Heads shall never happen to them And therefore 1. They shall not defile themselves after their Consecration They shall do their work and walk worthy of their Calling There shall not be a Mark among them declining the work of God nor a Demas carried away with the Love of the World And none shall defile themselves with any Antichristian Abominations We know there is a Popish Custom of shaving the Head and much of Religion is placed in it but none of that sort of men shall have a Being in this time of the Churches Purity and Glory But as Isa 7.20 The Lord shall shave with a Rasor the Head and Hair of the Feet even all that have the Mark of the Beast Rev. 19.20 The Beast and the false Prophet shall be taken and cast into the Lake of Fire and the Remnant shall be slain In the worst of times a remnant of Saints is left which keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ But in that day no remnant of Babylon will be left but the remnant will be slain by the Sword of him that shall sit upon the white Horse 2. Their separation shall not be for Days but Eternity The Nazarites outward and in the flesh were separated but for a time But the Nazarites inwardly and in Spirit shall be for ever For though their Work as Gospel Ministers shall cease at last yet they shall be Priests to offer the Sacrifice of Praise continually The Royal Priesthood spoken of 1 Pet. 2.9 is a Priesthood for ever So then the Priests shall not shave their Heads that is the days of their separation shall not end 3. They shall not be proud or vain Chap. 44.20 They shall not suffer their Locks to grow long This sometimes discovers the pride and vanity of the Heart whence that may be truly said to some which Eliab spake uncharitably to David I know the pride and naughtiness of thy Heart Priestly Ornaments then will not be carnal but the Ornament of a meek humble and gracious Spirit 4. They shall not be prophane verse 21. Neither shall any Priest drink Wine They shall be far from Rioting Drunkenness and Chambering and Wantonness They shall not be filled with Wine wherein is excess but be filled with the Spirit Now it may be said to many of those which stand in that Rank How long will ye be drunken Put away your Wine from you But at this time such shall not be found among the Priests of the Lord. 5. They shall be Pastors of pure Churches over whom the Line and Reed shall pass Chap. 44.22 The Priests shall not take for their Wives a Widow or her that is put away For the better understanding of this we may observe that Pastors of Churches are called Husbands there being a kind of Spiritual Marriage betwixt them and Churches Lev. 21.4 The Priest shall not defile himself being a chief Man among his People or being a Husband among them So that a Pastor is an Husband to his People Now at this time the Priest shall not take a Widow c. What is signified hereby All Antichristian Popish and pretended Churches will at this time be put away and thrust forth For though there will be a time of Babylon's boasting that she shall sit a Queen and not be a Widow nor see sorrow yet her Plagues shall come in one day and Babylon must know Widowhood and the loss of Children And when Antichristian Churches shall be Widows and thrust forth none of the Priests of the Lord shall marry them Now when any Popish Churches are Widows there are Priests ready to marry them but then they shall be left desolate And in this sense will that be fulfilled Rev. 18.23 The voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride shall be heard no more at all in thee No Priests of Babylon shall be left to marry them and none of the Priests of Sion shall then marry any Widow or Daughter of Babylon And observe what follows They shall take Maidens of the House of Israel Churches shall consist of chaste Virgins espoused to Christ and of such who are Israel after the Spirit Such shall the Priest take or a Widow that had a Priest before That is If any Churches shall be Widows by the translation of the Pastors into the New Jerusalem such a Widow a Priest may marry 6. They shall not err in Doctrine or Judgment No Tares of false Doctrine will then be sowen Chap. 44.23 They shall teach my People the difference betwixt the holy and prophane and cause men to discern betwixt the unclean and the clean They shall not justifie the Wicked nor condemn the Righteous neither call Evil good nor Good evil but shall faithfully shew unto Men what is good and what the Lord requireth of them Now many like Ahab's false Prophets utter smooth and pleasing things but then all shall be Micaiahs in speaking what the Lord shall declare to them verse 24. In Controversie they shall stand in Judgment and shall judge it according to my Judgments All Controversies about matters of Faith Worship and Government shall then be at end for the Priests shall judge them according to Gods Judgments 7. They shall not in a way of Church-Communion converse with such as are but dead of themselves to the committing of Sin or are under a force in the profession of Godliness This may be gathered from Chap. 44.31 The Priest shall not eat of any thing that is dead of it self or torn whether it be Fowl or Beast This was forbidden under the Law Exod. 22 31. That which died of it self and was not orderly slain was unclean and forbidden to Aaron and his Sons The Sacrifices must be orderly slain and so they might be eaten Now this in the spiritual signification of it forbids Communion with carnal persons who may seem mortified ones But their body of Sin not being truly slain by the Word and Spirit they shall not be judged fit for religious Communion For the better clearing of this let Acts 10.12 13. be considered Peter saw in a Vision a Sheet wherein were all manner of four-footed Beasts c. And there came a voice Rise Peter kill and eat And what was meant hereby may be gathered from v. 28. Ye know that it is unlawful for a Jew to keep company with one of another Nation but God hath shewed me that I should not call any man common or unclean That is I must preach the Gospel to Gentiles as well as Jews and I must endeavour to kill the Old Man in them and this being done I may eat that is keep company with them and no longer judge them unclean This place of Ezek. then hints thus much That in the New Jerusalem-state all admitted to Church Communion shall be sound and sincere in the matter of Godliness and true Nathaniels Israelites indeed in whom will be no guile There are now three Ranks of Men professing Godliness 1.
Cubits before the Temple and he said unto me this is the most holy place Not that which was the Figure but the true And this affords a strong Argument to prove that this Name The Lord is there intimates a personal presence For Christ must be personally present in the most holy place to make intercession which will be at last upon Earth Thirdly The Throne of God and of the Lamb will be in this City Rev. 22.3 And Christ on this his Throne sitting at the right hand of God and making intercession Under the Law there was a two-fold Throne 1. A Throne above upon the Ark called the Mercy Seat Exod. 25.17 There the Lord promised to meet and commune with the High Priest This was a Figure of the true which is called the Throne of Grace Heb. 4.16 This Throne will be in the New Jerusalem and Christ a Priest upon it Zachar. 6.13 praying for and dispensing Grace from it to the Saints 2. A Throne of Judgment Solomon made a great Throne of Ivory there was not the like in any Kingdom 1 Kin. 10.18 And this was a part of Jerusalem's Glory of old Psa 122.5 There are set Thrones of Judgment the Thrones of the House of David and upon David's Throne must Christ sit Now when 't is said the Throne of God and and of the Lamb shall be in it this also is meant And here let this one thing be observed As Christ shall give to the Saints to sit with him upon his Throne so this is not meant of the Throne of Grace where Christ is High Priest True they may go boldly to it to obtain Mercy because Christ is there making intercession But Saints shall not sit there as joynt Mediators with Christ though they are said to be Priests yet not Priests upon a Throne But the Saints shall sit with Christ upon his Throne of Judgment to whom they shall be Servants in executing Justice and Judgment in the Earth Psal 149.9 To execute upon them the Judgment written Christ shall write the Judgment and they shall execute the Judgment written by him This honour have all his Saints Having thus laid down some Arguments to prove the personal presence of Christ in the beloved City and some Objections against it being answered that this great truth may be the better evidenced let the last words of David be a little considered These we find in 2 Sam. 23. and Psal 72. In the former place v. 1. 't is said These be the last words of David and the Preface to what he had to utter shews that they were things of very great weight and very glorious truths David the Son of Jesse said and the Man who was raised up on high the anointed of the God of Jacob the sweet Psalmist of Israel said The spirit of the Lord spake by me and his Word was in my Tongue the God of Israel said the Rock of Israel spake to me He that ruleth over Men must be just ruling in the fear of the Lord. As these words were a direction to Solomon so chiefly a Prophecy concerning Christ which may be thus rendered Be thou ruler over Men just ruling in the fear of the Lord. Davids Sons succeding him in Government were not all such But Christ who was made of the Seed of David and is to sit upon his Throne shall be such a Ruler He shall be as the light of the Morning when the Sun ariseth even a Morning without Clouds as the tender Grass springing out of the Earth by clear shining after Rain v. 4. Christ the Sun of Righteousness shall arise he shall shine forth as the light of the Morning after the long Night of Antichristian darkness and then there shall be a Morning without Clouds Christ shall come in Clouds but being come the Clouds shall pass away and the tender Grass shall spring out of the Earth they of the City shall multiply and flourish like the Grass of the Field David did not expect it should be thus in the Generations then immediately following True in the beginning of Solomon's Reign there was a short Morning without Clouds but in his latter days he declined and after him things grew much worse Hence he saith Although my House be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure As if he had said I see by a Spirit of prophecy that my successors will not be all just yet the Covenant made with me stands sure and shall be made good in him who is my Lord and shall be my Son And here is all my Salvation and all my desire I see his day and long for the great Salvation of it and all my desire is that he may have a name above every name and be exalted and extolled and be very high I see the defections and desolations of my House but look beyond these and do well know that a Rod shall come forth of the Stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his Roots and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him and he with Righteousness shall judge the poor and reprove with equity for the meek of the Earth In the latter place which is Psal 72. there is a Prayer added to this Prophecy and the conclusion of these last prophetick words of David The contents given of it are these David praying for Solomon sheweth the goodness and glory of his in type and in truth of Christs Kingdom Several passages in it shew that it must be meant of Christ chiefly as v. 5. They shall fear thee as long as Sun and Moon endure throughout all Generations v. 7. In his days shall the Righteous flourish and abundance of peace so long as the Moon endureth v. 17. His Name shall be for ever and men shall be blessed in him This was the promise made to Abraham In thy Seed shall all Nations be blessed that Seed was Christ Gal. 3.16 Glorious things are spoken of Christ's Kingdom in this Psalm He shall judge the people with Righteousness The Mountains that is Rulers shall bring peace to the people They shall not be the Mountains of Prey but the Mountains of Peace His Kingdom shall be universal even to the ends of the Earth An absolute Victory will be gotten over his Enemies they shall lick the Dust and the greatest shall be made to bow to him The Kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring Presents the Kings of Sheba and Sebah shall offer Gifts yea all Kings shall fall down before him all Nations shall serve him And then will be the Churches full Redemption v. 14. He shall redeem their Soul from deceit and violence Now the fore-sight of this glorious Kingdom and of the happy Estate of the Church in it makes David to break forth into Praises v. 18. Blessed be the Lord God the God of Israel who onely doth wondrous things and blessed be his Glorious Name for ever and ever and let the
after shall be shewn thus Heaven is sometimes taken And 't is to be observed that the Ruling part of that World was exceeding corrupt For those that were highest in power were most eminent in wickedness The great Men were the greatest Sinners and did fill the World with Violence Rapines Oppressions and all manner of unrighteousness Gen. 6.11 And therefore God brought a Flood in which these Heavens perished For all the Principalities and Powers of that wicked and ungodly World were swept away by the Flood 2. Ecclesiasticall Heavens Churches on Earth are sometimes called Heaven the Kingdom of Heaven frequently in the Evangelists signifies the Church Rev. 12.7 There was war in Heaven That is in the Church Now the Ecclesiastical Heavens that is the Churches of that World perished by Water even all except that in the Ark. 'T is said Gen. 4.26 Then began men to call upon the Name of the Lord. There were Churches of Seth's Posterity which worshipped God But these did at last exceedingly apostatize as we see Gen. 6.2 The Sons of God saw the Daughters of Men and took them Wives of all that they chose And thereupon the Lord says My Spirit shall not always strive with Man for that he also is flesh Observe these words He also the Sons of God were spoken of immediately before this He also therefore is meant of the Church-member even he that was called the Son of God was also flesh Not onely those without but also those within the Church not onely the Posterity of Cain but also the Posterity of Seth had corrupted their way and all the imaginations of their hearts were also evil continually Now these Heavens did also perish by water because of the great wickedness found in them There was an Analogical Earth also which perished by water that is as Superiours so Inferiours as Masters so Servants as the Mighty men so the mean men as the Giants so the Dwarfs the Flood swept all away and one as easily as the other And here we may do well to observe what kind of wickednesses they were which brought the Flood there was desperate Apostasie of the Sons of God there was Pride amongst them they became men of Renown and also cruelty and oppression they filled the world with voilence The Giants in stature were Giants in wickedness The old world was an Atheistical and desperately debauched world and when God gave space and warning to repent by Noahs preaching they repented not In a word 't is to be observed that the world of the ungodly then was become wholly arbitrary every one would be sui juris and not be subject to or act by a Law The mighty men and Sovereign part of it were absolute and arbitrary They would be arbitrary in ruling others and exercised what violence they pleased and arbitrary in ruling themselves giving themselves up to the lusts of uncleanness not only taking Wives of the Daughters of men but as Gen. 6.4 also after that they went in unto the Daughters of men to others that is besides their Wives and they took of all that they chose and therein the arbitrariness of that world appeared they chose by Lust and not by Law from their own wills and not according to the will of God The People of God will have God to chuse for them Psal 47.4 He shall chuse our Inheritance for us But these would chuse for themselves This was the first transgression Adam would become arbitrary he liked not Gods choise but he himself would chuse what Fruit to eat and we may observe how displeasing this was to God Behold the man is become like one of us Gen. 3.22 to know good and evil that is as God is absolute and his Will is the rule of good or evil what he wills is good and what he nils is to be lookt on as evil So now Adam would become absolute to know good and evil and have his own Will the rule of it this highly provoked God 'T is his incommunicable Prerogative to be absolute This arbitrariness God did avenge and that speedily upon him 1. He must not eat of the Tree of life 2 He was cast out of Paradise He that would be all and absolute loses all thereby And when the old world became arbitrary a Flood came and swept all away Thus we see what world it was that perished by water In the next place let it be considered what Heavens and Earth are to perish by Fire And now I shall endeavour to make it manifest that there are as natural so analogical Heavens and Earth and Heavens both Political and Ecclesiastical Isa 34. we have a Prophecy of the Judgments wherewith God will at last avenge his Church v. 2. The Indignation of the Lord is upon all Nations and his fury upon all their Armies V. 4. All the Host of Heaven shall be dissolved and the Heavens shall be rolled together as a scrole and all their Host shall fall down and the next verse shews what Heavens are meant My Sword shall come down upon Idumea and upon the People of my curse to Judgment The Unicorns shall come down and the Bullocks for it is the Day of the Lords Vengeance and the Year of Recompenses for the Controversie of Sion So that by Heaven here are meant the Churches Antichristian Enemies who have been in Power and above and long have had the upper hand in the World This will appear also from Hag. 2.6 7. I will shake the Heavens the Earth the Sea and the dry Land This shaking is to make way for the coming of Christ That it looks beyond his first coming is evident from Heb. 12.27 where 't is spoken of as a thing then to come And why shall these Heavens and Earth be shaken 'T is for the removing of things that may be shaken as of things that are made Not things as made by God for this is no reason for their removal that they are made by God therefore by things made are meant the things made by Men. For as there are Heavens and Earth made by God so there are Heavens and Earth of Mens making and that both in a Political and Ecclesiastical sence There are many Babels of Mens building The Turkish Religion and frame was made by Men. The Pope both in his Civil and Ecclesiastical Power was made by Men. The Popish Religion and that Antichristian Form of Worship and frame of Government which Popery doth establish is of Mens making Now this shaking will be to remove things made contrary to the Mind of God And this agrees well with Peter The Earth with the works therein even all Antichristian Works shall be burnt up And with Mat. 13.14 The Angels shall gather out of his Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity There are now many things which offend God and good Men but at last all will be gathered out of the Kingdom This appears also from Rev. 6.12 13. I beheld when he opened the
Marriage of the Lamb then what is it but Christ's coming and receiving to himself his espoused ones to be with him in the holy City that they may have the refreshing of his presence Let the Husband dwell with the Wife this Christ will do And when the Bridegroom shall come then what was done before in a way of espousals betwixt Christ and the Saints in a state of absence shall be compleated in a Personal meeting and cohabitation in the New Jerusalem 3. How the Bride is made ready for the Marriage Rev. 19.7 The Marriage of the Lamb is come and his Wife hath made her self ready Which in the general is to be adorned with Beauty and Glory like to Christ's The Kings Daughter must be all glorious within and her clothing of wrought Gold and she must be brought to the King in Rayment of Needle-work More particularly this readiness consists in two things First Unspotted Holâ—ness and Righteousness Rev. 19.8 To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine Linen white and clean which is the Righteousness of Saints this will be the Wedding Garment At this Marriage Christ shall present to himself a Glorious Church without spot or wrinkle And Christ will say Thou art all fair my Love Secondly Bodies raised or changed and fashioned like to Christ's glorious Body The Lamb's Wife will consist at this time of Spirits of just Men made perfect dwelling in glorious Bodies like to Christ's For the adorning must be of Bodies as well as Spirits to make them ready for this Marriage and thus the readiness will be compleat and full The Bodies of Saints are Christ's as well as their Spirits 1 Cor. 6.20 And their Bodies are for the Lord and the Lord is for their Bodies v. 13. And therefore Christ will have his Wife made ready for the Marriage with himself in Body as well as Soul Psa 17.5 I shall behold thy Face in Righteousness and when I awake I shall be satisfied with thy likeness Righteousness and Likeness make this Readiness and it must be Likeness in a glorified Body for 't is when I awake And when this shall be done the Saints shall have Blessedness and that even to satisfaction Christ shall see his Bride and be satisfied and Saints shall see Christ and be satisfied 4. When this Marriage shall be This we see Rev. 19.15 When Christ shall tread the Wine-press of the Fierceness and Wrath of Almighty God and when the Beast shall be taken and destroyed then will be the time of the Lamb's Marriage For then 't is proclaimed The Marriage of the Lamb is come And at this time will be the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb v. 9. Blessed are they which are called to the Marriage-Supper of the Lamb. Which is called the Supper of the Great God v. 17. To which the Fowls are called to eat the flesh of Kings and Captains and of Mighty Men. And why blessed Because now the Righteous shall rejoyce in seeing the Vengeance executed on their Enemies and this Joy will be their Supper By this it 's very evident that when the Beast shall be taken and the false Prophet and the Remnant slain at that great Battel of Armageddon then the Bridegroom will come and then will be the Lamb's Marriage and the Churches Glorious Estate will then begin The Marriage will be at this time because now will be the Marriage-Supper and when the Marriage shall be Christ must be personally present unless we will conceive a Marriage without a Bridegroom Compare Matth. 25.6.10 The Bridegroom came and they that were ready went in with him This all do understand of a Personal coming Arg. 4. There will be a Resurrection of all the dead Saints at the time of the Battel of Armageddon when the Beast shall be taken and if so then a personal coming of Christ 1 Cor. 15.23 They that are Christ's at his coming Now that there shall be at that time a Resurrection of dead Saints may be proved from Dan. 12.13 Go thou thy way till the end be for thou shalt rest and stand in the Lot at the end of the days Where observe these particulars 1. Go Let thy Soul go its way to Heaven thy Body its way to the Grave 2. Stand Which intimates a Resurrection stand up from the dead 3. Stand in the Lot Canaan was divided by Lot To this there is allusion here More persons than one are concerned in that about which the Lot is cast So then at this time Daniel shall have a Lot in the New Jerusalem and if he then others of the dead Saints shall have their Lots there also 4. Stand in the Lot at the end of the days Go till the end be What end is this It hath reference to v. 6. How long shall it be to the end of these wonders v. 7. It shall be for a time times and a half and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy People then all these things shall be finished Whereby he understands the end of the Jews trouble which will be at the Battel of Armageddon Now at the end of these days of trouble and immediately after this tribulation as Christ shall appear so Daniel shall stand up from the dead even in the end of the days What days Doubtless the One thousand three hundred and thirty-five days which were last mentioned Blessed is he that cometh to them because then the Saints trouble will end And in the end of these days Daniel and the rest of the dead Saints shall stand in their Lot and inherit the Kingdom prepared for them and promised to them So here we find the First Resurrection of which it 's said Blessed and holy is he that hath part in it Arg. 5. Luke 19.11 c. He spake a Parable because they thought the Kingdom of God should immediately appear The scope of this Parable shews that there was to be a Kingdom of God and such a Kingdom which was not in Being at that time neither was immediately to appear but after a long time Matth. 25.19 For Christ was first to go to Heaven to receive a Kingdom and after that to return to the Earth to administer the same v. 12. Now this is not meant of his Spiritual Kingdom alone for that was then in being and immediately to appear more eminently Of this Christ said Luke 17.21 The Kingdom of God is among you which cometh not with observation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it doth not now come with Splendor and Majesty for Christ came not then to be Ministred to but to Minister Somewhat more then must be understood even that Kingdom which shall appear at Christ's return which will be the Spiritual Kingdom growing up to its due height and perfection And also that outward and visible Kingdom which Christ shall have over the whole Creation so that all shall bow to him and neither evil Spirits nor wicked Men shall have any thing to do in matter of Rule
and and Government This Kingdom will come with observation For as the Lightning shineth from one part under Heaven to the other so shall the Son of Man be in his day Then Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets shall be seen in the Kingdom of God and they shall come from the East and the West and North and South and shall sit down with them in that Kingdom Matth. 13.28 29. which hints a Kingdom on Earth for the East West North and South-parts of the Earth are not so called in relation to Heaven but with reference to some place on Earth For the farther clearing of this we may observe That there are in the Government two eminent prefigurations of this Kingdom The first is Christ's riding in triumph into Jerusalem Matth. 21.8 The Multitude spread their Garments and cut down Branches from the Trees and cried Hosanna to the Son of David blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. Mark 11.10 Blessed be the Kingdom of our Father David that comes in the Name of the Lord It came then in a small degree of it And when Christ shall come in his Kingdom at last then the Jews shall see him and say as the Multitudes did then Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord Matth. 23.39 And that which Christ did then seems to foretell two things which he shall do at his coming 1. He shall purge his Temple When he rode into Jerusalem he went to the Temple of God and cast out those that bought and sold in it Christ will throughly purge his Temple when he comes and make it the House of Prayer The Church shall be a Mountain of Holiness and that new World the Habitation of Justice 2. Christ will heal Infirmities v. 14. The Blind and the Lame came to him in the Temple and he healed them At his first coming he healed all manner of bodily Infirmities At his next he will heal not only bodily but spiritual Infirmities more eminently than at his first coming The second prefiguration of Christ's coming was his transfiguration of which we read Mat. 17.2 Christ said Chap. 16.28 There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom And we may observe to whom Christ spake this It was to his Disciples v. 24. Jesus said to his Disciples and so continues his Speech to them till he spake these words Now although Mark saith that he called the People to him with his Disciples yet he directs his Speech to the Disciples especially and therefore we may conceive that when he said there be some standing here c. he means some of his Disciples and not all of them and then it follows After six days Jesus taketh with him Peter and James and John So they were the same here meant And his transfiguration before them was a type of his coming in his Kingdom This sense hath a great confirmation from 2 Pet. 1.16 17. We have not followed cunningly devised Fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of Christ but were Eye-witnesses of his Majesty As if he had said the power and coming of Christ was that which was shewn us for when we saw him on the Holy mount with his Face shining and his Rayment glistering we saw his power and coming and the glory in which he shall appear This is meant of his second coming of which we read Chap. 3. where he speaks of the Scoffers that should ask where is the promise of his coming Many look upon this glorious truth of Christ's coming to reign upon Earth as a cunningly devised Fable but saith Peter it is not so for that which we have seen with our Eyes declare we unto you How and when did they see it When they were with him in the Holy Mount and saw him transfigured before them Then they saw it in a Praeludium of it So when Peter spake of the power and coming of Christ and of the new Heavens and new Earth 't was that which he was an Eye-witness of at his transfiguration Hence three things may be concluded 1. When Christ shall come he shall come in his Kingdom 2. The raised and changed Saints shall then appear with him in glory of which the appearing of Moses and Elias was a type 3. When Christ shall come in glory and the raised and changed Saints shall appear with him in glory then there shall be other Saints in an inferiour state who may sometimes see Christ and the glorified Saints and have some converse with them Thus was it when Peter and James and John saw as Christ so Moses and Elias and why may it not be thus after the coming of Christ We may the better conceive it seeing those Saints which shall be in an inferiour state to the glorified ones will be much better capacitated for converse with them than Peter and James and John were at that time Arg. 6. The last argument shall be taken from Rev. 20. where Satans binding Christs reign and the resurrection of the dead Saints to reign with Christ and all for one thousand years are plainly declared Take the particulars in their order 1. The binding of Satan for one thousand years Concerning which observe First the description of him that shall be bound who is set forth under several names He is called the Dragon to set forth his cruelty being full of rage and wrath and the old Serpent to note his subtilty and cunning craftiness to deceive then the Devil a caluminator the accuser of the Brethren and lastly Satan the adversary the great Enemy of God and godliness of Christ and Christianity the hater of all men but especially of the houshold of faith 1 Pet. 5.8 Your adversary the Devil Now from this variety of Names we may conclude that this binding will not be partial and in some respects onely as they say who hold that he was bound at Christs Passion or at Constantines time but total and absolute from deceiving or doing mischief in any kind whatsoever He shall be bound as a Dragon and not be able to devour persecute cast into Prison or to cast a flood out of his mouth to swallow up the Saints He shall be bound as a Serpent and not tempt or beguile As a Devil he shall not accuse the Brethren and as Satan for though he shall continue an adversary yet he shall not be an adversary going up and down as a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour In a word he shall be bound up as God of this world and Prince of the power of the Air and as a spirit working in the Children of disobedience This total binding will appear by considering Secondly the manner of his binding and the restraint which will be put upon him He shall be bound and cast into the bottomless pit and a Seal set upon him his Prison will be made sure he shall not break Prison