and this he calls a second comming Vers 11. in these words And it shall come to passe in that day that the Lord shall set his hand againe the second time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left in many parts of the world and from the Islands of the Sea he shall set up an ensigne for the nations and shall assemble the out-casts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the foure corners of the earth Vers 12. the next chapter is nothing else but a praysing God for those excellent things that he hath made knowne in all the earth Vers 5. and in the 13. Chap. Vers 9 10 11. is shewed the manner of his judgements Behold the day of the Lord commeth cruell both with wrath and fierce anger to lay the Land desolate and he shall destroy the sinners out of it then the starres of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light the Sunne shall be darkened and the Moone shall not cause her light to shine for I will punish the world for their evill and the wicked for their iniquity now if the comming of Christ to judgement bee his second comming then where will be found his comming to raigne here a thousand yeares before the end of the world But they would needs have Christ to rule here as the other monarchs have done because he is mentioned to rise upon the downefall of those monarches first the Assyrian which fell into the Babylonian that was overcome by the Medes and Persians and that of the Medes and Persians was overcome by the Grecians and that of the Grecians was overcome by the Romans and that of the Romans was overcome by the white stone cut out of the rocke without hands this westerne monarch which fell into many kingdomes the white stone shall ruine all these kingdomes smite the image on the feet that were of Iron and Clay and swallow up the whole Image all the foregoing monarchs were â—an 2. 34 â—5 brought under and by it to nothing and it became a monarch over the whole earth by these things he would have the monarchy of Christ here spoken of to be before the day of judgement in this corrupted world while the good and the bad are in it and every creature defiled with sinne as I have shewed before but this cannot be for all things that offend and that doe iniquity the Angels shall gather out of this kingdome and cast them into the Furnace of fire Matth. 13. 〈◊〉 41 42. and this kingdome under the whole heaven shall be given to the Saints of the most High whose kingdome is an everlasting kingdome and all dominions shall serve and obey him the Saints of the most High shall possesse the kingdome â—an 7. 27. â—ers 18. for ever even for ever then this cannot bee before the day of judgement because that none but Saints shall possesse it for here the Tares and Wheate shall grow together and the good and the bad shall be together till the very day that the Angels are sent to fetch them before the Judge and the heavens shall receive Christ till the restitution of all things to their first perfection then shall the Saints inherit all things And where he saith that the Saints shall bee confined in heaven and all things here below shall bee turned againe into a confused Chaos and so remaine for ever this I have answered already One scruple more is this whether the middle heaven called the starry heaven shall continue after the day of judgement because some times it is spoken in the singular number I saw a new heaven and the Citie had no need of the Sunne or Moone to shine in it and there shall bee no night there now if the Revel 21. 1 heavens be destroyed and but one be made new and the Citie no need of the Sunne Moone or Starres then say they God will make nothing in vaine Revel 21. 23. 25. Isay 45. 18. Revel 21. 1 2 Pet. 3. 10. 12 13. I answer where it is said I saw a new heaven in the same place it is said the first heaven passed away this is spoken onely for brevity as in Cap. 20. Ver. 11. it is said the earth and the heaven fled away but we know the heavens shall passe away and the elements shall melt with fervent heate and we according to his promise looke for new heavens now where the Scripture in some places speakes more briefly and other places more largely we ought to take the largest expression and whereas it is said in the Citie there shall bee no neede of the Sun or Moone to shine in it I answer it is true when every Saint of God shall shine as the Sunne in the Firmament and Christ their head ten thousand times more brighter then the Sunne besides the infinite glory of God himselfe Matth. 13. 43. Revel 21. 23. shall be there to inlighten it so that in the Citie there will bee no neede of these things yet out of the Citie the beasts and fowles both stand in need of these things therefore they shall be purified that the rest of the creatures may have those comforts belonging to them and so they shall continue for ever the light of the moone shall then bee as light as the Sunne and the light of the Sunne shall be seven fold as the light of seven dayes in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth the stroake of their wound then shall the Sunne no more goe downe neither shall the Isay 30. 26. Moone withdraw it selfe else the creatures would not be in so happy a condition under the second Adam in the new world as they were in their creation Isay 60. 20. under the first Adam in the old world The uses follow First Use hath Jesus sent his Angell to testifie these things unto the Churches Revel 22. 16 17. 20. then let the Spirit and the bride say Come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is athirst come for hee that testifieth these things saith surely I come quickly even so come Lord Jesus there bee many benefits that come with Christ that may cause the Saints to desire his appearing there is a Crowne of righteousnesse which the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me alone but to all that love his appearing Beloved 2 Tim. 48. 1 Pet. 5. 4. we are now the Sonnes of God but it doth not yet appeare what wee shall be but we know that when he shall appeare we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is then let us looke for that blessed hope and the glorious 1 John 3. 2 Titus 2. 13. 2 Pet. 3. 13. Psal 96. 11 12 13. appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ We according to his promise looke for new heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse
feare them that kill the body but cannot Mar. 22. 32. Mat. 10. 28 Luke 2. 29. kill the soule the soule cannot dye with the body but it departs away from it Then I conclude that if the Soule assoone as it leaves the body goes immediately to Paradise the third heaven there is neither purgatory nor place of residence after death but as the tree falleth so it lies after death to Judgement a particular sentence is passed immediately upon them for heaven or hell and there is no place of abode for Abrahams children till they come into his bosome with him in Heaven for ever But thirdly which is the maine objection to all my former discourse if the soule of Abraham be in Heaven and when he was here he desired a better Country than this world which is a heavenly then they say after the day of Judgement the Saints shall not inherit all these things here below in this world because the Saints did alwayes set a low value of them To this I answer that the Soule is of a Heavenly substance and when it Rom. 6. 7. leaves the body then it hath ceased from sinne therefore no place between this and Paradise is fit to receive it Therefore saith the Prophet Arise ye and depart for this is not your rest because it is polluted and after the Heb. 12. 23. day of Judgement the Angels shall abide in Heaven being a place for such glorious Spirits and the soules of men made perfect being of the same nature with them shall abide in Heaven also till the body shall rise againe for as the soules of men are now confin'd in Heaven Luk. 16. 26. and the Angels have businesse both in the Heavens and in the Earth so after the day of Judgement when they have finished their worke in this world they shall rest and I suppose shall be confined in Heaven for ever and when our bodies Eccle 21. 7. are risen and united to our soules then shall we inherit all things here in their first perfection and also we shall have sweet communion with Angels in Heaven for as I said before man consists of two parts body and soule so he shall have two worlds answerable to his two natures to delight himselfe in that he may have fulnesse of joy for whom all things were made 1 Tim 4. 8. for godlinesse is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come and the meane time that the body lies in the grave the soule is gone to take possession of the kingdome of heaven and when the body riseth againe it shall then have this world bestowed upon it and as the soule brought nothing with it so it shall take nothing out with it no not his owne body but leaves it here in the earth till it comes againe and so the body goes to the grave and takes nothing with it but weeping and mourning yet when it comes againe having had the pretious seeds of grace in it shall doubtlesse come againe with rejoycing and Psal 126. 6. bring his sheaves with him so then after the day of judgement when all things are purified by fire and restored to their first perfection then I say man shall inherit all things both in this world and in the world to come then shall the meeke inherit the earth and delight themselves in the abundance Psal 37. 11. Joh. 16. 20. 33. Esay 49. 8. Matth. 10. 16. of peace but this cannot be before the day of judgment for saith Christ In this world you shall have tribulation Christ was given for a covenant of the people to establish the earth to cause to inherite the desolate heritages but for the present the Saints are as sheep among wolves so that these things shall not be restored to the Saints till themselves are in their first perfection then they shall be given us againe perfect as they were to Adam at the first And although mans body shall put on immortalitie and shall be made so firme and permanent as to endure for ever eternally yet his body shall not be turned into a spirit it shall be a body still with flesh and bones as Luke 24. 39 49. the body of Christ was after his resurrection saith he Handle me and see for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see me have And he did eate and drinke with his disciples after his resurrection they gave him a peece of a Luke 24. 42 43 30. Joh. 21. 9. 12. 13. Acts 10. 41 Matth. 26. 29. Rom. 14. 17 Joh. 18. 36. broyled fish and of an hony combe and he tooke it and did eate before them so it is likely man may after his resurrection for saith Christ I will henceforth drinke no more of the fruit of the vine till I drinke it new in my Fathers Kingdome this cannot bee meant presently after his ascension for wee never read that hee dranke wine in all that fortie dayes and his kingdome doth not consist in drinking wine but in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost My kingdome is not of this world saith hee then I conclude that Christ will not drinke of the fruit of the vine till he hath rendered up the kingdome to 1 Cor. 15. 24. his Father then will Christ amongst the Saints drinke it new not as though he desired to drinke new wine rather then old for he himself saith that no man having old wine desireth new for hee saith the old is better Luke 5. 39. then the meaning is when the vine is made now and all the trees and creatures restored to their first perfection then will he drinke with them in his Psal 96. 11 12 13. Fathers kingdome then shall the heavens rejoyce and the earth be glad the fields shall be joyfull and all the trees of the wood shall rejoyce before the Lord when hee commeth to judge the earth Hee shall judge the world with righteousnesse and his people with his truth then here you see the world every creature the very trees shall have righteousnesse as they have suffered by the sinne of man so shall they have benefit in mans deliverance from his sinne this is that which the whole creation groaneth and traveleth in paine together untill now but the creature it selfe shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children Rom. 8. 21. 22. of God but it is observable when all the creatures in heaven and earth rejoyce at the comming of Christ to judgement at the same time the Sea Psa 96. 11. roares and the fulnesse thereof because it is said there shall be no more Sea Revel 21. 1. then shall man enjoy all the creatures that were given him at the first as he did in his innocency so that he may eate of all the trees for his pleasure and yet not feele the perill of hunger and although our bodies shall
be made perfect and glorious like unto the body of Christ yet with flesh and bones as he had after his resurrection and as our soules shall be renewed Phil. 3. 21. Luke 24. 39 40. in all the faculties so shall the bodies bee perfect in all the senses and they shall be abundantly satisfied for ever in the world to come If any shall aske me what the bodies of Christ and Enoch and Elias now doe feede upon I answer when they were here they lived upon food as others doe now Yet as God was able to make Christ and Elias and Moses to faste forty dayes and forty nights so he is able to make them live there without food yet I will not contend whether our bodies shall eate for necessity yet I suppose when the new Jerusalem shall come downe from heaven and the Saints shall inherit all things that then they shall eate and Revel 21. 7 drinke although not for hunger and thirst but onely for pleasure sake and although those bodies that are in heaven want earthly food yet they have soules like Angels and they amongst them are content with the joy of Angels as here sometimes inward comfort satisfies a Christian when he wants outward comfort so are they with heavenly food at this time in the want of earthly food yet their fulnesse or joy is not till they injoy all things both in heaven and earth answerable to both parts of body and soule But it may be they will say it is absurd to say that the bodies of Enoâ—h and Elias are in heaven or at the least that they were there before the body of Christ because Christ is become the first fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15. 20. and all shall be made alive every man in his owne order Christ the first fruits and afterward they that are in Christ ver 23. To this I answer That there were many both in the Old Testament and the new that were raised from a corporall death to a corporall life and all before Christ but they died againe 1 Kings 7. 22. 2 Kings 4. Joh. 11. 44. and it is said expressely that Eliah went up in a whirlewind into heaven 2 Kings 2. 11. but he died not and Enoch was translated that he should not see death and God tooke him Heb. 11. 5. Gen. 5. 24. here you see some arose under the Law and under the Gospell to confirme their resurrection yet died againe and some ascended into heaven before the Law and under the Law to confirme their hopes after death yet Christ was the first that did both arise from the dead and died no more but ascended into heaven and there he is with the soules of all the Saints departed and there is the body of Enoch and of Elias and it is no absurd thing to beleeve it And because the soules of all the elect when they leave the earth ascend up to heaven therefore it is called Jerusalem which is above the mother of us all it is called the mount Sion the Citie of the living God the heavenly Gal. 4. 26. Jerusalem the generall assembly and Church of the first-borne where the spirits of just men are made perfect but at the day of judgement when Heb. 12. 22. 23. their bodies shall rise spirituall bodies and in their first perfection Then Jerusalem which is above shall come downe from God out of heaven Revel 21. 3 4 as a bride adorned for her husband then the Tabernacle of God shall be with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himselfe shall be with them and be their God then shall the bride be glad and rejoyce and give honour to Christ for the marriage of the Lambe is come and the bride hath made her selfe ready we were espoused Revel 19. 7 Isay 54. 4. Ier. 3. 14. Hose 2. 19 20. Ephe. 5. 31. 32. Revel 15. 3 2 Thes 1. 10. Revel 19. 8 Luk. 2. 36 37. Reve. 7. 14 15. Reve. 19. 9. or betrothed unto Christ in our convesion but the great solemnity of the marriage is when the King of Saints shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired of all them that beleeve then to his bride shall be granted that she shall be arrayed in fine linnen cleane and white for the fine linnen is the righteousnesse of the Saints these are they which have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe they served God in the temple with fasting and prayer night and day therefore they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the throne will dwell amongst them when this great solemnity is kept Blessed are they which are called to the marriage Supper of the Lambe these are the true sayings of God The Angell said unto John come hither and I will shew thee the bride the Lambes wife and he carried me in the spirit to a great mountaine and shewed me the great Citie the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God Revel 21. 9 10 11 12 14 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27. and in it was the glory of God shining like a stone most pretious it had a wall great and high and twelve gates to it and twelve foundations the Citie was fouresquare the length and the breadth and heighth they are all equall twelve thousand furlongs every way the wall was a hundred forty foure foure cubits in thicknesse and the wall was built of Jasper stone the Citie was pure gold like unto pure glasse the foundations of the wal of the Citie was garnished with all manner of pretious stones the twelve gates were of twelve pearles and the streets of the Citie were of pure gold as it were transparent glasse I saw no temple in it for the Lord God Almighty the Lambe are the temple of it and the Citie had no need of the Sun or Moone to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the Lambe is the light of it and the nations of them that are saved shall walke in the light of it and the Kings of the earth shall bring their glory and honour into it and the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day for there shall bee no night there and there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth or whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lie but onely they which are written in the Lambes booke of life this is the glorious Citie the new Jerusalem the Lambs wife And he shewed me a pure River of water of life cleare as crystall proceeding Revel 22. out of the Throne of God and of the Lambe in the midst of the street of it and of either side of the River was there the tree of life which bare twelve manner of fruits and yeelded her fruits every moneth and the leaves
Jerusalem and Jerusalem shall be called a Citie of truth the mountaine of the Lord of hoasts the holy mountaine but now I will not bee unto the residue of this people as in the former dayes saith the Lord for the seede shall be prosperous the vine shall give her fruit and the ground shall give her increase and the heavens shall give their dew and I will cause the Zach 3. 3. â—… 12. remnant of this people to possesse all these things I will bring them and they shall dwell in the middest of Jerusalem and they shall bee my people and I will be their God in truth and righteousnesse The Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flocke of his people for they shall bee as the stones of a crowne lifted up as an ensigne upon his land In that day Zach. 9. 16. shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David and the house of David shall be as Zach. 12. 8 9. God as the Angell of the Lord before him And in that day I will destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem and the Lord shall bee King over all the earth in that day there shall be one Lord and his name one and men shall dwell in it and there shall be no more utter destruction but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited And the Lord shall raigne over them in Zach. 14. 9. 11. Micah 4. 7 8. mount Zion from henceforth even for ever and thou O Tower of the flock the strong hold of the daughter of Sion unto thee shall it come even the first dominion in that day shall the branch of the Lord bee beautifull and glorious and the fruit of the earth shall bee excellent and comely for them that are escaped in Israel and it shall come to passe that he that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughter of Zion shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the middest thereof by the spirit of judgement and Isay 4. 3 4 5 6 7. by the spirit of burning and the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion and upon her assemblies a cloud and a smoake by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night for upon all the glory shall be a defence and there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the day time from the heate and for a place of refuge and for a covert from storme and from raine In the valley of Jehosaphat the Lord will sit to judge the heathen round about for the day of the Lord is neare the Sunne and the Moone shall Joel 3. 12. 14 15. 20 21. bee darkened and the starres shall withdraw their shining but Judah shal ldwell for ever and Jerusalem from generation to generation for I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed for the Lord dwelleth in Zion then shall the light of the Moone bee as the light of the Sunne and the light of the Sunne shall be seven fold as the light of seven dayes in the day that the Lord bindeth up the breach of his people and healeth Isay 30. 26. the stroake of their wound The Lord most high is terrible hee is a great King over all the earth he shall subdue the people under us and the nations under our feet he shall chuse our inheritance for us the excellency of Jacob whom he loved God is gone up with a shout the Lord with the sound of a Trumpet Sing praises to our God sing praises sing praises to our King sing praises for God is the King of all the earth sing praises Psa 47. with understanding God reigneth over the heathen God sitteth upon the Throne of his Holinesse In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer for as the waters of Noah I have sworne shall no more go over the earth so have Isay 54. 9 10 c. I sworne that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee behold the mountaines shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace bee removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee O thou afflicted tossed with tempests and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with faire colours and lay the foundations with saphires and windowes of agates and thy gates of carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones and all thy children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy children in righteousnesse shalt thou be established thou shalt be far from oppression for thou shalt not feare and from terrour for it shall not come unto thee and whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake no weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemne this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord Great is the Lord and greatly to bee praysed in the Citie of our God in the mountaine of his holinesse beautifull for situation Psal 48. 1 2. the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion God is knowne in her palaces Vers 3. 8. 11 12 13 14. for a refuge as we have heard so have we seene in the Citie of the Lord of Hoast in the Citie of our God God will establish it for ever Selah Let mount Zion rejoyce let the daughters of Judah be glad because of thy judgements walke about Zion goe round abour her and tell the towers thereof marke well her Bulwarkes for this God is our God for ever and ever these things are mixed together concerning the calling of the Jewes to their Jerusalem and the comming downe of Jerusalem out of heaven that it is hard to distinguish them yet many of these things cannot be fulfilled before the restitution of all things for Christ must bee in heaven till then so that these things must be fulfilled afterward againe at the day of judgement Christ shall come from heaven with his mighty Angels 2 Thess 1. 7 10. when he shall come to bee glorified in his Saints for behold the Lord commeth with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgement upon all Jude 14 15 but if Christ and his Saints should come and live here a thousand yeares before 1 Thess 3. 13. how could it be said he and all the Saints shall come downe from heaven at that day but you see that to be true And wee which are alive and remaine here shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord