the thoughts of idolatry Iosh 22. the Lord God of Gods the Lord God of Gods he knowes and Israel he shall know say the two Tribes and an halfe to the ten being accused of an intention to revolt from God if it be in rebellion or if in transgression against the Lord save us not this day that we have built us an Altar to turne from following the Lord c. let the Lord himselfe require it Iosh 22.22 23. Much more shall the Reformation be excellent in the last ages wherein it is promised that there shall be new heavens and new earth new Church and new Common-wealth wherein righteousnesse shall dwell 2 Pet. 3.13 In the amplitude and extent of the Church before it was sometimes contained within the narrow bounds of Jury afterwards the Nations of the Gentiles had it successively first the easterne Nations then the westerne c. But now the Church shall be generally if not universally spread over all the world The Kingdomes of the world that is all the Kingdomes of the world shall become the Kingdomes of our Lord and of his Christ Revel 11.15 And so when the judgement hath sate and the Beasts Kingdome is consumed to the end then and not before then the Kingdome Dominion and the greatnesse of the Kingdome under the whole heaven it seemes to be spoken without all hyperbole shall be given to the people of the Saints of the most high Dan. 7.26.27 When the stone that is the Kingdome of Christ hath smitten the Image upon the feet and broken them to pieces it selfe shall become a great Mountaine and fill the whole earth Dan. 2.35 Then shall all Nations rejoyce in Christ Psal 67.2 3 4. then a great multitude not of a few but of all Nations and Kindreds and Peoples and Tongues shall stand before the Throne and before the Lambe praising God Rav. 7.9 Nations shall be borne in a day Isa 66.8 All Nations shall serve him Dan. 7. ult In the excellency of the government Christ shall then take to himselfe his great power and reigne Rev. 11.17 and the Saints under him The Saints of the most high shall take the Kingdome and possesse it for ever even for ever and ever age after age for many ages Dan. 7.18.27 they shall reigne on the earth Rev. 5. to 20.4.6 a thousand yeares They shall then indeed be the head and the wicked the taile Many tough and tedious disputes about government which exercise the Church now may haply be of small use in that Reformation It is to consist in the affluence and confluence both of spirituall and externall prosperity for the Lord having humbled and broken his by the earthquake may now trust them The Church hath been before like an homely huswife or like a poore woman living in a cave having scarce a rag to cover her nakednesse and bringing up her Children very hardly whereas Antichrists Strumpet in the meane while hath beene gorgeously attired in Purple with gold and precious-stones and pearles but now the Church shall be like a bride adorned for her husband Rev. 21.2 Now her peace shall be as the Rivers the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour to her Rev. 21.24.26 Wait for it and hasten it by faith and prayer Use unbeliefe doth a world of mischiefe Our Saviour could not doe many mighty workes in his owne Country because of their unbeliefe Mat. 13.58 see also chap. 17.16 17 20. How it hindred the healing of the Lunatick the old Israelites for unbeleefe were debarred from entering into the Land of Promise Heb. 3.19 It hindered the building of the second Temple for it is remarkable that whilest the Jewes gave over the worke upon the complaints of their adversaries and the inhibitions of the Persian Kings unto whom they were then subject it never prospered but when they hearkned to the Prophets Haggai and Zechary and beleeved the promises which they brought from God they went on thoroughly and perfected the worke the Persian King Darius Nothus though the adversaries afresh complained consenting who also forbad their adversaries to hinder them upon their greatest poenalties yea commanded them with all possible diligence to further the Jewes in the worke God who hath the hearts of Kings in his hand so framing that Kings heart that he entreated the Iewes to pray for his life and the life of his Sonnes He had lost one or two before and now feared he should lose the rest Ezra 6. and this was almost six score yeares after they had laid the first foundation for in divers Kings reignes they were absolutely hindred Ezra 4. and were at times six and fourty yeares as it seemes in building it Iohn 2.20 I shall never see this Reformation Quest Thou canst not certainly tell Answ 1 the eye sees the Sunne I doubt not that shall see the beginning thereof Seeing thou wilt buy houses and lands yea reversions which thou never lookest to enjoy thy selfe for thine heires forward this for their sakes to come that the little ones may goe in and see that good land c. Faith is the substance of things hoped for it breeds such an apprehension of things promised and to come as gives comfort and confidence concerning them as we may behold in Abraham who rejoyced to see the day of Christ so many hundred yeares before it came Iohn 8.56 and in the old Saints Hebr. 11.13.40 who beleeving in him to come were saved Thou maist by the tastes of these clusters of Grapes set before thee in the former Priviledges discerne what a good Land it is Thou mayest by them as from off the top of Mount Pisgah behold it with thine eyes and view the Land round about The beleeving praeapprehension of these things will give a sweet fruition of them in measure before hand unto the godly Lastly beleeve and wait and though thou misse thy part in the new Ierusalem here on earth yet shalt thou certainly be a Sharer in that Ierusalem which is eternall in the Heavens FINIS A passage or two pretermitted 1 The westerne Roman Empire was the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or that which did let the appearing of Antichrist which when it was taken away then was the man of sinne revealed 2 Thes 2.6 7 8. This belongs to the first Indice spoken of in the fourth Signe 2. The two Witnesses include all those that did sustaine the Cause of Christ against Antichrist and his Gentiles for the Text divides all within the visible Church during Antichrist's reigne into two ranks and no more viz. two Witnesses or Prophets the same are called worshippers and Gentiles Rev. 11.1 2 3. 3. The 1260. dayes of the Witnesses and the 42. months of the Beast begin and end together For else Christ should have none to be for him during some part of Antichrist's reigne For none are for him but the Witnesses Besides the Church was to be all that time in the Wildernesse for which provision is made Rev. 12.6.14 Errata Page 1. line 9. read ranne l. 10. r. houses p. 2. l. 12. r. Ezra 3. p. 3. l. 7. r. hieroglyphicall p. 6. l. 9. r. Tabernacle p. 13. l. 9. r. penitent p. 36. l. 19. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 41. l. 6. r. learned Curteous Reader if there be any more verball or literall mistakes as I doubt there are many pardon the Printers over-sight and correct them with thy Pen.
REYNER BABYLONS ruining Earth-quake and the restauration of ZION Haggai 2.6 7. For thus saith the Lord of Hosts yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land And I will shake all Nations and the desire of all Nations shall come and I will fill this House with glory saith the Lord of Hosts THE Prophet Haggai lived and flourished after the returne from the Captivity of Babylon His prophecy is spent partly in reproving the people of the Jewes for their negligence in not building the Temple of the Lord appointed for his worship partly in declaring Gods hand against them for the same in their Corne Cattell and otherwise because they came to build and even to siele their owne house and let Gods House lye waste partly in exhorting and encouraging them unto the building This last he doth diversly First he tels them the Lord was with them chap. 1. ver 13. chap. 2. ver 4. And that therefore they need not feare the oppositions of their enemies who formerly so often as ever they began to build did by their complaints to the Kings of Persia still stop the worke and that his spirit did remaine among them now this was to be done not by might not by power but by the spirit of the Lord as Zec. his contemporany Prophet tels them Zech. 4.6 even against might and against power and this according to the Covenant he made with them when they came out of Aegypt chap. 2. ver 5. Next he assures them that the disire of all Nations should come to this house and that he would fill it with glory And whereas this house might seem to be a despicable and contemptible thing compared with the sumptuous Temple of Salomon that was before it which made the old men weepe when they saw the foundations of it first laid Ezra 1.12 he comforts them against that and tels them that the silver and gold are his so that if true glory had consisted in them he could have given them in aboundance for the adorning of this second Temple but he had a greater glory to bestow upon it namely Christ and in this place he would give peace viz. by Christ the Prince of peace unto his people The words may be divided into two parts First a Commination against the Nations as an antecedent or a thing that in act and execution should goe before Secondly a consolation unto the Church as a consequent or a thing that in accomplishment should follow after the Commination The Commination is in these words I will shake the Heavens and the Earth c. I will shake all Nations the Consolation in the words following and that consists of a double promise First The desire of all Nations shall come Secondly God will fill this house with glory Both these are set out by two circumstances First of the person that saith these things secondly of the time First the person Who is it that saith this Answ He that is able to make good what he saith thus saith the Lord of Hosts and this to make all more sure is put both before and after the Commination and Consolation Secondly we have the circumstance of time and that is double First Quoties how often shall this be before Christ come Answ Once Secondly Quando or quam diù when or how long is it before it be Answ ere it be long yet a little while The sense of the Words The Prophets living in the Easterne regions did frequently use the phrase and stile of the Easterne Nations they did not alwayes in a plaine down-right manner declare things as they be as we for the most part doe but did use many high phrases tropicall speeches and other figurative exornations many continued metaphors or allegorie's aenigma's and darke riddles hyperbolees and excessive speeches many emblematicall and hieroglificall expressions these puzzle us when we read them but were familiar to the people of those times and places Heavens were used not onely for the coelestiall bodies above but sometimes to set forth a State of dignity and prosperity Earth a state of mediocrity hell of adversity Againe sometimes heavens were used to set forth things appertaining to the Church or ecclesiastick State earth things appertaining to the Common-Weale or civill State as we shall heare afterwards Seas and dry Land making up the whole Orbe of the universe are put comprehensively and extensively to signifie the extent of this shaking so as it should be of all the world round about as it is interpreted even in the next Words I will shake all Nations see further verse 22. By shaking we are to understand the raising of great stirres in those Nations among all estates whereby great alterations should follow and desolations That such a sense is not insolent in the Scriptures we may see in an instance or two Isa 14.12 13 14 15. How art thou fallen from Heaven O Lucifer sonne of the morning c. Thou saidest I will ascend into Heaven I will exalt my throne above the Starres of God c. Yet thou shalt be brought downe to hell c. Who was this Lucifer Answ None other but the King of Assyria as appeares by the context What were the Heavens and Starres he exalted himself above Answ The great estates and Princes of the world compared thereto What Heaven was he fallen from Answ from his high Soveraigne Dignity and Majesty To what hell was he brought downe Answ To utter confusion and ruine for not long after this an hundred eighty five thousand of his Army were slaine by the Angell of God in one night himself shortly after killed by his owne sonnes in his Idols Temple and a little while after this his whole Kingdome brought to destruction and the Soveraignity transferred to another Family viz. that of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon and that Kingdome at length also ruined Look upon another instance Jer. 4.23 24. I beheld the earth and be hold it was without forme and voyd and the Heavens and they had no light I beheld the Mountaines and loe they trembled and all the Hils moved lightly c. Did the Prophet Jeremy indeed see any such thing was the earth like an old confused Chaos without all forme and voyd so as no Grasse nor Tree did grow upon it had the Heavens so lost their light as that neither Sun Moon or Startes did shine Did Jeremy see the Hils to skippe and leap No such matter surely but this was all the meaning that there was a great confusion in the Land among all estates both in Church and Common-weale as appeares in the verses following which tell us that the fruitfull places were even become a Wildernesse the Cities broken downe and the whole Land desolate Let us goe on in the interpretation And the desire of all Nations shall come Some understand this of Beleevers the desirable people of all Nations others of other things but no doubt
it is meant concerning Christ by anticipation who was to be afterwards the desire of the Nations The words are to be read thus Object The desire of all Nations they shall come a Noune of the singular number joyned to a Verb of the plurall and therefore they cannot be meant of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The learned in the Hebrew affirme such a Synrax Answ not to be unusuall among the Hebrewes and namely when they set forth the dignity and excellency of a person so that we may take it thus Christ cloathed with all his Excellencies Attributes Offices and Merits shall come Neither doe I see why this should be more absurd then the joyning of a Noune of the plurall number to a Verb of the singular as we find Gen. 1.1 In the beginning Godcreaâ—ed word for word Gods he created denoting out the Trinity of the persons in the God-head 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the unity of their Essence and Act in creating the World And I will fill this House with glory Not with an externall glory of silver and gold nor with a ceremoniall glory such as the Arke which was called the glory of Israel 1 Sam. 4.21 22. Psal 78.61 which was now quite taken away Jer. 3.16 for God would now teach them to take their hearts quite off from ceremonies and to look directly for the Messiah but he would fill it with the glorious presence of Christ who had the glory of the onely begotten Sonne of God John 1.14 who is the Lord of Glory James 2.1 who is the true Glory of Israel Luke 2.32 who shewes his people the way and is himselfe the undoubted means of glory Now from the words thus understood we may observe these two generall Doctrines one from the commination the other from the consolation First that great concussions Doctrine 1 shakings and alterations of States and Nations great warres and sometimes desolations both oft civill and ecclesiasticall State doe in the course of Gods administration often times goe before great and notable restaurations and Reformations of the Church Secondly Doctrine 2 great and excellent Reformations of the Church doe often times follow and ensue upon great combustions and concussions of Sates and Nations We will begin with the former of these and in opening of it observe this method First we will set downe some proofes and examples of it in the Scriptures Secondly give some grounds and reasons of the Lords proceedings in this manner such as the Scripture leads unto Thirdly we will declare some signes and indices of such an approching storme and earth-quake and then apply it First therefore we shall find such earth-quakes foretold and threatned before the Reformation of the Church wherein the Lord intends not to ruine the Church as we are apt to imagine but to restore and reforme it See for this Amos 9.8 9 10 11. Behold the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinfull Kingdomes and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob saith the Lord for loe I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among all Nations like as Corne is sifted in a sieve c. All the sinners of my people â—all dye by the sword which say the evill shall not overtake nor prevent us In that day will I raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen and close up the breaches thereof and I will raise up his ruines and I will build it as in the dayes of old c. Loe here the Lord will first destroy the sinfull Kingdome though not the whole Nation for those are two things He will sift the whole Nation so that no graine shall escape tossing and cut off the enormous transgressors among his people and then when this is done he will restore his Church set forth under the Type of the Tabernable of David as we see it expounded by the Apostle James Act. 15.14 15 16 17. other predictions we have of this kind Isa 4.1 2 3 4. Zech. 13.8 9. We shall also find instances in the Scriptures of such mighty earth-quakes in the course of Gods providence going before notable Reformations of the Church and we will begin with this mentioned in the Text. There have been foure famous Monarchies in the world the Babylonian the Persian the Graecian and the Roman Monarchies The Babylonian was lately fallen it was now about the middest of the Persian Kingdome which continued for some 228. years and then was utterly overthrowne by Alexander the Macedonian called Alexander the Great He brought in the Graecian Kingdome which continued divided amongst his successors but with infinite troubles 200. and odde yeers and then was subdued by the Romans All these great changes besides very great ones among the Romans themselves happened between the time that the Prophet Haggai flourished and the comming of Christ The people of God the people of the Jewes were under all these Monarchies Neh. 9.36 37. and held their Kingdom in vassalage of them and as tributaries to them and therefore must needs partake of their commotions as indeed they did for there were great alterations in the Jewish State both in Common-weale and Church For the civill State sometimes they were under a Prince of their owne Nation sometimes under a forreigne Governour as Pilate the Roman Deputy was over Jerusalem and the principall part of that Country in the time of our Saviour Sometimes they were under Princes of the house of David as Zerubbabel and others Sometimes their Princes were of another Tribe as the Macchabees who are said to be of Lev by the Fathers side and of the Tribe of Judah by the Mother till at length Herod the Idumaean tyrant by the favour of the Roman Emperours usurped the Kingdome slew Hircanus the King his Father-in law together with his owne Wife and Sonnes being all of the Blood-royall and line of David many of the Nobles of Iudah the whole Sanhedrim or Councell of Elders And so that prophesie of Iacob was fully accomplished Gen. 4â— 10 The Scepter shall not depart from Judah nor a Law-giver from between his feet untill Shiloh come meaning Christ Sometimes their Governour had the title of a Prince sometimes of a King they were now under a King then under a Queen as Alexandra Sometimes their Governour was both King and Priest as was Hircanus a little before our Saviour came in the flesh These changes were usually made with many mighty stirres and dismall battels There were semblably great changes in the ecclesiasticall Sate it seems they had sundry High-priests together sometimes as Luke 3.2 Annas and Caiaphas sometimes the High-priest was but annuall or but for a yeer in his office whereas by the law there was to be but one High-priest and he for terme of life There were divers different Sects of Religion risen up among them and some of them strange ones as Sadduces that denied the Resurrection