarised in the fifth verse For all people will walke every one in the name ELOHAIU of HIS GOD and wee will walke in the name of JEHOVAH ELOHENU of the LORD
the best antiquity that Cerinthus held no wanton voluptuous chiliasme nor spake he any thing at all of the Millenaries though Tertullian and Irenaeus lived above an hundred yeares nearer to Cerinthus his time then did Eusebius And therefore wise men cannot but wonder that Eusebius should tel us such stories And wonder the more because Epiphanius on the other side that gave himselfe ten times more to inquire into opinions then Eusebius flourishing about 30 years after Eusebius his death ⸪ Euseb dyed about the year 339. and Epith. flourished about the year 365. doth neither himselfe finde any such opinion held by Cerinthus or his Sect nor doth he mention it as reported by Eusebius or his Gaius or Dionysius or any other And thus praise to Jehovah of the places in the Old Testament CHAP. IV. Of the places in the New Testament proving our generall Thesis viz. That there shall be yet afore the ultimate generall Judgement a most glorious visible state of the Church on earth for many years wherein the Saints shall reigne and triumph over all their enemies and there shall be a Restitution of all things like as a new Creation SECT I. Of our New-Testament proofes we have occasionally opened so many and so much to explaine the Prophets that we have greatly anticipated our selves and happily made our worke so short in this that hence there is no feare of tediousnesse to the reader § 1 THe first place we shall touch upon in the New Testament for the glorious visible state of the Church on earth before the ultimate generall Judgement is in Matth. 24.13 14. But he that shall endure to the end shall be saved And this Gospel of the Kingdome shall be preached in all the world for a witnesse unto all Nations and then shall the end come That antitheticall BUT points at a time immediatly following the universall transcendent impieties of the wicked world mentioned vers 10 11 12. which by the Apostles in their Epistles * is oft prognosticated to be as the night 2 Thes 2.3 2 Tim. 4.1 1 Tim. 3.1 Compare 2 Tim. 4.1 2 Pet. 2.1 Compare 2 Pet. 3. ver 3 ver 12. preceding the Sun-rising of that glory of which we speake The end here mentioned must needs be the end of the world not of Jerusalem as we have before analitically demonstrated on this twenty fourth of Matthew p. 102. Sect. 9. And this end must be of the wicked world that is of the world as wicked not of the world as a world or materiall substance else why doth our Saviour mention enduring and of preaching the Gospel for a witnesse to all Nations For when the time of the aforesaid glorious state of the Church throughout the whole earth is come called the restitution of all things Acts 3.21 there will be no putting of men to be saved upon enduring or suffering they now are saved and glory hath dispelled suffering And consequently there will be no need of making the Gospel a testimony against all Nations to which at this time all that survive shal altogether submit as to all appearance The end therefore here intended is the end of the world as a sinfull world then to be turned into a glorious Kingdome as well as the world formed by the Gospel preached in all the world to all Nations to which at which time Christ shall gloriously appeare and radiat upon it on earth as we have largely demonstrated on the thirtieth verse c. of this twenty fourth of Matthew p. 82. Sect. 3. c. The signe immediately antecedent to this end to be transformed into that glorious beginning I say the signe prognostick or causal signe is the preaching of the Gospel in all the world to all Nations which is a glorious prelude This radiant Sun softning all good generous plants to a flowing of sap into the flowers of Gods Garden or fruit-trees of his Fortward though it hardens the dead earth into stones to be trampled and broken by the prancings of victorious judgements upon them as other Scriptures before opened abundantly enlarge § 2 That these things thus briefly hinted may duly be illustrated according to the just extent of the words under consideration let us make three observations upon them ¶ 1. That such an end must be here meant as cannot be applied to the destruction of Jerusalem but to the time immediatly before the end of the world because there was little or no salvation temporall or spirituall to them surviving at the destruction of Jerusalem and therefore our Saviour adviseth the Jewes in the sixteenth verse c. at this time to flye not to endure to the end of those troubles even as many yeares afore the Gospel was fled from Jerusalem Acts 8.1 c. and generally from the Jewes Acts 13.46 Rom. 11.25 even as they witnessed the said departure in their continuance in their Jewish sacrificing from Titus his destruction to Adrian and from him to Constantine and from thence to Iulian his time as we have oft before recited Besides the evils here set as markes of the end are the same the Apostles make of the approaching of the end of the world for which compare the ninth tenth eleventh and twelfth verses of this twenty fourth of Matthew with 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4. ¶ 2. The Gospel must be preached in all the World so as to be a witnesse to all Nations Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Gospell shall be preached IN all the INHABITED world for a witnesse to all the GENTILES A thing may be said to be proclaimed TO a whole towne if declared but in the Market place or to a whole Province or County when it is done in the chiefe City But this preaching must be in the whole inhabited world where-ever men inhabite as Jonah preached in every street of Nineveh labouring three dayes in that worke in that one City and this preaching must be such and so much as will justly amount to a witnesse to them viz. a witnesse to convince them beyond all excuse that the Gospel was preached to them ¶ 3. That it is here said THIS Gospel of the Kingdom 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shal be preached in all the world so that by this emphaticall expression is given to us a cleare distinction betweene THIS Gospel and the THE Kingdom insomuch that Christs meer Spiritual Kingdome cannot be here understood The Gospel is the Law of the Kingdome the Saints are the Subjects or matter of that Kingdom the Gospell comes from Heaven the people of the Kingdome are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the inhabited world converted by that Gospell out of all Nations as our Text holds forth The preaching of the Gospel is the antecedent sign of the coming and approaching of that Kingdome But the antecedent cannot be the consequent or the signe bee the thing signified nor can the cause be the effect Besides Christ saying he that indures to the end shal be saved is antithetically put
that is a yeare yeares and halfe a yeare In the Revelation it is the beast with so many heads and horns full of names of blasphemy which was to continue forty two moneths the same period with the former which was expressed by times and yeares and the same time with 1260. dayes of the Churches remaining in the Wildernesse When these times whatsoever they be shall be ended then is the period of the times of the Gentiles and of the Jewes misery whereto our Saviour seemes to referre in the Gospel Then by St. Paul shall the fulnesse of the Gentiles enter in Then saith St. John shall the kingdomes of the earth be the Lords and his Christs Then saith Daniel in the former place chap. 7. shall the kingdome and dominion and the greatnesse of the kingdome under the whole heaven be given to the people of the Saints of the most High whose kingdome is an everlasting kingdome and all dominions shall serve and obey him SECT II. The second place in the New Testament is Luke 1. ver 31 32. And behold thou shalt conceive in thy wombe and bring forth a sonne and shalt call his name Iesus And he shall be GREAT and shall be called the sonne of the Highest and the Lord God shall give unto him the THRONE of his FATHER DAVID and he shall reigne over the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end § 1 ON which words observe first that this place is taken out of Isa 9.7 before discussed * of giving to Christ the throne of his father David which is not yet fulfilled For Pag. 182. l. 3. chap. 2. Sect. 12 S. 5. c. § 2 Observe secondly That Christs coming in his Incarnation was a state of the greatest humility that could be Phil. 2.7 8. and that from his birth to his ascension saving but to a few radiating for a minute in his transfiguration to three of the Apostles Matth. 17.1 and his appearing to the rest of his Disciples after his Resurrection and ascending up in their sight Acts 1. And therefore though these words are spoken by the Angel upon occasion of his Incarnation yet are they not applied by the Angel adequatly to set forth his state of Incarnation but rather antithetically extended to carry the minde of Mary c. farre further as thus That though this Jesus shall be conceived in thy wombe a meane woman in comparison of the visible glory of the royall races of Princes yet this Iesus shall be no meane person but shall be GREAT and shall bee called the SON OF THE HIGHEST and shall have the THRONE of his father David and shall REIGNE over the house of JACOB for ever c. which things were never fulfilled all the time of his Incarnation to the day of his Ascension Nor was that the time so much as of the full revelation of them but when the Apostles taking hint from these words of the Angel and the like places of Scripture asked our Saviour Acts 1.6 a little before he ascended Wilt thou at this time restore the Kingdome to ISRAEL comprehending all the twelve Tribes as doth the house of Iacob in the text our Saviour denied not the thing but the revelation of it that time saying vers 7. It is not for you viz. now the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. are in the present tence to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his owne power But about seventy yeares after that his ascension God gave the full revelation of it to Christ to shew it by an Angell unto John who might write it to the Churches Revel 1.1 so that § 3 Observe in the third place that at Christs first coming viz. in all the time of his Incarnation from his Birth to his Ascension he was not in the throne of his father David he was in the Manger in the Mountaines more destitute then the Birds and Foxes in a Crowne of Thornes in garments of scorne on the Crosse in the Grave and at last in Heaven but never all that time in the Throne of David The Romans all that time and divers hundreds of yeares after reigned over the Jewes Christ not having any thing of Davids visible corporall government which was the notion of Davids government the High-Priest bearing that which outwardly might be called Spirituall yea when it was offered unto Christ to be made a King and to divide the portions between the Brethren he refused it Therefore § 4 Observe fourthly That the beginning of that Kingdome of Christ which shal be for ever that is after which no Kingdom on earth succeeds as often hath been expounded was not yet begun For after Christs ascension from that day to this other Kingdomes on earth over the Jewes did succeed viz. the Romans Sarazens and Turkes Why the meere spirituall Kingdome of Christ cannot be here understood we have already given unanswerable reasons as we conceive afore when wee parallel'd this place with Isa 9.7 * Pag. 184. l. 1. and why this Kingdome cannot be in Heaven at the ultimate end of the world the reason is at hand because then Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to God the Father when he shall have put downe ALL rule c. and the sonne himselfe shall be subject to him c. SECT III. The third place in the New Testament for the said visible glorious state of the Church on earth yet to come before the universall Resurrection is in Luke 21.24 And they the Jews shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led away captive into all Nations and Jerusalem shall bee trodden downe of the Gentiles untill the times Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opportunities of the Gentiles be fulfilled Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 filled up OBserve first that our Saviour speaking of the two Tribes that had been now returned from Babylon above five hundred years that they shall be led away captive in all nations must of necessity meane another and a more dispersing captivity following that which was begun by Titus Sonne of Vespasian the Roman Emperour burning both Temple and City selling an hundred thousand Jewes besides the slaughter of eleven hundred thousand about forty yeares after the ascension of Christ as Bucholcerus and Josephus affirme prosecuted by Aelius Adrianus the Roman Emperour about an hundred yeares after Christs ascension at which time the said Aelius Adrianus buried Jerusalem in its own rubbish and gave it to other Nations and Gentiles to inhabite calling it after his own name Aelia promoted yet further by the Saracens making feareful desolations in Judea about a thousand and nine yeares * So Bucholcerus Ind. chron after the Incarnation of Christ and at last this scattering of those two Tribes into all Nations is perfected by the Turkes dominion over them from about the yeare one thousand three hundred after the Incarnation of Christ to this day whereby they are dispersed as our
Merchants and Travellours finde them into all Countries and Nations therefore the deliverance of the Jewes which is to follow this scattering intimated in the word untill is not yet fulfilled and till then the glorious state of the Church on earth to be made up of Jewes and Gentiles cannot exist as we have often heard afore out of the Prophets Observe next that the Jewes must continue thus scattered into all Nations UNTILL the opportunities or seasons of the Gentiles be filled up or compleatly made up which was not done in Pauls time Rom. 11.25 26. for as it is there added when the fulnesse of the Gentiles shall come in ALL ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED by a Deliverer that shall come out of Sion turning away ungodlinesse from Jacob according to covenant which as it is no opportune businesse for the ultimate Judgement so it hath not had its opportunity hitherto to be fulfilled upon earth as it is apparent before our eyes in the Non-conversion of the Jewes and the non-preaching of the Gospell to all Nations of the Gentiles before discussed * See before in this third Book chap 4. Sect. 1. Observe lastly that this trampling of Jerusalem by the Gentiles is computed by the Holy Ghost Rev. 11.2 to continue forty two Moneths that is vers 3. one thousand two hundred and sixty dayes that is yeares to commence from the time that Antichrist should have that same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as some Copies read it i. e. power or authority to doe or act as Antichrist as Antichrist growne up to act Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as other Copies read that is power or authority to make warre Now if we take the eldest account viz. from his power to act or doe this cannot wel commence higher then from the removing of HIM THAT WITH-HELD and LETTED the revealing of Antichrist 2 Thes 2.6 7 8. That is the laying low of the Roman Emperour Anno Dom. 410. by Alaricus King of the Goths taking and spoyling Rome and exposing her by this weakening to future depredations by the Vandals c. And therefore the most learned Elias Reusnerus boldly takes the beginning of the compute of the 42. Moneths from that same time which if granted infers that these 42. moneths or 1260. dayes of yeares that is 1260. yeares then taking their beginning are not expired till the yeare 1670. Reusner gives us both the briefe of the History and the exact account in his Isagoge Historica at the yeare 410. of the Infancy of Antichrist * Roma Victrix inquit Domina orbis ab Alarico Gothorum Rege capta direpta Scâ—â—at lib. 7. â— 10 a quo tempore auctoritate ejus plurimùm imminutâ— ipsa exposita est pari deinceps praedae atque diâ—eptioni Vandâ—lis Herulis Longobardis aliisque Germaniae Gentibus quae in Italiâ Galliâ Hispaniâ— Britanniâ exâ—tarunâ— diversa regna Ab hâc imperii Romani inclinatione sublato è medio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paulus Apostolus 2 Thes 2. Ordiendum esse innuit tempus Filâ—i PERDITIONIS quâ—m Dominus confecturus fit spiritu oris sui Rectè ergè hic initium figitur XLII MENSIUM ANGELICORUM regni bestiae septicipitis Apoc. 13. decicornis potestatem magnam ab infernali Dracone mutuantis horribiles contra Deum blasphemias eructantis hoc est Papatus Romani per septem occidentis regna Italiam Hispaniam Britanniam Galliam Germaniam Hungariam Poloniam diffusi a quo tandem posteriora capita quinque per Agnum Dei Apocal. 17 divelluntur quae in decem regna specialia resurgunt nempe Germaniam Bohemiam Hungariam Poloniam Sueciam â—aniam Norvegiam Scotiam Angliam Franciam in quibus hodiè contabescit regnum Pontificis Romani HORUM MENSIUM FINIS INCIDET in Anno Christi 1670. Sic Elias Reusnerus Isag Hist De Infantia Antichristi ad annum Christi 410. If we take the younger or latter account viz. from the power of Antichrist to make warre and fix the beginning thereof with the greatest probability as to that among the learned upon Pope Hildebrand alias Gregory the seventh who was the first saith Helvicus That excommunicated the Emperour and arrogated to himselfe the power of appointing and setting up the Emperour enfolding as Reusner carries on the story the Roman Empire in all manner of seditions and civill Wars excommunicating Henry the fourth Caesar making him attend bare-foot at his Palace gate in sharp winter arming the Nobility of Germany against him absolving them from their allegeance I say if we fixe the beginning of Antichrists power to make warre upon this Hildebrand then it will be far longer ere the 1260. yeares wil be run out the said Hildebrand so ruffling in his power not till about the yeare of Christ 1070. to which if we adde 1260. we make up a far larger reckoning then the former and so much farther from fulfilling whereas this our context affirmes ver 28. that when that time of trampling shall be fulfilled the Jewes redemption draweth nigh Which must be fulfilled afore the ultimate Judgement the time of that Judgement being inconsistent with these things or else it cannot be fulfilled at all Therefore as sure as God cannot lye this is yet to bee fulfilled SECT IV. The fourth place is in Luke 22.28 29 30. Ver. 28. Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations Ver. 29. And I appoint unto you a kingdome as my father hath appointed unto me Ver. 30. That yee may eate and drink at my Table in MY Kingdom and sit on Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of ISRAEL § 1 IN the first place let us not forget that ancient true rule Non est a literâ seu propria scripturae significatione recedendum nisi evidens aliqua necessitas cogat scripturae veritas in ipsâ literâ periclitari videatur i.e. We are not to depart from the Letter or proper sence of the Scripture unlesse some evident necessity compel and the truth of the Scripture seem to be endangered Now there is no such necessity lies upon this Text to recede from the litterall sence thereof For by a litterall and Proper interpretation of this Text neither is the truth of this nor of any other place of Scripture nor of any of the Articles of our faith in the least indangered as wee shall see more abundantly when we come to answer objections against our Thesis Mean while take notice that there are many grave godly learned men not onely in our Nation but in other Countries who while they doe not yet take up this opinion as their own do yet notwithstanding ingeniously confesse that it is a very harmelesse opinion § 2 Note in the second place that there is a great importunity if not necessity incumbent on this Scripture to understand it at least in the general according to the letter For ¶ 1. Therein is promised as a peculiar reward to them that had indured temptations with
Father § 1 VVHat hath been said afore of this place for opening the Prophet Esa 45.14 and it selfe See pag. 113 114. and p. 215. l. 1. § 2 This a glorious time on earth expresse in the Text when it shall be fulfilled but this is not yet fulfilled For ¶ 1. All things on earth doe not submit to Christ which is the sence of bowing the knee But on the contrary an hundred for one are openly against Christ so that as the Apostle saith Heb. 2.8 We see not yet all things under him And Heb. 10.13 the Apostle saith long after his Ascension that he still sits in heaven expecting till his enemies be made his footstoole ¶ 2. All things under the earth viz the infernall Spirits doe not universally and actually subject to him that is they are yet permitted of God to act against Christs Kingdome but they must be made universally and actually to forbeare opposing Christs Kingdome Revel 16.17 The seventh Vial is poured out upon the aire that is upon the Prince of the aire the Devil and on his retinue How Why Christ shall binde him for a thousand yeares c. Revel 20.1 2 c. ¶ 3. Much lesse to this day doth every tongue or the generality of all tongues confesse that Jesus Christ is the Lord TO THE GLORY OF GOD THE FATHER when as most either doe not name him or name him prophanely or blaspheme him ¶ 4. Paul tels us in another place viz Rom. 14.10 11. discussed also afore touching the meaning * See pag. 214. but by mistake printed p. 116. vix t is in lib. 3. cha 2. Sect. 19. S. 2. P. 1. That this bowing to Christ is not fulfilled till Christ shall sit in Judicature on his Seate of Judgement but this begins not till the first Resurrection Rev. 20.4 c. compare it with Revel 11.15 16 17 18. meane while Turk and Pope and Heathens extreamly domineer § 3 This truth hath not been discovered from these two places of Rom. 14. and Phil. 2. as yesterday but judicious Calvin long since did assert from the collation of both places together that this genuflexion and submission to Christ is not fully fulfilled till Christs next coming § 4 Now this cannot be deferred to the ultimate generall Judgement for then is no time for confession and submission to the glory of God the Father but a silent bearing of Judgement by them that despised Christ and so Christ resignes his kingdome SECT X. The Tenth place in the New Testament of the glorious state of the Church yet to be on earth is in Revel 2.25 26 27 28. ver 25. Hold fast till I come Ver. 26. And he that over-cometh and keepeth my workes unto the end to him will I give power over the Nations Vers 27. And he shal rule them with a rod of Iron as the vessels of a Potter they shall be broken to shivers even as I have received of my Father Vers 28. And I will give him the morning Star § 1 ALthough in our last English Translation the former part of the twenty seventh verse be read with a Parenthesis yet not so in Stephanus his best Greek edition in Folio nor in Bezaes Greek or Latin nor in our former English Translation The continued speech in the third person throughout the twenty fift and twenty sixt verses and former part of the twenty seventh verse and the distinguishing turne to the first person in the latter part of the twenty seventh verse makes it plaine enough that these Promises are made to the Beleever that keeps Christs workes to the end even as Christ goes on in the twenty eighth verse promising him the said Beleever that he will give him the morning starre So that it is the said Beleever that shall under Christ by the donation and assistance of Christ have power over the Nations and rule them with a rod of Iron till they be broken as a Potters vessels to whom he will give the morning starre That which perhaps made our last Translators put in the said Parenthesis was the agreement of the words they included with those Psal 2.9 quoted by them in the margin spoken of Christ But it is a sure rule Subordinata non sunt contraria subordinate things are not contrary and that other Qui facit per alium facit per se That he who causeth others to doe a thing doth it himselfe If Christ by his Saints over-power the Nations and rules them with a rod of Iron Christ himselfe over-powers the Nations and rules them with a rod of Iron That which the Carpenter worketh with his tooles the Carpenter is accounted to worke or doe In this respect it is said in Dan. 7. ver 13.4 That the Kingdome which is to succeed the foure Monarchies is given to Christ And vers 22. 27. it is said to be given to the Saints § 2 The sence of these words are obvious and plaine especially if we minde what hath been given in by way of explication afore on Psal 2. * Pag. 158. 159. and on 2 Pet. 1.19 ** P. 360. P. 2 c. Suitably our new Annotations confesse That hold fast TILL I COME ver 25. signifies till Christs second coming GENERALL or SPECIALL Power over the Nations signifies to JOYNE WITH CHRIST IN JVDGING THE NATIONS c. And that giving the morning starre signifies Christs giving the FULL FRVITION OF HIMSELFE We shall further give the explication of this Scripture in the application thereof Which application is That this Scripture is not yet fulfilled as may appeare in the distinct consideration of each particular thereof ¶ 1. It is expresse in the twenty fifth verse Hold fast TILL I COME spoken by Christ neare an hundred yeares after his Incarnation But Christ never came since that ¶ 2. It is said in ver 26 27. That to them that hold fast till hee comes he will give POWER OVER THE NATIONS to rule them with A ROD OF IRON and to BREAKE THEM IN PEECES as a Potters vessels Which words import a Corporall breaking not a Spirituall as the Iron Scepter of force is distinguished from the golden Scepter of the Word Now this was never yet fulfilled in the generall but rather contrariwise hitherto the Nations breake the Saints and Churches as we have often given a large account from History and experience ¶ 3. That of Christs giving the morning starre what can it bee but the appearance of Christ againe especially to the Jewes according to 2 Pet. 1.19 before expounded For as the converted Gentiles Spiritually considered are said to be not in the night but in the day 1 Thes 5.5 The unconverted Jews are in the night and in the darke Rom. 11.25 Therefore this morning Starre the Sunne-rising mentioned to this very particular Malac. 4.2 must of necessity signifie Christs personall appearance which Christ hath not yet fulfilled to this day Therefore yet to come And this text must be fulfilled before the ultimate
in the general vote of their Rabbins laid together by R. Menasse Ben Israel Next hear learned Mr. Mede give you the summe of them Diatriba pars 4 pag. 461. Though the ancient Jews whilst they were yet the Church of God had no distinct knowledge of such an order in the Resurrection as first and second but only of the resurrection in grosse and general to be in die judicii magni yet they looked for such a resurrection wherein those that rose againe should reigne some time upon earth according to that Apocalyps 5.10 we shal reigne on earth as appeareth by Wisdome 3. from the first to the eighth verse inclusivè where it is expresly said That the soules of the righteous which were departed should in the time of their VISITATION shine and that they should judge the Nations and have dominion over the people and their LORD SHOULD REIGN for ever See the place and consider it This opinion is also here and there dispersed in the Chalde Paraphrase and in the Talmud as of ancient tradition and in the opinion of the Jews at this day who as they look not for the Kingdome of the Messiah untill Dies judicii magni the day of the great judgement so they expect that their fore-fathers at least such as were just and holy should arise at the beginning of the same and reigne in the land of Israel with their off-spring under the MESSIAH I can hardly beleeve saith Mr. Mede that all this smoak of tradition could arise but from some fire of truth anciently made knowne unto them Besides why should the Holy Ghost in this point speak so like them unlesse he would induce us mutatis mutandis to mean with them In fine the second and universal Resurrection with the state of the Saints after it now so clearly revealed in Christianity seems to have been lesse knowne to the ancient Church of the Jews then the first and the state to accompany it § 5 Let us close this discourse of the suffrage of the Jews touching the glorious state on earth yet to come with the Prophesie of Tobit or Tobias about to dye concerning the twofold Captivity of the Jews and the last state of things according to the most exact Hebrew copy * Not that of Munsters tempered and patched up out of the Greek and Latine Translations But that most ancient Constantinopolitan copy purely Hebraising set forth by Paulus Fagius So that this Copie differs something from that in Greeke◠and that we have in English formerly annexed to our English Bibles Should seem this Copie wee alleadge was originally in Chalde and was translated most faithfully by some Jew that was singularly learned in the Hebrew Dialect We shall with the Translation give you a taste of it in some main parts in the Hebrew That we intend is in the Prophesie of Tobias according to this said copy in Chapter 14. v. 3. c. And it came to passe when Tobias was old that he called his sonne Tobias together with his six sonnes which were borne to him and said unto him My sonne thou knowest that I am now spent with old age Take heed therefore after my death that thou stay no longer at NINEVE For certaine it is and cleare to thee that it shall come to passe that the Prophesie of the Prophet JONAH shall bee confirmed Wherefore take thy sonnes and all that thou hast and goe into the Land of the MEDES for THERE shall bee peace unto the appointed time But the rest of our brethren of ISRAEL 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who are in Jerusalem all of them shall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 goe into exile and Jerusalem shall bee for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or into heapes * For so and in the very same words the Prophet Micha had now prophesied about the beginning of Hezekiah in which time Tobias was carried away into Captivity See Jer. 16.18 Micha 3.12 and the mountaine of the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 House for or into high places of a Forrest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and shall remaine desolate for a little 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And then shall the children of Israel go up and rebuild it and also the Temple but not according to the former structure and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they shall remaine there MANY DAYES UNTIL A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 CERTAIN SERIES OF AGES BE FULFILLED †In the Greek tis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Till the seasons of that age or world be fulfilled Then shall they againe goe forth into a Captivity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by farre the greatest they were ever in * Those words Then againe they shall go into Captivity by far the greatest they were ever in are left out of the Greek Copy either by mischance or of purpose because it savoured of our opinion which the times then when it was expunged likely in Jeromes time could not bear it And therefore Jerome even for that cause left out not onely that clause but also two whole Paragraphs in that place to the utter routing of the coherence of the sense even as he translated the whole exceeding perfunctorily by his own confession For in his Prologue to that his Translation he saith Because the Chalde tongue is neer in kin to the Hebrew finding a ready man of speech in both languages I snatched the labour of one day and what he expressed to me in Hebrew that by a notary I expounded in Latine But the blessed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Holy God shall remember them and shall gather them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the four quarters of the world Then shall Jerusalem the holy City be restored with a beautifull and excellent structure as also the Temple shall be built with a famous structure which shall not be destroyed nor demolished for ever as the Prophets have said Then shall the Gentiles be converted to worship the Lord and shall cast away the graven Images of their gods and shall give laud and praise to his great name The horne also of his people shall be exalted before all Nations and all the seed of ISRAEL shall celebrate and glorifie his great Name Then shall his servants that serve him in truth be glad all that do righteousnesse and godlinesse shall rejoyce and triumph before him If all that I have produced touching the Jews suffrage for the glorious state of all things on earth yet to come be not sufficient for some though perhaps I have quoted too much for others let such read the Chalde Paraphrase on the Bible if but in the Latine Translation the Rabbins at least as quoted in Mercer on the minor Prophets Petrus Galatinus Buxtorfs Jewish Synagogues and the fourth book of Esdras of which last Mr. Medes censure is worth the hearing especially in that it relates to the point in hand Whereas you say saith he in answer to Mr. Haines that the Jews since Christ brought in this opinion of
make drunk the inhabitants of the earth by his Vicar the Beast under the vizzard of devotion or Church I say to this beside what we have said already to anticipate this objection I adde that herein it seems to mee the Doctor hath forgotten some most evidently plaine Texts For all along the Revelation untill the very time of the utter ruine of Antichrist there is expresse mention of the Devils making the Nations drunke by his Vicar the Beast with the wine of spiritual fornication i.e. of departing from Christ to worship Idols or to imbrace false worship And with all it is expressed that this is the cause of the ruine of the Beast the Harlot the Vicar of Christ So expresly Rev. 14.8 verse Babylon is fallen is fallen because she hath made the Nations drunk with the wine of the wrath of her fornication Rev. 17.1 2 3. I will shew thee the judgement of the great Whore with whom the Kings of the earth have committed fornication and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication Rev. 18.2 3. An Angel cryed mightily with a strong voice saying Babylon the Great is fallen is fallen and is become the habitation of devils For all Nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication Rev. 19.1 2. Ye have the same thing more plainly without figures A voyce of much people saying Allelujah to the Lord for true and righteous are his judgements for he hath judged the great Whore which did corrupt the earth with her fornication And in the latter end of this same Chapter is a full end of the Beast and false Prophet viz. cast into the lake of fire Observe First That in one of these places viz. Rev. 17.2 There is mention onely of wine of fornication to signifie the sinne of spiritual adultery viz. Idolatry In opposition to this to signifie the judgement due to this sinne it is said the Wine of the wrath of God So Rev. 14.10 Rev. 16.19 For this cause in the other two places Rev. 17.2 Rev. 18.3 the phrases to signifie both sin and judgement are put together Wine of wrath of fornication to the end that wee might carry along with us in our minds that all the time of the Harlot shee made the Nations drunk therefore all that while wrath hung over her till it fell down upon her and brought her to unter ruine as we see the fulfilling set down Chapter 19. latter end Secondly observe that in opposition to this making the Nations drunke with the wine of spiritual fornication is added presently after the ruine of that drunken-making Harlot Chap. 19. ult That in Chap. 20.1 c. Satan is bound cast into the Pit and sealed that he may seduce or deceive the Nations no more till the thousand yeers bee finished Yee see then how cleerly this passage of the Doctor is answered and that that in Rev. 20. vers 3. must mean that Satan should be bound that hee should not by his Vicar make the Nations so much as drunk with the wine of her fornication of Idolatrous doctrines For as Pareus expounds As wine is pleasant to the eye and taste so Antichrist did make the Kings and Inhabitants of the earth take downe his doctrines of departing from Christ and imbracing of Idolatrous worship under pretence of Religion devotion and Church See Pareus on Rev. 14.17.18 afore quoted and so Pareus brings up the Reere full against the Doctor ¶ 3 To that clause wherein the Doctor doth undertake to give the sense of Satans not seducing the Nations to signifie That he shall not in an universal War by the open enemies of Christ with force and Armes compell men to Paganisme and to as it were abjured Idolatry and Superstition I say to this clause and this exposition therein besides what hath been said we adde First That by this opinion Satans binding must begin at Constantine the Great And that Satan should no more so seduce the Nations to an universall Warre with force of Arms to compell men to Paganisme till the time of the rising of Gog and Magog to Warre for so the Doctor doth after expresly declare his sense I say that by this opinion of the Doctor Satan is still bound ever since the time of Constantine 310 yeers since Christ which make above a thousand yeers viz. one thousand three hundred and forty and upwards So reckon but to this day and Satan is bound above three hundred and forty yeers above the thousand yeers so precisely limited by the Apostle John Revel 20. And yet still shall bee bound according to the Doctors opinion till the War of Gog and Magog which will bee a thousand yeers more and the last thousand afore the ultimate judgement So Satan shall by this account bee bound I know not how much above two thousand yeers contrary to St. John Note secondly That by the Dr. from Constantines time down-ward to this day Satan was not bound in his efficacy upon his instruments but only the shape and manner of the actings of his instruments were changed so the system and method of the Revelation expresly Rev. 13.1.12 in 1 verse hee ariseth out of the Sea and hath seven heads and ten horns and the Dragon gave him his power and verse 11. and 12. Hee comes up out of the earth and hath two hornes like a Lamb and spake as a DRAGON and he exerciseth all the power of the first Beast and causeth the earth and them that dwell therein to worship the first Beast So that yee see the devils power the same still the Dragon acts effectually onely the shape of his instruments is changed And therefore the continuance of the Beast in power is computed two and forty months i.e. One thousand two hundred sixty yeers And the Dragon is said to persecute the Woman the Church and indeavoured War after Constantine for the space of One thousand one hundred and sixty yeers Rev. 12. For so long she flyes and abides in the wildernesse Now if the Beast hath power One thousand two hundred and sixty yeers beginning presently after Constantines time within eighty yeers where then shall bee place found for the thousand yeers of binding Satan presently after Constantine For Satan is not bound as long as Antichrist is in power who is in power to this day § 5 But I need not pursue further The Doctor himselfe sees S. 2. afore great objections against this opinion of his of the thousand yeers next to Constantine and of his interpretation of Satans binding to be onely from open general War to all which hee indeavours to answer But he answers not satisfactorily to mee For first in generall we answer to that he objects of Arrianisme after Constantine Apostasies in Julian and Devastations by Goths Vandals and Saracens that these make not up the all that may be objected against the binding up of Satan from Constant M. and down-ward for a thousand yeers For mark
He confesseth that in those four periods the event hath dictated to the more circumspect observators that Satan was then loosed Set this against the Doctor and his many that agree that Satan was then bound ¶ 2 He confesseth that Pope Silvester the second in his first period of events sitting in the Papal chaire exercised Tyranny And that in him Antichrist was openly manifested to the world Now this wee oppose first to his minor That this can neither consist with the binding of Satan from seducing or deceiving the Nations according to the sense of the Greek word before expounded upon the third verse of the 20 of Revel and the antithesis between the state of the Church whiles he is bound Rev. 21.22 Chapters and the state of the loosing from 11. Chapter the end of the 19. Nor can it consist with the reigning of the Saints Chapter 20.4 compared with Rev. 21.27 And there shall in NO WISE enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye where Antichrist is excluded but they which ARE WRITTEN IN THE LAMBS BOOK So that onely the Saints have the dominion and the glory as it is in 24. and 26. verses The Kings of the earth dobring their glory and honour to it and the glory and honour of Nations unto it therefore it cannot bee imagined that Antichrist shall now tyrannise especially seeing in his time he hath most of the Kings of the earth in a string so that in time of his Dominion and Tyranny they cannot be free to bring their honour and glory to it but when they shall hate the Whore and burne her with fire Rev. 17.16 executed Rev. 18.19 Then Chapter 20. the Saints shall reigne so that Chapter 21. Kings shall bring their honour to it ¶ 2. We oppose this to his distinction in the close of his Argument that if now Antichrist was made manifest throughout the world and exercised tyranny over men how doth the Doctor apply this time and state of the Church to Satans occult hypocyisie and pretended impiety invading the Church ¶ 3 The Doctor confesseth that in the second of his periods one William Senones A. B. by the confession of C. Baron held forth this Position to Pope Alexander the third whom Reusner puts in Anno 1061. that Satan was then loosed in perniciem totius ecclesiae to the destruction of the whole Church And the same was preached by Glaber Rodolphus and Wickliffe c. Now these cannot consist with the Doctors argument or distinction of occult hypocrisie Yea it is inconsistent with Satans binding and the Saints reigning as is explained afore Surely when Satan is bound and the Saints doe râ—igne there shall bee none permitted to ruine the whole Church so grossely that not only Protestants but Papists shall take notice of it and cry out against it ¶ 4 The Doctor confesseth that in his third period of events was the destruction of Jerusalem Pope Hildebrand sate in the chaire whose life acts and decrees seemed so mischievous and hellish both to Divines and Historians that they did not at all doubt but that the mystery of iniquity in the Revelation had now attained its highest perfection maturity or strength And if so was their vote how can this be consistent with the Doctors Argument that Satan is now bound in any tolerable sense Is this the glorious promise Rev. 20. of binding Satan and of the Saints reigning that mean while Antichrist shall arise to his utmost maturity at least Divines and his Historians had great reason to thinke so Satans binding is a restraint and from seducing the Nations as well as from butchering the Nations Revel 20.3 therefore it doth not permit the full growth of the Devils greatest instrument Antichrist And this also doth somewhat blunt the edge of the Doctors distinction for if Divines and Historians then took such notice and declaimed against Antichrist how can it be truly said He invaded with such occult hypocrisie Besides remember the destruction of Jerusalem ¶ 5 The Doctor confesseth that in his fourth period of Events which is also within his thousand yeers of binding Satan was Pope Boniface the eighth of whom was this common Proverb He came in as a FOX lived as a LYON and dyed like a DOG Now in the word Fox was hinted his occult hypocrisie and in LYON was intimated his open violence which overthrows the Doctors distinction and addeth thus much more in answer to the Doctors minor proposition of his argument that in the time of the binding of Satan there is no LYON over the Church but Christ with whom the Saints reigne Rev. 20.4 called the Lyon of the Tribe of Juda Chapter 5. There is no Lyonish man to roare over the Church to hurt it in the least They that make lesse of that Isa 11.6 then others do conclude so much thence And if the roaring Lyon the Devil be chained then sure the Nations shall not be seduced to play the Lyons to hurt the Church § 3 Next wee answer in particular to the minor Proposition of this second Argument of Doctor Prideaux and the distinction annexed viz. by giving you some touches of the History of the foure periods of Events which the Doctor hath named Wee did in our answer to the Doctors first Argument give you a considerable account of the History of these times viz. of the first thousand yeers from Constantine M. beginning to reigne which the Doctor calls the thousand yeers of binding of Satan We shewed you the grim bloody face of those times in Persia under Sapores In Judea under the Saracens and throughout the Roman Empire under Constantius and Julian Roman Emperours and under the Goths and Vandals invaeders and wasters of the Church for neer foure hundred yeers so that the face of these times could not look like the face of the thousand yeers of which John speaks shall be filled with so much glory But now we will adde some few things in relation to the particulars the Doctor mentions which hee would varnish over that they might not bewray that Satan was then loosed ¶ 1 For the first period in Pope Silvester the second his time Reusâ—er tells us in his Chronology That this Silvester the second being a Magician gave himselfe to the Devil by whose helpe he attained to the Popedome And being about to dye he confessed it and commanded that his hands and tongue c. should be cut off and the trunke of his body to bee put into a Chariot to bee buried where the horses no man driving them would carry him The horses without any driver unlesse the Devill drew him to the Temple of John Lateran and there he was buried So Reusner which was but an ill signe that Satan was now bound as the Doctor affirmes when he could so prevaile on him who was the chiese Ruler over all the Churches Adde that in the time of this period was some persecution as Bucholcerus noteth viz. That
thousand that is to the universal Church who are verse 14. but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 comming or about to come out of tribulation not come out They were washed afore in the bloud of the Lamb ever since their beleeving but that was from sinne but they are not yet come out of great tribulation but that shall bee ere long So that that which follows to the end of the Chapter cannot now bee applyed to their persons viz. That they shall hunger no more nor the Sun light upon them any more And God shall wipe away all tears which are spoken in the future Tense as of things to come And it cannot be applied to their future state in heavenly glory For the Heathens that knew but the immortality of the soule never dreamed of hunger or thirst or feare to befall good men in the world to come Nor did the Philosophers thinke that the Sunne did shine above the highest of the orbs of the material heaven Therefore there is no probability in the least that this is a description of everlasting glory but of a state on earth where the Sunne hath smitten and there hath been hunger and thirst and have been tears So that still I minde you this Chapter is but a parenthesis of comfort put there by way of anticipation For it is put between the sixth and seventh Seal between which must be a methodical succession The sixth Seale is in chapter 6. which is most terrible obscuring heaven shaking the earth terrifying the sonnes of men And the seventh Seale is in Rev. 8. verse 1. In which eight Chapters whiles Christ intercedes over the prayers of the Church in regard of some slaine as it is in Chapter 6. The seven Trumpets appear in order to sound at their time Rev. 8.6 c. so that the calamities of the world goe on in the world upon earth and from hence forward till Antichrist be downe As for the 11 Chapter it is plaine that it is but the summary of all that which John prophesies of the more Ecclesiastical state of things in his ensuing Book of the Revelation as in the former he had prophesied of the more Political I say a summary For there is set down the more pure state of the Church v. 1. and more corrupt verse 2. And of the two witnesses in sackcloath one thousand two hundred and sixty yeers and their lying dead in the grave three yeers and a half as well as rising and ascending And there is Babylon falling viz. The tenth part of the City c. as well as Babylon trampling and triumphing over the Witnesses So that unlesse we will jumble all into a confusion this 11. Chapter is but the summary of what follow in the whole book of the Revelation And in the 12 Chapter there is as much for the loosing of Satan as for binding For the 13 Chapter it plainly sets out the time of Satans power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two and forty months or a thousand two hundred and sixty dayes viz. yeers which power he hath not when his master Satan is bound as we have and shall heare For the 14 and 15. Chapters the Churches triumphant songs of victory over the Beast are but in hope of a thing to come Another Parenthesis of comfort proleptically inserted For before and behinde their song in Chapter 15. is mention of the Angels having the seven last plagues to fulfill the wrath of God viz. The pouring out of the seven Vials as it follows Chapter 16. I need goe no further in my Antithesis to the Doctors instances ¶ 2 We answer to his Antecedent or first Proposition that if indeed as Doctor Prideaux would have it from the 6. Chap. of Rev. to the 20. Saints are in their reigning condition and Satan is bound according to St. Johns true intent Rev. 20. what means all that while all that adoe against the enemies of the Church of seven Seals Chapter 6. and 7. of seven Trumpets Chapter 8. of seven Vials Chapter 15. and 16. and in 17. is described the sin and the judgement of the Whore and in Chapter 18. the manner of her utter destruction and Chapter 19. the destruction it selfe And then and not till then in Chapter 20. S. John speaks of binding of Satan so as the Saints may be said to reigne indeed After which no Seals Trumpets or Vials onely there is a proleptic or anticipation of the ultimate day of judgement mentioned verse 11. of Chapter 20. because it is the period of the thousand yeers but the state of times in Satans binding and the Saints reigning is after described in Rev. 21. and 22. Chapters ¶ 3 We answer to his said Antecedent or first Proposition That by the Doctors tenet and proof that Satan is bound from Rev. 6. to Rev. 20. for he saith that the beginning was in Constantines time that the Saints began to reign And John tells us that the thousand yeeres doe end at the ultimate day of judgement Rev. 20. it will follow that from Constantine M. which the Doctor puts in three hundred yeers after Christ to the day of judgement is but a thousand yeers For the Doctor in his stating the question confesseth that the thousand yeers must be taken properly and precisely But wee and most Nations doe compute from three hundred yeers after Christ to this yeer one thousand three hundred fifty three and yet the day of the last judgement is not come No nor the War of Gog and Magog which precedes it No nor the fall of Antichrist and Babylon which precedes that c. Next we come to answer to the Argument or Consequent or last Proposition § 3 To the Proposition it self That therefore all this while the Saints reigned wee say that though they reigned over sinne which is no more priviledge then every Saint hath had since the beginning of the world yet they reigne not on earth over their corporall enemies as the fifth Monarchy or power which is the minde of the Scripture as we have before abundantly proved ¶ 2 To his first proof viz. So are they Kings as they be Priests But they are Priests spiritually Therefore c. We say to the major and minor ten Millinary yeers that they shal be Priests on earth therfore joyntly they shall be Kings on earth And they shall in body sensibly offer up sacrifices on earth of praises and Hallelujahs Rev. 11. Rev. 14. Therefore they shall in the body sensibly reigne on earth The notion is changed but the place and thing is the same Therefore it is said Rev. 5.10 He hath made us Kings and Priests unto our God AND we shall reigne on earth And Rev. 20.4 shall reigne with Christ a thousand yeers The time and place sheweth what reigning it shall bee even such as to whom Kings and Nations shall bring their honour Rev. 21. But in heaven the Saints enjoy but not reign with Christ because Christ as Christ doth not there reigne as we have
is creation wee now look at not the qualifications themselves which is the businesse of the third Head in the next Section Isa 65.18 19. Be you glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I CREATE for behold I CREATE Jerusalem a REJOYCING and I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the voyce of weeping or crying shall be no more heard in her All which are spoken as a parcel of the glorious state of the New Heaven and Earth and New Jerusalem Consonant to St. Johns description of the New Heavens and New Earth and of holy New Jerusalem Rev. 21.1 2 3 4 5. That there is the voyce of triumph from Heaven saying The Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them c. And God shall wipe away all tears c. and there shall be no more sorrow c. because he that sate upon the Throne said Behold I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW write for these things are true ¶ 4 There shall be at that time created a desence upon or over the Saints over the Church and over all their glory so that their glorious enjoyment in that glorious estate on earth shall not bee subject as formerly to any invasions subversions interruptions or diminutions from any power on earth or in hell Isa 4. verse 4 5. When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion then the Lord will CREATE upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion and upon her assemblies a cloud of smoake by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night alluding to the pillar of fire that lead Israel in the wildernesse for UPON ALL THE GLORY SHALL BE A DEFENCE So that what ever shall be hereafter affirmed in this our sixth Book according to the Scriptures touching the excellency of the RESTITUTION or glorious state of all things yet to be on earth shall be an established estate that no enemy shall be able in the least to remove or molest But why do the Scriptures cal this RESTAURATION or RESTITUTION a Creation Surely because of the great likenesse if not samenesse in kinde with the first Creation as to the Physical notion thereof both in regard of matter manner parts and end ¶ 1 As for matter as the immediate Creation viz. of the Chaos was of nothing so mediate Creation viz. of particulars out of that Chaos was of nothing such nothing so or no such thing as into which it was created So that as the first sort of creation was of absolute nothing so the second comparatively or equivalently of nothing For what was the confused clouded Chaos towards the forming of light life and beauty c Even so in this New creation the world shall be asit were resolved into a Chaos again All things shall be in a most confused and forlorne condition men shall be stript of humanity the earth shall be an Aceldoma and Golgotha all things full of unparalleld troubles as our Saviour describes Matth. 24. And lo then shall Christ appeare most gloriously to new-create all things as t is in that same 24. of Matth. Just as we find it Prophesied throughout the Old Testament in most of the Prophesies afore discussed as Hos 3 4 5. Dan 12.1 c. that Christ shall restore all things in the most desolate and Miserable times Most suitable matter for that efficient who is to worke upon it The best cause to worke upon the worst matter He that is All-things yea more then All-things the All-sufficient Almighty to worke upon those nothings who can worke better on that worst then the best of creatures can upon the best and most prepared things For materiam superabit opus the workmanship shall exceed the matter So that as God alone was able and did educe out of those nothings Gen. 1. this beautifull Fabricke of the world so Christ Jesus our Lord shall out of those worse-then-nothings create this glorious new world of which we treat ¶ 2 For manner also it is a Creation in that like the creation of the first world the main parts of this New shal be made in an instant It is true that the Philosophers say that generation is ex nihilo tali in instanti of a nothing so and in an instant as plants of seeds birds of egges beasts of their Semen as are likewise the bodies of men But this Philosophical Generation notwithstanding in the first part viz. that it is of that which is nothing so is far below the lowest namely Mediate Creation in that generation is by very many previous dispositions and various successive preparations of the matter gradually bringing those bodies to their kinde whereas Creation even mediate creation in one act brings forth every thing perfect at once As for the second part of their description of generation that it is done in an instant that is the forme is introduced in an instant I think excepting mens souls it is a meer tradition and fable grounded upon another fiction of wit that material forms are substances which being beleeved in the Schools hath brought in with it a many inextricable knots as how the formes of the Elements remaiâ—e in the mixed body compounded of them how the forme is educed out of the power of the matter as they affirme and yet the forme is a substance of a different nature from the matter and is a distinct co-ordinate essential principle in specie How a sword killing an horse or the like drives out one forme and brings in another or else there were more then one forme afore or else matter may subsist without a forme c. whereas creation yea mediate creation introduceth all formes of things yea and of men too in an instant As we see in the First Creation in every dayes worke It was but said Let it be so and presently it was so And so proportionably will it be in the New Creation that by parts Christ will doe great things suddenly First The call of the Jewes shall be on a sudden Isa 66.8 Who hath heard such a thing who hath seen such things shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day or shall a Nation be borne at ONCE For as soon as Zion travelled she brought forth her children Secondly The appearance of Christ shall be on a sudden Matth. 24.27 As the lightning commeth out of the East and shineth even to the West so also shall the comming of the Sonne of man be Thirdly The change of beleevers surviving at Christs comming shall be in a moment in the twinkling of an eye 1 Cor. 15.51 Behold I shew unto you a MYSTERY we shall not all sleep but we shall all be CHANGED in a moment in the twinkling of an eye Fourthly The resurrection of the deceased Saints at Christs comming shall be in like manner Ibid. 1 Cor. 15.52 We shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump For the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall
happinesse then it must not be taken from them by the old misery of death If all the Elect dead and alive must reigne on earth a thousand yeers as we have proved then there must be no death to cut this time shorter They doe not reigne if subject in the thousand yeers to that great enemy Death Nor do any of them live a thousand yeers if by succession they dye in that thousand yeers If there shall be no more sorrow nor cries nor paines as wee heard afore how then can this Man-eater death continue If sinne be gone why should death remaine § 2 But to leave discourses and come to plaine places of Scripture which are divers ¶ 1 Isa 25.8 He i. e. the Lord mentioned in the former verses will swallow up death in victory and the Lord God will wipe away all tears from off all faces and the rebuke of his people c. Wee before demonstrated that this place belongs to the glorious time we speake of sc when the Jewes are called And you see how full it speaks to the thing of the removal of death Calvin confesseth that this is under Christs Kingdome and addes under Christs universal Kingdom And sure Christ as Christ hath no Kingdom in heaven after the ultimate judgement nor universal now ¶ 2 Another place is in Hos 13.14 I will ransome them from the power of the grave And I will redeem them from death O death I will be thy plagues O grave I wil be thy destruction Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes Which place is evidently spoken to Ephraim the ten Tribes verse 12. therefore this cannot relate to the return of the two Tribes from Babylon And it is as evident that more then a spiritual deliverance of a mans soul from death in sin is meant in that here is joyned deliverance from the grave with deliverance from death And twice a mention of grave But much adoe there is with some that would faine make this Text a continuation of the Prophets minatory speech in the former Chapter But the words are plaine words of mercy and a Prophesie of mercy quoted by Paul not onely that God can doe such a thing as in the Text but that he will do it Again how common is it for the Prophets in their preaching mifericordias cum minis mifcere to mingle mercies with minatories So that they may as well say almost that the 14. Chapter is a continuation of threatnings It is frequent in this Prophesie to make threats and comforts so take their turnes Chap. 1. Chap. 2. c. And to me it is plaine and evident that as it is noted in our English Translation at verse 9. begins a Sermon of mercy and so is continued to the end of the 14. verse It is said in verse 9. O Israel thou not I hast destroyed thy self Thou hast brought thy misery on thy selfe But I will be thy King where is any other to save thee in all thy Cities So plainly according to Heb. And for experience the Lord tells Ephraim that the King they desired and had could not save them And therefore God was their onely saving King and therefore was not pleased in giving them a King and in anger did he take away Kings from them because of their confidence in them but this taking them away would make way for their imbracing God for their King according to that which follows in the ensuing promises As for verse 12. The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up and hid Hiding as well sounds of justification and pardon of sin Psal 32.1 Rom. 4.7 as of punishment And for the 13. verse close to the Hebrew thus Sorrows of a woman in travel will come upon him viz. Ephraim He an unwise Sonne * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If vid. Schindl if he shall stay long in the breaking forth of children i. e. in the straitnesse of the womb i. e. If by repentance he doe not help himselfe out of his sorrows But however verse 14. I sayes the Lord if Ephraim be unwise and helps not himselfe yet I the Lord will ransome them c. as aforesaid Sure enough these words are plaine for the point in hand even as both those two places aforesaid are severall times quoted in the New Testament and applied to a state that is to be afore the ultimate day of judgement ¶ 3 For 1. both places seem to mee to be touched in 1 Cor. 15.54 55. As our new notes on the Bible concur with mee For in the 54. verse seems to be quoted Isa 25.8 For the Apostles words are plainly the same with Isaiah Death is swallowed up in victory And in 55. verse seems a quotation of Hos 13.14 For the Apostles challenge is plainly according to Hosea O grave where is thy victory Secondly The Apostle makes application of the fulfilling of these Prophesies to be at the time we speak of sc of the visible glory of the Church on earth For which observe these particulars First The Apostle mentions our restitution to our state in the first Adam by Christ the second Adam v. 49. compared with Psal 8. As Psal 8. with Gen. 1.26 to which end the visible glorious state of the Church is set out by having a Fountain and Tree of life alluding to Paradise Rev. 22. All which import a state upon earth Secondly That the Apostle mentions the time to be at the sound of the last Trumpet importing other Trumpets to sound first so that the last Trumpet is the seventh as John numbers them not hid from Paul Now from the beginning of the sounding of the seventh Trumpet so many things follow as wee have several times demonstrated that there must of necessity be a state of the Churches visible glory before the ultimate day of judgement For when Rev. 11.15 the seventh Angel sounded then First There was an Earthquake v. ibid. Secondly A proclaiming that the Kingdomes of the earth are the Kingdomes of Christ v. 15. Christ shall reign for ages of ages till time be no more ibid. Fourthly Saints sing praise for it v. 16 17. Fifthly Christ takes to him his great power and now reigns v. 17. Sixthly Nations are angry at it v. 18. Seventhly The Saints are raised and rewarded v. 18. Eighthly A destroying of them that destroyed the earth and care is taken of the earth v. 18. Ninthly The Temple of God is opened and the Arke discovered v. 19. Tenthly Lightinings and thundrings and earthquakes and great haile v. 19. All these here beside that in Rev. 20. Rev. 21. Rev. 22. From the beginning of the seventh Trumpet to the end of it Now let any ingenuous man judge by these ten particulars whether they are consistent with heaven above and whether they must not necessarily import a state on earth So that the Apostle here in this 1 Cor. 15. mentioning the raising of the Saints the cloathing of them with incorruption and the changing of them that are alive quoting those two
C Gaius Dionysius Alexandrinus and Eusebius most falsely to have fathered the opinion of the thousand yeers with a mixture of abhorred impieties and absurdities upon Cerinthus is proved fully out of the best Antiquity Page 372 The qualities of men in the future glorious state on earth shall be Co-ordinate Page 523 Chiliasme vindicated from voluptuousnesse Page 372 The Chaos preceding the glorious state Page 497 The new Creation of the glorious state Page 499 No Church-Censures in the glorious state held forth in this Treatise Page 523 No procreation of Children in the glorious state treated of in this Book Page 523 In that state shall be a restauration of all the Creatures Page 526 Item a confluence of all comforts Page 533 How the six dayes work of the first Creation typifie the state of the New Creation according to the opinion of the Rabbins Page 428 How according to the opinion of the Author Page 502 D Dionysius Alexandrinus in Eusebius confuted in his standering the opinion of the thousand yeers Page 372 The Dimensions of the glorious state held forth in their Treatise Page 505 That state also shall be Death-lesse Page 515 No desertions in that state Page 523 No Decay in that state ibid. E Eusebius Pamphylus justly reproved and confuted for his facile and simple credulity to Gaius and Alexandrinus falsely calumniating the Doctrine of the thousand yeers Page 372 F No Fears in the glorious state intended in this Treatise Page 523 G Gaius mentioned in Eusebius reproaching the opinion touching the thousand yeers confuted Page 372 Divers opinions about Gog and Magog Page 427 Jews confesse they shal have a strivng with Gog and Magog after their return into their own Country with their Scripture proofs thereof Page 426 H Hieronymus alias Jeroms jeers jirkings at the proofs of the glorious state to come discussed and confuted 369 The confession of beathens touching the glorious state on earth yet to come 414 I Jerom opposing the 1000 yeers confuted See Hieronimus Jerom reproved for it by Mr. Mede 435 How Christs intercession doth doth not remain in the future glorious state on earth 485 K King Edwards Catechism set forth by his authority and brought by the Bishops to M. Philpots trial expounds the Petition in the Lords Prayer Thy KINGDOM come of this GLORIOVS KINGDOM ON EARTH YET TO COME of which this Book doth treat 438 L Of the Saints living a 1000 y. on earth 53 Of the cleering of Lactantius touching voluptuous Chiliasme 435 M The confession of the Mahumetans acknowledging in substance the summe of the general position of this Treatise 418 No humane ruling Majesty in the glorious state on earth yet to come 523 N The voice of Nature for this restauration or Nature in all things groans by Natural instinct for this restauration of all things on earth yet to come which must be fulfilled God never impressing any kind of Natural instinct on the species of things in vain See largely 526 O Objections against our arguments for the general Thesis refelled 495 P The general Position propounded 1 The general Position expounded 2 The Position divided into two parts viz. I That Christ shal visibly appear in person 2 That under him the Saints shal sensibly and properly reign 77 Dr. Prideaux his arguments answered 443 Dr. Pareus answered 471 No procreation of children in the glorious state intended in this Treatise 523 The priviledges in that glorious state 536 All Prophesies shall then be fulfilled 536 Q Ten Qualifications or Qualities of the glorious state yet to come upon earth with several other consequences from those ten 507 At that time shall bee a perfection of all Qualities 532 R Of the Jewish Rabbins confession of the main of this Treatise 410 In the glorious state we speak of shall be a Restauration of all the creatures 526 S Ten Scriptures out of the N. Testament to prove the visible appearance of Christ to the Church on earth at the great Restauration 78 Five places out of the old Testament to prove the same 170 666 is fitted to be the Antichristian numeral name of Turk and Pope 87 One and fifty Scriptures out of the O. Testament collated with those allegation of them in the New to prove that there shal be yet on earth a glorious state of al things 115 c. The glorious state intended in this Treatise shall be sin-lesse 507 It shall also bee sorrowlesse 511 An abundant pouring out of the Spirit shall then be 538 12 Scriptures in the N. Testament to prove that there shal be yet on earth a most glorious state of all things 377 to 406 T Of the Saints living gloriously a THOVSAND YEERS on earth 55 Of their Reigning there so LONG 66 Of their Reigning with Christ THERE that while 68 More of the space of time of 1000 Y. of the Saints reigning with Christ on earth 74 The doctrine of the 1000 yeers vindicated from voluptuous Chiliasme 372 The state in that time shal be Temptation-lesse 525 The glorious state shal be a Time-lesse condition viz. more like eternity 530 536 V The voyce or vote of al Nations confesseth in substance the Tenet of a glorious c. 413 Our Tenet little lesse then the voice of the law of nature 434 A full answer to an universal objection 492 The state of the thousand yeers vindicated from voluptuousnesse 369 c. 479 c. W What in particular the glorious state held forth in this Treatise shal be 464 No wants in that State 523 The six dayes Works of the Creation applied by the R. to typifie the new Creation 428 FINIS
END and the judgement of the immortal God shall come to mortals then shall come upon men the GREAT JUDGEMENT and the BEGINNING c. as 't is in that Sibyl But saith Lactantius speaking to this of the Sibyl Neverthelesse all universally shall not bee then judged of God but those onely which are verst in the Religion of God The Poets saith Lactantius in the 22. Chap. of the aforesaid Book by Poetical licentiousnesse corrupted that which they had received for in that they fang That men having finished a thousand yeers among the dead they should be restored to life again as Virgil saith When all these soules have turned the wheele at the forgetfull RIVER of death by the space of a thousand yeers God cals forth these unmindfull in a great Troup that they may see againe these places that are upon the convex face of the earth and shall againe begin willingly to return to their bodies Herein their understanding deceived them saith Lactantius That the dead shall rise againe not after a thousand yeers of their death but that being restored to life againe they may REIGNE A THOUSAND YEERS WITH GOD. By God Lactantius meanes Christ as he openly explained himselfe but a little afore Of which Resurrection saith Lactant. Chap. 23. the Philosophers also endeavoured to say something as corruptly as the Poets For Pythagoras disputed that the soules of the deceased did passe into new bodies but foolishly as hee said himselfe was made up of Euphorbus his soule Chrysippus spake better who as Cicero saith established the Porch of the Stoicks he in his books which hee wrote concerning PROVIDENCE speaking of the renovation of the World brings in this Seeing * things are so it appears it is not impossible that we also when we have finished this present life after certain wheelings about of times should bee restored again into this very estate in which we now are And the Sibyl saith thus It is hard indeed to beleeve but when the judgement of the world and of Mortals shall come hee shall send the wicked into darknesse c. but those that imbrace godlinesse SHALL AGAINE LIVE UPON EARTH GOD GIVING THEM BOTH SPIRIT HONOUR and LIFE Chap. 24. Lactantius faith I will adde the rest Therefore saith he the SONNE of the Highest and Greatest God shall come that hee may judge both quicke and dead according to that of the Sibyl Then shall there bee confusion of all mortals of the whole earth and the OMNIPOTENT himselfe shall come upon his Tribunal to judge the soules of quicke and dead and all the world But when hee shall doe that saith Lactantius and shall restore the just that have beene from the beginning unto life hee shall * converse among men a thousand * yeeres and shall rule them with * a most righteous Government Which somewhere the Sibyl proclaimes Hear me O yee men the eternal King doth reigne c. Then saith Lactantius They that shall bee alive in their bodies shall not dye but by the space of those THOUSAND yeeres shall generate an infinite multitude and their off-spring shall bee holy c. And they * that shall bee raised from the * dead shall bee OVER THE DEAD AS JUDGES But the Gentile Nations shall not bee utterly extinguished but some shall bee left for the victory of God that they may bee triumphed over by the just and brought under the yoake of perpetual servitude A little afore that the Prince of Devils the forger of all evil shall bee * bound with chaines and shall * bee in hold all the THOUSAND * yeer es of THECELESTIAL EMPIRE under which righteousnesse shall reign over the world After whose coming the just shall bee gathered together from all parts of the earth c. and the holy Câ—â—IE shall bee placed in the * midst of the earth in which the BUILDER thereof GOD together with his just ones ruling shall ABIDE Which City the * Sibyl thus points out And the City which God made the same hee made brighter then the Sunne Moone or Starres Then all darknesse shall bee taken away c. The Moone shall bee as bright as the Sunne and the Sunne sevenfold brighter then it is c. The earth shall abound with fruitfulnesse c. The whole nature of all things shall joy in freedome from dominion of evill All beasts and birds not preying on one another shall bee at peace one with another c. quoting the Poets touching the golden Age shewing their error in this that mistaking the Prophets who for the certainty of things spake of them as past though minded them as to come they thought they were all past Alleadging also the Sibyls that in divers places affirme that men shall live a most quiet and plentiful life and shall reigne together with God and the Kings of the Nations shall come from the bounds of the earth with their gifts and shall adore and honour the great King c. These things saith Lactantius Chap. 25. are those which are spoken by the Prophets that they shall come to passe whose ☞ testimonies and words I deemed not needfullto set downe because it would bee an infinite worke If any aske when those things shall come to passe I but now said above that that * change must needs bee when * SIX THOUSAND YEERS * shall bee compleated and that chiefe day of the last con ☞ clusion of them doth now draw neer Touching the signes you may know them by the Prophets c. when this summe of six thousand yeeres shall bee compleat they teach who have wrote of the quantity of the number of yeers since the Creation according as they have gathered it out of the holy Scriptures and divers Histories which Writers although they vary and the summe of their number differs yet every mans expectation seems to bee not beyond two hundred yeers hence Yea the thing it selfe shews that the fall and ruine of things will bee in a short time * onely the CITY of ROME being now in safety there seems no cause of feare in any such thing But when that head of * the World shall fall and bee * a RUINE instead of ROME * as the Sibylls foretell who * doubts but the end to humane affaires and the whole World is now come Wee said saith Lactantius Chap. 26. a little afore that in the beginning of the holy Kingdome it shall bee that the Prince of Devils shall be bound by God But that same Prince when the one thousand yeers that * is when the 7000 yeers shall * begin to determine hee shall bee loosed againe c. and shall stir up all Nations under the dominion of the just to warre against the holy City whereupon innumerable people shall bee gathered together who shall besiege it Then shall the last wrath of God come upon the Nations and overthrow them unto one man with many terrible shakings c. of the earth and other wonderfull signes c. and infinite
slaughters of the wicked the just the meane while being hidden The last judgement upon the wicked Nations being ended the just shall come forth of their hiding places and shall finde all covered with dead carcasses c. All the race of wicked men utterly destroyed Nor shall there bee in this world any more any Nation but the Nation of God Then for seven yeers there shall bee no hewing down of woods c. And now there shall bee no more war but peace and rest eternal * And when the THOUSAND yeers shal bee compleatly ended * the World shall bee made new by God and the heavens shall bee folded together and the earth shall bee changed and God shall transforme men into the similitude of Angels and they shall be as white as snow and shall converse alwayes in sight of the Omnipotent c. At that time shall bee that SECOND and pullike Resurrection of all in which the unjust shall be cast into eternal torments This is the Doctrine of the holy Prophets which wee Christians follow So farre Lactantius neer 1400 yeers since I thought it too much to write out all the Latine and Greeke for the Learned seeing they may have recourse to the Author himselfe And I thought it too much to render all the Latine here into English lest I should burden the English Reader Tu es Sacerdos in aevum Nec Sacerdos autem Ezechias ne in aevum etsi fuisset At in CHRISTUM conveniet ordo Melchisedec quoniam quidem CHRISTUS proprius legitimus Dei antistes Praeputiati sacerdotii pontifex tum in Nationibus Constitutus a quibus magis suscipi habebat Cognituram se quandoque circumcisionem Abrahae Gentem quum ultimò acceptione benedictione dignabitur Tertul. l. 5. contra Marcion in Pros cap. 9. LACTANTIUS Tertulliano secundus praeceptor testanti Bucholcero crispi Caesaris filii Constantini vir disertissimus floruit Anno post Christum 314. qui in 7 INSTITUTIONUM DIVINARUM libro ad Constantium ut asseritur scripto splendenti tunc temporis tantâ religionis gloriâ haec habet verba Ut inquit Cap. 1. istius libri in quarto libro de primo Domini adventu diximus sic in hoc secundum referamus adventum QUEM JUDAEI QUOQUE ET CONFITENTUR ET SPERANT c. quoniam necesse est ad eos CONSOLANDOS REVERTATUR ad quos CONVOCANDOS prius venerat Dispositione inquit Cap. 2. summi Dei sic ordinatum ut injustum hoc seculum decurso temporum spatio terminum sumat extinctâque protinus omni malitiâ piorum animis ad beatam revocatis quietum tranquillum pacificum aâ—â—eum denique seculum Deo ipso regnante florescat Plato inquit Lactantius Cap. 14. multi alii Philosophorum cum ignorarent originem rerum supremumque illud tempus quo mundus esset effectus multa millia seculorum fluxisse dixerunt ex quo hic pulcherrimus mundi extiterit ornarus sicuti fortasse Chaldaei qui un Cic. tradidit in lib. de divinatione primo quadringenta septuaginta millia annorum Monumontis Comprehensa se habere delirant c. Nos autem quos divinae literae ad scientiam veritatis erudiunt principium mundi finemque cognovimus de quo nunc in fine operis disseremus quoniam de principio in secundo libro explicavimus Sciant igitur Philosophi qui ab exordio mundi enumerant seculorum millia nondum sextum millessimum annum esse Conclusum quo numero expleto Consummationem fieri necesse est ET HUMANARUM RERUM STATUM IN MELIUS REFORMARI Cujus rei argumentum prius est enarrandum quo ratio elucescat Mundum Deus hoc rerum naturae admirabile opus sicut arcanis facrae Scripturae continetur sex dierum spatio consummavit diemque septimum quo ab operibus suis requieverat sanxit Hic autem est dies Sabbathi qui linguâ Hebraeorum a numero nomen accepit unde septenarius numerus legitimus ac plenus est Nam dies septem sunt quibus per vicem revolutis orbes conficiuntur annorum septem steilae quae non occidunt septem sydera que vocantur errantia quorum dispares cursus inaequales motus rerum ac temporum varietates efficere creduntur Ergo quoniam sex diebus cuncta Dei opera perfecta sunt per secuta sex id est annorum sex millia manere in hoc statu mundum necesse est Dies enim magnus Dei Mille annorum circulo terminatur sicut indicat Propheta qui dicit ANTE OCULOS TUOS DOMINE MILLE ANNI tanquam DIES UNUS Et ut Deus sex illos dies in tantis rebus fabricandis Laboravit it a religio ejus veritas in his sex millibus annorum laborare necesse est MALITIAPRAE VALENTE AC DOMINANTE Et rursus quoniam perfectis operibus requievit die septimo eumque benedixit necesse est ut in fine sexti millesimi anni MALITIA OMNIS ABOLEATUR E TERRA REGNET PER ANNOS MILLE JUSTITIA SITQUE TRANQUILLITAS REQVIES A LABORIBUS QUOS MUNDUS TAMDIU PERPESSUS EST. Verùm quatenus id eveniat ordine suo explicabo Saepe diximus minora exigua magnorum figuras praemonstrationes esse hunc diem nostrum qui ortu solis occasuque finitur diei magni speciem gerere quem circuitus annorum determinat Eodem medo etiam figuratio terreni hominis Caelestis populi praeferebat in posterum fictionem Nam sicut perfectis omnibus quae in usum hominis molitus est Deus ipsum hominem sexto die ultimum fecit eumque induxit in hunc mundum tanqam in domum diligenter instructam ita nunc sexto die magno verus homo verbo Deifingitur id est sanctus populus doctrinâ praeceptis Dei ad justitiam figuratur Et sicut tunc mortalis aque imperfectus e lerrâ fictus est ut mille annis in hoc mundo viveret ITA NUNC EX HOC TERRESTRI SECULO PERFECTUS HOMO FINGITUR UT VIVIFICATUS A DEO IN HOC EODEM MUNDO PERANNOS MILLE DOMINETUR Est inquit Lactantius Cap. 15. in arcanis sacrarum literarum transcendisse in Aegyptum cogente inoptâ rei frumentariae principem Hebraeorum cum omnidomo cognatione Cujus posteri cùm diutiùs in Aegypto commorantes in magnam gentem crevissent in gravi atque intoler ando servitutis jugo premerentur percussit Aegyptum Deus insanabili plagâ populum suum liberavit traductum medio mari cùm discissis fluctibus in utramique partem dimotis per siccum populus graderetur Conatusque rex Aegyptiorum profugos insequi Coeunte in statum suum pelago cum omnibus copiis interceptus est Quod facinus tam clarum tamque mirabile quamvis ad praesens virtutem Dei hominibus ostenderet tamen prefiguratio figura majoris rei fuit quam Deus idem in extremâ