should serve him so as that the Lord shall be King over all the earth and his Kingdom shall be the stone which shall break in pieces the great Image and become a great Mountain and shall fill the whole Earth Thus Christ shall reign sitting on his own Throne Next let it be considered how the Saints shall sit with him upon his Throne and reign with him This is not meant of the state of Glory in Heaven for Christ doth not there sit upon his own Throne and therefore they do not sit with him upon it but behold his Glory Consider the Saints own sense Rev. 5.10 The four beasts and four and twenty elders say We shall reign upon the earth This is the sense of the Saints in Heaven and shall any on the Earth contradict the sense of Heaven This is confirmed Dan. 7.26 The Judgment shall sit and they shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it to the end and then the Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heaven shall be given to the Saints Rev. 2.26 To him that overcometh will I give power over the Nations and he shall rule them with a Rod of Iron even as I received of my Father The Saints shall judge the World and govern the Nations yea the Saints shall judge Angels also Mar. 16.17 In my Name shall they cast out Devils This Paul did Acts 16.18 I command thee in the Name of Jesus that thou come out of her Such a power some have had in the time of the Old Heavens and Earth much more may it be conceived of the Saints of the New Heavens and Earth And as the Saints have been cast into Prison by Satan Rev. 2.10 So why may not Saints have power to cast him into Prison suitable to that promise They shall take them Captives whose Captives they have been and rule over their Oppressors And therefore as Saints shall have this honour to bind the Nobles of Babylon with Links of Iron so it 's possible they may have a farther honour eved to bind evil Spirits with Chains and to clear the Earth and Air of them and to command them in the Name of Jesus out of the World into the bottomless Pit and there shut them up and keep them close Prisoners during the One thousand years Observe farther this promise was made to the overcoming Saints in John's time They must rule the Nations and be raised to reign Arg. 2. It 's most evident from Scripture that the Church shall have in the last Days a very Peaceable and Glorious Estate upon Earth The Prophesies concerning it are so many and so manifest that it can't be denied Isa 54.11 and Isa 60. It 's also evident that this State will be of long continuance Peace so long as the Moon endureth Mine Elect shall long enjoy the works of their hands As the new Heavens and new Earth shall remain before me so shall your Seed and your Name remain Isa 66.22 It 's also evident that Ancichrist must be destroyed the Beast and the false Prophet must be taken and Satan bound up before the Church shall have its Liberty and Peace for whilst they have power they will be troubling the Saints Lastly It 's evident that there will be a personal coming of Christ when these things shall be accomplished For 1. There will be a personal coming of Christ when Antichrist shall be destroyed 2 Thess 2.8 The Lord shall consume him with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy him with the Brightness of his coming Which is not meant of a Spiritual coming for this is included in the former expression of consuming with the Spirit of his Mouth therefore it must be meant of a Personal coming 2. When this Glorious time shall begin Christ will come the second time This is evident from two places the first is Matth. 24.30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the Sun shall be darkned c. What tribulation is this v. 21. There shall be great tribulation such as was not since there was a Nation This is the great Tribulation spoken of by Daniel and Zachary now when this Tribulation shall end and the Glorious State shall begin then shall they see the Sign of the Son of Man and immediately after the Son of Man himself From hence it 's most evident that the second coming of Christ will be at the beginning of this blessed time For immediately after the tribulation of those Days Christ comes So that if there shall be a quiet and peaceable estate of the Church as 't is most evident there shall be then the personal Presence and Reign of Christ must be acknowledged The second place is Acts 3.19 20. Repent that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. This is his Personal presence In the worst of times the Saints have had refreshing from his Spiritual presence but the great refreshing times will be from his Personal presence and the following words do evidently set forth this sense For as he is now in Heaven so shall he be on Earth The Heavens receive him personally and therefore when the times of Restitution come the Earth shall receive him personally 3. When Christ shall come his Kingdom shall come 2 Tim. 4.1 Christ shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and Kingdom Then a King shall reign in righteousness Isa 32.1 Arg. 3. When the time of the Marriage of the Lamb shall come then the Lamb himself shall come the Bridegroom must be present at the Marriage Hence we find mention made of the Bridegroom 's coming and their going in with him to the Marriage who shall be ready Matth. 25.6.18 which must be understood of his Personal coming Here four things are to be considered 1. Who is to be the Bride the Lamb's Wife Now the New Jerusalem-Saints will be the Bride Rev. 21.2 I saw the holy City New Jerusalem prepared as a Bride adorned for her Husband So those that shall come with Christ and be gathered to him at and after his coming shall be the Bride the Lamb's Wife 2 Thess 2.1 I beseech you by the coming of Christ and our gathering to him That is To be with him in the holy City Then that will be fulfilled Two shall be in the Field one shall be taken and the other left And the raised Saints and those that shall be taken into the holy City will be the Lamb's Wife 2. What is meant by the Lamb's Marriage For this we may consider that when any are converted they are espoused to Christ and take him for their Husband and Christ loves and cherisheth them No man hateth his own flesh but loveth and cherish it as the Lord the Church Ephes 5.29 So all true Saints on Earth are espoused to Christ in Heaven 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one Husband that is Christ But though espoused 't is to an Husband absent from them As for this
Such as are dead in some sort to Sin and take up a profession of Godliness of themselves doing it from Self-love or slavish fear or aiming at profit or praise or because they are willing to escape Hell and to get to Heaven at last These may be reckoned among the Righteous but not being truly of them may go out from them For they that forsake Sin out of slavish fear may turn to it out of fear Those that follow Christ for Loaves may forsake him for Loaves 2. Such as are under a force in the profession of Religion and have their Sins as it were torn from them Some by religious Magistrates or Masters may be with-held from Sin and be brought to some outward conformity in the matter of Godliness these are the torn which if admitted to Church-communion may break off from it For those that are torn from Antichrist and but seemingly joyned to Christ may be torn from Christ and so go back to Antichrist again 3. There are such who through the Spirit do mortifie the Deeds of the Body not being under a force but are made a willing People to follow Christ and are no otherwise constrained but by the Love of Christ judging that they ought to live to him who died and rose again and of such will all the Churches of the Saints at last consist These three sorts seem hinted John 1.13 Christ gives to them power to become the Sons of God who believe in his Name being born not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Some are born of the will of the flesh taking up a Form of Godliness from a carnal principle and fleshly will Others are born of the will of Man being religious because Men that have Power over them will have it so The former are the Dead of themselves these the torn There are others born of God who can say as Jam. 1.18 Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth that we should be a kind of First-fruits of his Creatures Now at the time of Jerusalems being made a praise in the Earth such as are born of the flesh which are the Dead of themselves and such as are born of the Will of Man which are the torn shall not be in that Kingdom but such as are born of God shall enter into and be of that Kingdom of God The Priests shall then kill and eat kill and keep company with them and so not eat of any thing which is dead of it self or torn and that in the next place whether it be Fowl or Beasts Beasts are called Beasts of the Earth and Fowls the Fowls of Heaven By Beasts of the Earth are meant Men of a worldly temper who mind earthly things and under a Form of Godliness are Lovers of Riches more than Lovers of God But the Priests shall not eat of such then No covetous man who is an Idolater shall have any Inheritance in that Kingdom of God By the Fowls of Heaven are meant such who seem to fly high in the profession of Religion but do it for praise and applause and trust in what they do that they are righteous thereby The Pharisee that boasted God I thank thee that I am not as other men are or as this Publican I fast c. He seemed to fly so high as to be dead to Sin and to the World but he was but a Fowl dead of himself and therefore unclean Now the Priests in that glorious state shall not eat of such Beasts or Fowls But what temper those of that Church shall be of these following Scriptures declare Isa 60.4 All they gather themselves together they come to thee v. 5. Then shalt thou see and flow together thine heart shall fear and be enlarged Filial fear enlargeth the heart to run the way of God's Commandments The Forces of the Gentiles shall come to thee These Forces shall not be forced but shall come v. 8. Who are these that fly as a Cloud very swiftly and in great abundance and as Doves to their windows very freely and willingly Psa 102.18 When the time to favour Sion shall come the people which shall be created shall praise the Lord or the new created people All of the Church then will be a new created people Isa 54.11 12. O thou afflicted tost with tempests and not comforted I will lay thy Stones with fair colours and thy Foundations with Saphires I will make thy Windows of Agates and thy Gates of Carbuncles and all thy Borders of pleasant Stones Isa 60.21 Thy people shall be all righteous the Branch of my planting the works of my hands that I may be glorified By this we see how much better it will be with the Church every way than now it is better in state and better in frame better within and better without Purity Peace and abundance of Light within and none to make it afraid without Such as it should be within and such as it should be without 9. They shall not do their work for hire or reward but a work done as it ought to be shall be its own reward Chap. 44.28 In the day that he goeth into the Inner Court he shall offer c. And it shall be to them for an Inheritance Their Sanctuary-work and Ministry shall be their reward Verse 29. Every dedicate thing in Israel shall be theirs and the first of all the Fruits When any by their Ministry shall be dedicated to the Lord these shall be their Glory and Joy and Crown of rejoycing and shall be better to them than the First-fruits were to the Priests under the Law Thus much concerning the Ministers of the House 4. This Temple shall never be destroyed as the Temple of Jerusalem was Chap. 49.19 The Priests shall take of the Blood and put it on the Posts of the House and on the four Corners of the Settle of the Altar The meaning is As the Bloud of the Lamb being on the Israelites Door-posts the destroying Angel did not enter so this House being sprinkled with the Blood of Christ no Destroyer shall come near to hurt it No Nebuchadnezzar shall burnt it with Fire v. 20. So shall ye reconcile this House This House will be a reconciled House here 's every where reconciling Blood and there the Lord will not be angry with it to destroy it There hath been a time in which Judgment began at the House of God but from thence it shall go to Babylon and there rest and never come near this House again Chap. 41.18 The Building was made with Cherubims and Palm-trees shewing the Church to be Triumphant and Victorious First Cherubims whereby Angels are meant of whom an innumerable Company will be with the Saints in the New Jerusalem And sometimes Men are called Cherubims as appears by comparing Rev. 4.6 with Ezek. 1.5 The four living Creatures are Cherubims but such as were redeemed to God by Christ's Blood Rev. 5.8 and therefore Men. And
suddenly come and Babylon's hopes and Sion's fears shall not come to pass This Flood shall not cannot carry away the Woman but must be swallowed up in the Earth the Woman must have help and we see that rather than want it the Earth that hates shall help the Woman And that God which rides upon the Heaven in his People's help and in his Excellency on the Sky shall ride also upon the Earth for their help And what comfort is this for the threatned Woman that both Heaven and Earth will be against the design of this Flood and shall utterly make it void God hath said it and it must be done For verily till Heaven and Earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from this and other Prophecies which the Lord requires his People to give heed to till all be fulfilled 3. The last sign is the Dragon 's making War with the Remnant of the Woman's Seed Rev. 12.17 Which keep the Commandments of God and have the Testimony of Jesus Christ For this consider 1. The Woman is the Church of God in this European part of the World where the Beast hath his Seat and where he hath great Authority The Church in the Wilderness persecuted by the Dragon but protected and nourished there 2. The remnant of the Woman's Seed are some who were the Seed of that Church which the Dragon would carry away with the Flood having been begotten in it by the Word of Truth but when the Dragon makes this War with them they are removed from it into some other part of the World which appears by this 't is said the Dragon went to make war with this remnant in the Greek 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abiit he went away He goes away from the Woman which must be the Protestant Churches which the Serpent would carry away with a Flood to make this War therefore this remnant must be elsewhere So he leaves his Work for afflicting this Woman to his invisible and visible Angels and goes away to afflict this remnant So that after the War against the Witnesses and besides the casting the Flood out of his mouth to carry away the Woman he makes War with this Remnant 3. This Remnant is known by these two Characters 1. They keep the Commandments of God and worship him according to his own Institutions 2. They have the Testimony of Jesus Christ They hold it yea and must maintain it and keep it up notwithstanding the War made against them Now when it shall be seen that the Dragon is gone to make War against such a Remnant of the Womans Seed this will be a great sign of a Day of Redemption from Antichristian Tyranny drawing nigh For the next thing which we read of concerning the followers of the Lamb is that the 144000 of the suffering and sealed Saints get out of the Wilderness and stand with the Lamb on Mount Sion Rev. 14.1 and then it follows v. 6. I saw another Angel flie in the midst of Heaven with the everlasting Gospel to preach it to those that dwell upon the Earth Where observe that as the Earth did help the Woman so for a reward the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to those that dwell upon the Earth And then v. 8. we read Another Angel followed saying Babylon is fallen is fallen that great City because she made all Nations drink of the Wine of the wrath of her Fornication Now as for this Remnant this one thing may be observed That whoever and wheresoever they shall appear to be thus much may with much certainty and comfort be concluded that as the Lord takes such care of the Woman that she shall not be carried away of the Flood so he will have the like care of this Remnant that they shall not be destroyed by this War of the Dragon For this is all that is said he went away to make War with them 'T is not said he shall overcome and destroy them whereas when the War against the Witnesses is foretold 't is said the Beast shall make War against them and overcome them and kill them and we may well suppose that if God had intended the like effect of this War it would have been foretold also but their comfort will be this the Dragon shall make War with them and afflict them for a time which will work for their good he shall not overcome and destroy them But when the Lord shall have chastised and humbled them and done his whole work upon them by the Spirit of Judgment and Burning he will then deliver them and create upon Mount Sion and her Assemblies a Cloud and Smoak by Day and the shining of a flaming Fire by Night for upon all the Glory shall be a defence 6. Some Advantages by the Knowledge of these Truths If any shall ask as Paul in another case What advantage hath the Jew So what advantage hath he that knows these Mysteries What profit is there by speaking or writing of them I may answer much every way For 1. The knowledge of them may have a great Influence upon the Saints to make them better Saints and to promote Holiness and Godliness among them This is the use which Peter makes of this Doctrine 2 Pet. 3.11 Seeing these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness v. 14. Seeing ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless What things The New Heavens and the New Earth wherein Righteousness shall dwell This World will pass away and a better will come What should you do then but pray that you may be accounted worthy of that World and the Resurrection from the Dead even of a part in the First Resurrection and may stand before the Son of Man God hath left us these Truths amongst his Oracles and the Oracles of God are to be reckoned amongst the chief advantages which now the Saints have Doth the Scripture speak in vain saith James Chap. 4. v. 5. Why but if these truths which the Scripture speaks so abundantly of are not to be read studied and searcht into then it must be said that the Scripture speaks much in vain Surely the Scriptures do not contain any superfluities of truths and if such as preach the Gospel would be able to say as Paul I have not shunned to declare the whole Counsel of God then they should study and preach these things 2. The knowledge of these truths will be Meat to the People inhabiting the Wilderness if mixt with Faith in the heart They are some of the hidden Manna and Honey out of the Rock and a Well in the Valley of Baca. Psa 27.13 I had fainted unless I had believed to see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the living David being once amongst the Idolatrous Philistims was then in the Land of the Dead even among such who were dead in sins