snatch up the Crowne and set it on their head God overturnes some of them and these Apostate Rulers fasten the Crowne to their Temples but their comes a third overturning which is a thorough one indeed for saith God Remove the Diadem take off the Crowne this shall not be the same exalt him that is low and abase him that is high I will overturne overturne overturne it and it shall be no more untill he come whose right it is and I will give it him Where are these Rulers now there 's no hope for them for his Kingdome is an everlasting Kingdome 2 That while these Apostate Rulers are taking counsell together against the Lord and his anointed the designe of God is then at that time to set his King upon Sion the hill of his holinesse And he doth it in opposition to them though they contradict it YET I have done it saith God 3 That the first thing God doth for his Son after he hath made bare his arme and entred into judgement with the Antichristian world for surely he began that work when these Rulers cut downe some of the Kings of the earth and in opposition to these Rulers is to make him King in Sion in his Church Yet have I set my King VPON SION the hill of my holinesse He is set there in a posture fit for the carrying on the designe which he and his father are now managing in the world there is his Throne and his holy ones about him and there he will sit and together with them judge the world and poure downe his fathers wrath upon it 4 That Sion may be a fit seat for the Son to settle himselfe upon in opposition to all his enemies God makes Sion the hill of his holinesse The HILL of my holinesse a hill for strength and stability it 's unmoveable a hill for union all its parts are so united and compact together as none can divide it a hill for height The mountaine of the height of Israel it 's above the world reaches up to the Heavens And a hill of holinesse the King being seated upon this hill this metaphoricall hill becomes his Court and those in it his Courtiers they are clothed with the same clothing his Majesty is hâ—linâ—sse they are all like their Lord each one of them resembling the Children of a King holinesse to the Lord is written upon them And a hill of holines for they are consecrated separated and set apart for the work of Christ at this day sanctified for this service enabled to overcome all the assaults of the evill one and having done all to stand to keep their place and station a seat and Throne for Christ to be such Carpenters as shall fray away all the Hornes the spirit of the Hornes shall not enter into these Carpenters for God saith Sion is the hill of his holinesse 5 Although at this day many may fall away and loose their first love many prove foolish Virgins yet God hath his true Church his hill of true holinesse a fit seat for his Son his chosen number which he unites together and by the mighty working of his spirit they become the hill of his holinesse He sets his Son upon this hill and thence he issues forth the Decrees of his father about the concernments of his Kingdome notwithstanding the power and forces of his enemies against him 6 That under the Government of these Rulers the people of God have not liberty to come up to the height of Gods holinesse for when they come to be a hill of holinesse the world stands in opposition to them and they unto the world Christ is set upon the hill of Gods holinesse in opposition to the Rulers of the world If any then blame the followers of the Lamb as busie-bodies and rash spirits saying it 's otherwise with them now then it was under the Kings they may be as holy as they will and live in their fellowship with God and Christ in his owne Ordinances to the highest it 's a falsity for if they seek after the height of Gods holinesse to get to the top of this hill to enjoy the fullnesse of the Promises in Christ by following him fully according to the voyce of his spirit in his word in this day they are opposed by the Rulers and taken counsell against 7 We may here see what God expects from his Sion his Church that in this day when the Rulers and great men of the world reject Christ and take counsell against him and his that this his hill of holinesse should receive his Son and cleave so close to him espouse his righteous interest so unfeignedly and so zealously as that it may be a hill of advantage whereon Christ may sit as King in opposition to the Kings of the earth and in despite of these Rulers although the Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsell together against the Lord and his anointed when the Kings and the Rulers combine together to doe their utmost the one by an open perverse setting themselves the other by taking counsell pernicious secret counsell against him and his and at last shall conjoyne Forces openly setting themselves to act their counsells things at this passe God brings his Son to Sion his Church the hill of his holinesse he is totally excluded the world by the men of the world from having any share in their Royalties in these Rulers the father hath tryed the finest and purest piece of earth the world can shew and finding it false he brings his Son to Sion sets him there as in a safe place expecting they will submit their necks to his yoke and their shoulders to his burden and follow him in his goings forth against his enemies after what manner soever they be whithersoever he will lead them This indeed is the ready way to find out an everlasting rest to get a full possession of the promised Land to be blessed in heavenly places with him Lastly Behold the Lamb with his 144000 his chosen number standing upon Mount Sion having their fathers name written in their foreheads Sion is the hill of my holinesse saith God Here are the Armies of Heaven with the great Captaine of Salvation in the head of them in a posture fit ready prepared to execute the Decree Thou shalt breake them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them to pieces like a potters vessell But before they enter upon this strange and wonderfull work being the will of their deare Captaine and leader they sing as it were a new song of praise unto God before the Throne and though it be a hard song that the world cannot learn and it sounds harshly in their eares seeming to them such a thing as never was before a new invention of the spirit of delusion yet these chosen holy ones they are acquainted with and expert in singing this song before the Throne of God Christ their Captaine begins and they follow on declaring the
144000 singing their new song now the end of all being to bring men to repentance exhorting them to turne to the true God worship him onely and submit to the Son that they may be blessed by him and this being a reall act in God intending the salvation of men it cannot be but all this must be done before the day of repentance and salvation is finishâ— and gone when the night cometh no man can worke and if so then it must of necessity be granted also that these things must be done before the fourth Viall is powered out for after that Viall is once gone forth there remaines no place for repentance the day of repentance and salvation is spent and gone for the Text expresly saith that men blasphemed the name of God and repented not to give him glory When the two Witnesses rise which we have good ground to believe will be at or before the powring out of the fourth Viall and execute some part of the wrath and judgements of God the day of repentance and salvation being not yet past over and gone it 's recorded Rev. 11.13 that the remnant of men left gave glory to the God of heaven a true and excellent fruit of true repentance but here the day of repentance and salvation being finisht and mens hearts hardened that is recorded also that men blasphemed and repented not to give him glory And in this 14th of the Revelation immediately upon the preaching of this Gospel Babilon Rome falls and suddenly upon the neck of that God by the mouth of an Angel pronounces them cursed without remedy that then worship the Beast and his Image and receive his marke and the Son of man followes with his sharp sickle reaps his harvest and gathers the Vine of the earth treads the wine-presse of the wrath of God What God may doe in a more than ordinary way with any particular soule I leave it but there 's no generall Time of repentance and salvation interveening these executions of the wrath of God when once the fourth Viall is powred out Not being able to answer these Reasons I am fully perswaded to believe the truth of this Assertion And whether Daniels little stone's smiting and the rise of the two Witnesses be not contemporary with Davids hill of Sion and John's Mount Sion Christ being seated on it whether all these Prophecies will not be fulfilled at one the same time yea whether they signifie not to us one and the same thing onely one one part of the work of God at that day another another part of it I leave to the serious consideration and narrow scrutiny of the godly wise at this day And let none be discouraged from believing these things because of the unlikelinesse of them to come to passe in our dayes for the flood of Gods wrath upon the old world was as unlikely to that worlds understanding to overflow when it did as these things can be to this and the Scripture saith the coming of the Son of man shall be like unto those dayes Againe the Scripture saith He shall come at midnight a time when men asleep least expect him And againe When they that dwell upon the earth shall be in the height of their mirth and jollity FVLL OF PEACE rejoycing and sending gifts one to another then the spirit of life from God enters into the two Witnesses and fills those rejoycing earthen soules with great feare brings an Earth-quake slayes a part of the world and affrights the remnant that are left extorting from them glory to the God of heaven Yet againe though the whorish woman Babylon may come to such prosperity as to say in her heart I sit a Queen and am no Widdow and shall see no sorrow her plagues shall come in one day death and mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord who judgeth her Let our hearts ponder these things and we shall tremble as the word of God for judgement is at the doore In the second place I am to give my judgement how far we are come at this day or rather how neare the great God in his providence is come to us at what part of this Psalme thus expounded we may lay our finger and say this is our state and condition this is the work God would have us to doe in this our day To doe this is a great work but to doe it with demonstration to convince the understandings of men and stop the mouth of the gain-sayer is a far greater work which I despaire to performe yet according to the measure of light the Lord hath given me I shall make an Essay towards a clear evidencing of the Truth I conceive We are come to the dawning of that day wherein God will in wrath to the worlds Rulers set his King upon Sion the hill of his holinesse and the Lamb will stand on Mount Sion with his 144000 his chosen ones about him wherein the Son will declare the Decree and the 144000 will be singing their new song before the Throne of God according to the import of that Command of the father to his Son in this second Psalme ASKE OF ME And that the present Kings and Rulers of the world but especially the Rulers who are the head of this gathering together against the Lord and his anointed are those against whom the father will engage in this day of his wrath and jealousie for his Son speaking to them in wrath and vexing them in his sore displeasure even with this his setting his King upon Sion the hill of his holinesse The Reasons for this my Assertion are 1 Because we are already gotten under if not towards the latter end of the third Viall to prove this that it may be as valid a reason to you as it is to me I intreat thee Courteous Reader let thine eyes accompanied with thy mind take a journey through Mr. Tillinghast's Treatise upon the Vialls where you will finde so much Reason and such strong Arguments for this assertion as I presume will be so satisfactory as it will not be expected I should say any thing more to the point And if so then upon my former proofe it appears the dawning of this day of blessednesse to the Saints and of wrath to the world with its Rulers hath ceazed upon us But 2 The first fruits of the qualifications of Gods hill of holinesse Christs 144000 the sprinklings of the spirit of that day the beginnings of Christs being received as King in Sion are to be found in the midst of a despised people among us in this our day Let us view over the Qualifications of Christs 144000 consider them and put on a paire of those excellent spectacles made of pure love and our dim eyes will not behold men like Trees but like the purchased inheritance of the Son qualified according to the Decree to such and such a work at such a time I say the first fruits the
beginnings of these though yet imperfect will appeare plainly to our view And let us with simplicity and singlenesse of heart look out at the Casements of our soules and we shall behold the sprinklings of the spirit of that glorious day The work of the day shewes us the spirit of the day The Saints in that day sing a new song before the Throne of God c. which is such a song as is so uncouth so strange to so contrary and above the nature Principles and reason of the world as they cannot learne it no man without this hill of holinesse none but the 144000 can learne to sing this song What is this strange song that is so hard to be learnt Why consider it and you will find it to be the Decree the Son in the second Psalme undertakes to declare If we consider this particular also we shall find plainly to appeare in this our day some sprinklings the beginnings of the mighty workings of this spirit Let us yet make a stand and consider the temper and spirit of the Lords people in this our day and we shall find Christ to have a little footing on Sion already his 144000 begin to look upon him to consider him as their King and their hearts are cleaving to him apace If we consider these things we shall behold an Emblem of a glorious fabrick to be erected in its due season which cannot be far off for when the singing of Birds is heard they fly chirping from bough to bough it 's a signe the winter is past and the spring is come Now is the Time in which Christ will or doth call to his beloved Rise up my love my faire one and come away Follow me O my Dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret place of the staires Gods hiding-place for his people in a day of wrath Let me see thy countenance let me heare thy voyce For sweet is thy voyce and thy countenance is comely Take us the Foxes the little Foxes those that are lesse discernable and least mistrusted to doe mischief that spoyle the Vines for our Vines have tender Grapes Cant. 2.10 11 12. What though this Kingdome of Heaven be now but as a graine of Mustard-seed the smallest of graines yet it 's water'd with the dewes of the spirit and it will it shall grow up to a Tree able to give shelter to the Fowles of Heaven Elijah's Cloud of blessings although at first it appeare but as the little hand of a man yet in a short time it spreads over the whole Heavens When we fee the day begin to break can we be so stupid as not to believe the Sun makes hast in his course to arise upon our Horizon When these things appeare such signes of the Times are given to us what willfull sins of ignorance shall we be guilty of if we not minding them believe not what is a coming We can tell by the signes thereof whether it will be faire weather or soule to day And why are we ignorant of the signes of the Times Surely it 's a token of a hypocriticall spirit whose damnation will be very great Let none say that which I seem to plead for is encompassed about with such infirmities so much of the spirit of man such contrarieties to some Gospel rules as we cannot believe it to be of God For this plea will be found no good plea at the Sons Tribunall it 's but a fond excuse at best lay what stresse you will upon it it will not hold This day is a day of wrath and the word spoken is spoken in wrath and except we dive into its glory through the vailes of wrath upon it and hearken to it and embrace it giving obedience to it we shall perish from the way of blessednesse Againe let us consider the signes of this day of Christs coming to his Sion that other Scriptures afford and we shall find them to be such as will signifie no such thing to any but to those who have the most precious faith of this Gospel waiting for the consolation of Israel the Holy Ghost will be upon them and let them see the blessed fruit of their expectation There shall come in the last dayes scoffers walking after their owne lusts and saying where is the Promise of his coming For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation 2 Pet. 3.3 In heart saying our Lord delayes his coming smiting fellow servants eating and drinking with the drunken Mat. 24.48 49. And though the Son of God hath told us that his father will avenge his owne Elect speedily which cry day and night unto him neverthelesse When he comes shall he find faith on earth Luke 18.7 8. yet The Lord is not slack concerning his Promise 2 Pet. 3.9 But is it not to this end That the Tryall of your faith the faith of Gods chosen being much more precious then of gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.7 If these things be so how ought we with all diligence to walk with feare and trembling least we stumble and fall upon those stumbling-blocks of wrath God throwes in the worlds way and perish upon them together with the world And my Reasons why I conceive the present Rulers of this world are those enemies of Christ God will speake to in wrath and vex in his sore displeasure are 1 Because I find the Scripture expresly saith That those who shall be the Rulers of the world at this day of Gods setting his Son upon Sion will oppose and take counsell together against the Lord and his anointed Therefore hath he said He will speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure with setting his King upon Sion the hill of his holinesse And seeing it 's a truth that we are come to the dawning of the day wherein the father will set his Son on his Sion it must follow that these are the Rulers that will be the subjects of the direfull displeasure and wrath of the Great GOD. 2 Because I perceive the Rulers are already taking Counsell together to make their hands strong against the Lord and his anointed and to break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from them And the faithfull Almighty God hath said He will then speak to them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure and if they hearken not to the Gospel of the Kingdome preached to them they shall without remedy perish from the way of blessednesse speedy and swife destruction will be their portion To prove this to the vulgar understanding is very hard yet if we will but consider these few things we may learne somewhat of the businesse 1 That the Characteristicall worke of these Rulers is not their acting but TAKING COVNCELL against the Lord and his anointed for as it
Saintlike Rulers as to a sure refuge his Counsellors and they take counsell a secret clandestin way as expert Warriours when great shot will not doe against the wall of a City or Fort then they secretly undermine it supposing to prevaile that way a secret way They will not scruple to transgresse the regular punctillio's of the Law in any case but from counsell to action presently before their counsells may be knowne These take counsell which way is best to be taken what the most wise and prudent course may be to accomplish their designe by if by any way by any means or course whatsoever they can have their will and stablish themselves though it be never so wicked and unworthy If no other way will serve they will become Saints of the highest form in shew Pauls brethren become all things to all men that they may gaine some for they take counsell and if need be keeping a suitable decorum speak and act against all those though never so excellent in their Generation that stand in the way of their designments To find out some new and neat way the steps of their Predecessors they will not exactly follow no they have seen the folly and weaknes of those But they seek after a curious piece of Art whereby they may be able to doe that which all the world before them their great grand-fathers the Heathen and their fore-fathers the prophane Kings of the earth could not doe against the Lord and his anointed They take counsell they have wisedome though from below with them for the Scripture saith Where there 's counsell there 's wisedome They are the wisest and most subtill instruments ever Satan made use of they are Counsellors such as God who is wisedome it selfe thinks it high time for him to arise and disappoint them least they prevaile against his beloved 3 THEN when the Rulers take Counsell TOGETHER when there is a Combination and Confederacy in Counsells between these refined Rulers against the Lord and his anointed when they shall combine together to make their hands strong that they may keep their Dominion maugre all the opposition the Lord and his holy ones make 4 THEN when the Rulers take counsell together AGAINST THE LORD AND HIS ANOINTED that is Christ and his followers his anointed ones with the unction of the spirit that follow him in all his out-goings against the backslidings and Apostacies of these Rulers True the Apostles and Brethren in the fourth of the Acts expound this of the father and Christ the Son that the father was this Lord and Christ the anointed of his father this they spake of the gathering together of the Heathen and Jewes against Christ when they put him to death but the father having given all power into his Sons hands hath made him both Lord and Christ as the same Apostle speaks in Acts 2.36 The father in recompence for his finishing that which he gave him to doe hath made him Lord and anointed him above his fellowes and he ascending up on high gave his gifts unto the Sons of men anointing them according to his promise with the unction of the spirit and let the Prophet David expound his owne meaning saith he in another place The Lord said unto my Lord sit thou on my right hand which Christ applies to himselfe so that David understood Christ to be Lord. Againe Touch not mine anointed and doe my Prophets no harme the anointed are his Prophets and his Prophets are his anointed and who these Prophets are we may see in the Epistle to the Corinthians they are the Members of the Church of Christ so that David Expounds his owne meaning and clearly expresses himselfe to point out Christ and his anointed in these words Now the reason why I terme them the followers of Christ in some speciall designe is because if all the Lords Prophets be anointed then much more those they have a greater measure of the anointing who follow the Lamb in his sometimes rough uncouth wayes of his providences who keep close to him when he is doing his strange work and bringing to passe his strange act in the world when he comes to take the Kingdomes of this world unto himselfe whose right it is to raigne And they are with him against these Rulers is strongly imply'd in that these Rulers are so close in consultation and so fully bent against them for we cannot conceive that these wise men would irritate any against them without a cause but on the other hand they wil foster all that will come under their wing and take protection from them and truly it 's not a small portion of this anointing will deliver them from the intanglements of these Rulers for they are Saints as to us or at least to those who have not a very narrow and quick inspection into the state of the times the fairest outside ever Satan had And without doubt many of the people of the Lord may be taken and deceived with them Some good thing they will doe or they 'le prove but foolish Counsellors they will goe as far to meet a dissenting Brother as it 's possible for them and not endanger their Dominion If Satan cannot uphold his Dragon he will be content with his Beast but if he cannot keep up his Beast in any place he will be satisfied with his Image yea rather than give out the bare number of his name shall please him So that many precious soules may be deluded for a time if they take not great heed otherwise that voyce would be needlesse Come out of her my people least ye be partakers of her sins and so of her plagues 5 THEN when they Take counsell together to BREAK THEIR BANDS ASVNDER AND TO CAST AWAY THEIR CORDS FROM THEM The contest goes high by this time it 's come to particulars Before it was but in generalls and it 's about no small or triviall businesse but who shall have the Authority and power The dispute is about the Kingdome that is clear from the whole Psalme saith God Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion And the Decree is wholly concerning Christs Kingdome over the world about the Authority and Legislative power Christ and his anointed say the father hath given them authority to bind Kings with chaines and Nobles with fetters of iron to bind the Rulers with his Lawes as with a cord and these Rulers take counsell together to break their bands asunder and cast their cords from them We have already given our sence what these bands are These Rulers take counsell to BREAK THEM ASVNDER surely they had need of a greater than Sampsons strength that would break the bands of God asunder but these think to doe it by slights and wiles they take counsell They would breake their bands although they be bound by the strongest Oathes and Obligations the largest Vowes and Declarations the greatest protestations and professions yet they must be broken rather than the Lord
Decree So that now we are come to the work of Christ in this day to consider what that is that the Son goeth about as his work in this day of his Fathers wrath It is declaring the Decree of his father as he tells us in these words I will declare the Decree He being thus seated on Sion the hill of Gods holinesse he presently without delay sends abroad his Heralds layes his claime and shewes his right and title to the world the Decree of his Father We may here consider 1 The Person declaring 2 The Declaration it selfe 3 The Matter of the Declaration 4 The Persons to whom this Declaration is made 1 The Persons declaring I will declare the Decree This is 1 Christ Personall the Mediator â—hrist Jesus That Son of God whom the father hath set upon Sion the hill of his holinesse he declares the Decree by his spirit in Sion among his chosen ones 2 Christ Mysticall This cannot reasonably be denyed saith Christ A body hast thou prepared me then said I loe I come to doe thy will O God Intimating that it was of necessity Christ should have a body before he could come to doe the will of his father It 's by this body of his as the instrument in his hand that he fullfills the will of God so it 's by his mysticall body his Church that he declares the Decree doth this his work in this day of his Regement in Sion Further it 's said The Law shall goe forth out of Sion And againe Mat. 10.27 What I tell you in darknesse that speake ye in the light and what ye hear in the eare that Preach ye upon the house top Here 's the man Christ Jesus teaching his Sion and a command to them to declare it publickly to the world This is that sharp sword going out of his mouth wherewith he smites the Nations 2 The declaration it selfe I will DECLARE the Decree Declare it how why as a Herald declares the Decree of a Prince or State with sound of Trumpet and a loud voyce in places of greatest note and resort in the most open and publick manner that can be that all may hear that the Decree may come the eare of every man So here I will declare the Decree so publickly upon the house top on the Mount the Trumpet shall sound so shrill and loud that it shall pierce the eares of all yea of the Kings and Judges of the earth for the exhortation to repentance is grounded upon this Declaration Be wise now therefore c. which could not be a motive to them to repent except they heard it And I will declare the Decree lay it all open make it fully knowne spread it before the understandings of men that none may through ignorance perish from the way and loose that blessednesse I have in my hand to give unto all them that put their trust in me 3 The matter of the Decree in which we have these six particulars 1 The party decreeing 2 The Decree it selfe 3 The means by which the performance is obtained 4 The account or score upon which the father doth all this for his Son 5 The person to whom this gift is given 6 The time when God will bestow this gift 1 It 's the Lord Jehovah that makes this Decree who then can alter or disanull it Shall the Lawes of the Medes and Persians be unalterable and shall not the Decrees of the great God of Heaven and earth What folly is it for the world to oppose it What fools-hardinesse is it for men to fight against the Almighty God 2 Here 's the Decree it selfe And therein First A Donation or Gift I will GIVE thee the Heathen for thine Inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession It 's a Royall gift indeed fit for a King to receive and for the glorious God and father of our Lord to bestow no lesse then a whole world Heathens for an Inheritance and utmost parts of the earth for a possession O matchlesse love of a father to a beloved Son The Heathens that knew him not shall become his Inheritance he will call upon the Nation that hath not been called by his name to behold him he will be sought of them that asked not for him and be found of them that sought him not and the utmost parts of the earth shall be a habitation for him to have and to hold as the good pleasure of his father all things shall be put under his feet There shall be given him Dominion and glory and a Kingdome that all people Nations and languages shall serve him And that this gift might be certaine and sure that nothing may be able to interrupt his possessing it we have in the Second place The means decreed and appointed whereby he shall take this inheritance and possession to himselfe Thou shalt break them with A ROD OF IRON and dash them to pieces like a potters vessell Breake them take their power rule and Dominion away breake their Scepters and throw downe their Corwnes Breake THEM who why all that in enmity oppose him the raging Heathen the profane Kings of the earth and all the Hypocriticall Saint-like Rulers that would not have him to raigne over them them shall he break THOV shalt breake them Christ the Lamb on Mount Sion he shall doe it with his followers that follow him whithersoever he goeth But with what With A ROD of iron Here is the materiall sword the instrument with which Christ shall break all his enemies He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword they have shed the blood of the Saints and Prophets and he will give them blood to drinke for they are worthy Behold I will make thee a new threshing Instrument having Teeth Thou shalt thresh the mountaines and beate them small and shalt make the hills as chaffe And dash them to pieces like a potters vessell He shall break them all to shivers grind them to powder and make them become as the mire in the streets and the chaffe of the summers threshing-floore that the wind shall carry them away and no place shall be found for them any more And he shall doe this with as great facillity and ease as a man dasheth a Potters vessell to pieces he shall have no more trouble in it then a man hath in dashing a brittle earthen pot to pieces against the ground 3 The means by which the Son obtaines the performance of this Decree his intercession ASKE of me It 's but ask and have if the Lord ask his father any thing he will give it him if he ask a world his enemies for an Inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for a possession his request is granted The father heareth him alwayes he neither will nor can deny him what he desires Aske of me the Heathen for thine inheritance and thou shalt have them saith God either thy slaves or thy free-men which thou wilt they shall
this Decree concerning the Kingdome of the Son fully according to the due import of A Declaration in the eares of the whole world yea that the Kings and Judges of the earth may heare and feare and tremble If men or Devils in men besmear them with the spurious conceptions of their owne filthy hearts what matters it They have the pure water of the word at hand to wash off all that dirt It 's the work of Christ in this day of his fathers love I will declare the Decree that which he will doe by his body his Mysticall Members and men cannot duely nor rightly charge his holy ones with sin or folly in this their obedience to their Lord It 's the work of Christ to declare it in Sion by his spirit and it 's the work of Sion as the Instrument in his hand to declare it againe to the world in opposition to the Kings and Rulers thereof in their usurpations upon the Royall interest and Prerogative of Jesus King of Sion 3 That this Declaration is published in the time of the fathers wrath neither is this expression of the Sons love without some tokens of displeasure The world and the powers thereof have so slighted trampled upon and provoked the Son as he will not speak one word for them to plead their cause with his father but by his silence suffers his fathers wrath to break forth speaking to them in wrath and vexing them in his sore displeasure The father having by his Almighty power set his King on Sion and he being ready to over-run the world with the execution of his fathers just displeasure his heart being tender his bowels rowle within him towards poore sinners he must declare the Decree with an Exhortation if now at last they will come in submit to him and he will blesse them yet it 's very hasty and ends with the harsh sound of a threating in case of a non-sudden-acceptance there 's a tang of the fathers wrath and the Sons provoked displeasure goes along with it the clearest sun-shine of this day is clouded with symptomes and tokens of wrath and displeasure then it 's no wonder if God judicially throw stumbling-blocks in the way of this Generation in this day that they may not hearken to the voyce of his Son but stumble and fall and perish 4 The father having decreed to give the whole world to his Son Heathens for an inheritance and utmost parts of the earth for a possession it must of necessity be that all the GREAT possessors of this earthen world will prove his enemies and the declaration of this Decree will set the world on fire fill it with a fiery fury The heavens shall passe away with a great noyse and the Elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up 5 That this is no rebellious nor strange word but a doctrine becoming the Gospel and Gospel times to proclaime the War of the Lord against all the enemies of Christ it 's the mind of the father for this is part of the Decree which the Son hath engaged to declare Thou shalt breake them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potters vessell 6 That this day is a day of great supplication and prayer ASKE of me saith God the father commands to aske upon such an encouraging account as that it provokes Christ and his followers to lye hard at the Throne of grace for the performance of the fathers Promises saith God ASKE and I will give ASKE or you cannot receive but ASKE and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the utmost parts of the earth for thy possession If God command to aske upon such an account how can it be but his people will obey with rejoycing filling the Heavens with their cryes And can we think Christ will not fill the Censor with these odours and offer them up upon the Altar as a sweet perfume to God his father and then what voyces what thunderings lightnings and Earth-quakes will this fire from the Altar fill the earth with These will fill the Vials of Gods wrath and send the Angels out of the Temple to poure them out upon the world 7 Here 's a direction for prayer in this day It 's the will of the father the prayers of the Saints should be chiefly and in the first place for the glory of Christ that he may have Heathens for an Inheritance and utmost parts of the earth for a possession And for vengeance and ability to execute the wrath of God upon the world secondarily meerly as a means to accomplish the former by removing lets and hindrances out of the way Their heart in prayer to their father ought to run out chiefly for the glory of Christ and surely if the world would be converted and turne to God it would redound much to the honour of our Lord Jesus therefore Christ undertakes to declare the Decree tells them the whole sum of the matter with Exhortation to come in to him that they may be blessed with everlasting happinesse but if they will not hearken to this voyce of love then ASKE and thou shalt breake them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potters vessell 8 In this day the Intercession of Christ and so the prayers of the Saints will be of very high concernment of dangerous consequence to the world and worldly powers They reach at no lesse then the Crowns and Scepters of the world that the whole world may become the Lord Christs Heathens for an Inheritance and utmost parts of the earth for a possession As the Saints formerly prayed against the Heathens rage and the Kings open profanenesse in setting themselves against their Lord so they now pray as zealously against the Clandestine cunning Counsells of hypocriticall Apostate Rulers what though the men of the world and some deluded sincere hearts call it sin and grosse infirmity at the best leading to rebellion unwarrantable talking tending to nought but ruine it matters not they have the command of the great Jehovah for it ASKE of me saith he and I will give thee the Heathens ASKE of me and I will give thee the utmost parts of the earth ASKE of me and thou shalt breake them with a rod of iron and dash them to pieces like a potters vessell ASKE these things of me pray for them and I will give them 9 That in this day the perverse opposition of the worlds Saint-like Rulers to the Lord and his anointed will prove such as will compell them to ask of their father AN IRON ROD such an iron rod wherewith they may breake their enemies and dash them to pieces like a potters vessell And if they ask it he hath promised he will give it and that in their hand it shall doe his appointed work and then woe to the world for how great will the Vintage of Gods wrath upon the world be in