to go back again therefore give him no rest till he Establish till we see things settled As you Mariners when you are to go a great Voyage you love to see the Wind settled in some place or other before you go forth so faith the Prophet Sometimes we find the mercy and goodness of God much towards us but things have gone back again therefore give him no rest till he hath established And till he hath made Jerusalem a praise in the Earth By Jerusalem we are to understand the Church of God not so much the City Jerusalem that then was but the Church of God that was to be in the times of the Gospel especially for Jerusalem was a Type of it As the praise of the Earth The Septuagint translates it and the word signifies the Glory the Exaltation of the Earth till he makes Jerusalem the praise of the Earth Now we know that Prayer ought to be in Faith then those that pray to God and especially that are importunate with God they must believe that there is such a thing to be done that the Church of God is to be made the praise and Glory of the Earth And if they believe it is to be done they must have some word for it Now this is the main thing that I intend at this time to make out unto you that there is a time that God hath to make his Church to be the praise and glory of all the world In this World To be the glory of the Earth not only to be glorious its self in Heaven that I suppose you all believe that there is a time that the Church Militant here shall be Triumphant in Heaven and glorious there but that there is a time that God in this Earth shall make his Church to be the glory of the earth And therefore all the Saints of God to whom the glory of God is dear who do desire that the Honour of God may be raised and set out they are to pray for this and to be importunate for this as a certain thing that is to be done and fulfilled by God Now because you cannot pray for it and be importunate to give God no rest till you see it plainly that it will be so therefore this thing is now to be opened unto you The truth is Jerusalem the Church of God hath been in a low Estate alwaies in comparison of what God intends it to be at this time when the Prophet here saith give God no rest till he make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth Jerusalem was in no glorious condition it was but a little before God intended a Captivity of Judah and Jerusalem For this Prophet you shall find in the beginning of his Prophecy did Prophesie in the dayes of Hezekiah now in the sixth year of Hezekiah's Reign did the Babilonians come and sack Samaria 2 Kings 18.10 and took the People into Captivity And it might be for ought we know not above a year or two before their captivity that here the Prophet calls upon this people to pray to God and give him no rest till he set Jerusalem up as the praise of the whole earth and yet he knew it was it to go into Captivity presently certainly then the Prophet did not intend here any time that should be in his dayes or in any little time after The Prophet therefore must needs have a Reference to some notable time of the Church that must be in after dayes the people of the Jews were never the praise of the whole Earth If you look before this time they were unto the other people but a contemptible people and lived in a little Countrey one way a little more than fourscore miles a very little Countrey it was that all the people of the Jews lived in and very contemptible in respect of the other Nations of the World Therefore it was not the praise of the whole earth before Not presently after this is spoken for they were to go into Captivity and to be there so long a time You will say it may be 't is meant about the time when they were to return from Captivity No not so neither for they were but very poor and contemptible in the eyes of the world after their Captivity for when they did return it was but by leave and they were but as Servants unto the Medes still they were but as servants unto Cyrus and the rest of them When they went to build the Walls of Jerusalem again they scoff at them And what doe these feeble Jews and if a Fox goes but upon their walls it will break them down Certainly in their return from Captivity they were not the praise of the whole Earth no nor in after times they had many interruptions before they could bring any thing to any effect Many Learned men compute that they were longer a building the wall than they were in Captivity and we know that it was not long after their Captivity that they all did lye at the mercy of a wicked Haman who had gotten a Decree to cut off all the people of the Jews therefore they were not in any glorious condition no not after their return from Captivity from that time till the time that the Romans came and destroyed them they were but in a low condition and then afterwards they were low enough so that it could not be meant literally of Jerusalem of that place nor of the Church of the Jews therefore it must be meant of the state of the Church in the times of the Gospel Now when was that as the praise of the whole earth certainly though it were the praise of God and God had his praise from his Church at all times yet now this must be meant of some eminent time that was to come and it must be some outward glory that they must have so as the whole earth must take notice of it And it was not in the time of Christ himself Christ himself was the glory of God but yet in the earth he was despised a man that had no form nor comeliness in him in regard of outwards they were then under Herod and rejected Christ when he came and within a while afterwards by Titus Vespatian they were destroyed and an unspeakable havock was upon Jerusalem and the people of the Jews and so they have abode to this day to be as a runnagate Nation For the Apostles nothing was more contemptible than they you know what St. Paul saith not only of himself but of other of the Apostles they were made the very off-scowring of the Earth the basest things of the Earth even the Apostles themselves they were in no outward glory before the face of the world that they could see it And afterwards in the Primitive times you know they were under most dreadful persecutions how they were Massacred and hackt and hew'd and what woful misery they were put to all this while Jerusalem was not the praise of the Earth Well
shall be made the praise of the whole Earth then there shall be new Heavens and a new Earth created That is there shall be as great a change of things as if there were new Heavens and new Earth created There shall be a mighty glorious power of God manifested towards his Churches as if God were Creating new Heavens and new Earth again Oh! we do not know but that either you or some of your Children may yet live to see such times as these are And it 's another World indeed It 's not the World that we live in now there shall be a kind of new World And therefore some Scriptures that many times we think are meant concerning the Life in Heaven after the day of Judgment because they are spoken of another World they are rather to be understood of the state of the Church here in this World And to the end that I may shew this for otherwise all that 's said is but in vain It may be you will say that the Prophet mean't that State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven And so the Apostle St. John in his reference to what the Prophet saith he seems to mean it of the glorious state of the Church in Heaven And I verily believe the most of you that have read with Observation the latter end of the Book of the Revelations you have thought it hath been meant of the State of the Church in Heaven but that it cannot be be meant I 'le give you a Reason or two why the 21 of the Revelations cannot be meant of the Church in Heaven First Because the Text saith That Jerusalem shall come down from Heaven after he had described it in the 10 Vers He carryed me away in the Spirit to a great and high Mountain and shewed me that great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God That is the Glory of Jerusalem shall not come from the Earth nor from any Earthly means Though men ought to do what they can yet it shall be too great a Glory for any earthly means to be able to bring but it shall come down from Heaven there shall be some admirable glorious work of God from Heaven to bring Jerusalem into such Glory as it shall be brought into And that 's one thing That it is not the State of Heaven for it comes down from Heaven And then besides that that is an undeniable Reason is that which you have in the 24 and 26 Verses And the Nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it and the Kings of the Earth do bring their Glory and Honour into it They do not bring their Honour to the State of the Church Triumphant in Heaven The Saints in Heaven shall have no need of any of the Glory of the Kings of the Earth the meanest poorest Servant or Boy that is Godly shall be more glorious than all the Kings of the Earth ever were in this World but this is such a State that the Kings of the Earth shall bring their Glory to it And in the 26 verse They shall bring the Glory and Honour of the Nations into it The meaning is that when this time comes the Lord will make all the Kings of the Earth and all the Nations of the Earth to be some way serviceable to the Glory of his Churches that 's the plain meaning of it that whereas now the Kings of the Earth and the Nations do persecute the Church generally and as in the second Psalm you have it the Kings of the Earth they combine themselves together against Jesus Christ and will none of his Government but yet for all this the Lord saith that he will set his King upon his holy Hill And then here is the Prophecy that there shall be such a work of God upon the Kings and Nations of the Earth as they shall all come in and bring their Glory to Jerusalem to the Church to do the uttermost they can to make the Church to be Glorious This is in General the state of Jerusalem when it shall be made the Praise of the Earth But now that I might come to move Particulars about this The first thing is this When that time shall come all Tears shall be wiped from the Eyes of Saints the People of God shall be delivered from all Enemies they shall never be any further pestered with wicked and ungodly men to be enemies to them but be fully freed from them all We groan under the burden of the Enmity of wicked Men and their Opposition I but let us be content to bear it and to endure Oppositions from wicked and ungodly Men for there is a time a coming that thou shalt be delivered even in this World You will say when we come to Heaven we shall be above the Malice of all the wicked Men in the World Nay there is a time when the Saints shall be above the Malice of wicked men upon this Earth In the 28 of Ezek. A Chapter that speaks so much of the Glorious Condition of the People of God verse 24. There shall be no more a pricking Briar nor any grieving Thorn of all that are round about them that despised them They shall be so far from having any power to do any mischief to the People of God as they shall not be so much as able to prick them no grieving Thorn nor no bryer pricking of the Saints of God as heretofore they have done It will be a blessed time when the Saints shall be delivered from the Curse of the Earth the Bryers and Thorns it brings forth Where are wicked men certainly those are the worst Bryers and Thorns in the World and do the most mischief here in the World Now the Lord hath promised that they shall be delivered wholly from them Rev. 21.4 There is a Scripture leading to that way And God shall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes and there shall be no more Death neither Sorrow nor Crying neither shall there be any more Pain For the former things are passed away This is prophesied of for such times as these are for those that then liv'd the Saints are like to live when Christ shall come in that Glorious state of Judgment and have no pain nor sickness and therefore be delivered from all Enemies and from all evils both from without and within in regard of any pain or misesery and in the 19 of the Revelations we have it there prophesied of Christ that he shall come and have his Vesture dipt in blood in the overcoming all the wicked and ungodly Verse 13. And he was cloathed with a Vesture dipt in blood and his Name is called the Word of God And the Armies which were in Heaven followed him upon white Horses cloathed in fine Linnen white and clean and out of his Mouth goeth a sharp Sword that with it he should smite the Nations and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron and he treadeth the Wine-press
will help you to pray much and you should put this into your Petitions Lord make thy Church appear to be thy Portion Thy Treasure Thy Glory Now come Lord Jesus come quickly O that that day might come The third thing is this That when God sets up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth then God will make good the Promises that he hath made unto his Church in the Old Testament And the Prophecies of the glory of his Church which are very many that the truth is we do not know what to make of them we are fain to make Allegories of them when it 's very probable that they are to be in a literal way to be understood and all for the want of the knowledge of this one thing that there is a time for God to set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth Commonly we find that Divines have opened the promises of the Old Testament either by way of an Allegory or of the state of the Church in glory so that there hath been a great mistake in this thing We find in the 54 of Isa v. 17. when the Lord makes a promise to his Church that no weapon that was formed against that should prosper he concludes it and saith This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. All the promises in the Old Testament are the Inheritance of the Saints of God It 's a very sweet place it 's an Excellent place to poor People that have no Riches nor Inheritance left them by their Parents but they have the Promises for their Inheritance Thou may'st look over the Book of God and watsoever promise thou findest made to the Church thou mayst look upon it as thine Inheritance Many carnal men that have great Inheritances other ways they have nothing to do with the Promises of the Saints But the poorest Saint hath all the glory that there is in the Promises of the Word of God they are their Inheritance But in the mean time I have little Why thou art under age yet and God he is thy Guardian and God will be accountable to thee for all and the longer thou stayest before thou comest to thine Inheritance the more shalt thou have when thou comest to it and therefore remember that all the Promises in the Word are to be made good to thee one way or other and all that concern his People will be made good in this world when God shall come and set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth We shall understand that hereafter and therefore we find in the 5 th of the Revelations that there the Lamb he only is able to open the Seals of the Book There was brought a Book Seal'd and a Proclamation was made to know who was worthy to open the Book and to loose the Seals thereof Now the Text saith that John saw none found worthy At length there appeared a Lamb as it had been slain and he was found worthy and the Book was given to him and he opened the Seals of the Book this Book is the Book of the Prophecies of the state of the Church in the new Testament and the promises of God for the glory of the Church of the new Testament Now these things have been kept Sealed for a long time and especially before Christs time But Jesus Christ the Lamb that hath been slain it is he only that is able to open this Book and the Seals of it and there is a time that he will open it he opens it by degrees to his Church And therefore I find it 's very observable in the 22. of Revel vers 6. There comes an Angel to John and said unto him These things are faithful and true And the Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done Why now John was before speaking of the glorious condition of Jerusalem the Jerusalem that came down from Heaven Now saith he The Lord God of the holy Prophets sent his Angel Why is it said here The Lord God of the holy Prophets The meaning is this that the Lord now sends his Angel to make his Servants to understand what was in the Prophets and therefore the Lord hath this title The Lord God of the holy Prophets It 's not said here The great God or the holy God only or the Father of Christ or any such title But the Lord God of the holy Prophets That is I here will manifest to my Servants what I did Inspire the holy Prophets with in former times and will open their Prophecies unto them O it will be a blessed time when we shall come to understand the Prophecies of the Old Testament and how they do aim at the New Testament you Read their Book and how often do you shut the Book and say O Lord I cannot understand I do not know the meaning of these things and so likewise the book of the Revelations and sometimes you are ready to think why doth God write so in his word But be satisfied in this thing in your Reading the Scriptures there are some things very dark But now the main things that concern thine everlasting Salvation are clear enough and bless God for that But now if you would know why other things are dark they are dark because the Lord intends in them to manifest some glorious thing that he will do towards the latter end of the world for his People that the truth is God would not have generally known till then You will say why then have we the Scriptures Yes we have them now that God may appear so much the more glorious when they are fulfill'd that they may be manifested to his Saints that these are no other things than the Prophets did Prophesie of divers thousand Years ago Now this will mightily add to the Joy of the Saints when they shall come to see O this is partly fulfilling of such a Prophecy in Isa and in Ezek. and in the Revelations now it adds to the Joy of the Church to know that these things that now they have are no other than God did foretel by his holy Prophets as no question now when Christ was Prophesied of For he was Prophesied of for four thousand Years before he came into the world and in a Mighty dark way as now this first Prophecy of Christ The seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents Head what could they understand of this and yet under this Prophecy was the whole Gospel Prophesied of and he shall bruise thy heel there all the sufferings of Jesus Christ were Prophesied of under that Prophesie Now I am confident that for the general part of the Jews they understood no more of that Prophecy to be meant of Christ and his sufferings than we when we Read in Ezekiel and in the Revelations do understand what God will do for his Church in time to come But now when this Prophesie is fulfill'd that we find
the seed of the Woman is come and how he hath overcome Principalities and Powers and how the Devil hath opposed him now we see the meaning of this Prophecy And now we can bless God so much the more for Christ Christ is no other than the Lord did in Paradise formerly Prophesie of And so divers other Prophecies in the Old Testament as The Scepter shall not depart from Judah unto Shilo come Alas none of the Jews almost did understand this And that not a bone of Christ should be broken and so I might name you forty such Prophecies so just as now The Prophecies that were Prophesied of concerning Christs coming in the Flesh were very obscure in the Old Testament but were made clear by the fulfilling of them to us in the New So the Prophecies of the glorious state of the Church when Jerusalem shall be made as the praise of the whole Earth they are obscure to us yet but when it comes to be made clear the Saints of God will praise and bless God that now they come to enjoy that that so many years ago was Prophesied of And therefore comfort your selves in this when you Read the Prophecies in the Word But certainly when it shall come it will be a blessed time and therefore pray for it give the Lord no rest till he set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth For then shall the Book of God be opened and things shall be seen mighty plain when that comes I will give you one Scripture for that of the clear opening of things when Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth You find in the fourth of the Revelations and vers 1. There was a Door opened in Heaven nothing else but a Door But afterwards you find that Heaven it self was opened In the 19. Chap. vers 11. And I saw Heaven opened and behold a white Horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful and true c. First A Door was opened and then the Heaven of God was opened Noteing that there should be a Progress in the state of the Church at the first they should have but a little knowledge but afterwards they should have abundance of knowledge And in the 11. Chap. the 19. vers And the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was seen in his Temple the Ark of his Testament c. How comes that to pass for in the time of the Law there was no such opening of the Temple as to see the Ark of Gods Testament for that was kept hid But now speaking of the glorious times of the Church in the state of the Gospel the Temple of God was opened in Heaven and there was the Ark of the Testament of God seen it was made clear Then the Ark of Gods Testament it was kept hid from the People that they could not see it in the time of the Law But when Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth the Temple shall be opened and the Ark shall appear the word of God shall be made open in the Promises and Prophecies of it Therefore let us pray and believe let us believe and pray that this time may be hastened The Second SERMON On a Fast-Day at Stepny Octob. 31. 1645. IN the fourth place the time when Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole Earth what shall be done then We shall be delivered from all Oppressions The Titles of the Church made good visibly Prophecies and Promises fulfill'd And in the fourth place there shall be a wonderful Confluence of People that shall joyn with the Saints in the way of God's Worship It 's true now there are but a very few that do joyn to worship God how little is God known in the World and Jesus Christ how little is he acknowledged in all the world if we should divide the World as some have into thirty parts we find not above five of those thirty that do so much as acknowledge Jesus Christ all the other are Heathens at this very day And then among those that do acknowledge Christ in the Grecian Churches though he is acknowledged to be Christ the Saviour yet they are extream ignorant generally And what a great part of the Christian World hath Popery under it And among those that make profession of Christ how few are there that do honour him and worship him according to his own way But when this time comes that Jerusalem shall be made the Praise of the whole World you shall have a mighty Confluence of People It shall not be said any more Little Flock fear not little little Flock but it shall be a great Flock and therefore you find in the Book of the Revelations that Jerusalem when it comes to be measured it is said to be a great City a mighty Confluence shall be unto the Church In the 2 of Daniel v. 35. it 's said there speaking of the Church as I remember 't is by way of resemblance of a Stone that it should grow great as a Mountain and it should fill the whole Earth there should be the generality of the World called in the fulness of the Gentiles together with the Jews I will not say every one but generally they shall be called in to the true Worship of Jesus Christ and to the embracing of the Gospel That Scripture in the sixtieth of Isa ver 3 4. and so on it is remarkable for this And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and Kings to the Brightness of thy Rising Lift up thine Eyes round about and see all they gather themselves together they come to thee Thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters shall be Nursed at thy side Then thou shalt see and flow together and thine Heart shall fear and be enlarged because the abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee Mariners and those that converse at Sea they shall be converted unto the Church 'T is a Prophecy shewing that the Lord hath a special care of Mariners that have gone on in wayes of Ignorance not knowing Christ and the way of the Gospel saith he Abundance of the Sea shall be converted unto thee He doth not mean the waters of the Sea but the People that do converse in the Seas Mariners in the Sea that they shall even come over the Sea to joyn when they hear the Gospel comes to be set forth in the beauty and Power of it And so he goes on still further in the 6 vers The multitudes of Camels shall cover thee the Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah all they from Sheba shall come they shall bring Gold and Incense and they shall shew forth the Praises of the Lord. Read but this sixtieth of Isaiah and you shall find both this of the multitude of People And of abundance of Glory of Jerusalem that shall be which in the very Reading of it you cannot think that this hath been
more clear In that day shall the Lord defend the Inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the House of David shall be as God as the Angel of the Lord before them Mark he that is feeble shall be as David at that day and the House of David shall be even as an Angel of God Those that are weak Christians yet at that day when the Lord shall set up Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth weak Christians shall be as David and he that is strong shall be as an Angel of God Now I would but know when was this what time was this was this ever in the time of the Gospel I verily believe the times of the Gospel are as glorious at this day as ever they were since the Apostles days in regard of the graces of Gods Spirit There is as clear Revelations of Christ and as strange workings of the Graces of Gods Spirit in the generality I must except those that are eminent as the Apostles and those that had miraculous and extraordinary gifts but to speak of the generality of Christians they have as much knowledg of Jesus Christ and the wayes of Christ as ever any yet can we say now that even strong Christians are like David If we should examine and see what David was how short should we come where have we almost any that may parallel with David but there is a Prophecy that the feeble shall be like David and the strong ones shall be like the Angel of God In the forty fifth Psalm there the Church is described The Cloathing of the Kings Daughter is of wrought Gold and she shall be brought unto the King in Rayment of Needle-work Which is but to signifie the excellent Gifts and Graces of the Saints that they shall be cloathed as it were with their Gifts as Princes Daughters that have such Cloathing And Revel 22.3 4. there 's a Prophecy that they shall continually stand before the Lord and serve him night and day they shall be unwearied in the service of the Lord they shall serve him night and day Now you are quickly tired a little time in the worship of God doth tire you but there is a time coming when the Saints shall be so strengthened with the Gifts and Graces of the Spirit of God as they shall be able to serve him night and day The seventh thing that shall be done when Jerusalem shall be raised as the praise of the whole Earth it shall be the glorious presence of Christ that shall be amongst them I say the Glorious presence of Christ I do not say the Personal presence of Christ in his Body for that would require arguing and much dispute therefore we meddle not with it But that there shall be a more glorious presence of Jesus Christ in his Churches than yet hath been That the Scripture seems to be clear enough in As in the 21. Revel verse 22. And I saw no Temple therein that was in the New Jerusalem For the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the Temple of it And the City had no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God did lighten it and the Lamb is the light thereof That is there should not be such need of help as now there is either from Creatures or Ordinances in comparison for the Lord God shall be the light of that place and the Lamb shall be instead of the Temple In the 2 Pet. 1.19 compared with the Rev. 2.28 There is very much to give light to this and yet that we are not able to understand throughly the meaning of it We have also saith he a more sure word of Prophecy whereunto you do well that you take heed as unto a ligâ—â— that shineth in a dark place until the day dawn and the Day-star arise in your Hearts This more sure word of Prophecy he means certainly the Scriptures that we have and the way of Gods revealing himself there You do well to take heed saith he unto them Vntill the Day dawn and the Day-star arise in your Hearts He seems to speak here of another manner of manifestation of light from God that shall be besides that sure Word of Prophecy that is the Day-star rising in their Hearts Now compare this with the 2. Revel and the 28. There is promised to such as do overcome in Antichristian times that at length the Lord will give unto them the morning Star Now these two being compared together may cause us thus much to see that there certainly shall be some further Presence of Christ among the Saints than in former times hath been For Christ he is the morning Star and God will give them the morning star that is he will give them Christ the Presence of Christ shall arise in the Hearts of the Saints in another way than formerly for they were Godly to whom this morning Star is promised but if you continue to be Godly and to overcome in the Antichristian time you shall have this blessing you shall have the morning Star They had Christ to justifie them and to sanctifie them But they were promised to have Christ yet further in another more high and glorious presence of his to be as a morning Star arising in their Hearts And in the 33 of Isa v. 17. there it 's promised to them that are upright that they should see the King in his Glory Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty The Promise is made to those that are described in the 15. vers Jesus Christ the King that was so much desired in former times shall appear in his beauty and glory unto them And in the 102. Psam there 's a clear Prophecy of this Estate of Jerusalem when the Lord shall make it the praise of the whole Earth Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion for the time to favour her yea the set time is come vers 16. But in the 15. vers So the Heathen shall fear the Name of the Lord and all the Kings of the Earth thy Glory When the Lord shall build up Zion he shall appear in his Glory There will be a glorious appearing when God shall come to build up Zion and make Jerusalem as the Praise of the whole Earth God hath appeared gloriously in all his works in former times but this great work is the greatest next the sending of his Son into the World to be made flesh It is the greatest that ever was done the building up of Zion Then God shall appear in his Glory When the Marriage of the Saints shall be the new Jerusalem that is the Spouse of Christ As Parents do use to put on their best Garments in the time when they marry their Children so in the time when the Lord shall raise Jerusalem thus it shall be as a great Marriage-day of the Church to Christ Now there is a Marriage of particular Souls to
Christ but then there shall be a glorious Marriage of the Vniversal Church to Jesus Christ as in a Body and then the Lord shall appear in his Glory There shall be a more glorious presence of God and Jesus Christ with the Saints than yet we have had The eighth thing That there shall be when Jerusalem shall be set up as the praise of the whole Earth Powerful Godliness and the Saints shall be honoured in the World As they have been trampled under feet and disgraced and vilified in the World So when this time shall come they shall be honoured in the World and their Enemies shall stoop to them We have a great many Scriptures that tend that way In the 49. of Isa v. 23. You may Read there how the Enemies shall come and stoop to the Saints that did despise them before And so in the 3 d. Revel vers 9. Those that hated them shall come and bow unto them I will make them of the Synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews and are not but do lie Behold I will make them to come and worship before thy feet and to know that I have loved thee They will not own them now but God hath his time to make wicked and ungodly men to come and acknowledge that these are the beloved ones of the Lord verily these are the Servants yea they are the Children of the most high God And more specially those Scriptures that you have in the Prophecy of Isaiah Chap. 60.6 and so vers 13. V. 6. The Multitude of Camels shall cover thee the Dromedaries of Midian and Ephah all they from Sheba shall come they shall bring Gold and Incense and they shall shew forth the praise of the Lord. All the Flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee the Rams of Nebaioth shall minister unto thee And vers 13. The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee the Fir-Tree the Pine-Tree and the Box together to beautifie the place of my Sanctuary and I will make the place of my feet glorious Mark The Church it is the place of Gods feet It 's under God but the Lord hath his time to make it glorious before all the world For if you speak of the Spiritual glory of it so it is so glorious now Gods Church it was always glorious spiritually before God and was the most glorious Object that God had to view in the World But here 's a promise that he will make it glorious before others Vers 14. The Sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that despised thee shall 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 It may be they called them before nick names they call'd you Hypocrites and you were they that made such a show of Religion but you were a company of proud People that would seem to be holier than other men But now they shall call thee the City of the Lord and the Zion of the Holy one of Israel And vers 15. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated so that no man went through thee I will make thee an Eternal Excellency a Joy of many Generations This is not spoken only unto Godly men personally and particularly but to Godly men as in a Society as in the Church they shall be made an Eternal Excellency and a Joy of many Generations And again for the 9. of Zech. v. 16. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the Flock of his People For they shall be as the stones of a Crown lifted up as an Ensign upon his Land They shall be as the stones of a Crown lifted up This shews the Excellent glory that shall be put upon the Saints Now they are as stones in the dirt but then they shall be as the stones in a Crown that 's lifted up And so in the 12. Chap. vers 5. And the Governours of Judah shall say in their hearts The Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my strength in the Lord of Hosts their God It is not shall be that 's in another Character and they in that Jerusalem they shall be honoured by the Governours of Judah And the Governours of Judah shall say well our strength it is in the Inhabitants of this Jerusalem In the Lord of hosts their God We accounted them before but as Schismaticks and precise Fools but we see that God is with them And the Governours of Judah shall say Our strength is in the Inhabitants of Jerusalem in the Lord of Hosts their God This will be a blessed time when Governours shall acknowledge the Saints to be those that the Lord doth own and they shall acknowledge the very strength of a Nation to consist in the Saints They shall see that the Saints have a propriety in God beyond others there is such a time a coming however they be despised now In the third of Mal. v. 3. The Lord makes a promise that he will gather up his Jewels and there shall be a time when there shall be a known difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not The Saints of God are compared to Jewels that lie in the dirt and Swine trampling upon the Jewels but there is a time that the Lord will gather up these Jewels and at that day there shall be known a difference between him that feareth God and him that feareth him not this time is coming and this is the time that my Text speaks of that we should give the Lord no rest untill he make Jerusalem thus Certainly when this is it will be the praise of the whole Earth The Ninth thing is when Jerusalem shall be made the praise of the whole Earth it will be made a quiet Habitation there shall be a blessed Union of the Church then shall divisions be taken away Now that that hinders the beauty of the Church and of the Saints and doth exceedingly darken their beauty it is their Divisions were it that the Saints of God could live in union one with another and so grow up in holiness they would be a great deal more beautiful in their conversations My beloved is one and the Daughters saw her and blessed her But the divisions and contentions that there are among the Churches do exceedingly take away the beauty and glory of them and therefore they are not now the praise of the places where they live but many times they make themselves the scorn of the places but there is a time a coming that this Spirit of division shall be taken away from among the Saints you will say that will be a blessed time indeed I 'le give you two or three Scriptures that are very observable for this In the 11. of Isa vers 13. There 's the first promise of Vnion that there shall be among the Churches The envy also of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of
Judah shall be cut off Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim Now ordinarily in Scripture Ephraim and Judah is made Typical of the Churches there was a great deal of contention between Ephraim and Judah one envying another Now this Prophecy is not yet fulfill'd for we never Read of Ephraim that is the ten Tribes and Judah were joyned in that near League and Union one with another as yet For the ten Tribes were carried Captive and never returned Judah indeed was carried Captive and they did return but not the ten Tribes Therefore it is spoken of an Estate of the Church afterwards Though my Church shall be in after times the times of the Gospel like Ephraim and Judah one envying another I 'le take away their envy they shall not envy but they shall love one another and joyn one with another Ephraim shall not envy Judah and Judah shall not vex Ephraim And then another Prophecy is in the 14. Zech. vers 9. And the Lord shall be King over all the Earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his Name one It 's true all of us that are Christians we acknowledge but one Lord but we call him by divers Names and one saith This is his mind and another faith the other is his mind but saith he In that day as there shall be but one Lord so his Name shall be but one There shall not be those different apprehensions of Christ as now there are but Christians shall generally joyn together in one There shall not be such opinions to divide Christians one from another as now there are there shall be but one Lord and his Name shall be but one And a further Prophecy which is very remarkable is in the third of Zeph. v. 9. For then will I turn to the People a pure Language that they may all call upon the Name of the Lord to serve him with one consent In the Original it is with one Shoulder now how do Christians shoulder one another and push one another by the shoulder as it were opposing one another what they can but then they shall joyn their shoulders together and all shall be but as one shoulder they shall serve the Lord with one shoulder with one consent their hearts shall joyn in one and then their strength shall joyn together Now this is that that shall be done when the Lord shall make Jerusalem as the praise of the whole Earth you that mind the Lord and the things of his glory give him no rest untill he do establish this that he hath promised and make Jerusalem the praise of the whole Earth In the tenth place there shall be a great change of things in the world at that time a great change in the whole frame of the creation of Heaven and Earth And I think verily that place in the eighth of the Romans and there is ground for it why we should think so is meant of this time Vers 20 21. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the Sons of God For the creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope because the creature it self also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God For we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth in pain together until now And not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the Spirit Even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the redemption of our Bodies Now that this should be then in such an Estate of the Church in this World this is the Reason Either you must grant it to be so or otherwise you must grant that after the day of Judgment in the state of glory that the Saints shall have which Divines generally say shall be in Heaven you must grant that then there shall be the continuance of all the Creatures as now they are and that the Saints must live here Now that is hardly granted by any Divines But this speaks of the whole Creation to be delivered from their bondage and to come to partake of the benefit of the Adoption of the Sons of God That is at that time when the Adoption of the Sons of God shall appear gloriously that there shall be such a change in all the Creatures that they shall be restored to the first perfection that they had in the state of Innocency They groan to be delivered from the bondage surely they do not groan to be Annihilated and turned into nothing Therefore there is a time for the Heavens and Earth and Sea and Plants and Beasts to be in another condition than now they are And to say that this shall be at the day of Judgment or after few Divines have thought But this is spoken of a time when all the Creatures in this world shall have a mighty change put upon them And to that end the Scripture likewise in the 2 of Peter the 3 d. Chap. though one would think in the Reading of it if you did not mark it throughly that it should be meant at the day of Judgment but if you observe it throughly it seems to be spoken of a great change that there shall be when the creatures shall be delivered from bondage In the 10. vers But the day of the Lord will come as a Thief in the night in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the Earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up and now observe the 13. vers Nevertheless we according to his promise look for new Heavens and new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness There shall be a mighty change in the world by Fire or some other way and so as all things shall seem as if they were brought into nothing but saith the Apostle by the Holy-Ghost We according to his promise look for new Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness Now suppose all the world were dissolved how new Heavens and a new Earth then shall the Saints after the day of Judgment have a new Earth and live upon the Earth here This I suppose you would think to be but a very strange Doctrine But now this is such a change of things as shall have New Earth as well as New Heavens and this is according to the promise now what promise have we in all the Book of God that this hath reference to I find all Divines referr it to the 65. of Isa For you have no other Scripture that you can refer this promise to in the 17. vers For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into mind But be ye glad and rejoyce for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her People a Joy So
that this Scripture in Peter though in some passages of it may seem to referr to the great day of Judgement yet compared with Isa out of which it is taken it appears to be but a very comment upon my Text and I find generally Interpreters do Interpret this of Isa to be meant of the Church of God in this World And so by comparing one Scripture with another we may find out much truth And besides the Prophets did Prophesie very little about the Eternal life after the day of Judgment though something there was about it but very little in comparison and therefore we have a great deal of Reason to think it to be meant concerning this time of this new Jerusalem when God shall make it to be the praise of the whole Earth Lastly This shall add to the beauty of this new Jerusalem that Prosperity shall do it no hurt and therefore as I remember in the 4 th of the Revelat. the state of the Church in this time is compared to an Eagle there were four Beasts the first like a Lyon the second like a Calf the third was like a Man and the fourth was like a Flying-Eagle Noting the four states of the Church and the last shall be as an Eagle that is they shall be lifted above all these outward things At first when the Church was raised from persecution in Constantines time the History of those times tells us that there was a voice heard in the Air To day is Poyson poured into the Church It was at that time when Constantine did endow the Church with great Endowments and we find it now that we have weak stomacks and are not able to bear much prosperity and therefore God hath thought it rather fit to keep his Church low but when that day comes for Jerusalem to be made the praise of the whole Earth there shall be no fear of hurt from prosperity For Christ shall be all in all to them There shall be a more immediate enjoyment of God and that will keep them from taking hurt by what they have in the creature Now let 's put all these together and see what a glorious condition the Saints shall be in surely when all these things shall be fulfilled then you must needs say that Jerusalem will be made a praise in the whole Earth That is First When there shall be a Resurrection a new creation a new world when all Tears shall be wip'd away when all wicked men shall be kept under When the Church shall appear to be the pleasant Portion of God his Inheritance his dearly Beloved his Glory and when all Promises that have been made to them and all Prophecies of their glory shall be fulfilled when there shall be a wonderful confluence of the Nations Jews and Gentiles to them and yet there shall be a great deal of purity in ordinances there shall not be filth among them as now there is And the gifts and graces of the Saints shall be mightily inlarged and raised when there shall be a glorious presence of the Father and of Jesus Christ with them when Godliness and the Saints shall be honoured in the World as much as it is contemn'd when there shall be a blessed Union among all the Churches when there shall be a mighty change of the creatures and when there shall be no fear of any danger of any hurt by any Prosperity that they shall enjoy surely then will Jerusalem be made a praise of the whole Earth Therefore let the Saints give the Lord no rest until Jerusalem be thus made as the praise of the whole Earth You will say are these things so are they so indeed This may seem to be very strange and a strange point to some of you But in former times it was not so accounted those that are learned will find that Lactantius 17. Book 18.23 24. Chapters spends them almost all upon this Argument and he speaks of very strange things which I am loath to mention It may be he might go too far and he liv'd about 1300. Years ago But Justin Martyr that was long before him for he was but thirty Years after John the Disciple speaking about this point that I am speaking of I and all that are Christians of the Orthodox Faith hold this that there is such a time a coming of a glorious condition of the Church I know that this hath been abused by those that they account Millenaries there were some that did abuse this Doctrine and made the glory of the Church to consist in fleshly pleasures and the like and so they were condemn'd But I make the glory especially to consist in Spiritual good yet so as it shall appear to all the World And I find some Expressions in the Revelations where the Holy Ghost speaks of this of Christs coming to appear in this glorious manner he hath another manner of phrase to express it than I find in all the Book of God when other things are spoken of In the 19. of the Revel v. 9. He had spoken before of the Kingdom of Christ And he saith unto me Write blessed are they which are called unto the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me These are the true sayings of God Are there any false sayings of God It were blasphemy to think so one would think that if he did but say these are the sayings of God it were enough or these are true sayings But to make it sure that we may believe it These are the true sayings of God Not only the sayings but the True sayings of God Now if you say How can these things be To that I answer as in the eighth of Zech. v. 6. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts if it be marvellous in the Eyes of the Remnant of this People in these days should it also be marvellous in my Eyes saith the Lord of Hosts It 's marvellous in your Eyes should it therefore be marvellous in my Eyes I am the Lord of Hosts We may be ready to think these things cannot be But the Lord intends to put forth an Almighty power in bringing this to pass and it is that that is much in the heart of God to do These things the nearer the time comes the more they will be known and therefore I think it very useful at some time or other that people should be acquainted only Ministers had need have a Spirit of sobriety and moderation because not yet being fulfill'd they are not throughly understood and therefore we must not dare to be too bold in our guessing at things that are not clear But such things as appear clearly so as we may see there is footing for we should exercise our selves in and labour to make others acquainted with But now If you ask me when shall these things be when shall Jerusalem be made the praise of the whole Earth I Answer thus The Third SERMON IT 's very hard to determine the particular time but surely at the end
see the nearer we grow unto these times the more clearer is the point of Justification revealed to us O what strange conceits in times of Popery had People of Justification and I verily believe that many of your Consciences may tell you that a very few years since you had very strange thoughts about that point and understood but little of it but it begins to be clear more and more and we should study that point more for surely it is that point of Religion that will take up the heart of the People of God most in such times as these are It is called the fine Linnen of the Saints which is the Righteousness of the Saints That that 's Translated in your Books Righteousness it is the Righteousnesses of the Saints that 's this Not only the knowledge of the Righteousness of Christ applyed by Faith But Righteousness before Men too is the fine Linnen of the Saints they shall appear Righteous before men and Righteous being cloathed with the Righteousness of Jesus Christ And I would therefore commend that to those that speak much of the Righteousness of Jesus Christ know they must have Righteousnesses in the Plural Number that is not only be careful to have Righteousness before God through Christ but Righteousness before Men and that 's the second thing that is to be done for preparation of us for Christs coming to have our Lamps burning Holiness shining in our conversations before Men to live convincing conversations to make the ways of Godliness amiable And then let 's watch O take heed of slumbering And let us be constant in our holy profession take heed our Lamps do not go out And let us humble our selves for our former defilement we have defiled our selves by superstitious vanities in former times O let us humble our souls for them thereby shall we be fitted for this glorious time If new Jerusalem should come and you not humbled for your former defilements you would be unfit for this time Sixthly Seeing there is such a time for this new Jerusalem why then let us labour to further what we can the cause of God in his Church to make the Church as near to Jerusalem as we can now For though it 's true it shall be brought to pass by the Almighty power of Jesus Christ yet he requires that his Saints should put their hands to it and indeed this should be the care of all that make profession of Godliness to do what they can to make Jerusalem to be the praise of the world now O 't is a blessed thing to live to see the glory of God as it shines in this new Jerusalem But if it be blessed to See it it is more blessed to have a hand in it O let us be willing to consecrate all that we are or have for the furtherance of the glory of this new Jerusalem let us labour to draw all that we can to Godliness and be Godly our selves That should be the work of all those that profess Godliness to labour now to walk so as to make every body in Love with Godliness and to labour to wipe off all the aspersions that are cast upon the ways of Godliness there are strange errors and miscarriages of men why now those that are faithful should labour to wipe off all those things But on the other side let them know that make profession of Religion now and walk scandalously and are abominably erroneous in their Opinions they do what they can to hinder the glory of this Jerusalem though it 's true God will bring it about but thou dost what thou canst to hinder it O wo to thee that thou wert born to such a time as this is It 's ill that thou shouldest live in such a time as this is to cast any stain upon Religion that Religion should suffer any thing for thee Now every one that makes but any profession of Religion O they should labour to walk exactly and humbly and faithfully and conscionably that they may win others and so others being won by their conversation why then the People of the Land might joyn together and say Well verily it is these are the servants of the living God and we will joyn with them and set up their ways for we see them to be the ways of God I this were very hopeful that Jerusalem were lifting up indeed if so be we would convince men by our holy conversation But now when there appears so much folly and baseness of Spirit in those that are Professors why it makes men hate Religion more than ever they did and indeed but that we know God can bring the greatest good out of the greatest Evil one would think that there were as great a stop to the glory of the Church in these times as ever there was but wo to those that are the stoppers And howsoever some cry out such men stop it and such men stop it but the Lord I hope will come e're long and will make it appear who hinders the glory of his Churches whether it be those that in the sincerity of their hearts labour to raise up Godliness to the strictest form of all or those that will content themselves with a form Certainly those that give up themselves to promote the most strict way of Godliness and the most pure Ordinances they are not those that hinder the Reformation but Christ will own them to be those that further the Glory of this Reformation The Scripture speaking of this Jerusalem saith that no impure thing should enter into it that is Men should be as careful as possibly they can to keep out all things that are impure and so to raise up the ways of Godliness to the strictest and highest rule that possibly they can these are they that further the glory of this Jerusalem The Last thing is that we have in the Text Give God no rest till this be We might make it a several point of Doctrin but I only bring it in here by way of Use The truth is when Christ taught us to pray Thy Kingdom come he had an Eye at this for the Kingdom of Christ is not fully come till this time be come and as in that 36. of Ezek. 37. When the Lord had promised there such glorious things to his People saith he I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel to do it for them So though God doth intend to raise up Jerusalem thus yet the Lord will be sought unto for it must be furthered by Prayer All Gods People should cry out Come Lord Jesus come quickly how long how long holy and true will it be before thou dost this before these things come to pass my precious Lord God loves importunity especially in such things as these are Divers motives I had thought of to have put you on to this to be mighty in Prayer First Till this time till Jerusalem be thus raised the truth is the Earth is under a Curse