make these tidings these publishings what need of them if to tell no more then was obvious and what Sion knew before it must be some unexpected news that makes these messengers so welcome their feet so beautiful Babylon was taken at one end three days before Belshazar knew of it the Jews were as men that dreamed when God brought back their captivity thence having either forgot or not studyed the promise The times of the man of sin may expire and the days of the son of man may commence and yet both their partyes may be ignorant both of the one and of the other in which sence that kingdome of God is said to come not with observation 4ly It is the gloriousest Testimony in the world to publish the reign of God nothing makes the feet of any messenger so beautiful as the bringing of these tidings the making Evidence of the drawing near of this day The very eye of the prophets testimony in the Old testament was Christs first appearance the glory of the prophets testimony under the New Testament is Christs second appearance Lastly the first notice of these blessed and joyful tidings is given to those that are upon the Mountains and by thâ—m are divulged and published to their fellows that like and with themselves have left the City Babylon ye and earthly Jerusalem too Luk. 21. that have forsaken the multitude that are on the mountains as doves of the vallies Ezek. 7.16 lamenting after the Lord as in Samuels days looking for his appearance such whether in Churches or out of Churches as mourn for the absence of the Bridegroom embracing mountains and desarts in spirit rather then sitting down in any buildings of men waiting for that building of God that Heavenly Jerusalem that hath the glory of God that are uneasy and cannot take up in any state of things that can corrupt to the joy of these will the Lord appear by these are these tidings brought to such as these they are sent and to every one of these they will be highly wellcome Wherefore now with the noble Bereans search the Scriptures whether these things be so you have the scales here put into your hands the Epocha's pitcht the Calculation made ready to your perusal the signes of the times opened the dark Characters uncipherd the types and ancient paralels applyed the series of the Apocaliptick visions and many of the Sinchronisms set before you what of them is fulfil'd and what yet to be fulfilled In reflection upon all which I may say with soberness without vanity and arrogating any thing to my self who for the light here offered am the greatest debtor of all that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see these things to see such evidence of our redemption drawing nigh but have not been favoured with it And if upon perusal of the evidence you find it so as is reported that we are come to the days of the son of man and are so far entred upon them then for a farwel be admonished of this one thing that as these days of the son of man are days of great expectation wherein all things that are to precede his glorious coming are to be fulfilled and that before this generation passe away so they are and will be found to be days of great temptation and tribulation to the last even till the Lord appears in person from heaven therefore as the expectation should make us lookup and lift up our heads and concern our selves about these things with a more then Ordinary concern for that as they are great so they draw nigh and according to our concern will our fruit be in this day so the temptation calls us to more then ordinary circumspection and watchfulness therefore our Saviour inculcates that warning so often in speaking of this day and that to his disciples laying before them the danger if they do not and the safety and advantages if they do Luk. 21.34 35 36. ch 12.35 36.37 38 Mark 13.33 to the end of the chapter And where the Lord shews such a concern as he doth about this watching there to think that watching and not watching will come to the same reckoning argues a great slieghtness if not a profaneness of spirit Though ye be believers as to the main and your part in heaven cannot be taken from you yet ye may lose your part in these days and may be removed in some displeasure and so lose the honour of serving in the works of these days the honour of being of the number of the watchers by whose decree in association with the Lord the great watcher of Israel that great tree is to be grub'd up whose body is hewn down before Never are men yea good men in more danger of sleeping then when sleeping is most dangerous as we may see by the disciples whose eyes were never so heavy as when their Lord was in that bitter agony Wherefore to conclude if these be the days of the son of man set these days always before your selves to comfort and support you in all shocks and dangers say as he said Caesarem vehis fortunas Caesaris they are Christs days and Christ will have the day of all his enemies And bring these days and hold them up before the son of man call him to his own days ye that are the Lords Remembrancers such should all believers be keep not silence give him no rest till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth it is his work but it is our interest say if these be the days of the son of man then let the son of man appear in his day The sword of the Lord and of Gideon the faithfulness of Christ and the faith of the saints must be in association and then the like wonders will be done as in the day of Midian when the host run and cryed and fled The First Sermon Luk. 12.35.40 Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning and ye your selves like unto men that look for their Lord when he shall return from the wedding that when he cometh and knocketh they may open unto him immediatly c. IN much of this Chapter our Saviour is discharging his disciples and followets of worldly cares which is a very merciful consideration of our Lord who as he knows that we have need of these things so he also knows how great a burden and hinderance the care of these things are unto us how they do let and hinder our speedy following after him Now in order to this he administers several considerations ot them to discharge their cares by the ordinary providence of God towards all his creatures even towards the very plant which he suffers not to want his moisture and the poor sparrows the providence of God watches over them but after all these considerations the Lord brings a powerful one in consideration for good and all and that you have in the 33. verse fear not little flock it is your fathers
as Mr. Brightman hath demonstrated out of Onuphirius For Constantin began his raign Ann. 304. reigned 31 years Constantius after him raigned 24 years next succeeded Julian who raigned only a year and some few months which all put together making but 56 years from Constantines coming to the Empire pitch our Epocha just in 360. to which add Daniels first number of 1290 and it comes up in 1650. and the second number containing 45 prophetical days more comes up in 1695 which is 22 years to come having cleard thiâ— of the time when this enemy is to appear I come to a 3d character in Ezekiel which is that this enemy and his action is such as upon which the other bordering enemies of the Church have their eye and great expectation rejovcing much in it so we reade Ezek. 38.13 Sheba and Dedan and the Marchants of Tarshish with all the young Lyons thereof shall say unto thee i. e. to Gog art thou come to take a spoile hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey to carry away silver and gold to take away catile and goods to take a great spoile the phrase imports a pleasure and secret tickling thy self to see this enemy up they clap him on the back they set him on and give him their cursed benediction in the work thus much for the characters I come next to the effect and the designe thereof Gods designe is one thing and the Dragons is another the Dragons designe is to retrive and bring back the Church that is upon her escape and well advanced to bring her back into his power and clutches again into a worse condition then before and to keep her for over there and to prevent her new Jerusalem estate so neer at hand which though impossible yet this mad spirit not believing what he cannot but believe will be trying though he be sure to pay dearly for it at last but Gods designe is only a tryal upon his people for most holy and glorious ends set before us we may judge of the degree to which God may suffer this tryal to proceed God hath a 3 fold end in this scene 1. To bring the last and utmost tryal upon the faith of his people 2. By this tryal to make them conformable to Christ to rid them of themselves and those mixtures which made them miscarry in former works 3. To take occasion by the discovery of the enmity of this last enemy to rid the Church of this and all her enemies forementioned The first of these particulars shews the tryal is to be great general as indeed all the rest import the same but yet it is not to lay waste the Church but to purify her in prosecuting this head I shall first shew in what harmony this counsel and dealing of God with his Church and publick interest is with hâ—s inward and particular administration towards particular souls and with his out ward administration all along towards particular times and ages of the Church that have gone before v. 1. there is not a saint that hath a course of any time in this world after his conversion but hath experience in a little model of all these ways of God towards his Church in general hath the red Dragon standing before him to devour him as soon as borne into Christ hath his wildernesse state of temptation by the beast with all manner of baits and snares to draw him off from his profession and prevent his arrival at the haven of a glorious assurance and rest in God during which time he enjoys in despite of all his enemies a raign with Christ answering the 1000 years raign and after this when he is ready to enter the port of glory at death or of joyful assurance in this life putting in a fort a period to his militant state he is set upon by Satan in an unusual manner as a Dragon with fiery rage to destroy him and his hope I shall instance in some particulars who yet were types and figures of the publick inter est Jacob was loved with a peculiar choice-love the blessing was designed for him he no sooner had it but he is driven to fly with it to Padan-aram where he was a stranger to his fathers house for 20 years but at his return which is the thing that comes home to our purpose Esau like the Dragon comes against him with 400 men then in what a conflict is he with God this is the Antimask before the blessing which he then received from God So also Job who was set forth as a pattern of patience you have heard saith the Apostle of the patience of Job and the end that God made with him typifying and prefiguring the end God will make with all his he was a man fearing God and eschewing evil all his days but the state of prosperity was to be dissolved and a Phoenix must rise out of the ashes of it and see how the heavens are set about him with clouds Satan let loose upon him begirts him in his substance servants children wife and his own body and last of all in his friends who instead of comforters prove tormentors So also David he was from his first anointing for the kingdom tryed and exercised with the envy and jealousy of Saul but at last so put to it that he said in his haste all men were lyers even Samuel and all and concluded he should one day perish by the hand of Saul he faigned himself mad put himself into the service of Achish king of Gath a Philistine enemy to Israel a sad disguise discovering at what an under David was in his spirit these were publick types of the Church their sufferings of the sufferings of Christ their glory of the glory that was to follow and see in all these how the Devil plays the Dragon at last take a more particular view of it in Job from his own mouth chap. 29. and chap. 30. where after a flourishing estate largly and elegantly set forth by himself chap. 29. which was a little model of the Saints 1000 years raign with Christ see what a map of misery he is made chap. 30. the song and by word of the rabble but especially from v. 15. to v. 24. wherein as in the sufferings of our Lord Jesus God himself seems to take part with his enemies And not to instance in any more the Apostle Peter speaks of this last shock as being common to all the Saints both to the collective body and the particular members and therefore adviseth us not to think it strange concerning the fiery tryal as if he pointed to this red fiery dragon as though some strange thing happened unto us 1 Pet. 4.12 for it is not to destroy their faith but only to try it as he had acquainted them Chap. 1.7 and so our Saviour secures Peter and in him secures all that are built on that rock that Peter was Simon Satan hath desired to winnow thee bnt I have prayed that
a work rather for the Lord himself this is one reason Another reason is this because it is said at that time shall Michael stand up the great prince but in the Septuagint and so likewise in the Hebrew there are two Articles in the Septuagint it is Michael the prince the great now I say these are not proper for an angel these are sovereign titles and belong to the Lord himself As we use to say Constantine the great and Theodosius the great they are all sovereign attributes that is a second reason Thirdly at that time shall Michael stand up the great prince we never read of Gods sending any creature either Angel or man to be a single Champion and deliverer of his people but we read oftentimes that God engages himself singly to arise Psal 12.5 for the oppression of the poor for the sighing of the needy will I arise saith the Lord c. And so in Esay 23.10 and in Esay 42.19 and Esay 63.5 and several other places where you may reade of Christs engaging alone and so I say here it suits with Christs standing up but it suits not with any creature Now then what is there in this of Christs standing up who is the Michael here and if any shall yet be unsatisfied that he is called Michael we may as well ask why he is called David David your prince But I say standing up here doth import a change of posture and an addressing of himself to the Churches business why sleepest thou it is that which is intimated that the Lord in some dispensations seems to be asleep and let things go as they will but when the Lord stands up and awakens it makes a great change a great alteration when Christ laid aside his garments it was to do a singular thing it was to do or shew a singular a wonderful act of condscention and grace And so when Christ rises up it is the fall of his enemies and for the relieving of his spouse 't is a rising up with anger and indignation with a concern as the Lord says what have I here that my people are sold for nought I cannot bear it longer then up he gets it is said at Christs first coming it is for the rising and fall of many What then will his second coming be when he rises to judgment when he rises to pleade the cause of his people well but in the next place Michaels standing up or Christs standing up is a standing up for himself and for his people to take his great power as it is said in the Revelations thou hast taken to thy self thy great power now shall Christ stand alone consider this if a king stands up and hath great occasion to stand up either that he is invaded or that his subject rebels against him upon such occasion his confederates and allies will pour in their forces upon his enemies Surely our Lord Jesus hath great Allies and confederates his father and all his holy Angels you know it is Gods covenant with him that he will give him the heathen for his inheritance and he that will put all his enemies under his feet before ever he hath his kingdom we find the ancient of days upon his throne and it is a fiery throne too as you have it in Dan. 7. Now if Michael stand up all heaven all the hosts of heaven will stand up with him it will be found so and let the Saints reckon upon it Christ will not want power this is from Michaels standing up that is the first thing But then 2ly we find in Dan. 7. another strange thing which we reade but pass over not knowing well what to make of it we have done so many times in the 13. v. I saw in the night visions and behold one like the son of man come to the ancient of days and they brought him near before him not to exercise you with the difficulty of the understanding of this I shall immediately point you to what I think was the type of this and will give us a very good account of it Solomon you know was a type of Christs kingdom in the tranquility and peaceable time of it when it had wethered the point of all opposition and had now got the day of all its opposers now you shall find such a thing as this in that type before Davids days were out Solomon was presented to him for the kingdom and that by Davids allowance and David did as it were put his power upon Solomon and set him up which gives us the clearest light into this prophecy that I know of When David was old and cold that they could not keep heat in him but they were sain to provide otherwise to refresh his blood and to put spirit in him then was thought a time for Adonijah to set up for himself and get the kingdom for David was like a candle in the socket and so Adonijah might think the action would not be misinterpreted by David then they called all the kings Sons to the feast only they left out Solomon the true interest the heir designed by God and sworn by David he is left out and Zadoch and Benajah these were not called but all the rest now when Adonijah was at his feast Nathan hears of it and acquaints Bathsheba the mother of Solomon who goes forthwith to David about it Here is now in type the bringing the son of man to the ancient of days as she brought Solomon she is a type of the Church presenting Christ unto God saying hast thou not sworn that Solomon thy son shall raign after thee This is presenting the son of man to the ancient of days in the type now so it is in the Antitype so it is in these days of the son of man behold King Solomon with the Crown wherewith his mother crowned him Can. 3. the Lords Prophets and such as are true to the Lords interest bring the son of man to the Ancient of days the prayers of the Saints will run much in this strain and they will be speaking good of Christ in the ears of God and will be telling what their expectations are and how they tender the setting up of Christ and how they suffer and must suffer till Christ raignes and that they never expect to see good days till he comes this answers the type the bringing of the son of man to the ancient of days The ancient of days is commonly looked upon to be the father now 't is true the father hath covenanted and engaged to set Christ upon his throne and he calls him his King but you will find in Revel 1. this very description that is in Daniel applyed to Christ The hair of his head is said to be as white as snow and therefore how shall we understand this I will tell you how it may be reconciled by Davids Lord Davids son that is the head of Christ is God this is the head here spoken of the hair of his head was
set it up with himself before the world was he hath set it up in Christ let me tell you there is nothing lesse then eternal life that God thinks worthy of his people or that they are to account an interest Therefore now if the things we hope for be eternal things then they were before the world was in hope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began yea he not only promised it but he did exhibit it in the person of our Lord Jesus 2 Cor. 5. We wait to be clothed upon with our house from heaven the building of God eternal in the heavens this eternal habitation is that that Job speaks of he shall know his habitation and not sin This eternal fair record of our persons and of our life in Christ is that which was by him when he made the world as in Prov 8. Let me tell you this state of ours this contracted dead state which we are in at this present time which is as the rude draught of that suture state that we expect why this state of ours and this seed was comprehended in that state in glory above and did flow as it were from that state grew from that glorious plant and tree it descended by creation into this state of nature that here it might dye and might rise again through a mistical death into it's first state for Christ that is our pattern hath declared the divine processe of this mystery Christ tells us that he was in the bosome of the father before he came into the womb of the virgin and while he was here on earth he had his apartment in glory his rooms his Lodgings in heaven nay the whole was his he was the son of man in heaven though he did come forth from that state into this poor narrow thing the son of man on earth yet he had his relation to that still therefore he says glorify me with that glory that I had with thee before the world began this is the noblenesse of a Christians relation and that consists in two thins especially The one is that the whole work is transacted in the person of Christ we are saved in him circumcised raised in him and the other is that there is the pattern in the mount of all that we shall be that is eternally existent with God in which he doth behold all his works his very last and concluding scene and that is the righteousnesse that sustains him under all the riskes and the adventures that his works do run through in this world and it is a great ground of hope to the saints that they descend from such a state if you could suppose a spring in the city that was as high as the highest tower though it might fall as low as the lowest part of the ground of the whole city yet it would rise again as high as the place from whence it comes and so I say this is a great confirmatiou unto us that we shall arrive at such a pitch because we set forth from such a glory Let others call this a notion if they will I am sure the Scripture gives ground for it I will be bold to say that all that glory as it is in heaven above so it is likewise shut up in narrow bounds in that principle of regeneration that is in the heart of a saint these heavens as they lye in the spirit and person of our Lord Jesus so do they in the principle of regeneration of saith and love as it is in Christ Jesus faith and love you must not understand to be only of Christ efficiently but to be in Christ subjectively our graces would never endure nor keep sweet if they were not kept in Christ because we derive our selves from those dear bowels of the father when he brought forth Christ who is the eternal son of god he brought forth his whole body in him all his members were with him and all the glory that ever they shall have was put upon them there in that pattern in the mount The Second evidence of it is The interest of our Lord Jesus in this whose children whose branches whose seed we are when he shall appear we shall be like him if so be that such poor inconsiderable things as we might alwaies be whelmed under a bushel is Christ so inconsiderable think you shall not he be set on a Candlestick shall he not have his time to appear Till we appear with Christ Christ will not be compleatly glorifyed and when Christ doth appear we cannot but appear with him why so because as we are called in a body so is Christ called in a body too Christ cannot avoid being afflicted in our afflictions I tell you there is no weather-glasse that shews changes in the air as Christs glorifyed person shews all the changes that befals his members and so they represent his glorifyed person as in a glasse and there ill be spots in this moon till the saints are glorifyed with him therefore it is Christs interest the glory of the saints when he shall come to be glorifyed in his saints and admired in all that believe not by them but in them 2 Thes. 1. Therefore let this be the comfort of poor saints that travel under a load of corruption a body of sin and of death of it shall not always be so with the sons of God they shall not always be so kept it shall not always be so with the son of God with the son of righteousness he shall not always be hid with a cloud no no he hath his time to appear the great and only Potentate king of kings and Lord of Lords he must shew this great sight and he will shew it in it's appointed time 1 Tim. 6.15 and lastly now to shew you a little of the power by which it shall be done which possibly will not get an easy entrance into our belief what is the reason we stick at the believing of things but because we do not credit the power by which it shall be done it shall be by Christs appearing It is no more but for Christ to look forth and to present himself and to shew himself and the work is done we may truly say let God arise and his enemies shall be scattered you see every day how that champion the sun comes out of his quarters as a bridgroom out of his chamber and how he no sooner sets forth but all darknesse flyes before him Oh! it is not the stoutest of enemies that thou hast nor that the Church hath can bear the presence and the looking forth of the Lord Jesus but they will presently cry hide us from the face of him that sits upon the throne and from the presence of the lamb my brethren this glory in which Christ shall appear if you do but consider it that the state in which he was upon the earth was but as the seed and in that first appearance bore no greater a
consider that I desire to draw out my heart to you it is the greatest comfort I have when I finde weaknesse in my self I have a great desire to live to see the glorious time of the Church and when at any time as the devil is wonderful busy to cast in his fiery darts and discouragements into the soul when I finde I am either assaulted with a sudden fear or that I cannot see how that little vigour and strength I have should hold out I finde a great deal of comfort in reflections of this nature that the Lord is more concern'd in and for me then I am in and for my self and whoever can do so shall finde and feel the benefit of it hath not the Lord given his son for me and he that gives his own son how shall be not with him freely give us all things are we not his peculiar treasure then I say leave your selves to God and say look thou to it we may with a holy freedom say to the Lord look thou to it it is not for us though we are to serve the providence of God and the publique yet it is Gods concern he is to look to it cast it upon God but 3ly A third consideration is his I have told you once and again and now also that I cannot bring tho time neerer the time of our hopes then I have done but yet consider this this time that is yet to run out before that very period comes wherein he is pronounced blessed that waits comes to that time I say those times that are to run out will be filled with wonders and with glory that shall give strength unto us from day to day from year to year to await the end to the last issne for although it is not said that Daniel shall stand in his lot until the end of those days and then it is promised he shall ye I say there may goundedly be an expectation of higher more transcendent and wonderfull works of God that shall entertain his people during their watching and waiting for you know who is there that needs watchers at any time but will provide them entertainment during their watching they shall have strong-waters or something by them and so shall the Lords people you will say what entertainment shall we have I must tell you I look upon the 45 years as well night half expyred which is the time in which Christ employs instruments for the throwing down of the remainder of his enemies throughout this whole western world and the Eastern too the great Turk the whole seat of the 4th Monarchy all the enemies in these two Empires the Eastern and the Western Christ takes this time to bring them down and wonderfully brought down they must be and come to their end this abundance of Scriptures tels us he will shake heaven and earth and the desire of all nations shall come and so he says in Joel he will gather the heathens to the vally of Jehoshaphet and so Zach. 14.3 But in Revel 16. you read that at the pouring forth of the 6th Vyal the great river of Euphrates shall be dryed up he is drying up Euphrates at this day and this will be a glorious work to see how Christ gets ground of his enemies and how the house of Saul grows weaker and weaker indeed it would be very little comfort to see destruction and desolation if the new state did not put off the old state as the old nail gives way to the new or as Jacobs supplanting Esan though that new state is not to be seen vulgarly or visibly yet the saints finde it coming on in the spirit and this if you be reasonable men will satisfy you God will satissy his people ere he hath done and it is your mistake if you are not satisfyed with this way he takes so did Israel dig up fouutains and their rock followed them The 4th consideration is this that if we did understand things aright we should rejoyce with all our souls it would turn to us for a testimony that the Lord holds us in so long suspenee being an argument of the greatness of the transcendency of the things that are promised otherwise God would not exercise his people so long in the wayting for them think you that God will exercise his people with waiting for a trifle Esa 64.4 From the begining of the world men have not beard nor perceived by the ear neither hath any eye seen besides thee O God what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him if you expect Christs glorious kingdom any otherwise you will be mistaken there is no common or ordinary thing in that day expect nothing but wonders things that are to put your faith to it to acknowledge them when they come to passe that you will be ready to say are we in a dream as when the Lord brought back the captivity of Sion this is that which makes our patience so lame we represent the kingdom of God in such a pittiful poor way and manner what is the utmost glory that men present it in why that it will be a time of pure ordinances and the ministers shall recover themselves with their people alas alas is this all is this the kingdome of Christ I saw no temple there God will bring his people to immediate converse with himself they shall see eye to eye God intends to bring his people to a state without sin past this state of infirmity I confess men may give such an account of Christs kingdom that may not ballance the charge or trouble of working it about Do you think that God would have suffered Paradise to fall but that he had a better state to bring forth Do you think that the temple had been suffered to miscarry but that he had a better state to present Do you think that the primitive state had been suffered to decline but that he had a better state yea better then the Apostles better then the Prophets We see say they through a glass datkly but in that day Christians shall be known to whom they belong you know a waterman by his badge the name of God shall be written in the foreheads of his people If you look for any thing but wonders in that day you will be mistaken things being working to that issue I say you will see wonders One word more till Christ comes in person let us emprove his spiritual presence with us which by promise shall never be taken away And I tell you as I have told you formerly it is the spirit of Christ in the Saints that is the power by which they shall be changed Christs personal appearance from heaven bears a part it is the glorious example to which we shall be conformed and it hath a ministry likewise of enouragement and strengthning it will call up our faith and the life of the spirit into exercise in us but they must both meet the shout of our faith with the shout