be that the Lord Christ will present the Church the bride the lambs wife the new Jerusalem to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but holy and without blemish Ephes. 5. 27. she namely the Church is accepted in the beloved now and fair and precious as being clothed with his purity and righteousness All now in the state of regeneration and living by faith is by imputation of his righteousness and as we are in him the reckoning and account stands good on the behalf of the servants of God but then that pure white linnen said to be the righteousnes of the saints their own so given unto them for their clothing at their raising and changing Rev. 10. 8. It was granted to the lambs wife that she should be arrayed in fine linnen clean and white for so is it sayd the fine linnen is the righteousness of saints they shall be like him when he appears Their bodyes that were vile shall be made like his glorious body very glorious and shining upon the whole we may well say with the spirit and the bride O come Lord Jesus come quickly CHAP. IV. Containing something further in a general way proposed concerning the mistery of all not dying but being changed in a moment In which some things neer relating to it with some scriptures of like tendency are discussed in way of essay THe holy Apostle Peter tells us Acts. 3. 20. 21. of a very happy time a time of refreshing from the presence of the Lord when God the father shall send Jesus Christ our Lord he that before was preached unto them that came in his humiliation dyed for our sins rose again for our justification ascended into heaven and is at the right hand of God in glory whom the heavens must contain be the place of his stay and abode till then namely till that time of refreshing come and the time of the restitution or restoration of all things that God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began This scripture comporteth in the tendency of it with that of Rom. 8. 23. being for matter and time much the same As in like manner this of the changing in a moment the desire and groaning of the creature as well as the servants of God that have the first fruits of the spirit as the earnest of it to wit that happy day when they shall possess it even their inheritance prepared for them 1. Pet. 1. 4. This groaning and desire after restoration this desire of freedom and the liberty of the sons of God seemeth to imply a former happy estate and condition which they would be at and enjoy again to wit that which Adam was created in He was created in the Image of God a perfect man in perfect freedom from sin sorrow miserie and death in full felicity he sinned he fell lost his happy condition and in him all his posteritie and the creatures also as this they groan under and desire to be rid of so shall they according to their expectation be restored to their former estate with some addition of blessedness at that day of restoration forementioned Two wayes this is attayned unto as the holy scriptures do hold out unto us the one is by dying and after lying a time in the grave rising again or being raised out of the prison of the grave at the sounding of the trumpet of God when they shall hear awake and rise The other way is by not dying but being changed in a moment at the very same time the dead are raised This change is a mistery a secret not much taken notice of These both at the same time at the coming and appearing of the Lord Christ will be raised and changed and caught up together in the clouds to meet him in the air not then to go up to heaven with him but to attend him in his coming to the earth and so will be ever after with him 1. Thes. 4. 17. These shall not prevent one another by getting before one the other the raised shall not so do by the changed nor shall they be occasioned to stay for them for they shall be changed in a moment in the twinckling of an eye and caught up together Very aierie and spriteful shall they be then This change or being changed To is a great thing indeed The change of regeneration or being born again which Nicodemus made so strange and impossible a matter to be effected to be born again to put off the old man with the affections and lusts and to put on the new man Ephes. 4. 22. 24. Col. 3. 8. 9. 10. The new man being after God created in righteousness and true holiness It 's a being quite another person A very great change that hath much of mistery in it But the changing is a higher mistery a greater thing the putting off sin and corruption and mortality at once in a moment in the twinkling of an eye That of regeneration when begun by the spirit of Christ it is carryed on and advanced in a gradual way by the exercise of mortification and sanctification and by fresh supplies of the spirit of Christ while we are in this world till death or this change take place As we may by that before take some notice of this change so we may also of the neer affinitie it hath with the resurrection of the just and how in sundry things they concur and agree together in order to the righteous and saved people who then shall the one be raised the other changed at the same time together They shall both be rid and freed of corruption and mortality together They shall both be caught up together to meet the Lord in the aire they shall be with the Lord Christ together they shall enjoy glory and honor and eternal life together and the blessednes of that happy day for ever The unjust and wicked sinners they shall not share at all in the glory and blessedness of that happy day for as they shall not rise then that not being their order or time of rising so such of them as are then living shall not be changed then but shall be left in their old clothing of corruption and mortalitie they shall have no share or be concerned in the blessedness of this mistery of being changed so for then that of our Lord Christ Math. 24. 40. Luk. 17. 34. 35. 36. will be made good and fulfilled at the coming of the son of man then two shall be in the feild the one shall be taken the other left Two women shall be grinding together at the Mill one shall be taken the other left The evangelist Luke holds it forth more largely thus I tell you in that night there shall be two men in one bed the one shall be taken the other shall be left And as it follows Two grinding at the Mill and two in the feild so taken and left Vers. 37. Our Lord
all as our Apostle hath declared A very high thing a great secret of which the Scriptures seem most silent and to say little at least the understanding and insight into this great mistery or secret seemeth little in this age holy Paul hints something God shall be all in all then By way of assay we shall propose to consideration some thing that the holy Scripture seemeth to hold forth of that glorious state that shall succeed the surrender of the kingdom of the Lord Christ unto God the father that he may be all in all That God may be all in all seemeth to have much comprehended in it What is not included in all With reference to any matter or thing it seemeth to eye that before spoken of the sovereignty rule and power of the Lord Christ in his kingdom and his giving of it up when he had put down all rule authority and power whatsoever and become subject himself unto the father that gave him that power and put all things under his feet then will God the father be all in all No medium then nor no deligating of power or dominion to any seemeth to be then but God the father to be all in all in power rule and dominion This all in all seemeth a great thing and to contain much but not much seemeth to be revealed at least we understand little for the present but are much in the dark herein More it may be is held forth in the Scriptures then we as yet discern that there shall be such a time and state when God shall be all in all shall have the kingdom of the Lord Christ delivered up to him and the Lord Christ become subject to the Father that he may be all in all that such a state such a kingdom there shall be after the kingdom of our Lord Christ is ended the Apostle Paul seemeth to hold forth as is mentioned before and something there is that seemeth to look that way and to import something of such a state and kingdom of God the father as the last and most glorious By way of assay we shall propose something and leave it to the judgment of the wise in heart That there shall be such a glorious state and kingdom of the father exceeding in glory the kingdom of our Lord Christ wherein as hath been said will be great glory and is the glory that he requested his father that those that he had given him might be with him that they might behold his glory Job 17. 24. and Col. 3. 4. partake of his glory and Rom. 8. 17. be glorified together which glory will be very great but in the kingdom of the father when God shall be all in all then there will be higher and greater glory CHAP. VII Of a higher degree of glory in the kingdom of the father and higher attainers for the Saints then THat in the kingdom of the father when he is all in all then there will be higher and greater glory that of our Lord Math. 13. 43. seemeth to speak out Then shall the righteous shine as the Sunn where In the kingdom of their father It seemeth to hold forth that the father will have a kingdom and that the righteous will shine forth in glory then and there of which we shall dilate a little Our Lord a little before had spoken of his own kingdom he shall send forth his Angels and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity and shall cast them into a furnace of fire c. He seemeth to wave the further speaking of his own kingdom which will be very neer the end then and speaketh of the kingdom of the father neer at hand and sayeth thus then shall the righteous shine forth in greater luster of glory as the sun the most glorious of all the creatures where shall this be in the kingdom of their father They were glorious before in the kingdom of the son the Lord Christ but then in the kingdom of their father they shall be more glorious then and there for as sayeth our Lord Christ they shall then shine forth as the sun very gloriously In the kingdom of the Lord Christ they shall be very glorious sharing with the Lord Christ and being like him far beyond the glory of the Saints in their highest attainer here or elswhere before that time they shall shine forth and appear with the Lord Christ in glory then holy Daniel Dan. 12. 3. tells us that then they that be wise or have been wise in their day shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament very ferene and they that turn or have turned many to righteousness shall shine as the starrs for ever and ever very bright and shining there will be great glory in the kingdom of Christ But in the kingdom of their father they shall shine forth as the sun the glory of the sun is far greater then that of the starrs or Firmament so faith the Apostle 1. Cor. 15. 41. there is one glory of the sun another of the Moon and another glory of the starrs for one starr differeth from another in glory degrees there are and will be the glory of the sun is the greatest In the kingdom of the Son will be great glory the righteous will shine there as the stars but in the kingdom of the father they shine forth as the sun more gloriously By way of illustration the eye is able to behold the light of the Firmament and the brightness of the stars in their light and brightness but what eye is able to behold the sun in the full glory and brightness of it As the glory of the sun surmounts the glory of the stars and Firmament so will the glory of the kingdom of the father and the attainer of the righteous then and there exceed that of the righteous their attainer in the kingdom of the Lord Christ In the kingdom of the father they shall shine forth as the sun It may be looked upon as a very great thing for raised Saints newly raised out of their graves and reunited body and soul in one again and the changed Saints then in a moment in the twinkling of an eye as it is written in that great mistery shewed by the Apostle vers 51. of the aforesaid 1. Cor. 15. for them to take on and be clothed with immortality and the glory of that happy estate and great glory and not be over-sett over-powerd with it but to take on the glory of the sun in the the kingdom of the father how high a thing is that The wisdom of God the father did foresee and order for that cause it may be a gradual way of proceed from glory to glory from a lesser to a greater and the greatest and highest of all last like the great and good master that kept the greatest and best till last that so the Saints might with the more facility take on the glory of the kingdom
reserved in heaven for you to wit such as are begotten again to a lively hope thereof by the resurrection of Jesus Christ but must be first sown in weakness before they come to be raised in glory or else changed in a moment without which there is no coming there to inherit earthy Adam cannot flesh and bloud so cannot attain to that happy estate though they should cry Lord Lord open to us it would be in vain This briefly premised concerning the resurrection the better to give light and make the ensuing matter more easily conceived of it being of neer affinity to it namely the mysterie of being changed in vers 51. CHAP. II. Containing a brief proposal of sundry things to consideration touching the mistery of the living then not dying but being changed in a moment at the coming of the Lord Jesus VErs 51. Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all dye but we shall all be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump c. the matter is high and considerable a mystery or great secret little known or understood He begins the declaring of it with a behold which sets a mark on it as some noteable great thing great secret little known which behold calls for the minding and consideration of I shew you I Paul the Apostle of the gentiles And he was a man of much knowledge and understanding in the great mysteries of the Gospel and also of an infallible spirit He hath declared and shewed it and none besides himself hath done it and he hath done it again and again and positively asserted it to us I shew you you gentiles to whom he wrote his epistle You the Church of Corinth and all other the servants of the Lord Jesus the thing shewed is a mistery that ye may know understand and believe it The Apostle proceeds to declare it first negatively we shall not all dye then positively he attests that we shall all be changed There is much considerable in both the persons in both in the which he includes himself We shall not and we shall enquirie may be made who he means by we it is very likely he means the servants of God believers in Jesus Christ then alive in the body at the coming of the Lord Christ those are the we that shall not dye those are the we that shall all be changed The prayer of the Lord Christ will be answered then and in them father I will that those which thou hast given me be with me where I am that they may behold my glory c. Joh. 17. 24. Not one related so shall fail of that great blessednes Death will have a great check a great blow then and lose of his power over the righteous ones at that very time that moment as the Apostle after expresses Over the unrighteous and unsaved people and nations death may have power not only in respect of killing their bodyes which will be till a little before the final judicature or the second and last session of judgement begins Rev. 20. 9. but also in keeping under or in the grave the whole wicked all being then dead until the time that session is begun who are then raised to come thereunto to be judged as in Rev. 20. 11. 12. 13. and at the end and as the conclusion thereof death and hell or the grave shall be cast into the lake of fire never to have power or a being more as in vers 14. but as is said before death hath no power over the righteous after that Christ our Lord is come it being said in Rev. 21. 4. There shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things to wit The old heaven and earth with the dying and sorrow c. therein are passed away which I conceive is to be understood not only in respect of the saints that are raised at the coming of our Lord Christ that they shall not dye any more as also the saints who were then changed that they shall not dye at all But also in respect of the converted in that time who if any alteration afterward pass upon their bodyes it will in all likelyhood be a change and shall not dye it being said as before in respect of the righteous we shall not all dye but we shall all be changed the not dying but changing of the saints that remain alive to the coming of the Lord Christ being an eminent token and forerunner thereof Further we may take knowledg that in the holy scripture account that to sleep in the grave and to dye are one and the same and so to say we shall not all sleep and we shall not all dye are terms equivolent and do import one and the same thing see Act. 13. 36. David fell asleep and was layd to his fathers c. them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him 1 Thes. 4. 14. So Dan. 12. 2. Many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake c. as to that of death or dying see the many expressions as here in Adam all dye death went over all it is appointed to men once to dye c. Heb. 9. 27. Jacob went down into Egypt and dyed he and our fathers Acts. 7. 15. so as his negation of the Apostle leadeth to take knowledge of a very high case wherein there is much of mistery we shall not all dye the restriction that is in this all is only to the righteous then living and remaining at the coming of the Lord Christ this all relateth only to them they are the all that shall not dye but be all changed then but none of the unrighteous shall be so At which time death that had reigned so long over Adam and all his posteritie his power over the just over the righteous shall then be superseded they shall be put into a condition out of his reach having put off mortalitie and put on immortality and life everlasting As every thing that hath a beginning will have and end so will death and in order to the ceasing of his power over the righteous and putting a stop to his universal reign it will begin then So as that appointment of death to all men Heb. 9. 22. is to be understood So to wit untill this time take place this Mystery be actually opened we shall not all dye as it is said when this corruptible hath put on incorruption and this mortal hath put on immortality and made this happy change then it shall be and also that Prophecy fulfilled death is swallowed up in victory vers 24. latter part By the way we may take notice who would have thought in a likely way that that Prophecy Esa 25. 8. should reach so far as to that time and to have its fulfilling then so long after who is there that would have understood it so had not the Apostle so declared it that then death
is asked where Lord and he tells them in a dark borrowed way of speaking saying wheresoever the body or carcase Math. 24. 28. is thither will the Eagles be gathered together As if he had said where I am thither shall mine to wit the raised and changed saints be gathered together Consider the demand where Lord not where those so taken and left shall be then when they are so taken and left that our Lord declared plainly in the feild and in the bed but where those that are taken away should be when they were so taken from their companions in the feild and in the bed they should be taken and brought to the Lord Christ to meet him in the aire This that in Math. 24. 31. comp with vers 27. 28. seemeth very fully to hold forth When the Lord Christ shall come in the clouds of heaven in power and great glory vers 31. He shall send his Angels with a great sound of a trumpet at which sound those dead shall awake and arise and those living shall be changed in a moment The trumpet shall sound and the dead raised and we shall be changed 1. Cor. 15. 52. the place we are treating of So. 1. Thes. 4. 16. with the trumpet of God And as it followeth he shall send his Angels and they shall gather his elect to wit those so raised and changed from the four windes from one end of heaven to the other A great thing a wonderful gathering this will be at his coming very sudden and transperent as the lightning shining from the east to the west let this be considered with the answer of our Lord in Luke and then we may perceive what those words both there and here do mean and what was the intent of our Lord in them namely where the carcase or body is thither will the Eagles be gathered together The raised and changed shall then as Eagles mount up together to meet the Lord in the Aire 1 Thes. 4. 17. then shall that prophecy of holy Isaiah be fully made good and fulfilled which it is very likely eyeth that day Isa 40. 31. they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles c. as Eagles mount up so shall these changed and changed do then according to the very letter there needs no allegory in the matter The servants of God shall be very agile aierie and spriteful and as the Eagles shall mount up so to meet the Lord Christ Then will be the difference between the righteous and the wicked of which the prophet Malachy speaketh Mal. 3. 18. be greatly made manifest and clear to be known Between the righteous and the wicked when the one shall be taken and the other left when one shall be changed and the other left in their corrupt and mortal state and condition There are many great things that will be attendants of this change As the change will be very great and misterious so will be the things that will concur and go along with it such as we mentioned when we treated of the resurrection as the attendants of that the same in like manner will be at this change we shall forbear to mention them here having done it then This change it will be accompanyed with another even the change of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began Acts. 3. 21. they will be restored into their former good condition renewed refined and made new A new heaven new earth as it is said Psal 102. 26. as a vesture shalt thou change them and they shall be changed All shall be changed and made new as at the first making Rev. 21. 5. behold I make all things new A blessed state like that of paradise if not higher this world shall end and cease and with the change the world to come shall begin and take place of which we shall treat a little CHAP. V. Containing something proposed to consideration touching the world to come as being much the same with the New heaven and the New earth spoken of in the Holy Scriptures and that it will contemporsze in time with that and other great things that will take place at the Coming of our Lord Christ The holy scriptures declare Heb. 1. 2. that God by Jesus Christ made the worlds and by faith we understand and believe so Heb. 11. 3. By saith we understand the worlds were framed c. the scriptures make mention of three worlds the old world which began with the creation and continued to the floud and then perished and ended so Peter tells us 2. Pet. 3. 6. This present world so called in scripture and may be so called still it took place with the ceasing of the floud and was peopled by Noah and his sons and it continued and doth yet continue is grown old and is reserved being grown old unto fire and the great burning to come vers 10. at the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men The day of the Lord will come vers 12. and then will be the dissolution and end of this present world The Apostle expresseth it by the heaven and the earth that are now vers 7. As the same thing to wit this world this present evill world There is in the third place the world to come which will begin with the end or ceasing of this present world of which the holy scripture speaks very often so frequent as I shall forbear quotations When that end cometh which will be with the burning spoken of then will begin the world to come of which we are now treating and shall mention a few places Math. 12. 32. Mark 10. 30. Luk. 18. 30. Ephes. 1. 21. Heb. 2. 5. of which we may take notice hereafter the time when and how this will contemporize with other great things that will take place likewise then to wit at the coming of the Lord Christ in power and great glory to them that look for him the second time he will then appear Heb. 9. 28. This third world this world to come it will then begin In the which the Lord Christ will fully take unto himself his great power and will reign very gloriously the dominion power and sovereignty will rest in him and he will then appear on earth as king of kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6. 15. Then in the world to come he will delegate power as he pleaseth to one to be ruler over five cities and to another to be ruler over ten cities they shall rule under him yea then will they rule with him and that be made good in Rev. 5. 10. And hast made us kings and Priests unto our God and we shall reign on the earth it is not said in heaven For the world to come it will be here below on earth and not in heaven above This world to come it will not be subjected under the power of the Angels the scripture expresly