Judgement First because it is said that the time here spoken of it is when the Jewes were to be refreshed from the Lords presence v. 19 20 21. Repent yee therefore and be converted that your sinnes may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And hee shall send Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you Whom the Heaven must receive untill the times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the World began And they cannot be refreshed by the Lords presence till Christs coming to judgement Secondly it was the time that God did solemnly declare pardon of sinne for all the Elect Repent yee therefore and bee converted that our Sinnes may hee blotted out Thirdly it is said of which all the Prophets do beare witnesse those that doe plead for Christs personall Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth they cannot say that all the Prophets did speake this for Moses Daniel and others nay none of the Prophets speake of Christs Reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth therefore this cannot have a reference to Christs Reigne for a thousand yeares upon the Earth A Second Scripture is in Psal 110.1 The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou at my right Hand untill I make thine Enemies thy Foote-stoole That Scripture tells you that Jesus Christ who is ascended into heaven and sits at Gods right Hand there that Christ shall sit at Gods right Hand how long till hee hath made all his Enemies his Foote-stoole The Apostle tells you that all Enemies to be made Christs Foot-stoole cannot be till Christs coming at the last time Will you marke that Scripture that the Apostle telleth you directly 1 Cor. 15.23 24 25 26. But every man in his owne Order Christ the first Fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end when hee shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father when hee shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power For hee must reigne till hee hath put all Enemies under his Feets The last Enemy that shall be destroyed is Death Here is the coming of Christ that hath reference to all the Just and Unjust Marke now Christ therefore must reigne in Heaven till all enemies be under his Feete now these thousand yeares all Enemies are not under his Feete why because death will be then death is not to be destroyed then for there will be thousands of Men upon the Earth but when the end comes hee must give up his Kingdome to his Father What is more cleare then this that the Heavens must keepe Christ till all things bee restored and that cannot be till the day of Judgement Againe Christ must reigne so long till the end of the World The third Scripture is in the 1 Cor. 15.23.24 But every Man in his owne Order Christ the first Fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end when hee shall have delivered up the Kingdome to God even the Father when hee shall have put down all rule and all authority and all power This Scripture telleth you that when Christ cometh out of Heaven upon Christs coming three things must be done First every man must rise vers 23. Now that cannot be at a thousand years because they themselves hold this that there shall onely be a Resurrection of the Martyrs and here the Scripture saith that every man shall rise which cannot be till the day of Judgement Secondly when Christ comes then comes the end the Apostle tells us of his coming and the end of the World to note that Christs coming and the end of the World shall be together Thirdly hee delivers his Kingdome up to his Father whereas if Christ should reigne a thousand years here it could not be said to be the giving up of a Kingdome but to the taking of a Kingdome into possession hèe must resigne all to God the Father When the Scripture is so expresse it is a wonder that men can fancy such fantasticall thoughts that Christ must come as an Earthly Monarch to reigne here a thousand years A fourth Scripture is in Heb. 9.28 So Christ was once offered to beare the sinnes of many and unto them that looke for him shall hee appeare the second time without sinne unto Salvation From that Scripture I will argue against Christs coming to reigne upon the Earth for a thousand yeares First it is expresly in the Scripture that Christs coming there spoken of it referres to the day of judgement in vers 27. And as it is appointed unto men once to dy but after this the judgement There Christs second coming it doth referre to the day of Judgement Now if the Scripture doth call that his second coming which is his coming to judgement then Christ cannot come before that time as to reigne upon the Earth for if hee should come to reigne upon the Earth then the Apostle must call that his third coming there was but one coming which was from Heaven to the Wombe of the Virgin and there is no other coming but a second coming that is to judgement that is his second coming Secondly it is said Christ shall come the second time to our Salvation it cannot be said to our Salvation if his coming were to reigne a thousand yeares upon the earth it were onely a worldly way but Christs comming it must referre to the last and great coming wherein the World shall be judged and the Soules of the Elect shall be saved Beloved these Scriptures are very cleare unto mee The reasons are two that Christ shall not come personally out of Heaven to reigne upon the Earth for a thousand years First because the Scripture doth manifest that when Christ comes personally out of Heaven there are such Concomitants of his coming that can be refâ—rred to no other time then his last coming to judge the World First when Christ is said to come out of Heaven the Scripture telleth you this Concomitant that the Saints shall come along with him Jude 14. And Enoch also the seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his Saints So that when Christ comes from Heaven hee must come with his Saints with him nay he must come with his Angels 2 Thess 1.7 And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels These two Scriptures put together Christ must come with his Saints and Angells I but those that fancy Christs coming a thousand years they cannot prove that Christ shall come with his Saints and Angells for the Scripture that seemes to carry it that way doth not speak of Angells and Saints coming Secondly it is said when Christ comes from Heaven that good and bad shall be gathered together and all shall be judged by Jesus Christ now this cannot bee of Christs personall
THE SOVLS CORDIALL In two TREATISES I. Teaching how to be eased of the guilt of Sin II. Discovering advantages by Christs ascension By that faithfull Labourer in the Lords Vineyard Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE Pastor of Lawrence Jury London The third Volum Job 33.27 28. He looketh upon men and if any say I have sinned and perverted that which was right and it profited me not He will deliver his soule from going into the pit and his life shall see the light Romans 8.33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us London Printed for Nathaniel Brooke at the Angell in Cornhill 1653. J Cross Sculpsit To the Reader READER THou art here presented with two Treatises of the late pious and faithfull Minister of the Gospell Mr. Christopher Love They come to thy view in an unpolished style as they were taken from the mouth of the reverend Author whose endeavour it was to pierce the conscience rather then to please the eare A garish dresse is unbefitting a chaste Matrone if thou expect here what may be pleasing to a wanton appetite stay at the threshold thou wilt lose thy labour if thy stomach be for wholesome Food and Doctrine according to Godlinesse enter in this diet is for hungry soules The first part will shew thee how thou must proceed to obtaine and assure thy heart of pardon of sin viz. by a sound Confession this duty is much decried in these dayes of Libertinisme but by such as decry the power of Godlines and are loath to have a check put upon their licentiousnesse but doe thou remember he that hideth his sin shall not prosper hee that confesseth and forsaketh it shall finde mercy If we say wee have no sin we deceive our selves and make God a lier if we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive them pardon of sinne is the purchase of the bloud of Christ but intailed upon the Confession of sinne The latter will shew thee thy great advantage by Christs ascension intercession and returne to judgement this is a subject most sutable for the last times times of perill and temptation to quiet comfort and incourage to keepe the heart in the love of God in the patient waiting for Christ and unspotted in the world We have much talke in the World that Christs person shal reigne for 1000. yeares upon earth hee that can see this in Scripture hath a clearer sight then I but what ever becomes of this opinion we are sure of and stay our soules upon this That our blessed Saviour is now at the right hand of God in glory pleading the cause of his despised servants waiting till his enemies be made his footstoole from whence we expect him at that great day to transforme our vile bodies into the similitude of his glorious body to take us into these mansions prepared for us that we may see his glory and be for ever with the Lord. These meditations if they were often in our mindes would engage us to be stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord because our labour is not in vain in the Lord. One thing more I advertise thee that in the perusing of these little Treatises thou wilt meet with many typographicall errors for these the Printer craves thy pardon Farewell J. Cranford Pastor of Christophers le Stocks Curteous Reader These Books following are Printed for Nathaniel Brooke and are to be sold at his Shop at the Angell in Gornehill 1. TImes Treasury or Academy for Gentry excellent grounds both Divine and Humane for their accomplishment in arguments of discourse habit fashion with a Ladies love Lecture and Truthes triumph summing up all in a character of Honour by Ri. Braithwait Esq 2. Morton of the Sacrament folio 3. Physiognomy and Chiromancy Metoposcopy the Symmetricall proportions and signall Moles of the body the subject of Dreames to which is added the art of Memory by Ri. Sanders Student folio 4. Theatrum chemicum Britanicum tontaining severall poeticall peeces of our famous English Philosophers which have written the Hermitque misteries in their antient Language by Elias Ashmole Esq 5. Chiromancy or the art of Divining by the lines engraven in the hand of man by dame Nature Theologically practically in 19. Genitures with a leraned discourse of the soule of the World and universall spirit thereof by Geo. Wharton Esq 6. Catholick History collected and gathered out of Scripture Councells and antient Fathers Moderne writers hoth ecclesiasticall and civill by Ed. Chisenhall Esq 7. Planometria or the whole art of Survey of Land shewing the use of all Instruments but especially the plain Table whereunto is added an Appendix to measure regular Solides as Timber Stone usefull for all that intend either to sell or purchase by Ol. Wallingby 8. 8. An Arithmetick in number and species in two Books 1 Teaching by precept and example the operation in Numbers whole and broken by Decimals and use of the Logarithms Napyers bones 2 The great Rule of Algebra in Species resolving all Arithmeticall questions by supposition with a Canon of the powers of numbers fitted to the meanest capacity by Jonas Moore late of Durham 8. 9. Tactometrica or the Geomety of Regulars after a new exact and expeditious manner in Solids with sundry usefull experiments Practicall Geometry of Regular-like Solids and of a Cylinder body for liquid vessell measure with sundry new experiments never before extant for gauging a work very usefull for all that are imployed in the art Metricall by John Wiberd Doctor in Physick 10. An Astrologicall discourse with Mathematicall Demonstrations proving the powerfull and harmonicall influence of the Planets and fixed Stars upon Elementary Bodies in justification of the Validity of Astrologie by Sir Christopher Heydon Knight 11. Magick and Astrology vindicated in which is contained the true definitions of the said Arts and the justification of their practise proved by the authority of Scripture and the experience of antient and modern Authors by H. Warren 12. An Astrologicall judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the sick also the way of finding out the cause change and end of a disease also whether the sick be likely to live or die by N. Culpeper 13. Catastrophe Magnatum or the down fall of Monarchy by N. Culpeper 14. Ephemerides for the year 1652. being a year of wonders by N. Culpeper 15. Lux veritatis or Christian Judiciall Astrology vindicated and Daemonology confured in answer to Nath. Holmes Dr. D. By W. Ramsey Gent. 16. The History of the Golden Ass 17. The Painting of the Antients the beginning progress and Consummating of that noble Art and how those antient Artificers attained to their still so much admired excellency Israels redemption or the propheticall History of our Saviours Kingdome on earth by Robert
his bounty is great and a pardoned man abaseth self because he seeth sin exceeding sinfull Nehem. 9. Char. 2 Secondly A pardoned man doth maintain a holy dread in his heart from committing that sin that he knoweth to be pardoned a pardoned sinner knoweth this that before a sin can be pardoned it cost Christ much and cost himself much it cost Christ much bloud to expiate the guilt of that sin it cost him many tears to destroy the power of that sin now that sin which he hath smarted for and Christ hath suffered for he will not easily commit Psal 38. when the Psalmist said he would declare his iniquity then in Psal 39. he saith I will take heed to my wayes as if he should have said I am sorry for my sin and the Lord hath forgiven me mine iniquity but here is the result of it I will take heed to my wayes and of my sinning another time there is no man that knoweth his sin to be pardoned that can easily run into the commission of it again It is an excellent expression in the book of Job 10.14 If I sin then thou markest me and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity If I sin it is not here spoken absolutely and simply for what man is he that lives and sinneth not but if I sin as I am charged that I should sin murmuringly and maliciously against God and I will persist in my sin saith Job If I sin as they charge me what followes then God will not take away mine iniquity he will not pardon my sin as Job said of himself you may say of your selves if I sin obstinately and pertinaciously God will not pardon thou hast been wiccked and thou wilt be so thou hast been prophane and thou wilt be so This is inconsistent with a pardoned state Char. 3 A third Character of a person whose sin is forgiven is this to have unfained sorrow and remorse of heart for the commission of sin sins forgiven are steept in bloud and soakt in tears sorrow before pardon is servile and legall none can sorrow in an Evangelicall manner but he who is brought into a pardoned estate Indeed there may be a forc't and a constrained sorrow which may come from the eyes of unpardoned men there is this difference between the one and the other Tears in an unpardoned sinner come from him like water in a Still but Tears in a pardoned sinner come from him like water from the clouds water will drop from the Still but it is forc't by keeping close the Still and by the heat of the fire the fire of hell may make a wicked man agast but sorrow for sin in a pardoned man is like water from the clouds that is not forced but doth naturally drop down Char. 4 A fourth Character He in whom sin is pardoned is a man in whom is no guile Psal 32. some do take guile in a particular sense others extend it more largely as a comprehensive word equivalent to sincerity he is a man in whose spirit is no guile an upright man Thus much for the use of Tryall I now come to answer the Objections Object 1 The first Objection me thinks I hear a doubting Christian say Woe and alas what state am I in I have misgiving thoughts that God hath not pardoned mine iniquities because I cannot find that I have a heart to mourn for my iniquity And is it imaginable that Christ should shed bloud for those sins which I never shed a tear for I can mourn for outward small crosses but I cannot mourn for great inward corruptions this makes me doubt whether ever God hath pardoned my sin I shall resolve this Objection in these four particulars Answ 1 First of all consider that all men have not a like naturall tendernesse and softnesse of disposition many are of soft dispositions are naturally inclined to tears this is not grace but the ingenuousnesse and softnesse of Nature all cannot sorrow a like there may be grace in a man if his disposition be hard and rugged yet he cannot shed tears as those that have a tender disposition Answ 2 Secondly You that make this Objection know this that there may be greater sorrow for sin in the heart when there is no tears for sin flowing from the eye tears from the eye doth ease and lighten the minde there may be the greatest sorrow when it can have no vent from the eye Answ 3 Thirdly You that make this Objection know you must distinguish of a twofold sorrow for sin First there is a judicious sorrow and secondly a sensitive sorrow First There is a judicious sorrow and this consists in an apprehension in the Judgement that sin is the greatest evill in the world and most to be lamented branded opposed and resisted Divines do place more strength height of grace in having an indignation stirred up in the understanding against sin touching the evill of sin this is more then to shed a few tears for sin Now if thou hast a judicious sorrow to apprehend sin to be a great evill though it hath not vent at the eye yet this is godly sorrow for sin A man that hath the Tooth-ache he will cry out and complain more and shed more tears happily for the exquisite pain of the Tooth-ache then he will doe in the burning Feaver yet aske him which he had rather have he will tell you the Tooth-ache the reason is because the pestilentiall Feaver is more hazard ous to life so had you rather lose your children then lose the sense of Gods favour Which had you rather have afflictions in the world or willingly commit sin against God The judgement of a man if he be a regenerate man tells him he had rather a thousand times lose the dearest relation then the manifestation of Gods love unto his soul he had rather endure the greatest affliction then to venture willingly on the least sin Answ 4 Fourthly Consider that Gods own people have oftentimes exprest more forrow for outward afflictions then they have done for inward corruptions there is great reason for it because things of sense do more affect us then things of faith do lay a man upon the rack and he shall more roar and cry then any man in the world shall do in the sense of sin because the pain is sensitive and it will have more sense of sorrow it was thus with good men in Scripture We read much of Davids sorrow he had no rest in his bones by reason of his sin yet mark when David lost Absalom O what a fit of sorrow was he in crying out O my son Absalom my son my son Absalom would God I had dyed for thee O Absalom my son my son We do not read of such cryes O my soul my soul O what shall I do for thee my soul because the sorrow was sensitive the losse was sensitive Now beloved Gods people do expresse more sensitive sorrow for outward crosses then for inward
had Achan sinned too but I sinned further then hee O labour to finde out what aggravations there are that thy evills are capable of that so thou mightest come to magnifie and grraten the grace of God in thy esteem A famous story of Austin Aug. in his confessionâ— when God converted him and smote his conscience for the vanity of his youth how doth he aggravate his sin when he was a boy for robing of an Orchard he doth aggravate that sin with many circumstances First I robed an Orchard meerly out of vanity not out of need to steal for need is more tolerable though not justifiable but when he had enough that was vanity then it was not for the goodnesse of the fruit but meerly for the lust of the eye then I did not rob the Orchard alone but I got others with me then it was an unseasonable time of night then he went to rob the Orchard after he had spent all the day in vain sport then what they could not eat they gave to the hogs then saith he I wronged and injured an honest neighbour that never did me wrong O see how he clothed that sin with many hainous crimes and circumstances canst not thou cloath thy ununcleannesse thy oppression thy extortion thy unjust dealing with hainous circumstances Let me direct you a little in this rule First To aggravate thy sin consider all sins against the manifestation of Gods love are great when God speaks peace to thee if thou shouldest then warre against God Psal 58. this greatens sin it was an aggravation of Solomons sin that he sinned against the Lord after God had revealed himself twice to him 1 King 11.9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel which had appeared to him twice Secondly It aggravates sin when you commit a sin upon a slight temptation for a man to sin when he hath little or no provocation that greatens sin What made the sin of the devill so great it was this that the Angels had no Devils to tempt them for thee to follow the stews for thee to follow thy lust when the devill doth not tempt thee to doe it when the provocation is meerly from thine owne heart this greatens a mans sin and thus in the Prophet Micah That men should sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a paire of shoes O when thou shalt recollect and say How have I dishonoured God how have I runne the hazard of an immortall soul when the Devill hath laid no temptation to me this greatens sinne exceedingly A third thing to greaten sin by is when a man doth sin against the checks and rebukes of his own conscience Conscience saith doe not sin do not wickedly and the man saith I must I must I shall lose all else When Conscience shal arrest thee and accuse thee of sin and thou shalt stifle and put by all this aggravates thy sin Fourthly The frequency of the acts of sin to commit a sin once is not so much but to fall often into the same sin this greatens sin Fifthly Complacency of heart in sin when sin is not onely the sin of thy practise and of thy life but thou delightest in sin if sin be riveted and rooted in thy heart thou art unclean Canst thou goe to God and say Lord what grace is here and what mercy is here that thou hast pardoned great transgressions and those sins that I can aggravate by many hainous circumstances I have read my pardon and yet I have now blotted my pardon canst thou say I have sinned and upon a very triviall occasion and on a small temptation I am a drudge to the Devil on an easie temptation when the Devill can draw thee by a silken thread to a sin O it is a great aggravation when Conscience arrests thee for sin and thou wilt still be stifling the cries of Conscience Would you greaten sin you are in a ready way to greaten mercy and pardoning grace that is a fourth direction Fifthly If God doth out of the riches of his grace pardon aggravated sins take you heed that when you have obtained great and gracious pardons for great and grievous sins you do not extenuate your sins doe not say of your sins as Lot of Zoar Is not this a little one doe not say of wilful enormities as Jacob did Peradventure it was an oversight doe not mince the matter and doe not lessen sin but greaten sin The reason why thou shouldst not doe it consider first by extenuating sin and making it smal and little in your eye you will lessen the greatness of gods pardoning grace who will value the skill and physick of a kitchin woman that Physitian is valued that can cure a deadly and and dangerous disease when a mans spirits are gone and strength is consumed he is prized thou by lessening thy sin dost lessen pardoning grace 2. By the extenuating thy sin thou dost lessen the value of Christs bloud 3. Thou wilt lessen thine owne repentance and humiliation for what man will labour after great humiliation for small transgressions therefore there is a world of wrong done to thine own soul when God hath pardoned great transgressions if thou shouldst extenuate and lessen the greatnesse of thy evils Sixthly Content not your selves with slight and superficiall repentance for falling into great and grosse evils bee not like Lewis the eleventh King of France when he did an evill against his Conscience he pulled off his hat and took his Crucifixe and cryed God mercy for what he had done so many men if they can but cry God mercy in ordinary and generall tearms they think they have made a Compensation to Divine Justice And thus I have done with the second branch of the use in these six particulars Vse 3 The third and the last branch shall be by way of Consolation Consolations against great sins to troubled and perplexed Consciences that by reason of their falling into aggravated and hainous sins doe entertain doubtfull thoughts of their own pardon five Consolations I shall lay down to you from the Scripture First Consider for thy Comfort that Conversion and repentance for sin before God wipes off the ignominy and the infamy of thy former miscarriages suppose thou past been an ignominious notorious foul creature yet repentance puts a vail over thy ignominious lusts Secondly Take this for thy comfort that Jesus Christ doth manifest more love to those men who have fallen into grosse sin after repentance and humiliation then he did to any other sorts of men in the world It is observable of Peter Peter did sin more then all the Disciples unlesse Judas that was the cast-away after Peter did humble himself and repent of his denyall Christ did shew more love to Peter then to all the other Disciples First Christ appeared to Peter after his Resurrection before he appeared to any other so Paul tels you in 1 Cor. 15.5 And
of Christ is now in Heaven it were enough then that Opinion of Transubstantiation is hereby confuted Christs Body cannot be in Heaven and on the Earth both at one time Fourthly the ascension of Christ it overthrows the Opinion of the Carpocraciani that hold that onely his soule did goe to Heaven and his body perished as others And this cannot be for the Disciples said that they saw Christ ascend and this must be his Body for they could not see his soul for the soule is a spirit Now you see the reason why I spent so much time in the morning in giving you many Texts of Scripture to prove this poynt because there are so many Hereticks that doe oppugne this Doctrine of CHRISTS Ascension I now come to give you three or foure practicall deductions First is Christs body now in Heaven then I infer O thou that canst lay a grounded clayme for an interest in Jesus Christ O be not thou afrayd to die doe not thou be afrayd to die that canst lay a claime in Jesus Christ because thy Christ is in Heaven and when thou diest death is but a Trap-doore to let thee in to endlesse joy where Christ is why should wee bee as children to looke on death as a Bugbeare but looke upon death as being a passage into thy Fathers house as being a Trap-doore to let thee in where Jesus Christ is Gen. 45.25.27 And they went up out of Aegypt and came into the Land of Canaan unto Jacob their Father And they told him all the words of Joseph which hee had said unto them and when hee saw the Waggons which Joseph had sent to carry him the spirit of Iacob their Father revived Did Jacob rejoyce to see a Wagon or a Chariot that would carry him into Aegypt to see his Sonne Joseph and wilt not thou rejoyce to thinke that death is a chariot to carry thee to Jesus Christ to carry thee to Heaven O therefore let not thy heart be troubled to die because death is but a chariot to carry thee to Heaven Is Christ gone into heaven Then secondly labour thou whilst thou livest on the Earth to ascend to Christ in Divine and holy Ejaculations and Meditations Is Christ in Heaven then why should not thy heart be where thy head is why shouldst thou be grovelling on the Earth seeing thy Christ is now in Heaven It is a speech of Christ Canticles 3.6 Who is this that cometh out of the Wildernesse like Pillars of smoke perfumed with Myrrhe and Franckincense with all powders of the Merchant Thou shouldst ascend up to Christ though thou beest in trouble in the Wildernesse of this World O ascend up to Christ in holy Meditations the use the Apostle makes of it Colos 3.1 If yee then be risen with Christ seeke those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right Hand of God The argument is where Christ sits at the right Hand of God set your affections there and so in the Phil. 3.20 For our conversation is in Heaven from whence also wee looke for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ Christ is in Heaven therefore our conversation must be where our head is It is a notable Text Mat. 24.28 For wheresoever the Carkeise is there will the Eagles be gathered together That Christ being in Heaven it should make you ascend in your hearts heavenward It is true there are some that wrest these words and give this sence of them that they make the carkeise to be the Jewes and the Eagles to be the Romans because the Romans diduse the Eagle in their Banner and Ensigne of War therefore they say where the Jews were the Romans should come though this was a truth yet not the scope of the Text it is generally overthrowne by most Interpreters But where the carkeise is thither will the Eagles resort Gerrard doth chiefly referre it to the day of judgement where the carkeise is thither will the Eagles resort that is where Jesus Christ is in Heaven as the Eagles doe follow after the carkeise to feed upon that so the people of God as Eagles are gathered about a carkeise the people of God shall be gathered about Jesus Christ and this I doe confesse is the chiefe scope of the place and doe believe it is the chief intendment of the holy Ghost but Gerrard hee makes another use of it too and referres it to the power and efficacy of the Gospell in this Life Christ is now in Heaven saith Gerrard that the Gospell shall be as powerfull on men in the World that it shall make men as eager to come after Christ into Heaven as the Eagle is after the prey so your Soules shall be as eager after the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven as the Eagle is after her prey Thirdly I infer hence that before you presume to apply the benefits and the comforts of Christs Ascention into Heaven labour to feele in your own hearts the efficacy of Christs Death and Ascention every man applies the Benefit of Christs Death and Resurrection and Christs Ascention before they finde the efficacy of his Death and the efficacy of his Resurrection It is the Apostles word saith hee I labour to finde the power of his Resurrection so do you labour to finde the power of his Death and the power of his Ascention before you finde the comfort of it It is to make thee less Earthly minded more passionately eager and importunely earnest after the Lord Jesus Christ dost thou feele the power of his Ascention to make thee more heavenly minded and lesse earthly minded O labour to feele the efficacy and power of it else I might say to you as Jacob said to his Mother in Genesis 27.12 My Father peradventure will feele mee and I shall seeme to him as a deceiver and I shall bring a curse upon mee and not a blessing Nay without a peradventure God will feele and try whether you are men or no that have right to a blessing that shall have any reall advantage by the benefit of Christs Death of Christs Resurrection and Ascention God will try whether you doe not seeke to deceive your owne Soules and deceive God himselfe if so you will rather have a curse then a blessing if you seeke to apply the comfort of Christs Ascention before you feele the efficacy of it on your owne hearts For those that hold Christs Ascention with us yet they doe vary about some properties about the manner of Christs going away which I give it to you in these properties First Christ went to Heaven visibly in Acts 1. It was no transcient glance of the Eye but they stedfastly beheld Jesus Christ they saw him when hee went away Againe Secondly Christ went to Heaven bodily therefore those do erre that hold that onely his Soule did goe to Heaven and his body perished as others doe Thirdly hee went to Heaven locally hee ascended locally there are some men that hold that every place is Heaven where God is
a worse condition then hee found it if Christ must come on the Earth hee must leave his Church in a worse condition then hee found it and I draw it from that Text which they pretend to be the strength of their Argument Revel 20.5.7.8 But the rest of the Dead lived not againe untill the thousand yeares were finished This is the first Resurrection And when the thousand yeares are expired Satan shall be loosed out of his Prison And shall goe out to deceive the Nations which are in the foure quarters of the Earth Gog and Magog to gather them together to Battell the number of whom is as the Sand of the Sea So that after the thousand yeares the Devill shall be let loose againe and there shall be an innumerable company of enemies and they shall destroy multitudes of the godly Therefore Christ would leave his Church in a worse condition then hee found them if this were true that Christ should reigne a thousand years upon the Earth Fifthly if Christ should come to reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth then this incongruity will follow that there must be three personall comings of Jesus Christ for his first coming was in the Incarnation Second coming to these thousand yeares And his third coming must be to judge the World that is the last coming but the Scripture makes but two comings of Christ First his coming from Heaven when hee was borne his second coming when hee comes to judge the World againe Sixtly if Christ comes personally out of Heaven this incongruity will follow that either the Saints and Angells must come or not come with Christ if they must come with Christ then it is a losse to them for them to come to leave the imediate presence of God and come upon the Earth where wicked men shall be amongst them or if they must not come with Jesus Christ yet it is a lose to them to remaine there they shall lose for a thousand yeares the Body of Christ if Christ be on the Earth hee cannot be in Heaven the same time Therefore it would be a losse to the Saints and Angells for them to be a thousand yeares in Heaven without the company of Jesus Christ not to have the person of Jesus Christ with them A seventh Incongruity will follow that if Christ shall come to reigne upon the Earth then Christs Kingdom must be a worldly terrene Kingdome then it will be against the Word of God he must be a visible King to the Jewes and a visible King to all the World besides this would follow then that Christs Kingdome must not be a spirituall Kingdome but a Terrene a Worldly pompous Kingdome Iohn 18.36 Jesus answered My Kingdome is not of this World if my Kingdome were of this World then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jewes but now is my Kingdome not from hence Luke 17.20 And when hee was demanded of the Pharisees when the Kingdome of God should come hee answered them and said The Kingdome of God cometh not with Observation Would not all the World observe this for Christ to come bodily from Heaven and in the Majesty of a Monarch Now Christs Kingdome doth not come with Observation When the Disciples looked after an Earthly Kingdome No saith Christ my Kingdome is for to Rule and Reigne in your hearts you shall never see mee for to be an outward pompous King in the World for Christs Kingdome it is a spirituall Kingdome Eightly that if Jesus Christ shall come to take a Kingdome on the Earth for a thousand yeares then this Incongruity will follow As if Jesus Christ had not a Kingdome and were not a King all this while hee is in Heaven they apply that that place in Daniel and all those Phrases in the new Testament that the Kingdome of the World is become the Kingdome of the Lord they deny that Christ is a King in Heaven When hee was in the Cratch and borne in the Stable hee was a King at that very houre Psalme 2. The Apostle referres it to Christs Birth and Christs Resurrection Christ when hee arose from the Dead hee was a King then and the Gospell under Christs time is called a Kingdome It is remarkeable in John 18.37 Pilate therefore said unto him Art thou a King then Jesus answered Thou sayest that I am a King Christ was a King though hee would not be an Earthly King to destroy Earthly Governments Therefore when the people in a tumult would have made him a King yet hee would not Zech. 9.9 Rejoyce greatly O Daughter of Zion shout O Daughter of Jerusalem behold thy King cometh unto thee hee is just and having Salvation lowly and riding upon an Asse and upon a Colt the fole of an Asse Hee was a King when hee was on that slow contemptible creature so that now to say Christ shall come to reigne as King it is to intimate to the World as if Christ were not a King at this day and whereas hee is King of Kings and Lord of Lords in heaven therefore cannot come a thousand yeares to reigne on the Earth Now I will deale fairely to shew you what strength and give you the strongest Scriptures that have most shew of reason for the maintaining of this Opinion and shall labour to take them off and cleare it to you There are multitudes of quotations that varieties of mens thoughs fasten upon to prove this poynt yet those they most stand to I shall fasten upon their chiefe Pillar is in Revel 20.2 4 5 6. And hee laid hold on the Dragon that old Serpent which is the Divell and Satan and bound him a thousand yeares And I saw thrones and they sate upon them and judgement was given unto them and I saw the Soules of them that were beheaded for the witnesse of Jesus and for the Word of God and which had not worshipped the Beast neither his Image neither had received his marke upon their foreheads or in their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand yeares But the rest of the dead lived not againe untill the thousand yeares were finished This is the first Resurrection Blessed and holy is hee that hath part in the first Resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and of Christ and shall reigne with him a thousand yeares Now from this Text which is the chiefest in the Scripture they seeme to build these two things upon First That Jesus Christ shall live upon the Earth and the Saints reigne with him for a thousand yeares Secondly Those that were Martyrs by Antichrist shall rise from the dead and come upon the Earth these thousand yeares to continue with Iesus Christ This they build much upon That Christ shall come to reigne a thousand yeares upon the Earth But I shall shew you that this cannot be the sense of it and I shall give you Six Answers First that though the Scripture
doth say that the Saints that were beheaded that they should live with Christ a thousand yeares yet the Text doth not say that Christ shall come to reigne with them a thousand yeares Secondly though the Text saith that they should live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares yet the Text doth not say that they shall reigne with him here upon the Earth Thirdly that though it be said that the Saints shall live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares yet living and reigning with Christ doth not necessarily imply to be in the same place where Iesus Christ is for then you would pervert many Scriptures For loe saith Christ I am with you to the end of the World it doth not therefore follow from that time hee will be upon the Earth to the end of the World but Christ being with us or wee with him it doth not follow wee must be with him where hee is but it is his Spirit Romans 8.17 And if Children then Heires of God and joynt Heires with Christ if so bee that wee suffer with him that we may be also glorified together The Text it doth not denote the samenes of place and the onenes of scituation I give this to take off that which is made of this Text. Fourthly it is evident that this Scripture cannot be a Foundation to build on that Christ shall come to reigne a thousand yeares on the Earth then it will not onely follow that men shall live so long but shall reigne with Christ so long on the Earth Methuselah lived but nine hundred sixty and nine yeares and David saith the life of man is cut short The Text saith they shall live and reigne with Christ in that sence taking living properly and all the Phrases properly they must necessarily say that men shall live when that time comes that men shall live a thousand yeares together Then it cannot be the sence of the Scripture because that cannot be the sence of this Scripture which crosseth the sence of other Scriptures to make this Scripture to affirme that Christ shall reigne on the Earth a thousand yeares for other Scriptures tell you that Christ shall stay in Heaven in person till all men shall rise from the Dead every man shall rise then cometh the end 1 Cor. 15.23 24. But every man in his owne order Christ the first fruits afterwards they that are Christs at his coming Then cometh the end c. 2 Thess 2.1 Now wee beseech you Brethren by the coming of our Lord Iesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him Then besides it doth crosse the Scripture to say that at Christs coming onely some men shall arise but not all Job 14.10 11 12. But man dieth and wasteth away yea man giveth up the ghost and where is hee As the waters faile from the Sea and the Flood decayeth and dryeth up So man lieth downe and riseth not till the Heavens be no more they shall not awake nor be raised out of their sleepe Job telleth you expresly That the dead shall not be raised till the Heavens be no more and that cannot be the thousand yeares for there will be a Earth and a Heaven then And in Peters phrase The Heavens shall melt away like a scrowle c. Now to make a Resurrection before a Resurrection it is that which the Scripture doth no where mention John 5.28 29. Marvell not at this for the houre is coming in the which all that are in the Graves shall heare his Voyce And shall come forth they that have done good unto the Resurrection of life and they that have done evill unto the Resurrection of damnation The judging of the just and unjust shall be the same houre and upon Christs coming all men shall be judged 2 Tim. 4.1 I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Iesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his Kingdome So that Christs appearing and Christs coming is a judging of the quick and the dead Now Beloved then to make this Scripture to say that Christ shall come on the Earth before his last coming this is to crosse other Scripture then of necessity it cannot bee the scope of this for there is no jarring between one phrase of the Scripture and another Fifthly when the Scripture saith here That they live and reigne with Christ a thousand yeares it may be as well and they have as strong a ground to plead it is not spoken whether it be a reigning with CHRIST in Heaven or on Earth so the phrase neither carryeth it one way or another Sixthly John doth not say that he saw the bodies of men that were beheaded and they reigned with Christ but hee did in a Vision see the Soules of them that were beheaded now to say that they must come to reigne on the Earth for a thousand yeares it were a great inconveniency to them it is said I saw the Soules of them the thousand yeares cannot be applied to Christs personall Reigne for either it must be applyed to him as hee is simply God and it cannot be applyed to him for so Iesus Christ hath an eternall Kingdome hee doth not reigne a thousand yeares on Earth or in Heaven but everlastingly Kingdomes and States of this World have lasted a thousand yeares and to make Christs Kingdome to last no longer it is to give Christs Kingdome too narrow a confine I have consulted with many Authors and I finde the concurrent of Interpreters generally runne this way though some doe fancy that Text speakes of the binding of the Divell for a thousand yeares and during this time the Saints should live and reigne with Christ for a thousand yeares The sense and scope of this First for the period of time when this time began that the Divell was bound Interpreters doe unanimously give this Opinion that it began in the reigne of Constantine the Great hee being the first Christian Emperour in the World hee coming after 300 yeares Persecution by the Roman Emperours who made great massacre and havock in the Church of God Insomuch that in the booke of Martyrs wee reade that there may be for every day in the year five thousand Christians slaine this is a dreadfull persecution and the Divell raged and stirred much Now upon Constantines reigne the Divell was bound up that is the Roman Emperours who were acted by the Devill to all this cruelty when Constantine a Christian Emperour came to reigne hee gave out impreiall Edicts and Lawes for Establishment of the Christian Religion and that put an end to the Heathens Persecution the Roman Emperours and of this Opinion many Interpreters give in their consent Brightman Napman Gerrard with multitudes of others for the thousand years when the Divell was bound did end 300 yeares and more and this is given to be the scope and sense of the Scripture Obj. I but then you will say Though the Divel was bound how comes the Divell to be loose againe
dying day thou art a Malefactor but at thy Sentence giving thou art an undone man thou art in a hopelesse condition Fourthly Christs coming againe it is the time of the Reunition or reuniting of thy Body and Soule together and of thy taking possession of Hell O when thy body that hath beene so many hundred yeares parted from thy soule that when they shall come to meet together and your meeting to be but a going into or an entrance into Infernall torments this makes the coming of Christ to be a dreadfull coming I but you will say It is true indeed A Felix may tremble when Paul shall Preach to him of Judgement to come A Felix may tremble but have we Christians cause of feare Yes you that are Christians in case you be found under these particulars that I am now naming to you the day of Judgement will be dreadfull to you First Christs coming againe to Judge the World it is not onely a dreadfull Doctrine to a Felix but may make thee a Christian to tremble in these cases First the Doctrine of Christs coming may make men tremble who are guilty of Acts of Oppression and Violence in Courts of Judicature Eccle. 3.16 17. And moreover I saw under the Sun the place of Judgement that wickednesse was there and the place of righteousnesse that iniquity was there I said in my heart God shall judge the righteous and the wicked for there is a time there for every purpose and every worke That is to judge every purpose and every worke That when God shall come to places of Judgement and places of Judicature and shall say wickednesse is there and shall say bribery is there and the deferring of the cause of the poore is there woe be to all Oppressions of the poore and grinding their Faces in Courts of Judicature many whereof are Seats of violence and not Courts of Judicature Christ shall come to judge things that men will not judge men will not judge Adulterers but Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge Men will not judge men for Heresie but God will judge them Christs coming is dreadfull to all men that live by Oppression and Violence in Courts of judicature Secondly Christs coming to Judgement is dreadfull to all them who to save their worldly advantage are ashamed to Professe the Gospell of Christ O Christs coming is a dreadfull time to these In Mark 8.38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of mee and of my words in this Adulterous and sinfull Generation of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when hee cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy Angels I pray you marke here are two answers to an Objâ—ction in these words First men might say why blessed Jesus who would be ashamed of thee if Christ were in the earth wee would never be ashamed of Christ Therefore Christ addes whosoever is ashamed of mee and of my words though you might not be ashamed of Christs Person yet you might be ashamed of his words Then men may Object and say why truly if it were a peaceable time a safe time to professe Christ but what when wee live in a wicked place and among a wicked people why will not Christ beare with us to hold down our heads a little and to sleepe in a whole Skin no saith Christ whosoever shall be ashamed of mee and of my words in this Adulterous and sinfull Generation of him also shall the Sonne of man c. Let the place be never so bad thou must not be ashamed of Jesus Christ and his words why if thou beest the Son of man shall be ashamed of thee when hee comes with the glory of his Father Christs coming is dreadfull to all you who are ashamed to professe Jesus Christ in a sinfull and adulterous age and place wherein you live I shall leave it to you to make application Thirdly Christs coming to Judgment is dreadfull to all those who spend their days in sensuality and ryot Christs coming is terrible to them Luke 21.34 And take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkennesse and cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares Men that live in ryot and excesse and sensuality why they doe but pamper their flesh and feed themselves to make themselves a sweeter morsell both for Wormes and Divell Christs coming will bee a dreadfull time for them Fourthly Christs coming will be dreadfull to all those who beare not a sincere love to Jesus Christ Wilt thou marke one Scripture 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha There is much of Gods Mind in this darke expression If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be an accursed man that is the meaning of the word Anathema but the other word Maranatha it is a word compounded of two words and it beares this sense Maran signifies a Lord and Atha signifies venit he comes so then when the Scripture saith hee that loves not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be an accursed man Let him be Maran Atha when the Lord Jesus shall come to judge the World Let Christ then curse him that doth not love him Maran atha O then I beseech you thinke this with your selves that all you who doe not beare a sincere love to Jesus Christ when hee comes Christs coming it shall be with a curse a curse to Hell and Damnation to all such Fifthly Christs coming will be dreadfull to all them who doe obstinately refuse subjection and obedience to the Gospell of Jesus Christ 2 Thess 1.7 8. And to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angells in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ Christs coming it will be in flaming fire to take vengeance on all such Sixtly Christs coming it will be dreadfull to them that doe live and dye raylers against Religion that those who scoffe and jeere at godlinesse Christs coming will be a dreadfull coming to all wicked men Jude 15. To execute Judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him I doe wish it were engraven before the Eyes of all wicked raylers Why here beloved there is many a rayling Rabshakeh and many a cursing Shimei which hath many a hard speech against the people of God they accuse one man to be an hypocrite for carrying of a Bible under his Arme accusing another man to be an hypocrite for shedding a teare in his Sermon O you are the men that Christ will come to execute judgement to convince you of your hard speeches Seventhly to unmercifull men Christs coming is a dreadfull time James 2.13 For hee shall have Judgement
this Text. First they say that this Text it is a parable and not an Historicall Narration To this I answer though some men doe say it is a Parable yet many say it is a History Jerome and many following him doth give many Arguments to prove that it was a History and not a Parable And Tertullian is confident that this is an exact History of what was really done And Peter Martyr doth quote Tertullian saith hee that Tertullian is so confident that this is a History that hee undertakes for to tell this to tell you whom were the men saith hee the Rich man was Herod and the Beggar was Iohn the Baptist But suppose it be a Parable and not a History yet Parables doe carry the resemblance of truth Parables take their Foundations from truth that there are some men in Hell and some men in Heaven that in Hell there is torment and in Heaven there is joy that as the beggar went to Heaven after death so shall all the godly and as the rich man went to Hell so shall all the wicked The other Evasion is this it is said that this Beggar is said to be carried into Abrahams bosome I answer First it is more then probable that Abrahams bosome is Heaven Now Abraham being in Heaven why all his children are in Heaven as children in a Fathers bosome he being the Father of the faithfull that is the answer that Gerrard gives Againe it is said that they are carried by Angells into Abrahams bosome Therefore Abrahams bosome must be in Heaven now certainly the good Angells carry a good soule into Heaven and the wicked Angels carry a damned soule into hell and thus you have two Instances that imediatly after death the soules of the Elect goe to Heaven A third Instance is in Mat. 22.31 32. But as touching the Resurrection of the dead have you not read that which was spoken unto you by God saying I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob God is not the God of the dead but of the living Argue from that Instance that therefore Abraham Isaac and Jacob were living at that time though not in their bodies but they were at that time living if you marke the reason the reason of that Text was not to prove a Resurrection of the body onely which the Saduces deny but also to prove the imortality of the Soule The Saduces deny Spirits and Angells too Acts 23.8 For the Saduces say that there is no Resurrection neither Angell nor Spirit but the Pharisees confesse both Christ doth prove that there shall be a Resurrection of the body and hee likewise proves that the soule doth not die when the body dyeth Indeed there is a quotation that I have read of a learned man that doth make use of this Instance Gen. 25.8 Then Abraham gave up the Ghost and died in a good old age an old man and full of yeares and was gathered to his people Abraham was not gathered to his Fathers nor to be gathered in the grave where his fore-fathers were how can this be true that the Scripture saith Abraham was gathered unto his Fathers yet hee was not gathered to his Fathers in God therefore say Divines it must be in his Soule that Abraham went to Heaven as his godly fore-fathers went that is the meaning of that phrase to be bound up in the bundle of Life to goe to Heaven as their fore-fathers did And thus much for particular Instances The second way to prove that the soules of the Elect men goe to Heaven imediately after death It is by generall Expressions in Scripture Two generall passages one is In Heb. 12.23 To the generall Assembly and Church of the first borne which are written in Heaven and to God the judge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect thence I argue that the Apostle makes mention and proves that there were the Spirits of just men made perfect Now if their soules did perish with their bodies then the Apostle should say that their spirits are annihilated with the body but it is the spirits of just men made perfect the Scripture takes notice in generall expressions that just men have their soules made perfect And then in Eccle. 12.7 Then shall the dust returne to the Earth as it was and the Spirit shall returne to God who gave it Marke here are two things spoken of First here is the end of godly men the body shall goe to the dust and the soule to God the time when it shall be is when that man goeth to his long home when the keepers of the House shall tremble that is the Hands and Armes and the strong men shall bow themselves that is the Feete and Thighs and the Grinders shall cease that is the Teeth and they that looke out at the windowes shall be darkened that is the Eyes when nature decayes and the body perisheth by Diseases and dyes then shall the body goe to the dust and the spirit to God that gave it Thirdly I shall prove it to you from expresse passages in the Scripture that doe confirme this that the soules of the Elect after death before Christs coming are received into heaven for this I shall give foure or five expresse Scriptures The first is in Iohn 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent mee that every one which seeth the Sonne and believeth on him may have Everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day Here are two distinct promises premised First a promise of everlasting Life Secondly a promise of raising up at the last day First a promise of everlasting Life is made distinct from the other Divines say that before the raising up at the last day there is an everlasting Life that his soule shall live before the last day and his body shall be raised up at the last day Another Text is in Luke 16.9 And I say unto you make to your selves friends of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that when yee faile they may receive you into everlasting habitations Kemnitius makes great use of this Text to prove what I am now arguing to you that imediately after death the soule of an Elect man is received into Heaven Marke make you friends of the Mammon of unrighteousnesse that is your wealth called so either because it is unrighteously gotten or unrighteously kept use your wealth well that when you die you may be received into everlasting habitations It is questionable whether it be referred to Angells or to the poore which shall pray for us that wee may be received into Heaven but saith Kemnitius use your wealth well that you may be received into everlasting habitations upon your failing upon your dying the Lord receives the Elect into everlasting habitations This Kemnitius doth build on that the soule doth goe to Heaven imediately after Death A third Scripture is in Phil. 3.23 For I am in a straite betwixt two having a desire to
depart and to be with Christ which is far better So that the Apostle doth only make these two conclusions a departing out of the World out of this Life and a desire to be with Jesus Christ hee mentions no place for a good soule to goe to hee mentions no Purgatory nor Limbus Patrum And so likewise a fourth Text you have in 2 Cor. 6.8.9 Therefore wee are alwayes confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord. Wee are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent wee may be accepted of him Marke That the Apostle doth onely make these two conclusions to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord so that the soule is present with the Lord whilst absent from the body Then againe that Prayer of Stephen proves it likewise in Acts 7.59 And they stoned Stephen calling upon God and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit It had beene uncomfortable for him to have thought that hee should have beene stoned for Jesus Christ and it must have beene above 1600 yeares before Christ should have received his soule but hee prayed Lord Iesus Christ receive my Soule which hee would not have done if hee had not believed that his soule would have beene received by Jesus Christ imediately after death And thus I leave those Scriptures to confirme you in this that the soule doth not sleepe in the body but at the parture from the body it doth imediately goe to Heaven Fourthly I prove it to you by shewing those grosse absurdities and inconveniencies that will arise in case it should be denyed that God doth not receive the soule of any Elect man till hee doth come to judge the World First it will follow that the godly will be in a worse condition after they are dead then they were in when they were alive for when they were alive to live is Christ Christ dwelt in their hearts by Faith Now if the soule doth sleepe with the body and perish with the body then Christ doth not live in them Christ doth not dwell there by Faith so that this would be uncomfortable that a believer after death should be in a worse condition then during this Life for here he lives in Christ by Faith Secondly then it will follow that God the Father would be more cruell to his people then hee would have other men be to their servants which have done their worke Marke that Text Levit. 19.13 Thou shalt not defraud thy Neighbour neither rob him the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night untill the morning That the Master was not to keepe the hire of the Labourer long from him that the Master should not keep the servants wages long from him Now will the great God keepe you who are his servants that have served him here in this World and have done him faithfull service and will hee keepe any reward from you till his last coming No but when you have ended your Life and done your worke you receive your wages when your work is done you have your reward Thirdly observe this if this should be true that the Soules of the Elect men doe not goe to Heaven after death then it will follow that the soules of wicked men doe not goe to Hell after death and how repugnant this is to the Scripture you well know when the Scripture saith in the Epistle of Jude That the men of Sodome and Gomorrha suffered the vengeance of eternall fire And of Judas Acts 25. That hee may take part of this Ministery and Apostle-ship from which Judas by transgression fell that hee might goe to his owne place I could give you multitude of Instances where the wicked are in Hell 1 Pet. 3.19 20. By which also hee went and preached unto the Spirits in prison Which sometimes were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah while the Arke was a preparing wherein few that is eight soules were saved by water That is Jesus Christ by his Spirit in the Ministery of Noah did preach to the old World who were disobedient to that Preacher of righteousnesse who is now in Heaven To say that a godly man doth not goe to Heaven imediately after death it will follow that a wicked man doth not go to Hell imediately after death Fourthly it would follow that there should be onely Angels in Heaven and no Saints whereas the Scripture saith expresly that Christ shall come from Heaven with his Saints And wee reade in Scripture that there are the Spirits of just men made perfect as well as the innumerable company of Angells Fifthly this would follow that it would be a great discomfort to a godly man on his death-bed if hee should be so many hundred yeares before Christ would bring him to Heaven what comfort shall a godly man have to die when hee shall say it shall be so many hundred yeares before my body and my soule shall be thought of by Jesus Christ it would be a very uncomfortable Doctrine for a man to thinke that I shall die like a beast that my soule after death shall not be taken up into Heaven And thus I have proved that imediatly after the godly die their Soules are received into Heaven I have proved it by pregnant Instances in the Scripture by generall expressions in the Scripture and by those expresse passages in Scripture and have given you those absurdities that will arise in case it should be denyed A word now from what hath beene spoken If it be so that Christ doth receive thee O thou Believer receive thee to himselfe before his totall and compleate reception I would then give you this use for to comfort you Vse First O feare not a dying time let not death be dreadfull and terrible to thee Beloved were this true indeed that when thou diest thy soule should perish with thy body then a Life is not worth the having but when thou shalt thinke on thy death-bed here now is a Disease a consuming of thy nature and sending of thee to thy grave and now there is but a little time betweene thee and Heaven that when I am a dying I am in the very Suburbs of Heaven a little breath betweene mee and Heaven O how should this comfort a dying man when that hee hath good evidences for Heaven O this should greatly comfort thee against thou comest to die to thinke that thy death-bed is the very Suburbs of Heaven I have read what John said that wrote the Revelations when hee was ready to die I do believe saith hee that in this very day my soule shall be represented before the Lord Jesus Christ. O think now thou art leaving thy friends but it will not be a day before Christ and I shall meete in Heaven As in the Booke of Martyrs wee reade
when it is a spirituall body it stands in no more neede of meate no more neede of drinke and of sleepe and other naturall refreshments it shall be raised a spirituall body Mat. 22.30 For in the Resurrection they neither Marry nor are given in Marriage but are as the Angells of â—od in Heaven The Angels have no need of relations and stand in no need of helps when they shall be as the Angels of God Rev. 7.15 16. Therefore are they before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more nither shall the Sunne light on them nor any heate Therefore O believing soul behold thy happines of soule and body in glory they shall be no more standing in neede of naturall refreshments then spirits doe when the Scripture saith that your bodies should be received by Christ The Platonick Philosophers understand because the body shall be turned into a Spirit into a Ghost or into winde or aire but that is not the reason of it it shall be of the same substance as it is upon the Earth but it shall be refined Secondly the bodies of the Elect when Christ receiveth them to himselfe when being vile bodies they shall be made formed and beautifull it may be thou hast some deformity but Christ shall refine that body and new varnish and make it beautifull Phil. 3.21 Who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like his glorious body according to the working whereby hee is able even to subdue all things unto himselfe The Body of Christ is a beautifull body neither spot nor wrinckle nor any such thing in it why thy body shall be like Christs glorious Body 1 Cor. 15.43 It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sowne in weakenesse it is raised in power Here thy body it is a vile body Eliphaz calls the body a house of clay and Job calls it a house of Earth It is the Opinion of Gerrard and hee gives strong reasons for it that if there be any defects upon the body in this World that if any of the members of the Body be wanting it shall be restored to thee at the Resurrection and there are these reasons to be given for it First because our bodies are promised to be like Christs Body why now Christs Body hath no redundant and defective member defect it is but the product of sinne and the result of sinne therefore our bodies beeing said to be like Christs Body there shall be no defect in it Secondly some members are necessarily required to make up the Elect in Heaven suppose an Elect man should be borne blind or lose his Eyes by casualty now if this man should not have his Eyes hee could never see Christ in Heaven wee shall see with these very Eyes the Body of Christ though thy body be a monstrous Body yet Christ shall receive thy body to make it better The third reason is this because the bodies of the Elect shall be as Adams body was in innocency Adams body was created perfect by God when Christ raiseth thy body it shall neither want a member nor abound in a member thy vile body shall be beautifull what though others be fairer then thee and clearer skin'd then thee what though other mens earth be painted better then thine yet when Christ receives thy body it shall be a beautifull a glorious body therefore you have the phrase Mat. 13.43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdome of their Father Thirdly from being a mortall body it shall be by him an immortall body the body as it is here it is a mortall body dying and rotting in the Grave but it shall be made by Christ immortall 1 Cor. 15.52 53. In a Moment in the Twinkling of an Eye at the last trump for the Trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and wee shall be changed For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortall must put on immortality Those mortall bodies that must die must be made immortall and those incorruptible bodies made incorruptible and never die this is the great happinesse of the Elect that their Bodies shall be made immortall Bodies Fourthly the bodies of the Elect they shall be from being lyable to sorrowes and sufferings in this World they shall be impassive bodies the body here is exposed to Diseases Aches Consumptions and what not the body it is an Hospitall of Diseases a Magazine of all Infirmities but the Lord shall make this body impassive liable to no sufferings God shall then wipe away all teares from our Eyes no sorrowes no crying nor no paine there is the great happinesse of the body it shall be made impassive not liable to hunger thirst paines diseases and the like Fifthly thy Body from being a heavy and lumpish body as now it is it shall be made an agile and swift Body the Eagle shall not flee so strongly as the bodies of the Elect shall flee from place to place and it is grounded from that Scripture 1 Thess 4.14 For if wee believe that Jesus Christ dyed and rose againe even so them also which sleepe in Jesus will God bring with him Which the body could not doe if the body did not lose its lumpishnesse and heavinesse which it hath here Zanchy doth illustrate it by this comparison saith hee the body is like the Chick in the Egge the Bird in the Egge strives not but when it is flusht then it can flie so when thou art raised thou canst goe from one part of the World to another in a moment so was Christs Body when it was glorified Christ was taken imediately up into Heaven which is as Astrologers say if wee may believe their guesses it is above 40 Millions of Miles Now the soule hath a lumpish Body that it cannot follow the soule therefore the Body shall be made conformable to the Soule the Body is now a tyred Jade to the Soule but then it shall not be so Sixtly from being a weake body it shall be made a strong Body 1 Cor. 15.44 It is sowne in dishonour it is raised in glory it is sowne in weakenesse it is raised in power The body of man it is a weake fleshly thing Luther is of this Opinion on this Text 1 Cor. 15. saith hee mans Body shall be so strong that hee shall be able to tosse a mountaine as a Child would tosse a tennis ball this is the great glory that God puts on the body that being a naturall Body it shall be made by Christ a spirituall Body of being vile Bodies they shall be made by Christ beautifull Bodies from being a mortall body it shall be made an immortall body from being lyable to sorrowes and sufferings in this world they shall be made impassive bodyes from being a heavy lumpish body it shall be made an
Christ shall come Personally p. 115 Christ shall come Visibly p. 116 Christ shall come Gloriously p. 117 Christ shall come Teribly p. 119 Christ shall come Vnexpectedly p. 120 Christ coming againe proved by the Mutability of Gods Decree p. 112 proved by the Infallibility of his Promises p. 112 proved by the Impartiality of his Justice p. 112 Christ's end in his first coming what p. 144 Christ's coming what produce to the wick p. 123 Christians in some particulers have cause to feare Christs coming Ibidem Christ's coming dreadfull to Opressors p. 124 125 126 127 128 129. Christ's coming dreadfull to Riotous persons p. 124 125 126 127 128 129. Christ's coming dreadfull to Non. Lovers of Christ p. 124 125 126 127 128 129. Christ's coming the end for what p. 133 Christ by his Spirit in the Ministery of Noah did Preach to the old world p. 147 Christ must raise the bodies of the elect why p. 150 Christs Resurrection an Argument of ours Ibi. The Church of Corinth in an error touching the Resurrection p. 159 D. The Doctrin of Christs Ascension p. 4 The Doctrin of The Resurrection Ibid. The Doctrin of Everlasting Life Ibid. The Doctrin of Christs Ascension practically applied p 27 Doctrinall Inferences 4 drawn from Christs Ascension p. 27. 29 The Doctrine of Christs coming againe a comfort to believers p. 50. 52. 55. 57. 121. Duties 6 to be learned upon the consideration of Christs coming againe p. 61 Determinations concerning the place from Whence and Where Christ shall come to Judge the World dangerous p. 68 Bold determinations the foundation of superstitions p. 65 The Devill bound the time when it began p. 96 E. Epicurian Principles brought in that Doctrine of Christs personall reigne p. 102 Endowments 6 the bodies of the Elect shall receive at Christs second coming p. 154 F. Fruits of Christs Ascension p. 4 G. The Gospell under Christs time called a Kingdome p. 90 A godly Man when dying is in the Suburbs of Heaven p. 148 H. Himenius opinion touching the Resurre p. 159 I. Instructions drawn from the crcumstances of Christs Ascension p. 226 Incongruities 8 that would follow upon the personall reigne of Christ p. 85 Inconveniences that would follow should it be granted that God does not receive the soules of the Elect as some hold into Heaven till Christs coming to Judgement p. 145 K. The Kingdome given to Christ in whose dayes it began p. 105 The Kingdom of Christ not of this world p 106 The Kingdome of Christ refer'd to that with the Kingdome of God p. 107 L. Living and reigning with Christ does not imply the place where Christ is p. 92 Labaroch a Martyr his story p. 165 M. Maran-atha a compound word p. 127 Murder committed in Adams sin p. 131 Morall men may live and die in an unpardoned estate p. 136 Magistrates comanded to punish sin p 66 N. Non Lovers of Christ accursed p. 102 O. Opinions of the Seleucians confuted p. 27 Observations drawn from the Doctrine of Christs coming againe p. 52 Objections raised from the doctrine of Christs coming againe cleared p. 53 Opinions of the Milleners concerning the restitutions of all things p. 73 Obiections 2 by those that plead for a 1000 years answered p. 97 Opinions of Divines concerning the dwelling of Righteousnesse here p. 104 Origens mistake concerning the coming of Christ p. 114 The Opinion of those who hold the sleeping of the Soule p. 134 P. Practicall inferences 4 drawne from the doctrine of Christs Ascension p. 33. 29 Practicall inferences 4 drawne from the doctrine of Christ's preparing Heaven for the Saints p. 46 The place where and where not Christ shall come to Judge the World p. 66 The promise of Christs coming handled p. 7â— The promise of Christs coming againe what meant thereby p. 71 Paradice what p. 72 Perkins opinion concerning the Resurre p. 163 Price a Martyr his story p. 165 Pauls argument against uncleannesse p. 167 Q. Queries concerning Heaven being prepared by Christ for the Saints p. 39 40 R. Restitution of all things the time when p 73 74 Restitution of all things what it intends p. 74 Resurrection of the Just and unjust what p. 83 The Resurrection of the body proved p. 140 S. The soules of Saints went to Heaven before the Ascension of Christ p. 41. 135 Scriptures whereon are grounded those opinions of Christs personall reigne upon earth cleared p. 91. 101. 105 106 107. The Saints living and reigning what Christ the First Resurrection p. 98 The Scriptures doe not determine any coming of Christ out of Heaven till he come to Judge the World p. 109 The sins of the wicked to whom published p. 122 The soules of the Elect go to Heaven imediately after death confirmed by Scripture p. 141 142. 150. The Spirit sanctifies the bodies of the Elect as well as the soules p. 151 The Saints happinesse in being with Christ fully handled p. 70 T. The Turkish Emperour when began to beare sway p. 97 W. The wicked seperated from the Elect at Christs coming p. 122 The wicked goe to Hell p. 147 An Alphabeticall TABLE to the Second Part. Saints are bound to confesse their Sins A. ANtinomists their opinion of confession of sin p. 37 Auricular confession a great mistake p. 41 Auricular confession invented by whom p. 42 43 Aggrevations 6 in Adams sin p. 131 Austins aggravation of sin p. 147 Authors opinions concerning Infants p. 172 Antinomians opinions concerning the praying for pardon of sin p. 181 B. Believers both in New testament and old made conscience of confession of sin p. 38 C. Confession the nature of it p. 8 Confession is to the soul as the whetstone to the knife p. 11 Confession of sin is no slavish worke p. 17 Confession of sin in what cases needfull to confesse them to Men. p. 44 Confesion of sin what kind hath necessary connexion with forgivenesse of sin p. 72 Confession of sinne with its connexion how agreeable with the freeness of Gods grace p. 76 Negatively and Positively Considered p. 78 Concomitants 6 that attend a pardoned person p. 83 Characters 4 of a pardoned Man p. 87 Consolations 4 for a disconsolate soule p. 122. 151 Considerations 5 concerning lesser sins p. 128 Considerations concerning great sins p. 139 Christ dyed for Man not for the Devill p. 147 Cases of Conscience resolved p. 156 D. The Duty of confession p. 6 Defects 10 that the godly as well as the wicked lie liable to confession of sin p. 51 Doubts resolved p. 90. 95. 98 Davids 4 projects to hide sin p. 98 Differences 5 between pardoned an unpardoned sinner p. 104 Davids sin the nature of it p. 112 Directions sorgr eatsinners p. 142 E. Every confession of Sin will not serve turne p. 18 F. Forgivenesse of sin wherein it consists p. 21 Forgiveness Confession of sine a necessery connecti p. 66 Forgiveness of sins what it is p. 66 G. Gramarians bow they distinguish the words Sin Iniquity Transgression p. 5 God comands confession of sin p. 39 Gods Act touching the forgiveness of sin p. 46 God in some sence receives injury by Mans sin p. 82 God pardons Sins after repentance not before p. 167 H. Holy confession the properties of it p. 30 Helps against the defects of confession of Sin p. 57 I. Iniquity the signification of the word p. 5. Iustified persons bound to confesse their Sins to God p. 8 P. The pardoned Mans happinesse p. 2 Paul's 8 aggravations of Sin p. 27 Peters Sin the nature of it p. 118 Paul's Sin the nature of it p. 120 R. Rules for confession of Sin p. 19 Relapses into grose sins dangerous Symptoms of a Man to be in a lost condition p. 180 S. Sin in us to hide our Sins p. 1 Sin what it signifies p. 5 Saul made the same confession of Sin that David did p. 18 Saul confest his Sin to Samuel not to God p. 20 Sins in how many respects said to be forgiven p. 70 Sin how many ways considered p 71 Selah what it Signifies p. 111 Sin in divers respects aggravated p. 186 T. Transgression what it is p. 5 Times 3 most seasonable to confesse Sin to God p. 13 W. The way to procure the pardon of Sin p. 2 The wicked confesse Sin how p. 31. 36 Women 4 infamos recorded in the Genealogy of Christ p. 25. THE END