administration wherein God commits all things to be done by the Son And then when the time of Christs kingdom on earth is expired God shall be all in all after this last general Resurrection when death it self shall be destroyed And the Apostle gives a further description of that general Resurrection at vers 51 52 c. Behold I shew you a mystery we shall not all die but we shall all be changed 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 we shall be changed for this corruption must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality so when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal shall have put on immortality Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory In these verses the Apostle cleerly speaks of the last general judgement for he says that the Saints shall not all Die but shall all in a moment be changed and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and this he says shall be at the last trump and that demonstrates it to be the last day that the Apostle is speaking of because he says it shall be at the last trump for there is a trump which must sound before this of which the Apostle speaks 1 Thes 4. 16. where he speaks of the raising of the dead in Christ who must rise first even of the first Resurrection when the Saints must rise to reign with Christ Now the Apostle calling this the last trump it is cleer he speaks here of the last Resurrection and again its cleer by this also because he says that at this time Death shall be swallowed up in victory And that then shall be brought to pass that saying O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory That is then the victory shall be gotten over death death shall be no more an overcomer it shall destroy no more but be destroyed it self And this is the last enemy that shall be destroyed As Rev. 20. 14. and 1 Cor. 15. 26. Thus is it cleer that in these verses Paul speaks of the last general Resurrection I have the rather mentioned and opened these Scriptures that speak of the last general Resurrection that there might not be a confounding of the first Resurrection with the last and that the one might not be taken for the other as is very common And thus have I briefly shewn as far as from the Scripture appears to me what is to be done upon earth after the finishing of the thousand yeers of the reign of Jesus Christ and his Saints on earth And now having laid down this general description or discovery of the new Jerusalem both in the internal and external glory of it and of what things are to precede it and to succeed it I shall conclude all with that saying of the Psalmist Psal 111. 2 3. The works of the Lord are great sought out of all them that have pleasure therein His work is honourable and glorious and his righteousness endureth for ever And now might I come to a large Application of all which is applicable several ways but desiring to be brief therein I have included all in these following Verses Vnto the Court of Parliament who are Supreme in England Ireland and elsewhere These Poems humbly are addrest Which placed are before the rest WHo knew Grave Senators when first of all In Parliament to sit you had a Call What great designes you were appointed to What world-amazing acts you had to do None but Jebovah doubtless then could tell Who knew his own holy Decree full well And therefore did betimes to you appear And fill you with his holy Spirit and fear And then his Purposes to bring to pass The Bill for non-dissolving of you was Confirmed so as not to be repeal'd To bring about his holy Will reveal'd So long ago to Daniel when he writ That to ' stroy the Horn the Judgement should sit And now you see you were the Instruments To bring about JEHOVAH'S high Intents Which were his People to defend and save From all their foes and therefore pow'r he gave You then and strength his enemies to withstand That did oppress the Saints with a high hand But they are overcome and shall no more O'ercome the Saints as they did heretofore For now the Judgement hath the Horn destroy'd And all that Crew that were by him employ'd And now the time 's expir'd wherein the Beast Should overcome the Saints his wo's increast Now Jesus Christ doth on Mount Sion stand And there his Saints do wait on his Command So that henceforth overcome all they shall That up against them rise and make them fall And now ye that in Parliament have bin The happie Instruments of this great King What cause have you in him for to rejoyce That guided were to make so good a choice To cleave unto this Cause and to forsake The other Party not for to partake With them in sins or punishments but to Wait on the Lord his blessed Will to do But now know this If any of you did Aim at yout selves and walk in paths crooked And in that place of Judicature sitting Pretending one did mean another thing And if your labour care and onely aim Have been to serve your selves and get a name The fruit's but temporary that y 'ave had And soon will moulder perish quail and fade And when you come to die what good will 't do When that your Consciences shall accuse you That you unfaithful and deceitful do Prove to the Trust that is repos'd in you For though accounts to man you never make Yet unto God you shall who them will take And then though all your heaps of gold you would Give up to clear your selves yet never should You be releas'd when Death doth once you call Before the great JEHOVAH'S Tribunal Your wisdom it would be betimes therefore For peace to seek and for to clear your score For now 's the time if ever it be done Before your life 's expir'd and glass is run You know the way Zacheus took That 's written in the blessed Book But now I 've done with you within this Court Whose ways have not been of a good report If that among you any such there be For I can none accuse all may be free For any thing that I can prove or lay Unto the charge of any there this day And yet there may be many Though I do not know any NOw of the Wise this will be accepted For why such counsel never breaks the head And as for you who in that Senate fit Whose consciences before the Lord acquit You fully do from ill reports abroad And clear you from deceitfulness and fraud Who walked have in the sincerity Of your own hearts and have in equity And
away his Dominion and destroy him unto the end And what the issue of all this will be is discovered in the following verse but of that in its place But now it may bee some may slight this interpretation saying that it is not to be regarded seeing severall have given severall Interpretations of Scriptures and most of them have been besides the truth and so may this will they say But to those I have but this to say first that upon this account they may continually sleight all that shall bee said in opening the Scriptures though it be never so consonant unto the Truth and minde of the Spirit of God the Author of the Scriptures And so God with such sleight spirits will not have the glory of his pre-decreeing of the things he will have to come to passe many hundred yeeres after and of his exact bringing things to passe according to the counsels of his own will so many hundred yeeres before resolved upon And secondly they in so doing doe give lesse honour to God then the heathens did to their Devilish Oracles which would pretend to foreshew things to come and lesse then they doe to Astronomers who from the stars do pretend to foretell things whereas God oftentimes frustrateth the tokens of those lyars and maketh those diviners mad Isa 44. 25. and they cannot foreshew any thing infallibly though possibly from the stars they may give some uncertain hints of things but it is that which is proper to God alone infallibly to fore-tell things to come As appeares Isa 48. 3 4 5. and Isa 46. 9 10. and which hee doth from time to time do by his servants the Prophets and therefore what they have declared from God hath been done for our observation Rom. 15. 4 Psa 107. 43. Deut. 29. 29. Wherein we may see that what God hath done from age to age hath all along bin the fulfilling of his word of which we are to give him the glory And thirdly though some Interpreters have failed of truth which it may bee hath been the hardening of the hearts of some yet this will not be a sufficient discharge for any from their duty of observing these things that when the truth appeares God may have the glory But fourthly it is true things have often been ancertainely hit at by some men before they came to passe but these things are come to passe and all prophecies are best understood when they are fulfilled or neer to be fulfilled not but that oftentimes prophecies have been cleerely understood long beforehand by many precious Saints But fifthly this is certaine that when the very minde of God in Prophecies is unerringly laid open being cleerly and convincingly discovered to his Saints and servants that desire to pry into and observe these things according to their dutie that even then some will not receive them neither the wise of the world nor the wicked of the world as appeares Mat. 11 25. and Dan. 12. 10. But though the worldly-wise do not yet they that have wisdome from above shall have these things revealed to them and shall understand them as appeares in the same Scriptures for when truth is revealed the children of truth having one and the same spirit shall see it with the same eye and rejoyce with the same joy in seeing of it My Sheepe know my voice John 10. 27. They know that it is my voice and not anothers voice and indeed it is chiefly for their sakes who know his voice who have his spirit that all truths are revealed But all these are generall answers but for this particular Interpretation I have onely this to say That I do not pretend to be any more exempted from uncertainty then any other of the deare servants of God have been to whom God hath very often revealed his secrets though sometimes some things of their owne suppositions have slipt from them and therefore I shall not presse any to believe these things because I have said them unlesse they do therein hear the voice of Christ and his spirit setting them home upon them For this I know that truth is powerfull enough to to prevaile with Saints and for the truth of these things of which I have spoken or of whatever is laid down in the following discourse I leave them to the great God who hath put me upon the publishing of them to make them prevalent with as many as hee intends good unto by them And further this I must professe that it hath not been a few daies only or since the last Kings death onely that I have thus been made to understand this Scripture But I thus understood it for above nine yeeres ago and to this the Lord is witnesse and severall godly people whom I have made acquainted with it at severall times so that when the late King was in his height I declared my confidence that the Parliament should prevaile over him and at last destroy him But seeing as I have said that all Prophesies are best understood in the fulfilling of them the truth of these things will therefore doubtlesse now be the more prevailing with Saints But one word more and that is this That though it is true that usually Saints know the voice of Christ and are able to say certainly this is or this is not the voice of Christ I say though it be thus usually with them yet there are some cases in which they are uncertaine and some truths about which they can neither say that it is truth or that it is not truth And now if this be the case of any about these things I have spoken of I have onely this to say to them that though they cannot receive them presently yet let them beware how they sleight them and this I must tell them that if the Lord had not all along hitherto in the workes of his providence which in many particulars were very observable evidenced the truth hereof and if hee doe not demonstrate it more and more it might bee the more tollerable for them thus to sleight it but considering how wonderfully from day to day this is cleared and will be cleared Oh let them beware how they wilfully shut their eyes against the light of it for any private interest whatsoever lest in shutting their eyes against light they be shut up in Babylonian darknesse and consequently partake with Babylon both in her sins and in her plagues And now I should here proceed to the 27 verse but because it treateth of the glorious Kingdom which Jesus Christ shall have in the world and that being a subject which my spirit is drawn out to treat more largely and amply of it then any yet have done I shall therefore handle it in an intire book by it selfe closing up this discourse with those expressions of the Psalmist Psal 92. 5 6 7. O Lord how great are thy workes thy thoughts are very deep A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a foole understand this when the wicked
holy one and the Just and kil'd the Prince of Life whom God had raised from the dead by faith in whose Name the lame man was healed hee addes Now brethren I wot that through ignorance yee did it as did also your Rulers but these things which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his Prophets that Christ should suffer he hath so fulfilled repent you therefore and be converted that your sins may bee blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord and he shall send Jesus Christ which was before preached unto you whom the heavens must receive untill the time of restitution of all things which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began Peter here preaching to those that had been the actors of that most unjust and most unrighteous act that ever was acted by the most wretched and most sinfull of the sons of men he charges it home upon them ver 12 13 14 and 15. and having done so he is guided by the wisdome of the Spirit lest they should in the sense hereof be driven to despaire to mitigate the terrour of of it though the sin was so hainous by these two considerations First their ignorance verse 17. sutable to which is that passage of Paul 1 Cor. 2. 8. Secondly by the determinate counsell of God which he then fulfilled in that act of theirs which was in it selfe so hainously sinfull as it came from them And having thus done he presses them to repentance and to an embracing of the Lord Jesus Christ from whom he preaches peace notwithstanding their great sin against him telling them that upon their being converted unto him their sins should be blotted out and tels them withall that though they had crucified him and he according to the counsell of God had suffered death of which all the Prophets had spoken that yet there was a time comming when that Jesus Christ which had been crucified who was gone to heaven and must there remaine untill that appointed time even that Jesus Christ should come again and v. 21. restore * Restore all things that is to restore to his Saints a comfortable and free enjoyment of all the comforts of the Spirit of grace and of all the comforts of the whole Creation and when the Apostle here saies he shall restore all these things he meanes he shall restore them to those that are converted to his Saints only and not to all men as some would have it for that is directly contradictory to other Scriptures that speake of this same time as Isa 65. 13 14. 15 20. Isa 51. 22 23. Jer. 30. 23 24. Rev. 21. 8. Chap. 22. 15. besides many others to this purpose that are as cleare for if this were true then may it be said in this case as Paul in another said if so c. Saints are of all men most miserable in that they suffer sharpe afflictious and drinke many a bitter cup from the hands of wicked men because they will not do as they do and say as they say because they are more righteous and for righteousnesse sake but they it suffer because they know that the righteous Judge of all the earth will quickly come and reward every one as his work shall be Rev. 22. 12. even to them who patiently continue in well doing eternall life but unto the ungodly workers of iniquity indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish upon every soule of man that doth evill of the Jew first and also of the Gentile Rom. 2. 6 7 8 9. all things and pardon their sins and refresh v. 19. comfort them and this is that time saies Peter which God hath spoken of by the mouth of all his holy Prophets which have been since the world began and this doubtless is that which is spoken of by the Prophet Daniel in this passage we are treating of And this is that which Paul also speakes of Rom. 8. 18 19 c. in these words The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us for the earnest expectation of the Creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God for the Creature was made subject to vanity not willingly but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope because the Creature its selfe also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God for we know that the whole Creation groaneth and travelleth together in paine untill now and not only they but our selves also which have the first fruits of the spirit even we our selves groane within our selves waiting for the adoption to wit the redemption of our bodies Here the Apostle speaking of this exalted condition of the Saints in these latter daies doth illustrate it in these 5 particulars by which he sets out what the condition of saints shall be and by six particulars in which he speaks to the condition of the whole Creation The particulars wherein he speakes to the condition of the Saints are these First That the condition of the Saints untill that time come whatever their enjoyments are and how comfortable soever it shall be yet in comparison of that it shall be a sighing a groaning a sorrowing condition for so he saies even we our selves we that are Saints and have the first fruits of the spirit which are exceeding precious to us and in which we have so much joy and peace as Rom. 5. 1 2 3 4 5 11. we groan within our selves are in a sighing sorrowing condition waiting for the Adoption or Redemption of our bodies untill when we shall sigh and indeed so it must needs be for besides outward troubles we meet with from wicked men we the best Pauls Cephas's and Primitive Saints which are indued with the most eminent gifts are also troubled with sin that dwels in us so that when we would do good evill is present with us But Secondly He tels us that at that time the condition of Saints shall be such as that their bodies shall be redeemed from the servitude and slavery in which they have been subjected to men in that over their bodies other Lords have had dominion for that must needs be his meaning in those words Waiting for the redemption of our bodies What shall our bodies have redemption from else but that And that is also the meaning of those words The glorious liberty of the children of God They have not been in their bodies free nor in liberty but in bondage and subjection but then comes the redemption of their bodies and they shall be at liberty And Thirdly They shall also be freed from the power of corruption within as well as from the outward slavery and subjection of wicked men and this is exprest in these words The glory which shall be revealed in us present sufferings are not worthy to be compared with the
one of a thousand cannot be said to be All. But when was the Spirit poured out so much as upon one of a thousand Again when was the Spirit so abundantly upon all ages degrees and sexes as that all might prophesie that is in the lowest sence be able to speak to edification exhortation and comfort How few of those that are Saints have the spirit of Prophecie in this sence to any purpose upon them carrying of them forth to publish the Gospel for the edifying comforting or conversion of others The number of those is very small witness the complaints of many Country-towns and Parishes even within this Kingdom which they make for the want of faithful able men to preach the Gospel among them And if there be very few men that are thus furnished with this gift of the Spirit how few are the women Not but that there are many godly women many who have indeed received the Spirit but in how small a measure is it how weak are they and how unable to prophesie for it is that that I am speaking of which this text says they shall do which yet we see not fulfilled Indeed they have tasted of the sweetness of the Spirit and having tasted are longing for more and are ready to receive from those few that are in any measure furnished with the gifts of the Spirit for prophesying but they are generally very unable to communicate to others though they would do it many times in their families among their children and servants and when they would be communicating to others into whose company they come though sometimes some sprinklings come from them yet at other times they finde themselves dry and barren But the time is coming when this promise shall be fulfilled and the * That all ages sexes degrees shall have the spirit of Prophecie in these later days Saints shall be abundantly filled with the Spirit and not onely men but women shall prophesie not onely aged men but young men not onely superious but inferiours not onely those that have University-learning but those that have it not even servants and handmaids For this by the way let me say There is nothing absolutely necessary to the making of a convert and of a convert a publisher of the Gospel which a soul that is but furnished onely with Understanding and Reason is not capable of if the Spirit be poured out upon it whether it be a Heathen so called for distinction sake or one brought up in the profession of Christianity or whether it be learned or unlearned or whether it be male or female I say a soul indued with Understanding and Reason is capable of Religion and all religious performances if it be indued with the Spirit and there is no other thing absolutely necessary thereunto And when the Spirit shall be more abundantly poured out upon Saints this shall be made evident so that according to this gracious promise sons and daughters servants and handmaids old men and young men shall prophesie But some may say This promise was fulfilled in the Apostles times and the Apostle Peter expresly cites it Acts 2. 18. when the Spirit was theu poured out upon them But to that I answer It is true the Apostle Peter cites it there but it doth not therefore follow that this promise was then fulfilled neither was it but the Apostle cites it upon this occasion The twelve Apostles having then received the promise of the pouring out of the Spirit it carried them forth powerfully and wonderfully and in an extraordinary manner to speak forth the things of God which when those that were in Jerusalem both strangers and others saw and heard they began to marvel at it and to say that they were full of new wine But the Apostle Peter understanding this stands up and tells them that they were not drunken as they supposed but cites to them this Scripture whereby he would have them to understand that this need not be so strange to them which they then saw and heard in them if they considered what was promised long ago in the Prophet Joel That the Spirit should be abundantly poured out upon all flesh and considering this they need not wonder thus to see the Spirit now poured out upon a few men But though the Apostle thus to this end there cites this Scripture yet was it not then in the largeness of it fulfilled For in those times though some men young and old and some women some of their sons and daughters did prophesie yet were it very few in comparison of those that did not and therefore it could not be said that the Spirit was then poured upon All flesh but that time is to come and is to be in that day we are speaking of wherein indeed the Spirit shall be poured out upon all flesh in an abundant manner and come no whit short of what this Scripture imports So that though for the time which hath been ever since the Apostles days to this present time it may be said of the Church of the Saints of God that they have lien among the pots that I may allude to that of the Psalmist Psal 78. 13. in respect of that obscurity and deformity in which they have been for want of that spiritual glory which the abundant pourings out of the Spirit will put upon them yet at this time to use the Psalmists expression they shall be as the wings of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with yellow gold that soil filthiness corruption and deformity that hath appeared in them wherein in many respects they have seemed to be as worldlings are covered over with earth and sullyed with the blackness of corruption as having lien among the pots all this shall be done away and as innocent doves they shall mount up and and shine in splendor and purity when more abundantly the Spirit shall be poured out upon them And this time it is that is spoken of Isa 52. 1 2. Where the Lord is speaking thus to the Church Awake awake put on thy strength O Sion put on thy beautiful garments O Jerusalem the holy city for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircucised and the unclean Shake thy self from the dust arise and sit down O Jerusalem and loose thy self from the bands of thy neck O captive daughter of Sion It 's the presence of the Spirit in the fulness of it that beautifies the Saints and cloaths them with beautiful garments and is their strength and by it they arise and mount up above the world and shake themselves from the dust and are losed from all their bonds and are made free This time is also spoken of Isa 60. 1 2. Where the Lord speaks thus to his Church Arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee for behold darkness shall cover the earth and gross darkness the people but the Lord shall arise upon thee and his glory
is an evil to come into a fashion after it hath been some time used if it be sober No I say not so for I know no Scripture that so says But I say that it becometh Saints to be more composed then others and not to be so forward as others in minding such vanities and not to put themselves into immodest habits but to do what in them lies to restrain the exorbitances of the times in such things And this I say That they do discover that they have very little of the Spirit that are not able to deny themselves not sometimes in very fooleries in this kinde Not but that rich apparel may be worn and comely ornaments may be used Holy women * Gen. 24. 22 30 47. have been and may be adorned with Bracelets and Rings and Jewels But fooleries and immodest apparel c. must be avoided and when the Spirit is more abundantly poured out it will be so And they will be very regardless of these vanities and be more grave composed and discreet in their carriages For then in all their clothing furniture and necessary utensils shall appear not vanity but Holiness to the Lord. They shall be so clothed and have such furniture as shall manifest that they are not a vain people but a holy people As appears Zech. 14. 20 21. For they shall make an holy use of all the blessings which God shall multiply upon them They shall no more abuse them but they shall be sanctified to their uses so as all shall have this inscription upon them in respect of their holy use of them HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD Thus Saints shall not minde vanity in these times But shall have their Spirits raised and lifted up into an heavenly and holy frame Again twelfthly Another effect of this more abundant pouring out of the Spirit upon the Saints will be this that they shall be more fully centred in the will of God and it shall be their resting place his * How Saints shall will the will of God Will will be their Will and be the satisfaction of their spirits This the Spirit always works in the hearts of the Saints where he comes and the more of the Spirit a Saint hath the more of this appears in him But in those times we are speaking of when the Spirit shall be thus gloriously seen upon the Saints then in a most eminent and full manner shall this appear in them all the will of God shall be sweet unto them And this is intimated in that excellent pattern of Prayer which our Lord and Saviour hath communicated unto his people in these words Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Where our Lord would have us to pray for the coming of this his Kingdom and for the doing of his will on earth as it is done in heaven which will be when that his Kingdom cometh For though now many know their Lords will and do it not yet it shall not be so then but knowing his will they shall do it and delight in the doing of it for his will is their will and theirs it is because it his so that they shall all pray and say Thy will be done and shall have strength to do it His will shall be done in earth as it is in heaven in that day Again in the thirteenth place The Saints in this time being filled with the Spirit shall * Saints shall then walk in the integriâ—y and singleness of heart all walk in the uprightness of their hearts Integrity and singleness of heart shall appear in them and hypocrisie and double-mindedness shall be loathsome to them and be utterly contrary to their natures They are children that will not lye and none but such shall be inheritors of this kingdom as appears Psal 24. 4. where the Psalmist says that none shall enter into this holy hill but he that hath clean hands and a pure heart who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity nor sworn deceitfully And so also Psal 15. 2. the Psalmist again saith that he that walketh uprightly and worketh righteousnesses and speaketh the truth in his heart shall dwell in it So that such and none but such shall possess this Kingdom And Psal 37. 18. this is again confirmed The Lord knoweth saith the Psalmist the days of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever they shall possess this inheritance And of the upright ones is it said Isai 33. 15. that they shall dwell on high and shall see the King in his beauty This is their Character They that walk in righteousnesses and speak uprightnesses v. 15. And in the fourteenth place The Spirit being thus abundantly poured out upon the Saints they shall thereby be enabled to mortifie all corruption so that it shall not at * Corruption shall not at all break out in the Saints then all break out in them for though it be true that all that is born of the flesh is flesh and those that are in the state of mortality shall carry flesh about them yet they being all new born shall be then so filled with the Spirit as that they shall mortifie all the deeds of the body and the Spirit alone shall live and act and sway and bear rule in them and they being born of God shall not sin but shall hate every false way and not suffer the least evil motion to take place for indeed it is not possible it should they being so full of the Spirit for Saints do experiment this now that when the Spirit in the power and life and glory of it doth abide in them as some tastes of it some Saints sometimes have O then not the least evil motion will take place in their hearts there is an utter antipathy in their spirits at that time to every thing that is not pure But when this is withdrawn then they are often foiled with temptations and vanity hath too much place with them until a fresh supply of the Spirit come and mortifie it But when the Spirit shall be so abundantly poured out upon the Saints as the Scripture declares What a wide difference will there be between their condition now and their estates then Then shall they always walk up and down in the strength and power of the Spirit and never want its presence and then it shall be their continual delight to walk in the paths of holiness and nothing will be more irksome and more loathsome to them then any sin or sinful thought And though by the first Adam sin came into the world so that all are born sinners yet being new born the second Adam shall save them from all sin and that not onely from the guilt of sin but sprinkle clean water upon them pour out the waters of the holy Spirit upon them and they shall be clean from all the filth of sin in a more eminent and glorious manner then ever they have been so that corruption