of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal Diadem in the hand of their God Isa. 62.3 And they shall call them the Holy People the redeemed of the Lord and thou shalt be called Sought out a City not forsaken vers. 12. So having shewed you by these Scriptures that the Jews shall return and build their City upon her own heap I shall now also shew you that there shall be a Temple built at the last and general return of the Jews from these three Reasons as followeth The First is from the Vision that the Lord shewed Ezekiel in the time of Israels Captivity for it is usual with the Lord to follow his people with Mercy so that in the valley of Achor there may bee a door of hope so the Lord dealt with John when he was driven into the Isle of Pathmos But to pass to Ezekiels Vision Wee may take notice that in the fortieth of Ezekiel 1 2 3 4 5. Verses that the Lord brought Ezekiel in a Vision into the Land of Israel and setting him upon an high Mount shewed him the frame of a City in the which City also he saw a man whose countenance was like Brasse and hee had also a measuring reed in his hand Moreover that this was a Prophecy of the last and general return see chap. 37.38 and that also without controversie Ezekiel did see a Temple built as well as a City as you may see proved already from Chap. 41.1 and vers. 4. from which we may see clearly there was a Temple and so as I said before so I say now read and consider well the three precedent Chapters and you shall see that it was the last and general return out of Captivity that there was Prophesied of from the same account it is clear That there is to be a Temple as well as a City Obj. If it be objected and said That there were Priests and Sacrifices mentioned in that Prophecie to that I answer and say It is true but after the Jews return out of their Captivity they shall wait for their Messiah in their Sacrifices untill such time as the Man of Sin shall spoyl them and take it away and place up abomination in the room for I cannot finde from Scripture that the Jews shall be converted by a Gospel-preaching although I know the two Witnesses shall prophecy one thousand two hundred and sixty days Now that these two Witnesses shal preach Gospel-Ordinances or a Crucified Christ Repentance and faith to the Jews in such a manner and way as he was or is preached to the Gentiles that I much question for as much as I see not the Scripture making good such a thing but in many places doth crosse such an Opinion as to my understanding for the Lord Christ said They should see him no more till they said Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord as for the Gospel they are enemies for your sake but as touching Election they are beloved for the Fathers sake for the Gifts and Callings of God are without repentance So that when they see the Lord come in the Clouds even the great King that they lookt for then they shall know that it was he that they and their Fathers have rejected as well as Peter knew Moses and Elias which he never saw before so that at that time the Spirit of Prayer and Supplication shall be poured out and they shall mourn So when the Redeemer cometh to Sion at that time shall transgression be turned from Iacob Matth. 23.39 Rom. 11.25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33. verses Isa. 27 6. compare vers. 9. chap. 25.7 8 9. Zech. 12.10 Moreover if it should be demanded of me What shall be the work of the two Witnesses I answer That their work will bee to establish the Iews against the slights of the Man of Sin that shall affirm himself to be the Christ and disswade the Iews from beleeving in him reviving those old Prophecies which have been in obscurity by reason of the mis-understanding of the people to whom they were made for doubtlesse the Iews at this time do earnestly expect their King and should they not have some to instruct them and to expound the Prophecies or Prophesie of them It is very like they might do ill enough especially because of that great appearance of the Man of Sin what by his great Armies and the false Signs that shall bee wrought by his false Prophets that shall cause Fire to come down from Heaven in the sight of men to deceive them that dwell upon the earth so that their work will not be to preach Ordinances but to prove that the great person that then shall be exalted amongst them is not the Christ that they look for but the Antichrist or the vile Person or the first Gog or the Man of Sin though he have several Names yet is he but one Person which was fore-told by Enoch the seventh from Adam and also by Ezekiel and Daniel Esay and Joel and also by Peter and John which was to stand up in the last days and also fall upon the Mountains of Israel and so I shall passe both from the Answer to the Objection and the first Reason and come to a Second to shew you why there is to be a Temple built as well as a City A second Reason is because Iohn in his Revelation saw a Temple and was to measure it Revel. 11.1 2 3. in these words And there was given to me a Reed like unto a Red and the Angel that stood by said Arise and go measure the Temple of God and the Altar and those that worship therein but the Court which is without the Temple leave out and measure it not for it is given into the hands of the Gentiles and the Holy City shall be trod under foot forty two Months Hence you may also see there was a Temple which Temple Iohn was to measure now that this was a Prophecie of the last times is clear from verse 18. and as the text reads it the Court without leave out and measure not the antient Translations read it the inner Court or the Court within the Temple leave out and measure it not for it is given into the hands of the Gentiles and the Holy City shall they tread under foot forty and two Months the which if so it may appear to us clearly That before the Iews have finished their inward Court which is the Holiest of Holiest the Man of Sin will take it out of their hands and spoyl them of the injoyment of it for the term of forty two Months which is three years and a half upon the account of thirty days to a Month the which time and times and half a time the travelling Woman will be drove into the Wilderness and the remnant of her seed persecuted and this vile Person shall then set up his Image which shall by the power of the Devil speak and cause as many
let me speak to thy comfort The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head that is though the Serpent had thought by his subtilty to have buried thy honour in the dust for ever and so to have destroyed the work that I had been doing Six days in one hour yet I will have him to know that my Wisdom is unsearchable and my ways past finding out that I have found a way to involve my Son in the flesh not to take upon him the Nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham whereby hee may take away the Victory from the Grave though thou must needs dye and be like water spilt upon the ground yet I have used a means that thou shalt not be for ever expelled 2 Sam. 14.14 So know this to thy comfort and set the Serpent know this to his shame though my word be established in the Heavens that the Heavens and Earth shall pass away yet not one word of mine shall pass away unexecuted and so I shall take the words of the Lord before named 2 Sam. 14.14 and shew you why God brought in the promised Seed to intervene sin and the sentence that is though his Decree cannot be broken nor his Justice go unsatisfied but that Man must dye for that Original Sin no man or woman to be exempted but must all be banished by death But Jesus Christ was to bring life and immortality to light herein is the saying made good O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us victory through Jesus Christ our Lord This place the Apostle useth 1 Cor. 15. to prove the very thing that I am now a proving of If you should ask me whether Christ brought nothing for the Sons of Men more than a Resurrection I should answer yes many things he brought heavenly Paradisical glory for all such as would accept of it upon those conditions that he offered it Much more might be said to this Objection and Argument but my time at present is precious Arg. 2. If the Sin against the First Covenant made the Sinners liable but to the first Death then Adam and all since in his loyns were liable but to the first Death But the Sin against the first Covenant made the Sinners liable but to the first Death Ergo Adam and all his posterity stand guilty by that Sin only of the first Death To the proof of this Argument I shall give you to understand what I mean by the first Covenant and that you may see was excellent injoyments I mean excelling in Prerogative beyond all other Creatures insomuch as they were all under him and whatsoever name he gave them they shall bee called by and also had he not sinned he should have injoyed that pure earthly Paradisical injoyment which was the glory of the first Covenant from which glory hee fell by transgression of that Law or that Original Sin as you so call it First That he sinned against no other Covenant but that Covenant because there was never no Covenant made of a second Life or a second Glory not till after Adam had sinned and therefore could not sin against such a Covenant it being not made nor he in a capacity to sin against any such thing So that Sir take notice of this one thing by the way that as the Grave and the misery tending thereunto as sickness weakness and such like infirmities is that which a Creature receiveth as punishment for the sinning against that pure earthly Paradisical Covenant So the Gulf of Hell with eternal misery is the punishment of Sin committed against that second Covenant the which is a Covenant of heavenly Paradisical glory so that as the glory of the second Covenant doth surmount the glory of the first so the loss of the thing Covenanted with the punishment thereunto doth farre surmount the injoyment of the first with the punishment annexed thereunto Now to prove my Minor Proposition by a plain rext as Gen. 3.19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread until thou returnest to the ground for out of it wast thou taken dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return Compare this with the seventeenth verse of the same Chapter where he saith Cursed is the ground for thy sake and also telleth him that it shall bear thorns and thistles So if you take good notice what the Lord denounces as punishment to him and his seed which is only earthly and inflicted only upon the outward man no whit eternal neither inflicted upon the inward man and thus I have proved my Minor Proposition that Adams Sin was but against the first Covenant which sin lost but the injoyment of the first Life with that earthly Paradisical glory Arg. 3. If Adam in his best condition as he stood in Paradise before the Fall were but an earthly man and all his injoyments were but earthly injoyments then he could lose no more than what he had to lose which was earthly But Adam in his best condition was but an earthly man all his injoyments were but earthly injoyments Ergo all that he lost was butearthly injoyments The Minor I shall thus prove 1 Cor. 15.44 There is a Natural body and a Spiritual body so it is written the first man Adam was made a living Soul the last man Adam was made a quickning spirit verse 45. howbeit that was not first which is Spiritual but that which is Natural and after that which is Spiritual vers. 46. The first man is of the earth earthy the second man is the Lord from Heaven vers. 47. Thus you see the first man Adam was but earthly and also his injoyments as earthly as himself Obj. If it should be objected and said That the Lord made Adam an immortal Soul Ans. To which I answer that God breathed into Adam the breath of Life and so hee became a living Soul it should appear he was a dead Soul before for many times in Scripture the Mortal part of Man is called the Soul Joshua 10.28 it is proved in and so oftentimes in the ninth tenth and eleventh Chapters of Joshua and Adam and all his Posterity had such mortal Souls that had not Christ risen to have brought a Resurrection that is to say that mortal Body out of the dust we had been like the beasts that perished 1 Cor. 15.18 And so much briefly to the third Argument Arg. 4. The Fourth Argument To prove why Adams sin did not bring any of his Posterity to be liable unto the second Death If the punishment due to that Original sin of Adam in Paradise be no other than what God hath declared in the Sentence which is no other but upon the outward man then none of the Sons of Adam shall be Damned for that sin of Adam in Paradise But that punishment due to Adam in Paradise is no other than
Sodomites with their Children are in Hell but having no reason to prove the first you have little reason to say the second But if you should suppose that Luke sixteenth would prove it in the Parable I will shew you that that will bee no proof for it was but a Parable and I can as well affirm that the Trees went forth on a time to anoynt a King over them Judg. 9.8 And they said unto the Olive tree reign thou over us You may read unto the sixteenth verse and see a large Discourse of it which is a Parable as well as that Luke sixteenth and so proves nothing but is for illustration and so that place Luke sixteenth is for illustration by the which the Lord doth shew what shall be the condition of poor afflicted Souls that suffer in this Life and also the condition of such who hate the poor afflicted people of God and take their pleasure in this Life so that God calls things that shall be in time as if they were in present being Hence it comes to pass that the Angel cries out Babylon is fallen Revel. 14.8 and so Revel. 18.2 which Voyce from Heaven was sixteen hundred years ago and yet I doubt not but you would conclude with me that Rome which is there called Mystery Babylon is not yet fallen so also John saith Revel. 20.11 12. That he saw the general Resurrection and the last Judgement so that you may see God calleth things that shall be as if they were and thus I have answered your great Objection Luk. 16.22 But now because there is a Generation of Men which affirm That there is no Hell now in being nor never shall be and thereby are hardned in their ungodly practises I shall shew you in a few words my judgement concerning Hell that all men may see I abhor such an ungodly opinion In the first place I shall speak a little of the time of its being and that I find in Scripture shall not be till the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to judge the world 2 Thessal 7. vers. 8. where the Lord is said to come in flaming fire to punish such as disobey him in his Gospel and Iude 14 15. verses Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgement upon all Which sheweth that neither Judgement nor the execution of Judgement which is the punishment of Hell shall be untill the coming of the Lord see also Revel. 22.12 He shall come quickly and his reward shall be with him to give unto every one according to his works See Mat. 25.29 30 31. So much briefly for the time of Hell in its being although much more may be said Secondly in brief for the place of Hell which I conceive shall bee on Earth where sin was committed for which I refer you to Isaiah 24.21 which saith And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish the Host of High ones which are on high and the Kings of the earth on the earth It is in that day when hee shall reign gloriously in the Hill of Zion when the Sun shall be ashamed and the Moon confounded And further we know Hell is called utter darkness viz. when the Lord hath with-drawn the Sun Moon and Stars which are but for signs and seasons and for days and years and these words shew that they are limited as to time which when they are taken away the Earth will be utter darkness and so the place where the Lord will punish Further he saith he will gather all Flesh to the valley of Jehosaphat and plead with them there and so much briefly to the place Now because I have thus said that Hell is not yet in being let not any ungodly Soul be hardned in his ungodly practices to think that when they dye they shall not go to Hell thou maist come there too soon for if so be that a thousand years to the Lord be but as yesterday and yet he have knowledge of time then ten thousand years is but a moment to those which have no knowledge of time but in the Grave there is no remembrance of time so that from Adams death which was the first man unto the time of his Resurrection will be to him but a moment of time But if by these words you should conclude that I hold the Mortality of the Soul I shall speak a word to it although I have spoke to it before yet a word now in its place may be seasonable and that is this All that is man dyeth and is mortal neither do I know and I beleeve you will be troubled to finde that any other thing returns to God than that Spirit which is neither of man nor from man but was freely given from God which indeed is immortal and yet is in no capacity to receive joy until the body is perfected with it I could speak much to this particular but that I see two sorts of persons that are ready to run upon the extremes which for want of true understanding in that point do run into great absurdities In the last Clause of your Letter you say The Anabaptist would have urged another Argument to prove no Children damned but you say you refused it and said that was but running round To which I answer That it did appear to me you were very weary indeed and could not answer to one Argument and therefore much less to many more You writ to me that you were scarcely recovered of Sickness and so that was one ground why you could not We use to say Sir a bad shift is better than none but while you were a talking of the flesh namely contesting about your Tithes with your Neighbour which was none of your Flock you seemed to be very well But Sir I marvell not much at your Apology for I scarce ever met with any of your Coat but they had urgent business that wanted them at home or a great way to Ride or a Sermon to Teach or some such like excuse but were any of you at any place where you might have varieties for your Belly or monies for your Purse and no Sectaries in the way as you call them to trouble you you would not bee in such great hast Furthermore you said I cried Victory by railing upon you Sir I pray you do not make me like your self which usually do rayl in your Pulpit as I am informed and by your own confession but I shall give you a review of those words which you call rayling You may remember when you were mounted on your Horse and ready to be gone when you could say nothing unto me you had thought to stop my mouth with these words saying unto me you profess God hath spoke to you let us see you shew a sign Although I never had a tittle in my speech to that purpose my answer was this which you call rayling that you are like to that adulterous Generation that seek a
by abusing the worthy name of God speaking reproachfully of him and his Son Christ and slighting those Laws and Ordinances which are given forth to be practised till his second and great coming with the abusing of themselves in uncleaneness and Lusts of the flesh amongst which they contend for the community of Women which is none of the least of their Uncleanenesses and make themselves worse than the savage Beasts Of that sort are the rude Ranters and the blasphemous Quakers the which have cast off Civil Humanity and this generation of men are the men that will cause the Lord to arise and take vengeance upon the earth for so saith the word of the Lord in these words And Enoch also the seventh from Adam Prophecied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute Judgement upon all and to convince all that are ungodly amongst them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly Sinners have spoken against him So that we may see that the Lord will send his Son in flaming fire against all ungodly men but chiefly they that walk after the Lust of the flesh in uncleaneness as hee once did destroy the world and such like Sinners with an over-flowing Floud Gen. 6.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Jude 4. compare 14 15. 2 Pet. 2.4 compare 10. cap. 3.3 compare 10. See also vers. 7. From hence you may see that that ungodly generation of men that are now in the World is a lively sign of Christs coming And so I pass briefly to the third The Third sign of Christs coming Is the Echo or sound of these two things in the World as namely the Preaching of the Gospel about in the Nations and the Warres and rumours of Warres that do accompany it for when these two things go together then Christ saith the end is very nigh and although the Gospel have been preached before in a private way that is to say in some particular Nation or privately in that Nation yet never was the Gospel preached to Nations and Rulers as it is in our days Obj. If it should be Objected and said That the Gospel hath been preached in Nations a great while by the Ministery of the Nation To which I answer Ans. That as the Congregations of the Nation was never called a Church of Christ nor her Teachers the Ministers of the Gospel neither hath that kinde of Doctrine which they have preached been called the preaching of the Gospel If it should be demanded of me what it is I should answer to them in their particuler order First the National Church is called by the name of the Cities of the Nation which is a borrowed word from Christs Church Yee are a City set upon an Hill Mat. 5.14 Rev. 16.19 and that this City of the Nations is meant the National Church is because they shall begin to decay and sink and shall also be destroyed at the time that Babylon shall come in remembrance before God whereby she shall receive the Cup at his hands for the Nations or the National Church hath been stained is and shall be with the corruptions or pollutions of Romes Doctrine Jer. 51.7 8. Again if you shall ask me what the National Ministers are called in Scripture I shall shew you as followeth they are called Merchants of the Earth or the Angels of the Waters now the word Angel signifieth Minister as Revel. 1.20 and the Waters signifie Nations for so saith the Spirit The Waters that thou sawest are Multitudes Nations and Tongues Rev. 17.15 so it is clear that the Angels of the Waters are meant the Ministers of the Nations so that they are neither called Ministers of Christ nor Ministers of the Gospel but the Ministers of the Gospel are called by another name in the same place even the Angel of the Altar and that Christ is our Altar is clear see Heb. 13.10 Rev. 16.7 Thirdly Why their Preaching is not called Gospel-preaching although they make use of the Gospel is because they teach for Doctrine the Traditions of their Fathers and the Apostle calleth not such Gospel-preaching but saith to the Galathians I marvel that you are so soon moved away from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another Gospel which is not another but there are some that trouble you and would pervert the Gospel of Christ Gal. 1.6 7. so that those persons that do pervert any of the sayings of Christ according to Scripture account cannot be called the Ministers of the Gospel nor their Preaching Gospel-preaching which the Ministers of our Nation have done that is to say mingled the Commands of Christ with their Traditions and so cannot be meant that Gospel-preaching which shall bee the fore-runner of Jesus Christ but that the Gospel shall be preached again in the plain way of it that is to say in the way which Christ appointed when hee ascended up on high is clear Mat. 24.14 Rev. 14.6 The Fourth and last Sign of the second coming of Jesus Christ is those false Signs and Miracles that shall bee wrought by the false Prophets for a little before the coming of Christ there will be a Generation of men that will deny the way and Ordinances of the Gospel because they are not accompanied with Miracles and so shall deny the power of the Word The Devil seeing this hee shall impower the false Prophets whereby they shall do great Signs and lying Wonders to deceive by multitudes all incredulous persons who will beleeve a lying Sign before they will beleeve that Word that was confirmed by Signs for when persons do not like to retain God in their knowledge God is pleased to send them strong delusions to beleeve a Lye and that there are many such now in our days that have denied the Truth that once they owned and are grown to such a height as that they do shew many lying Signs if any shal question the truth of this let them but go to London and go to those Meetings that they call the Quakers Meetings and they shall see it apparently enough But now to prove that false Signs and lying Wonders before-runners of Christs coming see from these Scriptures following Mat. 7.22 Cap. 24.24 2 Thess. 2.9 Rev. 13.13 14. Cap. 16.14 15. Friends I should adde some more Signs of Christs coming as the gathering together of the Jews into their own Land which certainly might easily be proved did we but understand the consultation that there is amongst them but the returning of the Fleet from the Straights will give us more certain intelligence as to that thing and so I shall leave these few Signs unto your consideration and pass to the Tenth and last Particular A profitable Application of the Sum of what is fore-mentioned Christian Reader I having shewed you what excellent injoyment the Lord hath laid up for his people even for such as seek him as for hidden treasure Sith
the Lord hath set before thine eyes such a Kingdom and such an Immortal Crown of Life be exhorted to run with patience the race that is set before you What if though troubles do beset a Christian life yet these light afflictions which are but for a moment work in us a farre more and exceeding weight of glory Dear Christian be of the minde of the worthy Apostle that counted all things as dung and dross in comparison of the excellent knowledge of his Christ reckoning that the sufferings of this present time were not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed See thy blessed Saviour hath led thee an example of sufferings Who for the joy that was set before him indured the Cross despised the Shame and is nowset down at the right hand of the Father I say consider him who indured such Buffetings such Crowning with Thorns nay such spitting on and yet turned not away his back from the smiter nor his cheek from him that plucked off the hair Isa. 50.6 2 Cor. 4.26 27 28. Rom. 8.17 18. Heb. 12.2 3. Again in the second place let me exhort thee to stand always upon thy watch for the Day of Christ or the day of thy Dissolution is a very uncertain day for as it was in the dissolution of the old World so shall it be in the coming of Christ for the day before the Floud they are they drank they married and gave in Marriage until the Floud came and took them all away Even so was it with the Sodomites they continued in their security until the wrath of the Almighty broke out and there was no remedy Moreover when Lot fore-warned his Sons in Law of the Wrath of God upon the City he seemed to them as one that mocked Gen. 19.14 Matth. 24.37 38 39 40. Moreover the Apostle saith That the Day of the Lord shall so come as a Thief in the night that when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travel upon a Woman with Childe and they shall not escape 1 Thess. 5.1 2 3. So forasmuch as the Day of the Lord is so uncertain let us labour for a watchful Spirit for it is a duty of a very high concernment both from the example of the Saints that have gone before and from a command of our blessed Saviour and his Apostles as you may see from these Scriptures Psal. 102.7 Psal. 103.6 Isa. 21.5 Hab. 2.1 Mat. 24.42 Cap. 25.13 Mar. 13.33 34 37. Acts 10.31 1 Cor. 16.13 1 Thess. 5.6 The Apostle also gives two maine Reasons to urge Christians to thar duty of watchfulness the first is from this consideration That the end of all things is at hand in these words saying The end of all things is at hand watch and be sober 1 Pet. 4.7 The second Reason is because saith he your Adversary the Devil like a roaring Lion runs about seeking whom he may devour whom resist be stedfast in the faith 1 Pet. 5.8 the Spirit of God lays down the danger that will follow security and saith If thou shalt not watch I will come upon thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know whenever I will some upon thee Revel. 3.3 therefore blessed is he that watcheth and keepeth his Garment lest he walk naked and they see his shame Revel. 16.15 Therefore for as much as it is a duty of such concernment let us labour to watch to the end we may know the Signs of the times so as that they overtake us not as a Snare whereby we be deprived of that glorious Crown that is set before us And so I pass to the second Use Secondly Be informed Christian Reader of the vanity or emptiness of all injoyments unless such injoyments as shall be brought at the revelation of Jesus Christ at that day under these two considerations The first is The instability or breviousness of their continuance Secondly from the little peace or Soul-satisfaction they speak to a Soul when they do injoy them and so to the first thing considerable which is the instability or breviousness or short continuance of the injoyments of all things below that inheritance We shall take notice first of the Wise-mans words that saith Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that that is not verily riches make themselves wings and fly towards Heaven riches are not for ever and the crown of them doth not indure to every Generation for as we brought nothing into the World so it is certain we shall carry nothing out so that every man walketh in a vain show getting goods knowing not who shall injoy them and thus spending their days in wealth in a moment go down to the Grave and his bones being full of the Sins of his youth which shall lye down with him in the dust Job 20.11 Cap. 21.13 Psal. 39.6 1 Tim. 6.7 Job 1.21 Prov. 23.5 Cap. 27.24 From hence we may see that we have no continuing City here but all our in joyments are very brevious and full of frugality so that we are like unto Dreaming men that dream they injoy much and wake and behold they have nothing So it is with all men that have not assurance of that Kingdom to come that Riches and Honour before mentioned although they may have much riches in this world yet when the Lord saith Return you children of men they return to dust and be as if they had not been and all the riches that they have injoyed is but to them a Dream as the Psalmist saith How are they brought to desolation as at a moment they are utterly consumed with terror as a Dream when one awaketh so Lord when thou awakest thou wilt despise their Image Psal. 73.19 20. Heb. 13.13 Psal. 90.3 4 5 6. Again wilt thou set thy heart upon honor that is as vain as the former for men of high degree are vanity and men of low degree are alike when they are put in a ballance they are altogether lighter than vanity their inward thoughts is that their houses should continue for ever and their dwelling pleces unto all generations they call their Lands after their own names neverthelesse man being in honor abideth not but is like the beast that perisheth this their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings like Sheep they are laid in the grave Death shall feed on them and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning and their beauty shall consume in their graves from their dwellings though while he live he bless himself and men will praise thee when thou doest well to thy self he shall go to the generation of his Fathers and never see light the man that is in honor and understandeth not is like the beast that perisheth Psal. 49. 11 12 13 14. compared with 18. Again wilt thou set thy heart on pleasure that is vain and but for a moment therefore Moyses did choose rather to suffer afflictions with the people of God than
to enjoy the pleasure of Sin for a season knowing assuredly that those that live in pleasure were dead while they lived and so were an ill savor in the nostrils of God Heb. 11.25 1 Tim. 5 6. and so having showed you the instability and the breviousness of all the things of this life I shall also show you the vanity and the little peace that they speak to a Soul here or at the great day of Account but rather trouble and vexation of Spirit as you may see from the words of him that had the greatest experience that ever any before or since had as you may see by the discovery of what he did injoy in that which followeth I said in my heart Go too now I will prove thee with mirth therefore enjoy pleasure and behold this also is vanity I said of laughter it is madd and of mirth what doth it I sought in my heart to give my self to Wine yet acquainting my heart with Wisdom and to lay hold on Folly till I might see what was that good for the Sons of men which they should doe under the Heavens all the dayes of their life I made me great works I builded me houses and planted me vineyards I made me gardens and orchards and planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits I made me pools of water to water therewith the wood that brought forth trees I gat me servants and maidens and had servants born in my house Also I had great possessions of great and small Cattel above all that were in Jerusalem before me I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of Kings and Princes I gat me men-singers and women-singers and the delights of the Sons of men as Musical Instruments and that of all sorts so was great and increased more than all that were before me in Ierusalem also my wisdom remained with me and whatsoever my eyes desired I kept nothing from them I withheld not my heart from any Joy for my heart rejoyced in all my labour and this was my portion of all my labor then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had laboured to do and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit and there was no profit under the Sun for riches profit not in the day of wrath but righteousness delivereth from death Prov. 11.4 Ficclesiast 2.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11. From hence you may see and many more Scriptures that might be added the vanity and non-profit as well as the brevity of all the enjoyments below that excellent inheritance that shall be given to the Saints at the appearance of Iesus Christ and therefore gird up the Ioins of your mind and hope to the end And so I pass to the Third Use The Third shall serve to reprove thou art reproved poor Soul whosoever thou art that art so foolish that hast a prise put into thy hands and doest not ingage thy heart to make use of it the Lord will reprove thee at his appearance because thou hast not made use of that Talent he gave thee and will command that thou shalt be bound and be cast into utter darkness where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for ever O let that sad president of Esau be a warning unto thee the which when he had sold his birth-right afterwards when he would have inherited the blessing he was rejected and found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears Heb. 12.26 27. Gen. 27.28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40. From hence we see that persons are reproved that do so much hunt after the enjoyment of the world so that they thereby lose their heavenly inheritance More you may see also from the words of our blessed Saviour wherein he reproveth an ungodly generation of men that strive to be rich in this world when they are not rich in the graces of God he saith Thou Fool this night shall thy Soul be required of thee and then whose shall all those be that thou hast labourea for Luke 12.16 17 18 19 20 21. See more in the Parable But Abraham said Son remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things and Lazarus evil things but now he is comforted and thou art tormented Luke 16.15 From which words we may see that such as delight more in the enjoyments of the things of this life then they doe in suffering for Christs sake and the Gospel looking at that glorious Kingdome that shall come when Abraham Isaack and Jacob and all the holy Prophets and all the faithfull Saints shall enter into that inheritance of glory they shall be cast out to utter darknesse and banished from the presence of God and the holy Angels for ever Matt. 8.11 12. cap. 13.42 43. So we may see such Souls are worthy of reproof which when the Lord hath bestowed a Talent upon them and given them time and means of grace and yet doe not ingage their hearts to make use of it And so I pass to the fourth Use The fourth use is a word of caution that I shall desire thee Christian Reader to lay to heart which is no other than the same that our blessed Saviour gave to his Disciples in these words Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life lest that day come upon you unawares for as a snare it shall come upon all them that live upon the face of the whole earth Watch ye therefore and pray always that ye may be counted worthy to escape those things that shall come to passe and stand before the Son of man Luke 21.34 35 36. What a sad thing will it be for Souls that are not prepared for their great Bridegroom when the noise shall be made the Bridegroom comes therefore take heed of carelesse security Take heed watch and pray for thou knowest not when the time is Moreover Blessed is that servant that when the Lord comes is found watching Mat. 25.13 Lu. 12.37 Mat. 26.41 5ly The fifth use is an use of direction In order to the attaining of this heavenly inheritance first seek it before and above all things in the world and then I can assure thee thou shalt find it the which if thou dost find it will fill the closet of thy Soul with glorious and durable riches for proof of this that thou shalt find it and that thou shalt be made rich by it see Prov. 8.17 18 19. 20. in these words I love them that love me and those that seek me early shall find me riches and honour are with me yea durable riches and righteousnesse My fruit is better than gold yea fine gold and my revenue than choice silver I lead in the way of righteousnesse in the midst of the paths of judgement that I may cause those that love me to inherit substance and