Divine Essence both in the Eternal Decrees and in the execution of all f Psal 33.6 joyntly in their order concurred and so g John 5.17 with John 14.10 11 16. will do from Eternity through all Times unto all Eternity Secondly that all the glory of God the Father was by the Eternal Decree to be manifest h 2 Cor. 4.6 Heb. 1.3 Joh. 1.3 4 5. in Jesus Christ his onely begotten Son the Lamb slain in the Eternal Decree of the Father i Rev. 13.8 1 Pet. 1.19 20. before the foundation of the world was laid And according to the said Eternal Decree the holy Ghost k 1 John 5.7 one God co-essential and co-equal with the Father and the Son l John 15.26 proceeds from the Father and the Son the m 1 Tim. 2.5 Mediator between God and Man as the sole n Gen. 11.2 John 14.16 17 26. efficacious Worker and Accomplisher of all spiritual good in and for Angels and Men o Jam. 1.17 all real good in all Creatures which in their several p Exod. 20.11 Orders and Natures they were capable of receiving Thirdly Accordingly in the Creation God made the q Prov. 3.19 Prov. 8.27 28 29 30. World by his Wisdom the Eternal Word John 1. the Spirit sitting as it were upon the surface of the Waters then covering the Earth powerfully to produce the Creatures then to be made and so both the Heavens with the Angels as Divines conceive and the Earth were made the first day Gen. 1.1 as all that were made in the whole World afterward in the five following days which the word Elohim in the plural number put with the Verb Barah in the singular number denoting the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of Essence seems to declare whose concurrence in the making of man is likewise very remarkably exprest when God said Let Us make Man after Our own Image after Our likeness Gen. 1.26 Fourthly The making of r Ephes 1.11 Angels in Heaven and Man and all Creatures in the World was in the execution of the said incomprehensibly glorious Trin-Une-Deity in their several Orders Natures Stations and Conditions Fifthly As no other but the holy and good Will and Pleasure of the infinitely glorious and incomprehensible GOD was the reason and cause why they were all made absolutely as they were so that they should be for Himself as Å¿ Prov. 16.4 his Word witnesseth as their utmost End and no other inconsistent Reasons or Ends ought to be given or assigned by men Sixthly As the t Gen. 1.31 whole Creation was all good suitable to the Author of it so the preserving ordering over-ruling and disposing of all Creatures according to his good Pleasure by his infinite Wisdom Power Providence and Goodness u Rom. 11.33 is not to be measured or judged by any scantling of any created Capacity who will notwithstanding be w Psal 51.4 justified in his saying and clear when he is judged there being in such his proceedings so many fathomless depths in respect of Creatures which it is not lawful for any men to search into further then Gods Word doth warrant them but in things not revealed or forbidden x Deut. 29.29 they are not to enquire Seventhly Since God according to his said Eternal Decree and good pleasure of his will at the Fall of our first Parents in Paradise revealed and testified his wonderful powerful Grace That the blessed Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents Head there is sufficient ground y Psa 51.5 for ever to humble all mankind and z 1 Cor. 15.10 for ever to exalt Gods free and rich Grace therein and a Matt. 11.28 Tit. 2.11 12. all men are thereby engaged to use all GOD's means to obtain their part therein Eightly According to the Declaration of that wonderful rich and free Grace of God for the Salvation of his People and for carrying on his great Design therein As the Father Son and holy Ghost by an Eternal Decree had purposed so to be wonderfully glorified in the powerful Redemption and Salvation of b Rom. 8.28 30 33. his elect People in such a way of free Grace so in the creation of all things all sorts of Creatures were made c Act. 15.18 in a capacity to carry on that Design and from that very period of their first being holily and most wisely over-ruled and disposed of d Psal 119.91 in reference thereunto and so ever since have been are and shall be most wonderfully holily and powerfully though many times secretly and unsearchably throughout all Ages by the joynt concurrence of all the said three Persons of the most sacred Trinity in their order of working e Eph. 1.11 Heb. 6.17 2 Tim. 2.19 John 13.18 to the infallible perfecting and compleating of the said Design Decree and Purpose Ninthly That the f Isa 42.2 1 Pet. 1.19.20 John 3.16 1 Tim. 2.5 mannagement and administration of the great work of Mediatorship between God and Man ever since the said promised Seed was revealed to our first Parents hath been committed to Jesus Christ the Son of God who in his Word commands all men g Mat. 17.5 Luk. 9.35 to hear him h Psal 2.12 1 Pet. 2.6 by acknowledging receiving and obeying him Tenthly That the mannagement and administration of Mediatorship between God and Man hath ever since been executed by Christ in his three great Offices wherein He and he onely is to appear most powerful wonderful gracious and glorious to his Church upon Earth as her great i Act. 3.22 Prophet k Heb. 5.5 6. Priest and l Psal 2.6 King Eleventhly Christs execution of the said three great Offices is two ways to be considered 1. More generally for his universal Church in respect of the m Gen. 3.15 Psal 110.1 Rev. 11.15 several seasons wherein in order he was to execute them severally most eminently until his work of Mediatorship should perfectly be accomplished and n 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20 21. full reconciliation made between God and all his elect People his o 2 Cor. 12.12 27. mystical Body the true Church being compleat in all the Members of it and perfect Union and Communion attained with himself as their Mystical Head together with the p 1 Joh. 1.3 Father and the holy Spirit as also with the glorious Angels and one with another in most happy enjoyment of all Good to all Eternity 2. It is again considerable particularly and specially in respect of every truly believing Soul in the particular application of the efficacy of those three great Offices to them by his holy Spirit making good means and ordinances efficacious to every faithful Soul so exhibiting himself to them q Act. 3.22 as their great Prophet inwardly powerfully and savingly teaching them all necessary Truth and Doctrine secondly r Heb. 7.15 as their great High Priest in the like way evidencing
ΠΡΟΔΡΟΜΟΣ THE FORE-RUNNER OF CHRIST's Peaceable KINGDOM upon EARTH Mal. 4.5 Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord. Matth. 17.11 Jesus answered and said unto them Elias truly shall first come and restore all things but I say unto you Elias is come already and they knew him not c. The Evening and the Morning were the first Day so of the 2d 3d 4th 5th and 6th dayes Gen. 1.5 8 13 19 23 31. Likewise will the dark Evening precede the seventh Millenary of the World in reference whereunto note the words of St. Peter 2 Pet. 3.8 A thousand years as one day Post funestam Gogi Magogi cladem i.e. Papae Turcae Ezek. 38.39 Describitur Nova Hierusalem cui nomen Jenovah Shamma Dominus Ibid. c. 48. ad finem Baptistes Dominum Messiam praeit Elias Aurorum Vesper funebria tetra triumphum The Baptist did the Lord precede Elias Moshahh will The Night the Day Christ's triumph shall The Earth with slaughter fill Hoc Omega suis Munus Alpha tulit Christ this for his did bring so Munus for his friends London Printed in the Year 1665. To the Reader True Christian Friend whoever thou art or maist be AS in the sequel both of this little Parcel and of the therein-named Tract of Christ's Kingdom on Earth to come I have endeavoured with the Woman of Samaria to impart to thee and all that truly fear God as good news for thy whole spirit soul and body as I have received from Christ and am perswaded in my own heart that I have been taught chiefly and remarkably from his Word and Spirit Yet sith that there are I conceive by the same means setled apprehensions wrought upon my heart of terrible things to come upon the World before that time If such admonition thereof may be useful unto thee or such Warning made profitable to any persons that hereafter God may in mercy bring out of the Mystical Babylon or any other bondage of Satan before the great ensuing Destruction come and so by this or any such means thou mayest receive benefit to thy soul or promote it to others and that I may self may at least be clean from the blood of all men as the Apostle spake to those refractory Jews his Brethren according to the flesh Acts 18.6 I have under the Glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ shortly to appear as Tit. 2.13 attained my end herein And for what remains I shall not cease to pray in the behalf of thee and others that by the Blessing of God upon this poor endeavour or any other good means which he may in his good pleasure raise up to such blessed purposes that so from all of us to his most holy and glorious Majesty the due praise of all his glorious Grace may evermore be rendred through Jesus Christ and by the Lord the Spirit In whom I am and ever shall be thine in all he hath or may hereafter make me useful to serve thy soul as such MUNUS Septemb. 29. 1664. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 3. Or A Warning to the wicked World A Watch-word to wise Virgins Rev. 14.4 Dan. 12.10 None of the Wicked shall understand But the Wise shall understand Mal. 4.1 BEhold the Day cometh that shall burn as an Oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble and the Day that cometh shall burn them up saith the LORD of Hosts that it shall leave them neither root nor branch Mal. 3.1 2 3. Behold I will send my Messenger to wit to the Jews and he shall prepare the way before me and the LORD whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in Behold he shall come saith the LORD of Hosts Ver. 2. But who may abide the Day of his coming and who shall stand when he appeareth for he is like a Refiners fire and like Fullers soap Ver. 3. And he shall sit as a Refiner and Purifier of Silver and he shall purifie the sons of Levi and purge them as Gold and Silver that they may offer unto the LORD an Offering in Righteousness Luke 19.27 But those mine Enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring hither and slay them before me Even 2 Thess 2.8 The Wicked-one with his followers whom he shall destroy with the appearance of his coming Dan. 12.1 There shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a Nation Numb 24.23 Alas who shall live when God shall do this Rev. 16.15 BEhold I come as a Thief Blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame Haggi 2.6 7. Thus saith the LORD of Hosts Yet once it is a little while and I will shake the Heavens and the Earth and the Sea and the dry Land Ver. 7. And I will shake all Nations and the Desire of all Nations shall come With Heb. 12.26 Mal. 4.2 3. But unto you that fear my Name shall the Sunne of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall Ver. 3. And ye shall tread down the wicked for they shall be ashes under the soals of your feet in the day that I shall do this saith the LORD of Hosts Mal. 3.17 18. And they shall be mine saith the LORD of Hosts in that day that I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him Ver. 18. Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not Rev. 14.4 5. These are they which were not defiled with Women avoiding the Idolatry of the times for they are Virgins †For being espoused as a chast Virgin unto Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 They reject Image and Idol-worship Worship of evil men departed and Saints of Crosses and Crucifixes Opinion of merit works of Supererogation Church-Treasury Saints Intercession Mens Pardons Indulgences and all such devices for freeing them from their sins as also all opinions of Self-sufficiency Free-will Light within them Natural-conscience Creature-sufficiency or any thing that intrencheth upon any of Christs Offices as their Prophet Priest or King who is all to them for Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 11.30 these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth these were redeemed from among men being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Ver. 5. And in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Certain suitable and seasonable portions of Prophetical-Scriptures left for the benefit of Wisdoms Children here tendered to be observed by them in order following THe first is Rev. 16.12 And the sixth Angel poured out his Vial upon the great River Euphrates and the water
Texts of Scripture seem to me fully to evidence it as first that great Promise That they shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn with such a penitent Contrition promised to them in mercy Zac. 12.10 compared with Rev. 1.7 with Even so Amen as a great mercy in its time to be accomplished And from St. Peter's Sermon to the Jews when he tells them That the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord at the restitution of all things shall come when God will send Jesus whom the Heavens must contain till then Act. 3.19 20 21. which the Apostle Paul calls Christs apearing at his Kingdom 2 Tim. 4.1 and in Dan. 7. after the little Horn the Pope spoken of before verse 9. the Ancient of Days did sit and in verse 21. the little Horn prevailed until the Ancient of Days came verse 22. which is further explained vers 26 27. And Matth. 24. after the coming of the Son of man was described by the Lightning from one part of the Heaven to the other and after the trouble then to be upon the Earth vers 29. it is said Immediately shall appear the sign of the Son of man which is probably conceived to be Christ himself as a sign then to the whole World and the time seems decyphered verse 24. that that Generation shall not pass namely in that the Nation of the Jews was to remain distinguished from all other People for they have been and will be preserved mostly unmixed with others until the appearing of Christ and as 2 Thess 2.8 Antichrist is to be destroyed at the appearance of his coming So likewise Matth. 23.39 Ye shall not see me till ye shall say Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord implying that then they shall see him And in that Parable up-upon the occasion of the time of the appearing of the Kingdom of God verse 11. having before Chap. 17. compared the days of the Son of man to the days of Noah and Lot which latter of Lot seems to resemble the next appearing of Christ and the former namely of Noah his last coming to Judgement those two days of the Son of man Now as Lot and his Family were sent out of Sodom first before Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed in that particular destruction so the Faithful shall first come out of Babylon and spiritual Sodom before it be destroyed in that partial destruction though like to be very great and terrible And as Noah and his in the general Deluge were carried by the Ark above the destruction of the old World by Water so in the general conflagration of the World at Christs last coming all the Faithful at their great general change shall be caught up to Christ their safe Ark in the Air above the destruction of the Wicked by fire at the Worlds last destruction and as the Rabbins speak from the Prophet Their strength shall then be renewed like the Eagles and be there with Christ in safety as neither lyable nor capable any more of any such misery I say then in the 11th Chapter he speaks of such a coming vers 13. when he will reckon with such as would nor have him reign over them and with the unprofitable Servant at his coming v. 23. and will have those his Enemies then brought and slain before him vers 27. when he shall receive his Kingdom and return as vers 12. and this Parable was particularly spoken by our Saviour to resolve the mistake of such as thought the Kingdom of the Messiah should then immediately appear vers 11. And many of the Prophers expressions import as much which I shall not now insist upon But for how long and in what manner he may be personally present so as Rev. 1.7 he is said to come with Clouds haply to unvail the brightness of his Glory which otherwise mortal Eyes could not endure I dare not say for as the Apostle Paul speaks he dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto otherwise As no man hath seen him so no man can see him 1 Tim. 6.16 and whether after some time of his appearing personally that expression of the Tabernacle of God its being with men as Rev. 21.3 imports some wonderful Glory and Grace upon the New Jerusalem as upon the Tabernacle of his Grace of old or the Glory of God shining upon it as Isa 60.1 whose Sun and Light setteth not day nor night vers 19 20. by some brightness of Glory and Grace shining upon her continually making glad the City of God when the Lamb shall be her Light as Rev. 21.23 or their beholding of him as Stephen did miraculously at his death sitting at Gods right Hand or in what manner the Ark of Gods Testament shall then be seen when the Temple of God is opened in Heaven Rev. 11.19 with many expressions to like purpose or how long that Resurrectio Justorum shall be in finishing which Mr. Mede in one of his Letters seems to conceive may be a great part of the thousand years and according to their order as the Apostles phrase is first of the Martyrs and most eminent Saints and so of the rest successively concerning which and the like as I am in the dark so I must be silent God in his own time will reveal what he knows best for his People in the mean time there is matter enough of Comfort and Rejoycing in respect of both Quick and Dead in the good and blessed Condition of his Church in the said thousand years upon Earth to all such as so wait upon Christ here as the true Followers of the LAMB Rev. 14. that they may be in a capacity of the Happiness reserved for either sort in those times for which the Holy Scriptures give plentiful Evidence if Men will not hide their Eyes from the Light thereof Thus Christian Friend I have as in a Mirrour briefly being led by the Hand of Divine Providence and assisted by his Grace and Spirit according to his Word endeavoured to set before thee these Materials of the New Jerusalem-Doctrine hoping that hence thou mayest with me have gladness put into thy Heart above what men have when their Corn and Wine and Oyl encreaseth Psal 4. I conclude with this Prayer for Thee and my Self That the Knowledge and Faith of these things may be sanctified dayly more and more unto us and may more and more engage our Hearts unto the LORD to whom all the service of our whole Spirits Souls and Bodies is ever due and in the faithful endeavour therein our labour will never be in vain Many other things I should here have added to like purposes but am now forced to defer them till God may afford some further engaging Opportunity In the mean time let us render unto Him the Glory of all we are or have or do or expect which ever of Right will belong unto His Divine Majesty To Glory's GOD all Glory 's due for aye To Him alone This Due let all His pay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The End 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ERRATA In the Title Page for Aurorum read Auroram pag. 26. l. 7. r. they p. 25. l 4. r. cast up p. 31. l 36 r said wings and l. 40. r. fifth Century p. 32. l. 21. add to be expired